YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Gift of

THE COLLECTOR'S SHOP

THE LIFE
JESUS CHRIST;
CONTAINING
A FULL, ACCURATE, AND INSTRUCTIVE HISTORY, OF THE VARIOUS TRANSACTIONS
* IN THE
ftfft of our Crlorfon0 HeVrcnier»
FROM HIS TAKING UPON HIMSELF OUR SINFUL NATURE TO HIS CRUCIFIXION, RESURRECTION FROM
THE DEAD, AND GLORIOUS
ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN.
TOGETHER WITH THE LIVES, TRANSACTIONS, AND SUFFERINGS OF THE
HOLY EVANGELISTS, APOSTLES, AND OTHERS,
WHO HAVE SEALED THE GREAT TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY WITH THEIR BLOOD;
INCLUDING THE
Patriarchs, and the Transactions of John the Baptist, the great Forerunner of
TO WHICH IS ADDED,
A FULL DEFENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION,
IN WHICH THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY ARE CLEARLY STATED, THE NEW TESTAMENT PROVED TO BE GENUINE, AND THE RELIGION
OF THE GREAT REDEEMER OF MANKIND TRULY DIVINE.
The whole intended to set forth the Principles of pure and undefiled Religion, in the Knowledge of the Deity and Atonement of Christ, Justification,
Purity of Heart, and Holiness of Life.

BY THE REV. JOHN FLEETWOOD, D. D.

EMBELLISHED WITH SUPERB ENGRAVINGS FROM THE FIRST ARTISTS.

NEW-YORK:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THOMAS KINNERSLEY,
OPPOSITE THE MANHATTAN BANK, BROADWAY.
1828.

PREFACE.

THE first and greatest object that should most materially engage the attention of mankind, is
the pursuit of that knowledge which tends to promote their welfare while on this transitory stage
of life, and their eternal happiness in that which is to come. No measures whatever can be taken
to effect this, but the most earnest endeavours to make themselves perfectly acquainted with, and
strictly to follow, the example of our Blessed Redeemer, the great Captain of our sufferings — the
Preserver of our souls from death to life everlasting — the grand Pattern of Sanctity, Humility,
Meekness, and Charity — the King of Glory— the Guiding-star to Righteousness — and who, as he
himself expresses it, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life*
As, therefore, in our Blessed Redeemer only rests the whole of our eternal salvation, let him
only engross our most serious attention ; and let the example of his Apostles, who have sealed
their faith with their blood, inspire us with resolution, and make us emulous to be accounted volun
tary Servants of Christ, who condescended to suffer an ignominious death to clear us from our sins,
that we might escape the punishment due to our manifold offences.
In seriously perusing the Life and Transactions of the Great Redeemer of Mankind, we shall
there find those balmy sweets, those solid comforts, which, if properly attended to, will promote
our felicity here, and secure us eternal happiness hereafter. If we endeavour to pursue the Divine
System laid down by our Blessed Saviour, there is no reason to doubt but our Obedience will be
crowned with that Reward, which he hath been pleased to promise to all those who imitate his
glorious example. Our Lord himself tells us, that if we are poor in Spirit, we shall gain the king-

PREFACE.
dom of Heaven — if we mourn here, we shall be comforted — if we hunger and thirst after Righ
teousness, we shall be filled. It is from these assurances that St. Augustine says, " The happiness of
this Life consists of the Holy Ghost, without which we cannot come to the Knowledge of God."
All true knowledge, virtue, and perfection, that a Christian can desire or attain to, are contained in
the doctrines and transactions of our Glorious Redeemer; who teaches us that Righteousness and
Holiness consist in the inward Purity of the Mind, not in the outward show of Works — in a Con
science void of Offence ; not in the pompous Applause of Men — in Humility ; not in Ostentation —
in Contempt ; not in the pursuit of worldly Honours : and he further teaches us to love our Ene
mies as well as our Friends. Here we read of the nature of true Faith ; of trusting in Christ alone;
and how we ought not to glory but in him. Here we read also of the Certainty of Salvation, the
Forgiveness of Sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and of Life eternal.
We most certainly hope, that the perusal of this Work will produce that effect for which it is so
happily adapted ; namely, the Promotion of the Cause of Christianity, and make Mankind wise
unto Salvation. A serious attention to the Divine Transactions contained in this History, will fill
the mind with awful, though pleasing Ideas ; banish every Doubt ; confirm the Reader in the most
sublime Truths, and fill his soul with Divine Ecstacies.
We shall only further observe, that in the execution of this Performance, we have endeavoured
to improve the understanding and warm the heart; to inspire the mind with gratitude for the
astonishing love of a dying Saviour, and excite the soul to embrace his kind invitations of Forgive
ness, of Happiness, and of Peace.

AN

INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION,

IN WHICH

The Evidences of Christianity are fairly stated, the New Testament proved to be
genuine^, and the Religion of JESUS truly Divine.

IT is a well-attested truth, that immorality ever grows with infidelity, and to the prevalence
of vice must certainly be imputed that scorn and derision in which too many in the pre
sent day hold the sacred oracles of God, the revealed will of the great Creator of Heaven
and Earth.
From hence, therefore, it is reasonable to ask, What cause can produce so strange a deviation from
the ways of God ? Doubtless from that.unhappy disregard, either to the Gospel in general, or to his
peculiar and essential truths, so visible in the world, and which appear to be continually increasing.
It is too evident, that multitudes among us, like those of old, who thought and professed themselves
the wisest of mankind, have been desirous of banishing God and his truths from their knowledge ;
and it is, therefore, the less to be wondered at, if God has given them up to a reprobate mind ; to the
most infamous lusts and enormities; and to a depth of degeneracy, which, while it is in part the
natural consequence, is in part also the just, but dreadful, punishment of their apostacy from the
faith. And we are persuaded that those who wish well to the cause of Christ, as every true Chris
tian most certainly does, cannot serve it more effectually, than by endeavouring to establish men in
their belief of the Gospel in general, and to build them up in its most holy faith. The latter, we
flatter ourselves, we have suf&ciendy done in the following lives of the blessed Jesus and his Apostles
and followers ; and we propose in this dissertation to prove that the Christian Religion is true, and
owes its origin to God himself.
It will be needless to observe, that this is a matter of the highest importance, as every one will ap
prehend that this is the foundation of all our hopes. It is absolutely necessary, in this age of liber
tinism, that every Christian should be able to give a reason for the hope that is in him, and to put to
fjjence the tongues of those men who have evil will at Sion. And may the Almighty enable us to
plead his cause with success ! May the divine Spirit accompany these arguments, that the faith of
5|j & 52. a

VI AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
our readers being more and more established, it may appear that the tree is watered at the Toots, by
all the other graces growing and flourishing in an equal proportion.
God has made ample provision for the honour and support of his Gospel, by furnishing it with a
variety of proofs, which may, with undiminished, and, indeed, with growing conviction, be dis
played in the eyes of the whole world : and we should be greatly wanting in gratitude to him, in
zeal for a Redeemer's kingdom, and in charitable concern for the conversion of those who reject the
Gospel, as well as for the edification of those who embrace it, should we wholly overlook those ar
guments, or neglect to acquaint ourselves with them. This is the evidence we propose, and beg our
readers would peruse it with becoming attention.
In prosecution of this great design, we shall endeavour more particularly to show, that if we take
the matter on a general survey, it will appear highly probable, that such a system of doctrines and
precepts as we find Christianity to be, should, indeed, have been a divine Revelation, and then that
if we examine into the external evidence of it, we shall find it certain in fact, that it was so, and that
it had its origin from on high.
First, then, we are to show, that, taking the matter merely in theory, it will appear highly pro
bable, that such a system as the Gospel should be, indeed, a divine Revelation. To prove this we
shall endeavour to show, That the state of mankind was such, as greatly to need a revelation ; that
there seems, from the light of nature, encouragement to hope, that God would grant one ; that it
is reasonable to believe, that if any were made, it should be introduced and transmitted, as
Christianity was ; and that its general nature and substance should be such as we find that
of the Gospel is. If we satisfactorily prove these particulars,, there will be a strong presumptive
evidence, that the Gospel is from God, and a fair way will be opened for that more divine proof,
which is principally intended.
1. The case of mankind is naturally such, as to need a divine revelation. We should not be un
derstood to speak here of man in his original state, though, even then, some instruction from above
seemed necessary to inform him of many particulars, which it was highly proper for him then to
know ; but we speak of him in the degenerate condition in which he now so evidently lies, by
whatever means he fell into it. It is very easy to make florid encomiums on the perfection of
natural light, and to deceive unwary readers by an ambiguous term, as a late author has done in
his deistical writings ; a fallacy beneath an ingenuous reasoner, and which alone ought to have
exposed his book to the contempt of every serious reader. Truth needs no disguise ; a candid ad
vocate scorns such subterfuges ; let facts speak for themselves, and controversy will soon be decided.
We appeal to every intelligent reader, who is acquainted with the records of antiquity, or that has
any knowledge of the present state of those countries where Christianity is unknown, whether it is
not too obvious a truth that the whole heathen world has lain, and still lies, in a state of wickedness ?
Have not the greater part of them been perpetually bewildered in their religious notions and prac
tices ; very different from each other, and almost equally differing on all sides from the appearances
of truth and reasons ? Is any thing so wild as not to have been believed ; any thing so infamous as
not to have been practised by them, while they not only pretended to justify it by reason, but to have
consecrated it as a part of their religion. To this very day, what are the discoveries of new nations
in the American or African world ; but, generally speaking, the opening new scenes of enormity?
Rapine, lust, cruelty, human sacrifices, and the most stupid idolatries, are, and always have been,
the morality and religion of almost all the Pagan nations under heaven ; and if they have discovered
a dawn of reason, it has only sufficed" to convince them of the want of an abler guide to direct them
in pursuit of real happiness.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. VII
But perhaps some of our readers have only heard those things by uncertain reports. If this be
the case, look around you within the sphere of your own observation, and remark the temper and
character of the generality of those who have been educated in a Christian, and even in a Protestant
country. Observe their ignorance and forgetfulness of the Divine Being, their impieties, their de
baucheries, their fraud, their oppression, their pride, their avarice, their unnatural insensibility to the
wants, sorrows, and interest of each other ; and when you see how bad they generally are in the
midst of so many advantages, judge by that of the probable state of those that want them. When
the candid reader has well weighed these particulars, let him judge whether a revelation be an un
necessary thing.
2. There is, from the light of nature, considerable encouragement to hope, that God would favour
his creatures with so desirable a thing as a revelation appears to be.
That a revelation is in itself a possible thing, is evident beyond all shadow of doubt. Shall not
He that made man's mouth, who has given us this wonderful faculty of discovering our sentiments,
and communicating our ideas to each other ; shall not he be able to converse with his rational
creatures, and, by sensible manifestations, or inward impressions, to convey the knowledge of
things, which lie beyond the discernments of their natural faculties, and yet may be highly conducive
to their advantage ? To own a God, and to deny him such a power, would be a notorious contra
diction. But it may appear much more dubious, whether he will please to confer such a favour on
sinful creatures.
Now it must be acknowledged, that he would not certainly conclude he would never do it; con
sidering, on the one hand, how justly they stood exposed to his final displeasure ; and, on the other,
what provision he had made by the frame of the human mind, and of nature around us, for giving
us such notice of himself, as would leave us inexcusable, if we either failed to know him, or to gk>
rify him as God, as the Apostle argues at large. (Rom. i. 20, &c.) Nevertheless, we should have
something of this kind to hope, from considering God as the indulgent Father of his creatures ; from
observing the tender care he takes of us, and the liberal supply which he grants for the support of the
animal life; especially from the provision he has made for man, considered as a guilty and calamitous
creature, by the medicinal and healing virtues he has given to the productions of nature, which man,
in a perfect state of rectitude and happiness, never would have needed.
This is a circumstance which seems strongly to intimate, that he would, some time or other, gra
ciously provide an adequate remedy to heal the minds of the children of men; and that he would
interpose to instruct them in his own nature, in the manner in which he is to be served, and in the
final treatment which they may expect from him. And certainly such an apprehension seems very
congruous to the sentiments of the generality of mankind ; a sufficient proof that men naturally ex
pect some such kind of interposition of the Almighty.
3. It is natural to conclude, that if a revelation were given, it would be introduced, and transmit
ted in such a manner as the Evangelists show us Christianity was. It is, for instance, highly pro
bable, that it should be taught either by some illustrious person sent down from a superior world, or
at least by a man of eminent wisdom and piety, who should himself have been not only a teacher,
but an example of righteousness. In order to this, it seems probable that he should be led through a
series of calamities and distress ; since, otherwise, he could not have been a pattern of that resigna
tion which adorns adversity, and is peculiar to it. And it might also have been expected that in the
extremity of his distress, the Almighty, whose messenger he was, should, in some extraordinary
manner, have interposed either to preserve or to recover him from death.
a*

Vifi AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
It is, moreover, exceedingly probable, that such a person, and perhaps also jhey who were at first
employed as his messengers to the world, should be endowed with a power of working miracles,
both to awaken men's attention, and to prove his divine mission, and the consequent truth of his
doctrines, some of which might perhaps be capable of no other proof; or if they were, it is certain
that no method of arguing is so short, so plain, and so forcible, and on the whole so well suited to
conviction, and probably the reformation of mankind, as a course of evident, repeated, and uncon
trolled miracles. And such a method of proof is especially adapted to the populace, who are incom
parably the greater part of mankind, and for whose benefit we may assure ourselves a revelation
would be chiefly designed. It might be added, that it was no "way improbable, though not in itself
certain, that a dispensation should open gradually to the world ; and that the most illustrious mes
senger of God to men should be ushered in by some predictions which should raise a great expecta
tion of his appearance, and have an evident accomplishment in him.
As to the propagation of a religion so introduced, it seems no way improbable, that having been
thus established in its first age, it should be transmitted to future generations, by credible testimony,
as other important facts are. It is certain that affairs of the utmost moment, transacted among men,
depend on testimony: on this, voyages are undertaken, settlements made, and controversies' decided :
controversies on which not only the estates but the lives of men depend. Though it must be owned,
that such an historical evidence is not equally convincing with miracles which are wrought before
our own eyes ; yet it is certain, it may rise to such a degree as to exclude all reasonable doubt. We
know not why we should expect, that the evidence of a revelation should be such as universally to
compel the immediate acquiescence of all to whom it is offered. It appears much more probable, that
it should be so adjusted as to be a kind of touchstone to the tempers and characters of men,' capable,
indeed, of giving ample satisfaction to the diligent and candid inquirer, yet attended with some cir
cumstances, from whence the captious and perverse might take occasion to cavil and object. Such
we might reasonably suppose a revelation would be, and such we maintain Christianity is. The
teachers of it undertake to prove that it was thus introduced, thus established, and thus transmitted,
and we trust that this is a strong presumption in its favour, especially as we can add,
4. That the principal doctrines contained in the Gospel are of such a nature, that we might in
general suppose a divine revelation would be rational, practical, and sublime.
It is natural to imagine, that in a revelation of a religion from God, the great principles of natural
religion should be clearly asserted, and strongly maintained : such as the existence, the unity, the
perfection, and the providence of God ; the essential and immutable difference between moral good
and evil ; the obligations we are under to the various branches of virtue, whether human, social, or
divine ; the value and immortality of the soul ; and the rewards and punishments of a future state.
All these particulars every. rational person would conclude were contained in it; and that upon the
whole it should appear calculated to form men's minds to a proper temper, rather than to amuse them
with curious speculations.
It might, indeed, be farther supposed, that such a revelation would contain some things which
could not have been learned from the highest improvements of natural light, such as, that God would
pardon the sins of the most flagrant offender, on account of the satisfaction made by his dear Son, the
Redeemer of the world ; that he would work holy desires in the hearts of his people by the power of
his divine grace, and form them for happiness hereafter, by implanting in them a principle of
holiness. r

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. 1*
In short, the Christian system is undoubtedly worthy of God, nor is it possible to imagine from
whom else it could have proceeded.*
Thus have we considered the first branch of the argument, and shown, we hope satisfactorily,
that, taking the Christian system only in theory, it appears highly probable. The truth is, that to
embrace the Gospel is so safe, and upon the whole so comfortable a thing, that a wise man would de
liberately venture his all upon it, though nothing more could be offered for its confirmation.
But, blessed be God, we have a great deal more to offer in this important cause ; and can add, with
still greater' confidence, that it is not only probable in theory, but,
Secondly, That it is, in fact, certain; that Christianity is, indeed, a divine revelation.
On this it must be confessed the chief stress is to be laid ; and, therefore, we shall insist more largely
on this branch of the argument, and endeavour, by the divine assistance, to prove the certainty of
this great, this important fact. And in order to this, it will be necessary to show,
1. That the books in the New Testament, now extant, may be depended upon as written by the
first preachers and publishers of Christianity. And,
2. That from hence it will certainly follow, that what they assert is true, and that the religion
they teach brings with it such evidences of a divine authority, as may justly recommend it to our
acceptance. Each of these heads would furnish matter for several volumes, but as we are writing only a Dis
sertation, it is our business to strike at the most Obvious and important particulars, by which they
may briefly be illustrated and confirmed. x
We are to prove, that the books of the New Testament, now extant, were written by the first
preachers and publishers of Christianity.
We shall now confine ourselves to the oooks of the New Testament, as that particular part of the
sacred oracles has engrossed our present attention, though we propose, in another place, to lay down
some solid arguments in defence of the authenticity of the Old, which is an invaluable treasure, being
the very foundation of the New, and demands our daily pleasing and grateful perusal, and is capable
of being defended in a manner we are persuaded its most subtle enemies will never be able to
answer. After premising these particulars, we shall go on to the argument, and advance it by the following
degrees : We shall prove that Christianity is an ancient religion ; — That there was such a person as
Jesus of Nazareth crucified about seventeen hundred years ago at Jerusalem ; — That the first preach
ers of his religion wrote books, which went by the name of those that now make up the volume of
the New Testament ; — And that the English translation of them, now publicly used, is, in the main,
faithful, and may be depended upon.
1. It is certain that Christianity is not a new religion, but one that was maintained by great mul
titudes soon after the time in which the Gospel tells us Jesus appeared.
¦ UT — <  :  :  :  :  ¦
* Frpm what has been said, it sufficiently appears, that a revelation was absolutely necessary to instruct mankind in the
most important principles of religion, and consequently all the fallacious arguments of deistical writers, against the necessitv.
to aa^ (Extraordinary revelation, fall to the ground, like a mighty structure, when the foundation is destroyed.

X AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
That there was, considerably more than seventeen hundred years ago, a body of men that went
by the name of Christians, is full as evident as that a race of men was then subsisting in the world ,
nor do we know that any enemy to the religion of Jesus has ever been vile and confident enough to
dispute it. Indeed, there are such numbers, both of Christian and Heathen writers, who attest this
fact, that it would be madness to deny it, and, therefore, superfluous for us to prove it. but we can
not help observing, that Tacitus, Suetonius, Pliny, Marcus Antonius, and others, not only attest the
existence of such a body of men, but also inform us of the extreme persecutions they underwent in
the very infancy of their religion ; a strong evidence that they were firmly persuaded that their reli
gion was from on high.
2. That there was such a person as Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified at Jerusalem, when
Pontius Pilate- was the Roman governor there.
It can never be imagined that multitudes of people should take their names from Christ, and sa
crifice their lives for their adherence to him, even in the same age in which he lived, if they had not
been well assured that there was such a person. Nay, Tacitus himself tells us that he was put to
death under Pontius Pilate, who was procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius. And it is well
known that the primitive Christian apologists often appeal to the acts of Pilate, or the memoirs of his
government, which he, according to the custom of all other procurators, transmitted to Rome, as con
taining an account of these transactions ; and as the appeal was made to those who had the command
of the public records, we may assure ourselves such testimonies were then extant. But it is a fact
which our enemies never denied. They owned it ; they even gloried in it ; and upbraided the Chris
tians with the infamous death of him whom they called their Saviour. Thus it sufficiently appears
that there was, at the time commonly supposed, such a person as our blessed Saviour Christ, who
was a divine teacher, and who gathered many disciples, by whom his religion wra& afterwards pub
lished in the world.
3. It is also certain, that the first publishers of this religion wrote books, which contained an ac
count of the life and doctrines of Jesus their Master, and which went by the names of those that now
make up our New Testament.
It was in the nature of things highly probable that they would declare and publish to the world in
writing, the things they had seen and heard, considering how common books were in the age and
countries in which they taught ; and of how great importance an acquaintance, with the history and
doctrine of Christ was to the purposes which they so strenuously pursued : but we have much more
than such a presumptive evidence.
The most inveterate adversaries to Christianity must grant that we have books of great antiquity,
written fourteen, fifteen, and some more than sixteen hundred years ago, in which mention is made
of the life of Christ as written by many, and especially by four of his disciples, who, by way of emi
nence, are styled Evangelists. Great pains have indeed been taken to endeavour to prove that some
spurious pieces were published under the names of the Apostles, containing the history of these things.
But all these have been confuted, and the vile assertors stigmatized with that contempt Which their
false asseverations justly deserved. And we are sure he must be very little acquainted with the an
cient ecclesiastical writers who does not know that the primitive Christians made a great difference
between those writings, which we. call the canonical books of the New Testament, and others ¦
which plainly shows that they did not judge of writings merely by the names of their pretended au
thors, but inquired with an accuracy becoming the importance of these pretences. The result of
this inquiry was, that the four Gospels, the Acts, the Episdes of St. Paul, one of St. Peter, and one o

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION XI
St. John, were received upon such evidence, that Eusebius, a most accurate and early critic in these
things, could not learn that they had ever been disputed. And afterwards the remaining books of
the New Testament, namely, Hebrews, — James, — the second of Peter, — the second and third
of John, — Judey — and the Revelations, were admitted as genuine, and added to the rest. On
the whole, it is sufficiently plain, that the primitive Christians were so thoroughly satisfied of the
authority of the sacred books, that they speak of them, not only as credible and authentic, but
as equal to the oracles of the Old Testament, as divinely inspired, as the words of the Spirit, as
the law and organ of God, and as the rule of faith, which cannot be contradicted without the
greatest guilt; with many other expressions of the same kind, which often occur in their discourses.
To which we may add, that in some of their councils, the New Testament was placed on a
throne, to signify their desire that all their controversies might be determined, and their actions re
gulated by it.
From the whole, therefore, it is plain, that the primitive church did receive certain pieces which
bore the same titles with the books of our New Testament. Now, we think it is evident, that they
were as capable of judging whether a book was written by Matthew, John, or Paul, as the ancient
Romans could be of determining whether Horace, Tully, or Livy, wrote those which go under these
names. And certainly the interest of the former was much more concerned in the writings of the
Apostles, than that of the latter in the composition of their poets, orators, or even their historians ;
and there is reason to believe they would take much greater care to inform themselves fully in
the . merits of the cause, and to avoid being imposed upon by artifice and fiction. Let us now
proceed to show,
4. That the books of the New Testament have been preserved in the main uncorrupted to the
present time, in the original language in which they were written.
This is a matter of the last importance ; and, blessed be God, we have a proportional evidence :
an evidence in which the hand of Providence has indeed been remarkably seen ; for it is certain
there is no other ancient book in the world, which may so certainly and so. easily he proved to be
authentic. And here we will not argue merely from the piety of the primitive Christians, and the heroic
actions and resolutions with which they chose to endure the greatest extremities, rather than
deliver up their Bibles, though that consideration is evidently of the greatest weight ; but shall
entreat our readers to consider the utter improbability of altering them. From the first ages
they were received and read in churches, as a part of their public worship, just as Moses and
the prophets were in the Jewish synagogues ; they were presently spread far and near, as
the boundaries of the church were increased ; they were early translated into other languages, of
which translations some remain to this very day. Now, when this was die case, how could they
be adulterated ? Is it a thing to be supposed and imagined, that thousands and millions of people
should have come together from distant countries ; and that with all the diversities of language and
customs, and it may be added, of sentiments too, that they should have agreed on corrupting a book,
which they all acknowledged to be the rule of their faith and their manners, and the great charter
by which they held their eternal hopes ? It would be madness to believe it, especially when we
consider what numbers of heretics appeared in the infancy of the church, who all pretended to build
their notions on Scripture, and most of them appealed to. it as the final judge of controversies.
Now it is certain, that these different sects of Christians were a perpetual guard upon each other, and
rendered it impossible for one party to practise thus grossly on the sacred books, without the dis
covery and clamour of the rest.

Xll AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
Nor must we omit to observe, that in every age, from the Apostles' time to our own, there have
been numberless quotations made from the books of the New Testament; and a multitude of com
mentaries in various languages, and some of very ancient date, have been written upon them ; so
that if the books themselves were lost, they might, in a great measure, if not entirely, be recovered
from the writings of others. And we may venture to say, that if all the quotations ever made from
all the ancient writings now in Europe were gathered together, the bulk of them would by no means
be comparable to that of the quotations taken from the New Testament alone. So that any man
might with much better reason dispute whether the writings ascribed to Homer, Demosthenes, Vir
gil, or Ceesar, be in the main such as they left them, than he could question it concerning those of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and Paul.
It may be said in the main, because we readily allow, that the hand of a printer or of a transcriber
might chance, in some places, to insert one letter or word for another; and the various readings of
this, as well as all other ancient books, prove, that this has sometimes been the case. But those
various readings are generally of such little importance, that he who can urge them as an objection
against the assertion we are now maintaining, must have little judgment, or little integrity; and, in
deed, after those excellent things which have been said on the subject by many defenders of Chris
tianity, he must, if he has read their writings, have little modesty too.
Since then it appears that the books in the New Testament, as they now stand in the original, are,
without any material alteration, such as they were when they came from the hands of the sacred au
thors, nothing remains to complete this part of the argument but to show,
5. Thafthe translation of them now in common use may be depended upon, as, in all particulars,
agreeefble to the original.
This is a fact of which the generality of readers are not able to judge immediately, though it is of
the last importance; it is, therefore, with great pleasure we reflect, how ample evidence they may have
another way, to make their minds easy on this head. We mean by the concurrent testimony of
others, in circumstances in which it cannot be imagined they would unite to deceive them.
There are few who preach the Gospel of the Son of God, but have examined this matter with the
greatest care, and are able to judge in so easy a case; and who will all unanimously declare, that the
common English translation is in the main faithful and judicious. We do not indeed scruple, on
some occasions, to animadvert upon it; but these remarks never affect the fundamentals of religion,
and seldom reach any farther than the beauty of a figure, or the connection of an argument.
But the argument does not wholly rest on the unanimous suffrages of the teachers of the Gospel.
The different sects of Protestants in this kingdom bear witness to, this truth. For it is certain that
where a body of men dissent from the public establishment, and yet agree with the church from which
they dissent, in using the same translation, though thpy are capable of examining and judging of it,
is as great evidence as can be desired, that such a translation is right in the main. But the dissenters
unanimously unite with us in bearing testimony to the oracle of God, as delivered in our own lan
guage ; and, consequently, our translation may be depended upon.
Thus have I finished the first part of my argument, and shown that the Christian religion is cer
tainly true, and that the New Testament is genuine. I shall next proceed to show,
2. That from allowing the New Testament to be genuine, it will undeniably follow, that Ch*SS-
tiauity is a divine revelation.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. - X1II
And here a person is at first ready to be lost in the multiplicity of arguments which surround him.
It is very easy to find proofs; but difficult to range and dispose them in such an order as best to illus
trate and confirm each other. We shall, therefore, offer them in the following natural series :
The authors of the books contained in the New Testament were certainly capable of judging con
cerning the truth of the facts they asserted : their characters, so far as we can judge of them by their
writings, render them worthy of regard ; and they were under no temptation to attempt imposing on
the world by such relations as they have given us, if they had been false. Nevertheless, it is certain
in fact, they did gain credit, and succeeded in a most amazing manner, against all opposition.
It is, therefore, certain, that the facts which they asserted were true; and if they were true, then it
was reasonable for their cotemporariest and it is reasonable for us, to receive the Gospel as a divine
revelation; especially if we consider what has happened to the world for the confirmation of it, since
first propagated by them. This is the conclusion to which we must attend ; and, therefore, let us se
riously consider each of the steps by which we arrive at it.
It is exceedingly evident, that the writers of the New Testament certainly knew the facts they as
serted were true.
And this they must have known, for this plain reason : because they inform us, they did not trust
merely to the report even of persons whom they thought most credible, but were present themselves
when several of the most important facts happened; and so received them on the testimony of their
own senses. On this St. John, in his first epistle, ch. i. ver. 1 — 3. lays a very great and reasonable
stress : " That which we have seen with our eyes, and that not Only by a sudden glance, but which
we have attentively looked upon, and which even our hands have handled, of the word of fife :" i. e. of
Christ and his Gospel, " declare we unto you."
Let the common sense of mankind judge here. Did not Matthew and John certainly know whe
ther they had personally, and familiarly, conversed with Jesus of Nazareth or not ? Whether he had
chosen them for his constant attendants and apostles ? Whether they had seen them heal the sick,
dispossess devils, and raise the dead ? And Whether they themselves had received from him such mi
raculous endowments as they declare he bestowed upon them ? Did they not know whether he fell
into the hands of his enemies, and was publicly put to death or not? Did not John know whether
he saw him expiring on the cross or not ? and whether he received from him. a dying charge, which
he records, ch. xix. ver. 27? Did he riot know whether he saw him wounded in the side with a
spear or not ? and whether he did or did not see that effusion of blood and water, which was an in
fallible argument of his being really dead ? Concerning which, it being so material a circumstance,-
he adds, " He that saw it bare record ; and he knoweth that he saith truth ;" i. e. that it was a case in
which he could not possibly be deceiyeS. And with regard to Christ's resurrection, did he not cer
tainly know whether he saw our Lord again and again ; and whether he handled his body, that he
might be sure it was not a mere phantom ? What one circumstance of his life could he certainly
know, if he were mistaken in this?
Did not Luke know whether he was in the ship with Paul when that extraordinary wreck hap
pened by which they were thrown ashore on the island of Malta ? Did he not know whether, while
they were lodged together in the governor's house, Paul miraculously healed one of the family, and
many other diseased persons in the island, as he positively asserts that he did in Acts xxviii ?
Did not Paul certainly know whether Christ appeared to him on the way to Damascus or not ?
whether he was blind ? and afterwards, on the prayer of a fellow disciple, received his sight ? or was
Nos. 53 & 54. b

KIV AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
that a circumstance in which there could be room for mistake? Did he not know whether he re
ceived such extraordinary revelations and extraordinary powers,, as to be able, by the laying on of
his hands, or by the words of his mouth, to work miracles?
#
To add no more : Did not Peter know whether he saw the glory of Christ's transfiguration, and
heard that voice to which he so expressly refers, when he says, " We have not followed cunningly
devised fables, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty, when there came such a voice to him ; and
this voice we heard ?" 2 Peter, ch. i. ver. 16 to 18.
Now Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and Peter, are by far the most considerable writers of
the New Testament ; and surely when we reflect on these particulars, we must own that there are
few historians, ancient or modern, that could so certainly judge of the truth of facts which they have
related. The reason why we have enlarged in stating so clear a case, is, that it is the foundation of
the whole argument, and that this branch of it alone cuts off Infidels from that refuge which tfjey
could generally choose, that of pleading the Apostles were enthusiasts; and leaves them silent, unless
they will say that they were impostors. For you evidently see, that could we suppose these facts to
be false, they could by no means pretend an involuntary mistake ; but must, in the most criminal
and aggravated sense, as St. Paul himself expresses it, 1 Cor. xv. 15. " Be found false witnesses of
God." But how unreasonable it would be to charge them with so notorious a crime, will in part
appear, if we consider,
That the character of these writers, so far as we can judge by their works, seems to render them
worthy of regard ; and leaves no room to imagine that they intended to deceive us.
It would be unnecessary to show at large that they appear to have been persons of natural sense,
and, at the time of their writing, of a composed mind; for certainly no man that ever read the New
Testament with attention, could imagine they were idiots or madmen. Let the discourses of Christ
in the Evangelists, of Peter and Paul, in the Acts, as well as many passages in the Epistles, be pe
rused, and we will venture to say, he who is not even charmed with them, must be a stranger to all the
justest rules of polite criticism. But he who suspects that the writers wanted common sense, must
himself be most evidently destitute of it ; andhe who can suspect they might possibly be distracted,
must himself, in this instance at least, be just as mad as he imagines them to have been. It was
necessary, however, just to touch upon this; because unless we are satisfied that a person be himself
in what he writes, we cannot pretend to determine his character from his writings.
Having premised this, let us, on perusing the New Testament, observe what evident marks it
bears of simplicity and integrity, of piety and benevolence ; upon which we shall find them pleading
the cause of its authors, with a nervous though gentle eloquence^ and powerfully persuading the
mind, that men who were capable of writing so excellently well, must evidently appear to have
strictly adhered to the rectitude of truth.
The manner in which they relate this narration is most happily adapted to gain our belief. For as
they tell it with a great deal of circumstances, which by no means could be prudent in legendary
writers, because it leaves so much the more room for confutation; so they also do it in the most easy
and natural manner. There is no air of declamation and harangue; nothing that looks like artifice
and design; no apologies, no encomiums, no character, no reflections, no digressions : but the facts
are recounted with great simplicity, just as they appear to have happened ; and those facts are left
to speak for themselves in their great author. It is plain that the rest of these writers, as well as
the Apostle Paul, did not affect excellency of speech, or flights of eloquence, as the phrase signifies ;
but determined to know nothing, though among the most learned and polite, save Jesus Christ and

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XV
him crucified. A conduct which is the more to be admired, when we consider how extraordinary
a theme theirs was, and with what abundant variety of most pathetic declamation it would easily
have furnished any common writer : so that one would really wonder how they could forbear it.
But they rightly judged that a vain affectation of ornament, when recording such facts of their own
knowledge, might perhaps have brought their sincerity into question ; and so have rendered the cross
of Christ of no effect.
Their integrity likewise evidently appears in the freedom with which they mention those circum
stances which might have exposed their Master and themselves to the greatest contempt among pre
judiced and inconsiderate men; such as they knew they must generally expect to meet with. As to
their Master, they scruple not to own, that his country was despised, his birth and education mean,
and lis life indigent; that he was most disdainfully rejected by the rulers, and accused of sabbath-
breaking, blasphemy, and sedition : that he was reviled by the populace as a debauchee, a lunatic,
and a demoniac; and at last, by the united rage of both rulers and people, was publicly executed as
the vilest of malefactors, with all imaginable circumstances of ignominy, scorn, and abhorrence.
Nor do they scruple to own that terror and distress of spirit into which he was thrown by his
sufferings, though this was a circumstance at which some of the Heathens took the greatest offence,
as utterly unworthy so excellent and divine a person. As to themselves, the Apostles readily confess
not only the meanness of their original employment, and the scandal of their former life, but their
prejudices, their follies, and their faults, after Christ had honoured them with so holy a calling.
They acknowledge their slowness of apprehension under so excellent a teacher ; their unbelief, their
cowardice, their ambition, their rash zeal, and their foolish contentions. So that, on the whole, they
seemed every where to forget they were writing of themselves, and appear not at all solicitous about
their own reputation ; but only that they might represent the matter just as it was, whether they went
through honour or dishonour, through evil report or good report. Nor is this all ; for it is certain
that in their writings there are the most genuine traces not only of a plain and honest, but a most
pious and devout, a most benevolent and generous disposition.
These appear especially in the epistolary parts of the New Testament, where, indeed, we should
most reasonably expect to find- them; and of these it may be confidently affirmed, that the greater
progress any one has made in love to God, in zeal for his glory, in a compassionate and generous
concern for the present and future happiness of mankind, the more humble, and candid, and tempe
rate, and pure he is; the more ardently he loves truth, and the more steadily he is determined to
suffer the greatest extremity in its defence. In a word, the more his heart is weaned from the pre
sent world, and the more it is fifed with the prospects of a glorious immortality, the more pleasure he
will take in reading those writings; the more will he relish the spirit which discovers itself in them,
and find that as face answers face in water, so do the traces of divine grace, which appear there, an
swer to those which a good man feels in his own soul. Nay, it may be added, that the warm and
genuine workings of that excellent and holy temper, which every where discovers itself in the New
Testament, have for many ages been the most effectual method of animating true believers with a
zeal for the honour of the Gospel, and a desire of framing their conversation as becomes the Gospel
of Christ.
Where then there are such genuine marks of an excellent character, not only in their dis
courses, but in their epistolary writings, and those sometimes addressed to particular and intimate
friends, to whom the mind naturally opens itself with the greatest freedom, surely no candid and
6*

XVI AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.

equitable judge would lightly believe them to be all counterfeit ; or would imagine, without very
substantial proof, that persons who breathe such exalted sentiments of God and religion, should be
guilty of any kind of wickedness ; and in proportion to the degree of enormity and aggravation at
tending such a supposed crime, it may justly be expected that the evidence of their having really
committed it, should be answerably strong and convincing.
Now it is very certain, on the principles laid down above, that if the testimony of the Apostles
was false, they must have acted as detestable and villanous a part as one can easily conceive.
To be found, as the Apostle withhis usual energy expresses it, false witnesses of God, in any
single instance, and solemnly declare to have done miraculously, what we, in our own consciences,
know was never done at all, would be an audacious degree of impiety, to which none but the
most abandoned of mankind could arrive. Yet if the testimony of the Apostles was false, as we have
proved they could not be themselves mistaken in it, this* must have been their case ; and that not in
one single instance only, but in a thousand. Their lives must, in effect, be one continued and per
petual scene of perjury ; and all the most solemn actions of it (in which they were speaking to
God, or speaking of him as God the Father of Christ, from whom they received their commis
sion and powers) must be, a most profane and daring insult on all the acknowledged perfections of
his nature.
And the inhumanity of such a conduct would, on the whole, have been equal to Its im
piety. For it would have been deceiving men in their most important interests, and persuading
them to venture their own future happiness on the power and fidelity of one whom, on this
supposition, they knew to have been an impostor, and justly to have suffered a capital punish
ment for his crimes.- It cannot be supposed that God, who regards the interest of his children,
would long suffer such an imposition to prevail, without preventing it by the interposition of
his wisdom and power. v'
It would have been great guilt to have given the hearts and devotions of men so wrong a turn,
even though they had found magistrates ready to espouse and establish, yea, and to enforce
the religion they taught. But, on the contrary, to labour to propagate it in the midst of the most
vigorous and severe opposition from them, must equally enhance the guilt and folly of the un
dertaking. For by this means they would have made themselves accessary to the ruin of
thousands; "and all the calamities which fell on such proselytes, or even on their remotest de
scendants, for the sake of Christianity, would be, in a great measure, chargeable on these first
preachers of it. The blood of honest, yea, of pious, worthy, and heroic persons, who might other
wise have been the greatest blessings to the public, would, in effect, be crying for vengeance against
them. And the distresses of the widows and orphans, which those martyrs might leave behind them,
would join to swell the account.
So that, on the whole, the guilt of those malefactors, who are from time to time the victims of
public justice, even for robbery, murder, or treason, is small, when compared with that which we
have now been stating. And, corrupt as human nature is, it appears to be utterly improbable
that twelve men should be found, we will not say in One little nation, but even on the whole face
of the earth, who could be capable of entering into so black a confederacy on any terms' what
soever. And, now in this view of the case, let us make a serious pause, and compare with it what
we have just been saying of the character of the Apostles of Jesus, so far as an indifferent
person could conjecture it from their writings, and then say, whether we can in our hearts

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XV11
believe them to have been these abandoned wretches, at once the reproach and astonishment of
mankind ? Would they have sealed a known falsity with their blood, or bartered their lives for the
confirmation of vague notions or uncertain conjectures ? We cannot surely believe such things of any,
and much less of them, unless it shall appear they were in some particular circumstances of strong
temptation; and what those circumstances could be, it is difficult even for imagination to conceive. ¦
But history is so far from suggesting any unthought of fact, to help our imagination on this head,
that it bears strongly the contrary way. I shall now proceed to shew, «
That they were under no temptation to forge a story of this kind, or to publish it to the world,
knowing it to be false.
They could reasonably expect no gain, no reputation by it. But, on the contrary, supposing it
an imposture, they must, with the most ordinary share of prudence, have foreseen infamy and ruin,
as the certain consequences of attempting it. For the grand foundation of their doctrines was that
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified at Jerusalem by the Jewish rulers, was the Son of God, and
the Lord of all things. We appeal to men's consciences, whether this looks at all like the con
trivances of artful and designing men?
It was evidently charging upon the princes of their country the most criminal and aggravated
murder; indeed, all things considered, the most enormous act of wickedness which the sun had
ever seen.
They might therefore depend upon it, that these rulers would immediately employ all their art
and power to confute the testimony, and to destroy their persons. Accordingly, one of them was
presently stoned, another quickly beheaded; and most of the rest scattered abroad into strange
cities (as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles) where they were sure to be received with great
prejudices, raised against them among the Jews by reports from Jerusalem, and highly strengthened
by their expectations of a temporal Messiah ; expectations which, as the Apostles knew by their own
experience, it was exceeding difficult to root out of men's minds ; expectations which would render
the doctrine of Christ crucified an insuperable stumbling-block to the Jews.
Nor could they expect a much better reception among the Gentiles, with whom their business was
to persuade them to renounce the gods of their ancestors, and to depend upon a person who had
died the death of a malefactor ; to persuade them to forego the pompous idolatries in which they
had been educated, and all the sensual indulgences with which their religion (if it may be called
a religion) was attended, to worship one invisible Govd through one Mediator, in a most plain and
simple manner, and to receive a set oCprecepts, most directly calculated to controul and. restrain not.
only the enormities of men's actions, but the irregularities of their hearts.
A most difficult undertaking ! And to engage them to this, they had no other arguments to
bring but such as were taken from the views of an eternal state of happiness or misery, of which
they asserted their crucified Jesus to be supreme disposer, who should another day dispense -his
-blessings or his vengeance, as the Gospel had been embraced or rejected. Now could it be
imagined that men would easily be persuaded, merely on the credit of their affirmation, or in
compliance with their importunity, to believe things which to their prejudiced minds would appear
so improbable, and to submit to impositions to their corrupt inclinations so insupportable ? And if
they could not persuade them to 'it, what could the Apostles then expect ? What but to, be insulted as
fools or madmen by one sort of people; and by another to be persecuted with the most savage and

XVU1 AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
outrageous cruelty, as blasphemers of their gods, as seducers of the people, and disturbers of the
public peace ? All which we know happened accordingly. Nay, they assure us, that their Lord
had often warned them of it ; and they themselves expected it ; and thought it necessary to ad
monish their followers to expect it too. And it appears, that, far from drawing back, upon that ac
count, as they would surely have done, if they had been governed by secular motives, they became
so much the more zealous and arduous ; and animated each other to resist, even at the price of
their blood.
Now, as this is a great evidence of the integrity and piety of their characters, and thus illus
trates the former head, so it serves to the purpose now immediately in view ; that is, it proves
how improbable it is that any person of common sense should engage in an imposture, from which,
as many have justly observed, they could on their own principles, nave nothing to expect but ruin
in this world and damnation in the next. When we therefore consider and compare their cha
racter and circumstances, it appears utterly improbable, on various accounts, that they would
have attempted in this article to impose upon the world. But suppose that in consequence of
some unaccountable, as well as some undiscoverable frenzy, they had ventured on the attempt, it is
easy to show,
That, humanly speaking, they must quickly have perished in it ; and their foolish cause must
have died with them, without ever gaining any credit in the world. Common sense must
have suggested to them, that a report of a circumstance, most extraordinary in its nature, if not
attested by the most convincing evidence, must have exposed their cause as base, absurd, and
contemptible. One may venture to say this in general, on the principles which I have before laid down. But
it appears still more evident, when we consider the nature of the fact they asserted in conjunction
with the methods they took to engage men to believe it ; methods which, had the Apostles been im
postors, must have had the most direct tendency to ruin both their scheme and themselves.
Let us a little more particularly reflect on the nature of that grand fact, namely, the death, resur
rection, and exaltation of Christ; which, as I observed, was the great foundation of the Chris
tian scheme, as first exhibited by the Apostles. The resurrection of a dead man, and his
ascension into, and abode in the upper world, was so strange a thing, that a thousand objections
would immediately be raised against it: and some extraordinary proof would justly' be re
quired as a balance to them. Now I wish that the rejectors of the Gospel would set them
selves to invent some hypothesis, which should have any appearance of probability, to show
how such an amazing story should ever gain credit in the world, if it had not some very con
vincing proof. Where and when could it first begin to be received ? Was it in the same, or a
succeeding age ? Was it at Jerusalem, the spot of ground on which it is said to have happened ?
or in Greece, Italy, Asia, or Africa ? The scene and the time may be changed, as one pleases ; but
the difficulty cannot.
Take it in a parallel instance; suppose twelve men in London were now to affirm that a
person executed there as a malefactor in a public manner, a month or six weeks ago, or, if you
please, a year, or five or ten years since, for it is much the same, was a prophet sent from
God with extraordinary powers ; that he was raised from the dead ; that they conversed with
him after his revival; and at last saw him taken up into heaven. Would their united testi-

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XIX
mony make them to be believed there ? Or suppose them to disperse, and that one or two of
them should retire to Northampton, and go on still more distant, suppose Leicester, Notting
ham, or York, and tell their story there : and that others were to carry it over to Paris, or Am
sterdam, or to Vienna, or Madrid, could they expect any more credit with us or with them, or
hope for any thing better than to be looked upon as lunatics, and treated as such ? And if
they should go into other places, and attempt to mend their scheme by saying their Master
was put to death an hundred or two hundred years ago, when there could be no historical
evidence of it discovered, and no proof given but their own confident assertion ; would they
remove, or would they not rather increase the difficulty? Or would they in any of these
cases gain credit by the most dexterous tricks of legerdemain, of which you can suppose them
masters ? Especially if they should undertake, in consequence of such supposed facts, to en
gage men to renounce their religion, in which they had been educated; to deny themselves
in their dearest passions and most important worldly interests: and even probably to hazard
their liberties and their lives, in dependance on a future reward, to be received into a place
and state which no man living on the earth had ever seen or known ? You would readily
allow this to be an insupportable case : and why should you suppose it to have happened
sixteen or seventeen hundred years ago ? You may assure yourselves that the reason and the
passions of mankind were then as strong as they are now. But let us a little more particu
larly consider,
The manner in which the Apostles undertook to prove the truth of their testimony to
this fact : and it will evidently appear, that instead of confirming their scheme, it must have
been sufficient utterly to have overthrown it, had it been itself the most probable imposture
1 that the wit of man could have ever contrived. It is evident, they did not merely assert that
they had seen miracles wrought by this Jesus, but that he had endowed themselves with a
variety of miraculous powers. And these they undertook to display, not in such idle and useless
tricks as sleight of hand might perform ; but in such solid and important works, as appeared
worthy of a divine interposition, and entirely superior to human power; restoring sight to the
blind, soundness to lepers, activity to the lame, and, in some instances, life to the dead. Nor
were these things undertaken in a corner, in a circle of friends or dependants : nor were they said
to be wrought on such as might be suspected of being confederate in the fraud ; but they
were done often in the public streets, in the sight of enemies, or the persons of such as were
utter strangers to the Apostles ; but sometimes well known to neighbours and spectators, as
having long laboured under those calamities, which to human skill were utterly incurable.
Would impostors have made such pretensions as these ? Or, if they had, must they not immediately
have been exposed and ruined ?
Nor is there any room at all to object, that perhaps the Apostles might not undertake
to do these things on the spot, but only assert that they had done them elsewhere: for
even then, it would have been impossible that they should have gained credit: and they
would have seemed the less credible on account of such a pretence. Whatever appearances there
might have been ever of gravity, integrity, and piety, in the conversation of Peter, for instance, very
few, especially such as had known but little of him, would have taken it upon his word that he saw
Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead at Bethany : but fewer yet would have believed it upon his affir
mation, had it been so solemn, that he himself raised Dorcas at Joppa, unless he had done some ex
traordinary work before them, correspondent at least, if not equal to that. One may easily think
of invincible objections which otherwise might have been made ; and undoubtedly the more

XX AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
such assertions had been multiplied, every new person, scene, and fact, had been an additional
advantage given to the enemy, to have detected and confuted the whole scheme, which Peter and
his associates had thus endeavoured to establish.
But to come still closer to the point : If the New Testament be genuine, as I have already proved
it, then it is certain, that the Apostles pretend to have wrought miracles in the very presence
of those to whom their writings were addressed ; nay, more, they profess likewise to have con
ferred those miraculous gifts in some considerable degree on others, even on (he very persons
to whom they write ; and they appeal to their consciences with regard to the truth of it. And
could there possibly be room for delusion here ? It is exceeding remarkable to this purpose
that Paul makes this appeal to the Corinthians, and to the Galatians, when amongst them were
some persons disaffected to him, 'who were taking all opportunities to sink his character and
destroy his influence ? And could they have wished for a better opportunity than such an ap
peal ? An appeal, which, had not the fact it supposed been certain, far from recovering those that
were wavering in their esteem, must have been sufficient utterly to disgust his most cordial and
steady friends.
The same remark may be applied to the advices and reproofs which the Apostle there gives,
relating to the use and abuse of their spiritual gifts ; which had been most notoriously absurd, and
even ridiculous, had not the Christians to whom he wrote been really possessed of them. And
these gifts were so plainly supernatural, that, as it had been often observed, if it be allowed
that miracles can prove a divine revelation, and that the first Epistle to the Corinthians be genuine,
(of which by the way there is at least as pregnant evidences as that any part of the New Testament
is so,) then it follows, by a sure and easy consequence, that Christianity is true. Nevertheless,
other arguments are not to be forgot in this survey. And, therefore, as I have proved, that had
the testimony of the Apostles been false, it is not to be imagined that they could have gained
credit at all ; especially when they had put the proof of their cause on such a footing, as we
are sure they did ; I shall now shew,
That it is a certain fact, the Apostles did gain early credit, and succeeded" in a most wonderful
manner ; from whence it will follow, that their testimony was true.
That the Apostles did, indeed, gain credit in the world, is evident from what I before offered in
order, to prove the early prevalence of Christianity in it, and this may be farther confirmed from
many passages in the New Testament. And here I insist not so much on express historical testi
monies, though some of them are very remarkable ; especially that of the brethren at Jerusalem,
who speak of many myriads of believing Jews assembled at the feast of Pentecost, mentioned in
chap. xxi. of the Acts ; but I argue from the Epistles written to several churches, which plainly
prove, that there were congregations of Christians in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Colosse, Thessa-
lonica, Philippa, Labdicea, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Crete, Pontus, Gala-
tia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bythinia, and many other places : Insomuch, that one of the Apostles could
say, " That Christ had so wrought by him to make the Gentiles obedient, not only in word or profes*
sion, but in deed too ; that, from Jerusalem, even round unto Illyrium, he had fully preached the Gos
pel of Christ :" or, as the word imports, " had accomplished" the purposes of it. And there is a
great deal of reason, both from the nature of the thing, and from the testimony of ancient history, to
believe, that others of the Apostles had considerable success elsewhere. So that St. Paul might with
reason ap"ply to them and their doctrine, what is originally spoken of the luminaries of heaven
and the instruction they communicate, " their sound is gone out through all the earth, and their
words to the end of the world."

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XXI
So great was the number of those who were made proselytes to Christianity by the preaching of
the Apostles. And we have all imaginable reason to believe, that there were none of all those
proselytes but what were fully persuaded of the truth of the testimony they bore ; for otherwise no
imaginable reason can be given for their entering themselves into such a profession. The Apostles
had no secular terrors to affright their proselytes ; no secular rewards to bribe them ; no dazzling
eloquence to enchant them ; on the contrary, all these were in a powerful manner pleading. against
the Apostles ; yet their testimony was received, and their new converts were so thoroughly satisfied
with the evidence which they gave them of their mission, that they encountered great persecutions,
and cheerfully ventured estate, liberty, and life itself, on the truth of the facts they asserted ; as plainly
appears from the many passages in the Epistles, which none can think the Apostles would ever have
writ, if those first Christians had not been in a persecuted condition.
Nor will it signify any thing to object, that most of these converts were persons of a low rank and
ordinary education, who therefore might be more easily imposed upon than others. For, not to men
tion Sergius Paulius, Dionysius the Areopagite, or the domestics of Caesar's household, (with others
of superior station in life,) it is sufficient to call to mind, that the Apostles did not put their cause on
the issue of laboured arguments, in which the populace might quickly have been entangled and lost;
but on such plain facts as they might judge of as easily and surely as any others; indeed on what
themselves saw, and in part too on what they felt.
Now, this might be sufficient to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. ' It has been shewn,
that there is no reason to believe that the Apostles, who certainly knew the truth, would have at
tempted a fraud of this kind — so if they had attempted it, they could not possibly have succeeded:
nevertheless, they did succeed in a very remarkable manner. Whence it plainly follows, that what
they testified was true.
Admitting the facts which they testified concerning Christ to be true, then it was reasonable for
their cotemporaries, and is reasonable for us, to receive the Gospel, which they have transmitted to
us as a divine revelation.
The great things they asserted were that Jesus was the Christ; and that he was proved to be so,
by prophecies accomplished in him, and by miracles wrought by him, and by others in his name.
Let us attend to each of these, and we shall find them no contemptible arguments ; but must be
forced to acknowledge, that these premises being established, the conclusion most easily and neces
sarily follows.. And this conclusion, " that Jesus is the Christ,".taken in all its extent, is an abstract
of the Gospel revelation ; and therefore is sometimes put for the whole of it. -
The Apostles, especially when disputing with the Jews, frequently argued from the prophecies
of the Old Testament, in which they say many things were expressly foretold, which were most
literally and exactly fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Now, greatly to the evidence, confirmation, and
advantage of Christianity, so it is that these prophecies are to this day extant in the original language ;
and this in the hands of a people most implacably averse to the Gospel. So that an attentive reader
may still, in a great measure, satisfy himself as to the validity of the arguments drawn from them.
On searching these ancient and important records, we find not only, in general, that it ap
peared. the wisdom of God to raise up for his people an illustrious deliverer, who, among other
glorious titles, is sometimes called the Messiah, or the Anointed One: but we are more par
ticularly told, that this great event should happen before the government ceased in the tribe of Judah,
Nos.53&54. e

XXU AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
while the second temple was standing ; and a little before its destruction, about four hundred and
ninety years after a command given to rebuild Jerusalem ; which was probably issued out in the
seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, or at least within a few years before, or after it.
It is predicted that he should be of the seed of Abraham, born of a virgin, of the house of David, in
the town of Bethlehem ; that he should be anointed with an extraordinary effusion of the divine Spirit,
in virtue of which he should not only be a perfect and illustrious example of universal holiness and
goodness, but should also perform many extraordinary and beneficial miracles.
Nevertheless, that for want of external pomp and splendour, he should be rejected and insulted
by the Jews, and afterwards be cut off and slain by them. It is added, that he should rise from
the dead, before his body should be corrupted in the grave ; and should be received up to heaven,
and there seated at the right hand of God, from whence he should, in a wonderful manner, pour out
his spirit on his followers : in consequence of which, though the body of the Jewish people perished
in their obstinate opposition to him, yet the Gentiles should be brought to the knowledge of the true
God ; and a kingdom established amOngst them, which,, from small beginnings, should spread itself
to the end of the earth, and continue to the remotest ages.
Besides these most material circumstances, there were several others relating to him, which
were either expressly foretold, or at least hinted at; all which, with those already mentioned,
had so evident an accomplishment in Jesus, that we have no reason to wonder that they should
receive the word with all readiness, who searched the Scriptures daily whether these things
were so predicted there, as the Apostles affirmed : For we are persuaded that no wise and religious
person could imagine, that God would permit an impostor to arise, in whom so great a variety of
predictions, delivered by so many different persons, and in so many distant ages, should have an
exact accomplishment. ^
When the Apostles were preaching to Heathens, it is indeed true, that they might wave the
argument from prophecy, because they were not capable judges of it. But when they insisted on
another, which might as soon captivate their'belief, and as justly vindicate ; we mean "the miracles
performed by Christ, and those commissioned and influenced by him ;"¦ many of these were of such
a nature as not to admit of any artifice or deceit ; especially that most signal one of his resurrection
from the dead, which may be called a miracle performed by, as well as upon Christ ; because he so
expressly declares, that he had himself a power to resume his life at pleasure.
The Apostles well knew, that this was a fact of such a nature, that those who believed this, will
never doubt of the rest. They often therefore single this out, and lay the whole stress of their cause
upon it. This they proved to be true by their own testimony miraculously confirmed; and in
proving this, they established Christianity on an impregnable rock. For we may safely refer it to
any judge, whether it is an imaginable thing that God should raise the dead body of an impostor,
especially when he had solemnly appealed to such a resurrection, as a grand proof of his mission, and
had expressly fixed the very day on which it was to happen ,
From these undeniable observations it is evident, that those who on the Apostles' testimony, believed
that the prophecies of the Old Testament were accomplished in Jesus, and that God bore witness to
him by miracles, and raised him from the dead, had abundant reason to believe, that the doctrine
which Christ taught was divine, and his Gospel a revelation from heaven. And if they had
reason to admit this conclusion, then it is plain that we, who have such satisfactory evidences

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XX1J1
on the one hand, that the testimony of the Apostles was credible, and on the other, that this
was the substance of it, have reason also to admit this grand inference from it, and embrace the
Gospel as a faithful saying, and well worthy of acceptation. This is the thing we have attempted
to prove ; and here we should finish the argument, were it not for the confirmation it may receive
from some additional considerations, which could not properly be introduced under any of the pre
ceding heads.
We therefore add, in the last place, that the truth of the Gospel has received farther and very con
siderable confirmation, from what has happened in the world since it was first published.
And here we must desire the reader to consider, on the one hand, what has been done to establish
it, and on the other, the methods which its enemies have been taking to destroy it.
1. Consider, what God has been doing to confirm the Gospel, since its first publication ; and we
will venture to assert, that it will prove a farther evidence of its divine original.
We might here argue at large from its surprising propagation in the world ; — from the miraculous
powers with which not only the Apostles, but succeeding preachers of the Gospel and other converts,
were endowed ; — from the accomplishment of the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament ; — and
from the preservation of the Jews, as a distinct people, notwithstanding the various difficulties and
persecutions through which they have passed.
It might be particularly urged, in confirmation of the truth of' Christianity, the wonderful success
with which it has been attended, and the surprising propagation of the Gospel in the world.
We have endeavoured, under a former head, to shew, that the Gospel met with so favourable
a reception in the world, as evidently proved, that its first publishers were capable of producing suf
ficient evidence of its truth ; evidence absolutely incompatible with imposture. But we shall now
carry this remark farther, and assert, that considering the circumstances of the case, it is amazing, that
even truth itself, under so many disadvantages, should have so illustrious a triumph' ; and that its won
derful success so evidently proves such an extraordinary interposition of the Almighty in its favour,
as may justly be called a miraculous attestation of it.
There was not only one of a family, or tvjo of a city, taken and brought to Zion ; but the
Lord so hastened it, in its appointed time, that a little one became a thousand, and a small one a
strong nation. And as the Apostles themselves were honoured with very remarkable success, so
this divine seed was propagated so fast in the next age, that Pliny testifies, " He found the
Heathen temples in Achaia almost deserted :" and Tertullian afterwards boasts, " That all places,
except those temples, were filled with Christians ; so that were they only to withdraw, cities
and provinces would be depopulated." Nor did the Gospel only triumph thus within the bounda
ries of the Roman empire; for long before Tertullian was born, Justin Martyr, in his dialogue
with Trypho the Jew, which seems to have been written not much above an hundred years
after Christ's death, declares, " That there was no nation of men, whether Greeks or barbarians, not
excepting those savages that wandered in clans from one region to another, and had no fixed habita
tion, who had not learned to offer prayers and thanksgivings to the Father and Maker of all, in the
name of Jesus, who was crucified."
Now, bow is it possible to account for such circumstances as these, but by saying the hand
of the Lord was with the first preachers of the Gospel, and therefore such multitudes believed,
and tarned to the Lord ? How was it possible for so small a fountain to have swelled immediately

XXIV AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
into a mighty river, and even have so extensively spread itselfon the face of the earth, if it had not
sprung from the sanctuary of God, and been rendered triumphant by his almighty arm ?
Had this new religion, so directly contrary 'to all the prejudices of education, been formed to
sooth men's vices, to countenance their errors, to defend their superstitions, or promote their secular
interests, we might easily have accounted for its prevalence in the world. Had its preachers been
profound philosophers, or polite and fashionable orators, many might have been charmed, at least
for a while, to follow them ; or had the princes and potentates of the earth declared themselves its
patrons, and armed their legions for its defence and propagation, multitudes might have been
terrified into the profession, though not a soul could by such means have been rationally persuaded
to the use of it. But without some such advantages as these, we can hardly conceive, how any
new religion should so strangely prevail ; even though it had crept into the world in its darkest
ages, and the most barbarous countries; and though it had been gradually proposed in the most
artful manner, with the finest veil industriously drawn over every part which might at first have
given disgust to the beholder
But every one knows that the very reverse of all this was the case of Christianity. It is
abundantly evident, from the apparent constitution of the religion of Jesus, that the lusts and
errors, the superstitions and interests, of carnal men would immediately rise up against it as a
most irreconcilable enemy. It is known that the learning and wit of the Greeks and Romans
were early employed to ridicule and. obstruct its progress. It is known, that as all the herd of
the heathen deities were to be discarded, the priests, who subsisted by the superstitious worship
paid them, must in interest find themselves obliged to oppose it.' It is known, that the princes of
the earth drew the sword against it, and armed torments and death for the destruction of its fol-
lowers^ And yet it triumphed over all, though published in ages and places celebrated for learning
and elegance : and proposed, not in an ornamental and artificial manner, but with the utmost plain
ness ; the doctrines of the cross being always advanced as its grand, foundation, though so notorious
a stumbling-block both to the Jews and Gentiles ; and the absolute necessity, not only of embracing
Christianity, but also of renouncing all idol worship, being insisted on immediately, and in the
strongest terms, and which must have made the religion of the Gospel appear to them the most sin
gular that had ever been taught in the world
Had one of the wits or politicians of the present age seen the Apostles, and a few other plain
men, who had been educated amongst the lowest of the people, as most of the first teachers of
Christianity were, going out armed with nothing but faith, truth, and goodness, to encounter the
power of princes, the bigotry of priests, the learning of philosophers, the rage of the populace, and
the prejudices of all; how would he have derided the attempt, and said with Sanballat, What will
these feeble Jews do ? But had he seen the event, surely he must have owned with the Egyptian
Magi, in a far less illustrious miracle, that it was the finger of God ; and might justly have fallen on
his face, even among those whom he had insulted, with an humble acknowledgment that God ivas
with them of a truth.
We must not forget to mention the accomplishment of several prophecies, recorded in the New
Testament, as a further confirmation, given by God to the Gospel.
The most eminent and signal instance under this head, is that of our Lord's prediction con
cerning the destruction of Jerusalem, as recorded by St. Matthew, in his twenty-fourth chapter. The

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XXV
tragical history of it is most circumstantially described by Josephus, the historian, who was an eye
witness of it ; and the description which he has given of this sad calamity so exactly corresponds
with the prophecy, that one would have thought, had we not known the contrary, that it had been
written by a Christian on purpose to illustrate it. And one can never enough admire the series of
amazing providence, by which' the author was preserved from most imminent danger, that he might
leave us that invaluable treasure which his writings contain.
We have no need of further evidence than we find in Josephus, of the exact accomplishment of
what was prophesied concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. But our Lord had also foretold
the long-continued desolation of the temple. And we cannot forbear mentioning the awful sanction
which was given to that part of the prediction. For it is well known, that a heathen historian
has assured us, that when Julian the apostate, in deliberate contempt of that prediction, so
lemnly and resolutely undertook to rebuild it, his impious design was frustrated miraculously,
again and again ; the workmen consumed by globes of fire, which broke out from the founda
tions. The prediction of St. Paul, concerning the man of sin, and the apostacy of the latter times, is
also well worthy of our remark ; and though a great part of the book of Revelation be still con
cealed under a dark veil, yet the division of the Roman empire into ten kingdoms, the usurpation,
persecution, and idolatry of the Romish church, and the long duration of the papal power, with se
veral other extraordinary events, which no human prudence could have foreseen, and which have
happened long since the publication of that book, are so clearly foretold there, that we cannot but
look on that part of the Scripture as an invaluable treasure : and it is not at all improbable, that the
more visible accomplishment of some of its other prophecies, may be a great means of reviving the
Christian cause, which is at present so much on the decline.
The preservation of the Jews, as a distinct people, is another particular under this head, which
well deserves our attentive regard.
It is plain that they are very numerous, notwithstanding all the slaughter and destruction of this
people, in former and latter ages. They are dispersed among various and most distant nations, and
particularly in these parts of the world, where Christianity is professed ; and though they are exposed
to great hatred and' contempt, on account of their different faith, and in most places subject to civil
incapacities, if not to unchristian severities ; yet they are still most obstinately tenacious of their re
ligion ; which is the more wonderful, as their fathers were so prone to apostatize from it ; and as
most of them seem to be utter strangers entirely to piety or humanity, and pour the greatest con
tempt on the moral precepts of their own law, while they are so attached to the ceremonial institu
tions of it, troublesome and inconvenient as they are.
Now let us seriously reflect, what an evident hand of Providence is here, that by their dispersion,
preservation, and adherence to their religion, it should come to pass, that Christians should daily see
the accomplishment of many remarkable prophecies concerning this people ; and that we should
always have amongst us such a crowd of unexceptionable witnesses to the truth of those ancient
Hebrew records on which so much of the evidence of the Gospel depends : records, which are many
of them so full to the purpose for which we allege them, that, as a celebrated writer very well ob
serves, " Had it been represented that the whole body of the Jewish nation had been converted to
Christianity, men would certainly have thought the assertion had been forged by Christians, and
have looked upon them in the same light with the prophecies of the Sybils, as made many years
after the events which they pretended to foretel.

XXVI AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
And to add no more here, the preservation of the Jews, as a distinct people, evidently leaves
room for the accomplishment of those Old and New Testament prophecies, which relate to their
national conversion and restoration, whereas, that would be impossible in itself, or at least im
possible to be known, if they were promiscuously blended with other people. On the whole, it is
such a scene in the conduct of Providence, as we are well assured cannot be paralleled in the
history of any other nation upon earth : and affords a most obvious and important argument in fa
vour of the Gospel.
Thus has Christianity been further confirmed since its publication, by what God had done to
establish it. It only remains that we consider,
2. What confirmation it receives from jhe methods which its enemies have taken to destroy it.
And these have generally been, either persecution, or falsehood, or cavilling at some particulars in
the revelation, without entering into the grand argument on which it is built, and fairly de
bating what is offered in its defence.' Now, who would not think the better of a cause for being
thus attacked ?
At first, it is known, that the professors, and especially the preachers of the Gospel, were severely
persecuted. In every city bonds and imprisonment awaited them. As soon as ever the Apostles
began to preach Jesus and his resurrection, the Jewish rulers laid hold on them : and having con
fined and scourged them, strictly prohibited their speaking any more in his name. A little while
after Stephen was murdered ; and afterwards James, and some other of the Apostles. Now cer
tainly such a conduct evidently betrayed a consciousness that they were not able to answer the
Apostles, and to support their own cause by the fair methods of reason and* argument, to which,
so far as the history informs us, they made no pretence : but attempted to bear them down by dint
of authority, and to silence them by brutal force.
It would be needless to attempt showing particularly how these unrighteous methods were
pursued in succeeding ages and distant countries. The savage cruelties of Nero to these in
nocent and holy men were such as raised the pity even of their enemies. Yet this was one of
the least extensive and destructive of the ten general persecutions which arose in the Roman
empire, besides several others in the neighbouring countries, of which ecclesiastical history in
forms us.
These early enemies of the Gospel added falsehood and slander to their inhumanities. They
endeavoured to murder the reputations of Christians, as well as their persons, and Avere not
ashamed to represent them as haters of the whole human species, for no imaginable reason, but
that they would not associate themselves in their idolatrous worship. Nay, they charged them
with human sacrifices, incest, idolatry, and all the crimes for which themselves and their false
gods were indeed justly detestable : but from which the Christians knew how to vindicate them
selves, highly to their own honour, and the everlasting reproach of these malignant and pestilent
accusers. And they have not failed to do it in many noble apologies, which, through the Divine
Providence, are transmitted to us, and are incomparably the most valuable of any ancient uninspired
writings.*. Such were the infamous, the scandalous methods, by which the Gospel was opposed in the
earliest ages of the church; and it must be added, that the measures more lately taken to
subvert it, especially among ourselves, seem rather to reflect a glory on it. The unhappy
enemies of the Gospel of the Son of God have been told, again and again, that we put the

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XXVU
proof of it on plain facts. They themselves do not, and cannot deny, that it prevailed early in the
world, as we haye shown at large. There niust have been some man, or body of men, who first
introduced it; and even themselves, notwithstanding all their obstinacy and perverseness, generally
confess that Christ and his Apostles were the persons ; which is a manifest acknowledgment of the
most forcible argument they can give against their own debased principles.
Now which of these schemes will the unbelievers take ? It seems that the Deists of the present
age fix on neither, as being secretly conscious they cannot support either : but they content them
selves with cavilling at some circumstances attending the revelation, without daring to encounter
its grand evidence ; that is, they have been laboriously attempting to prove it to be improbable,
or absurd, to suppose that to have been, which nevertheless plainly appears to have been facts.
One of them, most weakly and sophistically, attempts to prove, in defiance of the common sense of
mankind, that the.light of nature is a perfect rule, and, therefore, that all revelation is needless, and
indeed impossible. Another disguises the miracles of Christ by false representations of them,
and then treats them as idle tales. A third takes a great deal of fruitless pains to show, that some
prophecies referred to in the New Testament are capable of another sense, different from that in
which the Apostles have taken them.
These things have been set in a very artful and fallacious light by persons whose names will
perhaps be transmitted to posterity, with the infamous stigma of having been leaders in the
cause of infidelity; but not a man of them undertakes to ascertain the grand fact. Nay,
they generally take no more notice of the positive evidences by which it is even demonstrated,
than if they had never heard it proposed ; though they cavil at incidental • passages in those
books in which it is most clearly stated. And as for what they have urged, though perhaps
some who were before weary of Christianity may have taken occasion to reject it ; and' others,
for want of consulting the answers to them, may have been unwarily ensnared ; yet the exami
nation of these points has been greatly for the honour and vindication of the truth, which seems
on this occasion to have been set in a clearer and stronger light than ever, at least in these
latter ages.
The cause of Christianity has greatly gained by debate, and the Gospel comes like fine gold
out of the furnace ; which the more it is tried the more it is approved ; h; must be owned, that the
defenders of the Gospel have appeared with very different degrees of ability for the work ; nor could
it be otherwise among such numbers of them ; but, on the whole, though the patrons of infidelity
have been masters of wit, humour, and address, as well as of a moderate share of learning,
and generally much more than a moderate share of assurance; yet so great is the force of truth,
that (unless we may except those writers who have unhappily called for the aid of the civil magis
trate in the controversy,) we cannot recollect to have seen any defence of the Gospel, which has not,
on the whole, been sufficient to establish it, notwithstanding all the-sophistical arguments of its
subtile antagonists.
This is an observation that is continually gaining new strength,1 as new assaults are made
upon the Gospel; and we cannot forbear saying, that as if it were by a kind of judiqjal_ infa
tuation, some who have distinguished themselves in the wretched cause of infidelity, Rave been
permitted to fall into such gross misrepresentations, such senseless inconsistencies, such pal
pable falsehoods, and, in a word, into suqh various and malignant superfluity of naughtiness, that
to a wise and pious mind, they must appear like those venomous creatures, which are said
to carry an antidote in their own objections, particularly a noble Lord, who has given up
several of the deistical objections, and even acknowledged the divine original of the gospel ;

xxvj|j . AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
ibr he asserts " That ho religion ever appeared in the world, whose natural tendency was so much
directed to promote the peace and happiness of mankind." He declares that "No system can be
more simple and plain than that of a natural religion, as it stands in the Gospel." He avers, that
" he will not say, that the belief that Jesus was the Messiah is the only article of belief necessary
to make men Christians.
" There are other things, doubtless, contained in the revelation he made of himself, dependant on,
and relative to, tins article, without the belief of which I suppose our charity would be very defective.
But this I say, that the system of religion which Christ published, and his Evangelists recorded, is
a complete system to all the purposes of religion, natural and revealed. It contains all the duties
of the former, it enforces the whole law of faith, by promising rewards and threatening punishments,
vv hick he declares he will distribute when he comes to judge the world." The same writer alloweth,
that " the Gospel is in all cases one continued lesson of the strictest morality, of justice, of benevo
lence, and of universal charity." He professeth a great concern for true charity, in opposition to
theology, and says, that " genuine Christianity was taught of God." And, not to multiply passages.
to this purpose, he pronounces, that " the Christian system of faith and practice was revealed of
God himself, and it is absurd and impious to assert, that the divine Being revealed it incompletely
and imperfectly. Its simplicity and plainness shew that it was designed to be the religion of man
kind, and also manifests the divinity of its original." After reading those quotations, and a great
variety of others, which might be produced from his Lordship's writings, the reader may easily judge
what religion has to fear from this noble writer's arguments, and we will venture to assert, that he
has himself entirely confuted bis own objections.
Thus have we given the reader a brief view of the chief arguments, in proof of Christianity ; and
the sum of the whole is this :
The Gospel is probable in theory ; as considering the nature of God, and the circumstances of
mankind, there was reason to hope a revelation might be given ; and if any were given, we should
naturally apprehend its internal evidence would be such as that of the Gospel is, and its external
such as it is said to be. But it is also true in fact : for Christianity was early professed as it was
first introduced by Jesus of Nazareth, whose life and doctrines were published by his immediate
attendants, whose books are still preserved in the original language, and in the main are faithfully
translated into our own ; so that the books of the New Testament now in use may be* depended
upon as'written by the persons whose names they bear; and admitting this, the truth of the Gospel
follows, by a train of very easy consequences: for the authors certainly knew the truth of the
facts they related; and, considering what appears in their characters and circumstances, we
can never believe they would have attempted to deceive us; or, if they had, they could not
have gained credit in the world. But they did gain it in a very remarkable manner : therefore
the facts they attested were true; and the truth of the Gospel evidently follows from the certainty
of those facts, and is completely confirmed by what has happened in the world since the publica
tion of it.
This is the sum of what we flatter ourselves we have sufficiently proved ; and shall now conclude
what we have to say on this subject, with a few words by way of reflection.
1. Let «s gratefully acknowledge the divine goodness, in favouring us with so excellent a revela
tion, and confirming it taus by such ample evidence.
We should daily adore the God of nature for lighting up the sun, that glorious, though imperfect,
image of his own unapproachable lustre; and appointing it to gild the earth with its various ravs

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XX1*
tn cheer us with its benign influences, and to guide and direct us in our journeys, and our labours.
Bnt^bwnS^Lre valuable is thlt day-spring from on Ugh which .» «^ «*>
% light lotemthat it in darkness, and in the sladow of death, and to guide our feet m the way
of peace?
O ve Christians, whose eyes are so happy to see, and your ears to hear, what reason have you
for dan Tand ^hourTy praise! When your minds are delighted with contemplating the riches of
GosoelgraTe whS you view with wonder and joy the harmonious system of your redemption
whSTvEfcd t£ burthen of your guilt removed, the freedom of your address to the throne of
^£!ourW, andsee the prosptct of a fair inheritance to eternal glory opening upon you ; then,
E^eSSSiportB of your souls, borrow the joyful anthem of the psalmist and say with the
KlSflSSSeaSd self-resignation, God is the Lord whoshoweth us light -bind the sacrifice with
cS^fentTZhwnofthe altar. Adore God,who first commanded the light to shine out of darh
^fthatbythe discoveries of his word, and the operations of his Spirit, he h^shined in your
TeXto\ilZu the knowledge of his glory, as reflected from the face of his Son. Let us all adore
uTZt^sZLtionh^re^ed us, who live in an age and country so distant from that in
wlncl Tk first appeared ; while there are to this very day not only dark corners but regions of the
earth, that are full of the habitations of idolatry and cruelty.
Let us peculiarly address ourselves to those whose education and circumstances of life have given
them opportunities for a fuller inquiry into the state of those ancient or modern nations, that have
been left merely to the light of unassisted reason, even to those who are acquainted with the history
of their gods, the rights o*f their priests, the tales and even the hymns of their poets ; nay, we will
add, the§ reasoning6 of the sagest philosophers.; all the precious and all the erroneous things tiiey
have said where religion and immortality are concerned. It may be imagined that God gave to
some of the most celebrated pagan writers that uncommon share of genius and eloquence, that they
might, as it were, by their art, embalm the monsters of antiquity; that so succeeding ages might
see? in a more affecting view than we could otherwise have done, how weak the human mind is in
its best estate, and the need which the greatest as well as the meanest of mankind have of being
taught bv a revelation from above. While we are daily conversing with such monuments as these,
and are' also surveying the evidences of Christianity, in a larger and more distinct view than it was
possible for us here to suppose them, we are under peculiar obligations to be very thankful for the
Gospel ourselves, as well asto compassionate the case of those to whom it has never been offered,
or by whom it is slighted. And this leads us to another reflection.
2 What reason we have to pity those who reject this glorious Gospel, even when they have
opportunities of inquiring into its clearest evidences. Such, undoubtedly, we have in our own
age and nation : and surely we should sometimes bestow a compassionate thought upon them, and
lift up humble prayers for them, that God, peradventure, may give them repentance, to the
acknowledgment of the truth, that they may recover themselves out of the snares of the devil, who
are now led captive by him at his pleasure. We should pity Heathens and Mahometans under their
darkness and errors: but how much more deplorable is the case of these, who, though they dwell
in "Emmanuel's land, and in the Valley of Zion, turn it into the valley of the shadow oi death, by
closing their eyes against so bright a lustre, and stopping their ears against the voice of the charmer t
£ They are, indeed, in their own conceit, the only wise people, but their wisdom will die with them :
"so that to be sure they will scorn our pity. Buyvho can forbear it? Is there a more melancholy
thought than this, that the Son of God should hUve done so much to introduce and establish the
Gospel, and his Spirit so much to perpetuate and increase its evidence ; and that, after all, it should
Nos. 6S&54. d

XXX AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION.
be contemptuously despised, even by creatures who are perishing without it? This is not only done,
though we believe most frequently, by men of profligate and abandoned lives ; but sometimes by
persons who have the appearance of external morality, decency, and humanity (for such are to be
found among them) as well as men of wit and genius, of politeness and learning, of human prudence
and experience in worldly affairs.
It may also be added, that it is the case of some who were the children of pious parents, who
were trained up in religious exercises, who once discovered serious impressions, and gave very en
couraging hopes. Alas, whither are they falling ? How shall we shelter those that were once our
brethren, that were still once our friends, from the awful sentence which the Gospel denounces
against all that reject it, without any exception ? As to the wretches that add insult and derision to
their infidelity, we tremble to think of that load of guilt which they are bringing upon themselves ;
and how near their approach to the unpardonable sin, if they have not already committed it. For
the rest, who behave in a more modest and sober manner, it will, no doubt, be a very difficult task
to convince them ; and so much the rather, as some of them, by too easy a transition, have renounced
many of the most important principles of natural religion, nay, it might be added, even the whole
of it, together with the Christian revelation. But the influences of divine grace are Almighty.
Let us recommend them to it, and omit no other proper method, either of recovering such as
are already seduced, or at least of securing those who are not yet infected ; but may be, as most of
the youth are, especially in the most populous places, in imminent danger of the^ contagion. To
this end let us add,
3. How reasonable it is, that Christians should form a familiar acquaintance with the great evi
dences of bur common faith.
It is what we so apparently owe to the honour of God, to the interest of Christ, to the peace of
our own souls, and the edification of others, that we hope we need not urge it at large, especially
considering what has been said before. In consequence of all, let it be your care to make the evi
dences of Christianity the subject of your serious reflection and frequent converse. Especially study
your bibles, where such marks of truth and divinity are to be found, that we hope few who have fa
miliarly known them and have had a relish for them, were ever brought to make shipwreck
of their faith as it is in Jesus. Above all, let it be your care to act on the rules which are here laid
down : and then you will find your faith growing in a happy proportion, and experience the truth
of our Saviour's declaration, that if any man will resolutely and faithfully do his will, he shall know
of the Christian doctrine, whether it be of God. We verily believe, that it is the purity of its
precepts which lies at the bottom of most men's opposition to it ; or a natural pride of heart, .
which gives them an aversion to it; or a fond affectation of seeming wiser than others, in
rejecting what most of their neighbours do, and profess to believe. When these unhappy
prejudices and conceptions are, by divine grace, conquered and rooted out, the evidence of
truth will daily appear with increasing lustre : as the light of the sun does to an eye recover
ing from a film with which it hath been overgrown ; and which before had veiled it with midnight
in the midst of noon.
4. How solicitous should we be to embrace and obey that Gospel, which comes attended with
such abundant evidences. We may undoubtedly address ourselves to most of our readers, and say,
as Paul did to king Agrippa : Believest thou the prophets. I know that thou beKevest : yet let me en
treat and charge you not to rest here ; but attentively to examine how far your hearts are affected,
and your lives regulated by such a belief. The Christian revelation is a practical thing; and is heard,
belieVed, and professed in vain, if it be not obeyed.

AN INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION. XXXI
In this Gospel the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all the ungodliness of men : but it
is revealed with redoubled fury against that audacious sinner who holds the truth in unrighteousness.
In this Gospel the blessed Jesus is exalted both as a Prince and Saviour; and it is not with impunity,
that the impenitent rebel can reject his yoke, and trample on his blood. What must they expect,
who have poured contempt on such a Sovereign, and on such a Redeemer.
Let it be earnestly and frequently recollected, that this Gospel is the touchstone by which we are
one day to be tried ; the balance by which an impartial judge will weigh us ; and must, on the whole,
prove our everlasting triumph, or our everlasting torment. The Almighty did not introduce it with
such solemn notice, such high expectation, such pompous miracles, such awful sanctions, that men
might reject or dishonour it at pleasure; but it will certainly be fpund, to the greatest and meanest
of those that hear it, a saviour of life unto life, or a saviour of death unto death. .
Let it therefore be your immediate care to inquire, which of these it is likely to prove to your souls ?
Remember, it is so far from being a vain thing, that it is really your very life. If it has been hitherto
despised, and that blessed Redeemer, in whom it so evidently centres, has been neglected, assure
yourselves, that all we have said in confirmation of its- truth, proves only that the hand-writing of
God is set to your condemnation. Allow yourselves therefore not a moment's rest, till you have,
with humble submission, applied to his throne, while there is yet hope that it may be reversed.
And for you who have hitherto belieyed and obeyed the Gospel, let it be your care to defend and
adorn it ; be blameless and harmless, the children of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, shining among them as lights in the world : perhaps your example may not only
serve to entertain their eyes, but to guide their feet into the way of peace, and engage them also to
join with you in glorifying your Father which is in heaven: above all, be careful to hold fast the form
of sound words, and to adorn the doctrine of your blessed Saviour in all things.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. I. Page
PRESAGE of the Birth of Christ. Prediction of the
Birth of John the Baptist. Salutation of the Blessed
Virgin by the Angel. Visitation of the Virgin Mary
to Elizabeth. Birth of the Baptist . . 5
CHAP II.
General Decree for Taxation Published. Birth of Christ. .
Declaration of the same to the Shepherds. Cir
cumcision and Presentation of Christ in the Temple.
The Wise Men of the East worship the holy Child.
Flight of Joseph into Egypt. Massacre of Infants at
Bethlehem. Death of Herod. Return of Joseph out
of Egypt . . . . . .11
CHAP. III.
State of our Lord's Childhood, and private Life. His
Argument with the Jewish Doctors. Mission, Cha
racter, andDoctrine of the Baptist. Baptism of Christ,
and visible Descent of the Spirit on that Solemnity 19
CHAP. IV.
Commencement of our Saviour's Ministry. His Temp
tation in the Wilderness. Deputation of the Sanhe
drim to John the Baptist. First Miracle wrought by
the Blessed Jesus . . . . .25
CHAP. V.
Expulsion of the Prophaners of the Temple. Jesus is
visited, and disputes with Nicodemus. Baptizes in
Judea. Instructs a poor Samaritan. Heals a sick
person at Capernaum. Retires again "to Nazareth,
and is expelled thence by his impious countrymen 31
CHAP. VI.
Our Lord proceeds to Capernaum Adds to the num
ber of his followers. Proclaims the Gospel in Galilee.
Preaches to a numerous audience his well-known and
excellent discourse upon the Mount . .38
CHAP VH.
Our blessed Lord cures the Leprosy and Palsy. Casts
out the DeviL Succours the Mother-in-Law of Peter;
and afterwards pursues his journey through the coun
try of Galilee . ... .48
CHAP. VIII.
Jesus Confirms his Mission by producing a miraculous
Draught of Fishes. Curing the Leprosy a second
Time. Appeasing the boisterous Waves. Casting
Devils out of divers Persons grievously possessed . 51
CHAP. IX.
Our Lord proceeds in Acts of Mercy and Benevolence.
Adds Matthew to the number of his Disciples. Casts

Page
out an evil Spirit. Passes again through Galilee. Se
lects Twelve from among his Disciples, as his con
stant Followers and Companions, and harangues the
Multitude in an excellent Discourse . . 57
CHAP. X.
Continuation of our Lord's glorious Doctrines, beneficent
Acts, and astonishing Miracles, wrought in confirma
tion of the Divinity of his Mission, and the extending
his heavenly Kingdom . . . .65
CHAP. XI.
The Character of John the Baptist cleared and justified
by the Blessed Jesus. He visits Simon the Pharisee.
Display of our Lord's Humility and Condescension 68
CHAP. XII.
Miraculous Cure effected at the Pool of Bethesda. Re
proof of the Superstition of the Jews, in condemning
the performance of necessary Works on the Sabbath
Day. After doing "many Acts of Mercy and Wonder,
our blessed Lord is visited by his Mother and his
Brethren, and makes a spiritual Reflection on that
Incident ..... CHAP. XIII.
Our Lord delivers many remarkable Parables, and ex
plains several of them. Returns to Nazareth, and
commissions the twelve Apostles, whom he had be
fore selected as his constant attendants and Fol
lowers, to disperse, and preach the Gospel of the
Kingdom of God in Divers places. Circumstance*
of the Death of John the Baptist . . 81
CHAP. XIV.
Our Lord adds to the Confirmation of his Mission and
Doctrine, by working a Miracle in the Wilderness of
Bethsaida. The people, struck with the Power and
Grace of the blessed Jesus, proposes to raise him to
the earthly Dignity of King. Peter, by means of his
blessed Master, performs a Miracle, in walking upon
the Sea. Our Lord's Improvement of the Miracles
wrought in the Wilderness, introduced in a Discourse
delivered in the Synagogues of Capernaum . . 89
CHAP. XV.
Pharasaical Superstition severely reprimanded.. The
great Redeemer continues' to display his Power and
Benevolence in the Relief of several Objects of Afflic
tion. Guards his Disciples against the prevailing Er
rors and Fallacies of the Scribes and Pharisees. Pro*
ceeds on the work of his heavenly Father . . 9j>

CONTENTS.

CHAP. XVI. Page
The blessed Jesus delegates a special Power to Peter,
one of his Disciples. Pronounoes the final Judgment
of the World, and is afterwards transfigured upon the
Mount . » . . . . 105
CHAP. XVII.
Our Saviour relieves a Youth tortured with a dumb
Spirit. Conforms cheerfully to the Custom of the
Country, by paying the Tribute. Reproves the Pride
of his Disciples, and delivers some excellent moral
precepts . . • . . . .110
CHAP. XVIII.
Our blessed Lord attends for the fourth time the Cele
bration of the Passover at Jerusalem. Harangues the
multitude at the solemn Feast of Tabernacles. Ex
empts the Woman "detected in Adultery from the
Punishment annexed, by the Jews to that Crime.
Escapes from the Snares laid for him by the inve
terate Scribes and Pharisees . . .116
CHAP. XIX.
Our Lord continues "to work Miracles in Confirmation of
his Mission and Doctrine ; calls forth and sends out
seventy Disciples ; preaches to the people of Judea,
by way of Parable ..... 128
CHAP. XX.
The humble Jesus resides with Martha and Mary, two
obscure Women of Bethany. Improves a Circum
stance which occurred at the Feast of Dedication.
Prescribes a Mode of Prayer to his Disciples and fu
ture Followers. And revisits some of the Pharisaical
Tribe . . . . . .138
CHAP. XXI.
Explanation of the Origin and Opinions of the different
Sects among the Jews. Our Lord teaches the Mul
titude by plain Discourse, and also by Parables . 146
. CHAP. XXII.
Our Lord reproves the Ignorance of the People in not
understanding the Signs which preceded his Appear
ances. Pertinently replies to an ignorant Question
and Inference concerning the Galileans. Teaches by
Parable. Relieves a distressed Woman. Is warned
to depart the Country, in order to escape the Resent
ment of Herod . . . . ' . 153
CHAP. XXIII.
The blessed Jesus accepts the Pharisees' Invitation a
third time. Delivers divers Parables, representing the
Requisites for Admittance into the kingdom of God.
The Care of the Redeemer for every one of his Peo
ple. The Reception of a penitent Sinner; and the
Punishment of misusing the Benefits of the Gospel 157
CHAP. XXIV.
Jesus rebukes the insolent Derision of the Pharisees.
Describes, by a Parable, the Nature of future Re
wards and Punishments, and enforces the Doctrine
of mutual Forbearance . 164

CHAP. XXV. Page
Our Lord is applied to in behalf of poor Lazarus. Cures
ten persons of the Leprosy in Samaria, and restores
. . . 167

Lazarus to life

CHAP. XXVI.

The Great Prophet of Israel foretels the Ruin of the
Jewish State, and enforces many important Doctrines
by Parable. He blesseth the Children as Emblems of
the Heavenly and Christian Temper and Disposition, 173
CHAP. XXVII.
Our Lord departs from his Retirement. Declares the
only Way of Salvation. Shews the Duty of improving
the Means of Grace, by the Parables of the Vineyard.
Prediction of his Suffering, and Contention of the
Disciples about Precedence in his Kingdom . . 177
CHAP. XXVIII.
The benevolent Saviour restores Sight to the Blind.
Kindly regards Zaccheus the Publican. Delivers the
Parable of the Servants entrusted with their Lord's
Money. Accepts the kind Offices of Mary. Makes
a public entry into Jerusalem . . .181
CHAP. XXIX.
Jesus pronounces a Curse upon the Fig-Tree. Expels
the Prbfaners of the Temples. Asserts his divine Au
thority, and delivers two Parables . . .187
CHAP. XXX.
The blessed Jesus wisely retorts on the Pharisees and
Sadducees, who propound an intricate Question to
him. Settles the most important Point of the Law.
Enforces his Mission and Doctrine, and foretels the
Judgments that would fall upon the Pharisaical Tribe 195
CHAP. XXXI.
Our Saviour commends even the smallest Act, because
it proceeded from a truly benevolent Motive. Pre
dicts the Demolition of the magnificent Temple of
Jerusalem, and delivers several instructive Parables 204
CHAP. XXXII.
Our blessed Lord is anointed by a'poor but pious Wo
man. The perfidious Judas consents to betray his
Master. The humble Jesus washes the Feet of his
Disciples, and foretels that Disciple who was to betray
him into the hands of his inveterate Enemies 219
CHAP. XXXIII.
Jesus institutes the Sacrament in Commemoration of his
Death and Sufferings. Settles a Dispute which arose
among his Disciples. Predicts Peter's Cowardice in
denying . his Master. Fortifies his Disciples against
the approaching Shock. Foretels Peter's Cowardice
again. Preaches to; and prays with, his Disciples for
the last time. Passionate Address of our Lord to his
Father in the Garden . . . 227

CONTENTS.

CHAP. XXXTV. Page
The blessed Redeemer is taken by a Band of Soldiers,
at the information of the Traitor Judas. Heals aWound
1 given the High-priest's Servant by Simon Peter . 245
CHAP. XXXV.
Fulfilment of our Lord's Prediction concerning Peter 248
CHAP. XXXVI. '
The Saviour of the World is arraigned at the Bar of the
Sanhedrim, and tried by the Jewish Council . .250
CHAP. XXXVII.
Our blessed Saviour is carried before the Roman Go
vernor. The Traitor Judas becomes his own Execu
tioner. Pilate publicly acquits Jesus, and refers his

Case to the Decision of Herod
CHAP. XXXVIII.

252

The Roman Governor, for want of Evidence, proposes
to acquit and release Jesus, three several Times, but
at length, at the pressing Instigation of the. inveterate
Jews, he condemns and delivers him up . . 256
CHAP. XXXIX.
The innocent immaculated Redeemer is led forth to
Mount Calvary, and there ignominiously crucified
between two notorious Malefactors. Reviled by the
Spectators. " A Phenomenon appears on the iin-
portant Occasi6n. Our Lord addresses his Friends
from the Cross, and gives up the Ghost . , . 261
CHAP. XL.
The blessed Jesus treated with Indignation after his
Crucifixion. A pious Person begs his body of Pilate,
in order for Interment .... 269

CHAP. XLI. Pag«
Two Pious Women go to view the Sepulchre of their
crucified Lord and Saviour. An awful Phenomenon
happens. A ministering Spirit descends. The Re
deemer bursts the Chains of Death, and rises from
the Confines of the Grave . . . .272
CHAP. XLII.
The Angel addresses the pious Women. Two Dis
ciples go to the Sepulchre. Jesus appears to Mary
Magdalene ; afterwards to a Company of Women.
Peter meets his Lord and Master, after his Resurrec
tion . . . . . .273
CHAP. XLIII.
Jesus appears, on fivers occasions, to different Disciples.
Reproves and convinces Thomas of his Unbelief.
Shows himself to a great Number of his Followers in
Galilee . . . . . . 303
CHAP. XLIV.
Our blessed Lord instructs his Disciples m what Manner
they should conduct themselves in order to propagate
the Doctrine of the Gospel. Promises to assist them
in the important Business. Gives them his final
Blessing, and ascends into Heaven. Comparison be
tween Moses, the great Lawgiver, and our blessed
Saviour. General Review of the Life and Doctrines
of the great Redeemer of Mankind . .284'
CHAP. XLV.
Remarks on the peculiar Nature of the Christian Re
ligion, the Principles it inculcates, and its Fitness to
render Men holy and humble here, and happily glo
rified hereafter ..... 290

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

ST. PETER. Page
CHAP. I.
Account of the Life of St. Peter, prior to his Call to the
Apostleship of the blessed Jesus .... 300
CHAP. II.
The manner by which Peter arrived to the Knowledge of
the blessed Jesus, and of his Call to the Disfcipleship 301
CHAP. III.
Peculiar Transactions of this Apostle, from the time of
his being chosen, to his blessed Master's entering the
City of Jerusalem , . . . . . . 303
CHAP. IV.
Life of St. Peter, from the Time of the Celebration of
the last Passover, to the Crucifixion of the great Re
deemer  306

CHAP. V.

Page

An account of what befel this Apostle, from the Resur
rection of his blessed Master, to his Ascension into
Heaven .  310
CHAP. VI.
Transactions of St. Peter from the Ascension of his
, blessed Master, to the Dispersion of the Church of

313

. 319

Jerusalem CHAP. VII.
Concluding Scenes of St. Peter's Life
ST. PAUL.
CHAP. I.
Account of this Apostle, from his Birth till his Conver
sion to the Christian Faith ... 628

CONTENTS.

CHAP. H. Page
ConUDctition of the Life of St. Paul, from the time of
his Conversion, till the Council was held at Jerusalem 33 1
CHAP. III.
Transactions of this great Apostle, from the time of
the Synod at Jerusalem, till his Preaching at Athens 337
CHAP. IV.
Success of St. Paul's Ministry at Corinth and Ephesus 342
CHAP. V.
Transactions of St. Paul, during the farther progress of
his ministry, to the time of his Arraignment before
Felix' .  346
CHAP. VI.
Transactions of St. Paul, from his first Trial ^before
Telix, till his coming to Rome .... 352
CHAP. VII.
The Transactions of St. Paul, from his Arrival at
Rome, till his Martyrdom .... 356
ST. ANDREW.
CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. Andrew, from his Birth to his
being called to the Apostleship . . , 360
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Andrew, from our blessed Sa
viour's Ascension till his Martyrdom . . 360
ST. JAMES the Great.
CHAP. I.
The Transac'tions of St. James the Great, from his
Birth to the-Ascension-ofthe Son of God . . 363
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. James, from the Messiah's As
cension, to his sealing the truth of the Gospel with
his Blood  .364
ST. JOHN the Evangelist.
CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. John, from his Birth to the
Ascension of his great Lord and Master . . 364
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. John, from the Ascension of
Christ to his Death  365
ST. PHILIP.
CHAP. I. "
The Transactions of St. Philip, from his Birth to his
being called to the Apostleship .... 367
CHAP, H.
The Transactions of St. Philip, to the time of his Mar
tyrdom . .  368
ST. BARTHOLOMEW. CHAP. I
The Transactions of St. Bartholomew, from his Birth,
to the Ascension of his great Master . . . 369

CHAP. H. Page
The Transactions of St. Bartholomew, from the Ascen
sion of Christ to his Martyrdom .... 370
ST. MATTHEW.
CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. Matthew, from his Birth to the
Ascension of Christ ...... 371
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Matthew, from the Ascension
of Christ to his Martyrdom . . . '. 372
ST. THOMAS.
CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. Thomas, from his Birth to the
Ascension of our Blessed Saviour . . . 373
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Thomas, from the Ascension
of the Son of God to his Death .... 374
St. James the Less  375
St. Simon the Zealot ...... 378
St.Jude  379
St. Matthias  380
St. Mark  . .381
St. Luke  383
St. Barnabas  384
St. Stephen  388
Timothy  .391
Titus  392
The Virgin Mary  394
Mary the Sister of Lazarus . . . . ¦ 400
Joseph  402
Joseph of Arimathea  "ib.
Nicodemus  40S
John Mark  404
Clement  405
Mary Magdalene  406
The Evidences of Christianity briefly stated, and the
New Testament proved to be Genuine, in three judi
cious and excellent Sermons, by P. Doddridge, D. D.
Sermon I. .... 407
Sermon II. .... 421
Sermon III. ..... 432
An Exhortation to Christians to imitate the Example
of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as dis
played in his Life and Doctrines . . 444
The Epistle of St. Clement to the Corinthians . 448
THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS.
An Account of the Troubles of the Jews, particularly
those Calamities which fell upon them at the Time
of the Destruction of Jerusalem . . 467
Reasons why the Christian Religion is preferable to all
others . • . . . . 592
Exhortations to, and directions for, reading the Holy
Scriptures ..... 594
Hymns . . . . . .615
On the Day of Judgment . . 616

THE LIFE

OF

®WIE MMBB ASK® -BATUdDTBB #HiTO (BRIBilSWa

AND HIS

APOSTLES, EVANGELISTS, PATRIARCHS, &c.

CHAPTER I.
Presage of the Birth of Christ. — Prediction of the Birth of John the Baptist. — Sa
lutation of the Blessed Virgin by the Angel. — Visitation of the Virgin Mary to
Elizabeth. — Birth of the Baptist. \

NO event that ever did, or perhaps will,
happen, can more remarkably display
the wisdom and power of the great Jehovah,
than the glorious manner in which he brought
life and immortality to light, by the Gospel of
his only Son, manifested in the flesh.

History, as it refers merely to human events,
is a pleasing and instructing subject: but that
which relates to our immortal interest certainly
claims our most serious regard.

The mind of man cannot be more delight
fully 'employed than in the contemplation of
the wisdom and goodness of the Creator of
the universe, who, by means the least thought
of and imagined, confirmed and established
that glorious Gospel, which points out the only
foundation of a sinner's hopes of eternal salva
tion. Notwithstanding the strength and num-
No. 1.

ber of its enemies, the church of Christ grew,
from the most inconsiderable beginnings, to
an immense fabric or building in the Lord; nor
shall the united efforts of earth and hell be
able to prevail against it. As it was planted,
so it was reared, by an almighty hand, which,
like the careful husbandman, pruned and cul
tivated each tender sprig, till it arrived at
full perfection : or, to use the words of our
blessed Lord, the least of all seeds grew up and
waxed er gretlt tree, and spread out its branches,
and filled the earth.
Thus prevailed eternal truth ; nor could the
inveterate Jews, or superstitious Heathens, re
sist its progress, though Herod and Pontius
Pilate, with the Gentiles, and people of Israel,
gathered themselves together against the Lord, and
against his anointed; for the doctrine of God
confounded the wisdom of the one, and over
came the folly of the other.
B

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. I.

If we survey the stupendous works of the
creation, we shall find that few arrived at per
fection at once. This observation is amply
confirmed by the various productions in the
natural, and changes in the moral world. The
Supreme Being, who conducts all his opera
tions according to his infinite wisdom, appears
to have retained the same maxim in regula
ting his kindest dispensations to the sons of
men. The divine will was not revealed, at
first, in its clearest evidence and fullest splen
dour. The dawn, in a spiritual, as well as in
a natural sense, preceded the meridian glory :
the former revelation was but a type, or
earnest of the latter, and, in comparison with
it, intricate and mysterious.
The ali-gracious God, as it seemed best to
his unerring wisdom, was pleased, by degrees,
to open and unfold his glorious counsels; and
man, by degrees, attained to the knowledge
of the great plan of salvation, and the means
used by its great Author to promote and estab
lish it
Some time before the incarnation of the
blessed Jesus, an opinion prevailed among the
pious part of the Jews, that the great Jehovah
would condescend to favour them with a clear
revelation of his divine will, by the mission of
some eminent person, qualified flhsm above to
instruct them in the same. This opinion was
founded on the predictions of the ancient pro
phets, who had described, with the utmost
beauty and clearness, the person, character,
and glory, of the Messiah, appointed by God
in his own time, to declare his eternal coun
sels to mankind,
Relying on the fulfilment of these prophe
cies, the devout persons among the Jews ima

gined the time appointed by God near at hand,
and that the promised Messiah would shortly
make his appearance, and therefore are said
to have waited night and day for the consolation o
Israel. These people, grievously oppressed by
the Roman power, and consequently anxious
of regaining their liberty, as well as revenging
themselves on their tyrannical oppressors,
waited the accomplishment of the prophecies
with the most solicitous desire. But this opi
nion of the approach of a general deliverer ex
tended much farther than the country of the
Jews; for, through their connections with so
many countries, their disputes with the learned
men among the Heathens, and the translation
of the Old Testament into a language now al
most general, their religion greatly prevailed
in the East, and consequently their opinion that
a Prince would appear in the kingdom of Ju-
dea, who would dispel the mists of ignorance,
deliver the Jews from the Roman yoke, and
spread his dominion from one end of the world
to the other.
While the Eastern world was fraught with
these sanguine hopes, the angel Gabriel, who
had appeared to Daniel the prophet, with a
certain information, as to the period of the
Messiah's coming, as well as his transactions
in this lower world, was sent to Zacharias", a
pious priest, while he was executing his office
before God, in the order of his course, (which
was to burn incense when he went into the
temple of the Lord,) to foretel that a child
should spring from him and his wife Elizabeth,
(though they were stricken in years,) who
should be endowed with extraordinary gifts
from heaven, and honoured with being the
forerunner of the Saviour of the world,
Zacharias, when he saw the angel, though

Chap. I.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

he probably knew him to be of heavenly ex
traction, could not judge the subject of his
mission, and therefore discovered a mixture
of fear and surprise ; but the heavenly ambas
sador cheered his desponding soul with this
kind address ; Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer
is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son,
and thou shall call his name John. That he waited,
day and night, for the consolation of Israel, he
well knew ; which is all we can understand by
his prayer being heard ; for it was unnatural
for him to think that he and his wife Elizabeth,
who were advanced in years, should have a
son ; nay, he intimates his doubt concerning it
in these words : Whereby shall I know this ? for
lam an old man, and my wife well stricken in years
Besides, he was a priest of the course of Abia,
whose particular office was to pray in behalf
of the people for public and national bless
ings ; so that it is very reasonable to think,
that on all occasions of public worship he
prayed most earnestly for the accomplishment
of the prophecies relative to the appearance
of the long-expected Messiah, who was pro
mised as a general blessing to all the nations
of the earth.

That this was the great subject of his prayer,
appears from the declaration of Gabriel:
The prayer thou hast directed with sincerity
to an Almighty ear, concerning the coming of
the Messiah, is heard; and behold thy wife Eliza
beth shall bear thee a son, who shall prepare the
way for the mighty Redeemer of Israel. The
good old priest was as much astonished at the
subject of the mission, as he was at the ap
pearance of the messenger ; and esteeming it
impossible that his wife thus advanced in
years, should conceive a son, weakly demand
ed a sign to confirm his unbelief in the fulfil
ment of the promise, though he knew the au

thority of the angel was derived from the God
of truth. But as it is the lot of humanity to
err, Zacharias had, for that time, forgot that
nothing was impossible to the Omnipotence,
as well as that it were not the first time the
aged were caused to conceive, and bear chil
dren. The least reflection would have re
minded him, that Sarah conceived and bore
Isaac, when she was far advanced in years ;
and that Samuel was born of a woman, who
had been long reputed, and even called, bar
ren. His curiosity was, indeed, gratified, but in
a manner that carried with it, at once, a con
firmation of the promise, and a punishment of
his unbelief. As he had verbally testified his
doubt of the fulfilment of the prediction of the
angel, he was punished with the loss of his
speech, which was to continue to the very day
in which the prediction should be accom
plished ; Behold, thou shaft be dumb, and not able to
speak, until the day that these things shall be per
formed, because thou believest not my words, which
shall be fulfilled in their season,
Zacharias soon received an awful testimony
of the divinity of the mission of Gabriel, who
was no sooner departed, than he was struck
dumb ; for when he came to pray in the course
of his office, during the oblation of his incense,
he could not utter a word ; and was under a
necessity of making signs to the people that an
angel had appeared unto him in the temple,
and that he was deprived of the faculty of
speech, as a punishment for his doubting the
fulfilment of an event which he had been fore-
told concerning him,
Soon after Zacharias departed to his own
house, (the day of his ministration being ac-

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. I.

complished,) his wife Elizabeth, according to
the prediction of the angel, conceived, and re
tired into a private place, where she lived five
months in the uninterrupted exercise of piety,
devotion, and contemplation on the mysterious
providence of the Almighty, and his amazing
goodness to the sinful children of men.

When Elizabeth was advanced six months
in her pregnancy, the same heavenly ambas
sador was sent to a poor virgin called Mary,
who lived in obscurity in Nazareth, under the
care of Joseph, to whom she was espoused.
This man and woman were both lineally de
scended from the house of David, from whose
loins it was foretold the great Messiah should
spring. This virgin being ordained by the Most
High to be the mother of the great Saviour of
the world, was saluted by the angel in most
respectful terms, Hail ! thou that are highly fa
voured ; the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou
among women ! Such an address from so ex
alted a being, greatly alarmed the meek and
humble virgin; to allay whose fear, and en
courage whose heart, the angel related in most
sublime terms, the subject of his embassy,
which was to assure her, that she was chosen
of God to the greatest honour which could be
conferred on a mortal, and which would per
petuate her memory ; an honour no less than
that of being mother of the promised and long-
expected Messiah, who upon earth shall be
called Jesus, because he should save his peo
ple from their sins, be the restorer of human
nature, and the procuring cause of eternal bliss
to sinners, who had forfeited the favour, and
incurred the resentment, of an offended God :
that this divine person was to be considered
as the Son of the Most High God : to whom

should be given by his Almighty Father a
throne in the heavenly kingdom, on which he
should preside, and which, being the whole
church of Christ, the house of Jacob, the spi
ritual Israel, or the kingdom of the Messiah,
should continue for ever and ever.
The astonished virgin, unmindful that Isaiah
had long since prophesied, that a virgin should
conceive and bear a son, thought her virginity an
unsurmountable barrier to the fulfilment of the
prophecy, especially as such an event had
never occurred since the creation of the world,
and therefore required of the angel an expla
nation of the manner in which such a circum
stance could be affected.
This desire by no means implies her not
remembering, that with God all things were
possible, but only serves to prove the weak
ness of her apprehension on the one hand, or
her diffidence and sense of her own unworthi ¦
ness on the other.
The angel, therefore, perceiving the up
rightness of her disposition, notwithstanding
some little proof of human weakness, and
shortness of sight, vouchsafed an immediate
answer to her inquiry: The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shaU
overshadow thee; or in other words, This mira
culous event shall be brought about by the
aid of the Holy Spirit, and wonderful exertion
of the power of the Most High. As thy con
ception shall be effected by the immediate in
fluence of the Holy Ghost; therefore also that
holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called
the Son of God. To confirm her faith in the
glorious message, the heavenly messenger ob
served to her, that her cousin Elizabeth, not
withstanding her advanced years, and reputed
barrenness, was above six months pregnant,

Chap. I.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

assigning this incontestible argument for the
miraculous incident: For with God nothing shall
be impossible. This reply not only removed all her doubts
and fears, but filled her with inexpressible
joy, so that she even anticipated the promised
felicity ; for she, with the rest of the daughters
of Jacob, had long indulged a hope of being
selected by God to be the honoured mother
of the Saviour of Israel : and therefore, on her
being assured that such happiness was des
tined her by the great Disposer of all events,
she thus expressed her reliance on the fulfil
ment of the Divine promise, and perfect ac-
quiesence in the will of the Almighty, Behold
the handmaid of the Lord ! be it unto me according
to thy word.
The angel had no sooner departed than
Mary set out for the mountainous country of
Judea, though at a very remote distance from
Nazareth, in order to rejoice with her cousin
Elizabeth in the joyful news she had received
from the angel concerning her. The rapture
and delight which filled the minds of Mary
and Elizabeth, on the occasion of this saluta
tion, can alone be conceived from the affect
ing description recorded by the Evangelist
Luke, who is peculiar for the beauty of his
style, and elegance of his expressions.
That Evangelist writes, that the salutation
of Mary had such an effect upon Elizabeth,
that, on hearing of the miraculous event
which had befallen the virgin, the babe leaped
within her, and that she, being inspired with a
holy delight on the approaching prospect of
the nativity of her Saviour, exclaimed with
rapture, And whence is this to me, that the mother
of my Lord shall come to me * Luke i. 43. Nor

did her ecstacy cease with this token of hu
mility and joy on the important event, in the
ardour of which she evinced that prophetic
influence, which, while it amazed the blessed
virgin, could not fail of establishing her belief
in what the angel had foretold; for she re
peated the very words expressed by the angel,
in his salutation of the holy virgin, Blessed art
thou among women ; together with a quotation
from the Psalms, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb, Mary conceived the seed long promised and
earnestly desired, the seed in whom all the na
tions of the earth were to be blessed, according
to the words of the Psalmist : His name shall con
tinue as long as the sun; and men shall be blessed in
him: all nations shall call him blessed. The happy
virgin, catching the holy flame from the aged
Elizabeth, broke out into an humble acknow
ledgment of her unworthiness, and the won
derful grace of the Almighty, in appointing her
to the exalted honour of bearing the Redeem
er of Israel, as expressed in those known
words, My soul doth magnify the Lord, &c.
Thus having by this visit, confirmed herself
in the belief of the prediction of the angel
Gabriel, when the period of Elizabeth's preg
nancy approached, she returned to Nazareth,
having resided in Judea about three months.
Soon after the departure of Mary, Elizabeth
brought forth a son, the appointed harbinger
of the King of Glory ; and on the eighth day
after his birth, according to the Judaical cus
tom, he was circumcised, and called, agreea
ble to the appointment of the angel, John,
alluding, in the Hebrew tongue, to the gra
cious display of the wisdom and goodness of
God, who was about to manifest himself to the
C

10

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. 1.

world, by the spreading of the Gospel of his
Son, of whom this John was the appointed fore
runner. The promise being thus fulfilled, the aged
priest was restored to his speech, and imme
diately broke out into praise and rapture at
the marvellous works of God, in strains which
astonished all around him.
This surprising event greatly alarmed the
people of the adjacent country, who were
divided in their opinions concerning a child,
whose birth was attended with so many extra
ordinary circumstances. Indeed, these inci
dents were worthy of general admiration ; that
he who was to be the forerunner of the mighty
Saviour of Israel should not make his entrance
on life in an obscure and common manner, but
with particular tokens of the favour of heaven,
in order to attract the observation of his coun
trymen, and excite their attention to that minis
try which he was called to by the blessed God,
even the preparation of the people for the re
ception of the Messiah, who was shortly to ap
pear in the flesh.
It is observable, that the Baptist, from his
infancy, displayed great qualities, both of mind
and body; for such was his strength of consti
tution, through the blessing of the God of na
ture, that he lived till near the thirtieth year
of his age, when his public ministry began, in
the mountainous and desert country of Judea,
bereft of almost all the comforts of life. But
at length the prophecy of the good old Zacha
rias relating to his future elevation, Avas lite
rally fulfilled : Thou, O child, shalt be called the
Prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before
the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways; to give
knowledge of salvation to his people, by the remission
of their sins, through the tender mercies of our God,

whereby the Day-spring from on high hath visited
us, to give 'light to them that sit in darkness, and in
the shadow of death; to guide our feet in the way of
peace. As Joseph had betrothed Mary, according
to the method of the Jewish espousals, before
they came to cohabit together as man and
wife, she was found to be with child; at which
he was so much confounded that he resolved
to put her away. Yet he purposed doing it
privately, probably to prevent that exemplary
punishment which the law inflicted on those
who had violated the faith of their espousals
before the marriage was completed, Dent.
xxii. 23, 24. or the infamy of a public divorce
While he was ruminating on this interest
ing event he was overtaken with a pleasing
slumber, and received a communication from
above, which fully revealed the cause and
manner of Mary's pregnancy, dispelled his
doubts, and encouraged him to take home his
falsely suspected spouse: Joseph, thou son of
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife;
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Ghost. The pious Joseph complied with the voice
of heaven most cheerfully; for no sooner did
the morning dawn appear, than he arose from
his couch, and obeyed the commands of the
Most High, by relating to his espoused wife
his being assured of her innocence, and imme
diately restored her to her former favour.
While he related to her the manner of
this extraordinary revelation by a mes
senger from heaven, he discovered in her
a remarkable chastity of heart, entirely
conformable to so mysterious an operation,

Chap. II.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

11

and knew her not, till she had brought forth
the great Redeemer of Israel.
Thus was fulfilled that which was foretold
by the prophets, and particularly the predic
tion of Isaiah, which imported, that a virgin
should bring forth a son ; Behold a virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Im-
manuel, which being interpreted, is God with us, Isa.
vii. 14. Matt. i. 23.
CHAP. II.
General Decree for Taxation published.
— Birth of Christ. — Declaration of the
same to the Shepherds. — Circumcision
and Presentation of Christ in the Tem
ple. — The Wise Men of the East wor
ship the Holy Child. — Flight of Jo
seph into Egypt. — Massacre of Infants
at Bethlehem. — Death of Herod. —
Return of Joseph out of Egypt.
AUGUSTUS CAESAR, the Roman em
peror, having at this time issued an edict
for the general taxation on all the nations,
cities, and towns, subject to the empire, king
Herod, in consequence of that decree, com
manded all under his government to muster in
the city of his people, or place of his descent,
that an estimate might be taken of their per
sons and effects. Pursuant to his order, Jo
seph and Mary, as descendants from the line
of David, departed from Nazareth, where they
then resided, and came to Bethlehem, a city
of Judea, the place ot the nativity of David and
his ancestors.
So numerous were the people that repaired
to this place, on account of the general decree,
that every dwelling was occupied ; and Joseph
and Mary, though they could not depart thence

till after the taxation, were forced to take up
their residence in a stable, the spot in which it
pleased the divine Wisdom, should be born the
Lord of Life and Glory, who, as a perfect ex
ample of humility to all his followers, was to
make his entrance into, and his exit out of.
this lower world, in a very mean and humble
manner. With what humble amazement should we
contemplate this first appearance of our incar
nate Redeemer! Surely all the angels of
heaven might justly have admired his conde
scension in assuming Such a nature as ours, and
wearing a mortal frame, though it had been at
tended with all the ornaments and splendours
which earth could have given it. Though, at
his entrance into our lower world, he had been
born of an imperial family, placed under a
canopy of velvet and gold, or laid to repose on
pillows of down, all this had been deep abase
ment in the eyes of those who had beheld the
glories of his celestial throne, and the honours
paid him by cherubims and seraphims. But,
behold, the Son of God, and the Heir of all
things, is not merely in the abodes of men, but
in a place destined for beasts, and, while wrapped
in swaddling clothes, is laid in a manger.
Yet, O blessed Jesus, how much more vene
rable was that stable, and manger, when graced
with thy sacred'presence, than the most mag
nificent palace, or most shining throne' of
earthly princes! How ill doth it become thy
disciples to seek great things for themselves in
this life, or to be proud of its pomp and grand-
ear ! Give us, O God, the simplicity of child
ren, and make us willing to be conformed to the
birth of thy Son as well as to his death.
The manner and place of our Lord's

12

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. II.

birth certainly demand our highest admiration
and wonder, as a striking display of wisdom,
both in the direction and accomplishment of
the will of his heavenly Father. Considered
in his divine nature, heaven is the habitation of
his seat, and the earth is his footstool; con
sidered in his human nature, he is humbled be
neath all, being confined within the narrow
limits of a manger ! Though as the Son of God,
he is the brightness of his Father's glory, the ex
press image of his person, and his throne is for ever
and ever ! As the Son of Man, O wondrous con
descension! he is wrapped in the meanest
swaddling clothes; and as a man, he takes up
his habitation with the beasts of the field. In
fine, let us adore his grace and love in vailing
those glories, for a time, which he enjoyed at
the right hand of his Father, assuming our na
ture, and that in its humblest state, in order to
raise us to that degree of glory and happiness,
which, by our apostacy from God, we had justly
forfeited; exulting with the prophet, Sing O
heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into
singing, O mountains, for the Lord hath comforted
his people.
But the humble manner in which the blessed
Jesus made his appearance in the world, did
not long eclipse the glory of his descent: a
heavenly messenger being despatched from
above to apprise mankind of their Saviour's in
carnation. It pleased the wise disposer of all
things, by his holy angel, first to make known
to some honest shepherds, who were watching
their flocks by night, in the neighbouring fields,
the birth of the long-promised, long-expected
Messiah. The radiance which shone around
them terrified the astonished peasants ; but, to
dissipate their fears, and confirm their joys, the
divine messenger interposed, and thus ad
dressed them; Fear not; for, behold, I bring you

good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day, in the city of David,
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall
be a sign unto you: ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, Luke ii.
10, &c.

The glorious news was no sooner proclaim
ed, than a number of the celestial choir were
heard to resound the praises of the Almighty
for this transcendent display of his goodness to
sinful men ; And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and
saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good-will towards men. Transported with
the happy tidings of the birth of the Redeemer
of Israel, the angel no sooner departed, than
the shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, in quest
of the Babe, whom, according to the informa
tion of the sacred missionary, they found wrap
ped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a man
ger. This event, so exactly conformable to the
angel's prediction, equally delighted and
amazed them ; nor could they conceal the pur
port of his mission, but published abroad all
they had seen and heard.

Having viewed, with praise and wonder,
their long-expected Saviour, and offered their
grateful praises to God, for the manifestation of
his goodness to mankind, they departed, with
hearts filled with love and gratitude, still glori
fying the Almighty Parent of universal nature.

After the expiration of eight days, from
the birth of the holy Infant, he was cir
cumcised, according to the Mosaic insti
tution; and thus, by a few drops, gave
earnest of the abundance of blood which

Chap. II.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

13

he was to shed for the purification of mankind.
The blessed Redeemer passed through this
ceremony, not that he stood in any necessity
of conforming to laws of any kind, being the
supreme Lawgiver, with respect to his exalted
nature ; but as, considered in his humble state,
he was born of a woman, made under the law,
and came, according to his own declaration, to
fulfil all righteousness, it was requisite he should
conform to that custom, which characterized
the Jewish nation, and was one of the principal
injunctions of the Mosaic law, under which he
was born ; in order to fulfil all that is spoken of
him in the scriptures.
Besides, as all the promises made to Abraham
were to be fulfilled in the Messiah, it was ne
cessary he should receive the seal of circum
cision, in order to prove his descent from the
patriarch, concerning whom it was foretold,
In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. As a further reason for our Lord's
compliance with this Jewish institution, we may
urge the propriety of his finishing the former
dispensation, by an exact adherence to its rules,
as he was about to establish another and much
better, which could not be effected more fully,
than by conforming to that sacrament, which
was of divine injunction, and indispensably re
quisite to admission into the former.
As the same institution also required that
every first-born son, without any regard to cir
cumstance or family, should be presented to
the Lord, in the temple, by delivering him
into the hands of the priest, and paying jfive
shekels, together with an offering, which, from
the poorer sort, consisted of a pah- of turtle
doves, or two young pigeons ; a ceremony in
commemoration of the divine mercy in sparing
the first-born in Israel, when those of Egypt,
No. 2.

both men and beast, were destroyed ; his pa
rents having tarried at Bethlehem till the days
of Mary's purification were accomplished,
brought the child Jesus to Jerusalem, and there
presented him in the temple to the Lord in the
manner just described, with the offering allowed
to the poorer sort of people : a repeated in
stance of the exact obedience of the imma
culate Jesus, to the ceremonial law, as well as
the poverty of his parents, though descended
from a royal house.
During the presentation of the holy Infant,
there entered the temple a pious and venerable
old man, named Simeon, who, with all the de
vout, had waited, day and night, for the consola
tion of Israel, and to whom it had been revealed
by the Spirit of truth, that he should not depart
this mortal life, till he had seen the Lord of life
and salvation.
Accordingly, it was signified to him by the
Holy Ghost, at whose instance he came at the
precise time into the temple, that the child there
presented was the long-expected Messiah, even
the Redeemer of Israel. In an ecstasy of joy
he embraced the heavenly Infant in his arms,
and broke out into this rhapsody : Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, accord
ing to thy word. For mine eyes have seen
thy salvation: which thou hast prepared be
fore the face of all people: a light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Luke ii. 29, &c.
The exultation of Simeon astonished the
parents of our Lord; not as unworthy the
divine subject of it, to which are due strains
superior either to men or angels; but as
evincing the old man's certain knowledge
that the child was the promised Messiah,
though he was an • absolute stranger. But
D

14

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. II.

their surprise was soon removed by Simeon's
saying unto Mary his mother; Behold, this
child is set for the fall and rising again of many
in Israel; or, in other words, this is the
stumbling-block and rock of offence, which
it was long foretold by God should be laid
in Zion, and which should occasion the fall
of many in Israel! for through the humble
manner of his birth, and his abject state upon
earth, he became despised and rejected of men;
yet he is set for the rising again of many, who
shall rely on his merits, and submit to his go
vernment. Commentators are divided in their opinions,
concerning this old Simeon. Some think he
was of the order of priests, and that he uttered
the words cited above while, he was present
ing the child to the Lord, in the office of his
function. But as the evangelist who recites,
in a particular manner, the presentation of our
blessed Lord, is silent on that head, it appears
little more than conjecture.
Others affirm he was Simon the Just, a dis
ciple of the famous Hillel, the master of Ga
maliel, under whom the Apostle Paul was
educated; and that while he was attempting
to explain to the people that passage in the
prophecy of Isaiah, Behold a virgin shall con
ceive and bear a son, it was revealed to him,
that he should see, with mortal eyes, the
promised Messiah; and that on his beholding
the child and his mother in the temple, he
broke out into that well-known rhapsody.
But this could not be, for Simon the Just
lived till forty-one years after the death of
Christ, and it has been affirmed by Eusebius,
that he was not above seventy when he died.
Besides, it is remarkable, that the Almighty,
at that time, was pleased to reveal his will
with respect to the Messiah, not to the great,

the wise, and the learned, but to the poor and
illiterate, such as Joseph a carpenter, Zacha
rias an ordinary priest, and a company of
shepherds ; therefore, as the point is not set
tled, we presume to offer it as our opinion,
that this old man, to whom God was pleased to
make so extraordinary a revelation, concerning
the Saviour of the world, was a plain man,
rather eminent for the goodness of his heart,
than the knowledge of his head, and who pos
sessed more piety and devotion, than learning
or earthly pomp.
A certain good prophetess, called Anna, who
had a long time waited for the redemption of
Israel, entering the temple at the instant in
which Simeon exulted in the birth of the hea
venly infant, and finding that he was the pro
mised Messiah, likewise joined with him in
praising God, and went forth and declared the
glad tidings of salvation, to all the faithful in
those parts.
Having, in every respect, complied with the
ceremonies and rites contained in the law of
Moses, Joseph and Mary, with the child Jesus,
entered into Galilee to their own city Nazareth.
They did not, however, long abide there, for
having adjusted their affairs, they returned
again to Bethlehem, the place of our Lord's
nativity. This step seems to have been pursued in
consequence of their opinion, that it was ne
cessary, in order to his being acknowledged
the Messiah, sent by God, that he should reside,
some time, in the place of his birth. What
ever was their motive for removal, it is evi
dent, from scripture, that while they were
hi Bethlehem, with their Son, certain Eastern
philosophers, called Magi, or Wise Men,
came in consequence of the appearance they

Chap. II.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

15

had seen, to Jerusalem, and inquired for the
king of the Jews, declaring they had seen his
star in their own quarter; and were come to
pay him the adorations due to his dignity.
Various conjectures have been formed by the
learned concerning this star, which is said to
have appeared in the East : some think it was
the spirit of God, others an angel, some a co
met, others a luminous appearance, &c. A
modern writer thinks it was the glory that sur
rounded the angels, who had appeared to the
shepherds of Bethlehem, on the night of the
blessed Lord's nativity.
But, notwithstanding these uncertain con
jectures, the star answered the end designed,
and directed the Magi to the spot where re
sided the Lord of life and glory. Some men,
too wise to admit of the evidences from Re
velation, have sceptically inquired, how these
Eastern Magi could arrive at any knowledge
that the Jews expected the Messiah; and
that, therefore, on the appearance of this new
star in the firmament, how they should ap
prehend it pointed out the birth of the great
Redeemer of Israel ? The learned assertors of
the Christian cause, in answer to these que
ries, observe, that an opinion of the approach
of the Messiah's kingdom had long prevailed
all over the East; nay, this is declared in
fnrophane history, by Suetonius, Tacitus, and
others. The reason of this prevailing opinion is
very obvious. The Jews conceived mighty
expectations of the Messiah from the many
prophecies concerning him recorded in their
own language ; and the Arabians, from the
prophecies to the same import made to Abra
ham ; it being certain that those people re
tained traditional knowledge of this promise,

from the words of Balaam, who was an Ara
bian prophet: There shall come a star out of,
Jacob, and a sceptre shall arise out of Israel, &e.
which every impartial reader must acknow
ledge rather refers to the appearance of the
Messiah, than to any other incident what
ever. The other Eastern nations derived their ex
pectations of the Messiah from their commer
cial connections with the Jews and Arabians,
but more especially from the Jews, who being
scattered over the whole country of the East,
spread their religion wherever they went, which
occasioned several Roman historians to take
notice of the prevalence of that opinion.
Nay, the expectation of the Messiah being
born in Judea, was strongly impressed on the
minds of the followers of Zoroaster, who re
formed the religion of the Persians, being a
servant to the prophet Daniel, and particularly
favoured with revelations concerning the ap
pearance of the Messiah.
From these considerations, it evidently ap
pears, that this opinion prevailed throughout
the East, and that the Magi might, with great
reason, on the appearance of the star, repair to
Jerusalem, in quest of the promised Saviour of
Israel. But, to leave this subject, as not immediately
appertaining to our purpose. The whole city
of Jerusalem was alarmed at the unexpected
arrival of the Eastern Magi; an event which
much perplexed the tyrant Herod, whose am
bitious mind maintained the utmost aversion
to the very thought of a rival or competitor,
and consequently could not brook a report that
favoured the news of the birth of the King oi
the Jews

16

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. II.

Disguising, however, his sentiments, he re
ceived the Magi with seeming respect, attend
ed to the design of their errand with affected
complacency, and to gratify their curiosity,
summoned a general council, and demanded
of them, where Christ should be bom? The
council kept him not long in suspense, for
well remembering that the prophets had par
ticularly foretold the place of his birth, they
replied to the demand of their monarch, " In
Bethlehem of Juda;" and to confirm their
answer, cited prophetic authority. — And thou
Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the
least among the princes of Juda ; for out of thee
shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people
Israel. Matt. ii. 6. The tyrant king, in con
sequence of the reply from the supreme coun
cil of the nation, directed the Magi to Beth
lehem, as the place, according to ancient pro
phecy, designed for the honour of Christ's na
tivity, earnestly entreated them, at the same
time, immediately on their finding out the
child, to send him word, that he might repair
thither, and pay his adoration to him also.
But this was mere pretence, and vile hy
pocrisy : for so far was Herod from entertain
ing any religious regard for the infant Jesns,
that he vowed in his heart to destroy him as
soon as he should be found ; looking on him
as designed for a temporal prince, who would
expel him, or Ins descendants, from th^Khrone
of Judea, instead of a prince whose kingdom
was wholly spiritual, and whose throne was
not. to be established upon earth, but in the
heavenly Jerusalem.
We cannot have a more convincing evidence
of the divinity of our Saviour's mission, than
his miraculous preservation from the designs
of the ambitious Herod. The tyrant, in this
case, acted with the utmost subtility; he de

clined accompanying the wise men in person ;
nor did he even send attendants with them,
who, under the guise of honouring them, might
have secretly informed him of the abode of the
Messiah. In short, he acted with such appa
rent indifference, as if he had no peculiar reason
for despatching them on the occasion.
However, the Magi having obtained the
intelligence they sought in Jerusalem, set for
ward, under the guidance of the same star that
conducted them from their own country, but
had left them on their arrival in Judea, which
was the cause of their directing their course
to the capital, in order to seek that information,
which, by the desertion of the star, became
requisite. Thus it appears the design of the
Almighty, in directing the Eastern Magi to
the capital of Judea, was, that the whole na
tion might be made acquainted with the cause
of their journey.
Accordingly, they had no sooner proceeded
from Jerusalem, on their way to Bethlehem,
than their kind conductor again appeared, went
before them to the very city, and fixed on th
habitation of the heavenly infant. Guided by
this celestial conductor, they entered the house,
and prostrating themselves at the sacred feet
of their spiritual King, presented him with
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Hav
ing thus accomplished the design of the ex
pedition, they proposed, according to promise,
returning to Jerusalem ; but being diverted
from that intention by a dream, in which
they were warned by God of Herod's de
sign, they pursued another course, towards
their own country, and by those means de
feated his malicious purpose.
But it is natural and reasonable to suppose
that the end of the divine wisdom, in directing

Chap. II.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

17

these Eastern Magi to the kingdom of Judea,
to worship the child Jesus, was not merely
to gratify the curiosity of the wise men, be
cause the event promoted many other very
important designs, some of which we shall
mention. It proved to succeeding ages, the great ex
pectation the Gentiles formed of the appear
ance of the Messiah, and consequently esta
blished the truth of those prophecies which
related to that event, as well as excited in the
minds of men the most sanguine hopes, and
longing desires.
As these Magi, doubtless, reported, on their
return to their own countrymen, the particu
lars they had heard and seen in the kingdom
of Judea, relative to the Messiah, such report
must certainly have promoted the belief of the
gospel in those parts, when afterwards preached
there by the Apostles. The expedition of the
wise men was the cause of the answer of the
Sanhedrim, in which it was unanimously de
clared to be the opinion of all the Jewish Rabbies
then living, that, according to ancient prophe
cies, Bethlehem was the place appointed by the
Almighty to give birth to the promised Messiah.
It also contributed to another valuable pur
pose, in that the offerings of the wise men
procured a subsistence for the holy family
in Egypt, whither they were soon after warned
to fly, in order to escape the vengeance of
the enraged king : for no sooner had the wise
men departed from Bethlehem, than Joseph
was warned by a heavenly messenger, of the
barbarous purpose of Herod, and commanded
to flee into Egypt with the young child and his
mother. Joseph, in obedience to the Almighty's corn-
No. 2.

mand, rose, that very night, and fled into
Egypt. — And was there until the death of He
rod ; that it might be fulfilled which was spo
ken of the Lord, by the prophet : Out of Egypt
have I called my son. This prophecy, which is ,
quoted from Hosea, seems originally to refer to/
the Israelites; though the Evangelist's refe
rence will be amply justified, by considering
that the Egyptian captivity alludes to the sub
jection of the Israelites to great hardships, and
their deliverance from the same by an Almighty
hand. Now, as the departure of the holy family into
Egypt was in obedience to the divine com
mand, in order to protect the holy Jesus from
the incensed Herod, the application of the pro
phet, Out of Egypt have I called my son, ap
pears very just as well as elegant. The king
of Judea long waited, with the most earnest
expectation, the return of the wise men, anxi
ous to glut his full resentment on the innocent
Jesus ; till, from their long delay, he began to
suspect a delusion, and that his designs were
frustrated by some extraordinary interposition
of Providence.
At length, irritated by disappointment, he
resolved to accomplish by cruelty a resolution
he could not effect by art; and accordingly
issued orders to a large party of soldiers to
go throughout Bethlehem, and the neighbour
ing villages, and massacre all the children
they could find therein, that were two years
old, and under ; thinking that the infant Je
sus, whom, as a prince, he both envied and
dreaded, would fall in the general slaughter.
But the heavenly missionary was sheltered
from above ; nor was the relentless king per
mitted to impede the design of an Almighty
Creator. E

18

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. II.

However, the cities through which the sol
diers carried the destructive sword, exhibited
such scenes of horror and distress, as could not
fail to thrill every soul not entirely lost to hu
manity ; no sound was heard but the piercing
cries of parents, the groans of expiring babes,
and a general imprecation of vengeance on
the merciless tyrant. But he did not long
survive his cruel decree, being swept from
his throne by a nauseous disease, to answer for
his conduct at the bar of a tremendous judge.
No description can paint the horror of such
a scene of relentless cruelty in a more glaring
light, than the verse quoted by the Evange
list Matthew, from the prophet Jeremiah, Then
was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jere
miah the prophet, saying, in Rama there was
a voice heard, lamentations and weeping and
great mourning. Rachel weeping for her chil
dren, and would not be comforted, because they
were not. — This prophecy must not be un
derstood literally, but descriptively, or as a
figure used to display the horror of the scene,
as there applied by the Evangelist, in which
acceptation it has a peculiar beauty ; repre
senting Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, bu
ried many years ago in the fields of Bethlehem,
awakened by the cries of slaughtered infants,
bursting even the chains of death, and lament
ing the hapless fate of the murdered innocents
which surrounded her.
The tyrant Herod being thus cut off from
the face of the earth, Joseph was warned by
an heavenly messenger to return to the land
of Israel. The good old man obeyed the
Almighty's command, and appears to have
had a great desire of residing in Judea, and
very probably in Bethlehem ; but hearing that
Herod was succeeded in his throne by his
son Archelaus, and fearing that he might pur

sue the barbarous design of his father, he di
rected his course another way ; but being
warned again by a heavenly mission, he re
tired into Galilee, then under the government
of a mild and benevolent prince, called Anti-
pas, and took up his habitation at Nazareth,
where the particular circumstances which at
tended the birth of the blessed Jesus were not
generally known. The Evangelist affirms that
Joseph, with the infant and his mother, resided
in Nazareth, where the holy Jesus spent his
youth, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophet, He shall be called a Nazarene.
The advocates for infidelity, whose notice the
smallest inaccuracy in the sacred scriptures have
not escaped, have not failed to observe, that
the Evangelist refers to what he cannot justify
from any of the prophetical writings, in which
there are no such words to be found, as, He
shall be called a Nazarene. But be it known,
that the Evangelist may, with justice, be vin
dicated from impropriety, by reminding these
sceptics, that though the very words are not
to be found, the allusion is just, and conse
quently the application. This expression refers
to the general contempt and ridicule in which the
Israelites held the Galileans,\ and especially the
Nazarenes, who were even despised by the
Galileans themselves, insomuch that the word
Nazarene became a term of reproach.
Now, as the prophets in general foretold the
disgrace and infamy through which the blessed
Jesus should pass, they consequently foretold
he should be called a Nazarene, or exposed
to every token of contempt and ridicule, of
which this appellation, at that time, was a re
markable instance.
It is evident, that our Lord's residing at
Nazareth, tended, in a remarkable manner,

Chap. III.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

19

to the fulfilment of those prophecies, because,
in the course of his public ministry, he was
frequently reproached with the same, and his
countrymen often urged it as a reason for their
disregard of his doctrine. But as the stubborn
ness of unbelief will never admit of conviction,
we have therefore added these remarks, to con
firm the faith of the Christian, rather than con
vince the obstinate infidel.
CHAP. III.
State of our Lord's Childhood, and pri
vate Life. — His argument with the
Jewish Doctors. — Mission, Character,
and Doctrine of the Baptist. — Bap
tism of Christ, and visible Descent of
the Spirit on that Solemnity.
THE precise circumstances of our Lord's
childhood and life, previous to his public
ministry, cannot be ascertained from the writ
ings of any of the Evangelists, which can alone
be relied on as authentic. All we can gather
from those inspired men is, that the faculties of
his mind were enlarged in proportion to the
growth of his body, insomuch that he arrived at
the very perfection of heavenly wisdom.
As his parents were mean and poor, he had
not the advantage of a finished education ; and
he seems to have received no other instruction
than what his parents gave him in conformity
to the Jewish laws. But supernatural abilities
amply compensated for the deficiency of natural
acquirements, and he gave instances, in his
earliest years, of amazing penetration and con
summate wisdom.
According to the Mosaic institution, his pa
rents annually went up to Jerusalem ; and when
he arrived at the age of twelve years, carried
him with them to that city, in order that he

might early imbibe the precepts of religion and
virtue. In this place the holy Jesus tarried,
without the knowledge, and, consequently, the
consent of his parents, who departed with the
rest that were going towards Galilee ; and think
ing that he was gone forward with some of their
relations or acquaintance, they continued their
journey, not doubting to overtake him on the
road, or meet with him at the place where they
had appointed to lodge.
But, on their arrival, not finding the child in
the village, nor among their relations, they re
turned to Jerusalem much troubled ; and after
a most anxious search of three days, found
him in the temple, sitting among the learned
doctors, who were amazed at the wisdom of
his questions, and the pertinence of his replies,
which were greatly superior to the utmost they
could expect from one of his tender years, and
mean education.
These doctors, or expounders of the law among
the Jews, always taught the people publicly on
the three great festivals ; and it was on one of
these public occasions, that the blessed Jesus
gave such manifest proofs of his wisdom and pe
netration, as astonished all beholders, many of
whom thought he must be something more than
human. As, according to his own declaration,
he was employed in his Father's business, it is
natural to think, in the course of his disputes,
he modestly corrected some of the errors which
the Jewish doctors then taught, and which were
repugnant to the principles of that religion he
came to promote and establish. The wonder
of his parents at finding him in such sublime
employment, was beyond expression; though
his pious mother, notwithstanding the pleasure
which the discovery afforded her, could not help
showing the concern which his absence, with
out their knowledge, had occasioned them, by

20

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. III.

addressing him thus, Son, why hast thou dealt
thus with us ? Behold, thy father and I have
sought thee sorrowing. To this question, he
replied, " That their surprise at his absenting
himself without their knowledge, was ground
less and absurd, as they might have been as
sured, from his extraordinary birth, and the
wonderful circumstances attending it, that his
Father was no less than the Almighty One of
Israel ; that he assumed human nature to pro
mote his glorious designs ; and, therefore, as his
errand was of such moment, they must not
imagine he could always reside with them."
How is it that ye sought me ? Wist ye not that I
must be about my Father's business ?
Though his parents did not clearly discern
the force of this excellent remonstrance, his
pious mother committed his words to memory,
and, together with Joseph her husband, joy
fully returned with him to their poor dwelling
at Nazareth, where he lived with them in du
tiful subjection ; and thereby afforded a noble
example for the imitation of all children, who
certainly are bound to yield obedience to their
parents, since the Son of God himself, when
on earth, has set them the pattern, by prac
tising every branch of filial duty to his earthly
pai ents.
The blessed Jesus continued in this lowly
state for some time, during which he greatly
advanced both in knowledge and stature ; and,
by his extraordinary qualities, attracted the
regard and admiration of all who either saw
or heard him. Being happily free from those
inordinate, disquieting desires, which disturb
and distract mortals, he was always in temper
calm and sedate ; which, added to a pleasant
countenance, combined to prove the strength
of his faculties, and the goodness of his dispo
sition. He was also an excellent orator, being

endowed with a most nervous and persuasive
elocution, insomuch that his hearers, frequently
astonished at the substance and manner of his
address, would suddenly cry out, Never man
spake like this man. Though, considered in his
divine nature, he was so far superior to human
nature, during the time in which he lived thus
humbly with his parents, yet, it is supposed, he
condescended to work with his father, at his trade
of a carpenter; and thereby left us a sinning ex
ample of industry.
Thus obscurely did the blessed Jesus five till
the time of his public ministry ; nor did he show
any miracles, or perform any actions, to distin
guish him from the rest of mankind; his divine
nature, and the annexed properties, during the
time of his private life, being concealed under
the veil of his human nature.
As this is the whole account we could col
lect from sacred history, concerning the child
hood and private fife of the blessed Jesus,
the Saviour of mankind, we must content
ourselves therewith, not seeking to indulge
a curiosity, which such silence seems to for
bid as sinful, as well as impertinent. We
are not unapprised, that many persons, ot
more speculation than piety, may be induced
to inquire the cause which prevented the
Evangelists giving us an exact detail of the
transactions of our blessed Saviour's life, from
the twelfth year of his age, till the time of
his public ministry ; as if all that had occurred
in this intermediate space ought to have been
recorded. To such curious persons, we observe, that
the design of the inspired writers, being to
instruct, rather than amuse, they rather con
sulted our interest, than our humour and
caprice; and that, therefore, the wisdom of

Chap. III.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

21

God, by whose inspiration they wrote, de
mands our admiration, in that they past over
less important parts of our Saviour's life, which
would have swelled their gospels to an enor
mous bulk, fit only for the perusal of the stu
dious, and those persons who had much va
cant time; whereas the four Gospels, as they
are written, make only a small volume, which
is convenient for carriage, for reading, for
the memory to retain, as well as adapted, by
the plainness of its style, to the meanest ca
pacities ; notwithstanding which, they contain
all the important transactions of our Saviour's
life, such as those which relate to his me
diatorial office, the design of his incarnation,
which was to teach us those things which
belong to our eternal peace and happiness,
to instruct us in his heavenly doctrines,
as our prophet, to offer himself a sacrifice
upon the cross, as our priest, and to burst
the chains of death, and triumphantly ascend
into heaven, as king or head of his church.
The omissions, therefore, can be of no real
consequence, since These are written that ye
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, and that believing, might have life through
his name.
During the obscure state of our blessed Re
deemer at Nazareth, the emperor Augustus died
in Campania, after a long reign of nearly forty
years, to the general regret of the whole Roman
empire, and was succeeded by Tiberius, his
step-son, a prince of a very different temper of
mind from his predecessor. This emperor, in
the second year of his reign, recalled Rufus
from the government of Judea, and sent Valerius
Gracchus to succeed him. After a government
of eleven years, Gracchus was recalled, and suc
ceeded by Pontius Pilate, a person resembling,
in disposition, his master Tiberius, who was ma
licious, cruel, and covetous.
No. 2.

Soon after Pontius Pilate was appointed
to the government of Judea, John the Bap
tist began to open his commission for pre
paring our Saviour's way before him, ac
cording as was appointed, The baptism of re
pentance for the remission of sins. Sacred
history has not informed us of the manner in
which the Baptist spent the former obscure
part of his life ; but, according to ancient tra
dition, Elizabeth, hearing of Herod's barba
rous massacre of the infants of Bethlehem,
fled into the wilderness, to secure the infant
John from the relentless fury of that inhu
man monster, and there nurtured him with
all the tenderness of an affectionate mother.
John the Baptist was about eighteen months
old when his mother fled with him into
the wilderness, within forty days, after which
she died.
His aged father, Zacharias, when he next
officiated in the temple, was slain^by the com
mand of Herod, for refusing to discover the place
of his son's abode. The intended harbinger of
the blessed Jesus being thus deprived of his
earthly parents, the Father of the fatherless
took compassion on him, and sent an angel
to defend and support him, till he had attained
to a sufficient age and strength to provide for
himself. It appears from the account of the Evan
gelist, that he dwelt in the desert, till the
time of his public .ministry, resembling the
ancient prophet Elijah, in the coarseness of
his clothing, and the plainness of his diet. His
dress was composed of camel's hair, his food
the spontaneous productions of the wilder
ness, such as locusts and wild honey ; and his
drink the pure water of some crystal spring.
His course of life was, indeed, admirably
adapted to the doctrine of repentance, which
F

22

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. III.

he preached, as well as to engage the attention
of his hearers ; so that it appears highly reason
able that those people, who waited the coming
of the Messiah with earnest expectation, should
flock to him, anxious to hear what he had to de
liver concerning him.
He proved very successful in his ministry, as
he enforced the doctrine of repentance, because
the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Persons
of all degrees and professions flocked to him,
confessed their sins, were baptized in Jordan,
and submitted to whatever the prophet pre
scribed as necessary to obtain an inheritance
in that kingdom, the approach of which he
came to declare. Amongst his converts were
many of the Pharisaical tribe, some of whom
confessed their sins, and were likewise baptized
in Jordan.
The conversion of the Pharisees surprised
the Baptist, knowing that they maintained a
high opinion of their own sanctity, for which
reason it was very astonishing that they should
express any desire of obtaining a remission
of their sins. In short, he was much sur
prised to find the whole nation so affected
by his threatenings, especially as he knew that
they expected salvation on account of their
being of the seed of Abraham; a conceit which
they greatly cherished, and which they seem
to have derived from a misrepresentation of
this passage : Thus saith the Lord, who giveth
the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances
of the moon, and the stars for a light by night;
tvho divideth the sea, when the waves thereof
roar ; the Lord of Hosts is his name. If those
ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord,
then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being
a nation before me, for ever. Thus saith the
Lord, if the heaven above can be measured, and
the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,

I will also cast off the seed of Israel, for all that-
they have done, saith the Lord.
But the Baptist, to curb their arrogance,
called them the offspring of vipers, instead, of
the children of Abraham. Perhaps the Pha
risees and Sadducees applied to John for bap
tism, thinking, by that means, to avoid the
danger they might incur, from being the
avowed enemies of the Messiah, whom they
expected to come in all the pomp of royalty,
and to maintain his superiority by force of
arms. The Baptist, who was no stranger to those
hypocritical sects, well knowing that their ap
plication to him arose from sinister views, se
verely reprimanded them in general : O ge
neration of vipers, who hath warned you to flee
from the wrath to come ? Bring forth fruits
worthy of repentance. O deceivers, hypocrites,
whence have you obtained knowledge of the
approaching event, I am destined by God to
make known? Whence have you a sense of
the impending judgment of the Almighty ?
I have plainly told you, the only method of
avoiding it, is by a sincere repentance, which
can only be evinced by the conformity of the
heart and life, to the word and will of God.
And begin not to say within yourselves, we have
Abraham to our father ; for I say unto you, that
God is able of these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham. Deceive not yourselves with a
vain presumption that eternal blessings are yours,
merely on the score of your lineal descent from
Abraham ; such pretence will avail you nothing:
for, to partake of the promises made to that father
of the faithful alone, spiritually considered, you
must show forth some resemblance of his faith
and piety.
The Almighty Creator, who formed our first

Chap. III.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

23

parent out of the dust, and caused Sarah to bear
a son unto Abraham, when they were both
well stricken in years, can, by virtue of his om
nipotence, raise up children unto that faithful
patriarch, even from these very stones : chil
dren, indeed, who by the integrity of their
hearts, and purity of their lives, shall prove
their spiritual alliance to Abraham, and share
with him the promised salvation.
The Baptist, by this plain, but honest de
claration, at once set at nought the towering ex
pectations of this hypocritical tribe, by showing
them that God respected the heart alone, and
that all their pretences to descent, ceremonies,
and other outward parade, was of no avail with
him, who trieth the heart, and searcheth the reins
of the children of men. He went farther, and
assured them, that conviction and confession of
sin was not sufficient ; no, nor even a promise to
forsake it ; but that there must be a speedy and
actual putting it into practice. Repent ye, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Delay not
this important work, for the judgments of the
Almighty are at hand : therefore if you con
tinue in your sins, impending ruin will certainly
fall upon you.
Nothing could be more sincere, nothing better
calculated, than this doctrine of the Forerunner
of the blessed Jesus : it struck at the Very root
of the Jewish prejudices, which induced too
many of them vainly to rely upon outward
rites and ceremonies, prayers and fastings, &c.
which, if not performed with a proper spirit,
and from proper views, were an abomination to
an holy God. Nor did his conduct less reprove
the pride and hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pha
risees, than his doctrine ; for, whereas those up
start people used to shun the converse of the
publicans and meaner sort, and would rarely
deign to give them instruction, the humble

Baptist received their applications in the most
submissive manner, and preached to them the
absolute necessity of faith, repentance, and
obedience. Indeed, throughout the whole of his ministra
tion, he happily adapted his discourses to the
circumstances and capacities of the various
people he addressed ; and took every pious
means to prepare them for the reception of the
promised Messiah, who was shortly to appear
amongst them in the glorious character of Sa
viour and Redeemer of Israel.
Thus, by a life of inflexible virtue, discourses
nervous and pathetic, exhortations sincere and
fervent, and rebukes honest and courageous,
the Baptist became renowned throughout the
region of Judea. Such was the admiration
of the people at his life and doctrine, that, from
the vision of his father Zacharias in the tem
ple, the arrival of the Magi at Jerusalem, the
prophecies of Simeon, (circumstances recent
in their memories,) they began to conjecture
that John might be the promised Messiah, and
were even ready to pronounce him the Re
deemer of Israel: so that had he aspired to
worldly dignity, he might, for a time, have shone
in all the grandeur of human pomp, and claimed
a regard superior to any of the sons of men.
But, pious in principle, and humble in heart, he
could not arrogate honours of which he was con
scious of his unworthiness ; and therefore ho
nestly undeceived his numerous followers, by as
suring them, that so far from being the glorious
person promised, he was only his forerunner ;
and that such was his own inferiority, that
he was unworthy of doing his most menial
offices. / indeed baptize you with water ; but
one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of
whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. Luke
iii. 16!.

24

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED. LORD

Chap. IH?

During the time of the Baptist's continuance
at Bethabara, the blessed Jesus left his retire
ment at Nazareth ; and previous to his public
ministry, repaired to the banks of . the river
Jordan, where John was executing his com
mission from above, in order to be there bap
tized by him. We cannot impute tins con
duct of our Lord, to any necessity there was
for his conforming to the institution of bap
tism, for purity needs not cleansing : it is there
fore evident, that his motive was to add a
sanction to that ordinance, for ever after ap
pointed to be the initiating right of Christianity.
Go, baptize all nations, &c.
It appears that John immediately, as it were ,
by a prophetic revelation, knew the Saviour
of the world ; for we find, from the Evangelist,
that he acknowledged his superiority, and de
clined the office. / have need to be baptized
of thee, and comest thou to me? Our Lord's
answer, though short, is very full and expres
sive : Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh
us to fulfil all righteousness. As if he had said,
Regard not the precedence, at this time, but
perform thy office, for it is necessary that we
should, in the minutest point, conform to the
Divine will, by which this institution is en
joined. This remonstrance removed the objections of
John, and he baptized the immaculate Jesus in
the river Jordan, in the presence of numerous
spectators. When the ceremony was performed, as he
needed not the instructions usually given on
the occasion, he went up straightway out of
the water, and kneeling on the bank of the
river, fervently addressed his Almighty Fa
ther, for an abundant effusion of his Holy
Spirit, as he was now entering on his pub

lic ministry, the prelude of his important mis?
sion, the end of which was the salvation oi
mankind. His prayer was heard, his request was grant
ed ; and an immediate attestation of the Divine
pleasure given by a visible ray of glory around
him, and ah *audible voice proceeding from
the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, and
pronouncing these words, This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased : distinguishing
his peculiar approbation of the blessed Jesus,
by the epithet beloved, as well as his standing
in that relation to him in a manner nearer
than any of the human race, who are called
in common, the sons of men. This voice re
sembled not any human sound ; but was loud
and awful, like the thunders of heaven, in order
to strike with reverence the surrounding multi«,
tudej and publicly declared the holy mission ol
the promised Messiah.
The blessed Jesus was called, in the Old,
Testament, the Son of God ; but was, on this,
occasion, declared by the Almighty himself^
to be thq, ^ong-expected deliverer of Israel
Thus, all who were present at this marvellous
descent of the Holy Spirit, were amply con
vinced of the divine mission of our blessed
Lord by an infallible testimony from above:
this being the star that was to come out of Ja
cob, and the sceptre that was to rise out of Is
rael ; the Shiloh, foretold by the Patriarch Ja»
cob ; the Great Prophet, by Moses ; the Holy
One, by David ; the Prince of Peace, by Isaiah;
and the Son of Man.
But this remarkable event tended muck
more to the glory of the Messiah, than all
those prophecies, as it was, in some measure,
a real display of what they could only picture
in the dark.

fainted $y Jtap'/iaeZ
J

MD'^nM

Chap. IV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

25

Let our Lord's submitting himself to baptism,
teach us a holy exactness and care in the obser
vance of those positive institutions which owe
their obligations merely to a Divine command ;
for thus it also becometh us to fulfil all righteous
ness ; lest, by breaking one of the least of Christ's
commandments, and teaching others to do it, we
become unworthy of a part in the kingdom of
heaven. Let us remember in how distinguishing a sense
Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed of God, to whom
the Father hath not given the Spirit by measure,
but hath poured it upon him in the most abundant
degree. Let us trace the workings of this Spirit
in grace and holiness ; earnestly praying that this
holy unction may, from Christ, our head, descend
upon our souls. May his enlivening Spirit kindle
its sacred flame there with such vigour, that many
waters may not be able to quench it, nor the
floods of temptation to drown it !
CHAP. IV.
Commencement of our Saviour's Minis
try. — His temptation in the Wilder
ness. — Deputation of the Sanhedrim
to John the Baptist. — First Miracle
wrought by the blessed Jesus.
THE great Redeemer having thus complied
with the institution of, Baptism, and re
ceived a most convincing testimony of his hea
venly Father's approbation, by the miraculous de
scent and effusion of the Holy Ghost upon him,
while praying on the banks of Jordan, in the pre
sence of a multitude of spectators, entered on his
public ministry, at the age of thirty years., accord
ing to the custom of the priests among the Jews.
It was apprehended by .the people, that, as he
had just begun his public office, he would repair
to Jerusalem, the seat of power and grandeur, in
No. 3.

order to display to the mighty and the learned,
his miraculous abilities arid effulgent glories.
But, averse to human parade, the heavenly-
minded Jesus preferred solitude to the noise and
hurry of public life : he therefore retired into the
wilderness, in order to prepare himself by fasting,
meditation, prayer, and sustaining temptation, for
the important work on which he was entering,
the salvation of mankind.
To promote this grand design, the Evangelists
write, that this retirement into the wilderness was
in consequence of the immediate direction of the
divine Spirit. Though solitude itself is melan
choly, the blessed Jesus added to the dismal
scene, by retiring on a barren spot, surrounded
by high and craggy mountains, and forming a
dark and gloomy chaos.
In this wild and dreary situation the great Re
deemer, as Moses and Elijah had done before
him, fasted forty days and forty nights, maintain
ed an incessant communion with his heavenly
Father, digested the doctrine he was about to de
liver, and the obedience he came to perform ;
and by a total abstinence from food for forty
days and forty nights, evinced the divinity of his
mission ; or, in other words, proved that he was
a teacher from God. But the melancholy solitude
of a desert, and the extremes of hunger and
thirst, were but a small part of our Saviour's suf
ferings in the wilderness : Satan, that implaca
ble foe to mankind, was permitted to buffet him
with the most insinuating wiles, and assail him
with the most alluring temptations, in order to
attempt the defeat of Heaven's most gracious de
signs, and keep mankind under the dreadful do
minion of sin and death.
The enemies of revelation have not. failed to re
present this event in a most ludicrous manner. If
G

26

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. IV.

any, therefore, should demand why God permit
ted his only Son, the Saviour of the world, to be
tempted by the devil, whose power was deemed
to be restrained, we reply as follows : — One cause
of the Redeemer's being suffered to be tempted,
was, that he, being personally acquainted with
the wiles of Satan, might become a faithful and
compassionate high priest, know how to succour
his people in time of adversity, and pity them
when they fell into temptations. That in order
to be a shining pattern of every virtue, and also a
wise and valiant general, the blessed Redeemer
underwent all the difficulties and trials attending
his service, that we, being animated by his glo
rious example, might not sink under the pressure
and troubles which God, for our good, should be
pleased to lay upon us.
The Saviour of the world hath not only been
exposed to poverty and ridicule, but also to the
most trying temptations of Satan. That as the
Captain of our salvation has undergone the same,
we ought not to faint when we are tempted ; but,
like him, be able to withstand the fiery darts of
the devil.
It doubtless appears highly proper, in order that
our blessed Lord and Master might both enter
upon and prosecute his ministry, with more glory
to himself and advantage to mankind, that he
should previously overcome the most subtle arts
of that deceiver, who, under the mask of a ser
pent, seduced our first parents, and involved them
and their posterity in one common ruin.
The peculiar devices used by the old serpent
to tempt the Son of God, during the time of his
fasting, are not recorded in holy writ, and conse
quently cannot be ascertained. But at the expira
tion of the forty days, when the blessed Jesus had
endured the keenest hunger, the tempter, to make
proof of the divinity of his mission, insolently de

manded why he bore the sensations of hunger ?
since, if he was the Son of God, he must have
power to change even the stones of that dreary
wilderness into bread ; and by so marvellous a
transmutation, he might have the satisfaction of
knowing the truth of what Was said concerning
him at his baptism.
But our blessed Saviour repelled this device by
citing the words of Moses, which implied, that
God, whenever it seemed good in his sight, could,
by extraordinary means, provide for the support
of the human race. Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word of God. Luke iv.4.
Satan being defeated in this effort, took him to
the top of a very high mountain, and, thinking to
work upon him by another artifice, showed him
a bright view of all the kingdoms of the world,
with their alluring glories, promising him univer
sal empire over the whole, if he would bow down
and yield to him the honour of the benefaction.
But observe his accursed pride and arrogance
in promising that which is the gift of God alone,
universal empire over the earth ; and requiring
what was due to none but the Supreme, religious •
homage. This blasphemy, as well as insolence,
incited the blessed Jesus to exert his divine autho
rity, and command him, in a peremptory manner,
to desist ; citing this special injunction from sacred
writ, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and
him only shalt thou serve. Thus repelled, he re
peated the attempt; and, having taken our Lord
to Jerusalem, placed him on the pinnacle of the
temple, and, by a taunt of insolence, urged him to
prove the truth of his mission, by casting himself
down from thence ; citing, as an encouragement
for him to comply with his desire, a text from the
Psalms : — If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
down ; for it is written, He shall give his angels
charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall

Chap. IV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

27

bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone. Matt.iv.6. But our Saviour soon
baffled this attempt, by another apt quotation
from Scripture, Thou shaltnot tempt the Lord thy
God. Matt. iv. 7. Thou shalt not provoke the
Lord, either by disobeying his command, or by an
impertinent curiosity to know more concerning
his mind and will than he is pleased to reveal.
Thus baffled in all his arts and devices, by the wis
dom and power of the Son of God, he departed
from him, and an host of celestial spirits, despatch
ed from the regions of bliss, came and ministered
refreshment to our Saviour, after his victory over
the great enemy and deceiver of mankind.
Hence, notwithstanding the ridicule of the in
fidel, Christians may derive great encouragement
to fight manfully against the flesh, the world, and
die devil, under the banner of the great Captain
of their salvation, who is ever ready to supply
them with spiritual armour to sustain the combat
with that inveterate and subtle foe, whose devices
he has experienced, being in every respect tempt
ed like them.
- During the time of our Saviour's retirement in
the wilderness, his faithful harbinger, the Baptist,
being assured, from the miraculous descent of the
Holy Spirit, and other concurring testimonies,
that Jesus was the promised and long-expected
Messiah, continued publishing hk mission to the
multitude ; so that the rulers in Jerusalem received
information of the surprising events that had hap
pened in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, before they
saw the blessed Jesus, in confirmation of whose
mission and doctrine they were effected. Prompt
ed by curiosity, tfiey despatched a deputation of
Priests and Levites to the Baptist, to demand of
him who he was ; whether he was the Messiah, or
Elias, or a prophet risen from the dead, to pre
cede the Messiah, the powerful Prince so earnest
ly expected by the whole nation of Israel ? The

Baptist frankly replied, that he was not the Mes
siah whom they expected, nor Elias, who, as
they had vainly thought, would personally ap
pear amongst them, nor any other prophet risen
from the dead : but at the same time hinted to
them, that though he was not Elias himself, yet
he was that person spoken of by the prophet
Isaiah, and him of whom he thus prophesied ;
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Pre
pare ye the way of the Lord : make straight in the
desert a highway for our God. Isa. xl. 3.
The priests and Levites, not sufficiently gra
tified with this reply of the Baptist, demanded of
him, why he assumed the power of baptizing the
people, if he was neither the Messiah, nor Elias,
nor any of the ancient prophets risen from the
dead ? To this demand John answered, I indeed
baptize, to show the necessity of repentance ; but
my baptism is only that of water, and wholly
ineffectual in itself to the remission of sins ; but
that washing foretold by Zacharias, is of most
sovereign effect : it is not my province, but solely
that of the Messiah, who is actually upon earth,
and among you, though ye know him not, be
cause he hath not manifested himself unto the
world. The Messiah is so far exalted beyond
me, in power and dignity, that I am not worthy
to do him the meanest offices.
The day* after the departure of the Priests and
Levites from Bethabara, our blessed Lord left the
wilderness, and repaired thither himself, while
John was yet baptizing, and preaching the doc
trine of repentance. The Baptist, as his grand
business was to direct all persons to the Messiah,
for life and salvation in and through him, em
braced this seasonable opportunity of pointing
him out to the multitude : Behold the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world ! Lest
the attending crowd should surmise, that it had
been previously concerted between Jesus and

28

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. IV.

John, that the former should assume, and the
latter give him, the appellation of Messiah, he
publicly and solemnly declared, that he was
equally with them ignorant of the pretensions of
Jesus to that high character, till he saw the mi
raculous descent of the Holy Ghost, and heard
him pronounced, in the most awful manner, the
Son of God. And John bare record, saying, Isaiv
the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and
it abode upon him. And I knew him not : but he
that sent me to baptize with water, the same said
unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit de
scending, and remaining on him, the same is he
which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw,
and bare record that this is the Son of God. John
i. 32, 33, 34.
The Baptist having made this public declara
tion, the Messiah left Bethabara, but returned the
day following; and John, happening to stand
with two of his followers on the bank of the river
Jordan, pointed to him as he passed, and in a
pious rapture repeated what he had addressed to
the multitude the preceding day, Behold the
Lamb of God ! It is hence imagined, that these
two disciples, or followers of the Baptist, were
absent at the time of the descent of the Holy
Ghost ; and for that reason this method was taken
of pointing out to them the venerable person of
the promised Redeemer of the world.
Animated with an ardent desire of hearing, as
well as seeing, this extraordinary person, they
left John, and followed Jesus, who, conscious of
their design, turned about, and, with the utmost
affability, gave them an invitation Jx> the place of
his residence. The evangelist John informs us,
that one of these disciples was Andrew, the bro
ther of Simon Peter; and it is conjectured, from
his silence, that himself was the other ; for it is
remarkable, that in his writings he studiously
concealed his own name. Be that as it will, it is

abundantly evident, that the testimony of the
Baptist, added to the tokens he had from the
blessed Jesus, in the course of his converse with
him, amply satisfied Andrew that he was indeed'
the promised Messiah, the Saviour and Re
deemer of lost and perishing sinners.
Andrew soon after found his brother Peter,
and brought him to our blessed Lord, who im
mediately called him by his name, telling him
that he should afterwards be called Cephas,
(which signifies a rock,) from Ms firm resolution
of mind, and also because he should contribute
towards the foundation of the Christian church.
Some time after, Jesus casually met with Philip,
an inhabitant of the town of Bethsaida, and said
unto him, Follow me. Philip immediately obeyed
the divine command, having heard of the cha
racter and mission of our blessed Saviour. It is
supposed that this disciple was present at the mi
raculous descent of the Holy Spirit on our Lord
at his baptism, which being admitted, his ready
compliance with his eall is no matter of admira
tion. Philip meeting with Nathanael, an inha
bitant of Cana, a town in Galilee, informed him
of the actual coming of the long-expected Mes
siah, that great deliverer of Israel, spoken of by
Moses and the ancient prophets, Jesus of Naza
reth, the son of Joseph. Nathanael was assured,
from the predictions concerning the Messiah, that
he was to be descended from the fine of David,
and born in the city of Bethlehem, and therefore
discovered an amazement at his being called Jesus
of Nazareth : Can any good thing come out of Na
zareth ? > Can that most contemptible of place?,
Nazareth, be supposed to have given birth to the
mighty Saviour, the Prince of Peace, especially
as it was expressly foretold by the prophet, that
he was to be born in Bethlehem, the city of Da
vid ? Notwithstanding the improbability of such
an event, Nathanael listened to Philip, and de
termined on an examination of the person Avhom

Chap. IV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

29

he said was the promised Messiah. Accordingly,
under his direction, he repaired to the blessed
Jesus, who, knowing his character, saluted him
on his approach with this honourable appellation,
Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile !
Nathanael, amazed at our Lord's pertinent ad
dress, as he had never before seen him, asked by
what means he obtained such precise knowledge
of him ? Our Lord replied, he had seen him un
der the fig-tree. Probably Nathanael had been
praying under the fig-tree, and had been over
heard by our Lord, who, from the substance of
his prayer, thus concluded his character; for
when the blessed Jesus informed him that he
gave him that character on account of what had
passed under the fig-tree, Nathanael perceived
that he knew not only what passed at a distance,
but had access to the inmost thoughts of the
heart, a property not allotted to mortals ; and
therefore exclaimed with rapture, Rabbi, thou art
the Son of God ; thou art the King of Israel. Our
Saviour then told him, he should hereafter have
much stronger testimonials of the divinity of his
mission, when he should be an eye-witness to
what the old patriarch Jacob had before seen in a
vision, the angels of heaven descending and as
cending, to attend the person, and execute the
commands, of the Son of Man; an appellation
our blessed^Lord assumed, not only as consider
ing his humanity, but in order to fulfil most pe
remptorily that remarkable prediction of the
prophet Daniel concerning him : / saw in the
night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man
came with tfae clouds of heaven, and came to the
Ancient of days, and they brought him near before
him. And there was given him dominion, and
glory, and a kingdom,-lhat all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him : his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Dan. vii. 1* 14.
No. 3.

The great Redeemer, having attested the di
vinity of his mission by many incontestable evi
dences, and made five disciples, departed for
Galilee, where, soon after his arrival, he was in
vited, with his mother and disciples, to a mar
riage feast at Cana, a place near Nazareth. At
these nuptials there happened to be a scarcity of
wine ; and his mother, who interested herself in
the conduct of the feast, and was, therefore, de
sirous that every thing should be done with de
corum, applied to her Son, hoping he would be
able to remedy the defect.
She had, doubtless, conceived he had the
power of working miracles, and was therefore
desirous that he would give proof of his ability in
the presence of her friends, who were assembled
at the marriage. Addressing herself, therefore,
to her Son, she told him, They have no ivine.
Our Lord gently reproved her, in these words,
Woman, what have I to do with thee ? mine hour
is not yet come : that is, the time or period of my
public ministry is not yet arrived ; nor is it time
for me to display my supernatural powers.
Notwithstanding this mild reproof, his mother
still entertained an opinion that he would inte
rest himself in behalf of her and the company,
and, therefore, ordered the servants punctually tp
obey his commands.
Our blessed Lord, being assured that working
a miracle would greatly tend to confirm the faith
of his young discip*les, exerted his divine power,
by ordering the servants to fill six water-pots,
containing each about twenty gallons, with wa
ter; which was no sooner done, than the whole
was converted into excellent wine. He then or
dered them to draw, and bear to the governor
of the feast ; who, being ignorant of the miracle
that had been wrought, and astonished at the
preference of this wine to that which had been
H

30

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. IV.

served up at the begmning of the feast, ad
dressed himself to the bridegroom, in the hear
ing of the whole company, telling him that, con
trary to the usual custom, he had reserved the
best wine to the last; at the same time com
mending so judicious a practice, as a plain proof
of his approbation of his friends present at the
entertainment. The bridegroom was equally
surprised at the address of the governor of the
feast, and the occasion of it, which was effected
by the supernatural power of our blessed Lord.
This miracle, which was the first wrought by
Jesus, confirmed the faith of his followers, and
spread his renown throughout the adjacent
country. The votaries of infidelity have not
failed to arraign the truth of this event, as well as
to vent their sarcastic humour upon it. Their
mirth and ridicule seem chiefly founded on a
supposition that most of the company were in
toxicated, and, consequently, more liable to delu
sion : but we desire them to suspend their opinion,
or at least their judgment, a little, while we re
mind them, that the governor's speech to the
bridegroom, {Every man at the beginning doth
set forth good wine, and when men have well
drunk, then that which is worse,) does not imply
even such a supposition ; but an evident refer
ence to the manner in which the entertainment
was conducted ; a manner much preferable to
that now customarily followed.
Nor can these wise people (in their own con
ceit) rationally think that Jesus ordered, or ex
pected, that all the wine he had furnished should
be expended at this entertainment ; for, accord
ing to the Jewish customs on these occasions, it
continued a week. Permit us, likewise, to ob
serve, that there might be a very important rea
son assigned for our Lord's furnishing such
abundance ; because, if the quantity had been
considerably less,, the miracle would have been

much less apparent, and the enemies of Chris
tianity, ever ready to grasp at the shadow of a
pretence, might have denied that a miracle was
wrought at all, it having been easy to convey
away a small quantity of water, and substitute
the like quantity of wine in its place ; whereas,
such a deception must be allowed impracticable
in so large a quantity, the transmutation being
momentary. The Deists have likewise made much parade
of argument concerning the size of these water-
pots. In this we give them then utmost scope ;
persuaded, that ah which they can say on that
head will not, in the least, tend to invalidate the
Christian cause.
How easily could he, who thus turned waten
into wine, have transformed every entertainment
of a common table into the greatest delicacies,
and have regaled himself daily with royal dain
ties ! But, far superior to such animal gratifica
tions, he chose the severities of a much plainer
life. Blessed Jesus ! who can say whether thou
art greater in what thou didst, or in what thoj|
didst not do ? May none of us, thy followers, be
too intent in indulging our taste, or any of our
other senses ; but, pursuing those intellectual and
devotional pleasures, which were thy meat and
thy drink on earth, may we wait for that good
wine which thou reservest for thy people to the
last, and for those richer dainties with which
thou wilt feast those who shall drink it with
thee in thy Father's kingdom ! Matt. xxvi. 29.
The blessed Jesus having thus, by divers
means, confirmed the faith of his disciples, and
attested the truth and divinity of his mission
among those with whom he had been brought
up, departed from Cana, and proceeded towards
Jerusalem, in order to keep the approaching
passover.

Chap. V.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

31

CHAP. V.
Expulsion of the Profaners of the Tem
ple. — Jesus converses with JVicode-
mus. — Baptizes in Judea. — Instructs
a poor Samaritan. — Heals a sick Per-
. son at Capernaum. — Retires again to
Nazareth, and is expelled thence by
his impious Countrymen.
OUR blessed Lord, immediately on his arri
val at Jerusalem, repaired to the temple ;
where he was not a little shocked at beholding a
place, dedicated to the solemn service of Al
mighty God, so prostituted to purposes of fraud
and avarice, and become the resort of traders of
every kind. It is evident there must have been
a grand market for oxen, sheep, and doves, at such
times; for Josephus tells us, that no less dian
256,000 victims were offered at one Passover.
Such abuse could not long escape his notice or
correction, having an absolute right to chas
tise so flagrant a perversion of a place, that,
strictly speaking, was his own. The Lord, whom
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple; even the
Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in :
behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Accordingly, the blessed Jesus, whose pious
soul was vexed at their profanation of the sacred
place, drove out the traders, and overset the
tables of the money changers, saying unto them
that sold doves, Take these things hence : make
not my Father's house a house of merchandise
These mercenary wretches appear to have
been struck at once with a consciousness of their
guilt, and the severity of our Lord's reproof; as
they immediately departed, without making the
least resistance. But our Lord's conduct in this

affair, carrying with it every token of zeal, for
which the ancient prophets were so remarkable,
the council assembled, and determined to inquire
by what authority he attempted such a reforma
tion ; requiring, at the same time, a demonstra*
tive proof of the divinity of his commission.
To gratify their curiosity, our blessed Lord
referred them to the miracle of his own resurrec
tion : Destroy, says he, probably laying his hand
on his breast, this temple, and I will raise it up in
three days. The rulers, mistaking his meaning,
imagined , that he referred to the superb and
lofty temple finished by Herod, and therefore
told him that such a relation was highly im
probable, nor had they the least reason to think
he could possibly rebuild, in three days, that
magnificent structure, which had been finished
at immense expense, and was the labour of so
many years.
Though the blessed Jesus declined compliance
with the request of the mighty and noble amongst
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, he wrought several
miracles in the presence pf the common people,
in order to confirm the doctrines he delivered,
and prove the divinity of his mission.
As there had not been any miracles wrought
amongst them for a considerable time, though
many were recorded in their sacred books, they
beheld our blessed Lord with amazement and , .
veneration ; and numbers were satisfied that he
was the long-promised Messiah, the Desire of all
nations, so often foretold by the ancient prophets.
For wise reasons, however, he did not publicly
discover that he was the Great Prophet, as he
knew that the faith of numbers was yet but
weak, and that, consequently, many would de
sert his cause, when they found he was opposed
by the Sanhedrim, or great council of the na
tion, and did not set up a worldly kingdom, as

32

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. V.

they thought the expected Messiah was to do.
But the miracles wrought by the holy Jesus
did not excite the wonder and astonishment
of the common and illiterate class of the people
alone. Nicodemus, a principal person among them,
impartially reflecting on his wondrous works, so
astonishing in their nature, so demonstrative in
their proof, so salutary in their effect, so happily
adapted to their confirmation of his doctrines,
and so perfectly agreeable to the attributes of the
Deity, as well as the predictions of the ancient
prophets, concerning the Messiah, the Sun of
Righteousness, ivho was to rise with healing in his
wings ; was perfectly assured, that nothing less
than Omnipotence itself could produce such
wonders ; and thence, like many others of his
countrymen, concluded, that Jesus was of a truth
the Son and sent of God ; which last term is the
meaning of the word Messiah. But scruples still
arose in his mind, when, on the other hand, he
considered the bbscurity of his birth, and the
meanness of his appearance, so different from
the exalted notions the people of the Jews always
entertained concerning this powerful Prince, who
was to erect his throne in the mighty city of
Jerusalem, and subject to his dominion all the
states and kingdoms of the earth. To obviate,
therefore, these scruples, and solve these per
plexing doubts, Nicodemus resolved on an inter
view with the blessed Jesus ; but choosing to con
ceal Ms visit from the other members of the San
hedrim, who were greatly averse to his person
and doctrine, he chose the night as most conve
nient for that purpose.
His salutation of the mighty Redeemer of
Israel, was this : Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God ; for no man can do these
miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
lohn iii. 2.

Rabbi, I am sufficiently convinced that thou
art immediately sent as a teacher from on high ;
for nothing less than power divine could enable
thee to perform the miracles which thou hast
wrought in the presence of multitudes. But
this salutation by no means implies that Nico
demus thought Jesus the great promised Messiah,
even the Redeemer of Israel ; nor could he ob
tain that knowledge till it was revealed to him
by the blessed Spirit of God.
We may observe, that our Saviour, waving all
formality and circumlocution, which tend to no
real profit, immediately preaches to tins disguised
Rabbi the first great doctrine of CMistiamty—
Regeneration : Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Ex
cept a man be born again, he cannot see the king
dom of God. Nicodemus, I declare unto thee,
as a truth of the last importance ; Verily, verily,
unless a man be regenerated in the spirit of his
mind, have his will and affections transferred
from earthly to spiritual objects, he cannot see
the kingdom of God, which is holy and spiritual
in its nature and enjoyments.
This was a mysterious system to the Rabbi,
whose religious views extended no farther than
rites and ceremonies, and were bounded by time
and space : besides, he thought the very position
of our Lord an absurdity in terms. How can a
man be born when he is old ? can he enter a second
time into his mother's womb, and be bom ? Our
Lord replies to this question, Except a man be
born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. The regeneration,
which I preach, is not of a natural, but of a spi
ritual nature ; for, unless as great a change be
wrought on the soul of a nian by the Holy Spirit,
as passed upon his body when fie was born into
the world, he cannot see the kingdom of God, in
such a way as to secure an interest in its inva
luable blessings, nor be an heir of divine glory,

Chap. V.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

33

wMch consists not in earthly splendour, and the
gratification of the meaner passions, but in an
exemption from whatever is earthly, sensual, and
devilish, and the prosecution of whatever is
heavenly, holy, and spiritual. That which is born
of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is bom of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be bom again. It is a truth that you are
all concerned in, that you yourselves, even though
you are Jews and Pharisees, and rulers of the
people, ye must be born again ; since the dege
neracy of the human nature is common to all.
You must undergo a spiritual regeneration, a re
novation of the heart, which changes the whole
man, and fits you for the participation of hea
venly blessedness.
TMs important work is likewise spiritual in its
operation, unseen by mortal eyes, being wrought
on the heart of man by the powerful influence of
the Holy Spirit, which changes his nature, and,
with respect to eternal things, makes him
another, a new creature. The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof;
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither
it goeth : so is every one that is bom of the
Spirit. Notwithstanding tMs explanation of the blessed
Jesus, Nicodemus was so prepossessed with par
tiality towards the Jews, who, on account of their
alliance to Abraham, thought they were the
people of God, entitled to heaven, and, conse
quently, in no need of this new operation of the
mind called regeneration, that he again de
manded, How can these things be f The divine
Instructor then reproves Ms dulness and misap
prehension of what he had so clearly explained
and propounded to him, especially as he was
Mmself a teacher of the people, and one of the
great council of the nation : Art thou a master of
Israel, and knowest not these things f The doc-
No. 3.

trines I deliver are not fiction and mere surmise,
but founded on eternal truth, immediately re
vealed from God, and consistent with the will of
heaven. I am witness to the same, and there
fore affirm that such testimony is sufficient to
render them .valid. But your prejudices still
prevail, nor can your unbelief be conquered by
all the arguments I can advance. We speak that
we do know, and testify that we have seen : and ye
receive not our witness.
If ye thus reject the first principles of tlte
Christian religion, such as the necessity of
regeneration, or the influence of the Spirit
of God upon the heart of man, how will ye
believe the sublimer truths I shall hereafter
deliver concerning the kingdom of God, or state
of the saints in glory? If I inform you of
spiritual transactions in tMs lower world, and
ye believe not; how can ye believe if I tell you
of those things which relate solely to another and
heavenly state? But to confirm your belief in
what I have delivered, know, that my assured
knowledge of these things is derived from the
Father of light, the God of truth, by whom
I am vested with gifts superior to any of the
ancient prophets.
No man hath ascended the regions of im
mortality, and descended from thence, but
the Son of Man; consequently, no man but the
Son of Man can, with truth and certainty,
reveal the immediate will of the Father who is
in heaven. Your great lawgiver, Moses, ascended
not there : Mount Sinai was the summit of his
elevation ; whereas the Son of Man, who was
in heaven, and came down from thence with a
divine commission to sinful mortals, had the
most clear and convincing proofs of the will of
his Almighty Father, penetrated into the designs
of infinite wisdom and grace, and, consequently,
must be higher than any prophet, being, in a
I

34

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. V.

peculiar sense, the Prophet of the Most High
God, or Angel of his presence.
The Divine Preacher, who spake as no man
ever spake, likewise labours to eradicate the fa
vourite principle of the Jews ; I. mean, that of
confining all blessings, temporal and eternal, to
their own nation and people ; as well as to show*
the vanity of their expecting the appearance of
the Messiah in pomp and magnificence.
To effect this glorious design, he lays open to
the Rabbi, that it was agreeable, both to the doc
trines of Moses, as well as the will of God, that
the Redeemer, in this state of mortality, should
be exposed to poverty and distress of every kind ;
that his conquests were not to be of a temporal
nature, but over the hearts and wills of man
kind ; that his throne was not to be established
in the earthly, but heavenly Jerusalem ; previous
to which he was to shed Ms blood, as, by virtue
of the same, all of every nation and kingdom
throughout the earth, might pass into the hea
venly world, and there, for ever, provided they
relied on Ms merits, and conformed their lives to
the doctrines he preached, enjoy that summit of
bliss, which, through his sufferings, was provided
for them, by God himself, to all eternity.
Let us remember, therefore, that it is not
enough that a new name be given, or that a new
profession be assumed ; it is not enough that we
are descended from the most pious ancestors;
that we have been externally devoted to God by
the early seal of his covenant, or that we openly
have made a solemn and express profession of
our own faith and obedience, and have been
born of baptismal water m our riper years ; there
must be a new nature implanted, a new creation
formed in our souls, by the almighty energy of
the eternal Spirit, or it had been better for us
that we had never been born at all.

That* God Almighty, the Father, out of his
unsupplicated, unmerited grace and mercy to
the sinful race of men, sent his only-begotten Soh
to purchase eternal life, through the effusion of
his own blood, for all of every nation and king
dom throughout the earth, who should believe in
the divinity of his mission, the efficacy of his
atonement, and, in consequence of that faith,
conform, as far as the infirmities of sinful nature
will permit, to the rules of his gospel. Only let
your conversation be as becometh the gospel of
Christ. Condemnation, justly passed on all
transgressors of the law of God, (which are all
mankind,) can alone be averted, according to the
divine institution ; the propriety of which it is
the height of impiety and presumption to call ih
question. By faith in the blessed Jesus, such a
faith as we have justly explained, He that believeth
on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not,
is condemned already, because he hath not believed
in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. .
It appears, from the future conduct of Nico
demus, that, instead of supposing Jesus to be only
a teacher come from God, he was fully convinced
that he was the Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel:
for he afterwards constantly espoused his cause
in the great council of the nation; and when his
countrymen put him to an ignomimous death,
he, together with Joseph of Arimathea, buried
him, when all others had forsaken him.
The time of the passover at Jerusalem being
expired, Jesus, together with his disciples, with
drew into the remote parts of Judea, where
he continued a considerable time, preaching the
kingdom of God, and baptizing the new con
verts. John the Baptist being also, at the same
time, baptizing in the river Enon, a dispute
arose between his disciples and certain Jews,
concerning the preference of the baptism of
Jesus.

Chap. V.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

35

Being unable to decide the point, they referred
it to the opinion of John ; on which the pious
Baptist immediately declared, that he was only
the harbinger of the great Messiah, who bap
tized not only with water, but with the Holy
Spirit ; adding, that Ms own mimstry was on
the decline, as the beauty of the morning-star,
the harbinger of the sun, decreases, when that
fountain of Ught but dawns in the chambers of,
the east.
The Baptist likewise mentioned to his dis
ciples and hearers many circumstances, tending
to prove the divimty of the mission of the holy
Jesus, and the important design of Ms incarna
tion. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlast
ing life ; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not
see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The Baptist, having publicly preached the
great doctrine of salvation through faith in
Jesus, departed from the wilderness of Judea,
where he had continued a considerable time,
and went into Galilee, often repairing to the
court of Herod, who esteemed, or affected to
esteem, both Ms preaching and person. But
John, being faithful in Ms ministry, could not
fail to remonstrate on the impiety and injustice
of a known practice of Herod, which was, his
cohabiting with Herodias, his brother Philip's
wife ; and thereby incurring the displeasure of
that ambitious woman, he was, at her instance,
cast into prison, and there reserved for future
destruction. Whilst these things happened in Galilee, our
blessed Lord continued preaching in the wilder
ness, wMther great numbers resorted, attracted
by curiosity, to see the great miracles which
fame reported he daily wrought. The success
of* his ministry exciting the envy of the hypocri
tical tribe of Pharisees, our blessed Lord thought

proper to retire into Galilee, in order to promote
the design of his mission in those parts.
Ih the course of his journey, being weary
with travelling in so warm a country, and
excessively thirsty, he sat down in Samaria
by a celebrated well, given by the old patriarch
Jacob to his son Joseph, while his disciples
were gone to the city to procure provisions.
While the humble Jesus was sitting by the
well side, a woman, a native of the country,
came with her pitcher to fetjjli water ; and our
Lord requested of her to give him to drink.
The appearance of Jesus astonished the woman,
because she knew him to be a Jew ; and the
Samaritans were held in the utmost contempt
by those people, who, indeed, arrogated a pre
ference to all nations upon earth. But though
she knew him to be a Jew, she knew not that he
was the Son of God, full of grace and truth,
divested of human prejudices, and the very
essence of humility and every virtue. As the
design of his mission and incarnation was to
promote the real happiness of mankind, he
embraced every opportumty of enforcing his
salutary doctrines ; and, therefore, though his
tiiirst was extreme, he delayed his gratification,
in order to inform this woman, though of an
infamous character, of the means by which she
might obtain living water, or, in other words,
eternal life. As the best method to effect
this purpose, he gave her to understand, that
had she known the character of the supplicant,
she would have eagerly satisfied his desire, and
been retaliated by a gift the most invaluable,
even living water, issuing from the well of eternal
salvation. The woman, taking his words in the common
acceptation, imagining that he suggested his
power of supplying her with water flowing from

36

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. V,

a perpetual spring, wMch, in that parched cli
mate, appeared impossible, demanded of Mm if
he was vested with a power superior to their fa
ther Jacob, who dug this well, drank out of it
with his family, and left it for the benefit of
posterity. The Saviour and friend of mankind, still be
nign in his purpose towards tMs poor sinner,
replied, " That all who drank of the water of
Jacob's well, would thirst again, being but a tem
porary delay of desire incident to human nature ;
whereas, those whp drank of the water which
he was ready to dispense, should never thirst ;
because that water flowed from the inexhaustible
Fountain of Divine Grace, and could not be
drained but with immensity itself."
Though this great Preacher of Israel, by a
simple and natural allegory, displayed the power
of divine grace, the woman, ignorant of the al
lusion and meaning of the blessed Jesus, desired
of him that water, that she might not thirst in
future, nor have occasion to come to Jacob's
well daily for water.
To show her the nature of sin, and thereby
create in her soul desires after the water of life,
the blessed Jesus, by some pertinent questions
and replies, evinced his knowledge of her infa
mous course of life, and by that means convinced
her that he acted under an influence more than
human. To evade, however, the present subject
of discourse, which filled her with a degree of
awe and fear, she proposed to his discussion a
case, long warmly contested between the Jews
and Samaritans, Whether Mount Gerizim, or the
city of Jerusalem, was destined by God as the
place peculiarly set apart for religious worship ?
Our blessed Lord replied to this insigmficant
question, that it was not the place, but the man
ner, in wMch adoration was offered to the Father

of spirits, that rendered such worsMp acceptable;
observing, that God is a spirit; and they that
ivorship him, must worship him in spirit and in
truth. John iv. 24.
In consequence of tMs reply to her, at last, ap
parently referring to things spiritual and eternal,
she informed the blessed Jesus of her expectation
of the arrival of the promised Messiah, who
should punctually inform them concerning these
points, so long undecisively contested.
Our Lord, embracing the opportunity of
preacMng himself to this poor woman as the
Saviour of sinners, replied, without hesitation,
/ that speak unto thee am he.
While Jesus continued talking with the wo
man, his disciples returned, and approached
Mm at the very time when he told the woman
that he was the Messiah. Though they were ,
astonished at Ms condescension in conversing
with an inhabitant of Samaria, and even of in
structing her in the doctrines of religion, none
presumed to ask Mm why he conversed with
one who was an enemy to die Jews, and the
worship in the temple of Jerusalem. But the
woman, hearing Jesus call hhnself the Messiah,
left her pitcher, and ran into the city to publish
the glad tidings, That the great Deliverer of
mankind was then sitting by the well of Jacob,
and had told her all the secret transactions of
her life. This report astonished the Samaritans,
and, at the same time, roused their curiosity to
see a person foretold by Moses and the prophets,
and of whose appearance there was then so
universal an expectation.
The disciples, on their return, set before
their Master the provision they had pur
chased; but he, being wholly absorbed in
meditation, refused the refreshment so Mghly

Chap. V.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

37

requisite, telling them he had meat to eat that
they knew nothing of. TMs unexpected answer
surprised his disciples, who, understanding Ms
words in their natural sense, asked one another,
whether any person had, during their absence,
supplied Mm with provisions ? But Jesus soon
explained the mystery, by telling them, that
he did not mean natural, but spiritual food;
that to execute the commission he had received
from his Father, was far better to him than
meat or drink; and the satisfaction he was
going to receive from the conversion of the
Samaritans, much greater than any sensual en
joyments. Many of the Samaritans were now near Jesus,
who, lifting up his eyes, and seeing the ways
erowded with people coming to Mm from the
city, stretched out his benevolent hands towards
them, and addressed his disciples in the following
manner : Say not ye, There are yet four months,
and then cometh harvest ? Behold, I say unto you,
Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields ; for they
are white already to harvest. John iv. 35. Behold
yonder multitudes, how they are thronging to
hear the word, which has only a few minutes
been sown in their hearts ! It is not, therefore,
always necessary to wait with patience for the
effect; for it sometimes immediately follows the
cause. To gather tMs spiritual harvest, and
finish the work of Him that sent me, is my
proper food : adding, for the encouragement of
his disciples, As you have laboured with me in
this harvest of souls, so shall you participate in
the great recompense of eternal rewards. He
that reapeth receiveih wages, and gathereth fruit
unto life eternal; that both he that soweth, and he
that reapeth, may rejoice together. John iv. 36.
Many of the people had been so affected at
the words of the woman, that they were fully
persuaded Jesus could be no other than the
No. 4.

great Messiah. Accordingly, their first request
was, that he would deign to take up his residence
in their city. The compassionate Redeemer of
the human race so far complied, as to stay
with them two -days, an interval which he
spent in preaching to them the kingdom of
God ; so that the greatest part of the city em
braced the doctrine of the gospel, and, at Ms
departure, said unto the woman, Now we be
lieve, not because of thy saying; for we have
heard him ourselves, and know that this is in
deed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. John
iv. 42.
Having accomplished his gracious design in
Samaria, Jesus continued his journey to Ga
lilee, to exercise his ministry, and preach there
the kingdom of God ; telling his disciples,
that the time was now accomplished which
had been predetermined by Omnipotence, for
erecting the happy kingdom of the Prince of
Peace. Our Lord had performed several miracles at
Jerusalem dining the passover, at which the
inhabitants of Galilee were present. His preach
ing was, therefore, at first attended with great
success, for they listened attentively to his doe-
trine, and received it with particular kindness
and courtesy ; especially the people of Cana,
where he had turned the water into wine.
During his residence in that city, a nobleman
of Capernaum came to him, requesting, with
great humility and reverence, that he would
come down and heal his son, who was at
the point of death. Our blessed Saviour readily
complied with the latter part of this request ;
but to remove a prejudice they had conceived
that it was necessary to be personally present,
in order to restore the sick person to health,
he refused to go down to Capernaum, dismissing
K

38

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. V.

the father with tMs assurance, that Ms son
was restored to health: Go thy way, thy son
liveth. John iv. 50. The nobleman obeyed
the word of Jesus, and immediately departed
for Ms own house ; but before Ms arrival he
was met by his servants, with the joyful news,
that his son was recovered. On this the fa
ther inquired at what time they perceived an
alteration for the better ? and from their an
swer was satisfied, that immediately after the
words were spoken by the blessed Jesus, the
fever left him, and he was recovered in a mi
raculous manner. This amazing instance of Ms
power and goodness, abundantly convinced the
nobleman and his family, that Jesus was the
true Messiah, the great Prophet so long promised
to the world.
After some stay in the city and neighbour
hood of Cana, Jesus went to Nazareth, where
he had spent the greatest part of his youth,
and, as his constant custom was, went to the
synagogue on the sabbath-day, and read that
celebrated prediction of the Messiah in the pro
phet Isaiah ; The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken
hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty
them that are bruised; to preach the acceptable year
of the Lord. Luke iv. 18, 19.
It should be remembered, that our blessed Sa
viour read this passage in the original Hebrew,
wMch was then a dead language ; and, as he had
never been taught letters, could do it only by in
spiration from above. But he did more ; he ex
plained the passage with such strength of reason,
and beauty of expression, that the inhabitants of
Nazareth, who well knew he had never been
initiated into the rudiments of learning, heard

Mm with astonishment. But as he performed
no miracle in their city, they were offended
at Mm. Perhaps they thought the place of
his residence should have been his peculiar
care ; and," as he could, with a single word,
heal the- sick at a distance, not a single per
son in Nazareth should have been afflicted with
any kind of disease. That they really enter
tained sentiments of this kind, seems plain from
our Saviour's own words : Ye will surely say
to me, Physician, heal thyself: whatever we have
heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy
country; — evidently alluding to the great and
benevolent miracle he had wrought on the
nobleman's son.
But the holy Jesus, by enumerating the mi
racles Elijah had done in behalf of the widow
of Sarepta, who was a heathen ; and the inha
bitants of an idolatrous city, in the time of fa
mine, when many widows in Israel perished
with hunger; and of Naamanthe Syrian, who
was cured of his leprosy by the prophet Elisha,
when numbers of Jews, afflicted with the same
loathsome disease, were suffered to continue
in their uncleanness; sufficiently proved that
the prophets had, on some extraordinary oc
casions, wrought miracles in favour of those
whom the Israelites, from a fond conceit of
their being the peculiar faVourites of heaven,
judged unworthy of such marks of particular
favour. The council was so incensed at this reply,
that, forgetting the sanctity of the sabbath, they
hurried Mm through the streets, to the brow of
the hill whereon their city was built, intending to
cast Mm headlong down the precipice ; but the
Son of God defeated their cruel intentions, by
miraculously confounding their sight, and with
drawing from the fury of these wretched people.

Chap. VI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

39

CHAP. VI.
Our Lord proceeds to Capernaum. —
Adds to the Number of his Follow
ers. — Proclaims the Gospel in Gali
lee. — Preaches, to a numerous Au
dience, his well-known and excellent
Discourse upon the Mount.
THE holy Jesus, aggrieved by the cruel Na-
zarenes, departed from them, and visited
Capernaum, the capital of Galilee, (being built
on the borders of the Lake of Gennesaret,) wMch
was a place MgMy convenient for his design ; for,
besides the numerous inhabitants of that city, the
tradmg towns on the lake were crowded with
strangers, who, after hearing the doctrine of the
Gospel preached by the great Redeemer of man
kind, would not fail to spread, in their respective
countries, the happy tidings of salvation.
Though it was expedient that he should spend
a considerable time in preacMng and working
miracles to confirm Ms mission, and mstruct Ms
disciples in the doctrine they were afterwards to
publish to the whole world, this could not be
done at Jerusalem, the residence of the Scribes
and Pharisees, whose ambition would never have
suffered so celebrated a teacher as Jesus to reside
among them. These countries were, therefore,
the only places where he could, for any time, take
up Ms residence, and instruct the people in such
a manner, as to answer the great intention of Ms
coming into the world.
If any should inquire why he chose Caper
naum in preference to all the other places situ
ated on the Lake of Gennesaret ? . jflfe reply,
because he was certain of being favourably re
ceived by the inhabitants of that city. He had
gained the friendship of the principal family, by

restoring to health a favourite child, who, to all
human appearance, was just sinking into the
chambers of the grave. Nor was tMs family the
only friends he had in that city ; so stupendous
a miracle could not fail of procuring the love and
esteem of all the relations of that noble family:
besides, so benevojent and surprising a miracle
must have greatly conciliated the respect of all
the inhabitants of Capernaum, who could not be
ignorant of so remarkable an event. And, ac
cordingly, our Saviour spent here, and in other
places bordering on the lake, a great part of the
time of Ms public life ; so that the inhabitants of
these parts enjoyed a considerable share of the
blessed company and divine instructions of the
Son of God.
It may not be amiss, in this place, to give a
short description of this celebrated Lake, called,
in the Old Testament, the Sea of Chinneroth;
but in the New it has three different appellations,
being called the Sea of GaMee, from the province
of Galilee in general ; the Sea of Tiberias, from
a city of that name on its western shore ; and
the Lake of Gennesaret, from a particular tract
of Galilee, extending a considerable way along
its western side.
According to Josephus, it is a hundred furlongs
in length, and forty in breadth. The bottom is
of gravel, wMch renders the waters both of a
good colour and taste. It is softer than either
fountain or river water; and, at the same time,
so cold, that it will not grow warm, though ex
posed to the rays of the sun in the very hottest
season of the year. The river Jordan runs
through the midst of it, which stocks it with a
great variety of fish, of a peculiar form and fla
vour., not found in any other place.
The countries surroundmg this lake were
large, fertile, and populous, especially the two

40

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. VI.

Gahlees,- whieh, according to Josephus, had a
great many towns, and a multitude of villages,
the least of which contained fifteen hundred
souls. On the east side were the cities of Cho-
razin, Bethsaida, Gadara, and Hippon ; on the
west, Capernaum, Tiberias, and Tarrichea. And,
from all these advantages, it was a common say
ing among the Jews, that God loved the Sea of
Galilee above all other seas. An observation
strictly just, if to these we add its greatest ad
vantage, namely, that this sea, above all others,
was frequently honoured with the divine pre
sence of the great Redeemer of mankind while
he dwelt at Capernaum, and even once after he
arose from the dead.
While Jesus tarried at Capernaum, he usually
taught in the synagogues on the sabbath-day,
preaching with such energy of power as greatly
astonished the whole Congregation. He did not,
however, constantly confine Mmself to that city;
the adjacent country was often blessed with his
presence, and cheered with the heavenly words
of his mouth.
In one of the neighbouring villages he called
Simon and Andrew, who were following their
occupation of fishing on the lake, to accompany
him. These disciples, who had before been ac
quainted with'Mm, readily obeyed the heavenly
mandate, and followed the Saviour of the world.
Soon after he saw James and John, who were
also fishing on the lake, and called them also.
Nor did they hesitate to follow the great Re-.
deemer of mankind ; and, from their ready com
pliance, there is reason to believe that they, as
well as Simon and Andrew,- were acquainted
with Jesus at Jordan ; unless we suppose, which
is far from being improbable, that their readiness
proceeded from the secret energy of his power
upon their minds. But, however this be, the
four disciples accompanied our blessed Saviour

at CapernaUm, and soon after to different parts
of Galilee.
How long our Lord was on this journey can
not be determined ; all the Evangelists have men
tioned, is, that he wrought a great number of
miracles on diseased persons ; and that the fame
of these wonderful works drew people from Ga
lilee, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond Jordan.
Nor was the knowledge of these miracles con
cealed from the heathens, particularly the inha
bitants of Syria; for they also brought their sick
to Galilee, to be healed by him. Consequently,
the time our blessed Saviour spent in these tours
must have been considerable, though the Evan
gelists have said very little concermng it.
But whatever time was spent in these benevo
lent actions, the prodigious multitudes wMch
flocked to him from every quarter, moved his
compassion towards those who were bewildered
in the darkness of ignorance, and determined him
to preach to them the words of eternal life.
For this blessed purpose, he ascended a moun
tain in that neighbourhood ; and placing himself
on an eminence, from whence he could be heard
by throngs of people attending Mm, he incul
cated, in an amazingly pathetic manner, the most
important points of religion. But, alas ! they
were coldly received, because many of them
were directly opposite to the standing precepts
delivered by the Scribes and Pharisees. Surely
these people, who had seen the blessed Jesus
perform so many benevolent actions to the
poor, the diseased, and the maimed, might
have entertained a more favourable opinion
of his doctrine, and known that so compas
sionate a^Lpowerful a person must have been
actuated by the Spirit of God, and, conse
quently, that the doctrine he taught was really
divine.

Chap. VI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

41

He opened his excellent sermon with the doc
trine *of happiness ; a subject which the teachers
of wisdom have always considered as the princi
pal object in morals, and employed their utmost
abilities to convey a clear idea of it to their dis
ciples ; but differed very remarkably with regard
to the particulars in which it consisted. The
Jews were, in general, persuaded that the enjoy
ments of sense were the sovereign good. Riches,
conquest, liberty, mirth, fame, revenge, and other
things of the same kind, afforded them such
pleasures, that they wished for no better in the
Messiah's kingdom, which they all considered as
a secular one ; and that a golden, instead of a
sceptre of righteousness, would have been the
sceptre of his kingdom. Nay, some of the disci
ples themselves retained, for a time, the like kind
of notion, till they were convinced of their mis
take by the spirit, word, and conduct, of their
divine Master.
Our Lord and Master, therefore, to show his
hearers in general, and his disciples in particular,
the grossness of their error, declared, that the
highest happiness of man consisted in the favour
and image of God ; that these will make a man
"unspeakably happy, even in tribulation and per-
secutian. In possessing these, the soul hath peace
and joy, and a lively hope of eternal rest. With
out these, no situation, however pleasant, no
wealth, however abundant, no station, however
exalted, can afford any solid or permanent satis
faction of mind. He, therefore, addressed them
in the following, or similar manner : You con
gratulate the rich and the great ; but happy are
the poor in spirit; those humble souls, that, deeply
conscious of their ignorance and guilt, can quietly
yield to Divine teachings and Divine disposals ;
for, however they may be despised and trampled
on by men, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You
admire the gay and jovial part of mankind, and
please yourselves with the hopes of joy and fes-
No.4.

tivity; but I say unto you, Happy are they that
now mourn under a penitent sense of their sins,
for they shall ere long be comforted with the
discoveries of God's forgiving love, and be
cheered with the reviving rays of his everlasting
favour. The truth of this heavenly aphorism is very
evident ; for what has so great a power to turn
the feet of the sons of men into the path of virtue,
as sanctified affliction ? Has it not a natural ten
dency to give mankind a distaste to the pleasures
of the world, and convince them they are nothing
more than vanity and vexation of spirit ; and,
consequently, to demonstrate that they must seek
for happiness in things more solid and permanent
than any in this vale of tears ? The Holy Spirit
then awakens the most serious thoughts in the
mind, composes it into a grave and settled frame,
very different from the levity inspired by pros
perity; gives it a fellow-feeling of the sorrows of
others ; and makes it thoroughly sensible of the
danger of departing from God, the source and
centre of all its joys.
Nor are the passionate happy; but, on the con
trary, the meek : those who have, by the grace of
God, subdued their tempers, can patiently bear
provocation, and are strangers to that destructive
passion, envy. The meek shall inherit the
choicest blessings of the present life ; for, in
deed, they principally flow from that benevolent
and heavenly temper of mind. Meekness con
sists in the moderation of our passions, which
renders a person lovely and venerable in the
eyes of his fellow-mortals ; and thence he pos
sesses the sincere esteem of the upright ; while
the passionate and envious man is considered as
despicable, though adorned w'ti\ the robe of ho
nour, and dignified with the mC\ ample pos
sessions. Blessed are the meek; Joi^ikqy shall
inherit the earth. L

42

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap|VI

Men, through vanity and blindness, consider
those as happy who enjoy the pleasures of this
life, by rioting in luxury and excess. But this is
far from being the case ; on the contrary, those
are the truly happy who have the most vehement
desire after the salvation of God, and enjoy much ¦
of his love. For they, by the assistance of the
Holy Spirit, shall obtain every thing they desire;
shall be happy here in the practice of righteous
ness ; and, after this transitory life is ended, shall
be received into the blissful mansions of the hea
venly Canaan. Blessed are they that hunger and
thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.
Forgiveness, not resentment, for injuries done,
is a real spring of happiness ; and those who are
of a humane and beneficent disposition, rejoice
when they can perform a benevolent action, es
pecially to their fellow-mortals in distress. The
merciful shall see themselves recompensed even
in this life : for they shall find, after many days,
the bread they have cast upon the waters of afflic
tion, returning ten-fold in their bosoms. And
surely nothing can surpass the pleasure felt by a
generous mind at having relieved a brother, when
pressed beneath a load of misfortunes : the plea
sure is godlike ; it isdivine. Blessed are the mer
ciful; for they shall obtain mercy. .
Permanent delight is totally inconsistent with
sensuality, which is a subjection to the appetite ;
it is the portion of those who have mortified their
carnalappetites, to enjoy an inward purity of
mind. With what delight do we. behold the
glories of the sun, and contemplate the beautiful
scenes of nature that surround us ! But what
proportion has this to the ineffable delights that
must fill the minds of those who behold the great
Creator himself, Tvho called the whole universe
^from nothing and still supports it with the word
ef his power ? Blessed are the pure in heart; for
theff-shali see God.

The tyrants and conquerors of earth, who
disturb the peace of mankind, are far from be
ing happy : it falls to the share of those who
love their fellow-creatures, and do all in their
power to promote peace and harmony among
the children of men. For they imitate the
perfection of their Maker, and, therefore, will
be acknowledged by Mm for Ms children,
and participate of his happiness. Blessed are
the peace-makers; for they shall be called the
children of God.
Nor does happiness consist in liberty and ease,
if those privileges are purchased at the expense
of truth and righteousness. Those who have
suffered the severest trial that human nature is
capable of sustaining, from purity of heart and
for conscience' sake, shall be honoured with the
highest reward in the blissful mansions of eter
nity. Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness1 sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Contentment is not to be expected from the
applause of the world ; but will be the portion of
those who are falsely reviled for righteousness'
sake, and share in the affronts offered to God
himself, if they suffer In a CMistian spirit : 'for by
these persecutions the prophets of all ages have
been distinguished. Blessed are ye when men
shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say aU
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake!.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad ; for great is your
reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the pro
phets which were before you. Matt. v. 11,12.
These are the declarations, with regard to
happiness, made by the Son of God : and surely
we may believe the words of him who came down
from heaven; and who, in compassion to our in
firmities, took upon himself our nature ; and, to
redeem us from the power of sin and death,

Chap. VI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

43

offered himself a sacrifice on the cross, and
"Mereby opened to us the gates of eternal life. ,
Having shown in what true happiness con
sisted, our Saviour addressed himself to his dis
ciples, and explained their duty, as the teachers
appointed to conduct others in the paths that lead
to eternal felicity ; and excited them to diligence
in dispensing the salutary influences of their
doctrine and example, that their hearers might
honour and praise the great Creator of heaven
and earth, who had been so kind to the children
of men.
As his definition of happiness was very dif
ferent from what the Jews were accustomed to
hear from the Scribes and Pharisees, he thought
proper to declare, that he was not come to
destroy the moral precepts contained in the
law and the prophets, but to fulfil or confirm
them. Nothing is so steadfast as the eternal truths
of morality : the heavens may pass away, and
the whole frame of nature be dissolved ; but the
rule of righteousness shall remain immutable and
immortal. And, therefore, he ordered his disci
ples, on the severest penalties, to enforce, both by
preaching and example, the strict observation of
all the moral precepts contained in the sacred
writings, and that in a much greater latitude than
they were taken by the teachers of Israel. And,
in consideration of the frailties of human nature,
taught them that excellent form of prayer, which
has been used by Christians of most denomina
tions to this very day :
Our Father, &c.
If earthly parents are called fathers, the Al
mighty has the best title from every creature, and
particularly from men, being the Father of their
spirits, the former of their bodies, and the con

tinual preserver of both. Nor is this all : he v>
our father in a still higher sense ; as he regene
rates us, and stamps his image upon our minds ;
so that, partaking of Ms nature, we become Ms
children; and, therefore, we can, with a holy
boldness, call him by the title of that relation.
In the former sense, God is the father of all Ms
creatures, whether good or bad ; but in the. latter,
he is the father only of the righteous. Father is
the most magnificent title invented by philoso
phers or poets, in honour of their gods : it con
veys the most lovely idea possible to be conceived
by the human breast. As it is used by mankind
in general, it marks the essential character of the
true God, namely, that he is the first cause of all
things, or the author of their being; and, at the
same time, conveys a strong idea of the tender
love he bears to his creatures, whom he nourishes
with an affection, and protects with a watch
fulness, infinitely superior to that of an earthly
parent. The name of father also teaches us
that we owe our being to God, points out his
goodness and mercy in upholding us, and ex
presses his power in giving us the things we ask.
Nor is this all : we are likewise taught to give
our Maker the title of father, that our sense
of the tender relation in which he stands to
us may be confirmed ; our faith in his power
and goodness strengthened ; our hopes of ob
taining what we ask in prayer cherished ; and
our desire of obeying and imitating him quick
ened : for reason, aided by grace, teaches us,
that it is disgraceful in cMldren to degenerate
from their parents, and that they cannot com
mit a greater crime than to disobey the com
mands of an indulgent father.
Lastly, we are commanded to call him father
in the plural number, (and that even in our se
cret addresses to the throne of grace,) to put us in
mind that we are all brethren, the children of one
common parent ; and that we ought to love one

44

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. VI.

another with sincerity, as we pray not for our
selves only, but for all the human race.
Which art in heaven. These words do not sup
pose the presence of God to be confined: he is
present every where ; is about our paths, and
about our bed, and narrowly inspecteth every
action of the sons of men. But they express his
majesty and power, and distinguish him from
those we call fathers upon earth, and from false
gods, which are not in heaven, the happy man
sions of bliss and felicity; where the Almighty,
who is essentially present in every part of the
universe, gives more especial manifestations of
his presence to such of his creatures as he hath
exalted to share with him in the eternal felicities
of the heavenly Jerusalem.
Hallowed be thy name. By the name of God,
the Hebrews understood God himself, his attri
butes, and his works; and, therefore, the mean
ing of the petition is, May thy existence be uni
versally believed, thy presence loved and imi
tated, thy works admired, thy supremacy over
all things acknowledged, thy providence reve
renced and confided in! May all the sons of
men think so highly of his divine majesty, of his
attributes, of his works ; and may we so express
our veneration for God, that Ms glory may be
manifested in every corner of the world.
Thy kingdom come. Let the kingdom of the
Messiah be extended to the utmost parts of the
earth, that all the children of men may know his
salvation, and become onefold under one shepherd,
Jesus Christ the righteous.
Thy ivill be done on earth as it is in heaven.
May thy will, O thou great Father of the uni
verse, be done hi us, that by the light of thy
glorious gospel, and the aid of thy Holy Spirit,
we may be enabled to imitate the angels of light,

by giving as sincere, universal, and constaw'obe-
dience, to thy divine commands, as those blessed
beings do in glory.
Give us this day our daily bread. Give us, fronr
time to time, wholesome and proper food, that
we may be enabled to worship thee with cheer
fulness and vigour.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. The Almighty, as supreme governor of
the universe, has a right to support his govern
ment, by punishing those who transgress his laws.
The suffering of punishment, therefore, is a debt
which sinners owe to the divine justice ; so that
when we ask God in prayer to forgive our debts,
we beg that he would be mercifully pleased to
remit the punishment of all our sins, particularly
the pains of hell ; and that, laying aside his dis
pleasure, he would receive us into favour, and r
bless us with life eternal. In this petition, there- 1
fore, we confess our sins, and express the sense
we have of their guilt; namely, that they deserve
death.: and sure nothing can be more proper
than such a confession in our addresses to God£
because humility, and a sense of our own unwor-
thiness, when we ask favours of the Almighty,
whether spiritual or temporal, have a tendency
to give us a proper sense of the goodness of God
in bestowing them upon us.
The terms of tMs petition are worthy of
our notice : Forgive us only as we forgive. We
must forgive others, if we hope ourselves to
be forgiven; and are permitted to crave from
God such forgiveness only as we grant to
others ; so that if we do not forgive even our
enemies, we seriously and solemnly implore
the Almighty to condemn us to the punishment
of eternal death. How remarkably careful,
therefore, should men be to have their hearts
purged from all rancour and malice before

Chap. VI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

45

they venture into the temple of the Almighty,
to offer up then prayers to the throne of
grace. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. Whenever we are tempted, O
thou that helpest our infirmities, suffer us not
to enter into temptation, to be overcome, or
suffer loss thereby ; but make a way for us to
escape, so that we may be more than conque
rors, through thy love, over sin and all the con
sequences of it. But deliver us, by some means,
from the evil; either by removing the tempta
tion, or increasing our strength to resist it. TMs
petition teaches us to preserve a sense of our
own mability to repel and overcome the solici
tations of the world, and of the necessity there is
of our receiving assistance from above, both to
regulate our passions, and enable us to prosecute
a religious life.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory, for ever and ever. Because the govern
ment of the universe is thine fot ever, and thou
alone possessest the power of creating and up
holding all tMngs ; and because the glory of tMne
infinite "perfections remains eternally with thee ;
therefore all men ought to hallow thy name,
submit themselves to thy government,' and per
form thy will. And, in an humble sense of their
dependance, seek from thee the supply of their
wants, the pardon, of their sins, and the kind
protection of thy providence.
This is emphatically called, The Lord's
Prayer, because delivered by the Son of God
Mmself; and, therefore, we should do well
to understand it thoroughly, that when we
enter the temple of the Lord, and address
Mm in solemn prayer, we may have hopes
that he will grant our petitions. And, above
all, not to harbour in our breasts the least envy
No. 4.

or malice against any who may have offended
us ; for it is only on a supposition that we have
forgiven others, that we may have the least reason
to hope for obtaimng forgiveness from the great
Creator. The divine Preacher proceeded to consider the
great duty of fasting, in which he directed them
not to follow the hypocrites, in disfiguring their
faces, and in clotMng themselves in the melan
choly weeds of sorrow, but to be cMefly solicitous
to appear before God as one that truly fasteth.
Then will the Almighty, who constandy sur
rounds us, and is acquainted even with the most
secret thoughts of our hearts, openly bestow
upon us the blessings which he hath promised
to a true penitent, whose mortification, contrition,
and humility, he can discern without the external
appearances of sorrow and repentance. It must,
however, be remembered, that our blessed Sa
viour is here speaking of private fasting, and to
this alone his directions are to be applied; for
when we are called upon to mourn over public
sins or calamities, it ought to be performed in the
most public manner.
Heavenly-mindedness was the next thing in
culcated by the blessed Jesus ; and this he re
commended with a peculiar earnestness, be
cause the Jewish doctors were, in general,
strangers to this grace, in which he was de
sirous his followers should be clothed, as being
the most excellent ornament for a teacher of
righteousness. This is strenuously recommended
by our blessed Saviour, by showing the defor
mity of its opposite, covetousness, which has only
perishable things for its object. Lay not up for
yourselves treasures upon earth, where, moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through
and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth cor
rupt, and where thieves do not break through
M

46

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap.

nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also. Matt. vi. 1 9, 20, 21 .
More solid happiness will accrue from de
positing your treasures in heaven, than in laying
them up on earth, where they are "subject to
a thousand disasters; and even, at best, can
remain fo» only a short series of years; whereas,
those laid up in heaven are permanent, subject
to no accident, and will lead to a crown of
glory that fadeth not away, eternal in the hea
vens. Nor let any man be so foolish as to
think he can place his heart on the happiness
of a future life, when his treasures are depo
sited in this vale of misery ; for wherever are
laid up the goods which his soul desireth, there
his heart and affections will also remain. If,
therefore, ye are desirous of sharing in the joys
of eternity, you must lay up your treasures in the
mansions of my Father's kingdom.
Lest they should imagine it was possible to
be both heavenly-minded and covetous at the
same time, he assured them that this was full
as absurd, as to imagine that a person could,
at the same time, serve two masters of oppo
site characters. No man can serve two masters :
for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matt... vi. 24.
To strengthen this doctrine, he added a few
plain and evident instances of the power, per
fection, and extent, of God's providence, in
which his tender care for the least and weak
est of Inis creatures shines with a remarkable
lustre ; demonstrating the wise and paternal at
tention of the Deity to all the creatures of his
hand. He desired them to observe the birds
of the ah, the lilies, and even the grass of the
field; leading Ms most ilUterate hearers to form

a more elevated and extensive idea of the j)i-
vine government than the philosophers had at
tained; who, though they allowed in general
that the world was governed by God, had very
confused notions of Ms providence with regard
to every individual creature and action. He
taught them, that the Ahnighty Father of the
whole was the guardian and protector of every
being in the universe ; that every action is subject
to his will, and nothing left to the blind determi
nation of chance.
And if we direct our, lives according to the
Divine will, we have surely no reason to be
anxious about the necessaries of life. Behold^
says the blessed Jesus, the fowls of the air : for
they sow not; neither do they reap, nor gather
into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedetfk
them. Are ye not much better than they ? Matt,,*!
vi. 26. Are not the fowls of the air, who have no
concern for future wants, fed and nourished by^
the beneficent hand of your heaveMy Father r
and can ye think that man shall be destitute^
of his tender care ? And why take ye thought
for raiment? Consider the lilies of the fields
how they grow; they toil not, neither do they
spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solo*
mon in all his glory, was not arrayed like one
of these. Matt. vi. 28, 29. Consider the liliayhat
so finely adorn the adjacent fields; how beauti'-.ji
fill their form! how lively their colours! how-
fragrant their scent ! the productions of art but
faintly imitate them. Even Solomon himself, in
his splendid robes of royalty, was but meanly
adorned in comparison of these. And surely, if
Ommpotence thus beautifully clothe the various
productions of the fields, whose duration is re
markably transient and uncertain, you have
not the least reason to doubt but he will bless ;
your honest endeavours, and send you proper
clothing : are ye not of infinitely more value
than they ? Be you anxiously solicitous to obtain

Chap. VI. -

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

47

the happiness of the life to come ; and all the
good things of tMs life shall, in the course of the
divine providence, be added unto you.
Our Lord then prohibited all rash and un
charitable censure, either with regard to the
characters of others in general, or their ac
tions in particular ; lest, in doing so, both God
and man resent the injury. If you judge cha
ritably, says the meek and benevolent Re
deemer of the human race, and are ready to
pity and pardon their faults, both your hea
venly Father, and man, will deal with you after
the same manner. But if you always put the-
harshest construction on every action, and are
not touched with a feehhg of your brother's in
firmities, nor show any mercy in the opinions
you form of his character and actions, no mercy
will be shown you, either from Omnipotence,
or the sons of men. God will inflict on you the
punishments you deserve, and the world will
be sure to retaliate the injury. Judge not, that
ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye
judge, ye shall be judged : and with what mea
sure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mattvii. 1, 2.
The blessed Jesus, in his pious discourse,
charged them to cultivate an entire reformation
in themselves ; a particular absolutely necessary
in those whose office it is to reprove and reform
then brethren. And, surely, -nothing can be
more preposterous, than to condemn in others
what we practise ourselves ; or to set up for
reformers of the world, when we ourselves are
contaminated with the most enormous vices.
With what countenance can we undertake to
rebuke others, when we are ourselves plunged
in the most detestable pollutions ? Well might
the Redeemer of the world say, Thou hypo
crite, first cast out the beam out of thine own
eye; and then shalt thou 'see clearly to cast

out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Matthew
vii. 5.
These are the important points of- doctrine
recommended by the infallible Preacher, as ne
cessary to the teachers of the gospel of peace:
but it is not enough that they know and prac
tise the several branches of their duty; they
ought to use every possible means of spreading
these blessed truths to the ends of' the earth,
not sMinking from any cross or hardship that
may be in the path of duty, nor shunning to
declare the whole counsel of God. For whether
men will hear or not, they must be faithfully
warned by those watchmen who are appointed
by the Lord to sound the gospel trumpet. Yet
Christian caution should be observed by such
as fear and love the Lord Jesus, in teaching
others the way of salvation; they should not
cast their pearls before swine, should not speak
of the deep things of God, or of the heights of
Christian experience, before ignorant, profane
sinners, who would despise these pearls, and
trample them under their feet.
Lest the disciples should think obedience to
these precepts impracticable, he directed them
to apply to God for the assistance of his Spirit,
together with all the other blessings necessary
to their salvation ; assuring them, that if they
asked with earnestness and perseverance, the
Father of mercies would . not fail to answer
their requests, and give them whatever they
desired. Adding the noblest precept of mora
lity that was ever delivered by any teacher,
All things whatsoever ye would that men should
do to you, do ye even so to them : for this is
the law and the prophets. Matt. vii. 12. How
clear a rule of duty is this ! and how easy and
applicable to practise! Look mto your own
breast, and do as you would be done by+ in
the same condition.

48

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. VII.

Having enforced these heavenly precepts, he
exhorted them to place an humble dependence
on the assistance of the Holy Spirit, to strive
to practise the precepts of religion, however
difficult the task might appear. Enter ye in
at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and broad
is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat. Because strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way,, which lead
eth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matt. vii. 13, 14. Strait, indeed, is the gate, and
narrow is the way, that leadeth to life. In
the way, nothing is to be found that suits the
flesh, but many things that have a tendency
to mortify it; poverty, fasting, watching, in
juries, chastity, sobriety. And with regard to
the gate, it receives none that are puffed up
with the glory of this life ; none that are elated
with pride ; none that are indulging in luxury ;
it does not admit those that love riches, or are
encumbered with the goods of this world. None
can pass tlirough it but those who renounce all
worldly lusts, and are resolved to forsake all
"sin. There is, however, no reason for us to
despair of entering through this heavenly portal :
if we sincerely endeavour, the assistance of the
Holy Spirit will be freely given us ; and we shall
safely pass through the strait gate, and pursue
our journey with ease along the narrow path, till
we arrive at the blissful mansions of the hea
venly Canaan.
But lest evil-minded men, under the mask of
piety and religion, should endeavour to draw
them from the paths of righteousness, our blessed
Saviour cautioned his disciples to beware of such
persons, and carefully make the strictest scrutiny
into their lives and doctrines.
Our Lord closed his sermon with the parable
of the house built on different foundations ; in
timating, that the bare knowledge, or the simple

hearing, of the divinest lessons of the truth ever
delivered; nay, even the belief of these instruc
tions, without the practice of them, is of no man
ner of importance.
When will the happy time come in which
professing Christians shall form themselves on
these important maxims of their great Master!
When shall they be known to be his disciples,
by the candour of their sentiments, the equity of
their conduct, and the beneficence of their ac
tions, as well as by the articles of then faith, and
the forms of their worship !
The way of life which our blessed Redeemer
has marked out for us, in such precepts as the
above, may, indeed, to corrupt nature appear
rugged and narrow, and the gate strait through!
which we are to pass : but let us encourage our-"
selves against all the difficulties, by considering
that immortal life and glory to which they infal
libly lead. Then shall we, doubtless, prefer the
most painful way of piety and virtue, thouglji
with yet fewer companions than we might rea
sonably expect, to all thoseflmvery and frequented
paths of vice, which go down to the chambers
of death.
CHAP. VII.
Our blessed Lord cures the Leprosy and
Palsy — Casts out a Devil. — Succours.
the Mother-in-law of Peter; and after
wards pursues his Journey through the
Country of Galilee.
THE great Preacher of Israel having finished
Ms excellent discourse, came down from the
mountain, surrounded by a multitude of people,.
who had listened with astonishment to the doc
trines he delivered, wMch were soon confirmed by

Chap. VII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

49

divers miracles. A leper met him in his way to
Capernaum, and being, doubtless, acquainted
with the wondrous works he had already per
formed, threw himself, with great humility, be
fore the Son of God, using this remarkable ex
pression, Lord, if thou wilt, thouhanst make me
clean. The species of leprosy common among the
Jews, and other Eastern nations, was equally
nauseous and infectious ; but this was so far from
preventing the blessed Jesus from approaching so
loathsome an object, that it increased Ms pity :
he even touched him ; but, instead of being pol
luted himself, the leper was instandy cleansed,
and he departed, glorifying God.
The Evangelist adds, that Jesus forbade him
to tell any person what had been done, but repair
immediately to the priest, and offerthe gift com
manded by Moses.
Having performed the cure on the leper, our
blessed Lord proceeded to Capernaum ; but, as
he entered the city, he was met by a Roman cen
turion, who represented to him, in the most pa
thetic manner, the deplorable condition of his
servant, who was grievously afflicted with the
palsy. The compassionate Redeemer of the
world listened attentively to his complaint, and
.immediately assured Mm he would come and
heal him. The centurion thought this too great
a condescension to one who was not of the seed
of Jacob, and, therefore, told him, that he did not
mean he should give himself the trouble of going
to his house, as this was an honour he had not
the least reason to expect, he being confident that
his word alone would be sufficient; diseases and
devils being as much subject to his commands,
as his soldiers were to him.

Our Lord was amazed at these words.
No. 5.

Not

that he was ignorant of the centurion's faith, or
the basis on wMch it was built ; he well knew the
thoughts ofhis heart long before he uttered his
request; but he was filled with admiration at the
exalted idea the Roman officer had conceived of
his power ; and to make his faith the more con
spicuous, he gave it the praise it so justly de
served. Verily, I say unto you, t have not found
so great faith, no, not in Israel. Matt. viii. 10.
This centurion, doubtless, relied upon the mi
racle Jesus had before wrought upon the noble
man's son ; but the excellency and peculiarity of
it consisted in applying the most grand ideas of
the Divine power to Jesus, who, according to
outward appearance, was only one of the sons of
men. This exalted faith induced the blessed Jesus to
declare the gracious intentions of his Almighty
Father with regard to the Gentiles ; namely, that
he would as readily accept their faith as that of
the Jews, and place them with Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; while
those who boasted of being the offspring of these
great patriarchs, (but fell far short of the heathens
in faith,) should be excluded from the blissful seats
of Paradise. And I say unto you, that many shall
come from the east and west, and shall sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of
heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be
cast out into outer darkness : there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Matt. viii. 11, 12.
Having thus addressed the multitude, the blessed
Jesus turned himself to the centurion, and said,
Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done
unto thee. Though the idea thou hast conceived
of my power is just, though remarkably great, as
a reward for thy faith I grant the petition thou hast
asked of me. And, the Evangelist adds, his servant
was healed in the selfsame hour. Matt. viii. 13.
N

50

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. Vii.

On the succeeding Sabbath, our Saviour went
into the Jewish synagogue, at Capernaum, and
taught the people, delivering Ms instructions in
so graceful and elegant a manner, that they
were all astonished : and, to increase their ad
miration, one of the congregation, possessed
with an unclean spirit, cried out in a terrible
manner, Let us alone : what have we to do with
thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? Art thou come to
destroy us? I know thee ivho thou art, the Holy
One of God. Mark i. 24.
But the blessed Jesus, who wanted the testi
mony of no such confessors, commanded him to
keep silence, and immediately come out of the
man ; which command the evil spirit instantly
obeyed, to the great surprise and astonishment of
all the spectators.
The enemies of the gospel have always en
deavoured to depreciate our Saviour's miracles,
pretending that no more is meant by a person
possessed of the devil, than that he was afflicted
with some loathsome disease ; and that because
sepulchres were considered as polluted places,
and, therefore, whenever any melancholy person
frequented them, they were said to be possessed
with , unclean spirits. They add, that it will be
difficult to assign a reason why demons were, at
this time, more numerous in Judea than in any
other country.
To the first of these objections, namely, that
the demoniacs were, in reality, nothing more
than persons afflicted with some loathsome dis
ease, we reply, it is evidently false ; the Evan
gelist having taken care to be very particular
on this head. They brought unto him (says he)
all sick people that ivere takejt with divers dis
eases and torments, and those which were pos
sessed with devils, and those which were lunatic,
and those that had the palsy, and he healed them.

Matt. iv. 24. He gave to the apostles power
against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal
all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease.
Matt. x. 1. And, accordingly, he healed many
that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many
devils. Mark i. 34. It is, therefore, evident, that
those said to be possessed with unclean spirits,
were different from those which had diseases.
Let us, therefore, pass to the second objection,
and see whether we cannot give a satisfactory
reason why demons were at this time more nu
merous in Judea than in any other country.
That there were evil spirits of this kind, is
abundantly evident from the holy scriptures, the
sacred penmen having taken care to acquaints
with their origin and fall, their names and num
bers, their government and orders, their mali
cious designs and employments, with seve4l
other particulars. So that no one can doubtfof
the existence of demons, who believes these holy '
oracles to be the word of God. And it is equally
evident, both from sacred and profane history*
that before our Saviour's advent great numbers
of men were possessed with those evil spirits. ,,
The truth is, these angels of darkness had, at
this time, taken possession of so large a share of
the world, that they began to rival the Almighty
in his worship ; and, therefore, one end of the in
carnation of the Son of God was, that he migti
destroy the works of the devil. And hence we
may easily see the reason why Omnipotence suf
fered these apostate spirits to appear so frequently
in Judea at the time of our Saviour's ministry;
namely, that the Son of God might, in a more
signal manner, triumph over all the powers of
darkness, and convince mankind that he was
truly the Saviour of the world.
But to return. The fame of this miracle was
soon spread over the neighbouring country. He

Chap. VIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

51

had before healed the sick, and done many other
wonderful things ; but to command with autho
rity the unclean spirits to quit their residence,
and to see these enemies to mankind readily
obey his voice, filled men with astonishment, and
abundantly convinced them that he was filled
with the Spirit of God.
It has been asked, why the devil, who, it is
plain from the text, knew our Saviour to be the
Son of God, should put it into the heart of Judas
to betray Mm, since this was the proper method
of accomphsMng the redemption of mankind ?
But the answer to this is obvious and easy. The
devil, doubtless, knew Jesus to be the Messiah ;
but he was ignorant of the mystery of man's re
demption. And, therefore, though he was not
ignorant of his divinity, yet he might be so far
infatuated as to think, that by destroying his hu
manity, he should defeat the great design of Om
nipotence. For however extensive we may sup
pose his intellectual faculties to be, yet the won
derful work of man's redemption by the death of
Christ, was a mystery that no finite understand
ing could comprehend, till God Mmself was
pleased to reveal it.
Having performed this astonishing miracle in
the synagogue, our Lord retired to Peter's house,
where he found his wife's mother sick of a fever ;
but on his takmg her by the hand, she was im
mediately restored to her former health, and arose
from the bed, and ministered unto him.
m
The Evangelist St. Luke, in his account of
tMs miraculous cure, tells us, that he rebuked
the fever, (Luke iv. 39.) to intimate his autho
rity over all diseases ; being analogous to the
figurative expressions in scripture, which not
only represent all inanimate creatures as ser
vants to the Almighty, but diseases, famine,
pestilence, and the hke, as executioners waiting

on him to inflict punishment on rebellious sin
ners. Before him went the pestilence, and burning
diseases went forth at his feet.
The fame of these miracles was soon spread
through the city ; and as soon as the sabbath was
over, which ended at the setting of the sun, the
whole city was gathered together about Peter's
house, and with them great numbers of sick per
sons, and those possessed with devils. The sight
of so many human objects in distress excited the
pity of this heavenly Physician, so that he im
mediately healed them all. And thus was the
prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled : Himself took our in--'
firmities, and bare our sicknesses.
But the vast concourse of people that now
gathered round him in Capernaum began to be
troublesome, and he retired into a desert, whither
the multitude soon followed him, and entreated
him never to depart from them. But as this
request was inconsistent with the design of his
mission, he, for the first time, refused then re
quest, and preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Luke iv. 44. CHAP. VIII.
Jesus confirms his Mission by producing
a miraculous Draught of Fishes —
curing the Leprosy a second Time —
appeasing the boisterous Waves — cast
ing Devils out of divers Persons griev
ously possessed.
OUR blessed Lord, having spread his doc
trine throughout Galilee, returned to Ca
pernaum, followed by such numbers of people,
that he found it necessary to step into Peter's
ship ; from whence he taught the multitude, who
stood on the shore, listening with great attention
to his doctrine.

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

CHAP. VIII.

Having concluded his discourse, he turned
himself to Simon Peter, desiring him to launch
out further from the shore, and let down Ms
net ; on which the disciple told him of the un
successful pains they had taken during the
whole night; but added, that he would, in
obedience to his command, make one trial
more. Nor had he any cause to repent: for
the net was no sooner in the lake, than they
found it so full of large fishes, that it was
in danger of breaking.
This success, after such fruitless toil, as-
tomshed Peter, who, falling down at the feet
of Jesus, cried out, Depart from me, for I am a
sinful man, 0 Lord. He was conscious of the
many sins he had been guilty of, and therefore
afraid of being in the company of so divine a
person, lest some offence might have exposed
him to more than ordinary chastisement.
But the benevolent Redeemer of mankind re
moved Ms fears, by telling him, that from thence
forth the employment of him and his compamons
should be far more noble ; they should catch men ;
that is, they should turn them from the crooked
paths of iniquity to the strait road leading to the
heavenly mansions.
This miracle was considered by the disciples
as a plainer manifestation of his being the Son
of God, than those they had seen him perform on
the sick in the city and neighbourhood of Ca
pernaum. It was a received opinion among the
Jews, that all good men, by prayers, and laying
their hands on the sick, were able to cure certain
diseases, and even to cast out devils ; but that
the creatures inhabiting the elements of air or
water, were subject only to the commands of
Omnipotence himself: consequently, the power
shown by our blessed Saviour, on this occasion,
undemably proved him to be divine. And, ac

cordingly, this demonstration of his power ren
dered these disciples for the future absolutely de
voted to his will ; and in the greatness of their
admiration they abandoned every thing, and
followed the Saviour of the world.
The disciples being thus attached to their di
vine Master, followed him through the cities of
Galilee, where, according to the usual custom, he
preached the gospel of the kingdom of God, and
confirmed the doctrines he delivered with as
tonishing miracles.
In. one of the cities through which he passed,
he found a man full of leprosy, who seeing Jesus,
fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, ij
thou wilt thou canst make me clean. Luke v. 12.%
It was the custom in Judea for the priests to'
banish from society those who were afnicted|
with a contagious leprosy. The disease of this
person, therefore, was of a less pestilential kind, J
as he was suffered to enjoy the conversation of *
men. His case, however, excited die pity of the
compassionate Jesus, who immediately cleansed
Mm, ordered him to repair to Jerusalem, and,..,
after showing himself to the priest, offer the gifts i
commanded by Moses ; giving him the same ad
monition he had done to others; namely, not to
tell any man what he had done for him. But
the blessing he had received was so great and
unexpected, that, instead of concealingj he pub-
fished every where the great dungs Jesus had
done for him ; which brought such crowds to
the Son of God, that he was obliged to retire
from Capernaum into the wilderness, to refresh
his body with rest,, and his spirit with prayer and
meditation. Commentators in general suppose that this leper,
and the other mentioned in the foregoing chapter,
are one and the same person ; but this is a mistake.

Chap. VIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

53

The former was cured in the fields, the latter in
the city. After cleansing the first, Jesus went
to Capernaum, and healed the centurion's ser
vant ; but after curing the latter he retired into
the wilderness, to shun the prodigious crowds,
which soon gathered round him, from the leper's
publishing every where the miracle Jesus had
wrought for Mm.
If the curious should inquire why our blessed
Saviour so often commanded the people to
conceal his miracles; we answer them — his
modesty and humility would not suffer that
his works should have the least appearance
of ostentation ; nor the Jews to have the least
pretence for accusing him of seeking his own
glory. Nor was it proper, at this time, to
irritate too greatly the Scribes and Pharisees.
He well knew, that in a certain determinate
space of time they would bring about what
had been determined by Providence concermng
him. In the mean time, he was to work the
works of him that sent him ivhile it was day,
^ (John ix. 4.) and to propagate his gospel with
the greater facility, both among the Jews and
Gentiles ; wMch could not have been so con-
vemendy performed, if the greatness of his mi
racles had once provoked the malice and envy
of his enemies to exert their utmost power against
him. He likewise knew the mad capricious hu
mour of the multitude, and had reason to appre
hend that they would come and take him away by
force to make him a king, (John vi. 15.) if all his
miracles had been blazed abroad, before he had
sufficiently instructed them in the spiritual nature
of his kingdom, and that his throne was not to
be established in the earthly, but in the heavenly
Jerusalem. From these instances we see that the blessed
Jesus did not, without sufficient reason, desire his
miracles to be concealed. The fame of this
No. 5.

single miracle, being spread through the neigh
bouring countries, brought such multitudes of
people to Capernaum, that, as we have al
ready observed, he was obliged to retire into
a solitary part of the neighbouring wilderness.
Nor could he long enjoy the repose of the
tranquillity he sought, even in this thirsty
waste; the people soon discovered the place
of Ms retreat, and flocked to him from every
quarter. Our blessed Lord, finding all his endeavours
to conceal himself in the desert would be in
vain, ordered his disciples to accompany him
to the other side of the lake : upon which a
certain Scribe, who happened to be present,
declared he would follow him ; but Jesus, who
well knew that his desire was only to gain
the profits and advantages of an earthly king
dom, which he supposed the Messiah would
establish, told him if he intended nothing more
by following him than to improve his worldly
wealth, he would find himself wretchedly mis
taken. The foxes have holes, saith the blessed
Jesus to this teacher of Israel, and the birds
of the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath
not where to lay his head. Matt. viii. 20.
The title Son of man, is a name by which
the Messiah is called in the prophecy con
cerning him, recorded by the prophet Daniel,
(vii. 13.) where his universal dominion is de
scribed; and, therefore, when applied to our
great Bedeemer, denotes his human nature,
and, at the same time, conveys an idea of
that glorious kingdom over which he was in
this nature to preside. But as it was also
the name by which the old prophets were
called, from the contempt in which they were
held up by their countrymen, it is used on
several occasions to express the deep humilia
tion of the Son of God. O

54

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. VIII.

The disciples having prepared the ship, took
on board their Master, and departed for the
other side of the lake, attended by many
boats full of people, who were desirous of
hearing his heavenly discourses, and of being
spectators of his astonishing works. But Jesus,
being fatigued with the labours of the day,
set himself down at the stern of the ship, and
fell asleep.
The weather, which had till now been calm
and serene, suddenly changed. A terrible storm
came on, and the rising waves dashed impe
tuously against the ship, threatening every mo
ment to bury them all in the bowels of the deep.
The darkness of the night increased the horrors
of the tempest. Now they were carried on
the top of the mountainous wave, and seemed
to touch the skies ; then plunged to the bottom
of the deep, while the foaming billows roared
horribly above them. In vain the disciples ex
erted their utmost strength ; the storm con
tinued to increase, and baffled all the efforts
of human strength. The waves broke over the
ship, the waters rushed in, and she began to
sink. All hopes of escaping were vamshed;
despair seized every individual ; and they were
on the brink of perishing, when they ran to Jesus,
crying out, Master, Master, we perish ! Their ve
hement cries roused him from his sleep. He
raised his hand, so often employed in acts of
mercy and benevolence, and with a stern and
awful voice rebuked the boisterous element.
The raging sea instantly obeyed his command.
The aerial torrent stopped short in its impetuous
course, and became silent as the grave, while the
mountainous waves sunk at once into their beds,
and the surface of the deep became as smooth as
polished marble.
The disciples had before seen their great
Master perform many miracles ; and, therefore,

had abundant reason to rely wholly on his
power and goodness. They should have con
sidered, that he who could, by his word, re
store the sick, and bring the inhabitants of
the sea to then nets, could, with the same
ease, have supported them on the surface of
the deep, had the ship sunk beneath them,
and carried them safe to the place whither
they were going. But they seemed to have
forgotten the power of their Master; and, when
human assistance failed, to have abandoned all
hopes of life. The blessed Jesus, therefore, very
justly rebuked them : Why are ye fearful, 0 ye
of little faith ? Why should ye doubt of my
power to protect you ? The voyage was un
dertaken at my command, and, therefore, you
should have been confident that I would* not
suffer you to perish in it.
It is, indeed, strange that the disciples shoipT
have been so remarkably terrified during the
storm, and after it to make this remarkable re
flection : Wliat manner of man is this, that even
the ivinds and the sea obey him! Matt. viii. 27. " i
But it should be remembered, that the terror
of the storm had deprived them of all presence,
of mind ; so that they did not recollect the divine
power of their Master during the fury of the
tempest; and the transition from a terrible
storm to the most perfect calm, was so quick \
and astonishing, that they probably uttered this
reflection before the confusion in their minds was
over. Soon after the storm was allayed, they arrived
in the country of Gadara : and, on their landing,
two men possessed with devils, came from the
tombs to meet Jesus. One of them, who was
more furious than the other, had been often
bound with chains and fetters, but to no purpose,
being always broken with great fury ; so that

Chap. VIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

55

no man attempted further to restrain him. Be
ing, therefore, at liberty, he shunned the so
ciety of men, wandering day and night in
desert places among the sepulchres or caverns
where the dead were deposited, crying and
making the most dismal complaints, and cut
ting himself with stones.
The disciples were terrified at the approach
of these furious mortals; but Jesus soon dis
sipated their fears, commanding, wMle the men
were at a distance, the devils to come out of
them. The heavenly mandate was no sooner
given, than they fell on their faces, crying out,
What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son
of the most high God ? Mark v. 7. Art thou
come hither to torment us before the time ? Matt.
viii. 29. J adjure thee, by God, that thou tor
ment me not ! Mark v. 7. The apostate spirits
well knew the power of the Son of God, and
trembled lest he should immediately cast them
into the torments prepared for them, and not
suffer them to continue roving through the earth
till the day of judgment, when they should be
condemned to eternal punishment in the sight of
the whole creation.
Jesus, being willing that the torments suffered
by these miserable men should be known before
he healed them, asked one of the devils his name ;
who answered, Legion, for we are many, (Mark
v. 9.) begging, at the same time, that he would
not command them to repair into the deep, or
bottomless pit, but suffer them to enter a herd of
swine feeding at a distance.
How subtle are the wiles of the devil ! The
power of the Son of God he knew was not to,
be resisted ; but he could not help envying the
benevolent miracles he had wrought for the sons
of men ; and was, therefore, willing to prevent,
as much as possible, then good effects on the

miserable people of this country. This was the
true reason why he begged leave to enter the
herd of swine ; he knew, if he could obtain that
permission, he could destroy them ; and this he
hoped would render our blessed Saviour odious
to the wicked inhabitants of Gadara.
Though Jesus well knew his crafty design, yet
he permitted the devils to enter the swine, that
his disciples, and others who were with him,
might be fully convinced these unhappy persons
were really possessed with apostate spirits ; and,
at the same time, give them a terrible instance of
their power, when free from all restraint.
The divine permission was no sooner granted,
than the spectators beheld, at a distance, the
torments these poor creatures suffered ; with
what amazing rapidity they ran to the con
fines of the lake, leaped from the precipices
into the sea, and perished in the waters. While
the persons, who a moment before were raving
and cutting themselves in the most shocking
manner, became at once meek and composed,
having recovered entirely the exercise of their
reason. The keepers of the herd, terrified at this as
tonishing miracle, ran into the city, publishing in
every part the cure of the men possessed with the
devils, and the destruction of the swine.
This surprising report threw the inhabitants
into the greatest consternation: they left the
city, to be spectators of so wonderful an event ;
but when they saw the men, who had been
possessed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, decently
clothed, and in their right minds, their fear was
increased. For knowing they had trespassed
in keeping the swine, which was contrary to the
law of Moses, they dreaded a more severe
punishment; and being ignorant of the goodness

56

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. VIIL

of Jesus, though he had given them so remark
able a proof of it in the cure of these wretched
mortals, they besought him that he would leave
their country.
There prevailed a custom among the Hea
thens, when any illustrious hero had delivered
Ms country from its enemies, or from any other
great evil, to erect lofty columns to his me
mory ; his statue was seen in every place ; al
tars blazed to his glory ; they honoured him
with the high appellation of Saviour ; and thought
nothing, not even divine honours, too great to
confer upon him. But when Christ had re
moved a monster from the Gadarenes, more
formidable and fearful than any in heathen his
tory, even a legion of devils, and rendered the
way, by which no man could pass before, se
cure from danger; instead of being received
by them as a Saviour, and as a God, with the
acclamations and hosannas of the people, he was
besought to depart out of their coasts. Stupid
people! they had, indeed, lost their herd of
swine : but surely the valuable gift they had re
ceived, in two of their countrymen and fellow-
creatures being delivered from the tyranny of
Satan, was better than the cattle on a thousand
hills, und merited, at least, their thanks and ac
knowledgments. The stupid request of the Gadarenes was,
however, complied with by the blessed Jesus,
who, entering the ship, returned to the country
from whence he came, leaving them a valuable
pledge of his love, and us a noble pattern of
perseverance in well-doing, even when our kind
nesses are condemned, or requited with injuries.
He would not suffer the persons dispossessed to
accompany him, though they earnestly requested
it; but ordered them to stay in their own coun
try, as a standing monument both of his power
and goodness. Go home to thy friends, said the

compassionate Jesus to one of them, and tell them
how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and
hath had compassion on thee. Mark.y. 19.
From this remarkable story,, we must surely
see the most apparent reason to adore the good
providence of God, which restrains the malignant
spirits of hell from spreading those desolations
among beasts and men, which would otherwise -J
quickly turn the earth into a wilderness, or rather
into a chaos. But what matter of joy to reflect, .
that all their fury is under a divine controuhsnd
that they cannot hurt even the meanest animal
without permission from above ! '
We see here a legion of devils trembling before
the Son of God,, confessing Ms Superior p&weri
howling as it were in their chains, and entreatii
the delay of their torments. And can huma
pride stand before Mm, and rebellious. mortJj
triumph over him ? Happy souls that are list%
under his banners ! they shall share the victorieM
of the great Captain of their salvation, and , thft I
God of peace shall bruise Satan under their fetfji
shortly. *$
But O how wretched were these Gadarenes)*
who preferred their swine to their souls, and be
sought him to depart out of their coast, who was
their defence and their glory ! May divinegraee
preserve us from a temper like theirs ! And may t
those of us, who have ourselves experienced the
restoring power of Christ and his gospel, be en- ;
gaged to adhere to our great Benefactor, and;|
gratefully to devote those powers to his service,
which he has rescued from dishonour, mischief) '
and ruin!
We cannot but remark in this place, that we
have here a fuller display of the tyranny and power
of the devil than in any other part of scripture; .
and, therefore, we may oppose it to the loose scoffs,

Chap. IX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

57

and recommend it to the serious attention of
those infidels and thoughtless sinners, who, like
rthe Pharisees and Sadducees of old, when ex
horted to abandon tlieir evil courses, from a con
sideration of the power of Satan, and the dread of
eternal torments, made a mock of both, esteeming
them nothing rnbre than religious fables, calcu
lated to keep an ignorant world in awe. But
with regard to themselves, they vainly tiiink their
minds too well furnished with wisdom, and their
discernment too penetrating, to believe any thing
of the flames of the bottomless pit, and the malice
of the prince who sways the sceptre of that horrid
place; •esteeming him a more mild and generous
governor than hie is represented in this miracle.
But could they be persuaded to attend seriously
to the miserable spectacle drawn by the Evange
lists of a wretched mortal, naked, dwelling in
tombs, crying out day and night, cutting him
self with stones, furious, fierce, destructive; surely
their scoffs and idle mockeries would be Changed
into compassion, and a watchful care of them-
*" serves. This certainly common prudence would
dictate. But if they will deride, and still disbe
lieve, a short space of time, perhaps a single mo-
jrient, will convince them of then fatal error ; and
dreadful experience force them to acknowledge
the greatness of the tyranny, the bitterness and
malice, of tliis prince of darkness against the souls
of men.
May that blindness of mind and obduracy of
heart be removed, that so they may know and
acknowledge the salvation of God, even Jesus,
who is the way, the truth, and the life !
CHAP. IX.
Our Lord proceeds in Acts of Mercy and
Benevolence. — Adds Matthew to the
number of his Disciples. — Casts out an
. evil Spirit. — Passes again through Ga-
No. 5.

lilee.-^—S elects Twelve from among his
Disciples, as his constant Followers
and Companions, and addresses the
Multitude in an excellent Discourse.
THE arrival of our Saviour and his disciples
at Capernaum, a city of Galilee, was no
sooner published, than such throngs of people
were gathered together, that the house could not
contain them, nor even the court before it. He,
however, preached the words of eternal life to the
listening audience, among whom were many
Pharisees and doctors of the law, who, from the
fame of his miracles, were come from all quarters
to hear him.
He not only addressed them in the most ner
vous and pathetic manner, in order to inculcate
the doctrines he delivered ; but also performed
such astonishing miracles as ought to have re
moved all their scruples with regard to the truth
of his mission.
•' Among other instances he gave of his divine
power, was that of restoring a man to perfect
health, who had long been afflicted with the
palsy, and was reduced by that terrible disease to
the most melancholy condition, being unable to
move any member of his body, but seemed rather
an emaciated carcase than a man. This mise
rable object was brought in his bed by four per
sons, who being unable to enter by the door, on
account of the multitude, carried him to the top
of the house, which, like the other roofs in that
country, was flat, and had a battlement round,
according to the direction given by Moses. Deut.
xxii. 8.
On these roofs there was a kind of trap-door,
by which they came out of the houses upon the
roofs, where they spent a considerable part of the
day. It was also common to have a flight of stairs
from the garden to the roof; and by these the
P

58

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. IX.

persons seemed to have carried the sick of the
palsy ; but finding the door fastened, forced it
open, and uncovered the roof, and through the
opening let down, by ropes, the sick of the palsy,
lying on his bed, into the midst of the company,
before Jesus ; who, seeing the faith of the friends
of this afflicted person, had compassion on him,
and spake aloud, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins
are forgiven thee.
The Scribes taking offence at this saymg, cried
out, This man speaketh blasphemy ; for he ap
propriates that to himself, which is solely the pro
vince of Omnipotence. Who can forgive sins
but God only? They were ignorant that the
person who uttered such gracious words was the
Son of God ; and, consequendy, had the power
of forgiving the sins of the human race.
But our Lord, who had recourse to the most
secret recesses of the heart, and was willing to
show them that he was really endued with the
Spirit of God, said to them, Wherefore think ye
evil in your hearts ? For whether is easier to say
to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee ;
or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
These were questions beyond the abilities of the
haughty Scribes to answer, and, therefore, they
held their peace. The blessed Jesus then added,
that the miracle he was going to perform would
sufficiently demonstrate that he had not usurped
what did not, in the strictest manner, belong to
Mm. And turning himself from those bigoted
teachers of Israel towards the sick of the palsy,
he said unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and go
unto thine house. Matt. ix. 6.
Nor was this divine mandate any sooner given,
than the man was restored to his former health
and strength ; and, to the astonishment of all pre
sent, rose, took up his bed, and departed to his
own house, glorifying God. And all the people,

when they saw this great work, expressed the
highest degree of surprise, mixed with admira
tion, for the great honour the Almighty had con^
ferred on human nature. They glorified God,
who had given such power unto men.
But with regard to the Scribes and Pharisees,
though they must have been confounded at this
miracle, yet they still continued in their unbelief;
an instance which should awaken in us the most
serious thoughts, as it abundantly demonstrates,
that the malady of the soul is a much more deplo
rable disease than the palsy of the body.
The blessed Jesus having wrought this miracle,
repaired to the sea-side, and taught a multitude
of people. What the subject of his sermon was,
the Evangelists have not told us; but it was,
doubtless, like the rest, calculated to promote the
eternal welfare of mankind.
His discourse being ended, he returned to the
city ; and in his way saw Matthew, or Levi, the
son of Alpheus, a rich publican, sitting in his of
fice, where the customs were levied, at the port
of Capernaum, whom he ordered to follow him.
Matthew immediately obeyed the summons, and
followed the Saviour of the world, to pursue a
far more honourable and important employment,
being afterwards both an Apostle and Evan
gelist. Some little time after his call, he made a
splendid entertainment for Ms Master, inviting
all the publicans he knew; hoping, that by
hearing the heavenly conversation of Christ,
they might also repent, and embrace the doc
trines of the Gospel.
The self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees, who
considered all men as sinners except themselves,
especially the publicans, were highly offended

Chap. IX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

59

that one who called Mmself a prophet, should so
far demean himself, as to be seen in the company
of such men ; and asked his disciples, with an air
of insolence, in the hearing of all the guests, how
their Master could sit down at the same table
with publicans and sinners ?
Our Lord replied to tMs artful question, That
the sick only had need of a physician, and de
sired them to reflect seriously on the prophet
Hosea's declaration ; / will have mercy, and not
sacrifice. The turning sinners into the paths of
righteousness, wMch is the highest act of bene
volence, is far more acceptable to the Almighty
than all the ceremonies of the law of Moses, so
highly magnified by your fraternity; who, on
many occasions, observe them at the expense of
charity : adding, lam not come to call the righteous,
as you arrogandy imagine yourselves to be, but
sinners, to repentance. The chief object of my
attention is the conversion of sinners.
TMs answer, however satisfactory to an un
prejudiced person, was far from being so to the
Scribes and Pharisees, who, joining with some
of John's disciples then present, returned to
Matthew's house, and demanded of Jesus, Why
bis disciples wholly neglected to fast, a duty often
performed both by the rulers of Israel and the
disciples of John ? To this the blessed Jesus
replied, It is not a proper season for the friends
of the bridegroom to fast and afflict themselves,
wMle they enjoy his company ; but the days will
come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away
from them, and then shall they fast. The various
calamities and afflictions that shall attend them^
after the departure of their Master, shall cause
them to fast, which they shall repeat as often as
the circumstances of distress and danger, with
which they will be surrounded, shall require.
And added, that to have obliged his disciples to
observe the precepts- of frequent abstinence,, at a

time when he was employing them to preach the
gospel, by wMch all the legal ceremomes of the
law were to he abolished, would have been as
absurd as to sew a piece of new cloth upon a
rotten garment, which would only make the rent
the worse; or to put new wine into old leathern
bottles, which, on the first fermentation of the
liquor, would burst Indicating, that infant virtue
must not immediately be put to the greatest
trials, lest it be destroyed by the severity of the
exercise. During this controversy between our Lord and
the haughty Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew's
house, Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came
running to Mm in all the agonies of grief; and,
in the presence of the whole company, fell on
the ground before him, beseeching that he would
come and heal his daughter, who lay at the point
of deaths
When did the beneficent Jesus deny his gra
cious assistance to those who implored it of him ?
He immediately arose, and followed the ruler
towards his house, surrounded by a great mul
titude of people, who were desirous of seeing so
great a miracle.
But as he passed through the streets, a woman,
' who had for twelve years been afflicted with an
issue or flux of blood, and had spent her whole
substance on physicians to no purpose, came be
hind him, and touched the hem of his garment: for
she said within herself, If I may but touch his clothes
I shall be ivell: Nor was she deceived ; for* nor
sooner had she touched the border of the garment
of the Son of God, than her issue of blood dried
up ; and she felt,, by the return of her health and
strength, and other agreeable sensations that ac
company such sudden changes from painful dis
eases to perfect health, that the cure was abso
lutely complete.-

60

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. IX.

But this transaction could not be concealed :
the blessed Jesus knew the whole, and her secret
thoughts, before she put them in practice ; and,
pleased with the opinion this woman had enter
tained both of his power and goodness, would
not by any means suffer it to pass unapplauded.
Accordingly, he turned himself about, and asked,
Who touched me ? He well knew the person ;
but asked this question for the fuller manifesta
tion of the woman's faith, and that he might
have an opportunity of instructing and com
forting her.
His disciples being ignorant of what had
passed, were surprised at the question: Thou
seest, said they to their Master, the multitude
thronging and pressing thee, and sayest thou, Who
touched me ? They did not distinguish between
the spiritual and corporeal touch, nor knew that
such efficacious virtue had gone out of their
Master. Jesus, however, persisted in knowing
who* it was that had done the thing; and the
woman, finding it in vain to conceal her action
any longer, came to him trembling, and told him
all. Perhaps die uncleanness of her distemper
was the reason of her fear, thinking he would
be offended, even at her touching the hem of
his garment. But the divine Physician, far from
being angry, spake to her in the kindest manner,
and commended her faith, on which account he
had consented to heal her plague : Daughter, be
of good Comfort : thy faith hath made thee whole.
Matt. ix. 22.
Such a miraculous incident must, doubtless,
have greatly strengthened the ruler's faith ; for,
behold, a virtue little inferior to that of raising
the dead, issues from the border of Christ's gar
ment, and heals a disease, which, for the space
of twelve years, had baffled all the precepts of
the healing art, and defied the power of medicine.
Indeed, the faith of this ruler had great need of

the strongest confirmation ; for news was brought
him, that his daughter was even now dead, and,
therefore, it was needles^ for him to give any
further trouble to Jesus; not in the leasftsuspect-
ing that he had power to recall the departed
spirit, and to reanimate a breathless carcase.
This message was a terrible blow to the affec
tionate parent. His only daughter, who in a
few days before was in the bloom of youth, was
now a pale and lifeless corpse ; and with her all
his joys and comforts were fled. But Jesus, com
miserating his grief, desired him to be com
forted, promising that Ms daughter should be
restored. On his coming to the ruler's house, he found it
full of mourners, who made terrible lamenta
tions ; a sufficient demonstration that the damsel
was really dead. And, accordingly, when our
blessed Saviour desired the mourners to cease
their funeral ceremomes, as the maid was not dead,*
but sleeping, they laughed him to scorn.
It is necessary to remark, in this placeSi4hat
the Jews, when they spoke of a pious person's
^death, styled it sleep, to intimate then belief, that
his spirit existed in the happy scenes of paradise,
and their hopes of a future resurrection to life
eternal. Bnt the blessed Jesus used the word
with remarkable propriety, to sigmfy, that though
she was now locked in the cold embraces of death,
yet he was going to release her from the power
of the king of terrors, with the same ease as a
person is awaked from sleep. Thus our blessed
Saviour, in the very manner of performing a
miracle, modestly declined the honour that would
undoubtedly result from a work so greatly su
perior to all the powers of men.
Having thus briefly addressed the mourners,
he immediately^ entered the chamber where

JRffS

Chap. IX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

61

the damsel was lying, but suffered none to follow
him, except Peter, James, and John, together
with the father and mother of the damsel. Pro
bably his reason for suffering these only to be
spectators of so stupendous a work, was, that
they might have an opportunity of examining the
whole transaction in the most careful manner,
and be thence enabled, afterwards, to report it
upon the fullest conviction, and with every cir
cumstance of credibility.
The blessed Jesus now approached the body,
took her by the hand, and, with a gentle voice,
said, Maid, arise. The heavenly command was
instantly obeyed; the damsel arose, as from a
sleep, and with all the appearance of health and
vigour ; for Jesus commanded to give her some
thing to eat : a plain proof that she did not ap
pear m the weak and languishing condition of a
person worn out with disease, or even like one
who had fainted away; a circumstance that
abundantly proves the greatness and perfection
of the miracle. It is, therefore, no wonder that
her parents should be astonished at so stupen
dous a work, the fame of wMch was soon spread
through all the neighbouring country; though
Jesus, who was in every sense above praise, and,
therefore, never courted it, had strictly charged
them that they should tell no man what was
done. These instances of power did the blessed
Jesus display, to convince the world, that those
who die in him are not dead ; and that he
hath the keys of life and death. Those also
of the present age, who believe that the soul
sleeps with the body till the resurrection, would
do well to consider the expression of the Evan
gelist, Her spirit came again, (Luke vii. 55;)
which sufficiently shows that the soul exists
separately, when the body is laid in the cham
bers of the grave.
No. 6.

Having performed this benevolent miracle,
our blessed Saviour left the ruler's house, and
was followed through the streets by two blind
men, imploring assistance; nor did they implore
in vain. The Redeemer of mankind was, and
still is, always ready to grant the petitions of1
those who apply to him for relief. Accordmgly,
he was no sooner entered into the house, to avoid
the thronging of the multitude, than he touched
their eyes, and said, According to your faith be it
unto you, (Matt. ix. 29 ;) and immediatelv the in
valuable gift of sight was bestowed upon them.
The blind men were so overjoyed at behold
ing the light, that though our Saviour charged
them to keep the miracle a secret, they published
his fame in every part of the country, being un
willing to conceal what, in gratitude for so great
a mercy, they thought themselves obliged to di
vulge. The men, who had thus miraculously received
their sight, being departed, the multitude brought
to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. So
moving a sight could not fail of attracting a com
passionate regard from the Saviour of the world,
who, being never weary of well-doing, imme
diately cast out the apostate spirit ; on which the
dumb man recovered the use of his speech, and
spoke in a very rational manner to the multitude,
who, with one. voice, declared, that such won
drous works were never wrought by any of the
old prophets : It was never so seen in Israel. Matt.
ix. 33. This reflection was perfectly just ; for no
one of the prophets that we read of in the Old
Testament, appears to have wrought so many
beneficial miracles in his whole life, as our Lord
did in this one afternoon.
These works did not remove the prejudices
of the Pharisees; who, being unable to deny the
miracle, insinuated that he did it by a power
0

62

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. IX.

received from Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.
A poor pretence indeed ! and did not escape the
animadversion it deserved from the Saviour of
the world, as we shall see in a succeeding chapter.
Well might the prophet Isaiah cry out in a pro
phetic ecstacy, Who hath believed our report? and
to wfiom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
But all their calumnies could not provoke
the meek and merciful Jesus to cease from
performing these compassionate offices for the
children of men. On the contrary, he ex
erted himself still more and more to promote
the prosperity and salvation of the whole hu
man race. Accordingly, he left Capernaum,
and travelled through the country, in search
of miserable objects, on whom he might con
fer happiness and peace : visiting all the cities
and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing
every sickness, and every disease, among the
people. Matt. ix. 35.
In his return from this tour to Capernaum, he
was attended by a great number of people, who
expressed a more than common desire to hear
the doctrine of the gospel. An incident abun
dantly sufficient to engage the attention of tMs
divine teacher, who was ever careful to cultivate
the smallest seeds of virtue, and cherish the least
appearance of piety and religion.
It was not this desire of the people alone
that excited his compassion towards them: he
well knew they were wholly destitute of spiritual
teachers ; for the Scribes and Pharisees, who
ought to have instructed them, were blind,
perverse, and lazy guides, who, instead of seek
ing the glory of the Almighty, made it their
whole business to support and augment their
own. They magmfied the ritual ceremonies
and traditions, but took no care to inspire the i

people with a love of truth and holiness. To do
justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their
God, were no parts of then doctrine. The small
appearance of religion they entertained was
wholly hypocritical; and the disputes carried on
with so much bitterness between the factions of
the Pharisees and Sadducees, distracted the minds
of the people.
The inhabitants of Judea were truly in a
deplorable state, wMch called loudly for the com
passion of the Son of God, who always regarded
the descendants of Jacob with the most tender
affection. He saw the sheep of Israel scattered
on the barren wastes of error and superstition,
without a shepherd to lead them to the heavenly
pastures of the law and the prophets. He saw,
he commiserated their distress ; and resolved
to provide some remedy for it. Accordingly,
he directed his Apostles to intercede with the
Almighty, who by his servants the prophets had
sown the seeds of piety1 and virtue in the minds
of the Jews, that he would not suffer the rich
harvest to be lost for want of labourers. The
harvest, said the blessed Jesus to his disciples, ;
truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray
ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he wUl
send forth labourers into his harvest. Matt ix.
37, 38.
To these gracious acts he added the most pow
erful of all intercessions to the throne of grace,
his own prevailing prayer; and, accordingly,
ascended to the top of the mountain, and there
spent the night in making the most powerful pe
titions in behalf of the lost sheep of Israel, to his
heavenly Father.
Having spent the night in this pious exercise,
he lost no time in putting his beneficent inten
tions in execution ; for no sooner had darkness
withdrawn her sable veil, and the blushing rays of

Chap. IX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

63

the morning adorned the chambers of the east,
than the benevolent Redeemer of mankind called
his disciples to him, and chose twelve, whom he
named Apostles, to be with him; and that he might
send them forth to preach. He ordered them to
be with him, that they might learn from his own
mouth the doctrine they were to preach to the
whole world ; that they might see his glory, the
transcendent glory of the virtues which adorned
Ms human life ; and that they might be witnesses
of all the wondrous works he should perform,
during his residence in this vale of misery, and
by which his mission from the court of heaven
was to be fully demonstrated.
These twelve persons, thus qualified, were to
supply the people with that spiritual food they so
greatly wanted, both wMle their Master con
tinued here below, and after his ascension to the
right hand of power.
Having ordained them to their respective of
fices, he sent them out by two and two, into the
most distant parts of Judea, to preach the glad
tidings of the gospel, and prepare the way for
their Master, the great Shepherd of Israel. And
that notiung might be wanting to render their
preaching acceptable to the people, and confirm
the important doctrines they delivered, he in
vested them with full power to cure all diseases,
cast out devils, and even to raise the dead.
Perhaps the number of the twelve Apostles
was fixed upon, rather than any other, to show
that God intended, by their ministry, to gather
together the scattered remnant of the twelve
tribes of Israel. But be that as it may, these
twelve Apostles constantly continued with him
from the time of their election, till he offered
himself a sacrifice on the cross for the sins of
mankind, never departing from him unless by
his own appointment.

All these persons being illiterate Galileans, and
at first destitute of the qualifications necessary to
the discharge of their duty, integrity alone ex
cepted, were the most unlikely persons in the
world to confound the wisdom of the wise, baffle
the power of the mighty, overturn the many false
religions which then flourished every where, un
der the protection of the civil government; and,
in short, to reform the manners of mankind, then
umversally corrupted.
Had the choice of instruments for so grand an
undertaking been committed to human pru
dence, such, doubtless, would have been chosen,
as were remarkable for learning, strong reason
ing, and prevailing eloquence. But, behold, the
wisdom of God, infinitely superior fo that of
man, acted very differently ; for the treasure of
the gospel was committed to earthen vessels, that
the excellency of its power might in all countries
appear to be of God.
Accordingly, the religion which these illiterate
Galileans taught through the world, exhibited a
far juster notion of things than the Grecian and
Roman philosophers were able to attain, though
their lives were spent in study and contemplation.
Hence, by its own intrinsic splendour, as well as
by the external glory of the miracles that accom
panied it, this religion sufficiently appeared to be
wholly original and divine.
Besides, its truth and dignity were sufficiently
attested by the remarkable success that attended
it. It was received every where by the bulk of
mankind with the highest applause, as something
they had hitherto been seeking in vain ; while the
maxims and precepts of the pliilosophers seldom
spread farther than their respective schools.
It was, therefore, with the highest wisdom
that the foundation of the church was laid in

64

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. IX.

the labours of a few illiterate fishermen; for it
demonstrated, with irresistible evidence, that the
immense fabric was at first raised, and is still sus
tained, not by the arm of flesh, but purely by the
hand of the Almighty.
After appointing the twelve Apostles, he came
down from the mountain, and was joyfully re
ceived by the multitudes of people who were
waiting for Mm in the plain, and pressed to touch
Mm ; well knowing, that if they could only touch
the border of his garment, they should be healed
of whatever distemper they were afflicted with.
A sufficient reason why they were continually
waiting for him, and were willing to accom
pany him, even to the remotest corners of the
wilderness. The preaching and the miracles of our Lord
were attended to, not by the low and vulgar
only, but persons of the first rank and character
came from distant parts of the country to con
verse with him, hear his doctrine, and be specta
tors of his wonderful works. It, therefore, evi
dently appears, that persons of all ranks were
desirous of following him ; and their desire could
be founded on nothing but the truth of his doc
trines and miracles.
After healing all the sick among the multi
tude, he turned towards his disciples, and de
livered a divine discourse, something like that
he had before preached to them on the moun
tain: but in the former he only pronounced
blessings ; whereas, in the latter, he added curses
also ; and in this principally it differs from that
recorded by St. Matthew. I shall, therefore, only
select a few passages from the sermon now de
livered, as I have given a larger paraphrase on
the former.
Woe unto you that are rich .'for ye have received

your consolation! Luke vi. 24. Riches, con
sidered in themselves, by no means render us
the objects of the Almighty's hatred, unless ac
companied with those vices which too often flow
from an opulent fortune; as luxury, covetous-
ness, and the like. The woe, therefore, is here
denounced against such only as are contaminated
with these vices ; for those who make a proper
use of their wealth, and possess the virtues which
should accompany affluence, have no share in
the malediction.
Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger.
The pain ye shall suffer in a future life shall be
sharp and excruciating. The opportunities you
have neglected of doing good to your afflicted
brethren in tMs life, shall then be remembered
with the most poignant grief, and bewailed with
the most bitter lamentations.
Woe unto you that laugh now ! for ye shall
mourn and weep. This malediction of our blessed
Saviour is not inconsistent with the Apostle's ;'
precept, which commands Christians always to
rejoice. Neither is the mirth, against which
this woe is here denounced, to be understood
of that constant cheerfulness of temper which
arises in the breast of true Christians, from the
comfortable and cheerful doctrine with wMch
they are enlightened by the gospel, the assu
rance they have of reconciliation with God, and
hope they have of everlasting fife, and the plea
sures they enjoy in the practice of the duties
of religion ; but it relates to that turbulent car
nal mirth, that excessive levity and vanity of
spirit, which arises not from any solid founda
tion, but from sensual pleasures, or those vain
amusements of life, in which the giddy and
the gay contrive to spend their time ; that
sort of mirth which dissipates thought, leaves
no time for consideration, and gives them
an utter aversion to all serious reflection.

Chap. X.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

65

Persons who constantly indulge themselves in
this kind of mirth, shall weep and mourn eter
nally when they are excluded from the joys of
heaven, and banished for ever from the presence
of God, by the fight of whose countenance all
the righteous are enlivened, and made trans-
cendently happy.
Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of
you ! for so did their fathers to the false prophets !
Woe unto you, if by propagating such doctrines
as encourage men in sin, you shall gain to your
selves the applause and flattery of the generality
of men ; for thus in old times did the false pro
phets and deceivers, who, accommodating their
doctrines to the lusts and passions of men, gained
their applause, but incurred the wrath and dis
pleasure of a just and all-seeing God.
Our Lord here represents those as miserable
who are rich and full, joyous and applauded; not
that tMs is umversally the case, but because pros
perous circumstances are so frequently a sweet
poison, and affliction a healing, though bitter
medicine. Let the thought reconcile us to ad-
versity, and awaken our caution when the world
smiles upon us: when a plentiful table is. spread
before us, and our cup runneth over; when our
spirits are gay and sprightly ; or when we hear,
what to corrupt nature is too harmomous music,
that of our own praise from men. Oh that we
may secure, what is of infinitely greater im
portance, the praise of our heavenly Master, by a
constant regard to these Ms precepts !
>
CHAP. X.
Continuation of our Lord's glorious Doc
trines, beneficent Acts, and astonishing
Miracles, wrought in Confirmation of
the Divinity of his Mission, and the ex
tending his heavenly Kingdom.
No. 6.

THE divine Preacher having closed this
excellent sermon, he repaired to Ca
pernaum, and was met by certain messengers
from a Centurion, desiring him to come and
heal a servant who was dear to Mm, and
ready to die.
This Centurion, from the account given Of him
by the Evangelists, seems to have been a prose
lyte to the Jewish religion, as he was a lover of
the sons of Jacob, and had erected for them a
place of worship ; and, accordingly, the inhabi
tants of Capernaum strongly espoused his cause
on this occasion, saying, that he was worthy for
whom he should do this. For he loveth our nation,
and he hath built us a synagogue. Luke vii. 4, 5.
There was not the least danger that this pe
tition would be rejected by the blessed Jesus,
who sought all occasions of doing good to the
children of men. Accordingly, he very readily
accompanied the messengers: but before he
came to the house, he was met by some of the
Centurion's friends, who expressed the high idea
that officer entertained of his power, and desired
that he would not take the trouble of coming to
his house, as a word was abundantly sufficient to
perform the cure. At this message, Jesus turned
himself about, and said to the multitude, I say
unto you I have not found so great faith, no, not
in Israel. Luke vii. 9.
The persons having delivered then message,
returned to the house, and found the servant,
who had been sick, perfectly recovered.
Behold an instance of faith in a stranger to the
commonwealth of Israel, by which their unbelief
was condemned ! Oh that the virtues of heathens
may not another day rise up to our condemnation,
notwithstanding a higher profession and much
nobler advantages ! We cannot but rejoice to hear
R

66

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. X.

that many shall come from the east and the west, to
sit down with the pious patriarchs in the kingdom
of heaven : but how deplorable is the case of those
children of the kingdom, who, with all their tow
ering expectations, shall be cast out, and doomed
to hopeless sorrow, and everlasting darkness !
Having thus miraculously healed the Centu
rion's servant, he repaired to Peter's house to eat
bread : but the multitude came again together,
and surrounded the house in a very tumultuous
manner, demanding, in all probability, that he
would heal their sick ; and it was not without
difficulty they were dispersed by his friends.
The multitude being dispersed, Jesus called
unto him the twelve Apostles he had before
chosen, and conferred on them the power of
working miracles, in confirmation of the doc
trines they were appointed to preach, and deli
vered them such instructions as he thought ne
cessary to enable them to discharge the duties of
this important commission.
Go, said their heavenly Master, and preach,
saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Pub
lish in every corner of Judea the glad tidings of
the gospel, and the near approach of the great
Messiah's kingdom ; not a temporal, but a spi
ritual empire, consisting of righteousness and
peace. To inure them to those hardships and dangers
which were to attend them in their preaching,
after the death of their Master, our Lord forbade
them to provide any thing for their journey;
teaching them to rely wholly on the providence
of God for support in every distress, and to have
recourse to his protection in every danger.
Our Lord's disciples had, perhaps, flattered
themselves with the pleasing expectation, that

the glad tidings they were going to publish, and
the miraculous cures they were enabled to per
form, would procure them an honourable recep
tion wherever they came. Their Master, how
ever, told them the event would not in any
manner answer their expectations ; but that they
were every where to be despised, persecuted,
delivered into the hands of the rulers, and
punished as wicked men. But, at the same time,
he promised them the aid of the Almighty, and
gave them instructions for their behaviour in
every particular. He added, that these who re
jected their message should be treated with seve
rity by the great Judge of all the earth ; but those
who received them kindly, and gave even a cup
of cold water to the least of his disciples, for then
Master's sake, should not fail of receiving a large
reward. Having received this commission, the Apostles
visited all the parts of Palestine where the Jews
inhabited, preaching the doctrine of repentance,
working miracles for its confirmation, and, par
ticularly, healing the sick, while our blessed Sa
viour continued the course of his ministry in
Galilee. The Apostles being returned from their tour,
Jesus went to Nain, a town situated near Endor,
about two miles south of Mount Tabor, attended
by many of his disciples, and a great multitude
of people.
On their coming to the entrance of the city,
a melancholy scene presented itself to the eyes
of Jesus and his followers. Behold, there was a
dead man carried out, the only son of his mother,
and she was a ividoio. Luke vii. 12. Who would
not have imagined that God had indeed for
gotten to be gracious, and in his anger shut up
his tender mercies from this poor widow, suf
fering under the heaviest load, and labouring

Chap. X.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

67

under the most oppressive burden of distress ?
Deprived of her son, her only son, in the flower
of his youth, when he might have repaid his
mother's toils, and been to her in the place of a
husband ; of that husband she had long since
lost, and whose loss was supportable only through
the comfort of this child, the surviving image
of his departed father, the balm of all her grief,
the hope of her afflicted soul ; who now shall
administer consolation to tMs solitary widow, to
this lonely parent, bereaved of her husband, de
prived of her child ? What misery can be more
complicated ? What can be more natural than
that she should refuse to be comforted, that she
should go down to the grave mourning, and visit
the chambers of death, the residence of the be
loved remains of her husband and her son, with
sorrow. Toward the receptaele of mortality, that dreary
waste of forgetfulness, the mournful funeral was
now, with slow and solemn pomp, advancing,
when the compassionate Redeemer of mankind
met the melancholy procession, composed of a
long train of her weeping neighbours and rela
tions, who pitied her distress, sympathized with
her in this great affliction, and were melted with
compassion at her deplorable circumstances:
but sighs and tears were all they had to offer;
relief could not be expected from a human being ;
their commiseration, though grateful to her op
pressed soul, could neither restore the husband
nor the son : submission and patience were the
only lessons they could preach, or this afflicted
daughter of Israel learn-
But though man was unable to relieve the dis
tress of this disconsolate widow, the Saviour of
the world, who beheld the melancholy proces
sion, was both able and willing to do it There
was no need of a powerful solicitor to implore
assistance from the Son of God ; his own com>-

passion was abundantly sufficient. When the
Lord saw her, he had compassion on her: he both
sought the patient, and offered the cure unexpect
edly. Weep not, said the blessed Jesus to this
afflicted woman. Alas ! it had been wholly in
vain to bid her refrain from tears, who had lost
her only child, the sole comfort of her age, with
out administering the balm of comfort to heal her
broken spirit. This our compassionate Redeemer
well knew ; and, therefore, immediately ad
vanced towards the corpse ; he touched the bier :
the pomp of the funeral was instantly stopped ;
silence closed every mouth, and expectation filled
the breast of every spectator. But this deep sus
pense did not long continue ; that glorious voice,
which shall one day call our dead bodies from
the grave, filled their ears with the remarkable
words, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. Nor
was tMs powerful command uttered without its
effect He spake, and it ivas done: he called
with authority, and immediately he that was dead
sat up, and began to speak; and he restored him to
his mother. He did not show him around to the
multitude; but, by a singular act of modesty and
humanity, delivered him to his late afflicted, now
astonished and rejoicing mother; to intimate,
that in compassion to her great distress he had
wrought this stupendous miracle.
A holy and awful fear fell on all who heard
and saw tMs astonishing event : and they glori
fied God, saying, that a great prophet is risen up
amongst us; and that God hath visited his people.
Here it must be observed, that as this miracle
js liable to no objection, it, therefore, abundantly
proves that the power of the blessed Jesus was
truly and absolutely divine. He met this funeral
procession apparently by accident. It was com
posed of the greatest part of the inhabitants of
the city, who bewailed the disconsolate state of
the afflicted widow, and, therefore, well knew

68

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XI.

that the youth was really dead. The powerful
word, which called the breathless body to life,
was delivered in an audible voice, before all the
company, and even at the very gate of the city,
the place of public resort.
This miracle, with others amply attested,
abundantly evinces the truth of our Saviour's
divine mission, and that he was indeed the Son
of God, the Redeemer of mankind.

CHAP. XI.
Tlie Character of John the Baptist
cleared and justified by the blessed
Jesus. — He visits Simon the Phari
see. — Display of our Lord's Humi
lity and Condescension.
WE have taken notice, in a foregoing
chapter, that Herod, incensed at the
honest freedom of the Baptist in reproving Ms
adulterous commerce with Herodias, Ms brother
Philip's wife, had cast him into prison ; and in
this state he still continued, though his disciples
were suffered to visit and converse with him. In
one of these visits they had given him an account
of our Saviour's having elected twelve Apostles
to preach the gospel, and of his miracles, particu
larly of his raising to life the daughter of Jairus,
and the son of the widow of Nain.
On hearing these wonderful relations, the Bap
tist immediately despatched two of his disciples
to Jesus, to ask him this important question, Art
thou he that should come, or look we for another ?
Accordingly, the disciples of John came to
Jesus, and proposed the question of their master
at the very time when he cured many of their in
firmities and plagues, and of evil spirits, and to

many that were blind he gave sight. Jesus, there
fore, instead of directly answering their ques
tion, bade them return, and inform their master
what they had seen : Go (said he) and show
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. Matt. xi. 4, 5. Go, tell your
master, that the very miracles the prophet
Isaiah so long since foretold should be wrought
by the Messiah, you have yourselves seen per-
formedi. It appears from the Scripture, that the Baptist,
through the whole course of his ministry, had
borne constant and ample testimony to our Sa
viour's divine mission ; that he exhorted those
who came to him, to rest their faith not on him
self, but on him that should come after him ; and
that as soon as he was acquainted who Jesus
was, by a visible descent of the Holy Ghost,
and a voice from heaven, he made it his bu
siness to dispose the Jews in general, and his
own disciples in particular, to receive and re
verence him, by testifying every where, that
he was the Son of God, the Lamb of God, who
came down from heaven, and spake the words of
God, and to whom God had given the Spirit not
by measure.
The Baptist, therefore, well knew who Jesus
was ; and, consequently, he did not send his
disciples to ask this question to solve any doubt
in his mind concerning the Saviour of the
world. But it may be asked, what else could induce the
Baptist to put such a question ? To this some an
swer, that he had no other intention than to satisfy
his disciples that Jesus was the Messiah, so long
expected among the Jews ; and to engage them to

Chap. XI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

69

follow a more perfect master, especially as he
Mmself was now on the point of leaving the
world. TMs solution is doubtless partly right ; but to
some it does not remove the whole difficulty, as
they think it is plain, from the very account
recorded by the "Evangelist, that the question
had actually some relation to himself; and,
therefore, they remove the difficulty by another
method. In order to which, they say, it must
be remembered, that John had been long con
fined in prison ; that he was persuaded it was
necessary for him to preach the gospel, and pre
pare men to receive the kingdom of the Mes
siah; and for that reason, from the very time of
his imprisonment, he earnestly expected the
Messiah would exert his power to procure his
release. But on hearing that Jesus had chosen
twelve iMterate fishermen to preach the gospel,
had furnished them with miraculous powers, in
order to enable them to perform so great a work,
and that two persons of no consequence were
raised from the dead, wMle he was suffered to
remain in prison, he began to think himself
neglected, and his services disregarded. He
therefore sent two of his disciples, to ask him
this question, Art thou he that should come.; or
look we for another ? Not that he entertained
any doubt of his being the true Messiah ; in
tending nothing more, by asking the question,
but to complain that Jesus had not acted the part
wMch he thought the Messiah should have acted ;
and that this was really the case, it is thought,
is sufficiently plain, from the caution added by
our blessed Saviour himself; And blessed is he
whosoever shall not be offended in me : as if he
had said, When you have informed your master
of what you have seen and heard, tell him that
he would do well not to be offended, either at
the choice of the Apostles, or that no miracle had
been wrought for his release.
No. 6.

From this circumstance some think it is evi
dent, that impatience, on account of his long
confinement, was the true reason for the Baptist's
sending his disciples with this question to Jesus ;
and that the purport of this answer was, to teach
him submission, in a case that was plainly above
the reach of Ms judgment.
Lest the people, from this conversation, should
imbibe any notion prejudicial to the character
of the Baptist, our blessed Saviour thought fit to
place it in a proper point of light. He praised
his invincible courage and constancy, which was
not to be overcome, or like a reed to be shaken
.With the ivind; his austere and mortified life,
for he was not clothed in soft raiment, like those
who wait in the palaces of kings; adding, that
he was a prophet, nay, more than a prophet.
For this is he of whom it ivas written, Behold, I
send my messenger before thy face, which shall
"prepare thy way before thee. But subjoined,
Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he.
The propriety of this remark will appear,
when it is considered, that though the Baptist
excelled all the prophets that were before him,
yet the least inspired person in the kingdom of
heaven, the least Apostle or pfeacher of the
gospel, was greater than he ; because, by con
stantly attending on Jesus, they were much better
acquainted with his character, disposition, and
doctrine, than the Baptist, who bad only seen
him transiently; wherefore, in respect of th^ir
personal knowledge of the Messiah, the Apostles
greatly excelled the Bajmst They w^e also
employed, not in making preparation for the
Messiah's kingdom, but in erectin^t; and, con
sequently, greater than the Ba^st, with regard
to the dignity of their office. Moreover, by
having the gift of miracles, and the like, con
ferred on them, for that office, they were far
>5»

70

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XI.

superior to Mm with regard to illumination.
They were so fully possessed by the Spirit, that
on all occasions they could declare the will of
God infallibly, being, as it were, living oracles ;
and having been the subjects of ancient prophe
cies, they had been long expected by the people
of God.
Having thus shown the greatness of the Bap
tist's character, and wherein he was surpassed
by the disciples, our blessed Saviour took oc
casion from thence to blame the perverseness of
the age, in rejecting both his own and the Bap
tist's testimony.
It seems that the Scribes and Pharisees, seeing
their pretended mortifications eclipsed by the
real austerity of the Baptist, impudently affirmed,
that his living in the deserts, his shunning the
company of men, the coarseness of his clothing,
die abstemiousness of his diet, and the other se
verities he practised, were the effects of his being
possessed by an apostate spirit, or of religious
melancholy. For John came neither eating nor
drinking; and they say, he hath a devil. Matt.
xi. 18.
On the other hand, they would not listen to
the heavenly doctrines preached by Christ, be
came he did not separate himself from society ;
attributing his free manner of living to a certain
looseness of disposition, though they well knew
that he observed the strictest temperance him
self, and never encouraged the vices of others,
either by dissimulation or example. The Son of
man came eating and drinking, and they say, Be
hold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend
of publicans twjrf sinners; but Wisdom is justified
of her children. Matt xi. 19.,
He next proceeded to upbraid the several
cities where his most wonderful works had been

performed. For though they had heard him
preach many awakening sermons, and seen him
perform such astomshing miracles, such as
would havq converted Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom,
cities infamous for their impiety, contempt of
religion, pride, luxury, and debauchery ; yet so
great was their obstinacy, that they persisted
in their wickedness, notwithstanding all he had
done to convert them from the evil of their ways.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Beth-
saida ! for if the mighty works ivhich were done in
you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But
I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre
and Sidon, at the day of judgment, than for you.
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto hea
ven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty
works which have been done in thee, had been done
in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, than
for thee. Matt. xi. 21, &c.
Having denounced these judgments on the
cities which had neglected to profit by his mighty
works, he concluded his discourse with these
heavenly words : Come unto me, all ye that la
bour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I
am meek and loicly in heart : and ye shall find
rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light. Matt xi. 28, &c.
This affecting invitation must engage the most
serious attention and particular regard of every
reader ; if the greatness of the speaker, the im
portance of his message, or the affectionate
manner of his address, have any weight, have
any force, have any power, to affect the soul.
It is Christ, the Almighty Redeemer, the Son
of the Most High ; he into whose hands as our
mediator, all things are delivered of his Father ¦-

Chap. XI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

71

he unto whom all power in heaven and earth
is given ; even he who shall come in die clouds
of heaven to judge all the inhabitants of the
earth, and even by those words he hath Mmself
delivered ; it is this wonderful Person who speaks,
declaring at once his great willingness to receive
sinners, and his supreme power to give that rest
and peace to the soul, which should be the
pursmt of every son of Adam, and is the gift
of Ms religion only.
And that notMng may prevent our accepting
this benevolent offer, he hivites, with the most
affectionate tenderness, not the great, the happy,
and the powerful, not the merry-hearted, or the
sons of joy ; but all that labour, and are heavy
laden, all that are under bondage to sin and
sorrow: and those he calls, not with a desire
to expose their miseries, to punish their offences,
or to display his own glory ; but solely with a
view to render them happy. Come, says he,
come to me, I entreat you to come, I will give you
rest ; I myself will relieve and release you from
your heavy burdens ; come to me, and you shall
find perfect rest and peace to your souls. Take
my , yoke upon you, for it is easy ; and my burden,
for it is light.
Is it possible that creatures of a day, like us;
can it be possible, " that mortals, who have
but a short time to live, and are full of mi
sery; who come up, and are eut down like
a flower ; who flee as it were like a shadow,
and never continue in one stay ;" can it be posr
sible that they should reject and disregard a
call, so full of love, so full of affection, of
such infinite consequence, of such unspeakable
advantage ? Can they reject the love of him
who gave them rest, took their burdens upon
Mmself; and who, after all his sufferings, de
sires them only to come, to exchange their own
oppressive burdens for his lightsome yoke; to

abandon their sins and sorrows, and become
his disciples ; to love and obey him, and thence
to be happy? Can we possibly despise such
grace, refuse such offers, fly from such rest,
thus freely proposed to us, and prefer the heavy
yoke of sin, and the cruel pangs of a wounded
conscience ?
Having concluded this public address, one of
the Pharisees, named Simon, desired he would
eat with him: the blessed Jesus accepted the
invitation, accompanied him to his house, and
sat down to meat
He had not continued long at the table, be
fore a woman, who had lately left the paths
of vice for those of virtue, placed herself be
hind Mm, and, from a deep conviction of her
former crimes, and the obligations she owed
to the Saviour of mankind, for bringing her
to a sense of them, shed such quantities of
tears, that they trickled down on his feet, which,
according to the custom of the country, were
then bare. But observing that her tears had
wet the feet of her beloved Instructor, she
immediately wiped them 'with the hairs of
her head, kissed them with the most ardent
affection, and anointed them with precious
ointment she had brought with her for thai
purpose- It was a eustom among the inhabitants of the
East, to pour fragrant oils on the heads of such
guests as they intended particularly to honouiv
wMle they sat at meat ; and probably the wo
man's original intention was to anoint Jesus in
the usual manner. But being exceedingly hum
bled on account of her former crimes, she could
not presume to take that freedom with him, and,
therefore, poured it on his feet, to express at once
the greatness of her love, and the profoundness
of her humility.

72

mqfitjaflaLi.'.M-^M^-ii^.'i"-' ~ ¦ . ..V... hi i.^m-. ,¦!*¦¦¦  —
THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XI.

The Pharisee, who had attentively observed
the woman, concluded from thence, that our
Saviour could not be a prophet. This man, (said
the Pharisee to himself,) if he were a prophet,
would have known who and what manner of woman
this is that toucheth him ; for she is a sinner. Luke
vii. 39.
But though Simon spoke this only in his
heart, his thoughts were not concealed from
the great Redeemer of mankind, who, to con
vince them that he was a prophet, and that he
knew not only the characters of men, but even
the secret thoughts of their hearts, immediately
conversed with him on the very subject he had
been revolving in his mind. He did not, in
deed, expose him before the company, by re
lating what he had said in secret; but, with
remarkable delicacy, pointed out to Simon
alone, the unreasonableness of his thoughts'.
Simon, (said the blessed Jesus,) I have somewhat
to say to thee. There was a certain creditor,
who had two debtors; the one owed five hun
dred pence, and the other fifty. And when they
had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them
both. Tell me, therefore, vihich of them will
love him most? Simon answered and said,,/
suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And
he said unto Mm, Thou hast rightly judged.
And then immediately he applied tMs short
parable to the subject of the woman, on which
the Pharisee had so unjustly reasoned with him
self. Simon, (continued our Saviour,) seest thou
this woman? I entered into thine house, thou
gavest me no water for my feet ; but she hath toashed
my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs
of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss : but this
woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased
to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not
anoint : but this woman hath anointed my feet
with ointment. Luke vii. 44, &c.

TMs woman's kind services were in no danger
of losing their reward from the blessed Jesus,
who possessed the softer and finer feelings of
human nature in their utmost perfection. Ac
cordingly he added, in pursuance of the kind in
vitation he had before made to weary and heavy-
laden sinners, Wherefore I say unto thee, Her
sins, which are many, are forgiven ; for she loved
much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same
loveth little. Luke vii. 47. .
The blessed Jesus having thus commended
the conduct of the woman to the company, and
rebuked, with great delicacy, the unjust suspicions
of Simon, turned himself to the woman, and, in
the kindest manner, assured her, that her sins
were forgiven. But the power he assumed in
forgiving sins, greatly offended the Jews, who,
not being acquainted with his divmity, consi
dered Ms speech as derogatory to the honour of
the Almighty. Jesus, however, contemned their
malicious murmurs, and repeated his assurance,
telling the woman, that her faith had saved her,
and bade her depart in peace.
The next day Jesus travelled from Caper
naum to different parts of Galilee, going through
every village, preaching, and showing the glad
tidings of the kingdom of God. Luke viii. 1.
That is, he declared to the people, the welcome
tidings of the Almighty's being willing to be re
conciled to the children of men, on condition of
their repentance, and embracing the gospel of
the grace of God.
Leaving Galilee, he repaired to Jerusalem,
to keep the passover, being the second feast
of that kind since his public ministry. In this
journey he was accompanied by certain pious
women, ivho ministered to him of their sub*
stance*

Chap. XII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

73

CHAP. XII.
Miraculous Cure effected at the Pool of
Bethesda. — Reproof of the Supersti
tion of the Jews, in condemning the
Performance of necessary Works on
the Sabbath Day. — After doing many
Acts of Mercy and Wonder, our
blessed Lord is visited by his Mother
and his Brethren? and makes a spi
ritual Reflection on that Incident.
OUR Lord had no- sooner entered the an
cient city of Jerusalem, so long famous for
being the dwelling-place of the Most High, than
he repaired to the public bath or pool, called in
the Hebrew tongue, Bethesda, that is, The House
of Mercy, on account of the miracles wrought
there by the salutary effects of the water, at cer
tain seasons. This bath was surrounded by five
porches, or cloisters, in which those who fre
quented the place were sheltered both from the
heat and cold; and were particularly serviceable
to the diseased and infirm, who crowded thither
to find relief in their afflictions.
These porches were now filled with a great
multitude of impotent folks, of blind, halt, wi
thered, imitmg for the moving of the water. For
*an angel went down at a certain season into the
pool, and troubled the water : whosoever then first,
after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was
made whole of whatsoever disease he had. John
v. 3, 4.
Such is the account of tMs miraculous pool,
given us by St. John the Evangelist. Many con
troversies have arisen concerning the place, the
time, and the nature of the pool ; questions which
will, perhaps, never be answered, because the
pool of Bethesda is not mentioned by any of the
Jewish historians.
No. 7.

The time when this miraculous effect took
place is not precisely determined ; but it is al
most universally agreed, that it could not be
long before the coming of our Saviour; and
that the miracle was mtended to lead us to
the Son of God. For the gift of prophecy and
of miracles had ceased among the Jews for
above four hundred years; and, therefore, to
raise in them a more ardent desire for the coming
of the Messiah, and to induce them to be more
circumspect in observing the signs of his coining,
God was pleased to favour them with this re
markable sign at Bethesda. And as the de
scendants of Jacob, in the last times, were not
only very obnoxious to the irruptions and ty
ranny of the Gentiles, but had wholly lost their
liberty; so God favoured them with this eminent
token of his favour, this wonderful pool, that they
might not despair of the promises made to dieir
forefathers being fulfilled.
The pool was situated near the Gate of Vic
tims, which were figures of the propitiatory
sacrifice of Christ, that they might be con
vinced God had yet a regard to the posterity
of Abraham, and the worship which he him
self had established; and might thus support
themselves with the pleasing hope of die coming
of the Messiah, the great angel of the covenant,
to his temple.
And as tMs miracle of the angel descending
from heaven began when the coming of the
Messiah was at hand, to advise them of the
speedy and near approach of that promised
salvation; so Christ entered these porches,
wMch were situated without the temple, and
performed the miracle we shall presently re
late, to vindicate what was the true intent of
tMs gift of healing, namely, to lead men to
himself, the fountain opened for sin and un
cleanness : and the waters were troubled only a.
T

74

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XII.

tMs certain season of the passover, Or at other
stated periods, and one only healed each time
the angel descended ; to show them at once the
weakness of the law, and the great difference
between that and the gospel dispensation ; and to
teach them not to rest satisfied with the corporeal
benefit only, as in the mmistration of an angel,
but to reflect attentively on the promises of the
Messiah's approaching advent.
Having made these necessary remarks relative
to the celebrated pool of Bethesda, we shall now
return to the blessed Jesus, who thought proper
to visit the porches of Bethesda, now crowded
with persons labouring under various diseases.
Among these objects of pity was one who had
laboured under Ms infirmity no less than thirty
and eigM years. The length and greatness of
tMs man's afflictions, wMch were well known to
the Son of God, were sufficient to excite his ten
der compassion, and make him the happy object
to demonstrate that Ms power of heahng was in
finitely superior to the sanative virtue of the wa
ters ; while the rest were suffered to remain in
their affliction.
Had not our Lord at this time restored any of
them to health, he would not have acted contrary
to the general account which the Evangelists give
of his goodness on other occasions, namely, that
he healed all who came to him. For such diseased
persons who left then habitations, tinough a per
suasion of his power and kindness, were proper
objects of Ms mercy ; whereas the sick in the
cloisters of Bethesda were no more so than the
other sick throughout the whole country, whom
he could have cured with a single word of Ms
mouth, had he been pleased to utter it
Our compassionate Lord now approached the
man whom he had smgled out as the person on

whom to mamfest Ms power : he asked Mm, whe
ther he was desirous of being made whole ? — a
question wMch must induce the man to declare
publicly Ms melancholy case in the hearing of the
multitude, and consequently render the miracle
more conspicuous. And as this was done on the
sabbath-day, our blessed Saviour seems to have
wrought it to rouse the sons of Jacob from their
lethargy, and convince the inhabitants of Jeru
salem, that the long-expected Messiah was now
come, and had actually visited his people.
This distressed mortal, beholding Jesus with
a sorrowful countenance, and understanding that
he meant his being healed by the sanative virtue
of the waters, answered in a plaintive accent,
Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled,, to
put me into the pool; but while I am coming, ano
ther steppeth down before me. John v. 7. But the
compassionate Redeemer of mankind soon con-
vmced him, that he was not to owe Ms cure to
the salutary nature of the waters, but to the un
bounded power of the Son of God ; and accord
ingly said to Mm, Rise, lake up thy bed, and walk.
Nor was the heavenly mandate any sooner ut
tered, than the impotent man, to the astonish
ment of the multitude, was made whole, and took
up his bed and walked. John v. 9.
This great and miraculous cure could not fail
of having a great effect on the spectators ; and
his carrying his bed on the sabbath-day, which
the Jews considered as a profanation of that day
of rest, tended greatly to spread the fame of the
miracle over the whole city. Nor did the man
scruple to obey the commands of his ldnd Physi
cian; he well knew that the person who had the
power of woridng such miracles must be a great
prophet ; and, consequently, that Ms injunction
could not be sinful. He, therefore, thought that
he gave a sufficient answer to those Jews, who
told him k was not lawful to carry Ms bed on the

Chap. XII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

75

sabbath-day, to say, He that made me whole, the
same said unto me, Take up thy bed and walk.
John v. 11. He that restored my strength in
an instant, and removed with a single word a
disease that had many years afflicted me, com
manded me, at the same time, to take up my bed
and walk; and surely a person endued with such
power from on high, would not have ordered me
to do any tiling but what is truly right.
The votaries of infidelity should remember,
that tMs signal miracle was performed in an
instant, and even when the patient did not ex
pect any such favour, nor even know the person
to whom he owed it. No one, therefore, can
pretend that imagination had any share in per
forming it In short, the narrative of this mira
cle of mercy sufficiently proves, that the person
who did it was really divine.
Soon after this miracle, Jesus met in the
temple the man he had healed at the pool of
Bethesda; and took the opportunity of remind
ing him, that as he was now freed from an
infirmity he had probably brought upon himself
by irregular courses, he should be careful to ab
stain from them for the future, lest the Almighty
should think proper to afflict him in a more ter
rible manner. TMs man, overjoyed at having
found the divine Physician who had relieved him
from Ms melancholy condition, repaired to the
Scribes and Pharisees, and, with a heart over
flowing with gratitude, innocently told them,
that it was Jesus who had performed on Mm so
astonishing a cure; being, doubtlessly, persuaded
that they would rejoice at beholding so great a
prophet. But, alas ! tMs was far from being the case.
The rulers of Israel, instead of being pleased
with the accounts of his many stupendous works
of mercv and kindness, attacked him tumultu-

ously in the temple, and carried him before the
Sanhedrim, probably with an intention to take
away his life, merely because he had done good
on the sabbath-day.
Jesus, however, soon vindicated, by irrefraga
ble arguments, the propriety of his works ; ob
serving, that in doing work? of mercy and be
neficence on the sabbath-day, he only imitated
his heavenly Father, the God of Jacob, whose
providence was continually employed, without
any regard to times or seasons, in doing good to
the cMldren of men. And, surely, he must be
more than blind, who cannot discover, that the
Almighty, on the sabbath, as well as on other
days, supports the whole frame of the universe ,
and, by the invisible operations of his power,
continues the motion of the heavenly bodies, on
the revolution of which the vicissitudes of day
and night, of summer and winter, so necessary
to the production of the fruits of the earth,
depend. But Jewish prejudice could not be overcome
by argument. Nay, the very observation in
creased their malice, as he claimed a peculiar
relation to God ; and by asserting that he acted
like him, insinuated that he was equal to the
Almighty himself.
The Saviour of the world did not deny this
conclusion ; but showed that he acted agreeably
to the will of God, and was equal with him in
power, doing whatsoever he saw done by his
Father : a convincing proof of his Father's love
for him. 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 showeth him all things that himself
doeth : and he will show him greater works than
these, that ye may marvel. John v. 19, 20.

76

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XII.

The blessed Jesus added, that he had not only
power to heal the sick, but even to raise the
dead ; and that his Father had constituted him
the universal Judge of the world ; and, 'therefore,
those who refused to honour Mm, refused to ho
nour the Father. But, whosoever believed on
him, should inherit eternal life.
And that they might not doubt of the truth of
his mission, but that he was actually invested
with the power of raising the dead, he desired
them to remember the undoubted instances he
had already given of it, in restoring the daughter
of Jairus, and the widow's son of Nain, to life ;
and, consequently, that he could, on any future
occasion, exert the same power : Verily, verily, I
say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God;
and they that hear shall live. For as the Father
hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself; and hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of
man. John v. 25, &c.
The blessed Jesus added to this, Be not sin-
prised at the power of raising a few individuals
from the dead, and the authority of inflicting
punishment on a number of the human race ;
I have a far greater power committed to me,
even that of raising all the sons of Adam at
the last day, and of judging and rewarding
every one of them according to his works.
Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in
the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Johnv. 28, 29.
The great day of retribution will distinguish
between the good and the evil ; for the tremen
dous Judge has been privy to all the actions of

the sons of men, from the beginning to the end
of time : nor has he any interest to pursue, or
any inchnation to satisfy, different from those of
his heavenly Father. And my judgment is just;
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father which hath sent me. John v. 30.
Nothing could more evince the character of
our Lord, than these assertipns ; though he did
not require his hearers to believe them merely on
his own testimony ; he appealed to that of John,
who was a burning and a sMning light, and in
whom, for a time, they greatly rejoiced, because
the prophetic spirit, which had so long ceased
in Israel, was revived in that holy man. Nay,
he appealed to a much greater testimony than
that of John, even that of the God of Jacob
himself, who was continually bearing witness to
the truth of his mission, by the many miracles
he empowered Mm to perform ; and who, at
his baptism, had, with an audible sound from
the courts of heaven, declared him to be his
beloved Son ; a sound which multitudes of peo
ple had heard, and probably even some of those
to whom he was now speaking.
The Jews had long expected the Messiah;
but they had expected him to appear as a tem
poral prince, who would not only restore the
former lustre of the throne of David, but in
finitely augment it, and even place it over all the
kingdoms of the earth. And hence they were
unwilling to acknowledge Jesus for their Mes
siah, notwithstanding the proofs of his mission
were so undeniable; because they must, in so
doing, have abandoned all their grand ideas of a
temporal kingdom. Our blessed Saviour, there
fore, desired them to consult their own scriptures,
particularly the writings of the prophets, n here
they would find the character of the Messiah dis
played, and be fully convinced they were all ful
filled in his person.

Chap. XII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

77

He also gave them to understand, that the
proofs of his mission were as full and clear as
possible, being supported by the actions of his
life, wMch in all things agreed with his doctrine ;
for he never sought the applause of men, or
assumed secular power, but was always innocent
and hmnble, though he well knew that these
vhtues made him appear little in the eyes of
those who had no idea of a spiritual kingdom,
but expected the Messiah would appear in all the
pomp of secular authority.
In short, the fatal infidelity of the Jews was
principally owing to their pride. They had
long filled the minds of the people with grand
ideas of the glory and power of the Messiah's
kingdom ; they had represented him as a potent
prince, who was to appear at once adorned
with all the ensigns of power ; and, therefore,
to have ascribed that august character to a mere
teacher of righteousness, destitute even of the
ordinary advantages of birth, fortune, and eru
dition, would have been so plain a confession of
their ignorance of the Scriptures, as must have
exposed them to the ridicule and contempt of the
whole people.
Our blessed Saviour added, that he himself
should not only be their own accuser to the God
of Jacob for their infidelity ; but Moses, their
great legislator, in whom they trusted, would
join in that unwelcome office ; for by denying
him to be the Messiah, they denied the writings
of that prophet. For had ye, added he, believed
Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of
me : but if ye believe not his writings, how shall
ye believe my words ? John v. 46, 47.
Thus did the blessed Jesus assert himself to
be the Son of God, the great Judge of the whole
earth, and the Messiah promised by the prophets ;
and, at the same time, gave them such convincing
No. 7.

proofs of his being sent from God, that nodiing
could be said against them.
Convincing as these proofs were, yet they
did not in the least abate the malice of the Scribes
and Pharisees ; for the very next sabbath, upon
his disciples plucking a few ears of corn as they
passed through the fields, and eating the grain
after rubbing it out in then hands, they again
exclaimed against tMs violation of the sabbath.
But our blessed Saviour soon convinced them of
their error, by showing, both from the example
of David, and the constant practice of their
own priests, who never omitted the necessary
works of the temple on the sabbath-day, that
works of necessity were often permitted, even
though they broke a ritual command ; that acts
of mercy were the most acceptable services to
God of any whatever; that it was inverting
the order of things, to suppose that man was
made for the sabbath, and not the sabbath for
the benefit of man. Adding, that if the service
of the temple should be said to claim a par
ticular dispensation from the law of the sabbath,
he and Ms disciples, whose business of promoting
the salvation of mankind was of equal import
ance, might justly claim the same exemption ;
as they were carrying on a much nobler work
than the priests who attended on the service of
the temple. Thus did our blessed Saviour
prove, that works of mercy should not be left
undone, though attended with the violation of
some of the most sacred institutions of the ce-
remomal law.
Soon after this dispute with the Scribes and Pha
risees, our blessed Saviour entered one of the sy
nagogues of Jerusalem on the sabbath-day, and
found there a man whose right hand was withered.
The Pharisees, who observed the compas
sionate Jesus advance towards the man, did not
U

78

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XII.

doubt but he would heal him ; and, therefore,
watched him attentively, that they might have
something to accuse Mm with to the people.
Their hypocrisy was arrived to that enormous
pitch, that they determined to injure his reputa
tion, by representing him as a sabbath-breaker,
if he dared to heal the man ; while they them
selves were profaning it by an action which
would have polluted any day; namely, of seeking
an opportunity of destroying a person who had
never injured them, but done many good actions
for the sons of Jacob, and was continually la
bouring for then eternal welfare.
The Saviour of the world was not unapprised
©f these malicious intentions. He knew their
designs, and defied their impotent power, by
informing them of the benevolent action he de
signed, though he well knew they would exert
every art they were masters of, in order to put
him to death.
Therefore, when our Saviour ordered the man
to show himself to the whole congregation, in
order to excite then pity, these" hypocritical
teachers declared, in the strongest terms, the
unlawfulness of Ms performing even such be
neficent actions on the sabbath : Is it lawful to
heal on the sabbath-day ? They did not, how
ever, ask this question with an intention to Mn-
der him from performing the miracle. No, they
had a very different intention than that of ac
cusing him. For they hoped he would have de
clared openly that such actions were lawful ; or,
at least, make no reply to their demands, which
they woulo have construed into an acknow
ledgment of what they asserted.
Nor did our Lord fail to expose their malice
and superstition ; and, accordingly, asked them,
Is it lawful, on the sabbath-day, to do good, or to
do evil?' to save life, or to destroy it ? Luke iv. 6.

Is it not more lawful for me, on the sabbath*
day, to save men's lives, than for you to seek my
death without the least provocation ? This se
vere rebuke would admit of no answer ; and,
therefore, they held their peace, pretending not to
understand his meaning. He, therefore, made
use of an argument, which stupidity itself could
not fail of understanding, and which all the art
of these hypocritical sopMsts were unable to an
swer. What man, said the blessed Jesus, shall
there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and
if it fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, will he
not lay hold on it, and lift it out ? How much
then is a man better than a sheep? Where
fore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath-day.
Matt. xii. 11, 12.
The former question they pretended not to
understand, and, therefore, held their peace ; but
this argument effectually silenced them, though
they were determined not to be convinced. TMs
unconquerable obstinacy grieved the spirit of
the meek, the benevolent Jesus, who beheld
them with anger ; that, if possible, an impres
sion might be made, either on them or the
spectators. But at the same time that he testified his
displeasure towards the Pharisees, he uttered
words of comfort to the lame man, biddmg him
stretch forth his hand : and he no sooner obeyed
the divine command, than it was restored whole
as the other.
This astonishing work, performed in the midst
of a congregation, many of whom, doubtless,
knew the man while he laboured under (Ms in
firmity, and in presence of his most inveterate
enemies, must certainly have had a great effect
on the minds of the people, especially as they
saw it had effectually silenced the Pharisees,
who had nothing to offer, either against the

Chap. XII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

79

miracle itself, or the reasomngs and power of him
who had performed it.
But though these whited sepulchres, as our
blessed Saviour justly termed them, were si
lenced by Ms arguments, and astonished at Ms
miracles, yet they were so far from abandomng
their malicious intentions, that they joined their
inveterate enemies, the Herodians, or Sadducees,
in order to consult how they might destroy him;
well knowing, that if he continued his preaching
and working of miracles, the people would wholly
follow him, and then own power soon become
contemptible. Jesus, however, thought proper
to prevent then malicious designs, by retiring
into Galilee, and there pursmng his benevolent
purposes. TMs retreat could not, however, conceal him
from the multitude, who flocked to him from all
quarters, bringing with them the sick and
maimed ; who were all healed, and sent away
in peace.
Some of his disciples, however, who still
entertained the popular opmion, that the Mes
siah would establish his kingdom by force, and
bear down all opposition, were extremely mor
tified to find then Master retreat from so weak
an enemy. But had they read with attention
the prophecy of Isaiah, they would have known
that this was one part of the Messiah's cha
racter. Behold my servant, whom I have chosen ;
my Beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased:
I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall
show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not
strive nor cry; neither shall any man hear his
voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he
not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench,
till he send forth judgment unto victory. And
in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Matt
xii. 18, &c

Though there are several small variations be
tween this prophecy, as quoted by St. Matthew,
and the original, in the book of Isaiah ; yet the
sense in both places is the same. And we can
not help observing, that there is in this prophecy
an evident difference between the publication of
the Jewish religion by Moses, and the Christian
religion by Christ. The doctrine of salvation, as
taught by Moses, extended only to the single na
tion of the Jews ; whereas that published by the
Messiah extended to every nation and people un
der heaven. Accordingly, our blessed Saviour,
by retiring into Galilee, fulfilled the first part of
this famous prophecy; He shall show judgment to
the Gentiles; for the Evangelist tells us, great
multitudes came to Mm from beyond Jordan, and
from Syria, about Tyre and Sidon.
Being now returned into Galilee, there was
brought unto him a blind and dumb man, pos
sessed with a devil ; but Jesus, with a single word,
cast out the evil spirit, and restored the noble fa
culties of sight and speech. A miracle so sur
prising could not fail of astonishing the numerous
spectators, who now seemed convinced that the
person endued with such remarkable power,
could be no other than the Messiah.
The Pharisees, who were come thither from
Jerusalem, filled with malice at seeing him per
form so many miracles, impiously asserted, con
trary to the conviction of their own minds, that
they were wrought by the power of Beelzebub,
the prince of the devils.
So blasphemous a declaration could not be
supposed to escape a censure from the Son of
God, who, addressing himself both to them and
the people, demonstrated the absurdity of the
calumny, by an argument drawn from the com
mon affairs of life. Every kingdom (said the
blessed Jesus) divided against itself, is brought

80

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XII.

to desolation; and every city or house divided
against itself, shall not stand. And if Satan
cast out Satan, he is divided against himself:
how then shall his kingdom stand? Your ca
lumny is malicious and absurd : it is malicious,
because your own consciences are convinced of
its falsehood ; and it is absurd, because Satan
cannot assist me in preaching the kingdom of
God, and destroying all the works of darkness,
iniless he be divided against himself, and destroy
all the works of his own kingdom. Adding, And
if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do
your children cast them out ? therefore they shall
be your judges. But if I cast out devils by
the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is
come unto you. Ye did not impute the miracles
of your prophets to Beelzebub, but received
them, on the evidence of their miracles, as the
messengers of God. But yet ye reject me,
who work greater and more numerous miracles
than they, and impute them to the power of
evil spirits. Is this conduct reconcileable ? These
prophets, therefore, shall be your judges ; they
shall condemn you. But as it is true that I cast
out devils by the assistance of the Almighty, it
follows, that the kingdom of God, so long ex
pected, is going to be established.
But against the Son of man, blasphemy, how
ever great, may be forgiven you, because stronger
and more evident proofs of my mission may con
vince you of your sins, and induce you to em
brace the offers of eternal life. And the time
is coming, when the Son of man shall be raised
from the dead by the power of the Holy Ghost,
the gifts of miracles showered on almost all be
lievers, and the nature of the Messiah's kingdom
more fully explained, in order to remove the
foundation of your prejudice, the expectation of
a temporal prince. But if you then shut your
eyes, and speak evil against the Holy Ghost, by
affirming that his gifts and miracles proceed

from the prince of darkness, it shall never be
forgiven you : because it is a sin you cannot
possibly repent of, as no greater means of convic
tion will be afforded ; but you shall be punished
for it, both in this world, and in that which is
to come. Wherefore I say unto you, All man
ner 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 forgivert
him, neither in this world, neither in the world
to come. Matt. xii. 31, 32.
This solemn sentence, on the sin against
the Holy Ghost, was probably now pronounced
by our Saviom, to awaken the consciences
of the Pharisees, by a sense of their danger,
if they continued in such detestable calumnies,
when then own hearts sufficiently told them,
that they flowed entirely from malice and re
sentment. But all his reasonings and tiireatenings had no
effect on tMs perverse sect of mortals, who sar
castically answered, Master, we would see a sign
from thee. Strange stupidity ! had not he, a
short time before, cast out a devil, and restored
the faculties of sight and speech to the blind and
dumb ; cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and
even rebuked the tempestuous winds and waves?
Were not these signs sufficient to convince the
most bigoted mortal? What, therefore, could
these stubborn doctors of the law require ? Well
might the great Saviour of the world call them
a wicked and adulterous generation; for surely
they could boast of no part of the faith and piety
of Abraham, their great progenitor. Persons
of such incorrigible inclinations certainly me
rited no indulgence ; and, accordingly, Jesus
told them they should have no other sign

Chap. XIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST..

81

given them, but what they every day beheld, the
sign of the prophet Jonas, who, by living three
days and three nights in the belly of the whale,
was a type of the Son of God, who should con
tinue three days and three mghts in the cham
bers of the tomb. Adding, that the Ninevites re
pented at the preacMng^of the prophet Jonas ;
and the queen of the South undertook a long
journey to Jerusalem, to hear the wisdom of So
lomon; but they refused to attend to the doc
trines of an infinitely greater prophet than Jonas,
or listen to one much wiser than Solomon. Con
cluding his discourse with a very apposite para
ble, tending to show the great danger of resisting
conviction, and breaking through resolutions,
as such actions tended entirely to render men
more obdurate and abandoned than before.
During this dispute with the Pharisees, Jesus
was informed that his mother and brethren, or
kinsmen, were without, desiring to speak to him ;
upon which the blessed Jesus stretched out Ms
hands towards his disciples, and said, Behold my
mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall do
the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same
is my brother, and sister, and mother. Matt. xii.
49, 50. This glorious truth should be stamped
on the minds of all believers, as it shows that
every one, of what nation or kindred soever,
who is brought into subjection to the will of
God, is allied to the blessed Jesus, and entitled
to the salvation of God.

CHAP. XIII.
Our Lord delivers many remarkable Pa
rables, and explains several of them. —
Returns to Nazareth, and commissions
the Twelve Apostles, whom he had be
fore selected as his constant Attendants
No. 7.

and Followers, to disperse and preach
the Gospel of the kingdom of God in
divers Places. — Circumstances of the
Death of John the Baptist.
THE miraculous power of our blessed Lord,
both in performing the most astonishing
acts, and confuting the most learned of the
Pharisaical tribe, who endeavoured to oppose
his mission and doctrine, brought together so
great a multitude, that he repaired to the sea
side ; and, for the better instructing the people,
entered into a ship, and the whole multitude stood
on the shore. Being thus conveniently seated,
he delivered many doctrines of the utmost im
portance, beginning with the parable of the
sower, who cast his seed on different kinds of
soil, the products of which were answerable to
the nature of the ground, some yielding a large
increase, others nothing at all. By this striking
similitude, the blessed Jesus represented the dif
ferent kinds of hearers, and the different manner
in which they were affected by the truths of re
ligion. Some wholly suppress the doctrines de
livered; in others they produce the fruits of
righteousness in different proportions. And
surely a more proper parable could not have
been delivered, when such multitudes came
to hear his discourses, and so few practised
the precepts, or profited by the heavenly doc
trines, they contained.
To vindicate the propriety of our Saviour's
conduct, it may not be amiss here to observe,
that parables were very familiar to the Oriental
nations, and particularly so in Palestine, as we
learn from the concurrent testimony of all the
Eastern writers; and it was the general method,
both of the old prophets, John the Baptist, and
our blessed Saviour himself, to allude to things
present, and such as immediately offered them
selves. Our Saviour also, by using this manner
X

82

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIII.

of teacMng, fulfilled the prophecies concerning
the Messiah, relating to Ms method of instruc
tion, it being foretold, that he should open his
mouth in parables, and utter things which had
been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
It is, therefore, no wonder that the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven are generally the subject
of our Saviour's parables ; his grand and funda
mental doctrines being delivered in clear, plain,
and express terms, but sometimes heightened and
enlivened by the addition of beautiful parables.
Similitudes of this kind are, mdeed, the most
simple method of teaching, and best accommo
dated to the apprehensions of the vulgar and
unlearned, and very easy to be remembered,
understood, and applied. At the same time, they
are the finest veil for mysteries, and the best means
of convicting the proud and obstinate, as well as
concealing from them those truths which their
perverseness and infidelity have rendered them
unworthy of having more clearly displayed.
But to return. The parable being finished,
his disciples asked why he taught the people
in parables? To which he answered, Be
cause it is given unto you to know the myste
ries 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:
hut ivhosoever 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 un
derstand. Matt. xiii. 11, &c. As if he had said,
You, my beloved disciples, who are of a hum
ble, docile temper, and are willing to use means,
and resort to me for instruction, and the ex
planation of the truths I deliver; to you it
shall be no disadvantage, that they are de
livered in parables. Besides, my discourses
are plain and intelligible to all unprejudiced
minds; truth will sMne through the veil in

which it is arrayed, and the shadow will guide
you to the substance. But these proud, these
self-conceited Pharisees, who are so blinded
by their own prejudices, that they will neither
hear nor understand a thing plainly delivered ;
to them I preach in parables, and hide the
great truths of the Gospel under such meta
phorical robes, as will for ever conceal them from
persons of their temper. They have, there
fore, brought upon themselves this ' blindness,
that in seeing they see npt ; and tMs .wilful deaf
ness, that in hearing" they hear not, neither do
they understand.
The blessed Jesus added, that there was
no reason for their being surprised at what
he had told them, as it had long before been
predicted by the prophet Isaiah. By hearing,
ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and
seeing, ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For
this people's heart is waxed gross, and their
ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have
they closed; lest at any time they should see
with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
should understand with their heart, and should
be converted, and I should heal them. Matt.
xiii. 14, 15. There is some variation m the
words, as quoted by the Evangelist, and those
found in Isaiah, but the import of both is the
same, and may be paraphrased in the fol
lowing manner : ' The sons of Jacob shall, in-
' deed, hear the doctrines of the Gospel, but
' not understand them ; and see the miracles
' by which these doctrines are confirmed, with-
' out perceiving them to be wrought by the
' finger of God : not because the evidences
' produced by the Messiah are insufficient, but
' because the corruption of their hearts will
' not suffer them to examine and weigh these
' evidences ; for the sins of this people have
' hardened their hearts, their pride and va-
' nity have shut their ears, and their hypocrisy

Chap. XIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

83

4 and bigoted adherence to traditions and
'forced interpretations of the law and the
' prophets, have closed their eyes, lest the
' brilliant rays of truth should strike then sight
' with irresistible force, and the powerful voice
' of divine Wisdom force their attention, and
' command their assent; being unwiffing to
• be directed to the paths of righteousness which
' lead to the heavenly Canaan.'
Such are the reasons given by our blessed Sa
viour for his teaching the people by parables ;
and to enhance the great privilege his disci
ples enjoyed, he added, that many patriarchs
and prophets of old, had earnestly desired to
see and hear those tilings which the people
now saw and heard, but were demed that
favour; God having, till then, showed them
to his most eminent saints in shadows only,
and as they lay brooding in the womb of
futurity. But blessed are your eyes, for they
see, and your ears, for they hear. For verily
I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous
men have desired to see those things which ye
see, and have not seen them : and to hear those
things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Matt. xiii. 16.
Our Lord having, by these means, excited
the desire of Ms disciples, proceeded to ex
plain to them the parable of the sower. The
sower, said he, soweth the word. The seed,
therefore, implies the doctrines of true reli
gion ; and the various kinds of soil, the various
kinds of hearers. The ground by the highway-
side, wMch is apt to be beaten by men treading
upon it, is an image of those who have their
mhids so blinded by impiety, that though they
hear the Gospel preached, it makes no impression
on their callous hearts, because they either hear
it inattentively, or quickly forget the words of
the preacher. And surely no similitude could

more strongly represent this insensibility and
inattention, than the beaten ground bordering
on the highway, into which this seed never
entering, it is picked up by the fowls of the
air, or trodden and broken by the feet of pas
sengers. When any one heareth the word of
the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then
cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that
which was sown in his heart; this is he which
received seed by the way side. Matt. xiii. 19.
We must not suppose that the devil has the
power of robbing hearers of their knowledge,
by an immediate act of his own, because he is
said to catch away the word sown in their
hearts; but by the opportunities they give the
deceiver of mankind for. exerting his strong
temptations, and particularly those which have
a relation to their commerce with men : a cir
cumstance that could not escape the observation
of St. Luke, who tells us, that the seed was
trodden down, or destroyed, by their own head
strong lusts, wMch, like so many birds pinched
with hunger, devoured the seed implanted in
their minds.
The rocky ground represents those hear
ers, who so far receive the word into their
hearts, that it discovers itself by good reso
lutions formed on slight conviction, which are,
perhaps, accompanied with a partial reforma
tion of some sins, and the temporary practice
of some vhtues. But the word has not sunk
deep enough in then minds to remain con
stantly there : its abode with them is only for
a season; and, therefore, when persecution
ariseth for the sake of the Gospel, and such
hearers are exposed to tribulations of any kind,
the blade, which sprung up quickly, withers
for want of being watered with the streams
of piety and virtue, like the vegetable pro
ductions of the earth, when deprived of the

84

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIII.

enlivening rains and dews of heaven, and a
want of earth to contain this balmy fluid, when
the rays of the sun dart in full vigour upon
them. But he that received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that heareth the word, and
anon with joy receiveth it : yet hath he not root
in himself, but dureth for a while ; for when
tribulation and persecution ariseth, because of
the word, by and by he is offended. Matt.
xiii. 20, 21.
The ground encumbered with thorns, which
sprung up with the seed, and choked it, repre
sents all those who receive the word into their
hearts, but who suffer the cares' of this world to
spring up, which will, sooner or later, destroy
whatever good resolutions are raised by the
word. The cares of the world are compared to
thorns, not only because of then pernicious ten
dency in choking the word, but because they
cannot be eradicated without great pain and dif
ficulty. In this parable, the hearers of tMs de
nomination are distinguished from those who
receive the seed on stony ground, not so much
by the effect of the word upon their minds, as
by the different causes of unfruitfulness in each ;
for in both the seed sprang up, but brought
forth no fruit Those represented by the stony
ground have no depth of soil ; those by the thorny
ground are choked by the cares of "tMs world ; by
the deceitfulness of riches, and the love of plea
sures, which, sooner or later, will stifle the im
pressions of the word ; by which means they at
last become as unfruitful as the former. But
both are distingmshed from those hearers repre
sented by the seed sown by the highway-side,
that they received the word, and, in some mea
sure, obey its precepts. Whereas, the first never
retained the word at all, hearing without atten
tion ; or if they do attend, forget it immediately.
He also that receiveth seed among the thorns, is he
that heareth the word; and the cares of this

world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke
thejword, and he beeometh unfruitful. Matt
xiii. 22,
In opposition to these unprofitable hearers of
the word, others are represented as hearing the
word attentively, understanding it clearly, and
treasuring it up. with' great care. These are
convinced of the truths delivered, and practise
them, though contrary to their prejudices, and
opposite to their inclinations. All those bring
forth, some an hundred fold, some sixty, and
some thirty, in proportion to the different degrees
of strength in which they possess the graces
necessary to the profitable hearing the word of
righteousness. Having ended this interpretation of the pa
rable of the sower, he continued his discourse
to his disciples, explaining to them, by the
similitude of a lighted lamp, the use they were
expected to make of all the excellent instruc
tions they had and should receive from him.
Their understanding, he told them, was to
illuminate the world, as a brilliant lamp, placed
in the centre of an apartment, enlightens the
whole. He added, that though some of the
doctrines of the Gospel were then concealed
from the people, because of then prejudices,
yet the time would come when these doc
trines should be preached openly and plainly
through the world ; and, therefore, it was their
duty, to whom God had given both an oppor
tunity of hearing, and a capacity of under
standing these doctrines, to listen with the ut
most attention. Is a candle brought to be put w»-
der a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be set
on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid
which shall not be manifested ; neither was any
thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
If any man have ears to hear, let him hew.
Mark iv. 21, 22, 23.

Chap. XIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

85

But as it was a matter of great importance that
the disciples who were to publish the Gospel
throughout the whole world, should listen with the
closest. attention to his sermons, he repeated his
admonitions : adding, that their present privileges
and future rewards should be both proportioned
to the fidelity and care with which they dis
charged the important trust committed to them.
Take heed what ye hear : with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you ; and unto you
that hear shall more be given. Mark iv. 24.
Having explained these parables to his disciples,
he turned himself to the multitude on the shore,
and, in his usual endearing accent, delivered the
¦ parable of the enemy sowing tares among the
wheat ; and on their first appearance astonishing
the husbandman's servants, who knew the field
had been sowed with good seed; and, in order
to free the wheat from such injurious plants,
proposed to root them up. But this the hus
bandman absolutely refused, lest, by extirpating
the one, they injured the other; adding, that
he would take care, at the time of harvest, to
give orders to his reapers, that they should first
gather the tares into bundles, and burn them,
and afterwards carry the wheat to the grana
ries. The kingdom of heaven, said the blessed
Jesus, is likened unto a man which sowed good
seed in his field ; but while men slept, his enemy
came, and sowed tares among the wheat, and
went his way. But when the blade was sprung
up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the
tares also. So the servants of the householder
came, and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not
sow good seed in thy field ? from whence then
hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy
hath done this? The servants said unto him,
Wilt thou then that we go and gather them
up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather-
up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with
them. Let both grow together until the harvest:
No. 8.

and in the time of harvest I ivill say to tlie
reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and
bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather
the wheat into my barn. Matt. xiii. 24, &c.
This parable of the tares being ended, he
spake another, concerning the seed which sprung
up secretly, representing the gradual progress
of the Gospel among the sons of men. He
informed them, under this- similitude, that the
husbandman does not, by any efficacy of his,
cause the seed he casts into the ground to
grow, but leaves it to be nourished by the
teeming virtues of the soil, and the enlivemng
rays of the sun : in the same manner Jesus
and his Apostles, having taught men the doc
trine of true religion, were not, by any mi
raculous force, to constrain the wills, much
less, by the terrors of fire and sword, to in
terpose visibly in the promotion of it; but
suffer it to spread by the secret influences of
the Holy Spirit, till it attained its full effect.
And as the husbandman cannot, by the most
diligent observation, perceive the corn in his
field extending its dimensions as it grows ; so
the ministers of Christ were not, at the first
planting of the Gospel, to expect to see it make
a sudden progress through the world.
The ministers of religion must not, how
ever, from hence imagine, that religion will
flourish without their carefully and importu
nately pressing its precepts upon the minds
of their hearers. The parable was spoken to
inform the Jews in particular, that neither
the Messiah nor his servants would employ
force to establish the kingdom of God, as they
vainly expected the Messiah would have done ;
and to prevent the disciples from fainting, when
they saw that an immediate and rapid success
did not attend their labours. So is the king
dom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the
Y

86

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIII.

ground; and should sleep, and rise night and
day, and the seed should spring, and grow up,
he knpweth not how. For the earth bringeth
forth fruit of herself: first the blade, then the
ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But
when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he
putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Mark iv. 26, &c.
The next parable he spake to the multitude
was that of the mustard-seed, which, though
very small when sown, becomes, in Palestine',
and other parts of the East, a full-spreading tree.
Intimating to his audience, under this similitude,
that notwithstanding the Gospel would at first
appear contemptible, from the ignominy flowing
from the crucifixion of its Author, the strict
ness of its precepts, the weakness of the per
sons by whom' it was preached, and die small
number and mean condition of those who re- j
ceived it; yet being founded on truth itself,
it would increase to an astonishing magnitude,
filling the whole earth, and affording a spiritual
nourishment to persons of all nations, who
should enjoy all the privileges of the Messiah's
kingdom equally with the Jews. And surely
a more proper parable could not have been
uttered, to encourage his disciples to persevere
in the work of the ministry, notwithstanding
it would in the beginning be opposed by the
learned, the rich, and the powerful. The king
dom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-
seed, which a man took and sowed in his field:
Which indeed is the least of all seeds ; but when
it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and
becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air
come and lodge in the branches thereof. Matt.
xiii. 31,32.
Our blessed Saviour concluded his discourse
to the multitude with the parable of the leaven,
to intimate the influence of the doctrine of the

Gospel on the minds of particular persons. The
kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a
wo nan took and hid in three measures of meal,
till the whole was leavened. Matt. xiii. 33.
While Jesus was thus employed in his heavenly
Father's business, his mother and brethren came
a second time, desiring to see him. In all pro
bability they feared that the continued fatigue
of preaching would injure Ms health ; and were,
therefore, desirous of taking him with them, that
he might refresh himself. But the blessed Jesus,
who was never weary of doing good, answered
his indulgent parent, as before, My mother and
my brethren are these which hear the word of God%
and do it. Luke viii. 21.
Night approaching, Jesus dismissed the mul
titude, and returned to the house, in Capernaum,
where he abode, and there explained to his dis
ciples the parable of the tares in the field. The
husbandman, said the blessed Saviour, is the Son
of man ; the field, the Christian church, planted
in different parts of the world ; the wheat, are
those that believe in Christ, who obey the pre
cepts of the Gospel, and are supported by the
influences of the Holy Spirit ; and the tares,
the bad professors, seduced into the paths of vice
by the temptations of the devil. Our blessed
Lord, therefore, by this parable, represented the
mixed nature of the church on earth, the dismal
end of the hypocrites, and those who forget
God ; for these may deceive for a time, by as
suming the robes of virtue and religion ; yet
they will not fail, sooner or later, to betray
themselves, and show that they are only wolves
in sheep's clothing. At the same time, however
sincerely we may wish to see the church freed
from her corrupted members, we must not ex
tirpate them by force, lest, being deceived by
outward appearances, we also destroy the wheat,
or sound members. We must leave tins dis-

Chap. XIII.

ii-

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

87

Unction to that awful day, when the great Mes
siah will descend to judgment ; for then a final
separation will be made : the wicked cast into
torments that will never have an end ; but the
righteous received into life eternal, where they
shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Matt. xiii. 43.
Our Lord, on this occasion, delivered the
parable of the treasure hid in the field, and of
the pearl of great price, both designed for the
same purpose, to promote the diligence, zeal, and
resolution of his disciples, in searching into and
teaching these great and important truths, in
wMch the glory of God, and the salvation of
souls, were so much concerned. And surely the
similitudes, both of the treasure and pearl, are
very naturally used to signify the Gospel; the
former, as it enriches all who possess it ; and the
latter, because it is rnore precious than rubies.
But that the disciples must expect that the
Christian church would consist of a mixed mul
titude of people, the good blended with the bad,
in such a manner that it would be difficult to se
parate them, he compared it to a net cast into the
sea, which gathered fish of every kind, good and
bad, which were separated when the net was
drawn to land ; that is, at the last great day of
accounts, when the righteous will be conveyed to
life eternal, and the wicked cast into everlasting
misery. Our blessed Saviour, having finished these
parables, asked his disciples, if they understood
diem ? and upon their answering in the affirma
tive, he added, that every teacher of the Gospel
ought to resemble a person whose house was
completely furnished, and brought forth out of
his treasure things new and old.
Soon after, Jesus left Capernaum^ and repaired

to Nazareth, where he had been brought up,
and preached in the syuagogue the glad tidings
of the kingdom of God ; but his townsmen,
though astonished at his doctrine, could not
overcome the prejudices they had conceived
against him, on account of the meanness ofv
his family, and thence refused to own him for
the Messiah. Our Saviour, finding them the
same incorrigible persons as when he visited
them before, departed from them, and taught
in the neighbouring villages. They, in common
with all the Jews, were strangers to the true
character of the Messiah, whom they considered
as a temporal prince ; and, therefore, could not
bear that a person, so mean as Jesus appeared
to be, should perform works peculiar to that
idol of their vanity, a glorious, triumphant, se
cular Messiah.
While our Lord resided in the neighbourhood
of Nazareth, he sent out his disciples to preach
in different parts of Galilee, and to proclaim the
glad tidings, that God was then going to establish
the kingdom of the Messiah, wherein he would
be worshipped in spirit and in truth. And in
order that they might confirm the doctrines they
delivered, and prove that they had received their
commission from the Son of God, they were
endowed with the power of working miracles.
How long they continued their preaching cannot
be known; but it is reasonable to think they
spent a considerable time in it, preachmg in se
veral parts, of Judea.
The miracles which the Apostles wrought,
raised the expectations of men higher than
ever; the people were astonished to see the
disciples of Jesus perform so many miracles ;
and thence concluded, that our Saviour must
be greater than any of the old prophets, who
could not transmit the power they enjoyed to
any other. This extraordinary circumstance

88

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIII.

could not fail of spreading his fame through
the whole country; it even reached the ears
of Herod the Tetrarch, who, fearing a person
of such extraordinary abilities, was very uneasy ;
which some of his courtiers observing, endea
voured to remove, telling him, that one of the
old prophets was risen from the dead : but this
did not satisfy him, and he declared that he be
lieved it was John the Baptist risen from the
dead. And he said unto his servants, This is
John the Baptist ; he is risen from the dead, and,
therefore, mighty works do show forth themselves
in him. Matt. xiv. 2.
The Evangelists having on this account men
tioned John the Baptist, inform us that Flerod
had put Mm to death; but when this happened
is uncertain. It has already been observed, that Herod had
cast John into prison for his boldness in reproving
him for the adulterous commerce in which he
lived with his brother's wife. The sacred writers
have not told us how long he continued in
prison; but it is plain from his two disciples,
who came from him to our Saviour, that his
followers did not forsake him in his melancholy
condition. Nay, Herod himself both respected
and feared him, knowing that he was highly
and deservedly beloved by the people ; he con
sulted him often, and in many things followed
his advice. But Herodias, his brother's wife,
with whom he lived in so shameful a manner,
being continually uneasy lest Herod should be
prevailed upon to set him at liberty, sought all
opportunities to destroy him ; and at last an in
cident happened, which enabled her to accom
plish her intention.
The king having on his birth-day made a !
great feast for his friends, she sent her daughter
Salome, whom she had by Philip, her lawful

husband, into the saloon, to dance before the
king and his guests. Her performance was re
markably elegant, and so charmed Herod, that
he promised with an oath to give her whatever
she asked.
Having obtained so remarkable a promise, she
ran to her mother, desiring to know what she
should ask ? and was instructed by that wicked
woman, to require the head of John the Baptist.
Her mother's desire, doubtless, surprised Salome,
as she could not possibly see the use of asking
what would be of no service to her. But He
rodias would take no denial, peremptorily in
sisting on her demanding the head of the Baptist.
Accordingly, she returned to Herod, saying, 1
loill that thou give me, by and by, in a charger, the
head of John the Baptist.
So cruel a request thrilled every breast : the
gayety of -the king was vanished ; he was vexed
and confounded. But being unwilling to appear
either rash, fickle, or false, before a company of
the first persons of his kingdom for rank and
character, he commanded the head to be given
her ; not one of the guests having the courage
to speak a single word in behalf of an inno
cent man, or attempt to divert Herod from
his mad purpose, though he gave them an op
portunity of doing it, by signifying to them that
he performed his oath merely put of regard to
the company. Thus Herod, through a misplaced
regard to his oath and his guests, committed a
most unjust and cruel action ; an action that will
for ever brand his memory with dishonour, and
render his very name detestable to the latest
posterity- Soon after the command was given, the head of
that venerable prophet, whose rebukes had struck
II erod with awe in his loosest moments, and whose
exhortations often alarmed his guiltv conscience,

Chap. XIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

89

was brought, pale and bloody, in a charger, and
given to the daughter of Herodias in the pre
sence of all the guests. The young lady eagerly
received the bloody present, and carried it to her
mother, who enjoyed the whole pleasure of re
venge, and feasted her eyes with the sight of her
enemy's head, now silent and harmless. But she
could not silence the name of the Baptist ; it be
came louder and louder, filling the earth and
heavens, and publishing to every people and
nation this woman's baseness and adultery.
Thus fell that great and good man, John the
Baptist, who was proclaimed, by our blessed Sa
viour himself, to be more than a prophet. Jose
phus tells us, that his whole crime consisted in
exhorting the Jews to the love and practice of
virtue ; and, in the first place, to piety, justice, and
regeneration, or newness of life ; and not by the
abstinence from tMs or that particular sin, but by
an habitual purity of mind and body.
It may- not be improper, on this occasion, to
hint, that the history of this birth-day, transmitted
to posterity in the Scriptures, stands a perpetual
beacon, to warn the great, the gay, and the
young, to beware of dissolute mirth. Admonished
by so fatal an example, they should be careful to
maintain, in the midst of their cheerfulness, an ha
bitual recollection of spirit, lest reason, at anytime
enervated by the pleasures of sense, should slacken
the rein of Wisdom, or let it drop, though only
for a moment; because their headstrong pas
sions, ever impatient of control, may catch the
opportunity, and rush with them into follies,
whose consequences will be unspeakably, per
haps eternally, bitter. ,
CHAP. XIV.
Our Lord adds to the confirmation of his
Mission and Doctrine, by working a
Miracle in the Wilderness of Beth-
No. 8.

saida. — The People, struck with the
Power and Grace of the blessed Jesus,
propose to raise him to the earthly Dig
nity of King. — -Peter, by means of his
blessed Master, performs a Miracle in
iva Iking upon the Sea. — Our Lord's
Improvement of the Miracles wrought
in the Wilderness introduced in a Dis
course delivered in the Synagogue of
Capernaum.
THE disciples were so alarmed at the cruel
fate of the Baptist, whose memory they
highly revered, that they returned from their
mission, and assisted in performing the last offices
to the body of their old master, many of the
Apostles having been originally disciples of John.
As soon as these pious rites were over, they
repaired to Jesus, and told him all that had
happened. Their compassionate Master, on hearing tMs
melancholy news, retired with them by sea into
a desert place belonging to Bethsaida, that by
retirement, meditation, and prayer, they might
be refreshed and recruited for their spiritual
labours; and, at the same time, leave an ex
ample to us, that we should often retire from
the noise and hurry of the world, and offer up
the most fervent prayers to our heavenly
Father. But the multitude attended so closely, that
their departure was not long concealed; and
great numbers of people repaired to the place
where they supposed Jesus. and his disciples had
secluded themselves. Struck with the greatness
of his miracles on those that were sick, and
anxious to hear more instructions from the
mouth of so divine a teacher, no difficulties were
too great for them to surmount, nor any place

90

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIV.

too retired for them to penetrate, in search of
their admired preacher.
Nor was the beneficent Saviour of the world
regardless of their pious esteem. He saw them,
he was moved with compassion towards them, be
cause they were as sheep not having a shepherd :
multitudes of people without a pastor ; a large
harvest without labourers : motives abundantly
sufficient to excite compassion in the Son of God.
The situation of those numerous throngs of
people, scattered abroad, without a guide, with
out a guardian; a large flock of defenceless
sheep, without a single shepherd to defend them
from the jaws of the infernal wolf; was truly
deplorable. The blessed Jesus, therefore, that
good Shepherd, who came to lay down his life for
the sheep, was moved with pity towards them ;
the same pity which brought him from the
courts of heaven, for the sake of his lost and
wandering sheep in the desert, now brought
him to this multitude of people, whom he in
structed in the doctrines of eternal life; and,
with his usual goodness, healed all the sick
among them.
Intently devoted to teaching and healing the
people, our blessed Saviour did not seem to
notice the day to wear away, and that the
greatest part of it was already spent : but his
disciples, too anxious about the things of this
world, thought proper to advise him of it ; as
if the Son of God wanted any directions from
man. The day, said his disciples, is now far
advanced, and the place a solitary desert, where
neither food nor lodging can be procured : it
would, therefore, be convenient to dismiss the
people, that they may repair to the towns or
villages on the borders of the wilderness, and
provide themselves with food and lodgmg ; for
they have nothing to eat

But our Lord prevented that trouble, by
telling them there was no necessity for sending
the people away to procure victuals for them
selves, as they might satisfy the hunger of the
multitude by giving them to eat. And, at the
same time, to prove what opinion his disciples
entertained of his power, addressed himself to
Philip, who was well acquainted with the coun
try, and said, Whence shall we buy bread, that
these may eat ?
Philip, astonished at the seeming impossibility
of procuring a supply for so great a multitude,
with the small sum of money which he knew was
their all, and forgetting the extent of his Master's
power, answered, Two hundred pennyworth of
bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of,
them may take a little. John vi. 7.
Our blessed Saviour might now have put the
same question to Philip that he did on another
occasion : Have I been so long time with you, and
yet hast thou not known me, Philip? John xiv. 9.
Hast thou beheld so many miracles, and art still
ignorant that I can supply food, not only for this
people, but for all the sons of men, and for the
cattle upon a thousand hills?
But he contented himself with answering,
Give ye them to eat. The twelve, not yet com
prehending the design of their Master, repeated,
the objection of Philip ; but added, that they
were willing to expend their whole stock, in
order to procure as large a supply as possible.
Shall we go, said they, and buy two hundred
pennyworth of bread, that they may eat?
But this was by no means the design of their
great Master, who, instead of making a direct
answer to their question, asked them, How many
loaves have ye ? How much provision can be
found among tMs multitude ? Go and see.

Chap. XIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

91

The disciples obeyed the command of their
Master ; and Andrew soon returned, to inform
him that the whole stock amounted to no more
than five barley-loaves, and two small fishes ;
a quantity so inconsiderable, that it scarcely
deserved notice. What are they, said his dis
ciple, among so many? What, indeed, would
they have been among such a multitude of
people, if they had not been distributed by the
creating hand of the Son of God ?
Jesus, notwithstanding the smallness of the
number, ordered them to be Drought to him ;
and immediately commanded the multitude to
sit down on the grass, with which the place
abounded ; directing Ms disciples, at the same
time, to range them in a regular order, by hun
dreds and fifties in a company, each company
forming a long square, containing a hundred in
rank, and fifty in file, that the number might be
more easily ascertained, and the people more re
gularly served.
In obedience to his command, the people sat
down in the manner they were ordered, big
with the expectation of what this uncommon
preparation portended ; while the great Master
of the banquet stood ready to supply the ne
cessities of all his guests ; a banquet, where,
though they had no canopy but the azure sky,
no table but the verdant turf; where their food
was only coarse barley-bread and dried fishes,
and then drink only water from a bubbling
fountain, yet displayed more real grandeur, by
the presence of the divine Master of it, than
the royal feast of gorgeous Ahasuerus, or the
splendid entertainment of the imperious Nebu
chadnezzar. The multitude being seated, Jesus took the
loaves and fishes into his hands in the sight of
all the people, that they might be convinced

of the small quantity of provisions that were
then before them, and that they could only ex
pect to be fed by his supernatural power. But
that hand, which had constantly sustained na
ture, could now easily multiply these five loaves
and two fishes; for, as the Psahnist elegantly
observes, He openeth his hand, and filleth all
things living with plenteousness. Accordingly,
he looked up to heaven, returned thanks to
God, the liberal giver of all good things, for
his infimte beneficence in furnishing food for
all flesh, and for the power he had conferred
on him of relieving mankind by Ms miracles,
particularly for that he was about to work.
This done, he blessed them ; and so peculiarly
efficacious was his blessing, that these five barley-
loaves and two fishes were multiplied into a
quantity sufficient to supply the wants of five
thousand men, besides women and children,
who, on the most favourable supposition, must
amount to an equal number. And Jesus took the
loaves ; and when he had given thanks, he dis
tributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them
that were set down ; and likewise of the fishes, as
much as they would. John vi. 11.
Thus did the compassionate and powerful
Redeemer feed at least ten thousand people with
five barley -loaves and two small fishes, giving a
magnificent proof both of his power and good
ness. For after all had eaten to satiety, they
took up twelve baskets* full of the broken pieces,
a much larger quantity than was at first set before
our Lord to divide.
Miraculous work ! But what is too hard for
God? What is impossible to Omnipotence?
Strange perverseness of the sons of men, that
after such manifestations of Almighty power, they
should incredulously doubt, or impiously distrust,
the providence and fatherly care of this sove
reign, this infinitely gracious Being, into whose

92

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap, XIV.

hands the Father hath delivered this world, and
all its concerns ! We are his by right of creation
and redemption, and him we are bound to serve :
and blessed are they who are faithful to so kind
a Master, and are obedient to so compassionate
a Father. The literal account of this miracle, as recorded
by the several Evangelists, is very plain, as well
as circumstantial ; and it is remarkable, that the
circumstances of the place and time tended to
mignify its greatness. The place was a desert,
where there was no possibility of procuring any
sustenance. Had he done this mighty work in
any of the towns or villages round about, the
Pharisees in those days, and the infidels of ours,
might have objected, that he had received se
cretly some supplies; but this, in the present
case, was impossible. The time was the even
ing ; the people had been all the day fasting, and,
consequently, were ready for their meal. Had it
been done in the morning, they might have said,
either that the people had been just refreshed, or
were not hungry ; consequently, the miracle not
great. But the time and place wholly removed
all objections of this kind; and proved, beyond
all possibility of doubt, that God can furnish a
table in the wilderness.
We should learn from this great miracle to
remember, That it is the Lord who every year
blesses mankind with plentiful supplies of every
tiling necessary; it is this Lord who, agreeably
to the emphatical words of David, visiteth the
earth and blesseth it ; who maketh it very plen
teous : who watereth her furrows, and sendelh
rain into the little valleys thereof; who maketh
it soft with showers, and blesseth the increase
of it ; who crowneth the year with his goodness,
while his clouds drop fatness, making the valleys
stand so thick with corn, that 'they laugh and
sing; whose beneficent hand and hberal bounty

call for all their praise, and claim all their thank
fulness. For however inattentively we may be
hold this mighty work of Omnipotence, it is no
less a mercy, that our Lord should every day
support and feed the whole race of mankind, and
all the creatures of his hand, than that -Christ
should feed five thousand with five loaves and
two fishes ; for what proportion do five thousand
bear to those myriads of men, who are daily fed
from the fruits of the earth ? the increase, of
wMch is equally wonderful with the increase of
the bread and loaves by the blessing of Jesus !
How small is the seed sown, when compared
with the produce ! It is carried out in handfuls,
and brought home in sheaves; and who can tell
by what secret operations this wonderful effect
is wrought ? Nature is equally wonderful in all
her works, as in this particular; and the Divinity,
to an attentive observer, equally visible in these
regular productions, as in miraculous supplies
afforded; equally seen m the wine produced from
the moisture of the earth, filtrated through the
branches of the vine, as in that instantaneously
made from water at the marriage of Cana;
equally seen m the corn gradually ripened, and
made into bread for the support of mankind, as
in the bread miraculously blessed to the support
of the five thousand.
But the constant repetition of these surprising
operations renders them common, and, being
common, they are less observed. Our heavenly
Father, therefore, condescends to deviate from
the common order of things, to rouse and awaken
our attention. But if we are dead and utterly/
mattentive to the works of God in nature, where
we see the divine magnificence and bounty so
visibly, so richly displayed, there is too much
reason to fear, that outward miracles will not
now awaken us. We are, however, apt to de
ceive ourselves in this respect, and are often led
to conclude, that had we been present at so

Chap. XIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

93

stupendous a miracle, as that we are contem
plating, we should have adored the divine hand
that wrought it, and never have forsaken the
blessed Jesus. But, alas ! if all the displays of
God's divine power in the works of creation,
if all the evidences of his omnipotence, if the
continual supplies of his bounty, and the most
legible characters of his adorable love, written
upon all the creatures of his hand, will not
produce in us grateful and rejoicing hearts to
Mm, there is great reason to fear, that had we
seen the blessed Jesus, feed five thousand men
with five barley-loaves and two small fishes;
had we ourselves been partakers of this mira
culous banquet, we should have acted like many
who really enjoyed these privileges, and have
turned away at some of his hard sayings, and
walked no more with him.
But to return. The people, when they had
seen the Saviour of the world perform so stu
pendous a miracle, were astomshed above mea
sure; and, in the height of their transport,
proposed to take Jesus by force, and make
him a king, concluding, that he must then
assume the tide of the Messiah, whose coming
they had so long earnesdy expected, and un
der whose reign they expected all kinds of
temporal felicities.
But our Lord, well knowing the intentions of
the multitude, and the inclinations of Ms dis
ciples to second them, ordered the latter to repair
immediately to their boat, and sail for Bethsaida,
while he sent away the multitude. They would,
it seems, gladly have detained the people, with
whom they fully agreed m sentiments ; and even
lingered till he constrained them to get into the
boat; so fully were they still possessed, that
their Master was to take the reins of govern
ment, and become a powerful prince over the
house of Jacob.
No. 8.

The people suffered the disciples to depart
without the least remorse, as they saw that Jesus
did not go with them.
Perhaps they imagined he was sending them
away, to provide such things as they had need
of. Nor did they refuse to disperse when he
commanded them, purposing to return in the
morning, as we find they actually did.
Having thus sent the disciples and the mul
titude away, Jesus repaired himself to the summit
of a mountain, spending the evening in heavenly
contemplations and ardent prayers to Ms Al
mighty Father.
But the disciples, meeting with a contrary
wind, could not continue their course to Beth
saida, which lay about two leagues to the north
ward of the desert mountain, where the multitude
were miraculously fed. They, however, did all
in their power to land as near that city as pos
sible, but were tossed up and down all the night
by the tempest ; so that in the fourth watch, or
between three and six o'clock in the morning,
they were not above a league from the shore.
Their divine Master beheld from the moun
tain their distressed situation ; but they were
ignorant of his presence, though he was now
corning to their relief. From hence we should
learn, when the stormy billows of affliction as
sault and seem ready to overwhelm us, not to
despair of relief; for he who beholds every par
ticular of our distress, hath not forgotten to be
gracious, but will surely come to our help, and
work our deliverance in a manner altogether
unexpected. He often calms the storm of af
fliction that surrounds us, and commands the
bellowing waves of trouble to subside. Human
wisdom, indeed, is often at a loss ; it can dis
cover no hopes of deliverance, nor see any way
2A

94

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIV.

to escape ; but the Almighty can easily effect the
one, or point out the other.
Such was the state of the disciples ; they were
tossed by boisterous waves, and opposed in their
course by the rapid current of the wind, so that
all hopes of reaching the place intended were
vanished ; wnen, behold, their heavenly Master,
to assist them in this distressful situation, comes
to them, walking on the foaming surface of the
sea. Their Lord's approach filled them with
astonishment ; they took him for an apparition,
and shrieked for fear. Their terrors were, how
ever, soon removed ; their great and affectionate
Master talked to them, with the sound of whose
voice they were perfectly acquainted. Be of
good cheer, said the blessed Jesus ; it is I; be
not afraid.
Peter, a man of a warm and forward temper,
beholding Jesus walking on the sea, was ex
ceedingly amazed, and conceived the strongest
desire of being enabled to perform so wonderful
an action.
Accordingly, without the least reflection, he
immediately begged that his Master would bid
him come to him on the water. He did not
doubt but that Jesus would gratify his request,
as it sufficiently intimated that he would readily.
undertake any thing, however difficult, at the
command of his Saviour. But it appeared, that
his faith was too weak to support him to that
height of obedience to which he would have wil
lingly soared. To convince this forward disciple
of the weakness of his faith, and render him more
diffident of his own strength, our blessed Saviour
granted Peter his request. He ordered him to
come to him upon the water.
Peter joyfully obeyed his divine Master : he
left the boat, and walked on the surface of the

sea. But the wind increasing, made a dreadful
noise, and the boisterous waves, at the same
time, threatened every moment to overwhelm
him. His faith now staggered, his presence of
mind forsook him ; he forgot that bis Saviour
was at his hand ; and in proportion as his faith
decreased, the waters yielded, and he sunk. In
this extremity he looked around for his Master;
and, on the very brink of being swallowed up,
cried, Lord, save me!' His cry was not diregarded
by his compassionate Saviour ; he stretched forth
his hand and caught him-, and said unto him, 0
thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Peter was convinced, before he left the ship,
that it was Jesus who was coming to them on
the water ; nor did he even doubt it when he
was sinking, because he then implored his as
sistance. But when he found the storm increase,
and the billows rage more horribly than before,
his fears suggested, that either his Master would
be unable or unwilling to support him amidst
the frightful blasts of the tempest.
His fears were, therefore, both unreasonable
and culpable ; unreasonable, because the same
power that had enabled him to walk on the
surface of the deep, was abundantly sufficient
to support him there, notwithstanding all the
horrors of the storm : culpable, because he con- ¦.
sidered his Master as unable to preserve him,
or that he paid no regard to his promise; for
Jesus had virtually promised him his assistance,
when he granted his petition. This circumstance
should teach us not to be presumptuous and
self-sufficient ; not to rush on dangers, and fly
in the face of opposition, unless there be a
necessity for so doing. We should never refuse
to undertake any action, however difficult, when
the cause of Christ calls upon us ; or abandon
the paths of virtue from a fear of the resent
ment of the children of this world: but we

Chap. XIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

95

should, at the same time, be careful not to go
farther th^n necessity obliges us, lest, like Peter,
we repent our own temerity.
This miracle alarmed the disciples ; for though
they had so very lately seen the miracle of the
five loaves, they did not seem to have before
formed a proper idea of his power; but being
now persuaded that he could be no other than
the expected Messiah, they came and worshipped
him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Matt. xiv. 33.
Our Saviour seems to have confirmed this mi
racle by working another ; for the Evangelists
tell us, that he had no sooner entered the ship,
and hushed the horrors of the storm, than they
arrived at the place whither they were going.
Then they willingly received him into the ship ;
and immediately the ship was at the land whither
they went. John vi. 21.
When our Lord disembarked, the inhabi
tants of the neighbouring country ran to him,
bringing with them all those that were sick;
" and they were all healed. It must be remem
bered, that though Jesus ordinarily resided in
the neighbourhood of Capernaum, yet he had
been absent ever since his visiting Nazareth;
and, therefore, it is natural to think, that the
inhabitants, on his return, would not omit the
opportunity of bringing their sick in such pro
digious crowds, that it seems our blessed Saviour
did not bestow particular attention on each of
them ; and this was the reason for their beseech
ing him, that they might only touch the hem of his
garment: and as many as touched were made
perfectly whole. Matt. xiv. 36.
The virtue of that power by which he wrought
these things lay not in his garments, for then the
soldiers who seized them at his crucifixion, might

have wrought the same miracles ; but it was be
cause Jesus willed it to be so. It was now the
acceptable time, the day of salvation, foretold by
Isaiah, and Christ's power was sufficient to re
move any distemper whatsoever.
It has been mentioned, that our blessed Sa
viour, after miraculously feeding the people, or
dered them to disperse, and retire to their places
of abode.
The former command they obeyed, but, in
stead of complying with the latter, they staid in
the neighbourhood of the desert mountain ; and
observing that no boat had cchie thither since
the disciples left their Master, they concluded that
Jesus still continued in that place, and had no de
sign of leaving his attendants. Hence they were
persuaded, that though Jesus had modestly de
clined the honour of being made a king, he would
accept it the next day ; especially as they might
fancy his disciples were despatched to the other
side, with no other intention than to prepare
every thing necessary for that purpose. Hopes
like these animated them to continue in this
solitary wilderness, and take up their lodgings in
the caverns of the rocks and mountains, notwith
standing their difficulties were greatly increased
by the raging of the storm.
But no sooner did the cheering rays of light
appear, than the multitude left their retreat,
and searched for Jesus in every part of the
mountain, to the summit of which they had seen
him retire; Fmding their search in vain, they
concluded that he must have departed for the
other side, in some boat belonging to Tiberias,
which had been forced by the storm to take shel
ter in a creek at the foot of the mountain. Ac
cordingly, they repaired to Capernaum, where
they found him in the synagogue, teaching the
people , and could not help asking Mm, with.

96

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIV.

some surprise, Rabbi, when earnest thou hither ?
John vi. 25.
To this question our Lord replied, That they
did not seek him because they were convinced
by his miracles of the truth of his mission, but
because they hoped to be continually fed in the
same miraculous manner as before. Verily^ ve
rily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye
saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the
loaves, and were filled. These are the views
which induce you to follow me : but ye are en
tirely mistaken ; for happiness does not consist in
the meat that perisheth, nor is it that sort of meat
ye must expect to receive from the Messiah.
Mere .animal foods, which please and delight the
body only, are not the gifts he came down from
heaven to bestow ; it is die meat that endureth
to everlasting life, divine knowledge and grace,
which, by renewing, all the faculties of the soul,
make it capable of enjoying eternal felicity : nei
ther ought ye to follow the Son of man with" any
intention to obtain the meat that perisheth, but
in the hope of obtaining the meat that endureth
to everlasting life. Labour not for the meat
which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall
give unto you ; for him hath God the Father sealed.
John vi. 27.
The Jews, who were accustomed to the meta
phors of meat and drink, as they are frequently
found in the writings of their own prophets, to
signify wisdom and knowledge, might easily have
understood what our blessed Saviour meant by
the meat enduring to everlasting life. They, how
ever, entirely mistook him ; imagining that he
spake of some delicious healthful animal food,
wMch would render them immortal, and which
was only to be procured under the government
Of their great Master. It is, therefore, no wonder
that Ms exhortation should so greatly affect them,

that they asked him what they should do to erect
the Messiah's kingdom, and obtain that excellent
meat, which he said God had authorized him to
give to his followers ?
The Jews were elated with the prospect of the
mighty empire the promised Messiah was to
establish, and doubtless expected- that Jesus
would have bidden them first to rise against the
Romans, vindicate their own liberties, and then
establish in every country, by the terror of fire
and sword, the authority of that powerful Prince
so long expected by the Jewish nation. To
convince them, therefore, of their mistake, and
inform them what God really required of them,
towards erecting the Messiah's kingdom, Jesus
told them, that they should believe on the person^
sent to them from the God of Jacob : but at this
answer they were exceedingly offended. They
were persuaded that he could not be the«Mes-
siah promised in the law and the prophets, who
took no care to erect a temporal kingdom. And
some of them, more audacious than the rest, had
the confidence to tell him, that since he assumed
the character of the Messiah, and required them
to believe in him as such, it was necessary that
he should perform greater miracles than either
Moses or any of the old prophets, if he was
desirous of convincing them that they ought to
believe him the long-promised Messiah. The^
said therefore unto him, What sign showestthou
then, that we may see, and believe thee ? What
dost thou work ? Our fathers did eat manna in
the desert ; as it is written, He gave them bread
from heaven to eat. John vi. 30.
By extolling the miracle of the manna, by
calling it bread from heaven, and by insinuating
that this miracle was wrought by Moses, the Jews
endeavoured to depreciate both Christ's mission,
. and his miracle of the loaves. They considered
this miracle as a single meal of terrestrial food,

Chap. XIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

97

at which but a few thousands had been fed ;
whereas Moses had supported the whole Jewish
nation, during the space of forty years in the
wilderness, by celestial food. To this objec
tion the blessed Jesus replied, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread
from heaven ; but my Father giveth you the true
bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he
which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life
unto the world. John vi. 32, 33. Moses did not
give you the manna that fell around the camp in
the wilderness, nor did it descend from heaven ;
it was formed in the regions of the air, by the
omnipotent hand of the God of Jacob. But by
the miracle of the loaves, my heavenly Father
hath typified the true, the spiritual, the heavenly
bread, which he himself giveth to the sons of
men, and of which the manna was only a sym
bolic representation.: the food that sustained the
Israelites in the wilderness was sufficient only
for a single nation; but this, for all the children
of men.
Many of the Jews, who listened with pleasure
to his doctrine, and having heard him describe
the properties of the celestial bread, were ani
mated with an earnest desire of being always
fed with it. Lord, said they, evermore give us
this bread : to -which the blessed Jesus answered,
/ am the bread of Ufa He that cometh to me shall
never hunger ; and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. John vi. 35.
Having . made this answer to those who lis
tened attentively to his doctrine, he turned him
self to such as had heard him with prejudice,
and took every advantage of wresting his words.
You ask me, says he, to show you a sign, that ye
may see and believe me to be the true Messiah.
Surely you have seen it: you have seen my cha
racter and mission in the many miracles I have
performed; miracles abundantly sufficient to
No. 9.

convince you that I am really the Messiah, so
often promised by the ancient- prophets, so long
expected by the whole Jewish nation. But, not
withstanding all these proofs, your hearts are
still hardened; you expect a temporal prince,
who shall 'raise the Jewish kingdom above all
the empires of the earth ; and because I do not
affect the authority and pomp of an earthly
monarch, you reject me as an impostor. Your
infidelity, therefore, does not proceed from want
of evidence, as you vainly pretend, but from the
perverseness of your own dispositions, which may
perhaps in time be overcome ; for all those that
the Father giveth me, however obstinate they
may be for a season, will at last believe on the
Son of God. Nor will I ever reject any that
come to me, however low their circumstances
may be, however vile they may appear in their
own eyes, or however greatly their violence
against my doctrines may have been exerted.
I came down from heaven, not to act according
to the common method of human passions", which
excite men to return evil for evil, but to bear
with them ; to try all possible means to bring
them to repentance, and to lead them in the
strait paths of righteousness, which terminate at
the mansions of the heavenly Canaan.
It is the fixed will of my Father to bestow
eternal life on all who truly believe in me ; and,
therefore, I will raise them up at the last day.
As the prospect of the greatest part of the
Jews extended no farther than temporal privi
leges and advantages, it is no wonder that they
were offended at this doctrine; especially at
his affirming that he was the bread of life, and
that he came down from heaven. Was not
this man, said they, born into the world like
other mortals ? And are we not acquainted with
his parents ? How then can he pretend to come
down from heaven ?
2B

98

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIV.

But these degrading thoughts could not es
cape the censure of him to whom nothing is
a secret. You need not, said the blessed Jesus,
object to my birth, and the meanness of my
relations, nor consider them as inconsistent with
my heavenly extraction. For while you believe
your teachers, who have so shamefully corrupted
the oracles of Omnipotence, and filled your
minds with the vain expectation of a temporal
kingdom, you cannot believe on me. No man
can believe on the Son of God, unless he be
taught and assisted by the Father. You need
not be surprised at this ; for however you may
imagine that all men, at the appearance of the
Messiah, will flock to him with great cheerful
ness, and become the willing subjects of his
kingdom, without any aid from the Holy Spirit,
the prophets plainly foretold the contrary : for
they promise that men shall enjoy the teaching
of the Father in a far more eminent manner
during the Messiah's kingdom, than under any
preceding dispensation ; consequently, persua
sion, and the most earnest persuasion too, is
necessary. You are not to understand, that by
being taught of God, you are to see with your
bodily eyes the invisible Jehovah, (because that
privilege is confined to the Son alone,) but that
you are to be taught by the Spirit of God
whatever is requisite to your eternal interest,
in and by me, who am the way, the truth, and
the life.
Having thus asserted the dignity of his mission,
and demonstrated that it really belonged to Mm,
the blessed Jesus examined the comparison be
tween himself, considered as the bread from
heaven, and the manna which' Moses provided
for their fathers m the wilderness. The manna,
*aid he, which your fathers ate in the desert,
eould not preserve them from temporal death :
but the bread wMch came down from heaven
will render men eternally happy. / am the living

bread which came down from heaven : if any man
eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. And the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give
for the life of the world. John vi. 51.
Though the divine Teacher, on this occasion,
made use of no other expressions than what the
Jews had been accustomed to interpret in a
figurative sense ; yet so great was their perverse
ness, that they considered them as spoken lite
rally, and were astonished beyond measure at
what fie could mean, by saying, he would give
them his flesh to eat.
Jesus, however, knowing how unreasonable
his hearers were, did not proceed to explain him"
self more particularly at this time. But persisting
in the same figurative manner of expression, he
repeated and affirmed more earnesdy what he had
before asserted. Except, said he, ye be entirely
united to me by a hearty belief and practice of my
doctrine, partake of the merit of that sacrifice that
I shall offer for the sins of the world* continue in
the enjoyment of my religion, and receive spi
ritual nourishment in those means of grace which
I shall purchase for yon by my death, ye can
never enter the happy mansions of eternity*
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal Kfe; and I will raise him up at the
last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed. John vi. 54, 55.
This is the bread which came down from
heaven ; a kind of bread infimtely superior to that
of manna, both in its nature and efficacy. It
is different in its nature from manna, because
it is not to be eaten as your fathers did that food
in the wilderness; they ate manna, and are dead.
It is different in its effect^ because he that eateth
of this bread shall live for ever.
These particulars Jesus spake in the hearing

Chap. XV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

99

of all the people who attended the public wor
ship in the synagogue of Capernaum ; and though
most of the metaphors were very easy to be un
derstood, yet they did not comprehend what he
meant by eating his flesh, and drinking his blood:
a thing not only prohibited by the law of Moses,
but also repugnant to the customs of all civilized
nations. Many, therefore, who had followed Mm, con
sidered it as inconsistent, and absolutely absurd.
But Jesus answered, Are you offended, because
I told you my flesh is bread ; that it came down
from heaven; and that you must, in order to
have eternal life, eat my flesh, and drink my
blood ? But what if ye shall see the Son of man
ascend up bodily to heaven, from whence he was
sent by his heavenly Father ? You will then surely
be persuaded that I really came from heaven ;
and, at the same time, be convinced that you
cannot eat my flesh in a corporeal manner.
I never meant that you should understand the
expression literally : my flesh in that case would
be of no advantage to the children of men. The
metaphor was only used to indicate, that you
must believe in the doctrines which I preach ;
for to reveal these, I took upon me the vail of
flesh, and assumed the nature of man. It is,
therefore, more properly my Spirit that confers
this life on the human race, and renders them
meet for immortal glory.

My doctrine may perhaps be ineffectual to
some of you, because ye are desirous of pervert
ing it, and from thence to form a pretence for
forsaking me. I well know the secret recesses
of every heart; and, therefore, told you, that no
man can believe on me, except it be given him
of my Father.

offended at this discourse, that many of them,
who had hitherto been our Saviour's disciples,
went out of the synagogue, and never came more
to hear him. They found that all their pleasing
views of worldly grandeur, and an extensive
kingdom, could have nothing more than an ideal
foundation, if they acknowledged Jesus to be the
Messiah. And as they were unwilling to abandon
all their favourite hopes of power, they refused
to own him for the great Redeemer of Israel they
had so long expected.
When ihe Jews were departed, Jesus turned
himself to his disciples, and, with a look of inef
fable sweetness, said to them, Will ye also go
away? To this Peter answered/ Lord, to whom,
shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe, and are sure, that thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God. John vi. 68, 69,
Peter, in this reply, alluded to our Lord's de
claration of himself, in which he says, that he was
the bread of life ; founding his faith in him as the
Messiah. But Jesus, to convince them that he was not
ignorant of the most secret thoughts of the hearty
nor afraid that his enemies should be spectators
of his most retired actions, told him, that one of
the twelve was a wicked man, and would be
gmlty of the vilest action. The prediction of
Jesus was punctually verified, when Judas Is-
cariot, one of the twelve chosen disciples, basely
betrayed his great Lord and Master.

CHAP. XV.
Pharisaical superstition severely repri
manded. — The great Redeemer con
tinues to display his Power and Bene
volence in the Relief of several Objects
The self-sufficient, self-righteous Jews, were so y of Affliction. — Guards his Disciples

100

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XV.

against the prevailing Errors and Fal
lacies of the Scribes and Pharisees. —
Proceeds on the Works of his heavenly
Father.
THE season of the grand Passover ap
proaching, Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
to attend that solenuiity. But the Jews being
offended at his discourse in the synagogue of
Capernaum, made an attempt upon his life. Our
Lord, therefore, finding it impossible to remain
at Jerusalem in safety, departed from that city,
and retired into Galilee.
The Pharisees were sensible they could not
perpetrate their malicious designs upon him on
that occasion; they, therefore, followed him,
hoping to find something by which they might
accuse him ; and at length ventured to attadk
him for permitting his disciples to eat with un
washed hands, because, in so doing, they trans
gressed the tradition of the elders.
Moses had, indeed, required external clean
ness as a part of their religion ; but it was only
to signify how careful the servants of the Al-
*mighty should be to purify themselves from all
uncleanness, both of flesh and spirit. These
ceremonial institutions were, in process of time,
prodigiously multiplied ; and the Pharisees, who
pretended to observe every tittle of the law, con
sidered it as a notorious offence to eat bread with
unwashed hands, though, at the same time, they
suffered the more weighty precepts of the law to
be neglected and forgotten.
To expose the absurdity of such superstitious
customs, our Saviour applied to them the words
of the prophet Isaiah, This people honoureth me
with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Adding, that all their worship was vain, and
displeasmg to the Almighty, while they praised

themselves, and imposed upon others the frivo
lous precepts of man's invention, and, at the
same time, neglected the eternal rules of righteous
ness ; and to remove all objections that might be
brought against this imputation of gross profane-
ness in the Pharisees, he supported it by a very
remarkable instance,
God, said the Saviour of the world, hath com-
manded children to honour their parents, and to
maintain them when reduced to poverty by sick
ness, age, or misfortunes ; promising life to such
as obey this precept, and threatening ' death to
those who disregard it. But notwithstanding the
peremptory commandment of Ommpotence, you
teach, that it is a more sacred duty to enrich the
temple, than to nourish their parents, reduced to
the utmost necessity; pretending, that what is
offered to the great Parent of the umverse^is
much better bestowed than what is given to the
support of our earthly parents; making the ho
nour of God absolutely different from the hap
piness of Ms creatures. Nay, ye teach, that it is
no breach of the commandment for a man to
suffer his parents to perish, provided he has given
what ought to nourish them to the temple at Je
rusalem. Thus have ye concealed, under the
cloak of piety, the most horrid, the most unna
tural crime, any person can commit.
Having thus reproved the Pharisees, he called
the multitude to him, and desired them to reflect
on the absurdity of the precepts inculcated by the
Scribes. These hypocrites, said he, solicitous
about trifles, neglect the great duties of morality,
which are of eternal obligation. They shudder
with horror at unwashed hands, but are perfecdy
"easy under the guilt of a polluted conscience,
though they must be sensible, that not that which
goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but thqt
ivhich cometh out of the mouth, this defileth «
man. Matt. xv. 11.

Chap. XV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

101

The haughty Pharisees were Mghly offended
at his speaking in a degrading manner of their
traditions. And the Apostles, who would gladly
have reconciled their -Master and the Phari
sees, insinuated to Jesus that he ought to have
acted in another manner. To which our Sa
viour answered, Every plant, which my hea
venly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted
up. Matt. xv. 13. As if he had said, You
have no cause to fear then anger, as both they
and their doctrine shall perish together, for nei
ther of them came from God. Adding, Let
them alone : they be blind leaders of the blinld.
And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall
into the ditch. Matt. xv. 14.
His disciples, not fully comprehending this
doctrine, desired their Master to explain it This
our Saviour complied with, and showed them,
that meats being of a corporeal nature, could not
defile the mind of man, or render him polluted
in the sight of the Almighty, unless they were
used to excess, or in opposition to the command
ment of God ; and even then the pollution arose
from the man, and not from the meat. But, on
the contrary, that which proceedeth out of the
mouth of a man comes from Ms heart, and really
polluteth Ms mind.
These doctrines of truth could not fail of ir
ritating the Pharisees, as they tended to strip
them of the mask with which they concealed
their deformity, and rendered themselves so ve
nerable in the eyes of the vulgar; and, therefore,
their plots were levelled against his reputation
and life.
Jesus, to avoid their malice, retired to the
very borders of Palestine, to the coast of those
two celebrated Gentile cities, Tyre and Sidon,
purposing there to conceal himself for a time:
but he could not be hid. It was as impossible
No. 9.

for the Sun of Righteousness to be concealed,
where he came with his healing wings and
message of peace, as it is for the sun in the
firmament when he riseth in all his glory, as
a bridegroom cometh out of his chamber, and as
a giant rejoiceth to run his course. For a cer
tain woman of Canaan, having heard of him,
determined to implore his assistance. She was,
indeed, one of the most abject sort of Gentiles,
a Canaanite, one of that detested race with
which the Jews would have no dealing, noi
even conversation. But notwithstanding all
these discouraging circumstances, she threw
herself, as an humble petitioner, on the never-
failmg mercies of the Son of God. Strong ne
cessity urged her on; and insuperable distress
Caused her to be importunate. Alas ! unhappy
parent! her only daughter, her beloved cMld,
had an unclean spirit; was grievously vexed
with a devil.
When her case was so urgent, and her woes
so poignant, who can wonder that she was so
importunate, and would take no refusal from this
divine Person, who, she knew, was able to de
liver her ? Accordingly she came ; she fell at his
feet; she besought him; she cried, saying, Have
mercy on me, O Lord; thou Son of David, have
mercy. I plead no merits ; as a worthless suffer
ing wretch, I entreat only the bowels of thy
mercy ; I entreat it, for I believe thee to be the
Son of David, the promised Messiah, the much
desired Saviour of the world; have mercy on me,
for the case of my child and her distresses are
my own : My daughter is grievously vexed with a
devil. Matt xv. 22.
Is it not at the first view astonishing that such
a petitioner should be apparently rejected, and
that by a bountiful and merciful Redeemer, who
kindly invited all that were heavy laden to come
to him ? who promised never to cast out any dial
2C

102

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XV.

would come, and whose business it was to go
about doing good?
We, however, find he answered this woman
not a word ; he did not, in appearance, take the
least notice either of her or her distress. But
this silence did not intimidate her; she still cried,
she still besought, she still importunately pressed
her petition; so that the very disciples were
moved with her cries, and became her advo
cates. They themselves, though Jews, besought
their Master to dismiss this petitioner ; to grant
her request, and to send her away.
But Jesus soon silenced them, by an answer
agreeable to their own prejudices ; / am not
sent, said he, but unto the lost sheep of the house
of Israel. To this the disciples readily assented ;
and, as they had an high opinion of the Jews'
prerogative, were so well satisfied with the an
swer, that we hear them pleading no more for
this lost, this miserable Gentile.
But this soothed not her griefs : it was her own
cause ; and what is immediately our own con
cern, animates us to the most zealous application.
Somewhat encouraged that he was the subject
of discourse between our Lord and bis disciples,
she ventured to approach the Saviour of the
world, though she well knew that custom ac
tually forbade such an intercourse; yet she
came, she worshipped this Son of David ; she
confessed again his divinity, and prayed, saying,
Lord, help me !
The compassionate Saviour now condescended
to speak to her, but with words seemingly suf
ficient to have discouraged every farther attempt ;
nay, to have filled her with bitter dislike to his
person, though she had conceived such high and
noble notions of his mercy and favour : It is not
meet, said he, to take the children's bread, and to

cast it to the dogs. Matt xv. 26. It is not justice
to deprive the Jews, who are the children of the
covenant, the descendants of Abraham, of any
part of those blessings which I came into the
world to bestow, especially to you, who are
aliens and strangers from the commonwealth
of Israel.
This answer, though seemingly severe, could
not shake her humility, nor overcome her pa
tience ; she meekly answered, Truth, Lord ; yet
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their
master's table. Matt. xv. 27. Let me enjoy that
kindness which the dogs of any family are not
denied ; from the plenty of miraculous cures,
which thou bestowest on the Jews, drop this one
to me, who am a poor distressed heathen ; for
they will suffer no greater loss by it, than the
children of a family do by the crumbs wMch are
cast to the dogs.
Our Lord having put the woman's faith to a
very severe trial, and well knowing that she
possessed a just notion of his power and good
ness, as well as of her own un worthiness, wrought
with pleasure the cure she solicited in behalf of
her daughter ; and, at the same time, gave her
faith the praise it so justly deserved. Oh ! wo
man, great is thy faith : be it unto thee even as
thou wilt. And her daughter icas made whole
from that very hour. Matt. xv. 28.
After performing this miracle, Jesus returned
to the sea of Galilee, through the region of De-
capolis. In this country a man was brought to "
him who was deaf, and had an impediment in
his speech. Objects of distress were always
treated with benevolence by the holy Jesus: but
as the people now tiironged about him, in ex^
pectation that he would soon establish his king
dom, he thought proper to take the man, with
his relations, aside from the multitude; after

Chap. XV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

103

which he put his fingers in his ears, and touched
Ms tongue, that the deaf man, who could not
be instructed by language, might know from
whence all his benefits flowed. He then looked
up to heaven, he sighed, and said unto him,
Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straight
way his ears were opened, and the string of his
tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And
he charged them that they should tell no man.
Mark vii. 34, 35, 36.
But notwithstanding they were enjoined to
secrecy, the man, or his relations, published it in
every part of the country, doubtless thinking they
could not be too lavish in the praises of so great
a benefactor; especially, as the modesty with
which he had performed the cure, abundantly
demonstrated that Ms sole view was the benefit
of the human race.
This rumour gathered the multitude round
him in Decapolis ; for the fame of his mi
racles was extended to every corner of the
country. He, therefore, to avoid the prodi
gious crowds of people, retired into a desert
mountain, near the sea of Galilee. But the so
litary retreats of the wilderness were unable to
conceal the beneficent Saviour of the human
race. They soon discovered his retreat, and
brought to him from all quarters the sick, the
lame, the dumb, the blind, and the maimed.
The sight of so many objects in distress so ex
cited the compassion of the Son of God, that
he graciously released them from all their com
plaints. Miracles like these could not fail of
astomshing the spectators, especially those per
formed upon the dumb ; for it must be remem
bered, that he not only conferred on those the
faculty of hearing and pronouncing articulate
sounds, but conveyed at once into their minds
the whole language of their country ; they were
instantly acquainted with the words it contained,

their significations, their forms, their powers, and
their uses; at the same time they enjoyed the
habit of speaking it both fluently and copiously.
This was surely enough to demonstrate to the
most stupid, that such works could have been
effected by nothing less than infinite power.
The multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb
to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walkx
and the blind to see : and they glorified the God of
Israel. Matt. xv. 31.
The various works performed by the blessed
Redeemer detained the multitude in the desert
with him three days, during which time they con
sumed all the provisions they had brought into
this solitary place. But Jesus would not send
them away fasting, lest any who had followed
him so far from their habitations, should faint in
their return. Accordingly, he again exerted his
almighty power, to feed the multitude a second
time in the wilderness.
It is highly worthy of our notice, the great
wisdom of our blessed Saviour, in choosing
to spend so' great a part of the time he exe
cuted his public ministry, in the wilderness,
and in solitary places. He did not seek the ap
plauses of men, but the eternal salvation of their
souls; and, therefore, often delivered his doc
trines in the silent retreats thereof: in conse
quence of which he was followed by such only
as had dispositions adapted for profiting by his
instructions. It could not be supposed that many
of different dispositions would accompany him
into solitudes, where they were to sustain the
inconveniences of hunger for several days suc
cessively, and be, at the same time, exposed to
all the inclemencies of the weather. Those only
who were desirous of instruction could, there
fore, be expected to follow the blessed Jesus
into those retired parts; and on those, doubtless,
his doctrine distilled like dew, and hke the smsdj

104

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XV.

rain upon the tender herb. Happy mortals! who
thus exchanged the shallow and frothy streams
of folly, for the deep and salutary rivers of eter
nal wisdom ; who left the noise and bustle of a
covetous bigoted people, for the calm instruc
tions of the Son of God ; and exchanged the
perishing bread of this world for the bread of
life, the bread that came down from heaven !
After feeding the multitude miraculously, Jesus
retired into a district called Dalmanutha, a part
of the territory of Magdala. Here he was visited
by the Pharisees, who, having heard that he had
a second time fed the multitude miraculously,
were fearful that the common people would ac
knowledge him for the Messiah ; and, therefore,
determined openly and publicly to confute his
pretensions to that character.
In order to do this, they boldly demanded of
him a sign from heaven : for it must be remem
bered, that the Jews expected the Messiah would
make his first public appearance in the clouds
of heaven, and in a glorious manner establish a
temporal kingdom. This opinion was founded
on the following. prophecy of Daniel, which they
understood literally. I saw in the night visions,
and, behold, one like the Son of man came with
the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient
of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory,
and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and lan
guages, should serve him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away ;
and his kingdom that which shall not be de
stroyed. Dan. vii. 13, 14.
It is, therefore, evident, that the Pharisees, by
desiring him to show them a sign from heaven,
meant that he should demonstrate himself to be
the Messiah, by coming in a visible and miracu
lous manner from heaven, and wresting with

great pomp the sceptre of David from the hands
of the Romans.
If the minds of the Pharisees had been open to
conviction, the proofs which Jesus was daily
giving them would have been more than sufficient
to establish the truth of his mission, and demon
strate that he was the long-expected Messiah.
But they were not desirous of being convinced ;
and to that alone, and not to want of evidence,
or of capacity in themselves, it was owing, that
they refused to acknowledge our Saviour to be
the person foretold by the prophets. Their dispo
sition was absolutely incorrigible ; so- that Jesus
sighed deeply in his spirit, and declared that the
sign they sought should never be given them;
and that the only sign they were to expect, was
that of the prophet Jonas, or the miracle of his
own resurrection ; a sign indeed much greater
than any shown by the ancient prophets ; and,
consequently, a sign which demonstrated that
Jesus was far superior to them all. A wicked and
adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; and
there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of
the prophet Jonas. Matt. xvi. 4.
Having thus reproved the impertinent curiosity
of the Pharisees, he departed, with his disciples,
and entered into a ship ; and as they sailed, he
cautioned them to beware of the doctrine of the
Pharisees and Sadducees, which he termed lea
ven, from its pernicious influence in filling the
minds of men with pride, and other irregular pas
sions. These hypocrites chiefly insisted on the
observations of frivolous traditions, but neglected
the true principles of piety, and hence filled the
minds of their hearers with an high opinion of
their own sanctity.
But the disciples, having forgotten to
take bread with them, understood that he

Chap. XVI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

105

intended to caution them against procuring it
from the Heathens or Samaritans. They were
so weak, as not to think that their Master, who
had fed some thousands of people with five
loaves, was also capable of providing for them
in their necessities.
On his landing at Bethsaida, they brought unto
him a blind man, desiring that he would heal
him. Jesus accordingly took the man by the
hand, and led him out of the city, and having
spit upon his eyes, and put his hands upon him,
asked him if he saw aught ? To wMch the man
answered, / see men as trees, walking. A very
proper expression to convey an idea of the indis
tinctness of Ms vision. Jesus then put his hands
again upon Mm, and he was restored to sight, and
saw every man clearly. It should be remembered,
that the people of Bethsaida had, by their ingra
titude, impenitence, and infidelity,, greatly dis
pleased the Saviour of the world ; and this, per
haps, was the reason why Jesus would not per
form the cure in the city, but led the man out into
the adjacent plain. The people had also, for a
long time, been solicitous that he would take
upon himself the character of a temporal Mes
siah ; and, therefore, he chose to perform this mi
racle without the city, to prevent their farther
importumty, so incompatible with the modesty
and lowliness of our dear Lord and Master.
CHAP. XVI.
The blessed Jesus delegates a special
power to Peter, one of the disciples. —
Pronounces the final Judgment of the
World; and is afterwards transfigured
upon the Mount.
JESUS having displayed Ms power and
goodness in restoring the blind man to his
sight, departed from Bethsaida, and retired into
No. 9 *

the territory of Csesarea PMlippi, where, being
desirous of proving, in some measure, the faith of
the Apostles, he asked them, saying, Whom do
men say that I, the Son of man, am ? In answer
to this question the disciples replied, Some say,
that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias ?
and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Matt. xvi. 14.
The people in general mistook the charactei
of our Saviour, because he did not assume that
outward pomp and grandeur with which they
supposed the Messiah would be adorned. Jesus
was, therefore, desirous of hearing what idea his
disciples formed of his character, as they had
long enjoyed die benefit of his doctrine and mi
racles ; and, accordingly, asked them, What they
themselves understood him to be ? To tMs ques
tion Smion Peter replied, Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.
Our Saviour acknowledged the title ; telling
Peter, that God alone had revealed the secret to
him. And in allusion to his surname Peter,
which sigmfies a rock, our Saviour , promised,
that upon'himself as the Foundation, or upon the
confession which Peter had just made of his
being the Christ, the Son of the living God, he
would build his church, and that he should
have a principal hand in establishing the Mes
siah's kingdom, never to be destroyed. Other
foundation can no man lay. 1 Cor. iii. 11. On
him may our souls rest, and the fiercest tem
pests shall rage in vain ! And I say also unto
thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock
I will build my church ; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail- against it. And I will give
unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven :
and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall
be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Matt.
xvi. 18, 19. 2D

106

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVI.

Having delegated this power to Peter, our
Saviour strictly forbad his disciples to tell any
man that he was the Messiah ; because it had
been foretold by the prophets, that he should
be rejected by the rulers of Israel as a false
Christ, and suffer the pains of death. Then
charged he his disciples, that they should tell no
man that he was Jesus the Christ. Matt. xvi. 20.
Circumstances which could not fail of giving his
followers great offence, as they did not yet un
derstand the true nature of his kingdom ; and,
therefore, he thought proper to let every man
form a judgment of his mission from his doctrine
and miracles.
The foregoing discourses had, doubtless, filled
the Apostles' minds with lofty imaginations, and,
therefore, our Saviour thought proper to acquaint
them with his sufferings, in order to check any
fond expectation of temporal power. Peter, how
ever, was greatly displeased to hear his Master
talk of dying at Jerusalem, when he had just
before acknowledged the title of Messiah. Ac
cordingly, he rebuked him for the expression,
which he was so bold as to think unguarded.
But Jesus, turning himself about, said to Peter,
Get thee behind me, Satan : thou art an offence
unto me; for thou savourest not the things that be
of God, but those that be of men. Matt. xvi. 23.
Peter's conduct, in this respect, arising from an
immoderate attachment to sensual objects, our
Saviour thought proper to declare publicly, that
all who intended to share with him in the glory
of the heavenly Canaan, must deny themselves ;
that is, they must be always ready to renounce
every worldly pleasure, and even life itself, when
the cause of religion required it. He also told
them, that in this life they must expect to meet
with troubles and disappointments; and that
whoever intended to be his disciple, must take
up his cross daily, and follow him.

Thus did the blessed Jesus fully explain to his
disciples the true nature of his kingdom ; and, at
the same time, mtimated, that though they had
already undergone many afflictions, yet they
must expect still more and greater, which they
must sustain with equal fortitude, following their
Master in the footsteps of his afflictions. This
duty, however hard, was absolutely necessary^;
because, by losing their temporal life, they would
gain that which was eternal. For whosoever
will save his life, shall lose it; but whosoever will
lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Luke ix. 24. For what is a man profited if he
should gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for
his sold? Matt. xvi. 26.
To add to the weight of this argument, and
to enforce the necessity of self-demal, our Saviour
particularly declared, that a day was fixed for
distributing rewards and punishments to all the
human race ; and that he himself was appointed
by the Father as universal Judge ; so that his
enemies could not flatter themselves with the
hope of escaping the punishments they deserved,
nor his friends be afraid of losing then eternal
reward. Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed
of me and my words, in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him also shall the Son of man be
ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Far
ther with the holy angels. Mark viii. 38.
To fortify the minds of his disciples, he in
formed them, that he would not appear to judge
the world in his low and despised condition, but
magnificently arrayed in both his own and his
Father's glory; nor attended by twelve weak
disciples, but surrounded by myriads of celestial
spirits, with numberless hosts of mighty angels;
nor should his, rewards be the great offices and
large possessions of a temporal kingdom, but the
joys of immortality.

Chap. XVI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

107

Let us now ruminate on the glory of the
Judge, and the solemnity of the final judgment.
He shall come in the majestic splendour of his
glorified body, pompously arrayed with the in
accessible light wherein Jehovah resides, and
which, darting tiuough and enlightening the in
finite regions of space with its ineffable bright
ness, shall make even the sun to disappear.
Dressed in this awful manner, the great Judge,
attended by the whole celestial host, will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God, (1 Thess.
iv. 16.) making heaven, earth, and hell, to re
sound. The dead of all countries, and of all
times, will hear the tremendous call. Hark ! the
living, filled with joy, exult at the approach of
Omnipotence ; or, seized, with inexpressible hor
ror, send up the most piercing cries, and are all
changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye ! The dead press forth from their graves,
and follow each other in close procession ! Be
hold—but, ah! nothing can behold; nothing
can bear his presence! The heavens depart
like a scroll, rolling itself together ! Every moun
tain and every island is moved. The bond, the
free, the rich, the great, captains and lungs,
to avoid the face of him that sitteth on the
throne, the presence of the Lamb, rush beneath
trembfing mountains, and plunge into flaming
rivers ! But neither mountains nor flames will
devour them, for they are raised immortal.
Behold him, then, for all must behold Mm!
even his eye, whose unthinking hand drove the
nails at Calvary: nor heaven nor earth exist;
stars and sun are vanished, lest they should
darken the procession ! Once the crucifixion of
Jesus, and now his glory, extinguishes the sun !
Lo, hell, with what reluctance, comes forth for
sentence ! Lo, two worlds to be judged, and the
third an assistant spectator ! Behold ! with what
beauty, with what boldness, with what joy, some

spring forward towards the judgment-seat ! See,
on the other hand, how amazed, how terrified, the
wicked appear! with what vehemence they wish
the extinction of then being ! fain would they fly,
but cannot ! Impelled by a force, by strong neces
sity, they hasten to the place of judgment : as
they advance, the sight of the tribunal from afar
strike them with new terror. They approach in
the deepest silence, and gather round the throne
by thousands and thousands. In the mean time,
the angels, having gathered together the good
from the uttermost parts of the earth, fly around
the numberless multitudes, chaunting melodious
songs, and rejoicing that the day of general re
tribution is come, when vice shall be thrown from
its high post of usurpation, and virtue be exalted
to the pinnacle of honour ; when the intricacies
of Providence shall be unravelled, the perfec
tions of the Almighty vindicated, the church of
Christ, purchased by his blood, cleared from her
iniquitous members, and every thing which of-
fendeth banished for ever.
Behold! the books, are opened, silence pro
claimed, and every individual filled with awful
consciousness, that he in particular is observed
by the Almighty ; so that not one single person
can be concealed by the immensity of the crowd.
The Judge, who can be biassed by no bribes,
softened by no subtle insinuations, imposed upon
by no feigned excuses, needs no evidences, but
distinguishes with an unerring certainty. They
separate ! they feel their judgment in them, and
hasten to their proper places ; the righteous on
one hand of the throne, and the wicked on the
other. Behold, how beautiful with the bright
ness of holiness do the righteous stand at God's
tribunal! their looks serene, and expressive of
hopes full of immortality !
On the other hand, the wicked, confounded at
the remembrance of their past lives, terrified

108

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVI.

with the bitter apprehensions of what is to come,
hang down their dejected heads, and wish to
hide themselves in the fathomless abyss ! but all
in vain ; there is no escaping nor appealing from
this tribunal.
Behold, with mercy shining in his counte
nance, the King invites the righteous to take
possession of the kingdom prepared for them
from the beginning of the world; but with
frowns of anger drives the wicked to punish
ment which will have no end, no remission,
no alleviation. What horror, what despair,
must seize these wretched souls, when they
see hell gaping, hear the devils howfing, and
feel the unspeakable torment of an awakened
conscience! Now they seek for death, but
find it not; would gladly be righteous, but
it is too late.
The happy land of promise, formed by the
hand of the Almighty, large, beautiful, and
pleasant, a proper habitation for his people,
and long expected by them as their coun
try, now appears. Here all the righteous are
assembled, forming one vast, one happy so
ciety, even the kingdom, the city, of God.
Here Omnipotence manifests himself in a pe
culiar manner to his servants, wipes away all
tears from off their faces, and adorns them with
the beauties of immortality.
Here they drink a plenitude of joys from the
crystal river, proceeding out of the throne of
God and of the Lamb, "and eat of the fruit of
the tree of life. Here there shall be no death,
nor sorrow, nor crying ; neither shall there be
any more pain.
Happy day! happy place! and happy people !
imagination faints with the fatigue of stretching

itself to comprehend the vast, the immeasurable.
thought !
As this doctrine of Christ being appointed
the universal Judge, might appear incredible
at that time, on account of his humiliation, he
told them, that some who heard him speak
should not taste of death, till they saw him
coming in his kingdom. Verily I say unto you,
There be some standing here, which shall not
taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming
in his kingdom. Matt. xvi. 28. There are some
here present that shall not die till they see a
faint representation of the glory in which I shall
come at the last day, and an eminent example
of my power inflicted on the men of this sinful
generation. To verify which prediction, the disciples livetf
to see their Master coming in his kingdom, when
they were, witnesses of Ms transfiguration, resur
rection, and ascension, and had the miraculous
gifts of the Holy Spirit conferred upon them ;
lived to see Jerusalem, with the Jewish state, de
stroyed; and the Gospel propagated through the
greatest part of the then known world.
About eight days after this discourse, our
blessed Saviour, being with the multitude In
the country of Caesarea Philippi, left them in
the plain, and, accompamed with Peter, James,
and John, ascended an exceedingly high moun
tain. In this solitude, wMle Jesus was praying with
these three disciples, he was transfigured, his
face became radiant and dazzling, for it shone
like the sun in his meridian clearness. At
the same time, his garment acquired a snowy
whiteness, far beyond any thing human art could
produce; a whiteness bright as the fight, and

Chap. XVI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

109

sweedy refulgent, but in a degree inferior to the
radiance of his countenance.
Thus, as it were, for an instant, the Son of
God, during his state of humiliation, suffered the
glory of his divinity to shine through the vail of
human nature with which it was covered ; and
to heighten the grandeur and solemnity of the
scene, Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, and
Elijah, a zealous defender of the laws, appeared
in die beauties of immortality, the robes in which
the inhabitants of the heavenly Canaan are
adorned. The disciples, it seems, did not see
the begmning of this transfiguration; happemng
to fall asleep at the time of prayer, they lost that
pleasure, together with a great part of the con
versation wMch these two prophets held with
the only begotten Son of God.
They, however, understood that the subject
was his meritorious sufferings and death, by
wMch he was to redeem the world ; a subject
that had, a few days before, given great offence
to the disciples, particularly to Peter. At be
holding the illustrious sight, the disciples were
greatly amazed ; but the forwardness of Peter's
disposition prompting him to say something, he
uttered he knew not what Master, said he, it is
good for us to be here: and let us make three ta
bernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and
one for Elias. Mark ix. 5.
TMs disciple imagmed that Jesus had now as
sumed his proper dignity; that Elias was come,
according to Malachi's prediction, and the Mes
siah's kingdom was at length begun.
Accordingly, he thought it was necessary to
provide some accommodation for his Master and
his august assistants, intendmg, perhaps, to bring
the rest Of the disciples, with the multitude, from
the plain below, to behold his matchless glory.
No. 10*

This, he thought, was much better for Ms
Master, than to be put to death at Jerusalem,
concerning wMch Jesus had been talking with
the messengers from heaven, and the design of
which Peter could not comprehend.
But while he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom
lam well pleased; hear ye him. Matt. xvii. 5.
When the three disciples heard the voice,
which, like the roaring thunder, burst from the
cloud, and was such as mortals were unaccus
tomed to hear, they fell on their faces, and con
tinued in that posture till Jesus approached, raised
them up, and dispelled their fears, saying unto
them, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they
had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save
Jesus only. Matt xvii. 7, 8.
Jesus having continued all night with nls
three disciples on the mountain, returned to the
plain early in the morning, charging them to con
ceal what they had seen till after he was risen
from the dead. He well knew that the world,
and even Ms own disciples, were not yet able to
comprehend the design of his transfiguration ;
and that if it had been published before his resur
rection, it might have appeared incredible ; be
cause nothing but afflictions and persecutions
had hitherto attended Mm. He was truly a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
But the doctrine of the resurrection, to which
the transfiguration possibly alluded, was what
the disciples were utterly unable to understand.
They had never learnt that the Messiah was
to die ; far less that he was to be raised from
the dead. They were, on the contrary, per
suaded that he was to abide for ever; and
that Ms kingdom was to have no end. They
2E

110

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVII.

were also greatly surprised at the sudden depar
ture of Elias, and could not comprehend what
the Scribes meant by affirming that he must ap
pear before the Messiah would erect his empire.
They, therefore, after long debating among
themselves, asked their Master, Why say the
Scribes, that Elias must first come ? To which
Jesus answered, that Elias should truly come
first, according to the prediction of Malachi,
and restore all things: but, at the same time,
he assured them that Elias was already come,
and described the treatment he had met with
from that stiff-necked people; giving them to
understand, that he spake of John the Baptist
But I say unto you, that Elias is come already,
and they knew him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed : likewise shall also the Son
of man suffer of them. Then the disciples under
stood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Matt, xvii, 12, 13.
CHAP. XVII.
Our Saviour relieves a Youth tortured
with a dumb Spirit. — Conforms cheer
fully to the Custom of the Country, by
paying the Tribute.— Reproves the
Pride of his Disciples, and delivers
some excellent moral Precepts.
WHEN our Lord approached the descent
of the mountain, accompanied by his
three disciples, he saw a great multitude sur
rounding the nine, who continued in the plain,
and the Scribes disputing with them. The people
seeing Jesus coming down from the mountain,
ran to him, and saluted him with particular re
verence. After which Jesus asked the Scribes,
What was the subject of their debate with his dis
ciples ? To which one of the multitude answered,
Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which

hath a dumb spirit : and wheresoever he laketh
him, he teareth him ; and hefoameth, and gnash-
eth with his teeth, and pineth \ away; and I spake
to thy disciples, that they should cast him out; and
they could not. Mark ix. 17, 18.
This answer being made by one of the mul
titude, and not by the Scribes, to whom the ques
tion was directed, indicates, that they had been
disputing with the disciples on then not being
able to cure this afflicted youth : perhaps their
making this unsuccessful attempt had given the
Scribes occasion to boast that a devil was at
length found, which neither they nor then Mastei
were able to conquer. This seems to be indicated
by the manner in which our Saviour addressed
himself to these arrogant rulers. O faithless ge
neration, says he, how long shall I be with you?
how long shall I suffer you ? Will no miracles ever
be able to convince you ? Must I always bear
with your infidelity ? You have surely seen suf
ficient demonstrations of my power, notwith
standing ye still discover the most crimmal infi
delity ? After speaking m this manner to the
Scribes, he turned himself to the father of the
young man, and said, Bring thy son hither. But
no sooner was he brought in sight of his deliverer.
than the evil spirit attacked him, as it were, with
double fury : The spirit tare him., and he fell on tie
ground, and wallowed, foaming. Mark ix. 20.
Jesus could easily have prevented this attack;
but he permitted it, that the minds of the spec
tators might be impressed with a more lively
idea of this youth's distress. And for the same
reason probably it was, that he ; sked the father,
How long he had been in this deplorable condi
tion ? To which the afflicted parent answered,
Of a child. And oft-times it hath cast him into the
fire, md into the waters to destroy him : but ifthm
canst do any thing, have compassion on «st and
help us, Mark ix. 21, 22.

Chap. XVII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

Ill

The inability of our Lord's disciples to cast
out tMs spirit, had greatly discouraged the af
flicted father ; and the exquisite torture of his
son, and the remembrance of its long con
tinuance, so dispirited him, that he began to
fear this possession was even too great for the
power of Jesus himself, as the Scribes had pro
bably before affirmed; and, therefore, could
not help expressing his doubts and fears. But
Jesus, to make Mm sensible of his mistake, said
to him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible
to him that believeth. On which the father cried
out, with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine
unbelief. The vehement manner in wMch he
spake causing the crowd to gather from every
quarter, Jesus rebuked the foul spirit; saying
unto Mm, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge
thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
Mark ix. 25.
No sooner was the powerful exit pronounced,
than the spirit, with an hideous howling, and
convulsing the suffering patient in the most
deplorable manner, came out, leaving the youth
senseless, and without motion ; till Jesus, taking
Mm by the hand, restored him to life, and de
livered him perfecdy recovered to his father.
The nine disciples, during this whole trans
action, remained silent. They were, doubtless,
mortified to think that they had lost, by some
fault of their own, the power of working mi
racles, lately conferred upon them by their
Master; and for this reason were afraid to
speak to Mm in the presence of the multitude.
But when they came mto the house, they de
sired Jesus to inform them why they failed
in their attempt to heal that remarkable youth ?
To wMch Jesus answered, Because of your
unbelief But to encourage them, he described
the efficacy of the faith of miracles. If ye have
faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say

unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place, and it shall remove: and nothing shall
be impossible unto you. Matt. xvii. 20. Nothing
shall be too great for you to accomplish, when
the glory of God and the good of the church
are concerned, provided you have a proper
degree of faith ; even yonder mountain, which
bids defiance to the storm, and smiles at the
attacks of its mingled horrors, shall, at your
command^- leave its firm basis, and remove to.
another place.
The expulsion of the dumb spirit seems to
have astonished the disciples more than any
Other miracle they had seen their Master per
form ; so that our Saviour found it necessary
to moderate their high admiration of his works,
by again predicting his own death, and re
tiring, for a time, into the unfrequented parts
of Galilee. But they could not comprehend how the
Messiah, who was to abide for ever, and was
come to deliver others from the stroke of death,
should himself fall by the hand of that universal
destroyer. And because he spake of rising
again the third day, they could not conceive
the reason for Ms dying at all, and for his
lying so short a time in the chambers of the
grave. But though they were alarmed at this
declaration, they remembered that he had often
inculcated this doctrine, and reprimanded Peter
for being unwilling to hear it
After a short tour through the desert part
of Galilee, Jesus returned Into Capernaum, the
place of Ms general residence. Soon after his*
arrival, the tax-gatherers came to Peter, and
asked him, whether his Master would pay the
tribute ? That disciple, it seems, had promised
that Jesus would satisfy their demand ; but, on
a more mature consideration, feared to ask hins

112

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVII.

concerning his paying taxes, on any pretence
whatever. Jesus was, however, no stranger to what had
happened, and the fear of Peter to ask him;
and, therefore, turned his discourse to this sub
ject, by saying unto him, What thinkest thou,
Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take
custom or tribute ? of their own children, or of
strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers.
Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free ;
insinuating, that as he was himself the Son of
the great King, to whom heaven, earth, and the
sea, belong, he had no right to pay tribute to any
monarch whatever, because he held nothing by
a derived right.
Or, if we suppose this contribution was made
for the service and reparation of the temple,
he meant, that as he was himself the Son of
that Omnipotent Being to whom the tribute was
paid, he could have justly excused himself. But
the blessed Jesus was always careful not to
give offence ; and, therefore, sent Peter to the
lake, with a line and a hook, telling him, that
in the mouth of the first fish that came up, he
should find a piece of money equal to the sum
demanded of them both. Notwithstanding, lest
we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and
cast an hook, and take up the fish that first
cometh up; and when thou hast opened his
mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money ; that
take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Matt. xvii. 27.
Our Lord took tMs extraordinary method
of paying the tribute-money hi this manner,
because the miracle was of such a kind as
could not fail to demonstrate that he was the
Son of the great Monarch worshipped in the
temple, and who rules the universe. In the
very manner, therefore, of paying tMs tribute,

he showed Peter that he was free from all
taxes ; and, at the same time, gave this useful
lesson to his followers, that when their property
is affected only in a small degree, it is better to
recede a little from their just right, than to of
fend their brethren, or disturb the state, by ob
stinately insisting on it
Notwithstanding our blessed Saviour had lately
foretold his own sufferings and death, and though
these melancholy accounts had greatly afflicted
the minds of Ms disciples, yet their grief was of
no long continuance; for within a few days
they forgot the predictions of their Master, and
disputed with each other about the chief, posts
of honour and profit in the Messiah's kingdom.
This debate was overheard by the blessed Jesus,
though he did not mention it till after the tax-
gatherers were retired, when he asked them,
what they were disputing about on the way?
This question rendered them all silent. They
were fearful of discovering the cause that had
given rise to the debate, as they knew it would
draw on them a reprimand from their Master.
Jesus, perceiving that they still continued silent,
sat down, and ordered them all to stand around
him, and attend to what he was going to deliver*
If any man, said the Saviour of the world, is
ambitious of being the greatest person m my
kingdom, let him endeavour to obtain that dig
nity by preferring others in honour, and doing
them all the good offices in his power. If any
man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all,
and servant of all. Mark ix. 35.
The disciples were now convinced, that it was
in vain to conceal the subject of the debate that had
happened on the way ; and, accordingly, they
drew near to their Master, desiring him to decide
a point which had often given occasion to dis
putes; Who, said they, is the greatest in the king
dom of heaven? Matt x viii. 1. Jesus, to check

Chap. XVII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

113

these foolish emulations in his disciples, called
a little cMld unto Mm, and placed him in
the midst, that they might consider him at
tentively; and said unto them, Verily, I say
unto you, Except ye be converted, and become
as little children, ye shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven. Matt, xviii. 3. Unless ye
be regenerated by the power of divine grace,
and brought to a due sense of the vanity of
all earthly preferments* riches, and honours, and
become meek and humble in spirit, ye shall be
so far from becoming the greatest in my king
dom, that ye shall never enter into it. But
'whosoever shall accept of the remedy provided,
and receive with meekness all the Divine in
structions, however contrary to his own incli
nations, and prefer others to himself, that man
Is really the greatest in my kingdom. Who
soever, therefore, shall humble himself as this
little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom
of heaven. Matt, xviii. 4.
Our Saviour, to demonstrate how truly ac
ceptable the 'grace of humility is to the Almighty,
took the child in his arms, declaring, that who
ever humbled themselves like a little child, and
showed kindness to then fellow-creatures for
his sake, should have the same kindness showed
them in the great day of account, especially if
they performed these actions in obedience to his
commands. It appears, from circumstances, that James and
John, the sons of Zebedee, were principally con
cerned in this debate; for we find that John en
deavoured to divert it, by telling Ms Master they
had seen one casting out devils in his name, and
had forbidden Mm, because he did not join him
self to their company. To which Jesus replied,
that they should not have forbidden Mm, since
he must have entertained very high notions of
their Master's power, at seeing the devils leave
No. 10.

the bodies of men, on mentioning the name of
Jesus. Forbid him not; for there is no man which
shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly
speak evil of me. Mark ix. 39.
You should, added the blessed Jesus, consider
that every one that does not persecute us is a
friend, and that the ejection of devils in my name
will advance my doctrine, and promote my cause,
even though the exorcist and the devils them
selves should design the contrary. He also told
his disciples, that the least degree of respect
showed him by any one, even though it should
be no more than the giving a cup of cold water
to his tiursty disciples, was acceptable to him,
and should not fail of meeting an adequate re
ward. 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. Mark ix. 41.
But, on the other hand, the least discourage
ment given to his disciples in the propagation of
the Gospel, come from what quarter it will, shall
be punished with the greatest severity. And
whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that
believe in me, it is better for him that a mill-stone
were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into
the sea. Mark ix. 42.
From this saymg, Jesus inferred, that it was
more advantageous to deny ourselves the highest
enjoyments of this world, and to part with every
thing, however precious, represented by a hand,
a foot, or an eye, than by these to cause the
weakest of his friends to stumble. And as the
disciples were appointed to sow the seeds of truth
and religion in the world, or, accordmg to the
metaphor, to salt the people for an offering to
heaven, in allusion to sacrifices being salted at
the temple, Jesus exhorted them to mortify them
selves, that they might appear worthy of so
2F

114

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Cmp.XVII.

high an office as that of salting mankind for the
altar of heaven : for as they were to be the salt
of the earth, it was requisite they should them
selves be filled with the spiritual salt of all the
graces, and particularly the holy salt of love and
peace, that they might, as far as possible, be free
from the rottenness of ambition, pride, conten
tion, and every evil work.
Pride is the source of numberless sins : and,
therefore, the blessed Jesus cautioned his disci
ples, in the most solemn manner, to beware of
that vice; assuring them, that the meanest child
is an object of the care of Providence ; and that
their angels do always behold the face of my Fa- ,
ther which is in heaven. Our blessed Saviour did
not mean, by this expression, that every man
who practises the duties of religion has a parti
cular guardian angel assigned him ; but as all
angels are sent as ministering spirits, they may
be called his angels.
To show the concern of his Almighty Fa
ther for the least of his reasonable creatures,
and the great value he -sets upon the souls
of the human race, our Saviour told them,
that he not only gave his highest angels charge
concerning them, but had also sent his only
begotten Son to seek and to save that which
was lost ; and would share in the joy which
the heavenly beings are filled with on their
recovery. How think ye? If a man have an
hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray,
doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and
goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which
is gone astray ? And if so be that he find it,
verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of
that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which
went not astray. Even so it is not the will
of your Father which is in heaven, that one of
these little ones should perish. Matt xViii. 12,
13,14.

Having thus addressed the offending party,
he turned himself towards his disciples, and gave
them instructions with regard to the offended.
If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and
tell him his fault between thee and him alone ; if
he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with
thee one or two more, that in the mouths of
two or three witnesses eyery word may be es
tablished. And if he shall neglect to hear them,
tell it unto the church ; but if he neglect to
hear the church, let him be unto thee as an
heathen man and a publican. Matt, xviii, 15,
16, It
Try every measure to reclaim thy brother, and
in order to this, represent his fault to him pri
vately. If this rebuke has the desired effect,
thou hast brought him back to the paths which
lead to happiness ; but if this gentle method fail,
two or more grave persons should join in the re
buke, that he may be convinced of the injury he
has done thee. If he still remains obstinate, tell
his offence to the church, whose sentence will
sufficiently show that thou hast done thy duty,
and that he alone is to blame. But if he be so
hardened as not to be affected by the censure of
the church, he is from thenceforth to be treated
as the Pharisees treated the heathens and publi
cans ; namely, as an incorrigible sinner, whose
company and conversation being contagious,
ought to be shunned by all who have any love
for religion, '
Our Saviour now conferred the special power,
which some think he had before confined to Pe
ter, on all his disciples. Verily I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth,
shall be loosed in heaven. Matt, xviii. 18. That
is, Ye have free power to excommunicate such
offenders as will not be reclaimed by proper

Chap. XVII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

115

means, or to free from church censure those who
were truly penitent ; and such decree will remain
valid in the court of heaven, though passed here
below. But, on the other hand, if the offending brother
continue impenitent after all the methods above
described are tried, his guilt is bound the faster
upon him ; because, by the precepts of the Gos
pel, none but penitents can obtain pardon.
Our blessed Saviour also added, as an encou
ragement to good men, that if they continued
earnest in then endeavours to bring sinners to
repentance, and offered up their prayer to the
Almighty for assistance, he would always grant
their petitions, provided they were agreeable to
the wise ends of his providence. Again, I say
unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall
be done for them by my Father which is in heaven.
For where two or thre*e are gathered together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matt
xviii. 19, 20.
Peter had before heard his Master speak of
the doctrine of frequent forgiveness* and ima
gined that what he had now so strongly incul
cated might, prove dangerous to society; and,
therefore, thought it his duty to offer his objec
tions. Lord, said he, how oft shaU my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Matt xviii. 21. He thought it a strange doctrine
which obliged Mm to forgive offences seven times
repeated ; but our blessed Saviour told Mm, that
he was very greatly mistaken ; that he never in
tended to limit forgiveness to seven times, but
that it ought to be extended even to seventy times
seven. TMs excellent moral precept he enforced by
the parable of the two servants, debtors to one

lord : in order to show the necessity of forgivmg
the greatest injuries in every case where the of
fending party is sensible of his fault, and pro
mises amendment; because on this condition
alone our heavenly Father will forgive our of
fences. Therefore, said the blessed Jesus, is
the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain
kingy which would take account of his servants.
God is the great King and Sovereign of all
creatures, and all are accountable to Mm, as-
servants to a master. He will reckon with all;
and happy are they who live sensible of this
important truth. When he had begun to reckon,..
one servant was brought unto him who owed
him an immense debt, ten thousand talents, a
debt much greater than he was able to pay. His
lord, therefore, commanded him, agreeable to
the custom of those times, to be sold for a slave,
and his wife and children, and all that he had,
and payment to be made.
The servant, convinced of the justice of the
sentence, and knowing he had nothing to hope
for but from the mercy and clemency of his
lord, fell down in the most humble manner,
and importunately besought him, saying, Lord,
have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
The master, moved with compassion towards
him, accepted of his humiliation ; and, to make
his happiness complete, loosed him from die
sentence inflicted, and freely forgave him the
enormous debt ; an obligation, one would have
supposed, sufficient to have melted the hard
est heart into gratitude towards Ms lord, and
the tenderest sympathy towards any of his bre
thren in distress. But, alas ! w*ho is acquainted
with the human heart? ThR very servant
went out from the presence of his compas
sionate lord, and found one of Ms fellow-servants
who owed him a hundred pence; a poor in
considerable debt, in comparison of what he
hirnself owed his lord.

116

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVlH

But behold the inhumanity of this servant !
He laid hands on the poor debtor, seizing him
violentiy by the throat, and said, Pay me that
thou owest. His fellow-servant fell down at his
feet, even just as he had before done at the feet
of his lord, and besought him in the very same
words he himself had so lately used, Have pa
tience with me, and I will pay thee all. Such a
similarity of circumstances, one would have
thought, must have affected his stony heart,
brought to remembrance his own late distress,
and melted his soul into the like generous com
passion which had flowed so sweetly from his
lord to him. But his conduct was the very re
verse ; he would have no patience, he would show
no pity; he went and cast the unhappy debtor
into prison, till he should pay the debt.
His fellow-servants, when they saw what was
done, were exceedingly afflicted; and came and
told their lord the whole transaction. Upon
which he summoned the unmerciful servant to
appear before him ; and, filled with indignation
and abhorrence, said unto him, O thou wicked
servant, how perverse is thy behaviour, how un
grateful and base thy proceeding! I forgave
thee all that debt, that enormous debt thou owedst
me, because thou desiredst me : I was moved to
clemency and compassion by thy entreaties and
distress; and shouldest not thou also have had
compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had
pity on thee ? Shouldest not thou much rather
have forgiven him, who was thy fellow-servant,
and owed thee so small a sum, when I, thy king
and lord, had forgiven thee so immense a debt ?
Having thus expostulated with him, his wrath
was kindled, and he delivered him to the tor
mentors till he should pay all that was due unto
him. So likewise, added the Son of God, shall
my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from
your hearts forgive not every one his brother their

trespasses. Matt, xviii. 34, 35. And surely this
awful threatening ought to strike the minds of
fierce and implacable men with terror: for,
whatever they may think, it will certainly, in
its full extent, be inflicted upon all who refuse
to obey the dictates of Divine mercy, and to for
give not only their fellow-servants, but every
brother in Christ, who through weakness or in
advertence may have done them an injury,
either in person or property. How unreasonable
and how odious does a severe and uncharitable
temper appear, when we view it in the light of
this parable ! Let us, then, from this moment,
earnestly pray to be saved from every sentiment '
of rancour and revenge, nor ever allow a word, or
even a wish, that savours of it

CHAP. XVIII.
Our blessed Lord attends for the fourth
Time the Celebration of the Passover
at Jerusalem. — Addresses the Multi
tude at the solemn Feast of Taber
nacles. — Exempts the Woman detected
in Adultery from the Punishment an
nexed by the Jews to that Crime.—
Escapes from the Snares laid for him
by the inveterate Scribes and Pha
risees.
THE great Bedeemer, having promoted his
Father's work in Galilee, departed into
Judea, passing through the country beyond Jor
dan, that the Jews who inhabited those distant
parts might enjoy the unspeakable benefits of
his discourses and miracles. After sowing the
seeds of eternal life, and publishing the glad
tidings of salvation in those remote countries,
he repaired to Jerusalem, to celebrate the
fourth passover; but the malignity of the
Scribes and Pharisees was so greatj that he staid

Chap. XVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

117

but a short time in the capital, and then returned
into Galilee, while the multitude again resorted
to Mm, and he again instructed them in the
paths that lead to everlasting life.
The feast of the tabernacles now drew on, at
wMch all the males of the Jewish nation, capable
of travelling, repaired to Jerusalem, and dwelt
in the tabernacles, or booths made of the
boughs of trees, in commemoration of their
fathers having had no other habitation during
their forty years' sojourmng in the wilder
ness. To tMs feast some of the kinsmen of
the blessed Jesus desired he would accompany
them, and there show himself openly to the
whole nation of the Jews. They did not them
selves believe that he was the great Prophet
so long expected, and, therefore, condemned
the method he pursued in his public ministry
as altogether absurd.
They could not conceive what reason he had
for spending so much of his time in the deserts,
and remote corners of the kingdom, while he
professed so public a character as that of the
Bedeemer of Israel. Jerusalem, the seat of
power, was in their opinion much the properest
place for him to deliver Ms doctrines, and work
Ms miracles in the most public manner possible,
before the great and learned men of the nation,
whose decision in Ms favour would have great
weight in increasmg the number of his disciples,
and inducing the whole nation to own him for
the Messiah. Depart hence, and go into Judea,
that, thy disciples also may see the works that
thou doest. For there is no' man that doeth any
thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known
openly: If thou do these things, show thyself to
the world. For neither did his brethren believe in
him. John vii. 3, 4, 5.
Our Lord well knew the rancorous prejudice
No. 10.

of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and, therefore,
did not think proper to reside among them any
longer than was absolutely necessary. They had
more than once attempted his life, and, therefore,
very little hopes remained that they would be
lieve his miracles, or embrace his doctrine ; but,
on the contrary, there was great reason to think
they would destroy Mm, if possible, before he had
fimshed the work for which he assumed the vail
of human nature, and resided among the sons of _
men. My time, said the blessed Jesus to these
unbelieving relations, is not yet come ; but your
time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you ;
but me it hateth; because I testify of it, that the
works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast:
I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is
not yet full come. John vii. 6, 7, 8. As if he had
said, It is not proper for me to go before the
feast begins : but you may repair to the capital
whenever you please; the Jews are your friends;
you have done nothing to displease them : but
the purity of the doctrine I have preached to
them, and the freedom with which I have re*
proved their hypocrisy, and other enormous
crimes, have provoked then malice to the ut
most height ; and, therefore, as the time of my
, sufferings is not yet come, it is not prudent for
me to go so soon to Jerusalem.
There was also another reason why our blessed
Saviour refused to accompany these relations to
the feast of tabernacles: the roads were crowded
with people, and these gathering round him, and
accompanying him to Jerusalem, would, doubt
less, have given fresh offence to his enemies, and
have, in a great measure, prevented his miracles
and doctrines from having the desired effect He,
therefore, chose to continue in Galilee, till the
crowd were all gone up to Jerusalem, when he
followed, as it were in secret, neither preachings
nor working miracles by the way ; so that no
crowd attended him to the feast.
2G

118

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVIII.

As Jesus did not go up openly to Jerusalem,
so neither did he, on his arrival, repair to the
temple, and there preach openly to the people.
This gave occasion to several disputes among
the Jews with regard to Ms character. Some
affirmed that he was a true prophet ; and that
his absenting himself from the feast could be
only owing to accident : while others as confi
dently asserted, that he only deceived the
people, and paid no regard to the institutions
they had received from heaven.
But about the middle of the feast, Jesus
appeared openly in the temple, and taught the
people, delivering his doctrines with such strength
of reason, and elegance of expression, that his
very enemies were astonished, knowing that
he had never enjoyed the advantage of a learned
education. Now about the midst of the feast,
Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth
this man letters, having never learned? John
vii. 14, 15.
To which the great Bedeemer of mankind
replied, My doctrine was not produced by hu
man wisdom ; the sages of the world were not
my instructors ; I received it from heaven !
it is the doctrine of the Almighty, whose Mes
senger I am. My doctrine is not mine, but his
that sent me. John vii. 16.
Nor can he who is desirous of practising the
doctrines I deliver, if he will lay aside his pre
judices, and sincerely desire to be taught of
God, be at a loss to know from whom my
doctrines are derived ; because he will easily
discern whether they are conformable to the
will of man or of God. It is no difficulty to
discover an impostor, .because all his precepts
will tend to advance his own interest, and gra
tify his pride. Whereas all the doctrines de

livered by a true prophet have no other end
than the glory of God, however contrary they
may prove to himself. He that speaketh of
himself, seeketh his own glory; but he that
seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is
true, and no unrighteousness is in him. John
vii. 18.
Our Lord was upbraided with impiety by
some of the Jews, because he had healed on
the sabbath the impotent man in one of the
porches of Bethsaida, which they pretended was
a violation of the law of Moses, and, conse
quently, what no prophet would be guilty of.
In answer to which our blessed Saviour told
them, that however they might pretend to re
verence the authority of Moses and his law,
they made no scruple of violating the most
sacred of his precepts : they had resolved, to
put him to death, directly contrary to every
law of God and man ; and in order to execute
their detestable scheme, were laying plots
against his life.
The people replied, Thou hast a devil; who
goeth about to kill thee ? To which JesUs an
swered, I have done a miracle of an extra
ordinary kind on the sabbath-day, which you
think inconsistent with the character of a pious
man, and, therefore, wonder how I could per
form it. But surely Moses gave you the law
of circumcision, and you make no scruple of
performing that ceremony on the sabbath-day,
because it is a precept both of Moses and
the fathers. Smce, therefore, ye think your
selves bound to dispense with the strict ob
servance of the sabbath, in order to obey a
ceremonial precept; can you be angry with
me, because, in order to fulfil the great end
of all the divine law, I have cured a man who
was infirm in all his members, and even with
far less bodily labour than you perform the

Chap. XVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

119

ceremony of circumcision ? Consider, therefore,
the nature of the thing ? Divest yourselves of
your prejudices, and the superstitious opinions
taUght by your elders, and judge impartially.
Moses, therefore, gave unto you circumcision,
(not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers,)
and ye on the sabbath-day circumcise a man.
If a man on the sabbath-day receive circum
cision, that the law of Moses should not be
broken, are ye angry at me, because I have
made a man every whit whole on the sabbath-
day? Judge not according to the appearance,
but judge righteous judgment. John vii. 22,
23,24. Notwithstanding the strength of this argu
ment, several of our blessed Saviour's invete
rate enemies asked, with sarcastical surprise,
If the boldness of Jesus, and the silence of
the rulers, proceeded from their being con
vinced that he was the Messiah? and, at the
same time, to deride his pretensions to that
high character, said, that they were acquainted
both with his parents and relations; but that
no man, when Christ appeared, would be able
to tell from whence he came : founding their
opinion on these words of the prophet Isaiah,
Who shall declare Ms generation ? Isaiah Mi.
8. To which the blessed Jesus answered,
That their knowing his parents and relations
was no reason against his having the prophe
tical character of the Messiah. Adding, I am
not eome of myself, but sent from heaven by
God, who has uttered nothing by his servants
the prophets concerning the Messiah, but what
is true, and will all be fulfilled in me ; bnt ye
are totally ignorant of his gracious perfections
and gracious counsels, and have no inclination
to obey his just commands.
You are really ignorant of what the prophets
have delivered concerning the Messiah ; for had

you understood their predictions, you would
have known that one of Ms principal cha
racters js, to understand the perfections and
will of God more fully, and to explain them
to the sons of men more clearly^ than any other
messenger ever before sent from the Most High
And would you attentively consider the doc
trines I deliver, you would soon perceive this
character remarkably fulfilled in me, and be
convinced that I came from the Almighty God
of Jacob.
This observation, however powerful, and his
reasons, however solid, were far from disarm
ing his enemies of their malice; for some of
them were desirous of apprehending him ; but
Providence would not suffer any to lay hands
on him, because the time of his sufferings
was not yet come. Many of the people, how
ever, convinced by the powerful miracles he
had lately wrought, and the unanswerable rea
sons he had advanced in support of his cha
racter, believed on him, and affirmed publicly
in the temple, that he was the Messiah. And
many of the people believed on him, and said,
When Christ eometh, will he do more miracles
than these which this man hath done? John
vii. 31.
The Scribes and Pharisees were highly pro
voked at this attachment of the common people
to Jesus ; and, accordingly, on the last and
great day of the feast, they met in council, and
sent several officers to apprehend him, and
bring him before them. Jesus, during these
transactions in the council, continued in the
temple, teaching the people. My ministry, said
he to the multitude, is drawing near its period ;
and, therefore, you should, during the short time
it has to last, be very careful to improve every
opportunity of . hearing the word: you should
listen with the greatest attention to every djs-

120

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVIII.

course, that your minds may be stored with the
truths of the Almighty, before I return to my
Father ; for, after my departure, you shall
earnestly wish for the same opportumties, of
«eeing me, and hearing my instructions, but shall
never obtain them. Yet a little while am I
with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.
Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me : and
where I am, thither ye cannot come. John vii.
33, 34.
The Jews, who did not understand that our
blessed Saviour alluded to his Own death, resur
rection, and ascension to the right hand of the
Majesty on high, whither their sins would not
permit them to follow him, wondered at this
doctrine, and imagined that' he intended to leave
Judea, and preach to their brethren dispersed
among the Gentiles. But this supposition was
not sufficient : because if he did go and preach
among the Gentiles, they thought it was not
impossible for them to follow him thither. Then
said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he
go, that we shall not find him? Will he go
unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach
the Gentiles ? What manner of saying is this
that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find
me ? and where I am, thither ye cannot come ?
John vii. 35, 36.
While the divine Teacher was thus instruct
ing the people in the temple, the water from
Siloam was brought in, according to the ap
pointment of the prophets Haggai and Zecha-
riah, part of which they drank with loud accla
mations, in commemoration of the mercy showed
to their fathers, who were relieved by a stream
which miraculously flowed from a rock, and
refreshed a whole nation, then ready to perish
with thirst in a dreary and sandy waste ; and
the other part they poured out as a drink-
offering to the Almighty, accompanying it with

their prayers for the former or latter ram to
fall in its season ; the whole congregation sing
ing the following passage : With joy shall ye
draw water out of the wells of salvation. Isaiah
xii. 3.
It was the custom of the blessed Jesus to
deliver moral instructions, in allusion to any
occurrences that happened ; and, accordingly,
he took this opportunity of inviting, in the most
affectionate manner, all who were desirous of
knowledge or happiness, to come to him and
drink, alluding to the ceremony they were then
performing. And to encourage all such as were
desirous of believing in Mm, he promised them
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which he repre
sented under the similitude of a river flowing
out of their belly. In the last day, that great
day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, sayings
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. He that believeth on me, as the scrip
ture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water. John vii. 37, 38.
During this discourse to the people, the offi
cers from the council came to apprehend him:
but hearing that the topic he was discussing was
a very singular one, and he seemed to deliver his
discourse with remarkable fervour, their cu
riosity induced them to listen some time to his
discourse, before they laid hands on him. But
the eloquent manner in which he delivered his
subject appeased then rage: the sweetness of his
pronunciation, and the plainness and perspicuity
of his discourse, elucidated the beauties of truth,
and caused them to shine before the understand
ing with then native lustre. Accordingly, his
very enemies, who were come from the council
on purpose to apprehend him, were astomshed;
the greatness of the subject, made as it were
visible by the divine speaker, filled their un
derstandings ; the warmth and tenderness with

Suffer .LittLe Children , ana( JTor&ict t/ie?n' net.-£» come r/n/o me „¦
For of SucA ,S tAe JCinf^om of JTeayien, ^^ ^^ ^^

Chap. XVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

121

which he delivered himself, penetrated their
hearts; they felt new and uncommon emo
tions, and being overwhelmed with the great
ness of their admiration, were fixed in si*-
lence and astonishment; they condemned them
selves for having undertaken the office, and
soon returned to the rulers of Israel without
performing it.
If our Lord had pleaded for his life before
the officers of the council who were sent to
apprehend Mm, the success of his eloquence,
even in that case, had been truly wonderful;
but in the case before us, it surely was su
perior to all praise ; for in a discourse addressed
to others, and even on a spiritual subject, it dis
armed a band of inveterate enemies, and made
them his friends.
Nor were the officers the only persons affected
by this discourse ; for many of them declared
that he must be one of the old prophets ; and
others, that he was no other than the Messiah
Mmself. Some, however, led away with the
common mistake that he was born at Nazareth,
asked, with disdain, If the Messiah was to come
out of Galilee ? and whether they would ac
knowledge a Galilean for the Messiah, when the
Scripture had absolutely declared, that he was to
be born in Bethlehem, the native town of his
father David ? Many of the people, therefore,
when they heard this 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 tfie town of
Bethlehem, where David was? John vii. 40,
41, 42.
Such were the dissensions on this subject, that
some of his enemies, knowing that the officers
were sent to apprehend him, threatened to lay
Nos.ll&12.

hands on him; but the Almighty would not
suffer them to execute their wicked design. And
some of them would have taken him ; but no man
laid hands on him. John vii. 44.
The officers now returned to the council, and
were asked, Why they had not brought Jesus of
Nazareth? To whom the officers answered,
Never man spake like this man. This reply en
raged the council, who reviled them for pre
suming to entertain a favourable opinion of one
whom they had pronounced an impostor. It is
strange, said they, that you, who are not igno
rant of our sentiments concerning this person,
should entertain a favourable idea of him. Have
any persons of rank, or celebrated for their
knowledge of the laws, believed on him ? Are
not his followers the lower order of the people,
who are totally ignorant of all the prophecies
concerning the Messiah ?
The officers made no answer to these railing
accusations of their masters ; but Nicodemus, a
member of the council, arraigned then conduct
in a very poignant manner. Does our law, says
he, condemn any man before he has been heard ?
They had before condemned their officers for
being ignorant of the law, when it appeared they
were themselves far more ignorant in pretending
to condemn a person before they had proved
him guilty. They were acting directly contrary
to the fundamental principles of the law of equity,
at the time they boasted of their profound know
ledge of its precepts.
Incensed at this reprimand of Nicodemus, they
asked him, with an air of disdain and surprise,
If he was also one of those mean persons who
had joined together to support the pretences of a
Galilean? though the Scripture had plainly said,
that Bethlehem was the place of the Messiah's
nativity: adding, that if he refused to listen to
2 H

122

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVIII,

them, he should soon be convinced that the
great prophet mentioned by Moses was not to
be born in Galilee. Art thou also of Galilee ?
Search and look ; for out of Galilee ariseth no
prophet. John vii. 52.
Having made this reply to Nicodemus, the
council broke up, and Jesus, who well knew
their malicious intentions, retired to the mount
of Olives, where he spent the night with Ms
disciples. Our blessed Lord early the following morn
ing returned to the temple, and again taught
the people. The Scribes and Pharisees now
determined to render him odious to the mul
titude, or obnoxious to the Boman governor;
and, therefore, placed before him a woman
that had been taken in the act of adultery, de
siring his opinion what punishment she ought to
suffer. This woman, said they to Jesus, was
taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in
the law commanded us, that such should be stoned:
but what sayest thou ? John viii. 4, 5.
Had our Lord disapproved the sentence of
the law, they would doubtless have repre
sented Mm to the multitude as a person who
contradicted Moses, and favoured -adultery;
which could not have failed of rendering him
odious to the people. On the other hand, had
he ordered her to be stoned, it would have af
forded a plausible pretence for accusing Mm to
the Boman governor as a person who stirred up
the people to rebellion, the Bomans having now
taken the power of fife* and death into their own
hands. But Jesus, who well knew their malicious in
tentions, made them no answer, but stooped down,
and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though
he heard them not. John viii. 6.

They, however, still continued pressing him
to give an answer, and at last Jesus, in allusion
to the law, which ordered that the hands of the
witnesses, by whose testimony an adulterer was
convicted, should be first upon him, said, He
that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone at her. Let those who are remarkably
zealous for having justice executed upon others, '
at least take care to purify themselves from all
heinous crimes.
This reply had its desired effect. The hypo
critical Scribes and Pharisees were convicted of
sin by their own consciences; so that they imme
diately retired, fearing Jesus would have made
their particular sins public. And they whichheard
it, being convicted by their own conscience^ went
out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto
the last. John viii. 9.
The woman's accusers being all retired, Jesus
told her, that as no man had pronounced sentence
of death upon her, neither would he pronounce
it : but advised her to be very careful, for the fu
ture, to avoid the temptations which had induced
her to commit so black a crime.
The wisdom, knowledge, and power of our
blessed Saviour, were eminently displayed on
this occasion : his wisdom, in defending himself
against the malicious attempts of his enemies ; his
knowledge, in discovering the secrets of their
hearts ; and his power, in making use of their
own consciences to render their artful intentions
abortive. It was, therefore, with remarkable
propriety, that the great Bedeemer of mankind
now called himself the light of the world; as if he
had said, I am the spiritual sun, that dispels the
darkness of ignorance and superstition, in which
the minds of men are immersed, and discovers
the path that leads to eternal life ; nor shall any
who follow me ever be involved in darkness.

Chap. XVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

123

/ am the light of the world : he that folloioeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life. John viii. 12.
This assertion of our Lord highly provoked
the Pharisees, who told him he must be a de
ceiver, because he boasted of himself. To which
the great Bedeemer of mankind replied, You are
not to imagine that I called myself the light of
the world from a principle of pride and falsehood ;
that title justly belongs to me : nor would you
yourselves refuse to acknowledge it, did you
know from what authority I received my com
mission, and to whom, when I have executed it,
I must return. But of these things ye are totally
ignorant, and, therefore, judge according to out
ward appearance, and condemn me because I do
not destroy those who oppose me, as you vainly
think the Messiah will do those who shall refuse
to submit to his authority. But the design of the
Messiah's coming is very different from your
mistaken notions; he is not come to destroy,
but to save the children of men. 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 come, and whither I go.
Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man. John
viii. 14, 15. He added, That if he should con
demn any person for unbelief, the condemnation
would be just, because his mission was true, being
confirmed by his own testimony, and that of his
Almighty Father, the God of Jacob, by whose
authority, and agreeable to whose will, all his
sentences would be passed. And yet if I judge,
my judgment is true : for I am not alone, but I
and the Father that sent me. John viii. 16.
Having thus asserted the divinity of his mission,
and shown that his judgment was just, he pro
ceeded to inform them, that his Father himself
bare witness to the truth of his mission. You
cannot, said he, justly complain, even if I should

pumsh you for your unbelief, because you are,'
by your own laws, commanded to believe the
testimony of two witnesses, that my mission evi-
dendy is true. For the actions of my life, which
are perfectly agreeable to the character of a
messenger from heaven, bear sufficient witness
of me; and the Father, by the miracles, he,
has enabled me to perform, beareth witness
of me: ye are, therefore, altogether culpable in
objecting to my mission. It is also written in
your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
I am one that beareth witness of myself, and
the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
John viii. 17, 18.
The Jews then asked him, Where is thy Fa
ther, the other witness to whom thou appealest ?
Jesus replied, Your conduct sufficiently demon
strates that ye are strangers both to me and my
Father ; for had ye known who I am, ye must
have also known who it is I call my Father; had
ye been convinced that I am the Messiah, you must
also have been convinced that the Father is no
other than that Omnipotent Being, who created
and upholds all things by the word of his
power. Then said they unto him, Where is
thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know
me nor my Father : if ye . had known me,
ye should have known my Father also. John
viii. 19.
This discourse, the Evangelist tells us, was
held in the treasury, a court of the temple,
where the chests were placed for receiving
the offerings of all who came up to worship in
the temple; and, therefore, must have been a
place of great resort, being frequented by all,
even the priests and rulers. But notwithstand-
mg the public manner in which our hlessedcSa-
viour now asserted his claim to the, character
of the Messiah, no man attempted to seize
him; Providence not suffering them to put their
2H*

124

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVIII

N

malicious designs in execution, because his hour,
or the time of Ms sufferings, ivas not yet come.
The debate being ended, Jesus again repeated
What he had before told them; namely, that
he should shortly depart from them ; and that
they should then seek Mm, but not be able
to find Mm. / go my way, and ye shall seek
me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go
ye cannot come. John viii. 21. As if he had
said, After my ascension into heaven, when
the Boman armies shall spread horror and de
solation in every corner of the land, ye shall
then earnestly wish for the coming of the Mes
siah, in expectation of being delivered by his
powerful arm from your cruel enemy: but ye
shall then find your mistake; ye shall die in
your sins, and be for ever excluded from the
mansions of happiness.
The Jews by no means comprehended this
departure of which our Lord told them. They
even fancied he would destroy Mmself, because
they thought the only retreat where they could
not find Mm was the gloomy habitation of
the grave. To which the blessed Jesus re
plied, Your vile insinuation discovers at once
die wickedness of your hearts, and the base
ness of your original. Ye are from the earth,
and, therefore, subject to all the evil passions
that infect human nature; and from the dic
tates of your own hearts, you fancy that I can
be capable of committing the horrid crime of
self-murder. But my extraction is very dif
ferent; it is from heaven; and, consequently,
niy mind is not tainted* with the corruption
of human nature, the source of temptation to
every sin. You, therefore, must believe that
I am the bread of life, the heavenly manna, the
light of the world, the true Messiah, if you
are desirous of being cleansed from those pol
lutions which flow from your earthly origin:

but if you still continue in your unbelief, you shaU
die in your sins.
The Jews now, in order to vmdicate them
selves, demanded what sort of person he pre
tended to be ? To which Jesus answered, Even
the same that I said unto you from the beginning,
that is, at the beginning of tMs discourse, the light '
of the world. Adding, / 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. John viii. 26.
This discourse, however plain it may ap
pear, was not understood by the perverse Jews.
They did not perceive that he spake to them
of the Father. But Jesus told them, that when
they crucified Mm they would be convinced,
by the miracles accompanying that awful hour,
the resurrection from the dead, the effusion of
the Holy Spirit on his disciples, and the de
struction of the Jewish nation, who he was,
and the Father that sent Mm. When ye have
lifted up the Son of man, then ye shall know
that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself;
but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these
things. John viii. 28.
He added, that though he should be crucified
as a malefactor, that punishment would not be
mflicted on him as a consequence of Ms being
deserted by Ms Father; because he would never
leave Mm in any period of his sufferings, or even
at the hour of Ms death, as he always acted
agreeably to his will.
These words induced many of the people to
believe him to be the Messiah. Perhaps by
lifting him up, they did not understand his cru
cifixion, but his ascension to the throne of David ;
and hence supposed, that he now entertained
sentiments worthy of the Messiah, and were.

Chap. XVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

12i

therefore, very ready to acknowledge him as
such, and believe the doctrine he had delivered
concerning his mission. But Jesus told them,
that if they persevered in the belief and prac
tice of his word, they should in reality be
come his disciples, have a tide to that honour
able appellation, be fully instructed in every
doctrine of the Gospel, and not only freed from
the slavery of sin and its consequences, but
also from the ceremonial laws delivered by
Moses. If ye continue in my word, then are
ye my disciples indeed: and ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free. John
viii. 31, 32.
The Jews, on hearing him mention that they
should be made free, answered, We be Abraliamh
seed, and were never in bondage to any man. This
assertion, if taken literally, was absolutely false,
the whole nation, at that very time, being in
bondage to the Bomans; nor were their an
cestors any strangers to slavery, having severely
felt the hand of tyranny, both in Egypt, As
syria, and Babylon. The expression, therefore,
according to some writers, must be taken in
a metaphorical sense, to signify spiritual bon
dage; it was a freedom by truth, a freedom
in respect of religion, which they now asserted.
They meant that they were the descendants of
illustriousr ancestors ; and, during the worst of
times, had preserved sentiments in religion and
government worthy the posterity of Abraham ;
nor had the hottest persecution of the Assyrian
kmgs been able to compel them to embrace the
religion of the Heathens. In respect of truth,
we were never in bondage to any man : how say est
thou, Ye shall be made free ?
In answer to this question, Jesus told them,
that those who gave themselves up to the prac
tice of sin, and the gratification of their sinful
appetites, were absolute slaves ; and bow far

they might deserve that appellation, it was
incumbent on them to consider. Verily, ve
rily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin
is the servant of sin. And as a slave cannot
be assured of the continuance of his master's
favour, or certain of abiding continually in the
family; so my Father can, when he pleases,
discard such habitual sinners, deprive you of
the external economy of religion, in which you
so highly boast ; as you have, through sin, ren
dered yourselves bondmen to his justice. If
ye are desirous of becoming the children of
God, and of remaimng for ever in his family,
you must submit to the authority of his Son,
and embrace his doctrine, which will induce
him to adopt you as co-heirs with himself. It
is he only that can make you free indeed, and
place you in the city of the heavenly Jerusa
lem, without the least danger of being removed,
I well know that you are in a natural sense
the seed of Abraham, but in a moral one the
offspring of Satan ; for many of you are de
sirous of destroying me, because I enjoin a
greater degree of sanctity than you are willing
to acquire. 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
you have seen with your father. They answered,
and said unto him, Abraham is our father. John
vm.37, 38, 39.
Notwithstanding their claim to immediate
descent from that father of the faithful, Jesus
told them, that if they were the spiritual pro
geny of Abraham, they would resemble that
great and good man in his righteousness ; and,
therefore, instead of endeavouring to take away
the life of a person who came with a revelation
from God, they would believe on him, in imi
tation of Abraham, who was justly styled the
father of the faithful, and the friend of God If

126

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XVIII.

ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works
of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man
that hath told you the truth, which I have heard
of God; this did not Abraham. John viii. 39, 40.
Jesus added, that their deeds sufficiently
showed whose children they were, and from
what stock they were descended; even from
the great deceiver of mankind : who goeth
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. The Jews at length discovered the purport
of our Lord's meaning, and, accordingly, re
plied, That they were undoubtedly in that
sense the children of God, as they were cer
tainly not born of formcation ; alluding to the
marriage-covenant, which in Scripture is me
taphorically said to subsist between God and
the people of Israel, and by which their ob
ligation to love, honour, and obey him, was
represented in a very lively manner. We
are neither, said the Jews, idolatrous ourselves,
nor sprung from idolatrous parents; conse
quently we are, with respect to a spiritual
descent, the children of God. We be not born
of fornication ; we have one Father, even God.
John viii. 41.
But Jesus told them, that an outward pro
fession of the true religion was of no con
sequence. They must love it in deed and in
truth, if they hoped to be in reality the chil
dren of God : and if they truly loved religion,
they must love him who came down from
heaven on purpose to reveal it to the sons of
men. Adding, that he did not come of him
self, but was sent by the great Creator of the
universe. ,If God were your Father, ye would
love me ; for I proceeded forth and came from
God ; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
John viii. 42,

But ye, continued the blessed Jesus, inherit
the nature of your father the devil ; and, there
fore, will continue to gratify the lusts ye have
derived from him. He was an enemy to, and a
murderer of, mankind from the beginmng, and
has ever since exerted his whole power to work
their destruction ; sometimes by seducing them
into sin by his falsities, and sometimes by in
stigating them to kill those whom God thought
proper to send to reclaim them. And having
early departed from holiness and truth, a custom
of lying is become habitual to him. Being,
therefore, a liar, and the father of lying, when
he speaketh a falsity, he speaketh what is pro
perly his own. But I tell you the truth ; and,
therefore, it is natural to think that ye will dis
believe me. Ye are of your father the devil,
and the lusts of your father ye will do: he
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode
not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:
for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because
I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. John viii.
44, 45.
Though ye dare even to reject my doctrine,
are any of you able to show that I have not
received my commission from heaven, or that
I have done any thing that has a tendency to
render me unworthy of belief? Can you show
that I have taught false doctrines, reproved
you unjustly for your actions, or been guilty
myself of sin ? If you are unable to do this,
but, on the contrary, must acknowledge that
my doctrine and life are such as become a
messenger of God, what reason can ye pretend
for not believing me ? And if, in affirmingHhat
I am perfectly free from sin, I say the truth, why
do ye not believe me? Whoever is of God,
receives, with the greatest humility, whatever
revelations God is pleased to make of himself
by his messengers, and makes it his study and

Chap. XVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

127

delight to obey all his commandments. But ye
reject the revelations and precepts of the Al
mighty, delivered by me, who came down from
heaven, for no other reason than because ye are
not the children of God. He that is of God,
heareth God's words : ye therefore hear them not,
because ye are not of God. John viii., 47.
The Jews, still attached to their lineal descent,
replied, That his calling the descendants of Abra
ham the children of the devil, was a sufficient
proof that he was either a very profligate wretch
himself, or instigated by some evil spirit. But
Jesus told them he was neither mad nor ac
tuated by an evil spirit. On the contrary, he
honoured his Father, by speaking the words of
truth, which he had sent him to deliver ; and,
therefore, they dishonoured him in calling him
by so opprobrious a title. Adding, that he
sought not their applause, but referred their
conduct to an omniscient and impartial Judge.
And I seek not my own glory : there is one that
seeketh and judgeth. John viii. 50.
Our Lord having declared his mighty and
divine power, asserts the happy effects of faith
and obedience to the Gospel. Verily, verily, I
say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall
never see death. John viii. 51. On this decla
ration, the Jews (who were total strangers to our
Lord's spiritual meanmg of death) cried out,
Now we sufficiently know that thou art pos
sessed with a devil ; for the most righteous per
sons that ever flourished among the sons of men
are dead : Abraham, and the prophets, and other
holy men, are all laid in the chambers of the
dust; and yet thou hast the impudence and folly
to affirm, that whoever keeps thy precepts shall
never die. Thou surely canst not think nor pre
tend to be more m favour with the Almighty
than Abraham and the prophets were, who,
though die strictest observers of the divine pre

cepts, could not obtain the privilege of being
themselves exempt from the stroke of death,
much less for their followers. Now we know
that thou hast a devil: Abraham is dead, and
the prophets ; and thou sayest, If a man keep
my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art
thou greater than our father Abraham, which is
dead ? and the prophets are dead : whom makest
thou thyself? John viii. 52, 53.
In reply to this impertinent query, the Mes
siah returned, If I should attempt to speak in
praise of myself, you would call it vain and
foolish, and, like the Pharisees, tell me, Thou
bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
Instead, therefore, of giving you a full descrip
tion of my digmty, I shall Only inform you, that
it is my Father who speaketh honourably of me,
by the many miracles he enables me to perform.
And surely this may be sufficient to convince
you of what I have promised to my disciples ;
especially when I tell you that my Father is
no other than the Almighty God of Jacob,
whom all the descendants of Abraham pretend
to worship.
But though you vainly boast of worsMp-
ping my Father as your God, you are ignorant
of him ; you neither form just conceptions of
him, nor worship him in the manner you
ought. Your knowledge and actions, there
fore, disagree with your profession ; but, on the
contrary, I entertain proper ideas of him, and
obey Ms precepts.
You may, perhaps, construe this declaration
as proceeding from vanity; but if I should say,
I do not form adequate conceptions of him, or
acknowledge him as he deserves, I should be a liar
like unto you. Even your father Abraham, of
whom you so highly boast, earnestly desired to be
hold the time when I, the promised seed, should

128

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIX.

put on the vail of human nature, and convert
the nations of the world from then ignorance
and idolatry, to the knowledge and worship
of the true God. He earnesdy desired to see
the great transactions of my life, by which
this invaluable blessing was to be procured
for all the sons of men ; and view the happy
state of all nations, when this blessing was
bestowed upon them. This was granted him ;
he saw it, and was glad. He was favoured with
the ravishing prospect of these happy times,
then concealed in the womb of futurity, and
was exceedingly transported with the scene.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day :
and he saw it, and was glad. John viii. 56.
The Jews, still blind to the spiritual mean
ing of our Lord's words, concluded he had
affirmed that he was before Abraham; and
knowing he was not yet fifty years old, con
sidered it as absolutely ridiculous. They had
no conception of his divine nature, though he
had so often told them he was the Son of
God, and, consequendy, existed with the Fa
ther before this world was called from its
primitive chaos. This gross stupidity and per
verseness induced the Saviour of the world to
assert his digmty in still plainer terms ; Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
John viii. 58.
The Jews, mcensed at our Lord's prior claim
to Abraham in point of existence, rushed on him,
and attempted to stone him ; but Jesus, by mi
raculously concealing himself, passed unhurt
through the crowd, and retired out of the
temple. With what patience did our blessed Redeemer
bear, and with what meekness of wisdom did
he answer, the most virulent and opprobrious
language. Aud shall we too keenly resent the

reflections which are thrown upon us ? May but
our conscience witness for us, and we need not
fear all that are against us !
CHAP. XIX.
Our Lord continues to work miracles
in Confirmation of his Mission and
Doctrine. — Calls forth and sends out
seventy Disciples. — Preaches to the
People of Judea, by way of Parable.
THE great Preacher of Israel, having de
feated the cruel designs of the obstinate
Jews, m passing on his way saw a man who had
been blind from his birth. The sight of so af
fecting an object could not fail to excite the com
passion of the benevolent Saviour of mankind.
Nor could the affronts and indigmties he had just
received from the Jews hinder him from working
the works of him that sent him, and dispensing
blessings on that rebellious and ungrateful nation.
Accordingly, he beheld this poor blind man, not
with a transient view, but fixed on him the eyes
of pity, and presented him with the riches of his
adorable love.
The disciples, observing tne affectionate regard
of their Master to this object of compassion, and
probably imagining that he was going to extend
his usual mercy to this unfortunate object, asked
their Master, Whether his blindness was occa
sioned by his own sin, or the sin of his parents?
They had often heard their Master say, that1
afflictions Avere commonly the punishment of
particular sins ; and had learned, from the law
of Moses, that sin was the fruitful source of evil;
and that the Lord punished the iniquities of
the fathers upon the children. Their Master
kindly answered, that neither his own nor the
sins of his parents were the. immediate cause

Chap. XIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

129

of this peculiar affliction ; but that he was born
blind, that the works of God should be made ma
nifest in him; particularly his sovereignty in
bringing him blind into the world ; his power in
conferring the faculty of sight upon him, and his
goodness in bearing witness to the doctrine by
Which men are to be saved.
We may learn by this pertinent reply of the
Saviour of the world, that a curious inquiry
into the cause of afflictions in other men, may
be safely avoided ; and that we ought to sup
pose every calamity subservient to the glory of
Omnipotence ; never imputing to their personal
sins whatever miseries we behold in others,
lest, like die disciples in the present case, we
assign to sin what owes its origin to the glory
of our Maker.
Having assigned the cause of this person's
blindness, namely, that the works of God should
be made manifest in him, Jesus added, / must
work the works of him that sent me while it
is day: the night cometh when no man can
work. John ix. 4. Intimating to his disciples,
and all the sons of men, his unwearied labour
in the work of his Almighty Father. In this
he was employed day and night, during the
time of his sojourmng in the flesh. To this
alone he directed all Ms thoughts and all his
intentions. This he esteemed even as Ms meat
and drink ; and for this he suffered the neglect
of his ordmary food, that he might finish the
blessed, the beneficent work of human salva
tion. A work, to accomplish which he left
the courts of heaven ; and, during the execution
of it, went about doing good.
It was now the sabbath-day, and die blessed
Jesus was going to perform a miracle, in
which there was to be a small degree of ser
vile work: and, therefore, he told his disciples,
Nos. 11 & 12.

that they need not be surprised to see him work
miracles of that kind on the sabbath-day. For
though they should imagine that he might defer
them till the day of rest was over, his time on
earth was so short, that it was necessary for him
to embrace every opportunity that offered of
working miracles. Perhaps he chose to perform
this work on the sabbath, because he knew the
Pharisees would, for that reason, inquire into it
with the utmost attention, and, consequently,
render it more generally known.
But however this be, our blessed Saviour, who
was now going to confer sight on one that was
born blind, took occasion from thence to speak
of himself as one appointed to give light also
to the minds of men involved in darkness. As
long as I am in the world, I am the light of the
world. John xi. 5.
It appears from hence, that our Saviour's mi
racles were designed not only as proofs of Ms
mission, but also as specimens of the power he
possessed as the Messiah. For example, by
feeding the multitude with the meat that
perished, he sigmfied that he was come to
quicken and nourish mankind with the bread
of life, that sovereign cordial and salutary nu
triment of the soul. His giving sight to the
blind, was a lively emblem of the efficacy of
his doctrine to illuminate the blinded under
standings of men. His healing their bodies,
represented his power to heal their souls, and
was a specimen of Ms authority to forgive
sins, as it was a real, though a partial, re
moval of its punishment His casting out devils,
was an earnest of his final victory over Satan
and all his powers. His raising particular per
sons from the dead, was the beginning of his
triumph over death, and a demonstration of his
ability to accomplish a general resurrection:
and, in a word, his curing all promiscuously
2J

130

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIX.

who applied to Mm, showed that he was come,
not to condemn the world, but to save even the
chief of sinners. Accordingly, at or soon after
performmg of these miracles, when the memory
of them was fresh in the minds of his hearers,
we often find him turning his discourse to the
spiritual things they represented.
Having declared the salutary design of his
coming into the world, he spat on the ground,
and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed
the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said
unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siham, (which
is, by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way,
therefore, and washed, and came seeing. John
ix. 6, 7.
From former examples, it is evident that our
blessed Saviour could as easily have performed
this miracle without the assistance of any exter
nal means. Indeed, those the great Bedeemer of
mankind made use of on this occasion, were so
far from being likely to effect the cure, that they
seemed properly adapted to produce a quite con
trary effect We must, therefore, conclude that
they were intended to direct our attention to
higher mysteries, and show us, as in a glass, that
it was through the same divine power, who at first
created man out of the dust of the earth, and gave
sight to his eyes, that fallen men were now re
stored and regenerated, and the cement of sin,
which closed their eyes, was wiped away.
This person seems to have known the power
of the Bedeemer, or, at least, to have been in
formed by some person near Mm who Jesus was,
the fame of whose miracles had been published
in every corner of Judea. Indeed, we cannot
otherwise account for the implicit and ready obe
dience paid him by the blind man ; who was
amply rewarded for his faith and confidence, by
receiving the invaluable gift of sight.

This miraculous operation could not fail of
producing a general curiosity and surprise: it
induced those who had seen tMs blind man in
his dark and deplorable condition, to be very
particular in their inquiries into the means of so
singular a miracle. It was, doubtless, the sub
ject of general conversation ; and it is natural to
think, should also have proved the means of a
general conversion; but, as it too frequently
happens, a perverse curiosity prevented its sa
lutary effects upon their souls. Unbelief, and
hardness of heart, led some of them even to
doubt of the plainest fact; a fact the most evi
dent and indisputable, and plainly the work of
the Divinity : and others, to persecute at once
both the object and the author of it! The
neighbours, therefore, and they which before had
seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this
he that sat and begged? Some said, This is
he: others said, He is like him: but he said,
1 am he. John ix. 8, 9.
The man, transported with gratitude and joy,
and perceiving his neighbours to doubt of the
identity of his person, proclaimed himself to be
the very same whom they lately saw begging
in total darkness. I am he, thus wonderfully
blest with sight by the peculiar mercy of the
Almighty ! I am he, who was blind from my
birth, whom ye have all seen, and many re
lieved in my miserable distress ! I am he, who
was, even from my mother's womb, involved
in total darkness, but now enjoy the enlivening
light of day!
So genuine an acknowledgment of the fact ex
cited their curiosity, to know how this admirable
effect was produced. How were thine eyes opened?
To this question he readily replied, A man that
is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes,
and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siham, and
wash ; and I went and washed, andl received sight.

Chap. XIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

131

John ix. 11. They then asked Mm, Where the
person was who had performed so stupendous
a work ? To which the man answered, I know
not: for Jesus had retired while the man went
to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam, pro
bably to avoid the applauses wMch would na
turally have been given Mm, and which we
see, through the whole Gospel, he generally
studied to avoid.
The neighbours, either stimulated by envy,
or excited by a desire of having the truth of
this extraordinary event searched to the bottom,
brought the man before the council, as the pro
per judges of this affair. Accordingly, he was
no sooner placed before the assembly, than the
Pharisees began to question Mm, how he had re
covered his .sight ? Not daunted by this awful
assembly, though terrible to a man of Ms mean
circumstances, he boldly answered, He put clay
on mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. John
ix. 15.
On hearing this account of the miracle, the
Pharisees declared, that the author of it must
be an impostor, because he had, by perform
ing of it, violated the sabbath-day. But others,
more candid in their way of thinking, gave
it as their opinion, that no deceiver could
possibly work a miracle of that kind, because
it was too great and beneficial for any evil
bemg to have either the inclination or power
to perform..
The court being thus divided in their opinions
with regard to the character of Jesus, they asked
the man himself, What he thought of the person
who had conferred on him the blessmg of sight?
To which he boldly and plainly answered, He is
a prophet. But the Jews, wanting to prove the
whole a cheat, started another objection, namely,
that this person was not born blind, though all

his neighbours had really testified the truth of
it. Accordingly, they called his parents, and
asked them, Whether he was their son ? if he
had been born blind ? and by what means he
had obtained his sight? To which they an
swered, that he was truly their son, and had been
born blind ; but with regard to the manner in
which he received his sight, and the person who
had conferred it on him, they could give no in
formation; their son was of age, and he should
answer for himself. These words spake his par-
rents, because they feared the Jews : for the Jews
had agreed already, that if any man did confess
that he was Christ, he should be put out of the
synagogue. John ix. 22.
This proves that the convictions of con
science act powerfully on the mind : the pa
rents of this blind man well knew by what
means their son had received his sight; and,
like him, they should have glorified the di
vine hand that had wrought so marvellous a
work, and dared to have confessed him be
fore all men, whatever dangers might have
threatened them. Let us learn from hence,
to fear our own, and to pity human frailty,
and to implore the assistance of the Holy Spirit,
to give us courage and resolution in the day of
trial ; and let us take care not to love the praise
of men more than the praise of God.
The Pharisees, finding that all attempts, either
to discredit or disprove the fact, were useless,
had recourse to their usual method of ca
lumniating the author of it. They called again
the man that was blind, and said unto him,
Give God the praise: we know that this man
is a sinner. John ix. 24. To which the man
boldly answered these rulers of Israel, Whe
ther he be a sinner or no, I know not: one
thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now
I see. John ix. 25. 21*

132

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIX.

This reply prevailed not with the obstinate
Jews. They were desirous of confounding him
with repeated questions, and the art of sophistry,
and, accordingly, asked him, What did he to
thee ? How opened he thine eyes ? They had
before asked those questions, but now proposed
them a second time, in order that the man, by
repeating his account of the servile work per
formed at the cure, might become sensible that
Jesus had thereby violated the sabbath, and,
consequently, must be an impostor. Thus the
enemies of our dear Bedeemer would gladly have
prevailed on the person who had received the
invaluable gift of sight, to join with them in the
judgment they passed on the great person who
had wrought so stupendous a miracle. But their
obstinacy in denying the truth appeared so cri
minal to him, that he boldly answered, / have
told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore
would ye hear it again ? will ye also be his dis
ciples ? John ix. 27
The council were highly exasperated at this
retort. They reviled him, and said, Thou art
his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We
knoio that God spake unto Moses: as for this
follow, we know not from whence he is. John
ix. 28, 29.
The poor man, incensed at their unbelief and
hardness of heart, replied, It is very strange that
you should not acknowledge the divine mission
of a teacher who performs such astomshing mi
racles; for common sense sufficiently declares,
that God never assists impostors in working mi
racles ; and, accordingly, there cannot be found
a single example, since the creation of the world,
of any such person's opening the eyes of one
born blind. My opinion, therefore, is, that if
this man had not been sent by God, he could not
work any miracle at all. The man answered
and said unto them, Why, herein is a marvellous

thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and
yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now, we know
that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a
worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he
heareth. Since the world began was it not heard
that any man opened the eyes of one that was born
blind. If this man were not of God, he could do
nothing. John ix. 30, &e.
The honest man's arguments, though plain,
were powerful, and founded upon truths they
could not deny. They all owned that God
heareth not sinners : they all knew that God heard
Jesus, by the miracle he had wrought, ' which
was a fact proved beyond any possibility of
doubt, and was such as never man performed;
it, therefore, undemably followed, that Jesus was
not a sinner, but sent from God ; since otherwise
he could do nothing.
The Pharisees were not ignorant that this
argument was conclusive ; they felt its whole
force, and well knew that it could not be re
sisted. Accordingly, they did not attempt to
answer it, but had recourse to punishment and
abusive language. Thou wicked, illiterate, im
pudent mortal, said they, whose understanding
is still as blind as thy body lately was, and
who wast born under the heaviest punishment
of sin, dost thou pretend to instruct, in a matter
of this kind, the guides of the people; and
those who have rendered themselves eminent
for then knowledge in the law? Thou wast
altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?
John ix. 34.
After their presumptuous taunts, the Evan
gelist adds, that they cast him out ; that is, they
passed on him the sentence of excommunica
tion, which was the Mghest punishment they
had power to inflict. But though he was cut
off from the Jewish society, he was, nevertheless

Chap. XIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

133

thereby united to one where no unjust sentences
can ever be passed, nor any member be ever se
parated, during a joyful eternity.
The presumption of the Pharisees should teach
us to contemplate the various arts, and subtle
endeavours, of all the adversaries and, enemies
of the Gospel and cross of Christ ; and not be
surprised to find them, though in different shapes,
employed against ourselves, if we zealously em
brace the truth of CMist, as well as against all
who are not afraid to confess, before all men,
the glory- of him who hath opened their eyes.
It is impossible that the world should love those
who boldly declare that its works are evil. Let,
us not, therefore, be shaken when we come to
experience, it, but learn from this blind man,
freely and openly to confess the faith, and to de-
clare the power of that God, who hath brought
us from darkness into his marvellous light, and
turned our feet into the way of peace.
The feast of dedication now drew near. This
solemnity was not appointed by Moses, but by
that heroic reformer, Judas Maccabeus, in com
memoration of his having cleansed the temple,
and restored its worship, after both had been
polluted by Antiochus Epiphanes.
Although this feast was merely of human in
stitution, Jesus determined to be present at it,
even though he knew that farther attempts would
be made agamst his life. His public ministry
was indeed now drawing near its period ; and,
therefore, the blessed Jesus would not omit any
opportunity of preaching to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel, and of doing good to the children
of men. Nor did he now, as he had formerly
done, travel privately to the capital, but openly
declared his intentions of gomg to Jerusalem,
and set forwards on Ms journey with great cou
rage and resolution.

The road from Galilee to Jerusalem lay
through Samaria, and the inhabitants were
those which entertained the most inveterate
hatred agamst all who worshipped in Jerusa
lem. Jesus bemg no stranger to this dispo
sition of the Samaritans, thought proper to
send messengers before him, that they might,
against his arrival, find reception for him in
one of the villages. The prejudiced Samari
tans, finding the intention of his journey was
to worship m the temple at Jerusalem, refused
to receive either him or his disciples into their
houses. The messengers being thus disappointed, re
turned to Jesus, and gave him an account of
all that had passed ; at which James and John
were so exceedingly incensed, that they pro
posed to their Master to call fire from heaven,
in order to destroy such inhospitable wretches ;
alleging, in excuse for such violent proceedings,
the example of the prophet Elijah. Lord, wilt
thou that we command fire to come down from
heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
Luke ix. 54.
Our Lord, desirous of displaying an example
of humility on every occasion, sharply rebuked
them for entertaining so unbecoming a resent
ment for this offence. Ye know not, said he,
what manner of spirit ye are of. Ye are ignorant
of the sinfulness of the disposition ye have now
expressed ; nor do ye consider the difference of
times, persons, and dispensations. The severity
exercised by Elijah on the men who came from
Ahab to apprehend him, was a just reproof of
an idolatrous king and people ; very proper for
the times, and very agreeable to the cha
racters, both of the prophet who gave it, and
of the offenders to whom it was given; and,
at the same time, not unsuitable to the Mo
saic dispensation- But the Gospel breathes a

134

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIX

very different spirit: and the intention of the
Messiah's coming into the world, was not to
destroy, but to save the lives of the children
of men.
Ye wise of this world, who reject saving know
ledge, behold here an instance of patience, under
a real and unprovoked injury, which you cannot
parallel among all your boasted heroes of an
tiquity ! An instance of patience, which ex
pressed infinite sweetness of disposition, and
should be imitated by all the human race, es
pecially by those who call themselves the dis
ciples of Christ.
Being denied reception by the inhospitable in
habitants of this Samaritan village, Jesus, at
tended by his disciples, directed his way towards
another ; and as they travelled, a certain man
said to him, Lord, I willfolhw thee whithersoever
thou goest. But Jesus, to whom the secret pur
poses of all hearts were open, knowing he only
desired the riches and honours of the Messiah's
kingdom, thought proper to make him sensible
of his mistake : and, accordingly, said to him,
Foxes haye holes, and birds of the air have nests';
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his
head. Luke ix. 58. I am so far from boasting
of a temporal kingdom, and the power and pomp
attending it, that I have not even the accommo
dation provided for the beasts of the field and
the fowls of the air. They have safe and secure
retreats ; but the Son of man is destitute of an
habitation. Jesus, in the course of his wandering, met
with one who had formerly been his disciple,
and ordered him to disengage Mmself from all
worldly employments, and to follow Mm; but
he was desirous of excusing himself for the pre
sent, under the pretence that he was bound by
the ties of gratitude to continue with his aged

father till death, and he had laid his remains in
the sepulchre of his ancestors : Lord, said he,
suffer me first to go and bury my father. To which
Jesus answered, Let the dead bury their dead; but
go thou and preach the kingdom of God. Luke ix.
60. Let those who are immersed in worldly
affairs, follow the affairs of the world ; but those
who have embraced the doctrines of the gospel,
do every thing in their power to spread the glad
tidings of salvation in every part of the earth.
A third person offered to follow Mm, provided
he would give him the liberty to return to his
house, and take leave of his family ; but Jesus
told him, that he should not suffer any domestic
affairs to interfere with the care of his salvation-
that the calls of religion were too pressing to
admit of the least delay or excuse whatever; and
that all who set themselves to seek the welfare
of their souls, should pursue the work assiduously,
without looking carelessly around them, as if
they were regardless of the work they had un
dertaken to perform. No man, having put his
hand to the phugh, and hoking back, is fit for
the kingdom of God. Luke ix. 62.
As our blessed Saviour's ministry was from
this time till its final period to be confined to
Judea, and the countries beyond Jordan, it was
necessary that some harbingers should be sent
into every town and village he was to visit, to
prepare his way. Accordingly, he called his
seventy disciples unto him, and after instructing
them in the duties of their mission, and the par
ticulars they were to observe in their journey,
he sent them into different parts of the country,"
to those particular places whither he himself in
tended to follow them, and preach the doctrines
of the Gospel to the inhabitants.
Our Lord, according to his own declaration,
despatches these disciples on the same im-

Chap. XIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

135

portant message as he had done the twelve
before. The harvest was plenteous in Jiidea and Perea,
as well as in Galilee, and the labourers also few ;
and being never more to preach in Chorazin,
Bethsaida, and Capernaum, the cities wherein
he had usually resided,: he reflected on the re
ception he himself had met with from the inha-
bitants of those cities. He foresaw the terrible
consequences that woidd flow from their reject
ing his doctrine, and the many kind offers he
had made them. He was grieved for their ob
stinacy; and in the overflowing tenderness of his
soul, he lamented the hardness of their hearts.
Woe, said he, unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee,
Bethsaida ! for if the mighty works had been done
in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done en you,
they had a great while ago repented, sitting in
sackchth and ashes. But it shall be more toler
able for Tyre and Sidon, at the judgment, than
for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted
to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. Luke x.
13. 14, 15. To which our Saviour added, as
some consolation to his disciples, He that heareth
you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, de
spiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth
him that sent me. Luke x. 1 6.
Such a token of heavenly regard could not
fail of comforting the seventy, and alleviating
their minds when dunking of the ill usage they
expected to meet with during the course of their
mission. They well knew that the preacMng of
Christ himself had been often despised, and often
unsuccessful, with respect to many of his hearers ;
and, therefore, they had no very great reason to
expect that they should find a more welcome re
ception than their Master.
The seventy disciples, having received their
instructions, and the power of working mi

racles, from the Messiah, departed, to execute
their important commission in the cities and
villages of. Judea and Perea. And after vi
siting the several places, publishing the glad
tidings of salvation, and working many mi
racles in confirmation of their mission, they
returned to their Master with great joy, saying,
Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through
thy name !
From this appeal, it seems that they knew
not the extent of their delegated power; and
were pleasingly surprised to find the apostate
spirits tremble at their command. To which
their great Master replied, / beheld Satan as
lightning fall from heaven. You will be no longer
astonished that the devils are subject to the power
I have given you, when I tell you that their
prince is not able to stand before me ; and, ac
cordingly, when I first put on the vail of human
nature, to destroy him and his works, I saw him,
with the swiftness of the lightning's flash, fall
from heaven. Adding, in order to increase
their joy, and prove that he had really cast
Satan down from the seats of heaven, that he
would enlarge their power. Behold, says he,
/ 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. Luke
x. 19.
Lest they should exult beyond measure in the
honour thus conferred on them, which was
merely temporary, our Lord adds, Notwithstand
ing, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject
unto you ; but rather rejoice, because your names
are written in heaven. Luke x. 20.
Nor could the blessed Jesus reflect on the un
searchable wisdom and goodness of the divine
dispensations to mankind, without feeling ex
traordinary joy; so that Ms beneficent heart

136

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XIX.

overflowed with strains of gratitude : I thank thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes ; even so, Fa
ther, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Luke
x. 21.
When the disciples had executed then com
mission, Jesus left Samaria, and retired into
Judea, and in the way was met by a certain
lawyer, or Scribe, who being desirous of knowing
whether the doctrines preached by Jesus were
the same with those before delivered by Moses,
asked Mm, What he should do to inherit eternal
life ? It is really amazing that any mortal should
ask a question like this, with a view to tempt,
not to be instructed ! This was, however, the
case : but the blessed Jesus, though no stranger
to the most secret thoughts of the heart, did not
reply, . as he had before done to the Pharisees,
Why temptest thou me, thou hypocrite? He turned
the Scribe's weapons against Mmself: What, said
he, is written in the law, of which thou professest
thyself a teacher ? How readest thou ? That law
will teach thee what thou must do to be saved ;
and happy will it be for thee, if thou compliest
with its precepts; The Scribe answered, It is
there written, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbour as thyself. Luke x. 27.
Our Lord then shows the strength and spiri
tuality of the law ; Thou hast answered right: this
do, and thou shalt live. Perform these commands,
and thou hast fulfilled the duties of ah Israelite :
for on these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.
Where is the man that can frdfil the law ? The
lawyer, who in all probability expected no such
answer, being conscious of his defects, and, con

sequently, of the impossibility of obtaining eternal
life on those conditions, was willing, as the sacred
historian informs us, to justify himself; was wil
ling to stifle the rismg suggestions of his own
conscience, and, at the same time, to make a show
of his own devotion ; and in order to this* he said
to JesUs, And who is my neigWow ? A question
very natural to be asked by a bigoted Jew, whose
narrow notions led him to despise all who were
not of his own fold ; all who were not the natu
ral descendants of Ms father Abraham.
To remove their obstinate attachment to their
o^n principles, open their hearts to a more ge
nerous and noble way of thinking; and show
them the only foundation of true love, and the
extensive relation they and all mankind stand in
to each other, our Saviour delivered the foDow-
ing most beautiful and instructive parable. > :
A certain person, in his journey from Jeru
salem to Jericho, had the misfortune to fall
into the hands of robbers, who, not content
with taking his money, stripped him of his
raiment', beat Mm in a deplorable, manner, and
left him for dead. While he continued in this
miserable condition, utterly incapable' of assist
ing himself, a certain priest happened to navel
the same road ; and when he saw him, he passed
by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when
he was at the place, came and looked on him, and
passed, by on the other side; So little compassion
had these ministers of religion for a brother in
the most deplorable circumstances of distress,
that they continued their journey, without of
fering to assist so miserable an object not
withstanding their sacred characters obliged
them to perform, on every occasion, the ten
der offices of charity and compassion. It was a
brother, a descendant of Abraham, in distress;
and, therefore, those hypocrites could offer no
reasons to palliate their inhumanity. Their

Chap. XIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

137

stony hearts could behold the affecting object of
an unfortunate Israelite, lying in the road naked
and cruelly wounded, without being the least
affected with Ms distress.
Though these teachers of religion were hypo
crites, and wholly destitute of grace and charity,
compassion glowed in the heart of a Samaritan,
who, coming to the spot where this helpless ob
ject lay, ran to him ; and though he found him
to be a person of a different nation, and one who
professed a religion opposite to Ms own, yet the
hatred wMch had been instilled into his mind
from his earliest years, and every objection
arising from the animosity subsisting between
the Jews and Samaritans, were immediately si
lenced by the tender sensations of pity, awakened
by the sight of such complicated distress ; his
bowels yearned towards the miserable object;
though a Jew, he flew to him, and assisted him
in the most tender manner.
It was the custom in these Eastern countries
for travellers to carry their provisions with them ;
so that this compassionate Samaritan was en
abled, though in the desert, to give the wounded
man a little wine to recruit his spirits. He also
bound up his wounds, pouring into them wine
and oil, placed Mm on Ms own beast, and walked
himself on foot to support him. In this manner
he conducted him to an inn, took care of him
during the night ; and in the morning, when
business called him to pursue his journey, recom
mended him to the care of the host, left what
money he could spare, and desired that nothing
might be denied him ; for whatever was ex
pended, he would repay at Ms return.
Having finished the parable, Jesus turned
himself to the lawyer, and asked him, Which
noiv of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour
to him that fell among the thieves ? The lawyer,
Nos. 11 & 12.

struck with the truth and evidence of the case,
replied, without the least hesitation, He that
showed mercy unto him. Upon which Jesus
replied, Go and do thou likewise. Perform all
the good offices in thy power, extend thy kind
ness to every one who stands in need of thy
assistance, whether he be an Israelite, an Hea
then, or a Samaritan. Consider every man
as thy neighbour in respect to works of cha
rity, and make no inquiry with regard to his
country or religion; but only with regard to his
circumstances. On examination of the particulars of this beau
tiful parable, we shall find that it is composed
in the finest manner to work the conviction de
signed ; so that the lawyer, however desirous of
considering those of the Jewish religion only as
his neighbours, it was impossible for him to do
it on this occasion. The Jews had long con
sidered the favours of a Samaritan as a more de
testable abomination than the eating swine's
flesh ; yet, notwithstanding this prepossession,
the lawyer was obliged to acknowledge, that
neither the priest nor the Levite, but the travel
ling Samaritan, by discharging the great office
of humanity to the Jew in distress, was truly his
neighbour ; that the like humanity was due from
an Israelite to a Samaritan in the like distressing
circumstances ; and, consequently, that men are
neighbours, without any regard to country, kin
dred, language, or religion.
Mankind are intimately connected by their
common wants, and their common weaknesses.
Providence has formed them in such a manner,
that they cannot subsist without the assistance
of each other ; and, consequently, the relation
subsisting between them is as extensive as their
natures, and then obligation to assist each other,
by mutual good offices, as strong as the neces
sities of every individual. Our blessed Saviour
2K

138

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XX.

hath, therefore, by this admirable parable, shown
that the heart is the seat of genuine grace, and
that good principles will ever produce good
actions.

CHAP. XX.
The humble Jesus resides with Martha
and Mary, two obscure Women of
Bethany. — Improves a Circumstance
which occurred at the Feast of Dedi
cation. — Prescribes a Mode of Prayer
to his Disciples and future Follow
ers. — Revisits some of the Pharisaical
Tribe.
THE feast of the dedication approaching,
Jesus turned his course towards Jerusa
lem, and in the evemng came to the house of
Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, at Be
thany. Martha was desirous of expressmg her
regard for the divine guest, by providing for him
and his disciples the best entertainment in her
power. But her sister, who was of a more con
templative disposition, sat quietly at the feet of
Jesus, listening with the utmost attention to
his doctrine. For the great Bedeemer of man
kind never omitted any dpportumty of declaring
the gracious offers of the Almighty, and his un
speakable love for the children of men. Martha,
being greatly fatigued with the burden of the ser
vice, complained to Jesus of the little care Mary
took to assist her. Lord,, dost thou not care that
my sister hath left me to serve alone ? Bid her,
therefore, that she help me. Luke x. 40.
But Martha's offieiousness incurred our Lord's
reproof, who commended Mary for her attentive
application to his doctrine. Martha, Martha, thou

art careful and troubled about many things : but
one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that
good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Luke x. 41, 42.
When Jesus repaired to Jerusalem, to cele
brate the feast of dedication, he was informed
that the beggar he had restored to sight had
been, by the council, cast out of the synagogue.
This mformation excited the pity of the Son of
God, and he resolved to make him full amends
for the injury he had suffered. It was not long
before he met the suffering person, and said to
him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? Be
answered, and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might
believe on him ? And Jesus said unto him, Thou
hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with
thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he wor
shipped him. John ix. 35.
We have hinted that the beggar was tho
roughly convinced the person who opened his
eyes was a messenger from heaven. It is,
therefore, no Wonder that as soon as he knew
Jesus was the person who had performed so
great a work, he readily believed him to be the
Son of God.
Our Saviour having thus given the poor
man ample proof of his MessiahsMp,, directed
his discourse to the people, and said unto
them, For judgment I am come into this world,
that they which see not might see ; and that
they which see might be made blind, John ix.
39. The meaning of our Saviour, though he
alluded to the blind man, was spiritual. He
did not intend to represent the design of his
coming, but the effect it would have on the
minds of men ; as it would demonstrate what
character and disposition every person possessed.
The humble, the docile, and the honest, though
they were immersed in the night of darkness,

Chap. XX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

139

with regard to religion and the knowledge
of die Scriptures, should be enlightened by
Ms coming, as the blind man had enjoyed
the invaluable gift of sight from his hands ;
but those who were wise, learned, and en
lightened, in their own opinion, should appear
in their true character, absolutely ignorant,
foolish, and blind.
The Pharisees, who happened to be present
when he spake these words to the people, ima
gined that he intended to throw a reflection on
their sect, which the common people, from their
skill in the law, held in great veneration. Ac-
cordmgly they asked him, with disdain, Are we
blind also ? Dost thou place us, who are teach
ers, and have taken such pains to acquire the
knowledge of the Scriptures, on a level with the
vulgar. To which Jesus answered, If ye were
blind, ye should have no sin ; but now ye say, We
see; therefore your sin remaineth. If ye had not
enjoyed the faculties and opportunities of dis
cerning the proofs of my mission, you might
have been considered as blind ; but as ye are
superior to the vulgar in point of learning,
and, at the same time, your hearts averse
from acknowledging the truth, your enlight
ened understanding will only aggravate your
guilt. Having condemned the obstinacy and preju
dice of the sect, in rejecting the most evident
tokens Of the divinity of his mission, he continued
the reproof, by describing the characters of a
true and false teacher. It was our Lord's custom
always' to allude to objects before him ; and
being now in the outer court of the temple, near
the sheep, which were there exposed to sale,
for sacrifice, he compared the teachers among
the Jews to shepherds, and the people to sheep ;
a metaphor often used by the old prophets. He
considered two kinds of bad shepherds, or teach

ers ; the one, who, instead of entering in by the
door, to lead the flocks to the richest pastures,
entered some other way, with an intention only
to kill, to steal, and to destroy ; the other, who,
though they entered by the door to feed their
flocks, with the dispositions of hirelings, yet
when the wolf appeared, they deserted the sheep,-
having no love for any but themselves. By the .
former he plainly alluded to the Pharisees, who
had cast the man born blind out of the syna
gogue, for no other reason than because he
would not act contrary to the dictates of his
conscience, and agree with them in declaring
Jesus to be an impostor. But though they had
cast him out of their church, Christ received him
into his, which is the true church, the spiritual
inclosure, where the sheep go in and out, and
find pasture.
To illustrate the allusion, it should be observed,
that the sheep which were brought to be folded,
were inclosed in little folds, within the outer
court of the temple ; so that the shepherd him
self could not enter, till the porter had opened
the door. And from this circumstance, the fol
lowing parabolical discourse may be easily un
derstood. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but
climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief
and a robber. Johnx. 1. Believe me, that who
soever, in any age of the church, assumed the
office of a teacher, without a commission from
me, was a thief and a robber; and in the present
age, he is no better who assumes that office with
out my commission, and particularly without be
lieving on me. But he that entereth in by the door,
is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter
openeth; and the sheep hear his voice : and he call-
eth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out :
and when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them, and the sheep follow him ; for they
know his voice. John x. 2, 3, 4.
2K*

140

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XX.

The doctrine here inculcated is, that .good
men are obedient to the instructions of true
and faithful teachers, who, in every case, show
them their duty with the greatest plainness,
not concealing it because it may be disagree
able to their inclinations. On the contrary,
A stranger will they not folhw, but will flee
from him; for they know not the voice of strangers,
John x. 5. The people of God will not hearken
to impostors and false teachers, who neither
preach, nor live in the truth, but flee from them,
like sheep from the voice of a stranger ; for they
can easily distinguish them, from the messengers
of God, by their fruits, their doctrines, and their
lives. Thus did the great Bedeemer of mankind, by
this instructive parabolical discourse, explain to
the Pharisees the difference between true and
false teachers ; but they being ignorant of his
meaning, he added, by way of explication, Ve
rily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the
sheep : I am not only the door by which the shep
herd must enter, but I am also the door of the
sheep : it is by me that men enter into the spi
ritual inclosure of the true church. All that ever
came before me, — all those who have presumed
to assume the characters of teachers of religion,
without commission from me, — are thieves and
robbers : but the sheep did not hear them. John
x. 8.
I am the door, through which alone any one
Can come acceptably unto God : By me, if any
man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in
and out, and find pasture. If any man believeth
on me, he shall become a true member of the
church of God upon earth, and shall, from time
to time, receive such instruction as shall nourish
his soul unto eternal life. Our blessed Saviour
seems to change the image in the last particular,
and instead of the outer court of the temple,

where the sheep were kept, represented an in^
closure, where cattle were fed.
The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy ; I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more abun
dantly. John x. 10. You may easily know that
I am neither a thief nor a robber, by considering
that the intention of such is only to steal, to kill,
and to destroy the flock. They assume the
characters of teachers who have received their
commissions from heaven, for no other reason
than to promote their own interest, at the ex
pense of the souls of men; but I am come
merely to give you life, and even much more
abundantly . than it was given under the dis
pensation of the law.
Nor am I an hireling shepherd, appointed by
the owner to take care of the flock. I am the
good shepherd promised by the prophets ; the
true proprietor of the sheep. This is sufficiently
evident from my laying down my life for the
safety of the flock. Whereas an hireling, who
purposes nothing but his own advantage, when
he sees the wolf approaching, deserts the sheep;
Ms whole care is for his own safety, and, there
fore, he will not expose himself to any danger on
their account ; so that the wolf, without resist
ance, tears some to pieces, and disperses the rest.
lam the good shepherd : the good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling,
and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not,
seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and
fleeth : and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth
the sheep. The hireling fleeth because he is an
hireling, and careth not for the sheep. John x.
11—13. And as I am the good shepherd, and so earnest
in tending them, so I know every particular sheep,
am able to claim it, in whose possession soever

Chap. XX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

141

it be, and know every tiling relating to the sheep.
1 know the circumstances wherein they are
placed, am well acquainted with their wants, and
can judge what assistance they want. Besides,
I love them all with the greatest sincerity, and
approve of their faith in, and obedience to me,
because it is sincere, and springs from a right
principle. For they have just notions of my
dignity and character; they know that I am
their Shepherd and Saviour, sent from God, and
that I am able to feed them with knowledge,
deliver them from sin, and the punishment -of it,
and bestow on them eternal life, and procure
them a place in the blissful mansions of my Fa
ther's house. / am the good, shepherd, and know
my sheep, and am known of mine. John x. 14.
And this mutual knowledge and love of each
other, is like that subsisting between me and
my Father. As the Father knoweth me, even so
knew I the Father; and Hay down my life for the
sheep. John x. 15. I will give a convincing
proof of the love I bear to the sheep ; I will lay
down my life for them ; an instance of regard
that will never be given by an hireling.
But I have other sheep, besides those of the
seed of Abraham; numbers of my flock are
among the Gentiles. These also I must bring
into my church, and they will cheerfully submit
to my laws. There shall be then but one fold,
and they shall know me, shall distinguish my
voice from that of a stranger, and though con
sisting of Jews and Gentiles, yet they shall have
but one shepherd to feed and govern them ; for
the middle wall of partition shall be broken
down. And other sheep I have, which are not of
this fold : them also I must bring, and they shaU
hear my voice ; and there shall be onefold, and one
shepherd. John x. 16.
And because I lay down my life to save the

world, therefore my heavenly Fadier loveth me.
But though I lay down my life, I will take it
again ; for I will in due time rise from the dead.
I do not, however, either lay down my life, or
rise from the dead, without the appointment of
the Almighty. I act in both according to the
divine wisdom, and agreeably to the will of my
heavenly Father. 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 of my Father.
John x. 17, 18.
Various were the effects produced by this dis
course upon the minds of the Jews. Some of
them cried out that he was mad, and possessed
with a devil, and that it was the highest folly to
hear him ; while others, who judged more im
partially of him and his doctrine, declared that
his discourses were not those of a lunatic, nor
his miracles the works of a devil ; asking those
who were enemies to Jesus, if they imagined any
devil was able to confer the faculty of sight on
one that was born blind ?
There was a division, therefore, again among
the Jeios, for these sayings. And many of them
said, He hath a devil, and is mad ; why hear ye
him? Others said, These are not the tvords of
him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes
of the blind? John x. 19, 20, 21.
Soon after, as Jesus was standing in Solomon's
porch, the Jews came to Mm, desiring that he
would tell them plainly whether he was the ex
pected Messiah, or not. But Jesus,, knowing
that they did not ask tMs question for informa
tion, but to gain an opportunity of accusing him
to the Bomans, as a seditious person, who en
deavoured to deceive the people, by pretending

142

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XX.

to be the great Son of David, promised by the
prophets, in order to usurp the kingdom, told
them that they must form a judgment of him
from his actions: / 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, be
cause ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
John x. 25, 26. Your unbelief is the effect of
your attachment to this world, being unwilling
to receive the doctrine of the kingdom of hea
ven ; because you must then renounce all your
fond hopes of temporal power and advantage.
But, on the contrary, those who are of a meek
and humble disposition, and their minds free
from worldly passions, easily perceive the truth
of my doctrine and miracles, and, consequently,
are, readily disposed to become my disciples.
Nor shall such persons lose their reward ; for I
will willingly receive them, and make them par
takers of eternal life, in my Father's kingdom.
And however assiduous malicious men may be
in endeavouring- to Mnder men from believing
on me, they shall never be able to effect their
purpose, though assisted by all the powers of
darkness. For my heavenly Father, who hath
given them to me, is far greater than them all ,:
nor is any able to contend with him. My sheep
hear my voice, and I knoiv them, and they follow
me. And I give unto them eternal life ; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them
out of my hand. My Father, which gave them
me, is greater than all; and none is able to
pluck them out of my Father's hand. John
x. 27, &c.
The Jews were so incensed at this declaration,
which they considered as blasphemous, that they
took up stones to cast at him, in conformity to
the law, which commands all blasphemers to
be stoned. But Jesus asked them, which of the
beneficent miracles he had wrought in confirma
tion of his mission deserved such treatment?

Many good works have I showed you from, my
Father : for which of those works do ye stone me ?.
John x. 32.
As if he had said, I have fed the hungry in the
desert, I have healed the lame, I have cleansed
the lepers, I have cured the sick, I have given
sight to the blind, I have cast out devils,and I
have raised the dead : for which of these works
are ye going to stone me ? Do these miracles
indicate that the author of them is an impostor?
Or can you be so stupid as to think that the Al
mighty would suffer any person to perform such
works, with no other intention than to deceive
the human race ? The Jews answered, We are
far from thinking that thou deservest punish
ment for any good work thou hast done in fa
vour of the afflicted and distressed : the punish
ment is intended to chastise thee for thy blas
phemous speeches; for thou, though a weak
mortal, a being of a day fike ourselves, arro
gantly assumest the power and majesty of the
Most High, and, by claiming the incommuni
cable attributes of the Deity, makest thyself
God. For a good work we stone thee not, but
for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a
man, makest thyself God. John x. 33.
Jesus replied, Have not the Scriptures ex
pressly called those gods, and the sons of God,
who were commissioned to govern God's people,.
on account of their high office, and the inspira
tion of the Spirit, which was, though sparingly*
bestowed upon them. Can you, therefore, im
pute to that person whom the Almighty hath
sanctified and sent into the world to save lost
mankind, and pay the price of redemption, for
all the sons of men; can you, I say, impute
blasphemy unto him, for taking on himself the
title of the Son of God ? If my own assertion
be not sufficient to convince you of my per
sonal digmty, you must surely think that the

Chap. XX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

143

many miracles I have wrought, abundantly prove
that they are the works of the Most High, as
Omnipotence alone could perform them ; and,
therefore, that the Father and I are so united,
that whatever I say, or do, is approved of by the
Almighty. Is it not written in your hw, I said,
Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto
whom the word of God came, and the Scrip
ture 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, be
lieve me not. But if I do, though ye believe not
me, believe the works : that ye may know, and be
lieve, that the Father is in me, and I in Mm. John
x. 34, &c.
But this reply, mstead of satisfying the Jews,
rather tended to enrage them the more: and
Jesus, seeing it was of no consequence to
reason with so headstrong a people, withdrew
Mmself in an extraordinary manner, and so
escaped from them. Therefore they sought again
to take him ; but he escaped out of their hand.
John x. 39. tp
What prudence, mingled with spirit and sweet
ness, runs through the answers of Christ to the
Jews ! What inestimable blessings does he pro
pose, to invite them into his fold! May we
never forget those gracious words! May we
ever be entitled to all the comfort of them ! /
give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall
never perish, neither shall any pluck them out
of my hand. Lord, may we be found in the
number of those secure and happy souls, even
of those who know thee, and who obey thy
voice, and follow thee whithersoever thou lead-
est them by thine example, thy providence, thy
word and Spirit !
The feast of the dedication being now over,

Jesus departed from Jerusalem, and retired into
the parts of Perea, beyond Jordan. Here his
ministry was attended with great success ; for
the inhabitants of the country, remembering what
had been told them by John the Baptist, con
cerning Jesus, and being sensible that the doc
trine and miracles of our blessed Saviour were
fully equal to what the Baptist had foretold^
firmly believed him to be the Messiah.
According to this supposition, which seems
the most agreeable to reason, the inhabitants
of these countries enjoyed the doctrines and mi
racles of the Son of God for a very considerable
time. But however this be, the Evangelist tells
us, that while he was executing his ministry
beyond Jordan, he happened to pray publicly,
with such fervency, that one of his disciples,
who was exceedingly affected both with the
matter and manner of his address, begged he
would teach them to pray. And it came to
pass, that as he ivas praying in a certain place,
when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto
him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught
his disciples. And he said unto them, When
ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven ;
hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give
us day by day our daily bread. And, forgive us
our sins : for we also forgive every one that is
indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil. Luke xi. 1 — 4.
Soon after, our blessed Saviour east out a
devil ; when some, who were present, ascribed
the miracle to Beelzebub. And he was casting
out a devil, and it was dumb: and it came
to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb
spake ; and the people wondered. But some of
them said, He casteth out devils through Beelze
bub, the chief of the devils. Luke ix. 14, 15.
However strange tMs argument may seem, and

144

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XX.

however weak and absurd it must appear to im
partial judges, yet it had a considerable effect on
illiterate persons, especially on those whose pre
judices and interests it favoured. The Pharisees
pretended, that as Jesus had all along been at
great pains to oppose the traditions which most
_of the teachers of that age considered as the es
sentials of religion, and the principal branches of
piety, they concluded that he must be a very
wicked person.
They also supposed that a false prophet had
the power of working signs and wonders ; and
thence concluded, that our Saviour performed
all his miracles by the assistance of evil spirits,
with an intention to turn the people from the
worship of the true God.
Another pretended reason for ascribing his
miracles to evil spirits, was, that the demons
themselves, when they departed out of the per
sons possessed, honoured him with the title of
the Messiah. Their arguments, though so evi
dently founded on falsehood, contributed largely
to the infidelity of the Jews ; and however we
may be surprised that such weak reasons should
have any effect, considering what multitudes
were witnesses of the many miracles the blessed
Jesus performed on the sick of all sorts, on the
blind, the deaf, the dumb, the maimed, the
lame, or paralytics, lunatics, demoniacs, and the
other miserable objects; nay, on the dead, whom
he raised again to life ; on the winds and the
seas ; in a word, on every part of nature ; yet
experience hath abundantly convinced us, that
notwithstanding all these evidences, their own
superstitious opinions fixed that headstrong
people in then infidelity.
Though part of the multitude were content
with ascribing this miracle to the power of evil
spirits, others went still farther, desiring him to

prove himself the Messiah, by giving them a
sign from heaven. But Jesus, knowing their
thoughts, refused to grant them this request;
telling them, that they were a wicked race of
mortals, and discovered a very perverse dispo
sition, by seeking, after so many miracles had
been performed, a sign from heaven ; and, there
fore, that no greater sign should be given them
than the sign of the prophet Jonas. This is an
evil generation : they seek a sign ; and there shall
no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the pro
phet. Luke xi. 29.
No man', added the Saviour of the world,
when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it into
a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on
a candlestick, that they which come in may see
the light. No man endued with the Spirit of
God, concealeth the blessed gift; but holdeth
forth the glorious doctrines of salvation, as it
were like a candle, that the light of the same
may shine upon the souls of men who hear
them. The light of the body is the eye : there
fore, when thine eye is single, thy whole body also
is full of light : but when thine eye is evil, thy
body also is full of darkness. Take heed, there
fore, that the light ichich is in thee be not darkness.
Luke xi. 34, &c. Take care, therefore, that thy
soul be so completely enlightened by the Spirit,
that the emanation of its light be not in the least
interrupted by an evil passion or affection ; that
all the faculties of the soul may be as much en
lightened and assisted, as the members of the
body are by the bright shining of a candle. If
thy whole body, therefore, be full of light, having
no part' dark, the whole shall be full of lights as
when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee
light. Luke xi. 36.
Thus ' did our blessed Saviour prove the
truth of his mission, against the cavils and
sophistical reasoning of his malicious ene-

Chap. XX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

145

mies. And when he had done speaking, one
of the Pharisees present desired he would dine
with him. The Bedeemer of manMnd ac
cepting the invitation, tiiough probably given, as
some think, with an insidious design, accom
panied the Pharisee to his house, and sat down
to meat, but without performing the ceremony
of wasMng, observed by all the other guests.
An omission of this kind could not fail of
surprising the Pharisee, as he had thereby shown
an open contempt of their traditions. Jesus,
who well knew the thoughts of this bigoted Pha
risee, said to him, Your sect are remarkably
careful to keep every, thing clean that touches
your food, lest by eating it your body should be
polluted ; but you take no pains to cleanse your
minds from the pollution of rapine, covetousness,
and wickedness. You must surely be convinced,
that he who created the body, formed also the
soul ; and can you imagine, that the Almighty,
who requires purity of body, because it is the
work of his hands, will not also insist upon a
greater purity of soul, which is undoubtedly the
far nobler part of human nature. Instead, there
fore, of that scrupulous solicitude of washing
your hands when you sit down to meat, ye
should be careful to apply yourselves to the
great duty of benevolence; a duty that will
render it impossible for any external things to
defile you, but will be at all times acceptable to
your Maker. Now do ye Pharisees make clean
the outside of the cup and the platter; but
your inward part is full of ravening and wick
edness. Ye fools, did not he tlmt made that
which is without, make that which is within also?
But rather give alms of such things as ye have;
and, behold, all things are clean unto you. Luke
xi. 39, &c.
But the Pharisees, obstinate and perverse,
withstood every mean made use of by the benign
Nos. 13&14.

Bedeemer of mankind, to conquer their preju
dices, and bring them to the knowledge of the
truth; and, therefore, our blessed Saviour treated
them, on this occasion, with a kind and whole
some severity, denouncing against them the
most dreadful woes, for regarding so zealously
the ceremonial parts of religion, and at the same
time utterly neglecting the very precepts of their
own religion. Woe unto you, Pharisees ! for
ye tythe mint, and rue, and all manner of herbs,
and pass over judgment, and the love of God:
these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other unddne. Woe unto you, Pharisees!
for ye love the uppermost seats in the syna
gogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto
you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
are as graves which appear not, and the men
that walk over them are not aware of them.
Luke xi. 42 — 44.
A certain lawyer, who sat at the table, thinking
that this rebuke, though levelled principally
against the Scribes and Pharisees, affected his
order also, was greatly displeased. But our
blessed Saviour, who had never any regard to
the persons of men, despised his resentment, and
told him freely what he thought of their character.
Woe unto you also, ye lawyers ! for ye lade men
with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye your
selves touch not the burdens with one of your
fingers. Luke xi. 46. You pervert in a very
erroneous manner the interpretation of scripture,
for no other reason than to favour the tradition
of the elders, and by that means lay so heavy a
burden on the shoulders of the descendants of
Jacob, that neither you nor they will touch with
one of their fingers.
The blessed Jesus also condemned them for
bmlding the sepulchres of the prophets, whom
their fathers had murdered ; because they did not
do it from the respect wMch they had for the
2L

146

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXI.

memory of these holy men, but from a secret
approbation of their fathers' actions; as too evi
dently appeared from then whole conduct.
Woe unto you ! for ye build the sepulchres of
the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly
ye bear witness that ye alhw the deeds of your
fathers; for they indeed killed them, and ye
build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the
Wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and
apostles, and some of them they shall slay and
persecute: that the bhod of all the prophets
which ivas shed from the foundation of the
world, might be required of this generation ; from
the bhod of Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias,
which perished between the altar and the tem
ple ; verily I say unto you, It shall be required
of this generation. Luke xi. 47, &c.
Our Lord also reproved the lawyers for filling
the minds of the people with notions founded on
wrong mterpretations of Scripture, whereby they
were prejudiced against the Gospel ; not being
contented with rejecting it themselves, but took
care to hinder others from receiving it. Woe unto
you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of
knowledge : ye entered not in yourselves, and them
that were entering in, ye hindered. Luke xi. 52.
Such honest reprimands highly provoked the
Pharisee and his guests. They were conscious
of being guilty of the crimes laid to their charge,
but unwilling the people should think them
guilty ; and, therefore, out of revenge, urged him
to speak on a variety of topics, hopmg they should
be able by these means to find occasion of render
ing him obnoxious either to the government or
the multitude. And as he said these things unto
them, the Scribes and the Pharisees began to urge
him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of
many things ; laying wait for him, and seeking to
catch something out of his mouth, that they might
accuse him. Luke xi 53, 54.

CHAP. XXI.
Explanation of the Origin and Opinions
of the different Sects among the Jews. — ¦
Our Lord teaches the Multitude by
plain Discourse, and also by Parables.
HAVING undertaken to write the history
of the life of our blessed Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, we cannot omit a distinct account
of the different sects of the Jews, a people with
whom he was most intimately concerned ; both
as an elucidation of many circumstances, as well
as a verification of manytMngs foretold concern
ing the Messiah.
Josephus reckons four principal sects among
the Jews ; namely, the Pharisees, die Sadducees,
(called also Herodians,) the Essenes, and the
Galileans. The Evangelists mention only two,
the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The rise of the Pharisees is unknown. They
claim, indeed, the celebrated Hillel for their
founder, as he is by some supposed to have lived
during the pontificate of Jonathan, about a hun
dred and fifty years before the birth of Christ ;
but others, with more reason, suppose that he
was contemporary with the famous Someas, who
lived about the time of Herod, long before whom
the sect of the Pharisees was in high repute.
It is, therefore, probable that they claim Hillel
rather as an ornament than as the author of
the sect.
One of the most famous tenets of the Pharisees,
was that of an oral tradition handed down from
Moses, and to which they attributed the same di
vine authority as to the sacred books. This be
ing strenuously opposed by the Sadducees and

Chap. XXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

147

Samaritans, rendered these equally detested by
them. But none more incurred then hatred than
the blessed Jesus, who embraced every occasion
of reproving them for the unjustifiable preference
they gave this pretended tradition to the written
word of God, and for condemning those as apos
tates, worthy of death, who did not pay the same,
or even a greater regard, to the former than to
the latter.
Another tenet they embraced, in opposition to
the Sadducees, was that of the existence of an
gels, the immortality of the soul, and the resur
rection of the dead, and future rewards. But
with regard to the last, they excluded all who
were notoriously wicked from having any share
in the happiness of eternity ; supposing, that as
soon as death had put a period to their lives,
their souls were conveyed into everlasting punish
ment. A third tenet was, that all things were subject
to fate; or, as some expressed it, to the hea
vens. It is not easy to conceive what they
meant by this : Josephus, indeed, will have it,
that they designed to reconcile the fatality or
predestination of the Essenes, with the free-will
of the Sadducees.
If so, this is not the Only absurdity, or even
contradiction, which they held: but a certain
learned prelate seems to have proved that they
attributed all to fate, or to that chain of causes
to which the Creator had subjected all things
from the beginning; among which the influence
of the heavenly bodies was considered the prin
cipal. This seems to be hinted at by St. James,
in the beginning of his epistie to the new con
verts, where he explodes that Pharisaical leaven,
by the most beautiful opposition of the immu
tability of God, the giver of all good, to the
mutability of the planets, which, according to

that notion, must necessarily vary their aspects
from a malign to a benevolent one, and the
contrary, even by their natural motions and
change of position. This tenet of the Pharisees
was, therefore, a source of dislike to the doctrines
delivered by the blessed Jesus ; as these affirm
that men are the authors of their own unbelief,
disobedience, and obstinacy ; and, consequently,
answerable for that, and all the train of evils
these vices draw after them.
But the most distingmshing character of the
Pharisees, and that which rendered them more
obnoxious to the just censures of our blessed
Saviour, was their supererogatory attachment
to the ceremonial law, their frequent washings,
fastings, and prayings, their giving alms publicly,
seeking for proselytes, scrupulous tithings, af
fected gravity of dress, gesture, and mortified
looks ; their building the tombs of the prophets,
to tell the world that they were more righteous
than their ancestors who murdered them, though
they were themselves plotting the death of one
greater than all the prophets ; then over scru
pulous observance of the sabbath, to the ex
clusion of the works of the greatest charity;
and many others of the like nature ; while they
were wholly negligent of the moral and eternal
law of mercy and justice, of charity and humi
lity, and the like indispensable virtues.
The very best of them contented themselves
with abstaining from the actual committing any
enormous act, while they indulged themselves
in the most wicked thoughts and desires. Nay,
some, more hardened in their vices, made no
scruple not only of coveting, but destroying poor
widows' houses ; of committing the vilest op
pressions, injustice, and cruelties, and of encou
raging these enorrhities in their followers, under
the specious cloak of religion and sanctity. Well,
therefore, might the great Bedeemer of mankind
2L*

148

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXI.

compare them to whited sepulchres, beautiful in
deed without, but within full of rottenness and
corruption. The last erroneous opinion we shall mention
of the Pharisees, common, indeed, to all the other
sects, but more exactly conformable to their
haughty, rapacious, and cruel temper, was, their
expectation of a powerful, a Conquering Messiah,
who was to bring the whole world under the
Jewish yoke ; so that there was scarce an inhabi
tant of Jerusalem, however mean, that did not
expect to be made a governor of some opulent
province under that wonderful prince.
How unlikely was it then, that the preaching
of the meek, the humble Jesus, whose doctrine
breathed nothing but humility, peace, sincerity,
s contempt of the world, and universal love and
beneficence, should ever be relished by that
proud, that covetous, that hypocritical sect, or
even by the rest of the people, while these, then
teachers, so strenuously opposed it ?
The sect of the Sadducees is said to have
been founded by one Saddoc, a disciple of An-
tigonus of Socho. Their chief tenet was, that
our serving God ought to be free either from
slavish fear of punishment, or from selfish hope
of reward ; that it should be disinterested, and
flow only from the pure love and fear of the Su
preme Being. They added, that God was the
only immaterial being ; in consequence of which,
they demed the existence of angels, or any spi
ritual substances, except the Almighty himself.
It is, therefore, no wonder, that the Sadducees
should take every opportunity of opposing and
ridiculing*the doctrine of the resurrection.
Another of their tenets, equally opposite to the
Pharisees and to the doctrine of CMist, was, that
man was constituted absolute master of all his

actions, and stood in no need of any assistance
to choose or act : for this reason, they were al
ways very severe in their sentences when they
sat as judges. They rejected all the pretended
oral traditions of the Pharisees, admitting only
the texts of the sacred books, and preferred
those of Moses to all the rest of the inspired
writings. They are charged with some other erro
neous tenets, by Josephus and the Talmudists :
but those already mentioned are abundantly
sufficient for the purpose. The notions of a
future life, universal judgment, eternal rewards
and punishments, to men whom a contrary
doctrine had long soothed mto luxury, and an
overgrown fondness for temporal happiness,
which they considered as the only reward for
their obedience, must of necessity appear strange
and frightful; and? as such, could not fail of
meeting with the strongest opposition from
them ; especially if we add, what Josephus ob
serves, that they were in general men of the
greatest quality and opulence, and, consequently,
too apt to prefer the pleasures and grandeur of
tMs life to those of another.
The sect of Galileans, (or Gaulonites,) • so
called from Judas, the Galilean or Gaulonite,
appeared soon after the banishment of Ar-
chelaus, when Ms territories were made a
Boman province, and the government given
to Copomus. For the Jews, considering this
as an open attempt to reduce them to sla
very, Judas took advantage of their discon
tent; and, to ripen them for an insurrection,
Augustus furnished them with a plausible pre
tence, by issuing, about this time, an edict
for surveying the whole province of Syria,
and laying on it a proportional tax. Judas,
therefore, who was a man of uncommon am
bition, took occasion from this incident to

Chap. XXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

149

display all his eloquence, in order to convince
the Jews that such a submission was nothing
less than base idolatry, and placing men on
a level with the God of Jacob, who was the
only Lord and Sovereign that could challenge
their obedience and subjection. The party which
he drew after him became in a short time so
considerable, that they threw every thing into
confusion, laid the foundation for those fright
ful consequences that ensued, and which did
not end but with the destruction of Jeru
salem. The Essenes, though not mentioned by the
Evangelists, made a very considerable sect
among the Jews, and are highly celebrated
by Josephus, Philo, Pliny, and several Chris
tian writers, both ancient and modern. It is
impossible to trace their origin, or even the
etymology of their name. This, however, is
certain, that they were settled in Judea in the
time of Jonathan, the brother and successor
of Judas Maccabeus, about a hundred and fifty
years before Christ.
The Essenes distinguished themselves, by their
rules and manner of life, into laborious and con
templative. The former divided their time be
tween prayer and labour ; such as the exercise
of some handicraft, or the cultivation of some
particular spot of ground, where they planted
and sowed such roots, corn, &c. as served for
their food ; and the latter, between prayer, con
templation, and study. In this last, they con
fined themselves to the sacred books and mora
lity, without troubling themselves with any
branch of philosophy.
But the contemplative and laborious had their
synagogues, their stated hours for prayer, for
reading, and expounding the sacred books. The
latter was always performed by the elders, who

were seated at the upper end of the synagogue
according to their seniority ; while the younger,
who were permitted to read the lessons, were
placed at the lower. Their expositions were
generally of the allegorical kind, in which they
seemed to have excelled all their Jewish bre
thren. But they paid the greatest regard to
the five books of Moses, and considered that
lawgiver as the head of all the inspired pen
men : theyeven condemned to immediate death
whoever spoke disrespectfully either of him or
his writings. Upon this account they studied,
read, and expounded him more than all the
rest, and seem to have drawn all their religion
chiefly from the Pentateuch. The doctrines
and expositions of the elders were received
with implicit faith, and in then practice they
conformed with an entire submission to all their
sect With respect to their faith, they believed the
existence of angels, the immortality of the soul,
and a future state of rewards and punishments,
like the Pharisees ; but seem to have had no no
tion of the resurrection. They considered the
souls of men as composed of a most subtile ether,
which immediately after their separation from
the body, or from the cage or prison, as they
called it, were adjudged to a place of endless
happiness or misery ; that the good took their
flight over the ocean, into some warm and de
lightful regions prepared for them ; while the
wicked were conveyed to some cold and intem
perate climates, where they were left to groan
under an inexpressible weight of misery.
They were likewise entirely averse to the
Sadducean doctrine of free-will, attributing all
to an eternal fatality, or chain of causes. They
were averse to all kinds of oaths ; affirming, that
a man's life ought to be such, that he may be
credited without them. The contemplative sort

150

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXI.

placed the excellency of their meditative life in
raising their minds above the earth, and placing
their thoughts on heaven. When they had at
tained this degree of excellency, they acquired
the character of prophets.
In their practice they excelled all the other
sects in austerity. If we may credit Philo,
it was a fundamental maxim with them, upon
their entrance into the contemplative life, to
renounce the world, and to divide among
their friends and relations their properties and
estates. They never ate till after sun-set, and
the best of their food was coarse bread, a little
salt, and a few stomachic herbs. Their clothing
was made of coarse wool, plain, but white :
they condemned all sorts of unctions and per
fumes, as luxurious and effeminate. Their
beds were hard, and their sleep short. Their
heads or superiors were generally chosen ac
cording to seniority, unless there started up
among the brotherhood some more conspi
cuous for learning, piety, or prophetic spirit.
Some of them, indeed, were so'contemplative,
that they never stirred out of their cell, or
even looked out of their window, during the
whole week, spending their time in reading the
sacred books, and writing comments upon them.
On the sabbath-day they repaired to their syna
gogues early in the morning, and continued there
the whole day in prayer, singing of psalms, or
expounding the sacred books.
Having endeavoured to explain the origin and
tenets of the several sects among the Jews, we
now return to the history of our blessed Saviour,
whom we left preaching in the country beyond
Jordan, when he was surrounded by an innume
rable multitude of people.
In the audience of this vast assembly he gave
his disciples, in general, a charge to beware of

the leaven of the Pharisees, namely, hypocrisy ;
because all their actions would be brought to
light either in this world, or in that wMch is to
come ; and, therefore, exorted them to be very
careful never to do any thing which could not
bear the light, but to let the whole of then
behaviour be honest, just, and good. Beware
ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hy
pocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall
not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be
known. Therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken
in darkness, shall be heard in the light; and
that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets,
shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops. Luke
xh. 1,2,3.
This argument against hypocrisy he improved
as a reason for their acquiring another quality,
which would much better serve all the ends they
could propose ; namely, an undaunted resolu
tion in the performance of their duty, founded
on a firm confidence in God, who would bring
to light the most secret word and thought, pub
licly condemn the wicked, and justify his faithful
servants and children.
Fear not, said he, the malice of the human
race : it can extend no farther than the destruc
tion of the body ; your soul may bid defiance to
their impotent rage. But dread the displeasure
of that Almighty Being, who, after he has de
stroyed the body, is able to confine the soul in
eternal torments. Bemember, all things are in
his power, and that nothing happens without his
permission : he provides for the meanest of his
creatures ; and surely you may think yourselves
under his protection, who numbers the very hairs
of your head, nor can your enemies touch one of
them without his permission. And I say unto
you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill
the body, and after that have no more that they can
do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear:

Chap. XXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

151

Fear him, which, after he hath killed, hath power
to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear
him. Are not five sparrows sold for two far
things, and not one of them is forgotten before
God ? but even the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Fear not, therefore: ye are of
more value thai\ many sparrows. Luke xii.
4, &c.
Our Lord, to animate his followers to a
perseverance, admomshes them to look for
ward unto the general judgment, when he
would acknowledge them as Ms servants, pro
vided they acknowledged him in this world
as then Master, and cheerfully and constantly
obeyed his commands. But if they were
ashamed of Mm, and his doctrine, before the
sons of men, he would disown them before
the celestial host And that those who re
viled the Spirit, by whom they performed
then miracles, should be punished by the Al
mighty in proportion to the maligmty of their
crime, which is greater than that of reviling
the Son of God Mmself, because it will be
impossible for them to repent. Also I say
unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before
men, him shall the Son of man also confess be
fore the angels of God. But he that denieth
me before men, shall be denied before the an
gels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven
him : but \*nto him that blasphemeth agamst the
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven* Luke
xii. 8, &c.
He also cautioned his disciples not to be per
plexed with regard to an answer, when they
should be brought before the rulers of the people*
because they should be inspired by the Spirit of
God. And when they bring you unto the syna
gogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take
ye no thought how or what things ye shall an

swer, or what ye shall say : For the Holy Ghost
shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought
to say. Luke xii. 11, 12.
While our blessed Saviour was delivering these
exhortations to his disciples, a certain person
among the multitude begged him that he would
interpose his authority with his brother, in order
to oblige him to divide then paternal inheritance
between them : but as this decision properly be
longed to the magistrates, our blessed Saviour,
who came into the world to redeem the souls of
men, and to purchase for them an eternal, not
a temporal, inheritance, declined the office. He,
however, embraced the opportunity of giving his
hearers the most solemn caution against covet-
ousness ; declaring, that neither the length nor
happiness of human life had any dependence on
the largeness of possessions. Take heed, and
beware of covetousness : for a man's life consisteth
not in the abundance of the things which he pos-
sesseth. Luke xii. 15.
To excite their comparative negligence of the
things of this life, he placed before them in the
strongest light an example of the bewitching in
fluence of wealth, in the parable of a rich man
who was cut off In the midst of his projects, and
became a remarkable example of the folly of
amassing the goods of this life, without having
any regard to the commands of the Almighty.
This wretched man, forgetting his own mortality.
made preparations for a long and luxurious life,
pleasing himself with the thoughts of possessing
an inexhaustible fund of sensual enjoyments.
But, alas ! while he was providing repositories
for his riches, the inexorable king of terrors seized
him, and that very night hurried him before the
awful tribunal of Omnipotence. And he spake
a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a cer
tain rich man brought forth plentifully : and he
thought within himself, saying, What shall I do,

152

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXI.

because I have no room where to bestow my
fruits ? And he said, This will I do: I mil
pull down my barns, and build greater; and
there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many years ; take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said
unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall
be required of thee : then whose shall these
things be which thou hast provided? Luke
xii. 16, &c.
How solemn the appeal ! While he lay waking
on his bed, in anxious solicitude what he should
do with Ms abundance ; while his heart was
dilated with the hopes of a variety of pleasures
and indulgences ; in that very moment the golden
dream vanishes at once ; all his thoughts perish,
and, in their stead, a horrid account stares him
in the face ; a scene of judgment presents itself
to his terrified imagination; a dark mght of
horror, in an instant, overwhelms that soul to
which he had promised so much ease, so much
pleasure ; and instead of ease, instead of eating,
drinking, and making merry, eternal tortures,
unspeakable thirst, weeping, wailing, and gnash
ing of teeth, must be the portion of this miserable
soul to all etermty !
So is he, added our blessed Saviour, that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich
Howards God. Thus shall he be taken away
from all his soul desrreth ; thus shall he be torn
from all his temporal prospects and pleasures.
None of his beloved enjoyments shall follow him ;
naked as he came shall he depart out of the
world ; nor shall all his riches be able to pro
cure him the least comfort or respite in these
scenes of terror. How should this reflection
awaken us to a due care of our immortal part !
how should it alarm us, when planning fancied
schemes of worldly pleasures, without the least

regard to the great Disposer of all events. With
out his assistance, all our promises of security are
vain and foolish ; he will surely render all our la
bours abortive ! and in a moment, whenwe think
ourselves secure, the summons shall arrive swift
as the forky lightrnng's flash, convey us to the
boundless regions of eternity, and present us,
clothed in all our guilt, before the just, the
mighty Author of our being !
This awakening parable exMbits a striking
picture of the egregious folly of those who live
only for themselves, laying up treasures for sen
sual enjoyments, but neglect the grace of God,
and the immense treasure of salvation laid up in
Jesus Christ.
And yet, alas! how many are there, who
are now as deeply engaged in then worldly
schemes as tMs rich fool in the parable, to whom
God will, in a few weeks or days, if not this very
night, say, by the awful voice of his irresistible
providence, Thy soul is required of thee ! And
then, what will all these treasures do to purchase
life, or to allay the agonies of death ? So far will
they be found from being capable of this, that
they will rather serve to increase and embitter
the surprise and anguish of those agonies. Let it
then be our labour and care that we may be rich
towards God ; rich in works of piety and charity.
So shall we safely consign over our treasure to
the bank of heaven, and shall be enriched by it,
when we leave the world as naked as we entered
into it, and lose all but what has been so wisely
and happily spent.
Having spoken this parable, our Lord pro
ceeded to caution his disciples against anxious
cares for the things of this world, from a consi
deration that the care of God's providence extends
to every part of the creation. The fowls of heaven
are fed by his bounty, and the lilies that adorn the

Chap. XXII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

153

valleys are supplied with rain from the clouds of
heaven. If, therefore, said the blessed Jesus,
Omnipotence so carefully provides for the in
ferior parts of the creation, the children of men
have surely reason to rely on his bounty, and
depend for subsistence on his merciful hand. He
added, that as God had called them to everlast
ing happiness in a future life, he would surely
provide for them all the necessaries of the pre
sent. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. At the
same time he gave his disciples another precept,
peculiarly calculated for those times, in which
the profession of the Gospel exposed men to the
loss of then substance. Sell that ye have, and
give alms : provide yourselves bags which ivax not
old ; a treasure hi the heavens that failcth not ;
where no thief dpproacheth, neither moth corrupt-
eth : for where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also. Luke xii. 33, 34.
Havmg thus recommended to them the disen
gagement of their affections from the things of
this world, he exhorted them to labour after
improvement in grace. Let your hins be girded
about, and your lights burning ; and be yourselves
Wee unto men that wait for their Lord, when he
shall return from the wedding, that when he
cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him
immediately. Luke xii. 35, 36.
This was spoken in allusion to the customs of
the East, where anciently great entertainments
were made in the evening ; and on these occa
sions servants demonstrated their diligence by
watching, and keeping then loins girded, and
their lamps burning, that they might be ready,
on the first knock of their master, to open the
door. Nor was it uncommon for the master, in
order to reward such a servant, to order Mm
refreshment, and sometimes even give it him
jyith Ms own hand. In allusion to which custom,
No*. 13 & 14.

our blessed Saviour added, Blessed are tlwse
servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall
find watching. Verily I say unto you, That he
shall gird himself, and make them sit down to
meat, and will come forth and serve them. Luke
xii. 37.
Our Saviour enforced this constant watchful
ness, and habitual preparation, by reminding
them of the uncertainty of his coming ; telling
Ms disciples, that as every master of a family, if
he knew the coming of the tMef, would make
some preparation against a surprise, so it would
be highly requisite for them to make some pre
paration for the approach of their Master, and
be always ready to receive him, as the time of
his coming was uncertain.
CHAP. XXII.
Our Lord reproves the Ignorance of the
People in not understanding the Signs
which preceded his Appearance. — Per
tinently replies to an ignorant Question
and Inference concerning the Gali
leans. — Teaches by Parable. — Relieves
a distressed Woman. — 7s warned to de
part the Country, in order to escape the
Resentment of Herod.
THE great Preacher of Israel having de
livered these salutary admonitions to his
disciples and followers, directed his discourse to
the unbelieving crowd. You can, said he, by the
signs that appear in the sky, and on the earth,
form a judgment of the weather ; and why can Ye
not also discover the time of the Messiah's ap
pearance, by the signs which have preceded it ?
When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straight
way ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say,
2M

154

THE LIKE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXII.

There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hy
pocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, and of
the earth ; but how is it that ye do not discern this
time ? Luke xii. 54, &c.
The prediction of the Son of man coming to
punish the Jews for their rebellion and infidelity,
delivered under the similitude of one who cometh
secretly and unexpectedly to plunder a house,
was a loud call to a national repentance. In
order, therefore, to improve that prediction, he
exhorted them to a speedy reformation, telling
them that the least degree of reflection would
be sufficient to point out to them the best methods
they could possibly make use of for averting the
impending judgments of the Almighty; illus
trating what he had said by the punishments
commoMy inflicted on the man who refuses to
make reparation for the injuries he nas done his
neighbour. When thou goest with thine adver
sary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way
give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from
him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge
deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee
into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart
thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
Luke xii. 58, 59.
Some of his hearers thought proper to con
firm his doctrine, by giving what they considered
as an example of it : Theve were present at that
season some that told him of the Galileans, whose
bhod Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices;
thinking that Providence, for some extraordinary
crime, had suffered these Galileans to be mur
dered at the altar.
But our Lord showed them the error of their
opinion and inference concerning this point, it
being no mdication that these Galileans were
greater sinners than their countrymen, because
they had suffered so severe a calamity ; and at the

same time exhorted them to improve such in
stances of calamity as incitements to their own
repentance ; assuring them, that if they neglected
so salutary a work, they should all likewise perish,
And Jesus answering, said tmto them, Suppose yt
that these Galileans were sinners above all the Ga
lileans, because they suffered such things ? I tell
you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall alHike-
wise perish. Luke xiii. 2, &c.
He illustrated this doctrine, by putting them
in mind of the eighteen persons on whom the
tower of Siloam fell; showing them, by this
instance, the folly of interpreting the dispensa
tions of Providence in that manner : for though
this calamity seemed to flow immediately from
the hand of God, yet, in all probability, it had
involved people who were remarkable for then
piety and goodness. Or those eighteen, upon
whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them,
think ye that they were sinners above all men that
dwelt at Jerusalem ? I tell you, Nay : but, ex
cept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke
xiii. 4, 5.
To rouse them from dieir indolence, and to
induce them to seek the aid of God's grace and
Spirit, he added the parable of the fig-tree, which
the master of the vineyard, after finding it three
years barren, ordered to be destroyed; but was
spared one year longer, at the earnest solicitation
of the gardener. A certain man had a fig-tree
planted in his vineyard ; and he came and sought
fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he
unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these
three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree,
and find none : cut it down ; ivhy cumbereth it
the ground ? And he answering, said unto him,
Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig
about it, and dung it : and if it bear fruit, well;
and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it douyi.
Luke xiii. 6, &.c.

Chap. XXII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

155

By this parable our blessed Saviour repre
sented the goodness of the Almighty towards
the Jews, in choosing them for his people,
giving them the outward dispensations of re
ligion, and informing them of the improve
ments he expected they should make of these
advantages, and the punishments he would
inflict upon, them m case they slighted such
benevolent offers. He also represented by it,
in a very beautiful manner, the unbounded
mercies of the Almighty, in sparing them at the
intercession of Ms Son, and giving them a farther
time of trial, and still greater advantages, by the
preaching of the blessed Jesus and his Apostles ;
concluding with an intimation, that if they neg
lected this last opportunity, they should perish
without remedy.
During Jesus' abode in the country of Perea,
he observed, while he was preaching in one of
the synagogues, on the sabbath-day, a woman,
who, during the space of eighteen years, had
been unable to stand upright A daughter of
Abraham, labouring under so terrible a disorder,
could not fail of attracting the compassion of the
Son of God.
He beheld this affecting object ; he pitied her
deplorable condition ; he removed her complaint.
She who came into the synagogue bowed down
with an infirmity, was, by the all-powerful word
of. the Son of God, restored to her natural health,
and returned* to her house upright, and full of
vigour. Such a display of divine power and goodness,
instead of exciting the gratitude, so highly of
fended the master of the synagogue, that he
openly testified his displeasure, and reproved the
people as sabbath-breakers, because they came
on that day to be healed. There are six days,
said this surly ruler to the people, in.which men

ought to work : in them, therefore, come and be
healed, and not on the sabbath-day. Luke
xiii. 14.
But our blessed Saviour soon silenced this
hypocritical Pharisee, by showing that he had
not deviated from their own avowed practice.
They made no scruple of loosing their cattle,
and leading them to water, on the sabbath-day,
because the mercy of the action sufficiently jus
tified them in performing it. And surely MS
action of loosing, by a single word, a woman,
a rational creature, a daughter of Abraham, that
had been bound by an incurable distemper
during the tedious space of eighteen years, was
abundantly justified ; nor could this bigoted ruler
have thought otherwise, had not his reason been
blinded, by his superstition. The Lord then
answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth
not each one of you, on the sabbath, hose his
ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away
to catering ? And ought not this woman, being "
a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound,
lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this
bond on the sabbath-day? And when he had
said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed:
and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious
things that were done by him. Luke xiii.
15, &c.
From this instance we may form some idea of
the pernicious effects of superstition, which is
capable of extinguishing reason, banishing com
passion, and of eradicating the most essential
principles and feelings of the human breast
Our Lord, having reproved the superstition
of the ruler of the synagogue, and observing the
acclamations of the people, then proceeded to de
monstrate the reason and truth which so effectu
ally supported his kingdom. For he repeated
the parables of the grain of mustard-seed and of
2M*

156

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXII.

the leaven, to show the efficacious operations of
the Gospel upon the minds of the children of
men, and its rapid progress through the world,
notwithstanding all the opposition of its most in
veterate enemies.
The great Bedeemer having now planted
the seeds of the Gospel in the country of Pe
rea, crossed the Jordan, and travelled by slow
journeys towards Jerusalem, preaching the Gos
pel in every village, and declaring the glad
tidings of salvation to all the inhabitants of
those countries.
While he was thus labouring for the salvation
of mankind, one of the persons who accompanied
him, asked him, Lord, are there few that be saved ?
In all probability, the person who proposed this
question had heard the Son of God describe the
success of the Gospel, by the parables of the
mustard-seed and leaven; and his notions of the
kingdom of the Messiah being those that were
then entertamed by the Jews in general, he
meant a temporal salvation. But Jesus, to con
vince him that he never intended to erect a se
cular kingdom, answered the question in a spi
ritual manner, and told him that a small number
only of the Jews would be saved; exhorting
them to embrace the offers of mercy before it
was too late; for that many, after the period
of their trial was concluded, and their state
finally and irreversibly determined, should earn
estly desire these benevolent offers, but should
be demed their request. Strive to enter in at
the strait gate : for many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in, and shall not be. able. When
once the master of the house is risen up, and
hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand
without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord,
Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and
say unto you, I know you not whence ye are.
Luke xiii. 24, 25.

He also repeated, on this occasion, what he had
before delivered in his famous sermon on the
mount ; and what he had observed to the multi
tude in commendation of the Centurion's faith.
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and
drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our
streets* But he shall say, I tell you, I know you
not whence ye are : depart from me, all ye workers
of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God,
and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall
come from the east, and from the west, and from
the north, aiid from the south, and shall sit down
in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are
last which shall be first, and there are first which
shall be last. Luke xiii. 26, &e.
Immediately after Jesus had -thus preached the
kingdom of God to the multitude, certain of the
Pharisees came to him, and told Mm, that unless
he departed thence Herod would destroy Mm :
but this concern for his safety was altogether
feigned, and their real design no other than to
intimidate him, hoping by that means to induce
him to leave the country, and retire into Judea,
where they did not doubt but the chief priests
would find some method of putting him to death.
Perhaps Herod himself was privy to this message,
and desired that Jesus should leave his territories,
though the agonies he had suffered on account
of John the Baptist, hindered him from making
use of force. That this was really the case,
seems evident from the answer our blessed
Saviour made to the Pharisees. Go ye, said
he to these hypocritical Israelites, and tell that
fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures
to-day, and to-morrow, and the third day I
shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must walk
to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following:
for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of
Jerusalem. Luke xiii. 32, 33,

Chap. XXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

157

Having given tliis answer to the Pharisees,
he reflected on the treatment the prophets had
received from the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; pa
thetically lamented their obstinacy, and the ter
rible desolation that would in a short time over
take them. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kill-
est the prophets, and stonest them that are sent
unto thee; how often would I have gathered
thy children together, as a hen doth gather her
brood under her wings, and ye ivould not ! Be
hold, your house is left unto you desolate : and
verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until
the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Lord. Luke
xiii. 35, 45.
CHAP. XXIII.
The blessed Jesus accepts the Pharisee's
Invitation a third Time. — Delivers
divers Parables, representing the Re
quisites for Admittance into the King
dom of God; the care of the Redeemer
for every one of his People; the Recep
tion of a penitent Sinner; and the
Punishment of misusing the Benefits of
the Gospel.
OUB Saviour having finished this awful ex
clamation and prediction, was invited by
one of the Pharisees to Ms house. Though he
knew that tMs invitation arose not from a gene
rous motive, yet, as he never shunned any oppor-
tunity of doing good, even to his most implacable
enemies, he accepted it. At his entermg the
Pharisee's house, they placed before Mm a man
that had a dropsy, doubtless with an intention
to accuse Mm of healing on the sabbath-day ;
being persuaded that he would work a miracle
in favour of so melancholy an object. Jesus,

who knew the secret thoughts of their hearts,
asked the lawyers and Pharisees, whether it was
laivful to heal on the sabbath~day ? But they re
fusing to give any answer to the question, Jesus
laid his hand on the diseased person, and im
mediately his complexion returned, his body
was reduced to its ordinary dimension, and Ms
former health and strength renewed in an in
stant. So surprising a miracle might surely
have convinced the Pharisees, that the author
must have been endued with power from on
high; but, instead of being persuaded that he
was a person sent from God, and laboured only
for the benefit of the children of men, they were
contriving how they might turn this miracle to
his disadvantage. Our Lord, however, soon dis
concerted their projects, by proving that, ac
cording to their own avowed practice, he had
done nothing but what was truly lawful. Which
of you, said he, shall have an ass or an ox fallen
into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out
on the sabbath-day ? If a calamity happens to
one of your beasts, you make no scruple of as
sisting it on the sabbath, though the action may
be attended with considerable labour; and surely
I may relieve a descendant of Abraham, when
nothing more is requisite than touching him
with my hand. This argument was conclusive,
and so plain, that the grossest stupidity must
feel its force, and the most virulent malice could
not contradict it
As the entertainment approached, our blessed
Saviour had an opportunity of observing the
pride of the Pharisees, and remarking what an
anxiety each of them expressed to obtain the most
honourable place at the table. Nor did he let
their ridiculous 'behaviour pass without a proper
animadversion ; in which he observed, that pride
generally exposed a person to many affronts, and
that humility is the surest method of gaining re*
spect. When thou art bidden, said he, of any

158

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIII.

man to a wedding, sit not doivn in the highest
room; lest a more honourable man than thou
be bidden of him ; and he that bade thee and
him come and say unto thee, Give this man place ;
and thou begin with jhame to take the loivest
room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit
down in the lowest room ; that ivhen he that
bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend,
go up higher : then shalt thou have worship in
the presence of them that sit at meat iviih thee.
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased;
and he that humbleth himself <shall be exalted.
Luke xiv. 8, &c.
Having thus addressed the guests in general,
he turned to the master of the house, and said
unto him, When thou makest a dinner or a
supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren,
neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours;
lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense
be made thee. But when thou makest a feast,
call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.
Luke xiv. 12, 13. Be very careful not to limit
thy hospitality to the rich, but let the poor also
partake of thy bounty. And thou shalt be blessed;
for they cannot recompense thee ; for thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke
xiv. 14.
One of the Pharisees, raptured with the de
lightful prospect of the happiness good men
enjoyed in the heavenly Canaan, cried out,
Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of
God ! Blessed is he who, being admitted into
the happy regions of Paradise, shall enjoy the
conversation of the inhabitants of those heavenly
countries; as those spiritual i ('.pasts must regale
and invigorate his mind beyond expression. In
answer to which, our blessed Saviour delivered
the parable of the marriage-supper, represent
ing, by the invitation of the guests, the doctrine
of the Gospel, and the success those beneficent

invitations to the great feast of heaven should
meet with among the Jews; foretelling, that
though it was attended with every inviting cir
cumstance, they would disdainfully reject it, and
prefer the pleasures of a temporal existence to
those of an eternal state ; while the Gentiles,
with the greatest cheerfulness, would embrace
the beneficent offer, and thereby be prepared to
sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in
the happy mansions of the kingdom of heaven.
But as this parable was afterwards spoken by
our blessed Saviour in the temple, we shall
defer our observations on it, till we come to the
history where it was again delivered.
When Jesus departed the Pharisee's house,
great multitudes of people thronged him, to hear
his doctrine ; but mistook the true intention of
it, expecting he was going to establish the Mes
siah's throne in Jerusalem, and render all the
nations of the world tributary to his power.
The benevolent Jesus, therefore, took this op
portunity to undeceive them ; and to declare,
in the plainest terms, that his kingdom was not
of this world; and, consequently, that those who
expected, by following him, to obtain temporal
advantages, would find themselves wretchedly
mistaken ; as, on the contrary, his disciples must
expect to be persecuted from city to city, and
hated of all men, for his name's sake : though it
was requisite for those who would be his true
followers, to prefer his service to the richest
grandeur and pleasure of the world ; and to
show, by their conduct, that they had much less
respect and value for the dearest objects of
their affections than for him. If any man
come to me, and hate not his father, and mo
ther, and his wife, and children, and brethren,
and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he can
not be my disciple. And whosoever does not
bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be
my disciple. Luke xiv. 26, 27.

Chap. XXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

159

And in order to induce them to weigh this
doctrine attentively in their minds, he elucidated
it with two apposite Cases, that of an unthink
ing bmlder,, and that of a rash warrior. " The
former was obliged to leave the structure un
finished, because he had .foolishly begun the
building before he had computed the cost ; and
the latter reduced to the dilemma of being
ingloriously defeated, or meanly suing for peace
previous to the battle, having rashly declared
war before he had considered the strength of his
own and his enemy's army. So likewise, whoso
ever he be of you, added the blessed Jesus, that
forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my dis
ciple. Luke xiv. 33.
The publicans and sinners, roused by the
alarming doctrine of our Lord, listened to it at
tentively. This opportunity was readily em
braced by the great Bedeemer of mankind, who
not only condescended to preach to them the
happy tidings of eternal life, but even accom-
pamed them to their own houses; that, if possible,
the seeds of the Gospel might take root in their
hearts. But this condescension of the meek and
humble Jesus, was considered, by the haughty
Pharisees, as an action too mean for the character
of a prophet. They murmured, and were highly
displeased at a condescension which ought to
have given them the greatest joy. But Jesus
soon showed them their mistake, by repeating
to them the parables of the lost sheep and piece
of money. Intimating thereby, the great care
all prophets and pastors ought to take of those
committed to their care, and the obligation they
lay under of searching diligently for every wan
dering sinner, whose conversion is a grateful
offering to the Almighty. There is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner that
repenteth. Lukexv. 10.
To illustrate this- doctrine still farther, and J

show to the greatest sinner the willingness of
God to receive him into his grace and favour,
if convinced of his unworthy and lost con
dition m himself, and imploring forgiveness
through the merits of Jesus Christ, and the re
newal of his heart by the efficacious influences of
his Spirit, he delivered the expressive parable of
the prodigal son.
A certain man had two sons, the younger
of whom, not content to five in his father's
house, safe under his protection, and happy
under his eye, desired his father to give him
the portion of goods which fell to his share.
The indulgent father did not hesitate to grant
his request ; but the ungrateful son had no
sooner obtained what he asked of his parent,
than he left the presence and neighbourhood
of so kind a father, and retired into a far
country, where he had an opportunity of in
dulging, without restraint, his wicked inclina^
tions; and there he wasted his substance in
riotous living.
Having thus consumed the portion given him
by his indulgent parent, -he began to feel the
miseries of* want; and, to add to his misfor
tunes, a terrible famine arose in that land ; so
that he soon became acquainted with the sharp
stings of hunger. In this distressed condition
he joined himself to a citizen of that country,
willing to try every expedient, rather than re
turn to his kind, his merciful father, and humbly
confess Ms faults. His master, from a just
contempt of his former prodigality, employed
him in the meanest and most contemptible
offices; he sent him into his field to feed
swine. Behold here, ye sons of extravagance,
a change mdeed ! Behold this thoughtless pro
digal, reduced at once from a life of volup
tuousness and gayety, a life of pleasure and
excess, to a life of the most abject slavery, a

160

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIII.

life of penury and want ! Nay, so great was
his hunger, so prodigious his distress, that he
would even have been contented, in this mi
serable state, to have satisfied the cravings of
hunger with the husks eaten by the swine:
but no man relieved him ; no man showed
the least compassion for him ; so that the very
swine were in a better condition than this mise
rable prodigal !
Thus miserably reduced, he was brought to
himself: he had hitherto been in a state of utter
forgetfulness, but now began to reflect on his
happy condition while he continued with his
father, before he had deviated from the paths of
virtue, and to compare it with his present de
plorable condition. Hoio many hired servants of
my father, said he to himself, have bread enough,
and to spare, and 1 perish with hunger ? I will,
therefore, undeserving as I am, have recourse to
his mercy and favour. I will arise and go to my
father, for such he "still is ; and I, though wretched
and lost, am yet his son. I will, therefore, say
unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,
dnd before thee, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son ; that happiness is too great for me to
expect or desire. I have, by my behaviour, for
feited all right to so endearing, so valuable a title :
make me as one of thy hired servants. I desire
nothing more than that thou wouldest mercifully
receive me as one of thy hired servants.
Having thus taken a firm resolution of throw
ing himself at the feet of his father, and imploring
forgiveness for his past offences, he did not delay
to put it immediately into execution ; he arose,
and with the utmost expedition came to his
father. A scene of tenderness and affection, amazingly
pathetic, now presents itself to our view. His
kind, his affectionate father, saw Mm while he

was yet afar off: his bowels yearned towards
him ; he had compassion on his lost, Ms ruined
child: paiernal fondness would not suffer Mm
to forbear. He ran to meet him ; he fell on his
neck; he kissed him. Encouraged by this kind
reception, the son fell down at his father's fee',
and began to make confession of his faults : to
plead his own unworthiness ; to request his
father's pardon : Father, said he, / have tinned
against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more
ivorthy to be called thy son. He was not suffered
to proceed any farther ; the love of his parent
prevented the rest ; he commanded his servants
to bring the best robe, and put it on him ; to
put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet ;
and to kill the fatted calf, that they might eat
and be merry. For this my son, said he, was
dead, and is alive again ; he was hst, and is
found. During this transaction, the elder brother
was in the field, properly employed in his
father's business ; but returning from thence,
and hearing the sound of mirth, music, and
dancing, he called one of the servants, and
asked what these things meant? The ser
vant replied, that his younger brother was
returned, and that his father had killed the
fatted calf, because he had received Mm safe
and sound. TMs news greatly displeased the
elder son ; he was very angry, and refused to
go in : upon which Ms father came out, and
entreated Mm ; but he replied, Lo, these many
years do I serve thee; neither transgressed 1
at any time thy commandment; and yet thou
never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry
with my fiends: but as soon as this thy son
icas come, which hath devoured thy living with
harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf
Luke xv. 29, &c.
His father, with the most amiable, con-

Chap. XXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

161

descending tenderness, replied, Son, thou art
ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It
was meet that we should make merry and be
glad : for this thy brother was dead, and is alive
again ; and was hst, and is found. Though
he hath devoured my living with harlots, yet
he is both thy brother and my son. Thou
shouldest not, therefore, be angry, because he
has repented, and is returned, after we thought
Mm irrecoverably lost
Thus beautifully did our Lord represent the
work of grace on the heart of man, from the
first conviction of sin, to the absolute confession
of it ; showing, at the same time, there can be
no true confession without a thorough conscious
ness of guilt, a sense of our lost state, and an
entire reliance on the mercy of God through
Christ our Lord.
There are three expositions given of this in
structive representation, each of which seems to
have some place in the original design ; for it
should be observed, and carefully remembered,
that the parables and doctrines of our Saviour
are by no means to be confined absolutely to one
single point of view, since they frequently have
relation to different objects, and, consequently,
prove the riehes and depth of the manifold wis
dom of God.
In this parable, for instance, the great and
principal doctrine, intended to be particularly
inculcated, is, that sinners, upon their repentance
and faith, are gladly received into favour ; or,
that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth. There are, however, two other ex
positions of this parable : the first, is that of the
greatest part of the ancients, who expound it
of Adam. He was made in the image of God,
and endowed with many other excellent gifts,
which he might have used happily, had he been
Nos. 13 & 14.

content to stay in his Father's house ; but, like
this younger brother, who foolisMy desired his
portion of goods to himself, that he might be his
own master, and under no confinement or re
striction, he was unwilling to remain under the
obedience of the divine precept; he was desirous
of having a free use of things in Paradise, and
by the devil's instigation, effected a wretched in
dependency, which caused him to break the
divine command, and eat of the forbidden tree,
to obtain the knowledge of good and evil. Thus
he lost, for himself and his posterity, the sub
stance put at first into his possession ; but his
heavenly Father, on his and his posterity's! re
turn, hath provided such grace and compassion
for them, tiiat they may be reinstated in then*
former place and favour. And the same grace
not being granted to the higher order of intel
lectual beings, the fallen spirits, is the cause of
their murmuring against God and men, repre
sented by the answer of the elder brother in this
parable. Others, secondly, with a much greater show of
probability, expound this paraMe of the two
people, the Jews and Gentiles, who have both
one Father, even God : and while they both con
tinued in their Father's house, the true church,
they wanted for nothing; there was plenty of
food for the soul ; there was substance enough
for them both. But the latter, represented by
the younger brother, possessed of his share of
knowledge, went into a strange country, left
God, and Spent his substance, the evidence and
knowledge of the Almighty, fell into idolatry,
and wasted all he had in riotous living ; all his
knowledge of God, in the loose and absurd cere
monies of idolatry. Then, behold, a mighty
famine arose in that land ; the worship of the true
God was banished the country. In this dreadful
dearth and hunger, he joined himself to the
devil, and worked all uncleanness with greediness.
2N

162

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIII.

But finding nothing to satisfy his spiritual
hunger, this prodigal, long estranged from his
Father, reflecting on his spiritual famine, and
his own severe wants, humbly confessed his
faults, returned to Ms offended Father, was re
admitted into favour, and blessed with the
privileges of the Gospel. But the elder brother,
the Jewish church, daily employed in the field
of legal ceremonies, and who had long groaned
under the yoke of the law, seeing the Gentiles
received into the covenant of the Gospel, ob
tain the remission of sins, and the hopes of
everlasting life, murmured against the bene
volent acts of the Almighty. God, however,
out of his great compassion, pleaded patheti
cally the cause with the elder brother, offered
him all things, upon supposition of his con
tinuing in his obedience, and declared that
he had delivered the nation from the heavy
yoke of the ceremonial law.
Thus the parable has a very clear and elegant
exposition ; the murmuring of the elder brother
is explained to us without the least difficulty;
and as the offence of receiving the Gentiles to
pardon and peace through Jesus Christ was so
great a stumbling-block to the Jews, it is natural
to imagine that our Saviour intended to obviate
and remove it by this excellent parable.
It is, however, evident, both from the context
and the occasion of delivering it, that the third
interpretation is the first in design and im
portance. The publicans and sinners drew near
to hear Jesus. This gave occasion to a mur
muring among the Pharisees ; and upon their
murmuring, our Saviour delivered this and two
other parables, to show, that if they would re
semble God, and the celestial host, they should,
instead of murmuring, rejoice at seeing sinners
willing to embrace the doctrines of the Gospel,
because there is joy, in the presence of God and

his angels, over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons that need
no repentance.
The obstinacy and malicious temper of the
Pharisees, who opposed every good doctrine,
made a deep impression on the spirit of the
blessed Jesus : he did not, therefore, content him
self barely with justifying his receiving sinners
in order to their being justified and saved
through him, but, in the presence of the Scribes
and Pharisees, turned himself to Ms disciples',
and delivered the parable of the artful steward,
as an instance of the improvements made by
the children of this world, in embracing every
opportunity and advantage for improving their
interests. There was, said he, a certain rich man,
which had a steward; and the same was accused
unto him, that he had wasted his goods. And
he called him, and said unto him, How is it
that I hear this of thee ? Give an account of
thy stewardship; for thou mayesi be no longer
steward. Luke xvi. 1,2.
This reprimand of his lord, and the inward
conviction of his own conscience that the accu
sation was just, induced him to reflect on his own
ill-management of his lord's affairs, and in what
manner he should support himself when he should
be discharged from his service : What shall I do?
said he, for my hrd taketh away from me the
stewardship : I cannot dig; to beg lam ashamed. -
Luke xvi. 3.
In this manner he deliberated with Mmself,
and at last resolved on the following expedient,
in order to make himself friends, who would
succour him in his distress ; lam resolved what
to do, that when I am put out of the steward
ship, they may receive me into their houses. So
he called every one of his lord's' debtors unto
him, and said unto the first, How much owest

Chap. XXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

163

thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred
measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy
Ull, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then
said he to another, And hotv much owest thou ?
And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And
• he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write four
score. Luke xvi. 4, &c.
To illustrate this parable, we beg leave to
observe, that the riches and trade of the Jews
originally consisted principally m the products
of the earth: they were, if we may be allowed
the expression, a nation of farmers and shep
herds ; so that their wealth chiefly arose from
the produce of their flocks and herds, and the
fruits of the earth ; their corn, their wine, and
their oil.
Thus the steward, to secure the friendship of
Ms lord's tenants, bound them to him under a
lasting obligation ; and his master, when he
heard of the proceeding of the steward, com
mended Mm, not because he acted honestly, but
because be had acted wisely. He commended
the art and address he had shown, in procuring
A future subsistence ; he commended die pru
dence and ingenuity he had used with regard
to his own private interest, and to deliver him
from future poverty and distress. For the chil
dren of this world, added the blessed Jesus, are
in their generation wiser than the children of light.
They are more prudent and careful, more
anxious and circumspect, to secure their pos
sessions in tMs world, than the children of light
are to secure in the next an eternal inheritance.
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends
of the mammon of unrighteousness ; that, when
ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting ha
bitations. Luke xvi. 9.
TMs advice of our Saviour is worthy our most
serious attention : the best use we can make of

our riches being to employ them in promoting
the salvation of others. For if we use our
abilities and interests in turning sinners from
the evil of their ways ; if we spend our wealth in
this excellent service from pure motives, and to the
glory of God ; we shall have the good-will of all
the heavenly beings, who will greatly rejoice at
the conversion of sinners, and with open arms
receive us into the mansions of felicity.
But this is not the whole application our
Saviour made of this parable. He added, 'that
if we made use of our riches in the manner he
recommended, from a principle of love to God
and men, we should be received into those ever
lasting habitations, where all the friends of virtue
and religion reside ; because, by our fidelity in
managing the small trust of temporal advan
tages committed to our care, we show ourselves
capable of a much greater trust in heavenly em
ployments. But if, on the contrary, we do not
apply our riches to the glory of God, and the
good of mankind, we shall be for ever banished
from the abode of the blessed ; because, in
behaving unfaithfully in the small trust com
mitted to us here, we render ourselves both
unworthy and incapable of a share in this ever
lasting- inheritance. He that is faithful in that
which is least, is faithful ako in much : and he
that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much.
If, therefore, ye have not been faithful in the
unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your
trust the true riches ? And if ye have not been
faithful in that which is another man's, who shall
give you that which is your own? Luke xvi.
10, &c.
And if, wMle you are God's stewards and ser
vants, ye desert your trust, and become slaves to
the desire of riches, you can expect no other than
to be called to a strict account of your steward-
sMp; covetousness being as absolutely incon-
2N*

164

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIV,

sistent with a true concern for the cause of Christ,
as it is for a man to undertake, at one and the
Same time, to serve two masters of contrary dis
positions and opposite interests. No servant can
serve two masters ; for either he will hate the one,
and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one,
and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and
Mammon. Luke xvi. 13.
The hypocritical Pharisees treated this obser
vation with derision : to which our Lord replied,
Ye are they which justify yourselves before men ;,
but God knoweth your hearts : for that which is
highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the
sight of God. Luke xvi. 15.
Such is the parable, and such is our Lord's
application of it ; from whence the main intention
and design of it is very evident. It was intended
to mcite us to a zealous concern for our future
and eternal state, by making a due use of the
means of grace, and working out our own sal
vation with fear and trembling; yet remember
ing, that it is God who worketh in us both to
will and to do of his own good pleasure. And
if we thus employ our spiritual talents, we shall,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, joyfully stand
at the right hand of the great Judge of all the
earth, and receive from him a public testimony
of our faith and love. Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the beginning of the world: For I ivas an
hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty,
md ye gave me drink : I ivas a stranger, and ye
took me in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick
and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came
unto me. Matt xxv. 34, &c.
CHAP. XXIV.
Jesus rebukes the insolent Derision of the
Pharisees.— Describes, by a Parable,

the Nature of future Rewards and
Punishments, and enforces the Doc
trine of Mutual Forbearance.
THE doctrines lately delivered by our Lord,
being so repugnant to the avaricious prin
ciples of the Pharisees, they attended to the
doctrine of our Saviour, with regard to the true
use of riches, and the impossibility of men serving
God and mammon ; but, at the same time, they
derided him as a visionary speculatist, Who
despised the pleasures of this world, for no other
reason than because he was not able to procure
them. It is, therefore, no wonder that men,
who had shown such a complication of the very
worst dispositions, should receive a sharp re
buke from the meek and humble Jesus. Accord
ingly, he told them, that they made, indeed,
specious pretences to extraordinary sanctity,
by outwardly shunning the company of sinners ;
while in private they made no scruple of having
society with them, or even of joining with them
in their wickedness. Ye are they which justify
yourselves before men: but God knoweth your
hearts. Ye may, indeed, cover the foulness of
your crimes with the painted cloak of hypocrisy*
and in this disguise deceive those who look no
further than the outside : but ye cannot screen
your wickedness from the penetrating eye of
Omnipotence, to whom all things are naked
and exposed, and who judges of things not by
their appearances, but according to truth ; it is,
therefore, no wonder that he often abhors both
persons and things that are held by men in
the highest estimation : for that which is highly
esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight
of God.
This affected sanctity, while the mind is un
renewed, is an abomination to the God of purity
and truth. Jesus CMist detested hypocrisy, and
frequented the company of publicans and sinners,

Chap. XXIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

165

to bring about their conversion ; the Mosaic dis
pensation, which made a difference between
men, ceasing when John the Baptist first preach
ed the doctrine of repentance ; and the Gospel
dispensation, which admits all repenting sinners,.
without distinction, then commenced. The law
and the prophets were until John ; since that time
the kingdom of God is preached, and every man
presseth into it. Luke xvi. 16.
TMnk not that I mean to destroy, but to fulfil
the law, wMch is of essential obligation ; for till
the law is abrogated, the least of its precepts
ought not to be neglected. It is easier for heaven
and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Luke xvi. 17.
After treating of these particulars, he proceeded
to consider the love of pleasure, so highly valued
by the Pharisees, whose lust discovered itself
by their frequent divorces, a practice wMch our
blessed Saviour justly condemned : Whosoever
putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, com-
mitteth adultery : and whosoever marrieth her that
is put away from her husband, committeth adultery.
Luke xvi. 1 8.
These reasons were clear and unanswerable ;
but the Pharisees, stupified and intoxicated with
sensual pleasures, were deaf to every argument,
how powerful soever, provided it was levelled
against their lusts. In order to illustrate this
truth, confirm Ms assertion, and rouse these
hypocritical rulers from their lethargy, he de
livered the awakemng history of the rich man
and the beggar.
There was a certain rich man, which was
clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day. And there was a certain
beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his
gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with

the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table : ¦
moreover, so great was his affliction, so exquisite
his distress, that the dogs came and licked his
sores. Thus afflicted in life, the Almighty, at
last, released him : the beggar died, and was car
ried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Nor
could the rich man's wealth exempt Mm from
the stroke of death : the rich man also died, and
was buried. But, behold, now the great, the
awful change ! In hell he lifted up his eyes, being
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and the
late despised and afflicted Lazarus in his bosom.
In this agony of pain and distress, he cried to
Abraham, his earthly father, begging that he
would take pity on him, and send Lazarus to
give him even the least degree of relief, that of
dipping the tip of his finger in water to cool
his tongue, for his torment was intolerable.
Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue ; for I am tormented
in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember
that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but
now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And besides all this, between us and you there
is a great gulf fixed : so that they which would
pass from hence to you cannot ; neither can they
pass to us that would come from thence. Luke
xvi. 24, &.c.
The miserable wretch finding it impossible
to procure any relief for himself, was desirous
of preserving Ms thoughtless relations from the
like distress. Then said he, I pray thee, therefore,
father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's
house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify
unto them, lest they also come unto this place of
torment. Luke xvi. 27, 28. This also was a
petition that could not be granted. It is too
late to hope for relief when the soul is cast
into the bottomless pit. They may learn, said

16

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIV.

Abraham, the certainty of the immortality of the
soul, from the books of Moses and the prophets,
if they will give themselves the trouble to peruse
them attentively. To which the miserable object
.replied, that the books of Moses and the prophets
had been ineffectual to Mm, and he feared would
be so to his brethren. But if one actually arose
from the dead, and appeared to them, they
would certainly repent, and embrace those offers
of salvation they had before slighted. Nay,
father Abraham ; but if one went unto them from
the dead, they will repent. But Abraham told
him, that in this he was greatly mistaken, for
that if they refused to believe the evidence of a
future state, contained in the writings of Moses
and the prophets, the testimony of a messenger
from the dead would not be sufficient to convince
them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded though one rose
from the dead.
This truth, asserted by Abraham, has been
abundantly proved by undeniable facts; from
whence it has appeared, that those who will
not be convinced by a standing revelation, will
not be convinced though one rose from the dead.
These very Jews to whom our Saviour spoke,
were remarkable instances of this truth: they
were fully assured, that another Lazarus was,
by the power of Christ, raised from the dead,
after he had laid several days in the tomb ; a
fact which they were so far from being able to
disprove, that they attempted to kill Lazarus,
as if, by this wicked action, they could have
destroyed his evidence. Nay, they still had a
more lively proof in the resurrection of Jesus
himself, which they were so far from being able
to deny, that they bribed the soldiers to spread
that senseless tale, that his disciples came by
night, and stole him away while they slept. So
true were Abraham's words, that they who
believe not Moses and the prophets, wMch

testify of Christ, and his eternal redemption,
would not be persuaded though one rose from
the dead.
There is not a more awakemng and alarming
example than this parable, through the whole
Gospel : it is drawn in such lively colours, that
many, in all ages of the church, have considered
it not as a parable, but as a real history ; but
however this be, the important truths delivered
in it are equally clear, and equally certain. They
are designed to describe the difference between
this state and a future, between the children of
this world and the children of light ; the formei
having had their portion of happiness here, but
that of the latter being reserved to a glorious one
hereafter. Jesus Christ shows us the period of all the
prosperity of the wicked, and of all the calamities
with wMch good men may be exercised. And
what availed the luxuries of life, or the magni
ficence of burial, to a wretch tormented inflames?
Surely the fierceness of those flames would be
proportionable to the luxury in which he had
formerly lived, and the sense of his torment be
heightened by the delicacy he had once indulged.
May those unhappy persons, who place their
happiness and glory in being clothed in purple
and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every
day, take warmng from one greater than Moses
and the prophets, from one that came from the
dead to enforce it, that they pass not into that
place of torment !
Having thus reprimanded the Pharisees, he
took occasion to speak of affronts and offences,
described their evil nature, and their dreadful
punishment. It is impossible, said he, but that
offences will come: but woe unto him through
whom they come! It were better for him that
a mUl-stone were hanged about his neck, and

Chap. XXV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

167

he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one
of these little ones. Luke xvii. 1, 2. That is,
the cMldren of God, the followers of the Lamb,
must meet with disgrace, reviling, and persecu
tion here : but woe unto those who revile and
persecute them; they had better undergo the
worst of temporal judgments, than the awful one
that shall ensue.
He spake also against a quarrelsome temper
in his servants, especially in the mimsters and
teachers of religion; prescribed a seasonable and
prudent reprehension of the fault, accompamed
with forgiveness on the part of the person injured,
as the best means of disarming the temptation
that may arise from thence. Take heed to
yourselves : if thy brother trespass against thee,
rebuke him ; and if he repent, forgive him. And
if he trespass against thee seven times in a day,
and seven times in a day turn again to thee,
saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. Luke
xvii. 3, 4.
It should be observed, that this discourse on
forgiveness, uttered at a time when the Pharisees
had just accused Mm falsely, by calling him a
false teacher, sufficiently proves how truly he
forgave them all the personal mjuries they had
committed against him ; and should be a power
ful recommendation of that amiable disposition,
which leads to the forgiveness of injuries.
But however beautiful these discourses of our
Saviour appear, when examined with attention,
they seem to have staggered the faith of his dis
ciples and followers : perhaps they still imagined
that he would shortly erect a temporal kingdom,
and distribute among them the rewards they
expected for their services. If so, they might
well desire their Master to increase their faith ;
as discourses, like these had a very different
tendency from what might naturally have been

expected from one who was going to establish
the throne of David, and extend his sceptre over
all the kingdoms of the earth : but however this
be, our Saviour told them, that if they had the
smallest degree of true faith, it would be sufficient
for overcoming all temptations, even those which
seem as difficult to be conquered as the plucking
up trees, and planting them in the ocean. If ye
have faith as a grain of mjustard-seed, ye might
say unto this sycamore-tree,. Be thou plucked up by
the roots, and be thou planted in the sea, and it
should obey you. Luke xvii. 6.
CHAP. XXV.
Our Lord is applied to in behalf of poor
Lazarus. — Cures ten Persons of the
Leprosy in Samaria, and restores La
zarus to Life.
SOON after our blessed Saviour had finished
these discourses, one of Ms friends, named
Lazarus, fell sick at Bethany; a village about
two miles from the countries beyond Jordan,
where Jesus was now preaching the Gospel.
The sisters of Lazarus, finding Ms sickness was
of a dangerous kind, thought proper to send an
account of it to Jesus ; being firmly persuaded that
he who had cured so many strangers, would
readily come and give health to one whom he
loved in so tender a manner. Lord, said they,
behold, he whom thou lovest is sick: they did not
add, Come down and heal him ; make haste and
save him from the grave: it was "sufficient for
them to relate their necessities to their Lord, who
was both able and willing to help them from their
distress. When Jesus heard that, he- said, This sickness
is not unto death. This declaration of the be
nevolent Jesus being carried to the sisters of
Lazarus, must strangely surprise them, and

168

THE LIFE bF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap, XXV.

exercise both their's and Ms disciples' faith ; since
it is probable, that before the messenger arrived
at Bethany, Lazarus had expired. Soon after,
Jesus positively assured his disciples that Lazarus
was dead.
The Evangelist, in the beginmng of this ac
count, tells us, that Jesus loved Martha, and her
sister, and Lazarus ; and also, that after he had
received the message, he abode two days in the
same place where he was. His design in this
might be to intimate, that his lingering so long
after the message came, did not proceed from a
want of concern for Ms friends, but happened
according to the counsels of his own wisdom.
For the length of time which Lazarus lay in the
grave, put his death beyond all possibility of
doubt, removed every suspicion of fraud, and,
consequentiy, afforded Jesus a fit opportunity of
displaymg the love he bore to Lazarus, as well
as his own divine ^power in his undoubted re
surrection from the dead. His sisters, indeed,
were by this means kept awhile in painful
anxiety, on account of their brother's life, and
at last pierced by the sorrows of seemg him die ;
yet they must surely think themselves abun
dantly recompensed by the evidence, according
to the Gospel, from this astonishing miracle, as
well as by the inexpressible surprise of joy they
felt, when they again received their brother from
the dead.
Two days being thus expired, Jesus said to
his disciples," Let us go into Judea again. John
xi. 7. His disciples were astonished at this pro
posal, and the recollection of his late danger in
that country alarmed them : Master, said they,
the Jews of late sought to stone thee: and goest
thou thither again ? Wilt thou hazard thy life
among those who desire nothing more than to
find an opportumty of killing thee ? Jesus an
swered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If

any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because
he seeth the light of this world ; but if a man walk
in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light
in him. John xi. 9, 10,
By tMs he intended to inform his disciples,
that those who lived by faith, and acted under
the infallible influence of the divine Spirit, could
not stumble ; whereas, those who followed the
directions of unenlightened reason, were liable
to perpetual error.
Jesus, having removed their groundless ap
prehensions, and strengthened then faith, that
he might clearly explain to them the cause
of his going to Judea again, told them, Our
friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but I go that I may
awake him out of sleep. The disciples, un
derstanding his discourse in a literal sensg,
replied, Lord, if he sleep he shall do wd.
His distemper is abated, and he, in all pro
bability, is recovering. It would be, therefore,
highly unseasonable in us, to take two days
journey only to awake him out of Ms sleep.
Thus they discovered their fears, and hinted to
then Master, that it would be far safer to conr
tinue where they were, than to take a hazardous
journey into Judea.
They were, however, mistaken ; for the Evan
gelist informs us, that he spake of his death;
but they thought he had spoken of taking of rest in
sleep. Jesus, therefore, to remove any doubt,
said plainly to them, Lazarus is dead. And I<m
glad, for your sakes, that I was not there, (to the
intent ye may believe.) I am glad, for your
salves, that I was not in Judea before he died;
for had I been there, and restored him to his
health, your faith in me, as the Messiah, must
have wanted the great confirmation it shall now
receive, by your beholding me raise him agate
from the dead. '

Chap. XXV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

169

Having thus given his disciples a proof of
Ms divine knowledge, and of the designs of
Providence in the death of Lazarus, our
blessed Saviour added, Nevertheless let us go
unto him. Thus Jesus, who could have raised
Lazarus without /Opening his lips, or rising
from his seat, leaves his place of retirement
beyond Jordan, and takes, a journey into Ju
dea, where »the Jews lately attempted to kill
Mm; because his being present in person,
and raising Lazarus again to life before so
many witnesses at Bethany, where he died,
and was so well known, would be the means
of bringing the men of that place, as well as
others who should hear of it even in future
ages, to receive the doctrine of resurrection to
eternal life : an admirable proof of which, and
as an emblem of it, he gave them this great
miracle. Jesus having thus declared his resolution of
returning into Judea, Thomas, conceiving no
thing less than destruction from such a journey,
yet unwilling to forsake his Master, said, Let us
also go, that we may die with him. Let us not
forsake our Master in this dangerous journey,
but accompany him into Judea, that if the Jews,
whose inveteracy we are well acquainted with,
should take away his life, we may also expire
with him.
The journey to Judea being thus resolved on,
Jesus departed with his disciples, and in his way
to Bethany passed through Samaria and Ga
lilee. And as he entered into a certain village,
there met him ten men that were lepers, which
stood afar off; and they lifted up their voices,
and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And
when he saw them, he said unto them, Go, show
yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass,
that as they went they were cleansed. Luke
xvii. 12, &c. *
Nos. 15 & 16.

Among these miserable objects, one of them
was a native of the country; who perceiving
that his cure was completed, came back, praising
God for the great mercy he had received. He
had before kept at a distance from our Saviour,
but being now sensible that he was entirely
clean, he approached his benefactor, that all
might have an opportunity of beholdmg the mi
racle ; and fell on his face at his feet, thanking
him, "in the most humble manner, for Ms con
descension in healing him of so terrible a disease.
Jesus, in order to intimate mat those who were
enlightened with the knowledge of the truth,
ought at least to have shown as great sense of
piety and gratitude as this Samaritan, asked,
Were there not ten cleansed ? but where are the
nine? There are not found that returned to
give glory to God, save this stranger. Luke
xvii. 17.
Jesus and Ms disciples now continued their
journey towards Bethany, where he was in- ¦
formed by some of the inhabitants of that village,
that Lazarus was not only dead, as he had fore
told, but had now lain in the grave four
days. The afflicted sisters were overwhelmed
with sorrow : so that many of the Jews from
Jerusalem came to comfort them concerning
then brother.
It seems the news of our Lord's coming had
reached Bethany before he arrived at the village ;
for Martha, the sister of Lazarus, being informed
of his approach, went out and met him ; but
Mary, who was of a more melancholy and con
templative disposition, sat still in the house. No
sooner was she come into the presence of Jesus,
than in an excess of grief she poured forth her
complaint : Lord, said she, if thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died. If thou hadst com
plied with the message we sent thee, I well know
that thy interest with Heaven had prevailed : my
20

170

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXV.

brother had been cured of his disease, and pre
served from the chambers of the grave.
Martha, doubtless, entertained a high opinion
of our Saviour's power : she believed that death
did not daTe to approach his presence ; and,
consequently, if Jesus had arrived at Bethany
before her brother's dissolution, he had not
fallen a victim to the king of terrors. But
she imagined it was not in his power to heal
the sick at a distance ; though, at the same
time, she seemed to have some dark and im
perfect hopes that our blessed Lord would still
do something for her. But I know, said she,
that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of
God, God will give it thee. She thought that
Jesus could obtain whatsoever he desired by
prayer ; and, therefore, did not found her hopes
on his power, but on the power of God, through
Ms intercession. She, doubtless, knew that the
great Bedeemer of mankind had raised the
* daughter of Jairus, and the widow's son at
Nain, from the dead; but seems to have con
sidered her brother's resurrection as much
more difficult; probably because he had been
longer dead.
But Jesus, who was willing to encourage this
imperfect faith of Martha, answered, Thy brother
shall rise again. As these words were delivered
in an indefinite sense, with regard to time,
Martha understood them only as an argument
of consolation, drawn from the general resur
rection, and accordingly answered, I know that
he shall rise again at the resurrection at the last
day. She was firmly persuaded of that im
portant article of the Christian faith, the resur
rection of the dead; at which important hour
she believed her brother would rise from the
dust. And here she seems to have terminated all
her hopes, not thinking that the Son of God
would call her brother from the sleep of death.

Jesus, therefore, to instruct her in the great
truth, replied, / am the resurrection and the
life. I am the author of the resurrection, the
fountain and giver of that life they shall then
receive ; and, therefore, can, with the same
ease, raise the dead now, as at the last day.
He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live : and whosoever liveth, and believeth
in me, shall never die. Believest thou this ? To
which Martha answered, Yea, Lord; I believe
that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which
should come into the world. I believe that thou
art the true Messiah, so long promised by the
prophets, and, therefore, believe that thou art
capable of performing every instance of power
that thou art pleased to claim.
Martha, now leaving Jesus, ran and called her
sister, according to his order. Mary no sooner
heard that Jesus was come, than she immediately
left her Jewish comforters, who mcreased Ae
weight of her grief, and flew to her Saviour. The
Jews, who suspected she was going to weep over
the grave of her brother, followed her to that
great Prophet who was going to remove all her
sorrows. Thus the Jews, who came from Jeru
salem to comfort the two mournful sisters, were
brought to the grave of Lazarus, and made wit
nesses of his resurrection.
As soon as Mary approached the great Re
deemer of mankind, she fell prostrate at his feet,
and in a flood of tears poured out her complaint;
Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not
died. No wonder the compassionate Jesus was
moved at so affecting a scene : on this side stood
Martha, pouring forth a flood of tears; at his
feet lay the affectionate Mary, weeping and la
menting her dear departed brother ; while die
Jews, who came to comfort the afflicted sisters,
unable to confine their grief, joined the common
mourning, and mixed their friendly tears, in

Chap. XXV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

171

witness of their love for the departed Lazarus,
and in testimony to the justice of the sisters'
grief, for the loss of so amiable, so deserving
a brother. Jesus could not behold the affliction
of these two sisters and their friends, without
having a share in it himself; his heart was
melted at the mournful scene: he groaned in
spirit, and was troubled.
To remove the doubts and fears of these pious
women, he asked them where they had buried
Lazarus ? Not that he was ignorant where the
body of the deceased was laid : he who knew
that he was dead, when so far distant from him,
and could raise him up by a single word, must
have known where his remains were deposited :
to which they answered, Lord, come and see.
The Son of God, to prove that he was not only
so, but a most compassionate man, and to show
us that the tender affections of the human heart,
when kept in due bounds, and that friendly
sorrow, when not immdnerate, and directed to
proper ends, are consistent with the Mghest
sanctity of the soul, joined in the general
mourning. He wept, even to the time that
he was going to give the most ample proof of
his divinity.
By Ms weeping, the Jews were convinced
that he loved Lazarus exceedingly; but some
of them interpreted this circumstance to his
disadvantage ; or, according to their mean way
of judging, they fancied he had suffered him
to fall by the stroke of death, for no other
reason in the world, but for want of power
and affection to rescue him. And dunking the
miracle said to have been wrought on the blind
man, at the feast of tabernacles, at least as
difficult as the curing an acute distemper, they
rather called the former in question, because
the latter had been neglected. Could not this
man, said they, which opened the eyes of the

blind, have caused that even this man should not
have died ?
Our Lord, regardless of their question, but
grieving for the hardness of their hearts and
blindness of their infidelity, groaned again within
himself, as he walked towards the sepulchre of
the dead. At his coming to the grave, he said,
Take ye away the stone. To which Martha an
swered, Lord, by this time hestinketh : for he hath
been dead four days ; or, hath lain in the grave
part of four days. She meant to intimate, that
her brother's resurrection was not now to be
expected : but Jesus gave her a solemn reproof,
to teach her that there was nothing impossible
with God ; and that the power of the Almighty
is not to be circumscribed within the narrow
bounds of human reason. Said I not unto thee,
that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the
glory of God? i. e. Have but faith, and I will
display before thee the power of Omnipotence.
The objections of Martha being thus obviated,
she, with the rest, waited the great event in
silence ; and, in pursuance to the command of
the Son of God, took away the s.tone from the
place where the dead was laid. Jesus had, on
many occasions, publicly appealed to his own
miracles, as the proofs of his -mission, though he
did not generally make a formal address to his
Father before he worked those miracles. But
being now to raise Lazarus from the dead, he
prayed for his resurrection, to convince the spec
tators that it could not be effected without an
immediate interposition of the Divine power.
Father, said he, / thank thee that thou hast
heard me, and I know that thou hearest me
always; but because of the people which stand
by I said it, that they may believe that thou
hast sent me. John xi. 14, &e. I entertain
no doubt of thy empowering me to do this
miracle, and, therefore, did not pray for my
2 0*

172

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXV.

own sake: 1 well know that thou hearest me
always. I prayed for the sake of the people, to
convince them that thou lovest me, hast sent me,
and art continually with me.
After returning thanks to his Father for this
opportunity of displaying his glory, he cried with
a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ! TMs loud
and efficacious call of the Son of God awakened
the dead ; the breathless clay was instantly re
animated ; and he who had lain four days in the
tomb obeyed immediately the powerful sound.
And he that was dead came forth, bound hand
and foot with grave-clothes : and his face was
bound about with a napkin: Jesus saith unto
them, Loose him, and let him go. John xi. 44.
It would have beenjhe least part of the miracle,
had Jesus, by his powerful word, unloosed the
napkin wherewith Lazarus was bound; but he
brought him out in the same manner as he was
lying, and ordered the spectators to loose him,
that they might be the better convinced of the
miracle ; for in taking off the grave-clothes, they
had the fullest evidence both of his death and
resurrection. For, on the one hand, the man
ner in which he was swathed must soon have
killed him, if he had been alive when buried ;
which, consequently, demonstrated, beyond all
exception, that Lazarus had been dead several
days before Jesus called him again to life ; be
sides, in strippmg him, the linen probably of
fered, both to their eye and smell, abundant
proofs of his putrefaction ; and by that means
convinced them that he had not been in a
delirium, but was really dead. On the other
hand, by his lively countenance appearing,
when the napkin was removed, his fresh co
lour, and his active vigour, those who came
near, and handled him, must be convinced that
he was in perfect health, and had an oppor
tunity of proving the truth of the miracle by
the closest examination.

There is something exceedingly beautiful in
our Lord's behaviour on this occasion : he did
not utter one upbraiding word, either to the
doubting sisters or the malicious Jews; nor
did he let fall one word of triumph or ex
ultation : Loose him, and let him go, were the
only words we have recorded. He was in
this, as on all other occasions, consistent with
himself; a pattern of perfect humility and mo
desty. Such was the astonishing work wrought by
the- Son of God at Bethany : and in the resur
rection of Lazarus, thus corrupted, and thus
raised by the powerful call of Jesus, we have
a striking emblem, and, a glorious earnest, of
the resurrection of our bodies from the grave
at the last day, when the same powerful man
date, which spoke Lazarus again into being,
shall collect the scattered particles of our bodies,
and raise them to immortality.
Such an extraordinary power, displayed be
fore the face of a multitude, and near to Je
rusalem, even overcame the prejudices of some
of the most obstinate among them. Many be
lieved that Jesus could be no other than the
great Messiah, so long promised ; though others,
who , still expected a temporal prince, and,
therefore, unwilfing to acknowledge him for
their Saviour, were filled with indignation,
particularly the chief priests and elders. But
this miracle, as well as all the rest he had
wrought in confirmation of his mission, was
too evident to be denied ; and, therefore, they
pretended that his whole ^intention was to es
tablish a new sect in religion, which would
both endanger their church and nation. Then
gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a
council, and said, What do we ? for this man
doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone,
all men will believe on him; and the Romans

Chap. XXVI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

173

shall come, and take away both our place and
nation. John xi. 47, &c.
The common people, astonished at his mi
racles, will, if we do not take care to pre
vent it, certainly set him up for the Messiah;
and the Bomans, under pretence of a rebellion,
will deprive us both of our liberty and religion.
Accordingly, they came to a resolution to put
him to death. TMs resolution was not, however,
unanimous; for Nicodemus, Joseph of Arima-
thea, and other disciples of our Saviour, then
members of the council, urged the injustice of
what they proposed to do, from the consideration
of Ms miracles and innocence. But Caiaphas,
the Mgh-priest, from a principle of human po
licy, told them, that the nature of government
often required certain acts of injustice, in order
to procure the safety of the state. Ye know
nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for
us, that one man should die for the people, and that
the whole nation perish not. John xi. 49, 50.
The council having thus determined to put
Jesus to death, deliberated for the future only
upon the best methods of effecting it ; and, in
all probability, agreed to issue a proclamation,
promising a reward to any person who would
deliver him into their hands. For tins reason,
our blessed Saviour did not now go up to Jeru
salem, though he was within two miles of it; but
went to Ephraim, a city on the borders of the
wilderness, where he abode with his disciples,
being unwillmg to go too far into the country,
because the passover, at wMch he was to suffer,
was now at hand.
CHAP. XXVI.
The great Prophet of Israel foretells the
Ruin of the Jewish State, and enforces

many important Doctrines by Para
ble. — He blesseth the Children, as Em
blems of the Heavenly and Christian
Temper and Disposition.
WHILE the blessed Jesus remained in re
tirement on the borders of the wilder
ness, he was desired by some of the Pharisees
to inform them when the Messiah's kmgdom
would commence. Nor was their anxiety on
that account a matter of surprise ; for as they en
tertained very exalted notions of his coming in
pomp and magnificence, it was natural for them
to be very desirous of having his empire speedily
erected. But our Saviour, to correct this mis
taken notion, told them, that the Messiah's king
dom did not consist in any external form of
government, erected in some particular country
by the terror of arms, and desolation of war; but
in the subjection of the minds of men, and in
rendering them conformable to the laws of the
Almighty, which was to be effected by a new
dispensation of religion, and this dispensation
was already begun. It was, therefore, needless
for them to seek in this or that place for the
kingdom of God, as it had been already preached
among them by Christ and his Apostles, and
confirmed by innumerable miracles. The king
dom of God, said he, cometh yiot with observatwn.
Neither shall they say, Lo here ! or, lo there ! for,
behold) the kingdom of God is within you. Luke
xvii. 20, 21.
Having thus addressed the Pharisees, he turned
himself to his disciples, and, in the hearing of all
the people, prophesied the destruction of the
Jewish state ; whose constitution, both religious
and civil, was the chief difficulty that opposed the
erection of his kingdom. But because love and
compassion were eminent parts of our Saviour's
temper, he mentioned that dreadful catastrophe
in such a manner as might tend to the reformation

171

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXVI.

and profit of his hearers. He informed them,
that the prelude to this final destruction would
be an universal distress ; when they should pas
sionately wish for the personal presence of the
Messiah to comfort them, but would be demed
their request. The days will come, when ye shall
desire to see one of the days of the Son of man,
and ye shall not see it. Luke xvii. 22. He next
cautioned them against those who should re
commend different ways of escaping the awful
catastrophe, but are utterly unable: And they
shall say to you, See here! or, see there! go
not after them, nor folloiv them. For as the
lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part
under heaven, shineth unto the other part un
der heaven; so shall also the Son of man be
in his day. But first must he suffer many
things, and be rejected of this generation. Luke
xvii. 23, &c.
The coming of the Son of man shall be sudden
and unexpected. He will come in his own
strength, and with great power ; he will throw
down all opposition, destroy his enemies with
swift destruction, and establish his religion and
government upon the face of the earth, as sud
denly as lightning darts from one part of the
heaven to the other. But before these things
come to pass, he must suffer many things, and
be rejected of this generation.
Notwithstanding this sudden destruction and
calamity that was to overwhelm the Jews, he
told them, their stupidity would be equal to that
of the old world, at the time of the deluge, or
that of Sodom, before tne city was destroyed :
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be
also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat,
they drank, they married wives, they were given
in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark; and the flood came, and destroyed them
all. Likewise also, as it was in the days of Lot;

they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold,
they planted, they builded ; but the same day that
Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brim
stone from heaven, and destroyed them all : even
thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man
is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon
the house-top, and his stuff in the house, let him
not come down to take it away ; and he that is in
the field, let him likewise not return back. Re-*
member Lot's wife. Luke xvii. 26, &e.
A more proper example than that of Lot's
wife could not have been produced : for if any
of his hearers, through an immoderate love of
the world, should be prevailed on, in order to
save their goods, after they were admonished
from heaven of their danger, by the signs wMch
prognosticated the destruction of Jerusalem ; or
if any of them, through want of faith, should
think that the calamities predicted to fall on the
nation would not either be so great or so sudden,
as he had declared, and did not use the precau
tion of a speedy flight ; they might behold in
Lot's wife an example both of their sin and of
their punishment. He added, that those who
were anxiously desirous of preserving life, from
an attachment to its pleasures and vanities, should v
lose it ; whereas those who were willing to lay
down their lives in his cause, should preserve .
them eternally. Whosoever shall seek to save his"
life, shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life,
shall preserve it. Luke xvii. 33.
Having foretold the destruction of Jerusalem,
our blessed Saviour spake the following parable,
in order to excite them to a constant perseverance
in prayer, and not to be weary and faint in then
minds : " There was in a city, said the Saviour of
the world, a judge, who being governed by
atheistical principles, had no regard to the
precepts of religion ; and, being very powerful
did not regard what was said of him by any

Chap. XXVI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

175

man ; so that all his decisions were influenced
merely by passion or interest In the same
city was also a widow, who, having no friends
to assist her, was absolutely unable to defend
herself from injuries, or procure redress for
any she had received. In this deplorable si
tuation, she had recourse to the unjust judge,
in order to obtain satisfaction for some op
pressive wrong she had lately received : but
the judge was so abandoned to pleasure, that
he refused, for a time, to listen to her request ;
he would not give himself the trouble to examine
her ease, though the crying injustice pleaded
so powerfully" for tMs distressed widow. She
was not, however, intimidated by Ms refusal;
she mcessantly importuned him, till, by re
peated representations of her distress, she filled
Ms mind with such displeasing ideas, that he
was obfiged to do her justice, merely to free
himself from her importunity. Though, said
he to himself, / fear not God, nor regard man,
yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her, lest by her continual coming she
weary me." Luke xviii. 4, 5.
The sentiment conveyed by our blessed Sa
viour in this parable is very beautiful. We hence
learn, that the cries of the afflicted will, by being
incessantly repeated, make an impression even
on the stony hearts of wicked men, who glory in
their hnpiety, and laugh at all the precepts of
justice, virtue, and religion ; and, therefore, can
not fail of being regarded by the benevolent Fa
ther of the universe, who listens to the petitions
of Ms faithful servants, and pours on their heads
the choicest of his blessings.
Hear, said the blessed Jesus, what the unjust
judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own
elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he
bear long with them ? I tell you, that he will avenge
them speedily. Luke xviii. 6, &c. As if he had

said, If this judge, though destitute of the fear
either of God or man, was thus prompted to
espouse the cause of the widow, shall not a
righteous God, the Father of Ms people, avenge
on the wicked the many evils they have done
unto them, though he bear long with them ?
Certainly he will, and that in a most awful
manner. Our blessed Saviour havmg thus enforced the
duty of prayer, in this expressive parable, asked
the following apposite question ; Nevertheless,
when the Son of man cometh, shall he find
faith on the earth? As if he had said, Not
withstanding all the miracles I have wrought,
and the excellent doctrines I have delivered,
shall I find, at my coming again, that faith
among the children of men there is reason to
expect ? Will not most of them be found to
have abandoned the faith, and wantonly ask,
Where is the promise of his coming?
The blessed Jesus next rebuked the self-
righteous Pharisees. But as these particulars
arc better illustrated by their opposites, he placed
the characters of this species of men in oppo
sition to those of the humble ; describing the re
ception each class met with from the Almighty,
in a parable of the Pharisee and Publican, who
went up together to the temple, at the time when
the sacrifice was offered, to direct their petitions
to the God of their fathers.
The Pharisee, having an high opinion of Ms
own righteousness, went far, it is thought, into
the court of the temple, that he might be as near
the place of the divine residence as possible.
Here he offered his prayer, giving God the
praise of his supposed righteousness ; and had he
been possessed of any, he would have acted pro
perly. God, said he, I thank thee that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or '¦

176

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXVI.

even as this Publican. I fast twice in the week,
I give tithes of all that I possess, Luke xviii.
11,12. Having thus commended himself to God, he
wrapped Mmself up in his own righteousness ;
and giving the poor Publican a scornful look,
walked away, perhaps to transgress some of the
weightier matters of the law, judgment, justice,
and truth, and to devomvthe houses of distressed
widows and helpless orphans. But how different
was the behaviour of the humble Publican ! Im
pressed with a deep sense of his own gmlt and
unworthiness, he would not even enter the courts
of the temple ; but stood afar off, and smote upon
his breast, and, in the bitterness of his soul, ear
nestly implored the mercy of Omnipotence. And
the Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up
so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon
his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner.
Luke xviii. 13.
Specious as the Pharisee's behaviour may
seem, his prayer was an abomination to the Lord ;
while the poor Publican, who confessed his guilt,
and implored mercy, was justified in the sight of
God, rather than this arrogant boaster.
TMs parable sufficiently indicates, that all the
sons of men stand in need of mercy. Both the
strict Pharisee, and the despised Publican, with
the whole race of mankind, are sinners ; and,
consequently, all must implore pardon of their
gracious Creator. We must all ascend to the
house Of God, and there pour forth our prayers
before the throne of grace : for there he has pro
mised ever to be present, to grant the petitions of
all who ask in sincerity and truth, through the
Son of his love.
These parables were spoken in the town of
EpMahn; and during Ms continuance in that

city, the Pharisees asked him, Whether he thought
it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every
cause ? Our Saviour had twice before declared
his opinion of this particular, once in Galilee, and
once in Perea. It is, therefore, probable that
the Pharisees were not ignorant of his senti
ments, and that they asked that question then,
to find an opportumty of incensing the people
against him, well knowing that the Israelites
held the liberty which the law gave them of di
vorcing their wives, as one of then cMef privi
leges. But however that be, Jesus was far from
fearing the popular resentment, and accordingly
declared the third time against arbitrary di
vorces. * The Pharisees then asked him, why
they were commanded by Moses to give a writing
of divorcement, and to put her away? insinu
ating, that Moses was so tender of their happiness,
that he gave them liberty of putting away their
wives, when they saw occasion. To which Jesus
answered, Because of the hardness of your hearts,
Moses suffered you to put away your wives ; but
from the beginning it was not so. As divorce
was not permitted in the state of innocence, so
neither shall it be under he Gospel dispensation,
unless in case of adultery or fornication. , And
I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife,
except it be for fornication, and shall marry
another, committeth adultery ; and whoso marrieth
her which is put away, doth commit adultery.
Matt. xix. 9.
The disciples were greatly surprised at their
Master's decision; and though they held their
peace while the Pharisees were present, yet
they did not fail to ask him the reason on
which he founded Ms determination, when they
were returned home. And in the house his dis
ciples asked him again of the same matter : and
he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away
his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery
against her. And if a woman shall put away

Chap. XXVII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

177

her. husband, and be married to another, she com
mitteth adultery. Mark x. 12.
The practice of uMimited divorces, which pre
vailed among the Jews, gave great encourage
ment to family quarrels, were very destructive
of happiness, and Mndered the education of then
common offspring. Besides, it greatly tended to
make their children lose that reverence for them
that is due to parents, as it was hardly possible
for the children to avoid engaging in the quar
rel. Our Lord's prohibition, therefore, of these
divorces, is founded on the strongest reasons,
and greatly tends to promote the welfare of
society. Our Saviour having, in the course of his mi
nistry, performed innumerable cures, in different
parts of the country, several persons, who earn
estly desired that his blessing might rest upon
their offspring, as well as themselves, brought
their children to Mm, desiring that he would
put Ms hands upon them, and bless them. The
disciples, however, mistaking the intention, were
angry with the persons, and rebuked them for
endeavouring to give this trouble to their
Master. But Jesus no sooner saw it, than he
was greatly displeased with his disciples, and
ordered them not to hinder parents from bring
ing their children to Mm. Suffer little children
to come unto me, and forbid them not : for of
such is the kingdom of God. Luke xviii. 16.
Such are those in a spiritual light, who are
brought to a sense of their sins, are humbled for
them in the sight of God, and depend on Christ
alone for salvation.
CHAP. XXVII.
Our Lord departs from his Retirement. —
Declares the only Way of Salvation. —
Nos. 16 & 16.

Shows the Duty of improving the Means
of Grace, by the Parable of the Vine
yard. — Prediction of his Sufferings,
and Contention of the Disciples about
Precedence in his Kingdom.
THE period of our blessed Saviour's pas
sion now approaching, he departed from
Ephraim, and repaired, by the way of Jericho,
towards Jerusalem : but before he arrived at Je
richo, a ruler of the synagogue came runmng to
him, and, kneeling down before him, asked him,
Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that J
may have eternal life ? Matt. xix. 16.
This young magistrate or ruler showed an
eager desire to converse with Jesus, and, there
fore, asked him, with great reverence, what good
thing he should do to inherit eternal life? for
nothing seemed to lie so near his heart, in his own
apprehension, as that he might be saved for ever. ¦
After a proper rebuke for an improper expres
sion, Christ directed him to keep the command
ments, especially those of the second table, which
can only be done by keeping those of the first.
The youth, not apprehending the large extent
and spiritual meaning of these precepts, with
great cheerfulness and confidence said to him,
Master, all these have I observed even from my
infancy, and have abstained from each of the
vices condemned in them. What then do I
further need, in order to secure the glorious prize
after which I am seeking ? Jesus beheld this
amiable youth with emotions of complacency
mingled with tender compassion, who had main
tained so honourable a character in such an
elevated station of life, and was under such con
cern about another world ; yet, at the same time,
amidst all these hopeful circumstances, was go
verned still by a secret fondness for the pos
sessions he enjoyed in this. To convince the
young ruler of Ms inordinate love of the world,
2P

178

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXVII.

Jesus called him to sell all that he had, and give
the money to the poor, and then promised him
an infinitely more excellent treasure in hea
ven. But this requirement filled him with sor
row, that he could not obtain eternal life on more
easy terms.
This melancholy instance of the pernicious
influence of riches over the minds of the children
of men, induced our blessed Saviour to caution
his disciples against fixing their minds on tilings
of such frightful tendency, by showing how very
difficult it was for a rich man to procure a habi
tation in the regions of eternal happiness. Verily
I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again
I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man
to enter into the kingdom of God. When his
disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed,
saying, Who then can be saved ? But Jesus be
held them, and said unto them, With men this is
impossible; but with God all things are possibh.
Matt xix. 23, &c.
If man be not assisted by the grace of God,
it will be impossible for him to obtain the happy
rewards of the kingdom of heaven ; but, by the
assistance of grace, which the Almighty never re
fuses to those who seek it with then whole heart,
it is very possible.
This answer of the blessed Jesus was, how
ever, far from satisfying his disciples, who had,
doubtless, often reflected with pleasure on the
high posts they were to enjoy in their Master's
kingdom. Peter seems particularly to have been
disappointed ; and, therefore, addressed his Mas
ter, in the name of the rest, begging Mm to re
member that his Apostles had actually done
what the young man had refused. They had
abandoned then relations, then friends, their

possessions, and their employments, on Ms ac
count; and, therefore, desired to know what re
ward they were to expect for these instances of
their obedience ? To which Jesus replied, that
they should not fail of a reward, even in this
life ; for immediately after his resurrection, when
he ascended to his Father, and entered on his
mediatorial office, they should be advanced to
the honour of judging the twelve tribes of Is
rael; that is, of ruling the church of Christ,
which they were to plant in different parts of the
earth ; and, after this life, to a proportionate
degree of glory in heaven. Verily I say unto
you, That ye which have followed me in the re
generation, when the Son of man shall sit in
the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes^ of Is
rael. Matt. xix. 28.
Having given this answer to Peter, he next
mentioned the rewards his other disciples should
receive, both in this world and that which is to
come. They, said he, who have forsaken all
for my sake, shall be no losers in the end : their
benevolent Father, who intends to give them
possessions in the heavenly Canaan, will not fail
to support them during their long and pamful
journey to that happy country, and raise them
up friends, who shall assist them with those ne
cessaries they might have expected from their
relations, had they not left them for my sake.
Divine Providence will take care they have every
thing valuable that can be given them by their
relations, or they could -desire from large pos
sessions. They shall, indeed, be fed with the
bread of sorrow, but this shall produce joys, to
which all the earthly pleasures bear no propor
tion ; and, in the end, obtain everlasting life.
They shall leave this vale of tears, with all
its pains and sorrows, behind them, and fly
to the bosom of their Almighty Father, the foun
tain of life and joy, where they shall be in-

Chap. XXVII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

179

finitely rewarded for all the sufferings they have
undergone for his sake in this world.
TMngs shall then be reversed, and those who
have been reviled and contemned on earth for
the sake of the Gospel, shall be exalted to ho
nour, glory, . and immortality ; while the others
shall be consigned to eternal infamy. But many
that are first shall be last, and the last shall be
first. Matt xix. 30.
These words seem also to have been spoken
to keep the disciples humble ; for in all probabi
lity they at first understood the promise of their
sitting on twelve thrones in a literal sense ; as they
were ready to construe every expression to a
temporal kingdom, wMch they still expected then
Master would erect upon earth. Our blessed
Saviour, therefore, to remove all thoughts they
might entertain of this kind, told them, that
though he had described the rewards they were
to expect for the ready obedience they had shown
to his commands, and the pams they were to take
in propagating the Gospel among the children
of men ; yet those rewards were spiritual, and
not confined to the Jews alone, but extended
also to the Gentiles, who, in point of time,
should excel the Jews, and umversally embrace
the Gospel, before that nation was converted.
To excite then ardent pressmg forward in
faith and good work, our Lord relates the para
ble of the householder, who, at different hours
of the day, hired labourers to work in Ms vine
yard: The kingdom of heaven, says our blessed Sa
viour, is like unto a man that is an householder,
which went early in the morning to hire labourers
into his vineyard : And when he had agreed with
the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into
his vineyard. And he went out about the third

hour, and saw others standing idle in the market
place, and said unto them, Go ye also into the vine
yard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And
they went their way. Again he went out about the
sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And
about the eleventh hour he went out, and found
others standing idh, and saith unto them, Why
stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto
him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith
unh them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and
whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So,
when even was come, the hrd of the vineyard
saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and
give them their hire, beginning from the last
unto the first. And when they came that were
hired about the eleventh hour, they received every
man a penny. But when the first came, they
supposed that they should have received more;
and they likewise received every man a penny.
And when they had received it, they murmured
against the good man of the house, saying, These
last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast
made them equal unto us, which have borne the
burden and heat of the day. But he answered
one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no
wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a
penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way:
I will give unto this last even as unto thee.
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with
mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am
good ? So the last shall be first, and the first
last .' for many be called, but few chosen. Matt.
xx. 1, 2, 3, &c.
Such is the parable of the householder, as de
livered by our Saviour ; and from the application
he has made of it, it will not be difficult to inter
pret it The dispensations of religion, which God
gave to mankind, in different parts of the world,
are represented by the vineyard. The Jews,
who were early members of the true church, and
obliged to obey the law of Moses, are the la-
2P*

180

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXVFI?

bourers which the householder hired early in the
morning. The Gentiles, who were converted at
several times, by the various interpositions of
Providence, to the knowledge and worsMp of the
true God, are the labourers hired at the third,
sixth, and ninth hours. And the invitation given
at the eleventh hour, implies the calling of per
sons in the eve of life to the knowledge of the
Gospel. The law of Moses was a heavy yoke ;
and, therefore, the obedience to its precepts
was very elegandy represented by bearing the
heat and burden of the whole day. But the pro
selyted Gentiles paid obedience only to some
particular precepts of the law, bore but part of
its weight, and were, therefore, represented by
those who were hired at the third, sixth, and
ninth hours : while those Heathens, who regu
lated their conduct by the law of nature (so
called) only, and esteemed the works of justice,
piety, temperance, and charity, as their whole
duty, are beautifully represented as labouring
only one hour in the cool of the evening.
When the evemng was come, and each la
bourer was to receive his wages, they were
all placed on an equal footing; these rewards
being the privileges and advantages of the Gos
pel. The Jews, who had borne the grievous
yoke of the Mosaic ceremonies, murmured
when they found the Gentiles were admitted
to its privileges, without being subject to the
ceremonial worsMp. But we must not urge
the circumstance of the reward so far, as to
fancy that either Jews or Gentiles merited the
blessings of the Gospel, by their having la
boured faithfully in the vineyard, or. having be
haved well under their several dispensations.
The glorious Gospel, with all its blessings,
was bestowed entirely by the free grace of God,
and without any thing in men to merit it : be
sides, it was offered promiscuously to all, and

embraced by persons of all characters. The con
clusion of the parable deserves our utmost atten
tion ; we should meditate upon it, and take care
to make our calling and election sure.
After Jesus had finished these discourses, he
continued his journey towards Jerusalem, where,
it is said, the chief priests and elders, soon
after the resurrection of Lazarus, issued a pro
clamation, promising a reward to any one who
should apprehend him. In all probability, this
was the reason why the disciples were astomshed
at the alacrity of our Lord during this journey,
while they themselves followed him trembling.
Jesus, therefore, thought proper to repeat the
prophecies concerning his sufferings, in order to
show his disciples that they were entirely vo
luntary ; adding, that though the Jews should
put him to death, yet, instead of weakening, it
should increase their faith, especially as he would
rise again on the third day from the dead.
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things
that are written by the prophets concerning the
Son of man shall be accomplished : for he shall
be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be
mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on :
and they shaU scourge him, and put him to death;
and the. third day he shall rise again. Luke xviii.
31,32,33. As this prediction manifestly tended to the
confirmation of the ancient prophecies, it must
have given "the greatest encouragement to his
disciples, had they understood and applied it in
a proper manner : but they were so ignorant of
the Scriptures, that they had no idea of what he
meant. And they understood none of these things:
and this saying was hid from them; neither kneiv
they the things which were spoken.
The sons of Zebedee were so blinded by pre
judice, that they thought their Master, by his

Chap. XXVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

181

telling them he would rise again from the dead,
meant that he would then erect his empire, and,
accordingly, begged that he would confer on
them the chief posts in his kingdom ; which they
expressed, by desiring to be seated, the one on
his right hand, and the other on his left, ; in allu
sion to his placing the twelve Apostles upon
twelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel. But
some writers think that this ignorant request
was made at some other time.
TMs race of mortals, ever since our Saviour's
transfiguration, had conceived Very high notions
of Ms kingdom, and possibly of then own merit
also, because they had been permitted to behold
that miracle. But Jesus told them, that they
were ignorant of the nature of the honour they
requested ; and since, they desired to share with
Mm in. glory, asked them, If they were willing
to share with him also in his sufferings? Ye
know not what ye ask: are ye able to drink of
the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized
with the baptism that lam baptized with ? Matt.
xx. 22.
The two disciples, ravished with the prospect
of the digmty they were aspiring after, replied,
without hesitation, that they were both able and
wilfing to share any hardship their Master might
meet with, in the way to the kingdom. To
which he answered, that they should certainly
share with him in Ms troubles and afflictions ;
but that they had asked a favour wMch was
not his to give, except as prepared and promised
by the Father. Ye shall drink, indeed, of my
cup, and be baptized with the baptism I am
baptized with ; but to sit on my right hand, and
on my left, is not mine to give; but it shall
be given unto them for whom it is prepared of
my Father. Matt. xx. 23.

raised the indignation of the rest of the disci
ples, who dunking themselves equally deserving
the principal posts in the Messiah's kingdom,
were highly offended at the arrogance of the
sons of Zebedee. Jesus, therefore, in order to
restore harmony among his disciples, told them,
that his Mngdom was very different from those
of the present world ; and the greatness of his
disciples did not, like that of secular princes,
consist in reigning over others in an absolute and
despotic manner. Ye know that the princes of
the Gentiles exercise dominion over th€m, and they
that are great exercise authority upon them. But
it shall not be so among you : but whosoever will
be great among you, let him be your minister ; and
whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your
servant ; even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister ; and to give his
life. a ransom for many. Matt. xx. 25, &c. Ye
know that rank and precedence denote merit of
character here : but Christian greatness and spi
ritual precedence consist in humility, of which
Christ your Saviour was made an eminent pattern.
CHAP. XXVIII.
The benevolent Saviour restores Sight to
the Blind. — Kindly regards Zdccheus
the Publican. -r— Delivers the Parable of
the Servants intrusted with their Lord's
Money. — Accepts the kind Offices of
Mary. — Makes a public Entry into
Jerusalem.
ESUS, with his disciples, and the multitude
that accompanied him, were now arrived
at Jericho, a famous city of Palestine, and the
second in the kingdom. Near this town Jesus
cured two blind men, who sat by the road beg
ging, and expressed their belief in him as the

Messiah. And as they departed from Jericho a
TMs amMtious request of the two brothers J great multitude followed him. And, behold, two

182

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXVIII.

blind men, sitting by the way-side, when they
heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying,
Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
And the multitude rebuked them, because they
should hold their peace : but they cried the more,
saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of
David. Matt xx. 29, &c.
This importunate request had its desired effect
on the Son*of God. He stood still, and called
them to him, that by their manner of walking
the spectators might be convinced they were
really blind. As soon as they approached him,
he asked them, What they requested with such
earnestness ? To which the beggars answered,
That they might receive their sight. What will
ye that I shall do unto you ? They say, Lord, that
our eyes may be opened. This request was not
made in vain : their compassionate Saviour
touched their eyes, and immediately they re
ceived sight, and followed him, glorifying and
praising God.
After conferring sight on these beggars, Zac-
cheus, chief of the publicans, having often heard
the fame of our Saviour's miracles, was desirous
of seeing his person; but the fewness of Ms sta
ture preventing him from satisfying his curiosity,
he ran before, and climbed up a sycamore-tree to
see him ; for he ivas lo pass that way. As Jesus
approached the place where he was, he looked up,
and saw him, arid said unto' him, Zaccheus, make
haste, and come dopn ; for to-day I must abide at
thy house. Luke xix. 5.
The publican expressed his joy at our Lord's
condescending to visit him, took him to his house,
and showed him all the marks of civility in his
power. But the people, when they saw he was
going to the house of a publican, condemned his
conduct as not conformable to his character of a
prophet. Zaccheus seems to have heard these

unjust reflections ; and, therefore, was willing to
justify himself before Jesus and his attendants.
And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Be
hold, Lord, the Iialfofmy goods I give to the poor:
and if I have taken any thing from any man by
false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And
Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come lo
this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abra
ham. Luke xix. 8, &c.
Our Saviour, further to convince the people
that the design of his mission was to seek and to
restore life and salvation to lost and perishing
sinners, adds, The Son of man is come to seek and
to save that which was hst.
While Jesus continued in the house of Zac
cheus the publican, he spake a parable to bis
followers, who supposed, at his arrival in the
royal city, he would erect the long expected
kingdom of the Messiah. A certain nobkmanf
says he, went into a far country, to receive for
himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called
his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds,
and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But
his citizens hated him, and sent a message after
him, saying, We will not have this man to reign
over us. And it came to pass, that, when he toas
returned, having received the kingdom, then he
commanded these servants to be catted unto him,
to whom he had given the money, that he might
know how much every man had gained by
trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy
pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said
unto him, Well, thou good servant: because
thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou
authority over ten cities. And the second came,
saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over
five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, be
hold here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up
in a napkin: for I feared thee, because thou art

Chap. XXVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

183

an austere man; thou takest up that thou layedst
not doion, and reapest that thou didst not soiv.
And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth
will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou
knewest that I was an austere man, taking up
that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not
sow : Wherefore then gavest thou not my money
into the bank, that at my coming / might havd
required mine own with usury? And he said
unto them that stood by, Take from him the
pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten
pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every
one which hath shall be given; and from him
that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken
away from him. But those mine enemies, which
would not that I should reign over them, bring
hither, and slay them before me. Luke xix.
12, &c.
In this parable we have the characters of three
sorts of men, delineated by our blessed Saviour
himself; namely, the truly faitMul disciples of
the Messiah, who improve their every talent well ;
those who fear and love the Lord, but either
begin late, or are less diligent, and, therefore, are
not so holy and useful as the first; and the sloth
ful servant, who buries his talent, or, which is
much the same, neglects to improve it to the
honour of God. And ^ the treatment these ser
vants met with, represents the final sentences
that will be past upon them by the awful Judge
of the whole earth. The true disciples shall be
rewarded with the honours and pleasures of
immortality; the slothful, stripped of all the
advantages they so often boasted, and loaded
with eternal infamy ; and shall suffer punish
ment, severe in proportion to the degree of their
guilt. But though this is the general sense of the pa
rable, yet it has also a particular relation to the

time when it was spoken; and was intended to
teach the disciples, that though they might ima
gine the Messiah's kingdom was speedily to be
erected, and they were soon to partake of its
happiness, yet this was not to happen before the
death of their Master; that they themselves must
perform a long and laborious course of services,
before they received their eternal reward. That
after his resurrection, when he had obtained the
kingdom, he would return from his seat of
majesty, and reckon with all his servants, and
reward every one according to the improve
ments he had made in the trust committed to
his care ; and that he would execute, in an ex
emplary manner, his vengeance on those who
refused to let him reign over them, and did all
in their power to hinder the erection of his king
dom among others.
After speaking this parable, Jesus left the
house of Zaccheus the publican, and continued
his journey towards Jerusalem, where he pur
posed to celebrate the passover. He was earn
estly expected by the people, who came up
to purify themselves, and who began to doubt
whether he would venture to come to the
feast. This delay, however, was occasioned
by the proclamation issued by the chief priests,
promising a reward to any who would dis
cover the place of his retirement Now both
the chief priests and the Pharisees had given
a commandment, that, if any man knew inhere
he were, he should show it, that they might take
him. John xi. 57.
Six days before the passover, Jesus arrived at
Bethany, and repaired to the house of Laza
rus, .whom he had raised from the dead. There
they made him a supper; and Martha served:
but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table
with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment
of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet oj

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXVIII.

Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair : and the
house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot,
Simon's son, which should betray him, Wliy was
'" not this ointment sold for three hundred pence,
and given to the poOr? This he said, not that he
cared for the poor; but because he was a thief,
and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Then said Jesus, Let her alone : against the day
of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor
always ye have with you ; but me ye have not al
ways. John xii. 2, Stc.
As Bethany was not above two miles from
Jerusalem, the news of his arrival was soon
spread through the capital, and great numbers
of the citizens came to see Lazarus, who had
been raised from the dead, together with the
great Prophet who had wrought so stupendous
a miracle, and many of them were convinced
both of the resurrection of the former, and the
divinity of the latter. But the news of their con
version, together with the reason of it, being cur
rently reported in Jerusalem, the cliief priests
were soon sensible of the weight so great a mi
racle must have on the minds of the people; and,
therefore, determined, if possible, to put both
Jesus and Lazarus to death.
Our blessed Lord, though he knew the design
of the Jews upon him, also knew that it became
him to fulfil all righteousness ; and was so far
from declining to visit Jerusalem, that he even
entered it in a public manner. When they
were come to' Bethphage, unto the Mount of
Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying
unto them, Go into the village over against you,
and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and
a colt with her : loose them, and bring them unto
me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye
shall say, The Lord hath need of them,' and
straightivay he will send them. All this was

done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of
Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek
and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of
an ass. And the disciples went, and did m
Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass
and the colt, and put on them their chthes, and
they set him thereon. And, a very great mul
titude spread their garments in the way; others
cut doivn branches from the trees, and strawed
them in the way. And the multitudes that went
before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hor
sanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna in
the highest. And when he was come into Je
rusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who
is this ? And the multitude said, This is Jesus,
the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. Matt. xxi.
1,2, 3, &c. *

Some of the most strenuous of die deistical
tribe have endeavoured to turn tMs circumstance
into ridicule. But in this they discover the height
of ignorance, because they judge by the preju
dices of our own times and country. And when
those who look no farther than the manners and
the customs before them, examine this part of
the sacred history by the standard of modern
prejudices, they see, or think they see, some
thing quite inconsistent with the gravity and
dignity of the person pretending to be king of
the Jews, when Christ is represented entering
in triumph into Jerusalem sitting on an ass.
But however contemptible an ass, or a man
riding on that creature, may be at present, it
was not so from the beginning. In many coun
tries, and particularly in Judea, persons of the
highest distinction usually rode upon asses. The
governors of Israel are described, in the Song
of Deborah, as riding on white asses. Judges
v. 10. And the thirty sons of'Jair, who was
judge and prince over Israel twenty-two years,

Chap. XXVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST

185

are said to ride on thirty ass-colts. Judges x. 4.
And another, judge is recorded to have had forty
sons and thirty nephews, that rode on seventy
ass-colts. Judges xii. 14.
It may, however, be asked, Supposing it was
an usual thing to ride on an ass, why should this
common practice be mentioned in relation to the
Messiah, as a mark of distinction ? Might not
the prophet, upon this supposition, as well have
said, He shall come walking on foot? and would
iie not have been as well known by one charac
ter as by the other? Besides, if we turn to
the book of Zechariah, where this prophecy
is to be found, we shall see the person there
described to be a king, a just*' king, and one
having salvation : and what is there in this
character, of riding on the foal of an ass, that
is peculiar to a kmg, to a just king, and to
one who was to bring salvation and deliverance
to Ms people ?
These questions, however difficult they at first
sight may appear, are easily answered, not by
considering the state and condition of kings
in general, but that peculiar to a king of Is
rael, on which the propriety of this character
is founded. If we Jbok into the history of the rise and fall
of nations, we shall generally find, that their
prosperity and success were proportioned to
the force and power, and to the conduct and
abilities, of then leaders. But with the Jews,
who from slaves in Egypt became a powerful
people, the case was very different. The best
and greatest of their kings, and he who carried
their empire to its greatest height, has left us
another account of their affairs. The people,
says he, got not the land in possession by their
own sword, neither did their own arm save them ;
but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light
Nob. 15 & 16.

of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour
unto them. Psal. xliv. 3, &c.
When we read these, and other similar pas
sages, we are apt to ascribe them to the piety
and devotion of the Psalmist; to consider them
only as acknowledgments of God's general pro
vidence in the affairs of the world ; and hence
are apt to overlook, or not sufficiently consider,
the Mstorical truth they contain.
It is true, indeed, that all success, in the
strictest sense, should be ascribed to God; that
it is he who giveth victory unto kings : but he
generally makes use of natural means; and it
is no offence to his providence, that kings list
their thousands of horse and foot, to secure
themselves and their dominions. But with the
Jews it was very different : they were never so
weak, as when they made themselves strong';
never so certainly ruined, as when their force
was great enough to create a confidence in them
selves. For God had taken the defence of Is
rael upon himself; and whenever the people
took it out of his hands, to place it in their own,
they were sure to be undone.
Nay, so tender was God of his honour in
this respect, and so concerned to justify his
promise to protect Israel, m the eyes of the
world, that he would not always permit na
tural causes to interfere in their deliverance,
lest the people should grow doubtful to whom
they ought to ascribe their victories ; and for the
same reason it was that he commanded the
people to have neither horses nor chariots of war
for their defence. Not because they were
thought useless in war; for it is well known
they were the strength of the ancient king
doms; but because God himself had undertaken
their defence, and he wanted neither horse nor
foot to fight their battles.
2Q

186

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXVIIP

This law, as is evident from the Jewish his
tory, was observed for near four hundred years ;
namely, till about the middle of Solomon's reign.
And while David swayed the sceptre of Israel,
when the kingdom was carried to its utmost
height, he himself rode upon a mule, and pro
vided no better equipage for his son on the day
of Ms coronation. Cause Sohmon, my son, said
David, to ride upon my own muh, and bring him
down to Gihon. And let Zadok the priest, and
Nathan the prophet, anoint him there king over
Israel. 1 Kings i. 33, 34. And when that pious
prince looked back, and contemplated this state
of things, he might well say, Some trust in cha
riots, and some in horses : but we will remember
the name of the Lord our God. Psal. xx. 7.
In the reign of Solomon tilings quickly changed
their aspect. He married the daughter of the
•king of Egypt, and opened a commerce between
that country and his own, by which means he
soon acquired an immense number of horses and
chariots ; and all his successors, when they had
it in their power, followed his example. But
what did the kingdom gain by this change ?
They were before a rich and flourishing people:
but after breaking the law of the Most High,
their wealth and power gradually declined ; till
at last then habitations were laid waste ; their
temple and cities burned with fire, and they
themselves carried captive into a strange land.
It may, perhaps, be asked, Wherein the guilt
of having a country full of horses consisted ?
There is certainly no moral crime in purchasing
and keeping these creatures ; but the kings of
Israel were exalted to the throne, on condition
that they should renounce the assistance of cha
riots and horses, and depend upon God for suc
cess in the day of battle.
Having thus considered this law, and the

consequences that resulted from the breach of it,
let us now look back to the prophecy relating to
the Messiah. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion : shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : Behold
thy King cometh unto thee : he is just, and having
salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and
upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off
the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Je
rusalem. Zech. ix. 9, &c.
Such is the king, who was to save the de
scendants of Jacob. And what sort of a king
could be expected ? Is it possible to imagine
that God would send a king to save them who
would be like the kings which had undone them r
Is it not more reasonable to think, that he would
resemble those who had been deliverers of their
country ? kings who feared God, and, therefore,
feared no enemy ; who, though mounted on asses,
and colts the foals of asses, were able to put to
flight the thousands and ten thousands of chariots
and horses that came against them.
The king foretold by the prophet was also
to be just, meek, and lowly. But how could he
have deserved that character, had he appeared
in the pride and pomp of war, surrounded with
horses and chariots, in direct opposition to the
law of God ? or, as he was to bring salvation to
the people, could he make use of those means
which God never had prospered, and which he
declared he never would ?
It appears, then, that it was essential to the
character of a King of Israel, who was to be
just and lowly, and to bring salvation with him,
that he should come riding on an ass, and a
colt the foal of an ass. But if any doubt can yet
remain, let the prophet Mmself explain it, who
immediately after the description of the promised
King, adds, And I will cut off the chariot from
Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem : plainly

Chap. XXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

187

intimating, that the character given of the Mes
siah, that he should ride on an ass, was in oppo
sition to the pride of their warlike kings, who,
by* then great strength in chariots and horses,
had ruined themselves and their people.
Thus have we undeniably shown the intention
of the prophet, when he foretold that the Messiah
should ride on an ass ; and from hence itappears,
that the enemies of revelation have not the least
reason for turning this transaction into ridicule.
Was it any reproach to CMist to ride into Jeru
salem on the foal of an ass, when David, the
greatest of his ancestors, and Solomon, the
wisest, as long as he was wise, rode in the same
manner ? Can the Jews object to this circum
stance, and yet talk of the glories of David, and
the magnificence of Solomon, who, in the midst
of all that glory and magnificence, did the very
same dung? or can they stumble at tMs cha
racter of the Messiah, without forgetting by what
princes then ancestors were saved, and by what
undone ?
But to leave this digression. The prodigious
multitudes that now accompanied Jesus, filled
the Pharisees and great men with malice and
envy, because every method they had taken to
hinder the people from following Jesus had
proved ineffectual. The Pharisees therefore said
among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail
nothing ? Behold, the world is gone after him.
John xii. 19.
But when our blessed Saviour drew near the
city of Jerusalem, surrounded by the rejoicing
multitude, notwithstanding the many affronts he
had there received, he beheld the city with a di
vine generosity and benevolence which nothing
can equal; wept over it, and, in the most pathetic
manner, lamented the calamities which he fore
saw were coming upon it; because its inhabitants

were ignorant of the time of their visitation. If,
said he, thou hadst known, even thou, at least in
this thy day^ the things which behng unto thy
peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine
enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass
thee round, and keep thee in on every side. And
shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy chil
dren within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee
one stone upon ' another : because thou knewest
not the time of thy visitation. Luke xix. 42, &c.
Behold here, ye wondering mortals, behold an
example of generosity infinitely superior to any
furnished by the heathen world ! An example
highly worthy for them to imitate and admire.
When Jesus, surrounded by the multitude, en
tered Jerusalem, the whole city was moved on
account of the prodigious concourse of people
that accompanied him, and their continual accla
mations. Jesus rode immediately to the temple ;
but it being evening, he soon left the city, to
the great discouragement of the people, who
expected he was immediately to have taken into
his hands the reins of government. And Jesus
entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple : and
when he had looked round about upon all things,
and now the even-tide was come, he went out unto
Bethany with the twelve. Mark xi. 11.
CHAP. XXIX.
Jesus pronounces a Curse upon the Fig-
tree, — Expels the Profaners of the
Temple. — Asserts his Divine Autho
rity, and delivers two Parables.
AT the earliest dawn, our blessed Saviour
left Bethany, to visit again the capital
of Judea. And as he pursued Ms journey, he
2Q*

188

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIX.

saw, at a distance, a fig-tree, which, from its
fulness of leaves, promised abundance of fruit.
This inviting object induced hhn to approach
it, in expectation of finding figs, for he was
hungry, and the season for gathering them
was not yet arrived ; but on his coming to
the tree, he found it to be really barren : upon
which the* blessed Jesus said to it, Let no fruit
grow on thee henceforward for ever. Matt.
xxi. 19.
This action, which was purely emblematical,
and prefigured the speedy ruin of the Jewish
nation, on account of its unfruitfulness, under all
the advantages it then enjoyed, has, by the
enemies of revelation, been represented as an
action unbecoming the Bedeemer of mankind.
But if they had fully considered its intention,
they would have been clearly convinced, that',
like the rest of his miracles, it was done with
a gracious intention ; namely, to awaken the
Jews from their lethargy, and, by timely re
pentance, prevent the total ruin of their church
and nation.
Being disappointed in finding fruit on the
fig-tree, our blessed Saviour pursued his jour
ney to Jerusalem ; and, on his arrival, went
straightway to the temple, the outer court of
which he found full of merchandise. A sight
like this grieved his holy and righteous soul,
so that he drove them all out of the temple,
overturned the tables of the money-changers
and the seats of them that sold doves, and would
not suffer any vessel to be carried through the
temple; saying unto them, It is written, My house
is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den
of thieves. Luke xix. 45.
St. Jerome considers this as one of the great
est of all our Saviour's miracles. And it must be
owned, that the circumstances are very extraor

dinary ; that one man should undertake so bold,
and execute so hazardous a task ; one man, with
out a commission from Caesar; without any
countenance from the Jewish rulers;, without
any arms, either to terrify the multitude or defend
himself. That he should cast out the whole tribe
of mercenary traffickers; wrest from those wor
shippers of wealth their darling idol, and trample
it under foot: and all this without tumult or op
position ; not one of the sacrilegious rabble daring
to move the hand, or open the mouth.
Whosoever, I say, reflects on the fierce and un
governable nature of an enraged populace, and
considers the outrageous zeal of Demetrius and
the craftsmen^bn a less irritating occasion, may
possibly find himself almost, if not altogether, of
the Latin father's opimon.
There is a tradition, that a certain bright and
dazzling lustre flamed from Ms eyes, which
they were unable to bear, as the people could
not behold the face of Moses for the glory that
surrounded him. But as the Scriptures take
no notice of this transcendent lustre, we must
only adore the greatness of the fact, and, at
the same time, so improve this miracle to our
spiritual advantage, as to secure, by accepting
his grace, the power of tins mighty Beformer
in our favour ; that when he shall come in
glory, we may be safe under the shadow of his
divine wings; while he takes fearful vengeance
on those who prostitute the most sacred places to
mercenary purposes.
Having dispersed this venal tribe, the people
brought unto him the blind, the lame, and the
diseased, who were all healed by the Son of
God : so that the very children, when they saw
the many miraculous cures he performed, pro
claimed Mm to be the great Son of David, the
long expected Messiah.

Chap. XXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

189

Such behaviour not a little incensed the Pha
risees ; but they feared the people, and, therefore,
only asked Mm, If he heard what the children
said ? insinuating that he ought to rebuke them,
and not suffer them thus to load him with the
highest praises. But Jesus, instead of giving a
direct answer to their question, repeated a pas
sage out of the eighth Psalm : Have ye never read,
said the blessed Jesus, Out of the mouths of babes
and sucklings hast thou, ordained strength?
Giving them to understand, that the meanest of
God's creatures have been made instrumental in
spreading his praise.
The evening bemg now come, Jesus, with Ms
disciples, left the city, and retired to Bethany,
where Ms benevolent miracle, in raising Lazarus
from the dead, had procured him many friends,
among whom he was always in safety. The
next mormng, as they were returning to Jerusa
lem, the disciples were astonished at beholding
the fig-tree, that had been, but the morning be
fore, declared barren, dried up from the roots.
They had, in all probability, forgotten what our
Saviour had said to this fig-tree, till its dry and
withered aspect brought it again to then me
mory. Peter, on seeing tMs astonishing pheno
menon, said unto Jesus, Master, behold the fig-
tree which thou cursedst is withered away ! To
which Jesus answered, that whoever had faith in
the Almighty, or thoroughly believed in his mi
racles, should be able to do much greater things
than the withering of the fig-tree. And Jesus
answering, saith unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say
unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou
cast into the sea ; and shall not doubt in his heart,
but shall believe that those things which he saith
shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he
saith. Mark xi. 22, 23.
Our Lord added, that whatsoever they should

ask by faith, they should receive; and concluded
by giving them directions concernmg prayer,
which was necessary to increase the faith he
mentioned. And vohenye stand praying, forgive,
if ye have ought against any : that your Father
also which is in heaven may forgive you your
trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will
your Father which is in heaven forgive your tres
passes. Mark xi. 25, 26.
During the time the blessed Jesus remained
m the temple, certain proselyted Greeks, who
came up to worship at Jerusalem, desired to
see him, having long cherished expectations
of beholding the promised Messiah. Accord
ingly, they applied to Philip, a native of Beth
saida, who mentioned it to Andrew, and he
told it to Jesus. Upon which our blessed
Saviour told his disciples, that he should soon
be honoured with the conversion of the Gen
tiles : The hour is come, said he, that the Son of
man should be glorified. But declared, that be
fore this glorious event happened, he must
suffer death; illustrating the necessity there
was of his dying, by the similitude of casting
grain into the earth : Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground,
and die, it abideth alone ; but if it die, it bring-
eth forth much fruit. John xii. 24. Adding,
that since it was absolutely necessary for him,
their Lord and Master, to suffer the. pains of
death before he ascended the throne of his
glory; so they, as his followers, must also ex
pect to be persecuted and spitefully used for
Ms name's sake ; but if they persevered, and
even resolved to lose their lives in his ser
vice, he would reward their constancy with a
crown of glory. At the same time he inti
mated to the strangers, that if their desire of
conversing with him proceeded from a hope
of obtaining from him temporal preferments,
they would find themselves sadly disappointed.

190

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIX.

If any man serve me, let him follow me : and
where I am, there shall also my servant be:
if any man serve me, him will my Father ho
nour. John xii. 26.
Our blessed Lord was now so affected, that
he uttered, in a very pathetic manner, his grief,
and addressed his heavenly Father for suc
cour in his distress. Now is my soul troubled :
and what shall I say ? Father, save me from
this hour. But for this cause came I unto this
hour. John xii. 27.
This should teach us, that prayer is the only
proper method of easing the mind overwhelmed
with distress: but, at the same time, to be always
resigned to the divine will ; for though the
weakness of human nature may shrink when
persecution or sufferings of any kind appear,
yet by reflecting on the wisdom, goodness, and
power of God to deliver us, we ought to sup
port every trial, however severe, with patience,
as he, doubtless, 'purposes some happy ends by
these afflictions.
Our blessed Lord having made a short prayer
to his Father, begged him to demonstrate the
truth of his mission by some token which could
not be resisted. Father, glorify thy name. Nor
had he hardly uttered these words, before he was
answered by an audible voice from heaven, /
have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
The miracles thou hast already performed have
glorified my name ; and I will still continue to
glorify it, by other miracles, to be wrought be
fore the sons of men.
This voice was evidently supernatural, re
sembling thunder in loudness, but sufficiently
articulate to be understood by those who heard
our blessed Saviour pray to his heavenly Fa
ther. And Jesus told Ms disciples, that it was

not given for his sake, but to confirm them in
then faith of his mission. This voice, said he,
came not because of me, but for your sokes.
It came to confirm what I have told you relating
to my sufferings, death, resurrection, and the
conversion of the Gentile world to the Christian
religion. Accordingly he communicated this comfort
able reflection to his disciples ; telling them,
that the time was at hand, when the kingdom of
Satan should be destroyed, and that of the
Messiah exalted. Now is the judgment of this
world: now shall the prince of this world be
cast out. And I, if 1 be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me. John xii.
31, &c.
The people, not understanding the force of
this affirmation, replied, We have heard out
of the law, that Christ abideth for ever : and
how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted
up ? John xii. 34. Our Lord, in answer, told
them, that they should soon be deprived of his
presence and miracles; and, therefore, they
would do well to listen attentively to his pre
cepts, firmly believe the doctrines he delivered,
and wisely improve them to their eternal advan
tage ; for otherwise they would be soon overtaken
with spiritual blindness, and rendered incapable
of inheriting the promises of the Gospel. That
while they enjoyed the benefit of his preaching
and miracles, which sufficiently proved the truth
of his mission from the Most High, they should
believe on him ; for by that means alone they
could become the children of God. Yet a little
while is the light with you : walk while ye have
the light, lest darkness come upon you : for he
that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither
he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the
light, that ye may be the children of light. John
xii. 35, &c.

Chap. XXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

191

Having thus addressed the multitude, he re
tired privately. But, notwithstandmg the many
miracles our great Bedeemer had wrought in
the presence of these perverse and stiff-necked
people, the generality of them refused to own
him for the Messiah ; being filled with the vain
expectations of a temporal prince, who was to
rule over all the kingdoms of the earth, and place
Ms dirone in Jerusalem. Some, indeed, even of
the rulers, believed on him, though they thought
it prudent to conceal their faith, lest they should,
like the blind man, be excommumcated, or put
out of the synagogue; valuing the good opi
nion of men above the approbation of the
Ahnighty. Nevertheless, to inspire such as believed on
Mm with courage, he cried in the temple, He
that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but
on him that sent me. John xii. 44. He that
acknowledges the divinity of my mission, ac
knowledges the power and grace of God, on
whose special errand I am thus sent. Adding,
He that seeth the miracles I perform, seeth
the operations of that Omnipotent Power by
which I act. I am the Sun of Bighteousness,
whose beams dispel the darkness of ignorance
in which the sons of men are involved, and
am come to deliver all who believe on me
out of that palpable darkness. You must not,
however, expect that I will at present execute
my judgment upon those who refuse to em
brace the doctrines of the Gospel; for I am
not come to condemn and punish, but to save
the world, and, consequently, to try every gentle
and whining method to reclaim the wicked
from the error of their ways, and turn their
feet into the paths of fife and salvation. They
shall not, however, escape unpunished, who neg
lect the instructions and offers of salvation
now made to them; for the doctrines I have
preached shall bear witness against them at

the awful tribunal of the last day ; and as it has
aggravated their sin, so it shall then heighten
their punishment.
While Jesus was thus preaching in the temple,
a deputation of priests and elders was sent from
the supreme council, to ask him concerning the
nature of the authority by which he acted,
whether it was a prophet, priest, or king, as
no other person had a right to make any al
terations, either in church or state ; and, if he
had laid claim to either of those characters, from
whom he received it? But our blessed Sa
viour, instead of giving a direct answer to the
questions of the Pharisees, asked them another;
promising, if they resolved his question, he would
also answer theirs. / also will ask you one thing,
which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by
what authority I do these things. The baptism
of John, whence was it ? from heaven, or of men?
Matt. xxi. 24, &c.
This question puzzled the priests. They con
sidered, on the one hand, that if it was from God,
it would oblige them to acknowledge the autho
rity of Jesus; John having more than once pub
licly declared him to be the Messiah : and, on
the other, if they peremptorily denied the autho
rity of John, they would be in danger of being
stoned by the people, who, in general, considered
him as a prophet. They, tiierefore, thought it
the most eligible method to answer, that they
could not tell from whence John's baptism was.
Thus, by declimng to answer the question
asked them by Jesus, they left him at liberty to
decline giving the council the satisfaction they
had sent to demand. At the same time they
plainly confessed, that they were unable to pass
any opinion on John the Baptist, notwithstand
ing he claimed the character of a messenger
from God, and they had sent to examine Ms pre-

192

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIX.

tensions. This was, in effect, to acknowledge
that they were incapable of judging of any
prophet whatsoever. Well, therefore, might the
blessed Jesus say, Neither tell I you by what
authority I do these things. You have no right
to ask, since you have confessed you are un
able to judge; and, therefore, I shall not satisfy
your inquiry.
But because this deputation had said that they
were ignorant from whence the baptism of John
was, our blessed Saviour sharply rebuked them,
conveying his reproof in the parable of the two
sons commanded to work in their father's vine
yard; and, asking their opinion of the two, made
them condemn themselves.
A certain man, said he, had two sons ; and he
came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in
my vineyard. But this ungracious youth very
roughly answered the kind command of his
father, and without the least preface, or appel
lation of respect, answered, / will not. How
ever, after reflecting on the impropriety and in
decency of such behaviour to his kind and in
dulgent father, he repented of what he had
done, and went to work in the vineyard. The
father having met with so sharp a reply from
the former son, had recourse to the other, and
in the same manner ordered him to work that
day in his vineyard.
This son was very different from the former,
and, in a very dutiful manner, said, / go, sir.
But notwithstanding this seeming obedience,
he delayed to do as his father desired ; he did
not go to work in the vineyard. The temper
and behaviour of the second sons were* exactly
conformable to those of the Pharisees. They
gave the Almighty the most honourable titles,
and professed the utmost zeal for Ms service,
in their prayers and praises ; but, at the same

time, refused to do any part of the work that
he enjoined them. In the character of the other
son, the disposition of the publicans and harlots
is well described. They neither professed nor
promised to do the will of their Creator ; but
when they came to reflect seriously on then
conduct, and the offers of mercy which were
so kindly made them, they submitted to our
Saviour, and, in consequence of then faith,
amended their lives.
Having thus finished the parable, our Lord
asked the Pharisees; Whether of them twain did
the will of his Father ? They say unto him, The
first. They did not immediately perceive, that
by this answer they condemned themselves, till
our Saviour made a just application of the pa
rable, in this sharp but just rebuke; Verily I say
unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go
into the kingdom of God before you. For. John
came unto you in the way of righteousness, and
ye believed him not, nor entered into your Fa
ther's vineyard, though, fike the second son,
you promised in the most fair and candid man
ner ; but the publicans and harhts believed him,
repented of their former disobedie^hce, and en
tered into the vineyard.

¦V*

The blessed Jesus did not only rebuke them
for rejecting the preaching of the Baptist, but re
presented the crime of the nation, in rejecting all
the prophets which had been sent, since they
became a nation, and, among the rest, the only
begotten Son of the Most High : warmng them,
at the same time, of their danger, and the punish
ment that would inevitably ensue, if they con
tinued in their rebellion. The outward economy
of religion, in which they gloried, would be taken
from them ; their relation to God, as his people,
cancelled; and the national constitution de
stroyed: but because these topics were ex
tremely disagreeable, he delivered them under the

Chap. XXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

1&3.

veil of the following parable : There was, said he,
a certain householder, which planted a vineyard,
and hedged it round about, and digged a wine
press in it, and built a tower, and let it out
to husbandmen, and tcenl into a far country.
Matt xxi. 33.
The comparison of the church to a vineyard is
frequent in the sacred Scripture ; but this par
ticular parable, for the fuller conviction of the
Jews, is expressly taken from the fifth chapter
of the prophet Isaiah, with which they could
not fail of being well acquainted, nor ignorant
of Its meaning, as the prophet, at the end of it,
adds, The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the
house of Israel, and the men of Judah his plea
sant plant: and he looked for judgment, but
behold oppression ; for righteousness, but behold
a cry. Our Saviour, therefore, continued the
metaphor, telling them, that when the time of
the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the
husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits
of it. And the husbandmen took his servants,
and beat one, and killed another, and stoned
another. The Almighty sent the prophets to
exhort the Jews to entertain just sentiments of
jeligion, and tread in the paths of virtue ; but
the Jews, irritated at the prophets for the freedom
they used in reproving their sins, persecuted and
slew them with unrelenting fury.
Their wickedness, however, in killing these
messengers, did not instantly provoke the Al
mighty to pour down his vengeance upon
them : he sent more prophets to exhort and
reclaim them, but they met with no better
fate than the former. His mere}', however,
still continued ; and that no means might be
left untried, he sent unto them his own Son,
whose authority being clearly established by
undeniable miracles, ought to have been ac
knowledged cheerfully by these wicked men;
Nos. 17 Si 18.

but how different was the consequence ! When
the husbandmen saw the son, . they said among
themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill
him, and ht us seize on his inheritance. And
they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard,
and slew him. Wlien the Lord, therefore, of the
vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those hus
bandmen ? They say unto him, He will mise
rably destroy those wicked men, and will let
out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which
shall render him the fruits in their seasons:
Matt. xxi. 38, &c.
Shocked at this awful representation, the Pha
risees exclaimed, and said, God forbid ! Surely
these husbandmen will not proceed to such des
perate iniquity : surely the vineyard will not thus
be taken from them. But to confirm the truth of
this, our Saviour added a remarkable prophecy
of himself, and his rejection, from the 118th
Psalm. Did you never, said he, read in the
Scriptures, The stone which the builders refused is
become the headstone of the corner : this is the
Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes?
This rejection of the Messiah by the Jews, and
the reception he met with among the Gentiles,
all brought to pass by the providence of God,
are wonderful events ; and, therefore, I say unto
you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from
you, and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof.
The chief priests and Pharisees being afraid to
apprehend Jesus, he was at liberty to proceed in
the offices of his ministry. Accordingly, he de
livered another parable, wherein he described, on
the one hand, the bad success which the preaching
of the Gospel was to meet with among the Jews;
and, on the other, the cheerful reception given it
among the Gentiles. This gracious design of the
Almighty, in giving the Gospel to the children
211

194-

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXIX.

of men, our blessed Saviour illustrated by the
behaviour of a certain king, who, in honour of
his son, made a great feast, to which he in
vited many guests. The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king, which made a marriage
for his son. This marriage supper, or great
feast, signifies the joys of grace and glory, which
are properly compared to an elegant entertain
ment, on account of their exquisiteness and du
ration; and are here said to be prepared in
honour of the Son of God, because they are
bestowed on men in consequence of his suf
ferings in their stead and behalf.
Some time before this supper was ready, the
servants went forth to call the guests to the
wedding ; i. e. when the fulness of time ap
proached, the Jews, as being the peculiar people
of God, were first called by John the Baptist,
and afterwards by Christ himself; but they re
fused all these benevolent calls of mercy, and
rejected the kind invitations of the Gospel,
though pressed by the preaching of the Messiah
and his forerunner. After our Saviour's resur
rection and ascension, the Apostles were sent
forth to inform the Jews, that the Gospel covenant
was established, mansions in heaven prepared,
and nothing wanting but the cheerful acceptance
of the honour designed them. Again he sent
forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are
bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner ; my
oxen and my failings are killed, and all things
are ready : come unto the marriage. But these
messengers were as unsuccessful as the former.
The Jews, undervaluing the favour offered them,
mocked at the message; and some of them,
more rude than the rest, insulted, beat, and slew
die servants that had been sent to call them to
the marriage supper of the Lamb. But when
the king heard thereof, he was wroth ; and he sent
forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers,
and burnt up their city. This part of the pa

rable plainly predicted the destruction of the
Jews by the Boman armies, called here the ar
mies of the Almighty, because they were ap-
pomted by him to execute vengeance on that
once favourite, but now rebellious, people.
The parable is then continued, as follows:
The king again sent forth his servants into the
countries of the Gentiles, with orders to com
pel all that they met with to come unto the
marriage. This was immediately done, and the
wedding was furnished with guests ; but when
the king came into the apartment, he saiv there
a man ivhich had not on a wedding garment;
and he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou
in hither, not having a wedding garment ? And
he ivas speechless. Then said the king to' the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him
away, and cast him into outer darkness: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For
many are called, but few are chosen. Matt. xxiL,
11, '&c
By the conclusion of the parable, we learn,
that the profession of the Christian religion
will not save a man, unless he be saved by
grace^ and act from Christian principles. Let
us, therefore, who have obeyed the call, and
are by profession the people of God, think
often on that awful day, when the king will
come in to see his guests ; when the Al
mighty will, with the greatest strictness, view
every soul that lays claim to the joys of hea
ven. Let us think of the speechless confusion
that will seize such as have not on the wed
ding garment, and of the inexorable anxiety
with which they will be consigned to weeping
and gnashing of teeth : and let us remember.
that to have seen, for a while, the light of
the Gospel, and the fair beamings of an eter
nal hope, will add deeper and more sensible
horrors to these gloomy caverns. On the other

Chap. XXX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

19^

hand, to animate and encourage us, let us an
ticipate the joyful hour which will consign us to
bliss immortal.

CHAP. XXX.
The blessed Jesus wisely retorts on the
Pharisees and Herodians, uho pro
pound an intricate Question to him. —
Settles the moat important Point of the
Law. — Enforces his Mission and Doc
trine, and foretells the Judgment that
would fall upon the Pharisaical Tribe.
THIS representation of the state of the
finally impenitent appearing to be levelled
at the Pharisees, they immediately concerted
with the Herodians and Sadducees, on the most
proper method of putting Jesus to death. It is
sufficiently evident, that their hatred was now
Carried to the highest pitch, because the most
violent enmity, which had so long subsisted
between the two sects, was, on this occasion,
suspended, and they joined together to execute
their cruel determination on the Son of God.
They, however, thought it most eligible to act
very cautiously, and endeavour, if possible, to
catch some hasty expression from him, that they
might render him odious to the people, and find
something against him, that might serve as a
basis for a prosecution. Accordingly, they sent
some of their disciples to him, with orders to
feign themselves just men, who maintained the
greatest veneration for the divine law, and
dreaded nothing more than the doing any thing
inconsistent with its precepts ; and, under this
specious cloak of hypocrisy, to beg his deter
mination of an affair that had long lain heavy
on their consciences; namely, the paying tribute
to Caesar, wMch they thought inconsistent with

their zeal for religion. This question was, it
seems, furiously debated in our Saviour's time ;
one Judas, a native of Galilee, having implanted
in the minds of the people a notion that taxes
to a foreign power were absolutely unlawful.
A doctrine so pleasing to the worldly-minded'
Jews could not fail of friends, especial])'. among
the lower class, and, therefore, must have many
partizans among the multitude that then sur
rounded the Son of God. The priests, therefore,
imagined, that it was not in his power to decide
the point, without rendering himself obnoxious
to some of the parties. If he should say it was
lawful to pay the taxes, they believed that the
people, in whose hearing the question was pro
posed, would be incensed against him, not only
as a base pretender, who, on being attacked,
publicly renounced the character of the Messiah,
which he had assumed among his friends, but
also a flatterer of princes, and a betrayer of the
liberties of his country ; one who taught a doc
trine inconsistent with the known privileges of
the people of God : but if he should affirm that
it was unlawful to pay tribute, they determined
to inform the governor, who, they hoped, would
punish him as a framer of sedition. Highly
elated with their project, they accordingly came ;
and, after passing an encomium on the truth of
his mission, his courage, and impartiality, they
proposed this famous question: Master, said
they, we know that thou art true, and car est for
no man ; for thou regardest not the persons of
men, but teachest the way of God in truth.
Tell us, therefore, what thinkest thou, Is it law
ful to give tribute to Ccesar, or not? Mark
xii. 14, 15.
But the blessed Jesus saw their secret inten
tions, and, accordingly, called them hypocrites ;
to signify, that though they pretended to make
conscience of, and show a regard for, the will of
God, in proposing this question, he saw through
2B*

196

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXX.

the thin veil that concealed their design from the
iCyes of mortals, and knew that their intention
was to ensnare him.
He, however, did not decline answering
their question, but previously desired to see
a piece of the tribute-money. The piece was
accordingly produced, and proved to be coined
by the Bomans. Upon which our blessed Sa
viour answered them, Since this money bears
the image of Caesar, it is his ; and by making
use of it, you acknowledge his authority. But
at the same time that you discharge your duty
to the civil magistrate, you should never forget
the duty you owe to your God ; but remem
ber, that as you profess to bear the image
of the great, the omnipotent King, you are
his subjects, and ought to love him with all
your heart, and serve Mm to the very utmost
of your power.
The Pharisees and their followers, under a
pretence of religion, often justified sedition :
but the Herodians, in order to ingratiate them
selves with the reigning powers, made them
a compliment of their consciences, complying
with whatever they enjoined, however oppo
site their commands might be to the divine
law. Our Lord, therefore, adapted his answer
to them both, exhorting them, in their re
gards to God and the magistrate, to give each
his due ; there being no inconsistency between
their rights, when their rights only are in
sisted on.
So unexpected an answer quite disconcerted
and silenced these crafty enemies. They were
astonished, both at his having discovered their
design, and his wisdom in avoiding the snare
they had so artfully laid for him. When they had
heard these words, they marvelled, and left him,
and went their way. Matt. xxti. 22.

Though our Lord thus wisely obviated their
crafty designs, enemies came against him from
every quarter. The Sadducees, who denied the
doctrine of a future state, together with the
existence of angels and spirits, came forward to
the charge ; proposing to him their strongest
argument against the resurrection, which they
deduced from the law given by Moses with re
gard to marriage. Master, said they, Moses
wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a
wife, and he die without children, that his brother
should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his
brother. There were, therefore, seven brethren ;
and the first took a wife, and died without chil
dren. And the second took her to wife, and he
died childless. And the third took her ; and in
like manner the seven also. And they left no
children, and died. Last of all, the woman died
also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife
i of them is she ? for seven had her to wife. Luke
xx. 28, &c.
The Sadducees, who believed the soul to be
nothing more than a refined matter, were per
suaded, that if there were any future state, it must
resemble the present; and that being in that
state material and mortal, the human race could
not be continued, nor the individuals rendered
happy, without the pleasures and conveniences
of marriage. And hence considered it as a ne
cessary consequence of the doctrine of the resur
rection, or a future state, that every man's wife
should be restored to Mm.
But this argument our blessed Saviour soon
confuted, by telling the Sadducees they were
ignorant of the power of God, who had created
spirit as well as matter, and who can render man
completely happy in the enjoyment of himself.
He also observed, that the nature of the life
obtained in a future state, made marriage al
together superfluous, because, hi the world to

Chap. XXX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

197

come, men being spiritual and immortal, like the
angels, there was no need of natural means to
propagate or continue the kind. Ye do err,
said the blessed Jesus, not knowing the Scrip
tures, nor the power of God. For in the re
surrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage. Matt. xxii. 29, 30. Neither can they
die any more : for they are equal unto the an
gels ; and are the children of God, being the
children of the resurrection. Luke xx. 36.
Hence we may observe, that good men are
called the children of the Most High, from their
inheritance at the resurrection, and particu
larly on account of their being adorned with
immortality. Having thus shown their folly and unbelief,
he proceeded to show that they were also igno
rant of the Scriptures, and particularly of the
writings of Moses, from whence they had drawn
their objection, by demonstrating, from the very
law itself, the certainty of a resurrection, at least
that of just men ; and, consequently, quite de
molished the opinion of the Sadducees, who, be
lieving the materiality of the soul, affirmed that
men were annihilated after their death, and that
their opinion was founded on the writings of
Moses. Now, said our Saviour, that the dead are
raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he
called the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a
God of the dead, but of the living; for all live
unto him. Luke xx. 37, 38. As if he had said,
The Almighty cannot properly be called the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, unless they
exist ; for he is not God of the dead, but of the
living. Since, therefore, Moses called him the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob, long after these venerable patriarchs
were dead, the relation denoted by the word of
God still subsisted between them ; consequently,
they were not anniliilated, as you pretend, but

are still in being, and continue to be tlie servant*
of the Most High
This argument effectually silenced the Sad
ducees, and agreeably surprised the people, . to
see the objection, hitherto thought impregnable,
totally abolished, and the sect they had long
abominated fully confuted. And when the mul
titude heard this, they were astonished at his doc
trine. Matt. xxii. 33.
Nor could even the Pharisees refrain from
giving the Saviour of mankind the praise due to
his superlative wisdom ; for one of the Scribes de
sired him to give his opinion on a question often
debated among their teachers; namely, which
was the great commandment of the law ? The
true reason for their proposing this question was,
to try whether he was as well acquainted with
the sacred law, and the debates that had arisen
on different parts of it, as he was ready in deriving
arguments from the inspired Writers, to destroy
the tenets of those who denied a future state.
In order to understand the question proposed
to our blessed Saviour by the Scribe, it is neces
sary to observe^ that some of the most learned.
rabbies had declared, that the law of sacrifice was
the great commandment ; some, that it was the
law of circumcision ; and others, that the law of
meats and washings had merited that title.
Our blessed Saviour, however, showed that
they were all mistaken, and that the great com
mandment of the law is the duty of piety : and
particularly mentioned that comprehensive sum
mary of it, given by Moses; Hear, 0 Israel;
The Lord our God is one Lard : and thou shall
hve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and ivith
all thy strength. This -is the firs' commandment.
Mark xii. 29, 30.

198

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXX.

The first and chief commandment is, to give
God our hearts. The Divine Being is so trans-
cendently amiable in himself, and hath, by the
innumerable benefits conferred upon us, such
a title to our utmost affection, that no obli
gation bears any proportion to that of loving
him. The honour assigned to this precept
proves that piety is the noblest act of the hu
man mind ; and that the chief ingredient in
piety is love, founded on a clear and exten
sive view of the divine perfections, harmonizing
in our redemption by Christ, a permanent sense
of bis benefits, and a deep conviction of his
being the sovereign good, our portion, and our
happiness. But it is essential to love, that there
be a delight in contemplating the beauty of the
object beloved, whether that beauty be a mat
ter of sensation or reflection ; that we frequently,
and with pleasure, reflect on the benefits con
ferred on us by the object of our affections;
that we have a strong desire of pleasing him,
great fear of doing any thing to offend him, and
a sensible joy of thinking we are beloved in
return. Hence, the duties of devotion, prayer,
and praise, are the most natural and genuine
exercise of the love of God. Nor is this grace
so much any single affection, as the, continual
bent of all the affections and powers of the soul :
consequently, to love God is, as much as pos
sible, to direct the whole soul towards him, and
to exercise all its faculties on him as its chief
object. Accordingly, the love of God is described in
Scripture by the several operations of the mind,
a following hard after God; namely, by intense
contemplation ; a sense of his perfections, gra
titude for his benefits, trust in his goodness, at
tachment to his service, resignation to his provi
dence, the obeying his commandments, admi
ration, hope, fear, &c. ; not because it consists
in any of those singly, but in them all together ;

for, to content ourselves with partial regards to
the Supreme Being; is not to be affected towards
him in the manner we ought to be, and which
his perfections claim.
Hence the words of tbe precept are, Thou
shalt hve the Loid thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
with all thy strength ; that is, with the joint force
of all thy faculties; and, therefore, no idol what
soever must partake of the love and worship that
is due to him. But the beauty and excellency of
this state of mind is best seen in fits effects : for
the worship and obedience flowing from such an
universal bent of soul towards God, is as much
superior to the worship and obedience arising
from partial considerations, as the brightness of
the sun is to any picture that can be drawn of
that luminary.
For example, if we look upon God only as a
stern lawgiver, who can and will punish our re
bellion, it may indeed force an awe and dread of
him, and as much obedience to bis laws as we
think will satisfy him ; but can never produce that
constancy in our duty, that delight in it, and that
earnestness to perform it in its utmost extent,
which are produced and maintained in the mind
by the sacred fire of divine love, or by the bent
of the whole soul turned towards God, as a re
conciled Father ; a frame the most excellent that
can be conceived, and the most to be desired,
because it constitutes the highest perfection and
real happiness of the creature.
Again, this commandment requires us to fear
God ; and certainly we cannot love the Lord our
God, unless we fear and reverence him : for as
the love, so the fear of God; is the sum of all the
commandments, and indeed the substance of all
religion. Prayer and praise are the tribute and
homage of religion : by the one we acknowledge

Chap. XXX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

199

©ur dependence upon God; by the other we
confess that all our blessings and comforts are
from him. Such, therefore, as neither pray to
God, nor praise him, cannot be said to have a
God ; for they acknowledge none, but are gods
,to themselves. And as the love and fear of God
are often used in Scripture for his whole worship
and service, so is this invocation of his name :
Pour out thy fury upon the heathen, and upon the
families that have not called upon thy name; that
is, those who do not worship or serve him.
But to return. Our blessed Saviour having
thus answered the question put to him by the
Scribe, added, that the second commandment
was that which enjoined the love of our neigh
bour. This had indeed no relation to the lawyer's
question concerning the first commandment; yet
our blessed Lord thought proper to show him
which was the second, probably because the
men of this sect did not acknowledge the im
portance and precedency of love to their neigh
bour; or because these were remarkably de
ficient in the practice of it, as Jesus himself had
often found in their attempts to kill him. And the
second is like unto it, Tliou shalt love thy neigh
bour as thyself.
This principle of love to God will be also
fruitful of every good work. It will make us
really perform the duties of all relations in which
we stand. And because love worked) no ill
to his neighbour, therefore it is the fulfilling of
the law ; for it will prompt us to a cheerful and
ready performance of every office, whether of
justice or charity, that we owe to our neighbour.
AH the best things we can do, if destitute of this
principle, will appear either to be the effect of
hypocrisy, or done to procure the esteem of men.
Without love, a narrowness of soul will shut us

up within ourselves, and make all we do to others
only a sort of mercandise, trading for our own
advantage. It is love only that opens our hearts
to consider other persons, and to love them on
their own account, or rather on account of God,
who is love,
Those who possess such a temper of mind,
have a constant calm within, and are not dis
turbed with passion, jealousy, envy, or ill-nature..
They observe and rejoice^in the happiness of
others; they are glad to see them easy, and
share with them in their joy and felicity ; not
fretting or complaining, though they enjoy less
than their neighbours.
It is true, love has a very different effect. ; for
the same temper will render many so considerate
of the misfortunes of others as to sympathize
with them in their disness, and be greatly
affected with such objects of compassion as it is
not hi their power to assist. But there is a real
pleasure even in this compassion, as it melts us
to the greatest tenderness, and proves us to be
men and Christians. The good man, by the
overflowings of his love, is sure that he is iu
favour with his Maker, because he loves his
neighbour. His soul dwells at ease ; there is
sweetness in all his thoughts and wishes; This
makes him clear in his views of every kind, and
renders Mm grateful to all good men around
him. This charitable temper also maintains in him
a constant disposition for prayer. A charitable
man, who has occasion to forbear and forgive
others, and to return good for evil, dares, with
an humble assurance, to lay claim to mercy and
pardon, through the alone merits of his blessed
Bedeemer. But we returnto the Scribe, who was astonished

•200

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXX.

at the justness of our Saviour's decisions, and
answered, That he had determined rightly, since
tbere is but one supreme God, whom we must
all adore: and if we love him above all temporal
things, and our neighbour as ourselves, we wor
ship him more acceptably than if we sacrifice to
him all the cattle upon a thousand hills. Our
blessed Lord highly applauded the piety and
wisdom of this reflection, by declaring that the
person who made it was not far from the king
dom of God.
As the Pharisees, during the course of our
Saviour's ministry, had proposed to him many
difficult questions, with intent to prove his pro
phetical gifts, he now, in his turn, thought proper
to make a trial of their knowledge in the sacred
writings, For this purpose, he asked their
opinion of a difficulty concerning the Messiah's
pedigree. What think ye of Christ ? whose son is
he ? They say unto him, The son of David. Matt.
xxii. 42. I know, answered Jesus, you say Christ
is the son of David ; but how can you support
your opinion, or render it consistent with the
words of David, who himself calls him Lord:
and how is he his son? It seems the Jewish
doctors did not imagine that their Messiah would
te endued with any perfections greater than
those that might be enjoyed by human nature :
for though they called him the Son of God, they
had no notion that he had a divine power from
heaven, and, therefore, could not pretend to solve
the difficulty.
Tlie latter question, however, might have
convinced them of their error : for if the Mes
siah was only to be a secular prince, as they
supposed, and to rule over the men of his own
time, he never could have been called Lord,
by persons who died before he was born ; far
less would so mighty a prince as David, who
was also his progenitor, have conferred on Mm

that title. Since, therefore, he rules over not
only those of former ages, but even over the
kings from whom he was himself descended,
and his kingdom comprehends the men of all
countries and times, past, present, and to come*;
the doctors, if they had thought accurately upon
the subject, should have expected in their Messiah
a king different from all other kings. Besides,
he is to sit at God's right hand till all his enemies
are made his footstool.
Such solid reasoning gave the people an high
opinion of his wisdom ; and showed them how
far he was superior to their most renowned rab
bins, whose arguments, to prove their opinions
and answers to the objections which were raised
against him, were, in general, very weak and
trifling. Nay, his foes themselves, from the re
peated proofs they had received of the prodigious
depth of his understanding, were impressed with
such an opinion of his wisdom, that they judged
it impossible to entangle him in his talk. Ac
cordingly, they left off attempting it, and from
that day forth troubled him no more with their
insidious questions.
But having mentioned the final conquest
and destruction of his enemies, who were to
be made his footstool, agreeably to the pre
diction of the royal psalmist, he turned towards
his disciples, and, in the hearing of the mul
titude, solemnly cautioned them to beware of
the Scribes and Pharisees ; insinuating thereby
who the enemies were whose destruction he
had mentioned. The Scribes and the Pharisees,
said he, sit in Moses* seat. All, therefore, what
soever they bid you observe, that observe and do :
but do not ye after their works ; for they say, and
do not. Matt, xxiii. 2, 3.
While they teach the doctrines before delivered
by Moses, observe all tiiey say; but by nj>

Chap. XXX.

asanas

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

201'

means imitate their practices ; for they impose
many precepts on their disciples, which they
never perform themselves. For they bind heavy
burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them
on men's shoulders; but they themselves will
not move them with one of their fingers. But
all their works they do for to be seen of men.
Matt, xxiii. 4, 5.
The difficult precepts they impose on others
are never regarded by these hypocrites; and
any good action they may happen to perform
is vitiated by the principle from whence it pro
ceeds. They do it only with a view to gain
popular applaase, and not from a regard to God ;
far less from a love of goodness. They are
proud and arrogant to excess, as is plain from
their affected gravity in their clothes ; from the
anxiety they discover lest they should not obtain
the principal seats in the. public assemblies, and
from then affecting to be saMted in the streets
with the sounding titles of Babbi and Father.
They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge
the borders of their garments, and love the upper
most rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the
synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and
to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. Matt, xxiii.
5, 6, 7.
The word Rabbi, signifies, properly, My Mas
ter; and was given to ihose men who had ren
dered themselves remarkable for the extent of
their learning. It is, therefore, no wonder that
the proud and supercilious Pharisees were fond
of a title, which so highly complimented their
understandings, and gave them great authority
with their followers.
But the disciples of the blessed Jesus were to
decline this title, because the thing signified by
it belonged solely to their Master, in whom are
Md all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Nos. 17 & 18.

and because they owed no part of their know
ledge to themselves, but derived it entirely
from him who came down from heaven. But
be not ye called Rabbi : for one is your Master,
even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call
no man your father upon the earth : for one is
your Father, which is in heaven. Matt, xxiii.
8, 9. Life, with all its blessings, comes from
God, and men wholly depend upon him. All
praise and thankfulness, therefore, should ulti
mately be referred to him : so that if any one
teacheth rightly, not the teacher, but the wisdom
of the Almighty, is to be praised, which exerts
and communicates itself by him.
Nor were the disciples of our blessed Sa
viour to accept the title of master, or leader,
which the Jewish doctors also courted; be
cause, in point of commission and inspiration,
they were all equal ; neither had they any title
to rule the consciences of men, except by virtue
of the inspiration which they had received
from their Master, to whom alone the pre
rogative of infallibility belonged. Neither be
ye called masters : for one is your Master, even
Christ. Matt, xxiii. 10.
The divine Teacher, however, did not in
tend by this to intimate, that it was sinful to
call men by the stations they held in the world :
he only intended to reprove the simplicity of
the common people, who loaded their teachers
with praises, and forgot to ascribe any thing
to God ; and to root out of the minds of his
Apostles the Pharisaical vanity, which decked
itself with honour belonging solely to the Creator
of the universe. Accordingly, that he might
instil into their hearts humility, to dispose them
to do good offices to one another, as occasion
offered, he assured them it was the only road
to true greatness; for by assuming what did
not properly belong to them, they should he
2 S

202

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXX.

despised both by God and men. Whereas, those
who did not disdain to perform the meanest of
fices of love to their brethren, should enjoy a
high degree of the divine favour.
The above discourses greatly incensed the
Scribes and Pharisees, as they were pronounced
in the hearing of many of that order; it is, there
fore, no wonder that they watched every oppor
tunity to destroy him. But this was not a time
to put their bloody designs in execution ; the
people set too high a value on his doctrine, to
suffer any violence to be offered to his person ;
and as this was the last sermon he was ever to
preach in public, it was necessary that he should
use some severity, as all his mild persuasions
proved ineffectual.
He, therefore, denounced, in the most solemn
manner, dreadful woes against them, not on ac
count of the personal injuries he had received
from them, but on account of their excessive
wickedness. They were public teachers of religion ; and,
therefore, should have used every method in their
power to recommend its precepts to the people,
and to have been themselves shining examples
of every duty it enjoined : but, on the contrary,
they abused every mark and character of good
ness for all the purposes of villany, and, under
the cloak of a severe and sanctified aspect, they
were malicious, implacable, lewd, covetous, and
rapacious. In a word, instead of being reformers,
they were the corrupters of men, and, conse
quently, their wickedness deserved the greatest
reproof that could be given by the great Be
deemer of mankind. Woe unto you, Scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom
of heaven against men : for ye neither go in your
selves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to
go in. Woe unto you} Scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses, and for
a pretence make hng prayers: therefore ye shall
receive the greater damnation. ¦ Woe unto you,
Scribes and Pharisees^ hypocrites ! for ye compass
sea and land to make one proselyte ; and when he
is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell
than yourselves. Matt, xxiii. 13, &e.
The punishment you shall suffer will be ter
ribly severe, because you have given a wrong
interpretation of the ancient prophecies concern
ing the Messiah, and done all that is in your
power to hinder the people from repenting of
their sins, and believing the Gospel ; because you
have committed the grossest iniquities, and un
der the cloak of religion have devoured the sub
stance of widows and orphans, hoping to hide
your villanies by long prayers ; because ye have
expressed the greatest zeal imaginable in making
proselytes, not with a view to render the Gentiles
more wise and virtuous, but to acquire their
riches, and a command over their consciences :
and instead of teaching them the precepts of
virtue, and the great duties of religion, you con
fine them to superstitious and ceremonial institu
tions ; and hence they often relapse into their old
state of Heathenism, and become more wicked
than before their conversion, and, consequently,
liable to a more severe sentence.
He also exposed their doctrine concerning
oaths ; and declared, in opposition to their abomi
nable tenets, that every oath, if the matter of it
be lawful, is obligatory; because, when men
swear by any part of the creation, it is an appeal
to the Creator himself; for in any other light an
oath of this kind is absolutely ridiculous, the
object having neither knowledge of the fact, nor
power to punish the perjury. Woe unto you, ye
blind guides! which say, Whosoever, shall swear
by the temple, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall
swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.,

Chap. XXX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

203

Ye fools, and blind ! for whether is greater, the
gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is
nothing ; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that
is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools, and blind!
far whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that
sanctifieth the gift ? Whoso, therefore, shall swear
by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things
thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple,
Sweareth by it, and by him that divelleth therein.
And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by
the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Matt, xxiii. 16, ,&c.
He likewise reprehended their superstitious
practices, in observing the minutest parts of the
Ceremonial precepts of the law, and, at the same
time, utterly neglecting the eternal and mdis-
pensible rules of righteousness. Woe unto you,
Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint, and anise, andmcummin; and have
omitted the weightier matters of the law, judg
ment, mercy, and faith : these ought ye to have
done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye
blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swalhw
a camel. Matt, xxiii. 23, &c.
Then hypocrisy did not escape the censure
of the Son of God. They spared no pains to ap
pear virtuous in the eyes of the world, and main
tain an external conduct that should acquire the
praises of men ; but, at the same time, neglected
to adorn their souls with the robe of righteous
ness, which is the only ornament that can render
ihem dear in the sight of their Maker. Woe unto
you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye
make clean the outside of the cup and of the
platter, but within they are full of extortion and
excess. Thou blind Pharisee ! cleanse first that
which is within the cup and platter, that the
outside of them may be clean also. Matt, xxiii.
2V Cleanse first *thy mind, jthe inward man,

from evil dispositions and affections, and the
outward behaviour will of course be virtuous and
praiseworthy. .
Moreover, he animadverted upon the success of
their hypocrisy. They deceived the simple and
unthinking part of mankind with their pretended
sanctity, appearing, like whited sepulchres, beau
tiful on the outside, while their inward parts vvcro
full of uncleanness. Woe unto you, Scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are like unto whited
sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward,
but are within full of dead mevDs bones, and of
all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly ap
pear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy and iniquity. Matt, xxiii. 27, 28.
He also reproved the pains they had taken in
adorning the sepulchres of the prophets; because
they pretended a great veneration for their me
mories, and even condemned their fathers who
killed them, saying, That if they had lived in the
days of their fathers they would have opposed
such monstrous wickedness ; while, at the same
time, all their actions abundantly proved that
they still cherished the same spirit they con
demned in their fathers, persecuting the mes
sengers of the Most High, particularly his only
begotten Son, whom they were determined to
destroy. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the
prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the
righteous, and say, If we had been in the days
of our fathers, we woidd not have been par
takers with them in the bhod of the prophets,..
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that
ye are the children of them which killed the pro
phets. Matt, xxiii. 29, &c.
He added, That the Divine Being was desi
rous of trying every method for their conversion,
though allthese instances of mercy were slighted,
2S*

204

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap,

"xxxf.

and that they must expect such terrible ven
geance as should be a standing monument of the
divine displeasure against all the murders com
mitted by the' sons of men from the foundation
of the world.
Having thus laid before them then heinous
guilt and dreadful punishment, he was, at the
thought of the calamities which were soon to
fell upon them, exceedingly moved, and his
breast filled with sensations of pity to such a de
gree, that unable to contain himself, he brake
forth into tears, bewailing the hard lot of the city
of Jerusalem ; for, as its inhabitants had more
deeply imbrued their hands in the blood of the
prophets, they were to drink more deeply of the
punishment due to such crimes. O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and
Stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even
as a lien galhereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not ! Behold, your house is left unto
you desohte. Matt, xxiii. 37, &e.
This benevolent, as well as pathetic, exclama
tion of our blessed Lord, cannot fail to excite
in the pious mind the warmest emotions of love
to the gracious Saviour of mankind, as well as
pity for that once chosen, but since degenerate,
race. How often had the Almighty called upon
them to return from their evil way, before he
sent his only begotten Son into the world ! How
often, how emphatically, did the compassionate
Jesus entreat them to embrace the merciful terms
now offered them by the Almighty; and with
what unconquerable obstinacy did they refuse
the benevolent offers, and resist the most winning
expressions, of the divine love ! By the word
house, our blessed Saviour meant the temple,
which was from that time to be left unto them
desolate ; the glory of the Lord, which Haggai
had prophesied should fill the second house, was

now departing from it. Adding, / say unto your,
Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say,
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Matt, xxiii. 39. As if he had said, As ye have
killed the prophets, and persecuted me, whom
the Father hath sent from the courts of heaven,
and will shortly put me, who am the Lord of the
temple, to death, your holy house shall be left
desolate, and your nation totally deserted by
me ; nor shall you see me any more, till ye shall
acknowledge the dignity of my character, and
the importance of my mission, and say with the
whole earth, Blessed is he that comethin the name
of the Lord.
Thus did the blessed Jesus strip the Scribes
and Pharisees of their hypocritical mask. He
treated them with severity, because their crimes
were of the blackest dye ; and hence we should
learn to be really good, and not flatter ourselves
that we can cover our crimes with the cloak of
hypocrisy, from that piercing eye from which
nothing is concealed.
The people could not fail being astomshed at
these discourses, as they had always considered
their teachers as the most righteous amongst the
sons of men. Nay, the persons themselves,
against whom they were levelled, were con
founded, because then own consciences con
vinced them of the truth of every particular laid
to their charge. They, therefore, knew not what
course to pursue ; and, in the midst of their he
sitation, they let Jesus depart, without making
any attempt to seize hhn, or inflict on Mm any
kind of punishment
CHAP. XXXI.
Our Saviour commends even the smallest
Act, because it proceeded from a truly
benevolent Motive. — Predicts the Be-

Chap. XXXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

205

molition of the magnificent Temple of
Jerusalem, and delivers several in
structive Parables.
JESUS, the infallible preacher of righteous
ness, having thus exposed the secret prac
tices of the Scribes and Pharisees, repaired, with
his disciples, into the court of the women, called
the treasury, from several chests being fixed to
the pillars of the portico surrounding the court,
for receiving the offerings of those who came to
worsMp in the temple. While he continued in
tMs court, he beheld how the people cast money
into the treasury : and many that were rich cast
in much. And there came a certain poor widow,
and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
And he called unto him his disciples, and saith
Unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor
widow hath cast more in than all they which have
tost into the treasury. For all they did cast in
of their abundance ; but she of her want did cast
in all that she had, even all her living. Mark
xii. 41, &c.
Though the offering given by this poor widow
was in itself very small, yet, in proportion to the
goods of life she enjoyed, it was remarkably
large ; for it was all she had, even all her living.
-Jn order, therefore, to encourage charity, and
show that it is the disposition of the mind, not
the magnificence of the offering, that attaches the
regard of the Almighty, the Son of God ap
plauded this poor widow, as having given more,
•in proportion, than any of the rich. Their offer
ings, though great in respect of her's, were but
a small part of their estates ; whereas her offer
ing was her whole stock. And from this passage
of the Gospel , we should learn, that the poor,
,who in appearance are denied the means of doing
charitable offices, are encouraged to do all they
can. For how small soever the gift may be, the
Almighty, who beholds the heart? values it, not

according to what it is in itself, but according to?
the disposition with which it is given.
On the other hand, we should learn from'
hence, that it is not enough for the rich that
they exceed the poor in the gifts of charity;
they should bestow in proportion to their in
come; and they would do well to remember,
that a little given, where a little orriy is left,
appears a much nobler offering in the sight
of the Almighty, and discovers a more bene
volent and humane temper of mind, than sums
much larger bestowed out of a plentiful abun
dance. The disciples now remembered that their
Master, at the conclusion of his pathetic lamen
tation over Jerusalem, had declared that the
temple should not any more be favoured with
his presence, till they should say, Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Loid.
A declaration of this kind could not fail of
greatly surprising his disciples; and, therefore,
as he was departing from that sacred structure,
they desired him to observe the beauty of the
building ; insinuating, that they thought it strange
he should intimate an intention of leaving it de
solate ; that so glorious a fabric, celebrated in
every corner of the earth, was not to be deserted
rashly ; and that they should think themselves
supremely happy, when he, a3 the Messiah, and
descendant of David, should take possession of
it, and erect his throne in the midst of Jerusalem.
And as they went out of the. temple, one of his
disciples said unto him, Master, see what manner
of stones and 'what buildings are here !
The eastern wall of the temple, wMch fronted
the mount of Olives, whither the disciples, with
their Master, were then retiring, was built from
the bottom of the valley to a prodigious height,

2\)6

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXI.

w'th stones of an incredible bulk, firmly com
pacted together, and, therefore, made a very
grand appearance at a distance. The eastern
wall is supposed to have been the only remains
of Solomon's temple, and had- escaped when the
Chaldeans burnt it. But this building, however
strong or costly it appearedj our Saviour told
them should be totally destroyed. Seest thou,
said he, these great buildings? there shall not be
lift one stone upon another that shall not be thrown
down. Mark xiii. 2.
That noble edifice, raised with much labour,
and at a vast expense, shall be razed to the very
foundation. The disciples, therefore, when they
heard their Master affirm, that not so much as
one of these evormous stones, which had with
stood the fury of Nebuchadnezzar's army, and
survived the destructive hand of time, was to be
left one upon another, they perceived that the
whole temple was to be demolished, but did not
suspect that the sacrifices were to be taken away,
and a new mode of religion introduced, which
rendered the temple unnecessary.
They, therefore, flattered themselves that the
fabric then standing, however glorious it might
appear, was too small for the numerous worship
pers who would frequent it, when all the nations
of die world were subject to the Messiah's king
dom ; and was, therefore, to be pulled down in
order to be erected on a more magnificent plan,
suitable to the idea they had conceived of his
future empire. Filled with these pleasing ima
ginations, they received the news with pleasure,
meditating, as they walked to the mountain, on
the glorious things which were shortly to come
to pass.
When they arrived on the mount of Olives,
and their Master had taken his seat on some emi
nence, from whence they had a prospect of the

temple and part of the city, his disciples drew
near, to know when the demolition of the old
structure was to happen, and what were to be
the signs of his coming, and of the end of the
world. And as he sat upon the ihount of Olives,
the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell
us, when shall these things be? and what shalt be
the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mattxxiv. 3.
The disciples, by this request, seemed desirous
of knowing what signs should precede the erec
tion of that extensive empire, over which they
supposed the Messiah was to reign; for they
still expected he would govern a secular king
dom. They, therefore, connected the- demolition
of the temple with their Master's coming, though
they had not the least notion that he was to
destroy the nation, and change the form of re
ligious worship.
They, therefore, meant by the end of the world,
or, as the words should have been translated,
the end of the ages, the period of the political
government then executed by Heathen procu
rators ; and considered their Master's coming to
destroy the constitution then subsisting, as a
very desirable event. They also thought the de
molition of the temple proper, as they expected
a larger and more superb building, proportioned
to the number of the Messiah's subjects, would
be erected in its stead. J
That this is the real sense -of the disciples1
question, will sufficiently appear, if we consider
that the disciples were delighted with the pros
pect; whereas, if they had meant, by the end of
the world, the final period of all things, the de
struction of the temple would have exhibited to
them, in their present temper of mind, a melan
choly prospect, which they could not have beheld
without a deep concern.

Chap. XXXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

207

Our blessed Saviour, therefore, was careful
4o convince them of their mistake, by telling
them, that he was not come to rule a secular em
pire, as they supposed, but to pumsh the Jews
for their perfidy and rebellion, by destroying
both their temple and nation. Take heed, said
he, that no man deceive you. For many shall
come in my name, saying, I am Christ : and shall
deceive many. J l
This caution was far from being unnecessary,
because, though the disciples were to see then
Master ascend into heaven, they might take oc
casion from the prophecy to tiiink that he would
appear again on earth, and, therefore, be in
danger of seduction by the false Christs that
should arise. And when ye shall hear of wars,
and rumours of wars, see that ye be not troubled :
for all these things must come to pass; but the end
is not yet. Before this nation and temple are de
stroyed, terrible wars will happen in the land :
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Matt xxiv. 7.
These are the preludes of the important event,
forerunners of the evils which shall befal this
nation and people. At the same time you shall
meet with hot persecutions: walk, therefore,
circumspectly, and arm yourselves both with
patience and fortitude, that ye may be able to
perform your duty, through the whole course of
these persecutions ; for ye shall be brought before
the great men of the earth for my sake. But
when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take
no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither
do ye premeditate ; but whatsoever shall be given
you in that hour, that speak ye ; for it is not ye
-that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Mark xiii. 11.
During this time of trouble and confusion, he

told them, the perfidy of mankind should be so
great towards one another, that brother shall betray
the brother to death, and the father the son ; and
children shall rise up against their parents, and shall
cause them to be put to death. The unbelieving
Jews, and apostate Christians, shall commit the
most enormous and inhuman crimes. It is, there
fore, no wonder that the perfidy and wickedness
of such pretended Christians should discourage
many disciples, and greatly hinder the propa
gation of the GospeL But he who lives by faith
during these persecutions, and is not led away
by the seduction of false Christians, shall escape
that terrible destruction, which, like a deluge,.
will overflow the land.
And when Jerusalem shall be surrounded with
armies, pagan armies, bearing in tSieir standards
the images of their gods, the abomination of deso
lation mentioned by the prophet Daniel ; then let
him who readeth the predictions of that pro
phet, understand, that the end of the city and
sanctuary, together with the ceasing of sacrifices
and oblations, there predicted, is come, and, con
sequently, the final period of the Jewish polity.
Then let them which are in Judea flee to the
mountains ; and let them which are in the midst
of it depart out. Luke xxi. 21. Let him which
is on the house-top not come down to take any
thing out of his house ; neither let himwhicfi is in
the field return back to take his clothes. Matt. xxiv.
17, 18. Then shall be fulfilled the awful pre
dictions of the prophet Daniel, and the dreadful
judgments denounced against the impenitent and
unbelieving. In those days of vengeance, the women who
are with child, and those who have infants hang
ing at their breasts, shall be particularly un
happy, because they cannot flee from the im
pending destruction. But prccy ye that your

208

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LOBD

Chap. XXXI.

flight be not in the winter, when the badness of
the roads, and the rigour of the season, will ren
der speedy travelling very troublesome, if not
impossible ; neither on the sabbath-day, when you
sliall think it unlawful. For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of
the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. This
is confirmed by what Josephus tells us, that no
less than eleven hundred thousand perished
in die siege.
The heavenly Prophet added, That except the
days of tribulation should be shortened, none of
the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea, of whom
he was speaking, should escape destruction. In
confirmation of which Josephus tells us, that the
quarrels which raged during the siege were so
fierce and obstinate, that both within the walls
of Jerusalem, and without in the neighbouring
country, the whole land was one continued
scene of horror and desolation; and had the
siege continued much longer, the whole nation
of the Jews had been totally destroyed, accord
ing to our Lord's prediction. But, added our
blessed Saviour, for the elects sake, whom he hath
chosen, he hath shortened the days. By the elect,
are meant such of the Jews as had embraced
the doctrines of the Gospel, and particularly
those who were brought in -with the believing
Gentiles. As it is natural, in time of trouble, to look with
eager expectation for a deliverer, our blessed
Saviour cautioned his disciples not to listen to
any pretences of that kind, as :oany false Christs
would arise, and deceive great numbers of the
people, A prediction that was fully accom
plished, during the terrible siege of Jerusalem by
the Bomans : so Josephus tells us, that many
arose, pretending to be the Messiah, boasting
that they would deliver the nation from all its
enemies. And the multitude, always too prone

to listen to deceivers, who promise teniporal ad
vantages, giving credit to those deceivers, be
came more obstinate in their opposition to the
Bomans, and thereby rendered their destruction
more severe and inevitable*
And what still increased the infatuation of the
people, was their performing wonderful things
during the war; and, accordingly, Josephus calls
them magicians and sorcerers. Hence we see the
propriety of the caution given by the Son of God,
who foretold that they should show great signs"
and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible^
they would deceive the very elect. But take heed;
behold, I have foretold you all things*
And as the partizans of the false Christs might
pretend that the Messiah was concealed a while
for fear of the Bomans, and the weaker sort Of
Christians, without this warning, have imagined
that Christ was actually returned to deliver the
nation in its extremity, and to punish their
enemies, who now so cruelly oppressed them,
and that he would show himself as soon as it
was proper, the blessed Jesus thought proper to
caution them against this particular : Wherefore,
if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the
desert ; go not forth : behold, he is in the secret
chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the
west, so shall also the coming of the Son of maty
be. Matt. xxiv. 26, &c.
The coming of the Son of man shall be like
lightning, swift and destructive. But he will
come, not personally ; his servants only shall
come, the Roman armies, who, by his command,
shall destroy this nation, as eagles devour their
prey. Having thus given them a particular account of
the various circumstances which should precede

Chap. XXXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

209

the destruction of Jerusalem, he next described
that catastrophe itself, in all the pomp of lan
guage and imagery made use of by the ancient
prophets when they foretold the destruction of
cities and kingdoms. But in those days, after
that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and
the moon shall not give her light; and the stars of
heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in
heaven shall be shalcen. Mark xiii. 24, 25. And
upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity ;
the sea and the leaves roaring; men's ftearts
failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth. Luke xxi.
25, kc.
By these lofty and figurative expressions, the
decaying of all the glory, excellency, and pros
perity, of the nation, and the introduction of
umversal sadness, misery, and confusion, are
beautifully described. The roaring of the sea,
and the waves, may justly be considered as
^metaphorical; as the signs in the sun, in the
moon, and in the stars, are plainly so ; and by
the powers of heaven, are meant the whole
Jewish polity, government, laws, and religion,
which were the work of heaven. These our
Lord tells us, should be shaken, or rather dis
solved. As the disciples had, in conformity to the re
peated questions of the Pharisees, during his
ministry, asked, What should be the sign of his
coming? our blessed Saviour told them, that-
after the tribulation of those days, when the sun
should be darkened, and all the enemies of the
Messiah should mourn, they should see the ac
complishment of what Daniel foretold, by the
figurative expression of the Son of man coming
in the clouds of heaven ; for they should behold
the signal punishment executed on the Jewish
nation by the Roman armies, sent for that pur
pose, and by the decree and permission of
Nos. 17 fr 18.

Heaven. Tlien shall appear the sign of the Son
of man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn ; and they shall see the Son
of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with
power and great glory. Matt. xxiv. 30.
Then were the followers of Christ to be de
livered from the oppression under which they
had long groaned, and openly honoured before
the whole earth : and on this may true believers
rest; because it is founded on eternal truth.
Verily, I say unto you, This generation shall
not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven
and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not
pass away. Matt. xxiv. 34, 35.
Whoever shall compare the prediction of our
Saviour, with the history Josephus wrote of the
war, cannot fail of being struck with the wis
dom of Christ, and acknowledging that his pre
diction was truly divine : for as the Jewish
nation was at this time in the most flourishing
state, the event here foretold appeared altogether
improbable. Besides, the circumstances of the
destruction are very numerous, and surprisingly
great ; and the whole delivered without any am
biguity. It is, therefore, a prophecy of such a
kind, as could never have been uttered by any
impostor, and, consequently, the person who de
livered it was acquainted with the secret counsels
of heaven, and was truly divine.
Many cavillers against the Christian religion
have asked, Why Christ should order his dis
ciples not to flee from Jerusalem, till they saw
it encompassed with the Roman army, when it
would then be impossible for them to make
their escape ? But persons, before they propose
such questions, would do well to read attentively
the history Josephus has given us of these ter
rible calamities ; because they would there find
a solution of the difficulty. That historian tells
2T

210

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXI.

us, that Cestus Gallus surrounded the city with
his army, and, at a time when he could easily
liave taken the city, suddenly withdrew his forces
without any apparent reason. He adds, that as
soon as the siege was raised, many eminent per
sons fled from it, as from a sinking ship. In all
probability many of these were Christians, who,
being warned by this prophecy of then great
Master, saved themselves by flight, as he had
directed. Thus we see what frivolous objections
are made by the freethmkers of our age against
the truth of the sacred writings, and how easily
they are answered.
Having thus beautifully, but awfully, de
scribed this important and striking event, the
blessed Jesus assured his disciples, that it would
be very unexpected, and thence urged the ne
cessity of a watchful vigilance, lest they should
be surprised, and have a share in those ca
lamities. But as the days of Noe ivere, so shall
also the coming , of the Son of man be. Matt.
xxiv. 37. Watch ye, therefore: for ye know,
not when the master of the house cometh ; at
even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or
in the morning : lest, coming suddenly, he find
you sleeping. Mark xiii. 35, 36.
It was natural, as men were to undergo, at
the destruction of Jerusalem, nearly the same
miseries, and as the passions which its approach
would raise in their minds were similar to those
which will happen at the destruction of the world,
and the general judgment; it was natural, I say,
for our blessed Saviour, on this occasion, to put
his disciples in mind of that judgment, and to
exhort them to the faithful discharge of their
duty, from the consideration of the suddenness
of his coming to call every individual to account
after death. Therefore be ye also ready: for
in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man
cbneth. Who then is a faithful and ivise servant,

whom his lord hath made ruler over his house
hold, to give them meat in due season ? Blessed
is that servant, whom his lord, when he cometh,
shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that
he shall make him ruler over all his goods. Matt.
xxiv. 44, &c. As if he had said, You, whq are
the ministers of religion, ought to be particu
larly attentive in discharging the important trust
committed to your care ; you are the stewards,
to whom is intrusted the whole household of the
church ; and you would do well to remember,
that your example will have a great effect upon
the minds of those employed under you. It is
your duty to be well acquainted with the stores
of evangelical truths, and to understand how
they may be applied to the best advantage. You
should be also careful to know the characters of
the different persons under your directions, that
you may be able to give every one of them his
portion of meat in due season ; and if I find you
thus employed at my coming, I will reward you
with the joys of my kingdom, even as an earthly
master bestows particular marks of respect on
such servants as have been remarkably faithful
in any important trust.
But, on the other hand, if you are not true
to the trust reposed in you ; if you pervert
your office, and watch not over the souls com
mitted to your care; I will come to you un
expectedly, and make you dreadful examples
of mine anger, by the severe punishment' which
I will inflict upon you. But and if that evil
servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth
his coming ; and shall begin to smite his fellow-
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken :
the lord of that servant shall come in a day when
he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he
is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt*
xxiv. 48, &c.

Chap. XXXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

211

Having thus generally described the future
state of retribution, our Lord passed to the con
sideration Of the general judgment, when those
rewards and punishments should be distributed
in their utmost extent. This could not fail of
animating Ms disciples to a vigorous discharge of
their duty : and by the striking representation of
the last judgment he has here given, must greatly
tend to rouse the consciences of men from their
lethargy, and consider, before it be too late, the
'things which behng to their peace.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven, the Gospel
kingdom, in the last dispensation of it, when the
kingdom of grace is going to be swallowed up in
the kingdom of glory, be likened unto ten virgins,
which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five
were foolish. They that were foolish took their
lamps, but put no oil in their vessels ; while the
wise, as an instance of their prudence and fore
sight, took both their lamps, and oil in their ves
sels ; knowing that it was uncertain when the
bridegroom would arrive, and that they might,
in all probability, wait long for his coming. Nor
were they mistaken ; for the bridegroom did not
come so soon as they expected.
' And while he tarried, they all slumbered and
slept: and at midnight there was a (great) cry
made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh ; go ye out
to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and
trimmed their lamps: and tlie foolish said unto the
wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone
out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest
there be not enough for us and you ; but go ye
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;
and they that were ready went in with him to the
marriage: and the door was shut. Afterwards
came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord,
open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I

say unto you, I know you not. Watch, there
fore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh. Matt. xxv.
6, 7, &c.
In order to understand this parable, we must
remember that it alludes to the custom of the
eastern people. It was usual with them for
the bridegroom to bring his bride home in the
evening, sooner or later, as circumstances might
happen ; and, that they might be received pro
perly at his house, his female acquaintance,
especially those of the younger sort, were in
vited to come and wait with lamps, till some
of his retinue, despatched before the rest, in
formed them that he was near at hand ; upon
which they trimmed their lamps, went forth to
welcome him, and conduct him, with his bride,
into the house ; for which they were honoured as
guests at the marriage feast, and shared in the
usual festivities.
To ten such virgins our blessed Saviour com
pares those to whom the Gospel is preached ;
because this was the general number appointed
to wait on the bridegroom : and to these all
Christian professors may be likened, who, taking
their lamp of Christian profession, go forth to
meet the bridegroom ; that is, consider them
selves as candidates for the kingdom of heaven,
and desire to be admitted with Christ, the celes
tial bridegroom, into the happy mansions of
immortality. We must remember, that there always was,
and always will be, a mixture of good and bad
in the church, till the great day of separation ar
rives. The weakness of the foolish is represented
by their taking no oil in their vessels, with their
lamps; that is, the foolish professors content
themselves with the bare lamp of a profession,
and never tMnk of furnishing it with the oil of
2T*

212

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXI.

divine grace, the fruit of which is a life of holiness.
Whereas, the wise, well knowing that a lamp,
without the supply of oil, would be speedily ex
tinguished ; that faith without love, or holiness,
will be of no consequence ; take care to secure a
supply for themselves of the divine grace, and
to display in their lives the works of love and
charity. While all those virgins, though dif
ferently supplied, waiting the coming of the
bridegroom, all slumbered and slept ; that is, as
some think, all Christians, both good and bad,
the sincere and the hypocrite, lie down together
in the sleep of death, and, while the bridegroom
delays his coming, slumber in the chambers of
the dust. But others suppose, that this argues
the want of vigilance and care, even in the wise
as well as the foolish ; that few, if any, are so
attentive as they ought to be to the coming of
their Lord.
The Jews have a tradition, that Christ's
earning to judgment will be at midnight; which
agrees with that particular in the parable, At
midnight there was a cry made, Go ye out to
meet him. But however this be, whether he will
come at midnight or in the morning, it will be
awfully sudden and alarming. The great cry
will be heard to the end of the earth ; the trumpet
shall sound, and the mighty archangel's voice
pierce even the bowels of the earth, and the
depths of the ocean: Behold, the bridegroom
cometh ; go ye out to meet him.
The graves, both earthly and watery, must
surrender their clayey tenants, and all will then
begin to think how they may prepare themselves
to find admittance to the marriage supper of the
Lamb. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed
their lamps. But the foolish soon perceived their
folly ; their lamps were gone out, totally extin
guished, and they had no oil to support the flame :
in like manner the hypocrite's hope shall perish.

But the wise were in a much happier condition ;
they had oil in their vessels sufficient for them
selves, but none to spare ; for, when the foolish
virgins would have procured some from them^
they denied their request, fearing there would not
be enough for both.
There are here beautifully represented, no
minal and sincere Christians. The former
having only the bare lamp of a profession, and
who have not been solicitous to gain the oil
of divine grace, by a constant use of the means
assigned, will fare like the foolish virgins. While
the latter, whose hearts are filled with divine oil,
will, like the wise virgins, enter into the joy of
their Lord.
But the foolish, going to purchase oil, missed
the bridegroom, and, behold, the door was shut.
They at last, however, reached the gate, and
with great importunity cried, Lord, Lord, open
unto us. But he answered, and said, Verily
I say unto you, I know you not. As you de
nied me on earth, I deny you now: Depart
from me ; I know you not ! How justly,
therefore, did our blessed Saviour bid us all
watch, that we may be found ready whenever
he cometh ; or commands, by the king of ter
rors, our attendance before his judgment seat
Let us not refuse this kind invitation of being
constantly prepared to meet the heavenly Bride
groom; let us get our lamps filled widi oil,
that we may be ready to follow our great Mas
ter into the happy mansions of the heavenly
Canaan, But, as this duty was of the utmost importance,
our blessed Saviour, to show us more clearly the
nature and use of Christian watchfulness, to
which he exhorts us at the conclusion of the
parable of the ten virgins, he added another,
wherein he represented the different characters

Chap. XXXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

213

of a faithful and slothful servant, and the diffe
rence of their future acceptation.
This parable, like the former, is intended to
stir us up to a zealous preparation for the coming
of our Lord, by diligence in the discharge of our
duty, and by a careful improvement of our souls
in holiness, and, at the same time, to expose the
vain pretences of hypocrites, and to demonstrate
that then fair speeches and outward forms, with
out the power of godliness, will be of no service
whatever in the last day of account.
The Son of man, said he, may, with respect
to his final coming to judge the world, be likened
unto a man travelling into a fat country, who called
his own servants, and delivered unto them his
goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to
another two, and to another one; to every man
according lo his several ability : and straightway
took his journey. Matt. xxv. 14, 15.
Immediately on his master's departure, he that
had received the five talents lost no time, but
went and traded with the same, and his increase
was equal to Ms industry and application : he
made them other five talents. He that had re
ceived two talents did the same, and had equal
success. But he that received one, very un
like the conduct of his fellow-servants, went his
way, digged m the earth, and hid his lord's mo
ney, idle, useless, unemployed, and unimproved.
After a long time, and at an hour when they did
not expect it, the lord of those servants returned,
called them before him, and ordered them to give
an account of their several trusts. Upon which he
that had received five talents, as a proof of his
fidelity, produced other five talents, saying, Lord,
thou deliveredst unto me five talents : behold, I have
gained besides them five talents more. Matt. xxv.
20. His lord, Mghly applauding Ms mdustry and

fidelity, said to him, Well done, thou good and
faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many tilings :
enter thou into, the joy of thy lord. Matt. xxv. 21.
In like manner also, he that had received two
talents, declared he had gained two other ; upon
which he was honoured w ith the same applause,
and admitted into the same joy with his fellow-
servant : their master having regard to the in
dustry and fidelity of his servants; not to the
number of the talents only, but the greatness of
their increase.
After this, he that had received the one talent
came, and, with a shameful falsehood, to excuse
his vile indolence, said, Lord, I knew thee that
thou art an hard man, reaping where thou, hast
not sown, and gathering where thou hast not
strawed : and I was afraid, and went and hid thy
talent in the earth; h, there thou hast that is
thine. Ma$t xxv. 24, 25.
The perversion of even the smallest portion
of grace greatly excited the resentment of his
lord, who answered, Thou wicked and slothful
servant, thou knewest that I reap where I solved
not, and gather vohere I have not strawed ; thou
oughtest, therefore, to have put my money to the
exchangers, and then, at my coming, I should
have received mine own with usury. Take, there
fore, the talent from him, and give it unto him
which hath ten talents. For unto every one thai
hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance;
but from him that hath not, shall be taken
away even that which he hath. And cast ye
the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,.
Matt. xxv. 26, &c.
Such is the parable of the talents, as delivered
by our blessed Saviour ; a parable containing the

214

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXL

measures of our duty to God, and the motives
that enforce it, all delivered in the plainest and
simplest manner. But its views are so extensive
and affecting, that while it instructs the meanest
capacity, it engages reverence and attention from
the greatest, and strikes an impression on the
most improved understanding. We are to con
sider God as our Lord and Master, the author
and giver of every good gift, and ourselves as
his servants or stewards, who, in various in
stances and measures, have received from his
goodness such blessings and abilities, as may fit
us for the several stations and offices of life to
which his providence appoints us. But then we
are to observe, that these are committed to us as
a trust or loan, for whose due management we
are accountable to the donor.
If we faithfully acquit ourselves of this proba
tionary charge, we shall receive far greater in
stances of God's regard and favour ; but if w-e
are remiss and negligent, we must expect to feel
his resentment and displeasure.
A time will come, and how near it may be
none of us can tell, when our great Master will
demand a particular account of every talent he
hath committed to our care. This time may,
indeed, be at a distance; for it is uncertain when
the king of terrors will receive the awful warrant
to terminate our existence here below; yet it
will certainly come, and our eternal happiness
or misery depends upon it ; so that we should
have it continually in our thoughts, and engraven,
as with the point of a diamond, on the tables of
our hearts.
We learn from this instructive parable, that
infinite Wisdom hath intrusted men with different
talents, and adjusted them to the various pur
poses of human life. But though the gifts of
men are unequal, none can, with justiee, com

plain ; since whatever is bestowed, be it more or
less, is a favour entirely unmerited.
Each then should be thankful, and satisfied
with his portion ; and, instead of envying the
more liberal endowments of others, apply himself
to the improvement of his own. And it should
be attentively observed, that the difficulty of the
task is in proportion to the number of talents
committed to each. He who had received five
was to gain other five ; and he who had received
two, was to account for other two.
Surely then we have no reason to complam
if our Master has laid on us a lighter burden,
a more easy and less service, than what he
has on others. Especially as our interest in
the favour of the Almighty does not depend
on the number of our talents, but on our di
ligence and application in the management of
them : so that the moral design of this parable
is, to engage our utmost attention to improve
such talents as our heavenly Father has thought
proper to bestow upon us.
By these talents are principally meant, the
communication and graces of the Holy Spirit,
which God bestows in different measures, di
viding to xvery man severally as he will. And
subordinate to these are all the means, oppor
tunities, and abilities, which men have to ex
ercise or improve their graces : all the advan
tages of station, fortune, education, and whatever
may enable us to do good ; for we having re
ceived all we enjoy from God, are strictly
obliged to promote the wise ends for which
he bestows his favours. And here let us take
a short and imperfect view of what God has
done for us. He has given us reason and
understanding to discern good from evil, and
inquire into the causes, relations, and conse
quences of things, to collect from them proper

Chap. XXXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

215

rules of judgment and action. Indeed, since
the fall, this faculty has been much obscured;
but still it remains an universal gift of God
to men, and though not equal in all, yet it
is given to every man in such measure as is
sufficient for their direction. In the knowledge
of our duty, and the pursuit of our happiness,
God has, by the Gospel, so graciously supplied
the defect of reason, that the weakest under-
standmg, enlightened by grace, may know how
to be happy. Such assistances of divine grace
attend every Christian, if he will apply to God
for them, as may enable him. to direct his incli
nations, govern his passions, and subdue Ms
corrupt affections.
These talents are in some degree common to
all men; and by the improvement of that grace
which is conferred on every one, all may have
sufficient to conduct them through the several
stages of life, if they will use but proper di
ligence and application. But regard must be
had to all the means for cultivating those gifts
of nature and grace, such as all opportunities
of instruction, the ministry and ordinances of
religion, the reproofs and examples of good
men, the occasions offered, and the abilities
given, for the exercise of religion. All these
are talents, or gifts of God, deposited with us to
be diligently made use of, and for which we are
accountable to him.
We shall, therefore, proceed to show what
duty is required from us, in the improvement
of these talents. It is here supposed, that these
talents are improveable, or otherwise they would
be of no use or value; and indeed we are bound,
by the command of God, who has threatened
to inflict severe penalties if we neglect it, to
improve them. And if they are not improved,
they will not continue long with us, but be lost ;
fhe finest parts and capacities, without proper

culture, will make but a mean and contemptible
figure. No knowledge can be preserved with
out use and exercise, and the same holds -with
regard to moral accomplishments. It requires
great care and attention to form a religious
habit, but much more to preserve it in its
vigour. Unless we co-operate with the motions
of God's grace, and cultivate it by use and ap
plication, its impressions will gradually wear out,
and be lost. The Spirit of God will not always
strive with man. He gives us a talent to manage,
equal to the service he expects from us ; but if
we are slothful and negligent, and will not
apply it to the purposes for which it was given,
he will recall the useless gift. Take from him,
says he, the talent, and give it to him that hath
ten talents.
Let us, therefore, diligently improve every
talent committed to us, because this will be re
quired of us in the day of accounts. Happy the
man who has improved his talents on earth!
What this improvement implies, and how we
may discharge this duty, is an inquiry of the
nearest concern to us. The proper improve
ment of all God's gifts, is the employing them
so as may best promote his glory.
This is the end the Almighty has proposed in
our creation ; in all the powers he hath endued
us with, and in all the aids of grace he has
vouchsafed us. Whatever other improvements
we make of them will not profit us, nor be
admitted as any proof of our fidelity, in the
day of reckoning. We may cultivate our un
derstanding by learning and study, and extend
our knowledge through all the subjects of hu
man inquiry; but if our end be only to gratify
our curiosity or our vanity, we are not serving
God, but ourselves. We may increase our por
tion of God's outward gifts; but if we only
apply them to enlarge our own conveniences,

216

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXI.

we are not making the improvements our Master
expects : we may take pleasure in our know
ledge and wealth, rejoice in them as our portion
and instrument in our present situation ; but we
must still remember, that in our reckoning with
God, all these improvements of our capacities
and abilities will be added to our account. And
the only use God will admit us to set in balance
pf our debt to him, is to etnploy them as means
of increasing and multiplying our graces, or as
instruments of exercising them in thc'work of
piety and religion.
From hence we may infer, that there will be
degrees of future glory and happiness, propor
tioned to our eminence in the divine life, and the
service we have done to the cause of Christ.
Dreadful will be his case, who has squandered
away the talent itself; suffered his gifts to perish
for want of use ; or, by abusing them to the ser
vice of sin, has provoked the Almighty to take
them from him.
How shall the prodigal recall the property he
has spent, and appease the anger of his Judge !
The terrors of the Lord may justly affright him ;
but it should not extinguish his endeavours in
despair. He has lost many excellent talents ; but
he who gave can restore. Indeed the most cir
cumspect person wants much to be forgiven ; and
must expect his reward from the mercy of his
Judge, not from the merit of his service. Let us
then do all in our power to bring forth fruits
meet for repentance. For though the awful day of
the Lord may be at a great distance, yet the time
allotted to us to prepare for it is limited by the
short space of human life. The night of death
cometh, when no man can work. To-day, there
fore, while it is called to-day, let us be diligent
in the work of the Lord, correct our errors, and
put away all evil, and finish our course well, that

we may obtain his approbation, and make our

calling and election sure.

We shall now proceed to the third parable, or
rather description, delivered at the same time by
the blessed Jesus, namely, that of the last judg
ment. When the Son of man, said he, 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 shep
herd divideth his sheep from the goats : and he
shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats
on the left. Matt. xxv. 31, &c. It is common,
in the Old Testament, to compare good men to
sheep, on account of their innocence and useful
ness ; and wicked men to goats, for their exor
bitant lusts. Our blessed Saviour, however, does
not pursue -the allegory farther, but describes the
remaining, and indeed the greatest, part of this
awful scene, in terms perfectly simple ; so that
though the sense be profound, it is obvious.
Here the judgment of all nations, Gentiles as
well as Christians, is exhibited ; and the particu
lars on which these awful trials are to proceed,
displayed by the great Judge himself.
Here we learn, that we shall be condemned or
acquitted according as we have neglected or per
formed works of charity ; works which flow from
the great principles of faith and love, and which
the very Heathens are, by the light of reason
and aid of grace, invited to perform. But we
must not understand that such works merited
this favour from the Judge; no, all who are
acquitted at that day, whether Heathens ir
Christians, shall be acquitted solely on account
of the life and death of Christ, the true, the
only, meritorious cause.
Good men can at best but consider their

Chap. XXXI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

217

present state as an absence from their native
country. A state in which they are often ex
posed to innumerable temptations, to persecu
tions, to poverty, to reproach, to contempt. But
a proper consideration, that they are travelling
towards the heavenly Jerusalem, a city prepared
for them when the foundations of the world
were laid, will be abundantly sufficient to sup
port their spirits, and render them more than
conquerors. The glory laid up for them in the
mansions of eternity, and which the great Judge
will, at the awful day of accounts, confer upon
them, will ammate them to bear the violence
of their oppressors, and even defy the malice
of men and devils. Nay, they will behold with
out envy the flourishing prosperity of the wicked,
and look forward to that glorious and immortal
crown which will be given to the righteous by
their great Bedeemer. Then shall the King
say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre
pared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat :
I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I was a
stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye
clothed me :_ I was sick, and ye visited me : I
was in prison, and ye came unto me. Matt.
xxv. 34, &c
These enraptured and amazed souls shall then
ask, with great reverence and humility, when
they performed these services ? as they never saw
Mm in want, and therefore could not assist him.
Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed
thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? when
saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or
naked, and chihed thee ? or when saw we thee
sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And
the King shall answer, and say unto them, Ve
rily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me. Matt xxv. 37, &c» This is
Nos. 19&20.

truly astonishing ! The united wisdom of men
and angels could never have discovered a more
proper method to convey an idea of the warmth
and force of the divme benevolence to the sons of
men, or offer a more forcible motive to charity,
than that the Son of God should, from his seat
of judgment, in presence of the whole race of
mankind, and all the hosts of the blessed spirits
from the courts of heaven, declare that all good
offices done to the afflicted for his sake, are done
to himself.During the time of his dwelling with human
nature in this vale of tears, he suffered unspeak
able injuries and afflictions ; and, therefore, he
considers all the righteous who are distressed as
members of Ms body ; loves them with the utmost
tenderness, and is so greatly interested in their
welfare, that he rejoices when they are happy,
and, humanly speaking, grieves when they are
distressed. Perhaps the true reason why the grand inquiry
shall rest solely on the performance of duties, is,
that men, generally speaking, consider the neg
lect of duties as a matter of no great consequence,
but dread the commission of crimes. And hence
it happens, that while they keep themselves free
from the latter, they easily find excuses for the
former. And as there is not a more pernicious
error, with regard to religion and morality, than
this, the blessed Jesus thought proper to give
such an account of the judgment, as should prove
the most solemn caution against it
But as die inquiry turns wholly on the per
formance of the duties of charity, it has been
asked, why these duties only are mentioned, and
no notice taken of the duties of piety; though
the Judge himself, upon another occasion, de
clared these to be of more importance than the
duties of charity, so Mghly applauded in this
2U

218

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXI.

description of the last day ? But those who ask
this question would do well to remember, that
piety and Christian charity cannot subsist sepa
rately : piety, and its origin, faith, always pro
ducing charity; and charity, wherever it subsists,
necessarily presupposing piety.
The connection between piety and genuine
charity will evidently appear, if it be considered,
that no man can be truly benevolent and merciful,
without loving those dispositions. Consequently,
he must love benevolence in God ; that is, he
must love God ; for piety, or the love of God, is
nothing else but the regard we cherish towards
God, on account of his benefits and perfections.
Piety and charity being thus essentially con
nected together, it is abundantly sufficient to
examine the conduct of men, with regard to
either of those graces. In the above description,
the inquiry is represented as turning upon , the
duties of charity, perhaps, because in this branch
of goodness there is less room for self-deceit than
in the other. It is common for hypocrites, by a
pretended zeal in the externals of religion, to
make specious pretences fo extraordinary piety,
and, at the same time, are totally deficient in
charity ; are covetous, unjust, rapacious, and
proud, and, consequently, destitute of all love to
their Creator. But none can assume the ap
pearance of charity, but by feeding the hungry,
clothing the naked, relieving the distressed, and
performing other benevolent offices to their
brethren. The Works of charity in £lms-giving, may, in
deed, in some particular cases, flow from other
principles than those of pious and benevolent
dispositions, as from vanity, or even views of in
terest ; but then it should be remembered, that
a common degree of hypocrisy will hardly en
gage men to undertake them ; they are by far

too weighty duties to be sustained by those
false principles, and, therefore, are seldom coun
terfeited. Consequently, wherever a genuine,
extensive, and permanent charity is found, we
may hope that there the love of God reigns in
reality. Hence we learn,, that all pretences to goodness,
without a principle of grace wrought in the heart,
avails nothing in point of eternal salvation. At
the same time, if we consider it in its full light,
it will give us no reason to think well of our
selves, if we are wanting in our duty to God;
and that we should not only be charitable, but
grateful also, just, temperate, and blameless m
all our dealings with mankind. For we should
remember, that the duty we owe to the Almighty
is no way inconsistent with what is due to men,
and wMch it would be unjust in us to neglect.
It consists in. dispositions and actions, the same
in kind, but different in degree, proportionate to •;
the perfection of the object.
He who from right motives loves and admires
holiness, justice, and truth, in men, cannot but
love those perfections in God ; that is, he must
love God ; so, likewise, he that is truly grateful
from a right principle, to any earthly benefactor,
cannot be ungrateful to one from whose bounty
he receives all the good thmgs he enjoys: and
since ingratitude in men is nothing more than
forgetting the benefit received, and the benefactor
who conferred the favour ; how can we acquit
ourselves, from the charge of ingratitude to God,
if we forget the obligations we lie under to him,
and are at no pains to return him thanks ; that
is, if we wholly neglect the external and internal
exercises of devotion.
Since, therefore, the duty we owe to God is the
same in kind with that we owe to man, where
there is any resemblance of circumstances, it

Chap. XXXII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

219

will undeniably follow, that true morality can
never exist where piety is wanting ; and that those
who pretend to morality, and are destitute of
piety, render themselves ridiculous.
The awful Judge himself has told us, that
after he has passed the happy sentence on the
righteous, he will pronounce the following sen
tence of condemnation upon the wicked: Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared
for the d&vil and his angels. For I was anhun
gered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and
ye gave me no drink : I was a stranger, and ye
took me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not :
sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then
shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when
saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger,
or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister
unto thee. Then shall he answer them, saying,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not
to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Matt. xxv. 41, Sic.
It is remarkable, that our blessed Saviour has
told us, that the fire of hell was not prepared for
the wicked, but for the devil and Ms angels:
but that the kingdom of heaven was prepared
for the righteous. Perhaps he intended to teach
us, that the original design of Omnipotence was
to render man happy, not miserable : a state of
consummate felicity was formed for the human
race, at the time they were created ; but the fire
of hell was prepared for the devil and his angels
immediately after their fall. And as wicked'men
join with devils in their sin of rebellion against
the Almighty, they are doomed to share with
them in their punishment : a punishment of the
heaviest kind; a pumshment of devils.
After having represented the sentences that are
to be passed on the righteous and the wicked,
our Saviour closed the parable in the following

manner : And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment ; but the righteous into life eternal.
Matt. xxv. 46
Let us now behold, with an attentive eye and
a solicitous heart, the end of all the living; that.
awful scene, in which the various dispensations
of God to mankind shall terminate in the solemn
day, when the Son of man shall come in his ghry,
and sit on his magnificent throne. All nations
and people shall be assembled before him, and
we must make a part of that assembly. The sheep
and the goats must then be separated; and, O my
soul, amongst which wilt thou then be numbered ?
Is there an inquiry, is there a care, of greater, of
equal, of comparable importance ?
CHAP. XXXII.
Our blessed Lord is anointed by a poor,
but pious Woman. The perfidious Ju
das consents to betray his Master. The
humble Jesus washes the Feet of his
' Disciples, and foretells that Disciple
who was to betray him into the hands
of his inveterate Enemies.
THE blessed Jesus used frequently to retire,
in the evening, from the city to the Mount
of Olives, and there spend the night, either in
some village or the gardens, either to avoid
falling into the hands of his enemies, or for the
sake of a little retirement. They did not, indeed,
presume to attack him, while he was surrounded
by his followers, in the day-time; but, in all pro
bability, had he lodged within the city, they
would have apprehended him during the dark
ness and silence of the mght
When our blessed Saviour had finished
these parables, he added a short account of his
own death, in order to fortify his discipl'ei
2U*

220

the life of our blessed lord

Chap. XXXlI.

against a greater trial than they had yet met
with; namely, the sufferings of their Master.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all
these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know
that after two. days is the feast of the passover, and
the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then
assembled together the chief priests and the scribes,
and the elders of the people, unto the palace of
the high-priest, who was called Caiaphas. And
consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty,
and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast-
day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Matt. xxvi. 1, Stc.
- When the evening approached, our blessed
Saviour, with his disciples, repaired to Bethany,
and entered the house of Simon the leper, pro
bably one who experienced the healing efficacy
of his power. But wMle he sat at meat, a
woman, who had also, doubtless, been an ob
ject of his mercy, poured a box of precious
ointment upon Ms head.
This action displeased his disciples, who knew
tnat their Master was not delighted with luxuries
of any kind; and, therefore, they rebuked the
woman, imagining that it would have been
more acceptable to the Son of God, if the
ointment had been sold, and the money dis
tributed among, the sons and daughters of po
verty and affliction.
To reprove the disciples, Jesus told them,
that it had pleased the divine Providence to
order that there should always be persons in
necessitous circumstances, that the righteous
might never want occasions for exercising then
charity; but that those who did not now testify
their love to him, would never more have the
opportunity of doing it, as the time of his ministry
was near its period, when the king of terrors
should enjoy a short triumph over Ms body ; and,

therefore, tMs woman had seasonably anointed
him for his burial. And to make them sensible
of then folly, in blaming the woman for this her
expression of love to him, he assured them, that
she should be highly esteemed for tMs action, in
every part of the world, and her memory live to
the latest period of time.
Judas Iscariot, (one of the twelve, having been
more forward than the rest in condemning the
woman, thought the rebuke was p>rticukrly di
rected to him,) stung with the guilt ofuis own
conscience, arose from the table, and went im
mediately into the city, to the high-priest's palace,
where he found the whole council assembled.
His passion would not suffer Mm to reflect on the
horrid deed he was going to commit : he imme
diately promised, for the reward of thirty pieces
of silver, to betray into their hands his Lord and
Master. Having thus engaged with the rulers of Israel,
to put into their hands a person who had been
long labouring for their salvation, who had often
invited them, in the most pathetic manner,
to embrace the benevolent terms of the Gospel,
offered by the Almighty, he sought an oppor
tunity to betray him in the absence of the mul
titude. Our Lord, who well knew that the time of
Ms suffering drew near, desired, therefore," to
celebrate the passover with his disciples. He
was now going to finish the mighty work for
which he came into the world ; and, therefore,
would not neglect to fulfil the smallest parti
cular of the law of Moses. He, therefore, sent
two of his disciples into the city to prepare a
lamb, and make it ready, for eating the pass-
over ; telling them that they should met a man,
bearing „a pitcher of water w^o would con
duct them to Ms house, and show them a large

Chap. XXXII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

221

upper room furnished, where they were to make
ready for him. He was willing, in this last
transaction, to convince his disciples, that he
knew every thing that should befal him ; that his
sufferings were all foretold by the Almighty ; and
vhat they were all, on Ms own account, submitted
unto voluntarily.
- When night approached, Jesus left Bethany;
and every thing being ready for him at the time
he entered into the city, he sat down at the ap
pointed hour. But knowing that his sufferings
were now near, he told his disciples, in the most
affectionate manner, that he had gready longed
to eat the passover with them before he suffered,
in order to show them the strongest proofs of his
love. These proofs were, to give them a partem
of humility and love, by washing their feet ; in
structing them in the nature of his death, and a
propitiatory sacrifice ; instituting the sacrament,
m commemoration of his sufferings ; comforting
them by the tender discourses recorded, John
xiv. xv. xvi. in wMch he gave them a variety
of excellent directions, together with many gra
cious promises ; and recommending them to the
kind protection of his heavenly Father. With
desire I have desired to eat this passover with-
you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will
not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in
the kingdom of God.
Having thus spoken, he arose from the table,
laid aside his garments, like a servant, and,
with all the officiousness of a humble minister,
«X ashed the feet of his disciples, without distinc
tion, though one of them, Judas Iscariot, was a
monster of impiety ; that they might at once be-
" hold a conjunction of love and humility, of self-
denial and indifference, represented by a person
glorious beyond expression„their great Lord and
Master. ; He washed their feet, (according to a
custom which prevailed in those hot countries,

both before and after meaty) in order to show
them an example of the utmost humility an 1
condescension. The Omnipotent Son of the Father lays ever)
tiling aside, that he may serve his followers,
heaven stoops to earth ; one abyss calls upon
another, and the miseries of man, wMch were
almost infinite, are exceeded by a mercy equal
to the immensity of the Almighty. He deferred
this ceremony, which was a customary civility
paid to honourable strangers at the beginning
of their feast, that it might be preparatory to the
second, wMch he intended should be a feast to
the whole world, when all the followers of the
blessed Jesus should have an opportunity, in a
spiritual manner, of feeding on Ms flesh, and
drinking his blood.
When our blessed Saviour came to Peter, he
modestly declined it ; but his Master told him,
if he refused to submit implicitly to all his or
ders, he could have no part with him. On
which Peter cried out, Lord, not my feet only,
but also my hands and my head. But Jesus
told him, that the person who was washed had
no reason to wash any part of the body except
his feet, which he might have dirtied by walking
from the bath. And added, Ye are all clean, as to
, the outward laver ; but not as to the inward and
spiritual laver ; I well know that one of you w ill
betray me.
When our gracious Lord had finished this
menial service, he asked bis disciples, if they
knew the meaning of what he had done, as
the action was purely emblematical ? You truly,
added he, style me Master and Lord, for I am
the Son of God and the Saviour of the world.
But if I, your Master and your Lord, have
condescended to wash your feet, you surely
ought to perform, with the utmost pleasure the

222

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXII.

humblest offices of love one to another. I have
- set you a pattern of humility, and I recommend
it to you.
And certainly, nothing can more effectually
show us the necessity of this heavenly temper of
mind, than its bemg recommended to us by so
great an example ; a recommendation which, in
the present circumstances, was particularly sea
sonable ; for the disciples ' having heard their
great Master declare, that the kingdom of heaven
was at hand, their minds were filled with am
bitious thoughts. And, therefore, our blessed
Saviour added, Ye need not be ashamed to follow
my example in this particular ; for no servant
can think it beneath him to condescend to per
form those actions his Lord had done before him.
And, therefore, if he knows his duty, he will be
happy if he practises it He, moreover, added,
that though he had called them all to the apos
tleship, and well knew the secret dispositions of
every heart, before he chose them, they need not
be surprised that one among them should prove
a traitor, as thereby the Scripture would be ful
filled: He that eateth bread with me, hath lift up
his heel against me.
As our blessed Saviour was now to be but
a short time with Ms disciples, he thought pro
per to take Ms farewell of them, which he did
'in a most affectionate manner. These me
lancholy tidings greatly troubled them. They
were unwilling to part with so kind a friend,
so dear a master, so wise a guide, and so pro
fitable a teacher; especially, as they thought
they should be left in a forlorn condition, a
poor and helpless prey to the rage and hatred of
a blind and malicious generation. They seemed
willing to die with their Lord, if that might be
accepted. Why cannot I follow thee? I will
lay down my life for thee! was the language
of one, and even all of them ; but they could

not support the thoughts of a disconsolate se
paration. Their great and compassionate Master, seeing
them thus dejected, endeavoured to cheer their
drooping spirits : Let not your hearts be troubled.
Listen attentively to what I am going to deliver
for your consolation : / am going to prepare a
place for you ; I will come again, and receive you
to myself, that where lam there you may be also.
A reviving word of promise. They were one
day to meet their dear, their affectionate Master,
in a place where they should live together to
eternity. But death makes so vast a distance between
friends, and the disciples then knew so little of
a future state, that they seemed to doubt whether
they should, after their parting, meet their great
Bedeemer. They neither knew the place where
he was going, nor the way that led to his
kingdom. Lord, said they, as we know not
jvhither thou goest, how can we know the way?
In answer to this question, he told them that he
was the way, the truth, and the life : as if he had
said, Through the propitiatory sacrifice I am
about to offer, the sacred truths I have delivered,
and the divine assistance which I shall hereafter
dispense, you are to obtain that happiness which
I go to prepare for you.
But lest all these arguments should not be
sufficient to quiet their minds, he bad still ano
ther, which could not fail of success : If ye love
me, says he, ye will rejoice because I said, I go to
the Father. Intimating, that he would consider
it as a proof of their love to him, if they ceased
to mourn. They doubtless thought, that by
grieving for his death, they expressed their,
love to their Master ; and it might seem strange
that our Saviour should put so contrary an in
terpretation on their friendly sorrow, or require

Chap. XXXII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

223

so Unnatural a thing of them, as to rejoice at his
departure. What ! (might they think,) shall we
rejoice at so amiable a friend's removal from
us? or can we be glad that he retires, and
leaves us in this vale of misery ? No, it is im
possible; the human heart, on so melancholy
an occasion, can have no disposition to re
joice. Our blessed Saviour, therefore, adds tiiis rea
son to solve the seeming paradox; because he was
going to his Father : that is, he was going to
ascend to the right hand of infinite Power^ from
whence he would send them all the assistance
they could desire. It must not, however, be
supposed, that he meant, by these words, that
Ms disciples should not be concerned at his death,
or that they could not love him unless they ex
pressed a visible joy on this occasion. That
would, indeed, have been a hard interpretation
of their grief: he knew their grief flowed from
love ; and that if their love had not been strong,
their sorrow had been much less. Indeed, their
Master was fully convinced that love was the
occasion of their sorrow ; and, therefore, he used
these arguments to mitigate it, and direct it in a
proper course. ,
Nor did pur Lord intend to intimate that
all sorrow for so worthy a friend was unlaw
ful, or an unbecoming expression of their love :
doubdess he was not displeased to see his dis
ciples so tenderly affected at his removal from
them. He who shed tears at the grave of La
zarus, blended with sighs and groans, cannot
be thought to forbid them wholly at his own.
He, therefore, did not chide his' disciples with
angry reproaches, as though they had been en
tirely in the wrong, but gently reasoned with
them by kind persuasions : Let not your hearts
be troubled; as rather pitying than condemning
then sorrow.

Soon after Jesus had spoken these things, his
heart was greatly troubled to think that one of
his disciples should prove his enemy : he com
plained of it at the table, declaring that one of
them should betray him. This moving declara
tion greatly affected his disciples; and they
began every one of them to say to their Master,
Lord, is it I? But Jesus giving them no decisive
answer, John, the beloved disciple, whose sweet
disposition, and other amiable qualities, is per
petuated in the peculiar love his great Master
bore him, and was now reclining on his bosom,
asked him,' who among the disciples could be
guilty of so detestable a crime ? Jesus told him,
that the person to whom he should give the
sop, when he had dipped it, was he who should
betray him. Accordingly, as soon as he had
dipped the sop in the dish, he gave it to Judas
Iscariot, saying to him, at the same time, That
thou doest, do quickly.
Judas received the sop, without knowing any
thing of what his Master had told the beloved
disciple : nor did any of the disciples, except
St. John, entertain the least suspicion that
Judas was the person who would betray their
Master. The innocent disciples were indeed so deeply
affected with his declaration, that one of them
should betray Mm, that they did not remark the
words of Jesus to his apostate disciple, but con
tinued to ask him,, Who was the person that should
be guilty of so base a crime ? Willing, at last,
to satisfy then importunity, the blessed Jesus
declared, that the person who dipped his hand
with him in the dish should betray him. This
to the eleven was a joyful declaration, but con
founding in the highest degree to Judas. Ira,
pudent as he was, it struck him speechless,
pointing him out plainly, and displaying the
I foulness of his heart

224

—  _ -¦ -s, ««
THE LIFE OF OUR BLES iKD LORD

Chap. XXXI 1

While Judas continued mute with confusion,
the blessed Jesus declared that his death should
be brought about according to the decrees of
Heaven, though that would not, in the least,
mitigate the crime of the person who betrayed
him ; adding, it had been good for that man if he
had not been born. Judas having now recovered
Mmself a little, asserted his innocence by a
question which implied a denial of the charge.
But his Master soon silenced him, by positively
affirming that he was really the person.
As various conjectures have been formed con
cerning the motives which induced the perfidious
Judas cruelly to deliver up his innocent Master
into the hands of his enemies, it may not be
improper to cite those which appear to be most
probable, though the decision must be entirely
left to the reader.
Some are of opinion, that he was induced to
commit this villany by the resentment of the re
buke given him by his Master, for blaming the
woman who came with the precious ointment,
and anointed the head of Jesus as he sat at meat
in the house of Simon the leper. But though
this had, doubtless, its weight with the traitor,
yet it could not, I think, be his only motive ; be
cause the rebuke was given in general to all
the disciples, who had certainly been forward
with him in censuring the woman. Nor can we
imagine, even if he had been rebuked alone, that
so mild a reproof could provoke any person,
however wicked, to the horrid act of murdering
his friend ; much less Judas, whose covetous dis
position must have dispoied Mm to bear every
thing from his Master, from whom he expected
the highest preferment, if he should openly de
clare himself the Messiah, and take the reins of
government into his own hands.
Others think that Judas betrayed his Master

through covetousness. But if we understand by
covetousness the reward given by the priests,
this opinion is equally defective; for the sum was
too small for the most sordid wretch to think
equivalent to the life-of a friend, especially when
he expected from Mm the highest post and ad
vantages. Others attribute the perfidy of Judas to his
doubting whether his Master was the Messiah ;
and that he betrayed him in a fit of despair. But
of all the solutions, this is the worst founded.
For if Judas believed his Master to be an im
postor, he must have observed something in his
behaviour which led him to form such an opinion
of him ; and in that case he would, doubtless,
have mentioned it to the chief priests and elders,
when he made the contract with them ; which
it is plain he did not ; as they would have re
minded him of it when he came back and
expressed his remorse for what he had done. It
should also be observed, that had Judas given
diem any intimations of this kind, they would,
doubtless, have urged them against our blessed
Saviour Mmself, in the course of his trial, when
they were at so great a loss for witnesses to sup
port their accusation ; and against the apostles,
afterwards, when they reproved them for speak
ing in the name of Jesus. Besides, had Judas
thought his Master an impostor, and proposed
nothing by Ms treachery but the price he put
upon his life, how came he to sell him for such a
trifle, when he well knew that the chief priests
and rulers would have given him any sum,
rather than not have got him into their hands ?
In fine, the supposition that Judas believed his
Master to be an impostor, is directly confuted by
the solemn declaration he made to the priests,
when he declared the deepest conviction of the
innocence of our great Bedeemer: I have sinned,
says he, in beirdying the innocent blood.

ms=

Chap. XXXII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

It must be remembered, that the remorse he
felt for this crime, when he saw his Master
condemned, was too bitter to be endured; so
that he fled even to the king of terrors for
relief. '¦-¦¦
:¦ j~, ¦»»'¦¦ '
The Evangelist Saint John tells us, that he
Was of so covetous a disposition, as to steal
tnoney out of our Lottos bag ; and hence we
have sufficient reason to believe, that he first
followed Jesus with a view of obtaining riches,
and other temporal advantages, which he ex
pected the Messiah's friends would enjoy. It
likewise authorizes Us to think, that as he had
hitherto ^iteaped none of these advantages, he
might grow impatient under the delay; and
the rather, as Jesus had lately discouraged all
ambitious views among his disciples, and neg
lected to embrace the opportunity of erecting
that kingdom which was Offered him by the
multitude, who accompanied him into Jerusa
lem with shouts, and crying, Hosannah to the
Son of David. His impatience, therefore, be
coming excessive, suggested fo him the thought
of delivering his Master into the hands of the
council, firmly persuaded that he would then be
obliged to assume the dignity of the Messiah,
and, consequently, be able to reward his fol
lowers. For as this court was composed of the
chief priests, elders, and scribes, (that is, the prin
cipal persons of the sacerdotal order, the repre
sentatives of the great families, and the doctors
of- the law,) the traitor did not doubt that his
Master, when brought before so august an as
sembly, would assert his pretensions to the title
of Messiah, prove his claim to their full con
viction, gain them over to his interest, and im
mediately enter on Ms regal dignity. And though
he must be sensible that the measures he took to
compass Ms intention were very offensive to Ms
Master, yet he might think the success of it would
procure his pardon from so compassionate a
Nos. 19 & 20.

Master,1 and even recommend him to favour.
In the mean time, his project, however plausible
it may. appear to one of his turn, was far from
being free from difficulty; and, therefore, while
he revolved it in his own mind, many things
might occur to stagger his resolution. At length,
thinking himself affronted by the rebuke of Jesus,
at the time when the woman anointed the head:
of his Master, he was provoked to execute the
resolution he bad formed of obliging him to alter
his measures. Rising, therefore, directly from
the table, he went immediately into the city,
to the palace of the high priest, where he
found the council assembled, consulting how
they might take Jesus by subtlety in the ab
sence of the multitude.
; To them he made known his intention oif
delivering his Master into their hands; and
undertook, for a small sum of money, to con
duct a band of armed men to the place where
the Saviour of. the world usually spent the
night .with his disciples, where they might
apprehend him without the least danger of a
tumult.
, , i ijf/i'.j*) •:.
Some reasons' may be offered iii support of
diis opinion concerning the motives which in
duced Judas to betray his Master. First, from
the nature of the contract ; What will ye give
me, said he, and I will deliver him unto you ?
He did not mean that he would deliver him
up to be put to death; for though the priests
had consulted among themselves how they might
destroy Jesus, they had not been so abominably
wicked as to declare their intention publicly;
they only proposed to bring him to trial, for
assuming the character of the Messiah, and to
treat him as it should appear he deserved.
The offer, therefore, which Judas made them,
of delivering him up, was in conformity to
.their declared resolutions. Nor did they un-
2X

226

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXII.

derstand it in any other light ; for had the
priests thought that his design in this was to
get his Master punished with death, they must
also have thought he believed him to be an
impostor; in which case they would, doubdess,
have produced Mm as one of their principal
evidences, no person being more proper. Also,
when Judas returned to them with the money,
declaring that he had sinned in betraying the
innocent blood, instead of replying, What is
that to us? see thou to that; it was the most
natural tMng; in the world to have upbraided
him with the stain be had put upon his Master's
character, by the contract they had made with
Mm. It is true, they called the money they gave
him the price of blood ; but they did not mean
this in the strictest sense ; as they had neither
hired Judas to assassinate his Master, nor can
they be supposed to have charged themselves
with the guilt of murdering him. It was
only the price of blood, consequent on being
the reward they had given to the traitor, for
putting it in their power to take away the
life of Christ, under the colour and form of
public justice. Now it may be doubted, whether
Judas asked the money as a reward of his
service. He covetously, indeed, kept it ; and
the priests, for that reason, called it the price
of blood.
In short, Judas knew that the rulers could
not take away the life of any person what
soever, the Bomans having deprived them of
that" power* and, therefore, some think he could
have no design of this kind in delivering him
up ; not to mention that it was a common
opinion among the Jews, that the Messiah
could never die : an opinion that Judas might
easily embrace, having seen his Master raise
several persons, and, among the rest,: one who

j had been in the grave no less than four
days. Another reason which may be assigned, in
confirmation of this opinion, is the traitor's
hanging himself, when he found him condemned
not by the governor, but by the council whose
prerogative it was to judge prophets. Had
Judas proposed to take away the life of his
Master, the sentence of condemnation, passed
upon him, instead of filling Mm with despair,.
must have gratified him, being then accom
plishment of his project; whereas, the light
wherein we have endeavoured to place Ms
conduct, shows this circumstance to has?e been
perfectly natural-
He knew Mm to be thoroughly innocent*.
and expected that he would have wrought such
miracles before the council as should have con
strained them to believe. Therefore, when he
found that nothing of this kind was done, and
that the priests had passed the sentence of con
demnation upon him, and were carrying him to
the governor, to get it executed, he repented of
his rash and covetous project, came to the chief
priests and elders, the persons to whom he had
betrayed him, offered them their money again,
and solemnly declared the deepest conviction of
his Master's innocence, hoping that they would
have desisted from the prosecution. But they
were obstinate, and would not relent; upon
which 'Ms remorse rose to such a pitch, that,
unable , to support the torments of his own
conscience, he went and hanged himself.
Thus, it is probable that the traitor's intention
in delivering, up his Master, was not to get him
punished with death, but only to lay Mm under
a necessity of proving his pretensions before. the
grandees, whom he ; had hitherto shunned ,
thinking, that if they had yielded, the w;hoie

Csap. XXX111.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRISTi

2-:7

Aation would immediately have been raised
forthwith to the summit of their expectations.
This account of Judas' conduct is by no means
calculated to lessen the foulness of his crime,
Which was the blackest imaginable. For even
in the light above mentioned, it implied both an
insatiable avarice, and a wilful opposition to the
counsels of Providence, and rendered the actor
of it a disgrace to human nature. But it is cal
culated to set the credibility of the traitor's action
in a proper light, and to show that he was not
moved to it by any thing suspicious in the cha*
racter of his Master ; because, according to his
view of it, his perfidy, instead of implying that
he entertained suspicions of his Master's integrity,
plainly proves that he had the fullest conviction
of his being the Messiah. Nor was it possible
for any one, who had been present at- the miracles
which Jesus wrought, and the doctrines which
he delivered, to admit of a doubt of his being the
Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, unless
blinded by the most obstinate prejudice.
CHAP. XXXOI.
Jesus institutes the Sacrament, in Com
memoration of his Death and Suffer
ings — Settles a Dispute which arose
among his Disciples. — Predicts Peter's
Cowardice in denying his Master. —
Fortifies his Disciples against the ap
proaching Shock. — Foretells Peter's
Cowardice again. — Preaches to, and
prays with, his Disciples for the last
Time. — Passionate j Address of our
Lord to his Father, in the Garden.
THE great Bedeemer, ever mindful of the
grand design of Ms mission, even the sal
vation of lost and perishing sinners, was not in

the least prevented by die treachery of his
apostate disciple. For knowing that he must
become a sacrifice for sin, &c. he instituted
the sacrament of his supper, to perpetuate the
memory of it throughout all ages. Accordingly,
aS they were eating the paschal supper, Jesus
took bread, and blessed it, dnd brake ii, und gave
it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat ; this is my
body. Matt. xxvi. 26. Observe this rite no
longer in remembrance of your deliverance
from Egypt, but in remembrance of me •; who,
by dying for you, will bring you out of the
spiritual bondage, a bondage far worse than the
Egyptian, under which your fathers groaned,
and will establish you in the glorious liberty of
the children of God. Do it in remembrance of
me, who, by laying down my life, will ransom
you from sin, from death, from hell, and will set
open the gates of heaven to you, that you may
enter immortality in triumph.
Having given the bread to his disciples* he
also took the cup, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it; for this is my bhod of the new
testament, which is shed for many for the remission
of sin. Matt xxvi. 27, 28. All of you, and all
of my disciples, in all ages, must drink of this
Cup, because it represents my blood shed for
the remission of the sins of mankind; my
blood, by which the new covenant between
God and man is ratified. It is, therefore, my
blood of the new covenant : so that this insti
tution exhibits to your joyful meditation, the
grand basis of the hopes of the children of
men, and perpetuates the memory of it to the
end of the world. He added, / will not drink
henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day
when I drink it new with you in my Father's
kingdom. Matt xxvi. 29.
The manifestation of the Son of God is the
most illustrious* the most momentous event, that
2X*

228

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap, XXXIII.

is possible to engage the meditations of men.
To his life and death, his resurrection and as
cension into glory, we are indebted for our hopes
and assurances of pardon, for our peace, for our
happiness. To procure our salvation, he made
the most amazing condescension from the dig
nity., he enjoyed with his Father, by putting
on the vail of flesh ; he poured divine in
struction from his lips, and shone forth with
an all-perfect and all-lovely example. For
our benefit, he submitted to a course of. the
most cruel treatment from his bitter enemies,
to the agonies of the cross, and to the stroke
of the king of terrors. For our happiness, he
arose again with power and lustre, ascended
,into the mansions of eternal happiness, manages
our affairs with the Father, and1 holds the reins
of government.
, With the greatest wisdom and goodness, there
fore, this beneficent Jesus instituted a rite, that
should recall his love to our memories, and awake
each pious passion in our breast ; a rite; which,
by the breaking of bread, and the pouring out of
wine, should represent to us, in a striking man
ner, that most signal proof of the affection both
of Mm and his heavenly Father, when Ms tender
frame was exposed to wounds and bruises, when
streams of the most precious blood issued from
his sacred veins.
The more we reflect on this instance of
divine love, the more we shall perceive that
there was a peculiar propriety in pointing out,
by a particular ordinance, a fact of such im
mense importance in the system of revelation.
Nay, we may venture to conjecture, that in
some dark and corrupt ages, when the Scrip
tures were but little known by the common
people, and hardly studied by the priests, the
death of our Saviour would have been almost
forgotten, had not the remembrance of it

been renewed by, the celebration of this sacred
ordinance. It should also be remembered, that the va
nities of the world, the allurements of sensual
pleasure, the charms of ambition, the splendour
of riches; in short, temptations from present
objects of every kind ; have often too powerful
an influence on our temper and conduct. They
have a fatal aptitude to draw the soul aside to
folly, and to obliterate the impressions of things
divine. It was, therefore, a wise, a kind in-,
tention, of our great Bedeemer, by a frequent
repetition of the sacramental feast, to call back
the wandering heart of man to a, sense of his
duty and obligations- as a Christian. ,
Besides, though the religion of the Immacu
late Jesus is. altogether gentle, generous, and
beneficent; though, its whole tendency "is to
correct the passions, sweeten the dispositions,
and enlarge the affections of men; and though
it enforces all this upon us -by motives sur-,
prisingly powerful and affecting; yet such is
the perverseness of the human heart, that jea
lousies and contentions, envy, wrath, and ma
lice, too often find admittance there. Was it
not then an instance .of our Saviour's ^isdpm
and benevolence, by uniting us together at -,the
sacrament of his body and bipod, to urge the
putting away all bitterness, anger, evil-speaking,
and revenge ; and to inspire us with condescen
sion, compassion, and love ?
How careful, therefore, ought we to be' in
performing this duty appointed by our dying
Saviour ! We should, in order to receive it
worthily, employ our meditation on the design
and excellency of the Gospel ; on the noble
system of the-doctrines and duties it containsj4
on the illustrious, divine, and complete example,
of the blessed Jesus; on the important pri-.

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

229

vileges, the valuable promises, and the ra
vishing prospects, his revelation affords; and
on the bright and convincing evidence with
which it is attended.
<¦ ",»
We should contemplate that essential and un
paralleled benevolence of the Father, in ap
pointing the means- of our redemption; on the
readiness manifested by the Son of God in un
dertaking our cause ; and on his wonderful
transactions in the prosecution of tMs grand,
tins amazing work. Above all, we should get
impressed upon our souls a strong sense of the
special and immediate purposes for which this
sacrament was appointed.
When we actually join in communion, we
should be careful that our affections be pro
perly > directed and warmly engaged. To have
our hearts fixed upon the vanities, the profits,
and the cares of tMs world, is a direct viola
tion* of the ordinance ; and,* therefore, we should
befextremely careful to maintain a right temper
and behaviour at that time. We should study
to- abstract our thoughts as much as possible
from, every foreign-, every ? terrestrial, consi
deration, and to have our passions fervently
employed in the rsolenin service. " Betire, O
my soul! (each of us should say,) from this
inferior scene of things, from all its pleasures,
and all its pursuits, and hold communion with
the Almighty, through his Son, the immaculate
Jesus. Meditate upon that infinite grace of
Omnipotence, which formed that amazing plan
that displayed pardon, peace, and endless hap
piness, to so undeserving a creature as thou
art. Bepolleet that surprising condescension
and tenderness of thy compassionate Bedeemer,
which induced him to bring down from heaven
salvation to the sons of men. Call to mind
the admirable instructions he offered, the charm
ing pattern he exhibited, the hard labours and

sufferings he endured, in the course of his mi
nistry; especially call to mind the ignominy,
the reproaches, the agonies he endured, when
he hung upon the cross, and purchased for
thee eternal mercy. Think upon these affecting
subjects, till thine heart is filled with sorrow
for thine iniquities, till thy faith becomes lively,
active, and strong; till thy gratitude and love
are elevated to the highest pitch ; till thy obe
dience is rendered uniform, steady, and com
plete. Hast thou, O my Gpd, the parent of
universal nature ! hast thou so illustriously ma
nifested thy compassion for sinners, as not to
spare thine own Son? hast thou sent the Sa
viour into the lower world, in order to raise
the children of men to immortality, perfection,
and glory? and am I now in thy presence,1
on purpose to celebrate tMs institution, which
requireth me to commemorate the death of
the great Messiah, to declare my public ac
ceptance of his excellent revelation, and my
regard to my Christian brethren ? May then
the remembrance of his beneficence dwell upon
my mind, and upon my tongue, for ever and
ever ! May I consider and comply with the
intention of his Gospel ; and may the senti
ments of kindness and charity towards all my
fellow mortals, and fellow disciples, reign in
my breast with increasing purity, .with in
creasing zeal !"
Such are the views that should possess our
souls, when we partake of tins sacred ordinance ,
but it will signify little to entertain these views at
that time, unless the effects of them are apparent
in our future conduct and conversation ; for a
transient glow of affection, or sallies of im
mediate delight, were not principally intended
in this institution.
The blessed Jesus did not ordain it as a
ceremony or charm, but as a proper method

2*i0

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIII.

of establishing our hearts in the fear and love
of God, who gave his only beloved Son to die
for wretched sinners. Though ye have, there
fore, O Christians! obeyed the Bedeemer's com
mand in this appointment and found your pas
sions greatly- moved, yet this is not the whole
required at your hands : it will justly be ex
pected that you should live to the honour of
your divine Master. As you have solemnly pro
fessed your faith in him, and your love towards
hiiu, the reality of your faith and love should
be demonstrated by walking more strictly in the
way of his precepts, and by abounding in that
heavenly character and temper, which his spot
less example so engagingly recommends. Thus
only will the sacrament become Subservient to
the most beneficial purposes. Thus only will
it be instrumental in making us meet for sharing
in the dignity and felicity possessed by our ex
alted Saviour.
May, therefore, all the followers of the im
maculate Jesus, by uniting together at Ms
sacred table, advance from holiness to holi
ness, till they arrive at the regions of eternal
felicity !
Our blessed Saviour, after delivering the
sacramental cup, and telling them that his
blood was shed for them, mentioned the trea
chery of Judas a second time : Behold, he is
at hand that doth betray -me. Matt xxvi. 45.
This second declaration was made very pro
perly after the institution of the sacrament,
which exhibits the highest instance of our great
Redeemer's love to mankind, his dying to ob
tain the remission of their sins; for it abun-
dandy proves, that the person who could be
deliberately guilty of such an injury to so kind
a friend, must have been a monster, the foulness
of whose ingratitude cannot be described by the
force of language.

It is thought that some of the disciples, par*
ticularly struck with horror at the thought of
Judas' treachery, rebuked him, by asking hini|
with surprise, How he could betray his Master ?
This accusation Judas, no doubt, repelled, by
impudently denying the fact : but consciousness
of guilt giving edge to the reproaches of his
brethren, and to every circumstance of the af
fair, he immediately left the company, exceed
ingly displeased at thinking himself insulted and
affronted. The important, tne awfin scene, now ap
proached, when the great work was to be,
finished. The traitor Judas was gone to the
chief priests and elders for a band of sol
diers to apprehend him ; but this did not dis
compose the Redeemer of mankind : he took
occasion to meditate on the glory that would
acerue, both to himself and to his Almighty-
Father, from those sufferings, and spake of it
to his disciples. Now, said he, is the Son of
man ghrified, and God is glorified in him. He
told them that, having already done honour to
his Father by the past actions of his life, and
being about to honour him yet farther by his
sufferings and death, wMch would display his
perfections, particularly his infinite love to the
human race, in the most astonishing and amiable
light, he was, in his turn, to receive honour
from his Father; intimating, that his human
nature was to be exalted to the right hand
of Omnipotence ; and that his mission from
God was to be supported by irrefragable -at
testations. But his disciples imagining that he
spake of the glory of a temporal kingdom,
their ambition was again revived, and they
began to dispute, with as much keenness as
ever, which of them should be greatest in
that kingdom. This contention Jesus sup
pressed by the arguments he had formerly
used for the same purpose. Among the Gen*

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

28T

tiles, said he, they are reckoned the greatest
who have the greatest power, and have ex
ercised it in the most absolute manner : but
your . greatness shall be very different from
theirs; it shall not consist in being unlimited
with regard to tyrannical power, even though
it should be joined with an affectation of titles,
which denote qualities truly honourable ; but
whosoever desires to be great, or chief, among
you, let him be so by Ms humility, and the
service he renders to the rest, in imitation of
roe, your Master, whose greatness consists in
tMs, that I am become the servant of you all.
Adding, as they had continued with him in
his temptation, he would bestow upon them
such a kingdom as his Father had appointed
for Mm. At the same time, to check their
ambition, and lead them to form a just notion
of his kingdom, he told them, that he was soon
to leave them ; and that whither he was going,
they could not at that time follow him : for
wMch reason, instead of contending with one
another which of them should be the greatest,
they would do well to be united among them
selves in the happy bond of love. For by loving
one another sincerely and fervently, they would
prove themselves Ms disciples, to the conviction
of mankind, who could not be ignorant that
love was a distinguishing part of his cha
racter. This is termed a new commandment, not
because mutual love had never been enjoined
to mankind before, but because it was a pfie-
cept of peculiar excellency ; for the word,
' translated new, in the Hebrew language denotes
excellency and truth. He also called this a
new commandment, because they were to ex
ercise it under a new relation, according to a
new measure, and from new motives. They
were to- love one anpther,. in the relation of his
disciples; arid in that degree' of love which :he

had showed to them ; for they were to lay down
their lives for their brethren.
This excellent doctrine, however, did not
make such an impression on Peter, as the words
which Jesus had spoken concerning a place,
whither his disciples could not come. He, there
fore, replied by asking, Where he was going?
To wMch Jesus answered, Whither I go fhoui
canst not folhio me now, but shalt follow me-
afterward. In order to make Ms disciples farther humble^,
watchful, and kindly affectioned one towards
another, he assured them that Satan was seeking
to ruin therm all by his temptations: And the
Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath de
sired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat :
but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not:
and when thou art converted, strengthen thy bre
thren. Peter was greatly offended that Ms Master
should have singled him out as the weakest: for
so he interpreted his praying for him particularly -
and supposing that he mentioned Satan's seeking
to sift Mm, as the tiling which would hinder him
from following his Master, replied, Why cannot
I follow thee now ? Is there any road more ter
rible than the dark valley of the shadow of death ?
Yet dirough these black and gloomy shades I am
•willing this moment to accompany thee.
Jesus, knowing his west, theugh.skieere reso
lution, answered, Art thou so very confident of
thine own strength ? I tell thee, that tins very
night, before the cock crows, thou wilt thrice
deny me to be thy Master.
Our blessed Saviour Having- finished what he
had to say to Peter in particular, turned himself
to his other disciples* and put them in mind,,
that when they were first sent oat, he directed
them to rely wholly upon the Almighty for

232

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIlt

assistance. When I sent you formerly, said
he, to preach the Gospel, you may remember I
ordered you to go without any provision, either
for your sustenance or defence, assuring you,
that though you would indeed meet with great
opposition, yet Providence would dispose some
men in all places to be your friends, and to
furnish you with all necessaries; and, accord
ingly, you found that you wanted for nothing,
but were wonderfully supported, without any
care or provision of your own, in the whole
journey, and finished your work with success.
But now the case is very different ; the time of
that greatest trial and distress, whereof I h?.ve
often forewarned you, is just at hand, and you
may now make all the provision in your power,
and arm yourselves against it as much as you
are able.
I have finished the work for which I was
sent into the world ; and nothing now remains
for me, but to undergo those sufferings which
the prophets have foretold concerning me, and
to complete this whole dispensation, of Provi
dence, by submitting at last to a cruel and ig-
nominious death.
The disciples, thinking their great Master
meant that they should arm themselves in a
literal sense, and endeavour to oppose the as
saults that would shortly be made upon them by
the Jews, answered, Lord, here are two swords :
but the blessed Jesus, who only intended to
convey an idea of their approaching distress
and temptations, and to arm them against the
surprise, replied, It is enough; you need not
trouble yourselves about any more weapons of
this nature for your defence.
Be not terrified and disconsolate, added the
compassionate Jesus, because I have told you
that I must undergo great sufferings, and be

taken away from you for a time.' You have al-
| ways been taught to believe in God, who is. the
Almighty preserver and -governor of all things ;
and to rely on him for deliverance in every
affliction and distress.
, Learn now, in like manner, to believe in me,
who have all power7 committed to me, as the
preserver and head of my church ; and trust
in me to accomplish fully all things that I have
promised you. If you do this, and persist sted-
fastly in the belief of my doctrine, and in the
obedience of my commands, nothing in this vale
of misery, not even persecution, or death itself,
shall be able to Mnder you from attaining die
happiness I have proposed to you. For in hea
ven, my Father's house, there is abundant room
to receive you ; otherwise I would not have filled
your minds with the hopes and expectation of
happiness. But as there are mansions sufficient
for you in another state, you may, with confi
dence and assurance, hope for the full accom
plishment of my promises, notwithstanding all
this present world may contrive or act against
you. And ye ought also to bear patiently my
departure from you at this time ; since I only
leave you to prepare a plaee, and open the
portals of those eternal habitations, where I shall
be ever with you. When I have prepared a
place for you in that eternal state, I will again
return, and take you to myself. Nor shall you
evermore be separated from me, but continue
with me to all etermty, in full participation
of my eternal glory and happiness, in the bliss
ful regions of the heavenly Canaan. You must
now surely know whither I am going, and
the way that leads to these happy seats of im
mortality. But the disciples, whose minds were not yet
fully weaned from the expectation of a tempo
ral power and glory, did not understand this

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

233

discourse of their great and beloved Master.
Accordingly, Thomas replied, Lord, we cannot
comprehend whither thou art going ; and, there
fore, must needs be ignorant of the wajv
To which the blessed Jesus answered, I my
self, as I have often told you, am the true and
only way to life ; nor can any man go thither by
any other way. If ye say, ye do not know the
Father, I tell you, that no man who knoweth
me can be ignorant of my Father, of his will, and
the manner of pleasing him. If ye know me, you
must know that all my actions have been di
rected by the will of the Father, and for the glory
of his name.
Philip answered, Lord, show us but once the
Father, and we shall be fully satisfied.
Jesus replied, Have I been so long with you,
Philip, and yet art thou a stranger to him who
sent me ? I tell you, that to know one, is to be
acquainted with both. What then can you
mean by desiring to see the Father, as if you
could be still ignorant of him, after being so
long acquainted with me ? Be assured, Philip,
that whatsoever I speak is the declaration of
Ms will, and whatsoever I do is the operation
of Ms power. And if you refuse to believe my
own affirmation, yet, at least, let my works
convince you: for they carry in them undeniable
evidences of a divine power. 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. John xiv. 12.
Surely, then, you have matter sufficient to
comfort and support your spirits under the
thoughts of my departure from you. Ye have
abundant reason to believe that I have power
to perform all the promises I have made you ;
and the design of my departure actually to
Nob. 19 & 20.

perform them. When I am returned to my
Father, ye shall soon receive sufficient pledges
of my care and remembrance of you. Ye shall
be endued with power not only to perform the
same works ye have seen me do, as healing
diseases, giving sight to the blind, casting out
devils, and the like, for the conviction of the
Jews ; but even to do greater things than these ;
to speak with all kinds of tongues, and to pro
pagate my religion among the Gentiles, even
through all the nations of the earth.
And whatsoever ye shall ask my Father, in my
name, as being my disciples, and in order to pro
mote the work of the Gospel, shall certainly be
granted you. That God may be glorified by
the extraordinary success and spreading of the
religion of his Son, I say, that whatsoever ye
shall ask, I will take care, after my return to the
Father, that it shall be granted you. Only ye
must remember, as the necessary condition upon
which all depends, that ye be careful, above all
things, to continue stedfast and immoveable in
your obedience to my commands ; this is the only
true mark you can give of the* sincerity of your
love towards me ; it is more than your grievmg
at my departure, or any other external indication
of zeal whatsoever.
The Father, I say, shall send you another
advocate and comforter, even the Holy Spirit,
the author and teacher of truth, who shall
guide and direct, assist and comfort you, in
all cases. This Spirit the sensual and corrupt
world cannot receive; having no knowledge.
of the divine truths, or disposition to be go
verned by them. But ye know them, and
are disposed to entertain them. The Spirit
of the Father is already within you, by his
secret and invisible efficacy; and shall here
after appear in you openly, by great and vi
sible manifestations.
2Y

234

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIII

Thus, though I must depart from you, yet
I do by no means leave you comfortless. I leave
you with a promise of the Holy Spirit ; and I
leave you in expectation also of my own return.
For though, after a very little while, I shall appear
no more to the world, yet to you I will appear
again ; for I shall live again, and ye also shall
live with me.
When, therefore, I have conquered and tri
umphed over death, ye shall understand more
fully, and it shall appear more visible, by great
and manifest effects, that I act in all things
agreeably to my Father's will, and am per
fectly invested with his power; and that ye,
in like manner, have my power and commis
sion communicated to you; so that there is
a perfect unity and communion between us.
Only ye must remember, that the one neces
sary condition on which all depends, is, that
ye continue stedfast and immoveable in your
faith in me, and in your obedience to my com
mands. He, and he only, who embraces my
doctrine, and obeys and practises it, shall be
judged to be sincere in his love towards me.
And he who loves me in that manner, shall be
loved by my Father ; and I myself also will love
him, and mamfest myself to him.
Here Judas Thaddeus interrupted his Master,
saying, Lord, how wilt thou choose to manifest
thyself-to us, a few particular persons, and not
to the generality of the world ?
Jesus replied, I have already told you the
reason for my acting in this manner ; because
the generality of the world are not disposed to
obey my commandments, the only way of main
taining communion with me. But ye are dis
posed to embrace my doctrine, and to obey it ;
and, therefore, I manifest myself to you. And
whoever else will so love me as to keep my com

mandments, him also will I and my Father love,
and will maintain communion with him, and
all spiritual blessings shall be poured down upon
Mm, and he shall be made a partaker of happiness
and eternal life.
On the contrary, whoever loves me not, that
is, obeys not my commandments, shall have no
intercourse or communion with me. Neither will
my Father love or honour him, or make any
manifestations of himself to him ; for as my com
mandments are not my own, but the Father's
commandments ; therefore, whoever dishonours
me, my Father will look upon hhn as dishonour
ing himself.
These things have I briefly spoken to you
now, according to the shortness of the time I am
to continue with you, and to comfort you for the
present against my departure. But when the
Comforter whom I promised you is come, even
the Holy Spirit, whom oiy Father shall send you
on my account, he shall instruct you more fully,
recalling to your remembrance what you have
forgotten, explaining what is yet obscure, and
supplying what is farther necessary to be taught
you, and to be understood by you.
In the mean time, I take my leave of you,
and my blessing I leave with you : not for
mally, and after the common fashion of the
world, but affectionately and sincerely retaining
a careful remembrance of you, and with an
earnest desire and intention of returning again
speedily to you. Wherefore be not overmuch
grieved for me and my departure, nor fearful
of what may then befal yourselves. I go away
from you, but it is with an intention, as I have
already told you, to return to you again. If
you loved me with a wise and understanding
affection, ye would rejoice, instead of grieving,
at my present departure ; because 1 am going

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

235

to my Father, the supreme author of all glory
and happiness.
These things I have now told you before they
come to pass, that when ye see them happen,
your faith in me, and your expectation of the per
formance of all my promises, may be confirmed
and strengthened. The time will not allow me
to say much more to you at present ; my end
draweth near; the ruler of this world, the prince
of the power of darkness, is at this instant em
ploying all Ms wicked instruments to apprehend
and destroy me. Not that either the power of
the devil, or the malice of man, can at all pre
vail over me, but because the time of my suffer-
mg, according to the appointment of Divine Wis
dom, is arrived ; and that I may demonstrate to
the world my love and obedience to my Father,
I willingly submit myself to be put to death by
the hands of sinful and cruel men. Bise up, let
us be going, that I may enter on my sufferings.
Having thus spoken, they finished the passover
with singing a hymn, and went out to the mount
of Olives.
On their arrival at the place which was to be
the scene of his sufferings, he desired them to
fortify themselves by prayer, and forewarned
them of the terrible effects his sufferings would
have upon them ; they would make them all
stumble that very night, agreeable to the pro
phecy of Zechariah: I will smite the Sheplierd,
and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
To strengthen their faith, therefore, he not only
mentioned bis own resurrection, but told them
they should see him in Galilee, after he was risen
from the dead.
On our blessed Saviour's mentioning the of
fence that his disciples would take at his suffering,
Peter recollected what had been said to him in

particular, before they left the house. Grieved,
therefore, afresh, to find his Master entertain such
thoughts of him, and being now armed with a
sword, the vehemence of his temper urged him
to boast a second time of his courageous and close
attachment to his Master. Though all men, said
he, should be offended because of thee, yet will I
never be offended. But Jesus, knowing that hu
man confidence and security were weak and frail,
thought proper to forewarn him again of his
danger, and told him, that the cock should not
crow before he had denied Mm.
Peter, however, still continued to repeat his
confidence : I will die with thee, but never deny
thee. The disciples all joined with Peter in
professing their fixed resolution of suffering death,
rather than they would deny their Master ; but
the event fully confirmed the prediction of our
Saviour. From hence we may learn, how igno
rant men are of their own hearts, and that the
strongest resolutions in their own strength avail
nothing. The compassionate Bedeemer of mankind, not
willing to lose one single moment of the short
time of his ministry that yet remained, continued
to instruct his disciples in the great truths he Came
into the world to explain ; and, from the vines
which were growing round him on the mount of
Olives, he began his excellent discourse with the
parable of the vine,, to the following import :
Hitherto, said the blessed Jesus, the Jewish
church and nation have been the peculiar care
of Providence; as a choice and goodly vine,
likely to bring forth much fruit, is the special
care of the husbandman. But from henceforth
my church, my disciples, and the professors of
my religion, of what country or nation soever
they be, shall become the people of God, and the
peculiar care of divine Providence. I will be to
2Y*

236'

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIII.

them as the root and stock of a vine, of which
they are the branches, and my Father the hus
bandman and vine-dresser.
As in the, management of a choice vine,
the skilful vine-dresser cuts off all barren and
superfluous branches, that they may not bur
den nor exhaust the tree ; and prunes and
dresses the fruitful branches, that they may
grow continually, and so hear more fruit : thus,
in the government of my church, all useless,
wicked, and incorrigible members, my Father,
sooner or later, by his judgments, cuts off and
destroys ; but those who are sincerely pious and
good, he, by the various and merciful dispen
sations of his providence towards them, tries,
purifies, and amends, that they may daily im
prove, and be more and more abundant in all
good works.
Now ye, my apostles, are such members as
Ijiese, being purified in heart and mind, and pre
pared for every good work, by your lively faith
in me, and sincere resolutions to obey my com
mands. Continue steadfastly in this state, and
then you may be sure of deriving all spiritual
blessings from me, as the branches receive sap
and nourishment from the vine. But as a branch,
without continuing in the vine, cannot bear any
fruit, but presently dries up and perishes ; so ye,
unless ye continue steadfast in your communion
with me, (by a lively faith and. sincere obedience,
so as to receive grace and spiritual blessings,)
can never bring forth any good fruit of true ho
liness and righteousness, but will fall into vanity,
superstition, and wickedness, and, at last, utterly
perish. 1 am, as it were, I say, the root and stock of
the vine, whereof ye are the branches. He that
continues to adhere to me, by a constant faith
in me, shall bring forth much fruit unto ever

lasting life ; even as a branch which continues
to grow in a vine, and receives sap and nou
rishment from it. But he that does not con
tinue his relation to me in this manner, becomes
a false and useless professor, and shall be cast
out from me, and perish for ever; even as a
fruitless branch is cut off from the vine, and
left to wither and dry, and is, at last, burned
in the fire.
If you continue in me, by believing my words,
and holding fast what ye believe, and obeying
and practising it accordingly; no power or ma
lice, either of man or of devils, shall be able to
hurt you, or oppose your doctrines. For though
I be absent from you in body, yet I will hear
your prayers, and my Father himself also will
hear you : and whatsoever ye shall ask, for the
glory of the Almighty, and the propagation of
my true religion in the world, shall certainly
be granted you.
But, above all things, carefully remember to
demonstrate your continuance in me, by abound
ing in all good works of holiness, righteousness,
and charity. This is the honour wMch my Fa
ther desires and expects from you ; even as it
is the glory and desire of a vine-dresser that
his vine should bring forth much fruit. And
this is the honour that I myself expect from you,
that ye shall prove yourselves to be really and
indeed my disciples, by imitating my example,
and obeying my commands. This ye are bound
to do, not only m duty, but in gratitude also ; for
as my Father hath loved me, so have I also loved
you; and ye in fike manner ought to love me
again, that you may continue to be loved by me.
But the way to express your love towards me, and
to continue to be loved by me, isto keep my com
mandments; even as I, by keeping my Father's
commandments, have expressed my love towards
him, and continue to be loved by him.

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

237

These thmgs have I spoken to you before my
departure, that the comfort ye have taken in
my presence may be continued in my absence,
and even increased until the coming of the
Holy Spirit ; as it will be upon this condition,
which 1 have so often repeated to you, that
you keep my commandments. And the prin
cipal of these commandments is, that ye love
one ^another ; not after the common fashion of
the world, but in such a manner as I have loved
you : nor can you be ignorant what sort of love
that is, when I tell you that I am now going to
lay down my life for you.
This is the highest instance in wMch it is
possible for a man to express his love towards
his greatest friends and benefactors; but this
I am now going to do for you, and for all
mankmd. 1 do not consider you as my be
nefactors, but as my friends, upon this easy
condition, only, that ye keep my command
ments. I might, indeed, justly call you ser
vants, considering the infinite distance between
me and you, and the obligations ye have to
obey my commandments ; but I have not treated
you as servants, (who are not admitted into their
Master's counsels,) but as friends, revealing to
you the whole will of my Father with all free
dom and plainness.
I have, I say, behaved myself to you as to the
nearest friends. Not that you first obliged me,
or did any acts of kindness for me ; but I have
freely, and of my own good pleasure, chosen you
to be my apostles, and the preachers of my Gos
pel, that you may go and declare the will of God
to the world, and bring forth much and lasting
fruit, in the conversion of men to the knowledge
of the truth, and to the profession and practice
of true religion. . In the performance of this
work, whatsoever ye shall ask of my, Father, in
my name, in order to enable you to perform it

effectually and with full success, shall certainly be
granted you.
Now all these things which I have spoken unto
you concerning the greatness of my love towards
you, in choosing you to be my apostles, in reveal
ing unto you the whole will of my Father, and
in laying down my life for you, I have urged
and inculcated upon you for this reason chiefly,
as I at first told you, that ye may learn, after my
example, to hve one another. The world, in
deed, you must expect, will hate and persecute
you upon my account But this you ought not
to be surprised or terrified at, knowing that it is
no worse treatment than I myself have met with
before you..
Be not, therefore, surprised when ye meet
with opposition ; nor think to find better treat
ment in the world than I myself have done.
Bemember what I have already told you, that
the disciple is not above his Master; nor is
he that is sent grteater than he that sent him.
If men had generally and readily embraced
my doctrine, you might, indeed, have had some
reason to expect that they would willingly have
received yours also. But since I myself have
suffered great indigmties and persecutions from
wicked and perverse, from obstinate and in
corrigible men, only for opposing their vices,
it is highly reasonable that you should expect
to undergo the like treatment upon the like ac
count. In all which sufferings you will, more
over, have this farther comfortable consideration •
to support you, that the justice of your own
cause, and the injustice of your persecutors, will
by that means most evidently appear; seeing ye
are persecuted only for professing and preaching
in my name the doctrine of true religion, and
they persecute you only because they know not
God, and out of mere malice will not bear to be
instructed in his commands. , ;

238

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIII.

Indeed, had not I appeared to the world with
all possible demonstrations of authority and
truth, teaching them a most holy and unde
niable doctrine, sufficient to reform their man
ners and amend their lives, and, moreover,
demonstrated my divine commission by such
proofs as ought to satisfy and convince the
most doubting and suspicious minds, they might
have had some plea and excuse of ignorance
for their unbelief. But now, since all reason
able evidence has been offered them, and pro
per methods used for their conversion and sal
vation, and yet they wilfully and obstinately
reject these means of grace, it is plain they
have no excuse for their sin ; but they oppose
and persecute you only because they will not
forsake their worldly lusts, and out of mere
malice will not bear to be instructed in the
commands of the Almighty. So that they who
oppose and persecute you, as they have before
persecuted me, show plainly that they are haters
of God, and of his most holy commandments.
Which is, as I have already told you, a plain
evidence of the justice of your own cause, and of
the injustice of your persecutors.
If I had not, I say, done such works among
them as no man ever did, they might, in
deed, have had some appearance of excuse
for their sin. But now, having seen abundant
proofs of my authority, and undeniable evi
dence of the truth of my doctrine, and yet
wilfully and obstinately persisting to oppose
jt, because inconsistent with their lusts, it is
plain that their dishonouring me, is a dishonour
done to my Father himself, and a direct con
tempt of his commands: so that they are ut
terly inexcusable. But it is no wonder, when
men have given themselves wholly up to be
governed by worldly affections, passions, and
vices, they should act contrary to all the reason
and evidence in the worid. For this is but the

natural consequence of obstinate and habitual
wickedness ; and hereby is only fulfilled in me
what holy David long since prophetically com
plained of, that they hated him without a cause.
But notwithstanding all the opposition that
wicked and incorrigible men will make against
my doctrine, there will not be wanting powerful
promoters of it, who shall effectually overcome
all opposition. For the Comforter, whom I
said I will send you from heaven, even that
Spirit of truth, which cometh forth, and is sent
from the Father, shall, when he cometh, with
wonderful efficacy bear testimony to the truth
of my doctrine, and cause it to be spread
through the world with incredible success. Nay,
and ye yourselves also, though now so weak,
fearful, and doubting, shall then very power
fully bear testimony to the truth of all the things
whereof ye, having been all along present with
me, have been eye-witnesses from the beginning.
Thus have I warned you, beforehand, of the
opposition and persecution ye must expect to
meet with in the world, that when it cometh
ye may not be surprised and terrified, so as to be
discouraged thereby from persisting in the per
formance of your duty.
Ye must expect, particularly, that the chiel
priests and rulers of the Jews, men of great
hypocrisy and superstition, zealous for their
ceremonies and ritual traditions, but careless
to know and obey the will of the Almighty
in matters of great and eternal obligation, and
invincibly prejudiced against the spiritual ho
liness and purity of my doctrine ; these, I say,
you must expect "will excommunicate you as
apostates, and cast you out of all their societies,
as the vilest of malefactors. Nay, to such an
absurd height of malice will their superstition
carry them, that they will even fancy they

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

239

promote the service of God and the cause of
religion, when they most barbarously murder
and destroy you. But I have warned you of
all this beforehand, that ye may prepare and
fortify yourselves against it; and that when
it cometh to pass, ye may remember I foretold
it to you, and your faith in me may thereby be
strengthened. It was needless to acquaint you with these
scenes of suffering while I was with you ; but
now being about to leave you, I think it neces
sary to acquaint you what things are likely to
come upon you after my departure, and also, at
the same time, what comfort you may expect, to
support you under them.
Now I must mention the melancholy part;
namely, that I am going from you, and that
great temptations will befal ydu in my ab
sence : this, indeed, ye readily apprehend, and
suffer your hearts to be overwhelmed with grief
at the thoughts of it But the comfortable part
of my discourse, namely, that my departure is
only in order to return to Him that sent me,
and that I will soon after send you the Holy
Spirit, and the other advantages that will thence
result to you, are neither considered, nor are
you solicitous about them. Nevertheless, if ye
will listen, I will plainly tell you the truth. Ye
are so far from having reason to be dejected at
the thoughts of my departure, that, on the
contrary, it is really profitable and expedient
for you that I should now depart : for such is
the order and dispensation of Providence to
wards you, and the appointment of my Fa
ther's eternal and all-wise counsel, that before
I go and take possession of my kingdom, the
Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, cannot
be sent unto you ; but when I am departed
from you, and have all power in heaven and
in earth committed unto me, then I will send

him unto you. And when he cometh, he shall
abundantly support and comfort you under all
your troubles ; shall powerfully plead your cause
against your adversaries ; and shall, with won
derful efficacy, cause the doctrine of the Gos
pel to spread and prevail in the world, against
all opposition. He shall, particularly, and in
the most extraordinary and convincing man
ner, make the world sensible of the greatness
and heinousness of a sin of which they were
not aware ; of the righteousness and justice of'
a dispensation they did not understand ; and of
the execution of a most remarkable judgment
they did not expect.
First, by wonderfully attesting and confirm
ing the truth of my doctrine, by the gift of
tongues, and other wonderful signs, he shati
convince the world of the greatness and heinous
ness of their sin in disbelieving and reject
ing me.
Secondly, by demonstrating that my departure
out of the world was not perishing and dying, but
only a returning to my Father, in order to be in
vested with all power both in heaven and earth,
he shall convince the world of the righteousness
and justice of my cause, and of the excellency of
that dispensation wMch I preach and declare to
mankind. Lastly, by mightily destroying the power of
the devil and the dominion of sin, and pro
pagating the doctrine of true religion in the
world with wonderful efficacy and success, he
shall convince men of my power and autho
rity to execute judgment upon mine enemies,
for the establishment of my kingdom upon
earth. . i.
There are yet many other tilings hereafter
to be done* in relation to the settling and es«

240

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

=

Chap. XXXlII

tablishing of my church, which, if it were
proper, I would now acquaint you with ; but
ye are not yet prepared to understand and
receive them.
Howbeit, when the Spirit of truth, whom I
promised you, is come, he shall enlarge your
understandings, remove your prejudices, and
instruct you in all necessary and divine truths,
to enable you to go through that great work
which I have begun in person, and which I will
carry on by your ministry ; for the Spirit is not
to begin any new work, or to found any new
doctrine, of himself. But as I have taught and
will teach you, only in my Father's name : so the
Spirit shall instruct you only in mine and my
Father's will, and in things necessary to promote
and carry on the same design.
Every thing that he does shall be only in or
der to manifest my glory, and establish my re
ligion in the world ; even as every thing that I
have done has been only to manifest my Father's
glory, and reveal his will to mankind. For as
all that I have taught is only what I received
from my Father, so all that the Spirit shall teach
you is only what he receives from me.
Whatsoever, I say, the Spirit shall teach you,
is only what he receives from me : for re
ceiving from my Father, I call receiving from
me ; and teaching his will, is teaching mine ;
seeing all things that the Father hath are common
to me, and all power and dominion by Mm com
mitted to me.
And now be careful to remember what matter
for comfort I have given you, and support your
selves with it under the approaching distress. It
is now, indeed, but a very little while before I
shall be taken away from you ; nevertheless, let
not tMs cause you to despair ; for, after I am

departed, it will be also a little while before I ap
pear to you again ; forasmuch as my being taken
away from you is not perishing, but only return
ing to my Father.
At these last words of Jesus, the disciples were
greatly disturbed and troubled, not understand
ing his true meaning, that in a very short time he
should be taken from them by death ; and that
after having overcome death, by a glorious re
surrection, he would appear to them again, be
fore bis ascension into heaven. Not understand
ing this, I say, they inquired one of another, What
can he mean, by telling us that in a very little
time he shall be taken out of our sight ; and that
in a very little time more we shall see him again,
and this because he goeth to the Father ? We
cannot understand the meaning of all this.
Jesus, observing their perplexity, and knowing
that they were desirous of asking him, replied,
Why are ye thus disturbed and perplexed about
what I told you ? Is it a thing so very hard to
be understood, that I said, Within a very little
time I should be taken away from you, and that
within a very little time more I should appear to
you agam ? Verily, verily, I tell you, I must very
soon depart out of this world. Then the world,
who are your enemies, will rejoice and triumph
over you, as if they had destroyed me, and
wholly suppressed you ; and ye, for your parts,
will be overwhelmed with grief and sorrow.
But within a short time I will return to you again,
and then your sorrow shall be turned into ex
ceeding great joy.
Even as a woman when she is in labour hath
great pain and sorrow, for the present ; but as soon
as she is delivered forgets all her sufferings, and
rejoices gready at the birth of her son ; so ye,
while ye are under the immediate apprehensions of
my departure from you, and during that time of

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

241

distress and temptation which shall befal you in
my absence, will be full of sorrow and anxiety
of mind : but when I return to you again, then
shall ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
glory, and no power or malice of man shall ever
be able to take from you any more the cause or
continuance of it.
But though I shall return to you again, and
your hearts will thereupon be filled with inex
pressible joy, and which never shall be taken
from you any more ; yet there will be no neces
sity that I should then continue long with you in
person, to instruct you upon every occasion, as I
have now done with my own mouth. For be
sides that the Holy Spirit will be sent to instruct
you in all things necessary, my Father himself
also will hear your petitions, and be ready to
grant you whatsoever you shall desire of hirri in
my name, as bemg my disciples.
Hitherto ye have asked nothing of God in my
name : but from henceforth put up your petitions
in my name ; and whatsoever ye shall so ask, for
the glory of God, and in order to enable you to
go through the work of your ministry success
fully, shall certainly be granted you : that your
joy, which will begin at my appearing to you
again after my death, may be completed by the
wonderful success and efficacy of your ,own
mmistry. These things I have told you at present imper
fectly and obscurely, according as your capacities
are able to bear them. But the time is coming
when I will speak to you with more openness,
freedom, and plainness, the whole will of my
Father concerning the nature and establishment
of my kingdom, and what things and in what
manner ye ought to pray unto him for.
At that time ye shall with firm assurance pray
Nos. 21 & 22.

to my Father in my name for what ye want.
And I need not tell you, that I will intercede with
the Father on your behalf; for beside the love he
has borne for me, and the power and authority
my prayers have with him, he has moreover of
himself a great love for you, and a ready dispo
sition to grant your prayers, because ye are be
come grateful and acceptable to him, by your
love towards me, which ye have shown in em
bracing willingly that holy doctrine which I have
revealed to you from him.
To conclude. The sum of what I have told
you is briefly and plainly this: I came down
from heaven from God my Father, and have
lived upon earth in the state of frail and mortal
man, that I might reveal to mankind the will of
my heavenly Father, and the way to attain eter
nal life and happiness ; and now having finished
this great work, I am about to leave this world,
and return again to my Father, from whence I
at first came.
These last words of Jesus being more plain
and express than any he had before spoken, so
that now the disciples clearly perceived that the
departure he had so 'often mentioned was no
other than his actual going out of tMs world ;
they replied, Now, Lord, you speak plainly, and
without any figure ; so that we apprehend fully
what you mean. And now that our curiosity is
satisfied, you have likewise greatly confirmed our
faith ; having given us a certain token whereby
we are assured that you know all things, even the
hearts and secret thoughts of men ; since you have
answered us a question which gave us great per
plexity, and were desirous to ask your opinion,
but were afraid; but now we are convinced that
you are endued with a truly divine power, and
did indeed come forth from God.
To which Jesus answered, And do you now at
2Z

242

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIII.

length firmly believe in me ? Are ye resolved
to continue steadfast in this faith ? Do you
think yourselves able to persevere immoveably
in the profession of it ? Be not confident of your
own strength ; but pray that ye may be delivered
from temptation in the time of distress, such as
will come upon you much sooner than ye expect.
For I tell you, that ye will all of you, within a
few hours, utterly forsake me, and fly, in hopes
to secure yourselves, leaving me alone. And yet
I should not say alone, since my Father is with
me, who is more than all.
I have, therefore, acquainted you with these
things beforehand, that your minds may be fur
nished with sufficient matter of comfort and
strength to bear up under all temptations, from
the consideration of my having foretold both
what distress will befal you, and how ye shall
terminate your victory over all your enemies.
You must, indeed, expect to meet with much
affliction ; but let not this discourage you : I have
subdued the world; follow my example, and
partake of my reward.
Having thus finished his discourse, Jesus lifted
up his eyes to heaven, and prayed with great fer
vency to his Father; (the prayer itself is re
corded in the seventeenth chapter of John ;) the
substance and import of it as follows :
" O Almighty Father! now the time of my
suffering, for which I was sent into the world, is
arrived. I entreat thee, support me under it,
and make me triumph over death by a glorious
resurrection, and ascension into heaven, that by
these means the glory may redound to thee, and
cause thy will to be believed and obeyed through
all the world, to the salvation of mankind, ac
cording to the full intent of that office and power
with which thou didst originally invest me. In
order to the bringing about this great design of

salvation, I have declared thy will to mankind ;
I have published thy precepts, and discharged
the great mission intrusted to me ; I have
preached thy doctrine of repentance to salva
tion, and have finished the work which thou
sentest me to do, to the glory of thy name upon
earth; and now, to complete the great design, do
thou, O Almighty Father, likewise glorify me
with thine own self. Support me under my suf
ferings ; let me prevail and triumph over death,
by a glorious resurrection, and exalt me again
to the same glory in heaven which I had with
thee before the creation of the universe. I have
manifested thy will to the disciples, the men that
thou gavest me out of the world. To those per
sons thou didst, in thine infinite wisdom, appoint
that thy truth should be made known. Therefore
to them I have revealed the mysteries of thy
kingdom, the precepts of thy Gospel, and the
doctrine of thy salvation.
" And this doctrine they have willingly em
braced, steadfastly adhered to, and sincerely
obeyed ; as they are fully satisfied and con
vinced, that what I taught them, as from thee,
was really a divine doctrine, taught by thine
immediate appointment and command ; and
that I did not preach any human invention or
institution of men, but was really sent by thy
divine authority and commission.
" For these persons, therefore, I now pray,
that as thou hast begun the work of their sal
vation, by my preaching and revealing to them
thy will, while I have been present with them
here upon earth ; so also that thou wouldest
preserve them when I am departed from this
world, and complete the work of their redemp
tion by my resurrection, and ascension into
heaven after my death. I do not pray for the
unbelieving, impenitent world, but for those who
have embraced that most holy doctrine, which

Chap. XXXIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

243

thou hast taught them through me by my preach
ing ; for those who have glorified, and will glo
rify, my name by their ministry, and who, con
sequently, are to be esteemed as thine own, in
common with me. I am now about to leave the
world, in order to return to thee : but these my
disciples, who shall continue after me, I recom
mend to thy divine protection when I shall be
gone. Endue them with powers to persevere in
preaching and practising the truth, and to de
liver the same holy doctrines which I have given
to them, that so they may remain inseparably
united to me, as I am to thee. So long as I have
been with them in the world, I have watched
over them, and kept them from falling away,
both by exampre, preaching, and continual ad
monition, according to the power and authority
which thou didst commit to me; nor has any one
of my Apostles miscarried under my cart, except
that perfidious traitor, who, as the Scriptures
foretold, has ungratefully conspirea with my
enemies to destroy me, and will perish according
to his deserts.
" While I have continued with my disciples,
I have watched over them, and preserved them
under mine own eye ; but now, as I am going
to leave the world, I beseech thee to keep and
assist them by thy good Spirit, and let the
expectation of their continuing under thy special
care and protection, be their comfort and sup
port in my absence. The world, indeed, will
persecute and hate them on this account, as
my doctrine is repugnant to the lusts and af
fections, the passions, designs, and inclinations,
of woridly men: it must necessarily be that
the vicious and incorrigible world will oppose
and persecute them, as it has before persecuted
me. I beseech thee, therefore, to take them
under thy particular care, to support them
against the violence and oppression of an
' evil world. I do not desire that thou should

est take them out of the world, but preserve
them in it, to be instruments of thy word, thy
glory, and to be teachers of thy truth ; nor
suffer them to be either destroyed by the ma
lice and violence, or corrupted by the evil cus
toms and opinions, of a perverse and wicked
generation. " They are of a temper and spirit very dif
ferent from the current affection and common
dispositions of the world, according to the ex
ample of purity which I have set before them.
Do thou preserve and increase in them that
moderation and candour of mind ; cause them
to be thoroughly affected and impressed with
that true doctrine so frequently recommended
to them from my mouth, so as to express it
visibly in their lives and practice, and to
promote it zealously in their preaching, that
they may, both by their word and good ex
ample, become worthy and successful ministers
of my Gospel.
" For as thou hast sent me into the world to
reveal thy will to mankind, so send I these my
Apostles to continue preaching the same doctrine
begun by me. And the principal design of my
exemplary life, constant teaching, and now vo
luntary offering myself to death, is to atone for
sins, and enable these my servants to preach my
doctrines with success and efficacy for the salva
tion of men. Neither pray I for these my Apos
tles only, but for all others who shall, by their
preaching and practice, promote thy true reli
gion ; and being converted from the world,
may, by their sincere endeavours, go on to re
form others, convincing the world of the excel
lency of their religion, and consequently en
forcing men to acknowledge the truth and divine
authority thereof. For promoting which great
end, I have communicated to my Apostles the
same power and authority for doing mighty
2Z*

244

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXX111.

works for the confirmation of their doctrine,
and the evidence of thy truth, as thou didst com
municate to me ; that so I working them, as
thou'hast done in me, and thus, confirmed with
great efficacy and demonstration of the Spirit,
they may declare the same doctrine which I
published in person : the world may, by this
evidence, be convinced that I was really sent
by thee, and that my disciples act by the same
divine commission.
" Holy and Almighty Father ! all those whom
thou hast given me, who have heartily embraced
my doctrine, and sincerely obeyed it, I desire
that thou wouldest make them partakers of the
same happiness with myself, and exalt them to
behold the incomprehensible glory which I had
with thee, in thy eternal love before the foun
dation of the world. The generality of mortals,
O righteous Father ! have not known thee, nor
been willing to embrace and obey the reve
lation of thy will. But I have known thy will,
and have made it known to my disciples, men
of simplicity and honesty; and they have em
braced and obeyed it. And I will continually
make it known to them more and more, that
they may grow up and improve in faith, in
holiness, and in all good works, so as finally
to arrive, and cause others to arrive, at that
eternal happiness which is the effect of thy in-
fimte love towards me, and through me towards
them." This pious and benevolent prayer being
ended, Jesus and his disciples came down
from the mount of Olives^ into a field below,
called Gethsemane, through which the brook
Cedron ran, and in it, on the other side of
the brook, was a garden, called, The Garden
of Gethsemane. Here he desired his disciples
to sit down, till he should retire to pray ; taking
with him Peter, James, and John, those three

select disciples, whom he had before chosen to
be witnesses of Ms transfiguration, and now to
be eye-witnesses of Ms passion, leaving the other
disciples at the garden door, to watch the ap
proach of Judas and his band.
The sufferings he was on the point of under
going were so great, that the very prospect of
them excited this doleful exclamation : My soul
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry
ye here, and watch. On this great occasion he
sustained those grievous sorrows in his soul, by
which, as well as by dying on the cross, he be
came a sin-offering, and accomplished the re
demption of mankind.
He now withdrew from them about a stone's
cast, and his human nature being overburdened
beyond measure, he found it necessary, to re
tire and pray, that, if it were possible or con
sistent with the salvation of the world, he might
be delivered from the sufferings which were
then lying on him. It was not the fear of
dying on the cross, which made him speak
or pray in such a manner. To suppose this,
would infinitely degrade his character ; make his
sufferings as terrible as possible, and clothe them
with all the aggravating circumstances of dis
tress : yet the blessed Jesus, whose human nature
was strengthened by being connected with the
Divine, could not but shrink at the prospect of
such sufferings as he had to endure. He ad
dresses his divine Father with a sigh of fervent
wishes, that the cup might, if possible, be re
moved from Mm. In the Greek it is, O that thou
wouldest remove this cup from me ! And having
first kneeled and prayed, he fell prostrate on his *
face, accompanying his address with due expres- '
sions of resignation ; adding immediately, Not as
I will, but as thou wilt.
Having prayed, he returned to his disciples;

Chap. XXXIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

245

and finding them asleep, he said to Peter, Simon,
steepest thou ? couldest thou not watch one hour ?
Thou, who so lately didst boast of thy courage
and constancy in my service, oanst thou so soon
forget thy Master ?
But in his great distress he never lost sight of
that kind concern he had for his disciples. Watch
ye, says he, andpray, lest ye enter into temptation.
Neither was he, on those extraordinary occa
sions, in the least chagrined with the offences
which they had committed through frailty and
human weakness. On the contrary, he was al
ways willing to make excuses for them ; alleging
in their defence, thai the spirit truly was willing,
but the flesh was weak. It seems, from these par
ticulars, that he spent some considerable time in
his addresses ; because his disciples fell asleep in
his absence, and he himself retired again to pray ;
for the sorrows of our Lord continuing to in
crease upon him, affected him to such a degree,
that he retired a second time, and prayed to the
same purpose, saying, O my Father, if this, cup
man not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy
will be done : after which he returned again to
them, and found them asleep, for their eyes were
heavy. He returned thus frequently to his disciples,
that they, by reading his distress in his coun
tenance and gesture, might be witnesses of his
passion ; which proves that his pains were be
yond description intense and complicated : for
he went away the third time to pray, and not
withstanding an angel was sent from heaven to
comfort and strengthen him, yet they over
whelmed Mm, and threw him into an agony;
upon which he still continued to pray more
earnestly. But the sense of his sufferings still increasing,
they strained his whole body to so violent a

degree, that his blood, as it were, was pressed
through the pores of his skin, which it pervaded,
together with his sweat, and fell down in large
drops on the ground. And he left them, and
went away again. And there appeared an angel
unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And
being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly: and
his sweat was as it were great drops of blood
falling down to the ground. Thus did he suffer
unspeakable sorrows in his soul, as long as the
Divine Wisdom thought proper.
At length he obtained relief, being heard on
account of his perfect and entire submission to the
will of his heavenly Father. And when he rose up
from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he
found them sleeping for sorroio. This circum
stance shows how much the disciples were af
fected with their Master's sufferings. The sen
sations of grief which they felt on seeing his un
speakable distress,, so overpowered them, that
they sunk into a sleep.
Our blessed Saviour, for the last time, came to
his disciples, and seeing them still asleep, he said,
Sleep on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour
is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into
the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; be
hold, he is at hand that doth betray me. Matt.
xxvi. 45, &c. The event will soon be over
which causes your sorrow ; I am betrayed, and
ready to be delivered unto death.
CHAP. XXXIV.
The blessed Redeemer is taken by a band
of Soldiers, at the information of the
traitor Judas. Heals a wound given the
High-priest's Servant by SimonPeter.
JUDAS, who had often resorted to the gar
den of Gethsemane with the disciples of
our Lord, knowing the spot, and the usual time

246

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIV.

of his Master's repairing thither, informed the
chief priests and elders, that the proper time
for apprehending Jesus was now come. They,
therefore, sent a band of soldiers with him,
and servants carrying lanterns and torches to
show them the way ; because, though it was
always full-moon at the passover, the sky might
be dark with clouds, and the place whither
they were going was shaded with trees. At
the same time a deputation of their number
accompanied the band, to see that every one
did his duty.
Judas having thus received a band of men
and officers from the chief priests and Phari
sees, they went thither with lanterns, and torches,
and weapons ; for they were exceeding anxious
to secure and get him into their hands ; and
the soldiers having, perhaps, never seen Jesus
before, found it necessary that Judas should
distinguish him, and point him out to them by
some particular sign.
The treacherous Judas went before the band,
at a small distance, to prepare them for the
readier execution of their office, by kissing his
Master, which was the token agreed upon,
that they might not mistake him, and seize a
wrong person. And Tie that was called Judas,
one of the twelve, went before them, and drew
near unto Jesus, to kiss him. Stung with re
morse at the horrid engagement into which he
had entered, and not being now able to retract
from the execution of it, he determined to make
use of art in his vile proceedings, and weakly-
imagined he could deceive him whom he was
about to betray, on a supposition that when
he should give the kiss, it might be considered
by his Master as a singular mark of his af
fection. When, therefore, they approached near
the spot, Judas (who was at the head of the
band) suddenly ran forward, and coming up

to Jesus, said, Hail, Master! and kissed him.
And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art
thou come ? Betrayest thou the Son of man with
a kiss? Before, however, Judas could make
any reply, the band (who had fixed their eyes
on the person he had kissed) arrived imme
diately, and surrounded Jesus.
The artifice and wicked designs of the base
and perfidious Judas are here manifestly dis
played. In order to conceal his villany from
his Master and his disciples, he walked hastily ;
and, without waiting for the band, went up
directly and saluted him ; wishing, perhaps, to
have that considered as a token of apprizing
him of his danger. But Jesus did not fail to
convince him that he knew the meaning and
intent of his salutation, saying, Betrayest thou
the Son of man with a kiss ? Judas certainly
concealed his treachery so well, that Peter did
not suspect him, or it is probable he would haye
struck at him rather than at Malchus, the high-
priest's servant.
The appointed time of our Lord's sufferings
being now come, he did not, as formerly, avoid
his enemies ; but, on the contrary, on then tell
ing him they sought Jesus of Nazareth, he re
plied, / am he; thereby intimating to them,
that he was willing to put himself into their
hands. At the same time to show them, that
they could not apprehend him without his own
consent, he, in an extraordinary manner, exerted
his divine power ; he made the whole band fall
back, and threw them to the ground. Jesus,
therefore, knowing all things that should come
upon him, went forth, and said unto them,
Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of
Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And
Judas also, who betrayed him, stood with them.
As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he,
they went backward, and fell to the ground.

Chap. XXXIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

247

But the soldiers and the Jews, imagining per
haps that they had been thrown down by
some demon or evil spirit, with whom the
Jews said he was in confederacy, advanced
towards him a second time. Then asked he
them again, Whom seek ye? And they said,
lesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have
fold you that I am he; expressing again his
willingness to fall into their hands. If, there
fore, ye seek me, let these go their way. If
your business be with me alone, suffer my dis
ciples to pass ; for the party had surrounded
them also. He seems to have made this re
quest to the soldiers, that the saying might be
fuMlled which he spake, Of them which thou
gavest me have I lost none. For as he always
proportioned the trials of his people to their
strength ; so here he took care that the disciples
should escape the storm, which none but himself
could sustain.
At length one of the soldiers, more daring
than the rest, rudely caught Jesus, and bound
him ; upon which Peter drew his sword, and
smote off the ear of the high-priest's servant,
who probably was showing greater forwardness
than the rest in this business. Then Simon
Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the
high-priesfs servant, and cut off his right ear;
the servant's name was Malchus. The enraged
disciple was on the point of singly attacking
the whole band, when Jesus ordered him to
sheath his sword; telling him, that his un
seasonable and imprudent defence might prove
the occasion of his destruction. Then said
Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into
his place ; for all they that take the sword shall
perish with the sword. Matt. xxvi. 52. He told
Mm likewise, that it implied both a distrust
of God, who can always employ a variety of
means for the safety of his people, and also
Ms ignorance in the Scriptures : Thihkest thou.

said he, 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 fulfilledtlhat thus it must be. Matt
xxvi. 53.
The word legion was a Boman military term,
being a name which they gave to a body of
five or six thousand men. Wherefore, in re
gard that the band, which now surrounded
them, was a Boman cohort, our Lord might
make use of this term, by way of contrast, to
show what an inconsiderable thing the cohort
was, in comparison of the force he could sum
mon to his assistance ; more than twelve le
gions, not of soldiers, but of angels. He yet
was tenderly inclined to prevent any bad con
sequences which might have followed from Pe
ter's rashness, by healing the servant, and adding,
in his rebuke to him, a declaration of his willing
ness to suffer. The cup which my Father hath
given me, shall I not drink it ?
The circumstance of his healing the ear of
Malchus by touching it, evidently implies that no
wound or distemper was incurable in the hand
of Jesus ; neither was any injury so great that
he could not forgive. It seems somewhat sur
prising that this evident miracle did not make
an impression upon the chief priests, especially
as our Lord put them in mind, at the same
time, of his other miracles; for having first said,
Suffer ye thus far ; — and he touched his ear, and
healed him : he added, Be ye come out as against
a thief, with swords and staves ? When I ivas
daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth
no hands against me: but this is your hour,
and the power of darkness. Luke xxi. 5 1 , &c.
The priests had kept at a distance for some
time, but drew near when they understood that
Jesus was in their power ; for they were proof

248

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXV.

against all conviction, being obstinately bent on
putting him to death. And the disciples, when
they saw their Master in the hands of his
enemies, forsook him, and fled, according to his
prediction ; notwithstanding they might have fol
lowed him without any danger, as the priests
had no design against them. Then all the dis
ciples forsook him, and fled. Then the band, and
the captain and officers, took Jesus, and bound
him. But it was not the cord which held him ;
his infinite love was by far the stronger bond.
He could have broken those weak ties, and ex
erted his divinity in a more wonderful manner ;
he could have stricken them all dead, with as
much ease as he had before thrown them on the
ground : but he patiently submitted to this, as to
every other indignity which they chose to offer
him ; so meek was he under the greatest injuries:
Having thus secured him, they led him away.
And there followed him a certain young man,
having a linen cloth cast about his naked body ;
and the young men laid hold on him: and he
left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
This, perhaps, was the proprietor of the garden;
who being awakened by the noise, came out
with the linen cloth, in which he had been
lying, cast round his naked body ; and having
a respect for Jesus, followed him, forgetting the
dress he was in.
They first led Jesus to Annas, father-in-law
of Caiaphas, who was high-priest that year.
Annas having himself discharged the office of
high-priest, was, consequently, a person of dis
tinguished character, which, together with his
relation to the high-priest, made him worthy of
the respect they now paid him. But he re
fused, singly, to meddle in the affair; they,
therefore, carried Jesus to Caiaphas himself, at
whose palace the chief priests, elders, and
scribes, were assembled, having staid there all
night to see the issue of their stratagem. This

Caiaphas was he that advised the Council to
put Jesus to death, even admitting he was
innocent, for the safety of the whole Jewish
nation. He seems to have enjoyed the sacer
dotal dignity during the whole course of Pilate's
government in Judea ; for he was advanced by
Valerius Graccus, Pilate's predecessor, and was
divested of it by Vitellius, governor of Syria,
after he had deposed Pilate from his procu-
ratorship.
CHAP. XXXV.
Fulfilment of our Lord's prediction con
cerning Peter.
THE apprehending of their dear Master
could not but strike his disciples with
horror and amazement. Though he had fore
warned them of that event, such was their con
sternation, that they fled different ways. Some of
them, however, recovering out of the panic that
had seized them, followed the band at a distance,
to see what the issue would be. Of this num
ber was Peter, and another disciple, whom John
has mentioned without giving his name, and who,
therefore, is supposed to have been John himself.
This disciple being acquainted at the high-
priest's, got admittance for himself first, and soon
after for Peter, who had come with Mm. And
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another
disciple. That disciple was known unto the
high-priest, and went in with Jesus into the
palace of the high-priest. But Peter stood at the
door withbut. Then went out that other disciple
which was known unto the high-priest, and spake
unto them that kept the door, and -brought in
Peter. And when they had kindled a fire in
the midst of the hall, and were set down toge
ther, Peter sat down among them. The maid ser
vant, who kept the door, concluding Peter to

Chap. XXXV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

249

be a disciple also, followed him after to the
fire, and looking earnestly at him, charged
him with the supposed crime. Then saith
the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art
not thou also one of this man's disciples ? This
blunt attack threw Peter into such confusion,
that he flatly denied his having any connec
tion with Jesus ; replying, / am not, and add
ing, J know not, neither understand I what
thou sayest. As if he had said, I do not un
derstand any reason for yOur asking me such
a question. Thus the very Apostle who had before ac
knowledged Ms "Master to be the Messiah, the
Son of the Jiving God, and had so confidently
boasted of his fortitude and firm attachment to
bim in the greatest dangers, proved himself an
arrant deserter of his cause upon trial. His
shameful fears were altogether inexcusable, as
the enemy who attacked him was one of the
weaker sex, and the terror of the charge was
in a great measure taken off by the insinua
tion made in it, that John was likewise known
to be Christ's disciple ; for as he was known
at the high priest's, he was, consequently, known
in that character. Art thou not also one of this
man's disciples ? Art thou not one of them as
well as he who is sitting with you ? JNothing
can account for this conduct of Peter, but the
confusion and panic which had seized him on
this occasion. As his inward perturbation must
have appeared in his countenance and gesture,
he did not choose to stay long with the ser
vants at the fire. He went out, therefore, into
the porch, where he was a little concealed.
And he went into the porch. After he had
been some time there, another maid saw him,
and began to say to them that stood by, This
is one of them ; and he again denied it, with
an oath, I know not the man : adding perjury
to falsehood.
Nos. 21 & 22.

After Peter had been thus attacked without
doors, he thought proper to return, and mix
with the crowd at the fire. And Simon Peter
stood and warmed himself. From this circum
stance, it is clear, that the ensuing was the
third denial ; and that Peter left the porch k
where the second denial happened, and was
come again into the hall. Here one of the ser
vants of the high-priest (being his kinsman whose
mr Peter cut off,) saith, Did I not see thee in the
garden with him ? Peter then denied again, and
immediately the cock crew. The words of Mal
chus' kinsman bringing to Peter's remembrance
what he had done to that man, threw him into
such a panic, that when those that stood by
repeated the charge, he impudently denied it
He even began to curse and to swear, saying, J
know not this man of whom ye speak. For
when they heard Peter deny the charge, they
supported it by an argument drawn from the
accent with which he pronounced his answer.
Surely thou art one of them ; for thou art a
Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto: so
that being pressed on all sides, to give his lie
the better colomy he profaned the name of
God, by imprecating the bitterest curses on
himself, if he was telling a falsehood. Perhaps
he hoped, by these acts of impiety, to convince
them effectually that he was not a disciple of the
holy Jesus.
Thus the Apostle denied his Master three
distinct times, with oaths and asseverations,
totally forgetting the vehement protestations he
had made a few hours before, that he would
never deny him. He was, probably, permitted
to fall in this manner, to teach us two lessons :
first, that the strongest resolutions, formed in
our own strength, cannot withstand the torrent
of temptation ; secondly, that the true disciples
of Christ, though they fall, may be brought
to a conviction of their sm ; for he no sooner
3A

250

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXVI.

denied his Master the third time, than the cock
crew, and first awakened in him a conscious
ness of his sin. And the Lord turned, and
looked upon Peter: and Peter remembered the
words of the Lord, how he had said unto him,
Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
And Peter went out and wept bitterly. Saint
Luke is the Evangelist who particularly men
tions this beautiful circumstance of Christ turn
ing and looking on Peter. The members #f
the council who sat on Jesus were placed at
the upper end of the hall ; at the other were
the servants, with Peter at the fire : so that
Jesus being, probably, placed on some emi
nence, that his judges, who were numerous,
might see and hear him, could easily look over
towards Peter, and observe him denying him,
and in passionate " terms, loud enough to be
heard, perhaps, over all the place. The look
pierced him, and, with the crowing of the cock,
brought his Master's prediction fresh into his
mind. He was stung with deep remorse, and
being unable to contain himself, he covered his
face with his garment, to conceal the confusion
he was in, and, going out into the porch, wept
very bitterly. All this passed wMle the priests
examined Jesus with many taunts and revilings;
and while the most zealous of Christ's disciples
was denying him with oaths and imprecations,
the people insulted him in the most inhuman
manner. Thus a complication of injuries, insults,
and indignities, was at one time heaped upon the
blessed Bedeemer, the meek and mild Jesus, in
order to fulfil the prophecies concerning him, and
teach his followers a lesson of humility.
CHAP. XXXVI.
The Saviour of the World is arraigned
at the Bar of the Sanhedrim, and tried
by the Jewish Council.

WHEN the, band of soldiers arrived at
the high-priest's with Jesus, they found
there all the chief priests, the scribes, and
the elders, assembled. And as soon as it was
day, the elders of the people, and the chief
•priests, and the scribes, came together, and led
him into their council. And the high-priest
asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doc
trine. He inquired of him what his disciples
were — for what end he had gathered' them — <
whether it was to make himself a king— and
what the doctrine was which he taught them.
In these questions there was a great deal of
art; for as the crime laid to our Saviour's
charge was, that he had set up for the Mes
siah, and deluded the people, they expected he
would claim that dignity in their presence, and
so would, on his own confession, have con
demned him without any farther progress. This
was unfair, as it was artful and ensnaring. To
oblige a prisoner on his trialto confess what
might take away his life, was a" very iniquitous
method of proceeding : and Jesus expressed Ms .
opinion thereof with very good reason, and com
plained of it, bidding them prove what they
had laid to his charge by witnesses. Jesus
answered him, I spake openly to the world: 1
ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temr
pie, 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 1 said.
It was greatly to the honour of our blessed
Bedeemer, that all his actions were done in
public, under the eye even of his enemies:
because, had he been carrying on any imposture,
the lovers of goodness and truth had thus
abundant opportunities of detecting him with
propriety. He, therefore, in his defence, appealed
to that part of his character; but Ms answer was
construed to be disrespectful ; for when he had
thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by,

Chap. XXXVI.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

251

struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying,
Answerest thou the high-priest so ? To which he
meekly replied, with the greatest serenity, If I
have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well,
why smitest thou me ? Show me, prove before this
court, wherein my crime consists, or record it on
the evidence on the face of my trial : which if you
cannot, how can you answer this inhuman treat
ment to a defenceless prisoner, standing on Jiis
trial before the world, and in open court.
Thus Jesus became an example of his own
precept : Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the other also. Matt. v. 39.
Bearing the greatest injuries with a patience that
could" not be provoked.
When the council found that Jesus declined
answering the questions, whereby they expected
to have drawn from him an acknowledgment of
his being the Messiah, they proceeded to examine
many witnesses, to prove his having assumed
that character ; as they considered such a pre
tension as blasphemy in his mouth, who being
only a man, according to their opinion, could
not, without the Mghest affront of the divine
Majesty, pretend to the title of the Son of God,
as it belonged only to the Messiah.
But in this examination they acted like inte
rested and enraged persecutors, rather than as
impartial judges, forming their questions in the
most artful manner, in order, if possible, to draw
expressions from him, which they might pervert
into suspicions of guilt, as some foundation for
condemning Jesus, who had so long and faith
fully laboured for their salvation.
Their witnesses, however, disappointed them ;
some of thern disagreeing in their story, and
others mentioning things of no manner of im
portance. At last two persons agreed in their

depositions, namely, in hearing him say that he
was able to destroy the temple of God, and to
raise it in three days. But this testimony was
absolutely false ; for our great Bedeemer never
said he could destroy and build the temple of
Jerusalem in three days, as they affirmed. It is
true, that after banishing the traders from the
temple, when the Jews desired to know by what
authority he undertook to make such a refor
mation, he referred them to the miracle of his
resurrection ; bidding them destroy this temple,
(pointing probably to his body,) and in three
days he would raise it up. The witnesses, there
fore, either through malice or ignorance, per
verted his answer into an affirmation that he was
able to destroy and build the magnificent temple
of Jerusalem in three days; and the judges con
sidered this assertion as blasphemy, because it
could only be done by the divine power.
Our Saviour made no reply to the evidences
that were produced against him, which greatly
provoked the high-priest; who, supposing that
he intended by his silence to put an affront on
the council, rose from his seat, and with great
perturbation demanded the reason for so re
markable a conduct.. Answerest thou nothing?
said he; What is it which these witness against
thee? And some of the council added, Art thou
the Christ ? To which our blessed Saviour an
swered, If I should tell you plainly, you would
not believe me ; and if I should demonstrate
it to you by the most evident and undeniable
arguments, ye would neither be convinced nor
let me go.
The high-priest, finding all his attempts to
trepan our Saviour in vain, said to him, I
adjure you solemnly, by the dreadful and tre
mendous name of God, in whose presence you
stand, that you tell me plainly and truly, whether
you are the Messiah, the Son of God i
3 A*

252

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXVII.

The consequence attending the confession
of the truth, did not intimidate the blessed-
Jesus: for being adjured by the chief magis
trate, he immediately acknowledged the charge ;
adding, Ye shall shortly see a convincing evi
dence of this truth, in that wonderful and un
paralleled destruction which I will send upon
the Jewish nation ; in the quick and powerful
progress which the Gospel shall make upon the
earth ; and, finally, in my glorious appearance in
the clouds of heaven at the last day, the sign
you have so often demanded in confirmation of
my mission.
Upon our blessed Saviour's making this an
swer, a number of them cried out at once, Art
thou the Son of God ? To which our great
Bedeemer replied, Ye say that I am: a manner
of speaking among the Jews, which expressed
a plain and strong affirmation of the thing
expressed. When the high-priest heard this second as
sertion, he rent his clothes, with great indigna
tion, and said unto the council, Why need we
trouble ourselves to seek for any more wit
nesses? Ye yourselves, nay, this whole as
sembly, are witnesses, that he hath spoken
manifest and notorious blasphemy: What think
ye? To which they all replied, That for as
suming to himself the character of the Messiah,
he deserved to be put to death.
Then began the servants and common people
to fall upon him, as a man already condemned ;
spitting upon him, buffeting him, and offering
him all manner of rudeness and indignities.
They blindfolded him : and some of the council,
in order to ridicule him for having professed
to be the great Prophet, bid him exercise Ms
prophetical gift, in declaring who had smitten
him.

Such was the treatment of the Son of God,
the Saviour of sinners, which, though deroga-J
tory to his character, he bore with patience and
resignation, leaving his people an example to
follow his steps, and submit to the will of God
in all things, nor murmur at any of the dispen
sations of his providence.
CHAP. XXXVII.
Our blessed Saviour is carried before the
Roman Governor. The Traitor Judas
becomes his own Executioner. Pilate
publicly acquits Jesus, and refers his
Case to the Decision of Herod.
THE blessed Jesus being thus condemned,
by the unanimous voice of the grand as
sembly, it was resolved to carry him before
the governor, that he likewise might pass sen
tence on him. The Bpman governors of Judea
generally resided at Cesarea : but at the great
feast they came up to Jerusalem, to prevent
or suppress tumults, and to admmister justice;
it being a custom for the Roman governors of
provinces to visit the principal towns under
their jurisdiction, on this latter account. Pilate
being, accordingly, come to Jerusalem, some
time before the feast, had been informed of the
great ferment among the rulers, and the true
character of the person on whose account it was
raised ; for he entertained a just notion of it :
he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
He knew the cause of their envy, was inir
pressed with a favourable opinion of Jesus,
and wished, if possible, to deliver him from
his vile persecutors.
Early in the morning the Jewish council
brought Jesus to the hall of judgment, or go
vernor's palace. They themselves, however,
went riot into the hall, but stood without, lest

Chap. XXXVII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

253

they should be defiled, and rendered incapable
of eating the passover.
Now Judas Iscariot, who had delivered his
Master into the. hands of the council, finding
Ms project turn out very different from what
he expected, was filled with the deepest re
morse for what he had done. He saw all his
golden dreams of temporal honours and advan
tages sunk at once to nothing ; he saw his kind,
his indulgent Master condemned, and forsaken
by all his followers. He saw all this, and de-
ter mined to make all the satisfaction in his power
for the crime he had committed.
Accordingly he came, and confessed openly his
sm before the chief priests and elders, offered
them the money they had given him to commit
it, and earnestly wished he could recall the
fatal transaction of the preceding night
It seems he thought this was the most public
testimony he could possibly give of his Master's
innocence, and his own repentance. I have,
said he, committed a most horrid crime, in be
traying an innocent man to death.
But this moving speech of Judas had no
effect on the callous hearts of the Jewish rulers.
They affirmed, that however he might think the
prisoner innocent, and for that reason had sinned
in bringing the sentence Pf death upon his head,
they were not to blame; because they knew him
a blasphemer, who deserved to die. What is that
to us? said they, see thou to that. Nay, they'
even refused to take back the money they had
given him as a reward for performing the base
act of betraying his Mastej*.
The deepest remorse now seized upon the
wretched Judas, and his soul was agitated by
the horrors of despair. The innocence and be

nevolence of Ms Master, the many favours he
himself had received frorii him, and the many
kind offices he had done for the sons and
daughters of affliction, crowded at once into
his mind, and rendered his torments intolerable
Backed with those agonizing passions, and
unable to support the misery, he threw down
the wages of his iniquity in the temple, and
confessing, at the same time, his own sin and
the innocence of his Master, went away in de
spair, and hanged himself.
Thus perished Judas Iscariot, the traitor, a
miserable example of the fatal influence of co
vetousness, and a standing monument of divine
vengeance, to deter future generations from act
ing in opposition to the dictates of conscience,
through a love of the things of, this world ; for
which this wretched mortal betrayed his Master,
his friend, his Saviour; and accumulated such a
load of guilt on himself, as sunk his soul into the
lowest pit of perdition.
The pieces of silver cast down by Judas were
gathered up, and delivered to the priests ; who
thinking it unlawful to put them into the treasury,
because they were the wages of a traitor, agreed
to lay them out in purchasing the potter's field,
and to make it a common burial-place for
strangers. This, the Evangelist tells us, was done that a
particular prophecy, relating to the Messiah,
might be fulfilled : And they took the thirty pieces
of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom
they of the children of Israel did value ; and gave
them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed
me. This prophecy is. found in Zechariah ; but,
by a mistake of some copyist, the word Jeremiah
is inserted in the Greek manuscripts of Saint
Matthew's Gospel ; unless we suppose, with the
learned GrOtius, that this remarkable prophecy

254

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXVII.

was first made by Jeremiah, and afterwards re
peated, by the immediate direction of the Spirit,
by Zechariah ; and that, therefore, the Evange
list has only ascribed the prophecy to its original
author. But, however this be, the prophecy is
remarkable, and was remarkably fulfilled. And
the Evangelist, by thus appealing to a public
transaction, puts the truth of this part of the his
tory beyond all mariner of exception.
1 We have already observed, that the chief nriests
and elders refused to go themselves into the
judgment-hall, lest they should contract some
pollution in the house of a Heathen, which would
have rendered them unfit for eating the passover.
The same reason also hindered them from enter
ing the governor's palace on other festivals, when
that magistrate attended, in order to administer
justice. A kind of structure was, therefore,
erected, adjoining to the palace, which served
instead of a tribunal, or judghient-seat This
structure, called in the Hebrew Gabbatha, was
finely paved with small pieces of marble, of dif
ferent colours, being always exposed to the wea
ther. One side of this structure joined to the
palace, and a door was made in the wall, through
which the governor passed to the tribunal. By
this contrivance the people might stand round
the tribunal in the open air, hear and see the go
vernor when he spake to them from the Pave
ment, and observe the whole administration of
justice, without danger of being defiled, either by
him Or any of his retinue.
Before this tribunal the great Bedeemer of
mankind was brought, and the priests and elders
having taken their places round the Pavement,
the governor ascended the judgment- seat, and
asked them, What accusation they brought against
the prisoner? Though nothing could be more
natural than for the governor to ask this question,
yet the Jews thought themselves highly affronted

by it, and haughtily answered, If he had not been
a very great and extraordinary malefactor, we
should not have given you this trouble at all,
much less at so unseasonable an hour. .
Pilate then examined Jesus; and, finding he
had not been guilty either of rebellion or sedition,
but that he was accused of particulars relating to
the religion and customs of the Jews, grew angry,
and said, What are these things to me ? Take
him yourselves, and judge him according to your
own law. Plainly insinuating, that; in his opinion,
the crime they laid to the prisoner's charge was
not of a capital nature ; and that such punish
ments as they were permitted by Caesar to inflict,
were adequate ' to any misdemeanor that Jesus
was charged with. But this proposal of the Bo
man governor was absolutely refused by the
Jewish priests and elders, because it condemned
the whole proceeding ; and, therefore, they an
swered, We have no power fo put any one to
death, as this man certainly deserves, who has
attempted not only to make innovations in our
religion, but also to set up himself for a king.
The eagerness of the Jews to get Jesus con
demned by the Boman governor, who often sen
tenced malefactors to be crucified, tended to fulfil
the saying of our great Bedeemer, who, during
the course of his ministry, had often mentioned
what kind of death he was, by the counsel of his
Father, appointed to die.
Pilate finding it impossible to prevent a tumult,
unless he proceeded to try Jesus, ascended again
the judgment-seat, and commanded his accusers
to produce their accusations against him. Ac
cordingly, they accused him of seditious practices.,
affirming, that he had used every method in his
power to dissuade the people from paying taxes
to Caesar, pretending that he himself was the
Messiah, the great King of the Jews, so long

Chap. XXXVII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

255

expected. But they brought no proof of these
assertions. They only insinuated, that they had
already convicted Mm of this assertion ; which
was absolutely false. Pilate, however, asked him,
Is it true what these men lay to your charge, that
you have indeed attempted to set up yourself as
King of the Jews? To which Jesus replied,
Have you ever, during your stay in this province,
heard any thing of me that gave you reason to
suspect me gmlty. of secret practices and sedi
tious designs agamst the government? or do you
found your question only on the present clamour
and tumult that is raised against me ? If this be
the case, be very careful lest you be imposed on
merely by the ambiguity of a word : for, to be
King of the Jews, is not to erect a temporal
throne in opposition to that of Caesar, but a
thing of a very different nature ; the kingdom of
the Messiah is a heavenly kingdom.
To which Pilate replied, Am I a Jew? Can I
tell what your expectations are, and in what
sense you understand these words ? The rulers
and cMefs of your own people, who are the most
proper judges of these particulars, have brought
you before me, as a riotous and seditious person.
If this be not the truth, let me know what is, and
the crime thou hast been guilty of.
Jesus answered, I have, indeed, a kingdom,
and this kingdom I have professed to establish.
But then it is not of this world, nor have my en
deavours to establish it any tendency to cause dis
turbances in the government. For had that been
the case, my servants would have fought for me,
and not suffer me to have fallen mto the hands
of the Jews. But I tell you plainly, my kingdom
is wholly spiritual. 1 reign in the hearts of my
people, and subdue their wills and affections into
a conformity to the will of God.
You acknowledge then, M general, answered

Pilate, that, you have professed to be a king? To
which the blessed Jesus replied, In the sense I
have told you, I have declared, and do now de
clare, myself to be a king. For this very end I
was born, and for this purpose I came into the
world, that I should bear witness to the truth ;
and whosoever sinperely loves, and is always
ready, to embrace the truth, will hear my tes
timony, and be convinced by it.
Pilate answered, What is truth ? and imme
diately went out to the Jews, and said unto them,
I have again examined this man, but cannot find
him guilty of any fault, which, according to the
Boman law, is worthy of death.
This generous declaration made by the go
vernor, of the innocence of our blessed Saviour,
had no effect on the superstitious and bigoted
Jews. They even persisted in their accusations
with more vehemence than before, affirming that
he had attempted to raise a sedition in Galilee :
He stirreth up, said they, the people, beginning
from Galilee to this place.
Jesus, however, made no answer at all to this^
heavy charge. Nay, he continued silent, not
withstanding the governor himself expressly re
quired him to speak in his own defence. A con
duct so extraordinary,' hi such circumstances,
astonished Pilate exceedingly; for he had great.
reason to be persuaded of the innocence of our
dear Bedeemer. The truth is, he was altogether
ignorant of the divine counsel by which the
whole affair was directed.
There were many reasons which induced the
blessed Jesus not to make a public defence. He
came into the world purely to redeem lost and
undone sinners, by offering up himself a sacrifice
for them; but had he pleaded with his usual
force, the people had, in all probability, been

256

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXVIII.

induced to ask Ms release, and, consequently,
his death had been prevented. Besides the gross
falsehood of the accusation, known to all the in
habitants of Galilee, rendered any reply abso
lutely needless.
In the mean time the chief priests continued to
accuse him with great noise and tumult. And the
meek and humble Jesus still continuing mute,
Pilate spake again to him, saying, Wilt thou con
tinue to make no defence ? Dost thou not hear
how vehemently these men accuse thee ?
But Pilate, recollecting what the chief priests
had said with regard to a sedition in Galilee,
asked, If Jesus came out of that country ? And
on being informed he did, he immmediately or
dered Mm to be carried to Herod, who was also
then at Jerusalem.
The governor supposed that Herod, in whose
dominion the sedition was said to have been
raised, must be a much better judge of the
affair than himself. Besides, his being a Jew,
rendered him more versed in the religion of- his
own country, and gave him greater influence
over the chief priests and elders. He, therefore,
considered him as the most proper person to
prevail on the Jewish council to desist from
their cruel prosecution. But if, contrary to all
human probability, he should, at their solicita
tion, condemn Jesus, Pilate hoped to escape the
guilt and infamy of putting an innocent person
to death. He might also propose by this action
to regain Herod's friendship, which he had for
merly lost, by encroaching, in all probability, on
his privileges.'
But, however that be, or whatever motive
induced Pilate to send our great Redeemer
to Herod, the latter greatly rejoiced at this op
portunity of seeing Jesus, hoping to have the

pleasure of beholding him perform some great
miracle. In this he was, however, disappointed : for
as Herod had apostatized from the doctrine of
John the Baptist, to which he was once pro
bably a convert, and had even put his teacher
to death, the blessed Jesus, however liberal of
his miracles to the sons and daughters of af
fliction, would not work them to gratify the
curiosity of a tyrant, nor even answer one of the
many questions he proposed to him.
Herod finding his expectation thus cut off, or
dered our blessed Saviour to be clothed with an
old robe, resembling in colour those worn by
kings, and permitted his attendants to insult him.
From Herod's dressing him in this manner,
it evidently appears, that the chief priests and
elders had accused him of nothing but his having
assumed the character of the Messiah ; for the
affront put on him was plainly in derision of
that profession.
The other head of accusation, namely, his
having attempted to raise a sedition in Galilee,
on account of tribute paid to Caesar, they did
not dare to mention, as Herod could not fail
of knowing it to be a gross and malicious false
hood. And no crime worthy of death being
laid to his charge, Herod *sent him again to Pi
late. . It seems, that though he was displeased
with the great Bedeemer of mankind for re
fusing to work a miracle before him, yet he did
not think proper to comply with the wishes of
his enemies.
CHAP. XXXVIII.
The Roman Governor, for want of Evi
dence, proposes to acquit and release

Chap. XXXVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

257

Jesus, three several times: but at
length, at the pressing Instigation of
the inveterate Jews, he condemns and
delivers him up.
THE Boman governor, in order to acquire
popular applause, used generally, at the
feast of the passover, to release a prisoner nomi
nated by the people. At this feast there was one
in prison, named Barabbas, who, at the head of
a number of rebels, had made an insurrection in
the city, and committed murder during the
confusion. The multitude, being now again assembled
before the governor's palace, began to call aloud
on him to perform the annual office of mercy
customary at that festival.
Pilate, glad of this opportunity, told them that
he was very willing to grant the favour they de
sired; and asked them, Whether they would
have Barabbas or Jesus released unto them ?
But without waiting for an answer, he offered to
release Jesus, knowing that the chief priests had
delivered him through envy; especially as Herod
had not found Mm guilty of the crimes laid to Ms
charge. While these particulars were transacting, Pi
late received a message from his wife, then with
him at Jerusalem, and who had that morning
been greatly affected by a dream which gave her
great uneasiness. The dream had so great an
effect on this Boman lady, that she could not
rest till she had sent an account of it to her hus
band, who was then sitting with the tribunal on
the Pavement, and begged him to have no hand
in the death of the righteous person he was then
judging. The people had not yet determined whether
Nos. 21 & 22.

they would have Jesus or Barabbas released to
them ; therefore, when Pilate received th§ mes
sage from his wife, he called the chief priests and
rulers together, arid, in the hearing of the mul
titude, made a speech to them, in which he gave
them an account of the examination which Jesus
had undergone both at his own and Herod's tvi-
bunal, declaring, that in both courts it had turned
out honourably to his character ; for which reason
he proposed to them, that he should be the object
of the people's favour.
Pilate did the priests the honour of desiring to
know th^'r inclinations in particular, perhaps
with a design to soften their stony hearts, and, if
possible, to move them for once to pity an in
jured, but innocent, man. But he was persuaded
that if pity was absolutely banished from their
callous breasts,'his proposal would have been ac
ceptable to the people, whom he expected would
embrace the first opportunity of declaring in his
favour. Yet in this he was disappointed. They
cried out all at once, Away with this man, and
release unto us Barabbas.
Apostate mortals ! a few hours ago ye listened
with rapture to his heavenly discourses, beheld
with transport the many salutary miracles
wrought by this benevolent Son of the Most
High, and earnestly importuned him to take pos
session of the throne and sceptre of David ! Now
nothing will satiate your infernal malice but his
precious blood ! But remember, ye miscreants,
ye monsters in human form, that this same Jesus
whom ye beheld with such contempt before the
tribunal of the Boman governor ; this Jesus,
whose blood your infernal mouths so loudly re
quested; shall one day come in the clouds of
heaven to take vengeance on his enemies ! and
how will ye be able to bear the sight of his ap
pearance, when the very heavens themselves will
melt at his presence, the sun become black as
3B

258

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXVllI.

sackcloth of hair, the moon be turned into blood,
and the stars fly from their spheres ? How will
ye then repent of your unjust demand, and call
to the mountains and rocks to fall on you, and
hide you from the presence of that immaculate
Lamb of God, the tremendous Judge of the
whole earth !
Pilate himself was astonished at this determi
nation of the multitude, and repeated his ques
tion ; for he could hardly believe what he had
himself heard. But on their again declaring that
they desired Barabbas might be released, he
asked them what he should do with Jesus, which
is called Christ? as if he had said, You de
manded that Barabbas should be released ; but
what shall I then do with Jesus ? You cannot
surely desire me to crucify him, whom so many
of you have acknowledged as • your Messiah !
But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
Then Pilate saith unto them, Why, what evil hath
he done? And they cried out the more exceed
ingly, Crucify him.
They were so resolutely determined to have
him destroyed, that notwithstanding the governor
urged them again and again to desire his release,
declared his innocence, and offered several times
to dismiss him, they would not hear it, uttering
their rage, sometimes in hollow, distant, inarti
culate murmurs, and sometimes in furious out
cries : to such a pitch were their passions raised
by the craft and artful insinuations of their
priests. Pilate, finding it, therefore, in vain to
struggle with their prejudices, called for water,
and washed his hands before the multitude,
crying out, at the same time, that the prisoner
had no fault, and that he himself was innocent
of his blood.
By this action and declaration Pilate seems, to
have intended to make an impression on the

Jewish populace, by complying with the insti
tution of Moses, which orders, in case of an un
known murder, the elders of the nearest city to
wash their hands publicly, and say, Our hands
have not shed this blood. Deut. xxi. 7. And, in
allusion to this law, the Psalmist says, / will wash
my hands in innocence. According, therefore, to
this Jewish rite, Pilate made the most solemn and
public declaration of the innocence of our dear
Bedeemer, and of his resolution of having no
hand in his death.
But, notwithstanding the solemmty of this de
claration, the Jews continued inflexible, and cried
out with one voice, His blood be on us, and on
our children. Dreadful imprecation! it shocks
humanity ! An imprecation which brought on
them the dreadful vengeance of Omnipotence,
and is still a heavy burden on that perfidious
people !
The governor, finding it impossible to alter
their choice, released unto them Barabbas. And
as it was the general practice of the Bomans to
scourge those criminals they » condemned to be
crucified, Pilate ordered the blessed Jesus to be
scourged, before he delivered him to the soldiers
to be put to death.
The soldiers having scourged Jesus, and re
ceived orders to crucify him, carried him mto
the Pretorium, or common hall, where they
added the shame of disgrace to the bitterness of
his punishment; for sore as he was by reason of
the stripes they had given him, they dressed him
in a purple robe, in derision of his being King of
the Jews. Having dressed him in this robe of
mock-majesty, they put a reed in his hand in
stead of a sceptre, and after platting a wreath of
thorns, they put it on his head for a crown ;
forcing it down in so rude a manner, that his
temples were torn, and Ms face besmeared with

Chap. XXXVIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

259

his most precious blood. To the Son of God, in
tMs condition, the rude soldiers bowed the knee,
pretending to do it out of respect ; but at the same
time gave him severe blows on his head, which
drove the points of the wreath afresh into his
temples, and then spit on him, to express their
highest contempt.
The governor, whose office obliged him to be
present at this shocking scene of inhumanity, was
ready to burst with grief. The sight of an inno
cent and eminently holy person, treated with
such shocking barbarity, raised in his breast the
most painful sensations of pity. And though he
had given sentence that it should be as the Jews
desired, and had delivered our dear Bedeemer to
the soldiers to be crucified, he was in hopes that
if he showed him to the people in that condition,
they must relent, and earnestly petition for him
to be released. ,
Filled with this thought, he resolved to carry
him out, and exhibit to their view a spectacle
capable of softenmg the most envenomed, obdu
rate, and enraged enemy. And in order to ren
der the impression still more^poignant, he went
out himself, and said unto them, Though I have
sentenced this man to die, and have scourged him
as one that is to be crucified, yet I once more
bring him before you, that I may again testify
how fully I am persuaded of his innocence ; and
that ye may yet have an opportunity of saving
his life.
As soon as the governor had finished his
speech, Jesus appeared on the Pavement, his
hair, his face, his shoulders, all clotted with blood,
and the purple robe daubed with spittle of the
soldiers. And that the sight of Jesus in this dis
tress might make the greater impression on the
people, Pilate, wMle he was coming forward,
cried out, Behold the man ! As if he had said,

Will nothing make you relent ? Have you lost ait
the feelings of humanity and bowels of compas
sion ? Can you bear to see the innocent, a son
of Abraham, thus injured ?
But all this was to no purpose. The priests,
whose rage and malice had extinguished not only
the sentiments of justice and feelings of pity na
tural to the human heart, but also that love which
countrymen bear for each other, no sooner saw
Jesus, than they began to fear the fickle populace
might relent; and, therefore, laying decency
aside, they led the way to the multitude, crying
out with all their might, Crucify him! crucify
him! Pilate, vexed to see the Jewish rulers thus ob
stinately bent on the destruction of a person from
whom they had nothing to fear that was danger
ous, either with regard to their church or state,
passionately told them, that if they would have
him crucified, they must do it themselves ; be
cause he would not suffer his people to murder a
man who was guilty of no crime.
i
But this they also refused, thinking it disho
nourable to receive permission to punish a person
who had been more than once publicly declared
innocent by his judge. Besides, they considered
with themselves, that the governor might after
wards have called it sedition, as the permission
had been extorted from him. Accordingly they
told him, That even though none of the things
alleged against the prisoner were true, he had
committed such a crime, in presence of the
council itself, as by their law deserved the most
ignominious death. He had spoken blasphemy,
calling himself the Son of God, a title which
no mortal could assume without the highest
degree of guilt: We have a law, and by our
law .he ought to die, because he made himself
the Son of God. 3B*

260

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXVIII.

When Pilate heard that Jesus called himself -the
Son of God, his fear was increased. Knowing the
obstinacy of the Jews in all matters of religion,
he was afraid they would make a tumult in
earnest ; or perhaps he himself was more afraid
than ever to take away his life, because he sus
pected it might be true. He doubtless remem
bered the miracles said to have been performed
by Jesus, and, therefore, suspected that he really
was the Son of God. For it was well known,
that the religion which the governor professed,
directed him to acknowledge the existence of
demigods and heroes, or men descended from
the gods. Nay, the Heathens believed that their
gods themselves appeared upon earth in the form
of men.
Beflections of this kind induced Pilate to go
again to the judgment-hall, and ask Jesus from
what father he sprung, and from what country
he came ? - But our blessed Saviour gave him no
answer, lest the governor should reverse his sen
tence, and absolutely refuse to crucify him. Pi
late marvelled greatly at his silence, and said
unto Jesus, Why dost thou refuse to answer me ?
You cannot be ignorant that I am invested with
absolute power, either to release or crucify you.
To which Jesus answered, I well know that you
are Caesar's servant, and accountable to him for
your conduct. I forgive you any injury which,
contrary lo your inclination, the popular fury
constrains you to do unto me. Thou hast thy
power from above, from the emperor : for which
cause, the Jewish high-priest, who hath put me
into thy hands, and, by pretending that I am
Caesar's enemy, forces thee to condemn me ; or,
if thou refusest, will accuse thee as negligent of
the emperor's interest ; is more guilty than thou.
He that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
This sweet and modest answer made such an
impression on Pilate, that he went out to the

people, and declared his intention of releasing
Jesus, whether they gave their consent or not.
Upon which the chief priests and rulers of Israel
cried out, If thou let this man go, thou art not
Ceesar' s friend : whosoever maketh himself a king
speaketh against Ceesar. If thou releasest the
prisoner, who hath set himself up for a king, and
has been accused of endeavouring to raise a re
bellion in the country, thou art unfaithful to the
interest of the emperor thy master.
This argument was weighty, and shook Pilate's
resolution to the very basis. He was terrified at
the thought of being accused to the emperor,
who, in all affairs of government, always sus
pected the worst, and punished the most minute
crimes relative thereto with death.
The governor being thus constrained to yield,
contrary to his inclination, was very angry with
the priests for stirring up the people to such a
pitch of madness, and determined to affront
them. He, therefore, brought Jesus out a se
cond time into the Pavement, wearing the pur
ple robe and the qown of thorns ; and pointing
to him, said, Behold, your King ! ridiculing their
national expectation of a Messiah.
This sarcastical expression stung them to the
quick, and they cried out, Away with him! away
with him! crucify him! To which Pilate an
swered, with the same mockmg air, Shall I cru
cify your King ? The chief priests answered, We
have no king but Ceesar. Thus did they publicly
renounce their hope of the Messiah, which the
whole economy of their religion had been calcu
lated to cherish. They also publicly acknow
ledged then subjection to the Romans ; and, con
sequently, condemned themselves when they af
terwards rebelled against the emperor.
We cannot help observing here, that the great

Chap. XXXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

261

unwillingness of the governor to pass sentence
of death upon Jesus, had something in it very
remarkable. For, from the character of Pilate,
as drawn by the Boman historians themselves,
he seems to have been far from possessing any
true principle of virtue. To what then could it
be owing, that so wicked a man should so steadily
adhere to the cause of innocence, which he de
fended with considerable resolution, and perhaps
would never have abandoned it, had he not been
forced by the threatenings of the chief priests and
rulers of Israel ; and when he did yield, and
passed sentence of death upon our dear Be
deemer, why did he still declare him innocent?
This can certainly be attributed to no other cause
than to the secret but powerful direction of the
providence of the Almighty, who intended that,
at the same time his Son was condemned and
executed as a malefactor, his innocence should
be made appear in the most public manner,
and by the most authentic evidence, even that of
the judge himself. ' From the circumstances we
have been relating, we may learn, that though
the Almighty, in the course of his providential
government of the world, and for purposes be
yond the comprehension of finite mortals, suffers
the most virtuous characters to be exposed, not
only to the insults, but the cruelty, of the most
abandoned of mankind ; yet he will certainly at
a future period vindicate the cause of innocence,
and strike the guilty with horror and remorse
for their impious conduct.

CHAP. XXXIX.
The innocent and immaculate Redeemer
is led forth to Mount Calvary, and
there ignominiously crucified between
two notorious Malefactors. — Reviled
by the Spectators. — A Phenomenon ap

pears on the important Occasion. —
Our Eord addresses his Friends from
the Cross, and gives up the ghost.
THE solemn, the awful period, now ap
proached, when the Son of God, the Be
deemer of the world, was to undergo the op
pressive burden of our sins upon the tree, and
submit unto death, even the death, of the cross,
that we might live at the right hand of God for
ever and ever.
Sentence being pronounced upon the blessed
Jesus, the soldiers were ordered to prepare for
his execution ; a command which they readily
obeyed ; and after clothing him in his own gar
ments, led him away to crucify him. It is not
said that they took the crown of thorns from his
temples ; probably he died wearing it, that the
title placed over his head might be the better un
derstood. 0
It is not to be expected that the ministers of
Jewish malice remitted any of the circumstances
of affliction, which were ever laid on persons
condemned to be crucified. Accordingly, Jesus
was obliged to walk on foot to the place of exe
cution, bearing his cross. But the fatigue of the
preceding night spent without sleep; the suffer
ings he had undergone in the garden ; his having
been hurried from place to place, and obliged to
stand the whole time of his trial ; the want of
food, and the loss of blood he had sustained, and
not Ms want of courage on this occasion ; made
him faint under the burden of his cross. The
soldiers, seeing him unable to bear the weight,
laid it on one Simon, a native of Cyrene, in
Egypt, the father of Alexander and Bufus, well
known among the first Christians, and forced
Mm to bear it after the great Redeemer of man
kind. The soldiers did not, however, do this out
of compassion to the sufferings of Jesus, but to

262

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIX.

prevent his dying with the fatigue, and by that
means elude his punishment.
The blessed Jesus, in his journey to Calvary,
was followed by an innumerable multitude of
people, particularly of women, who lamented
bitterly the severity of his sentence, and showed
all the tokens of sincere compassion and grief.
Jesus, who always felt the woes of others more
than he did his own, forgetting his distress at the
very time when it lay heaviest upon him, turned
himself about, and, with a benevolence and ten
derness truly divine, said to them, Daughters of
Jerusalem, weep not for me ; but weep for your
selves, and for your children. For, behold, the days
are coming in the which they shall say, Blessed are
the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the
paps which never gave suck. Then shall they be
gin to say to the mountains, Fall on us ; and to
the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in
a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Luke
xxiii. 28, &c. As if he had said, Dry up these
tears, ye daughters of Jerusalem, wMch ye shed
in compassion to me, and reserve them for the
deplorable fate of yourselves and of your chil
dren : for the calamities that will soon fall on you
and your offspring are truly terrible, and call for
the bitterest lamentations.
In those days of vengeance you will passion
ately wish that you had not given birth to a ge
neration, whose wickedness has rendered them
the objects of the wrath of the Almighty, to such
a degree as never was before experienced in the
world. Then shall they wish to be crushed un
der the weight of enormous mountains, and con
cealed from their enemies in the bowels of the
hills. The thoughts of these calamities afflict my
soul far more than the feeling of my own suffer
ings. For if the Romans are permitted to inflict
such punishments on me, who am innocent, how
dreadful must the vengeance be which they shall

inflict on a nation whose sms cry aloud to heaven,
hastening the pace of the divine judgments,, and
rendering the perpetrators as proper for punish
ment as dry wood is for the flames.
Being arrived at the place of execution, which
was called Golgotha, or The Place of Skulls,
from the criminals' bones which lay scattered
there, some of our Bedeemer's friends offered
him a stupifying potion, to render him insensible
to the ignominy and excruciating pain of his
punishment. But as soon as he tasted the po
tion, he refused to drink it, being determined to
bear his sufferings, however sharp, not by in
toxicating and stupifying himself, but by the
strength of patience, fortitude, and faith.
Jesus having refused the potion, the soldiers
began to execute their orders, by stripping him
quite naked, and in that condition began to
fasten him to his cross. But while they were
piercing his hands and his feet with nails, in
stead of crying out through the sharpness of
the pain, he calmly, though fervently, prayed
for them, and for all those who had any hand
in his death; beseeching his heavenly Father
to forgive them, and excusing them himself
by the only circumstance that could alleviate
their guilt; I mean their ignorance. Father,
said the compassionate Bedeemer of mankind,
forgive them ; for they know not what they do.
This was infinite meekness and goodness, truly
worthy of the only begotten Son of God; an
example of forgiveness which, though it can
never be. equalled by any, should be imitated
by all.
But, behold, the appointed soldiers dig the
hole in which the cross was to be erected ! —
the cross is fixed in the ground — the blessed
Jesus lies on the bed of sorrows — they nail him
to it — his nerves break — his blood distils — he

Chap. XXXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

263

hangs upon his wounds naked, a spectacle to
heaven and earth.
Thus was the only begotten Son of God,
who came down from heaven to save the world,
crucified by his own creatures ; and, to render
the ignominy still greater, placed between two
tMeves ! Hear, O heavens ! O earth, earth, earth,
hear ! The Lord hath nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against him.
It was usual for the crimes committed by ma
lefactors to be written on a white board, with
black, and placed over their heads on the cross.
In conformity to this custom, Pilate wrote a title
in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages, that
all foreigners, as well as natives, might be able
to read it, and fastened it to the cross, over the
head of Jesus ; and the inscription was, This is
the King of the Jews. But when the chief priests
and the elders had read this title, they were
greatly displeased; because, as it represented the
crime for which Jesus was condemned, it in
sinuated that he had been acknowledged for the
Messiah. Besides, being placed over the head of
one who was dying by the most infamous punish
ment, it implied that all who attempted to de
liver the Jews should perish in the same manner.
The faith and hope of the nation, therefore,
being thus publicly ridiculed, it is no wonder that
the priests thought themselves highly affronted ;
and, accordingly, came to Pilate, begging that the
writing might be altered. But as he had intended
the affront in revenge for their forcing him to
crucify Jesus, contrary both to his judgment and
inclination, he refused to grant their request:
What I have written, said he, / have written.
When the soldiers had nailed the blessed Jesus
to the cross, and erected it, they divided his gar
ments among them. But his coat or vesture,
being without seam, woven from the top through

out, they agreed not to rend it, but to cast
lots for it ; by which the prediction of the pro
phet concerning the death and sufferings of the
Messiah was fulfilled. They parted my garments
among them, and for my vesture did they cast lots.
A sufficient indication that every circumstance
of the death and passion of the blessed Jesus
was perfectly known long before in the court of
heaven; and, accordingly, his being crucified
between two malefactors was expressly foretold :
And he ivas numbered with the transgressors.
Isa. liii. 12.
The common people, of the baser sort, whom
the vile priests had incensed against the blessed
Jesus, by the malicious falsehoods they had
spread concerning him, and which they pre
tended to found on the deposition of witnesses ;
the common people, I say, seeing him hang in so
infamous a manner upon the cross, and reading
the inscription that was placed over his head,
expressed their indignation at him by sarcastical
expressions. Ah thou, said they, that destroyest
the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thy
self, and come down from the cross.
But the common people were not the only
persons who mocked and derided the blessed
Jesus, while he was suffering to obtain the re
mission of sins for all mankind. The rulers,
who now imagined they had effectually de
stroyed his pretensions to the character of the
Messiah, joined the populace in ridiculing him,
and, with a meanness of soul which many in
famous wretches would have scorned, mocked
him, even while he was struggling with the
agonies of death. They scoffed at the miracles
by which he demonstrated himself to be the
Messiah, and promised to believe on him, on
condition of his proving his pretensions, by de
scending from the cross. He saved others, said
they, himself he cannot save : if he be the King of

264

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIX.

Israeli let him now come down from the cross, and
we will believe on him.
In the mean time, nothing could be more false
and hypocritical than this pretension of the stiff-
necked Jews ; for they afterwards continued in
their unbelief, notwithstanding they well knew
that he raised himself from the dead ; a much
greater miracle than his coming down from die
cross would have been; a miracle attested by
witnesses whose veracity they could not call in
question. It was told them by the soldiers whom
they themselves placed at the sepulchre to watch
the body, and who they were obliged to bribe
largely to conceal the truth. It is, therefore,
abundantly evident, that if the blessed Jesus had
descended from the cross, the Jewish priests
would have continued in their infidelity ; and,
consequently, that their declaration was made
with no other intention than to insult the Re
deemer of mankind, thinking it impossible for
him now to escape out of their hands.
The soldiers also joined in this general scene
of mockery: If thou be the king of the Jews, said
they, save thyself. If thou art the great Messiah
expected by the Jews, descend from the cross by
miracle, and deliver thyself from these excru
ciating torments.
Nor did even one of the thieves forbear mock
ing the great Lord of heaven and earth, though
labouring himself under the most racking pains,
and struggling with the agonies of death. But
the other exercised a most extraordinary faith,
at a time when our great Bedeemer was in the
highest affliction, mocked by men, and hanged
upon the cross, as the most ignominious of male
factors. This Jewish criminal seems to have
entertained a more rational and exalted notion
of the Messiah's kingdom than even the disciples
themselves. They expected nothing but a se

cular empire ; he gave strong intimations of his
having an idea of Christ's spiritual dominion ;
for at the very time when Jesus was dying on
the cross, he begged to be remembered by him
when he came into his kingdom. Lord, said he,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Nor did he make this request in vain: the
great Bedeemer of mankind answered him,
Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be
with me in Paradise.
But let us attentively consider the Mstory of our
blessed Saviour's passion, as it offers to our view
events absolutely astonishing. For when we re
member the perfect innocence of our great Re
deemer, the uncommon love he bore to the
children of men, and the many kind and bene
volent offices he did for the sons and daughters of
affliction ; when we reflect on the esteem in which
he was held all along by the common people;
how cheerfully they followed him to the re
motest corners of the country, nay, even into the
desolate retreats of the wilderness, and with
what pleasure they listened to his discourses;
when we consider these particulars, I say, we
cannot help being astonished to find them at the
conclusion, rushing all of a sudden into the op
posite extreme, and every individual, as it were,
combined to treat him with the most barbarous
cruelty. When Pilate asked the people, if they de
sired to have Jesus released ; his disciples,
though they were very numerous, and might
have made a great appearance in his behalf,
remained absolutely silent, as if they had been
speechless or infatuated. The Boman sol
diers, notwithstanding their general had de
clared him innocent, insulted him in the most
inhuman manner. The Scribes and Pha
risees ridiculed him. The common people,
who had received Mm with hosannas a few

Chap. XXXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

265

days before, mocked Mm as they passed by, and
railed at him as a deceiver. Nay, the very thief
on the cross reviled him.
This sudden revolution in the humour of the
whole nation may seem unaccountable. But if we
could assign a proper reason for the silence of the
disciples, the principles which influenced the rest
might be discovered in their several speeches.
The followers of the blessed Jesus had attached
themselves to him, in expectation of being raised
to great wealth and power in his kingdom,
vvhich they expected would have been estab
lished long before this time. But seeing no ap
pearance at all of what they had so long hoped
for, they permitted him to be condemned, per
haps, because they thought it would have obliged
him to break the Boman yoke by miracle.
With respect to the soldiers, they were angry
that any one should pretend to royalty in Judea,
where Caesar had established his authority.
Hence they insulted our blessed .Saviour with
the title of king, and paid him in mockery the
honours of a sovereign.
As for the common people, they seem to have
lost their opinion of Mm, probably because he
had neither convinced the council, nor rescued
himself when they condemned him. They be
gan, therefore, to consider the assertion of his de
stroying the temple, and building it in three days,
as a kind of blasphemy, because it required a di
vine power to execute such an undertakmg.
The priests and scribes were filled with the
most implacable and diabolical malice against
him; because he had torn off their mask of
hypocrisy, and showed them to the people in
then true colours. It is, therefore, no wonder
that they ridiculed Ms miracles, from whence
he derived his reputation.
Nos. 23 & 24.

In short, the thief also fancied that he might
have delivered both himself and them, if he had
been the Messiah ; but as no such deliverance ap
peared, he upbraided him for making preten
sions to that high character.
But now, my soul, take one view of thy dying
Saviour, breathing out his spirit upon the cross !
Behold his unspotted flesh lacerated with stripes,
by which thou art healed ! See his hands ex
tended and nailed to the cross, those beneficent
hands which were incessantly stretched out -to
unloose thy heavy burdens, and to impart bless
ings of every kind ! Behold his feet riveted to
the accursed tree with nails ! those feet which
alivays went about doing good, and travelled far
and near to spread the glad tidings of everlasting
salvation! View his tender temples encircled
with a wreath of thorns, which shoot their keen
afflicting points into his blessed head ; that head
which was ever meditating peace to poor lost
and undone sinners, and spent many a wakeful
night in ardent prayer for their happiness ! See
him labouring in the agonies of death ! breathing
out his soul into the hands of his Almighty Fa
ther, and praying for his cruel enemies ! Was
ever love like this? was ever benevolence so
gloriously displayed ?
O my soul, put thou thy trust in that bleed
ing, that dying Saviour! Then, though the
pestilence walketh in darkness, and the sick
ness destroyeth at noon-day ; though thousands
fall beside thee, and ten thousands at thy right
hand; thou needest not fear the approach of
any evil! Either the destroying angel shall
pass over thee, or dispense the corrections of
a friend, not the scourges of an enemy, which,
instead of hurting, will work for thy good.
Then, though profaneness and infidelity (far
more malignant evils) breathe their contagion,
and taint multitudes around thee, thou shaft be
3C

266

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIX

safely hid in the hollow of his hand, and pre
served in every danger.
Come then, my soul, and take sanctuary
under that tree of life, the ignominious cross
of thy bleeding Saviour ; fly for safety to that
city of refuge, opened in his bleeding wounds.
These will prove a sacred hiding-place, not to
be pierced by the flames of divine wrath, or
the fiery darts of temptations. His dying me
rits, his perfect obedience, will be as rivers of
water in a dry place, or as the shadow of a
great rock in a dreary land.
But particularly in that last tremendous day,
when the heavens shall be rent asunder, and be
wrapt up like a scroll ; when his almighty arm
shall arrest the sun in his career, and dash the
structure of the universe to pieces ; when the
dead, both small and great, shall be gathered
before the throne of his glory, and the fates of
all mankind hang on the very point of a final
irreversible decision ; then, if thou hast faithfully
trusted in him, and made his precepts thy con
stant directors, shalt thou be owned and de
fended by him. O ! reader, may both thou that
perusest, and him who hath written this for thy
soul's advantage, be covered, at that unutterably
important conjuncture, by the wings of his re
deeming love ; then shall we behold all the hor
rible convulsions of expiring nature with com
posure, with comfort ! we shall even welcome
the consummation of all things, as the times of
refreshing from the presence of the Lord.
»
But see the sun, that glorious luminary of
heaven, as it were hides Ms face from this de
testable action of mortals, and is wrapt in the
pitchy mantle of chaotic darkness ! This pre
ternatural eclipse of the sun continued for three
hours, to the great terror and astonishment of

the people present at the crucifixion of our
dear Bedeemer. And surely nothing could be
more proper than this extraordinary alteration
in the face of nature, while the Sun of Bigh-
teousness was withdrawing his beams, not only
from the promised land, but from the whole
world ; for it was at once a miraculous testi
mony, given by the Almighty himself, to the
innocence of his Son, and a proper emblem
of the departure of him who was the light of
the world, at least till Ms luminous rays, like
the beams of the morning, shone out anew
with additional splendour in the ministry of his
Apostles. Nor was the darkness which now covered
Judea and the neighbouring countries, beginning
about noon, and continuing until Jesus expired,
the effect of an ordinary eclipse of the sun. It
is well known that this phenomenon can only
happen at the change of the moon ; whereas the
Jewish passover, at which our great Bedeemer
suffered, was always celebrated at the full. Be
sides, the total darkness of an eclipse of the sun
never exceeds twelve or fifteen mmutes ; whereas
this continued three full hours. Nothing, there
fore, but the immediate hand of that Almighty
Being which placed the sun in the centre of the
planetary system, could have produced this as
tonishing darkness. Nothing but Ommpotence,
who first lighted this glorious luminary of hea
ven, could have deprived it of its cheering rays.
Now, ye scoffers of Israel, whose blood ye
have so earnestly desired, and wished it might
fall upon you and your children, behold, all na
ture is dressed m the sable vail of sorrow, and,
in a language that cannot be mistaken, mourns
the departure of its Lord and Master; weeps
for your crimes, and deprecates the vengeance
of heaven upon your guilty heads ! Happy
for you that this suffering J esus is compassion
itself, and even in the agonies of death prays

Chap. XXXIX.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

267

to Ms heavenly Father to avert from you the
stroke of his justice.
This preternatural eclipse of the sun was con
sidered as a miracle by the Heathens theniselves ;
and one of them cried out, Either the world is at
an end, or the God of nature suffers. And well
might he use the expression; for never since this
planetary system was called from its primitive
chaos, was known such a deprivation of light in
the glorious luminary of day. Indeed, when the
Almighty punished Pharaoh for refusing to let the
children of Israel depart out of his land, the sable
vail of darkness was for three days drawn over
Egypt. But this darkness was confined to a part
of that kingdom ; whereas this that happened at
our Saviour's crucifixion was universal.
When the darkness began, the disciples natu
rally considered it as the prelude to the deliver
ance of their Master. For though the chief priests,
elders, and people, had sarcastically desired him
to descend from the accursed tree, his friends
could not but be persuaded, that he who had de
livered so many from incurable diseases, who had
restored limbs to the maimed, and eyes to the
blind, who had given speech to the dumb, and
called the dead from the chambers of the dust,
might easily save himself, even from the cross.
When, therefore, Ms mother, his mother's
sister, Mary Magdalene, and the beloved disciple,
observed the vail of darkness begin to extend
over the face of nature, they drew near to the
"foot of the cross, probably in expectation that
the Son of God was going to shake the frame of
the universe, unloose himself from the cross, and
take ample vengeance on his cruel and perfidious
enemies. The blessed Jesus was now in the midst of
Ms sufferings. Yet when he saw his mother and

her companions, their grief greatly affected his
tender breast, especially the distress of his mo
ther. The agonies of death, under which he
was now labouring, could not prevent his ex
pressing the most affectionate regard, both for
her and for them. For, that she might have
some consolation to support her under the great
ness of her sorrows, he told her the disciple
whom he loved would, for the, sake of that love,
supply his place to her after he was taken from
them, even the place of a son ; and, therefore,
he desired her to consider him as such, and ex
pect from him all the duties of a child. Woman,
said he, behold thy son
Nor was this remarkable token of filial affec
tion towards his mother the only instance the
dying Jesus gave of his sincere love to his friends
and followers ; the beloved disciple had also a
token of his high esteem. He singled Mm out
as the only person among his friends to supply
his place with regard to his mother. Accord
ingly he desired him expressly to reverence her
in the same manner as if she had been his own
parent; a duty which the favourite disciple
gladly undertook, carried her with him to his
house, arid maintained her from that hour to the
day of her death ; her husband Joseph having, it
seems, been dead some time.
Thus, in the midst of the heaviest sufferings
that human nature ever sustained, the blessed
Jesus demonstrated a divine strength of benevo
lence. Even at the time when his own distress
was at the highest pitch, and nature was dressed
in the robe of mourning for the sufferings of the
Bedeemer of mankind, his friends had so large a
share of his concern, that their happiness inter
rupted the sharpness of his pains, and for a short
time engrossed his thoughts.
But now the moment, when he should resign
3C*

268

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XXXIX.

his soul into the hands of his heavenly Father,
approached, and he repeated part, at least, of the
twenty-second Psalm, uttering with a loud voice
these remarkable words: Ehi, Eloi, lama sa-
bachthani ? that is, My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me ?
Some believe that our blessed Saviour re
peated the whole Psalm; it having been the
custom of the Jews, in making quotations, to
mention only the first words of the psalm or
section which they cited. If so, as this psalm
Contains the most remarkable particulars of our
dear Bedeemer's passion, being as it were a
summary of the prophecies relative to that sub
ject, by repeating it on the cross, the blessed
Jesus signified that he was now accomplishing
the things that "were 'predicted concerning the
Messiah. And as this psalm is composed in the
form of a prayer, by pronouncing it at this time,
he, also claimed of his Father the performance of
all the promises he had made, whether to hftn or
to his people.
Some of the people who stood by, when they
heard our blessed Saviour pronounce the first
words of the psalm, misunderstood him, proba
bly from their not hearing him distinctly, and
concluded that he called for Elias. Upon which
one of them filled a sponge with vinegar, put it
on a reed, and gave him to drink ; being de
sirous to keep him alive as long as possible, to
see whether Elias would come to take him down
from the cross.
But as soon as Jesus had tasted the vinegar, he
said, // is finished. That is, the work of man's
redemption is accomplished; the great work,
which the only begotten Son of God came into
Ae world to perform, is finished.
In speakmg these words he cried with an

exceeding loud voice, and afterwards addressed
his Almighty Father, in words which form the
best pattern of a recommendatory prayer at the
hour of death : Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit. And having uttered these words^ he
bowed his head, and yielded up the ghost.
But, behold! at the very instant that the
blessed Jesus resigned his soul into the hands of
his heavenly Father, the vail of the temple was
miraculously rent from the top to the bottom,-
probably in the presence of the priest who burnt
incense in the holy place, and who, doubtless,
published the account when he came out : for our
blessed Saviour expired at the ninth hour, the
very time of offering the evening sacrifice.
Nor was this the only miracle that happened
at the death of the great Messiah ; the earth
trembled from its very foundations, the flinty
rocks burst asunder, and the sepulchres hewn
in them were opened, and many bodies of saints ¦¦
deposited there awaked after his resurrection
from the sleep of death, left the gloomy chambers
of the tomb, went mto the city of Jerusalem, and
appeared unto many.
And as the rending the vail of the temple mti-
mated that the entrance into the holy place, the
type of heaven, was now laid open to all nations;
so the resurrectiori of a number of saints from
the dead, demonstrated that the power of death
and the grave was broken ; the sting was taken
from death, and the victory wrested from the
grave. In short, our dear Bedeemer's conquests*
over the enemies of mankind were shown to be.
complete ; and an earnest was given of the gene
ral resurrection of the dead.
Nor did the remarkable particulars which at
tended that awful period, when Jesus gave up the
ghost, affect the natives of Judea only. The

Chap, XL.

ND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

269

Roman centurion, who was placed near the cross,
to prevent disorders of any kind, glorified. the
Almighty, and cried out, Truly this was the Son
of God ! And others, who were with them, when
they beheld heaven itself bearing witness to the
truth of our great Redeemer's inission, smote
then breasts, and retired.
They had been incessant with loud voices to
have him crucified : but when they saw the face
of the creation wrapt in the gloomy mantle of
darkness during Ms crucifixion, and found his
death accompanied with an earthquake, as if na
ture had been in an agony when he died, they
rightly interpreted these prodigies to be so many
testimonies from the Almighty of Ms innocence ;
and their passions, which had been inflamed and
exasperated against him, became quite calm, or
exerted in his behalf. Some were angry with
themselves for neglecting the opportumty the go
vernor gave them of saving his life. Some were
stung with remorse for having been active in pro
curing Pilate to condemn him, and even offering
the most bitter insults while he laboured under
the most cruel sufferings. And others were
deeply affected at beholding the pains he suffered,
which were rigorously severe.
These various passions bemg visibly painted in
their countenances, afforded a melancholy spec
tacle ; many of the multitude returning from the
place of execution with their eyes fixed upon the
earth, pensive and silent ; their hearts ready to
burst with grief, groarnng deeply witiiin them
selves, shedding floods of tears, and smiting on
their breasts.
The grief they now felt for the blessed Jesus,
was distinguished from their former rage against
him by this remarkable particular; That their
rage was entirely owing to the artful insinuations
of their priests; whereas their grief was genuine,

and the natural feelings of their own hearts
greatly affected with the truth and innocence of
him who was the object of their commiseration.
And as flattery had no share in this mourning, so
the expressions of their sorrow were such as be
came a real and unfeigned passion.
Thus were demonstrated, by many awful
tokens, the truth, the divinity, the power, of our
Redeemer's mission : and the blind, the obdurate
Jews, were struck with horror, fully convinced
that the person they had cruelly put to death,
was nothing less than the Son of God, the pro
mised Messiah, the Saviour of the world.
CHAP. XL.
The blessed Jesus treated with Indignity
after his Crucifixion. — A pious Person
begs his Body of Pilate in order for
Interment.
IT was expressly forbidden by the law of
Moses, that the bodies of those who were
hanged should remain all night on the tree In
conformity to this law, and because the sabbath
was at hand, the Jews begged the governor that
the legs of the three persons crucified might be
broken to hasten their death. To, this request
Pilate readily consented ; and accordingly gave
the necessary order to the soldiers to put it in
execution. But on perceiving that Jesus was already dead,
the soldiers did not give themselves the trouble of
breaking his legs, as they had done those of the
two malefactors that were crucified with him.
One of them, however, either out of wantonness
or cruelty, thrust a spear into his side, and out
of the wound flowed blood and water.
TMs wound, therefore, was of the greatest

270

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XL.

importance to mankmd, as it abundantly demon
strated the truth of our Saviour's death, and,
consequently, prevented all objections that the
enemies of our holy faith would otherwise have
raised against it The Evangelist adds, that the
legs of our great Bedeemer were not broken,
but his side pierced, that two particular pro
phecies might be fulfilled : A bone of him shall
not be broken ; and, They shall look on him
whom they have pierced.
Among the disciples of our blessed Jesus, was
one called Joseph of Arimathea; a person equally
remarkable for his birth, fortune, and office. This
man, who was not to be intimidated by the ma
lice of his countrymen, went boldly to Pilate,
and begged the body of his great Master. He
had, indeed, nothing to fear from the Boman
governor, who, during the whole course of our
Saviour's trial, had shown the greatest inclination
to release him ; but he had reason to apprehend
that this action might draw upon him the malice
of the rulers of the Jews ; who had taken such
great pains to get the Messiah crucified.
However, the great regard he had for the re
mains of his Master, made him despise the malice
of the Jews ; being persuaded that Omnipotence
would defend him, and cover his enemies with
shame and confusion. And he well knew, that
if no friend procured a grant of the body, it
would be ignominiously cast out among the
executed malefactors.
Pilate was at first surprised at the request of
Joseph, thinking it highly improbable that he
should be dead in so short a time. He had, in
deed, given orders for the soldiers to break the
legs of the crucified persons ; but he knew it was
common for them to live many hours after that
operation was performed : for though the pain
they felt must be exquisite to the last degree, yet

as the vital parts remained untouched, life would
continue some time in the miserable body.
The governor, therefore, called the centurion,
to know the truth of what Joseph had told hirii ;
and being convinced, from the answer of that
officer, that Jesus had been dead some time, he
readily gave the body to Joseph.
This worthy counsellor having obtained his
request, repaired to Mount Calvary; and being
assisted by Nicodemus, took the body down from
the cross. The latter was formerly so cautious
in visiting Jesus, that he came to him by night.
But in paying the last duties to his Master; he
used no art to conceal his design. He showeda
courage far superior to that of any of his Apostles,
not only assisting Joseph in taking down the
body of Jesus from the cross, but bringing with
him a quantity of spices necessary in the burial
of his Saviour.
Accordingly they wrapt the body with the
spices in fine linen, and laid it in a new sepulchre,
which Joseph had hewn out of a rock for himself.
The sepulchre was situated in a garden near
Mount Calvary ; and in which, having carefully
deposited the body of the blessed Jesus, they
fastened the door, by rolling to it a very large
stone. And when Joseph had taken the body, he
wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his
own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock :
and he rolled a great stone to the door of the se
pulchre, and departed. Matt, xxvii. 59, 60.
Oh! what a wonderful spectacle was now
exhibited in this memorable sepulchre ! He who
clothes himself with light as with a garment, and
walks upon the wings of the wind, was pleased
to wear the habiliments of mortality, and dwell
among the prostrate dead ! Who can repeat
the wondrous truth too often f Who can dwell

Chap. XL.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

271

upon the enchanting theme too long ? He who
sits entiironed in glory, and diffuses bliss among
all the heavenly host, was once a pale and bloody
corpse, and pressed the floor of this little se
pulchre ! . i " ¦ i
/, O Death ! how great was thy triumph in that
hour ! Never did thy gloomy realms contain
such a prisoner before. Prisoner, did I say?
No, he was more than conqueror. He arose
far more mighty than Samson from a transient
slumber ; broke down the gates, and demolished
the strong holds, of those dark dominions. And
tins, O mortals, is your consolation and security.
Jesus hath trod the dreadful path, and smoothed
it for your passage. Jesus, sleeping in the
chambers of the tomb, hath brightened the dis
mal mansion, and left an inviting odour in those
beds of dust. The dying Jesus is your sure pro
tection, your unquestionable passport through
the territories of the grave. Believe in him, and
they shall prove a highway to Sion ; shall trans
mit you safe to paradise. Believe in him, and
you shall be no losers, but unspeakable gainers,
by your dissolution. For hear what the Oracle
of heaven says on this important point : Whoso
believeth in me shall never die. Death shall no
longer be inflicted as a punishment, but rather
vouchsafed as a blessing. The exit of saints is
the end of their frailty, and their entrance upon
perfection ; their last groan is the prelude to life
and immortality.
< But to return. The women of Galilee, who
had watched their dear Bedeemer in his last
moments, and accompanied his body to the se
pulchre, observing that the funeral rites were
performed, in a hurry, agreed among themselves,
as soon as the sabbath was passed, to return to
the sepulchre, and embalm the body of their
dead Saviour, by anointing and swathing him in
the manner then common among the Jews.

Accordingly they retired to the city, and pur
chased the spices necessary for that purpose ;
Nicodemus having furnished only a mixture of
myrrh and aloes.
During these transactions, the chief priests
and Pharisees, remembering that Jesus had more
than once predicted his own resurrection, came
to the governor, and informed him of it ; beg
ging, at the same time, that a guard might
be placed at the sepulchre, lest his disciples
should carry away the body, and affirm that he
was risen from the dead. This happened a little
before it was dark in the evening, called the
next day that followed, by the Evangelist, be
cause the Jewish day began at sunset
This request being thought reasonable by
Pilate, he gave them leave to take as many sol
diers as they pleased out of the cohort, which at
the feast came from the castle bf Antonia, , and
kept guard of the porticos of the temple. For
that they were not Jewish but Boman soldiers
whom the priests employed to watch the se- .
pulchre, is evident from their asking them of the
governor. Besides, when the soldiers returned
with the news of our Saviour's resurrection, the
priests desired them to report that his disciples
had stolen him away while they slept ; and, to
encourage them to tell the falsehood boldly, pro
mised, that if their neglect of duty came to the
governor's ears, proper methods should be used
to pacify him, and deliver them from any punish
ment : a promise which there was no need of
making to their own servants.
The priests having thus obtained a guard of
Boman soldiers, men long accustomed to mi
litary duties, and, therefore, the most proper for
watching the body, set out with them to the
sepulchre; and to prevent these guards from
combining with the disciples in carrying on

272

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLI.

any fraud, placed them at their post, and sealed
the stone which was rolled to the door of the
sepulchre. Thus what was designed to expose the mis
sion and doctrines of Jesus, as rank falsehood
and vile imposture, proved in fact the strongest.
confirmation of the truth and divhiity of the
same, that could possibly be given ; and placed
what they wanted to refute, (which was Ms re
surrection from the dead,) even beyond a doubt

CHAP. XLI.
Two pious Women go to view the Se
pulchre of their crucified Lord and
Saviour — An awful Phenomenon hap
pens. — A ministering Spirit descends.
— The Redeemer bursts the Chains of
Death, and rises from the Tomb.
VEBY early in the morning after the sab
bath, Mary Magdalene, and the other
Mary, came to visit the sepulcMe, in order to
embalm our Lord's body ; for the performance of
which they had, in concert with several other
women from Galilee, brought ointments and
spices. But before they reached the sepulchre,
there was a great earthquake preceding the
most memorable event that ever happened
among the children of men, the resurrection
of the Son of God from the dead. For the
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and
came and rolled back the stone from the door
of the sepulchre, and sat upon it : his coun
tenance was like lightning, and his raiment
white as snow : and for fear of him the keep
ers did shake, and became as dead men: they
fled mto the city, and the Saviour of the world
rose from the dead.

The angel, who had till then sat upon the
stone, quitted his station, and entered into the
sepulchre. In the mean time Mary Magdalene,
and the other Mary, were still on their way to
the place, together with Salome, who joined
them on the road. As they proceeded on their
way, they consulted among themselves, with
regard to the method of putting their design of
embalming the body of their Master in execu
tion ; particularly with respect to the enormous
stone which they had seen placed there, with
the utmost difficulty, two days before. Who.,
said they, shall roll away the stone from the door
of the sepulchre ? For it teas very great. But
in the midst of this deliberation about removing
this great and sole obstacle to then design, (for
it does not appear they knew any thing of the
guard,) they lifted up then eyes, and perceived
it was already rolled away.
Alarmed at so extraordmary and unexpected
a circumstance, Mary Magdalene concluded,
that the stone could not have been rolled
away without some design ; and that those
who rolled it away could have no other in
tent than that of removing our Lord's body.
Imagining, by appearances, that they had really
done so, she ran immediately to acquaint Pe
ter and John of what she had seen, and what
she suspected ; leaving Mary and Salome there,
that if the other women should arrive during
her absence, they might acquaint them with
their surprise at finding the stone removed,
and of Mary Magdalene's running to inform
the Apostles of it
In the mean time, the soldiers, who were ter
rified at seeing an awful messenger from on high
roll away the stone from the door of the se
pulchre, and open' it in quality of a servant, fled
into the city, and informed the Jewish rulers of
these miraculous appearances. This account was

Chap. XLII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

273

highly mortifying to the chief priests, as it was a
proof of our Saviour's resurrection that could
not be denied. They, therefore, resolved to
stifle it immediately, and, accordingly, bribed
the soldiers to conceal the real fact, and to pub
lish every where that Ms disciples had stolen the
body out of the sepulchre.
What! the body taken. away while the place
was guarded by Boman soldiers ? Yes, accord
ing to these wise priests, the disciples stole the
body while the soldiers slept ! A story so incon
sistent, and which so evidently carries the marks
of its own confutation with it, that it deserves
no answer.
The priests themselves could not be so stupid
as not to foresee what construction the world
would put upon the account, given by persons
who pretended to know and tell what was done
while they were asleep.
CHAP. XLII.
The Angel addresses the pious Women. —
Two Disciples go to the Sepulchre. —
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. —
Afterwards to a Company of Wo
men. — Peter meets his Lord and Mas
ter after his Resurrection.
WHILE Mary Magdalene was going to in
form the disciples that the stone was
rolled away from the mouth of the sepulchre,
and the bpdy taken away, Mary and Salome
continued advancing towards the place, and at
their arrival found, what they expected, the body
of their beloved Master gone from the sepulchre,
where it had been deposited by Nicodemus and
Joseph of Arimathea; but, at the same time, be
held, to then great astonishment, a beautiful
Nos. 23 & 24.

young man, in shining raiment, very glorious to
behold, sitting on the right side of the sepulchre.
Matthew tells us, that it was the angel who had
rolled away the stone, and frightened away the
guards from the sepulchre. It seems he had now
laid aside the terrors in which he was then ar
rayed, and assumed the form and dress of a hu
man being, in order that these pious women, who
had accompanied our Saviour during the great
est part of the time of his public ministry, might
be as little terrified as possible.
But notwithstanding his beauty and benign ap
pearance, they were greatly affrighted, and on the
point of turning back, when the heavenly mes
senger, to banish their fears, told them in a gentle
accent, that he knew their errand. Fear not,
said he, for I know that ye seek Jesus which was
crucified. He is not here ; for he is risen, as he
said : and then invited them to come down into
the sepulchre, and view the place where the Son
of God had lain; that is, to look on the linen
clothes, and the napkin that had been about his
head, and which he had left behind him when he
arose from the dead : for to look at the place in
any other view, would not have tended to con
firm their faith of Ms resurrection.
The women, greatly encouraged by the agree
able news, as well as by the peculiar accent with
which this blessed messenger from the heavenly
Canaan delivered his speech, went down into
the sepulchre, when, behold, another of the an
gelic choir appeared.
They did not, however, yet seem to give suf
ficient credit to what was told them by the angel ;
and, therefore, the other gently reproved them
for seeking the living among the dead, with an
intention to do him an office due only to the
latter, and for not believing what was told them
3D

274

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLII.

by a messenger from heaven, or rather for not
remembering the words which their great Master
himself had told them with regard to his own
resurrection. Why seek ye the living among the
dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember
how he spake unto you when he was yet 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.
When the women had satisfied their minds by
looking at the place where the Lord had lain,
and where nothing was to be found but the linen
clothes, the angel who first appeared to them
resumed the discourse, and bade them to go
and tell his disciples, particularly Peter, the glad
tidings of his Master's resurrection from the
dead ; that he was going before them to Galilee ;
and that they should there have the pleasure of
seeing him.
The reason why the disciples were ordered
to go into Galilee, to meet their great and be
loved Master, seems to be this : they were now
most of them in Jerusalem, celebrating the pass-
over; and it may be easily imagined that, on re
ceiving the news of their Lord's resurrection,
many, if not all, would resolve to tarry in Jeru
salem, in expectation of meeting him there : a
thing that must have proved of great detriment
to them at that time of the year, when the
harvest was about to begin, the sheaf of first-
fruits being always offered on the second day of
the passover week.
Jn order, therefore, to prevent their staying
so long from home, the message was sent,
directing them to return into Galilee, with
full assurance that they should there have the
pleasure of seeing their great Lord and Mas
ter; and by that means have all their doubts
removed, and be fully convinced that he had

patiently undergone all his sufferings for the
sins of mankind.
The women, highly elated with the news of
their Lord's resurrection, left the sepulchre im
mediately, and ran to carry the disciples the glad
tidings. During these transactions at the sepulchre,
Peter and John having been informed by Mary
Magdalene that the stone was rolled away, and
the body of Jesus riot to be found, were hasten
ing to the grave, and missed the women who
had seen the appearance of angels.
The disciples being astonished at what Mary
Magdalene had told them, and desirous of having
their doubts cleared up, made all the haste pos
sible to the sepulchre ; and John, being younger
than Peter, arrived at the place first, but did not
go in, contenting himself with stooping down, and
seeing the linen clothes lying, which had been
wrapped about our Saviour's body. Peter soon
arrived, and went to the sepulchre, where he saw
the linen clothes, and the napkin that was about
his head not lying with the linen chthes, but
wrapped together in a place by itself.
Our Lord left the grave-clothes in the sepul
chre, probably to show that his body was not
stolen away by his disciples, who in such a case
would not have taken time to have stripped it
Besides, the circumstances of the grave-clothes
induced the disciples themselves to believe, when
the resurrection was related to them. But at that
time they had not any suspicion that he was risen
from the dead.
These two disciples having thus satisfied them
selves that what Mary Magdalene had told them
was really true, returned to their respective ha
bitations; hut Mary, who had returned, con-

Chap. XLII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

275

tinued weeping at the door of the sepulchre. She
had, it seems, followed Peter and John to the gar
den, but did not leave it with them, being anxious
to find the body. Accordingly, stepping down
into the place to examine it once more, she saw
two angels sitting, the one at the head, and the
other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had
lain. They were now in the same position as
when they appeared to the other women ; but
had rendered themselves invisible while Peter
and John were at the sepulchre.
Mary, on beholding these heavenly messengers
dressed in the robes of light, was greatly terrified.
But they, in the most endearing accent, asked
her, Woman, why weepest thou ? To which she
answered, Because they have taken away my Lord,
and I know not where they have laid him. On
pronouncing these words, she turned herself
about, and saw Jesus standing near her; but the
terror she was in, and the garments in which he
was now dressed, prevented her from knowing
Mm for some time. Jesus repeated the same
question used before by the angel, Woman, why
weepest thou ? To which Mary, who now sup
posed him to be the gardener, answered, Sir, if
his body be troublesome in the sepulchre, and
thou hast removed him, tell me where he is de
posited, and I will take him away. But our
blessed Saviour, willing to remove her anxiety,
called her by her name, with his usual tone of
voice : on which she immediately knew him, and
falling down before him, would have embraced
his knees, according to that modesty and reve
rence with which the women of the East saluted
the men, especially those who were their supe
riors in station.
But Jesus refused this compliment, teMng her,
that he was not going immediately into heaven.
He was often to show himself to the disciples be
fore he ascended ; so that she would have frequent

opportunities of testifying her regard to him.
And at the same time said to her, Go to my bre
thren, and say unto them, I ascend to my Father and
your Father, and to my God and your God
Thus did the blessed Jesus contemplate, with
a singular pleasure, the work of redemption he
had just finished. The happy relation between
God and man, which had been long cancelled by
sin, was now renewed. The Almighty, who
had disowned them on account of their disobe
dience, was again reconciled to them ; he was
become their God and Father ; they were ex
alted to the honourable relation of Christ's bre
thren, and the sons of God ; and their Father
loved them with an affection far exceeding that
of the most tender-hearted parent upon earth.
The kindness of this message, sent by our dear
Bedeemer to his disciples, will appear above all
praise, if we remember their late behaviour.
They had every one of them forsaken him in the
greatest extremity: when he was scourged and
mocked by the Roman soldiers, derided by his
countrymen, and spitefully entreated by all, they
hid themselves in some place of safety, and pre
ferred their own security to the deliverance of
their Master. When he fainted under the bur
den of his cross, none of them were there to as
sist him.
Simon, a Cyreman, was compelled by the Ro
man soldiers to ease him of his ponderous bur
den. But notwithstanding they had refused to
assist their Master during his sufferings for the
sins of the world, he graciously, he freely, for
gave them; he assured them of their pardon, and
called them even by the endearing name of bre
thren. There is something very remarkable in this
part of the history. None of the Apostles, or male
disciples, were honoured with the first appear-
3 D*

276

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLII.

ance of the angels, or with the immediate news
of the resurrection of the Son of God, much less
with the appearance of Jesus himself.
The angels in the sepulchre kept themselves
invisible all the time that Peter and John were
observing the linen clothes, and satisfying them
selves that the body of their Master was not there.
Perhaps the male disciples in general were treated
with this mark of disrespect, both because they
had, with shameful cowardice, forsaken their
Master when he was betrayed into the hands of
his enemies, and because their faith was so weak,
that they had absolutely despaired of his being
the Messiah, when they saw him expire on the
cross. But how different was the conduct of the
women ! Laying aside the weakness and timi
dity natural to their sex, they showed an uncom
mon magnanimity on this melancholy occasion.
For, in contradiction to those of the Jews, who so
vehemently required Jesus to be crucified as a de
ceiver, they proclaimed his innocence by tears,
cries, and lamentations, when they saw Mm led
forth to suffer on Mount Calvary; accompanied
him to the cross, the most infamous of all punish
ments ; kindly waited on him in his expiring mo
ments, giving him all the consolation in their
power, though, at the same time, the sight of his
sufferings pierced them to the heart; and when he
expired, and his body was carried off, they ac
companied him to his grave, not despairing,
though they found he had not delivered himself,
but to appearance was conquered by death, the
universal enemy of mankind. Perhaps these pious
women entertained some faint hopes that he
would still revive. Or, if they did not entertain
expectations of that kind, they at least cherished
a strong degree of love for their Lord, and de
termined to do him all the honour in their power.
A faith so remarkably strong, a love so ardent,
and a fortitude so unshaken, could not fail of

receiving distinguished marks of the divine ap
probation ; and they were, accordingly, honoured
with the news of Christ's resurrection, before
the male disciples had . their eyes cheered with
the first sight of their beloved Lord, after he
arose from the chambers of the grave; so that
they preached the joyful tidings of Ms resurrec
tion to the Apostles themselves.
But there seems to have been other reasons
why our great Bedeemer showed himself first to
the women. The thoughts of the Apostles were
constantly fixed on a temporal kingdom., and
they had wrested all his words into an agree
ment with that favourite notion. And whatever
they could not construe as consonant to that
opimon, they seemed either to have disbelieved
or disregarded
Hence, notwithstanding Jesus had repeatedly
foretold his own sufferings, they were astonished
above measure when they found he had expired
on the cross. Immortality and terrestrial do
minion were, according to their notion, the cha
racteristics of the Messiah; for wMch reason,
when they found that, instead of establishing1'
himself in the possession of universal empire, he
had neither delivered himself from a handful of
enemies, nor even from death, they gave over
the hopes of his being the Messiah. And as for
his resurrection, they seem not to have enter
tained the least notion of it ; so that when the
news of this great event was brought to them,
they doubted the truth of the information.
Not so the women. They were more submis
sive to their Master's instructions ; and, conse
quently, were much better prepared for seeing
him, after his resurrection, than the Apostles :
for though they did not expect that he would rise
from the dead, yet they were not prejudiced
against it. This cannot be said of the Apostles,:

Chap. XLII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

277

they not only absolutely rejected the matter at
first as a thing incredible, but even after they
were acquainted with the accounts the soldiers
had given of this great transaction ; nay, after
they had seen the blessed Jesus himself, some of
them were so unreasonable as still to doubt.
How much rather then would their incredulity
have led them to suspect his appearing as an il
lusion, had he showed himself to them ? These
reports led him to pomt out the arguments proper
for disposing them to believe ; particularly the
prophecies that had been so often delivered in
their own hearing, concerning his resurrection.
Hence the angels, when they told this event to
the women, and desired them to carry the news
of it to his disciples, put them in mind of the pre
dictions Jesus Mmself had made, as a confirma
tion of it. Hence we also see the reason why
Jesus, before he had made himself known to the
disciples at Emmaus, had prepared them for a
discovery, by expounding to them, on the road,
the several prophecies concerning the Messiah,
contained in the Old Testament.
The women, on their arrival, told as many of
the disciples as they could find, that they had
seen at the sepulchre the appearance of angels,
who assured them that Jesus was risen from the
dead. This new information astonished the dis
ciples exceedingly; and as they had before sent
Peter and John to examine mto the truth of what
Mary Magdalene had told them, concerning the
body being removed out of the sepulchre, so
they now judged it Mghly proper to send some
of their number to see the angels, and learn
from them the joyful tidmgs of that great trans
action, of which the women had given them an
account That it was really the case, appears from
what the disciples, in their journey to Emmaus,
told their great Lord and Master; namely, that

when the women came and told them that they
had seen the angels, certain of their number went
to the sepulchre, and found it even as the women
had said, but him they saw not.
The second deputation from the Apostles did
not go alone ; for as Mary Magdalene returned
with Peter and John, who were sent to examine
the truth of her information, so the women who
brought an account of the appearance of angels,
in all probability returned with those who were
sent to be witnesses of the. truth of their report.
Besides curiosity, they had an errand thither.
The angels had expressly ordered them to tell
the news to Peter in particular ; for which reason,
when they understood that he was gone to the
sepulchre, it is natural to think they would return
with the disciples to seek him, .About the time
that the disciples and women set out from the
sepulchre, Peter and John reached the city; but
passing through a different street, did not meet
their brethren.
The disciples having a great desire to reach
the place, soon left the women behind ; and just
as they arrived, Mary Magdalene, having seen
the Lord, was coming away. But they did not
meet her, because they entered the garden at one
door, while she was coming out at another.
When they came to the sepulchre, they saw the
angels, and received from them the news of their
blessed Master's resurrection ; for St. Luke tells
us, They found it even as the women had said.
Highly elated with what they saw, they departed,
and ran back to the city, with such expedition,
that they gave an account of what they had seen
in the hearing of the two disciples, before Mary
Magdalene arrived.
Nor will their speed appear at all incredible,
if we consider that the nature of the tidings
the Apostles had to carry gave them wings, as

278

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLIIL

it were, to make their brethren partakers of their
joy at this surprising transaction.
In the mean time, the company of women,
who followed the disciples, happened to meet
Peter and John. But they had not gone far
from the sepulchre, before Jesus himself met
them, and said, All hail! On which they ap
proached their great Lord and Master, held him
by the feet, and worshipped him. This favour
of embracing his knees, Jesus had previously
refused to Mary Magdalene, because it was not
then necessary; but he granted it to the women,
because the angel's words having strongly im
pressed their minds with the notion of his re
surrection, they might have taken his appear
ance for an illusion of their own imagination,
had he not permitted them to touch him, and
convince themselves by the united reports of
their senses, that he was their great Lord and
Master, who was then risen from the dead,
after having suffered on the cross for the sins of
mankind. This company of pious women having tarried
some time with Jesus on the road, did not arrive
with the joyful tidings of their great Master's
resurrection till some time after Peter and John ;
and perhaps were overtaken by Mary Magda
lene on the road, unless we suppose that she ar
rived a few minutes before them. But be that
as it may, this is certain, that they arrived either
at or near the same time ; so that their accounts
of this miraculous event tended to confirm each
other. The disciples were now lost in astonishment
at what the women had related : they considered
the account they had before given them, of their
having seen the angels, as an improbability;
and now they seem to have considered this as

something worse; for the Evangelist tells us that
they believed not.
Peter, indeed, to whom the angel sent the
message, was disposed, by his sanguine temper,
to give a little more credit to their words than
the rest ; possibly because the messengers from
the heavenly Canaan had done him the honour
of naming him in particular.
Elated with the respect thus paid Mm, he im
mediately repaired again to the sepulcMe ; hoping,
in all probability, that his Master would appear to
him, or at least the angel who had so particularly
distinguished him from the rest of the disciples.
As soon as Peter arrived at the sepulchre, he
stooped down, and seeing the linen clothes lying
in the same manner as before, he viewed then
position, the form in which they were laid, and
returned, wondering greatly in himself at what
had happened. CHAP. XLIII.
Jesus appears, on divers Occasions, to dif
ferent Disciples. — Reproves and con
vinces Thomas of his Unbelief. —Shows
himself to a great Number of his Fol
lowers in Galilee.
SOON after the women's first return to the
disciples with the news that they had seen
the appearance of angels, who told them that
Jesus was risen from the dead, two of the bre
thren departed on their journey to a village called
Emmaus, about two miles distant from Jerusa
lem. The concern they were in, on account of
the death of their great and beloved Master, was
sufficiently visible in their countenances. And
as they pursued their journey, talking with one

Chap. XLIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

279

another, and debating about the things that had
lately happened among them, concerning the life
and doctrine, the sufferings and death, of the
holy Jesus, and of the report that was just spread
among his disciples, of Ms being that very morn
ing risen from the dead, Jesus himself overtook
them, and joined company with them.
As he appeared like a stranger, they did not in
the least suspect that their fellow traveller was no
other than the great Bedeemer of the sons of men.
He soon entered into discourse with them, by
inquiring what event had so closely engaged them
in conversation, and why they appeared so sor
rowful and dejected, as if they had met with some
heavy disappointment ?
One of them, whose name was Cleopas, being
surprised at the question, replied, Is it possible
that you can be so great a stranger to the af
fairs of the world, as to have been at Jerusalem,
and not have heard the surprising events that
have happened there ? events that have as
tonished the whole city, and are now the constant
topic of conversation among all the inhabitants?
Jesus asked, What surprising events he meant ?
To which Cleopas replied, The transactions
which have happened concerning Jesus of Na
zareth, who appeared as a great prophet and
teacher sent from God ; and, accordingly, was
highly venerated among the people, for the ex
cellency of Ms doctrine, his humility of life,
and the number, benefit, and greatness of his
mh-acles. Our chief priests, and elders, therefore, envying
him, as one who lessened their authority over the
people, apprehended him, and found means to
put him to death.
But we firmly believed he would have proved
Mmself the Messiah, or great deliverer : and this

persuasion we a long time supported ; nor were
we willing to abandon it, even when we saw him
put to death. But it is now three days since
these things were done; and, therefore, begin ta
fear we were mistaken.
This very morning, indeed, a thing happened,
which extremely surprises us, and we were very
solicitous with regard to the event. Some wo-
men, who had entertained the same hopes ahd
expectations as we, going early in the morn
ing to pay the last duties to their Master, by
embalming his body, returned With great haste
to the city, and informed us that they had been
at the sepulchre, but were disappointed in not
finding the body ; and, to increase our surprise,
they added, that they had seen the appearance
of angels, who told them that Jesus was risen
from the dead.
This relation seemed at first to us not probable,
nay, altogether incredible; but two of the com
pany going immediately after to the sepulchre,
found every thing exactly as the women had re
ported ; they saw the angels, but heard not any
thing of the body: so that we are still in doubt
and perplexity with regard to this wonderful
event In reply, Jesus said, Why are ye so very averse
to believe all that the prophets have with one
voice predicted concerning the Messiah ? Is it
not clearly and very expressly foretold in all
the prophetic writmgs, that it was appointed
by the counsel of Omnipotence for the Mes
siah to suffer in this manner; and that, after
sustaining the greatest indignities, reproach, and
contempt, from the malice and perverseness of
mankind, and even undergoing an ignominious
and cruel death, he should be exalted to a
glorious and eternal kingdom ? Havmg said
this, he began at the writmgs of Moses, and

280

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLHI.

explained to them, in order, all the principal
passages, both in the books of that great legis
lator, and the writings of the other prophets, re
lating to his own sufferings, death, and glorious
resurrection. And this he did with such surprismg plainness,
clearness, and strength, that the two disciples,
not yet suspecting who he was, were as much
ariiazed to find a stranger so well acquamted
with all that Jesus did and suffered, as they at first
wondered at his appearing to be totally ignorant
of these transactions. They were also astonished
to hear him interpret and apply the Scriptures to
then present purpose, with such readiness and
convincing clearness of argument as carried with
it a strange and unusual authority and efficacy.
When, therefore, they came to the village whither
they were going, and Jesus seemed as if he would
have passed on, and travelled farther, they, de
sirous of his company, pressed him, in the strong
est manner, to tarry with them that mght, as it
was then late. '
To this request the great Bedeemer of man
kind consented ; and when they were sat down
to supper, he took bread, and gave thanks to
God, and brake it, and gave it to them in the
same manner he used to do while he conversed
with them upon earth before Ms death. This
engaged then attention, and, looking steadfastly
on Mm, they perceived it was their great and
beloved Master.
But they had then no time to express then joy
and astonishment to their benevolent Bedeemer;
for he immediately vanished out of their sight
As soon as they found then Master was de
parted, they said one to another, How slow and
stupid were we before, not to know Mm upon
the road, while he explained to us the Scriptures;

when, besides the affability of his discourse, and
the strength and clearness of his arguments, we
perceived such an authority in what he said, and
such a powerful efficacy attending his words,
even striking our hearts with affection, that we
could not but have known it (if we had not been
remarkably stupid) to have been the very same
that used to accompany Ms teachmg, and was
peculiar to it.
This surprising event would not admit them to
stay any longer in Emmaus. They returned that
very night to Jerusalem, and found the Apostles,
with several other disciples, discoursing about
the resurrection of their Master ; and, on then
entering the room, the disciples accosted them,
saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath ap
peared unto Simon.
They had given little credit to the reports of
the women, supposing they were occasioned more
by imagination than reality. But when a person
of Peter's capacity and gravity declared he had
seen the Lord, they began to think that he was
really risen from the dead. And their belief
was greatly confirmed by the arrival of the two
disciples from Emmaus, who declared to then
brethren how Jesus appeared to them on the
road, and how they discovered him to be then
Master by the circumstances before related.
While the disciples from Emmaus were thus
describing the manner of the appearance of Jesus
to them, and offering arguments to convmce
those who doubted the truth of it their great
Master himself put an end to the debate, by
standing in the midst of them, and saying, Peace
be unto you.
This appearance of our blessed Saviour greatly
terrified the disciples, who supposed they had
seen a spirit; for having secured the doors of the

Chap. XLIII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

281

house where they were assembled, for fear of
the Jews, and Jesus having opened the locks by
his miraculous power, without the knowledge
of any in the house, it was natural for them to
think that a spirit only could enter. The circum
stance, therefore, of the doors being shut, is very
happily mentioned by St. John ; because it sug
gests a reason why the disciples took their Master
for a spirit, notwithstanding many of them were
convinced that he was really risen from the dead,
and were at that moment conversing about his
resurrection. But to dispel their fears and doubts, Jesus
came forward, and spoke to them in the most
endearing manner, showed them his hands and
his feet, and desired them to handle Mm, in order
to convince themselves, by the united powers of
their different senses, that it was he himself, and
no spectre or apparition. Why are ye troubled,
said the benevolent Bedeemer of mankind, 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 not flesh and bones, as
ye see me have.
These infallible proofs sufficiently convinced
the disciples of the truth of their Lord's resur
rection, and they received him with rapture and
exultation. But their joy and wonder had so
great an effect upon their minds, that some of
them, sensible of the great commotion they were
in, suspended their belief, till they had considered
the matter more ealmly. Jesus, therefore, know
ing their thoughts, called for meat, and ate with
them, in order to prove more fully the truth of
his resurrection from the dead, and the reality
of his presence with them on this occasion.
After giving this farther ocular demonstration
of his having vanquished the power of death,
arid'dpened the tremendous portals of the grave,
Nos. 23 & 24.

he again repeated his salutation, Peace be unto
you. Adding, " The same commission that my
Father hath given unto me, I give unto you. Go
ye, therefore, into every part of the world, and
preach the Gospel to all the children of men."
Then breathing on them, he said, Beceive ye the
Holy Ghost, to direct and assist you in the exe
cution of your commission. Whosoever em
braces your doctrine, sincerely repents, and be
lieves on me, ye shall declare unto him the free
forgiveness of his sins, and your declaration shall
be ratified and confirmed in the courts of heaven.
And whosoever either obstinately rejects your
doctrine, disobeys it, or behaves himself unwor
thily after he has embraced it, Ms sins shall not
be forgiven him ; but the censure ye shall pass
upon him on earth, shall be confirmed in heaven.
Thomas, otherwise called Didymus, was absent
at the meeting of the Apostles ; nor did this hap
pen without the special direction of Providence,
that the particular and extraordinary satisfaction
Which was afterwards granted him might be an
abundant and undeniable testimony of the truth
of our blessed Saviour's resurrection, to all suc
ceeding generations. The rest of the Apostles,
therefore, told him, that they had seen the Lord,
and repeated to him the words he had delivered
in their hearing. But Thomas replied, " This
event is of such great importance, that unless, to
prevent all possibility of deception, I see Mm
with mine own eyes, and feel him with mine own
hands, putting my fingers into the print of the
nails whereby he was fastened to the cross, and
thrust my hand into his side which the soldier
pierced with the spear; I will not believe that he
is really and truly risen from the dead."
Thus have we enumerated, in the most explicit
manner, the transactions of that day on which
the great Bedeemer of mankind arose from the
dead; a day highly to be remembered by the
3E

282

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XL1II.

children of men, throughout all generations. A
day, in which was fully completed and displayed
the conceptions lodged in the breast of infinite
Wisdom ! even those thoughts of love and mercy,
on which the salvation of the world depended.
Christians have, therefore, the highest reason to
solemnize this day with gladness, each returning
week, by ceasing from their labour, and giving
up themselves to prayer, hearing and reading
the word of God, pious meditation, and other
exercises of religion. The redemption of man
kind, which they weekly commemorate, affords
matter for eternal praise ; it is a subject impos
sible to be equalled, and whose lustre neither
length of time, nor frequent reviewing, can either
tarnish or diminish. It resembles the sun, which
we behold always the same glorious and lumi
nous object; for the benefit we celebrate is, after
so many ages, as fresh and beautiful as ever,
and will always continue the same, flourishing
in the memories of pious people, through the
endless revolutions of eternity. Bedemption is
the brightest mirror by which we contemplate the
goodness of the Almighty. Other gifts are only
mites from the divine treasury ; but redemption
opens, I had almost said exhausts, all the stores
of his grace. May it be constantly the favourite
subject of our meditations, more delightful to
our musing minds than applause to the ambitious
ear ! May it be the darling theme of our dis
course ; sweeter to our tongues than the dropping
of the honeycomb to the taste ! May it be our
choicest comfort through all the changes of this
mortal life ; and the reviving cordial, even in the
last extremities of dissolution itself!
Eight days after the resurrection of our great
Redeemer, the blessed Jesus showed himself
again to his disciples while Thomas was with
them ; and upbraided that disciple for his un
belief; but knowing that it did not, like that of
the Pharisees, proceed from a wicked mind, but

from an honest heart, and a sincere desire of being
satisfied of the truth, he thus addressed himself
to his doubting disciple: "Thomas," said he,
" since thou wilt not be contented to rely on the
testimony of others, but must be convinced by
the experience of thy own senses, behold the
wounds in my hands, and reach hither, thy hand,
and thrust it into my side, and doubt no longer
of the reality of my resurrection."
Thomas was immediately induced to believe
by the invitation of his dear Master ; and being
fully satisfied, he cried out, " I am abundantly
convinced : thou art indeed, my Lord, the. very
same that was crucified; and I acknowledge
thine almighty power in having triumphed over
death, and worship thee as my God."
To which the blessed Jesus replied : " Because
thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed
that I am really risen from the dead. But
blessed are they who, without such evidence of
the senses, shall, upon credible testimony, be
willing to believe and embrace a doctrine which
tends so greatly to the glory of God, and the sal
vation of the sons of men."
St. John adds, that the blessed Jesus appeared,
on several other occasions, to his disciples, after
his resurrection ; and by many clear and infal
lible proofs, (not mentioned by the Evangelist,)
fully, convinced them that he was alive after his
passion. But those which are mentioned are
abundantly sufficient to excite men to believe
that Jesus was the Son of God, the great, Mes*
siah so often foretold by the andent prophets ;
and that by means of that belief they may attain
everlasting life in the happy, regions of the
heavenly Canaan.
Our blessed Saviour haying, first by the angels,
and afterwards in person, ordered his discioles to

Chap. XLJII.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

repair to their respective habitations in Galilee,
it is reasonable to think they would leave Jeru
salem as soon as possible. This they accordingly
did, and, on their arrival at their respective
places of abode, applied themselves to their usual
occupations ; and the Apostles^ returned to their
Old trade of fishing on the lake of Tiberias. Here
they were toiling with their nets very early in
the morning, and saw Jesus standing on the
shore, but did not then know him to be their
Master, as it was somewhat dark, and they at a
considerable distance from him. He, however,
called to them, and asked if they had taken any
fish ? To which they answered, They had caught
nothing. He then desired them to let down their
net on the right side of the boat, and they should
not be disappointed.
The disciples, imagining that he might be ac
quainted with the places proper for fishing, did
as he directed them, and inclosed in their net
such a prodigious multitude of fishes, that they
were not able to draw it into the boat, but were
forced to drag it after them in the water towards
the shore.
It seems they had toiled all the preceding night
to no purpose ; and, therefore, such remarkable
success could not fail of causing various conjec
tures among them, with regard to the stranger
on the shore who had given them such happy
advice. Some of the Apostles declared they
could not imagine who he was ; but others were
persuaded that this person was no other than
then great and beloved Master. John was fully
convinced of his being the Lord, and, accord
ingly, told his thoughts to Simon Peter, who,
making no doubt of it, girded on his fisher's
coat, and leaped into the sea, in order to
get ashore sooner than the boat could be
brought to land, dragging after it a net full
of large fishes.

When the disciples came ashore, they- found a
fire kindled, and on it a fish broiling, and near it
some bread. But neither being sufficient for the
company, Jesus bade them bring some of the
fish they had now caught, and invited them to
eat with him. Thus did the blessed Jesus prove
again to his disciples the reality of his resurrec
tion, not only by eating with them, but by 'work
ing- a miracle, like that which, at the beginning-
of his ministry, had made such an impression
upon them, as disposed them to be his constant
followers. >
This was the third time that Jesus appeared
publicly to a great number of his disdples in a
body, besides his showing himself at several times
to particular persons, upon several occasions.
When they had eaten, Jesus reminded Peter
how diligent and zealous he ought to be, in order
to wipe off the stain of his denying him when
he was carried before the high-priest : " Simon,
son of Jonas," said our blessed Saviour to him,
" art thou more zealous and affectionate in thy
love towards me than the rest of my disciples?"
To which Peter answered, Yea, Lord, thou know-
est that I love thee. He was taught modesty and
diffidence by his late fall; and, therefore, would
not compare himself with others, but humbly ap
pealed to his Master's omniscience for the sin
cerity of his regard to him. Jesus answered,
" Express then thy love towards me, by the care
of my flock committed to thy charge. Feed my
lambs ; feed my sheep. Show thy love to me, by
publishing the great salvation I have accom
plished ; and feeding the souls of faithful believers
with that food which never perishes, but endures
for ever and ever.
" I well know, indeed," continued the blessed
Jesus, " that thou wilt continue my faithful
shepherd, even until death. For the time will
3E*

284

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLIV.

come, when thou, who now girdest on thy fisher's
coat voluntarily, and stretchest out thy hands to
come to me, shalt, in thine old age, be girt by
others, and forced to stretch out thy hands against
thy will, in a very different manner, for the sake
of thy constant profession of my religion."
By these last words, Jesus signified the manner
of Peter's death, and that he should finally suffer
martyrdom, for the glory of God, and the tes
timony of the truth of the Christian religion.
The time being now come when the disciples
were to meet their great Lord and Master, ac
cording to the messages he had sent them by the
women, and in all probability appointed at some
former appearance not mentioned by the Evan
gelists, the brethren set out for the mountain in
Galilee, perhaps that on which he was trans
figured. Here five hundred of them were ga
thered together, expecting the joyful sight of
thdr great Master, after he had triumphed over
death and the grave ; some of them not having
yet seen him after Ms resurrection.
They did not wait long before Jesus appeared,
on which they were seized with rapture ; their
hearts overflowed with gladness, they approached
their kind, their benevolent Master, and wor
shipped him. Some few, indeed, doubted ; it
being natural for men to be afraid to believe what
they vehemently wished, lest they should indulge
themselves in false joys, which vanish like a morn
ing cloud. But Jesus afterwards appeared fre-
cjuendyto them, and gave them full satisfaction,
arid instructed them in many things relating
to their preaching the Gospel, establishing the
church, and spreading it through the whole earth.
CHAP. XLIV.
Our blessed Lord instructs his Disciples
in what manner they should conduct

themselves in order to propagate the
Doctrine of the Gospel. — Promises to
assist them in this important Business,
— Gives them his final Blessing, and
ascends into Heaven. — Comparison be
tween Moses, the great Lawgiver, and
our blessed Saviour. — General Review
of the Life and Doctrines of the great
Redeemer of Mankind
A FEW days before the feast of Pentecost,
or the feast of weeks, the disciples went up
to Jerusalem, where the blessed Jesus made his
last appearance to them ; and, after instructing
them in many particulars concerning the king*
dom of God, and the manner they were to be
have themselves in propagating the doctrine of
the Gospel, he put them in mind, that, during his
abode with them in Galilee, he had often told
them that all things written in the law, the pro
phets, and the psalms, concerning him, were to
be exactly accomplished. At the same time, he
opened their understandings by divine illumina
tion, he removed their prejudices by the operation
of his Spirit, cleared then doubts, improved their
memories, strengthened their judgments, and
enabled them to discern the true meaning of the
Scriptures. Having thus qualified them for receiving the
truth, he again assured them, that both Moses
and the prophets had foretold that the Messiah
was to suffer in the very manner he had suffered ;
that he was to rise from the dead on the tMrd
day, as he had done ; and that repentance and
remission of sins were to be preached in the
Messiah's name among all nations, beginmng
with the Jews in Jerusalem.
He next delivered unto them thdr commission
to nreach the doctrine of repentance and re-

Chap. XLIV.'

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

285

mission of sins, in his name, among all nations,
and to testify unto the world the exact accom
plishment, in him, of all things foretold concern
ing the Messiah; and, to enable them to perform
this important work, promised to bestow on
them the gift of the Holy Spirit, which he called
the promise of his Father; because the Almighty
had promised him by his prophets.
Having thus strengthened them for the im
portant work they were going to undertake, he
led them on to the mount of Olives, as far as
Bethany: where, standing on a hill above the
town, he told them that he was going to ascend
to his Father ; for Which reason they might go
courageously through all the world, and preach
the Gospel to every rational creature ; that they
who believed should be admitted into his church
by the rite of baptism, in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and be taught, in
consequence of their baptism, to obey all the pre
cepts he had enjoined them ; that such baptized
believers should receive the pardon of their sins,
together with eternal life in the happy mansions
of his Father's kingdom ; but such as refused to
embrace the doctrines of the Gospel, should be
for ever excluded those happy regions, and have
their portion in the lake that burnetii with fire
and brimstone. That while they were employed
in this work, he would be constantly with them,
to assist them by his Spirit, and protect them by
his providence. Finally, that those who should,
through their preacMng, be induced to believe,
should themselves work most astonishing mi
racles, by which the Gospel should be propagated
with the greatest rapidity.
When the blessed Jesus had spoken these
things, he lifted up his bands, and blessed them.
And, in the action of blessing them, he was
parted from them in the midst of the day, a
shining cloud receiving him out of their sight ;

that is, this brilliant cloud encompassed him
about, and carried him up to heaven; not sud
denly, but at leisure, that they might behold him
departing, and see the proof of his ascending
into heaven, as he had promised them.
The cloud m which the blessed Jesus ascended
was more bright and pure than the clearest
lambent flame, being, as is supposed, no other
than the Shechinah, or glory of the Lord ; the
visible symbol of the divine presence, which had
so Often appeared to the patriarchs of old ; which
filled the temple at its dedication, and which, in
its greatest splendour, could not be beheld with
mortal eyes; for which reason it is called the
light inaccessible.
As he ascended, the flaming cloud that sur
rounded him marked his passage tinough the
air, but gradually lost its magnitude m the eyes of
those who stood below, till it at last vanished, toge
ther with their bdoved Master, out of their sight.
Thus was the great Redeemer of mankind
triumphantly carried into heaven, where he now
sitteth at the right hand of God his Father ; to
whom be honour, glory, and power, for ever
and ever. Amen.
Hosanna to the Prince of light,
That cloth'd himself in clay ;
Enter'd the iron gates of death,
And tore the bars away.
Death is no more the king of dread,
Smce Christ our Lord arose ;
He took the tyrant's sting away,
And spoil'd our hellish foes.
See how the Conqu'ror mounts aloft,
And to his Father flies,
With scars of honour in his flesh,
And triumph in his eyes.

286

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLIV.

There our exalted Saviour reigns,
And scatters blessings down ; - •
Our Jesus fills the right-hand seat
Of the celestial throne.
In this illustrious manner did • the great Re
deemer of mankind depart, after having finished
the grand work which he left the bosom of his
Father to execute ; which angels with joy de
scribed was to happen, and which, through eter
nity to come, shall, at periods the most immensely
distant from the time of its execution, be looked
back upon with inexpressible delight by every
inhabitant of heaven ; for though the minute
affairs of time may vanish altogether and be lost,
when they are removed far back by the endless
progression of duration, this object is such, that
no distance, however great, can lessen. The king
dom of heaven is erected on the incarnation and
sufferings of the Son of God, the kingdom and
city of the Almighty, comprehending all the
people of God in the universe, made happy by
goodness and love; and, therefore, none of them
can ever forget the foundation on which their
happiness stands established. The human beings
in particular, recovered by the labour of the Son
of God, will view their deliverer, and look back
on his stupendous undertaking with the Mghest
rapture, while they are feasting without inter
ruption on its delicious fruits. ' The angels, like
wise, the celestial inhabitants of the dty of God,
will contemplate it with perpetual pleasure, as the,
happy means of recovering their kindred that
were lost, and bringing them to a joint and
proper subjection to Him who reigneth for ever,
and whose favour is better«than life itself.
Thus have we followed our dear Redeemer
through all the transactions of his life, and en
larged on the stupendous miracle of his resur
rection, on which glorious event the whole
Christian doctrine is founded.;

As the similarity between Christ, and the law
giver Moses (whom the divine Redeemer men
tioned to his disciples but a short time before his
ascension into heaven) is so very remarkable,
we shall, as an illustration of the glorious subject,
point out a few instaneesj which will evince that
the prophecies of old were only to be completed
in the sufferings and death of Christ
Moses Was the most distinguished of all the
prophets, and Ms greatest prophecy was, that of
another Prophet to be raised up like unto himself.
He was, at the time of this prediction, about to
leave his people; and, therefore, to give them
some comfort, he promised them another pro
phet. The Lord thy God, said he, will raise up
unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy
brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken,
Deut xviii. 15.
That this person, of whom Moses prophesied,
was the great Redeemer of mankind, is amply
evident; and that Moses resembled Christ in a
much greater degree than any other person ever
did, will appear from the following circum
stances: Both Moses and Christ showed signs and won
ders ; and in these respects none of the ancient
prophets were like unto Moses. None of them
were lawgivers ; they only interpreted and en
forced the laws of Moses. None of them had
such clear communication with God : they all
saw visions j, and /dreamed dreams. Moses and
CMist are the ' only two who so perfectly re
sembled each other in these respects.
Moses fled from his country, to escape the
hands of the king of Egypt: so did Christ, when
his, /parents went into Egypt. Afterwards the
Lord said Unto. Moses, in Midian, Go, return
into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought

Chap. XLIV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

287

thy life. Exod. iv. 19. : so the angel of the Lord
said to Joseph, in nearly the same words, Arise,
and take the young child, and go into the land of
Israel; for they are dead whichs'ought the young
child's life. Matt. ii. 20. Pointing him out, as it
were, for that Prophet who should arise like unto
Moses. Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction:
Christ refused to be made king, choosing rather
to suffer the like.
Moses (says St. Stephen) was learned in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians; and Josephus says, that
he was a very forward and accomplished youth,
and had wisdom and knowledge above his years.
St Luke observes of Christ, that he increased
(betimes) in wisdom and stature, and in favour
with God and man; and his discburses in the
temple with the doctors, wheri he was but twelve
years old, were a proof of it.
Moses was not only a lawgiver, a prophet, and
a worker of miracles, but a king arid a priest.
In all these offices the likeness between Moses
and Christ was singular.
Moses brought darkness over the larid ; the sun
Withdrew his light at Christ's crucifixion : and as
the darkness which spread over Egypt was fol
lowed by the destruction of their first-born, and
of Pharaoh and his host; so the darkness at
CMist's death was the forerunner of ihe destruc
tion of the Jews.
; Moses foretold the calamities which .would
befal the nation for their disobedience i so did
Christ. ¦

The spirit which was in Moses was conferred
in some degree upon the seventy e&fersj, and they

prophesied: Christ conferred miraculous powers
on his seventy disciples.
Moses was victorious over powerful kings and
great nations : so was Christ, by the effects of his
religion, and by the fall of those who persecuted
his church.
Moses conquered Amalek by holding up both
his hands : Christ overcame his and our enemies
when his hands were fastened to the cross.
Moses interceded for transgressors, and caused
an atonement fo be made for them, and stopped
the wrath of God : so did Christ.
Moses ratified a covenant between God and
the people, by sprinkling them with blood :
Christ with his own blood.
Moses desired to die for the people, arid prayed
that God would forgive them, or blot him out of
his book : Christ did more ; he died for sinners.
Moses instituted the passover, when a lamb was
sacrificed, none of whose bones were to be broken,
and whose blood protected the people from de
struction : Christ was the paschal Lamb.
Moses lifted up the serpent, that they who
looked upon it might be healed of their mortal
wounds: by proper lopking up to Christ, all such
will be healed.

All the affection of Moses towards the people,
all his cares and toils on their account, were re
paid by them with ingratitude, murmuring, and
rebellion : the same returns, the Jews made to
CMist for all his benefits.
: Moses was ill used by his own family £ Jus bro
ther and sister rebelled against him : there was a

288

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLIV.

time when Christ's own brethren believed not on
him, and his disciples forsook him.
Moses had a very wicked and perverse gene
ration committed to his care and conduct; and,
to enable him to rule them, miraculous powers
were given to him, and he used his utmost en
deavours to make the people obedient to God, and
to save them from ruin, but in vain ; in the space
of forty-two years they all fell in the wilderness,
except two: Christ also was given to a generation
not less wicked and perverse, his instructions and
his miracles were lost upon most of them, and in
about the same space of time, after they had re
jected Mm, they were destroyed.
Moses was very meek above all the men that
were on the earth: so was Christ.
The people could not enter into the land of pro
mise until Moses was dead: by the death of Christ
the kingdom of heaven was opened to believers.
Moses enlightened the Jews under the dispen
sation of the old law: Christ enlightened the
Christians under the Gospel.
Moses did great wonders in the land of Egypt :
Christ did great miracles in Judea.
In the deaths of Moses and Christ there is also
a resemblance in some circumstances: Moses
died, in some sense, forthe iniquities of the people;
it was their rebellion which was the occasion of it,
which drew down the displeasure of God upon
them, and upon him. Moses went up in the sight
of the people to the top of mount Nebo, and there
he died, when he wasin perfect vigour, when his
eye ivas not dim, nor his natural force abated:
Christ suffered for the sins of men, and was led
up, in the presence of the people, to Mount Cal
vary, where he died in the flower of Ms age, and
when he was in Ms full natural strength.

Neither Moses nor Christ, as far as we can
collect from sacred history^ were ever sick, or
felt any bodily decay or infirmity, which would
have rendered them unfit for the toils they un
derwent : their sufferings were of another kind.
Lastly, as Moses, a little before his death, pro
mised another Prophet; so Christ, before his
death, promised another Comforter.
Moses, says St. Ambrose, was the figure of that
Preceptor that was to come; who. should preach
the Gospel, fulfil the Old Testament, build the
New, and feed the people with celestial aliment
Such are the comparisons rdative to the great
resemblance between Moses and CMist ; but the
greatest .similitude consists in their both being
lawgivers, which no other prophet ever was.
They may resemble each other in many other
circumstances, and a fruitful -imagination may
strike upon farther resemblances : but what we
have been mentioning may suffice. And we may
ask, Is this similitude between Moses and Christ
the effect of mere chance ? Let us search all
the records of universal history, and see if we
can find a man who was so like to Christ as
Moses was. If we cannot find such an one, then
have we found him oj whom Moses in the law,
and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the
Son of God.
We shall conclude this chapter with a few ob
servations on the general conduct of our blessed
Bedeemer, during his abode with men on earth.
The human character of the blessed Jesus, as it
results from the account given of him by the
Evangelists, (for they have not formalb/drawn it
up,) is entirely different from that of all other men
whatsoever ; for whereas they have selfish passions
deeply rooted iri their breasts, and are influenced
by them inahriost every tmrig; they do, Jesus Was

Chap. XLIV.

¦ \  ' ¦ ¦ T '¦" ¦ '¦' ¦
AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

289

so entirely free from them, that the most 'severe
scrutiny cannot furnish one single action, in
the whole course of his life, wherein he con
sulted Ms own interest only. No ; he was in
fluenced by very different motives : the present
happiness, and eternal welfare of sinners, re
gulated his conduct ; and while others followed
* their respective occupations, Jesus had no other
business than that of doing the will of his Fa
ther, and promoting the happiness of the sons
of men. Nor did he wait till he was solicited
to extend his benevolent hand to the distressed:
he went about doing good, and always accounted
it more blessed to give than to receive; resembling
God rather than man. Benevolence was the
very life of his soul : he not only did good to ob
jects presented to him for relief; but he indus
triously sought them out, in order to extend his
compassionate assistance.
It is common for persons of the most exalted
faculties to be elated with success and applause,
or dejected by censure and disappointments ;
but the blessed Jesus w%s never elated by the
one, or depressed by the other. He was never
more courageous than when he met with the
greatest opposition and cruel treatment; nor
more humble, than when the sons of men wor
shipped at his feet
He came into the world inspired with the
grandest purpose that ever was formed, that
of saving from eternal perdition, not a single
nation, but the whole world ; and in the exe
cution of it went through the longest and hea
viest train of labours that ever was sustained,
with a constancy and resolution, on which no
disadvantageous impression could be made by
any accident whatever. Calumny, threatenings,
bad success, with many other evils, constantly
attending him, served only to quicken his en
deavours in this glorious enterprise, which he
Nos. 25 & 26.

unceasingly pursued, even till he had finished it
by his death.
The generality of mankind are prone to re
taliate injuries received, and all seem to take a
satisfaction in complaining of the cruelties of
those who oppress them ; whereas the whole of
Christ's labours breathed nothing but meekness,
patience, and forgiveness, even to his bitterest
enemies, and in the midst of the most excru
ciating torments. The words, Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do, uttered by
him when. his enemies were nailing him to the
cross, fitly express the temper which he main
tained through the whole course of his life, even
when assaulted by the heaviest provocations.
He was destined to sufferings here below, in order
that he might raise his people to honour, glory,
and immortality, in the realms of bliss above ;
and, therefore, patiently, yea, joyfully, submitted
to all that the malice of earth and hell could in
flict He was vilified j that we might be honoured
he died, that we might live for ever and ever.
To conclude. The greatest and best men
have discovered the degeneracy and corruption
of human nature, and shown them to have been
nothing, more than men ; but it was otherwise
with Jesus. He was superior to all the men
that ever lived, both with regard to the purity
of his manners, and the perfection of his holi
ness. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners.
\ Whether we consider him as a teacher, or as
a man, he did no sin, neither was guile found
in his mouth. His whole life was perfectly free
from spot or weakness; at the same time it was
remarkable for the greatest and most extensive
exercises of purity and goodness. But never to
have committed the least sin, in word or in deed ;
never to have uttered any sentiment that could
3F

290

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLV.

be censured, upon the various topics of religion
and morality which were the daily subjects of
his discourses ; and that through the course of
a life filled with action, and led under the ob
servation of many enemies, who had always
access to converse with him, and who often
came to find fault ; is a pitch of perfection evi
dently above the reach of human nature ; and,
consequently, he who possessed it must have
been divine.
Such was the Person who is the subject of the
Evangelical history. If the reader, by reviewing
his life, doctrine, and miracles, as they are here
represented to him, united into one series, has a
clearer idea of these things than before, or ob
serves a beauty in his actions thus linked to
gether, which, taken separately, do not appear
so fully ; if he feels himself touched by the cha
racter of Jesus in general, or with any of his
sermons and actions in particular, thus simply
delineated in writing, whose principal charms
are the beauties of truth ; above all, if his dying
so generously for men strikes him with admi
ration, or fills him with hope, in the prospect
of that pardon which is thereby purchased for
the world ; let him seriously consider with him
self, what improvement he ought to make of the
divine goodness.
Jesus, by his death, hath set open the gate of
immortality to the sons of men ; and by his word,
spirit, and example, graciously offers to make
them meet for the glorious rewards in the king
dom of the heavenly Canaan, and to conduct '
them into the inheritance of the saints in light.
Let us, therefore, remember, that being born un
der the dispensation of his Gospel, we have, from
our earliest years, enjoyed the best means of se
curing to ourselves an interest in that favour of
God, which is life; and that loving-kindness,
which is better than life.

We have been called to aspire after an exalta
tion to the nature and felicity of the Almighty,
exhibited to mortal eyes in the man Christ Jesus,
to fire us with the noblest ambition. His Gospel
teaches us that we are made for eternity ; and
that our present life is, to our future existence,
as infancy is to manhood. But, as in the former,
many things are to be learned, many hardships
to be endured, many habits to be acquired, and
that by a course of exercises which, in themselves,
though painful, and possibly useless, to the child,
yet are necessary to fit him for the business and
enjoyments of manhood ; so, while we remain
in this infancy of human life, things are to be
learned, hardships to be endured, and habits to
be acquired, by a laborious discipline, which,
however painful, must be undergone, because
necessary to fit us for the employments and
pleasures of our riper existence in the realms
above ; always remembering, that whatever our
trials may be in this world, if we ask for God's
assistance, he has promised to give it. Inflamed,
therefore, with the love of immortality and its
joys, let us submit ourselves to our heavenly
Teacher, and learn of him those lessons, wMch
alone can render life pleasant, death desirable,
and fill eternity with ecstatic joys.

CHAP. XLV.
Remarks on the peculiar Nature of the
Christian Religion, the Principles it
inculcates, and its fitness to render
Men holy and humble here? and hap
pily glorified hereafter.
WE cannot close this delightful scene of the
life of our dear Lord and Saviour more
comfortably, than by considering the benefits
resulting from a due attendance to his doctrines

Chap. XLV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

291

by all who shall, by faith, receive and embrace
the same.
Probably none have been greater enemies to
the progress of religion than those who delineate
it in a gloomy and terrifying form ; npr any guilty
of a more injurious calumny against the Gospel,
than those who represent its precepts as rigorous
impositions and unnecessary restraints.
True religion is the perfection of human nature,
and the foundation of uniform exalted pleasure ;
of public order, and private happiness. Chris
tianity is the most excellent, and the most useful,
institution, having the promise of the life that now
is, and of that which is to come. It is the voice of
reason, it is also the language of Scripture, The
ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness, and all
her paths are peace : and our blessed Saviour
himself assures us, that his precepts are easy, and
the burden of his religion light.
The Christian religion is a rational service ; a
worship in spirit and in truth ; a worship worthy
of the majesty of the Almighty to receive, and of
the nature of man to pay. It comprehends all
we ought to believe, and all we ought to practise ;
its positive rites are but few, of plain and easy
sigmficancy, and mamfestly adapted to establish
a sense of our obligation to God.
The Gospel places religion, not in abstruse
speculation, and metaphysical subtilties; not in
outward show, and tedious ceremony; not in
superstitious austerities, and enthusiastic visions ;
but in purity of heart, and holiness of life. The
sum of our duty, according to our great Master
himself, consists in the love of God and of our
neighbour; according to St. Paul, in denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, and in living
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
evil world ; according to St. James,, in visiting

the fatherless and widow in affliction, and in
keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.
This is the constant strain and tenor of the Gos
pel. This it inculcates most earnestly, and on
this it lays the. greatest stress.
But is the Christian system only a republication
of the law of nature, or merely a refined system
of morality ? No, certainly ; it is a great deal
more. It is an act of grace ; a stupendous plan
of Providence, designed for the recovery of man
kind from a state of degradation and ruin, to the
favour of the Almighty, and to the hopes of a
happy immortality, through a Mediator.
Under this dispensation, true religion consists
in repentance towards God, and in fdith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, as the person appointed by
the supreme authority of heaven and earth, to
reconcile apostate man to his offended Creator ;
as a Sacrifice for Sin; our vital Head, and
governing Lord. This is religion, as we are
Christians. And what hardships, what exaction,
is there in all this? Surely none. Nay, the
practice of religion is much easier than the ser
vitude of sin.
Our rational powers, all will readily agree,
are dreadfully impaired, and the soul weak
ened, by sin. The animal passions are strong
and corrupt, and oppose the dictates of the
Spirit of God : objects of sense make power
ful impressions on the mind. We are, in every
situation, surrounded with many snares and
temptations. In such a disordered state of
things, we cannot please God, till created anew
in Christ Jesus unto good works. We must be
born again; born from above.
The God of all grace has planted in the human
breast a quick sense of good and evil; a faculty
which strongly dictates right and wrong : and
3F*

292

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLV.

though by the strength of appetite and warmth
of passion men are often hurried into immoral
practices, yet, in the beginning, especially when
there has been the advantage of a good edu
cation, it is usually with reluctance and oppo
sition of mind. What inward struggles precede !
what bitter pangs attend their sinful excesses !
what guilty blushes and uneasy fears! what
frightful prospects and pale reviews! Terrors
are upon them, and a fire not blown consumeth
them. To make a mock at sin, and to commit
iniquity without remorse, is, in some instances,
an attainment that requires length of time, and
much painful labour; more labour than is re
quisite to attain that salvation which is the glory
of the man, the ornament of the Christian, and
the chief of his happiness.
, The soul can no more be reconciled to acts
of wickedness and injustice, than the body to
excess, but by suffering many bitter pains, and
cruel attacks.
The mouth of conscience may, indeed, be
stopped for a while by false principles ; its sacred
whispers may be drowned by the noise of com
pany, and stifled by the entertainments of sense ;
but this principle of conscience is so deeply rooted
in human nature, and, at the same time, her
voice is so clear and strong, that the sinner's
arts will be unable to lull her into a lasting
security. When the hour of calamity arrives, when
sickness seizes, and death approaches the sin
ner, conscience then constrains him to listen
to her accusations, and will not suffer the
temples of his head to take any rest. There
is no peace to the wicked; the foundations of
peace are subverted ; they are at utter enmity
with their reason, with their conscience, and
with their God. ,

Not so is the case of true rdigion. For
when religion, pure and genuine, forms the
temper and governs the life, conscience ap
plauds, and peace takes her residence in the
breast. The soul is in its proper state. There-
is order and regularity both in the faculties
and actions. Conscious of its own. integrity,
and secure of the Divine approbation, the soul
enjoys a calmness not to be described. But
why do I call his happy frame calmness only?
It is far more than mere calmness. The air may
be calm, and the day overcast with thick mists
and dark clouds. The pious and virtuous mind
resembles a serene day, enlightened and enli
vened with the brightest rays of the sun. Though
all without may "be clouds and darkness, there is
light in the heart of a devout man. He is sa
tisfied with favour, and filled with peace and joy
in believing. In the concluding scene, the awful
moment of dissolution, all is peaceful and serene.
The immortal part quits its tenement of clay, '
with the well-grounded hope of ascending to
happiness and glory.
Nor does the Gospel enjoin any duty but
what is fit and reasonable. It calls upon all
its professors to practise reverence, submission,
love, and gratitude, to God ; justice, truth, and
universal benevolence, to men; and to main
tain the government of our minds. And what
has any one to object against this ? From the
least to the greatest commandment of our dear
Bedeemer, there is not one which impartial
reason can find fault with. His law is per
fect; his precepts are true and righteous alto
gether. Not even those excepted which require
us to love our enemies, to deny ourselves, and
to take up our cross. To forgive an injury is
more generous and manly than to revenge it ;
to control a licentious appetite, than to indulge
it ; to suffer poverty, reproach, and even death
itself, in the sacred cause of truth and integ-

Chap. XLV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

293

rity, is rtiuch wiser and better, than, by base
compliances, to make shipwreck of faith and a
good conscience.
Thus in a storm at sea, or a conflagration on
the land, a man with pleasure abandons his lun>
i ber to secure his jewels. Piety and virtue are
the wisest and most reasonable things in the
world ; vice and wickedness, the most irrational
and absurd.
The all-wise Author of our being hath so
framed our natures, and placed us in such re
lations, that there is nothing vicious, but what
is injurious ; nothing virtuous, but what is ad
vantageous to our present interest, both with re
spect to body and mind. Meekness and humi
lity, patience and universal charity, and grace,
give a joy unknown to transgressors.
The divine virtues of truth, equity, and love,
are the only bands of friendship, the only sup
ports of society. Temperance and sobriety are
the best preservatives of health and strength;
but sin and debauchery impair the body, con
sume the substance, reduce to poverty, and form
the direct path to an immature arid untimely
death. Now this is the chief excellency of all
laws, and what will always render their burden
pleasant and delightful, that they enjoin nothing
unbecoming or injurious.
i^esides, Jo render our duty easy, we have the
example, as well as the commands, of the blessed
Jesus. The masters of morality among the Hea
thens gave excellent rules for the regulation of
men's manners ; but they wanted either the ho
nesty or the courage to try their own arguments
upon themselves. It was a strong presumption
that the yoke of the Scribes and Pharisees was
grievous, when they laid heavy burdens upon
men's shoulders, which they themselves refused to

touch with one of their fingers. Not thus our
great lawgiver, Jesus Christ the righteous. His
behaviour was, in all respects, conformable to
his doctrine. His devotion, how sublime and
ardent! benevolence towards men, how great
and diffusive ! He was in his life an exact pattern
of innocence ; for he did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. In the Son of God incar
nate, is exhibited the brightest, the fairest resem
blance of the Father, that earth or heaven ever
beheld ; an example peculiarly persuasive, calcu
lated to inspire resolution, and to animate us to
use our utmost endeavours to imitate the divine
pattern, the example of the author and finisher of
our faith, of him who loved us, and gave himself
for us. Our profession and character, as Chris
tians, obliges us to make his example the model
of our lives. Every motive of decency, gratitude,
and interest, constrain us to tread the paths he
trod before us.
We should also remember that our burden is
easy; because God, who knoweth whereof we are
made, who considereth that we are but dust, is
ever ready to assist us. The Heathen sages
themselves had some notion of this assistance,
though guided only by the glimmering lamp of
reason. But what they looked upon as probable,
the Gospel clearly and strongly asserts. We
there hear the Apostle exhorting, Let us come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. We
there hear the blessed Jesus himself arguing in
this convincing manner : If ye, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
I would not here be understood to mean, that
the agency of the Spirit is irresistible, and lays a
necessitating bias on all the faculties and affec
tions of men. Were this the case, precepts and

294

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLV.

prohibitions, promises and threatemngs, would
signify nothing; and duty and obligation would
be words without a meaning. The Spirit as-
sisteth in a manner agreeably to the frame of hu
man nature; not controlling the free use of rea
son, but by assisting the understanding, in
fluencing the will, and renewing the affections.
But though we may not be able to explain the
mode of his operations, the Scriptures warrant
us to assert, that, when men are renewed and
prepared for heaven, it is through the sanctifica-
tion of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. How en
livening the thought ! how encouraging the mo
tive ! We are not left to struggle alone with the
difficulties which attend the practice of religion,
in the present imperfect state. The merciful Fa
ther of our spirits is ever near to help our infirmi
ties, to enlighten the understanding, to strengthen
good resolutions, and, in concurrence with our
own endeavours, to make us conquerors over all
opposition. Faithful is he to his promises, and
will not suffer the sincere and faithful to- be
tempted above what they are able to bear. What
can be desired more than this ? To promote the
happiness of his people, every thing is done that
is requisite ; his grace is all-sufficient, his Spirit is
able to conduct us through this vale of tears to
never-fading bliss.
We should also remember that the great doc
trine of the Gospel, concerning the infinite mercy
of God to all penitents through Christ Jesus,
greatly contributes to the consolation of Chris
tians. Let it be granted, that the hope of pardon
is essential to the religion qf fallen creatures, and
one of its first principles ; yet, considering the
doubts and suspicions which are apt to arise in a
mind conscious of gmlt, it is undoubtedly a great
and inestimable favour, to be relieved in this re
spect by a messenger from Omnipotence himself.
This is our happiness. We are not left to de
pend upon consequential reasonings, which the

bulk of mankind are little used to ; but we are
assured, that upon our true repentance, and be
lieving in Christ, we shall, through his mediation,
receive the full remission of past sins, and be re
stored to the same state of favour with our Maker,
as if we had never transgressed his laws. Here
the Gospel triumphs. With these assurances it
abounds. Upon this head the declaration of our
blessed Saviour and his Apostles are so express
and full, that every one who believes them, and
knows himself to be a true penitent, ought to
banish every doubt and fear, and rejoice with joy
unspeakable. Come unto me, all ye that labour,
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt. xi. 28. All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men. Matt. xii. 31. Beit
known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that
through this man is preached unto you the for
giveness of sins: and by him all that believe are
justified from all things, from which we could not
be justified by the law of Moses. Acts xiii. 38, 39.
The blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin. What
grace and favour is this ? Who can dwell upon
the transporting theme too long ! Now our way
is plain before us, and the burden we are to bear
is made easy. Our sins are pardonable, if re
pented of and forsaken.
Consider this, all ye who have never yet
regarded religion, but pursued a course of vice
and sensuality all your lives long. Though
your conduct has been base to the last degree,
your case is not desperate. Far from it. The
God whom you have so highly offended com
miserates your errors, is ever ready to extend
his pardoning mercy to his most degenerate
creatures, upon their faith and repentance ; and
is in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto,
himself, not imputing unto penitent sinners their
trespasses. Let the wicked, therefore, forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
andjet him return unto the Lord, and he will have

Chap. XLV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

295

mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abun
dantly pardon. Isa. Iv. 7.
Another particular which renders the Christian
religion delightful, is its leading us to the per
fect, eternal life of heaven. It cannot be denied,
but that we may draw from the light of reason
strong presumptions of a future state. The
present existence does not look like an entire
scene, but rather like the infancy of human na
ture, which is capable of arriving at a much
higher degree of maturity. But whatever solid
foundation the doctrine of a future state may
have in nature and reason, certain it is, through
the habitual neglect of reflection, and the force of
irregular passions, this doctrine was, before the
coming of our blessed Saviour, very much dis
figured, and in a great measure lost, among the
sons of men.
In the Heathen world, a future state of rewards
and punishments was a matter of mere specula
tion and uncertainty; sometimes hoped for,
sometimes doubted of, and sometimes absolutely
denied. The law of Moses, though of divine
original, is chiefly enforced by promises of tem
poral blessings ; and, even in the writings of the
prophets, a future immortality is very sparingly
mentioned, and obscurely represented : but the
doctrine of our Saviour hath brought life and im-
-. mortality to light.
In the Gospel we have a distinct account of
another world, attended with many engaging
rircumstances ; about which the decisions of
reason were dark and confused. We have the
testimony of the Author of our religion, who
was raised from the dead, and who, afterwards,
in the presence of Ms disciples, ascended into
heaven. In the New Testament it is expressly
dedared, that good men, when absent from the
body, are present with the Lord. Here we are

assured of the resurrection of the body in a
glorious form, clothed with immortal vigour,
suited to the active nature of the animating
spirit, and assisting its most enlarged operations
and incessant progress towards perfection. Here
we are assured, that the righteous shall go into
life everlasting; that they shall enter into the
kingdom of the heavenly Canaan, where no ig
norance shall cloud the understanding, no vice
disturb the will.
In these regions of perfection, nothing but love
shall possess the soul ; nothing but gratitude em
ploy the tongue : there the righteous shall be
united to an innumerable company of angels,
and to the general assembly and church of the
first-born ; there they shall see their exalted Be
deemer at the right hand of Omnipotence, and
sit down with him on his throne ; there they
shall be admitted into the immediate presence of
the supreme Fountain of life and happiness;
and, beholding his face, be farther changed into
the same image, from glory to glory. Here
language — here imagination fails me! It re
quires the genius, the knowledge, and the pen
of an angel, to paint the happiness and blissful
scene of the New Jerusalem, which human eyes
cannot behold, till this mortal body shall be pu
rified from its corruption, and dressed in the
robes of immortality. Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart to
conceive, the joys which God hath prepared for
them that love him.
What is the heaven of the Heathens, com
pared with the heaven of the Christians ? The
hope, the prospect of this, is sufficient to recon
cile us to all the difficulties that may attend our
progress, sweeten all our labours, alleviate every
grief, and silence every murmur.
But why, says the libertine, in the gayety of

296

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLV.

his heart, should there be any difficulties or
restraint at all? God hath made nothing in
vain. The appetites he hath planted in the
human breast are to be gratified. To deny
or restrain them, is ignominious bondage; but
to give full scope to every desire and passion
of the heart, without check or control, is true
manly freedom.
In opposition to this loose and careless way of
reasoning, let it be considered, that. the liberty
of a rational creature doth not consist in an en
tire exemption from all control, but in following
the dictates of reason, as the governing principle,
and in keeping the various passions in due sub
ordination. To follow the regular motion of
those affections which the wise Creator hath
implanted within us, is our duty; but as our
natural desires, in this state of trial, are too
often irregular, we are bound to restrain their
excesses, and not to indulge them, but in a strict
subserviency to the integrity and peace of our
minds, and to the order and happiness of human
society established in the world. Those who
allow the supreme command to be. usurped by
sensual and brutal appetites, may promise them
selves liberty, but are truly and absolutely the
servants of corruptidn. To be vicious, is to be
enslaved. We behold with pity those miserable
objects that are chained in the galleys, or con
fined in dark prisons and loathsome dungeons ;
but much more abject and vile is the slavery
of the sinner ! No slavery of the body is equal
to the bondage of the mind. No chains press so
closely, or gall so cruelly, as the fetters of sin,
which corrode the very "substance of the soul,
and fret every faculty.
It must, indeed, be confessed, that there are
some profligates, so hardened by custom, as
to be past all feeling; and, because insensible
of their bondage, boast of this insensibility as

a mark of their native freedom, and of their
happiness. Vain men ! they might extol with
equal propriety, the peculiar happiness of an
apoplexy, or the profound tranquillity of a le
thargy. Thus have we endeavoured to place, in a plain
and conspicuous light, some of the peculiar ex
cellences of the Christian religion ; and from
hence many useful reflections will naturally arise
in the mind of every attentive reader. It is the
religion of Jesus that hath rernoved idolatry
and superstition, and brought immortality to
light, when concealed under the vail of dark
ness almost impenetrable. This hath set the
great truth of religion in a clear and conspi
cuous point of view, and proposed new and
powerful motives to influence our minds, and to
determine our conduct. Nothing is enjoined tp
be believed but what is worthy of God ; nothing
to be practised but what is friendly to man.
All the doctrines of the Gospel are rational
and consistent; all its precepts are truly wise,
just, and good. The Gospel contains nothing
grievous to an ingeriuous mind; it debars us
from nothing but doing harm to ourselves or
to our fellow-creatures ; and permits us to range
any where, but in the paths of danger and
destruction. It only requires us to accept the
remedy provided, to act up to its excellent
commands, and to prefer to the vanishing plea
sures of sin, the smiles of a reconciled God,
and an eternal weight of glory. And is this a
rigorous exaction, a heavy burden not to be
endured ? How can sinful mortals harbour so
unworthy a thought ?
Surely no man, who is a real friend to the cause
of religion, and to the interest of mankind, can
ever be an enemy to Christianity, if he truly un
derstands it, and seriously reflects on its wise and
useful tendency. It conducteth us to our journey's

Chap. XLV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

297

end by the plainest and securest path; where the
steps are not straitened, and where he that runneth
stumbleth not. Let us who live under this last,
and most gracious, dispensation of God to man
kind, count all things but loss for the' excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord; and not
suffer ourselves, by the slight cavils of unbelievers,
to be moved away from the hope of the Gospel. Let
us demonstrate that we believe the superior excel
lency of the Christian dispensation, by depending
on Christ, and conforming to his precepts. Let us
show that we are Christians in deed and in truth ;
not by endless disputes about trifles, arid the
transports of a blind zeal, but by abounding in
those fruits of righteousness, which are through
Christ to the praise and glory of God.
From what has been said, we may clearly per
ceive how groundless all those prejudices are,
Which some conceive against religion, as if it were
a peevish, morose scheme, burdensome to human
nature, and inconsistent with the true enjoyment
of life. Such sentiments are too apt to prevail in
the heat of youth, when the spirits are brisk and
lively, and the passions warm and impetuous ; but
it is wholly a mistake, and a mistake of the most
dangerous tendency. The truth is, there is no
pleasure like that of a good conscience ; no real
peace but what results from the sense of the divine
favour. This strengthens the mind, and can
alone support it under all the various and unequal
scenes of the present state of trial. This lays a
sure foundation of an easy, comfortable life ; of a
serene, peaceful death, and of eternal joy and
happiness hereafter : whereas vice is ruinous to
all our most valuable interests ; spoils the native
beauty, and subverts the order, pf the soul ; ren
ders us the scorn of man, the rejected of God,
and, without timely repentance, will rob us of a
happy eternity. Beligion is the health, the li
berty, and the happiness of the soul ; sin is the
disease, the servitude, and destruction, of it
Nos.25&26.

If this be not sufficient to convince you, let me
lead you into the chamber of an habitual rioter,
the lewd debauchee, worn out in the cause of ini
quity, his bones full of the sins of his youth, that
from his own mouth, as he lies on his expiring
bed, you may learn that the way of transgression
is hard; and that, however sweet sin may be in
the commission, it strikes like a serpent, and bites
like an adder.
I am going, reader, to represent to you the
last moments of a person of high birth and spirit ;
of great parts and strong passions ; every way
accomplished, but unhappily attached to those
paths which lead to vice and destruction.
His unkind treatment was the death of a most
amiable wife ; and Ms monstrous extravagance,
in effect, disinherited his only child. And
surely the death-bed of a profligate is 'next in
horror to that abyss to which it leads. It has
the most of hell that is visible upon earth, and
he that hath seen it, hath more than faith to
confirm Mm in his creed. I see now, (says
the worthy divine from whom I shall borrow
this relation,) for who can forget it ? Are there
in it no flames and furies ? You are ignorant
then of what a scared imagination can figure !
what a guilty heart can feel ! How dismal it is !
The two great enemies pf soul and body, sick
ness and sin, sink and confound his friends;
silence and. darkness are the dismal scene., Sick
ness excludes the light of heaven, and sin its
blessed hope. Oh double darkness, more than
'Egyptian! acutely to be felt!
The sad evening before the death of that no
ble youth, whose last hours suggested these
thoughts, I, was with him. No one else was
there but his physician, and an intimate ac
quaintance, whom he loved, and whom he had
ruined. At my coming, he said,
3G

298

THE LIFE OF OUR BLESSED LORD

Chap. XLV.

" You and the physician are come too late-^— I
have neither life nor hope. You both aim at
miracles. You would raise the dead."
Heaven, I said, was merciful.
" Or I could not," answered he, " have been
thus guilty. What has it not done to bless and to
save me ? I have been too strong for Omnipo
tence. I plucked down ruin."
I said, The blessed Bedeemer —
" Hold, hold, (said he,) you wound me ! This
is the Bock on which I have split ! I denied his
name !"
Befusing to hear any thing from me, or take
any thing from the physician, he lay silent, as far
as sudden darts of pain would permit, till the
clock struck. Then he cried out with vehemence,
" Oh time, time ! it is fit thou shouldest thus strike
thy murderer to the heart. — How art thou fled
for ever ! — A month ! — Oh, for a single week ! I
ask not for years, though an age were too little
for the much I have to do."
On my saying to him, we could not do too
much ; that heaven was a blessed place ;
" So much the worse, (replied he,) 'tis lost !
'tis lost ! Heaven is 4o me the severest part of
hell!"

Soon after I proposed prayer.
answered,

To which he

" Pray, you that can : I never prayed ; I
cannot pray. My conscience is too much
wounded. I have deserted my benevolent Ma
ker, and my soul is enveloped in the deepest
horrors."

' His friend being much touched; even to tears,
at this, (for who could forbear ? I could not,) he,
with a most affectionate look, said,
" Keep these tears for thyself! I have undone
thee. — Dost thou weep for me ? That's cruel.
What can pain me more ?"
Here his friend, too much affected, would have
left him.
" No, (said he,) stay. You still may hope ; —
therefore hear me. How madly have I talked ! —
how madly hast thou listened and believed ! But
look upon my present state, as a full answer to ,
thee and to myself. This body is all weakness
and pain ; but my soul, as if stung up by torment
to greater strength and spirit, is full powerful to
reason, full mighty to suffer; and that which thus
triumphs within the jaws of mortality, is doubtless
immortal And as for a Deity, nothing less than
an Almighty could inflict the pains I feel."
I was about to congratulate this passive, invo
luntary confession, in his asserting the two prime
articles of his Creed, extorted by the rack of na
ture ; when he thus very passionately added,
" No, no ! let me speak on. I have not long to
speak. — My much injured friend ! my soul, as
my body, lies in ruins, in scattered fragments of
broken thought. Bemorse for the past throws my
thoughts on the future. Worse dread of the future
strikes it back to the past. I turn, and turn, and
find no ray. Didst thou feel half the mountain
that is on me, thou wouldest struggle with the
martyr for his stake, and bless Heaven for the
flame. That is not an everlasting flame ; that is
not an unquenchable fire."
How were we struck! yet, soon after, still
more. With what an eye of distraction, what a

Chap. XLV.

AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

299

face of despair, he cried out, " My principles have
poisoned my friend; my extravagance has beg
gared my boy ; my unkindness has murdered my
wife ?— And is there another hell ? O thou blas
phemed, yet most indulgent, Lord God ! hell it
self is a refuge, if it hides me from thy frown."
Soon after his understanding failed; his ter
rified imagination uttered horrors, not to be re
peated, or ever forgotten; and before the sun
(wMch I hope has seen few like him) arose, this
gay, young, noble, ingenuous, accomplished, and
most wretched mortal, expired.
It must, indeed, be owned it sometimes happens,
"that men who have led very wicked lives, have
gone out of the world as they have lived in it,
defying conscience, and deriding a future judg
ment as an idle fiction. But these instances are
very rare, and only prove that there are monsters
in the moral, as well as the natural world.
It will, perhaps, be said, that the sons of vice
and riot have pleasure in sensual indulgences.
Allowed ; but it is altogether of the lower kind,
empty, fleeting, and transient : like the crackling of

thorns under a pot, so is the mirth of the wicked. It
makes a noise and a blaze for the present, but
soon vanishes away into smoke and vapour.
On the other hand, the pleasure of religion is
solid and lasting; and will attend us through all,
even the last stages of life. When we have
passed the levity of youth, and have lost our relish
for the gay entertainments of sense ; when old age
steals upon us, and stoops us towards the grave ;
this will cleave fast to us, and give us relief. It
will be so far from terminating at death, that it
then commences perfect, and continually im
proves, with new additions.
Clad in this immortal robe, we need not fear
the awful summons of the king of terrors, nor
regret our retiring into the chambers of the dust.
Our immortal part will wing its way to the arms
of its omnipotent Bedeemer, and find rest in the
heaveMy mansions of the Almighty. And though
oiir earthly part, this tabernacle of clay, returns
to its original dust, and is dissolved ; our joy;
our consolation, our confidence, is, that we have
a building of God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens.

3G'

THE

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

SAINT PETER.

CHAP. I.
Account of the Life of Saint Peter, prior
to his Call to the Apostleship of the
blessed Jesus.
SAINT PETEB was born at Bethsaida, a
city of Galilee, situate on the. banks of the
lake of Gennesaret, called also the sea of Galilee,
from its being situated in that country ; and the
lake of Tiberias, from that city being built on its
banks. The particular time of this great Apos
tle's birth cannot be known ; the Evangelists, and
other writers among the primitive Christians,
having been silent with regard to this matter. It
is, however, presumed, that he was at least ten
years older than his Master ; the circumstances
of his being married, and in a settled course of
life, when he first became a follower of the great
Messiah, and that authority and respect which the
gravity of his person procured him among the rest
of the Apostles, are thought sufficiently to declare
this conjecture to be just.

As he was a descendant of Abraham, Tie was
circumcised according to the rites of the Mosaic-
law, and called by his parents Simon or Simeon,
a name common at that time among the Jews.
But after Ms becoming a disciple of the blessed
Jesus, the additional title of Cephas was con
ferred upon him by his Master, to denote the firm
ness of his faith ; the word Cephas, in the Sy-
riac, the common language of the Jews at that
time, signifying a Stone or Bock ; and thence he
is called in Greek, Petros, and by us Peter, which
implies the same thing.
With regard to the parents of St. Peter, the
Evangelists have also been silent, except in telling
us that his father's name was Jonas, who was
highly honoured by our blessed Saviour, who
chose two of his sons, Andrew and Peter, to be
his Apostles, and preachers of the glad tidings of
salvation to the children of men.
St. Peter, in his youth, was brought up to the
trade of fishing, on the lake of Bethsaida, famous

Chap. II.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

301

for different- kinds of fish, which excelled all
others in the fineness of their taste.
Here he followed the trade of fishing, but af
terwards removed to Capernaum, where he set
tled ; for we find he had a house there when our
Saviour began his public mhnstry, and there he
paid tribute. Nicephorus tens us, that Helen,
the mother of Constantine, erected a beautiful
church over the ruins of St. Peter's house, in
honour of that Aposde.
Capernaum was as well situated as Bethsaida
for carrying on Ms trade, standing at the influx
of the Jordan into the sea of Galilee, and where
• he might, with equal advantage, reap the fruits
of an honest and mdustrious diligence. The
busmess of Peter was both mean and toilsome ; it
exposed Mm to all the injuries of the weather,
the tempestuousness of the sea, and the darkness
and horror of the night, and all to acquire a
mean livelihood for himself and family. But
meanness of worldly degree is no obstacle to
the favour of God ; nay, if we review the state
of Christiamty, from its rise to the present
period, we shall find that its friends and vo
taries consist rather of persons of humble and
lowly stations of life, than of the great, the dig
nified, and the opulent.
And herein are manifested the wise and admi
rable methods used. by Divine Providence, in
making choice of such mean and unlikely instru
ments, m planting and propagating the Christian
religion in the world. Men who were destitute
of the advantages of education, and brought up to
the meanest employments, were chosen to con
found the wise, and overturn the learmng of the
great. Such were die persons whom the Al
mighty sent to propagate the religion of his Son ;
to silence die wise, the scribe, and the disputer of
this world, and to make foolish the wisdom of the

earth. For though the Jews required a sign, and
the Greeks sought after wisdom ; though the
preacMng of a crucified Saviour made no hn-
pression on the former, and wisdom became of
little avail to the latter ; yet by this preachhig
God was pleased to save them that believed, and
in the event made it appear, that the foolishness
of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of
God is stronger than men. That so the honour
of all might redound to himself, that no flesh
should ghry in his presence, but that he that glo-
rieth should glory in the Lord.
CHAP. II.
The manner by which Peter arrived to
the Knowledge of the blessed Jesus,
and of his Call to the Discipleship.
SACBED history has not ascertained of what
sect the Apostle was. We know indeed that
his brother Andrew was a follower of John the
Baptist, that preacher of repentance ; and it is
very unlikely that he, who was ready to carry his
brother the early tidings of the Messiah, that the
Sun of Righteousness was already risen in those
parts, should not be equally solicitous to bring
him under the discipline and influence of John
the Baptist, the day-star which appeared to usher
in the glorious advent of the Son of God. Be
sides, Peter's great readiness and curiosity, at the
first news of Christ's appearing, to come to him
and converse with Mm, shews that his expecta
tion had been awakened, and some glimmering
rays of hope conveyed to him, by the preaching
and ministey of JohnTwho was the voice of one
crying in the ivilderness, Prepare the way xfr the
Lord, make his paths straight.
He became acquainted with the immaculate
Lamb of God in the following manner : The

302

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

blessed Jesus having spent thirty years in the so
litude of a private life, had lately been baptized
by John in Jordan, and there owned, by the
solemn attestation of Heaven, to be the Son of
God ; whereupon he was immediately led into
the wilderness, and there for forty days main
tained a powerful contest with the devil. But
having conquered this great enemy of mankind,
he returned to the place beyond Jordan, where
John was baptizing his disciples, and endeavour
ing to answer the Jews, who had sent a deputa
tion to him to inquire concerning this new Mes
siah that appeared among them. To satisfy these
curious inquirers of Israel, John faithfully related
every thing he knew concerning him, gave him
the greatest . character, and soon after pointed
him out to his disciples ; upon which tw*o of
them presently followed the great Bedeemer of
mankind, one of whom was Andrew, Simon's
brother. Nor did he conceal the joyful discovery he
had made ; for early in the morning he hastened
to acquaint his brother Simon that he had found
the Messiah. It is not enough to be happy
alone ; grace is a communicative principle, that,
like the circles in the water, delights to multiply
itself, and to diffuse its influences, all around,
especially on those whom nature has placed
nearest to us. I have, said he with rapture to
his brother, found that eminent Person so 'long
and signally foretold by the prophets, and whom
all the devout and pious among the sons of Jacob
so earnestly expected.
Simon, who was one of those who waited for
the redemption of Israel, ravished with the joyful
news^and impatient of delay, presently followed
his brother to the place ; and, on his arrival,
our blessed Saviour immediately gave him a
proof of his divinity ; saluting him at first sight
by his name, and telling him both who he was,

his name and kindred, and what title should soon
be conferred upon him.
But whether these two sons of Jonas constantly
attended in person from that time on the great
Bedeemer of mankind, and became his disciples,
the sacred history- is silent. It is, however, pro
bable that they stayed with him some time, till
they were instructed in the first rudiments of
his doctrines ; and then, by the leave of their
great and benevolent Master, returned to their
families, and to their callings : for it is reasonable
to suppose, that the blessed Jesus was not at this
time willing to awaken the jealousy of the rulers
of Israel, and the suspicion of the Bomans, by a
numerous retinue; and, therefore, dismissed his
disciples, and, among the rest, Andrew and Peter,
who returned to their trade of fishing on the
lake, and where our blessed Bedeemer afterwards
found them. But some think that they continued
with Christ from the time that they were first
called to be his disciples, as hearers of all the
doctrines which he preached, and witnesses of
all his miracles.
The holy Jesus had now more than a year en
tered on his public ministry, going into every
part of the country to seek opportunities of doing
good to the children of. men ; so that by the con
stancy of his preaching, and the reputation of
Ms miracles, his fame was spread throughout all
Judea ; and multitudes of people flocked to him
from all parts to hear his doctrines, and be spec
tators of his mighty works.
But, to avoid this prodigious throng of people,
our great Bedeemer often retired to some solitary
place, to indulge the privacies of contemplation.
In one of these retreats, on the banks of the sea
of Galilee, the multitude found him out, and ran
to him from the city. Our Saviour, therefore, to
avoid the crowd, stepped into a fishing-boat

Chap. III.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

303

which lay near shore, and belonged to Simori
Peter, who, together with his companions, were
on shore drying their nets, after an unsuccess
ful night spent in toil and labour. The blessed
Jesus, who might have commanded, was pleased
to entreat Peter, who now returned to his boat,
to thrust off a little from the land, that he
might instruct the people, who were gather
ing in prodigious crowds on the borders of the
lake. Peter gladly complied with the request of his
Master, who delivered his heavenly doctrine to
the people on the shore. As soon as he had
ended his discourse, he resolved to seal it by a
miracle, that the people might be persuaded he
was a teacher come from God. Accordingly he
ordered Simon to row farther from the shore,
and cast his net into the sea. To which Simon
answered, That they had laboured the preceding^
night, and had taken nothing ; and if they could
not then succeed, there were little hopes of it
now, as the day was far less proper for fishing
than the night. But as his Master was pleased
to command, he would obey; and, accordingly,"
he let down his net ; when, to the astonishment
both of him and his companions, so great a mul
titude of fishes were inclosed, that they were
obliged to call their partners to-their assistance.
Amazed at this miraculous draught of fishes,
Simon Peter, in an ecstasy of admiration, blended
with awe and humility, fell prostrate at his Mas
ter's feet, acknowledging himself a vile and sinful
person, and thinking himself unworthy of being
admitted into the presence of a person so imme
diately, sent from God. But the compassionate
Son of the Most High kindly removed his fears;
telling him that this riiiracle was wrought to
confirm his faith, and indicate to him that the
Ahuighty had appointed a more noble employ
ment for him, that of saving the souls of the
children of men.

From this time Peter and his companions be
came the niseparable and constant disciples of
the great Messiah, living under the rules of his
discipline and instructions. Soon after, our
blessed Saviour returned to Capernaum with his
disciples, where they found the mother-in-law
of Peter dangerously ill of a fever. But the
compassionate Jesus, who never omitted any op
portunity of doing good to the human race, re
buked the disease, and, taking her by the hand,
restored her in a moment to her former health ;
demonstrating at once his power and willingness
to relieve the sons and daughters of affliction.

CHAP. III.
Peculiar Transactions of this Apostle,
from the Time of his being chosen, to
his blessed Master's entering the City
of Jerusalem.
THE blessed Jesus having entered upon his
important mission, thought proper to se
lect some particular persons from among his
followers, to be constant witnesses of his miracles
and doctrine, and who, after his departure, might
be intrusted with the care of building his church,
and planting that religion in the world, for which
he himself left the mansions of heaven, and put
on the vail of mortality. In order to this, he
withdrew privately, in the evening, to a solitary
mountain, where he spent the night in solemn
addresses to his Almighty Father, for rendering
the great work he was going to undertake pros
perous and successful.
The next day, early in the morning, the dis
ciples came to him, out of whom he made choice

304

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. III.

of twelve to be his Apostles, and the attendants
on his person.
These he afterwards invested with the power
of working miracles, and sent them into different
parts of Judea, in order to carry on with more
rapidity the great work which he himself had so
happily begun.
- All the Evangelists, in their enumeration of
these Apostles, constantly place St. Peter first.
But we must not, on that account, suppose that
St. Peter was invested with any personal prero
gative above his brethren : none of them ever
^intimated any such thing; and St. Paul says ex
pressly, that he Mmself was not inferior to the
very chiefest Apostle.
Soon after this election, the blessed Jesus, at
tended by Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
followed Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, to his
house, in order to restore his daughter, an only
child, who lay at the point of death ; but before
their arrival, a messenger reached them with the
news that the damsel was dead, and, therefore, it
was unnecessary for our Saviour to give himself
any farther trouble. But our blessed Lord bid
the ruler not despair ; for, if he believed, his
daughter should yet be restored to her former
health. And, accordingly, on his arrival, he took .
the maid by the hand, and, with the power- of a
word, recalled her fleeting spirit, which had quit
ted its earthly tabernade, and restored her again
to life and health.
We have no farther account of St. Peter in par
ticular, till the night after our Saviour's miracu
lously feeding the multitude in the wilderness.
Jesus had ordered his disciples to take ship, and
pass over to the other side, while he sent the mul
titude away. But a violent storm arising, they
were in great danger of their lives; when their

great Master came unto them, walking on the
surface of the boisterous billows, with the same
ease as if it had been dry ground.
At his approach the disdples were greatly ter
rified, supposing they had seen a spirit. But
their compassionate Master soon dispelled their
fears, by- telling them it was he himself, and,
therefore, they had no reason to be terrified.
Peter, who was always remarkable for bold re
solutions, desired his Master to give him leave to
conle to him on the water; and on obtaining per
mission, he left the ship, and walked on the sea,
to meet his Saviour. But when he heard the
deep roar around hini, and saw the waves in
crease, he began to be afraid ; and as Ms faith
declined, his body sunk in the water ; so that in
the greatest agony he called for assistance to Mm
who was able to save. Nor was his cry in
vain; the compassionate Bedeemer of mankind
stretched out his hand, and again placed him on
the surface of the water, with this geride reproof,
0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
And no sooner was the blessed Jesus and his dis
ciple entered into the ship, than the winds ceased,
the waves subsided, and the ship was at the land
whither they were going.
A miracle of this kind could not fail of as
tonishing the disciples, and convincing them of
the divinity of his mission. Accordingly they
drew near and worshipped him, with this con
fession, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
The next day our blessed Saviour entered the
synagogue of Capernaum; and, from the miracle
of the loaves, took occasion to discourse con
cerning himself, the true manna, and the bread
which came down from heaven; opening to them
the more sublime and spiritual mysteries of the
Gospel; on wMch great part of the audience,

Chap. III.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

305

who expected he was going to erect a temporal
kingdom, and re-establish the tlnone of David
in Jerusalem, offended at his representing his
dominion as entirely ' spiritual,- departed' from
him, and came no more to hear his discourses.
Jesus, on beholding this defection, turned him
self towards his disciples, and asked them,
Whether they also would go away ? To which
Peter replied, Lord, whither shall we go ? thou
hast the words of eternal life. To whom should
we apply for life and salvation ? thou art the way,
the truth, and the life.
" The inhabitants of Judea, who beheld with as-
tomshment the miracles wrought by the blessed
Jesus, had formed many conjectures concerning
him. Our great Bedeemer was not ignorant of
tMs ; but being willing to hear what account his
disciples would give of the various opinions of
the people, asked them what the world said
concerning him ? To which they replied, That
some took him for John the Baptist, risen from
the dead ; some thought him to be Elias, and
others Jeremiah, or one of the old prophets.
He asked them, what they themselves thought
of him ? To which Peter, in the name qf the
rest, answered, Thou art the Christ, the" Son of the
living God, anointed and set apart by the- Most
High, to be the great King, Priest, and Prophet,
of Israel.
This full and comprehensive declaration of
Peter, satisfied the inquiry of our blessed Saviour,
* who answered, Blessed art thou, S,imon Bar-
Jonah ; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it
unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. That
is, this faith which thou hast now confessed is
not human, or built upon the testimony of man,
but upon that knowledge which I was sent from
God to reveal unto the world ; therefore I say also
unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock
I will build myvhurch, and the gates of hell shall
Nos. 25 & 26.

not prevail against it. As thy name signifies a
rock, so shalt thou prove firm, solid, and im
moveable, in building my church, which shall be
so firmly established by thy care arid diligence,
upon that faith thou hast now professed, that all
the assaults of men and devils shall not be able
to destroy it.
# •
The disciples had no idea that their Master
was to suffer death for the sins of the world. On
the contrary, they considered him as immortal,
having imbibed the opinion of the Scribes and
Pharisees, that Christ abideth for ever : so that
when the blessed Jesus told them of the sufferings
he must undergo at Jerusalem, what affronts dnd
indignities he must suffgr, and be at last put to
death, with all the acts of torture and disgrace,
by a sentence of the Jewish Sanhedrim, Peter,
who could not endure the thought of his Master's
suffering even the least punishment, much less
those cruelties he had mentioned, and at last
death itself, interrupted him very unseasonably,
and said, Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall
not be unto thee. He considered these sufferings
as inconsistent with the character of the great
Messiah, whom he expected would restore the
splendour of the throne of David his father, and
reduce all the kingdoms of the earth to his obe
dience. But our blessed Saviour, who came
down from heaven to give his life a ransom for
the sins of the world, and who valued the re
demption of mankind infinitely more than his
own ease arid safety, highly resented this speech
of St. Peter, and, accordingly, returned this sharp
reproof: Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an
offence to me. Thy pernidous counsel, in seeking
to oppose the design for which I purposely left
the courts of heaven, is offensive ; and thou sa
vour est. not the things that be of God, but those
that be of men.
Some time after, the great Bedeemer of the
3H

306

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. IV.

souls of men, being to receive a specimen of his
future glorification, took with Mm three of his
most intimate Apostles, Peter and the two sons
of Zebedee, and went up into a very high moun
tain ; and while they were employed in earnest
addresses to the Almighty, he was transfigured
before them, darting such lustre from his face,
as exceeded the meridian rays of the sun in
brightness ; and such beams of light issued from
his garments, as exceeded the light of the clearest
day; an evident and sensible representation of
that state, when the just shall walk in white robes,
and shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Fa
ther. During this heavenly scene, the great
prophets Moses and Elias appeared in all the
brightness and majesty, of a glorified state, fa
miliarly conversing with Mm, and discoursing of
the death and sufferings he was shortly to un
dergo, and his ascension to the heavenly regions
of bliss and happiness.
In the mean time Peter and the two Apostles
were fallen asleep ; but on their awaking were
strangely surprised to see the Lord surrounded
with so much glory, and those two' great per
sons conversing with him. They, however, re
mained silent, till those visitants from the courts
of heaven were going to depart, when Peter,
in rapture and ecstasy of mind, addressed him
self to his Master, declaring their infinite plea
sure and delight in being favoured with this
glorious spectacle ; and desired his leave to erect
three tabernacles, one for him, one for Moses,
and one for Elias. But, \vhile he was speak
ing, a bright cloud overshadowed these two
great prophets, and a voice came from it, ut
tering these remarkable words : This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased : hear
ye him. On which the Apostles were seized
with the utmost .consternation, and fell upon
their faces to the ground ; but Jesus touching
them, bid them dismiss their fears, and look

up with confidence. They immediately obeyed,
but saw their Master only.
After this heavenly scene, our blessed Lord
travelled through Galilee ; and at his return to
Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter, and
asked him whether his Master was not obliged
to pay tribute ? When our blessed Saviour was
informed of this demand, rather than give offence,
he wrought a miracle to pay it. Our great Be
deemer was now going, for the last time, to Je
rusalem ; and he ordered two of his disciples,
probably Peter and John, to fetch him an ass,
that he might enter into, the city on it, as had
been foretold. The disciples obeyed their Master,
and brought the ass to Jesus, who being mounted
thereon, entered the city amidst the hosannas of
a numerous multitude, with palm-branches in
their hands, proclaiming at once both the ma
jesty of a Prince, and the triumph of a Saviour.

CHAP. IV. ;
Life of St. Peter, from the Time of the
Celebration of the last Passover to the
Crucifixion of the great Redeemer.
THE blessed Jesus proceeded from Jerusa
lem to Bethany, from whence he sent two
of his disciples, Peter and John, to make prepa
rations for his celebrating the passover.
Every thing being ready, our blessed Saviour
and his Apostles entered the house, and sat down
to table. But thdr great Master, who often
taught them by example as well as precept, arose
from his seat, laid aside his upper garment, took
the towel, and pouring water into a basin,
began to wash his disciples' feet, to teach them

Chap. IV.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

307

humility and charity by his own example. But
on his coming to Peter, he would by no means
admit his Master to perform so mean and con
descending an office. What! the Son of God
stoop to wash the feet of a sinful mortal ! A
thought which shocked the Apostle, who strenu
ously declared, Thou shalt never wash my feet.
But the blessed Jesus told him, that if he
washed him not, he could have no part with
him : intimating, that this action was mystical,
and sigmfied the remission of sins, and the
purifying virtue of the Spirit of ' the Most
High, to be poured upon all true Christians.
TMs answer sufficiently removed the scruples
of Peter, who cried out, Lord, not my feet'
only, but also my hands and, my head. Wash
me in evdy part, rather than let me lose my
portion in thee.
-v The blessed Jesus, having set this pattern of
humility, began to reflect on his approaching
sufferings, and on the person who should betray
him into the hands of wicked and cruel men,
teMng them, that not a stranger or an enemy,
but one of his friends, one of his Apostles, and
.even one of them who then sat at the table with
him, would betray Mm.
This declaration exceedingly affected them
all in general, and Peter in particular, who
made signs to St. John, to ask him particularly
who it was ? Jesus complied with this request,
and gave them to understand that it was Judas
IScariot. Our great Bedeemer now began the insti
tution of his Supper, that great and solemn
institution, which he resolved to leave behind
him, to be constantly celebrated in his church,
as a standing monument of his love in dying
for mankind ; telling them, at the same time.

that he himself was now going to leave them,
and that whither he iuent, they could not come.
Peter, not well understanding what he meant,
asked him whither he was going ? To which
our great Bedeemer replied, That he was going
to that place whither he could not now, but
should hereafter, follow him ; intimating the mar
tyrdom he was to suffer for his Master's re
ligion. Peter answered, That he was ready
now to follow him, even if it required him to
lay down his life. This confident presumption
was not at all agreeable to the blessed Jesus,
who told him he had promised great things,
but would be so far from performing them,
that before the cock crew, he would deny him
thrice. Supper being now ended, they sung an
hymn, and departed to the mount of Olives ;
where Jesus again put them in mind how greatly
the things he was going to suffer would offend
them. To which Peter replied, that though all
men should be offended because of him, yet he
himself would never be offended. How far will
an indiscreet zeal and affection transport even,
a well-meaning man into vanity and presump
tion! Peter questions the fidelity of others,
but never doubts his own; though his Lord
had just before reproved him for his self-suf
ficiency. This confidence of Peter inspired the
rest of the Apostles with courage ; so that they
declared their constant and unshaken adherence
to their Master.
They now repaired to the garden of Geth
semane ; and leaving the rest of the Apostles near
the entrance, our blessed Saviour, taking with
him Peter, James, and John, retired into the
most solitary part of the garden, to enter on the
preparatory scene of the great tragedy that was
now approaching.
3H*

308

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. IV.

Here the blessed Jesus laboured under the
bitterest agony that ever human nature suf
fered, during which he prayed with the ut
most fervency to his Father, offering up pray
ers and supplications, with strong crying and
tears ; .and his sweat was as it were great drops
of blood falling to the ground.
While our blessed Bedeemer was thus in
terceding with the Almighty, his three disci
ples were fallen asleep, though he had made
three several visits to them ; and calling to
Peter, asked him if he could not watch one
hour with him? Advising them all to watch
and pray, that they might not enter into temp
tation ; adding, The spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.
What incomparable sweetness, what generous
candour, did the Bedeemer of mankind display
on this occasion ! He passed the most charitable
censure upon an action, which malice and ill-
nature would have painted in colours as black
as the shades of darkness.
The disciples were drowned in a profound
security, and were buried in a deep sleep ;
and though repeatedly awaked and informed
of the approaching tragedy, they little regarded
the admonitions, as if nothing but ease and
softness engaged' their thoughts ; an action which
seemed to imply the most amazing ingratitude,
and the highest disregard for their Lord and
Master. But he, who was compassion itself, would not
impute it to their want of affection, or disregard
for his safety; he considered it merely as the
effect of their infirmities, and made an excuse
for them when they could make none for them
selves ; teaching us the useful lesson of putting
the most favourable construction on the actions

of others ; and to imitate the bee, and not the
adder, by sucking honey, instead of poison, from
the various transactioris of human life.
While he was discoursing with them, a band
of soldiers, from the chief priests and elders,'
preceded by the traitor Judas, to conduct and
direct them, rushed into the garden, and seized
the great High Priest of our profession. Peter,
whose ungovernable zeal would admit of no re
straint, drew his sword, and, without the least
order from his Master, struck at one of the per
sons who seemed to be remarkably busy in bind
ing Jesus, and cut off his right ear. This wild
and unwarrantable zealwas very offensive to his
Master, who rebuked Peterj and entreated the
patience of the soldiers while he miraculously
healed the wound..
But now' the fidelity of the Apostles, which
they had urged with so much confidence, was
put to the trial. They saw their Master in
the hands of a rude and inconsiderate band
of men ; and, therefore, should have exerted their
power to release him, or at least to have been
the companions of his sufferings, and endea
voured, by every kind, endearing action, to have
lessened his grief! But, alas ! instead of as
sisting or comforting their great Master, they
forsook him and fled.
The soldiers, after binding Jesus, led Mm
away, and delivered him to the chief priests and
elders, who carried him from one tribunal to
another, first to Annas, and then to Caiaphas,
where the Jewish Sanhedrim were assembled,
in order to try and condemn him.
In the mean time Peter, who had followed
the other disciples in their flight, recovered
his spirits, and, being encouraged by Ms com
panion St. John, returned to seek his Master.

Chap. IV.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

309

Seeing him as he was fed to the high-priest's hall,
he followed at a distance to know the event ; but
on his 'coming to the door, was refused admit
tance, till one- of the disciples, who was ac
quainted there, came out, and prevailed upon the
servant who kept the door to let him in.
*. Peter, being admitted, repaired to the fire
burning in the middle of the hall, round which
the officers and servants were standing ; where,
being observed by the maid-servant who let him
in, she charged him with being one of Christ's
disciples; but Peter publicly denied the charge,
declaring that he did not know him, and pre
sently withdrew into the porch, where being se
cluded from the people, the reflection of his mind
awakened his conscience into a quick sense of
his duty, and the promise he had a few hours
before made to Ms Master. But, alas ! human
nature, when left to itself, is remarkably frail
and inconstant. This Peter sufficiently expe
rienced; for while he continued in the porch,
another maid met him, and charged Mm with
being one of the followers^of Jesus of Nazareth,
which Peter firmly, denied, and, the better to gain
belief, ratified it with an oath
About an hour after this, the servant of the
high-priest, he whose ear Peter had cut off,
charged him with being a disciple of Christ, and
that he himself had seen him in the garden with
him; adding, that his very speech sufficiently
proved that he was a Galilean. Peter, however,
still denied the fact; and added to his sin, by ra
tifying it not only with an oath, but a solemn
curse and execration, that he was not the person,
and that he knew not the man. But no sooner had
he uttered this denial (which was the third time)
than the cock crew ; at which his Master turned
about, and earnestly looked upon him in a man
ner that pierced him to the heart, and brought to
his remembrance what his Saviour had more

than once foretold, namely, that he would basely
and shamefully deny him. Peter was now no
longer able to contain his sorrow ; he flew from
the palace of the high-priest, and wept bitterly,
passionately bewailing his folly, and the aggra
vations of Ms sin.
The fall of St. Peter should convince us of the
frailty of men, and effectually subdue those vain
confidences -which are apt to rise in our hearts,
from our own supposed strength and firmness.
For, as this great disciple fell in so scandalous
a manner, who shall hereafter dare to depend
upon the highest degree of knowledge, when
one so wise, so perfectly satisfied of the truth of
the Christian doctrine, was, after the fullest con
victions of his own conscience, so weak and frail
as to deny and abjure his Lord, who instructed
and bought him even at the price of his own
blood ? Who shall presume upon his best reso
lutions, when he, who declared so firm a purpose
of adhering to Jesus, did within a few hours
peremptorily and solemnly disown that very per
son, for whose sake he was lately ready and dis
posed to lay down his life ?
We ought, therefore, on all occasions, to pray
for, and rely on, the divine assistance, which can
alone enable us to stand in a day of trial. There
is, mdeed, no reason to doubt that St. Peter at
that time spoke the very sense of his soul ; that
he had an honest and sincere heart, was stead
fastly determined, and, as he thought, able to
perform what, with so much piety and affection,
he intended and professed. But his blame was,
that he did not consider the infirmities of hu
man nature, promising, in the warmth of his
zeal, more than he was able to perform. He
relied on his own integrity, thinking good resolu
tions a sufficient defence against the most violent
temptations. But when the assault was made,
and danger, with her terrifying aspect, appeared,

3.10

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

ChAP.V;

the event sufficiently proved, that how willing
soever the spirit might be, yet the flesh was ex
ceedingly frail and weak.
We have in St. Peter a warning for our in
struction. The opinion of his own strength
proved his ruin. So dangerous and fatal is it to
lean to our own understandings; to be wise,
good, and safe, in our own conceit; when all our
sufficiency, all our safety, is of God.
We should also, from his conduct, remember
the wisdom and goodness of the Ahnighty, in
causing the faults and infirmities of his saints to
be recorded in the holy scriptures, and the use
we ought to make of their failings and tempta
tions. Their eminent perseverance in the cause
of Christ, and their as eminent repentance where
they did amiss, are written as a seasonable warn
ing, and exhibit an instance of humiliation to all
future ages, by letting us to see, that men are
but men, subject to blemishes and imperfections;
and that the highest and purest state, without
continued aid, is no security from danger. This
should make us very tender how we judge and
despise our brethren, whose faults, however se
verely we may censure them, might probably
have been our own, had we been in their cir
cumstances ; for let him that thinketh he stand-
eth, take heed lest he fall.
We should not then promise ourselves such
safety and freedom from temptations, in any
circumstances of life, as to think we are inca
pable of committing the blackest crimes, should
the Almighty withdraw his grace, and leave us
to ourselves.
And as their failings admomsh, so they should
also comfort us, by demonstrating that God does
not suddenly cast off his servants, when they
have heinously offended him ; that we ought not

to despair, though our transgressions are great
and many; for if we will return with true con
trition of soul, we shall be kindly received, and
freely pardoned. Those who fall with him should
earnestly pray for that repentance which he had ;
a repentance which was unto salvation, and needed
not to be repented of.

CHAP. V. ¦
An Account of what befell this Apostle,
from the Resurrection of his blessed
Master, to his Ascension into Heaven.
IT is certain, from various circumstances, that
Peter, after the crudfixion of his Lord arid
Master, stayed at Jerusalem, or at least in the
neighbourhood ; for when Mary Magdalene re
turned from the sepulchre, to inform the disciples\
that the stone was rolled away from the door,
and the body not to be found, Peter and John
set out immediately towards the garden. John,
who was the younger, arrived at the sepulchre'
first, looked into it, but did not enter, either out
of fear, or reverence to our Saviour. Peter came
soon after, and resolutely went into the sepulcMe,
where he found the linen clothes, lying together
in one place, and the napkin that was about his
head wrapped together in another ; a sufficient
indication that the body was not stolen away;
for had that been the case, so much care and or
der would not have been observed in disposing
of the linen clothes.
But Peter did not wait long in suspense, with
regard to his great Lord and Master ; for the same
day Jesus appeared to him; and as he was the
first of the disciples who had made a signal con
fession of the divinity of the Messiah's mission*
so it was reasonable he should first of the Apos
tles see him after his resurrection; and, at the

Chap. V.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

311

same time to convince hkn that the crime he had
been guilty of, in denying Mm, was pardoned,
and that he was come, like the good Samaritan,
to pour oil into the wounded conscience.
Soon after the Apostles prepared to obey the
command of their great Master, of retiring into
Galilee; and we find that Peter, Nathanael,
the two sons of Zebedee, and two other dis
ciples, returned to their old trade of fishing on
the lake.
One morning early, as they were labouring at
their employment, having spent the whole night
to no purpose, they saw on the shore a grave
person, who called to them, and asked them if
they had any meat ? To which they answered,
No. Cast then, replied he, the net on the right
side of the ship, and ye shall find. . They fol
lowed Ms directions, and caught a prodigious
number of large fish. Astonished at such re
markable success, the disciples looked one upon
another for some time, till St. John told Peter,
that the person on the shore was, doubtless, their
great Lord and Master, whom the winds, the sea,
and the inhabitants of the watery region, were
ready to obey.
Peter no sooner heard the beloved disciple
declare his opinion concerning the stranger, than
his zeal took fire ; and notwithstanding the cold
ness of the season, he girt on his fisher's coat,
threw Mmself into the sea, and swam to shore :
Ms impatience to be with Ms dear Lord and
Master not suffering him to stay the few minutes
necessary to bring the ship to land.
As soon as the disciples came on shore, they
found a fire kindled, and fish laid upon if, either
immediately created by the power of their divi le
Master, or which came ashore of its own accord,
and offered itself to his hand. But notwithstand

ing there were fish already on the fire, he ordered
them to bring of those they had now caught,
and dress them for their repast, he himself eating
with them ; both to give them an instance of
mutual love and friendship, and also to assure
them of the truth of his human nature, since he
was risen from the dead.
When the repast was ended, our blessed Sa
viour addressed himself particularly to Peter,
urging him to the utmost diligence in the care of
souls : and because he knew that nothing but a
sincere love to himself could, support him under
the troubles and dangers of so laborious and dif
ficult an employment, he inquired of him, whether
he loved him more than the rest of the Apostles?
mildly reproving him for his over confident reso
lution. Peter, whom painful experience had
taught humility, modestly answered, that none
knew so well as himself the integrity of his af
fections. Thou knowest the hearts of all men ;
nothing is hid from thee, and, therefore, thou
knowest that I love thee. The question was
three several times repeated by our blessed
Saviour, and as oftentimes answered by the
Apostle ; it being but just that he, who by a
threefold denial had given so much reason to
question his affection, should now, by a threefold
confession, give more than common assurance of
his sincere love to his Master : and to each of
these confessions our great Bedeemer added this
signal trial of his affection, Feed my sheep ; in
struct and teach them with the utmost care, and
the utmost tenderness.
The blessed Jesus having thus engaged Peter
to a cheerful compliance with the dangers that
might attend the discharge of his office, particu
larly intimated to him the sufferings that would
attend him ; telling him, that when he was
young, he girt himself, lived at his pleasure,
and went wherever his fancy directed Mm ; but

312

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VI.

when he should reach the term of old age, he
would stretch forth his hands, and another should
gird and bind him, and lead him whither he had
no desire to go ; intimating, as the Evangelist
tells us, by what death he should glorify God.
Peter was well pleased to drink the bitter cup,
and make his confession as public as his denial,
provided all would be sufficient to prove the sin
cerity of his love. And seeing John following,
he asked his great Master what should be his
lot ; and whether he, who had been the object of
his Master's love in his life-time, should not have
as honourable a death as he that had demed him ?
/ To which Jesus replied, It doth not concern thee
to know how I shall dispose of events with re
gard to him. He shall see the destruction of the
Jewish nation, and then go down to the chambers
of the dust in peace.
Not long after our blessed Saviour appeared
to Ms disciples at Jerusalem, to take his last fare-
iwell of them who had attended him during his
public ministry among the sons of men. He led
them out as far as Bethany, a small village on
the Mount of Olives, where he briefly told them
that they were the persons he had chosen to be
the witnesses both of his death and resurrection ;
a testimony which they should publish in' every
part of the world. In order to which, he would,
after his ascension into heaven, pour out his
Spirit upon them in an extraordinary manner,
that they might be the better enabled to struggle
with that violent rage and fury, with which
the doctrine of the Gospel would be opposed
by men and devils. Adding, that in the mean
time they should return to Jerusalem, and there
wait till those miraculous powers were given
them from on high. t
Having finished this discourse, he laid his
hands upon them, and gave them his solemn

benediction ; during which he was taken from
them, and received up into the regions of the
heavenly Canaan. The Apostles, who beheld
their Master visibly ascend into heaven, were
filled with a greater sense of his glory than they
had ever been while he conversed with them
familiarly on earth. And having performed
their solemn adoration to him, they returned to
Jerusalem with great joy, there to wait for the
accomplishment of their great Master's promise.
How sudden a change was now wrought in the
minds of the Apostles ! They who were lately
overwhelmed with sorrow at the very mention
of their Lord's departure from them, beheld Mm
now with joy and triumph: they were fully sa
tisfied of his glorious advancement to the right
hand of Ommpotence, and of that peculiar care
and providence which they were sure he would
exercise over them, in pursuance of those great.
trusts he had committed to their care.

CHAP. VI.
Transactions of Peter, from the Ascen
sion of his blessed Master, to the Dis
persion of the Church of Jerusalem.
THE Apostles, though deprived of the per
sonal presence of their dear Lord and
Master, were indefatigable in fulfilling the com
mission they had received from him. The first
object that engaged their attention, after their
return lo Jerusalem, was to fill up the vacancy
in their number, lately made by the unhappy
fall and apostacy of Judas. In order to this,
they called together the church, and entered into
an upper room; when Peter, as the most for
ward in the assembly, proposed to them the
choice of a new Apostle.

Chap. VI.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

313

He put them in mind that Judas, one of
the disciples of their great and beloved Mas-.
ter, being influenced by his covetous and in
satiable temper, had lately fallen from the
honour of his place and mimstry. That this
was no more than what the prophet had long
since foretold should come to pass, and that
the care of the church which had been com
mitted to him, should devolve upon another;
and, therefore, it was highly necessary that
some person who had been familiarly con
versant with the blessed Jesus from first to
last, and, consequently, a competent witness
both of his doctrine and miracles, his death,
resurrection, and ascension, should be sub
stituted in his room.
This mdeed was highly requisite ; for as no
witness is so valid and satisfactory as the testi
mony of an eye-witness, so the Apostles all along
principally insisted on this, that they delivered
nothing more to the world, concerning the great
rtedeemer of mankind, than what they them
selves had seen and heard. As his rising from
the dead was a principle likely to meet with the
greatest opposition, and which would be the most
difficult tenet of the Gospel to be believed by the
sons of men, they urged this great truth inces
santly, declaring that they were eye-witnesses of
his resurrection; that they had seen and felt him,
eaten and familiarly conversed with him, after
his return from the chambers of the grave. It
was, therefore, highly requisite that such an
Apostle should be chosen ; and, accordingly, two
candidates were proposed ; Joseph, called Bar-
sabas, and Matthias, both qualified for the great
and important office of the Apostleship. And
having prayed that the divine Providence would
immediately guide and direct them in their
choice, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon
Matthias, who was accordingly admitted into the
number of the Apostles.
Nos. 27 & 28.

After filling, up the vacancy in the Apostolic
number, they employed their time in prayer
and meditation till the feast of Pentecost ; when
the promise of their great Master in sending
the Holy Ghost was fulfilled. The Christian
assembly were met as usual, to perforin the
public services of their worship, when sud
denly a sound, like that of a mighty wind,
rushed m upon them, representing the power
ful efficacy of that divine Spirit which was
now to be communicated to them. After which
there appeared small flames of fire, which, in the
shape of cloven tongues, descended and sat
upon the head of each of them, to denote that
their enjoyment of this gift should be constant
and perpetual; and not like the prophets of old,
who were inspired only at some particular times
and seasons.
Upon this they were all immediately filled with
the Holy Ghost, which, in an instant, enabled
them to speak fluently several languages they
had never learned, and probably never heard.
The report of so sudden and strange an
action was soon spread tMough every part of
Jerusalem, which at that time was full of Jewish
proselytes, devout men out of every nation under
heaven; Parthians, Medes, Elamites, the dwellers
in Mesopotamia and Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus
and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, the
parts of Libya and Cyrene, from Borne, from
Crete, and from Arabia. These no sooner
heard of this miraculous effusion of the Holy
Spirit, than they flocked in prodigious numbers
to the Christian assembly, where they were
amazed to hear these Galileans speaking to them
in their own native languages, so various and so
very different from one another. And it could
not fail of exceedingly increasing the wonder, to
reflect on the meanness of the speakers, who
were neither assisted by genius, polished by
31

314

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VI.

education, nor improved by use and custom.
The disciples were destitute of all these as
sistances ; their parts were mean, their educa
tion trifling, and their experience in speaking
before great assemblies, nothing. Yet now these
persons spoke boldly, and with the greatest pro
priety, in various Janguages. Nor were their
discourses filled with idle stories, or the follies of
a luxuriant fancy. No ; they expatiated on the
great and admirable works of Omnipotence, and
the mysteries of the Gospel, which human ap
prehension could never discover.
This surprising transaction had different ef
fects on the minds of the people ; some attri
buting it to the effect of a miracle, and others to
the power and strength of new wine. Upon
which the Apostles all stood up, and Peter, in the
name of the rest, undertook to confute this in
jurious calumny.
He told them that this scandalous slander
proceeded from the spirit of malice and false
hood ; that their censure was as uncharitable as
it was unjust; that it was early in the morning,
and, therefore, not a time for drinking, especially
on a day set apart for devotion ; that these ex
traordinary and miraculous effects were but the
accomplishment of an ancient prophecy, which
the Almighty had expressly declared should be
fulfilled in the times of the Messiah ; that Jesus
of Nazareth had evidently proved himself to
be that great prophet, the Son of the Most
High, by many unquestionable miracles, of
which they themselves had been eye-witnesses ;
and though by the permission of Omnipotence,
who was pleased by this means to bring about
the redemption of mankind, they had wickedly
crucified and slain him, yet God had raised him
from the dead ; nor was it consistent with the
justice and goodness of the Almighty, especially
those divine predictions made concerning him,

that he should be confined in the chambers of
the grave ; David having particularly foretold,
that his flesh should rest in hope; that God
would not leave his soul in hetl, neither suffer his
Holy One to see corruption ; but would make
known to him the way of life. That this pro
phecy could not relate to David himself, as
he had, many ages since, been reduced to
dust, and his flesh passed through the different
stages of corruption, his tomb being yet vi
sible among them, and from whence he was
known never to return ; and, therefore, the
prophecy must relate to Christ, having never
been fulfilled in any but him, who both died and
was risen again, whereof they were his witnesses.
Nay, that he was not only risen from the dead,
but ascended into the highest heaven, and, ac
cording to David's prediction, sat down on the
right-hand of God, till he had made his enemies
his footstool ; which could not be primarily meant
of David, as he never ascended bodily into hea
ven ; that, therefore, the whole house of Israel
ought to believe, that this very Jesus, whom they
had crucified, was that, person whom God had
appointed to be the Messiah, the founder of
the Christian church, and the Saviour of the
world. This discourse, though the first that St. Pe
ter ever made in public, deeply affected the
people, and every word, like a dagger, pierced
them to the heart, so that they cried out,
Men and brethren, what shall we do? To
which Peter answered, The only way to ob
tain pardon for the many sins you have com
mitted, and acquire the gift of the Holy Ghost,
is to repent sincerely, and be baptized in the
name of this crucified Saviour. Upon these
terms the promises of the new covenant, ra
tified by the death of the Son of God, will
belong to you and your children, and to all
that sincerely believe arid embrace the Gospel.

Chap. VI.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

315

He also used the most forcible and endearing
expressions, to prevail on them to listen to the
inviting calls of the Son of God, and by that
means to save themselves from that unavoid
able ruin and destruction, which would shortly
fall on the heads of the wicked and headstrong
generation of unbelieving Jews.
The effect of this discourse was equally won
derful and surprising; for great numbers of
those, who before ridiculed the religion of
Jesus, how acknowledged him for their Sa
viour, and flew to Mm for refuge from the
impending storm ; and St. Luke tells us, that
there were that day added to the church no
less than three thousand souls, who were all
baptized, and received into the flock of the
great Shepherd of Israel, the bishop of our
souls. A quick and plentiful harvest indeed!
This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvel
lous in our eyes.
Soon after this wonderful effusion of the
Holy Spirit, Peter and John, going up to the
temple about three in the afternoon, near the
conclusion of one of the solemn hours of
prayer, saw a poor impotent cripple, about
forty years of age, who had been lame from
his birth, lying at the Beautiful gate of the
. temple, and asking alms of those who entered
the sacred edifice. This miserable object moved
their compassion; and Peter, beholding him
with attention, said, The riches of this world,
the Silver and gold so highly Coveted by the
sons of- men, are not in my power to be
stow ; but the Lord hath given me the power
of restoring life and health, and I am ready
to assist thee.
Then taking the man by the hand, he com
manded him in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,
to rise up and walk. Immediately the., nerves

and sinews were strengthened, and the several
parts of the diseased members performed their
natural functions. Upon which the man accom
panied them into the temple, walking, leaping,
and praising God.
So strange and extraordinary a cure filled
the minds of the people with admiration, and
their curiosity drew them round the Apostle, to
view the man who had performed it. Peter,
seeing the multitude gathering round them, took
the opportunity of speaking to them in the
following manner : " Men and brethren, this
remarkable cure should not excite your ad
miration of us, as if we had performed it by
our own power. It was wrought in the name
of Jesus of Nazareth, our crucified Master, by
the power of that very Christ, that holy and just
person, whom you yourselves denied, and de
livered to Pilate, nay, and preferred a murderer
before him, when the governor was desirous of
letting him go.
" But though ye have put him to death, yet we
are witnesses that he is risen again from the
dead, and that he is ascended into heaven, where
he will remain till the great and tremendous day
of general restitution. This, I know, was done
by you and your rulers through ignorance, not
being thoroughly convinced of the greatness and
divinity of his person ; an ignorance by which
the great and righteous designs of Omnipotence
were brought about, and the prophecies con
cerning the person and sufferings of the Mes
siah, delivered by Moses, Samuel, and all the
prophets since the world began, have been ac
complished. But now it is high time to repent
and turn to God, that your crying sins may be
forgiven; that when the Messiah shall appear,
to execute judgment upon the Jewish nation,
it may be a time of comfort to you, as it will
be of vengeance and destruction to others. You
3 1*

316

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VI.

should remember, that you are the peculiar
persons to whom the blessings and the promises
primarily belonged, and to whom the Almighty
first sent his Son, that he might shower on you
his blessings, by turning you away from your
iniquities.'''' While Peter was speaking to the people in
one part of the temple, John was, in all pro
bability, doing the same in the other; and
the success plainly indicated how powerful the
preaching of the Apostles was ; five thousand
persons embracing the doctrines of the Gospel,
and acknowledging the crucified Jesus for their
Lord and Saviour.
Such amazing success could not fail of ex
citing the attention and envy of the rulers of
Israel. Accordingly, the priests and Sadducees
repaired to the Boman magistrate, and inti
mated to him, that, in all probability, this con
course of people would prove the cause of a tu
mult and insurrection. Upon this information,
the captain of the temple seized on the Apostles,
and cast them into prison.
The next day they were carried before the
Jewish Sanhedrim ; and being asked by what
power and authority they had done this, Peter
boldly answered, " Be it known unto you, and
to all the descendants of Jacob, that this miracle
was wrought wholly m the name of Jesus of
Nazareth, whom ye yourselves have crucified
and slain, and whom the Almighty hath raised
again from the dead. This is the stone which
you builders refused, and which is become the
head of the corner. Nor is there any other way
by which you, or any of the sons of men, can be
saved, but by this crucified Saviour."
The boldness of the Apostle was admired by
all, even by the court of the Sanhedrim. And

it should be remembered, that these very judges
were the persons who had so lately condemned
the blessed Jesus himself, and had no other
way of colouring their proceedings, than by
a second act of cruelty ; that the Apostles
did not charge them with the crime of cru
cifying the Son of God in secret, but in the
open court of judicature, and in the hearing
of all the people.
The court, after beholding them with a kind
of astonishment, remembered that they had seen
them with Jesus of Nazareth, and, therefore,
ordered them to withdraw, while they debated
among themselves what was proper to be done.
It was impossible to deny the miracle ; for it was
performed before all the people, and the person
on whom it was wrought was no stranger in Je
rusalem. They, therefore, resolved to charge
them strictly not to preach any more in the name
of Jesus. Accordingly, they were again called
in, and acquainted with this resolution of the
council. To which the Apostles answered, That
as they had received a commission from heaven
to declare to all nations what they had seen and
heard, it was certainly their duty to obey God ra
ther than man.
This was a fair appeal to the consciences of
their very judges ; but these rulers of Israel,
instead of being satisfied with it, would, in
all probability, have proceeded to greater vio
lence, had not the people's veneration for the
Apostles checked their malice : so that all they
dared to do, was to enforce their menaces, and
dismiss them.
When the Apostles were returned to their bre
thren, they informed them of the treatment they
had met with from the Jewish magistrates. Upon
which they all joined in prayer to the Almighty,
for an extraordinary supply of courage, and as-

Chap. VI.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

317

sistance, to enable them to execute their commis
sion in these perilous times, and plant the religion
of their crucified Saviour. Nor were their prayers
offered in vain ; for before they had concluded
their fervent addresses to the throne of grace, the
house was again shaken as on the day of Pente
cost, and they were instantly replenished with
fresh measures of the Holy Ghost ; and notwith
standing all lhe threatenings of the Jewish rulers,
found themselves enabled to ~j£ZZZh the Gospel
of their great and beloved Master with more
boldness than ever.
The labours of the Apostles were crowned
with abundant success, and it seems that such
was the aversion of the inveterate Jews to those
who became converts to the faith of Christ, that
they were deprived of business in their respective
callings ; for we find that the professors of the
religion of the holy Jesus sold their effects, and
brought the money to the Apostles, that they
might deposite it in one common treasury, and
from thence supply the several exigencies of the
church. But hypocrisy was not unknown among the
professors of religion, even in those primitive
times. Ananias and fiis wife Sapphira, having
embraced the doctrines of the Gospel, pretended
to follow the free and generous spirit of others,
by consecrating and devoting their estate to the
honour of God, and the necessities of the church.
Accordingly they sold their possessions, and
brought part of the money, and laid it at the
Apostles' feet ; hoping to deceive them, though
guided by the Spirit of Omnipotence. But
Peter, at his first coming in, asked Ananias
how he could suffer Satan to fill his heart
with such enormous wickedness, as to think
to deceive the Holy Ghost. That before it was
sold, it was wholly in his own power, and
afterwards the money entirely at Ms own dis

posal ; so that his action was capable of no other
interpretation, than that he had not only abused
and injured man, but mocked the Almighty him
self, who he must know was privy to his most

secret thoughts.

The Apostle had no sooner finished, than
Ananias, to the great surprise of all that were
present, fell down dead, by a stroke from
heaven. Not long after his wife came in, whom-re*
ter reproved in the same manner he had done
her husband, adding, that she should imme
diately end her life in the same awful man
ner : upon which she was smitten by the hand
of Omnipotence, and fell down dead; sharing
with her husband in the punishment, as she
had before in the heinous crime. This re
markable instance of severity filled all the con
verts with fear and trembling, and prevented,
in a great measure, that hypocrisy and dissimu
lation, by which others might flatter themselves
to deceive the church.
But such instances of severity were very ex
traordinary; the power of the Apostles was ge
nerally exerted in works of mercy and benefi
cence towards the sons and daughters of afflic
tion. They cured all kinds of diseases, and cast
out devils ; so that they brought the sick into the
streets, and laid them upon beds and couches,
that the shadow at least of Peter, as he passed
by, might cover some of them ; well knowing a
single touch or word, from either of the Apos
tles, was sufficient to remove the most inveterate
diseases. Such astonishing miracles could not fail of
contributing to the propagation of the Gospel,
and to convince the world that the Apostles were
far more considerable persons than they at first

THE Ll^ES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VI.

took them to be ; and that poyertyand meanness
may be blended with true worth and genuine
greatness. How small and insignificant is the
power and dignity of all earthly monarchs, when
compared to the glory of this Apostle! and how
contemptible were the triumphs of a Pompey
and a Caesar, when placed in competition with
the greatness and majesty of St. Peter, who
¦converted the world from idolatry and the wor
ship of devils, and withdrew the vail of igno
rance from the understandings of the human
race ;jnol .by-the-pewer-of "armies, nor the in
sinuating artifices of pomp and grandeur, but by
faith in the power of his Saviour.
But the stupendous works of the Apostles, and
the growing numbers of the church, alarmed
the rulers of Israel ; who seized the Apostles, and
cast them into prison. Their power, however,
was limited, like the drop of a bucket to the
ocean, when opposed to the almighty arm of
the great Jehovah. The prison doors, though
fastened with the utmost caution, opened of them
selves at the approach of a messenger from the
courts of heaven ; who commanded the Apostles
to leave the dungeon, repair to, the temple, and
preach the glad tidings of the Gospel to the
people. The officers, returning in the morning, found
the prison doors shut and guarded, but the
prisoners were gone. This remarkable circum
stance greatly alarmed them, and they repaired
to the council to acquaint them with what had
happened. The rulers were astonished at the
news ; but hearing that the Apostles were preach
ing in the temple, they sent an officer to bring
them, without the least violence to their persons,
before the Sanhedrim. Their order was soon
obeyed, and the disciples of Jesus placed before
the same court that had so lately condemned
their Master.

The Apostles being thus brought before the
Sanhedrim, the high-priest asked them how they
dared to propagate a doctrine they had so strictly
charged them not to preach ? To which Peter,
in the name of the rest, replied, " We certainly
ought to obey God rather than man. And
though you have so barbarously and contume-
liously treated the Saviour of the world, yet God
hath raised him up to be a Prince andja-Ssviour,
to give both repentance and remission of sins.
-Anchor" these things we are witnesses, and so is
also the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to all
them that obey him."
This answer, delivered with remarkable bold
ness, exasperated the council, and they began to
consult how they might destroy them. But
Gamaliel, a grave and learned counsellor, after
commanding the Apostles to withdraw, desired
them to proceed with caution in an affair of this
nature; reminding them, that several persons had
already raised parties, and drawn great numbers
of partisans after them ; but that every one of
them had miscarried, and all their designs were
rendered abortive, without the interposition of
that court : that they would, therefore, do well
to let the Apostles alone ; for if their doctrines and
designs were of human invention, they would
come to nothing ; but if they were of God, all
their power and policy would be of no effect, and
experience would too soon convince them, that
they had themselves opposed the counsels of the
Most High.
This prudent and rational advice had the de
sired success; the council were satisfied; and
after commanding the Apostles to be scourged,
they strictly charged them to preach no more in
the name of Jesus, and set them at liberty.
But this charge had little effect on the dis
ciples of the blessed Jesus; they returned home in

Chap. VII.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

319

triumph, rejoicing that they were thought worthy
to suffer in so righteous a cause, and to undergo
shame and reproach for so kind and so powerful
a Master. Nor could all the opposition of men,
blended with the malice of the powers of dark
ness, discourage them from performing their duty
to the Almighty, or lessen their zeal for preach
ing, both in public and private, the doctrines of
the Gospel. CHAP. VII.
Concluding Scenes of St. Peter's Life.
THE Christian doctrine had been propa
gated hitherto without much violence or
opposition, in Jerusalem ; but now a storm com
menced with the death of the proto-martyr Ste
phen, nor did it end but with the dispersion of
the disciples; by which means the glad tidings of
the Gospel, which had till now been confined to
Judea, were preached to the Gentile world, and
an ancient prophecy fulfilled, which says, Out of
Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem. Thus does the Almighty
bring good out of evil, and cause the malicious
intentions of the wicked to redound to his praise.
Among the dispersed followers of the blessed
Jesus, Philip the deacon retired to Samaria,
where he preached the Gospel, and confirmed his
doctrine by many miraculous cures, and casting
out devils. In this city was one Simon, who, by
magic art and diabolical sorceries, was beheld
with admiration by the people ; and some con
sidered him as the great ppwer of God, a name
he blasphemously gave himself, pretending to be
the first and chief Deity, or what every nation
considered as the supreme God.
This wicked mortal, hearing the sermons of
Philip, and beholding the miracles wrought by

him, became a professed convert to the religion
of Je'sus, and was baptized with the others who
had embraced the principles of the Christian
doctrine. The Apostles who continued at Jerusalem
were soon informed of this remarkable success
of Philip's ministry in Samaria, and thought it
necessary to send him assistance. Accordingly
Peter and John were deputed to this infant
church; who having prayed, and laid their hands
on the new converts, they received the Holy
Ghost. Such miraculous gifts astonished the magician ;
and, desirous of obtaining the same privilege, he
offered the disciples money to invest him with
this power, that on whomsoever he laid his hand,
they might receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter,
who perceived the insincerity of his heart, re
jected his offer with scorn and detestation. Thy
money, said the great Apostle, perish with thee.
And as thy heart is full of hypocrisy and deceit,
thou canst have no share nor portion in so
great a privilege. Thou wouldst do well to
repent of so monstrous a crime, and sincerely
apply thyself to seek the Almighty, that the
thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee ; for
I perceive that thy temper and disposition of
mind is still vicious and corrupt, that thou art
yet bound by the chains of iniquity, and in a
state displeasing to the Almighty, and dangerous
to thyself.
Simon was terrified at this speech of St. Pe
ter: his conscience flew in his face, and he^
prayed the Apostles to make intercession for him ;
to the throne of grace, that the Almighty might
pardon his sin, and not inflict on him those
heavy judgments.
The Apostle did not stay any longer m Sa

320

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VII.

maris, than was necessary to confirm the new
converts in the faith they had embraced, and to
preach the glad tidings of salvation in the adja
cent villages ; after which they returned to Je
rusalem, to assist the rest of the disciples with
their power.
The storm, though violent, being at length
blown over, the church enjoyed a time of calm
ness and security ; during which St. Peter went
to visit the churches lately planted in those parts
by the disciples whom the persecution had dis
persed. And at his arrival at Lydda, he mira
culously healed iEneas, who had been afflicted
with the palsy, and confined to his bed eight
years ; but on Peter's bidding him arise, in the
name of Jesus, he was immediately restored to
perfect health. Nor was the success of this mi
racle confined to iEneas and Ms familv, the
fame of it was blazed through all the neigh
bouring country, and many believed in the
doctrine of the Son of God. It was even known
at Joppa, a sea-port town about six miles from
Lydda ; and the brethren immediately sent for
Peter, on the following melancholy occasion.
Tabitha, whose Greek name was Dorcas, a
woman venerable for her piety and extensive
charity, was lately dead, to the great loss of
mankind, who loved genuine benevolence, es
pecially the poor and afflicted, who were sup
ported by her charity.
At Peter's arrival he found her dressed for
funeral solemmty, and surrounded by mournful
widows, who showed the coats and garments
wherewith she had clothed them, the monuments
of her liberality. But Peter put them all out,
and kneeling down, prayed with the utmost
fervency; then turning to the body, he com
manded her to arise; and taking her by the
hand, presented her in perfect health to her
friends and others, who were assembled to pay

their last duties to so good a woman. This
miracle confirmed those who had newly em
braced the doctrine of Jesus, and converted many
more to the faith. After which he staid a con
siderable time at Joppa, lodging .in the house of
one Simon a tanner.
During his abode in this city, one day, when
he wus offering up his prayers to the Almighty,
he found himself hungry, and called for meat;
but \\ hilt* it was dressing for him, he fell into a
trance, wherein was presented to him a large
sheet let down from heaven, containing all sorts
of creatures, clean and unclean; arid, at the same
time, a voice said to him, Arise t Peter, kill and
eat. But the Apostle, as yet tenacious of the rites
and institutions of the ^Mosaic law, answered,
That his conscience refused to comply, having
never eaten any thing that was common or un
clean. To which the voice replied, That it was
unjust to consider that as common which God
had cleansed. This was done thrice ; after which
the vessel was again drawn up into heaven, and
the vision disappeared.
By this symbolical representation, St. Peter
was given to understand, that the Almighty was
now going to send him on a new embassy, which
the Spirit at the same time commanded him to
undertake. While he was still wondering with
himself what the event would prove, three mes
sengers knocked at the gate, inquiring for him ;
and from them he received the following ac
count : That Cornelius, a Boman, captain of a
band of Italian soldiers at Cesarea, a person of
great benevolence, and one who had been long
a proselyte, had, by an immediate command
from God, sent for him.
The next day Peter, accompanied with some
of the brethren, went with the messengers, aud
the day after arrived at Cesarea. Cornelius

Chap. VII.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

321

having information of his coming, had sum
moned his friends and kindred to Cesarea;
and at the Apostle's entering the house, fell at
Ms feet, a method of address frequent in the
eastern countries. But Peter, who considered
that honour as due oMy to the Almighty, lifted
him up, and declared to the company the rea
son of his coming, saying, he had lately learned
that there was no respect of persons with God.
When the Apostle had ended his speech, Cor-
nelius, at his request, related the particular reason
for his sendmg for him. Four days ago, said this
Boman officer, being conversant in the duties of
fasting and prayer, an angel from the court of hea
ven appeared to me, declaring that my prayers
and alms were come up as a memorial before
the throne of the Most High ; and, at the same
time ordered me to send to Joppa for one Simon
Peter, who lodged in the house of a tanner near
the sea-side, who would give me farther infor
mation in the mysteries of salvation. Accord-
mgly, I made no hesitation to obey the heavenly
messenger ; I sent immediately for thee ; and
now thou art come, and we are met together
to hear what instructions thou hast to com-
mumcate. The relation of the Boman centurion as
tonished the Apostle ; but he was soon convinced
that God had broken down the partition wall,
and no longer maintained a peculiar kindness
for the sons of Jacob ; that it was not the nation,
but the religion, not the external quality of the
man, but the internal temper of the mind, that
recommended the human race to the favour of
Omnipotence; that the devout and pious, the
righteous and the good men, whatever part of
the earth they may inhabit, are the favourites of
heaven ; that God as highly respects a just and
virtuous man in the barren wastes of Scythia,
as on the mountain of Sion ; that the reconciling
Nos. 27 & 28.

and making peace between God and man by
Jesus Christ, was the doctrine published by the
prophets of old ; and that God had now anointed
and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with divine
powers, in the exercise whereof he went about
doing good to the children of men ; that they
had seen all he had done among the Jews,
whom though they had slain and crucified, yet
that God had raised him again the third day,
and had openly showed him to his Apostles
and followers, whom he had chosen to be his
peculiar witnesses, and whom he had accordingly
permitted to eat and drink with him after his
resurrection, commanding them to preach the
Gospel to all mankind, and to testify, that he
was the person whom God had ordained to
be the great Judge of the world ; and that all
the "prophets with one consent bore witness of
him : and that this Jesus is he, in whose name
whosoever believes, would certainly receive re
mission of sins.
While Peter was thus preaching to them, the
Holy Ghost fell upon the greatest part of his
hearers, enabling them to speak several lan
guages, and in them to magnify the great Creator
of the sons of men. At this the Jews, who ac
companied Peter, marvelled exceedingly, to see
that the gifts of the Holy Ghost were poured
upon the Gentiles ; and Peter seeing this, told
the company that he knew no reason why these
persons should not be baptized, as they had re
ceived the Holy Ghost as well as the Jews : and,
accordingly, he gave orders that they should be
baptized ; and to confirm them in the holy faith
they had embraced, he staid with them some
time. This action of St. Peter was considered in
various lights by the brethren at Jerusalem, who
being but lately converted to the Christian faith,
were much attached to the religious ceremonies
3K

322

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VII.

of the Mosaic institution, and, therefore, most of
them severely charged Peter, at his return, as
being too familiar with the Gentiles. How pow
erful is the prejudice of education !
The Jews had for many ages conceived an
inveterate opposition against the Gentiles, con
sidering them as persons hated by the Almighty,
who had chosen them for his peculiar people.
The law of Moses, indeed, enjoined them to be
kind to their own nation, in preference to all
others ; and the rites and institutions of tlieir
religion, and the peculiar form of their govern
ment, rendered them very different from the in
habitants of other countries : a separation which,
in after ages, they contracted into a much nar
rower compass. They were also tenaciously
proud of their external privileges, in being the
descendants of their progenitor Abraham, and,
therefore, looked upon the rest of the world as
reprobates ; proudly refusing to hold any con
versation with them, and even to show them the
common kindnesses of humanity.
It is, therefore, no wonder that they were
highly displeased with St. Peter; nor would he
have been able to have defended his conduct in
a satisfactory manner, had he not been charged
with a peculiar commission from the Almighty
for extending the privileges of the Gospel to
the Gentile world. But he had no sooner in
formed them that the grace of the Gospel was
not confined to any particular nation or people,
nor to ranks or degrees among men, than they
immediately changed their displeasure against
him into thanks to the beneficent" Father of the
human race, who bad granted to the Gentiles also
repentance unto Ufa
Peter, after having finished his visitation to the
newly planted churches, returned to Jerusalem,
and was indefatigable in instructing the converts

to the religion of Jesus, and preaching the glad
tidings of salvation to the descendants of Jacob.
But he did not long continue in this pleasing
course : Herod Agrippa, in order to ingratiate
himself into the favour of the Jews, put the
Apostle James to death ; and finding the action
was highly acceptable to that stiff-necked people,
he resolved to extend his cruelty to Peter, and
accordingly cast him into prison. But the
churches were incessant in their prayers to God
for his safety ; and what have mortals to fear,
when guarded by the hand of Omnipotence?
Herod was persuaded he should soon accomplish
his intention, and sacrifice Peter to the insatiable
cruelty of the Jews.
But the night before his intended execution,
a messenger from the court of heaven visited the
gloomy horrors of the dungeon, where he found
Peter asleep between his keepers. The angel
raised him up, took off his chains, and ordered
him to gird on his garments, and follow him.
Peter obeyed, and having passed through the
first and second watch, they came to the iron
gate leading to the city, which opened to them
of its own accord. The angel also accompanied
him through one of the streets, and then de
parted from him ; on which Peter came to him
self, and perceived that it was no vision ; but
that his great and beloved Master had really
sent a messenger from above, and released him
from prison. He, therefore, repaired to the
house of Mary, where many pious persons were
assembled, and offering up their prayers to the
throne of grace for his safety. On his knocking
at the door, a maid who came to let him in,
knowing his voice, ran back to tell them that
Peter was at the door; which they at first con
sidered as the effect of fancy; but the damsel
continuing to affirm that it was really true, they
concluded it was his angel, or some messenger
sent from the court of heaven. But, on opening

Chap. Vii.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

323

the door, they were convinced of their mistake,
finding that it was really Peter himself, who
briefly told them how he was delivered ; and de
siring them to inform his brethren of his being
set at liberty, retired to another place.
In the morning the officers came from Herod
to the prison, with orders to bring Peter out to
the people, who were gathered together to
behold his execution. But when they came to
the prison, the keepers informed them that the
Apostle had made his escape ; which so exas
perated Herod, that he com .landed those who
were entrusted with the care of the prisoner, to
be put to death.
Some time after this miraculous deliverance
of St. Peter, a controversy arose between the
Jewish and Gentile converts, with regard to the
observation of the Mosaic law ; a dispute which
gave great uneasiness to many persons ; the Jews
zealously contending, that it was absolutely ne
cessary to salvation to be circumcised, and ob
serve the precepts of the ceremonial law, as
well as those of the Gospel. To compose this
difference, it was thought necessary to summon
a general council of the Apostles and brethren
to meet at Jerusalem. This was accordingly
done, and the case thoroughly debated. At
last Peter stood up, and declared that God
having chosen him, out of all the Apostles, to
be the first preacher of the Gospel among the
Gentiles, God, who was best able to judge of
the hearts of men, had borne witness to them,
that they were accepted of him, by giving
them his Holy Spirit as well as he had done
the Jews; and, consequently, that there was no
difference between them. They could not,
therefore, place the Jewish yoke, which neither
they nor their fathers were able to bear, upon
the necks of the disciples, without tempting and
provoking the Almighty, who had given suffi

cient reasons to believe that the Gentiles, as
well as the Jews, would be saved by the grace
of the Gospel.
This declaration of St. Peter convinced the
church, and it was unanimously decreed, that
no other burden than the strict observance of a
few particular precepts, equally convenient fo
the Jew and Gentile, should be imposed on them.
And the decision was drawn up in a synodical
epistle, and sent to the several churches, for al
laying the heats and controversies this dispute
had occasioned.
Soon after this council, Peter left Jerusalem,
and went down to Antioch ; where, using the
liberty given him by the Gospel, he freely ate
and conversed with the Gentile proselytes, con
sidering them now as fellow-citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God. This he
had been taught by the vision of the sheet let
down from heaven ; this had been lately decreed
at Jerusalem ; this he had before practised with
regard to Cornelius and his family, and justified
the action to the satisfaction of his accusers ;
and this he had freely and innocently done at
Antioch, till some of the Jewish brethren coming
thither, he, for fear of offending them, withdrew
hi j;self from the Gentiles, as if it had been un
lawful for him to hold conversation with uncir-
cumcised persons ; notwithstanding he knew,
and was fully satisfied, that our blessed Saviour
had broken down the wall of partition between
the Jew and Gentile.
By thus acting against the light of his own
mind and judgment, he condemned what he had
approved, and destroyed the superstructure he
had before erected. At the same time he con
firmed the Jewish zealots in their inveterate
errors, filled the minds of the Gentiles with
I scruples, and their consciences with fears. Nor
3K*

324,

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VII.

was this all; the old prejudices between the
Jew and Gentile were revived, and the whole
number of Jewish converts, following the Apos
tle's example, separated themselves from the
company of Gentile Christians. Nay, even Bar
nabas himself was carried away by this torrent
of unwarrantable practice.
St. Paul was now at Antioch, and resolutely
Opposed St. Peter to his face. He publicly re
proved him as a person worthy to be blamed for
his gross prevarication. He reasoned and se
verely expostulated with him ; that he who was
himself a Jew, and, consequently, under a more
immediate obligation of observing the Mosaic
law, should throw off the yoke himself, and, at
the same time, endeavour to impose it on the
Gentiles, who were never under the necessity
of observing the ceremonies of the Israelites.
A severe, though an impartial charge. But the
remarkable eagerness of St. Paul to place things
on a proper foundation, though he succeeded
for the present, made a great noise afterwards
in the world, and gave occasion to the enemies
of Christianity to represent the whole as a com
pact of forgery and deceit : of such pernicious
consequences are disputes among the principals
of the church ; and so fatal are the effects of
pusillanimity, and a fear of offending persons
bigoted to insignificant ceremonies.

As we have now related all the transactions
of this Apostle, that are founded on Scripture
authority, we shall have recourse to ancient
historians for the residue of his life.
Some time before this contest at Antioch, St.
Peter preached the Gospel in various parts of
the world, enlarging the kingdom of his great
Master, and spreading the glad tidings of sal

vation among the inhabitants of various coun
tries ; and, among the rest, those of Bome, then
the mistress of the world. In that capital he is
said to have continued several years, till the em
peror Claudius, taking advantage of some se
ditious tumults raised by the Jews, published an
edict, whereby they were banished from Bome,
and, among the rest, St. Peter, who returned to
Jerusalem, and was present at the synod already
mentioned. But bow long he continued in the
capital of Judea is uncertain ; for we have no ac
count of transactions for many years. This,
however, is certain, that he was not idle in the
service of his great Master ; and Eusebius tells
us, from Metaphrastus, that he visited several
of the western parts, where he continued several
years, spreading the glad tidings of salvation in
these remote places, and converting tiie several
nations to the Christian faith.
But however this be, whether St. Peter was,
or was not, in these parts, it is certain, that
towards the latter end of Nero's reign, he re
turned to Bome, where he found the minds of
the people strangely bewildered, and hardened
against the doctrines of the Gospel, by the sor
ceries of Simon Magus, who, as has been already
observed, was chastised by Peter for his wicked
ness at Samaria. This monster of impiety not
only opposed the preaching of the Apostles, but
also did all in his power to render them and their
doctrine odious to the emperor. St. Peter, fore
seeing that the calumnies of Simon and his ad
herents would hasten his death, took the greater
pains, and was still more assiduous to confirm
those he had been any ways instrumental in
converting to the sublime truths they had re
ceived. And in order to this, he strongly op
posed that great deceiver of mankind ; for in the
last years of his life, he seems to have wrote his
two epistles to the dispersed Jews in Ppntus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bythinia: and in an

Chap. VII.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

325

appointed encounter with Simon, discovered his
magical impostures, and, through the power and
assistance ofthe Almighty, brought him to an
exemplary and miserable death.
The circumstances which attended this re
markable event are related as follow : The
Apostle meeting with Simon at Rome, and
finding him still pretending to be some great
person, even the promised Messiah, he could not
help opposing zealously his presumptuous arro
gance. But Simon, more incensed by the oppo
sition, offered to give the people such an evident
demonstration of his being what he pretended,
that he would place the whole beyond contra
diction, by immediately ascending up to heaven.
Upon this, by the help of some unperceived de
vice, he raised himself from the earth, and seemed
to be moving towards the regions of heaven.
St. Peter and St. Paul, beholding the delusion,
had recourse to prayer, and obtained their pe
titions ofthe Almighty, namely, that the impostor
should be soon discovered, for the honour of the
blessed Jesus. Accordingly he fell headlong to
the ground ; by which he was so bruised, that he
died in a very short time.
Such was the end of this miserable, this un
happy man ; but the news of it no sooner reached
the emperor's ears, than he vowed revenge, both
for the death of his favourite, and the endeavours
used by the Apostles to turn mankind from dark
ness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto
God.. Accordingly he issued orders for appre
hending St. Peter, together with his companion
St. Paul. St. Ambrose tells us, that when the
people perceived the danger to which St. Peter
was now exposed, they prayed him to quit Rome,
and repair for a while to some secure retreat,
that his life might be preserved for the benefit of
the church. Peter, with great reluctance, yielded
to their entreaties, and made his escape by night;

but as he passed the gate, he was met by a per
son in the form of his great and beloved Mastery
and on his asking him whither he was going,
answered, To Rome, to be Srucified a second time :
which Peter taking for a reproof of his cowardice,
returned again into the city, and was soon after
apprehended, and cast, together with St. Paul,
into the Mamertine prison. Here they were
confined eight or nine months ; but spent their
time in the exercises of religion, especially in
preaching to the prisoners, and those who re
sorted to them. And during this confinement,
it is generally thought, St. Peter wrote the se
cond epistle to the dispersed Jews ; wherein he
endeavours to confirm them in the belief and
practice of Christianity, and to fortify them
against those poisonous and pernicious prin
ciples and actions, which even then began to
break in upon the Christian church.
Nero at last returning from Achaia, entered
Rome in triumph ; and, soon after his arrival,
resolved that the Apostles should fall as victims
and sacrifices to his cruelty and revenge. While
the fatal stroke was expected, the Christians in
Rome were continually offering up their prayers
to Heaven to protect those two holy persons.
But the Almighty was now willing to put an end
to their sorrows, and, after sealing the truth they
had preached with their own blood, to receive
them into the regions of eternal bliss and hap
piness,, and exchange the crowns of martyrdom
for crowns of glory. Accordingly, they were
both condemned by the cruel emperor of Rome:
and St. Peter having taken his farewdl of the
brethren, especially of St. Paul, was taken from
the prison, and led to the top of the Vatican
mount, near the Tiber, where he was sentenced
to surrender up his life on the cross.
At his coming to the place of execution, he
begged the favour of the officers, that he might

326

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VII.

not be crucified in the common manner, but with
his head downward ; affirming, that he was un
worthy to suffer in the same posture in which
his Lord had suffered, before him. This request
was accordingly complied with ; and the great
Apostle St. Peter surrendered up his soul into
the hands of his great and btm iicent M aster,
who cause down from heaven to ransom man
kind from destri c.tion, ana open for them tiie
gates ofthe heavenly Jerusalem.
His body being taken down from the cross, is
said to have been cmijciimed byxiUartvliinus, tiie
presbyter, after the manner oi the Jews, and
then buried in the VaiU-id, near the Appian
Way, two miles from Rome.
Here it remained till the time of pope Cor
nelius, who reconveyed it to Rome, where it
rested in an obscure place, till the reign of Con-
stantine, who, from the great reverence he en
tertained for the Christian religion, erected
many churches at Rome, and rebuilt and greatly
enlarged the Vatican in honour of St. Peter. He
also considerably enriched the church with gifts
and ornaments ; and it has continued increasing
in riches and splendour every age, until it is be
come one of the wonders of the world.
If we consider St. Peter as a man, there seems
to have been a natural eagerness predominant in
Ms temper, which animated his soul to the most
bold, and sometimes rash, undertakings. It was
this, in a great measure, that prompted him to
be so very forward to speak, and to return an
swers sometimes before he had well considered
them. It was this that made him expose his
person to the most imminent dangers, promise
those great things in behalf of his Master, reso
lutely draw his sword in his quarrel against a
whole band of soldiers, and wound a servant of
the high-priest. Nay, he had, in all probability,

attempted greater things, had not the Lord re
strained his impetuosity, and given a seasonable
check to his disposition.
If we consider him as a disciple of the blessed
Jesus, we shall find Mm exemplary in the great
dunes of re%ion. Kis humility and lowliness of
mind were remarkable. With what a passionate
earnestness, on the conviction of a miracle, did
ii<j Leg our (leased Ssvioi.r to depart from him ;
thinking it unworthy the Son of God to come
near so vile a sinner !
When the great Redeemer of mankind, bv that
amnz'mg condescension, stooped so low as to
wash the feet of his di-ciples, Peter could not be
persuaded to permit Ins performing it, thinking-
it highly improper that so great a person should
submit to such a servile office towards a person
so mean as himself; nor could he be induced to
admit of it, till his great Master threatened to
deprive him of his favour.
When Cornelius, the Roman centurion, height
ened in his opinion of him by an immediate com
mand from the Almighty concerning him, would
have treated him with more than ordinary marks
of esteem and veneration, he was so far from
complying with it, that he declared he was
nothing more • than a mortal like himself. His
love and zeal for his Master were remarkable ;
he thought he could never express either at too
high a rate ; venturing on the greatest perils, and
exposing his life to the most imminent dangers.
His forwardness to own his great Master for the
Messiah, and Son ofthe Most High, was remark
ably great ; and it was this that drew from his
Lord that honourable encomium, Blessed art
thou, Simon Bar-Jona. But his courage and
constancy in confessing Christ, even before his
most inveterate enemies, was still greater, after
he had recovered himself from Ms fall. How

Chap. VII.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

327

plainly does he tell the Jews, that they were the
murderers and crucifiers of the Lord of glory !
Nay, with what an undaunted courage, with
what an heroic greatness of soul, did he tell the
very Sanhedrim who had sentenced ,and con
demned him, that they were guilty of his death,
and that they had no other way of escaping the
vengeance of the Almighty, but by the merits of
that very Jesus whom they had crucified and put
to death !
Lastly, if we consider him as an Apostle, as a
pastor, or a shepherd of the souls of men, we
shall find him faithful and diligent in his office,
zealously endeavouring to instruct the ignorant,
reduce the erroneous, strengthen the weak, con
firm the strong, reclaim the vicious, and turn the
children of men into the paths of righteousness.
He never omitted any opportunity of preaching
to the people, and spreading the glad tidings of
the Gospel among the human race; and so pow
erful were his discourses, that he converted mul
titudes at one time. How many painful journeys
and dangerous voyages did he undertake ! With
what unconquerable patience did he endure the
greatest trials, surmount every difficulty, and re
move every opposition, that he might plant the
Gospel of his beloved Master; never refusing

even to lay down his life to promote it ! Nor was
he only assiduous to perform these duties himself,
but he was also careful to animate others to do
the like ; earnestly pressing and persuading the
pastors and governors of the church to feed the
flock of God, to labour freely for the good ofthe
souls of men, and not undertake those offices to
acquire advantage to themselves ; beseeching
them to treat the flock committed to their care
with lenity and gentleness, and to be themselves
shining examples of piety and religion, the surest
method of rendering their ministry successful.
And because it was impossible for him to be al
ways present to teach and warn the children of
men, he endeavoured by letters to imprint on
their minds the practice of what they had been
taught. A method, he tells us, he was resolved
to pursue, as long as he continued an inhabitant
of this world : thinking it meet, while he was in this
tabernacle, to stir up, by putting them in mind of
these things ; that so they might be able, after his
decease, to have them always in remembrance.
Thus lived, thus died, Simon Peter, called to
be an Apostle of Jesus Christ, and at length to
offer up his life in ratification of the doctrine he
delivered, and the faith he maintained and pro
pagated.

328

SAINT PAUL.

CHAP. I.
Account of this Apostle, from his Birth
till his Conversion to the Christian
Faith.
THIS great Apostle of the Gentiles was a
native of Tarsus, and a descendant from
the ancient stock of Abraham. He was born
about two years before the blessed Jesus, and
belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest
son of Jacob, who thus prophesied of him : Ben
jamin shall ravin as a wolf; in the morning he
shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide
the spoil: a prophetical character, which Ter
tullian and others will have to be accomplished
in our Apostle. For in his youth, or morning of
his days, he persecuted the churches, destroying
the flock of the Almighty ; he devoured his prey.
In his declining age, or evening of his days, he
became a physician of the nations, feeding and
establishing, with the greatest care and assiduity,
the sheep of Christ, that great Shepherd of Is
rael ; he divided the spoil. But this conjecture
savours more of fancy than good sense:
Tarsus, the place of this Apostle's nativity, was
the metropolis of Cilicia, and situated about three
hundred miles distant from Jerusalem. It was
exceedingly rich and populous, and a Roman
municipium, or free corporation, invested with
the privileges of Rome by the two first em
perors, as a reward for the citizens' firm ad
herence to the Caesars, in the rebellion of
Crassus. St. Paul was, therefore, born a Ro
man citizen, and he often pleads this privilege
on Ms trials.

It was common for the inhabitants of Tarsus to
send their children into other cities for learning
and improvement ; especially to Jerusalem, where
they were so numerous, that they had a synagogue
of their own, called, The synagogue of Cilicians.
To this capital our Apostle was also sent, and
brought up at the school of that eminent rabbi,
Gamaliel, in the most exact knowledge of the
law of Moses. Nor did he fail to profit by the
instructions of that great master ; for he so dili
gently conformed himself to its precepts, that,
without boasting, be asserts of himself, that touch
ing the righteousness ofthe law he was blameless,
and defied even his enemies to allege any thing
to the contrary, even in his youth. He joined
himself to the sect of the Pharisees, the most
strict order of tiie Jewish religion, but, at the
same time, the proudest, and the greatest enemies
to Christ and his holy religion.
With regard to his double capacity, of Jewish
extraction and Boman freedom, he had two
names, Saul and Paul ; the former Hebrew, and
the latter Latin. It was common for the de
scendants of Benjamin to give the name Saul to
their children, ever since the time of the first king
of Israel, who was chosen out of that tribe; and
Paul was a name as common among the Bomans.
We must also consider his trade of tent-making
as a part of his education ; it being a constant
practice of the Jews to bring up their children to
some honest calling, that, in case of necessity,
they might provide for themselves by the labour
of their own hands.
Saul having obtained a thorough know
ledge of the sciences cultivated by the Jews,

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

329

and being naturally of a very hot and fiery tem
per, became a great champion of the law of
Moses, and the tradition of the elders, which he
considered as zeal for God. This rendered him
impatient of all opposition to the doctrines and
tenets he had imbibed, and a vehement perse
cutor of the Christians, who were commonly
reputed the enemies and destroyers of the Jewish
economy. We must not, however, consider our
Apostle as guilty of the pride and hypocrisy of
the Pharisees ; for he declares, that he had ever
been careful to act in conformity to the dictates
of his conscience, by which he thought himself
bound to do many things contrary to the name of
Jesus of Nazareth. It was, therefore, the pre
judices of his education, and the natural warmth
of his temper, that excited him to those violent
persecutions of the Christians, for which he be
came so famous.
The first action we find him engaged in,
was the disputation he and his countrymen had
with the martyr Stephen, with regard to the
Messiah. The Christian was too hard for them
in the dispute, but they were too powerful for
him in their civil interests; for being enraged
at Ms convincing arguments, they carried him
before the high-priest, who by false accusations
condemned him to death. How far Saul was
concerned in this cruel action is impossible to
say ; all we know is, that he kept the raiment of
them that slew him.
The storm of persecution against the church
being thus begun, it increased prodigiously, and
the poor Christians of Jerusalem wem miserably
harassed and dispersed. In this persecution our
Apostle was a principal agent, searching all the
adjacent parts for the afflicted saints, beating
some in the synagogue, inflicting other cruelties,
confuting some in prison, and procuring others
to be put to death.
Nos. 27 & 28.

Nor could Jerusalem and the adjacent parts
confine his fiery zeal : he applied to the Sanhe
drim, and procured a commission from that court
to extend his persecution to Damascus. How
infernally insatiable is the fury of a misguided
zeal ! how restless and unwearied in its designs
of cruelty ! It had already sufficiently harassed
the poor Christians at Jerusalem ; but not con
tent with this, it persecuted them even to strange
cities, even to Damascus itself, whither many of
them had fled for shelter; resolving to bring them
back to Jerusalem, in order to their punishment
and execution.
It may not be improper here to observe, that
the Jewish Sanhedrim had not only the power of
seizing and scourging offenders against their law,
within the bounds of their own country ; but, by
the connivance and favour of the Bomans, might
send into other countries, where there were any
synagogues that acknowledged a dependance in
religious affairs upon the council at Jerusalem,
to apprehend them ; and, accordingly, Saul was
sent to Damascus, to apprehend what Christians
he could find in that city, and bring them bound
to Jerusalem.
But it was the will of Providence he should
be employed in a work of a very different na
ture ; and, accordingly, he was stopped in his
journey. For as he was travelling between
Jerusalem and Damascus, to execute the com
mission of the Jewish Sanhedrim, a refulgent
light, far exceeding the brightness of the sun,
darted upon him ; at which both he and his
companions were terribly amazed and con
founded, and immediately fell prostrate on the
ground. While they lay in this state, a voice
was heard, in the Hebrew language, saying,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? To which
Saul replied, Who art thou, Lord? .And was
immediately answered, / am Jesus, whom thou
3L

330

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the
pricks. As if the blessed Jesus had said, " AH
thy attempts to extirpate the faith in me will
prove abortive; and, like kicking against the
spikes, wound and torment thyself."
Saul was sufficiently convinced of his folly
in having acted against Jesus, whom he was
now assured to be the true Messiah, and asked,
Jjord, what wilt thou have me to do ? On
which the blessed Jesus replied, Arise, and go
into the city, and it shall be told thee what
thou must do.
The company which were with him heard the
voice, but did not see the person who spake from
heaven. In all probability they were ignorant
of the Hebrew language, and, therefore, only
heard a confused sound ; for the Apostle himself
tells us, that they heard not the voice of him that
spake; that is, they did not understand what was
spoken. The Apostle now arose from the earth, but
found himself deprived of sight ; the resplendent
brightness of the vision being too intense for
mortal eyes to behold. His companions, there
fore, led him by the hand to the city of Da
mascus, where he entered the house of Judas,
and remained there three days without sight;
nor did he either eat or drink, but spent his
time in prayer to the Almighty, beseeching him
to pardon the sins of his ignorance, and blinded
zeal. In the mean time our blessed Saviour ap
peared in a vision to Ananias, (a very devout and
religious man, highly esteemed by all the inha
bitants of Damascus, though he professed the re
ligion of the crucified Jesus,) commanding him to
go into such a street in the city, and inquire in
the house of Judas for one Saul of Tarsus, then

offering up the most fervent prayers to the throne
of grace. And the Lord said unto him, Arise,
and go into the street which is called Straight,
and inquire in the house of Judas for one called
Saul of Tarsus ; for, behold, he prayeth, and hath
seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming
in, and putting his hand on him, that he might
receive his sight.
Ananias, who was ever ready to obey the
commands of the Most High, startled at the
name, having heard of the bloody practices of
Saul at Jerusalem, and what commission he
was now come to execute in Damascus. He,
therefore, suspected that his conversion was
nothing more than a snare artfully laid by him
against the Christians. But our blessed Saviour
soon removed his apprehensions, by telling him
that his suspicions were entirely destitute of
foundation ; and that he had now taken him,
as a chosen vessel, to preach the Gospel both to
the Jews and Gentiles, and even before the
greatest monarchs of the earth. Go thy way,
said he, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear
my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the
children of Israel. At the same time he ac
quainted him with the great persecutions he
should undergo for the sake of the Gospel. For
I will show him how great things he must suffer
for my name's sake.
This quieted the fears of Ananias, who imme
diately obeyed the heavenly vision, repaired to
the house of Judas, and, laying his hands upon
Saul, addressed him in words to this effect : —
" That Jesus," said he, " who appeared to thee
in the way, hath sent me to restore thy sight,
and, by the infusion of his Spirit, to give thee the
knowledge of those truths which thou hast blindly
and ignorantly persecuted ; but who now is will
ing to receive thee by baptism into his church,
and make thee a member of his body."

Chap. II.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

331

This speech was no sooner pronounced, than
there fell from his eyes thick films, resembling
scales, and he received his sight ; and after bap
tism conversed with the Christians at Damascus.
Nor did he only converse with them ; he also,
to the great astonishment of the whole church,
preached the Gospel to those Christians he came
with an intention to destroy ; at the same time
boldly asserting, that Jesus was the Christ, the Son
of God, and proving it to the Jews with such de
monstrative evidence, that they were confounded,
and were utterly unable to answer him.

CHAP. II.
Continuation of the Life of St. Paul,
from the time of his Conversion, till the
Council was held at Jerusalem.
THIS wonderful convert, at the instance of
the divine command, retired into Arabia
Petraea, where he received a full revelation of all
the mysteries of Christianity; for he himself de
clares that he conferred not with flesh and blood.
Having preached in several parts of that country
some time, he returned again to Damascus, ap
plying himself with the utmost assiduity to the
great work ofthe ministry ; frequenting the syna
gogues there, powerfully confuting the objections
commonly made by the descendants of Jacob
against Jesus of Nazareth, and converting great
numbers of Jews and Gentiles.
He was, indeed, remarkably zealous in his
preaching, and blessed with a very extraordinary
method of reasoning, whereby he proved the es
sential doctrines of Christianity beyond ex
ception. This irritated the Jews to the highest
degree ; and, at length, after two or three years'
continuance in those parts, they found means

to prevail on the governor of Damascus to
have him put to death. But they knew it
would be difficult to take him, as he had many
friends in the city: they, therefore, kept them
selves on a continual watch, searched all the
houses where they supposed he might conceal
himself, and also obtained a guard from the go
vernor to observe the gates, in order to prevent
his escaping from them.
In this difficulty his Christian friends were
far from deserting him : they tried every me
thod that offered to procure his escape ; but
finding it impossible for him to pass through
either of the gates of the city, they let him
down from one of their houses through a
window in a basket, over the wall ; by which
means the cruel designs of his enemies were
rendered abortive.
Having thus escaped from his malicious per
secutors, he repaired to Jerusalem, and, on his
arrival, addressed himself to the church. But
they, knowing well the former temper and
principles of this great persecutor, shunned his
company, till Barnabas brought him to Peter,.
who was not yet cast into prison, and to
James, bishop of Jerusalem, informing them
of his miraculous conversion, and that he had
preached the Gospel with the greatest boldness,
in the synagogues of Damascus ; upon which
they gladly received him, and familiarly enter
tained him fifteen days.
During this interval he was remarkably as
siduous in preaching the Gospel of the Son of
God, and confuting the Hellenist Jews with the
greatest courage and resolution. But snares were
laid for him, as malice can as easily cease to be,
as to remain inactive. Being warned by God in
a vision, that bis testimony would not be received
at Jerusalem, he thought proper to depart, and
3L*

332

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Accord
ingly, being conducted by his brethren to Ce
sarea Philippi, he set sail for Tarsus, his native
city ; from whence he was soon after brought, by
Barnabas, to Antioch, to assist him in propa
gating Christianity in that city.
In this employment he spent one whole year,
and had the satisfaction of seeing the Gospel
flourish in a very remarkable manner.
It was in this city that the disciples first ac
quired the name of Christians, before which they
were styled Nazarenes ; but this appellation soon
prevailed all over the world, and the latter was
in a few ages almost entirely forgotten.
About this time a terrible famine, foretold by
Agabus, happened in several parts of the Ro
man empire, particularly Judea, which induced
the Christians at Antioch to compassionate the
miseries of their brethren at Jerusalem. They
accordingly raised considerable contributions for
their relief, which they sent to the capital of
Judea by the hands of Barnabas and Saul, who,
immediately after executing their commission,
returned to Antioch. But while they were per
forming the public exercises of their religion, it
was revealed to them by the Holy Ghost, that
they should set apart Barnabas and Saul, to
preach the Gospel in other places : which was
accordingly done, and they were immediately
deputed for that service by prayer, fasting, and
the imposition of hands.
The first place they visited was Seleucia, where
they did not continue long, but sailed for Cy
prus ; and at Salamis, s. great city in that island,
they preached in the synagogue of the Jews.
From thence they removed to Paphos, the re
sidence of Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of the
island, a man of great wisdom and prudence, but

miserably seduced by the wicked artifices of
Bar- Jesus, a Jewish impostor, who styled himj
self Elymas, or the magician, who also vehe
mently opposed the Apostles, and kept the pro*
consul from embracing the faith.
The proconsul, however, called for the Apos
tles, who, after severely checking.Elymas for his
malicious opposition to the truth, told him, the
divine vengeance was now ready to seize upon
him ; and immediately he was deprived of his
sight. The vengeance of the Almighty was re
markably displayed in this punishment, by de
priving him of his bodily eyes, who had so wil
fully and maliciously shut those of his mind
against the light of the Gospel, and also en
deavoured to keep others in darkness and igno
rance. This miracle convinced the proconsul of
the truth of the doctrines taught by the Apostles,
and made him a convert to the faith.
St. Paul, after this remarkable success in Cy
prus, repaired to Phrygia, in Pamphylia, and
taking another with him, in the room of Mark,
who Was gone to Jerusalem, travelled to Antioch,
the metropolis of Pisidia.
Soon after their arrival, they entered the syna
gogue of the Jews, on the sabbath-day ; and after
the reading of the law, Paul, being invited by
the rulers of the synagogue, delivered himself in
the following manner : — " Hearken, all ye de
scendants of Jacob, and ye that fear the Al
mighty, to the words of my mouth. The God
of Israel made choice of our fathers, and loved
them when they had no city of their own to
dwell in, but were strangers and slaves in Egypt,
bringing them from thence with a mighty hand
and a stretched-out arm ; fed them in the wil
derness forty years, and would not suffer his
anger to arise against them, though they often
provoked him in the desert. On their ar-

Chap. II.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

333

rival in the land he promised their fathers, he
destroyed the nations that inhabited it, and
placed them in that fruitful country, dividing it
to them by lot.
" When they were settled in the land, he
gave them Judges during four hundred and
fifty years, till Samuel the prophet. But on
their desiring a king, he placed over them Saul,
the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who reigned
about forty years. After his death he placed
David on the throne of Israel, giving him this
testimony, I have found David the son of Jesse,
a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil
all my will. And, according to his promise, the
Almighty hath raised up to the sons of David,
a Saviour, Jesus, which is Christ the Lord ; the
baptism of repentance having been preached
before his coming by John. And as his fore
runner executed his office, he asked his follow
ers, Whom think ye that I am ? You must not
mistake me for the Messiah : he will soon follow
me ; but I .am not worthy to perform the mean
est office for him.
" To you, therefore, ye descendants of Abra
ham, and all others who fear the Almighty, is
the word of this salvation sent. For the inha
bitants of Jerusalem, and rulers of Israel, being
ignorant of him, and the voices of the prophets,
though read every sabbath in the synagogues,
fulfilled their predictions, by condemning the im
maculate Son of the Most High. They found,
indeed, no fault in him, though they earnestly
desired Pilate that he might be slain.
" When every thing that had been written by
the prophets concerning him was fulfilled, they
took him from the tree, and deposited his body
in the chambers of the grave. But death had
no power to detain him. His Almighty Father
raised him from tfcje habitations of the dead.

After which, he was seen for many days by his
disciples, who attended him from Galilee, and
were the witnesses, chosen by Omnipotence, of
these great and miraculous works. And we
now declare unto you glad tidings ; namely, that
the promise made by the Almighty to our fore
fathers, he hath performed to us their children,
by raising Jesus from the dead. The prophet
David also said, Thou art my Son, this day have
I begotten thee. He also foretold, that he should
return from the chambers of the dust, and no
more be subject to corruption. / will give him,
said he, the sure mercies of David. And again,
Thou shall not suffer thine holy One to see cor
ruption. Now this prophecy must relate to the
Messiah; for David himself, after he had swayed
the sceptre of Israel a certain time, fell asleep,
was deposited in the chambers of the grave, .
and his flesh saw corruption : but the great Son
of David, whom the Almighty raised from the
dead, never saw corruption.
" Be it therefore known unto you, men
and brethren, that through this Saviour is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
It is by his merits we are justified from all
things, from which we could not be justified
by the law of Moses. Be careful, therefore,
lest what was foretold by the prophets come
upon you : Behold, ye despisers, and wonder,
and perish; for I work a work in your days,
a work which you will in no wise believe, though
a man declare it unto you.'"
This spirited address ofthe great Apostle car
ried with it Its own weight, and obtained from
the converted Jews a request that it should again
be delivered the ensuing sabbath, when almost
the whole city flocked to hear the Apostle ; at
which the Jews were filled with envy, and con
tradicted Paul, uttering many blasphemous ex
pressions against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

334

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

But their opposition could not daunt the Apostles,
who boldly declared, that our blessed Saviour
had charged them to preach the Gospel first
to the Jews, but as they so obstinately re
jected it, they were now to address themselves
to the Gentiles : who, hearing this, rejoiced ex
ceedingly, magnifying the works of the Al
mighty, and many of them embraced the doc
trines of the Gospel.
This increased the malice and fury of the
Jews, who, by false and artful insinuations,
prevailed on some of the more bigoted and
honourable women to bring over their hus
bands to their party; by which means Paul
and Barnabas were driven out of the city.
At which the Apostles departed, shaking off
the dust from their feet, as a testimony of
the sense they had of the ingratitude and in
fidelity of the Jews.
From Antioch they went to Iconium, the
metropolis of Lycaonia, a province of the Lesser
Asia, where they entered into the synagogue of
the Jews, notwithstanding the ill-treatment they
had met with from their brethren in other
places : for so great was their zeal for the Gos
pel, that they were not to be deterred from
preaching it by ill-usage, however violent.
Therefore, according to their usual method,
they again began their preaching in the as
sembly ofthe Israelites; and the Almighty so
far assisted their endeavours, that many, both
Jews and proselytes, believed. Their success
encouraged them to continue a considerable
time in the city, to instruct the converts, and
confirm their faith by miracles. But though
they had gained a considerable part of the city
to the faith, yet many continued in their in
fidelity ; and the old leaven of Jewish malice
began again to ferment ; and the unbelieving
Jews, having stirred up many Gentiles against

the Apostles, at last prevailed on the multitude
to stone them. But the Apostles, having timely
notice of their design, fled from the city, and
travelled to Lystra, where they preached the
Gospil to die inhabitants, and those who dwelt
in the adjacent country.
Among the converts at Lystra was a man who
had been lame from his mother's womb, and
never had walked. But Paul, perceiving that
he had faith to be healed, thought proper to add
the cure of his body to that of his soul; knowing
that it would not only be beneficial to him, but
to all the rest of the believers, by confirming
their faith. And that the miracle might be
wrought in the most conspicuous manner, he, in
the midst of the congregation,, said in an audible
voice to the man, Stand upright on thy feet. And
the words were no sooner pronounced, than his
strength was at once restored, and he leaped up
and walked.
The people who beheld this miracle we", knew
that it was not wrought by any human power;
but having been initiated in the superstitious
customs of the Heathens, they cried out, The
gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
Accordingly, they called Barnabas Jupiter, be
cause of his venerable gravity; and Paul Mer
cury, from his eloquence. Nor was it long be
fore the whole city resounded with acclamations ;
so that almost all the inhabitants gathered them
selves together, and, preceded by the priest of
Jupiter, and oxen dressed in garlands, they came
to the house where the Apostles were, intending
to do sacrifice to them.
But as soon as Barnabas and Paul understood
their intentions, they were greatly affected at this
superstitious design ; and rending their clothes, to
express their grief and abhorrence of the action,
ran to them, crying out, " ¥e men of Lystra, ye

Chap. II.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

HE

335

are jnistaken in the object of your worship ;
for though we have done many miracles in
the name and by the power of Christ, yet we
are no more than men, and subject to the same
bodily* infirmities with yourselves, and preach
unto you the glad tidings of salvation, that
ye ma}7 forsake the vanities of this world, and
turn to the living God, who created the hea
vens and the earth, the sea, and all the crea
tures they contain. This omnipotent Being
suffered all nations formerly to walk in their
own ways, though he never left himself without
-witness, doing the greatest good to the chil
dren of men. It is he that sendeth rain from
heaven, and crowneth the year with fruitful
seasons, filling our hearts with joy and glad
ness." This argument of the Apostles had the de
sired effect; and the people were at last, though
with difficulty, persuaded to lay aside their in
tended idolatrous sacrifice. And surely no ar
gument could be more proper to affect the
minds of the people. Is it possible to survey
the several parts of the creation, and not dis
cover in every place evident traces of an in
finite wisdom, power, and goodness ? Who
can survey umversal nature, and not at once
see and admire its great Author, who has dis
posed of all created things with such order
and regularity, as to display, in the clearest
manner, his own power and glory ? Behold
the sun ! how justly is that source of light and
heat placed in the centre of the planetary
system, that each may enjoy its destined share
of his prolific beams ; so that the earth is not
burned by a too near approach, nor chilled
by the northern blasts, from too great a re-
' cess ; but impregnated with fruits and flowers
by the happy influence of a vital heat, and
crowned with luxuriant plenty by the benign
influence of the season. It is that omnipotent

Being, who poises the balancings of the clouds,
that divides a watercourse for the overflowing of
waters, and a way for the lightning ofthe thunder.
Who can bind the benign influences of Pleiades,
or loose the bands of Orion ? Or who can bring
forth Mazzaroth in his season, or guide Arcturus
with his sons ? Do these happen by chance, or
-by the secret appointment of infinite Wisdom ?
Who can contemplate the wonderful properties
of the air, the great treasury of vital breath,
and not reflect on the divine Wisdom that
formed it?
If we survey the earth, we there discover
the footsteps of an Almighty Being, who stretch-
eth the north over the empty space, and hangeth. the
earth upon nothing ; filling it with great variety
of admirable and useful creatures, and main
taining them all by the bounty of his hand. It
is he that clothes the grass with a delightful
verdure, that crowns the year with his loving-
kindness, and causes the valleys to stand thick with
corn. It is he that maketh the grass to grow upon
the mountains, and herbs for the service of man.
He adorns the lilies of the field, that neither
toil nor spin, with a glory that excels the pomp
and grandeur of Solomon's court. He shut up
the sea with doors, and said, Hitherto shalt thou
come, and no farther ; and here shall thy proud
waves be stayed. It is that Almighty Being that
arrests the storm, and smoothes the tempestuous
billows of the deep; that delivereth the mariner
from all his troubles, and bringeth his ship into
the desired haven of safety. How reasonable,
therefore, is it, that we should worship and
adore this omnipotent, this kind Creator, and
not transfer the honours, due to Mm alone, to
frail mortals; much less to dumb idols, the work
of men's hands !
The Apostles indefatigably persevered in the
execution of their important commission, de-

336

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

daring, wherever they went, the glad tidings of
salvation, through repentance unto life, and faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. But the malice of the
Jews still pursued them ; for some of these
bigoted Israelites coming from Antioch and Ico-
trium, exasperated and stirred up the multitude ;
so that those very persons who could hardly be
restrained from offering sacrifice to them, now
used them like slaves, stoning them in so cruel a
manner, that Paul was thought to be dead, and
as such they dragged him out of the city; but
while the Christians * of Lystra were attending
on his body, probably in order to carry him to
the grave, he arose, and returned with them into
the city, and the next day departed with Bar
nabas to Derbe, where they preached the Gospel,
and converted many ; no danger being able to
terrify them from the work of the ministry, and
publisMng the glad tidings of salvation in every
place. They did not, however, long continue at
Derbe, but returned to Lystra, Iconium, An
tioch, and Pisidia, confirming the Christians
of those places in the faith, earnestly per
suading them to persevere, and not be dis
couraged by those troubles and persecutions,
which they must expect would attend the pro
fession of the Gospel. And that the affairs of
the church might be conducted with more re
gularity, they ordained elders and pastors to
teach, to instruct, and to watch over them ; and
then left them to the protection of the Almighty,
to whose care they commended them by prayer
and fasting.
After leaving Antioch, they passed through
Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia ; and after
preaching the Gospel at Perga, they went down
to Attaint. Having thus finished the circuit of their

ministry, they returned back to Antioch, ii^3y»i
ria, from whence they at first departed. Here
they summoned the church, and gave them an
account of their ministry, the success with which
it had been attended in different parts, anu how
great a door had thus been opened for the con
version of the Gentile world.
While St. Paul continued at Antioch, that
famous controversy, with regard to the observa
tion ofthe Jewish ceremonies under the Christian
dispensation, was set on foot by certain Jewish
converts, to the great disturbance of the whole
church; and it was determined to send Paul and
Barnabas to consult with the Apostles and church
at Jerusalem, that this affair might be settled on
the most solid foundation.
On their arrival at Jerusalem they first ad
dressed themselves to. Peter, James, and John,
the pillars of that church, by whom they were
kindly entertained, and admitted to the right-
hand of fellowship : and perceiving, by the
account given them by St. Paul, that the
Gospel of the uncircumcision was committed
to him, as that of the drcumcision was to
Peter, they agreed that Peter should preach
to the Jews, and Paul to the Gentiles. This
being determined, a council was summoned,
wherein Peter declared his opinion, and Paul
and Barnabas acquainted them with the great
things God, by their ministry, had done among
the Gentiles ; a plain evidence that they were
accepted by the Almighty, though uncircum-
cised, as well as the Jews, with all their legal
rites and privileges. Accordingly, it was unani
mously determined, that the Gentiles were not
under the obligation of the law of Moses, and,
therefore, that some persons of their own church
should be joined with Paul and Barnabas, to
carry the decrees of the council to Antioch, for
their farther satisfaction in tiiis matter. Nothing

Chap. III.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

337

tends more to impede the progress of vital re
ligion, than a bigoted attachment to unessential
forms and modes.

chap, in:
Transactions of this great Apostle, from
the Time of the Synod at Jerusalem,
till his Preaching at Athens.
THE controversy concerning the observa
tion of Jewish ceremonies in the Christian
church, being decided in favour of St. Paul, he
and Ms companions returned back to Antioch ;
and soon after Peter himself came down. On
reading the decretal epistle in the church, the
converts conversed freely and inoffensively with
the Gentiles, till some of the Jews coming tiiither
from Jerusalem, Peter withdrew his conversa
tion, as if it had been a thing unwarrantable and
Unlawful. By such a strange method of pro
ceeding, the minds of many were dissatisfied, and
their consciences very uneasy. St. Paul, with
the greatest concern, observed it, and publicly
rebuked Peter, with that sharpness and severity
which his unwarrantable practice deserved.
Soon after tMs dispute, Paul and Barnabas
resolved to visit the churches they had planted
among the Gentiles, and Barnabas was desirous
of taking with them Ms cousin Mark ; but this
Paul strenuously opposed, as he had left them in
their former journey. TMs trifling dispute rose
to such a height, that these two great Apostles,
and fellow-labourers in the Gospel, parted : Bar
nabas, taking Mark with him, repaired to Cy
prus, his native country; and Paul, having made
choice of Silas, and recommended the success of
Ms undertaking to the care of Divine Providence,
set forward on his intended journey.
Nos. 29 & 30.

They first visited the churches of Syria and
Cilicia, confirming the people in the faith by
their instructions and exhortations. Hence they
sailed to Crete, wdiere Paul preached the Gospel,
and constituted Titus to be the first bishop and
pastor of the island, leaving him to settle those
affairs of the church which time would not per
mit the Apostle to settle himself. From hence
Paul and Silas returned back into Cilicia, and
came to Lystra, where they found Timothy,
whose father was a Greek, but his mother a
Jewish convert, and by her he had been brought
up under all the advantages of a pious and re
ligious education, especially with regard to the
Holy Scriptures, which he had studied with the
greatest assiduity and success. This person St
Paul designed for the companion of his travels,
and a special instrument in the ministry of the
Gospel. But knowing that his being uncircum-
cised would prove a stumbling-block to the
Jews, he caused him to be circumcised, being
willing, in lawful and indifferent matters, to
conform himself to the tempers and apprehen
sions of men, in order to save their souls. In
this instance the Apostle evinced much pru
dence, well knowing that inveterate prejudices
in religious matters are not easily overcome ; for
which reason he is said to become all things to
all men.
Every thing being ready for their journey,
St. Paul and his companions departed from
Lystra, passing through PMygia, and the coun
try of Galatia, where the Apostle was enter
tained with the greatest kindness and vene
ration; the people looking upon Mm as an
angel sent immediately from heaven ; and being
by revelation forbidden to go into Asia, he
was commanded by a second vision to repair
to Macedonia, to preach the Gospel. Accord
ingly, our Apostle prepared to pass from Asia
into Europe.
3M

338

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. III.

Here St. Luke joined them, and became ever
after the inseparable companion of St. Paul, who
being desirous of finding the speediest passage
into Macedonia, took ship with his companions
Silas, Luke, and Timothy, and came to Samo-
thracia, an island in the iEgean Sea, not far from
Thrace ; and the next day he went to Neapolis,
a port of Macedonia. Leaving Neapolis, they
repaired to Philippi, the metropolis of that part
of Macedonia, and a Boman colony, where they
staid some days.
In this city Paul, according to Ms constant
practice, preached in a proseucha, or oratory
of the Jews, which stood by the river-side, at
some distance from the city, and was much
frequented by the devout women of their re
ligion, who met there to pray and hear the
law. To these St. Paul preached the glad
tidings of the Gospel; and, by the influence
of the Spirit of God upon their hearts, con
verted many, especially a certain woman named
Lydia, a Jewish proselyte, a seller of purple in
that city, but a native of Thyatira. This woman
being baptized, with her whole family, was so
importunate with St. Paul and his companions
to abide at her house, that they were constrained
to accept of her invitation.
During the time of the Apostles residing in
this city, they continued their daily course of
worshipping at the same oratory; and, after
several days, as they were repairing to the
same place of devotion, there met them a dam
sel who was possessed of a spirit of divination,
by whom her masters acquired very great ad
vantage. This woman followed Paul and his
companions, crying out, These men are the ser- •
vants of the most high God, which show unto
us the way of salvation ! Paul, at first, took
no notice of her, not being willing to mul
tiply miracles without necessity. But when he

saw her following them several days together,
he began to be troubled ; and, in imitation of
his great Master, who would not suffer the
devil to acknowledge him, lest his false and
lying tongue should prejudice the truth in the
minds of men, commanded the spirit, in the
name of Jesus, to come out of her. The evil
spirit with reluctance obeyed, and left the damsel
that very instant.
This miraculous cure proving a great loss
to her masters, who acquired large gains from
her soothsaying, they were filled with envy
and malice against the Apostles : and by their
instigation the multitude arose, seized upon
Paul and his companions, and hurried them
before the magistrates and governors of the
colony; accusing them of introducing many
innovations which were prejudicial to the state,
and unlawful for them to comply with, as being
Bomans. The magistrates being concerned for the
tranquillity of the state, and jealous of all dis
turbances, were very forward to punish the of
fenders, against whom great numbers of the
multitude testified ; and, therefore, commanded
the officers to strip them, and scourge them se
verely, as seditious persons.
This was accordingly executed ; after which
the Apostles were committed to close custody,
the jailer receiving more than ordinary charge
to keep them safely; and he accordingly thrust
them into the inner prison, and made their
feet fast in the 'stocks. But the most obscure
dungeon, or the pitchy mantle of the night,
cannot intercept the beams of divine joy and
comfort from the souls of pious men. Their
minds were all serenity ; and at midnight they
prayed and sang praises so loud, that they
were heard in every part of the prison. Nor

Chap. III.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

339

were their prayers offered to the throne of
grace in vain ; an earthquake shook the foun-
. dations of the prison, opened the doors, loosed
the chains, and set the prisoners at liberty;
This convulsion of nature roused the jailer
from his sleep; who, concluding from what
he saw that all his prisoners were escaped,
was going to put a period to his life ; but Paul
observing him, hastily cried, Do thyself no
harm, for we are all here. The keeper was
now as greatly surprised at the goodness of
the Apostles, as he was before terrified at the
thoughts of their escape ; and calling for a light,
he came immediately into the presence of the
Apostles, fell down at their feet, and took them
from the dungeon, and brought them to his own
house, washed their stripes, and begged of them
to instruct him in the knowledge of that God
who was so mighty to save.
St. Paul readily granted his request, and
replied, That if he believed in Jesus Christ,
he might be saved, with his whole house. Ac
cordingly the jailer, with all his family, were,
after a competent instruction, baptized, and
received as members of the church of Christ.
How happy a change does the doctrine of the
Gospel make in the minds of men ! how does
it smooth the roughest tempers, and instil the
sweetest principles of dvility and good na
ture into the minds of men ! He who but a
few moments before tyrannized over the Apos
tles with the most cruel usage, now treats them
with the greatest respect, and the highest marks
of kindness !
As soon as it was day, the magistrates, either
hearing what had happened, or reflecting on
what they had done as too harsh and unjusti
fiable, sent their sergeant to the jailer with orders
to discharge the Apostles. The jailer joyfully

delivered the message, and bid them depart in
peace : but Paul, that he might make the magis
trates sensible what injury they had done them,
and how unjustly they had punished them with
out examination or trial, sent them word, that, as
they thought proper to scourge and imprison Bo
mans, contrary to the laws of the empire, he ex
pected they should come themselves, and make
them some satisfaction.
The magistrates were terrified at this message ;
well knowing how dangerous it was to provoke
the formidable power of the Bomans, who never
suffered any freeman to be beaten uncondemned ;
they came, therefore, to the prison, and very sub
missively entreated the Apostles to depart with
out any further disturbance.
This small recompense for the cruel usage they
had received, was accepted by the meek follow
ers of the blessed Jesus. They left the prison,
and retired to the house of Lydia, where they
comforted their brethren with an account of their
deliverance, and departed ; having laid the foun
dation of a very eminent church, as it appears
from St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians.
Leaving Philippi, Paul and his companions
continued their journey towards the west, till
they came to ThessaloniCa, the metropolis of Ma
cedonia, about a hundred and twenty miles from
Philippi. On their arrival at Thessalonica, Paul,
according to his custom, went into the synagogue
ofthe Jews, and preached unto his countrymen;
the ungrateful usage he had met with in the other
places not discouraging him in persevering in so
glorious a work. His doctrine, however, was
strenuously opposed by the Jews, who would not
allow Jesus to be the Messiah, because of Ms ig
nominious death.
During the stay ofthe Apostles at Thessalonica,
3M*

340

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. III.

they lodged in the house of a certain Christian
named Jason, who entertained them very cour
teously. But the Jews would not suffer the
Apostles to continue at rest. They refused to
embrace the Gospel themselves, and, therefore,
envied its success, and determined to oppose its
progress. Accordingly they gathered together
a great number of lewd and wicked wretches,
who beset the house of Jason, intending to
take Paul, and deliver him up to an incensed
multitude. But in this they were disappointed ;
Paul and Silas being removed from thence by
the Christians, and concealed in some other part
of the city.
Their fury, however, was rather exasperated
than lessened at losing their prey : and, as they
could not find the Apostles of the blessed Jesus,
they determined to be revenged on Jason, who
had concealed them. Accordingly they seized on
him, with some others ofthe brethren, and car
ried them before the magistrates of the city, ac
cusing them, as they had before done the Apos
tles themselves at Philippi, of disturbing the
peace of the empire, and setting up Jesus as
a king, in derogation of the emperor's dignity
and authority.
This accusation induced both the people and
the magistrates to be their enemies ; and though
Jason was only accused of harbouring those
innovators, yet the magistrates could not be
prevailed upon to dismiss him and his com
panions, till they had given security for their
appearance. As soon as the tumult was over, the Thessa-
lonians, who had been converted by them, sent
away Paul and Silas by night to Berea, a city
about fifty miles south of Thessalonica, but out
of the power of their enemies. Here also Paul's
great love for his countrymen the Jews, and his

earnest desire of their salvation, excited him to
preach to them in particular. Accordingly he
entered into their synagogue, and explained the
Gospel unto them, proving, out ofthe Scriptures
of the Old Testament, the uuth of the doctrines
he advanced. These Jews were of a more in
genuous and candid temper than those of Thes
salonica : and as they heard him, with great re
verence and attention, expound and apply the
Scriptures ; so they searched diligently whether
his proofs were proper and pertinent, and con
sonant to the sense of the texts he referred to :
and having found every tiling to be agreeable to
what Paul had advanced, many of them be
lieved ; and several Gentiles, following their ex
ample, became obedient to the faith, among
whom were several women of quality. The
news of this remarkable success was carried to
Thessalonica, and greatly incensed the invete
rate enemies of the Gospel there ; who, accord
ingly, repaired to Berea, and raised tumults
against the Apostle; so that Paul, to avoid their
fury, was forced to leave the town ; but Silas and
Timothy, either less known or less envied, con
tinued still there.
Paul leaving Berea, under the conduct of cer
tain guides, it was said he designed to retire by
sea out of Greece, that his restless enemies might
cease their persecution ; but the gmdes, accord
ing to Paul's order, brought him to Athens, and
left him there, after receiving from him an order
for Silas and Timotheus to repair to Mm as soon
as possible.
While St. Paul continued at Athens, expecting
the arrival of Silas and Timothy, he walked up
and down, to take a more accurate survey of
the city, which he found miserably overrun
with superstition and idolatry. The mhabitants
were remarkably religious and devout; they had
a great number of gods, whom they adored;

Chap. III.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

341

false, indeed, they were, but such. as they, being
destitute of revelation, accounted true : and so
very careful were they that no deity should want
due honour from them, that they had an altar
inscribed to the unknown god. A great variety
of reasons are given for this inscription : some
affirm, that it was the name which the Pagans
generally gave to the God of the Jews ; but
others think that it included all the gods of Asia,
Europe, and Africa.
These superstitious practices grieved the spirit
ofthe Apostle. Accordingly, he exerted all his
strength for their conversion : he disputed on the
sabbath-days in the synagogues of the Jews;
and at other times took all opportunities of
preaching to the Athenians the coming of the
Messiah to save the world.
This doctrine was equally new and strange to
the Athemans ; and though they did not perse
cute him as the Jews did, yet his preaching Jesus
was considered, by the Epicurean and Stoic phi
losophers, as a fabulous legend ; and, by the more
sober part, as a discovery of some new gods,
wMch they had not yet placed in their temples :
and though they were not unwilling to receive
any new deities, yet as the Areopagus, the su
preme court of the city, was to judge of all gods,
to whom public worship might be allowed, they
brought Mm before those judges, to give an ac
count of Ms doctrine.
Paul being placed before the judges of this
high assembly, readily gave them an account of
his doctrine in a grave and elegant speech;
wherein he did not tell them they were horrible
and gross idolaters, lest he should offend them,
and thereby prevent them from listening to his
reasons ; but havmg commended them for their
religious dispositions, he took occasion, from the
altar inscribed to the unknown God, to make a

proper defence of his doctrine. " I endeavour,"
said he, " only to explain that altar to you, and
manifest the nature of that God whom ye igno-
rantly worship. The true God is he that made
the world, and all things therein ; and who, being
Lord over all, dwells not in temples made with
hands, nor is he to be worshipped in lifeless
idols. As he is the Creator of all things, he can
not be confined to the workmanship of man,
whether temples or statues ; nor stand in need of
sacrifices, since he is the fountain of life to all
things. He made from one common original the
whole race of mankind, and hath wisely deter
mined their dependence on him, that they might
be obliged to seek after him and serve Mm. A
truth perceivable in the darkest state of igno
rance, and acknowledged by one of your own
poets. If this be the nature of God, it is surely
the highest absurdity to represent him by an
image or similitude. The divine patience hath
been too much exercised already with such gross
abuses in religion; but now God expects a tho
rough reformation, having sent his Son Jesus
Christ to make himself known to the world, and,
at the same time, to inform them, that he hath
appointed a day of general judgment, when the
religion of mankind shall be tried by the test of
the Gospel, before his only begotten Son, who
is appointed sole Judge of the quick and dead,
and whose commission to that high office hath
been ratified by the Almighty, in raising him
from the dead."

On his mentiomng the resurrection, some ofthe
philosophers mocked and derided him ; others,
more modest, but not satisfied with the proofs
he had given, gravely answered, We would hear
thee again of this matter. After which, Paul de
parted from the court; but not without some
success, for a few of his auditors believed and
attended Ms instructions.

342

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. IV.

Thus boldly did this intrepid servant and sol
dier of Jesus Christ assert the cause of his divine
Master, among the great, the wise, and the
learned ; and reason with great persuasion and
eloquence on the nature of God, and the manner
in which he has commanded his creatures to
worship him, even in spirit and in truth.
CHAP. IV.
Success of St. Paul's Ministry at Corinth
and Ephesus.
DUBJNG St. Paul's stay at Athens, Timothy,
according to the order he had received,
came to him out of Macedonia, and brought an
account that the Christians at Thessalonica were
under persecution from their fellow-citizens ever
since his departure : at which St. Paul was greatly
concerned, and at first inclined to visit them in
person, to confirm them in the faith they had
embraced; but being hindered by the enemies of
tbe Gospel, he sent Timothy to comfort them,
and put them in mind of what they had at first
heard, namely, that persecution would be the
constant attendant on their profession.
On Timothy's departure, St. Paul left Athens,
and travelled to Corinth, a very populous place,
and famous for its trade. Here he found Aquila
and Priscilla his wife, lately come from Italy,
having been banished from Bome by the decree
of Claudius. And they being of the same trade
he himself had learned in his youth, he wrought
with them, that he might not be burdensome to
the new converts. Honest ministers are not
mercenary. After some stay at Corinth, the Apostle was
joined by Silas and Timothy, and disputed fre
quently in the synagogue, reasoning and proving

that Jesus was the true Messiah. This exaspe
rated the Jews to the greatest degree, and what
they could not conquer by argument and force
of reason, they endeavoured to carry by noise
and clamour, blended with blasphemies and re-
vilings ; the last refuge of an impotent and baffled
cause. But St. Paul, to testify his resentment,
shook his garments, and told them, that since
they were determined to pull down the ven
geance of Heaven upon their own heads, he was
absolutely guiltless and innocent, and would
henceforth address himself to the Gentiles.
Accordingly he left them, and repaired to the
house of Justus, a religious proselyte, where, by
his preaching and miracles, he converted great
numbers to the faith ; among whom was Crispus,
the chief ruler of the synagogue, and Gaius,
and Stephanus, who, with their families, were
baptized, and admitted members of the Christian
church. But lest the ungrateful, yea, cruel behaviour
of unbelievers, should discourage this able minis
ter from prosecuting the glorious work of the
conversion of sinners, our dear Bedeemer ap
peared to him in a vision, and told him, that,
notwithstanding the bad success he had hitherto
met with, there was a large harvest to be ga
thered in that place ; that he should not be afraid
of his enemies, but preach the Gospel boldly and
securely, for that he himself would protect and
preserve him.
About this time he seems to have written his
First Epistle to the Thessalonians, Silas and
Timothy being lately returned from thence, and
delivered the message for which he had sent them
thither. The principal design of this epistle is,
to confirm them in the belief of the Christian re
ligion, and to excite them to persevere in it, not
withstanding all the malice of their enemies, and

Chap. IV.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

343

the persecutions they must expect to suffer, and
to instruct them in the duties of a religious life.
During the Apostle's stay at Corinth, he wrote
his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, to supply
his absence. In this epistle he again endeavours
to confirm their minds in the truth of the Gos
pel, and prevent their being shaken with those
troubles which the wicked and unbelieving Jews
would be continually raising against them. And
because some passages in his former epistle, re
lating to the destruction of the Jews, had been
misunderstood, as if the day of the Lord was
near at hand, he rectifies these mistakes, and
shows the signs that must precede our Lord's
coming to judgment.
St. Paul, on his leaving the church at Corinth,
took ship at Cenchrea, the port of Corinth, for
Syria, taking with him Aquila and Priscilla ; and
on his arrival at Ephesus, he preached awhile in
the synagogue of the Jews, promising to return
to them after keeping the passover at Jerusalem.
Accordingly he again took ship, and landed at
Cesarea, and from thence travelled to Jerusalem,
where he kept the feast, visited the church, and
then repaired to Antioch. Here he stayed some
time, and then traversed the country of Galatia
and Phrygia, confirming the newly converted
Christians, till he came to Ephesus.
During the time he spent in this large circuit,
Providence took care of the churches of Ephesus
and Corinth, by the means of one Apollos, an
eloquent Jew of Alexandria, and well acquainted
with the law and writings of the prophets. This
man coming to Ephesus, though he was only
instructed in the rudiments of Christianity and
John's baptism, yet taught with great courage
and a most powerful zeal. After being fully in
structed m the faith by Aquila and Priscilla, he
passed over into Achaia, being furnished with re

commendatory letters by the churches of Ephesus
and Corinth. He was of the greatest service in
Achaia, in watering what Paul had planted, con
firming the disciples, and powerfully convincing
the Jews that Jesus was the true Messiah pro
mised in the Scriptures.
While Apollos was thus employed, St. Paul
returned to Ephesus, where he fixed his abode
for three years, bringing with him Gaius of
Derbe, Aristarchus, a native of Thessalonica,
Timotheus and Erastus of Corinth, and Titus.
The first thing he did after his arrival, was to
examine certain disciples, Whether they had re
ceived the Holy Ghost since they believed ? To
which they answered, " That the doctrine they
had received promised nothing of that nature,
nor had they ever heard that such an extraordi
nary Spirit had of late been bestowed upon the
church." This answer surprised the Apostle, who asked
them in what name they had been baptized;
since in the Christian form the name of the Holy
Ghost was always expressed? They replied,
That they had only received John's baptism.
Upon which the Apostle informed them, that
though John's baptism commanded nothing but
repentance, yerit tacitly implied the whole doc
trine of Christ and the Holy Ghost. When they
heard this, they were baptized according to the
form prescribed by Christ himself, that is, in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost; and after the Apostle had prayed,
and laid his hands over them, they received the
gift of tongues, and other miraculous powers.
After this he entered mto the Jewish syna
gogues, where for the first three months he con
tended and disputed with the Jews, endeavouring
with great earnestness and resolution to convince
them of the truth of the Christian religion. But

344

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. IV.

when, instead of success, he met with nothing
but obstinacy and infidelity, he left the syna
gogue, and taking those with him whom he had
instrumentally converted, instructed them, and
others who resorted to him, in the school of one
Tyrannus, a place where scholars used to be in
structed. In this manner he continued to preach
the Gospel two whole years ; by which means
the Jews and proselytes had an opportunity of
hearing the glad tidings of salvation : and be
cause miracles are the clearest evidence of a
divine commission, the Almighty was pleased to
testify the doctrine which St. Paul delivered, by
amazing and miraculous operations, many of
which were of a peculiar and extraordinary na
ture ; for he not only healed those that came to
him, but if napkins or handkerchiefs were only
touched by him, and applied to the sick, their
diseases immediately vanished, and the evil
spirits departed out of those that were possessed
by them.
About this time the Apostle wrote his Epistle
to the Galatians ; for he had heard that, since
his departure, corrupt opinions had crept in
among them with regard to the necessity of ob
serving the legal rites ; and that several impostors
had found admittance into the church, who
knew no better method of undermining the doc
trine he had planted there, than by vilifying his
person, slighting him as an Apostle only at
second-hand, not to be compared with Peter,
James, and John, who had familiarly conversed
with Christ in the days of his flesh, and being
immediately deputed by him. In this Epistle,
therefore, he reproves them with some necessary
severity, for their being so soon led out of the
right way wherein he had placed them, and so
easily suffering themselves to be imposed upon
by the crafty artifices of seducers. He vindi
cates the honour of his Apostleship, and the
immediate receiving his commission from Christ,

wherein he shows that he was not inferior to
the very best of the Apostles. He largely re
futes those Judaical opinions that had tainted
and infected them ; and, in the conclusion,
instructs them in the rules and duties of a holy
life. During St. Paul's stay at Ephesus, an accident
happened, which was attended with great trouble
and danger. In this city was the celebrated
temple of Diana, a structure so magnificent for
beauty, riches, and magmtude, that it was reck
oned one of the seven wonders of the world.
But what increased its fame and reputation, was
an image of Diana kept there, which the idola
trous priests persuaded the people was made by
Jupiter himself, and dropped down from heaven ;
for which reason it was held in great veneration,
not only at Ephesus, but throughout all Asia. So
that people procured silver shrines, or figures of
this temple, of such a size as to. carry in their
pockets, either for curiosity, or to stir up their
devotion. This proved the source of a great
deal of business to the silversmiths of Ephesus,
of whom one Demetrius was the chief.
This man, plainly perceiving that Christiamty
tended to the subversion of idolatry, and, con
sequently, to the ruin of their gainful employ
ment, called all the artists together, and pathe
tically represented to them, how inevitably they
must be reduced to a state of poverty, if they
suffered Paul to bring their temple and goddess
into contempt ; by persuading the people, as he
did, that they were no gods which were made
with hands.
This speech of Demetrius fired them with a zeal
which they could no longer contain ; so that they
cried out, as with one voice, Great is Diana of the
Ephesians! They should indeed have considered,
that if their goddess was able to defend herself

Chap. IV.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

345

against the doctrines preached, by Paul, neither
she nor the temple were in any danger : whereas,
if Paul was able to destroy their gods, it was in
vain for them to resist him. But interest and
superstition, combining in the minds of a bigoted
multitude, admitted of no reason. They were
all fired with zeal for their goddess, and deter
mined, if they could find Paul, to expose him
to the beasts in the theatre; for it was cus
tomary in those days, at the celebration of their
public games and festivals, to expose slaves to
the rage of wild beasts, for the diversion of the
spectators. The whole city was filled with the tumult ; and
the crowd missing Paul, laid hold on Gaius and
Aristarchus, two Macedonians of Paul's company,
and hurried them into the theatre, with a design
to throw them to the wild beasts. Paul, who was
at present in a place of security, hearing of the
danger to which his brethren were exposed, was
very desirous of venturing after them, in order
to speak in then behalf; but he was at last dis
suaded from it, not only by the Christians, but
also by the Gentile governors of the theatrical
games, who were his friends, and who assured
him that he would only endanger himself, with
out rescmng his companions.
The noise and confusion of the multitude was
now prodigious, most of them not knowing the
reason for wMch they were come together ; and,
therefore, some said one dung, and some another.
In this distraction, Alexander, a Jewish convert,
was singled out by the multitude, and, by the in
stigation of the Jews, was going to make Ms
defence ; in which, doubtless, he would have laid
the whole blame upon Paul ; but the multitude
perceiving him to be a Jew, and, therefore, sus
pecting he was one of Paul's associates, raised
another outcry, for near two hours together,
wherein nothing could be heard but Great is
Nos. 29 & 30.

Diana ofthe Ephesians ! This confusion brought
the town-clerk, who kept the register of the
games, into the theatre, to suppress, if possible, so
uncommon a tumult. And having with great dif
ficulty obtained silence, he calmly and discreetly
told them, " That the world was sufficiently ac
quainted with the devotion paid by the Ephesians
to the great goddess Diana, and the image which,
according to report, fell down from Jupiter ; and,
therefore, it was absolutely needless for them to
publish it at that time. That if Demetrius and
his fraternity had any thing to allege agaMst
Paul and his companions, the courts were open,
and they might bring their accusation against
them. Or, if they were questioned with regard
to the breach of any of their laws, the cause
ought to be heard in a regular assembly. That
they would do well to consider this, and be quiet;
having already rendered themselves obnoxious to
the displeasure of the magistrates, if they should
think proper to call them to an account for that
day's tumult."

This discourse had the desired effect: the
multitude were convinced that they had acted
very improperly, and, therefore, repaired to their
respective habitations ; and Gaius, Aristarchus,
and Alexander, were released without any great
hurt. But the escape of Paul was so remarkable,
that he mentions it as a miraculous deliverance.
We had,, says he, the sentence of death in our
selves, that we should not trust in ourselves,
but in God, who raised the dead, who delivered
us from so great a death. And in another
place he tells us, he fought with beasts at Ephesus;
alluding either to the design of the enraged
multitude of throwing him to the wild beasts
in the theatre, though their intention was not
executed, or to the manners of the people, who
sufficiently deserved the character of being
savage and brutal in the highest degree.
3N

346

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. V.

About this time Paul was informed of some
disturbances in the church at Corinth, hatched
and fomented by a company of false teachers,
crept in among them, who endeavoured to draw
them into parties and factions, by persuading one
company to be for Peter, another for Paul, and
a third for Apollos; as if the principal part of
religion consisted in being of this or that denomi
nation, or in a warm active zeal to depreciate or
oppose whoever was not of the same sect.
It is a very weak and slender claim, when a
man holds his religion by no better title than his
having joined himself to such or such a sect or
congregation, and is remarkably zealous to pro
mote it, to be childishly and passionately cla
morous for some person's particular mode of
administration, or some particular opinion; as if
religion rather consisted in disputes, or in sepa
rating from our brethren, than in righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
By these means schisms and factions broke into
the Corinthian church ; whereby many wild and
extravagant opinions, some of them such as
tended to undetermine the essential doctrines of
Christianity, were planted, and had taken root.
To cure these dissensions, St. Paul wrote his
First Epistle to the Corinthians ; wherein he
smartly reproves them for their schisms and par
ties, conjures them to peace and unity, corrects
those gross corruptions that had been introduced
among them, and particularly solves those many
cases and controversies, wherein they had re
quested his advice and counsel.
Soon after, Apollos determining to go to Crete,
together with Zenos, St. Paul sent by them his
Epistle to Titus, whom he had made bishop of
that island, and had left there for propagating the
Gospel. In this epistle he instructs Mm fully in

the execution of his office, both with regard to
himself and others.

CHAP. V.
Transactions of St. Paul, during the
farther Progress of his Ministry, to the
Time of his Arraignment before Felix v
SOON after the tumult at Ephesus, St. Paul
called the Christians together, and took
his leave of them with the most tender expres
sions of love and affection. He had now spent
almost three years at Ephesus, and founded there
a very considerable church, of which he had or
dained Timothy the first bishop. He first tra
velled about two hundred miles northward, to
Troas, before he took ship, expecting to meet
Titus there. But missing him, he proceeded on
his voyage to Macedonia.
On his arrival there, he preached the Gospel
in several places,, even as far as Illyricum, now
called Sclavonia. During this journey, he met
with many troubles and dangers ; without were
fightings, within were fears; but God, who com-
forteth those that are cast down, revived his
spirits by the arrival of Titus, who gave him a
pleasing account of the good effect his epistle had
produced at Corinth. This worthy bishop came
thither with large contributions from the church
at Corinth; and from the example of those liberal
Christians, St. Paul stirred up the Macedonians
to imitate their charity, intending to assist the
poor Christians at Jerusalem.
During the stay of Titus in Macedonia, Paul
wrote his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, and
sent it to them by Titus and Luke. In this
epistle he endeavours to rectify what his former
epistle had not effected ; to vindicate his Apostle-

Chap. V.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

347

ship from that contempt and scorn, and himself
from those slanders and aspersions, which the
seducers, who found themselves lashed by his
former letter, had cast upon him ; together with
several other particular cases relative to the
church. About this time also he wrote his First Epistle
to Timothy, whom he had left at Ephesus;
wherein he gives him directions how to conduct
himself in the discharge of that great office and
authority in the church committed to his care ;
and instructs Mm in the particular qualifications
of those he should make choice of as bishops and
ministers in the church. He likewise gives him
instructions with regard to Ms giving orders to
deaconesses, and instructing servants ; warning
Mm, at the same time, against that pestilent ge
neration of heretics and seducers that would arise
in the church.
During his stay in Greece, he went to Co
rinth, where he wrote Ms famous Epistle to
the Bomans, wMch he sent by Phebe, a dea
coness of the church of Cenchrea, near Co
rinth. His principal intention in this epistle is,
fully to state and determine the great contro
versy between the Jews and Gentiles, with re
gard to the obligations of the rites and cere
monies of the Jewish law, and those principal
and material points of doctrine depending upon
it, namely, Christian liberty, the use of indifferent
things, and the like. And, which is the chief in
tention of all religion, instructs them, and presses
• them to perform the duties of a holy and pious
life, such as the Christian doctrine naturally
recommends. St Paul being now determined to return to
Syria, m order to convey the contributions to the
brethren at Jerusalem,* set out on Ms journey ;
but being informed that the Jews had formed a

design of killing and robbing him by the way,
he returned back into Macedoma, and came to
Philippi, from whence he went to Troas, where
he stayed seven days. Here he preached to them
on the Lord's day, and continued his discourse
till midnight, being himself to depart in the morn
ing. The length of his discourse, and the time
of the mght, caused some of his audience to be
overtaken with sleep, and among them a young
man named Eutychus, who fell from the third
story, and was taken up dead; but the Apostle,
by his prayers to the throne of grace, presently
restored him to life and health.
How indefatigable was the industry of this
great Apostle ! How closely did he tread in the
steps of his great Master, who went about doing
good! He preached and wrought miracles
wherever he came. As a master-builder, he
either laid a foundation, or raised the super
structure. He was instant in season, and out
of season, and spared no pains to assist the
souls of men.
The night being thus spent in holy exercises,
St. Paul took his leave of the brethren in the
morning, travelling on foot to Assos, a sea-port
town, whither he had before sent his companions
by sea. From thence they sailed to Mytilene, a
city in the isle of Lesbos. The next day they
sailed from thence, and came over against
Chios, and the day following landed at Trogyl-
lium, a promontory of Ionia, near Samos. The
next day they came to Miletus, not putting
in at Ephesus, because the Apostle was re
solved, if possible, to be at Jerusalem on the day
of Pentecost.
On his arrival at Miletus, he sent to Ephesus,
to summon the elders of the church ; and, on
their coming, reminded them of the manner in
which he had conversed among them; how
3N*

348

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. V.

faithfully and affectionately he had discharged
the offices of his ministry, and how incessantly
he had laboured for the good of the souls of men ;
adding, that he had never failed to acquaint them,
both in public and private, with whatever might
be useful and profitable to them ; urging both the
Jews and Gentiles to repentance and reformation
of life, and a hearty perseverance in the faith of
Christ : that he was now going up to Jerusalem,
where he was ignorant of what might befal him,
except what had been foretold him by those who
were endued with the prophetical gifts of the
Holy Ghost; namely, that afflictions and impri
sonment would attend him.
But that this gave him no concern, being
willing to lay down his life whenever the Gospel
required it, and fully determined to serve faith
fully his great Lord and Master. " I well know,"
said he, " that you will see my face no more ;
but, for my encouragement and satisfaction, ye
yourselves can bear me witness, that I have not,
by concealing any part of the Christian doctrine,
betrayed your souls. And as for yourselves,
whom God hath made bishops and pastors of his
church, you should be careful to feed, gmde, and
direct, those Christians under your inspection,
and be infinitely tender of the welfare of souls,
for whose redemption the blessed Jesus laid down
his own life. All the care, therefore, possible for
you to use, is no more than necessary ; for, after
my departure, false teachers will appear in the
church, to the great danger of the souls of men,
seeking, by every crafty method and pernicious
doctrine, to gain proselytes to their party, and
by that means fill the church of Christ with
schisms and factions. Watch ye, therefore, and
remember with what tears and sorrow I have,
during three years, warned you of these things.
And now I recommend you to the Divine favour
and protection, and to the rules and instructions
of the Gospel, which, if adhered to, will un

doubtedly dispose and perfect you for that state
of happiness which the Almighty hath prepared
for good men in the mansions of eternity. You
well know that I have, from the beginning, dealt
faithfully and uprightly with you ; that I have no
covetous designs, or ever desired the riches of
other men : nay, I have laboured with mine own ,
hands to support myself and my companions.
You ought, therefore, to support the weak, and
relieve the poor, rather than be yourselves
chargeable to others, according to that incom
parable saying of the great Bedeemer of man
kind, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
If we minutely attend to the whole of this
Apostle's preaching and writing, we shall find
that he ever strenuously inculcates not only
points of faith, but also practical duties, with
out which our faith is vain.
St. Paul having finished his discourse, he
kneeled down, and joined with them in prayer;
and they all melted into tears, and, with the
greatest expressions of sorrow, attended him to
the ship; grieving in the most passionate manner
for what he had told them, that they should see
his face no more.
Paul, with his companions, now departed from
Miletus, and arrived at Coos, from whence they
sailed the next day to Bhodes, a large island in
the ^Egean sea. Leaving this place, they came
to Patara, the metropolis of Lycia, where they
went on board another vessel bound for Tyre, in
Phenicia. On his arrival, he visited the brethren
there, and continued with them a week, and was
advised by some of them who had the gift of
prophecy, not to go up to Jerusalem. But the
Apostle would by no means abandon his design,
or refuse to suffer any thing, provided he might
spread the Gospel of his Saviour. Finding all
persuasions were in vain, they jointly accom-

Chap. V.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

349

panied him to the shore, where he kneeled
down and prayed with them; and, after em
bracing them with the utmost affection, he went
on board, and came to Ptolemais, and the next
day to Cesarea.
During their stay in this place, Agabus, a
Christian prophet, came tiiither from Judea,
who, taking Paul's girdle, bound his own hands
and feet with it, signifying, by this symbol, that
the Jews would bind Paul in that manner, and
deliver him over to the Gentiles. Whereupon
both his own companions and the Christians of
Cesarea earnestly besought him that he would
not go up to Jerusalem. But the Apostle asked
them, if they intended by these passionate dis-
suasives to add more affliction to his sorrow ?
For I am ready, continued he, not only to be
bound, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name
ofthe Lord Jesus.
When the disciples found that his resolution
was not to be shaken, they importuned him no
farther, leaving the event to be determined ac
cording to the pleasure of the Most High. And
all things being ready, Paul and his companions
set forward on their journey, and were kindly
and joyfully received by the Christians, on their
arrival at Jerusalem.
The day after then arrival, Paul and his com
panions went to the house of St. James the
Apostle, where the rest of the bishops and go
vernors of the church were met together. After
mutual salutations, the Apostle gave them a par
ticular account of the success with which God
had blessed his endeavours in propagating Chris
tianity among the Gentiles ; for which they all
joined in thanksgiving to God : but withal told
him, that he was now come to a place where
there were many thousands of Jewish converts,
who were all zealous for the law of Moses, and

who had been informed that he taught the Jews,
whom he had instrumentally converted, to re
nounce circumcision and the ceremonies of the
law. That as soon as the multitude heard of his
arrival, they would all assemble, to see how he
behaved himself in this matter ; and, therefore,
to prevent a disturbance, thought it advisable for
him to join himself with four persons who were
at that time to accomplish a vow, and perform the
usual rites and ceremonies with them, and pro
vide such sacrifices for them as the law in that
case required.
St. Paul, who in such case was willing to
become all things to all men, that he might gam
the more, consented unto their counsel ; and
taking the persons with him to the temple, told
the priests that the time of a vow they had made
being now expired, and having purified them
selves according as the nature of their case re
quired, they were come to make the offerings re
quired by the law.
The seven days in which those sacrifices were
to be offered being now almost ended, certain
Jews from Asia, finding him in the temple, began
to raise a tumult; and laying hold of Paul, called
to their brethren the Jews to. assist them, de
claring that this was the person who every where
preached doctrines derogatory to the Jewish
nation, and destructive to the institutions of the
law. This accusation, though absolutely false,
set the whole city in an uproar; and seizing on
the Apostle, they dragged him out of the temple,
when the doors were immediately shut, to pre
vent his returning into that holy place.
As they were proceeding in this manner, Paul
asked the governor, whether he might have the
liberty of speaking to him : who finding he un
derstood the Greek language, inquired of him,
whether he was not the Egyptian who, a few

350

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. V.

years before, had raised a sedition in Judea, and
headed a party of four thousand vile and pro
fligate wretches ? To which the Apostle replied,
that he was a Jew of Tarsus, a freeman of a rich
and honourable city ; and therefore begged of
him that he might have leave to speak to the
people. This being readily granted, Paul ad
dressed them in the Hebrew language as follows :
" Listen, ye descendants of Jacob, to a person
of your own religion, and, like yourselves, a
child of Abraham ; born in Tarsus, and brought
up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, and fully
instructed in the law delivered by Moses to our
forefathers, and formerly as zealous for the temple
worship as ye are at present.
" Nay, I persecuted unto death all who be-
Jieved in Jesus, seizing on all I could find, both
men and women, and casting them into prison.
" But, as I was pursuing my journey, to exe
cute this commission, and was arrived near
Damascus, there appeared, about mid-day, a
light from heaven, shining round about me.
" Terrified at so awful an appearance, I fell to
the ground, and heard a voice saymg unto me,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? To which
I answered, Who art thou, Lord ? And the voice
replied, / am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou per
secutest. " After recovering from the terror with which
my mind was filled, I answered, What shall I
do, Lord ? And he replied, Arise, and go into
Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all
things which are appointed for thee to do.
" The brilliancy of the glory deprived me of
my sight ; so that my companions led me by the
hand to Damascus, where one Ananias, a person

well respected by all the Jews of that city, visited
me, and said, Brother Saul, receive thy sight; and
in a moment my eyes were opened, and I saw
him standing before me.
" When he saw that my sight was restored, he
said unto me, The Almighty God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, hath appointed thee to know
his will, to see the great Messiah, the Holy One
of God, and hear the voice of his mouth; for
thou art chosen to be a witness to all the na
tions of the earth of those surprising things thou
hast seen and heard. Why, therefore, tarriest
thou here any longer ? Arise and be baptized,
and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of
the Lord.
" After this glorious vision and miraculous
power of the Most High, when I was returned
from Damascus to Jerusalem, and offering up
my prayers in the temple, I fell into a trance*
and again saw the great Son of David, who
said unto me, Depart quickly from Jerusalem ;
for the sons of Jacob will refuse to believe thy
testimony concerning, me. And I answered,
Lord, they know how cruelly I used thy saints
and followers ; that I imprisoned and beat them
in every city and in every synagogue. Nay,
when they shed the blood of thy holy martyr
Stephen, I was also one of the spectators; I
consented to his death ; I even kept the raiment
of those that slew him.
" But he replied, Depart; I will send thee to
countries far remote, even to the Gentiles."
The Jews had, till now, listened with some at
tention to his speech ; but on his mentioning the
commission he had received to preach the Gospel
to the Gentiles, their fury knew no bounds ; cry
ing out with one voice, Away with such a fellow
from the earth !

Chap. V.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

351

But the captain of the guard commanded him
to be brought within the castle, and that he
should be examined and scourged till he confessed
the reason ofthe uncommon rage shown against
him by the people. Accordingly, the lictor bound
him, and was going to put the orders he had re
ceived into execution; when Paul asked the cen
turion who stood by, whether it was lawful to
scourge a citizen of Bome, before any sentence
had been passed upon Mm ? The centurion, in
stead of answering the question, repaired im
mediately to the governor, and desired him to
take care how he proceeded against the prisoner,
because he was a Boman. On this information,
the governor came into the prison, and asked
Paul whether he was really a free citizen of
Rome? and bemg told he was, he answered,
that himself procured that great privilege by a
large sum of money; but Paul answered, I was
free born. On receiving this account, the governor
commanded the centurion not to scourge him,
being terrified at what he had already done,
namely, his chaining a free denizen of Bome.
The next day he ordered his chains to be taken
off; and, that he might thorougMy satisfy him
self of the cause of so unusual a tumult on the
preceding day, summoned the Sanhedrim to
meet, and brought down Paul before them.
The Apostle being thus placed before the great
council of the Jews, told them, that in all the
passages of his life he had taken care to govern
his actions by the severest rules of duty and con
science. Men and brethren, said he, I have lived
in all good conscience before God until this day.
But however this expression of St. Paul might
tend to show the true state of his mind, the high-
priest Ananias was so offended at it, that he coi n-
manded those who stood next him to strike him
in the face : at which the Apostle smartly replied,

God shall smite thee, thouAuhited wall. On which
some of the spectators replied, " It is not lawful
to revile the high-priest of the Almighty." Paul
answered, " I did not know that Ananias was
appointed by God to be an high-priest : but as
he is invested with authority, it is unjust to revile
Mm ; God himself having commanded that no
man should speak evil of the rukrs of the people.
Paul perceiving that the council consisted partly
of Sadducees, and partly of Pharisees, cried aloud,
" Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a
Pharisee, and am now brought before your tri
bunal for asserting the resurrection of the dead,"
This declaration threw the whole court into
confusion, by exciting the regard ofthe Pharisees,
who favoured the doctrine of the resurrection,
and incurring the resentment of the Sadducees,
who strenuously opposed it.
The dissensions of these sects increased to that
degree, that the captain feared Paul would have
been pulled to pieces ; and, therefore, took him
from the bar, and carried him back to the castle.
But, during the silence of the night, he was com
forted by extraordinary communications of the
Divine Spirit, encouraging him to constancy and
resolution, and assuring him that he should, not
withstanding all the malice and wicked designs
of his enemies, live to bear his testimony even in
Rome itself.
The next morning the Jews, whose envy and
malice were mcreased by these dilatory proceed
ings, determined to use a quicker method of put
ting a period to his life. In order to this, about
forty of the most turbulent entered into a shock
ing confederacy of killing him ; ratifying it by
oaths and the most bitter execrations, that they
would neither eat nor drink till they had put their
inhuman design into execution. Accordingly this
design, though probably concluded under the

352

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VI.

mantle of the night, was discovered to St. Paul
by his sister's son, and, at the request of the
Apostle, told to the governor himself; who imme
diately commanded two parties of horse and foot
to be ready by nine o'clock that night, in order
to conduct St. Paul to Felix, the Boman gover
nor of that province ; to whom also he sent an
account of the whole proceedings of the Jews
against the prisoner, and at the same time or
dered his accusers also to appear before the
Boman magistrate. Accordingly, St. Paul was
conducted to Antipatris, and afterwards to Ce
sarea, where the letters being delivered to Felix,
the Apostle was also presented to him ; and find
ing that he belonged to the province of Cilicia,
he 'told him, that as soon as his accusers were
come down, he would determine the affair; and
in the mean time commanded him to be secured
in the place called Herod's Hall.
CHAP. VI.
The Transactions of St. Paul, from the
first Trial before Felix, till his coming
to Rome.
OUR Apostle, soon after his arrival, encoun
tered Tertullus, who, in a short but elo
quent speech, began to accuse him, charging him
with sedition, heresy, and the profanation ofthe
temple. The orator having finished his charge against
the Apostle, Felix told St. Paul that he was now
at liberty to make his defence; which he did in
the following manner :
" I answer this charge of the Jews with the
greater satisfaction before thee, because thou hast
for many years been a judge of this nation.
About twelve days since I repaired to Jerusalem,
to worship the God of Jacob. But I neither
disputed with any man, nor endeavoured to stir

up the people in the synagogues or the city. Nor
can they prove the charge they have brought
against me.
" This, however, I readily confess, that after
the way which they call heresy, so worship I the
God of my fathers ; and according to this faith
I am careful to maintain a clear and quiet con
science, both towards God and man.
" After I had spent some years in distant coun
tries, I repaired to Jerusalem with the alms I had
collected in other provinces for the poor of mine
own nation, and offerings to the God of Jacob.
And while I was performing the duties of religion,
certain Asiatic Jews found me in the temple, pu
rified according to law; but neither attended
with a multitude of followers, nor the least tumul
tuous assembly. It was, therefore, necessary that
the Jews should have been here, if they had any
thing to allege against me. Nay, I appeal to those
of the Sanhedrim here present, if any thing has
been laid to my charge, except the objections of
the Sadducees, who violently opposed me, for
asserting the doctrine of the resurrection."
Felix having thus heard both parties, refused
to pass any final sentence, till he had more fully
advised about it, and consulted Lysias, the go
vernor of the castle, who was the most proper
person to give an account of the sedition and
tumult; commanding, in the mean time, that St.
Paul should be kept under a guard, but that he
should enjoy the liberty of being visited by his
friends, and receiving from them any office of
friendship. Soon after this, Felix's wife, Drusilla, a
Jewess, and daughter to the elder Herod, came
down to Mm at Cesarea; in whose presence
the governor sent for Paul, and gave him
leave to explain the doctrines of CMistianitv.

Chap. VI.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

353

In this discourse the Apostle took occasion to
insist upon the most important points both of
faith and practice, particularly the influence
which a future judgment should have upon the
whole tenor of his life and conduct.
This discourse was wisely adapted to the state
and temper of Felix ; though when St. Paul pa
thetically described the terrors of the last judg
ment, Felix trembled on his throne, and was so
greatly affected, that he caused the Apostle to
break off abruptly, telling him that he would
hear the remainder of his discourse at a more
convenient season.
Felix, no doubt, had sufficient reason to trem
ble, and his conscience to be sensibly alarmed at
these reflections ; for he was a man notoriously
infamous for rapine and violence. Tacitus tells
iis, that he made his will the law of his govern
ment, practising all manner of cruelty and in
justice. To these qualities he added bribery and
covetousness; and, therefore, often sent for our
Apostle to discourse with him, expecting he
would have given him a considerable sum for his
release ; having, in all probability, heard that St.
Paul had brought a large quantity of money to
Jerusalem. But finding no offers were made him, either by
the Apostle himself or his friends, he kept him
prisoner two years ; when he himself being dis
charged from his office by Nero, he left Paul in
prison, in order to gratify the malice of the Jews,
and engage them to speak the better of his go
vernment, after his departure from Judea.
Felix was succeeded in the government ofthe
province by Porcius Festus, before whom, at his
first coming to Jerusalem, the high-priest and
Sanhedrim preferred an indictment agamst Paul, ¦
desiring that he might be sent for up to Jeru-
Nos. 29 & 30.

salem, in order to take his trial ; intending to as
sassinate him by the way. But Festus told thejrij
that he was shortly going himself to Cesarea, and
that if they had any complaint against Paul, they
should come down thither and accuse him.
Accordingly, as soon as he was come to Ce
sarea, he ascended the tribunal, where the Jews
renewed the charge they had before brought
against Paul ; but the Apostle soon cleared him
self of every part of the charge, they not being
able to prove any thing against him. Festus,
however, being willing to procure the favour of
the Jews at his entrance on the government,
asked Paul, whether he would go up and be tried
before him at Jerusalem ? But the Apostle, well
knowing the consequences of such a proposal,
answered, as a Boman, / appeal unto Caesar.
This method of appealing was common among
the Bomans, and introduced to defend and secure
the lives and fortunes of the people from the
unjust encroachments and rigorous severities of
the magistrates, whereby it was lawful, in cases
of oppression, to appeal to the people for redress ;
a thing more than once settled by the sanction
of the Valerian law.
Some time after St. Paul had appealed unto
Caesar, king Agrippa, who succeeded Herod in
the tetrarchate of Galilee, and his sister Bernice,
came to Cesarea to visit the new governor.
Festus embraced this opportunity of mentioning
the case of our Apostle to king Agrippa, together
with the remarkable tumult this affair had oc
casioned among the Jews, and the appeal he had
made to Caesar. This account excited the cu
riosity of king Agrippa, and he was desirous of
hearing himself what St. Paul had to say in his
own vindication.
Accordingly, the next day the king and Ms
30

354

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VI.

sister, accompanied with Festus the governor,
and several other persons of distinction, came
into the court, with a pompous and splendid re
tinue, where the prisoner was brought before
them. On his appearing, Festus informed the
court, how greatly he had been importuned by
the Jews, both at Cesarea and Jerusalem, to put
the prisoner to death as a malefactor; but having,
on examination, found him guilty of no capital
crime, and the prisoner himself having appealed
unto Caesar, he was determined to send him to
Bome ; but was willing to have his cause debated
before Agrippa, that he might be furnished with
some material particulars to send with him ; it
being absurd to send a prisoner, without sig
nifying the crimes alleged against him.
Festus having finished his speech, Agrippa told
Paul, he was now at liberty to make his own
defence ; and silence being made, he delivered
himself in the following manner, addressing his
speech particularly to Agrippa :
" I consider it as a peculiar happiness, king
Agrippa, that I am to make my defence
against the accusations of the Jews, before thee ;
because thou art well acquainted with all their
customs, and the questions commonly debated
among them ; I therefore beseech thee to hear
me patiently. All the Jews are well acquainted
with my manner of life, from my youth, the
greatest part of it having been spent with my
own countrymen at Jerusalem. They also
know that I was educated under the institu
tions of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our
religion, and am now arraigned for a tenet
believed by all their fathers ; a tenet sufficiently
credible in itself, and plainly revealed in the
Scriptures ; I mean, the resurrection of the
dead. Why should any mortal think it either
mcredible or impossiMe, that God should raise
the dead ?

" I, indeed, formerly thought myself indispen
sably obliged to oppose the religion of Jesus of
Nazareth. Nor was I satisfied with imprisoning
and punishing, with death itself, the saints I found
at Jerusalem ; I even persecuted them in strange
cities, whither my implacable zeal pursued them,
having procured authority for that purpose from
the chief priests and the elders.
" Accordingly I departed for Damascus with a
commission from the Sanhedrim ; but as I was
travelling towards that city, I saw at mid-day, 0
king, a light from heaven, far exceeding the
brightness ofthe sun, encompassing me and my
companions. On seeing this awful appearance,
we all fell to the earth, and I heard avoice, which
said to me, in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me ? It is hard for thee to
kick against the pricks. To which I answered,
Who art thou, Lord ? And he replied, lam Jesus,
whom thou persecutest. But be not terrified ; arise
from the earth ; for I have appeared unto thee,
that thou mightest be both a witness of the things
thou hast seen, and also of others which I will
hereafter reveal unto thee. My power shall de
liver thee from the Jews and Gentiles, to whom
now I send thee to preach the Gospel ; to with
draw the vail of darkness and ignorance ; to turn
them from falsehood unto truth, and from the
power of Satan unto God.
" Accordingly, king Agrippa, I readily obeyed
the heavenly vision : I preached the Gospel first
to the inhabitants of Damascus, then to those of
Jerusalem and Judea, and afterwards to the
Gentiles ; persuading them to forsake their ini
quities, and, by sincere repentance, turn to the
living God.
" These endeavours to save the souls, of sin
ful mortals exasperated the Jews, who caught me
in the temple, and entered into a conspiracy to

Chap. VI.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

355

destroy me. But, by the help of Almighty God,
I still remain a witness to all the human race,
preaching nothing but what Moses and all the
prophets foretold, namely, that the Messiah
should suffer, be the first that should rise from
the chambers of the grave, and publish the
glad tidings of salvation both to the Jews and
Gentiles." While the Apostle thus pleaded for himself,
Festus cried out, " Paul, thou art mad ; too much
study hath deprived thee of thy reason." But
Paul answered, " I am far, most noble Festus,
from being transported with idle and distracted
ideas ; the words I speak are dictated by truth
and sobriety : and I am persuaded that king
Agrippa himself is not ignorant of these things ;
for they were transacted openly before the world.
I am confident, king Agrippa, that thou believest
the prophets ; and, therefore, must know that all
their predictions were fulfilled in Christ." To
which Agrippa answered, " Thou hast almost
persuaded me to embrace the Christian faith."
Paul replied, " I sincerely wish that not only
thou, but also all that hear me, were not almost,
but altogether the same as I myself, except being
prisoners." It being now finally determined that Paul
should be sent to Bome, he was, with several
other prisoners of consequence, committed to the
careof Julius, commander of a company belong
ing to the legion of Augustus ; and was accom-
panied in his voyage by St. Luke, Aristarchus,
Trophimus, and some others, not mentioned by
the sacred historian.
In the month of September they- embarked on
board a ship at Adramyttium, and sailed to Sidon,
where the centurion courteously gave the Apos
tle leave to go on shore, to visit his friends and
refresh himself.

After a short stay they sailed for Cyprus, and
arrived opposite the Fair Havens, a place near
Myra, a city of Lycia. Here the season being
far advanced, and Paul foreseeing it would be a
dangerous voyage, persuaded him to put in and
winter there. But the Roman centurion prefer
ring the opinion ofthe master of the ship, and the
harbour being at the same time incommodious,
resolved, if possible, to reach Phenice, a port of
Crete, and winter there. But they soon found
themselves disappointed ; for the fine southerly
gale, which had favoured them for some time,
suddenly changed into a stormy and tempestuous
wind at north-east; which blew with such vio
lence, that the sMp was obliged to sail before it ;
and, to prevent her sinking, they threw over
board the principal part of her lading.
In this desperate and uncomfortable condition
they continued fourteen days, and on the four
teenth night the mariners discovered they were
near some coast; and, therefore, to avoid the
rocks, thought proper to come to an anchor,
till the morning might give them better infor
mation. During the time they continued at anchor,
waiting for the light of the morning, St. Paul
prevailed upon them to eat and refresh them
selves, having fasted a long time, assuring them
they should all escape.
The country near which they were, was, as St.
Paul had foretold, an island called Melita, now
Malta, situated in the Lybian Sea, between Sy
racuse and Africa. Here they landed, and met
with great civility from the people, who treated
them with humanity, and entertained them with
every necessary accommodation. But while St.
Paul was laying a few sticks on the fire, a viper,
enlivened by the heat, came from among the
wood, and fastened on his hand. On seeing this,
3 0*

556

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VII.

the inhabitants of the island concluded that he
was certainly some notorious* murderer, whom
the divine vengeance, though it suffered him to
escape the sea, had reserved for a more public
and solemn execution. But when they saw him
shake off the venomous creature into the fire, and
no manner of harm ensue, they changed their
sentiments, and cried out, that he was a god.
After three months stay in this island, the cen
turion, with his charge, went on board the Cas
tor and Pollux, a ship of Alexandria,, bound to
Italy. They put in at Syracuse, where they tar
ried three days ; they then sailed to Bhegium,
and from thence to Puteoli, where they landed ;
and finding some Christians there, staid, at their
request, a week with them, and then set forward
on their journey to Rome. The Christians of
this city, hearing of the Apostle's coming, went
to meet him, as far as the distance of about diirty
miles from Rome, and others as far as the Appii-
forum, fifty-one miles distant from the capital.
They kindly embraced each other ; and the li
berty he saw the Christians enjoy at Rome,
greatly tended to enliven the spirits ofthe Apostle.

CHAP. VII.
The Transactions of St. Paul, from his
Arrival at Rome till his Martyrdom.
HAVING refreshed himself after the fatigue
of his voyage, the Apostle sent for the
heads of the Jewish consistory at Rome, and re
lated to them the cause of his coming, in the fol
lowing manner : — ." Though I have been guilty
of no violation of the laws of our religion, yet I
was delivered by the Jews at Jerusalem to the
Roman governors, who more than once would
have acquitted me, as innocent of any capital

offence ; but by the perverseness of my persecu
tors, 1 was obliged to appeal to Caesar: not that
I had any thing to accuse my nation of; 1 had
recourse to this method merely to clear my own
innocence." Having thus removed ,u popular prejudice, he
added, " That the true cause of his sufferings
was what their own religion had taught Mm, the
belief and expectation of a future resurrection."
But his discourse had different effects on dif
ferent hearers, some being convinced, and others
persisting in then infidelity.
For two whole years Paul dwelt at Bome, in
a house he had hired for his own use; wherein
he assiduously employed himself in preaching
and writing for the good of the church.
> Among others of the Apostle's converts at
Bome was one Onesimus, who had formerly been
a servant to Philemon, a person of distinction
at Colosse, but had run away from his master,
and fraudulently taken with him some tilings of
value. Having rambled as far as Bome, he was now
converted by the instrumentality of St. Paul, who
advised him to return to his master, and gave
him a short recommendatory letter, " earnestly
desiring his master to pardon him, and, notwith
standing . his former faults, to treat him kindly,
and use him as a brother ; promising withal, that
if he had wronged, or owed him any thing, he
himself would repay it."
This epistle may be considered as a master
piece of eloquence, in the persuasive way; for in
it the Apostle had recourse to all the considera
tions, which friendship, religion, piety, and ten
derness, can inspire, to reconcile an incensed
master to his servant.

Chap. VII.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

357

The. Christians of Philippi hearing of St.
Paul's being at Bome, and not knowing what
distress he might be reduced to, raised a contri
bution for him, and sent it by Epaphroditus,
their bishop ; by whom he returned an epistle to
them, wherein he gives some account of the state
of Ms affairs at Bome, gratefully acknowledges
their kindness to Mm, warns them against the
dangerous opinions which the Judaizing teachers
began to propagate among them, and advises
them to live in continual obedience to Christ ; to
avoid disputations, delight in prayer, be cou
rageous under affliction, united in love, and
clothed with humility, in imitation of the blessed
Jesus, who so far humbled himself, as to be
come obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross.
St. Paul lived about three years at Ephesus,
preaching the Gospel to the numerous inhabitants
of that city, and was, therefore, well acquainted
with the state and condition of the place : so that
taking the opportunity of Tychicus' going thither,
he wrote his Epistle to the Ephesians; wherein
he endeavours to countermine the principles and
practices both ofthe Jews and Gentiles, to con
firm them in the belief and practice of the Chris
tian doctrine, and to instruct them fully in the
great mysteries of the Gospel ; their redemption
and justification by the death of Christ ; their
gratuitous election; their union with the Jews
in one body, of which Christ is the head ; and
the glorious exaltation of that head above all
creatures, both spiritual and temporal : together
with many excellent precepts, both as to the ge
neral duties of religion, and the duties of their
particular relations.
St. Paul himself had never been at Colosse :
Epaphras, who was then at Bome, had preached
the Gospel there with good success; and from
him he might learn that certam false teachers had

endeavoured to persuade the people, that they
ought not to apply to God by Jesus Christ, wiio,
since his ascension, was so far exalted above them,
that angels were now beco> e the proper media
tors between God and man ; and, therefore, in
opposition to this, as well as other seducing doc
trines of the same nature, he wrote his Epistle to
the Colossians; wherein he magnificently dis
plays the Messiah, and all the benefits flowing
from him, as being the image of his Father, the
Bedeemer of all mankind, the Reconciler of all
things to Gdd, and the Head ofthe church, who
gives life and vigour to all its members.
By what means St. Paul was discharged from
the accusation which the Jews had brought
against him, we have no account in history ; but
it is natural to suppose, that not having sufficient
proof of what they alleged, or being informed
that the crimes they had accused him of were no
violation of the Boman laws, they durst not im
plead him before the emperor, and so permitted
him to be discharged of course. But by what
ever means he procured his liberty, it is thought
he wrote his Epistle to the Hebrews before he
left Italy, from whence he dates his salutations.
The principal design of it is to magnify Christ,
and the religion of the Gospel, above Moses and
the Jewish economy, in order to establish and
confirm the converted Jews in the firm belief and
profession of Christianity, notwithstanding the
troubles and persecutions that would certainly
attend them.
Having thus discharged his ministry, both by
preaching and writing, in Italy, St. Paul, accom
panied by Timothy, prosecuted his long-intended
journey into Spain ; and, according to the testi
mony of several writers, crossed the sea, and
preached the Gospel in Britain ; though by others
this matter is very much doubted.

358

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. VII.

What success he had in these western parts is
not known. He, however, continued there eight
or nine months, and then returned again to the
east, visited Sicily, Greece, and Crete, and then
repaired to Bome.
Here he met with Peter, and was, together
with him, thrown into prison, doubtless in
the general persecution raised against the Chris
tians, under pretence that they had set fire to
the city. How long he remained in prison is
uncertain ; nor do we know whether he was
scourged before his execution. He was, how
ever, allowed the privilege of a Boman citizen,
and, therefore, beheaded.
Being come to the place of execution, which
was the Salvian waters, three miles from Bome,
he cheerfully, after a solemn preparation, gave
his neck to the fatal stroke ; and from this vale of
misery passed to the blissful regions of immor
tality, to the kingdom of his beloved Master, the
great Bedeemer of the human race.
St. Clement, the contemporary of St. Paul,
speaks of that Apostle in the following terms, in
his First Epistle to the Corinthians : " By means
of jealousy, Paul has received the prize of per
severance. Having been seven times in bonds;
having been evil entreated and stoned ; having
preached in the east and in the west, he has ob
tained the glorious prize of his faith. After having
instructed all the world in righteousness, coming
into the west, he has suffered martyrdom under
those who command ; and thus quitting the
world, after having shown in it a great example
of patience, he is gone into the holy place."
He was buried in the Via Ostiensis, about two
miles from Bome. And about the year 31 7, Con-
stantine the Great, at the instance of Pope Silves
ter, built a stately church over his grave, adorned

it with a hundred marble columns, and beautified
it with the most exquisite workmanship.
St. Paul seems to haye been eminently fitted for
the Apostleship of the Gentiles, to contend with
and confute the grave and the wise, the acute and
the subtle, the sage and the learned, of the hea
then world, and to wound them with arrows
from their own quiver. He seldom, indeed, made
use of learning and philosophy, it being more
agreeable to the design ofthe Gospel, to confound
the wisdom and learning of the world by the
plain doctrine of the cross.
He was humbled to the lowest step of debase
ment and condescension, no one ever thinking
better of others, or more meanly of himself. And
though, when he had to deal with envious and
malicious adversaries, who endeavoured, by vi
lifying his person, to obstruct his ministry, he
knew how to magnify his office, and to let them
know that he was not inferior to the chiefest of
the Apostles ; yet at other times he always de
clared to the world that he considered himself
the least ofthe Apostles, not meet to be called an
Apostle ; and, as if this were not enough, he
formed a word on purpose to express his humi
lity, styling himself Elachistoteron, that is, less
than the least ofthe saints, nay, the very chief of
sinners. His repentance and sobriety were remark
able ; for he often abridged himself of the
conveniency of lawful and necessary accom
modations. What he taught to others he practised himself:
his conversation was in heaven, • and his desires
were to depart, and to be with Christ; and hence
it is very probable that he always led a single life,
though some of the ancients rank Mm among the
married Apostles.

Chap. VII.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

359

His kindness and charity were remarkable; he
had a compassionate tenderness for the poor, and
a quick sense of the wants of others. To what
church soever he came, it was always one of Ms
first cares to make provision for the poor, and to
stir up the bounty of the rich and wealthy ; nay,
he worked often with his own hands, not only to
maintain himself, but also to help and relieve the
poor. But his charity to the souls of men was
infinitely greater, fearing no dangers, refusing no
labours, going through good and evil report, that
he might gain men over to the knowledge of the
truth, and bring them out of the crooked paths,
and place them in the straight way that leadeth
to life eternal.
Nor was his charity to men greater than his
zeal to God, labouring with all his might to pro
mote the honour of his divine Master. When at
Athens, he saw them involved in the grossest
superstition and idolatry, and giving the honour
that was due to God alone, to statues and images ;
this fired bis zeal, and he couid not but let them
know the resentment of his mind, and how
greatly they dishonoured God, the great maker
and preserver of the world. Nor, in the course
of a most extensive ministry, was he tired either
with the dangers and difficulties he met with,
or the troubles and oppositions that were raised
against him.
This will easily appear, if we take a survey of
what trials and sufferings he underwent, some

parts of which are thus briefly summoned up
by himself: In labours abundant, in stripes above
measure, in prisons frequent; in deaths oft; thrice
beaten with rods, once stoned, thrice suffered ship
wreck, a night and a day in the deep; in journey-
ings often, in perils of waters, in perils by his coun
trymen, in perils by the Heathens, in perils in the
city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea,
in perils among false brethren ; in weariness and
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness ;
and besides those things that were without, that
which daily came upon him, the care of all the
churches. An account, though very great, yet
far short of what he endured. He did not want
solicitations, both from Jews and Gentiles, and
might, doubtless, in some measure, have made
his own terms, would he have been false to
his trust, and quitted that way which they so
violently opposed.
But those things weighed very little with our
Apostle, who counted not his life dear unto him,
so that he might finish his course with joy, and the
ministry which he had received ofthe Lord Jesus.
And, therefore, when he thought himself under
the sentence of death, could triumphantly say,
/ have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith. In short, he was a
man in whom the grace of God was displayed
with' peculiar lustre, and who gave the most con
vincing proofs, that the influence of Gospel prin-,
ciples exceeds all moral and legal obligations.

360

SAINT ANDREW.

CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. Andrew, from
his Birth, to his being called to the
Apostleship.
THIS Apostle was born at Bethsaida, a city
of Galilee, built on the banks ofthe lake
of Gennesaret, and was son to John, or Jonas, a
fisherman of that town. He was brother to Si
mon Peter, but whether older or younger, is not
certainly known, though the generality ofthe an
cients intimate that he was the younger. He was
brought up to his father's trade, at which he la
boured till our blessed Saviour called him to be
a " fisher of men," for which he was, by some
preparatory instructions, qualified-, even before
the appearance of the Messiah.
John the Baptist had lately preached the
doctrine of repentance ; and was, by the gene
rality of the Jews, from the impartiality of his
precepts, and the remarkable strictness and aus
terity of his life, held in great veneration.
In the number of his followers was our Apostle,
who accompanied him beyond Jordan, when the
Messiah, who had some time before been bap
tized, came that way. Upon his approach, the
Baptist pointed him out as the Messiah, styling
him the Lamb of God, the true sacrifice that was
to expiate the sins of the world. As soon as the
Baptist had given this character of Jesus, Andrew,
and another disciple, probably St. John, followed
the Saviour of mankind to the place of his abode.
After some conversation with him, Andrew
departed, and having found his brother Simon,

informed him that he had discovered the great
Messiah, so long expected by the house of Jacob;
and accordingly brought him to Jesus. They did
not, however, stay long with then Master, but
returned to their calling.
Something rnore than a year after, Jesus, passing
through Galilee, found Andrew and Peter fishing
on the sea of Galilee ; where he fully satisfied
them of the greatness and divinity of his person,
by a miraculous draught of fishes, which they
took at his command. He now told them that
they should enter on a different series of labours,
and instead of fish, should, by the efficacy and in
fluence of their doctrine upon the heart and con
science, catch men ; commanding them to follow
him, as his immediate disciples and attendants :
and, accordingly, they left all, and followed him.
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Andrew, from
our blessed Saviour's Ascension, till his
Martyrdom.
AFTER the ascension of the blessed Jesus
into heaven, and the descent of the Holy
Ghost on the Apostles, to qualify them for their
great undertaking, St. Andrew, according to the
generality of ancient writers, was chosen to
preach the Gospel in Scythia, and the neigh
bouring countries.
Accordingly he departed from Jerusalem, and
first travelled through Cappadocia, Galatia, and
Bithynia, instructing the inhabitants in the faith
of Christ, and continued his journey along the

CHRIST'S TIMFTATTOIo

Chap. II.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

361

Euxine Sea, into the deserts of Scythia. An
ancient author tells us, that he first came to
Amynsus, where, being entertained by a Jew, he
went into the synagogue, preached to them con
cerning Jesus, and, from the prophecies of the
Old Testament, proved him to be the Messiah,
and Saviour of the world. Having converted
many here, he settled the times of their public
meetings, and ordained them priests.
He next went to Trapezium, a maritime city
on the Euxine Sea ; from whence, after visiting
many other places, he came to Nice, where he
stayed two years, preaching and working mi
racles with great success. After leaving Nice he
passed to Nicomedia, and from thence to Chal-
cedon, whence he sailed through the Propontis
afterwards to Amastris. In all these places he
met with the greatest difficulties, but overcame
them by an invincible patience and resolution.
He next came to Synope, a city situated on the
same sea, and famous both for the birth and
burial of king Mithridates. Here he met with his
brother Peter, and stayed with him a conside
rable time. The inhabitants of Synope were
mostly Jews, who, partly from a zeal for their re
ligion, and partly from their barbarous manners,
were exasperated against St. Andrew, and en
tered into a confederacy to burn the house in
which he lodged. But being disappointed in
their design, they treated him with the most sa
vage cruelty, throwing him on the ground, stamp
ing upon him with their feet, pulling^ and drag
ging him from place to place ; some beating him
with clubs, some pelting him with stones, and
others, to satisfy their brutal revenge, biting off
the flesh with their teeth, till apprehending they
had entirely deprived him of life, they cast him
out into the fields. But he miraculously re
covered, and returned publicly into the city; by
which, and other miracles he wrought among
Nos. 31 &32.

them, many were converted from the error of
their ways, and induced to become disciples of
the blessed Jesus.
Departing from Synope, he returned to Jeru
salem ; but he did not continue long in that neigh
bourhood. He returned again to the province
allotted him for the exercise of his ministry,
which greatly flourished, through the power of
the divine grace that attended it.
He travelled over Thrace, Macedonia, Thes-
saly, Achaia, and Epirus, preaching the Gospel,
propagating Christianity, and then confirming
the doctrine he taught with signs and miracles.
At last he came to Petrea, a city of Achaia, where,
he gave his last and greatest testimony to the Gos
pel of his divine Master, sealing it with his blood. ,
iEgenas, proconsul of Achaia, came at this time ,
to Petrea, where, observing that multitudes had
abandoned the heathen religion, and embraced
the Gospel of Christ, he had recourse to every
method, both of favour and cruelty, to reduce the
people to their old idolatry. The Apostle, whom
no difficulties or dangers could deter from per- .
forming the duties of his ministry, addressed him
self to the proconsul, calmly putting him in mind,
that, being only a judge of men, he ought to re
vere him who was the supreme and impartial
Judge of all, pay him the divine honours due to
his exalted majesty, and abandon the impieties
of his idolatrous worship ; observing to him, that
if he would renounce his idolatries, and heartily
embrace the Christian faith, he should, with him
and the members who had believed in the Son
of God, receive eternal happiness in the Messiah's
kingdom. The proconsul answered, that he him
self should never embrace the religion he men
tioned; and that the only reason why he was so
earnest with him to sacrifice to the gods, was,
that those whom he had every where seduced,
3P

362

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

might, by his example, be brought back to the
ancient religion they had forsaken. The Apostle
replied, That he saw it was in vain to endeavour
to persuade a person incapable of sober coun
sels, and hardened in his own blindness and
folly ; that with regard to himself, he might act
as he pleased, and if he had any torment greater
than another, he might heap that upon him ; as
the greater constancy he showed in his sufferings
for Christ, the more acceptable he should be to
his Lord and Master. iEgenas could hold no
longer, and after treating him with very oppro
brious language, and showing him the most dis
tinguished marks of contempt, he passed sentence
on him that he should be put to death.
He first ordered the Apostle to be scourged,
and seven lictors successively whipped his naked
body ; but seeing his invincible patience and
constancy, he commanded him to be crucified ;
but to be fastened to the cross with cords instead
of nails, that Ms death might be more fingering
and tedious.
As he was led to the place of execution, walk
ing with a cheerful and composed mind, the
people cried out, that a good and innocent man
was unjustly condemned to die. On his coming
near the cross, he saluted it in the following man
ner: " I have long desired and expected this
happy hour. The cross has been consecrated
by the body of Christ hanging on it, and adorned
with his members as with so many inestimable
jewels. I, therefore, come joyfully and triumph
ing to it, that it may receive me as a disciple and
follower of him who once hung upon it, and be
the means of carrying me safe to my Master,
being the instrument on which he redeemed me."
After offering up his prayers to the throne

of grace, and exhorting the people to constancy
and perseverance in the faith he had delivered
to them, he was fastened to the cross, on which
he hung two whole days, teaching and instruct
ing the people in the best manner his wretched
situation would admit, being sometimes so weak
and faint as scarce to have the power of ut
terance. In the mean time great interest was made
to the proconsul to spare his life ; but the
Apostle earnestly begged of the Almighty, that
he might now depart, and seal the truth of
his religion with his blood. His prayers were
heard, and he expired, it is said, on the last
day of November, but in what year is un
certain. There seems to have been something peculiar
in the form of the cross on which he suffered. It
was commonly thought to /have been a cross
decussate, or two pieces of timber crossing each
other in the centre in the form of the letter X,
and hence usually known by the name of St.
Andrew's cross.
His body being taken down from the cross,
was decently and honourably interred by
Maximilia, a lady of great quality and es
tate, and who, Nicephorus tells us, was wife
to the proconsul.
Constantine the Great afterwards removed his
body to Constantinople, and buried it in the great
church he had built to the honour of the Apos
tles ; but this structure being taken down some
hundred years after, in order to rebuild it, by
Justinian the emperor, the body of St. Andrew
was found in a wooden coffin, and again depo
sited in its proper place.

363

SAINT JAMES THE GREAT.

CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. James the Great
from his Birth, to the Ascension of the
Son of God.
THIS Apostle (who was surnamed the Great,
by way of distinction from another of that
name) was the son of Zebedee, and by trade a
fisherman, to which he applied himself with re
markable assiduity, and was exercising his em
ployment, when the Saviour of tiie world passing
by the sea of Galilee, saw him, with his brother,
in the ship, and called them both to be his dis
ciples. Nor was the call in vain: they cheerfully
complied with it, and immediately left all to fol
low him ; readily delivering themselves up to per
form whatever service he should appoint them.
Soon after this he was called from the station
of an ordinary disciple, to the Apostolical office,
and even honoured with some particular favours
beyond most of the Apostles, being one of the
three whom our Lord made choice of as Ms com
panions, in the more intimate transactions of his
life, from which the rest were excluded. Thus,
with Peter and his brother John, he attended his
Master when he raised the daughter of Jairus
from the dead ; he was admitted to Christ's
glorious transfiguration on the mount; and when
the holy Jesus was to undergo his bitter agonies
in the garden, as preparatory sufferings to his
passion, James was one ofthe three taken to be
a spectator of them. Nor was it the least instance
of that particular honour our Lord conferred on
these Apostles, that at his calling them to the
Apostleship, he gave them a new name and title.

Simon he called Peter, or a Rock ; and James
and John, who were brothers, Boanerges, or
The sons of thunder.
Some think that this name was given them on
account of their loud and bold preaching the
Gospel to the world, fearing no threatenings, de
spising all opposition, and going on thundering in
the ears of a drowsy and sleepy world ; rousing
and awakening the consciences of men with the
earnestness and vehemence of their preaching,
which resembled thunder, as the voice of God
powerfully shakes the natural world, and breaks
in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. Others think it
relates to the doctrine they delivered, teaching
the great mysteries, and promulgating the Gos
pel, in a more profound and lofty strain than
the rest.
But however this be, our blessed Saviour,
doubtless, alluded by this term to the naturally
furious, and resolute disposition of these two
brothers, who seem to have been of a more fiery
temper than the rest of the Apostles, of which we
have this memorable instance : — When our Lord
was determined on his journey to Jerusalem, he
sent some of his disciples before him to make
preparations for his coming ; but, on their enter
ing a village of Samaria, they were rudely re
jected, from the old grudge that subsisted be
tween the Samaritans and Jews, and because the
Saviour, by going up to Jerusalem, seemed to
slight their place of worship on mount Gerizim.
This piece of rudeness and inhumanity was so
highly resented by St. James and his brother,
that they came to Jesus, desiring to know if he
would not imitate Elias, by calling down fire
3P* "

364

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

from heaven to consume this barbarous inhospi
table people ? Thus we perceive that these
Apostles were but men, and that corrupt nature
may sometimes appear even in renewed minds.
But the holy Jesus soon convinced them of their
mistake, by telling them, that instead of destroy
ing, he was come to save the lives of the children
of men.
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. James, from the
Messiah's Ascension to his sealing the
Truth of the Gospel with his Blood.
SOPHBONIUS tells us, that after the as
cension of the blessed Jesus, this Apostle
preached to the dispersed J ews ; that is, to those
converts who dispersed after the death of Ste
phen. The Spanish writers will have it, that
after preaching the Gospel in several parts of
Judea and Samaria, he visited Spain, where he
planted Christianity, and appointed some select
disciples to perfect what he had begun ; but if we
consider the shortness of St. James's life, and
that the Apostles continued in a body at Jerusa
lem, even after the dispersion of the other Chris

tians, we shall find it difficult to allow time suf-
cient for so tedious and difficult a voyage as that
was in those early ages ; and, therefore, it is safest
to confine his ministry to Judea and the adja
cent countries.
Herod, who was a bigot to the Jewish religion,
as well as desirous of acquiring the favour of the
Jews, began a violent persecution of the Chris
tians, and his zeal against them animated Mm to
pass sentence of death on St. James immediately.
As he was led to the place of execution, the
officer that guarded him to the tribunal, or
rather his accuser, having been converted by
that remarkable courage and constancy shown
by the Apostle at the time of his trial, repented
of what he had done, came and fell down at the
Apostle's feet, and heartily begged pardon for
what he had said against him. The holy man,
after recovering from the surprise, tenderly em
braced him. Peace, said he, my son, peace be unto
thee, and pardon of thy faults. Upon which the
officer publicly declared himself a Christian, and
both were beheaded at the same time. Thus fell
the great Apostle St. James, taking cheerfully
that cup, of which he had long before told his
Lord he was ready to drink.

SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST.

CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. John, from his
Birth, to the Ascension of his great
Lord and Master.
FBOM the very minute and circumstantial
account this Evangelist gives of John the
Baptist, he is supposed to have been one of his

followers, and is thought to be that other disciple
who, in the first chapter of his Gospel, is said to
have been present with Andrew, when John
declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God; and
thereupon to have followed him to the place
of his abode.
He was by much the youngest of the Apostles,
yet he was admitted into as great a share of his

Chap. II.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

365

Master's confidence as any of them. He was one
of those to whom he communicated the most
private transactions of his life ; one of those whom
he took with Mm when he raised the daughter
of Jairus from the dead ; one of those to whom
he displayed a specimen of his divinity, in his
'transfiguration on the mount ; one of those who
were present at his conference with Moses and
Elias, and heard that voice which declared him
the beloved Son of God; and one of those who
were companions in his solitude, most retired de
votions, and bitter agonies in the garden.
These instances of particular favour our
Apostle endeavoured, in some measure, to an
swer by returns of particular kindness and con
stancy. For though he at first deserted his Master
on his apprehension, yet he soon recovered him
self, and came back to see his Saviour, confidently
entered the high-priest's hall, followed our Lord
through the several particulars of his trial, and at
last waited on him at his execution, owning him,
as well as being owned by him, in the midst of
armed soldiers, and in the thickest crowds of
his most inveterate enemies. Here it was that
our great Bedeemer committed to his care his
sorrowful and disconsolate mother, with his
dying breath. And certainly the holy Jesus
could not have given a more honourable tes7
timony of his particular respect and kindness to
St. John, than by leaving his own mother to his
trust and care, and substituting him to supply
that duty himself paid her while he resided in
this vale of sorrow. CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. John, from the
Ascension of Christ to his Death.
AFTER the ascension of the Saviour of the
world, when the Apostles made a division
of die provinces among themselves, that of Asia

fell to the share of St. John, though he did not
immediately enter upon his charge, but continued
at Jerusalem till the death of the blessed Virgin,
which might be about fifteen years after our
Lord's ascension. Being released from the trust
committed to his care by his dying Master, he
retired into Asia, and industriously applied him
self to the propagation of Christianity, preaching
where the Gospel had not yet been known, and
confirming it where it was already planted.
Many churches of note and eminence were
founded by him, particularly those of Smyrna,
Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Lao-
dicea, and others ; but his chief place of residence
was at Ephesus, where St. Paul had many years
before founded a church, and constituted Timo
thy the bishop of it.
After spending several years at Ephesus, he
was accused to Domitian, who had begun a
persecution against the Christians, as an eminent
assertor of atheism and impiety, and a public
subverter of the religion of the empire ; so that
by his command the proconsul sent him bound
to Bome, where he met with the treatment that
might have been expected from so barbarous a
prince, being thrown into a caldron of boiling
oil. But the Almighty, who reserved him for
further service in the vineyard of his Son, re
strained the heat, as he did in the fiery furnace of
old, and delivered him from this seemingly una
voidable destruction. And surely one would
have thought that so miraculous a deliverance
should have been sufficient to have persuaded
any rational man, that the religion he taught
was from God, and that he was protected from
danger by the hand of Omnipotence.
But miracles themselves were not sufficient to
convince this cruel emperor, or abate his fury.
He ordered St. John to be transported to an
almost desolate island in the Archipelago, called

366

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

Patmos, where he continued several years, in
structing the poor inhabitants in the knowledge
of the Christian faith ; and here, about the end
of Domitian's reign, he wrote his book of Re
velation, exhibiting by visions, and prophetical
representations, the state and condition of Chris
tianity, in the future periods and ages of the
church. Upon the death of Domitian, and the succes
sion of Narva, who repealed all the odious acts
of his predecessor, and by public edicts recalled
those whom the fury of Domitian had banished,
St. John returned to Asia, and fixed his seat
again at Ephesus ; the rather because the people
of that city had lately martyred Timothy the
bishop. Here, with the assistence of seven other
bishops, he took upon himself the government of
the large diocese of Asia Minor, and disposed of
the clergy in the best manner that the circum
stances of those times would permit ; spending
bis time in an indefatigable execution of his
charge ; travelling from east to west, to instruct
the world in the principles of the holy religion
he was sent to propagate.
In this manner St. John continued to labour
in the vineyard of his great Master, until death
put a period to all his toils and sufferings ; which
happened in the beginning of Trajan's reign, in
the ninety-eighth year of his age ; and, accord
ing to Eusebius, his remains were buried near
Ephesus. St. John seems always to have led a single life ;
though some of the ancients tell us he was a
married man. He was polished by no study or
arts of learning ; but what was wanting from
human art, was abundantly supplied by the ex
cellent faculties of his mind, and that fulness of

his own honour. For in his epistles he never
styles himself either Apostle or Evangelist ; the
title of presbyter, or elder, is all he assumes, and
probably in regard to his age as much as his
office. In his Gospel, when he speaks of the dis
ciple whom Jesus loved, he constantly conceals
his own name, leaving the reader to discover
whom he meant. Love and charity he practised
himself, and affectionately pressed them upon
others. The great love of his Saviour towards
him seems to have inspired his soul with a large
and more generous charity than the rest.
This is the great vein that runs through all
his writings, especially his epistles, where he
urges it as the great and peculiar law of Chris
tianity, and without which all other pretences
to the religion of the holy Jesus are vain and
frivolous, useless, and insignificant. And this
was his constant practice to the very hour of his
dissolution; for when age and the decays of
nature had rendered him so weak that he was
unable to preach to the people any longer, tra
dition says, he was constantly led, at every
public meeting, to the church of Ephesus, and
always repeated to them the same precept, Little
children, love one another. And when his hearers,
wearied with the constant repetition of the same
thing, asked him why he never varied his dis
course, he answered, Because to love one another
was the command of our blessed Saviour, and,
consequently, one grand guide of our conduct
through life.
The greatest instance of our Apostle's care
for the souls of men, is in the writings he left
to posterity; the first of which in time, though
placed last in the sacred canon, is his Apocalypse,
or Book of Revelation, which he wrote during
his banishment at Patmos.

divine grace with which he was adorned. His
humility was admirable, studiously concealing || Next to the Apocalypse, in order of time, are

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

367

his three epistles ; the first of which is catholic,
¦calculated for all times and places, containing
the most excellent rules for the conduct of a
Christian life, pressing to holiness and pureness
of manners, and not to be satisfied with a
naked and empty profession of religion ; not
to be led away with the crafty insinuation of
seducers, and cautioning men against the poi
sonous principles and practices of the Gnostics.
The Apostle here, according to his usual mo
desty, conceals his name ; it being of more con
sequence to a wise man what is said, than he who
says it. It appears from St. Augustine, that
this epistle was anciently inscribed to the Par-
diians, because in all probability St. John
preached the Gospel in Parthia. The other
two epistles are but short, and directed to par
ticular persons ; the one to a lady of great
quality, the -other to the charitable and hospi
table Gaius, the kindest friend and most cour
teous entertainer of all indigent Christians.
Before he undertook the task of writing the
Gospel, he caused a general fast to be kept by

all the Asiatic churches, to implore the blessing
of Heaven on so great and momentous an under
taking. When this was done, he set about the
work, and completed it in so excellent and sub
lime a manner, that the ancients generally com
pared him to an eagle soaring aloft among the
clouds, whither the weak eye of man was not
able to follow him. " Among all the Evangelical
writers, (says St. Basil,) none is like St. John,
the son of thunder, for the sublimity of his
speech, and the height of his discourses, which
are beyond any man's capacity fully to reach and
comprehend." " St. John, as the true son of thun
der, (says Epiphanius,) by a loftiness of speech
peculiar to himself, acquaints us, as it were out
of the clouds and dark recesses of wisdom, with
the divine doctrine of the Son of God."
Such is the character given ofthe writings of
this great Apostle and Evangelist, who was
honoured with the endearing title of being the
beloved disciple of the Son of God ; a writer so
profound, as to deserve, by way of eminence, the
character of St. John the Divine,

SAINT PHILIP.

CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. Philip, from
his Birth, to the Time of his being
called to the Apostleship.
THIS Apostle was a native of Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Peter. He had
die honour of being first called to be a dis

ciple of the great Messiah, which happened in
the following manner: Our blessed Saviour,
soon after his return from the wilderness, where
he had been tempted by the devil, met with
Andrew and his brother Peter, and after some
discourse parted from them. The next day,
as he was passing through Galilee, he found
Philip, whom he presently commanded to fol-

368

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. H.

low him, the constant form he made use of
in calling his disciples, and those that insepa
rably attended him. So that the prerogative
of being first called, evidently belongs to St.
Philip, he being the first of our Lord's dis
ciples ; for though Andrew and Peter were the
first that came and conversed with the Sa
viour of the world, yet they immediately re
turned to their occupation, and were not called
till a whole year after.
It cannot be doubted, that notwithstanding
St. Philip was a native of Galilee, yet he was
excellently skilled in the law and the prophets.
Metaphrastes assures us, that he had, from his
childhood, been excellently educated; that he
frequently read over the books of Moses, and at
tentively considered the prophecies relating to
the Messiah.
Nor was our Apostle idle, after the honour
he had received of being called to attend the
Saviour of the world. He immediately im
parted the glad tidings of the Messiah's ap
pearance to his brother Nathanael, and con
ducted Mm to him.
After being called to the Apostleship, we have
very little recorded of him by the Evangelists. It
was, however, to him that our Saviour proposed
the question, where they should find bread suf
ficient to satisfy the hunger of so great a mul
titude ? Philip answered, that it was not easy
to procure so great a quantity; not considering
that it was equally easy for Almighty power to
feed double the number, when it should be Ms di
vine will. It was also to the same Apostle that
the Gentile proselytes, who came up to worship
at Jerusalem, applied, when they were desirous
to see the Saviour of the world. And it was
with him our Lord had the discourse a little be
fore the paschal supper.

The compassionate Jesus had been fortifying
their minds with proper considerations against
his departure from them, and had told them that
he was going to prepare for them a place in the
mansions of the heavenly Canaan ; that he was
the way, the truth, and the life ; and that no man
could come to the Father but by him.
Philip, not thoroughly understanding the force
of his Master's reasoning, begged of him that he
would show them the Father.
Our blessed Lord gently reproved Ms igno
rance, that, after attending so long to his instruc
tions, he should not know that he was the image
of his Father, the express character of his infinite
wisdom, power, and goodness, appearing in him;
that he said and did nothing but by his Father's
appointment, which if they did not believe, his
miracles were a sufficient evidence ; that such
demands w^re, therefore, unnecessary and im
pertinent; and that it was an indication of great
weakness in him, after three years' education
under his discipline and instruction, to appear
so ignorant with regard to these particulars.
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Philip, to the
Time of his Martyrdom.
THE ancients tell us, that in the distribution
made by the Apostles, of the several re
gions of the world, the Upper Asia fell to Ms
share; where he laboured with an indefatigable
diligence and industry. By the constancy and
power of his preaching, and the efficacy of his
miracles, he gained numerous converts, whom he
baptized into the Christian faith, curing at once
their bodies of infirmities and distempers, and their
souls of errors and idolatry. He continued with

Chap. I.

THE lives of the apostles.

377

The Apostle readily consented, and being
advantageously placed on a pinnacle of the tem
ple, they addressed him in the following man
ner : " Tell us, for we have all the reason in the
world to believe, that the people are thus ge
nerally led away with the doctrine of Jesus, who
was crucified ; tell us, what is the instruction of
the crucified Jesus ?" To which the Apostle an-
swered, with an audible voice, " Why do you
inquire of Jesus the Son of man ? He sits in
heaven, at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
and will come again in the clouds of heaven."
The people below hearing this, glorified the
blessed Jesus, and openly proclaimed, Hosanna
to the Son of David.
The Scribes and Pharisees now perceived that
they had acted foolishly; that instead of altering,
they had confirmed the people in their belief;
and that there was no way left but to despatch
him immediately, in order to warn others by his
sufferings, not to believe in Jesus of Nazareth.
Accordingly they suddenly cried out, That James
himself was seduced, and became an impostor ;
and they immediately threw him from the pin
nacle on which he stood, into the court below ;
but not being killed on the spot, he recovered
himself so far as to rise on his knees, and pray
fervently' to heaven for his murderers. But ma
lice is too diabolical to be pacified with kindness,
or satisfied with cruelty. Accordingly his ene
mies, vexed that they had not fully accomplished
then work, poured a shower of stones upon him,
while he was imploring their forgiveness at the
throne of grace ; and one of them, dissatisfied
with this cruel treatment, put an end to his misery
with a fuller's club.
Thus did this great and good man finish his
course, in the ninety-sixth year of his age, and
about twenty-four years after our blessed Sa
viour's ascension into heaven. His death was
Nos. 31 & 32.

lamented by all good men, even by the sober
and just persons among the Jews themselves, as
Josephus himself confesses.
He was a man of exemplary piety and devo
tion, educated under the strictest rules and in
stitutions of religion. Prayer was his constant
business and delight ; he seems as it were to
have lived upon it, and continually to have had
his conversation in heaven ; and he who has told
us, that the prayer of a righteous man availeth
much, found it so by his own experience, Heaven
lending a more immediate ear to his petitions ;
so that in a time of remarkable drought, on his
praying for rain, the clouds melted into fruitful
showers. Nor was his charity towards men less than
his piety towards God ; he did good to all,
watched diligently over the souls of men, and
studied to advance their eternal welfare. He
was of a remarkably meek and humble tem
per, honouring what was excellent in others,
and concealing what was valuable in himself.
Neither the eminence of his relation to the
blessed Jesus, nor the dignity of the place he
so worthily filled, could induce him to en
tertain lofty thoughts of himself above the
rest of his brethren ; on the contrary, he strove
to conceal whatever might place him in a
higher rank than the other disciples, of the
Lord of glory. Though he was a relative to
the Bedeemer of mankind, he styles himself
only the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, not
so much as mentioning his being an Apostle.
His temperance was admirable, wholly ab
staining from flesh, drinking neither wine nor
strong drink, and never using the bath. He
lived indeed after the strictest rules of the
Nazarite order; and as the mitre he wore
on his head evinced his priesthood, which was
3R

378

the lives of the apostles.

Chap. I.

rather from Melchizedec than Aaron, so he
never shaved his head, or used any ointments ;
his habit and diet, and the great severity of his
life, showed him to belong to the Nazarite in
stitution, to which he was consecrated even
from his mother's womb. In short, he was a
man of so divine a temper, that he was at once
the love and wonder of his age ; and from the
reputation of his holy and religious life, he was
styled James the Just.
He wrote only one Epistle, probably not long
before his martyrdom, as appears from some pas
sages in it, relating to the near approach of the
destruction of the Jews. He directed it to the
Jewish converts dispersed up and down those
Eastern countries, to comfort them under their

sufferings, and confirm them against error. He
saw a great degeneracy and declension of man
ners coming on ; and that the purity of the Chris
tian faith began to be undermined by the doctrines
and practices of the Gnostics, who, under pre
tence of zeal for the legal rights, generally mixed
themselves with the Jews ; he beheld libertinism
flowing in apace, and the way to heaven appa
rently uiade soft and easy by men, who declaimed
against good works as useless and unnecessary,
and wrested the Scriptures to subserve the pur
poses of their idle and corrupt affections. Our
Apostle, therefore, recommends that faith which
works by love, purifies the heart, and brings
forth obedience to the will of God, as the only
faith which will instrumentally save the soul
from eternal death.

SAINT SIMON, THE ZEALOT.

ST. SIMON, in the catalogue of the Apostles,
is styled Simon the Canaanite; whence some
conjecture he was born in Cana of Galilee, and
others will have him to have been the bridegroom
mentioned by St. John, at whose marriage our
blessed Saviour turned the water into wine. But
this word has no relation to his country, or the
place of his nativity, being derived from the He
brew word kana, which signifies zeal, and denotes
a warm and sprightly temper. What some ofthe
Evangelists, therefore, call Canaanite, others ren
dering the Hebrew by the Greek word, style him
Zealot: not so much from his great zeal, his ar
dent affection to his Master, and his desire of ad
vancing his religion in the world, as from his
warm active temper, and zealous forwardness in
some particular sect of religion before his coming
to our Saviour.
In order to understand this the better, it will be

necessary to observe, that as there were several
sects and parties among the Jews, so there Was
one, either a distinct sect, or at least a branch of
the Pharisees, called, The Sect of the Zealots.
This sect ofthe Zealots took upon them to execute
punishments in extraordinary cases ; and that not
only by the connivance, but with the permission,
both of the rulers and people, till, in process of
time, their zeal degenerated into all kinds of li
centiousness and wild extravagance, and they not
only became the pests of the commonwealth at
home, but opened the door for the Romans to
break in upon them, to their final and irrevocable
ruin. They were continually prompting the people
to throw off the Roman yoke, and assert their na
tural liberty ; taking care, when they had thrown
all things into confusion, to make then own ad
vantage of the tumult. Josephus gives a large
account of them, and every where bewails them
as the great plague of the nation.

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

379

Many attempts were made, especially by
Annas the high-priest, to reduce them to or
der, and oblige them to observe the rules of
sobriety. But all were in vain ; they continued
their violent proceedings, and, joining with the
Idumeans, committed every kind of outrage.
They broke into the sanctuary, slew the priests
themselves before the altar, and filled the streets
of Jerusalem with tumults, rapine, and blood.
Nay, when Jerusalem was closely besieged by
the Roman army, they continued their detest
able proceedings, creating fresh tumults and
factions, and were indeed the principal cause
of the ill success of the Jews in that fatal war.
This is a true account of the sect of the Zea
lots; though whatever St. Simon was before,
we have no reason to suspect but after his
conversion he was very zealous for the ho
nour of his Master, and considered all those
who were enemies to Christ as enemies to
himself, however near they might be to him
in any natural relation. And as he was very
exact in all the practical duties of the Chris
tian religion, so he showed a very serious and
pious indignation towards those who professed

religion, and a faith in Christ, with their mouths,
but dishonoured their sacred profession by their
irregular and vicious lives ; as some of the first
professing Christians really did.
St. Simon continued in communion with the
rest of the Apostles and Disciples at Jerusalem ;
and at the feast of Pentecost received the same
miraculous gifts ofthe Holy Ghost; so that, as
he was qualified with the rest of the brethren
for the Apostolical office, in propagating the
Gospel of the Son of God, we cannot doubt
of his exercising his gifts with the same zeal
and fidelity, though in what part of the world
is uncertain. Some say he went into Egypt,
Cyrene, and Africa, preaching the Gospel to
the inhabitants of those remote and barbarous
countries. And others add, that after he had
passed through those burning wastes, he took
ship, and visited the frozen regions of the
north, preaching the Gospel to the inhabi
tants of the western parts ; where, having con
verted great multitudes, and sustained the great
est hardships and persecutions, he was at last
crucified, and buried; but the place where,
is unknown.

SAINT JUDE.

THIS Apostle is mentioned by three several
names in the Evangelical history, namely,
Jude or Judas, Thaddeus, and Lebbeus.
He was brother to St. James the Less, after
wards bishop of Jerusalem, being the son of Jo
seph, the reputed father of Christ, by a former
wife. It is not known when or by what means

he became a disciple of our blessed Saviour,
nothing being said of him till we find him in the
catalogue ofthe twelve Apostles; nor afterwards
till Christ's last supper, when, discoursing with
them about his departure, and comforting them
with a promise, that he would return to them
again, (meaning after his resurrection,) and that
the world should see him no more, though they
3R*

380

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

should see him, our Apostle said to his Master,
Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to
us, and not unto the world? Paulinus tells us,
that the province which fell to the share of St.
Jude, in the Apostolic division of the provinces,
was Lybia ; but he does not tell us, whether it
was the Cyrenean Lybia, which is thought to
have received the Gospel from St. Mark, or the
more southern parts of Africa. But however that
be, in his first setting out to preach the Gospel,
he travelled up and down Judea and Galilee,
then through Samaria into Idumea, and to the
cities of Arabia and the neighbouring countries,
and afterwards to Syria and Mesopotamia.
Nicephorus adds, that he came at last to Edessa,
where Abagarus governed, and where Thaddeus,
one of the seventy, had already sown the seeds
of the Gospel. Here he perfected what the other
had begun; and having by his sermons and mi-
rades established the religion of Jesus, he died in
peace. But others say that he was slain at Be-
rytus, and honourably buried there.
The writers of the Latin church are una
nimous in declaring that he travelled into Per
sia, where, after great success in his Apos
tolic ministry for many years, he was at last,
for his freely and openly reproving the super

stitious rites and customs of the Magi, cruelly put
to death.
St. Jude left only one Epistle, which is placed
the last of those seven styled catholic, in the sa
cred canon. It has no particular inscription, as
the other six have ; but it is thought to have been
primarily intended for the Christian Jews,, in
their several dispersions, as St. Peter's epistles
were. In it he tells them, " That he at first in
tended to write to them in general of the common
salvation, and establish and confirm them in it ;
but seeing the doctrine of Christ attacked on
every side by seducers, he conceived it more ne
cessary to spend his time in exhorting them to
fight manfully in defence ofthe faith once deli
vered to the saints, and oppose the false teachers
who laboured so indefatigably to corrupt it."
It was some time before this Epistle was gene
rally received in the church. The author, indeed,
like St. James, St. John, and sometimes St. Paul
himself, does not call himself an Apostle, styling
himself only the servant of Christ. But he has
added what is equivalent, Jude the brother of James,
a character that can belong to no one but our
Apostle. And surely the humility of a follower of
Jesus should be no objection against his writings.

SAINT MATTHIAS.

AS MATTHIAS was not an Apostle ofthe
first election, immediately called and
chosen by the Son of God himself, it cannot be
expected that any account of him can be found
in the Evangelical history. He was one of our
Lord's disciples, probably one of the seventy.
He had attended on him the whole time of his
public ministty, and after his death was elected
to the Apostleship, to supply the place of Judas,

who, after betraying his great Lord and Masted,
laid violent hands on himself.
The defection of Judas having made a va
cancy in the family of the Apostles, the first
thing they did, after their return from Mount
Olivet, when their great Master ascended to
the throne of his glory, was to fill it up with
a proper person.

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

381

Accordingly, two persons were proposed,
Joseph, called Barsabas, and Matthias, both
duly qualified for the important office. The
method of election was by lots, a way com
mon both among the Jews and Gentiles, for
determining doubtful and difficult cases, espe
cially in choosmg judges or magistrates. And
this course seems to have been taken by the
Apostles, because the Holy Ghost was not yet
fully given, by whose immediate dictates and
inspirations they were afterwards chiefly guided.
The prayer being ended, the lots were drawn ;
by which it appeared that Matthias was the per
son, and he was accordingly numbered among
the twelve Apostles.
Not long after this election, the promised
powers of the Holy Ghost were conferred upon
the Apostles, to qualify them for that great
and difficult employment upon which they
were sent, namely, the establishing the holy
religion of the Son of God among the children
„r 

Saint MattMas spent the first year of his
ministry in Judea, where he reaped a con
siderable harvest of souls, and then travelled
into different parts of the world, to publish
the glad tidings of salvation to a people who
had never before heard of a Saviour. But
the particular parts he visited are not cer
tainly known.
It is uncertain by what kind of death he
left the regions of mortality, and sealed the
truth of the Gospel he had so assiduously
preached, with his blood. Dorotheus says, he
finished his course at Sebastople, and was
buried there near the temple of the sun.

An ancient Martyrology reports him to have
been seized by the Jews, and as a blasphemer
to have been stoned, and then beheaded. But
the Greek offices, supported herein by seve
ral ancient breviaries, tell us that he was
crucified.

SAINT MARK.

ST. MABK was descended from Jewish pa
rents, and of the tribe of Levi. Nor was it
uncommon among the Jews to change their
names on some remarkable revolution or acci
dent of life, or when they intended to travel into
any of the European provinces of the Boman
empire. The ancients generally considered him
as one of the seventy disciples ; and Epiphanius
expressly tells us that he was one of those who,
taking exception at our Lord's discourse of
eating his flesh and drinking his bhod, went back
and walked no more with him. But there appears
no manner of foundation for these opinions, nor
likewise for that of Nicephorus, who will have
him to be the son of Peter's sister.

Eusebius tells us, that St. Mark was sent into
Egypt by St. Peter to preach the Gospel, and
accordingly planted a church in Alexandria,
the metropolis of it; and his success was so
very remarkable, that he converted multitudes,
both of men and women, persuading them
not only to embrace the Christian religion,
but also a life of more than ordinary strictness.
St. Mark did not confine himself to Alexan
dria, and the oriental parts of Egypt, but re
moved westward to Lybia, passing through the
countries of Marmacia, Pentapolis, and others
adjacent, where, though the people were both bar
barous in their manners and idolatrous in their
worship, yet by his preaching and miracles he

382

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

prevailed on them to embrace the tenets of the
/Gospel ; nor did he leave them till he had con
firmed them in the faith.
After this long tour he returned to Alexandria,
where he preached with the greatest freedom,
ordered and disposed of the affairs of the church,
and wisely provided for its prosperity, by con
stituting governors and pastors of it. But the
restless enemy of the souls of men would not
suffer our Apostle to continue in peace and
quietness ; for while he was assiduously labour
ing in the vineyard of his Master, the idolatrous
inhabitants, about the time of Easter, when they
were celebrating the solemnities of Serapis, tu-
multuously entered the church, forced St. Mark,
then performing divine service, from thence;
and, binding his feet with cords, dragged him
through the streets, and over the most craggy
places, to the Bucelus, a precipice near the sea,
leaving him there in a lonesome prison for that
night; but his great and beloved Master appeared
to him in a vision, comforting and encouraging
his soul under the ruins of his shattered body.
The next morning early the tragedy began afresh,
for they dragged him about in the same cruel
and barbarous manner, till he expired. But their
malice did not end with his death ; they burnt
his mangled body, after they had so inhumanly
deprived it of life : but the Christians, after the
horrid tragedy was over, gathered his bones and
ashes, and decently interred them near the place
where he used to preach. His remains were

afterwards, with great pomp, removed from
Alexandria to Venice, where they were reli
giously honoured, and he was adopted the titu
lar saint and patron of that state.
It is said he suffered martyrdom on the 25th of
April, but the year is not absolutely known. The
most probable opinion, however, is, that it hap
pened about the end of Nero's reign.
His Gospel, the only writing he left behind
him, was written at the entreaty and earnest de
sire of the converts at Bome, who, not content
with having heard St. Peter preach, pressed St.
Mark, his fellow disciple, to commit to writing
an historical account of what he had delivered
to them, which he performed with equal faith
fulness and brevity; and being perused and ap
proved of by St. Peter, it was commanded to be
publicly read in their assemblies. It was fre
quently styled St. Peter's Gospel, not because he
dictated it to St. Mark, but because the latter
composed it in the same manner as St. Peter
usually delivered his discourses to the people.
And this is probably the reason of what St.
Chrysostom observes, that in his style of expres
sion he delights to imitate St. Peter, representing
a great deal in a few words. The remarkable
impartiality he observes in all his relations is
plain from hence, that so far from concealing the
shameful lapse and denial of Peter, he describes
it with more aggravating circumstances than any
of the other Evangelists.

383

SAINT LUKE.

THIS disciple of the blessed Jesus was born
at Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, a city
celebrated by the greatest-writers of those times
for the pleasantness of its situation, the fertility
of its soil, the riches of its commerce, the wis
dom of its senate, and the civility and polite
ness of its inhabitants. It was eminent for
schools of learning, which produced the most
renowned masters in the' arts and sciences.
So that being born, as it were, in the lap of
the Muses, he could not well fail of acquiring
an ingenuous and liberal education. But he
was not contented with the learning of his own
country ; he travelled for improvement into
several parts of Greece and Egypt, and became
particularly skilled in physic, which he made his
profession. But those who would, from this particular,
infer the quality of his birth and fortune, forget
that the healing art was in those early times ge
nerally practised by servants ; and hence Grotius
is of opinion, that St. Luke was carried to Rome,
and lived there a servant to some noble family,
in quality of physician ; but after obtaining his
freedom he returned into his own country, and
probably continued his profession till his death,
it being so highly consistent with, and in many
cases subservient to, the care of souls.
He was also famous for his skill in another
art, namely, painting, as appears from an ancient
inscription found in a vault near the church of
St. Maria de via Lata, at Rome, supposed to
have been the place where St. Paul dwelt, which
mentions a picture of the blessed Virgin ; Una
ex vii ab Luca depictis, being one of the seven
painted by St. Luke.

St. Luke was a Jewish proselyte ; but at what
time he became a Christian is uncertain. It is the
opinion of some, from the introduction to his
Gospel, that he had the facts from the reports of
others who were eye-witnesses, and suppose him
to have been converted by St. Paul ; and that he
learned the history of liis Gospel from the con
versation of that Apostle, and wrote it under his
direction ; and that when St. Paul, in one of his
epistles, says, according to my Gospel, he means
this of St. Luke, which he styled his, from the
great share he had in the composition of it
On the other hand, those who hold that he
wrote his Gospel < from his own personal know
ledge, observe, that he could not receive it from
St. Paul, as an eye-witness of the matters con
tained in it, because all those matters were
transacted before his conversion ; and that he
never saw our Lord before he appeared to him
on his journey to Damascus, which was some
time after he ascended into heaven. Conse
quently, when St. Paul says, according to my
Gospel, he means no more than that Gospel in
general which he preached ; the whole preaching
of the Apostles being styled the Gospel.
But however this be, St. Luke became the in
separable companion of St. Paul in all his travels,
and his constant fellow-labourer in the work of
the ministry. This endeared him to that Apostle,
who seems delighted with owning him for his
fellow-labourer, and in calling him the beloved
physician, and the brother whose praise is in the
Gospel. St. Luke wrote two books for the use of the
church, his Gospel, and the Acts of the Apostles;

384

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

both which he dedicated to Theophilus, which
many of the ancients suppose to be a feigned
name, denoting a lover of God, a title common to
all sincere Christians. But others think it was a
real person, because the title of most excellent is
attributed to him ; the usual title and form of ad
dress in those times to princes and great men.
His Gospel contains the principal transactions
of our Lord's life ; and the particulars omitted
by him are in general of less importance than
those of the other Evangelists.
With regard to the Acts of the Apostles,
written by St. Luke, the work was doubtless
performed at Rome, about the time of St. Paul's
residing there, with which he concludes his his
tory. It contains the actions, and sometimes the
sufferings, of the principal Apostles, especially
St. Paul, whose activity in the cause of Christ
made him bear a great part in the labours of

his Master; and St. Luke being his constant
attendant, an eye-witness of the whole carriage
of his life, and privy to his most intimate trans-.
actions, was, consequently, capable of giving a
more full and satisfactory account of them.
Among other things, he enumerates the great
miracles the Apostles did in confirmation of their
doctrine. In both these treatises his manner of writing
is exact and accurate ; his style noble and ele
gant, sublime and lofty, and yet clear and per
spicuous, flowing with an easy and natural grace
and sweetness, admirably adapted to an historical
design. In short, as an historian he was faith
ful in his relations, and elegant in his writings ;
as a minister, careful and diligent for the good of
souls; as a Christian, devout and pious; and, to
crown all the rest, laid down Ms life in testimony
of the Gospel he had both preached and pub
lished to the world.

SAINT BARNABAS.

ST. BARNABAS was at first called Joses, a
softer termination generally given by the
Greeks to Joseph. His fellow-disciples added
the name of Barnabas, as significant of some
extraordinary property in him. St. Luke in
terprets it the son of consolation, from his being
ever ready to administer to the afflicted, both by
word and action.
He was a descendant of the tribe of Levi, of
a family removed out of Judea, and settled in
the isle of Cyprus, where they had purchased
an estate, as the Levites might do, out of their
own country. His parents, finding him of a
promising genius and disposition, placed him in

one of the schools of Jerusalem, under the tuition
of Gamaliel, St. Paul's master ; an incident which,
in all probability, laid the first foundation for that
intimacy that afterwards subsisted between these
two eminent servants of the blessed Jesus.
The first mention we find of St. Barnabas, in
the holy Scripture, is the record of that great and
worthy service he did the church of Christ, by
succouring it with the sale of his patrimony in
Cyprus, the whole price of which he laid at
the Apostles' feet, to be put in the common
stock, and disposed of as they should think
fit among the indigent followers of the holy
Jesus. This worthy example was followed by

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

369

them a considerable time in settling churches, and
appointing them guides and ministers of religion.
After several years successfully exercising his
Apostolical office in all those parts, he came at
last to Hierapolis, in Phrygia, a city remarkably
rich and populous, but at the same time overrun
with the most enormous idolatry.
St. Philip being grieved to see the people so
wretchedly enslaved by error and superstition,
continually offered his addresses to Heaven, till
by his prayers, and often calling on the name of
Christ, he procured the death, or, at least, the
vanishing, of an enormous serpent, to which
they paid adoration.
Having thus demolished their deity, he demon
strated to them how ridiculous and unjust it was
for them to pay divine honours to such odious
creatures; showed them that God alone was to
be worshipped as the great parent of all the
world, who in the beginning made man after his
glorious image, and when fallen from that inno
cent and happy state, sent his own Son into the

world to redeem him ; that in order to perform
this glorious work, he died on the cross, and rose
again from the dead, and at the end of the world
will come again to raise all the sons of men from
the chambers of the dust, and sentence them to
everlasting rewards and punishments. This dis
course roused them from their lethargy; they
were ashamed of their late idolatry, and great
numbers embraced the doctrines of the Gospel.
This provoked the great enemy of mankind,
and he had recourse to his old methods, cruelty
and persecution. The magistrates of the city
seized the Apostle, and, having thrown him into
prison, caused him to be scourged. When this
preparatory cruelty was over, he was led to exe
cution, and being bound, was hanged against a
pillar ; or, according to others, crucified. The
Apostle being dead, his body was taken down by
St. Bartholomew, his fellow-labourer in the Gos
pel, and Mariamne, St. Philip's sister, the con
stant companion of his travels, and decently
buried : after which they confirmed the people in
the faith of Christ, and departed from them.

SAINT BARTHOLOMEW.

CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. Bartholomew,
from his Birth, to the Ascension of his
great Master.
THIS Apostle is mentioned amongst the
twelve immediate disciples of our Lord,
under the appellation of Bartholomew ; though
it is evident, from divers passages of Scripture,
that he was also called Nathanael. We shall,
therefore, in our account of his life, consider the
Nos. 31 & 32.

names of Nathanael and Bartholomew, as be
longing to one and the same person.
With regard to his descent and family, some
are of opinion that he was a Syrian, and that he
was descended from the Ptolemies of Egypt. But
it is plain, from the Evangelical history, that he
was a Galilean; St. John having expressly told
us that Nathanael was of Cana in Galilee.
The Scripture is silent with regard to his
trade and manner of life; though from some
3Q

370

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

circumstances there is room to imagine that he
was a fisherman. He was, at his first coming
to Christ, conducted by Philip, who told him
they had now found the long-expected Messiah,
so often foretold by Moses and the prophets,
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And when
he objected that the Messiah could not be born
at Nazareth, Philip desired him to come and sa
tisfy himself that he was the Messiah.
At his approach, our blessed Saviour saluted
him with this honourable appellation, that he was
an Israelite indeed, in whom there was no guile;
not as possessed by nature, but as obtained by
grace; for such perfection cannot be attached
to human nature, but in the character of the
blessed Jesus, of whom it is said, with peculiar
propriety, that he was holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners; also that he knew no sin,
neither was guile, that is, fraud or deception,
found in his tongue. Our Saviour knew that
Bartholomew's doubt of Ms Messiahship arose
from Philip's announcing him in the character
of Jesus of Nazareth, a place stigmatized for the
vices of its inhabitants ; which, on a similar oc
casion, caused an interrogatory, which accords
with Bartholomew's opinion, Can any good come
out of Nazareth ? Our Saviour, therefore, com
mends his frankness, by denominating him an
Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. In
another sense he appeared to be a true Israelite,
or one that waited for redemption in Israel,
which, from the times mentioned in the Scripture
predictions, he knew to be near at hand.
He was greatly surprised at our Lord's salu
tation, wondering how he could know him at
first sight, as imagining he had never before
seen his face. But he was answered, that he
had seen him while he was yet under the fig-
tree, even before Philip called him. Convinced
by this instance of our Lord's divinity, he pre

sently made his confession, that he was now
sure that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the
Son of God, whom he had appointed to govern
the church. Our blessed Saviour told him, that
if from this instance he could believe him to be
the Messiah, he should have far greater argu
ments to confirm his faith ; for that he should
hereafter behold the heavens opened lo receive
him, and the angels visibly appearing joyful at
his entrance into the heavenly Canaan.

CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Bartholomew,
from the Ascension of Christ to his
Martyrdom.
OUR Apostle having his peculiar spot allotted
him, for the promulgation of the Gospel
of his blessed Master, who had now ascended into
heaven, and dispensed his Holy Spirit to fit and
qualify his disciples for the important work,
visited different parts of the world to preach the
Gospel, and penetrated as far as the higher India.
After spending a considerable time in India,'
and the eastern extremities of Asia, he returned
to the northern and western parts; and we find
him at Hierapolis, in Phrygia, labouring in con
cert with St. Philip to plant Christianity in those
parts ; and to convince the blind idolaters of the
evil of their ways, and direct them in the paths
that lead to eternal salvation. This enraged the
bigoted magistrates, and he was, together with St.
Paul, designed for martyrdom, and in order to
this fastened to a cross; but their consciences
pricking them for a time, they took St. Bartholo
mew down from the cross, and set him at liberty.
From hence he retired to Lycaonia, and
St. Chrysostom assures us that he instructed

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

371

and trained up the inhabitants in the Christian
discipline. His last remove was to Albanople,
in Great Armenia, a place miserably overrun
with idolatry, from which he laboured to re
claim the people. But his endeavours to turn
them from darkness unto light, and from the

power of Satan unto God, were so far from
having the desired effect, that it provoked the
magistrates, who prevailed on the governor to
put him to death ; which he cheerfully under
went, sealing the truth of the doctrine he had
preached with his blood.

SAINT MATTHEW.

CHAP. I.
The Transactions of St. Matthew from
his Birth to the Ascension of Christ.
ST. MATTHEW, called also Levi, though
a Roman officer, was a true Hebrew, and
probably a Galilean. His trade was that of a
publican, or tax-gatherer to the Romans, an
office detested by the generality ofthe Jews on
two accounts ; first, because having farmed the
custom of the Roman9, they used every method
of oppression in order to pay their rents to them ;
secondly, because they demanded tribute of the
Jews, who considered themselves as a free people,
having received that privilege from God himself.
And hence they had a common proverb among
them, " Take not a wife out of that family in
which there is a publican ; for they are all publi
cans :" that is, they are all thieves, robbers, and
notorious sinners. And to this proverbial speech
and custom our blessed Saviour alludes, when
speaking of an hardened sinner, on whom neither
private reproofs, nor the public censures and ad
monitions of the church, can prevail : Let him be
to thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Our blessed Saviour having cured a person
long afflicted with the palsy, retired out of Caper
naum, to walk by the sea-side; where he taught
the people that flocked^fter him.

Here he saw Matthew sitting in his office, and
called him to follow him. The man was rich,
had a large and profitable employment, was a
wise and prudent person, and doubtless under
stood what would be his loss to comply with the
call of Jesus. He was not ignorant that he must
exchange wealth for poverty, a custom-house
for a prison, and rich and powerful masters for a
naked and despised Saviour. But he overlooked
all these considerations, left all his interest and
relations, to become our Lord's disciple, and to
embrace a more spiritual way of life.
The Pharisees, who sought all opportunities
of raising objections against the doctrines of
the blessed Jesus, took this opportunity of sug
gesting to his disciples, that it was highly
unbecoming so pure and holy a person as
their Master appeared to be, to converse so
familiarly with the worst of men; with pub
licans and sinners, persons infamous to a pro
verb. But he presently replied to them, that
these were the sick, and, therefore, needed
the physician ; that his company was of most
consequence where the souls of men most re
quired it; that God preferred works of mercy
and charity, especially in doing good to the
souls of men, infinitely above all ritual ob
servances ; and that the principal design of
his coming into the world was not to call the
righteous, or those who, like themselves, vainly
3Q*

372

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

pretended to be so, but sinners, notorious con
vinced sinners, to repentance.
After St. Matthew's election to the Apostle
ship, he continued with the rest till the ascension
of his great and beloved Master ; but the Evan
gelical writers have recorded nothing particular
concerning him during that period.

CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Matthew, from
the Ascension of Christ to his Mar
tyrdom.
AFTER our blessed Saviour's ascension
into heaven, St. Matthew, for the first
eight years at least, preached in different parts
of Judea ; but afterwards he left the country of
Palestine, to convert the Gentile world. Before
his departure he was entreated by the Jewish
converts to write the history of the life and
actions of the blessed Jesus, and leave it among
them as a standing monument of what he had
so often delivered to them in his sermons. This
he readily complied with, as we shall more
particularly mention in giving an account of
his Gospel.
After his leaving Judea, he travelled into
several parts, especially Ethiopia : but the par
ticular places he visited are not known with any
certainty. However, after labouring indefatigably in the
vineyard of his Master, he suffered martyrdom
at a city of Ethiopia, called Naddabar ; but by
what kind of death is not absolutely known,
though the general opinion is, that he was slain
with an halbert.

St. Matthew was a remarkable instance of the
power of religion, in bringing men to a better
temper of mind. If we reflect upon his circum
stances while he continued a stranger to the great
Redeemer of mankind, we shall find that the
love of the world had possessed his heart. But
notwithstanding this, no sooner did Christ call
him, than he abandoned, without the least scruple
or hesitation, all his riches; nay, he not only re
nounced his lucrative trade, but ran the greatest
hazard of displeasing the masters who employed
him, for quitting their service without giving
them the least notice, and leaving his accounts
in apparent confusion. Had our blessed Saviour
appeared as a secular prince, clothed with tem
poral power and authority, it would have been
no wonder for him to have gone over to his
service ; but when he appeared under all the
rircumstances of meanness and disgrace; when
he seems to have promised his followers nothing
outwardly but sufferings in this life, and to have
proposed no other rewards than the invisible
encouragements of another world, his change
appears truly wonderful and surprising ; but di
vine grace can subdue all opposition.
His contempt of the world appeared in his
exemplary temperance, and abstemiousness from
all delights and pleasures ; nay, even from the
ordinary conveniences and accommodations of
it. He was mean and modest in his own opinion,
always preferring others to himself; for whereas
the other Evangelists, in describing the Apostles
by pairs, constantly place him before St. Thomas,
he modestly places him before himself. The
rest of the Evangelists are careful to mention
the honour of his Apostleship, but speak of his
former sordid, dishonest, and disgraceful course
of life, only under the name of Levi ; while
he himself sets it down, with all the circum
stances, under his own proper and common
name. A conduct which at once commends

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

373

the prudence and candour of the Apostle, and
suggests to us this useful reflection, that the
greatest sinners are not excluded from divine
grace ; nor can any, if penitent, have just reason
to despair, when publicans and sinners find
mercy at the throne of grace.
The last thing we shall remark in the life of
this Apostle, is his Gospel, written at the entreaty
of the Jewish converts, while he abode in Pa
lestine ; but at what time is uncertain. Some
will haye it to have been written eight, some
fifteen, and some thirty years after our Lord's

ascension. It was originally written in Hebrew,
but soon after translated into Greek by one of
the disciples.
After the Greek translation was admitted, the
Hebrew copy was diiefly owned and used by the
Nazaraei, a middle sect between Jews and Chris
tians. With the former they adhered to the rites
and ceremonies of the Mosaic law, and with the
latter they believed in Christ, and embraced his
religion; and hence this Gospel has been styled,
The Gospel according to the Hebrews, and, The
Gospel ofthe Nazarenes.

SAINT THOMAS.

CHAP. I.

The Transactions of St. Thomas, from
his Birth to the Ascension of our
blessed Saviour.
EVANGELICAL history is entirely silent
with regard either to the country or kin
dred of Thomas. It is, however, certain, that
he was a Jew, and in all probabifity a Galilean.
He was, together like the rest, called to the
Apostleship ; and not long after gave an eminent
instance of his being ready to undergo the most
melancholy fate that might attend him. For
when the rest of the Apostles dissuaded their
Master from going into Judea, at the time of
Lazarus's death, because the Jews lately endea
voured to stone him, Thomas desired them not
to hinder Ms journey thither, though it might
cost them all their lives. Let us go, said he, that
we may die with him ; concluding that, instead of
Lazarus being raised from the dead, they should
all, like him, be placed in the chambers ofthe dust.

When the holy Jesus, a little before his suffer
ings, had been speaking to them of the joys of
heaven, and had told them he was going to pre
pare mansions for them, that they might follow
him, and that they knew both the place whither
he was going, and the way thither ; our Apostle
replied, That they knew not whither he was
going, much less the way that would lead them
thither. To which our Lord returned this short
but satisfactory answer; lam the way; I am the
person whom the Father sent into the world to
show mankind the paths that lead to eternal life,
and, therefore, you cannot miss the way if you
follow my example.
After the disciples had seen their great Master
expire on the cross, their minds were distracted
by hopes and fears concerning his resurrection,
about which they were not then fully satisfied,
which engaged him the sooner to hasten his
appearance, that by the sensible manifestations
of himself, he might put the matter beyond all
possibility of dispute. Accordingly, the very day
in which he arose from the dead, he came into

374

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. II.

the house where they were assembled, while
the doors about them were close shut, and gave
them sufficient assurance that he was risen from
the dead.
At this meeting Thomas was absent, having
probably never joined their company since their
dispersion in the garden, where every one's fears
prompted him to consult his own safety. At his
return they told him that the Lord had appeared
to them ; but he obstinately refused to give credit
to what they said, or believe that it was really
he, presuming it rather a spectre or apparition,
unless he might see the very print of the nails,
and feel the wounds in his hands and side.
But our compassionate Saviour would not
take the least notice of his perverse obstinacy, but
on that day seven-night came again to them, as
they were solemnly met at their devotions, and
calling to Thomas, bade Mm look upon his hands,
put his fingers into the prints of the nails, and
thrust his hand into his side, to satisfy his faith
by a demonstration from the senses. Thomas
was soon convinced of his error and obstinacy,
confessing that he now acknowledged him to be
his Lord and his Master, saying, My Lord and my
God. Our Lord answered, That it was happy for
him he believed the testimony of his own senses;
but that it would have been more commendable
in him to have believed without seeing, because
it was foretold that the Son of God should burst
the chains of death, and rise again from the dead.
CHAP. II.
The Transactions of St. Thomas, from
the Ascension of the Son of God to his
death.
OUR great Redeemer having, according to
his promise before his ascension, poured
an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Ghost upon

his disciples to qualify them for the great work of
preaching the Gospel, St. Thomas, as well as the
rest, preached the Gospel in several parts of
Judea ; and after the dispersion of the Christian
church in Jerusalem, repaired into Parthia, the
province assigned him for his ministry. After
which, as Sempronius and others inform us, he
preached the Gospel to the Medes, Persians, Car-
minians, Hyrcani, Bractarians, and the neigh
bouring nations. During his preaching in Persia,
he is said to have met with the magi, or wise
men, who had taken that long journey at our
Saviour's birth to worship him, whom he bap
tized, and took with him as his companions and1
assistants in propagating the Gospd.
Leaving Persia, he travelled into Ethiopia,
preaching the glad tidings of the Gospel, healing
their sick, and working other miracles, to prove
he had his commission from on high. And after
travelling through these countries, he entered
India. When the Portuguese first visited these coun
tries, after their discovery of a passage by the
Cape of Good Hope, they received the following
particulars, partly from constant and uncontro-
verted traditions preserved by the Christians in
those parts ; namely, that St. Thomas came first
to Socotora, an island in the Arabian Sea, and
then to Cranganor, where having converted
many from the error of their ways, he travelled
farther into the east; and having successfully
preached the Gospel, returned back to the Mng-
dom of Coromandel, where at Malipour, the me
tropolis of that kingdom, not far from the mouth
of the Ganges, he began to erect a place for di
vine worship, till prohibited by the idolatrous
priests, and Sagamo, prince of that country.
But after performing several miracles, the work
was suffered to proceed, and Sagamo himself
embraced the Christian faith, whose example

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

375

was soon followed by great numbers of his
friends and subjects.
This remarkable success alarmed the Brach
mans, who plainly perceived that their re
ligion would be soon extirpated, unless some
method could be found of putting a stop to
the progress of Christianity ; and, therefore,
resolved to put the Apostle to death. At a
small distance from the city was a tomb,
whither St. Thomas often retired for private de
votions. Hither the Brachmans and their armed
followers pursued him, and while he was at
prayer, they first shot at him a shower of darts,
after which one of the priests ran him through
with a lance.

His body was taken up by his disciples, and
buried in the church he had lately erected, and
which was afterwards improved into a fabric of
great magnificence.
St. Chrysostom says, that St. Thomas, who
at first was the weakest and most incredulous
of all the Apostles, became, through Christ's
condescension to satisfy his scruples, and the
power of the divine grace, the most active and
invincible of them all ; travelling over most parts
of the world, and living without fear in the midst
of barbarous nations, through the efficacy of that
Almighty power, which can make the weakest
vessels to perform acts of the greatest difficulty
and moment.

SAINT JAMES THE LESS.

CHAP. III.
The Transactions of St. James the Less
from his Birth, to the Ascension of the
Son of God.
IT has been doubted by some, whether this
was the same with that St. James, who was
afterwards bishop of Jerusalem, two of this name
being mentioned in the sacred writings, namely,
St. James the Great, and St. James the Less,
both Apostles. The ancients mention a third,
surnamed the Just, which they will have to be
distinct from the former, and bishop of Jeru
salem. But this opinion is built on a sandy
foundation, for notiiing is plainer than that St.
James the ¥Apostle (whom St. Paul calls our
Lord's brother, and reckons with Peter and John,
one of the pillars of the church) was the same

who presided among the Apostles, doubtless by
virtue of his episcopal office, and determined
the causes in the synod of Jerusalem. It is
reasonable to think that he was the son of Jo
seph, afterwards the husband of Mary, by his
first wife, whom St. Jerome styles Escha, and
adds, that she was the daughter of Aggi, brother
to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.
Hence he was reputed our Lord's brother.
We find indeed several mentioned as the
brethren of our Saviour in the Evangelical his
tory; but in what sense was greatly contro
verted by the ancients. St. Jerome, St. Chry
sostom, and some others, will have them to be so
called from their being the sons of Mary, cousin-
german, or, according to the Hebrew idiom,
sister to the Virgin Mary. But Eusebius, Epipha-
nius, and many others, tell us, they were the

376

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

children of Joseph by a former wife. And this
seems most natural, and best agrees with what
the Evangelist says of them, when they enu
merate the questions of the Jews : Is not this
the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called
Mary, and his brethren James and Joses, Si
meon and Judas, and his sisters are they not
all with us? Whence then hath this man, these
things ? From hence it is plain, that the Jews
understood those persons not to be Christ's
kinsmen only, but his brethren. With regard
to the place of his birth, the sacred history is
silent. After the resurrection, he was honoured with
the particular appearance of our Lord to him,
which, though passed over in silence by the
Evangelist, is recorded by St Paul.
Some time after this appearance he was chosen
bishop of Jerusalem, and preferred before all the
rest for his near relation to Christ. For the same
reason we find Simon chosen to be his immediate
successor in that see, because, after St. James, he
was our Lord's next kinsman ; a consideration
that made Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
though they had been peculiarly honoured by
our Saviour, not to contend for this high and
honourable station, but freely chose James bishop
of Jerusalem.
When St. Paul came to Jerusalem, after his
conversion, he applied to St. James, and was by
him honoured with the right hand of fellowship.
And it was to St. James that Peter sent the newTs
of his miraculous deliverance out of prison. Go,
said he, show these things unto James and lo the
brethren; that is, to the whole church, especially
to St. James, the pastor of it.
He performed every part of his duty with all
possible care and industry, omitting no particular

necessary to be observed by a diligent and faith
ful guide of souls ; strengthening the weak, in
structing the ignorant, reducing the erroneous,
reproving the obstinate ; and by the constancy
of his sermons, conquering the stubbornness of
that perverse and refractory generation he had
to deal with ; many of the nobler and better
sort Jbeing persuaded to embrace the Christian
faith. But a person so careful, so successful in his
charge, could not fail of exciting the spite and
malice of his enemies ; a sort of men to whom
the Apostle has given too true a character, that
they please not God, and are contrary to all men.
They were vexed to see St. Paul had escaped
their hands, by appealing unto Caesar ; and,
therefore, turned their fury against St. James :
but being unable to effect their design under the
government of Festus, they determined to at
tempt it under the procuratorship of Albinus, his
successor ; Ananus the younger, of the sect of the
Sadducees, being high-priest;
In order to this a council was summoned, and
the Apostle with others arraigned and condemned
as violators of the law. But that the action
might appear more plausible and popular, the
Scribes and Pharisees, masters in the art of dis
simulation, endeavoured to ensnare him ; and at
their first coming, told him, that they had all
placed the greatest confidence in him ; that the
whole nation, as well as they, gave Mm the title
of a just man, and one that was no respecter of
persons : that they, therefore, desired he would
correct the error and false opinion the people had
conceived of Jesus, whom they considered as the
Messiah, and take this opportunity of the uni
versal confluence to the paschal solemnity, to set
them right in their opinions in this particular, and
would go with them to the top of the temple,
where he might be seen and heard by all.

Chap. I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

385

those who were blessed with temporal good ;
none kept their plenty to themselves, but turned
their houses and lands into money, and devoted
it to the common use of the church. St. Bar
nabas is, indeed, mentioned as selling the most
valuable estate on this occasion; or being the
most forward and ready to begm a common
stock, and set others a laudable pattern of cha
rity and benevolence.
And now St. Barnabas became- considerable in
the ministry and government of the church ; for
we find that St. Paul, coming to Jerusalem three
years after his conversion, and not readily pro
curing admittance into the church, because he
had been so grievous a persecutor of it, and might
still be suspected of a design to betray it, ad
dressed himself to Barnabas, a leading man
among the Christians, and one that had personal
knowledge of him. He accordingly introduced
him to Peter and James, and satisfied them ofthe
sincerity of his conversion, and in what a mira
culous manner it was brought about. This re
commendation carried so much weight with it,
that Paul was not only received into the com
munion of the Apostles, but taken into Peter's
house, and abode with him fifteen days. Gal. i. 1 8.
About four or five years after this, the agreeable
news was brought to Jerusalem, that several of
their body, who had been driven out of Judea by
the persecutions raised about St. Stephen, had
preached at Antioch with such success, that a
great number, both of Jews and proselytes, em
braced Christianity, and were desirous that some
ofthe Apostles would come down and visit them.
This request was immediately granted, and Bar
nabas was deputed to settle the new plantation.
Being hinjgelf a good man, and full ofthe Holy
Ghost and of faith, his charitable deeds accom
panying his discourses, and his pious life exem
plifying his sound doctrine, the people were
Nos. 33 & 34.

greatly influenced by him, and very considerable
additions were made to the Christian church.
But there being too large a field for one labourer,
he went to fetch Saul from Tarsus, who came
back with him to Antioch, and assisted him a
whole year in establishing that church. Their
labours were prosperous ; their assemblies were
crowded ; and the disciples, who before this were
called among themselves, brethren, believers, elect,
and by their enemies, Nazarenes and Galileans,
were now called Christians first at Antioch.
When the Apostles had fulfilled their charitable
embassy, and stayed some time at Jerusalem to
see the good effects of it, they returned again to
Antioch, bringing with them John, whose sur
name was Mark, the son of Mary, sister to Bar
nabas, and at whose house the disciples found
both security for their persons, and conveniency
for the solemnities of their worship. .But soon
after the Apostles returned to Antioch, an express
relation was made to the church, by the mouth of
one of the prophets who ministered there, that
Barnabas and Saul should be set apart for an ex
traordinary work, unto which the Holy Ghost
had appointed them. Upon this declaration, the
church set apart a day for a solemn mission : after
devout prayer and fasting, they laid their hands
upon them, and ordained them to their new work ;
which was to travel over certain countries, and
preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. From this
joint commission Barnabas obtained the name of
an Apostle, not only among later writers ofthe
church, but with St. Paul himself, as we find in
the history of the Acts of the Apostles.
Paul and Barnabas being thus solemnly ap
pointed the Apostles ofthe Gentiles, entered upon
their province, taking with them^John Mark for
their minister or deacon, who assisted them in
many ecclesiastical offices, particularly in taking
care of the poor.
3S

386

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

The first city they visited after their departure
from Antioch, was Seleucia, a city of Syria, ad
joining to the sea; from whence they sailed for
the island of Cyprus, the native place of St.
Barnabas, and arrived at Salamis, a port for
merly remarkable for its trade. Here they boldly
preached the doctrines of the Gospel in the syna
gogues of the -Jews; and from thence travelled
to Paphos, the capital of the island, and famous
for a temple dedicated to Venus, the titular god
dess of Cyprus. Here their preaching was at
tended with remarkable success ; Sergius Paulus,
the proconsul, being, among others, converted to
the Christian faith.
Leaving Cyprus, they crossed the sea to preach
in Pamphylia, where their deacon John, to the
great grief of his uncle Barnabas, left themj and
returned to Jerusalem ; either tired with con
tinual travels, or discouraged at the unavoidable
dangers and difficulties, which experience had
sufficiently informed him would constantly at
tend the first preachers of the Gospel, from
hardened Jews and idolatrous Gentiles.
Soon after their arrival at Lystra, Paul cured
a man who had been lame from his mother's
womb ; which so astonished the inhabitants, that
they believed them to be gods, who had visited
the world in the forms of men. Barnabas they
treated as Jupiter, their sovereign deity, either
because of his age, or the gravity and comeliness
of his person ; for all the writers of antiquity re
present him as a person of a venerable aspect,
and a majestic presence. But the Apostles, with
the greatest humil^y, declared themselves to be
but mortal ; and the inconstant populace soon sa
tisfied themselves of the truth of what they had
asserted; for at the persuasion of their indefati
gable persecutors, who followed them thither
also, they made an assault upon them, and stoned
Paul till they left him for dead. But supported by

an invisible power from on high, he soon reco
vered his spirits and strength, and the Apostles
immediately departed for Derbe. Soon after
their arrival, they again applied themselves to
the work of the ministry, and converted many
to the religion of the blessed Jesus.
From Derbe they returned back to Lystra,
Iconium, and Antioch, in Pisidia, confirming
the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them
to continue in the faith ; and that we must through
much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts xiv. 22. After a short stay, they again
visited the churches of Pamphylia, Perga, and
Attala, where they took ship, and sailed to An
tioch in Syria, the place from whence they first
set out. Soon after their arrival, they called the •
church of this city together, and gave them an
account of their travels, and the great success
with which their preaching in the Gentile world
had been attended.
But they had not long continued in this city,
before their assistance was required to compose a
difference in the church, occasioned by some of
the Jewish converts, who endeavoured to per
suade the Gentiles that they were bound to ob- •
serve the law of Moses, as well as that of Christ,
and be circumcised as well as baptized. Barna
bas endeavoured to dissuade the zealots from
pressing such unnecessary observances ; but all
his endeavours proving ineffectual, he was de
puted, with St. Paul and others, to the church at
Jerusalem, to submit the question to be deter
mined there in a full assembly. During their
stay at Jerusalem, Mark in all probability recon
ciled himself to Barnabas, and returned with
him and St. Paul to Antioch, after they had suc
ceeded in their business in Jerusalem, and ob
tained a decree from the synod there, that the
Gentile converts should not have circumcision
and other Mosaic rites imposed upon them.

AP.

I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

387

. This determination generally comforted and
quieted the minds of the Gentiles, but it did
not prevent the bigoted Jews from keeping up
a separation from them ; and that with so much
obstinacy, that when St. Peter, some time after,
came to Antioch, he, for fear of offending them,
deviated from his former practice, and late
speech and vote in the synod of Jerusalem,
by refraining from all kind of communion with
the Gentiles ; and Barnabas himself, though so
great and good a man, was induced, by the
authority of his example, to commit the same
error ; but doubtless, on being reproved by St.
Paul, they both took more courage, and walked
according to the true liberty and freedom of
the Gospel.
Some days after tMs last occurrence, Paul
made a proposal to Barnabas, that they should
repeat their late travels among the Gentiles,
and see how the churches they had planted in
creased in their numbers, and improved in the
doctrines they had taught them. Barnabas very
readily complied with the motion; but desired
they might take with them his reconciled nephew,
John Mark. This Paul absolutely refused, be
cause in their former voyage, Mark had not
shown the constancy of a faithful minister of
Christ, but, consulting his own ease at a danger
ous juncture, departed from them without leave
at Pamphylia, and returned to Jerusalem. Bar
nabas still insisted on taking him; and the other
continmng as resolutely to oppose it; a short
debate arose, which terminated in a separation,

whereby these two holy men, who had for severed
years been companions in the ministry, and with
united endeavours propagated the Gospel of the
Son of God, now took different provinces. Bar
nabas, with his kinsman, sailed to his own coun
try, Cyprus; and Paul, accompanied by Silas,
travelled to the churches of Syria and Cilicia.
After this separation from St. Paul, the sacred
writings give us no account of St. Barnabas ; nor
are the ecclesiastical writers agreed among them
selves with regard to the actions of this Apostle
after his sailing for Cyprus. This, however, seems
to be certain, that he did not spend the whole
remainder of his life in that island, but visited
different parts of the world, preaching the glad
tidings ofthe Gospel, healing the sick, and work
ing other miracles among the Gentiles. After
long and painful travels, attended with different
degrees of success in different places, he returned
to Cyprus, his native country, where he suffered
martyrdom, in the following manner: Certain
Jews coming from Syria and Salamis, where Bar
nabas was then preaching the Gospel, being highly
exasperated aUiis extraordinary success, fell upon
him as he was disputing in the synagogue, drag
ged him out, and, after the most inhuman tor
tures, stoned him to death. His kinsman, John
Mark, who was a spectator of this barbarous ac
tion, privately interred his body in a cave, where,
it is said, it remained till the time of the emperor
Zeno, in the year of Christ 485, when it was dis
covered, with St. Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew,
written with his own hand, lying on his breast.

388

SAINT STEPHEN.

BOTH the Scriptures and the ancient
writers are silent with regard to the birth,
country, and parents of St. Stephen. Epi-
phanius is of opinion that he was one of the
seventy disciples; but tMs is very uncertain.
Our blessed Saviour appointed his seventy dis
ciples to teach the doctrines, and preach the
glad tidings, of the Gospel ; but it does not
appear that St. Stephen, and the six other first
deacons, had any particular designation, before
they were chosen for the service of the tables ;
and, therefore, St. Stephen could not have
been one of our Lord's disciples, though he
might have often followed him, and listened
to his discourses.
He was remarkably zealous for the cause of
religion, and full of the Holy Ghost ; working
many wonderful miracles before the people, and
pressing them with the greatest earnestness to
embrace the doctrine of the Gospel.
This highly provoked the Jews ; and some of
the synagogues of the freed-men of Cyrenia,
Alexandria, and other places, entered into a dis
pute with him ; but being unable to resist the wis
dom and spirit by which he spake, they suborned
false witnesses against him, to testify that they
heard him blaspheme against Moses and against
God. Nor did they stop here : they stirred up the
people by their calumnies ; so that they dragged
him before the council of the nation, or great
Sanhedrim, where they produced false witnesses
against him, who deposed that they had heard
him speak against the temple, and against the law,
and affirm that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy
the holy place, and abolish the law of Moses.
Stephen, supported by his own innocence, and
an invisible power from on high, appeared un- J

daunted in the midst of tMs assembly, and his
countenance shone like that of an angel. When
the high-priest asking him what he had to offer
against the accusations laid to his charge, he an
swered in the following manner :
" Hearken unto me, ye descendants of Jacob:
The Almighty, whose glory is from everlasting,
appeared to our father Abraham, before he so
journed inCharran, even while he dwelt in Me
sopotamia, commanding him to leave his country
and relations, and retire into a land which he
would show him.
" Abraham obeyed the divine mandate ; he left
the land of the Chaldeans, and pitched his tent in
Charran ; from whence, after his father was dead,
he removed into Canaan, even the land you now
inhabit ; but he gave him no inheritance in this
country, not even so much as to set his foot upon.
He promised, indeed, he would give it him for a
possession, which should descend to his posterity,
though at this time he had no child.
" God also intimated to him, that his seed
should sojourn in a strange land, the people of
which should make them bondmen, and treat
them cruelly four hundred years; after which he
would judge that nation, and bring out Ms
people, who should serve him in tMs place. As
an earnest of which he gave Mm the covenant
of circumcision, and afterwards a son, whom
Abraham circumcised the eighth day, calling his
name Isaac; who begat Jacob, and Jacob begat
the twelve patriarchs.
" But these, moved with envy, sold their
brother Joseph into Egypt, where the Almighty
protected him, delivered him from all his afflic-

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

389

lonsjendued hinr%ith wisdom, and gave him
'favour in the sight of Pharaoh, the monarch of
Egypt, who made him governor both of his
house and kingdom.
" Soon after the exaltation of Joseph, the
countries of Egypt and Canaan were afflicted
with a terrible famine, and our fathers found no
sustenance either for themselves or flocks. But
as soon as Jacob heard the welcome tidings that
there was corn in Egypt, he sent our fathers
thither, to purchase bread for the famine of his
household. And in their second journey thither,
Joseph made Mmself known to his brethren,
and also informed Pharaoh of his country and,
relations. After wMch Joseph's father, with his
whole house, consisting of threescore and ten
souls, went down into Egypt, where both Jacob
and our fathers died, and their remains were de
posited in the sepulchre purchased by Abraham
of EpMon the Hittite.
' " But as the time for fulfilling the promise
made to Abraham approached, the people mul
tiplied in Egypt, till another king arose, who
was not acquainted with the merits of Joseph,
and the great things he had done for that coun
try. This prince used our fathers with cruelty,
and artfully attempted to destroy all the male
children. At this time Moses was born, and
being exceeding fair, was nourished three months
in Ms father's house : but as it was dangerous to
conceal him there any longer, he was hid among
the flags on the bank of the river ; when the
daughter of Pharaoh found him, and educated
him as her own son.
" Thus Moses became acquainted with all the
learning of Egypt, and was mighty both in word
and deed. But when he was forty years old, he
thought proper to visit his brethren, the children
of Israel ; and seeing an Egyptian smiting an

Hebrew, he assisted the suffering person, and
slew the Egyptian ; supposing that his brethren
would have been persuaded, that from his hand,
with the assistance ofthe Almighty, they might
expect deliverance : but they. conceived no hopes
of this kind.
" The next day he again visited them, and
seeing two of them striving together, he en
deavoured to make them friends : Ye are bre
thren, said he to them ; why do ye injure one
another ? But he who did his neighbour wrong,
instead of listening to his advice, thrust him away,
saying, By what authority art thou a judge of our
actions ? wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the
Egyptian yesterday ?
" Moses, at this answer, fled from Egypt, and
sojourned in the land of Midian, where he begat
two sons. And at the end of forty years, the
angel of the Lord appeared unto him in the
wilderness of Mount Sinai, out of the middle of
a bush burning with fire ; a sight which surprised
Moses ; and as he drew near to view more at
tentively so uncommon a sight, the voice of the
Lord came unto him, saying, / am the God of
thy fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. At which Moses trembled,
and turned aside his face. But the Lord said to
him, ' Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for
the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
I have seen the affliction of my people which are
in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and
am come to deliver them. And now come, I will
send thee into Egypt.'
" Thus was that Moses, whom they refused,
sent by God to be a ruler and deliverer, by the
hand of the angel who appeared to him in the
bush. Accordingly he brought them out, after
he had showed signs and wonders in the land of
Egypt) i° the Red Sea, and in the wilderness

390

THE LIVES OF- THE APOSTLES.

ni 
place of my rest? Hath not mine hand
these things ?

" Ye stiff-necked, ye uncircumcised in heart
and ears, ye will for ever resist the Holy Ghost
Ye tread in the paths of ypur fathers ; as they did,
so do you still continue to do. Did not your fa
thers persecute every one of the prophets ; did not
they slay them who showed the coming of the
Holy One, whom ye yourselves have betrayed
and murdered ? Ye have received the law by
the disposition of angels, but never kept it."
At these words they were so highly enraged,
that they all gnashed their teeth against him.
But Stephen, lifting up his eyes to heaven, saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right-
hand of Omnipotence. Upon which he said to
the council, " I see the heavens open, and the
Son of man standing at the right hand of God."
This so greatly provoked the Jews, that they cried
but with one voice, and stopped their ears, as if
they had heard some dreadful blasphemy; and
falling upon him, they dragged him out of the
city, and stoned him to death. It was the custom
of the Jews, on these occasions, for the witnesses
to throw the first stone. Whether they observed
this particular at the martyrdom of Stephen is
uncertain ; but the Evangelist tells us, that the
witnesses were principally concerned in this ac
tion ; for they stripped off their clothes, and laid
them at the feet of a young man whose name
was Saul, then a violent persecutor of the Chris
tian church, but afterwards one of the most
zealous preachers of the Gospel.
Stephen, while they were mangling Ms body
with stones, was praying to his heavenly Father
for their pardon: "Lord," said he, "lay not
this sin to their charge." And then calling
on his dear Redeemer to receive his spirit, he
yielded up his soul.

forty years. It is this Moses that told our fa
thers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up
unto you of your brethren, like unto me. Him shall
ye hear.
" And this Prophet is the same who was in the
church in the wilderness, with the angel which
spake unto, Moses in Mount Sinai, and with our
fathers ; the same who received the lively oracles
to give unto us ; he whom our fathers would not
obey, but thrust him from them, and were de
sirous of returning to their state of bondage;
commanding Aaron to make them gods to go
before them ; and pretending that they knew
not what was become of Moses, who delivered
them from the slavery of Egypt. They now
made a calf, offered sacrifices to it, and re
joiced in the work of their own hands. On
which the Almighty abandoned them, as the
prophets have recorded. ' O ye house of Israel,
have you offered unto me slain beasts and sa
crifices by the space of forty years in the wilder
ness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
and the star of your god Remphan ; figures
which ye made, to worship them : 1 will carry
you away beyond Babylon.'
" Our fathers were possessed of the tabernacle
of witness in the wilderness, being made accord
ing to the pattern Moses had seen in the mount.
This tabernacle our fathers brought into the
possession of the Gentiles, who were driven out
by the Almighty, till the days of David, a fa
vourite ofthe Most High, and who was desirous
of finding a tabernacle for the God of Jacob ;
but Solomon built him a house.
" We must not; however, think, that the Al
mighty will reside in temples made with hands,
as the prophet beautifully observed : Heaven is
my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house
will ye build me, saith the Lord, or where is the

391

TIMOTHY.

TIMOTHY was a convert an4 disciple of
St. Paul. He was born, according to
some, at Lystra; or, according to others, at
Derbe. His father was a Gentile, but his mother
a Jewess, whose name was Eunice ; and that of
Ms grandmother, Lois.
These particulars are taken notice of, because
St. Paul commends thdr piety, and the good
education which they had given Timothy. When
St. Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, about the
year of Christ 51 or 52, the brethren gave a very
advantageous testimony of the piety and good
disposition of Timothy; and the Apostle would
have him along with him ; and he initiated him
at Lystra, before he received him into his com
pany. Timothy applied himself to labour with
St. Paul in the business of the Gospel, and did
him very important services through the whole
course of his preaching. It is not known when
he was made a bishop ; but it is believed that he,
received-very early the imposition ofthe Apostle's
hands, and that in consequence of particular re
velation, or direction from the Holy Ghost. St.
Paul calls him not only his dearly beloved son,
but also his brother, the companion of his labours,
and a man of God. He declared that there were
none more united with him in heart and mind
than Timothy.
lhis holy disdple acccompanied St. Paul to
Macedonia, to Philippi, to Thessalonica, to Berea ;
and when the Apostle went from Berea, he left
Timothy and Silas there to confirm the converts.
When he came to Athens he sent for Timothy to
come thither to him ; and when he was come,
and had given him an account of the churches
of Macedonia, St. Paul sent Mm back to Thes

salonica, from whence he afterwards returned
with Silas, and came to St. Paul at Corinth.
There he continued with him ; and the Apostle
mentions him with Silas, at the beginning of the
two epistles wMch he then wrote to the Thessa-
lomans. Some years after this, St. Paul sent Timothy
and Erastus into Macedonia, and gave Timothy
orders to call at Corinth, to refresh the minds
of the Corinthians, with regard to the truths
which he had inculcated on them.
Some time after, writing to the same Corin- .
thians, he recommends them to take care of Ti
mothy, and send Mm back in peace ; after wMch
Timothy returned to St. Paul in Asia, who there
stayed for him. They went together into Ma
cedonia ; and the Apostle puts Timothy's name
with his own before the Second Epistle to the
Corinthians, which he wrote to them from Ma
cedonia, about the middle of the year of Christ
57. And he sends his recommendations to the
Romans, in the letter which he wrote them from
Corinth the same year.
When St. Paul returned from Rome, in 64, he
left Timothy at Ephesus, to take care of that
church, of which he was the first bishop, as he is
recognized by the council of Chalcedon. St.
Paul wrote to him, from Macedonia, the first of
the two epistles which are addressed to him. He
recommends him to be more moderate in his
austerities, and to drink a little wine, because of
the weakness of his stomach, and his frequent
infirmities. After the Apostle came to Rome, m the year 65

392

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. I.

being now very near his death, he wrote to him
his second letter, which was full of the marks of
his kindness and tenderness for this his dear dis-
diple ; and which is justly looked upon as the last
will of St. Paul. He desires him to come to
Rome to him before winter, and bring with him
severed things which St. Paul had left at Troas.
Jf Timothy went to Rome, as it is probable he
did, he must have been a witness of the martyr
dom of this Apostle, in the year of Christ 66.
If he did not die before the year 97, we can
hardly doubt that he must be the pastor of the
church of Ephesus, to whom John writes in
his Revelation ; though the reproaches with
which he seems to load him for his declension
in having left his first love, do not seem to
agree to so holy a man as Timothy was ; or
show, that men eminently holy may yet fall
from their steadfastness. Thus he speaks to
him / know thy works, and thy labour, and

thy patience, and hoiv thou canst not bear them
which are evil; and thou hast tried them ichich
say they are Apostles, and are not, and hast
found them liars ; and hast borne, and hast pa
tience, and for my name's sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted. Nevertheless, I have some
what against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love. Remember, therefore, from whence thou art
fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will re
move thy. candlestick out of his place, except thou
repent. The greatest part of the interpreters
think that these .reproaches do not so much
concern the person of Timothy, as that of
some members of his church, whose zeal was
grown cool. But others are persuaded that
they may be applied to Timothy himself, who
made ample amends, by the martyrdom which
he suffered, for the reproaches mentioned by St.
John in this place. It is supposed that Timothy
had Onesiinus for his successor.

TITUS.

TITUS was a Gentile by religion and birth,
but converted by St. Paul, who calls
him his son. St. Jerome says, that he was
St. Paul's interpreter ; and that probably be
cause he might write what St. Paul dictated;
or explained in Latin what this Apostle said
in Greek ; or rendered into Greek what St.
Paul said in Hebrew or Syriac. St. Paul took
him with him to Jerusalem, when he went
thither in the year 51 of the vulgar era, about
deciding the question which was then started,
whether the converted Gentiles ought to be
made subject to the ceremonies of the law-?
Some would then have obliged him to circum
cise Titus; but neither he nor Titus would

consent to- it. Titus was sent, by the same
Apostle to Corinth, upon occasion of some dis
putes which then divided the church. He was
very well received by the Corinthians, and very
much satisfied with their ready compliance; but
would receive nothing from them, imitating
thereby the disinterestedness of his master.
From hence he went to St. Paul in Macedonia,
and gave him an account of the state of the
church at Corinth. A little while after the
Apostle desired him to return again to Corinth,
to set things in order preparatory to his coming.
Titus readily undertook this journey, and de
parted immediately, carrying with him St. Paul's

Chap.I.

THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

393

second letter to the Corinthians. Titus was left
to the care of the Isle of Crete, about the 63d
year of Christ, when St. Paul was obliged to quit
that island, in order to take care of the other
churches. The following year he wrote to him,
to desire that as soon as he should have sent
Tychicus of Artemas to him for supplying his
place in Crete, Titus would come to him to Nico-
polis in Macedonia, or to Nicopolis in Epirus,
upon the gulf of Ambracia, where the Apostle
intended to pass his winter.
The subject of this epistle is to represent
to Titus what are the qualities that a bishop
should be endued with. As the principal
function which Titus was to exercise in the
Isle of Crete was to ordain elders, it was
highly incumbent- on him t© make a discreet
choice. The Apostle also gives him a sketch,
for the advice and instruction which he was
to propound to all sorts of persons ; to the aged,
both men and women ; to yqung people of
each sex; to slaves or servants. He exhorts
him to keep a strict authority over the Cretans ;
and to reprove them with severity, as being a
people addicted to lying, wickedness, idleness,
and gluttony. And a,s many converted Jews
were in the churches of Crete, he exhorts Titus
to oppose then vain traditions and Jewish fables ;
and at the same time to show them, that the ob- I

servation of the legal ceremonies is no longer
necessary ; that the distinction of meat is now
abolished, and that every thing is pure and clean
to those that are so themselves. He puts him in
mind of exhorting the faithful to be obedient to
temporal power; to avoid disputes, quarrels^ and
slander ; to apply themselves to honest callings :
and to shun the company of an heretic, after the
first and second admonition.
The Epistle to Titus has always been acknow
ledged by the church. The Marcionites did not
receive it, nor did the Basilidians, and some other
heretics ; but Titian, the head of the Encratites,
received it, and preferred it before all the rest.
It is not certainly known from what place it was
written, nor by whom it was sent.
. Titus was deputed to preach the Gospel in
Dalmatia; and he was still there in the year 65,
when the Apostle wrote his Second Epistle to
Timothy. He afterwards returned into Crete ^
from which it is said he propagated the Gospe
into the neighbouring islands. He died at the
age of 94, and was buried in Crete." We are
assured that the cathedral of the city of Candia
is dedicated to his name ; and that his head is
preserved there entire. The Greeks keep Ms
festival on the 25th of August, and the Latins on
the 4th of January

Nos. 33 & 34.

3 1'

394

THE LIFE

OF THE

VIRGIN MARY.

AS we are taught by the predictions of the
prophets, that a virgin was to be the
mother of the promised Messiah, so we are as
sured by the unammous concurrence of the
Evangelists, that this virgin's name was Mary,
the daughter of Joachim and Anna, of the tribe
of Judah ; and married to Joseph, of the same
tribe. The Scriptures indeed tell us no more of
the blessed Virgin's parents, than that she was of
the family of David.
What is said concernmg the birth of Mary
and her parents, is to be found only in some
apocryphal writings ; but which, however, are
very ancient. St. John says, that Mary, the
wife of Cleophas, was the Virgin's sister Mary,
that was of the royal race of David. She was
allied likewise to the family of Aaron, since
Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, and mother
of John the Baptist, was her cousin.
Not to build upon uncertainties, thus much we
are assured by the testimony of an angel, that she
was happy above all other women, in the divine
favour ; that she was full of grace ; and that the
Lord was with her in a peculiar manner.
For since the Son of God, in order to become
a man, and to dwell among us, was obliged to
take a human body from some woman, it was
agreeable to his infinite wisdom that he should
choose for this purpose one whose endowments
of body and mind were most holy and pious ;
who excelled the rest of her sex in chaste and

virtuous dispositions ; and who, m short, was a
repository of all the divine graces.
The mother of our Lord, notwithstanding her
marriage, was even in that state to remain a
pure virgin, and to conceive Christ in a miracu
lous manner is the clear doctrine of the holy
Scriptures. Behold, says Isaiah, in chap, vii,
prophesying of this mysterious incarnation, a
virgin shall conceive, and bear a son. The He
brew word Almah most properly signifies a vir
gin ; and so it is translated here by all the ancient
interpreters; and never once used in the Scrip
ture in any other sense, as several learned men
have proved against the particular pretensions of
the modern Jews. It primarily signifies hid, or
concealed; whence it is used to denote a virgin*
because of the custom in the eastern countries
of keeping such concealed from the view of
men, never suffering them to stir out of the wo
men's apartments.
Though we cannot doubt but that God, who
ordained this mystery, provided for all circum
stances requisite to its accomplishment; yet we
may consider which way a decorum was pre
served in this case by marriage. St. Matthew says,
" The virgin was espoused to Joseph ; and that be
fore they came together, she was found to be with
child of the Holy Ghost." Whence we may con
clude that it was not a constant custom for
the bride to go and live at the bridegroom's
house immediately upon her being affianced to
Mm.

THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

395

Notwithstanding the various circumstances re
lating to this affair, as told us in apocryphal
books, are not to be relied on as certain, yet,
however, Mary's resolution of continency, even
in a married state, cannot be called in question,
since her virginity is attested by the Gospel; and
that herself, speaking to the angel, who declared
to her that she should become the mother of a
son, told him, " That she knew not a man," or
that she lived in continency with her husband.
For which reason, when Joseph perceived her
pregnancy, he was at first so extremely surprised
and scandalized at it, that he resolved to put her
away, but secretly, without making any noise,
and without observing the common formalities;
for he knew the mutual resolution they had
agreed to, of being in continence, though in a
state of marriage.
The Virgin Mary then being espoused, or mar
ried to Joseph, the angel Gabriel appeared to her,
in order to acquaint her, that she should become
the mother of the Messiah. Mary asked him how
that could be, since she knew no man ? To which
the angel replied, that the Holy Ghost should
come upon her, and the power of the Highest
should overshadow her : so that she should con
ceive without the concurrence of any man. And
to confirm what he had said to her, and show that
nothing is impossible to God, he added, that her
cousin Elizabeth, who was old, and had been
barren, was then in the sixth month of her preg
nancy. Mary answered him, Behold the hand
maid ofthe Lord; be it unto me according to thy
word. And by the miraculous power of the
Holy Ghost, she presently conceived the Son of
God; the true Emanuel, that is to say, God with
us. Whether the holy Virgin, immediately after
the annunciation, went up to the passover at Je
rusalem (as some have imagined, this being the
season of the year for it) or not, we have no ac
count from the Evangelist St. Luke ; but this he

assures us, that a little while after she set out
from Hebron, a city in the mountains of Judah,
in order to visit her cousin Elizabeth, to congra
tulate her upon her pregnancy, which she had
learned from the angel, at an age, when such a
blessing, was not usually to be expected. And no
sooner had she entered the house, and began to
speak, than upon Elizabeth's hearing the voice
of Mary's salutation, her child, young John the
Baptist, transported with supernatural emotions
of joy, leaped in her womb. Whereupon she
was filled with the Holy Ghost ; and being, by
divine inspiration, acquainted with the mystery
ofthe incarnation, she re-saluted Mary, and cried
out, Blessed art thou amongst women ; and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence
is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me ? For lo, as soon as the voice of thy
salutatwn sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped
in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that
believed, for there shall be a performance of those
things which were told her from the Lord. Then
Mary, filled with acknowledgments, and super
natural light, praised God, saying, My soul doth
magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in
God my Saviour, &c. ; as we find it in the hymn
called Magnificate.
After Mary had continued here about three
months, till Elizabeth was delivered, (as St. Am
brose thinks that she might see him on whose
account she principally made that visit,) she then
returned to her own house.
When she was ready to be delivered, an edict
was published by Caesar Augustus, in the year of
the world 4000, the first of Christ, and the third
before the vulgar era, which decreed, that all the
subjects of the Roman empire should go to their
respective cities and places, there to have their
names registered according to their families
Thus Joseph and Mary, who were both of the
3T*

396

THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

Imeage of David, repaired to the city of Beth
lehem, the original and native place of their fa
mily. But while they were in this city, the time
being fulfilled in which Mary was to be delivered,
she brought forth her first-born son, wrapped him
in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger
of the stable or cavern whither they had retired ;
for they could find no place in the public inn,
because of the great concourse of people that
were then at Bethlehem on the same occasion ;
or they were forced to withdraw into the stable
of the inn, not being able to get a more con
venient place for her to be delivered.
The Greek fathers generally agree that the
place of Christ's birth was a cavern. Justin and
Eusebius place it out of the city, but in the neigh
bourhood ; and St. Jerome says, it was at the
extremity of the city, towards the south. It was
commonly believed, that the Virgin brought forth
Jesus the night after her arrival at Bethlehem, or
on the 25th of December. Such is the ancient
tradition of the church. The fathers inform us,
that Mary brought forth Jesus Christ without
pain, and without the assistance of any widvvife :
because she had conceived him without concu
piscence ; and that neither she or the fruit she
brought forth had any share in the curse pror
nounced against Adam and Eve.
At the same time the angels made the birth of
Christ known to the shepherds, who were in the
fields near Bethlehem ; and who came in the
night to see Mary and Joseph and the child lying
in the manger, in order to pay him their tribute
of adoration.. Mary took notice of all these
things, and laid them up in her heart. Some
time after came the Magi, or wise men from the
east, and brought to Jesus the mysterious presents
of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, having been
directed thither by a star which led the way
before them, to the very place where the babe

l«y. After this being warned by an angel that
appeared to them in a dream, they returned into
their own country by a way different from that
by which they _came, without giving Herod the
intelligence he wanted, which he pretended- was
in order to come and worship the babe, though
his real design was to cut him off, from a
jealousy of his rivalling that artful monarch in
his kingdom.
But the time of Mary's purification being come,
that is, forty days after the birth of Jesus, she
went to Jerusalem, in order to present her son in
the temple, and there to offer the sacrifice ap
pointed by the law, for the purification of women
after child-birth. At that time there was at
Jerusalem an old man, named Simeon, who was
full of the Holy Ghost, and had received a se
cret assurance that he should not die before he
had seen Christ the Lord. Accordingly, he
came into the temple by the impulse of the
Spirit of God, and taking the little Jesus in his
arms, he blessed the Lord ; and then addressing
himself to Mary, said, " This child is sent for the
rising and falling of many in Israel ; and for a
sign which shall be spoken against ; even so far
as that thine, own soul shall be pierced as with a
sword, that the secret thoughts in the hearts of
many may be discovered."
Afterwards, when Joseph and Mary were pre
paring to return' to their own country of Naza
reth, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in
a dream, bidding him to retire into Egypt with
Mary and the child, because Herod had a design
tg destroy Jesus. Joseph obeyed the admonition,
and continued in Egypt till after the death of
Herod; when both he and Mary returned to
Nazareth, not daring to go to Bethlehem,
because it was in the jurisdiction of Ar-
chelaus, the son and -successor of Herod the
Great.

THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

397

Joseph and Mary went every year to Jerusa
lem to the feast of the passover: and when Jesus
was twelve years of age they brought him with
them to the -capital. When the days of the fes
tival were ended, they set out on their return
home : but the child Jesus continued at Jerusa
lem without their percdving it ; and thinking
that he might be with some of the company, they
went a day's journey; when not finding him
among their acquaintance, they returned to Je
rusalem, seeking for him. Three days after they
found him in the temple, sitting ampng the doc
tors, hearing them, and asking them questions.
When they saw him they were filled with as
tonishment; and Mary said to him, My son, why
have you served us thus ? Behold your father
and myself who have sought you in great afflic
tion. Jesus answered them, Why did ye seek
me ? Did not you know that I must be em
ployed about my Father's business ? Afterwards
he returned with them to Nazareth, and lived in
filial submission to them ; but his mother laid up
all these things in her heart. The Gospel says
nothing more of the Virgin Mary till the marriage
at Cana of Galilee, where she was present with
her son Jesus.
In the thirty-third year of Jesus Christ, and
thirtieth ofthe vulgar era, our Saviour resolved to
manifest himself to the world, and, therefore, went
to the baptism of St. John, from thence into the
wilderness, and from thence to the above men
tioned wedding, to which he, with his mother and
disciples, had been invited. At this entertainment,
the provision of wine being somewhat scanty,
(probably because the friends of the married
couple were but mean,) Christ's mother told her
son they had no wine, not doubting of his power
to supply them. To which Jesus answered, in
terms which had some appearance of a rebuke,
Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour
is not yet come. St. Chrysostom, and the fol

lowers of him in his explications, impute what
was said by the holy Virgin to some motive of
vanity, and that she was tempted by a desire of
seeing her own credit raised by the miracles of
her son; but the other fathers and commentators
ascribe it to her charity and compassion towards
these poor people. And it is thought that Christ's
answer was intended for more general use than
the present occasion ; namely, to teach us to wait
God's time of doing his own works ; and certainly
our Lord designed no affront to his mother, to
whom he always paid a pious and filial reverence.
This answer is imputed by the said fathers and
commentators to Jesus, not as man, but to Jesus
as God. In this respect he says to Mary, What
have I to do with thee ? I know when I ought
to show forth my power : nor does it belong to
you to appoint me the time of working miracles ;
since the proper time for this has not yet begun :
and further intimating, that when it did, these
were "not to be wrought out of any private, par
tial, and civil views, but in pursuance of that great
end which he had in charge, the conversion and
salvation of mankind. And so his mother under
stood him ; receiving the answer with meekness,
and charging the servants to attend him, and do
whatever he commanded them,
There being in the room six great stone
pitchers, Jesus ordered them to be filled brimful
of water ; and afterwards commanded the ser
vants to fill out and carry it to the master of the
feast ; who, on tasting it, found it was excellent
wine. And this is the first miracle Jesus wrought
at the beginning of his public ministry.
From hence our Lord went to Capernaum with
his mother and brethren ; that is, with his rela
tions and disciples, in order, as St. Chrysostom
thinks, to fix the Virgin Mary in a settled habita
tion, while he travelled about the country in the
exercise of his ministry; and this, indeed, seems

398

THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

to be the place where the holy Virgin afterwards
principally resided. St. Epiphanius, on the con
trary, believed that she followed him every
where, during the whole time of his preaching :
though we do not find that the Evangelists make
any mention of her when they spake of several
holy women of Galilee, who followed him and
ministered to his necessities.
We learn from the third chapter of St. Mark,
that on a certain day in the year of Christ 34, and
vulgar era 31 , that as Jesus Christ was teaching
in a house at Capernaum, so great a crowd of
people stood about him, that neither he nor his
disciples had time to take any refreshment, which
caused a report to be spread abroad, that he had
fainted away, or fallen into a swoon : thus Grotius
interprets the word exeste. The Greek term
might insinuate that he was become mad, or had
lost his understanding ; and the Vulgate reads
it, dicebant enim quoniam in furorem versus est,
which our translators have rendered, " They say
he was beside himself." The mother of Jesus and
his brethren, as it was natural for them, upon
hearing such a report, came instantly to seek him,
and endeavoured to take him out ofthe crowd, in
order to give him all the relief in their power.
It was not the people, without doubt, who made
so wrong a judgment of Jesus, but the ignorant
multitude, or the Pharisees, who said in the same
place that he was possessed of the devil.
The Virgin, and the brethren or relations of
Jesus, came, therefore, to see what had given oc
casion to this report. And when they could not
get into the house for the throngs of people, they
caused a message to be conveyed from one to
another, till it was told Jesus, " That his mother
and his brethren were at the door, and desired
to speak with him." Jesus being accordingly
informed of their coming, and that they waited
to speak with him, being at that instant engaged

in the work of his ministry, preaching the word
of God, he made this reply : Who is my mother,
and who are my bretfnen ? and looking upon
those that were round about him, he said, These
are my mother and brethren ; declaring, " That
whosoever did the will of his heavenly Father,
the same was his mother, and sister, and bro
ther." This was what Christ had taught in
another place, that we must prefer God to all
human relations, and give the preference to his
service. But this saying could not reflect upon
his mother, who was among the principal of those
who did the will of his heavenly Father. Imme
diately upon her approach, a woman of the com
pany said with a loud voice, directing her words
to Jesus : " Blessed is the womb that bare thee,
and the paps which thou hast sucked." To which
he replied, " Yea, rather blessed are they that
hear the word of God and keep it." Not inti
mating hereby that she who had the honour to
bear him, did not deserve to be called blessed
throughout all generations ; but even her happi
ness consisted more in doing the will of Christ,
than in giving him a human body.
From this time we have no further account of
the holy Virgin, till we find her in Jerusalem at
the last passover our Saviour celebrated there ;
which was in the thirty-sixth year of Christ, and
thirty-third of the vulgar era. In this city she
saw all that was transacted against him, followed
him to Mount Calvary, and stayed at the foot of
the cross during the passion of her blessed Son.
We cannot doubt but her soul was at this time
pierced through, as old Simeon had prophesied,
with the most acute pains, for the death of such
a Son. Yet her constancy was remarkable ; fol
when the Apostles were all frightened away from
their Master, she, with a courage undaunted, and
worthy ofthe mother of God, continued even in
the midst of the executioners, being prepared to
die with such a Son.

THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

399

On this melancholy occasion we cannot but
suppose the holy Virgin to have been affected
with sentiments fit for one who had so miracu
lously conceived, and so'carefully observed and
laid up in her mind all occurrences that related
to the Son of God.
Jesus Christ, who came to set us a pattern of
all virtue, through the whole course of his life,
was pleased, in these last moments, to teach us,
that in what circumstances soever we are, we
must never cast off that love and care which
God's law obliges to have for those who gave
us life. Being now ready to leave the world, and
seeing his own mother at the foot of the cross,
and his beloved disciple, St. John, near her, he
bequeathed her to him by his last will and testa
ment, saying to his mother, Woman, behold thy
son. And to the disciple,- Behold thy mother;
and from that hour the disciple took her home
to his own house.
It is not to be doubted but that our Saviour
appeared to his holy mother immediately after
his resurrection, and that she was the first, or at
least one of the first, to whom he vouchsafed this
great consolation.
St. Luke acquaints us, in the first chapter of
the Acts, that the Virgin Mary was with the
Apostles and others at his ascension, and con
tinued with them, when assembled at Jerusalem
after his ascension, waiting for the descent ofthe
Holy Ghost ; and it is probable that from her
they learned the whole history of our Lord's
private life before his baptism ; though St. Chrys
ostom will have them to be taught it by revela
tion. After this she dwelt in the house of St. John
the Evangelist, who took care of her as of his own
tnother. It is thought that he took her along
with him to Ephesus, where he died in an extreme
old age; and there is a letter ofthe oecumenical

council of Ephesus, importing, that in the fifth
century it was believed she was buried there.
Yet this opinion was not so universally re
ceived, but that some authors of the same age
think the Virgin Mary died and was buried at
Jerusalem; or rather in her sepulchre at Geth
semane, near that city, where to this day it is
shown in a magnificent church dedicated to her
name. Epiphanius, the most learned father of the
fourth century, declares he could not tell whether
she died a natural death, or by martyrdom ; or
whether she remained immortal; or whether she
was buried or not. " None," says he, " knows
any thing of her decease ; but that it was glorious
cannot be doubted." That body which was per
fectly chaste and pure, enjoys a happiness worthy
of her through whom the Sun of Righteousness
arose and shone upon the world.
A learned writer has added to the forecited
passage of the council of Ephesus, another re
mark from their act : " That the cathedral church
of Ephesus was dedicated under the name of the
Virgin Mary ; and that we find no other church
of her name at that time in any approved author.
For though the holy Virgin was always held in
great veneration, yet it was not the. custom of
the first ages fo give the name of any saint to a
church, except they had some of the relics, or
built it in the plate where such a saint was mar
tyred ; or for some reason of the like nature."
The sentiments ofthe Roman church are, that
she is dead; but they are divided as to her
having risen again ; or whether she stays for the
general resurrection at Ephesus, Jerusalem, or
any other place.
With regard to the age at which she died, and

400

THE LIFE OF MARY THE SISTER OF LAZARUS.

the precise year of her death, it is needless to
trouble ourselves about this inquiry; since nothing
can be said on these matters but what is very
doubtful; and they cannot be fixed but at ran
dom. Nicephorus Calistus, and those who have
followed him, give no proof of what they advance
on this subject, and, therefore, deserve no credit.
Nor shall we build upon the description of the
holy Virgin, given us by the same author, who
says, that she was of a moderate stature ; or, ac
cording to some, a little below the ordinary sta
ture of women ; that her complexion was of the
colour of wheat, her hair fair, her eyes lively, the
eyeballs yellowish, or olive-coloured, her eye
brows black and semicircular, her nose pretty
fong, her lips red, her hands and fingers large, her
air grave, simple, and modest, her clothes neat,
without any pride and ostentation, and ofthe na
tural colour of the wool. It has been said that
St. Luke drew her picture; and in several places
are shown pictures of her, which it is affirmed
are copies from the original by St. Luke.
The above mentioned Nicephorus Calistus, an
author of the 14th century, is the first who has

spoken of this in a positive manner; but Theo-
dorus, lecturer of the church at Constantinople*
who lived in the sixth century, says, that Eudocia
sent from Jerusalem to Constantinople, to the
empress Pulcheria, a picture of the holy Virgin,
painted by St. Luke. But we need be in no great
pain about this, since the true images of saints
are the ideas of their virtues, which we should
form in our minds, and express by our actions.
Certain it is, that this holy Evangelist has ac
quainted us with some particulars of the life of
the holy Virgin, that could hardly be learned
from any one but himself; which may incline us
to believe that he had the happiness of her ac
quaintance, and a tolerable share of her con
fidence. With regard to her character, we shall only
mention, in general, that common remark which
the Evangelists make, that she was more disposed
to think than speak ; and observed the extraor
dinary things which were said of her Son with
silence ; or, as they express it, " She pondered
them in her heart." >

MARY the Sister of LAZARUS.

THIS holy woman has been preposterously
confounded with the sinful person who sat
at the feet of the blessed Jesus, weepingHwhile he
was at meat in the house of Simon the leper (see
Luke vii. 37. 39.) Who this sinner was, is un
known. Some will have her to be Mary Mag
dalene; but this opinion has nothing more than
conjecture for its basis.
But whoever that sinner was, she was a very
different person from Mary the sister of Lazarus,

who, with her sister Martha, lived with their bro
ther at Bethany, a village near Jerusalem. The
blessed Jesus had a particular affection for this fa
mily, and often retired to their house with his dis-
ciples: One day, and perhaps the first time that
Jesus went thither, Martha received him with
remarkable affection, and took the greatest pains
in providing a proper entertainment for him : but
Mary her sister continued sitting at our Saviour's
feet, listening to his words with peculiar attention.
This Martha considered as an instance of disre-

THE LIFE OF MARY THE SISTER OF LAZARUS.

401

spect, and, therefore, said to Jesus, Lord, dost
thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve
alone ? Bid her, therefore, that she help me. But
the blessed Jesus justified Mary, by telling her
sister, that she had chosen the better part, which
should not be taken from her.
Some time after, their brother Lazarus fell sick,
and his sisters sent to acquaint Jesus of the mis
fortune ; but he did not arrive at Bethany till after
Lazarus was dead. -Martha hearing Jesus was
come into the neighbourhood, went and told him,
that if he had not been absent, her brother had
been still alive. Jesus promised her that her
brother should rise again. To which Martha an
swered, " I know that he shall rise again at the
last day." Jesus replied, I am the resurrection
and the life; he that believeth. in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die. Believest
thou this? Martha answered, Yea, Lord : I be
lieve that thou art the Christ, the Son of God,
which should come into the world.
Having said this, she departed, and gave her
sister notice, privately, that Jesus was come.
Mary, as soon as she heard the welcome tidings,
arose and w^nt to Jesus : and, as Martha had
done before her, said, Lord, if thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died. The blessed Jesus
was greatly moved at the pathetic complaints of
these two worthy sisters, and on asking where
they had buried him, they conducted him to the
sepulchre. On Ms arrival at the place where the body of
Lazarus was deposited, the great Redeemer of
mankind groaned deeply in his spirit; he wept,
he prayed to his Father, and then cried with a

loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. The dead obeyed
the voice ofthe Son of God; Lazarus immediately
revived, and Jesus restored him to his sisters.
After performing this stupendous miracle, Jesus
departed from the neighbourhood of Jerusalem,
and did not return thither till some days before
the passover. Six days before that festival, Jesus
came ragain to Bethany with his disciples, and
was invited to a supper at the house of Simon
the leper. Martha attended, and Lazarus was
one of the guests.
During the supper, Mary, to express her gra
titude, took a pound of spikenard, a very precious
perfume, and poured it on the head and feet of •
Jesus, wiping Ms feet with the hair of her head ;
and the whole house was filled with the odour of
the ointment. Judas Iscariot was highly offended
at this generous action ; but his Master vindicated
Mary, and told him, that by this she had pre
vented his embalment, signifying, that his death
and burial were at hand.
After this we have no account of Mary, the
sister of Lazarus, in the sacred writings. Several
authors, indeed, by not distinguishing properly
between Mary the sister of Martha, and Mary
Magdalene, say, that she was present at the cru
cifixion of the great Redeemer of mankind : and
also that both she and her sister accompaniedthe
Women who went to embalm the body. This is .
not, indeed, improbable ; but it is certain neither
of them are particularly mentioned by the Evan
gelists. The ancient Latins believed, and the
Greeks are still of the same opinion, that both
Martha and Mary continued at Jerusalem, and
died there ; and several ancient Martyrologists
place their feast on the nineteenth of January.

Nos. 33 & 34.

3U

402

THE LIFE OF JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA.

JOSEPH.

JOSEPH, or Joses, was the son of Mary
Cleophas, brother to St. James the Less, and
a near relation to the blessed Jesus, according to
the flesh ; being the son of Mary, the holy Vir
gin's sister, and Cleophas, who was Joseph's bro
ther, or son to Joseph himself, as several of the
ancients suppose ; who have asserted that Joseph
was married to Mary Cleophas, or Escha, before
he was married to the holy Virgin. Some be
lieve Joseph, the son of Mary Cleophas, to be the
same with Joseph Barsabas, surnamed the Just,
who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, and
was proposed, with St. Matthias, to fill up the

traitor Judas's place : but in this there is no cer
tainty. We learn nothing particular in Scripture
concerning Joseph, the brother of our Lord.
If he was one of those among his near kinsmen
who did not believe in him, when they would
have persuaded him to go to the feast of taber
nacles, some months before our Saviour's death,
it is probable that he was afterwards converted :
for it is intimated in Scripture, that all our Sa
viour's brethren believed in him ; and St. Chrys
ostom says, that they were signalized for the
eminence of then faith and virtue.

JOSEPH of ARIMATHEA.

JOSEPH of Arimathea, or of Ranatha, Rama,
or Ramula, a city between Joppa and Jeru
salem, was a Jewish senator, and privately a dis
ciple of Jesus Christ. He was not consenting to
the designs of the rest of the Jews, particularly
the members of the Sanhedrim, who condemned
and put Jesus to death : and when our Saviour
was dead, he went boldly to Pilate, and desired
the body of Jesus, in order to bury it. This he
obtained ; and accordingly buried it, after an ho
nourable manner, in a sepulchre newly made in
a garden ; which was upon the same Mount Cal
vary where Jesus had been crudfied. After he
had placed it there, he closed the entrance of it
with a stone cut particularly for this purpose, and
which exactly filled the open part of it.

The Greek church keeps the festival of Joseph
of Arimathea, July 30.
We do not meet with his name in the old
Latin Martyrologies ; nor was it inserted m
the Roman till after the year 1585. The body
of Joseph of Arimathea was, it is said, brought
to the abbey of Moyenmontier, by Fortunatus,
archbishop of Grada; to which Charlemagne
had given this monastery, under the denomi
nation of a benefice. His remains were ho
noured till the tenth age : but then the mo
nastery being given to canons, who continued
seventy years there, the relics were carried
away by some foreign monks, and so lost, with
many others.

THE LIFE OF NICODEMUS.

403

NICODEMUS.

NICODEMUS, one of the disciples of our
blessed Saviour, was a Jew by nation, and
by sect a Pharisee. The Gospel calls him a Ruler
of the Jews ; and Christ gives him the name of a
Master of Israel. When our Saviour began to
mamfest himself by his miracles at Jerusalem, at
the first passover which he celebrated there after
his baptism, Nicodemus made no doubt but that
he was the Messiah, and came to him by night,
that he might learn of Mm the way to salvation.
Jesus told him, that no one could see the kingdom
of heaven, except he should be born again. Nico
demus, talting this in the literal sense, made an
swer, How can a man be born again ? Can he
enter a second time into his mother's womb ? To
which Jesus replied, If a man be not born again
of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the
ldngdom of God. That which is born ofthe flesh,
is flesh ; and that which is born of the spirit, is
spirit. Nicodemus asked him, How can these
things be ? Jesus answered : " Art thou a master
of Israel, and ignorant of these things ? We tell
you what we know, and you receive not our tes
timony. If you believe not common things, and
which may be called earthly, how will you be
lieve me if I speak to you of heavenly things ?
And as Moses lifted up the brazen serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up
on high: for God has so loved the world, that he
has given his only Son ; so that no man who be
lieves in him shall perish, but shall have eternal
life: for God sent his Son into the world, that the
world through him might be saved."
After this conversation Nicodemus became a
disciple of Jesus Christ ; and there is no doubt to
be made but he came to hear him as often as our
Saviour came to Jerusalem. It happened, on a

time, that the priests and Pharisees had sent
officers to seize. Jesus, who returned to them and
made this report, That never man spake as he
did : to which the Pharisees replied, "Are you
also of his disciples ? Is there any one ofthe elders
or Pharisees that have believed in him?" Then
Nicodemus thought himself obliged to make an
swer, saying, Does the law permit us to condemn
any one before he is heard ? To which they re
plied, Are you also a Galilean? Read the Scrip
tures, and you will find that never any prophet
came out of Galilee. After this the council was
dismissed. At last Nicodemus declared himself
openly a disciple of Jesus Christ ; when he came,
with Joseph of Arimathea, to pay the last duties
to the body of Christ crucified ; which they took
down from the cross, embalmed, and laid in the
sepulchre. Nicodemus received baptism from the disciples
of Christ; but it is uncertain whether before or
after his passion. The Jews being informed of
tMs, deposed Mm from his dignity of senator, ex
communicated, and drove him from Jerusalem.
It is said also, that they would have put Mm to
death ; but that in consideration of Gamaliel, who
was his uncle, or cousin-german, they contented
themselves with beating him almost to death, and
plundering his goods.
Gamaliel conveyed him to his country-house,
and provided him with what was necessary for
his support; and when he died, Gamaliel buried
him honourably near St. Stephen. His body
was discovered in 415, together with those of
St. Stephen and Gamaliel; and the Latin
church pays honour to all three on the third
of August.
3U*

THE LIFE OF JOHN MARK.

JOHN MARK

JOHN MARK, cousin to_ St. Barnabas, and
a disciple of his, was the son of a Christian
woman, named Mary, who had a house in Je
rusalem, where the Apostles and the faithful
generally used to meet. Here they were at
prayers in the night, when St. Peter, who was
delivered out of prison by the angel, came and
knocked at the door ; and in this house the cele
brated church of Sion was said to have been af
terwards established.
John Mark, whom some very improperly con
found with the Evangelist St. Mark, adhered to
St. Paul and St. Barnabas, and followed them in
their return to Antioch. He continued in their
company and service till they came to Perga in
Pamphylia ; but then seeing that they were un
dertaking a longer journey, he left them, and re
turned to Jerusalem. This happened in the year
45 of the common era.
Some years after, that is to say in the year 51,
Paul and Barnabas preparing to return into Asia,
in order to visit the churches which they had
formed there, Barnabas was of opinion that John
Mark should accompany them in this journey;
but Paul would not consent to it : upon which
occasion these two Apostles separated : Paul went
to Asia, and Barnabas, with John Mark, to the

Isle of Cyprus. What John Mark did after this
journey we do not know, till we find him at
Rome in the year 63, performing signal service
for St. Paul, during his imprisonment.
The Apostle speaks advantageously of him m
his Epistle to the Colossians. Marcus, sister's
son to Barnabas, saluteth you. If he cometh unto
you, receive him.
He makes mention of him again in his Epistle
to Philemon, written in the year 62, at which
time he was with St. Paul at Rome; but in the
year 65, he was with Timothy in Asia. And St.
Paul writing to Timothy, desires him to bring
Marcus to Rome ; adding, that he was useful to
him for the ministry ofthe Gospel.
In the Greek and Latin churches, the festival
of John Mark is kept on the 27th of September.
Some say that he was bishop of Biblis, in Phoe
nicia. The Greeks give him the title of Apostle ;
and say that the sick were cured by his shadow
only. It is very probable that he died at Ephesus,
where his tomb was very much celebrated and
resorted to. He is sometimes called simply John
or Mark. The year of his death we are strangers
to; and shall not collect all that is said of Mm in
apocryphal and uncertain authors.

. r.^,-tffi^t-_i

THE LIFE OF CLEMENT.

405

CLEMENT.

CLEMENT is mentioned by St. Paul in his
Epistle to the Philippians, where the Apostle
says, that Clement's name is written in the book
of life. The generality of the fathers, and other
interpreters, make no question but that this is the
same Clement who succeeded St. Paul, after Linus
and Cletus, in the government of the church of
Rome ; and this seems to be intimated, when, in the
office of St. Clement's day, that church appoints
this part ofthe Epistle to the Philippians to be read.
We find several things relating to Clement's
life in the recognitions and constitutions, called
Apostolical ; but as those works are not looked
upon as authentic, though there may be truths
in them derived from the tradition of the first
ages, little stress is to be laid upon their testimony.
St. Chrysostom drinks that Clement, mentioned
by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians, was
one of the Apostle's constant fellow-travellers.
Irenseus, Origen, Clemens of Alexandria, and
others ofthe ancients, assert, that Clement was
a disciple of the Apostles ; that he had seen them,
and heard their instructions. St. Epiphanius,
Jerome, Rufinus, Bede, and some others, were of
opinion, that as the Apostles St. Peter and St.
Paul' could not be continually at Rome, by reason
of the frequent journeys which they were obliged
to make to other places, and it was not proper
that the city of Rome should be without a bishop,
there was a necessity to supply the want of them,
by establishing Linus, Anaclet, and Clement
there. The constitutions inform us, that Linus
was ordained by St. Paul : Tertullian and Epi
phanius say, that St. Peter ordained Clement.
Rufinus tells us, that this Apostle chose St. Cle
ment for his successor. But Epiphanius believes,
that after he had been made bishop of Rome by

St. Peter, he refused to exercise his office, till,
after the death of Linus and Anaclet, he was
obliged to take upon him the care of the church;
and this is the most generally received opinion.
St. Paul's immediate successor was Linus ; Linus
was succeeded by Anacletus ; and Anacletus by
Clement, in the year of Christ ninety-one, which
was the tenth of Domitian's reign.
During his pontificate, the church of Corinth
having been disturbed by a spirit of division, St.
Clement wrote a large letter to the Corinthians,
which is still extant, and was so much esteemed
by the ancients, that they read it publicly in
many churches ; and some have been inclined to
range it among the canonical writings. The em
peror Domitian intended to declare war against
the diurch of Christ ; his design was made known
to Hermas, and he ordered to give a copy of it to
Clement, that he might communicate it to other
churches, and exhort them to provide against the
storm. We have no certain account of what
happened to St. Clement, during this persecution :
but we are very well assured that he lived to the
third year of Trajan. His festival is set down by
Bede, and all the Latin Martyrologies, on the
twenty-third of November. The Greeks honour
him on the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of the
. same month. Rufinus, and Pope Zozimus, give
him the title of Martyr; and the Roman church,
in its canon, places him among the saints who
have sacrificed their lives for Jesus Christ. We
read in ancient history, (to the authenticity of
which, however, there are some exceptions,) that
St. Clement was banished by Trajan to the Cher-
sonesus, beyond the Euxine Sea : besides other
particulars in the history, which we shall not
mention, as not being well authenticated.

406

MARY MAGDALENE.

MARY MAGDALENE.

MARY MAGDALENE was a native either
of Magdala, a town in Galilee, on the
other side Jordan, or Magdalos, a town situated
at the foot of Mount Carmel, and had her sur
name from the place of her birth. Some will
have it that she was the sinner mentioned by St.
Luke, Chap. vii. 37, &c. ; but this opinion is built
only On conjecture. The Evangelists Luke and
Mark tell us, that Jesus had cast out of her seven
devils ; which some understand in a literal, and
others in a figurative sense.
But however this be, she became a con
stant attendant on the blessed Jesus, after he
had removed her plague. She followed him
to Mount Calvary, continued amidst the Ro
man guards at the foot of the cross, with the
holy Virgin, and saw his precious body laid in
the tomb. After which she returned to Jeru
salem, to purchase spices to embalm him, as
soon as the sabbath was over.
It was she who carried the welcome tidings to
Peter and John : and to her our blessed Lord
himself first appeared after his resurrection. The
Apostles did not, however, believe her report till
it was confirmed by others, and they themselves
had seen the Saviour of the world.
We have no further account of Mary Magda
lene m the sacred writings. But Modestus, arch

bishop of Constantinople in the seventh century,
tells us, that She continued at Jerusalem till the
death of the holy Virgin, after which she retired
to Ephesus, and resided with St. John, till she
sealed the faith she had so long professed with
her blood. She was buried by the Christians
at Ephesus, where her tomb was shown in the
seventh century.
But the emperor Leo the Wise, caused her
body to be removed from Ephesus to Constan
tinople, the latter end of the ninth century, in
order to its being interred in the church erected
to the honour of the Apostles.
Thus have we given the fullest account of the
followers of the blessed Jesus ; the persons who
spread the light of the Gospel over the whole
world, removed the vail of ignorance and super
stition drawn over the kingdoms of the earth,
and taught us the method of attaining eternal
happiness in the courts of the New Jerusalem.
May we all follow their glorious example !
May we imitate their faith, their piety, their
charity, and their love ! Then shall we pass
through things temporal in such a manner that
we shall finally gain the things eternal, and
through the merits of an all-perfect Redeemer,
be admitted as worthy guests at the marriage-
supper of the Lamb.

THE

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY

BRIEFLY STATED;

AND THE

PROVED TO BE GENUINE.

m THREE JUDICIOUS AJYD EXCELLEJVT SERMONS.

BY P. DODDRIDGE, D.D.

SERMON I.

We have not followed cunningly devised fables. 2 Pet. i. 16.

IT is undoubtedly a glory to our age and
country, that the nature of moral virtue has
been so clearly stated, and the practice of it so
strongly enforced, by the views of its native
beauty and beneficial consequences, both to
private persons and societies. Perhaps, in this
respect, hardly any nation or time has equalled,
certainly few, if any, have exceeded our own.
Yet I fear I might add, there have been few ages
or countries where vice has more generally
triumphed in its most audacious, and, in other
respects, most odious forms.
This may well appear a surprising case ; and
it will surely be worth our while to inquire into
the causes of so strange a circumstance. I cannot
now enter into a particular detail of them. But

I am persuaded, none is more considerable than
that unhappy disregard, either to the Gospel in
general, or to its most peculiar and essential
truths, which is so visible amongst us, and which
appears to be continually growing. It is plain,
that, like some of old, who thought and professed
themselves the wisest of mankind, or, in other
words, the freest thinkers of their age, multitudes
among us have not liked to retain God and his
truths in their knowledge ; and it is, therefore,
the less to be wondered at, if God has given them
up to a reprobate mind, to the most infamous
lusts and enormities, and to a depth of degene
racy, which, while it is in part the natural con -
sequence, is in part also the just, but dreadful
punishment, of their apostacy from the faith.
And I am persuaded, that those who do indeed

408

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

wish well to the cause of public virtue, as every
true Christian most certainly does, cannot serve
it more effectually, than 'by endeavouring to es
tablish men in the belief of the Gospel in general,
and to affect their hearts with its most distin
guished truths.
The latter of these is our frequent employ
ment, and is what 1 some time ago particularly
attempted, in a series of Discourses on the Power
and Grace of the Redeemer. The former I shall
now, by the Divine assistance, apply myself to on
the present occasion. And I have chosen the
words now before us, as a proper introduction \
to such a design.
They do, indeed, peculiarly refer to the coming
of our Lord, which the Apostle represents as
attested by that glory, of which he was an eye
witness on the mount of transfiguration, and by
that voice from heaven which he heard there:
but the truth of these facts is evidently connected
with that of the Gospel in general. I am per
suaded, therefore, you will think they are pro
perly prefixed to a discourse on the general
evidences of Christianity. And I hope, by the
Divine assistance, to propose them at this time
in such a manner, as shall convince you that the
Apostles had reason to say, and that we also have
reason to repeat it, We have not followed cun
ningly devised fables.
I have often touched on this subject occa
sionally, but I think it my duty at present to insist
something more largely uppn it. You easily ap
prehend, that it is a matter of the highest im
portance, being, indeed, no other than the great
foundation of all our eternal hopes. While so
many are daily attempting to destroy this founda
tion, it is possible that those of you, especially,
who are but entering on the world, may be called
out to give a reason of the hope that is in you : 1

would, therefore, with the Apostle, be concerned,
tliat you may be, ready to do,it.p It may fortify
you against the artifices, by "which the unwary
are often deceived and ensnared, and may pos
sibly enable you to put to silence their foolishness.
At least it will be for the satisfaction of your own
minds, to have considered the matter seriously,
and to be conscious to yourselves, that you are
not Christians merely by education or example,
as, had you been born elsewhere, you might have
been Pagans of Mahometans ; but that you are
so upon rational evidence, and because (as the
sacred historian expresses it) you know the cer
tainty of those things in which you have been
instructed. To open and vindicate the proof of Christianity
in all its extent, would be the employment of
many discourses; nor would it, on the whole, be
proper to attempt it here. All that I now intend
here is to give you a summary view of the most
considerable arguments, in that wMch seems to
me their most proper and natural connection; so
that you may be able to judge of them better
than you could possibly do by a few scattered
remarks, or by the most copious enlargement on
any single branch of them alone. I shall endea
vour to dispose these hints so, as that they may
be some guide to those, whose leisure and abili
ties may lead them to a more ample and curious
inquiry ; that they may not be entangled in so
complex an argument, but may proceed, in an
orderly manner.
And if any of you, my friends, desire a
more particular information on any of those
heads, which I now but briefly suggest, you
may depend upon it, that faithful ministers
of every denomination will -think it an im
portant part, of then duty, to give you all. the
private assistance . they can. It is my hearty
prayer, that, God would enable me to plead Ms

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

409

cause With success; that he would open your
understandings to receive these things, and
strengthen your memories Hd retain them ; that
you may not be like children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but may be
strong in faith, giving glory to God ; that your
faith being more and more established, it may
appear, that the tree is watered at the roots ; and
all your other graces may grow and flourish in
»an equal proportion.
But before I proceed, I must desire you to
observe, that there is no proof in the world
so satisfactory to the true Christian, as to have
felt the transforming power of the Gospel on
his own soul. As that illiterate man whose
eyes were miraculously opened by Christ, when
be was questioned by the Jewish Sanhedrim,
who endeavoured with all their sophistry to prove
Christ an impostor, answered, with great steadi
ness and constancy, and with a great deal of
reason too, " This one thing I know, that whereas
I was blind, now I see:" so the most unlearned
of the disciples of Jesus, having found his soul
enlightened and sanctified, and felt his heart so
effectually wrought upon, as to bring him home
to his duty, Ms God, and his happiness, by the
constraining power of the Gospel, will despfee'a
thousand subtle objections which may be urged
against it ; and though the cross of Christ be to
the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks
foolishness, yet with this experience of its saving
energy, he wilL honour it in the midst of all their
contempt and ridicule, as the power of God, and
the wisdom of God. i •
In tMs sense, though the miraculous commu
nication of the Spirit be ceased, he that believeth
hath still the witness in Mmself; and while the
Spirit beareth witness with his spirit that he is a
Nos. 35 & 36.

child of God, he cannot doubt, but that the
word by which he was, as it were, begotten
unto him, is indeed a divine and incorruptible
seed. And perhaps there are certain seasons of press
ing temptation, in which the most learned, as
well as the most illiterate Christian, will find this
the surest anchor of his hope.
Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged, that
this glorious kind of evidence is like the white
stone, mentioned in the Revelation, on which
there was a new name written, which no man
knew but he who received it. God has, there-*-
fore, made other provision for the honour and
support of his Gospel, Vy furnishing it with a
variety of proof, which' may with undiminished,
and indeed with growing, conviction, be commu
nicated from one to another. And we should be
greatly wanting in gratitude to him, in zeal for a
Redeemer's kingdom, and in charitable concern
for the conversion of those who reject the Gospel,
as well as for the edification of those who embrace
it, should we wholly overlook these argument,
or neglect to acquaint ourselves with them.
This is the evidence which I am now to pro
pose ; and I desire you would hear it with be
coming attention. I speak to you as to rationa,
creatures; judge ye of the reasonableness of what
I shall say.
In prosecution of this great design, I shall en
deavour more particularly to show you, — that
if we take the matter on a general survey, it will .
appear highly probable, that such a scheme of
doctrines and precepts, as we find Christianity
to be, should indeed have been a divine revela
tion; — and then, that if we exaifline into the
external evidence of it, we shall find it certain:
in fact, that it was so, and that it had its original
from above.
3X

410

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

First, let me show, That taking the matter merely
in theory, it will appear highly probable, that
such a system as the Gospel should be indeed a
divine revelation.
To evidence this, I would more particularly
prove, — that the state of mankind was such, as
greatly to need a revelation ; — that there seems
from the light of nature, encouragement to hope
that God should grant one ; — that it is reason
able to believe, if any were made, it should be so
introduced and transmitted, as we are told CMis-
tianity was; and that its general nature and
substance should be such, as we find that of the
Gospel is. If these particulars are made out,
here will be a strong presumptive evidence, that
the Gospel is from (Sod; and we shall have
opened a fair way toward the more direct proof
which I principally intend.

1. The case of mankind is naturally such, as
greatly to need a divine revelation.
% I speak not here of man in his original
state ; though even then, as many have largely
shown, some instruction from above seemed
necessary to inform him of many particulars
which it was highly expedient that he should
immediately know : but I speak of him in the
degenerate condition in which he now so evi
dently lies, by whatever means he was brought
into it. It is an easy thing to make florid ep-'
comiums on the perfection of natural light, and
to deceive unwary readers with an ambiguous
term, which shall sometimes signify alii that
appears even to the divine understanding, and
sometimes no more than the meanest of the
human race* may, or than they-^^fy'.-do,
attain; but let fact speak, and"|p|i*eontro-
versy will soon be determinedi^^pappeal to
all that are acquamted with tbesJIfc^ds of an

tiquity, or that have any knowledge of the most
credible accounts of the present state of those
countries where Christianity is unknown, whe
ther it is not too obvious a truth, that the whole
heathen world has lain, and still lies, in wicked
ness. Have not incomparably the greater part
of them been perpetually bewildered in their re
ligious notions and practices, vastly differing from
each other, and almost equally differing on all
sides from the probable appearances of truth and
reason ? Is any thing so wild as not to have
been believed, any thing so infamous as not tal
have been practised, by them ; while they have
not only pretended to justify it by reason, but
have consecrated it as a part of their religion?
To this very day, what are the discoveries
of new nations in the American or African
world, but,, generally speaking, the opening of
new scenes of enormity ? Rapine, lust, cruelty,
human sacrifices, and the most stupid idolatries,
are, and, for aught I can find, always have
been, the morality and religion of almost all the
Pagan nations under heaven : and to say, that
there have still been some smothered sparks
of reason within, which, if cherished, might
have led them to truth and happiness, is only
saying, that they have been so much the more
criminal, and, therefore, so much the more
miserable.

But you live at home, and hear these things
only by uncertain report. Look then around
you, within the sphere of your own observation,
and see the temper and character of the ge
nerality of those who have been educated in
a Christian, and even in a Protestant, country.
Observe their ignorance and forgetfulness of the
Divine Being, their impieties, their debaucheries,
their fraud, their oppression, their pride, then
avarice, their ambition, their unnatural insen
sibility of the wants, and sorrows* and interests

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

411

of each other ; and when you see how bad they
generally are in the midst of so many advantages,
judge by that of the probable state of those that
want them. Judge, upon these views, whether
a revelation be an unnecessary thing.

2. There is, from the light of nature, considerable
encouragement to hope that God would favour
his creatures with so needful a bkssing as a re
velation appears.
That a revelation is in itself a possible thing,
is evident beyond all shadow of a doubt. Shall
not he that made man's mouth, who has given
this wonderful faculty of discovering our sen
timents, and communicating our ideas to each
other, shall not he be able to converse with his
rational creatures, and by sensible manifestations,
or by inward-jnipressions, to convey the know
ledge of things which lie beyond the ken of their
natural faculties, and yet may be highly con
ducive to their advantage ? To own a God, and
to deny Mm such a power, will be a notorious
contradiction. But it may appear much more
dubious whether he will please to confer such a
favour on sinful creatures.
Now I acknowledge, that we could not cer
tainly conclude he would ever do it ; con- .
sidering, on the one hand, how justly they
stood exposed to his final displeasure ; and, on
the other, what provision he had made by the
frame of the human mind, and of nature around
us, for giving us such notices of himself, as
would leave us inexcusable, if we either failed
to know him, or to glorify him as God, as the
Apostle argues, Rom. i. 20. Nevertheless, me-
thinks we should have had something of this kind
to hope from considering God as the indul
gent Father of his creatures; from observing
the tender care which he takes of us, and the ,

liberal supply which he grants for the support uf
the animal life; especially from the provision
which he has made for man, considered as a
guilty and calamitous creature, by the medicinal
and healing virtues which he has given to many
of the productions of nature, which in a state of
perfect rectitude and happiness man would never
have needed. This is a circumstance, which
seemed strongly to intimate, that he would some
time or another graciously provide some remedy-
to heal men's minds; and that he would inter
pose to instruct them in his own nature, in the
manner in which he is to be served, and in the
final treatment which they may expect from him.
And, I think, such an apprdiension seems very
congruous to the sentiments of the generality of,
mankind ; as appears from the many pretences
to divine revelation which have'often been made,
and the readiness of multitudes to receive them
on very slender proofs: this shows how naturally
men expect some such kind interposition of the
Deity ; a thought which might farther be con
firmed by some remarkable passages of heathen
writers, which I have not now time particularly
to mention.

3. We may easily conclude, That if a revelation,
were given, it would be introduced and trans
mitted in such a manner as Christianity is said
to have been.
It is exceeding probable, for instance, that if|
should be taught, either by some illustrious person
sent down from a superior world, or at least by a
man of eminent wisdom and piety, who should
Mmselthave.been not only a teacher, but an ex
ample, of universal goodness. In order to tins,
it seems probable that he would be led througn a
series of calamity and distress ; since otherwise
he would not have been a pattern of the virtues
which adorn adversity, and are peculiar to it.
3X*

412

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

And it might also have been expected, that in
the extremity of his distresses, the blessed God,
whose messenger he was, should, in some ex
traordinary manner, have interposed, either to
preserve, or to recover him from death.
It is, moreover, exceeding probable, that such
a person, and perhaps also they who were at first
employed as his messengers to the world, should
be endowed with a power of working miracles;^
both to awaken men's attention, and to prove a
divine mission, and the consequent truth of their
doctrines ; some of which might, perhaps, not
be capable of any other kind of proof; or, if
they were, it is certain that no method of arguing
is so short, so plain, and so forcible, *and, on the
whole, so well suited to the conviction, and pro
bably the reformation ¦ of mankind, as a course
of evident, repeated, and uncontrolled miracles.
And such a method of proof is especially adapted
to the populace, who are incomparably the
greater part of mankind, and for whose benefit,
we may assure ourselves, a revelation would
chiefly be designed.
I might add, it was no way improbable, though
not in itself certain, that a dispensation should
open gradually on the world ; and that the most
illustrious messenger of God to men should be
ushered in by some predictions, which should
raise a great expectation of his appearance,
and have an evident accomplishment m him.
As for the propagation of a religion so intro
duced, it seems no way improbable that, having
been thus established in its first age, it should
b^ transmitted to future generations by credible
testimony, as other important facts are. It is
certain, that affairs of the utmost moment, which
are transacted amongst men, depend on testimony.
On this voyages are undertaken, settlements
made, and controversies decided; controversies,

on which not only the estates, but the lives of
men depend. And though it must be owned,
that such an historical evidence is not equally
convincing with miracles which are wrought be
fore our owrf eyes, yet it is certain it may rise to
such a degree as to exclude all reasonable doubt.
And I know not why we should expect that the
evidence of a revelation should be such, as uni
versally to compel tfie immediate assent of all to
whom it is offered.
To me it seems much more likely, that it should
be so adjusted, as to be a kind of touchstone to
the tempers and characters of men; capable in
deed of giving ample satisfaction to the diligent
and candid inquirer, yet attended with some cir
cumstances, from whence'. the captious and per
verse might take occasion to cavil and object,
Such might we suppose the evidence of the re
velation would be, and such it is maintained that
of Christianity is. The teachers of it say, and
undertake to prove, that it was thus introduced,
thus established, and thus transmitted ; and we
trust that this is a strong presumption in its
favour; especially as we can add,

4. The main doctrines contained in the Gospel are
of such a nature, as we might in general suppgse
¦ those of a divine revelation vppuld be^rrr^tignal,
practical, and sublime.
One would imagine, that in a revelation of
religion from God, the great principles of na
tural religion should be clearly asserted, and
strongly maintained : such, I mean, as the exist
ence, the unity, the perfection, and the providence,
of God ; the essential and immutable difference
between moral good and evil ; the obligation we
are under to the various branches of virtue).
whether human, -social, or divine ; the value and,
mmortality of the soul ; and the rewards and

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

4l3

punishmentsof a future state. One would easily
conclude, that all these particulars must be con
tained in it; and that, upon the whole, it should
appear calculated to form men's minds to a
' proper temper, rather than to amuse them with
curious speculations.
It might indeed be further supposed, and pro
bably concluded, that such a revelation would
contain some things, which could not have been
learnt from the highest improvements of natural
Ught: and considering the infinite and unfathom
able uature of the blessed God, it would be more
than probable, that many things might be hinted
at, and referred to, which our feeble faculties
should not be able fully to comprehend. Yet
we should expect to find these introduced in a
practical view, as directing us to duties before
unknown, or suggesting powerful motives to
make us resolute and constant in the discharge
ofthe rest ; particularly on what terms pardon and
happiness might be expected by sinful creatures.
As for ceremonial and positive institutions, we
would imagine, at least in the most perfect state
of the revelation, that they should be but few,
and those few plainly subservient to the great
purposes of practical religion.
I shall only add, that, forasmuch as pride ap
pears to be the most reigmng corruption of the
human mind, and the source of numberless irre
gularities, it is exceeding probable that a divine
revelation should be calculated to humble the
fallen creature, and bring ft to a sense of its guilt
and weakness ; and the more evidently that ten
dency appears, other things being equal, the
greater reason is there to believe, that the original
of such a scheme is from above.
Your own thoughts have, undoubtedly, pre
vented me in the application of these characters
to the Christian revelation. The justice of that

application I must not now illustrate at large.
But I must beg leave to advance one remark,
which will conclude what I have to say on this
head; which is, that as the Christian system is
undoubtedly worthy of God, so considering the
manner in which it is said to have been intro-
duced, (separate from the evidence of the facts,
which is afterwards to be considered,) it is very
difficult to imagine from whom else it could have
proceeded. Twill readily allow, that neither the reason
ableness of its doctrines, nor the purity of its
morals, will alone prove its divine original;
since it is possible the reason of one man may
discover that, which the reason of another ap
proves, as being, in itself considered, either true
in theory, or useful in practice. But this is
not all ; for in the present case it is evident, that
the first teachers of Christianity professed that
they were taught it by Divine revelation, and
that they were empowered by God with mira
culous endowments for the confirmation of it
Now, if it were not indeed so as they professed,
how can we account for so strange a pheno
menon, as such a doctrine introduced with such
pretences ? If it were not from God, whence
was it? From good, or from evil angels, or
men ? Wicked creatures, as our Lord intimates, •
Matt. xii. 25. would never conceive and propa
gate so. excellent a scheme; nor can we imagine,
that holy angels, or righteous men, would thus
be found false witnesses of God, or have at
tempted to support the cause of religion and
truth by such impious and notorious falsehoods,
as their pretensions must have been, if they were
falsehoods at all.
And thus much for the first branch of the
argument. If you consider the Christian scheme
only in theory, it appears Mghly probable ; since
a revelation was so much needed, might so

tl4

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

reasonably be expected ; and if it were ever given,
would, so far as we can judge, be thus intro
duced, and be, in the main, attended with such
internal characters. And though we have not
as yet expressly proved, that the Gospel was in
troduced in such a manner, as the, defenders of
it assert; yet it would be strangely unaccount
able, that so admirable a system of truth and
duty should be advanced by the prince of dark
ness, and the children of wickedness ; as it must
have been, if the*persons first employed in the
propagation of it werenot endowed with power
from on high.
To embrace the Gospd is so safe, and, on the
whole, so comfortable a thing, that I think a wise
man would deliberately and resolutely venture
his all upon it, though nothing more Could be
offered for its confirmation. But, blessed be
God, we have a great deal more to offer in this
important cause ; and can add, with still greater
confidence, that it is not only in theory thus
probable, but,

Secondly, That it is in fact certain, that Chris
tianity is indeed a Divine Revelation.
i
Here, I confess, the chief stress is to be laid ;
and, therefore, I shall insist more largely on this
branch of the argument, and endeavour, by the
Divine assistance, to prove the certainty of this
great fact. You will naturally apprehend, that
I speak only of what is commonly called a
moral certainty : but I need speak of no more ;
for in many cases, such kind of evidence gives
the mind as ample and as rational a satisfac
tion, as it may find even in some supposed
mathematical demonstrations : since there it is
possible, at least in a long deduction of par
ticulars, for the most sagacious of manMnd to
fall into a mistake.

Now, in order to settle this grand point as
clearly as I can, I think it may be proper to
prove, I. That the books of the New Testament, as
they are now in your hands, may be depended
upon as written by the first preachers and pub
lishers of Christianity. And,
II. That from hence it will certainly follow,
that what they assert is true, and that the religion
they teach; brings along with it such evidences
of a divine authority, as may most justly recom
mend it to our acceptance.
Each of these heads might furnish out matter
for many volumes; but it is my business to hint
at the most obvious and important thoughts by
which they may briefly be illustrated and con
firmed.

I. I am to prove to you, That the books of the
New Testament now in your hands, were written
by the first preachers and publishers of Chris
tianity. You see I confine the present proof to the
books of the New Testament. Not that I think
the authority of the Old to be suspected, or the
use of it by any meansto be despised. God forbid !
It is an invaluable treasure which demands our
daily, delightful, and thankful perusal, and is ca
pable of being defended in a manner which I am
persuaded its subtilest enemies will never be able
to answer. But the nature of my present argu1-
ment, and the limits of my time, oblige me at
present to wave the proof of it, any farther than
as it is implied in, and dependent upon, what I
have more immediately in view.
In the process of the discourse, though I shall

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

415

studiously avoid, any ostentation of learmng;
yet it will be absolutely necessary to assert some
things, which cannot certainly be known without
some little acquaintance with ancient writers.
You cannot, most of you, be supposed to have
formed such an acquaintance ; but I take it for
granted you will readily believe that I will not
lie for God, nor talk deceitfully for him. 1 shall
say nothing of this kind hut what I know to be
contained in those writings ; and you may assure
yourselves, that no man of common sense, what
ever his moral or religious character were, would
venture, in such an age as this, publicly to cite
passages, as from authors in every one's hands,
which -he cannot prove to be contained in
them. Having premised these things, I go on to the
argument, and shall advance in it by the follow
ing degrees : I shall' prove, — rthat Christianity is
an ancient religion ;— that there was such a per
son as Jesus of Nazareth crucified at Jerusalem
-above seventeen hundred years ago ;— that the,
first preachers of his religion wrote books, which
went by the name of those that now make up
the volume of our New Testament;- — that they
are preserved in the Original to the present
times ; — and that the translation of them, which
you have, is, in the main, such as may be de
pended upon as faithful. And then I shall have
clearly made out what I proposed in this first part.

1. It is certain, That Christianity is not a new
religion, but that it was maintained by great
Multitudes quickly after the. time in which Jesus
is said to have appeared.
That there was, considerably, more than six
teen hundred years ago, a body of men who went
by the name of Christians, is almost as evident as
that a race of men was thjen existing in the world ;

nor do I know that any have ever be^en wld
and confident enough to dispute it. If any should,
for argument's sake, question it, they might
quickly be convinced by a considerable number
of Christian writers, who lived in the same, or
the rlfext age, and mention it as a thing noto
riously certain, that Christianity was then of
some standing in the world ; some of them giving
directions and exhortations to their brethren,
and others forming apologies to their enemies,
for which there could not Otherwise have been
the least foundation,
We might have acquiesced in their testimonyf
had it been alone; but it is confirmed by that of
Jews and Heathens, who, by their early invec
tives against the Christians, do most evidently
prove, that there was such a body of men in the
world. The most considerable Roman histo
rians, who lived in this age, and wrote of it, are
Tacitus and- Suetonius, who both published their
writings above sixteen hundred years ago ; and
they are always, and very justly, appealed to, as
pregnant witnesses upon this occasion. For Ta
citus assures us, "That in Nero's days," who be
gun his reign about twenty years after the death
of Christ, " there was a vast multitude of Chris
tians, not only in Judea, but at Rome too ; against
whom Nero raised a persecution, attended with
such circumstances of ignominy and cruelty, as
moved the compassion even of their enemies ;"
of which number this hist&ian evidently was.
Nay, he plainly intimates, that this was not the
first attempt which had been made to crush them ;
though this attempt was so early as we have
heard. His contemporary, Suetonius, in his
more concise manner, attests the same. And
Pliny, the intimate friend and correspondent of
both, being employed in Trajan's time to perse
cute the Christians, writes an account of them
to that emperor, which, though commonly known,
must be mentioned, as it is so highly important.

416

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

After having spoken very favourably of their
moral character, he adds, " that many of both
sexes, and of every age and rank, were infected
with this superstition," as he thinks fit to express
it ; " that it was gone into the villages, as well
as the Cities ; and that, till he began to *p*ut the
laws in execution against them, the temples of
the Heathen deities were almost deserted, and
hardly any could be found who would buy vic
tims for them." It might be added, that Marcus
Antoninus, who wrote a few years after Pliny,
mentions the Christians, " as examples of a re*-
solute and obstinate contempt of death :" and k
•is generally supposed they are the Galileans,
whom Epictetus speaks of, " as those whom
practice had taught to despise the rage of their
armed enemies." «
I shall dismiss this head with observing, that
it tends greatly to the confirmation of Chris
tianity, that each of these celebrated and ancient
Pagan writers, at the same time they attest the
existence of such a body of men professing it,
inform us of those extreme persecutions which
they underwent in the very infancy of their re
ligion: a fact als° farther apparent from the
apologies addressed by the Christians to their
persecutors, which, whatever imperfections may
attend the manner in which some of them are
written, appear to me some of the most valuable
remains of antiquity, (the sacred records only
excepted,) especially those of Justin Martyr,
Tertullfan, and Minutius Felix.

This fundamental point is then abundantly
made out; that there were vast numbers of men,
very quickly after the time when Jesus is said to
have appeared upon earth, who professed his re
ligion, and chose to endure the greatest extremi
ties, rather than they would abandon it. From
hence it will be easy to show,

2. That there was certainly such a person as Jesus
of Nazareth, who was crucified at Jerusalem,
when Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor
there.

It can never be imagined, that multitudes of
people should take their name from Christ", and
sacrifice their lives for their adherence to him,
even in the same age in which he is said to have
lived, if they had not bfen well assured there •
was such a person.
Now several of the authors I have mentioned,
plainly assert, that the Christians were deno
minated from Christ ; nay, Tacitus expressly
adds, " that he was put to death under Pontius
Pilate, who was procurator of Judea in the
reign of Tiberius." And it is well known, that
the primitive Christian apologists often appeal
to the acts of Pilate, or the memoirs of his
government, (which he, according to the custom
of other procurators, transmitted to Rome,) as
containing an account of these transactions:
and as the appeal was made to those who had
the command of the public records, we may
assure ourselves such testimonies Were then
extant. But it is a fact which our enemies
never denied : they owned it ; they even gloried
in it, and upbraided the Christians with it.

The Jews, therefore, in some of their earliest
writings since those times, call Jesus by the igno
minious name of " the man who was hanged,
or crucified," and his followers, " the servants
of the crucified person." And Lucian rallies
them for deserting the pompOus> train of the
Heathen deities, to worship one whom he im
piously calls " a crucified impostor.?'
Spartain also assures Us, that the emperor Alex
ander Severus entertained such high thoughts

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

4T7

of Christ, " That he would have admitted him
into the number of his deities, and have built a
temple to him, had not his Pagan subjects
vigorously opposed it." And Porphyry, though
an inveterate enemy to Christianity, not only
allowed there was such a person, but honoured
him " as a most wise and pious man, approved
by the gods, and taken up into heaven for his
distinguished virtues." I might add a great deal
more on this head ; but it already appears as
certain as ancient history can make it, and in
comparably more certain than most of the facts
which it has transmitted to us, that there was at
the time commonly supposed such a person as
CMist, who professed himself a divine teacher,
and who gathered many disdples, by whom his
religion was afterwards published in the world.

6. It is also certain, That the first publishers of
this religion wrote books, which contained an
account of the life and doctrine of Jesus, their
Master, and which went by the name of those
that noiv make up our New Testament.
It was in the nature of things exceeding
probable, that what they had seen and heard,
they would declare and publish to the world in
writing ; considering how common books were
in the age and countries in which they taught ;
and of how great importance an acquaintance
with the history and doctrine of Christ was, to
the purposes which they so strenuously pursued;
but we have much more than such a presumptive
evidence. The greatest adversaries of Christianity must
grant, that we have books of great antiquity,
written some fourteen, others fifteen, and some
sixteen hundred years ago; in which mention is
made of the life of Christ, as written by many,
and especially by four of his disciples, who, by
Nos. 35 cv 36.

way of eminence, are called the Evangelists,
Great pains indeed have been taken to prove,
that some spurious pieces were published under
the names of the Apostles, containing the history
of these things ; but surely this must imply, that
it was a thing known and allowed, that the
Apostles did write some narrations of this kind ;
as counterfeit coin implies some true money,
which it is designed to represent. And I am
sure, he must be very little acquainted with the
ancient ecclesiastical writers, who does not know,
that the primitive Christians made a very great
difference between those writings, which wc call
the canonical books of the New Testament, and
others ; which plainly shows, that they did not
judge of writings merely by the names of their
pretended authors, but inquired with an accu
racy becoming the importance of those pre
tences. The result of this inquiry was, the four
Gospels, the Acts, thirteen Epistles of Paul, one
of Peter, and one of John, were received upon
such evidence, that Eusebius, a most accurate
and early critic in these things, could not learn
that they had ever been disputed ; and afterwards
the remaining books of the New Testament,
Hebrews, James, the Second of Peter, the Second
and Third of John, Jude, and the Revelation,
were admitted as genuine, and added to the rest ;
though some circumstances attending them ren
dered their authority for a while a little dubious.
On the whole it is plain, the primitive Chris
tians were so satisfied in the authority of these
sacred books, that they speak of them not only
as credible and authentic, but as equal to the
oracles of the Old Testament, as divinely in
spired, as the words ofthe Spirit, as the law and
organ of God, and as the rule of faith, which
cannot be contradicted without great guilt; with
many other expressions of the like kind, which
often occur in their discourses. To which I nfay
add, that in some of their councils, the New
3Y

418

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

Testament was placed on a throne, to signify
their concern, that all their controversies and
actions might be determined and regulated by it.
On the whole, then, you see, that the primi
tive church did receive certain pieces which bore
the same titles with the books of our New'Testa-
ment. Now I think it is evident, they were as
capable of judging whether a book was written
by Matthew, John, or Paul, as an ancient Roman
could be of determining whether Horace, Tally,
or Livy, wrote those which go under their names.
And I am sure, the interest of the former was so
much more concerned in the writings of the
Apostles, than that of the latter in the composi
tions of the poets, orators, or even their histo
rians; that there, is reason to believe they would
take much greater care to inform themselves
fully in the merits of the cause, and to avoid
being imposed upon by artifice and fiction. Let
me now show,

4. That the books of the New Testament have
been preserved in the main uncorrupted, to the
present time, in the original language in which
they were written.
This is a matter of vast importance, and,
blessed be God, it is attended with proportionable
evidence ; an evidence, in which the hand of
Providence has indeed been remarkably seen ;
for I am confident, that there is no other ancient
book in the world which may so certainly and
so easily be proved to be authentic.
And here,, I will not argue merely from the
piety ofthe primitive Christians, and the heroic
resolution with which they chose to endure the
greatest' extremities, rather than they would de
liver up their Bibles, (though that be a conside
ration of some evident weight;) but shall entreat

you to consider the utter impossibility of cor
rupting them. From the first ages they were
received, and read in the churches as a part of
their public worship, just as Moses and the Pro
phets were in the Jewish synagogues; they were
presently spread far and wide, as the boundaries
of the church were increased ; they were early
translated into other languages, of which tran
slations some remain to this day.
Now when this was the case, how could they
possibly be adulterated ? Is it a thing to be sup
posed or imagined, that thousands and millions of
people should have come together from distant
countries ; and that with all their diversities of
language and customs, and, I may add, of senti
ments too, they should have agreed on corrupting
a book which they all acknowledged to be the
rule of their faith and their manners, and the
great charter by which they held their eternal
hopes? It were madness tobelieve it; especially
when we consider what numbers of heretics ap
peared in the very infancy of the church, who
all pretended to build their notions on Scripture,
and most of them appealed to it as the final
judge of controversies. Now it is certain, that
these different parties of professing Christians
were a perpetual guard upon each other, and ,
rendered it impossible for one party to practise
grossly on the sacred books, without the dis
covery and the clamour of the rest.
Nor must I omit to remind you, that in every
age, from the Apostles' time to our own, there
have been numberless quotations made from the
books of the New Testament; and a multitude of
commentaries in various languages, and some of
very ancient date, have been written upon them :
so that if the books themselves were lost, I believe
they might, in a great measure, if not entirely, be
recovered from the writings of others. And one
might venture to say, that if all the quotations

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

419

which have ever been made from all the ancient
writings now remaining in Europe were to be
amassed together, the bulk of them would be by
no means comparable fo that of the quotations
taken from the New Testament alone. So that
a man might, with a much better face, dispute,
whether the writings ascribed, to Homer, Demos
thenes, Virgil, or Caesar, be, in the main, such as
they left them, than he could question it con
cerning those of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
Peter, James, and Paul, whether they are in
the main so. ;'
I say, in the main, because we readily allow,
that the hand of a printer, or of a transcriber,
might chance in some places to insert one letter
or word for another ; and the various readings
of this, as well as of all other ancient books, prove
that this has sometimes been the case. Never
theless, those various readings are generally of
so littie importance, that he who can urge them
as an objection against the assertion we are now*
maintaining, must have little judgment, or little
integrity ; and, indeed, after those excellent things
which have been said on the subject by many
defenders of Christianity, if he have read their
writings, he must have little modesty too.
Since then it appears, that the books of the
New Testament, as they now stand in the origi
nal, are, without any material alteration, such as
they were when they came from the hands of the
persons whose names they bear, nothing remains
to complete this part of the argument, but to
show, 5. That the Translation of them, now in yOur
hands, may b£ depended upon, as, in all things
most material, agreeable to the original.
This is a fact, of which the generality of you
are not capable of judging immediately ; yet it is

a matter of great importance. It is, therefore, a
very great pleasure to me to think, what ample
evidence you may find another way, to make
your minds as easy on this head as you could •
reasonably wish them ; I mean, by the concurrent
testimony of others, in circumstances in which
you cannot imagine they would unite to deceive;
you.
-_ There are, to be sure, very few of us, whose
office it is publicly to .preach the Gospel, who
have not examined this matter with care, and
who are not capable of judging in so easy a case.
I believe you have seen few in the place where
I now stand, that could not have told you, as 1
now solemnly do, that, on a diligent comparison
of our translation with the original, we find that
ofthe New Testament, (and I might also add,
that of the Old,) in the main, faithful and
judicious. You know, indeed, that we do not scruple on
some occasions to animadvert upon it; but you
also know, that these remarks affect not the fun
damentals of religion, and seldom reach any
farther than the beauty of a figure, or at most
the connection of an argument. Nay, I can con
fidently say, that, to the best of my knowledge
and remembrance, as there is no copy of the
Greek, so neither is there any translation of the
New Testament, which I have seen, whether
ancient or modern, how defective and faulty
soever, from which all the principal facts and
doctrines of Christianity might not be learnt,
so far as the knowledge of them is necessary
to salvation, or >even to some considerable
degrees of education in piety. Nor do 1
except from this remark even that most er
roneous and corrupt version published by the
English Jesuits at Rheims, which is undoubt
edly one of the worst that ever appeared in
our language.
3Y*

420

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

But I desire not, that with respect to our own
translation of the New Testament, a matter of so
great moment as the fidelity of it should rest on
my testimony alone, or entirely on that of any of
my brethren, for whose integrity and learning
you may have the greatest and justest esteem.
I rejoice to say, that this is a head on which we
cannot possibly deceive you, if we were ever so
desirous to do it And indeed, in this respect,
that is our advantage, which in others is our
great calamity : I mean, die diversity of our re
ligious opinions. It is certain, that wheresoever
there is a body of dissenters from the public es
tablishment, who do yet agree with their brethren
of that establishment, in the use of the same tran
slation, though they are capable of examining it,
and judging of it; there is as great evidence as
could reasonably be desired, that such a transla
tion is, in the main, right ; for if it were in any
considerable argument corrupted, most of the
other debates would quickly lose themselves in
this : and though such dissenters had all that
candour, tenderness, and respect for their fellow
Christians, which I hope we shall always endea
vour to maintain, yet they would, no doubt, think
themselves obliged in conscience to bear a warm
and loud testimony against so crying an abomi
nation ; as they would another day appear free
from the guilt of a confederacy to poison the

public fountains, and destroy the souls of men.
But we make no complaint on this subject ; we
all unite in bearing our testimony to the oracles
of God, as delivered in our own language. Oh
that we "were equally united in regulating our
doctrine and our discipline, our worship and our
practice, by them !
You see, then, on the whole, how much reason
there is to believe, " that the books ofthe New
Testament, as they are now in your hands, were
written by those whose names they bear, even the
first preachers and publishers of Christianity."
This is the grand point ; and from hence it
will follow, by a train of easy and natural con
sequences, that the Gospel is most certainly true:
but that is a topic of argument abundantly suffi
cient to furnish out matter for another discourse.
May God command his blessing on what has
been already laid hefore us, that through the
operation of his Spirit, it may be useful for
establishing our regard to the Scripture, and for
confirming our faith in that Almighty Redeemer,
who is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End, the First and the Last; whom
to know is life everlasting, and in whom to be
lieve is the great security of our eternal salva
tion ! Amen.

421

SERMON II.

THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY, DEDUCED FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT,
ALLOWED TO BE GENUINE.

We have not followed cunningly devised fables. 2 Pet. i. 1 6.

WHEN we are addressing ourselves to an
audience of professing " Christians, I
think we may reasonably take it for granted, in
the mam course of our ministry, that they believe
the truth ofthe Gospel, and may argue with them
on that supposition. To be ever laying the
foundation, would be the part of an unwise
builder, and be greatly detrimental to your edifi
cation and comfort, and, I may add, to our own.
Nevertheless, Christians, we do not desire that
you should take it merely upon our word, that
your religion is divine, and your Scriptures in
spired. We desire, that your faith, as well as
your worship, should be a reasonable service ;
and wish that, in this respect, all the Lord's
people were as prophets ; that as every Christian
is in his sphere set for the defence of the Gospel,
each might, in some measure, be able to assert
its truth, and, if possible, to convince gainsayers.
Therefore, as we are often hinting at the chief
arguments on which this sacred cause is estab
lished, (established, I trust, so firmly, that the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it,) so I
thought it might be agreeable and useful, on this
occasion, to state them a little more largely, in
their proper connection and mutual dependence.
And I chose rather to do it* as these Sermons are
especially intended for young people, who, in an

age in which infidelity so much abounds, can
hardly expect to pass through the world, if they
are called to converse much in it, without some
attacks on their faith ; which may be very dan
gerous, if they are not provided with some ar
mour of proof against them. It is, indeed, (as I
before observed,) above all things to be desired,
that the heart may be established with grace; for
we are then more secure from the danger of for
getting God's precepts, when they have been the
blessed means of quickening us to a divine life.
Yet as other arguments have their use, and in
some degree their necessity too, I shall go on
briefly to propose them.
I beg, therefore, that you would renew your
attention, while presume the tMead of my dis
course, in an entire dependence on the blessed
Spirit, by whom the Gospel was at first revealed
and confirmed, to add success to this humble at
tempt for its service, and for your edification.
I am now showing you, that Christianity,
which before appeared in theory probable and
rational, has, in fact, a convincing evidence; not
only that it may be, but that it certainly is,
true ; — as it is certain, that the New Testament,
as now in your hands, is genmne : — and as it

422

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

may, with great evidence, be argued from hence,
that the Gospel is a revelation from God. The
first of these points I have endeavoured to prove
at large; and, without repeating what I said in
confirmation of it, I now proceed to show,

% That from allowing the New Testament lo be
genuine, it will certainly follow that Chris-,
tianity is a Divine Revelation.
And here a man is at first ready, to be lost in
the multiplicity of arguments whidi surround
him. It is very easy to find proofs; but difficult
to range and dispose them in such an order, as
best to illustrate and confirm each other. Now
1 choose to offer them in the following series,
which seems to me the most natural, and perhaps
may be most intelligible to you.
The authors of the books contained in the New.
Testament were certainly capable of judging
concerning the truth of the facts they attested ;• —
their character, so far. as we can judge of it by
their writings, renders them worthy of regard ; —
and they were under no temptation to attempt to
impose on the world by such a story as they have
given us, if it had been false : so that, con
sidering all things, there is no reason to believe
hey would attempt it; but if they had, they must
probably have perished in the attempt, and could
never have gained credit in the world, had their
testimony been false. Nevertheless, it is- certain
in fact, that they did gain credit, and succeed in
a most amazing manner against all opposition.
It is certain, therefore, that the facts they assert
were true ; and if they were true, that it was
reasonable for their contemporaries, and is rea
sonable for us, to receive the Gospel as a divine
revelation, — especially if we consider what has
happened in the world for the confirmation of
it, since it was first propagated by them. This

is the conclusion to winch I was to lead you ; and
I beg you would seriously consider each of the
steps by which we arrive at it.

1. It is exceeding evident, That the writers ofthe
New Testament certainly knew ivhether the
facts they asserted were true or false.
And this they must have known for this plain
reason:, because they tell us, they did not trust
merely to the report, even of persons whom they
thought most credible ; but were present them
selves when several of the most important facts
happened, and so received them on the testimony
of their own senses. On this St. John, in his
Epistle, lays a very great and reasonable stress :
That which we have seen with, our eyes, and
that not by a sudden glance, but which we have
attentively looked upon, and which even our
hands have handled of the word of life — i. e. of
Christ and his Gospels-declare we unto you.
Let the common sense of mankind judge here.
Did not Matthew and John certainly know
whether they had personally and familiarly con
versed with Jesus of-Nazareth, or not ? whether
he had chosen them for his constant attendants
and Apostles ? whether they had seen Mm heal
the sick, dispossess devils, and raise the dead ?
and whether they themselves had received from •
him such miraculous endowments, as they say he
bestowed upon them? Did not they know,
whether he fell into the hands of his enemies,
and was publicly put to death, or not? • Did not
John know, whether he saw him expiring on the
cross, or not? and whether he received from him
the dying charge which he records ? Did he not
know, whether he saw him wounded in the side
with a spear, or not ? and whether he did or did
not see that effusion of blood and water, which
was an infallible argument of his being really

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

423

dead ? concerning which, it being so material a
circumstance, he adds, He that saw it bare re
cord," and he knoweth that he saith true ; i. e. that
it was a case in which he could not possibly be
deceived. And with' regard to Christ's resur
rection, did he not certainly know, whether he
saw our Lord again and again ? and whether
he handled his body, that he might be sure it was
not a mere phantom ? What one circumstance
of his life could he certainly know, if he were
mistaken in this ?
Did not Luke know, whether he was in the
ship with Paul, when that extraordinary wreck
happened, by which they were. thrown ashore
on the island of Mdita, or Malta? Did he not
know, whether, while they were lodged together
in the governor's house, Paul miraculously healed
one of the family, and many other diseased per
sons in the island, as he positively asserts that
he did ? *
Did not Paul certainly know, whether Christ
appeared to him on the way to Damascus, or
not ? whether he was blind, and afterwards, on
the prayer of a fellow-disciple, received his sight ?
or was that a circumstance in which there could
be room for mistake ? Did he not know, whether
he received such extraordinary revelations, and
extraordinary powers, as to be able, by the im
position of his hands, or by the words of his
mouth, to work miracles, and even to convey
supernatural endowments to others ?

To add one more : Did not Peter know, whe
ther he saw the glory of Christ's transfiguration,
and heard that voiceto which he expressly refers,
when he says in the texf, We have not followed
cunningly devised fables, but were eye-witnesses
of his majesty— when there came such a voice to
him ; and this voice we heard.

Now Matthew, John, Luke, Paul, and Peter,
are by far the most considerable writers of the
New Testament ; and I am sure, when you re
flect on these particulars, you must own, that
there are few historians, ancient or modern, that
could so certainly judge of the truth of the facts
they have related.
• You may, perhaps, think I have enlarged too
much in stating so clear a case : but you will
please to remember, it is the foundation of the
whole argument; and that this branch of it alone
cuts off infidels from that refuge, which I believe
they would generally choose, that of pleading the
Apostles were enthusiasts ; and leaves them silent,
unless they will say they were impostors : for you
evidently see, that, could we suppose theje facts
to be false, they could by no means Dretend
an involuntary mistake, but must, in the most
criminal and aggravated sense, as Paul himself
expresses it, be found false witnesses of God.
But how unreasonable it would be to charge
them with so notorious a crime, will in part
appear, if we consider,

2. That the character of those writers, so far as
we can judge by their works, seem to render
them worthy of regard, and leaves no room to
imagine they intended to deceive us.
I shall not stay to show at large, that they ap
pear to have been persons of natural sense, and,
at the time of their writing, of a composed
mind ; for I verily believe, no man, that ever
read the .New Testament with attention, could
believe they were idiots or madmen. Let the
discourses of Christ in the Evangelists, of Peter
and Paul in the Acts, as well as many passages
in the Epistles, be perused, and I will venture to
say, he who is not charmed with them, must be
a stranger to all the justest rules of polite criticism ;

424

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

but he who suspects, that the writers wanted
common sense, must himself be most evidently
destitute of it; and he who can suspect, they
might possibly be distracted, must himself, in this
instance at least, be just as mad as he imagines
them to have been.
It was necessary, however, just to touch upon
this; because, unless we are satisfied that a
person be himself in what he writes, we cannot
pretend to determine his character from his
writings. Having premised this, I must entreat you,
as you peruse the New Testament, to observe
what evident -marks it bears of simplicity and
integrity, of piety and benevolence; which when
you have observed, you will find them pleading
the catise of its authors with resistless, though
a gentle, eloquence ; and powerfully persuading
the mind, that men who are capable of writing
so excellently well, are not, without the strongest
evidence, to be suspected of acting so detestably
ill, as we must suppose they did, if, in this solemn
manner, they were carrying on an imposture,
in such circumstances as attended the case be
fore us. For,
1. The manner in which they tell their
amazing story, is most happily adapted to gain
our belief. For as they tell it with a great
detail of circumstances, which would by no
means be prudent in legendary writers, be
cause it leaves so much the more room for
confutation ; so they also do it in the most
easy and natural manner. There is no air of
declamation and harangue ; nothing that looks
like artifice and design ; no apologies^ no en
comiums on characters, no reflections, no di
gressions ; but the facts are recounted with
great simplicity, just as they seem to have hap
pened ; and those facts are left to speak for

themselves, and their great Author, It is plain,
that the. rest of the writers, as well as the Apostle
Paul, did not affect excellency of speech, or flights
of eloquence, (as the phrase signifies,) but deter
mined to know nothing, though amongst the
most learned and polite, save Jesus Christ, even
him that was crucified; a conduct that is the
more to be admired j when we consider how ex
traordinary a theme theirs was, and with what
abundant variety and most pathetic declamation
it would easily have furnished any common
writer ; so that one would really wonder how
they could forbear it. But they rightly judged,
that a vain affectation of ornament, when, re
cording such a story as of their own knowledge,
might, perhaps, have brought their sincerity into
question, and so have rendered the cross of
Christ of none effect.
2. Their integrity does likewise evidently ap
pear in the freedom with which they mention
those circumstances, which might have exposed
their Master and themselves to the greatest con
tempt amongst prejudiced and inconsiderate
men; such as they knew they must generally
expect to meet with.
As to their Master, they scruple not to own,
that his country was infamous, his birth and
education mean, and his life indigent ; that he
Was most disdainfully rejected by the rulers, and
accused of sabbath- breaking, blasphemy, and se
dition ; that he was reviled by the populace as a
debauchee, a lunatic, and a demoniac ; and at
last, by the united rage of both rulers and people,
was publicly executed as the vilest of malefactors,
with all imaginable circumstances of ignominy,
scorn, and abhorrence ; nor do they scruple
to own that terror and distress of spirit into
which he was thrown by his sufferings, though
this was a circumstance at which some of the
heathens took the greatest offence, as utterly

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

425

unworthy so excellent and divine a person. As
to themselves, the (Apostles readily confess, not
only the meanness of their original employments,
and the scandals of their former life, but their
prejudices, their follies, and their faults, after
Christ had honoured them with so holy a calling.
They acknowledge their slowness of appre
hension under so excellent a teacher ; their un
belief, their cowardice, their ambition, their rash
zeal, and their foolish contentions. So that, on
the whole, they seem every where to forget, that
they are writing- of themselves, and appear not
at all solicitous about their own reputation, but
only that they might represent the matter just as
it was, whether they went through honour or
dishonour, through evil report or good report;
Nor is this all : for,
3. It is certain, that there are in their writmgs
the most genuine traces, not only of a plain and
honest, but a most-pious and devout, a most be
nevolent and generous, disposition. These ap
pear especially in the epistolary parts of the New
Testament, where indeed we should most rea
sonably expect to find them : and of these I may
confidently affirm, that the greater progress any
one has made in love to God, in zeal for his glory,
in a compassionate and generous concern for the
present and future happiness of mankind ; the
more humble, and candid, and temperate, and
pure, he is ; the more ardently he loves truth,
and the more steadily he is determined to suffer
the greatest extremity in its defence. In a word,
the more his heart is weaned, from the present
world, and the more it is fired with the prospects
of a glorious immortality ; the more pleasure will
he take in reading those writings, the more will
he relish the spirit which discovers itself in them,
and find, that as face answers to face in water,
so do the traces of piety and goodness, which
appear there, answer to those which a good man
feels in his own soul. Nay, I will add, that the
Nos. 35 & Sf

warm and genuine workings of that excellent and
holy temper, which every where discovers itself
in the New Testament, have for many ages been
the most effectual means of spreading a spirit oi
virtue and piety in the world ; and what of it is
to be found in these degenerate days, seems
principally owing to these incomparable and
truly divine writings.
Where then there are such genuine marks of
an excellent character, not only in laboured dis
courses, but in epistolary writings, and those
sometimes addressed to particular and intimate
friends, to whom the mind naturally opens itself
with the greatest freedom ; surely no candid and
equitable judge would lightly believe them to be
all counterfeit; or would imagine, without strong
proof, that persons who breathe such exalted
sentiments of virtue and piety, should be guilty
of any notorious wickedness: and in proportion
to the degree of enormity and aggravation at
tending such a supposed crime, it may justly be
expected that the evidence of their having really
committed it should be unanswerably strong and
convincing. Now it is niost certain, on the principle laid
down above, that if the testimony of the Apos
tles were false, they must have acted as detestable
and villanous a part as one can easily conceive.
To be found (as the Apostle, with his usual
energy, expresses it) false witnesses of God*
1 Cor. xv. 15.; in any single instance, and so
lemnly declare him miraculously to have done,
what we know in our own consciences was never
done at all, would be an audacious degree of
impiety, to which none but the most abandoned
of mankind could arrive. Yet, if the testimony
of the Apostles was false, (as we have proved
they Could not be themselves mistaken in it,) this
must have been their conduct, and that not in
one single instance only, but in a thousand.
3Z

426

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

Their life must, in effect, be one continued and
perpetual scene of perjury ; and all the most so
lemn actions of it, (in which they were speaking
to God, or speaking of him as the God and
Father of Christ, from whom they received their
mission and powers,) must be a most profane
and daring insult on all the acknowledged per
fections of his nature.
And the inhumanity of such a conduct would,
on the whole, have been equal to its impiety: for
it was deceiving men in their most important in
terests, and persuading them to venture their
whole future happiness on the power and fidelity
of one whom, on this supposition, they knew to
have been an impostor, and justly to have suf
fered a capital punishment for his crimes.
It would have been great guilt to have given
the hearts and devotions of men so wrong a
turn, even though they had found magistrates
ready to espouse and establish, yea, and to en
force, the religion they taught. But to labour
to propagate it in the midst of the most vigorous
and severe opposition from them, must equally
enhance the guilt and folly of the undertaking :
for by this means they made themselves acces
sary to the ruin of thousands ; and all the cala
mities w;hich fell on such proselytes, or even on
their remotest descendants, for the sake of Chris
tianity, would be, in a great measure, chargeable
on these first preachers of it. The blood of
honest, yea, and (supposing them, as you must,
to have been involuntarily deceived,) of pious,
worthy, and heroic persons, who might other
wise have been the greatest blessings to the
public, would, in effect, be crying for vengeance
against them : and the distresses of the widows
and orphans, which those martyrs might leave
behind them, would join to swell the account.
So that, on the whole, the guilt of those male

factors who are, from time to time, the victims of
public justice, even for robbery, murder, or trea
son, is small, when compared with that which
we now have been supposing ; and corrupt as
human nature is, it appears to me utterly impro
bable, that twelve men should be found, I will
not say in one little nation, but even on the
whole face of the earth, who could be capable of
entering into so black a confederacy, on any
terms whatsoever.
And now, in this view of the case, make a
serious pause, and compare with it what we have
just been saying of the character of the Apostles
of Jesus, so far as an indifferent person could
conjecture it from their writings; and then say,
whether you can in your hearts believe them to
have been those abandoned wretches, at once the
reproach and astonishment of mankind ? You
cannot surely believe such things of any, and
much less of them, unless it shall appear they
were in some peculiar circumstances of strong
temptation; and what those circumstances could
be, it is difficult even for imagination to conceive.
But history is so far from suggesting any un-
thought-of fact to help our imagination on this
head, that it bears strongly the contrary way;
and hardly any part of my work is easier than
to show,

3. That they were under no temptation to forge a
story of this kind, or to publish it to the world,
knowing it to be false.
They could reasonably expect no gain, no re
putation, by it ; but, on the contrary, supposing
it an imposture, they must, with the most or
dinary share of prudence, have foreseen infamy
and ruin, as the certain consequences of attempt
ing it. For the grand foundation of their scheme

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

427

was, that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified
at Jerusalem by the Jewish rulers, was the Son
of God, and the Lord of all things. I appeal to
your consciences, whether this looks at all like
the contrivance of artful and designing men ? It
was evidently charging upon the princes of their
country the most criminal and aggravated mur
der : indeed, all things considered, the most
enormous act of wickedness which the sun had
ever seen. They might, therefore, depend upon
it, that these rulers would immediately employ
all their art and power to confute their testimony,
and to destroy their persons. Accordingly, one
of them was presently stoned, Acts vii. 59. and
another quickly after beheaded, Acts xii, 2. and
most of the rest were scattered abroad into
strange cities, Acts viii. 1. 4. xi. 19. where they
would be sure to be received with great prejudices
raised against them among the Jews by reports
from Jerusalem, and vastly strengthened by the
expectations of a temporal Messiah; expectations
which, as the Apostles knew, by their own ex
perience, it was exceeding difficult to root but of
men's minds; expectations, which would render
the doctrine of Christ crucified an insuperable
stumbling-blpck to the Jews, 1 Cor. i. 23.
Nor could they expect a much better reception
amongst the Gentiles; with whom their business
was to persuade them to renounce the gods of
their ancestors, and to depend on a person who
had died the death of a malefactor and a slave ;
to persuade them to forego the pompous idola
tries in which they had been educated, and all
the sensual indulgences with which their religion
(if it might be called a religion) was attended, to
worship one invisible God, through one Mediator,
in the most plain and simple manner; and to re
ceive a set of precepts, more directly calculated
to control and restrain, not only the enormities of
men's actions, but the irregularities of their hearts.
A most difficult undertaking! And to engage

them to this, they had no other arguments to
bring but such as were taken from the views of
an invisible state of happiness or misery, of which
they asserted their crucified Jesus tq be the su
preme disposer ; who should another day dispense
his blessings, or his vengeance, as the Gospel had
been embraced or rejected. Now, could it be
imagined, that men would easily be persuaded,
merely on the credit of their affirmation, or in
compliance with their importunity, to believe
things which to their prejudiced minds would ap
pear so improbable ; and to submit to impositions,
to their corrupt inclinations so insupportable ?
And if they could not persuade them to it, what
could the Apostles then expect ? what, but to be
insulted as fools or madmen, by one sort of people,
and by another, to be persecuted with the most
savage and outrageous cruelty, as blasphemers of
the gods, as seducers of the people, and as dis
turbers of the public peace ? All which we know
accordingly happened : nay, they assure us, that
their Lord had often warned them of it; and that
they themselves expected it, and thought it ne
cessary to admonish their followers to expect it
too; and it appears, that far from drawing back
upon that account, as they would surely have
done if they had been governed by secular mo
tives, they became so much the more zealous and
courageous, and encouraged each other to resist
even to blood. Now, as this is a great evidence
of the integrity and piety of their character, and
thus illustrates the former head; so it serves to
the purpose now immediately in view, i. e. it
proves how improbable it is, that any persons of
common sense should engage in an imposture,
from which (as many have justly observed) they
could, on their own principles, have nothing to
expect, but ruin in this world, and damnation in
the next. When, therefore^ we consider and
compare their character and their circumstances,
it appears utterly improbable, on various ac
counts, that they would have attempted in tMs
3Z*

423

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

article, to impose upon the world. But suppose
that in consequence of some unaccountable, as
well as undiscoverable frenzy, they had ventured
on the attempt, it is easy to show,

4. That, humanly speaking, they must quickly
have perished in it, and their foolish cause must
have died with them, without ever gaining any
credit in the world.
One may venture to say this in general, on the
principles which I before laid down : but it ap
pears still more evident, when we consider the
nature of the fact they asserted, in conjunction
with the methods they took to engage men to be
lieve it ; methods which, had the Apostles been
impostors, must have had the most direct ten
dency to ruin both their scheme and themselves.
1. Let us a little more particularly reflect on the
nature of that grand fact, the death, resurrection,
and exaltation of Christ ; which, as I observed,
was the great foundation of the Christian scheme,
as first exhibited by the Apostles. The resurrection
of a dead man, and his ascension into and abode
in the upper world, was so strange a thing, that a
thousand objections would immediately be raised
against it; and some extraordinary proof would
justly be required, as a balance to them. Now I
wish the rejecters of the Gospel would set them
selves to invent some hypothesis, which should
have any appearance of probability, to show how
such an amazing story should ever gain credit in
the world, if it had not some very convincing
proof? Where and when could it first begin to
be received ? Was it in the same, or a succeed
ing age ? Was it at Jerusalem, the spot of ground
on which it is said to have happened, or in
Greece, or Italy, or Asia, or Africa ? You may
change the scene, and the time, as you please,
but you cannot change the difficulty.

Take it in a parallel instance. Suppose twelve
men in London were now to affirm that a person
executed there as a malefactor in a public manner
a month or six weeks ago, or if you please a year,
or five, or ten years since, (for itis much the same,)
was a prophet sent from God with extraordinary
powers; that he was raised from the dead; that
they conversed with him after Ms revival ; and at
last saw him taken up into heaven : would their
united testimony make them be believed there ?
Or suppose them, if you please, to disperse, and
that one or two of them should come hither, and
go on to more distant places, suppose Leicester,
Nottingham, or York, and fell their story there;
and that others were to carry it over to Paris or
Amsterdam, or to Vienna, or Madrid; could they
expect any more credit with us, or with them,
or hope for any thing better, than to be looked
upon as lunatics, and treated as such. And if they
should go into other places, and attempt to mend
their scheme, by saying their master was put to
death 100 or 200 years ago, when there could be
no historical evidence of it discovered, and no
proof given but their own confident assertion ;
would they remove, or would they not rather in
crease, the difficulty ? Or would they, in any of
these cases, gain credit by the most dexterous
tricks of legerdemain, of which you can suppose
them masters ; especially if they should under
take, in consequence of such supposed facts, to
engage men to renounce the religion in which
they had been educated ; to deny themselves
in their dearest passions, and most important
worldly interests; and even probably to hazard
their liberties and their lives, in dependence on a
future reward, to be received in a place and state
.which no man living on earth had ever seen or
known ? You would readily allow this to be an
insupposable case : and why should you suppose
it to have happened sixteen or seventeen hundred
years ago ? You may assure yourselves, that the
reason and the passion of mankind were then as

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

429

strong as they are now. But let us a little more
particularly consider,
2. The manner in which the Apostles under
took to prove the truth of their testimony to this
fact : and it will evidently appear, that instead of
confirming their scheme, it must have been suf
ficient utterly to have overthrown it, had it been
itself the most probable imposture that the wit of
man could ever have contrived. You know, they
did not merely assert that they had seen miracles
wrought by this Jesus, but that he had endowed
themselves with a variety of miraculous powers.
And these they undertook to display, not in such
idle and useless tricks as sleight of hand might
perform, but in such solid and important works
as appeared worthy a divine interposition, and
entirely superior to human power; restoring, as
they pretend, sight to the blind, soundness to.
lepers, activity to the lame, and, in some in
stances, life to the dead. Nor were these things
undertaken in a corner, in a circle of friends or
dependants ; nor were they said to be wrought
on such as might be suspected of being confede
rates in the fraud ; but they were done often in
the public streets, in the sight of enemies, on the
persons of such as were utter strangers to the
Apostles, but sometimes well known to neigh
bours and spectators, as having long laboured
under these calamities, to human skill utterly in
curable. Would impostors have made such pre
tensions as these ? or if they had, must they not
immediately have been exposed and ruined ?
Nor is there any room at all to object, that
perhaps the Apostles might not undertake to do
these things on the spot, but only assert they had
done them elsewhere ; for even then it would have
been impossible they should had gained credit ;
and they would have seemed the less credible, on
account of such a pretence. Whatever appear
ances there might have been of gravity, integrity,

and piety, in the conversation of Peter, (for in
stance,) very few, especially few that had known
but little of him, would have taken it upon his
word, that he saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the
dead at Bethany: but fewer yet would have be
lieved it upon his affirmation, had it been ever so
solemn, that he had himself raised Dorcas at
Joppa, unless he had done some extraordinary
work before them, correspondent at least, if not
equal, to that. You will easily think of invincible
objections, which otherwise might have been
made ; and, undoubtedly, the more such assertions
had been multiplied, every new person, and
scene, and fact, had been an additional advantage
given to the enemy, to have detected and con
futed the whole scheme, which Peter and his as
sociates had thus endeavoured to establish.
But to come still closer to the point : If the
New Testament be genuine, (as I have already
proved it,) then it is certain, that the Apostles
pretended to have wrought miracles in the very
presence of those to whom their writings were
addressed ; nay, more, they profess likewise to
have conferred those miraculous gifts, in some
considerable degrees, on others, even on the very
persons to whom they write ; and they appeal to
their consciences as to the truth of it. And could-
there possibly be room for delusion here ? It is
exceedingly remarkable to this purpose, that Paul
makes this appeal to the Corinthians and Gala-
tians, vvheii there were amongst them some per
sons disaffected to him, who were taking all op
portunities to sink his character, and destroy his
influence : and could they have wished for a bet
ter opportunity than such an appeal ? An appeal
which, had not the fact it supposed been certain,
far from recovering those that were wavering in
their esteem, Must have been sufficient utterly to
disgust his most cordial and steady friends. And
the same remark may be applied to the advices
and reproofs, which the Apostle there gives-.

130

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

relating to the use and abuse of their spiritual
gifts ; which had beert most notoriously absurd,
and even ridiculous, " had not the Christians to
whom he wrote been really possessed of them.
And these gifts were so plainly supernatural, that
(as it has often been observed) if it be allowed
that miracles can prove a divine revelation, and
that the First Epistle to the Corinthians be
genuine, (of which, by the way, there is at least
as pregnant evidence as that any part of the New
Testament is so,) then it follows, by a sure and
easy consequence, that Christianity is true. Ne
vertheless, other arguments are not to be forgot
in this survey. And, therefore, as I have proved
under this head, that had the testimony of the
Apostles been false, it is not to be imagined that
they could have gained credit at all ; and espe
cially when they had put the proof of their cause
on such a footing, as we are sure they did. I am
now to show you,

5. That it is certain in fact, that the Apostles did
gain early credit, and succeeded in a most won
derful manner; from whence it will follow,
that their testimony was true.
That the Apostles did indeed gain credit in
the world, is evident from (what I before offered
to prove) the early prevalence of Christianity in
it; and may further be confirmed from many
passages in the New Testament. And here, I
insist not too much on express historical testi
monies, though some of them are very remark
able, especially that of the brethren at Jerusalem,
who speak of many myriads of believing Jews
assembled at the feast of Pentecost ; but I argue
from the epistles written to several churches,
which plainly prove, that there were congrega
tions of Christians in Rome, Corinth, Ephe
sus, Colosse, Thessalonica, Philippi, Laodicea,
Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira* Sardis, Phila

delphia, Crete, Poritus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, and many other places ; in
somuch that one of the Apostles could say, that
Christ had so wrought by him, to make the Gen
tiles obedient, not only in word or profession, but
in deed too, that from Jerusalem, even round
about unto Illyricum, he had fully preached the
Gospel of Christ ; or, as the word imports, had
accomplished the purposes of it. And there is a
great deal of reason, both from the nature ofthe
thing, and from the testimony of ancient history,
to believe, that others of the Apostles had con
siderable success elsewhere ; so that Paul might
with reason apply to them and their doctrine,
what is originally spoken of the luminaries of
heaven, and the instruction they communicate ;
" Their line is gone out through all the earth, and
their words to the ends of the world."

So great was the number of those who were
proselyted to Christianity by the preacMng of the
Apostles; and we have all imaginable reason to
believe, that there were none of these proselytes
but what were fully persuaded of the truth of
the testimony they bore; for otherwise no ima
ginable reason can be given for their entering
themselves into such a profession. The Apostles
had no secular terrors to affright them, no secular
rewards to bribe them, no dazzling eloquence to
enchant them : on the contrary, all these were
in a powerful manner pleading against the
Apostles ; yet their testimony was received, and
their new converts were so thoroughly satisfied
with the evidence which they gave them of their
mission, that they encountered great persecu
tions, and cheerfully ventured estate, liberty, and
life itself, on the truth of the facts they asserted ;
as plainly appears from many passages in the
epistles, which none can think the Apostles would
have ever writ, if these first Christians had not
been in a persecuted condition.

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

431

Nor will it signify any thing to object, that
most of these converts were persons of a low
rank, and ordinary education, who, therefore,
might be more easily imposed upon than others :
for (not to mention Sergius Paulus, Dionysius
the Areopagite, or the domestics of Caesar's
household, with others of superior stations in life,)
it is sufficient to remind you, that, as I have
largely shown, the Aposdes did not put their
cause on the issue of laboured arguments, in
which the populace might quickly have been en
tangled and lost, but on such plain facts as they
might judge of as easily and surely as any others ;
indeed, on what they themselves saw, and in part
too on what they felt.
Now, I apprehend, this might be sufficient to
bring the .matter to a satisfactory conclusion.
You have seen, that as there is no reason to
believe that the Apostles, who certainly knew
the truth, would have attempted a fraud of this
kind ; — so if they had attempted it,, they could

not possibly have succeeded ; — nevertheless, they
did succeed in a very remarkable manner; —
whence it plainly follows, that what they testified
was true.
And now, then, after this, the reasonableness
of receiving the Gospel, on admitting the truth
of what they testified concerning Christ, is an
easy consequence. Yet some things are to be
offered under this head, which are of great weight,
and would not so conveniently have fallen under
any of the former ; and some considerable ad
ditional evidence to the truth of Christianity
arises from what has happened in the world since
its first propagation. And, therefore, I choose
rather to make a distinct discourse on these, with
the improvement of the whole, than to throw
together the hints of them m so hasty a manner,
as I must do, should I attempt to despatch the
subject in this discourse, the just limits of which
I have already transgressed, lest the great chain
of the argument should be broken.

432

SERMON III.

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY, AND REFLECTIONS ON THE
WHOLE.

We have not followed cunningly devised fables. 2 Pet. i. 1 6.

AS I had before proved the books of the
New Testament to be genuine, I pro
ceeded in my last discourse to argue from thence
the certain truth of the Christian revelation ; and
we have made some considerable progress in
\ the argument.
The matter, in short, stands thus : — The au
thors of the New Testament certainly knew whe
ther the facts they asserted were true or false ; so
that they could not themselves be deceived; nei
ther can we think they would attempt to deceive
others, since they appear, by their manner of
writing, to have been persons of great integrity
and goodness; — and it is likewise evident they
could have no temptation to attempt a fraud of
this nature. However, if they had attempted it,
we cannot imagine they could have gained credit
in the world, if the facts they asserted had not
been true. Nevertheless, they did gain credit in
a very remarkable manner ; from whence it
plainly follows, that those facts were true. Now
I am to show farther, to complete the proof of our
grand position, *
6. That admitting the facts which they testified con
cerning Christ to be true, then it was reasonable
for their contemporaries, and is reasonable for
us, to receive the Gospel which they have trans
mitted to us, as a divine revelation.

The great thing they asserted was, \ that Jesus
was the Christ, and that he was proved to be so, —
by prophecies accomplished in him, and by mira
cles wrought by him, and by others in his name.
Let us attend to each of these, and I am per
suaded we shall find them no contemptible argu
ments ; but must be forced to acknowledge, that
the premises being established, the conclusion *•'
most easily and necessarily follows; and this con
clusion, that Jesus is the Christ, taken in all its
extent, is an abstract of the Gospel revelation, and,
therefore, is sometimes put for the whole of it.
The Apostles, especially when disputing with
the Jews, did frequently argue from " the pro
phecies of the Old Testament ;" in which, they
say, many things were expressly foretold, which
were most literally and exactly fulfilled in Jesus
of Nazareth. Now, greatly to the evidence, con
firmation, and advantage of Christianity, so it is,
that these prophecies are to this day extant in
their original language; and this in the hands of ,
a people most implacably averse to the Gospel ;
so that an attentive reader may still, in a great
measure, satisfy himself as to the validity of the
argument drawn from them.
On searching these ancient and important re
cords, we find, not only in the general, that God
intended to raise up for his people an illustrious

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

433

deliverer, who, amongst other glorious titles, is
sometimes called the Messiah, or the Anointed
One : but we are more particularly told, that this
great event should happen before the govern
ment ceased in the tribe of Judah ; while the se
cond temple was standing, and a little before its
destruction, about 490 years after a command
given to rebuild Jerusalem ; which was probably
issued out in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Lon-
gi in anus, or at least within a few years before or
after it.
It is predicted, that he should be of the seed
of Abraham, born of a virgin, of the house of
David, in the town of Bethlehem ; that he should
be anointed with an extraordinary effusion of the
Divine Spirit, in virtue of which he should not
only be a perfect and illustrious example of uni
versal holiness and goodness, but should also
perform many extraordinary and beneficial mi
racles: nevertheless, that for want of external
pomp and splendour, he should be rejected and
insulted by the Jews, and at length be cut off and
slain by them. It is added, that he should rise
from the dead before his body should be cor
rupted in the grave, and should be received up
to heaven, and there seated at the right hand of
God ; from whence he should, in a wonderful
manner, pour out his Spirit on his followers : in
consequence of which, though the body of the
Jewish people perished in their obstinate oppo
sition to him, yet the Gentiles should be brought
to the knowledge of the true God, and a king
dom established amongst them, which from small
beginnings, should spread itself to the ends of
the earth, and continue to the remotest ages.
Besides these most material circumstances,
there were several others relating to him, which
were either expressly foretold, or at least hinted
at; all which, with those already mentioned, had
so evident an accomplishment in Jesus, (allowing
Nos. 37&.S8.

the truth ofthe facts which the Apostles testified
concerning him,) that we have no reason to won
der, that they should receive the word with all
readiness, who searched the Scriptures daily,
whether these things were so predicted there, as
the Apostles affirmed. For I am persuaded, that
no wise and religious man could imagine, that
God would permit an impostor to arise, in whom
so great a variety of predictions, delivered by so
many different persons, and in so many distant
ages, should have an exact accomplishment.
When the Apostles were preaching to heathens,
it is indeed true that they generally waved the
argument from prophecy, because they were not
so capable judges of it : but then they insist on
another, which might as soon captivate their be
lief, and as justly vindicate it ; I mean, " the
miracles performed by Christ, and those commis
sioned and influenced by him." *Many of these
were of such a nature, as not to admit of any ar
tifice or deceit ; especially, that most signal one
of his resurrection from the dead, which I may
call a miracle performed by, as well as upon,
Christ; because he so expressly declares, that
he had himself a power to resume his life at
pleasure. ,
The Apostles well knew this was a fact of
such a nature, that they who believed this would
never doubt of the rest ; they, therefore, often
single this out, and lay the whole stress of their
cause upon it. This they proved to be true by
their own testimony miraculously confirmed;
and in proving this, they establish Christianity
on an impregnable rock. For I may safely refer
it to any of you to judge, whether it is an ima
ginable thing, that God should raise the dead
body of an impostor ? especially when he had
solemnly appealed to such a resurrection as the
grand proof of his mission, and had expressly
fixed the very day it was to happen. I persuade
4 A

434

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

myself you are convinced by all this, that they
who on the Apostles' testimony believed that the
prophecies of the Old Testament were accom
plished in Jesus, and that God bore witness to
him by miracles, and raised him from the dead,
had abundant reason to believe that the doctrine
which Christ taught was divine, and his Gospel
a revelation from heaven. And if they had reason
to admit this conclusion, then it is plain that we,
who have such satisfactory evidence on the one
hand that the testimony of the Apostles was cre
dible, and, on the other, that this was the sub
stance of it, have reason also to admit this grand
inference from it, and to embrace the Gospel as
a faithful saying, and as well worthy of all ac
ceptation. This is the thing I was attempting to
prove ; and here I should end the argument, were
it not for the confirmation it may receive from
some additional considerations, which could not
properly be introduced under any of the pre
ceding heads. I add, therefore,

7. In.the last place, That the truth. of the Gospel
has received farther and very considerable con
firmation, from what has happened in the world
since it was first published. ,
And here I must desire you more particularly
to consider, on the one hand, what God has been
doing to establish it; and, on the other, the me
thods which its enemies have taken to destroy it.

1. Consider what God has been doing to confirm
the Gospel since its first publication, and you
will find it a farther evidence of its divine
original. I might here argue at large, from its surprising
propagation in the world ; — from the miraculous
powers with which not only the Apostles, but

succeeding preachers of the Gospel, and other
converts, were endowed ; — from the accomplish
ment of prophecies recorded in the New Testa
ment; — and from the preservation of the Jews
as a distinct people, notwithstanding the various
difficulties and persecutions through which they
have passed.
I might particularly urge, in confirmation pf
the truth of Christiamty, " the wonderful success
with which it was attended, and the surprising
propagation of the Gospel in the world."
I have before endeavoured, under a former
head, to show you, that the Gospel met with
so favourable a reception In the world, as evi
dently proved, that its first publishers were ca
pable of producing such evidence of its truth
as an imposture could not admit. But now I
carry the remark farther, and assert, that con
sidering the circumstances of the case, it is
amazing that even truth itself, under so many dis
advantages, should have so illustrious a triumph ;
and that its wonderful success does evidently
argue such an extraordinary interposition of
God in its favour, as may justly be called a mi
raculous attestation to it.
There was not only one of a family, or two of
a city, taken and brought to Zion ; but so did
the Lord hasten it in its appointed time, that a
little one became a thousand, and a small one
a strong nation. And as the Apostles themselves
were honoured with very remarkable success,
so this divine seed was propagated so fast in the
next age, that Pliny testifies, " he found the
heathen temples in Achaia almost deserted;" and
Tertullian afterwards boasts, " that all places
but those temples were filled with Christians; so
that were they only to withdraw, cities and
provinces would be depopulated." Nor did the
Gospel only triumph thus within the boundaries

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

435

ofthe Roman empire; for long before Tertullian
was born, Justin Martyr, in his Dialogue with
Trypho the Jew, which seems to have been
written not much above 100 years after Christ's
death, declares, " That there was no nation of
men, whether Greeks or Barbarians, not ex
cepting those savages that wandered in clans
from one region to another, and had no fixed
habitation, who had not learnt to offer prayers
and thanksgivings to the Father- and Maker of
all, m the name of Jesus who was crucified."
Now how can we account for such a scene as
this, but by saying, that the hand of the Lord
was with the first preachers of the Gospel, and,
therefore, sudi multitudes believed, and turned
unto the Lord ? How had it been possible, that
so small a fountain should presently have swelled
into a mighty river, and even have covered the
face of the earth, had it not sprung from the
sanctuary of God, and been rendered thus tri
umphant by his almighty arm ?
Had this new religion, so directly contrary to
all the prejudices of education, been contrived to
soothe men's vices, to assert their errors, to defend
their superstitions, or to promote then secular
interests, we might easily have accounted for its
prevalence in the world. Had its preachers been
very profound philosophers, or polite and fashion
able orators, many might have been charmed, at
> least for a while, to follow them; or had the
princes and potentates of the earth declared
themselves its patrons, and armed their legions
for its defence and propagation, multitudes might
have been terrified into the profession, though
not a soul could, by such means, have been
rationally persuaded to the belief of it. But
without some such advantages as these, we can
hardly conceive how any new religion should so
strangely prevail, even though it had crept into
the world in its darkest ages and most barbarous
f

countries, and though it had been gradually pro
posed in the most artful manner, with the
finest veil industriously drawn over every part
which might at first have given disgust to
the beholder.
But you well know, that the very reverse of
all this was the case here. You know, from the
apparent constitution of Christianity, that the
lusts and errors, the superstitions and interests,
of carnal men, would immediately rise up against
it, as a most irreconcilable enemy. You know,
that the learning and wit ofthe Greeks and the
Romans were early employed to overbear and
ridicule it. You know, that as all the herd of
heathen deities were to be discarded, the priests,
who subsisted on that craft, must, in interest,
find themselves obliged to oppose it. You know,
that the princes of the earth drew their swords
against it, and armed torments and death for the
destruction of its followers. And yet you see that
it triumphed ove» all, though published in ages
and places of the greatest learning and refine
ment, and proposed, not in an ornamental and
artificial manner, but with the utmost plainness ;
the doctrines of the cross bemg always avowed
as its grand fundamentals, though so notorious a
stumbling-block both to Jews and Gentiles;
and the absolute necessity, not only of em
bracing Christianity, but also of renouncing
all idol worship, being insisted on immediately
and in the strongest terms, though it must
make the Gospel appear the most singular
and unsocial religion that had efer been taught
in the world.
Had one of the wits or politicians of these
ages seen the Apostles, and a few other plain
men, who had been educated among tiie lowest
of the people, as most of the first teachers of
Christianity were, going out armed with nothing
but faith, truth, and goodness, to encounter the
4 A*

436

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

power of princes, the bigotry of priests, the
learning of philosophers, the rage of the popu
lace, and the prejudices of all ; how would he
have derided the attempt, and said withSan-
ballat, Neh. iv. 2. What will these feeble Jews
do ? But had he seen the event, surely he must
have owned with the Egyptian magi, Exod. viii.
19. in a far less illustrious miracle, that it was
the finger of God; and might justly have fallen
on his face, even amongst those whom he had
insulted, with an humble acknowledgment that
God was in them of a truth.
I might here further urge " those miracles
which were wrought in confirmation of the
Christian doctrine, for a considerable time after
the death of the Apostles."
The most signal and best attested of these, was
the dispossessing of devils ; whom God seems to
have permitted to rage with unusual violence
about those times, that his Son's triumph over
them might be so much the more remarkable,
and that the old serpent might be taken in his
own craftiness. I doubt not but many of you
have heard, that more than two hundred years
after the death of Christ, some of the most cele
brated defenders of the Gospel which the church
has in any age produced, I mean Tertullian, and
Minutius Felix, do not only challenge any of
their heathen enemies and persecutors to bring
them a demoniac, engaging, at the hazard of
their lives, to oblige the evil spirit, in the name
and by the gSirffority of Christ, to quit his pos
session ; but do also appeal to it, as a fact pub
licly known, that those who were agitated by
such spirits, stood terrified and amazed in the
presence of a Christian, and that then pre
tended gods were forced then to own them
selves devils.
I wave the testimonies of some later writers

of the Christian church, lest the credulity of their
temper, joined with the circumstances attending
some of the facts they record, should furnish out
objections against their testimony ; though I think
we cannot, without great injustice to the cha
racter of the learned and pious Augustine, sus
pect the truth of some amazing facts of this kind,
which he has attested as of his own personal
certain knowledge.
Nor must I on this occasion forget to mention
the accomplishment of several prophecies re
corded " in i the New Testament," as a farther
confirmation given by God to the Gospel.
The most eminent and singular instance under
this head, is that of our Lord's prediction con
cerning the destruction of Jerusalem, as it is re
corded by St. Matthew in his twenty-fourth
chapter. The tragical history of it is most circum
stantially described by Josephus, a Jewish priest,
who was an eye-witness of it : and the descrip
tion he has given of this sad calamity so exactly
corresponds to the prophecy, that one would
have thought, had we not known the contrary,
that it had been written by a Christian on pur
pose to illustrate it ; and one can never enough
admire that series of amazing providences by
which the author was. preserved from the most
imminent danger, that he might leave us that
invaluable treasure which his writings contain.
We have no need of any farther evidence than
we find in M ., of the exact accomplishment of
what was prophesied concerning the destruction
of Jerusalem : but our Lord had also foretold
the long continued desolation of their temple ;
and 1 cannot forbear reminding you of the awful
sanction that was given to tliat part of the pre- '
diction : for it is well known, that a heathen his
torian has assured us, that when Julian the apos
tate, in deliberate contempt of that prediction,

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

437

solemnly and resolutely undertook to rebmld it,
his impious design was miraculously frustrated
again and again, and the workmen consumed by
globes of fire, which broke out from the foun
dations. The prediction of St. Paul concerning the
man of sin, and the apostasy of the latter times,
2 Thess. iii. 3—12. 1 Tim. iv. 1—3. is also well
worthy of our remark. And though a great
deal of the book of Revelation be still concealed
under a dark vail ; yet the division of the Ro
man empire into ten kingdoms, the usurpation,
persecutions, and idolatry, ofthe Romish church,
and the long duration of the papal power, with
several other extraordinary events, which no hu
man prudence could have foreseen, and which
have happened long since the publication of that
book, are so clearly foretold there, that I cannot
but look on that part of Scripture as an inva
luable treasure ; and think it not at all impro
bable, that the more visible accomplishment of
some of its other prophecies, may be a great
means of reviving the Christian cause, which is
at present so much on the decline.
" The preservation of the Jews as a distinct
people," is another particular under this head,
which well deserves our attentive regard.
It is plain they are vastly numerous, notwith
standing all the slaughter and destruction of this
people in former and in later ages. They are
dispersed in variousand most distant nations, and
particularly in those parts of the world where
Christianity is professed : and though they are
exposed to great hatred and conten pt, on ac
count of their different faith, and in most places
subjected to civil incapacities, if not to unchris
tian severities ; yet they are still most obstinately
tenacious of their religion : which is the more
wonderful, as their fathers were so prone to

apostatize from it ; and as most of them seem to
be utter strangers either to piety or humanity,
and pour out the greatest contempt on the moral
precepts of their own law, while they are so at
tached to the ceremonial institutions of it, trou
blesome and inconvenient as they are. Now
seriously reflect, what an evident hand of Pro
vidence is here; that by their dispersion, preser
vation, and adherence to their religion, it should
come to pass, that Christians should daily see the
accomplishment of many remarkable prophecies
concerning this people ; and that we should al
ways have amongst us such a crowd of unex
ceptionable witnesses to the truth of those ancient
Hebrew records, on which so much of the evi
dence of the Gospel depends; records, which
are many of them so full to the purpose for which
we allege them, that, as a celebrated writer very
well obsei ves, (Spect. vol. iii. No. 495.) " had the
whole body ofthe Jewish nation been converted
to Christianity, men would certainly have thought
they had been forged by Christians, and have
looked upon them, with the prophecies of the
Sybils, as made many years after the events
they pretend to foretel." And to add no more
here, the preservation of the Jews as a distinct
people, evidently leaves room for the accom
plishment of those Old and New Testament
promises, which relate to their national con
version and restoration ; whereas that would be
impossible in itself, or at least be impossible to be
known, if they were promiscuously blended with
other people. On the whole, it is such a scene
in the conduct of Providence, as I am well as
sured cannot be paralleled in the history of any
other nation on earth, and affords a most ob
vious and important argument in favour of the
Gospel. Thus has Christianity been further confirmed,
since its first publication, by what Go.i has done
to establish it. It only remains that we consider.

433

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

1. What confirmation it receives, from the me
thods which its enemies have taken to de-
stroy it.
And these have generally been, either perse
cution or falsehood, or cavilling at some parti
culars in the revelation, without entering into the
grand argument on which it is built, and fairly
debating what is offered in its defence. Now
who would not think the better of a cause, for
being thus attacked ?
At first you know, that the professors, and
especially the preachers, of the Gospel, were
severely persecuted. In every city, bonds and
imprisonments awaited them. As soon as ever
,the Apostles began to preach Jesus and his re
surrection, the Jewish rulers laid hold on them,
and, having confined and scourged them, strictly
prohibited their speaking any more in that name.
A little while after, Stephen was murdered ; and
afterwards James, and some others ofthe Apos
tles. Now certainly such a conduct did evidently
show a conscientiousness, that they were not
able to answer the Apostles, and to support their
own cause by the fair methods of reason and ar
gument ; to which, so far as the Mstory informs
us, they made no pretence; but attempted to
bear them down by dint of authority, and to
silence them by brutal force.
The time would fail me, should I attempt par
ticularly to show, how these unrighteous methods
were pursued in succeeding ages, and distinct
countries. The savage cruelties of Nero to these
innocent and holy men, were such as raised the
pity even of their enemies ; yet this was one of
the least extensive and destructive of the ten
general persecutions which arose in the Roman
empire, besides several others in the neigh
bouring countries, of wMch ecclesiastical his
tory informs us.

These early enemies of the Gospel added
falsehood and slanders to their inhumanities.
They endeavoured to murder the reputations of
the Christians, as well as their persons, and were
not ashamed to represent them as haters of the
whole human species, for no imaginable reason
but because they would not associate themselves
in their idolatrous worship, but, with regard to
charity and truth, were strongly bearing their
testimony against it. Nay, they charged them
with human sacrifices, incest, idolatry, and all
the crimes for which themselves and their foolish
gods were indeed justly detestable; but from
which the Christians knew how to vindicate
themselves, highly to their own honour, and to
the everlasting reproach of these malignant and
pestilent accusers : and they have not failed to
do it in many noble apologies ; which, through
the Divine providence, are transmitted to us, and
are incomparably the most valuable of any an
cient uninspired writings.
Such were the infamous and scandalous me
thods, by which the Gospel was opposed in the
earliest ages of the church ; and I cannot forbear
adding, " that the measures more lately taken to
subvert it, especially amongst ourselves, seem to
me rather to reflect a glory upon it." Its un
happy enemies have been told again and again,
that we put the proof of it on plain fact. They
themselves do not, and cannot, deny that it pre
vailed early in the world, as we have shown at
large. There must have been some man, or
body of men, who first introduced it : they ge
nerally confess, that Christ and his Apostles were
the persons ; and these Apostles (on whose tes
timony what we know of Christ chiefly depends)
must have been enthusiasts or impostors, if their
testimony was false. Now which of these schemes
will the unbeliever take ? It seems, that the
Deists ofthe present age fix -on neither, as being
secretly conscious they can support neither ; but

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

439

they content themselves with cavilling at some
circumstances attending the revelation, without
daring to encounter its grand evidence : i. e. they
have been laboriously attempting to prove it " to
be improbable, or absurd, to suppose that to have
been, which nevertheless plainly appears to have
been fact." One most weakly and sophistically
pretends to prove, in defiance of the common
sense of mankind, that the light of nature is a
perfect rule, and, therefore, that all revelation is
needless, and indeed impossible. Another dis
guises the miracles of Christ by false and foolish
representations of them, and then sets himself to
ridicule them as idle tales. And a third takes a
great deal of fruitless pains to show, that some
prophecies referred to in the New Testament are
capable of another sense, different from that in
which the Apostles have taken them. These
rthings have been set in a very artful and fallacious
light by persons, whose names will be, perhaps,
transmitted to posterity, with the infamous glory
of having been leaders in the cause of infidelity ;
but not a man of them undertakes directly to
.answer what has been said to ascertain the grand
fact. Nay, they generally take no more notice
of the positive evidence, by which it is even
demonstrated, than if they had never heard it
proposed ; though they cavil at incidental pas
sages in those books, in which it is most clearly,
stated. And as for what they have urged ,— r-
though perhaps some, who were before weary of
Christianity, may have taken occasion from their
writings to reject It; and others, for want of con
sulting the answers to them, may have been
unwarily eusnared; — yet the examination of
these points has been greatly to the honour and
vindication of the truth, which seems on this oc
casion to have been set in a clearer and steonger
light than ever, at least in these latter ages.
The cause of Christianity has greatly gained
by debate, and the Gospel comes like fine gold

out of the furnace, which the more it is tried,
the more it is approved. I own the defenders
of the Gospel have appeared with very dif
ferent degrees of ability for the work; nor
could it be otherwise amongst such numbers
of them : but, on the whole, though the pa
trons of infidelity have been masters of some
wit, humour, and address, as well as of a
moderate share of learning, and generally much
more than a moderate share of assurance ; yet so
great is the force of truth, that (unless we may
except those writers who have unhappily called
for the aid of the civil magistrate in the contro
versy) I cannot recollect that I have seen any
defence of the Gospel, which has not, on the
whole, been sufficient to establish it, notwith
standing all the sophistical arguments of its most
subtle antagonists.
[This is an observation, which is conti
nually gaining new strength, as new assaults
are made upon the Gospel. And I cannot
forbear saying, that, as if it were by a kind
of judicial infatuation, some who have distin
guished themselves in the wretched cause 01
infidelity, have been permitted to fall into such
gross misrepresentations, such senseless incon
sistencies, and such palpable falsehoods, and,
in a word, into such a various and malignant
superfluity of naughtiness, that to a wise and
pious mind they must appear like those ve
nomous creatures, which are said to carry an
antidote in then bowels against their own
poison. A virtuous and well-bred Deist must turn
away from some modern pieces of tMs kind
with scorn and abhorrence; and a Christian
might almost be tempted to wish, tiiat the
books, with all their scandals about them,
might be transmitted to posterity, lest when
they come to live, like the writings of some

440

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

of the ancient heathens, only in those of their
learned and pious answerers, it should hardly be
credited, that ever the enemies of the Gospel, in
such an enlightened age, should be capable of so
much impiety and folly.]
Thus I have given you a brief view of the chief
arguments in proof of Christianity ; and the sum
of the whole is this : —
The Gospel is probably in theory ; as, con
sidering the nature of God, and the circumstances
of mankind, there was reason to hope a revela
tion might be given : and if any were given, we
should naturally apprehend its internal evidence
would be such as that of the Gospel is, and its
external such as it is said to be. But it is also
true in fact; for Christianity was early professed,
as it was first introduced by Jesus of Nazareth,
whose life and doctrines were published by his
immediate attendants ; whose books are pre
served still in their original language, and, in the
main, are faithfully translated into our own : so
that the books of the New Testament now in
your hands may be depended upon as written by
the persons whose names they bear. And ad
mitting this, the truth of the Gospel follows by a
train of very easy consequences ; for the authors
certainly knew the truth of the facts they relate ;
and, considering what appears of their character
and circumstances, we can never believe they
would have attempted to deceive us; or, if they
had, they could not have gained credit in the
world: yet they did gain it in a remarkable man
ner ; therefore the facts^ they attested are true.
And the truth of tiie Gospel evidently follows
from the certainty of those facts, and is much
confirmed by what has happened in the world
since the first publication of it.
I shall conclude what I have to say on this sub
ject, with a few words by way of reflection.

I. Let us gratefully acknowledge the Divine good
ness in favouring us with so excellent a revela
tion, and confirming it to us by such an ample
evidence.We should be daily adoring the God of nature,
for lighting up the sun, that glorious, though im
perfect, image of his own unapproachable lustre ;
and appointing it to gild the earth with its various
rays, tc^ cheer us with its benign influences, and
to guide and direct us in our journeys and our
labours. But how incomparably more valuable
is that Day-spring from on high which has visited
us, that Sun of Righteousness which has risen upon
us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and
in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet
into the way of peace ! O Christians, (for I now
address myself to you, whose eyes are so happy as
indeed to see, and your ears as to hear,) what rea
son have you for daily and hourly praise ! when
your minds are delighted with contemplating
the riches of Gospel grace ; when you view with
wonder and joy the harmonious contrivance of
your redemption ; when you feel the burden of
your guilt removed, the freedom of your address
to the throne of grace encouraged, and see the
prospect of a fair inheritance of eternal glory
opening upon you ; then m the pleasing trans
port of your souls borrow the joyful anthem of
the Psalmist, and say, with the humblest grati
tude and self-resignation, " God is the Lord,
who hath given us light ! bind the sacrifice with
cords, even to the horns of the altar." Adore
God, who first commanded the light to shine out
of darkness, that by the discoveries of his word,
and the operations of his Spirit, he has shined in
your hearts, to give you the knowledge of his
glory, as reflected from the face of his Son. Let
us all adore him, that this revelation hath reached
us, who live in an age and country so distant from
that in which it first appeared; while there are to
this day, not only dark corners, but regions of the

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

441

earth, which are full of the habitations of Idolatry
and cruelty.
Let me here particularly address myself to
those whose education and circumstances of life
have given them opportunities of a fuller inquiry
mto the state of those ancient or modern nations,
that have been left merely to the light of unas
sisted reason ; even to you, sirs, who are . ac
quainted with the history of their gods, the rites
of their priests, the tales, and even the hymns, of
their poets ; (those beautiful trifles ;) nay, I will
add, the reasonings of their sagest philosophers ;
all the precarious and all the erroneous things
they have said, where religion and immortality -
are concerned. I have sometimes thought, that
God gave to some of the most celebrated pagan
-writers that uncommon share of genius and elo
quence, that they might, as it were by their art,
embalm the monsters of antiquity, that^ so suc
ceeding ages might see, in a more affecting View
than we could otherwise have done, how weak
the human mind is in its best estate, and the need
which the greatest, as well as the meanest of
mankind, have of being taught by a revelation
from above. Permit me to remind you, that
while you are daily conversing with such monu
ments as these, (as I know some of you are,) and
are also surveying the enemies of Christianity in
a larger and more distinct view, you are under
peculiar obligations to be very thankful for the
Gospel yourselves, as well as to compassionate
the case of those to whom it has never been of
fered, or by whom it is slighted. And this leads
me to another reflection.
2. What reason have we to pity those who reject
.this glorious Gospel, even when they have oppor
tunities of inquiring into its clearest evidence !
Such undoubtedly there are in our own age and
nation : and surely we should sometimes bestow a
Nos. 37 & 38.

compassionate thought upon them, and lift up an
humble prayer for them ; Jf God will peradven-
ture give them repentance to the acknowledging
ofthe truth, that they may recover themselves
out of the snare of the devil, who are now led
captive by him at his pleasure. We should pity
Heathens and Mahometans, under their darkness
and errors ; but how much more deplorable is the
case of those, who, though they dwell in Emma-
nuel'S land, and in the valley of vision, turn it into
the valley of the shadow .of death, by closing their
eyes against so bright a lustre, and. stopping their
ears against the voice of the charmer ! They are
indeed in their own conceit the only people, and
wisdom will die with them ; so that to be sure
they will scorn our pity : but who can forbear
it? Is there a more melancholy thought than
this — that the Son of God should have done so
much to introduce and establish the Gospel, and
his Spirit so much to perpetuate and increase its
evidence, and that after all it should be con
temptuously despised, even by creatures who are
perishing without it ? That the blessed Jesus,
instead of being received with open arms as the
great deliverer, should either be treated as an
empty name, or if acknowledged to be a real
person, should then be represented as a visionary
enthusiast, or a wicked impostor; for there is no
other alternative ? And this not only (though, I
believe, most, frequently) by men of profligate
and abandoned lives, but sometimes by persons ot
external morality and decency, of great humanity
and sweetness of temper, (for such I know are to
be found amongst them,) as well as men of wit
and genius, of politeness and learning, of human
prudence and experience in affairs. I may also
add, that it is the case of some, who were the
children of pious parents, who were trained up in
religious exercises, who once discovered, serious
impressions, and gave very encouraging hopes
Alas, whither are they fallen ! and whither have
we reason to fear they will at length fall ! How
4B .

442

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

shall we shelter those, who were once our bre
thren, that are perhaps still our friends, from the
awful sentence which the Gospel denounces
against ull that reject it, without any exception?
As to the wretches that add insult and derision to
their infidelity, I tremble to think of that load of
guilt w-liich they are bringing on themselves, and
how near they approach to the unpardonable sin ;
if they liaVe not already committed it. For the
rest, who behave in a more modest and sober
manner, it will, no doubt, be a very difficult task
to convince them ; and so much the rather, as
some of them, by too easy a transition, have re
nounced many of the most important principles
of natural religion ; nay, I might add, even the
whole of it, together with the Christian revelation.
But the influences of divine grace are almighty:
let us recommend them to these, and omit no
other proper method, either of recovering those
who are already seduced, or at least of securing
those who are not yet infected, but may be (as
most of the youth are, especially in the most
populous places) in imminent danger of the con
tagion. To this end let me add,

3. How reasonable it ts, that Christians should
form a familiar acquaintance with the great
evidences of our common faith.
It is what we so apparently owe to the honour
Of God, to the interest of Christ, to the peace of
our own souls, and the edification of others,
that I hope I need not urge it at large ; especially
considering what was said in the introduction to
these discourses. In consequence of all, let it be
your care to make the evidences of Clnistianity
the subject of your serious reflections, and of your
frequent converse. Especially, study your Bi
bles, where there arc such marks of truth and di
vinity to be found, that I believe few that have
familiarly known them, and have had a relish for

them, were ever brought to make shipwreck of
the faith as it is in Jesus. Above all, let it be
your care to act on the rules which are here laid
down ; and then you will find your faith growing
in a happy proportion, and will experience the
truth of our Saviour's declaration, that if any man
will resolutely and faithfully do his will, he shall
know of the Christian doctrine whether it be pf
God. I verily believe, it is the purity of its pre
cepts, which lies at the bottom of most men's op
position to it; or a natural pride of heart, which
gives them an aversion to so humbling a scheme;
or a fond affectation of seeming wiser than others,
in rejecting what most of their neighbours do at
least profess to believe. When these unhappy
prejudices and "conceptions are, by divine grace,
conquered and rooted out, the evidence of truth
will daily appear with an increasing lustre ; as
the light of the sun does to an eye recovering
from a film, with which it had been overgrown,
and which before had vailed it with midnight in
the midst of noon. Once more :

4. How solicitous should we be to embrace and
obey that Gospel, which comes attended with
such abundant evidence.'
I may, undoubtedly, address myself to most of
you, my friends, and say, as Paul did to king
Agrippa, Believest thou the prophets ? and I may
add, the Evangelists, and the Apostles ? Yes, I
know that you believe them. Yet let me entreat
and charge you, not to rest here, but attentively
to examine how far your hearts are affected, and
your lives regulated, by such a belief. The
Christian revelation is a practical thing ; and it is
heard, it is believed, it is professed, and even tie-
fended, in vain, if it be not obeyed. Therefore
do we so frequently read of obeying the truth,
and obeying the Gospel, as a matter of so great
importance.

EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

443

In this Gospel, the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and un
righteousness of men ; but. it is revealed with re
doubled terror against that audacious sinner who
holds the truth in unrighteousness. In this Gos
pel the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted, both as a
Prince and a Saviour; and it is not with impunity
that the impenitent rebel can reject his yoke,
and trample on his blood : for if he that despised
Moses' law died without mercy, of how much
sorer punishment, than even a capital execution,
must they be thought worthy, who have poured
contempt on such a Sovereign, and on such a
Redeemer ?
O let it be most seriously and frequently re
collected, that this Gospel is the touchstone, by
which you are another day to be tried ; the
balance, .in which an impartial* Judge will weigh
you ; and must, on the whole, prove your ever
lasting triumph, or your everlasting torment.
The blessed God did not introduce it with such
solemn notice, such high expectations, such pom
pous miracles, such awful sanctions, that men
might reject or dishonour it at pleasure ; but it
will certainly be found, to the greatest and mean
est of those that hear it, a savour of life unto life,
or a savour of death unto death.
Let it, therefore, be your immediate care,
to inquire which of these it is like to prove
to your souls; since it is so far from being a
vain thing, that it is really your very life. If
it has been Mtherto despised, and that blessed

Redeemer, in whom it so apparently centers,
has been neglected ; remember, that all which
has been said in confirmation of its truth, does
but in effect prove, that the handwriting of
God himself is set to the sentence of your
eternal condemnation. O therefore allow not
yourselves a moment's rest, till you have with
submission applied to his throne, while yet there
i& hope that it may be reversed.
And as for you, my brethren, who have re
ceived Christ Jesus the Lord, be exhorted to walk
in him ; since it is the design of his Gospel to
teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,
and to live soberly, righteously, and godly : and
this not only as you have so comfortable an as
surance, that your labour shall not be in vain in
the Lord; but as it will be, on the whole, the
most effectual method you can take in your re
spective stations to promote the Gospel. t If you
indeed honour it, and love it, and desire it may*
be propagated in the world,, let it be your care,
not only to defend it by your tongues, but to
adorn it by your lives: and, in the words of that
great champion in this sacred cause, be blame
less and harmless, the children of Gocl, without
rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, shining amongst them as lights in the
world, and so holding forth the word of life ; and
perhaps it may serve, not only to- entertain their
eyes with wonder and glory, but to guide their
feet into the way of peace, and may engage them
also to join with you in glorifying your Fathei
which is in heaven. Amen !
4B*

444

An EXHORTATION to professing CHRISTIANS to imitate the Example of
our blessed Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, as displayed in his Life and
Doctrines.

THOUGH the Old and New Testaments
exhibit many patterns of piety and virtue
in the accounts o*f patriarchs, prophets, apostles,
and other eminent Servants of God ; a perfect
example of holiness and obedience never ap
peared but in the person of the Messiah, who
came upon earth for the express purpose of doing
the will of .his Father, respecting the salvation of
mankind. If we trace the 'life of the blessed Jesus, from
the time of his incarnation to that of his exalta
tion, we shall find that every circumstance of it
tended to that one grand and important end.
At an early period he began to preach the
great doctrine of repentance, and delivered his
admirable sermon on the mount, containing a
complete system of experimental and practical
religion. He afterwards gave proofs of his di
vine mission, by working divers miracles, and
displaying, in many instances, his power and
goodness. He then selected his disciples, in
structed them in his holy doctrines, vested them
with supernatural power, and commissioned
them to preach the Gospel of his kingdom. This
done, he persisted himself in the good work with
indefatigable assiduity, recommending unfeigned
piety towards God, and universal benevolence to
mankind, by his preaching, his parables, and in
deed by the whole tenor of his life and actions.
Nor was there a virtue which he did not coun
tenance and exemplify; or a vice he did not cen
sure or condemn. In a word, the holy Jesus
went about doing good, according to the Scrip
tural phrase ; that is, he not only did most essen

tial good to the souls and bodies of such as pre
sented, themselves to his view, and supplicated
his divine aid; but he sought out poor objects,
on whom he might exercise his pity and com
passion His last and most important work still re
mained to be done. He was to suffer an igno-
' minious death, even the death ofthe cross, to re
concile offending man to an offended God. In
this he was to give an instance of obedience to
the divine will, and love to sinful man, beyond
the power of mortals.
This awful event he predicted, and we find
him struggling with the feelings of human nature,
and exclaiming, O my Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I
will, but as thou wilt. Matt. xxvi. 39.
At length, after being betrayed by a faithless
disciple, and undergoing the most indignant
treatment from a clan equally cruel and per
verse, he was led to Calvary, the place of exe
cution, there crucified, and having commended
his spirit into the hands of his Father, gave
up the ghost. His sacred body was committed
to the tomb ; but through a divine power be
soon burst the bands ,of death, re-appeared
to his disciples and others, and having given
them the most demonstrative proofs of his iden
tity, he was parted from them, and carried up into
heaven. Luke xxiv. 51.
This summary account ofthe life of our blessed
Lord premised, we shall proceed to enforce upon

AN EXHORTATION TO PROFESSING, CHRISTIANS.

445

professing Christians the imitation of his example
from the following considerations :
1st. Conformity in his people to the example
of himself, was one part of his grand design, as
well as the absolute will of his Father. The
Apostle Peter mentions it as one main end of his
sufferings, because Christ also suffered for us,
(says that Apostle,) leaving us an example, that
uie might follow his steps. Our blessed Saviour
is called the way, the truth, and the life ; that is,
as he redeemed our souls from death by his
atoning sacrifice, so he is the truth and guide of
our understandings, and the life or grand ac
tuating principle of our wills and affections,
leading us into those paths which terminate in
endless felicity.
It is evident also, from the whole tenor of our
blessed Lord's life_and doctrines, that though the
end of his mission was to deliver mankind from
the curse annexed to the violation of the moral
law, he by no means meant its abrogation ; nay,
he positively declares that he came not to de
stroy, but to, fulfil, the law. He punctually ad^
hered1, not only to those parts of it which respected
the duties owing to God and man, but even to
the ritual ceremonies. His obedience was as
perfect as Ms atonement for the delinquency of
fallen man, which rendered his merits completely
adequate to. the demands of law and justice; so
that when he expired upon the cross, it might
with the utmost propriety be said, It is finished,
meaning the important work of man's redemp
tion. To corroborate this matter, he particularly
cautions his followers not to trust to the mere
profession of his religion, without practising the
duties of it, as appears from his declaration : Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; tut. he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt. vii. 21,

He further demonstrates the necessity of a con
formity to his example, under the idea of regene
ration, that is, a change of the heart and conduct
from evil to good, in his interview with Nico
demus, a man of great authority with the Jews,
declaring to him, that except a man be born again
(spiritually considered) he cannot seethe kingdom
of God. John iii. 3. In a word, if we advert
to the transactions of his life, we must be con
vinced, that they have one uniform, undeviating
tendency to promote holiness, as a necessary evi
dence of a claim and title to the benefits purchased
by his death and sufferings.
It appears from Scriptural evidence, that one
ofthe great purposes of God, in the Messiah's
taking upon him human nature, or becoming like
unto us in every instance, sin excepted, was, that
we might also, as far as oUr fallibility will admit,
be like his Son ; or, in other words, that as he,
by taking our nature, was like unto us, so we,
tor imitating his example, might belike unto him,
according to the words of the Apostle, Rom. viii.
26. The Word incarnate is the great example
of all sincere genuine" professors of the religion
of Christ, ; and thence arose the precept of the
last mentioned Apostle, Put ye on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Rom. xiii. 14. The allegory points out
the duty, intimating, that as a garment is com
posed and" made of the same fashion with * the
body, and applied to each part according to its
respective proportion, so we should put on Christ,
or imitate, as far as possible, his character, con
forming to every particular part, in order to de
monstrate whose image and superscription we
bear, and be acknowledged as sons, from our
resemblance to our great Head and Representa
tive, who disdained not to call us brethren.
The Apostle John writes to the same purport
in his First Epistle, second chapter, and sixth
verse ; He that saith he abideth in him, (Christ,)

446

AN EXHORTATION TO PROFESSING CHRISTIANS.

ought himself also to walk even as he walked.
Here it is evidently Implied that our actions
should be framed according to the copy set us by
our great Lord and Master, and we should trans
cribe the original as nearly as possible to the
life. Those who contemplate seriously on the
affection, fervour, and resignation, which the
blessed Jesus evinced in all his devotions, will
thereby be taught and excited to holy meditation
and fervent prayer. *
The sweetness of his disposition, his charity to
his very enemies, his reprehensions of the Scribes
and Pharisees, his candid and ingenuous beha
viour to all men, inculcate powerfully the virtues
of patience* humility, candour, and justice, in all
our actions.
Upon the whole, the life of our blessed Lord
should not only be the subject of our admiration,
but also of our imitation. Then shall we in the
truest sense walk as he walked, treading in Ms
steps, looking constantly at our grand pattern,
and glorifying him, as he, by his obedience, glo
rified his Father.
2dly. The greatest blessings, both temporal
and spiritual, are annexed to a holy and religious
life, flowing from a principle of love to God, and
which essentially consists in following the ex
ample of the blessed Jesus.
In the Old Testament, a long and prosperous
life were the promises ofthe covenant. The hopes
of the Israelites were built upon it, and it was the
support of all their duty. See Exodus xv. 26.
and xxiii. 25, 26. Solomon enjoins holiness and
obedience upon the same principle. Fear the
Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to
thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Prov. iii.
7. 8.; and again, verse 16. Length of days is in
her right hand, (that is, Wisdom,) and in her left

hand riches and honour. There are divers other
passages to the samj purport.
Under the Gospel dispensation the considera
tion is more particularly enforced. The Apostle
Paul calls children to observe the fifth command
ment, from the same argument which was used
on the first promulgation of it : Honour thy father
and thy mother, (which is the first commandment
with promise,) that it may be well with thee, and
thou mayest live long upon the earth. Ephes. vi.
2, 3. It is to be observed, that though the Gospel
is built upon better promises than the law, it an
nexes all the promises of the latter to obedience,
according to the Apostle's words, 1 Tim. iv. 8.
Godliness is profitable unto all things, having pro
mise of the life that now is, and of that which is
to come.
When our blessed Saviour, in his sermon on
the mount, particularizes the beatitudes, he cites
in one instance a temporal blessing, and that in
the very words ofthe Old Testament, Matt. v. 5.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth; which expression corresponds with that in
Psalm xxxvii. 1 1 . But the meek shall inherit the
earth. This he did to show, that that part of the
old covenant which respects moral duties, and
the gracious rewards of obedience to the divine
laws, remains firm, and included in the condi
tions of the Gospel.
Further. A religious life, according to the rule
and example of Jesus Christ, as propounded in
his Gospel, is conducive to peace of mind, and
an approving conscience, than which no temporal
blessings can be more important. An anxious
care about worldly pursuits involves the mind in
perplexity and confusion. Vice and intempe
rance, of every kind, bring with them even their
own temporal punishments, and expose their vo
taries to bodily diseases ; nor can they be recog-

AN EXHORTATION TO PROFESSING CHRISTIANS.

447

nized even by the abandoned without conscious
horror. On the other hand, according to the wise man's
expression, Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasant
ness, and all her paths are paths of peace. The
mind of that man who follows the example of
his blessed Saviour, and walks even as he walked,
is in general calm, composed, and serene. He
is not affected to an inordinate degree by any of
the events of this precarious state ; he is not elated
by prosperity, nor depressed by adversity ; be
cause he has a fixed regard to a superintending
Providence ; he knows that the wise Disposer of
events cannot but do right; and he is firmly per
suaded, that all things work together for good to
those that love God, and keep his command
ments. The due discharge of our duty to God
and man must be attended with an approving
conscience, which arms the mind against what
are called the ills of life, and enables it to sustain
their most pointed attacks with Christian forti
tude and intrepidity. These are some of the
principal temporal blessings that attend a holy
and religious life, as exemplified in the character
of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
With respect to spiritual blessings, the most
important are derived from a religious life, ac
cording to the sacred text before cited, Godliness
hath the promise of this life, and of that which is
to come. All true Christians are the sons of God,
because they are co-heirs with Christ, and par
takers of the divine nature. It is observable, that
the only solid foundation for a good hope, re
specting a future state of bliss, is built upon duty.
We know that we have passed from death unto
life, (why ?) because we love the brethren, 1 John
iii. 14. ; implying, that the performance of our
duty is an indispensable evidence of our title to
the privileges of Christians, since we cannot be
Christians without it.

These spiritual blessings are various, and ex
pressed in Scripture under various forms, as,
tasting ofthe heavenly gift; partaking of the Holy
Ghost ; tasting of the good word of God; and the
powers of the world to come. Heb. vi. 4, 5, &c.
¦ These are antecedent to the blessings of the
glorified state, and designed as preparatory to
their reception. It is positively affirmed in Scrip
ture, that without holiness no man shall see' the
Lord; therefore, that essential requisite, included
in the phrases first cited, is given to all those who
seek it in sincerity and truth. In a word,
the followers of the example of Christ are, and
will be, blessed with grace here and glory here
after. In these centre all real felicity ; man's
chief end being to glorify God, and enjoy him
for ever.
3dly, and lastly. These considerations should
induce us all to inquire seriously whether we find
in ourselves a disposition to imitate the example
of our great Lord and Master, as displayed in
the sacred history of his life, to which we have
been lately attending ? If it has produced that
happy effect, let us press forward towards the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus. As we have borne the image of
the earthly, we may also bear the image of the
heavenly ; for let us remember, that in vain we
are called Christians, if we live not according to
the example and discipline of Christ, the great
author of the institution. The zeal of the 'pri
mitive Christians, who were first denominated so
at Antioch, as recorded in the Acts of the Apos
tles, in imitating the example of their great Mas
ter, was abundantly evident. Their very enemies
were observed frequently to say, " See how those
Christians love one another !" No hardship, no
threatening, not even death itself, could deter
them from the prosecution of their duty. They
might be said to follow their Master wherever he

448

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

went, and many of them sealed their profession
with their blood.
We live in happier days. We enjoy the free
exercise of religion, and have constantly oppor
tunities pf doing and getting good. *
The sacred volume is expanded to our view,

and the brightest example presented for our imita
tion, even that ofthe great and immaculate Re
deemer. If we follow it, the reward is sure ; if
we wilfully neglect it, the punishment is certain.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, let me, by
way of conclusion, seriously exhort you to think
on these things.

The EPISTLE of St. CLEMENT to the CORINTHIANS.

The Church of God which is at Rome, to the
Church of God which is at Corinth, elect, sanc
tified, by the will of God, through Jesus Christ
our Lord; grace and peace from the Almighty
God, by Jesus Christ, be multiplied unto you.
Brethren,
THE sudden and unexpected dangers and
calamities that have fallen upon us, have,
we fear, made us the more slow in our considera
tion of those things which you inquired of us; as
also of that wicked and detestable sedition, so
unbecoming the elect of God, which a few heady
and self-willed men have fomented to such a de
cree of madness, that your venerable and re
nowned name, so worthy of all men to be beloved,
is greatly blasphemed thereby. For who that has
ever been among you, had not experimented the
firmness of your faith, and its fruitfulness in all
gobd works? and admired the temper and mode
ration of your religion in Christ? and published
abroad the magnificence of your hospitality? and
thought you happy in your perfect and certain
knowledge ofthe Gospel ? For ye.did all thmgs
without respect of persons ; and walked according
to the laws of God, being subject to those who

had the rule over you ; and giving the honour
that was fitting, to such as were the aged among
you. Ye commanded the young men to think
those things that were modest and grave. The
women ye exhorted to do all things unblameably,
and seenily, and with pure conscience ; loving
their own husbands, , as was fitting; and that
keeping themselves within the bounds of a due
obedience, they should order their houses gravely
with all discretion.
2. Ye were all of you humble-minded ; not
boasting of any thing ; desiring rather to be sub
ject than to govern; to give than to receive,
being content with the portion God had dis
pensed to you ; and hearkening diligently to his
word, ye were enlarged in your bowels, having
his sufferings always before your eyes. Thus' a
firm, and blessed, and profitable peace, was
given unto you ; and an unsatiable desire of
doing good, and a plentiful effusion of the Holy
Ghost, was upon all of you: and being full of
good designs, ye did with great readiness of mind,
and with a religious confidence, stretch forth your
hands to God Almighty, beseeching him to be
merciful unto you, if in any thing ye had unwil-

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

449

nance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why
art thou sorrowful? and why is thy counte
nance fallen ? If thou shalt offer aright, but
not divide aright, hast' thou not sinned? Hold
thy peace: unto thee shall be his desire, and
thou shalt rule over him. And Cain said unto
Abel his brother, Let us go down into the field.
And it came to pass, as they were in the field,
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and
slew him."
You see, brethren, how envy and emulation
wrought the death of a brother. For this our
father Jacob fled from the face of 'his brother
Esau. It was this that caused Joseph to be per
secuted even unto death, and to come into bon
dage. Envy forced Moses to flee from the face
of Pharaoh king of Egypt, when he heard his
own countrymen ask him, Who made thee a
judge and a ruler over us ? Wilt thou kill me,
as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday ? Through
envy Aaron and Miriam were shut out of the
camp, from the rest of the congregation, seven
days. Emulation sent Dathan and Abiram
quick into the grave ; because they raised up a
sedition against Moses, the servant of God. For
this David was not only hated of strangers, but
was persecuted even by Saul, the king of Israel.
5. But not to insist upon ancient examples,
let us come to those Worthies that have been
nearest to us ; and take the brave examples of
our own age. Through zeal and envy, the most
faithful and righteous pillars ofthe church have
been persecuted, even to the most grievous
deaths. Let us set before our eyes the holy
Apostles : Peter, by unjust envy, underwent not
one or two, but many sufferings ; till at last,
being martyred, he went to the place of glory
that was promised unto him. For the same cause
did Paul in like manner receive the reward of
his patience. Seven times he was in bonds ; he
4C

lingly sinned against him. Ye contended day
and night for the whole brotherhood ; that with
compassion, and a good conscience, the number
of his elect might be saved. Ye were .sincere,
and without offence toward each other; not
mindful of injuries: all sedition and schism was
an abomination unto you. Ye bewailed every
one his neighbour's sins, esteeming their defects
your own. Ye were kind one to another, with
out grudging ; being ready to every good work.
And being adorned with a conversation altogether
virtuous and religious, ye did all things in the fear
of God; whose commandments were written
upon the tables of your hearts.
3. All honour and enlargement was given unto
you ; and so was fuMUed that which is written,
" My beloved did eat and drink, he was enlarged,
and waxed fat, and he kicked." From hence
came emulation, and envy, and strife, and sedi
tion ; persecution and disorder, war and captivity.
So they who were of no renown, lifted up them
selves against the honourable ; those of no repu
tation, against those that were in respect ; the
foolish against the wise ; the young men against
the aged. Therefore righteousness and peace are
departed from you, because every one hath for
saken the fear of God, and is grown blind in his
faith; nor walketh by the rule of God's com
mandments, nor liveth as is fitting in Christ ; but
every one follows his own wicked lusts; having
taken up an unjust and wicked envy, by which
death first entered into the world.
4. For thus it is.written : " And in process of
time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the
fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of
his flock, and of the fat thereof; and the Lord
had respect unto Abel, and to his offering. But
unto Cain, and to his offering, he had no respect.
And Cain was very sorrowful, and his counte-
Nos. 37 & 38.

450

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

was whipped, was stoned; he preached both in
the east and in the west, leaving behind him
the glorious report of his faith ; and so having
taught the whole world righteousness, arid for
that end travelled even to the utmost bounds
of the west; he at last suffered martyrdom by
the command of the governors, and departed
out of the world, and went unto his holy place ;
being become a most eminent pattern of patience
unto all ages.
6. To these holy Apostles were joined a very
great number of others, who having through
envy undergone in like manner many pains
and torments, have left a glorious example to
us. For this not only men, but women have
been persecuted ; and having suffered very
grievous and cruel punishments, have finished
the course of their faith with firmness; and
though weak in body, yet received a glorious
reward. This has alienated the minds even
of women from their husbands, and changed
what was once said by our father Adam, " This
is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh."
In a word, envy and strife have overturned whole
cities, and rooted out great nations from off the
earth. 7. These things, beloved, we write unto you,
not only for your instruction, but also for your
remembrance. For we are all in the same
lists, and the same combat is prepared for us
all. Wherefore let us lay.- aside all vain and
empty cares ; and let us come up to the glorious
and venerable rule of our holy calling. Let us
consider what is good, and acceptable, and well-
pleasing in the sight of him that made us. Let
us look steadfastly to the blood of Christ, and see
how precious his blood is in the -sight of God ;
which being shed for our salvation, has obtained
the grace of repentance for all the world. Let
as search into all the ages that have gone before

us; and let us learn that our Lord has in
every one of them still given place for re
pentance to all such as would turn to him.
Noah preached repentance ; and as many as
hearkenecj to him were saved. Jonah de
nounced destruction against the Ninevites; how-
beit they, repenting of their sins, found God
in their prayers ; and were saved, though they
were strangers to the covenant of God.

8. Hence we find how all the ministers of
the grace of God have spoken, by the Holy
Spirit of repentance. And even the Lord of
all has himself declared, with an oath, con
cerning it; "As I live, saith the Lord, I de
sire not the death of a sinner, but that he
should repent." Adding farther this good sen
tence, saying, "Turn from your iniquity, O
house of Israel. Say unto the children of
my people, Though your sins should reach
from earth to heaven, and though they should
be redder than scarlet, and blacker than sack
cloth ; yet if ye shall turn to me with all your
heart, and shall call me Father, I will hearken
to you as to a holy people." And in another
place he saith on this wise, " Wash ye, make
you clean: put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes; .cease to do evil, learn
to do well ; seek judgment, relieve the op
pressed, judge the fatherless, plead for die
widow. Come now, and let us reason toge
ther, saith the Lord ; though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though.
they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the
good of the land : but if ye refuse and rebel,
ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." These
things has God established by his almighty
will, desiring that all should come to re
pentance.

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

451

9. Wherefore let us obey his excellent and
glorious will ; and imploring his mercy and
goodness, let us fall down upon our faces be
fore him, and east ourselves upon his mercy ;
laying aside all varary, and contention, and
envy, which leads unto death. Let us look
up to those who have the most perfectly mi
nistered to Ms excellent glory. Let us take
Enoch for example; who being found righteous
in obedience, was translated, and his death was
not known. Noah being proved to be faithful,
did by his ministry preach regeneration to the
world; and the Lord saved by him all the
living creatures that went with one accord
together into the ark.
10. Abraham, who was called God's Friend,
was in like manner found faithful ; inasmuch
as he obeyed the commands of God. By obe
dience he went out of his own country, and
from his own kindred, and from his father's
house ; that so forsaking a small country, and
a weak affinity, and a little house, he might
inherit the promises of God. For thus God saith
unto Mm, " Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house,
unto a. land that I will show thee. And I will
make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,
and make thy name great, and thou shaft be
blessed. And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse them that curse thee ; and in thee shall
all the families of the earth be blessed." And
a?i,ain, when he separated, himself from Lot,
God said unto him, " Lift up now thine eyes,
and look from the place where thou art, north
ward, and southward, and eastward, and west-
. ward, for all the land which thou seest, to
thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the
earth- so that if a man can number the dust
of the earth, then shall thy seed also be num
bered." And again he saith, " And God brought

forth Abraham, and said unto him, Look now
towards heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be
able to number them : so shall thy seed be."
And Abraham believed God, and it was counted
to him for righteousness." Through faith and
hospitality he had a son given him in his old
age : and through obedience he offered him up
in sacrifice to God, upon one ofthe mountains
which God showed unto him.

11. By hospitality and godliness was Lot
saved out of Sodom, when all the country
round about was destroyed by fire and brim
stone. The Lord thereby making it mamfest,
that he will not forsake those that trust in
him ; but will bring the disobedient to punish
ment and correction. For his wife who went
out with him, being of a different mind, and
not continuing in the same obedience, was for
that reason set forth for an example, being
turned into a pillar of salt unto this day. That
so all men may know, that those who are double-
minded, and distrustful of the power of God, are
prepared for condemnation, and to be a sign to
all succeeding ages.
12. By faith and hospitality was Rahab the
harlot saved. For when the spies were sent
by Joshua the son of Nun to search out Je
richo, and the king of Jericho knew that they
were come to spy out the country, he sent men
to take them, that so they might be put to
death. Rahab, therefore, being hospitable, re
ceived them, and hid them under the stalks
of flax, on the top of her house. And when
the messengers that were sent by the king
came unto her, and asked her, saying, " There
came men unto thee to spy out the land;
bring them forth, for so hath the king com
manded. She answered, The two men whom
ye seek came unto me, but presently they de-
4 C*{

452

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

parted, and are gone :" not discovering them
unto them. Then she said unto the spies,
" I know that the Lord your God hath given
this city into your hands ; for the fear of you
is fallen upon all that dwell therei*. Wheu,
therefore, ye shall have taken it, ye shall save
me, and my father's house." And they an
swered her, saying, " It shall be as thou hast
spoken unto us. Therefore when thou shaft
know that we are near, thou shalt gather all
thy family together, upon the house-top, and
they shall be saved ; but all that shall be found
without thy house shall be destroyed." And
they gave her moreover a sign, that she should
hang out of her house a scarlet rope ; showing
thereby, that by the blood of our Lord there
should be redemption to all that believe and
hope in God. Ye see, beloved, how there
was not only faith, but prophecy too, in this
woman. 13. Let us, therefore, humble oursdves, bre
thren, laying aside all pride, and boasting,
and foolishness, and anger, and let us do as
;t is written. For thus saith the Holy Spirit,
" Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
nor the strong man in his strength, nor the
rich man in his riches ; but let him that glo-
rieth glory in the Lord, to seek him, and to
do judgment and justice." Above all, remem
bering the words of the Lord Jesus, which
he spake concerning equity and long-suffering,
saying, "_ Be • merciful, and ye shall obtain
mercy: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: as
ye do, so shall it be done unto you: as ye
give, so shall it be given unto you : as ye
judge, so shall ye be judged : as ye are kind
to others, so shall God be kind to you : with
what measure ye mete, with the same shall
it be measured to you again." By this com
mand, and by these rules, let us establish our-
, Iselves, that so we may always walk obediently

to his holy words: being humble-minded; for
so says the Holy Scripture, " Upon whom
shall I look ? even upon him that is poor, and
of a contrite spirit, and* that trembles at my
word." 14. It is, therefore, just and righteous, men
and brethren, that we should become obedient
unto God, rather than follow such as through
pride and sedition have made themselves the
ringleaders of a detestable emulation. For it
is not an Ordinary harm that.we shall do our
selves, but rather a very great danger that we
shall run, if we shall rashly give up ourselves
to the wills of men, who promote strife and
seditions, to turn us aside from that which is
fitting. But let us be kind to one another, accoru-
ing to the compassion and sweetness of him
that made us. For it is written, " The merciful
shall inherit the earth, and they that are with
out evil shall be left upon it : but the transgres
sors shall perish from off the face of it." And
again tie saith, " I have, seen the wicked in
great power, and spreading himself like the ce
dars of LibanUs. I passed by, and lo, he was
not; I spught his place, but it could not be
found. Keep mnocency, and do the thing that is
right ; for there shall be a remnant to the peace
able man."
15. Let us, therefore, hold fast to those who
religiously follow peace ; and not to such as
only pretend to desire it. For he saith in a
certain place, " This people honoureth me with
their lips, but their heart is far from me."
And again, " They bless with their mouth,
but curse in their heart." And again he saith,
" They loved him with their mouth, and with
thdr tongue they lied to him. For their heart
was not right with Mm, neither were they

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

453

faithful in his covenant. Let all deceitful lips
become dumb, and the tongue that speaketh
proud things. Who have said, With our tongue
will we prevail ; our lips are our own ; who is
lord over us ? For the oppression of the poor,
for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise,
saith the Lord ; I will set him in safety ; I will
deal confidently with him. •
16. For Christ is theirs who are humble, and
not who exalt themselves over his flock. The
sceptre of the majesty of God, our Lord Jesus
Christ, came not in the show of pride and arro
gance, though he could have done so ; but with
humilitv, as the Holy Ghost had before spoken
concerning him. For thus he saith, " Lord, who
hath believed our report, and to whom is the
arm of the Lord revealed ? For he shall grow
up before him as a tender plant, and as a root
out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor come.
Hness, and when we shall see him, there is no
beauty that we should desire him. He is de
spised, and rejected of men ; a man. of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it
were, our faces from him; he was despised, and
we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our
griefs, and earried our sorrows : yet we did se-
teem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions ; he
was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement
of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned every one to his own
way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth : he»was brought as a
lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
He was taken from prison, and from judgment;
and who shall declare his generation ? For he-
was cut off out of the land of the living ; for the
transgression of my people was he stricken. And

he made his grave with the wicked, and with the
rich in his death ; because he had done no vio
lence, neither was any deceit found in his mouth.
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him ; he hath
put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed ; he shall
prolong his days ; and the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the
travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities. There
fore will 1 divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he hath poured out his soul unto death ;
and he was numbered with the trausgressors,
and he bare the sin of many, and made interces
sion for the transgressors." And again he him
self saith, " 1 am a worm, and no man ; a re
proach of men, and despised of the people. All
they that see me laugh me to scorn ; they shoot
out their lips; they shake their head, saying, He
trusted in the Lord, that he would deliver him :
let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him."
Ye see, beloved, what the pattern is that has been
given to us. For if the Lord thus humbled him
self, what should we do who are brought by him
under the yoke of his grace ?
17. Let us be followers of those who went
about in goat skins and sheep skins, preaching
the coming of- Christ. Such were Elias, and
Eliseus, and Ezekiel, the prophets. And let us
add to these such others as have received the
like testimony. Abraham has been greatly wit
nessed of, having been called the friend of God.
And yet he, steadfastly beholding the glory o.
God, says, with all humility, " I am dust and
ashes." Again, of Job, it is thus written, " That
he was just, and without blame, true; one that
served God, and abstained from all evil." Yet
he, accusing himself, says, " No man is free from
pollution; no, not though he should live but one

454

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

day." Moses was called faithful in all God's
house ; and by his conduct the Lord punished
Israel by stripes and plagues. And even this
man, though thus greatly honoured, spake not
greatly of himself; but when the oracle of God
was delivered to him out of the bush, he said,
" Who am I, that thou dost send me ? I am of
a slender voice, and a slow tongue." And
again he saith, " I am as the smoke of the pot."
18. And what shall we say of David, so highly
testified of in the holy Scriptures; to whom God
said, " I have found a man after my own heart,
David the son of Jesse ; with my holy oil have I
anointed him ?" But yet he himself saith unto
God, " Have mercy upon me, O God, aceording
to thy loving-kindness ; according unto the multi
tude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgres
sions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge
my transgression, and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee only have I sinned, and done this
evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified
when thou speakest, and be clear when thou
judgest. Behold, 1 was shapen in iniquity, and
in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou
desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the
hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; wash
me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me
to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which
thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from
my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right
spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy
presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and
uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then will I
teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall
be converted unto thee. Deliver me from blood-
guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and
my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall
show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sa
crifice, else would I give it ; thou delightest not
in burnt-offerings. The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit ; a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, thou wilt not despise."
19. Thus has the humility and godly fear of
these great and excellent men, recorded in the
Scriptures, through obedience, made not only us,
but also the generations before us, better; even as
many as have received his holy oracles with fear
and truth. Having, therefore, so many and such
great and glorious examples, let us return to that
peace, which was the mark that from the begin
ning was set before us. Let us look up to the
Father and Creator of the whole world; and let
us hold fast to his glorious and exceeding gifts
and benefits of peace. Let us consider and be
hold, with the eyes of our understanding, his
long-suffering will ; and think how gentle and
patient he is towards, his wh6fe creation.
20. The heavens, moving by his appointment,
are subject to him in peace. Day and night
accomplish the courses that he has allotted unto
them, not disturbing one another. The sun and
moon, and all the several companies and con
stellations of the stars, run the courses that he
has appointed to them in concord, without de
parting in the least from them. The fruitful
earth yields its food plentifully in due season,
both to man and 'beast, and to all animals that
are upon it, according to his will ; not disputing,
nor altering any thing of what was ordered by
him. So also theunfathomable and unsearchable
floods of the deep are kept in by his command ;
and the conflux of the vast sea, being brought
together by his order into its several collections,
passes not the bounds that he has set to it; but
as he appointed it, so it remains. For he said,
" Hitherto shalt thou come, and thy floods

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

455

shall be broken within thee." The ocean,
impassable to mankind, and the worlds that are
beyond it, are governed by the same commands
of their great Master. Spring and summer, au
tumn and winter, give place peaceably to each
other. The several quarters of the winds fulfil
their work in their seasons, without offending
one another. The ever-flowing fountains, made
both for pleasure and health, never fail to
reach out their breasts, to support the life of
men. Even the smallest creatures live toge
ther in peace and concord with each other.
All these has the great Creator and Lord of
all commanded to observe peace and concord,
being good to all ; but especially to us who
flee to Ms mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ;
to whom be glory, and majesty, for ever and
ever. Amen-
21. Take heed, beloved, that his many blessings
be not to us to condemnation ; except we shall
walk worthy of him, doing with one consent
what is good and pleasing in his sight. "The
Spirit of the Lord is a candle, searching out the
mward part of the belly." Let us, therefore,
consider how near he is to us ; and how that none
of our thoughts, or reasonings which we frame
within ourselves, are hid from him. It is, there
fore, just that we should not forsake our rank,
by doing contrary to Ms will. Let us choose to
offend a few foolish and inconsiderate men, lifted
up, and glorying in their pride, rather than God.
Let us reverence our Lord Jesus Christ, whose
blood was given for us; let us honour those who
are set over us; let us respect the aged that are
amongst us; and let us instruct the younger men
in the discipline and fear of the Lord. Our wives
let us direct to do that which is good. Let them
show forth a lovely habit of purity in all their
conversation, with a sincere affection of meek
ness : let the government of their tongues be
made manifest by their silence ; let their charity

be without respect of persons, alike towards all
such as religiously fear God. Let their children
be bred up in the instruction of Christ; and es
pecially let them learn how great a power humi
lity has with God ; how much a pure and holy
charity avails with him ; how excellent and great
his fear is; and how it will save all such as turn
to him with holiness in a pure mind. For he is
the searcher of the thoughts and counsels of the
heart ; whose breath is in us ; and when he pleases
he can take'it from us.
22. But all these things must be confirmed by
the faith which is in Christ : for so he himself
bespeaks us by the Holy Ghost. " Come, ye
children, and hearken unto me, and I will teach
you the fear of the Lord. What man is there
that desireth life, and loveth to see good days ?
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips that they
speak no guile. Depart from evil, and do good ;
seek peace, and ensue it. The eyes of the Lord
are upon the righteous, and his ears are open
unto their prayers. But the face of the Lord is
against them that do evil, to cut off the remem
brance of them from the earth. The righteous
cried, and the Lord heard him, and delivered
him out of all his troubles. Many are the troubles
ofthe wicked ; but they that trust in the Lord,
mercy shall encotnpass them about."
23. Our all-merciful and beneficent Father
hath bowels of compassion towards them that fear"
him ; and kindly and lovingly bestows his graces
upon all such as come to him with a simple mind.
Wherefore let us not waver, neither let us have
any doubts in our hearts of his excellent and
glorious gifts. Let that be far from us which is
written, " Miserable are the double-minded, and
those who are doubtful in their hearts. Who
say, These things have we heard, and our fathers
have told us these things :* but, behold, we are
grown old, and none of them has happened to

456

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLBMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

us." O ye fools ! consider the trees ! take the
vine for an example : first it sheds its leaves ;
then it buds ; after that it spreads its leaves ;
then it flowers; then come the sour grapes;
and after them follows the ripe fruit. Ye see'
how in a little time the fruit of the tree comes
to maturity. Of a truth, yet a little while, and
his will shall suddenly come, and not tarry ; the
Holy Scripture itself bearing witness, that " he
shall quickly come, and not tarry ; and that the
Lord shall suddenly come to Ms temple, even
the Holv One whom ye look for."

24. , Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord
does continually show us, that there shall be
a future resurrection ; of which he has made
our Lord Jesus Christ the first fruits, raiding
him from the dead. Let us contemplate, be
loved, the resurrection that is continually made
before our eyes. Day and night manifest a
resurrection to us. The night lies down, and
the day arises ; again the day departs, and
the night comes on. Let us behold the fruits
of the earth. Every one sees how the seed
is sown. The sower goes forth, and casts it
upon the earth ; and the seed, which when it
was sown fell upon the earth dry and naked,
in time dissolves ; and from the dissolution, the
great power of the providence of the Lord raises
it again; and of one seed many arise, and bring
forth fruit.
25. And shall we then think it to be any very
great and strange thing, for the Lord of all to
raise up those' that religiously serve him in the
assurance of a good faith, when he shows us the
greatness of his power to fulfil his promise ? For
he says in a certain place, " Thou shalt raise me
up, and I shall confess unto thee." And again,
" I laid me down and slept, and awaked, because
thou art with me." And again, Job says, " Thou

shalt raise up this flesh of mine, that has suffered
all these things."
26. Having, therefore, this hope, let us hold
fast to him who is faithful in all his promises, and
righteous in all his judgments;, who has com
manded us not to lie, how much more will he not
himself lie ? For nothing is impossible with God,
but to lie. Let this faith then be stirred up again
in us ; and let us consider that all things are
nigh unto him. By the word of his power he
made all things ; and by the same word he is
able (whenever he will) to destroy them. " Who
shall say unto him, What doest thou ? Or who
shall resist the power of his strength ?" When,
and as he pleaseth, he will do all things ; and
nothing shall pass away of all that has been de
termined by him. All things are open before him ;
nor can any thing be hid from his counsel. " The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the firma*
ment showeth his handy Work. Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth
knowledge. There is no speech nor language
where their voice is not heard."
27. Seeing then all things are seen and heard
by God ; let us fear him, and let us lay aside
our wicked works, which proceed from ill
desires; that through his mercy we may be
delivered from the condemnation to come. For
whither can any of us flee from his mighty
hand? Or what world shall receive any of
those who run away from him. For thus saith
the Scripture in a certain place, " Whither shall
I flee from thy Spirit ? or where shall I hide
myself from thy presence ? If I ascend up into
heaven, thou art there : if I shall go to the
uttermost parts of the earth, there is thy right
hand : if I» shall make my bed in the deep,
thy Spirit is there." Whither then shall any
one go ? or whither shall he run from him that
comprehends all things ?

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

457

28. Let us, therefore, come to him with holi
ness of heart, lifting up "chaste and undented
hands unto him ; loving our gracious and merciful
Father, who has made us to partake of his elec
tion. For so it is written, " When the Most High
divided the nations, when he separated the sous
of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations, ac
cording to the number of his angels : his people
Jacob became the portion of the Lord, and Israel
the lot of his inheritance." And in another place
he saith, " Behold, the Lord taketh unto himself
a nation out of the midst of the nations, as a man
taketh the first-fruits of his floor : and the Most
Holy shall come out of that nation."
29. Wherefore, we being the portion of the
Holy One, let us do all those things that pertain
unto holiness ; fleeing all evil-speaking against
one another, all filthy and impure embraces, to
gether with all drunkenness, youthful lusts,
abominable concupiscences, detestable adultery,
and execrable pride. " For God," saith he,
" resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the
humble." Let us, therefore, hold fast to those
to whom God has given his grace. And let us
put on concord, being humble, temperate ; free
from all whispering and detraction; and justified
by our actions, not our words. Let our praise
be of God, not of ourselves ; for God hateth those
that commend themselves. Let the witness of
our good actions be given to us of others, as it
was given to the holy men that went before us.
Rashness, and arrogance, and confidence, belong
to them who are accursed of God ; but equity,
and humility, and mildness, to such as are blessed
by him.
30. Let us then lay hold of his blessing, and
let us consider what are the ways by which we
may attain unto it. ' Let us look back upon
those things that have happened from the begin
ning. For what was our father Abraham blessed ?
Nos. 39 & 40.

Was it not because that through faith he
wrought righteousness and truth ? Isaac being
fully persuaded of what he knew was to
come, cheerfully yielded himself up for a sa
crifice. Jacob with humility departed out of
bis own country, fleeing from his brother, and
went unto Laban, and served him : and so the
sceptre of the twelve tribes of Israel was given
unto him.
31. Now, what the greatness of this gift was,
will plainly appear, if we shall take the pains
distinctly to consider all the parts of it. For,
from him came the priests and Levites; who all
ministered at the altar of God. From him came
our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the flesh.
From him came the kings, and princes, and ru
lers, in Judah. Nor were the rest of his tribes in
any small glory ; God having promised, that " thy
seed, says he, shall be as the stars of heaven."
They are all, therefore, greatly glorified, not for
their own sake, or for their own works, or for
the righteousness that they themselves wrought,
but through his will. And we also being called
by the same will in Christ Jesus, are not justified
by ourselves, neither by our own wisdom, or
knowledge, or piety, or the works which we
have done in the holiness of our hearts : but by
that faith by which God Almighty has justified
all men from the beginning; to whom be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
32. What shall we do, therefore, brethren?
Shall we be slothful in well doing, and lay aside
our charity ? God forbid that any such things
should be done by us. But rather let us hasten
with all earnestness and readiness of mind, to per
fect every good work. For even the Creator and
Lord of all things himself rejoices in his own
works. By his almighty power he fixed the
heavens, and by nis incomprehensible wisdom he
adorned them. He also divided the earth from the
4D

458

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

water, with which it is encompassed ; and fixed
it as a secure tower, upon the foundation of
his own will. He also, by his appointment,
commanded all the living creatures that are
upon it to exist. So likewise the sea, and all
the creatures that are in it ; having first created
them, he inclosed them therein by his power.
And, above all, he with his holy and pure
hands formed man, the most excellent, and, as
to his understanding, truly the greatest of all
other creatures, the character of his own image.
For so God says, " Let us make man in our
image, after our own likeness : so God created
man, male and female created he them." And
having thus finished all these things, he com
mended all that he had made, and blessed them,
and said, " Increase and multiply." We see how
all righteous men have been adorned with good
works; wherefore even the Lord himself, having
adorned himself with his works, rejoiced. Having,
therefore, such an example, let us without delay
fulfil his will ; and with all our strength work the
work of righteousness.
33. The good workman with confidence re
ceives the bread of his labour; but the sluggish
and lazy cannot look him in the face that sets him
on work. We must, therefore, be ready and for
ward in well-doing ; for from him are all things.
And thus he foretels us, " Behold, the Lord
cometh, and his reward is with him, even before
his face, to render to every one according to his
work. He warns us, therefore, beforehand, with
all his heart, to this end, that we should not be
slothful and negligent in well-doing. Let our
boasting, therefore, and our confidence, be in
God : let us submit ourselves to his will. Let us
consider the whole multitude of his angels, how
ready they stand to minister unto his will. As
saith the Scripture, " Thousands of thousands
stood before him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand ministered unto him. And they cried,

saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Sabaoth ;
the whole earth js full of his glory." Wherefore
let us also, being conscientiously gathered toge
ther in concord with one another, as it were
with one mouth, cry earnestly unto him, that
he would make us partakers of his great and
glorious promises. For he saith, " Eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have en
tered into the heart of man, the things which
God has prepared for them that wait for
him." 34. How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are
the gifts of God ! Life and immortality ! Bright
ness in righteousness ! Truth in full assurance !
Faith in confidence ! Temperance in holiness !
And all this has God subjected to our understand
ings: what, therefore, shall those things be which
he has prepared for them that wait for him ?
The Creator and Father of spirits, the Most Holy,
he only knows both the greatness and beauty of
them. Let us, therefore, strive with all earnest
ness that we may be found in the number of those
that wait for him ; that so we may receive the
reward which he has promised. But how, be
loved, shall we do this ? We must fix our minds
by faith toward God, and seek those things that
are pleasing and acceptable unto him. We must
act conformably to his holy will, and follow the
way of truth, casting off from us all unrighteous
ness and iniquity, together with all covetousness,
strife, evil manners, deceit, whispering, detrac
tions ; all hatred of God, pride and boasting, vain
glory and ambition ; for they that do these things
are odious to God ; and not only they that do
them, but also all such as approve of those that
do them. For thus saith the Scripture, " But
unto the wicked God said, " What hast thou to
do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest
take my covenant in thy mouth; seeing thou
hatest instruction, and castest my words behind
thee? When thou sawest a thief, then thou

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

459

consentedst with him ; and hast been partaker
with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil,
and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and
gpeakest against thy brother; thou slanderest
thine own mother's son. These things hast thou
done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I
was altogether such a one as thyself: but I will
reprove thee, and set them in order before thine
eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest
I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth me: and to him
that disposeth his way aright, will I show the sal
vation of God."
35. This is the way, beloved, in which we
may find our Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the
high priest of all our offerings, the defender
and helper of our weakness. By him we look
up to the highest heavens; and behold, as in
a glass, his spotless and most excellent visage.
By him are the eyes of our hearts opened ; by
him our foolish and darkened understanding
rejoiceth to behold his wonderful light. By
him would God have us to taste the know
ledge of immortality; " who being the bright
ness of his glory, is by so much greater than
the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained
a more excellent name than they." For so it
is written, " Who maketh his angels spirits, and
his ministers a flame of fire." But to his Son,
thus saith the Lord, " Thou art my Son, to-day
have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and
the utmost parts of the earth for thy posses
sion." And again he saith unto him, " Sit thou
on my right hand, until I make thine enemies
thy footstool." But who are his enemies ? Even
the wicked, and such who oppose their own wills
to the will of God.
36. Let us, therefore, march on, men and
brethren, with all earnestness in his holy laws.

Let us consider those who fight under our earthly
governors ; how orderly, how readily, and with
what exact obedience, they perform those things
that are commanded them. All are not generals,
nor colonels, nor captains, nor inferior officers ;
but every one in his respective rank does what is
commanded him by the king, and those who have
the authority over him. They who are great
cannot subsist without those that are little ; nor
the little without the great. But there must be a
mixture in all things, and then there will be use
and profit too. Let us, for example, take our
body : the head without the feet is nothing, neither
the feet without the head. And even the smallest
members of our body are yet both necessary and
useful to the whole body. But all conspire to
gether, and are subject to one common use,
namely, the preservation ofthe whole body.
37. Let, therefore, our whole body be saved in
Jesus Christ; and let every one be subject to his
neighbour, according to the order in which he is
placed by the gift of God. Let not the strong
man despise the weak; and let the weak see that
he reverence the strong. Let the rich man dis
tribute to the necessity of the poor; and let the
poor bless God that he has given one unto Mm,
by whom his want may be supplied. Let the wise
man show forth his wisdom, not in words, but in
good works. Let him that is humble not bear
witness to himself, but let Mm leave it to another
t6 bear witness of him.
Let him that is pure in the flesh not grow
proud of it, knowing that it was from another
that he received the gift of continence. Let us
consider, therefore, brethren, whereof we are
made ; who, and what kind of men we came into
the world, as it were out of a sepulchre, and from
utter darkness. He that made us, and formed us,
brought us into Ms own world ; having presented
us with his benefits as soon as we were born
4D*

460

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

Wherefore, having received all these things from
him, we ought, in every thing, to give thanks
unto him : to whom be glory for ever and ever.
Amen. 38. Foolish and unwise men, who have
neither prudence nor learning, may mock and
deride us ; being willing to set up themselves
in their own conceits. " But what can a mor
tal man do? Or what strength is there in
him that is made out of the dust?" For it
is written, " There was no shape before mine
eyes ; only I heard a sound and a voice. For
what ? Shall man be pure before the Lord ?
shall he be blameless in his works ? Behold,
he trusteth not in his servants ; and his angels
he chargeth with folly. Yea, the heaven is
not clean in his sight; how much less they
that dwell in houses of clay: of which also
we ourselves were made. He smote them as
a moth; and from morning even unto the
evening they endure not. Because they were
not able to help themselves, they perished:
he breathed upon them, and they died, be
cause they had no wisdom. Call now, if there
be any that will answer thee; and to which
of the angels wilt thou look ? For wrath
killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth him
that is in error. I have seen the foolish taking
root; but, lo, their habitation was presently
consumed ; their children were far from safety ;
they perished at the gates of those who were
less than themselves, and there was no man
to help them. For what was prepared for them
the righteous did eat; and they shall not be
delivered from evil."
39. Seeing then these things are manifest unto
us, it will behove us to take care that, looking
into the depths ofthe divine knowledge, we do all
things in order, whatsoever our Lord hath com
manded us to do. And particularly that we per

form our offerings and service to God at their ap
pointed seasons; for these he has commanded to
be done, not rashly and disorderly, but at certain
determinate times and hours; and, therefore,
he has ordained by his supreme will and autho
rity, both where and by what persons they are to
be performed ; that so all things being piously
done unto all well-pleasing, they may be accept
able unto him. They, therefore, who make their
offerings at the appointed seasons are happy and
accepted ; because, that obeying the command
ments of the Lord, they are free from sin. And
the same care must be had of the persons that
minister unto him.
40. Let every one of you, therefore, brethren,
bless God in his proper station, with a good con
science, and with all gravity, not exceeding the
rule of his service that is appointed to Mm- The
daily sacrifices are not offered every where ; nor
the peace-offerings, nor the sacrifices appointed
for sins and transgressions ; but only at Jerusa
lem ; nor in any place there, but only at the altar
before the temple ; that which is offered being
first diligently examined by the high-priest and
the other ministers we before mentioned. They,
therefore, who do any thing which is not agree
able to his will, are punished with death. Con
sider, brethren, that by how much the better
knowledge God has vouchsafed unto us, by so
much the greater danger are we exposed to.
41. The Apostles have preached to us from
our Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ from God.
Christ, therefore, was sent by God ; the Apostles
by Christ : so both were orderly sent, according
to the will of God. For having received their
command, and being thoroughly assured by the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and con
vinced by the word of God, with the fulness of
the Holy Spirit, they went abroad, publishing
that the kingdom of God was at hand. And

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

461

thus preaching through countries and cities, they
appointed the first-fruits of their conversions to
be bishops and ministers over such as should
afterwards believe, having first proved them by
the Spirit. Nor was this any new thing, seeing
that long before it was written concerning bishops
and deacons : for thus saith the Scripture in a
certain place, " I will appoint their overseers in
righteousness, and their ministers in faith."
42. And what wonder if they, to whom such a
work was committed by God in Christ, estab
lished such officers as we before mentioned ;
when even that blessed and faithful servant in
all his house, Moses, set down in' the Holy Scrip-
turesall things that were commanded him. Whom
also all the rest of the prophets followed, bear
ing witness with one consent to those things
that were appointed by him : for he, perceiving
an emulation to arise among the tribes concern
ing the priesthood, and that there was a strife
about it, which of them should be adorned with
that glorious name ; commanded their twelve
captains to bring to him twelve rods, every tribe
being written upon its rod according to its name.
And he took them, and bound them together,
and sealed them with the seals of the twelve
princes of the tribes, and laid then) up in the
tabernacle of witness, upon the table of God.
And when he had shut the door of the taber
nacle, he sealed up the keys of it, in like manner
as he had done the rods ; and said unto them,
"Men and brethren, whichsoever tribe shall have
its rod blossom, that tribe has God chosen to
perform the office of a priest, and to minister
unto him in holy things. And when the morning
was come, he called together all Israel, six hun
dred thousand men ; and showed to their princes
the seals; and opened the tabernacle of witness ;
and brought forth the rods. And the rod of
Aaron was found not only to have blossomed, but
also to have fruit upon it. What think you, be

loved ? Did not Moses before know what should
happen? Yes, verily; but to the end there
might be no division nor tumult in Israel, he did
in this manner, that the name of the true and
only God might be glorified. To him be honour
for ever and ever. Amen.
43. So likewise our Apostles knew by our
Lord Jesus Christ, that there should contentions
arise on account of the ministry. And, therefore,
having a perfect foreknowledge of this, they
appointed persons, as we before said, and gave
direction, how (when they should die) other
chosen and approved men should succeed in
their ministry. Wherefore we cannot think that
those may justly be thrown out of their ministry,
who were either appointed by them, or after
wards chosen by other eminent men, with the
consent of the whole church; and who have
with all lowliness and innocency ministered to
the flock of Christ in peace, and without self-
interest, and were for a long time commended by
all. For it would be no small sin in us, should
we cast off those from their ministry, who holily
and without blame fulfil the duties of it. Blessed
are those servants, who having finished their
course before these times, have obtained a fruit
ful and perfect dissolution : for they have no fear
lest any one should turn them out of the place
which is now appointed for them. But we see
how you have put out some, who have lived re^
putably among you, from the ministry, which by
their innocence they had adorned.
44. Ye are contentious, brethren, and zealous
for things that pertain not unto sakation. Look
into the Holy Scriptures, which are the true
words of the Holy Ghost. Ye know that there is
nothing unjust or counterfeit written in them.
There you shall not find that righteous men were
ever cast off by such as were good themselves.
They were persecuted, it is -true ; but it was by

462

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

the wicked and unjust. They were cast into
prison ; but they were cast in by those that were
unholy. They were stoned ; but it was by trans
gressors. They were killed ; but by accursed
men, and such as had taken up an unjust
envy against them. And all these things they
underwent gloriously. For what shall we say,
brethren? Was Daniel cast into the den of
lions by men fearing God ? Ananias, Azarius,
and Misael, were they cast into the fiery furnace
by men professing the excellent and glorious
worship of the Most High ? God forbid. What
kind of persons then were they that did these
things ? They were men abominable, full of
all wickedness ; who were incensed to so great
a degree, as to bring those into sufferings, who
with a holy and unblameable purpose of mind
worshipped God ; not knowing that the Most
High is the protector and defender of all such
as with a pure conscience serve his holy
name : to whom be glory for ever and ever.
Amen. But they who with a full persuasion
have endured these things, are made partakers
of glory and honour ; and are exalted and lifted
up by God in their memorial throughout all
ages. Amen.
45. Wherefore it will behove us also, brethren,
to follow such examples as these : for it is
written, " Hold fast to such as are holy ; for they
that do so shall be sanctified." And again in
another place he saith, " With the pure thou
shalt be pure, (and with the elect thou shaft be
elect,) but with the perverse man thou shalt be
perverse." Let us, therefore, join ourselves to
the innocent and righteous; for such are the
elect of God. Wherefore are there strifes, and
anger, and divisions, and schisms, and wars
among us ? Have we not all one God and one
Christ ? Is not one spirit of grace poured out
upon us all ? Have we not one calling in Christ ?
Why then do we rend and tear in pieces the

members of Christ ; and raise seditions against
our own body ? and are come to such a height
of madness as to forget that we were mem
bers one of another ? Remember the words of
our Lord Jesus, how he said, " Woe to that
man by whom offences come : it were better
for him that he had never been born, than that
he should have offended one of my elect. It
were better for him that a millstone should be
tied about his neck, and he should be cast into
the sea, than that he should offend one of my
little ones." Your schism has perverted many,
has discouraged many ; it has caused diffidence
in many, and grief in us all. And yet your se
dition continues still.
46. Take the Epistle of the blessed Paul the
Apostle into your hands ; what was it that he
wrote to you at his first preaching the Gospel
among you ? Verily he did by the Spirit ad
monish you concerning himself, and Cephas, and
Apollos, because that even then ye had begun to fall
into parties and factions among yourselves. Never
theless, your partiality then led you into a much
less sin; forasmuch as ye placed your affections
upon Apostles, men of eminent reputation in the
church ; and upon another, who was greatly tried
and approved of by them. But consider, we pray
you, who were they that have now led you
astray, and lessened that brotherly love that was
so eminent among you ? It is a shame, my be
loved, yea, a very great shame, and unworthy of
your Christian profession, to hear, that the most
firm and ancient church of the Corinthians
should by one or two persons be led into a se
dition against its ministers. And this report is
come not only to us, but to those also that differ
from us. Insomuch that the name of die Lord
is blasphemed through your folly ; and even ye
yourselves are brought into danger by it.
47. Let us, therefore, with all haste put an end

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

463

to this sedition; and let us fall down before the
Lord, and beseech him with tears that he would
be favourably reconciled to us, and restore us
again to a seemly and holy course of brotherly
love. For this is the gate of righteousness open
ing unto life : as it is written, " Open unto me
the gates of righteousness ; I will go in unto them,
and will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the
Lord ; the righteous shall enter into it." Although,
therefore, many gates are opened, yet this gate of
righteousness is that gate in Christ, at which
blessed are all they that enter in, and direct their
way in holiness and righteousness, doing all
things without disorder. Let a man be faithful ;
let him be powerful in the utterance of know
ledge; let him be wise in making an exact judg
ment of words ; let him be pure in all his actions :
but still by how much the more he seems to be
above others, by reason of these things, by so
much the more will it behove him to be humble-
minded; and to seek what is profitable to all
men, and not his own advantage.
48. He that has the love that is in Christ, let
him keep the commandments of Christ. For
who is able to express the obligation of the love
of God ? Wliat man is sufficient to declare, as
is fitting, the excellency of its beauty ? The height
to which charity leads is inexpressible. Charity
unites us to God : " Charity covers the multitude
of sins: charity endures all things, is long-suffer
ing in all things." There is nothing base and
sordid in charity: charity lifts not itself up above
others; admits of no divisions; is not seditious;
but does all things in peace and concord. By
charity were all the elect of God made perfect:
without it nothing is pleasing and acceptable in
the sight of God. Through charity did the Lord
jom us unto himself, whilst for the love that he
bore towards us, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his
own blood for us, by the will of God ; his flesh,
for our flesh; his soul, for our souls.

49. Ye see, beloved, how great and wonderful a
thing charity is; and how that no expressions are
sufficient to declare its perfection. But who is
fit to be found in it ? Even such only as God
shall vouchsafe to make so. Let us, therefore,
pray to him, and beseech him, that we may be
worthy of it ; that so we may live in charity,
being unblameable, without human propensities,
without respect to persons. All the ages of the
world, from Adam even to this day, are passed
away ; but they who have been made perfect in
love, have, by the grace of God, obtained a place
among the righteous, and shall be made" manifest
in the judgment ofthe kingdom of Christ. For .
it is written, " Enter into thy chambers for a
little space, till my anger and indignation shall
pass away ; and I will remember the good day,
and will raise you up out of your graves."
Happy then shall we be, beloved, if we shall have
fulfilled the commandments of God in the unity
of love ; that so, through love, our sins may be
forgiven us. For so it is written, " Blessed are
they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom
the Lord imputeth no sin, and in whose mouth
there is no guile." Now this blessing is fulfilled
in those who are chosen by God, through Jesus
Christ our Lord : to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
50. Let us, therefore, as many as have trans*-
gressed by any of the suggestions of the adver
sary, beg God's forgiveness. And as for those
who have been the heads of the sedition and
faction among you, let them look to the common
end of our hope. For as many as are endued with
fear and charity, would rather they themselves
should fall into trials than their neighbours ; and
choose to be themselves condemned, rather than
that the good and just charity delivered to us
should suffer. For it is seemly for a man to con
fess wherein he has transgressed, and not to

164

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

harden his heart, as the hearts of those were
hardened who raised up sedition against Moses,
the servant of God : whose punishment was mani
fest unto all men ; for they went down alive into
the grave, death swallowed them up. Pharaoh
and his host, and all the rulers of Egypt, their
chariots also, and their horsemen, were for no
other cause drowned in the bottom of the Red
Sea, and perished, but because they hardened
their foolish hearts, after so many signs done in
the land of Egypt, by Moses the servant of'God.
51. Beloved, God is not indigent of any thing;
nor does he demand any thing of us, but that we
should confess our sins unto him. For so says
the holy David, " I will confess unto the Lord,
and it shall please him better than a young bul
lock that hath horns and hoofs. Let the poor see
it, and be glad." And again he saith, " Offer
unto God the sacrifice of praise, and pay thy vows
unto the Most Highest. And call upon me in
the day of trouble, and 1 will deliver thee, and
thou shaft glorify me. The sacrifice of God is a
broken spirit."
52. Ye know, beloved, ye know full well, the
Holy Scriptures ; and have thoroughly searched
into the oracles of God : call them, therefore, to
your remembrance. For when Moses went up
into the mount, and tarried there forty days and
forty nights in fasting and humiliation, God said
unto him, " Arise, Moses, get thee down quickly
from hence; for thy people, whom thou brought-
est out of the land of Egypt, have committed
wickedness : they have soon transgressed the way
that I commanded them, and have made to them
selves graven images. And the Lord said unto
him, I have spoken unto thee several times,
saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is
a stiff-necked people; let me, therefore, destroy
them, and put out their names from under heaven.
And I will make unto thee a great and a wonder

ful nation, that shall be much larger than this.
But Moses said, Not so, Lord : forgive now this
people their sin ; or, if thou wilt not, blot me also
out of the book of the living." O admirable cha
rity ! O insuperable perfection ! The servant
speaks freely to his Lord; he beseeches him
either to forgive the people, or to destroy Mm
together with them.
53. Who is there among you that is generous?
who that is compassionate ? who that has any
charity ? Let him say, If tMs sedition, this con
tention, and these schisms, be upon my account,
I am ready to depart ; to go away whithersoever
ye please, and do whatsoever ye shall command
me ; only let the flock of Christ* be in peace, with
the elders that are set over it. He that shall
do tins, shall get to himself a very great honour
in the Lord ; and there is no place but what will
be ready to receive him : " For the earth is the
Lord's, and the fulness thereof." These things
they who have their conversation towards God
not to be repented of, both have done, and will
always be ready to do.
54. Nay, and even the Gentiles themselves
have given us examples of this kind. For we
read, how many kings and princes, in times of
pestilence, being warned by their oracles, have
given themselves unto death ; that by their own
blood they might deliver their country from de
struction. Others have forsaken their cities, that
so they might put an end to the seditions of them.
We know how many among ourselves have given
up themselves unto bonds, that thereby they
might free others from them. Others have
sold themselves into bondage, that they might
feed their brethren with the price of themselves.
And even many women, being strengthened by
the grace of God, have done many glorious and
manly things on such occasions. The blessed
Judith, when her city was besieged, desired the

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

465

elders that they would suffer her to go into the
camp of their enemies : and she went out, ex
posing herself to danger, for the love she bare to
her country and her people that were besieged ;
and the Lord delivered Holofernes into the hands
of a woman. Nor did Esther, being perfect in
faith, expose herself to any less hazard, for the de
livery of the twelve tribes of Israel, in danger of
being destroyed. For by fasting and humbling
herself, she entreated the great Maker of all
things, the God of spirits; so that beholding the
humility of her soul, he delivered the people for
whose sake she was in peril.
55. Wheiefore let us also pray for such as are
fallen into sin ; that being endued with humility
and moderation, they may submit not to us, but to
the will of God. For by this means they shall
obtain a fruitful and perfect remembrance, with
mercy, both in our prayers to God, and in our
mention of them before his saints. Let us receive
correction, at wMch no man ought to repine. Be
loved, the reproof and the correction which we
exercise towards one another is good, and exceed
ingly profitable ; for it unites us the more closely
to the will of God. For so says the Holy Scrip
ture, " The Lord corrected me, but he did not
deliver me over unto death : for whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son
whom he receiveth. The righteous (saith he)
shall instruct me in mercy, and reprove me : but
let not the oil of sinners make fat my head."
And again he saith, " Happy is the man whom
God correcteth : therefore despise not thou the
chastening of the Almighty. For he maketh sore,
and bindeth up ; he woundeth, and his hands make
whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles ; yea,
in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine
he shall redeem thee from death ; and in war from
the power of the sword. Thou shaft be hid from
the scourge ofthe tongue; neither shalt thou be
afraid of destruction when it cometh. Thou shaft
Nos. 39 & 40.

laugh at the wicked and sinners ; neither shalt
thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. The
wild beasts shall be at peace with thee. Then
shaft thou know that thy house shall be in peace;
arm the habitation of thy tabernacle shall not err.
Thou shalt know also that tby seed shall be great,
and thy offspring as the grass of the earth. Thou
shalt come to thy grave as the ripe corn, that is
teken in due time ; like as a shock of corn cometh
in in its season." You see, beloved, how there
shall be a defence to those that are corrected of
the Lori!. For being a good instructor, he is
willing to admonish us by his holy discipline.
56. Do ye, therefore, who laid the first founda
tion of this sedition, submit yourselves unto your
ministers ; and be instructed unto repentance,
bending the knees of your hearts. Learn to be
subject, laying aside all proud and arrogant
boasting of your tongues. For it is better for
you to be found little, and approved in the sheep-
fold of Christ, than to seem to yourselves better
than others, and be cast out of his fold. For
thus speaks the excellent and all-virtuous Wis
dom, " Behold, 1 will pour out the word of my
Spirit upon you, I will make known my speech
unto you. Because I called, and ye would not
hear, I stretched out my hands, and ye regarded
not; but ye have set at nought all my counsel,
and would none of my reproof: I will also
laugh at your calamity, and mock when your
fear cometh; when your fear cometh as a deso
lation, and your destruction as a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Then shall ye call upon me, but I will not hear
you : the wicked shall seek me, but they shall
not find me; for that they hated knowledge, and
did not seek the fear of the Lord. They would
not hearken unto my counsel; they despised all
my reproof. Therefore shall they eat ofthe fruit
of their own ways, and be filled with then own
wickedness."
4E

466

THE EPISTLE OF ST. CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.

57. Now, God, the inspector of all things, the
Father of spirits, and the Lord of all flesh, who
hath chosen our Lord Jesus Christ, and us by
him, to be his peculiar people, grant to every
soul of man that calleth upon his glorious and
holy name, faith, fear, peace, long-suffering, pa-^
tience, temperance, holiness, and sobriety, unto
all well-pleasing in his sight; through our high-
priest and protector, Jesus Christ; by whom be
glory, and majesty, and power, and honour, unto
him now, and for evermore. Amen.
58. Tne messengers whom we have s°nt unto

you, Claudius Ephebus, and Valerius Bito, with
Fortunatus, send back to us again with all speed
in peace and with joy, that they may the sooner
acquaint us with your peace and concord, so
much prayed for and desired by us; and that we
may rejoice in your good order.
59. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you, and with all that are any where called
by God through him : to whom be honour, and
glory, and might, and majesty, and eternal do
minion, by Christ Jesus, from everlasting to ever
lasting. Amen.

THE
HISTORY

OF

THE JEWS.

AH ACCOUNT OP THE TROUBLES OF THE JEWS, PARTICULARLY THOSE CALAIVIITIES WHICH FELL UPON THEM AT THE
TIME OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM.

AS the history on which we are now about
to enter is uncommonly interesting, there
is a peculiar propriety in our recapitulating such
circumstances as may be necessary for our more
perfect understanding of it. The reader will
easily recollect, that from the time of Judas
Maccabeus, the Jewish nation was governed by
the Asmonean family, who united the sanctity of
the priesthood with the authority of the chief
magistrate, till, in consequence of domestic dis
sensions, they were reduced to the state of sub
jection to the Roman republic, an event which
took place in the sixty- third year before the
Christian era. They still, however, retained some
shadow of royalty till the year A. C. 37, when
Jerusalem was taken by Herod ; and Antigonus,
the last of the Asmonean race, committed to a
close imprisonment. The reign of Herod, splen
did, vigorous, and bloody, continued till a little
after the birth of Christ, that is about three years
before the commencement of the common ac
count. Herod had nine wives ; the first of whom,
named Doris, was the mother of Antipater, who
is stigmatized as the worst of all Herod's sons,
and was put to death for treason during the last

sickness of his father. The second of them was
Mariamne, the daughter of Simon, the high-
priest. By this excellent princess he had a son,
whom Josephus names Herod, and Luke, Philip,
the husband of that Herodias on whose account
John the Baptist was beheaded. The third, who
was his brother's daughter, and the fourth, who
was his first cousin, both of them died childless.
The fifth wife was Martac,- a Samaritan, by
whom he had Archdaus and Antipas. The for
mer succeeded him in the half of the kingdom,
under the name of Tetrarch ; and the latter,
called also Philip, was Tetrarch of Iturea and
Trachonitis, and married Salome, the daughter
of Herodias, who demanded the head of John
the Baptist as the reward of her dancing. This
prince died without issue. Herod's sixth wife,
Cleopatra, who was a native of Jerusalem, had
two sons, Herod Antipas and Philip. Herod
Antipas was he that married Herodias, his bro
ther Philip's wifej ordered the execution of John,
and commanded his soldiers to insult our Sa
viour. Pallas, the seventh wife, had a son named
Phasael. The eighth was Phaedra, by whom he
had only one daughter, named Roxana. And
by the last, called Elpis, he had another daughter,
called Salome.
4E*

468

JEWISH HISTORY.

Aristobulus, the son ofthe beloved Mariamne,
left two sons, Agrippa, who is in the Acts called
Herod, aud noted as the persecutor of the Chris
tians ; Herod, king of Chalais, a province of
Syria ; and a daughter, named Herodias. Agrippa
was the father of that king Agrippa before whom
Paul pleaded, his sister Berenice, and Drusiila,
the wife of Felix.
It has been already mentioned that the land of
Israel was now considered as an appendage of
Syria, and divided into four parts, called Tetrar-
chies. Of these Herod Antipas governed Galilee
and Perea, or the country beyond Jordan. Philip,
the son of Martac, occupied iturea and Tracho-
nitis, a rocky country, which afforded great shel
ter to robbers. Lysanias was Tetrarchof Abilene;
and Pontius Pilate was the procurator, or Roman
governor of Judea.
The government of Pilate appears to have been
uncommonly bloody and oppressive; yet, as Dr.
Lardner observes, that they had, according to the
sacred writers, the free exercise of their religion,
is evident from the whole tenor of the history
contained in the Gospels, and the Acts of the
Apostles; they had their synagogues; the law
and the prophets were read there ; our Saviour
taught in the synagogues ; whenever he healed
any lepers, he bade them go and show themselves
to the priests, (Matt. viii. 4.) and offer the gifts
that Moses commanded, (Luke v. 14) There
appears to have been a great resort to the temple
at Jerusalem from Galilee and other parts, at all
their usual great feasts: they were at full liberty
to make what contributions they saw fit to their
sacred treasury, (Mark xii. 41, 44. Luke xxi. 1.)
and so secure were they, that they used indirect
practices to enrich it. (Matt. xv. 5. Mark vii. 11,
12.) There is no mention made in the history of
our Saviour's ministry of any restraint or obstruc
tion they met with, save that one ofthe Galileans,

whose blood Pilate had mingled with thdr sa^-
crifices. (Luke xiii, 1.)
That they might thus freely perform all the
services of their religion, though they be supposed
to have been then under the Roman government,
is not at all improbable ; for the Romans had ever
permitted the people they conquered to practise
their own religious rites in their own way; and
the Jews were now at full liberty to worship God
according to the institution of Moses, we are
assured by Josephus, who has left us the history
of these times. The Roman presidents did, indeed,
for some time, put in and turn out their high-
priests at pleasure; the Roman governors did,
indeed, sometimes offer them abuses, or suffer
abuses to be committed in the country, contrary
to the institutions of the law, as they did also in
jure them in their dvil properties ; but these
abuses seem not to have been very numerous.
When any were committed, it was without the
emperor's authority, and usually the Jews, at
length, obtained satisfaction.
As a proof of their perfect freedom in matters
of religion, Dr. Lardner produces the instance of
their being allowed to follow their own customs,
though contrary to those of all other nations, in
the matter of divorce. It has been said, that who
soever shall put away his wife, let him give her a
writing of divorcement : but I say unto you, who*
soever shall put away his wife, save for the cause
of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and
whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, commit
teth adultery. (Matt. v. 31 , 32.) It is evident from
the manner in which our Lord condemns all di
vorces, save those made for the cause of fornica
tion, that they did, at this time, put them in prac
tice on other accounts. This appears also from
the questions put to him concerning this matter,
and the answers he gave to them, and the sur
prise and uneasiness which the disciples express

JEWISH HISTORY.

469

at tse decision, when he forbade such licentious
divorces as those made for every cause
The Jews were, at this time, divided into se
veral sects, among which the most distinguished
were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the
Essenes. The Pharisees are generally supposed to have
derived their name from a Chaldaic word, which
signifies to separate, because they separated them
selves from the rest ofthe Jews, leading a more
austere life, and professing a greater degree of
holiness, and more religious observation of the
law. It is difficult to fix their precise origin.
While some suppose they existed in the time of
Ezra, and others, that they sprung up but a little
before the Christian era, a third party have em
braced a more probable opinion, which fixes their
rise in the reign ofthe Maccabees. Dr. Light-
foot thinks the Pharisaism rose up gradually from
a period which he does not assign to the maturity
«f a sect. It is certain, from the account given
by Josephus, that, in the time of John Hyrcanus,
about one hundred and eight years before Christ,
the sect was not only formed, but made a con
siderable figure. According to Rasnage, one
Aristobulus, an Alexandrian Jew, and Peripatetic
philosopher, who flourished about one hundred
and twenty-five years before Christ, and wrote
some allegorical commentaries on the Scriptures,
was the author of those traditions, by an adhe
rence to which the Pharisees were principally dis
tinguished from other sects. They paid great de
ference to their elders, whom they never pre
sumed to contradict, and possessed a high repu
tation on account of their supposed equity, tem
perance, and wisdom. They held that fate go
verned all things, but not in so absolute a manner
as to exclude the operations of the human will :
that the soul was immortal, and reserved for a
future state of rewards and punishments. Most

of the Jews of the present day adhere to the Pha
risaic doctrine, though they do not generally
praise their exteeme austerity of life.
The Sadducees generally consisted of persons
of the greatest opulence and distinction ; and
though they attended on the temple worship,
were generally considered as a kind of deists, or
free-thinkers. They are supposed, by some, to
have taken their rise from Dositheus, a Samari
tan sectary, and to have allowed no books of
Scripture, unless the pentateuch; but Josephus
does not charge them with this, but only with re
jecting the traditions ofthe elders. Some think
they derived their name from an Hebrew word
signifying just ; and others, from one Sadoc, a
disciple of Antigonus Sochaeus, president of the
Sanhedrim, about two hundred and sixty years
before Christ, who frequently inculcated upon
his scholars that God is to be served for his own
sake, not out of view to any reward from him in
the next world, as slaves serve their masters
merely for recompense. Sadoc, they add, putting
a false interpretation on these words of his master,
published that there was no reward allotted to
good actions done in this world. They held, ac
cording to Josephus, that the soul and body die
together, and that the only obligation people are
under is to keep the law. They accustomed them
selves to investigate every thing, and dispute
freely with their teachers. He says, that when
they were advanced to public offices, they were
obliged to conduct themselves as Pharisees, in
order to secure the favour of the people.
The Essenes were less ambitious of public dis
tinction than either ofthe other sects, and", in con
sequence, are not mentioned in the New Testa
ment. As to their origin, Pliny asserts, without
mentioning his authority, that they had subsisted
for several thousand years. The most probable
opinion is. that this sect was formed by Jewish

470

JEWISH HISTORY.

exiles, who, a littie before the time of the Mac
cabees, were forced to retire into caves and de
serts, in order to avoid the persecution of their
enemies. Philo and Josephus agree that their
number in Judea was about four thousand ; but
the latter writer asserts, that they were much
more numerous in Egypt. They have been much
commended by Jews, Christians, and Pagans.
They held, according to Josephus, that the world
is absolutely governed by the providence of God
without any other interference. They acknow
ledged the immortality of the soul, and proved
by their practice, that they considered justice as
the chief of all virtues. They did not personally
attend at the temple, but sent their gifts, and sa
crificed among themselves with much ceremony.-
They followed no business but husbandry, never
married, nor kept servants, but had all their pos
sessions in common, and knew no distinction be
tween rich and poor. They are said to have
been divided into the laborious and contempla
tive ; the first of whom divided their time between
prayer and labour, and the second between
prayer and study. They were not, however, all
equally strict in observing their rules of absti
nence. Mr. Lampe, in his ecclesiastical history,
compares the Pharisees with the Platonists, the
Sadducees with the Epicureans, and the Essenes
with the Stoics and Pythagoreans.
The critics and commentators upon the New
Testament are much divided with regard to the
Herodians, some making them to be a political
party, and others a religious sect. The former
opinion is favoured by the author of the Syriac
version, who calls them the domestics of Herod ;
and also by Josephus, who passes them over in
silence, though he professes to give an account of
the several religious sects of the Jews. The latter
opinion is countenanced by our Lord's caution
against the leaven of Herod, which apparently
implies that the Herodians were distinguished

from the other Jews by some doctrinal tenets.
Dr. Prideaux is of opinion that they derived their
name from Herod the Great, and that t'.ey were
distinguished from the other Jews by their con
currence with Herod's scheme of subjecting him
self and his dominions to the Romans, and like
wise by complying with ;•• any of tiie heathen
usages and customs. It is probable that they
were chiefly ofthe sect ofthe Sadducees; because
the leaven of Herod is also denominated the
leaven of the Sadducees.
Directly opposed to the Herodians were the
Galileans, who are considered by Josephus as
the fourth Jewish sect. They derived their origin
from a'- bloody insurgent, Judas of Galilee, who
rebelled about the time of the taxing, and excited
the people* to resist the payment of any tribute
to the Romans. They were nearly akin to the
Pharisees, being principally distinguished by their
holding the maxim of uncontrollable liberty.
They acknowledged no superior but God ; and
rather than call any man master, were ready to
submit to the most excruciating death.
While we are thus treating on the religion and
learning of the Jews, it may not be improper to
observe, that they had at this time certain
Chaldee paraphrases, which are believed to have
been read in their synagogues as early as the time
of Christ. It is remarkable that they interpret
many of the prophecies concerning the Mes
siah in the same way in which they are now
understood by Christians, and, therefore, are
ven helpful in Jewish controversies. These
Chaldee paraphrases are known by the name of
Targums. Such was the religious state ofthe Jews under
the government of Pilate. In our Life of Christ
we continued his history till the crucifixion and
resurrection of tiie Sou of God. An opinion pre-

JEWISH HISTORY.

471

vailed among the ancient Christians, that, as* Pi
late consented unwillingly upon that occasion, so
he transmitted to the emperor Tiberius a very
favourable account of our Saviour's character.
This opiuion has been much controverted ; but
we shall content ourselves with transcribing what
Eusebius has observed upon the subject.
" When the wonderful resurrection of our Sa
viour, and his ascension to heaven, were in the
mouths of all men, it being the ancient custom
for the governors of provinces to write to the
emperor, and give him an account of new and
remarkable occurrences, that he might not be ig
norant of any thing, our Saviour's resurrection
being much talked of throughout all Palestine,
Pilate informed the emperor of it, as likewise of
his miracles, which he had heard of; and that,
being raised up after he had been put to death, he
was already believed by many to be a god. And
it is said that Tiberius referred the matter to the
senate ; but that they refused their consent, under
a pretence that it had not been first approved of
by them, there being an ancient law that no one
should be deified among the Romans without an
order of the senate; but, indeed, because the
saving and divine doctrine of the Gospel needed
not to be confirmed by human judgment and au
thority. However, Tiberius persisted in his for
mer sentiment, and allowed not any thing to be
done that was prejudicial to the doctrine of
Christ. These things are related by Tertullian,
a man famous on other accounts, and particularly
for his skill in the Roman laws. 1 say, he speaks
thus in his Apology for the Christians, written by
him in the Roman tongue, but since translated
into Greek. His words are these : " There was
an ancient decree, that no one should be conse
crated as a deity by the emperor, unless he was
first approved of by the senate. Marcus .Emilius
knows this by his god Alburnus, This is to our
purpose ; forasmuch as among you divinity is

bestowed by human judgment. And if God does
not please man, he shall not be God. And, ac
cording to this way of thinking, man must be
propitious to God. Tiberius, therefore, in whose
time the Christian name was first known in the
world, having received an account of this doc
trine out of Palestine, where it began, committed
that account to the senate, giving in, at the same
time, his own suffrage in favour of it. But the
senate rejected it, because it had not been ap
proved by themselves. Nevertheless, the emperor
persisted in his judgment, and threatened death to
such as should accuse the Christians." " Which,"
adds Eusebius, " could be no other than a dis
posal of Divine Providence, that the doctrine of
the Gospel, which was then in its beginning,
might be preached all over the world without
molestation." To leave, however, this matter undetermined,
we proceed to observe, that the conduct of Pilate
still continued to be the most atrocious and bloody
imaginable. An event soon after happened, which
brought his tyranny to a conclusion. An impostor
appeared in Samaria in the year A. D. 35, a little
after the death of Stephen, who gave out to the
multitude, that if they would meet him at mount
Gerizim, he would show them the sacred vessels
which they believed Moses had concealed in that
place. Vast numbers of ignorant people imme
diately assembled in arms, and laid siege to Tira-
thaba, a village in that vicinity, waiting for others
to join them there, who would, they expected, en
able them to form a sufficient body to go up and
take possession ofthe pretended holy treasure. Pi
late, who had received timely information, collect
ed a large body of cavalry and infantry, and took
possession of the mountain, whence he attacked
the Samaritans, routed them with great slaughter,
and brought off a considerable number of prison
ers, the most distinguished of whom he ordered to
be beheaded, Chagrined by this defeat and its

472

JEWISH HISTORY.

bloody consequences, the chief persons among the
Samaritans made application to Vilellius, gover
nor of Syria, insisting that Pilate had been guilty
of murder, in putting to death men that had not
armed to oppose the Roman authority, but only
to resist his outrageous oppression. On receiving
tiiis complaint, Vitellius despatched bis friend
Marcellus to take upon him the government of
Judea, and commanded Pilate to repair imme
diately to Rome, to answer for bis conduct at
the tribunal of Caesar. Josephus has informed
us nothing further concerning Pilate, than that
Tiberius died while he was performing his voy
age, and that the loss of his government was only
the forerunner of greater evils. There is, how
ever, an ancient tradition, that be was banished
to Vienne m Gaul ; and Eusebius asserts, from
the authority of some Greek annalists, that he
became his own executioner.
On the feast of the passover this same year,
35, Vitellius was present at Jerusalem, where he
was received with the greatest distinction by the
Jews, whose favour he took the utmost pains to
conciliate, by remitting the whole duty which
was levied on the fruits that were exposed to
sale. His liberality did not stop here; for, being
informed that the Jews were very uneasy that the
pontifical habits were kept in the Fort Antonia,
under the custody of a Roman officer, he com
manded these vestments to be delivered up to the
priests, to be disposed of at their pleasure, and
released the governor from all responsibility for
their safety. Not long after, he deprived Caiaphas
ofthe priesthood, and bestowed it on Jonathan,
the son of Ananas. At this period, which was
in the twentieth year of the reign of Tiberius,
died PMlip, the brother of Herod, after having
been tetrarch of Trachonitis, Gaulanites, and
Batania, for the space of thirty-seven years. He
was a man distinguished by his moderation, and
devoted to the quiet enjoyment of his ease, his

whole life being spent within the district over
which he was appointed to preside. He very
seldom left his own house ; and, when he did,
it was in company w ith a few select friends; and
he had a chair carried after him, which, on par
ticular occasions, he used to convert into a seat
of justice. As it some times happened tlut he met
persons on the road who had need of his judicial
assistance, it was his custom not to lose any time,
but to hear the cause immediately, and to acquit
or condemn the party according to the strength
of the evidence. His death happened at Cho
razin ; and he was interred, with the utmost pomp
paid magnificence, in a monument, which he had
caused to be erected for his reception. As he
left no children behind him, the emperor decreed
that his estate should be annexed to Syria, but
on the condition that the country should not be
deprived of the tributes hereafter to be raised in
the tetrarchy.
In a former chapter of this work we mentioned
that a war was carried on between Herod and
Aretas, in consequence of Herod's divorcing the
daughter of Aretas, that he might gratify his
passion for Herodias. The army of Herod being
defeated by the Arabian prince, Vitellius was
commanded to assist the former, and accordingly
inarched towards Petra with two legions of Ro
man auxiliaries. When he had got as far as Ptole-
mais, and was on the point of crossing Judea, he
was met by the principal people of the country,
who most earnestly solicited him that he would
take a different route ; for that the Jewish law
was insulted, and their religion profaned, by the
images that the Romans usually carry in their
colours. This reason had its proper weight
with the general, who directed that his army
should march about by the way of a large plain ;
and, in the mean time, he took with him Herod
the tetrarch, and several other friends, who went
up to Jerusalem to worship on occasion of a

JEWISH HISTORY.

473

solemn festival which was then approaching.
He made three days' stay in this city, during
which time he was treated with all possible
marks of honour and respect ; and while he re
mained there, he deprived Jonathan of the office
of high-priest, and conferred it on his brother
Theophilus ; and, on the fourth day, he received
letters which announced the death of Tiberius :
whereupon he caused the people to swear alle
giance to his successor, Caius Caligula ; and this
being done, he gave orders for the recal of his
troops, and directed that they should go into
winter quarters, the change in the govern
ment having determined him to put a period
to the war ; and after this he returned to
Antioch. A tradition is current, that when this expe
dition of Vitellius Was talked of, Aretas con
sulted the wizards and fortune-tellers, respecting
what should be the issue of the affair ; and that
the answer which he received was to the follow
ing purpose : " That the army then on the march
should never arrive at Petra; for that either one
of the princes should die, or he that commanded
the army, or the person that was deputy in the
command, or the party against whom the war
was levied."
Josephus here introduces the history of Herod
Agrippa, which he justly considers as affording
a striking instance of divine protection, though
we cannot regard it as any proof of the virtues of
Herod. Some small time previous to the death of
Herod the Great, Agrippa, residing at Rome, and
being often in the family of the emperor, became
a very great favourite of his son Drusus, and
also obtained the good opinion of Antonia, the
tvife of the elder Drusus, through the interest of
his mother BereMce, for whom Antonia had
Nos. 39 & 40.

a most particular esteem. Agrippa was, by na
ture, rather inclined to extravagance ; but during
the life of his mother, he restrained himself
within some reasonable bounds. Her death, at
length, making him master of his own conduct,
he began to give expensive treats, and make
profuse and costly presents, particularly to the
dependants and domestics of the court, where it
was that he hoped to raise his fortune. By these
means he involved himself in debt to such a de
gree, that he could no longer make his appear
ance at Rome. Besides, at this time, Tiberius
having the misfortune to lose his son, he could
not now endure the sight of any of the favourites
of Drusus, lest he should be reminded of the loss
he had sustained.
Agrippa having thus squandered his money,
and destroyed his reputation by the irregularity
of his conduct, and his creditors being anxious
with him to discharge their demands, which it
was not in his power to do, he returned to Ju
dea : and, when there, seeing no hope of re
trieving his fortune, and blushing for the folly he
had been guilty of, he retreated to Malta, a castle
in Idumea, having conceived an intention, that,
in that place, he would put an end to an exist
ence that was no longer supportable.
Cypros, observing the desponding humour of
her husband, and remarking that his melancholy
seemed to forbode the most fatal consequences,
exerted her utmost endeavours to prevent the
misfortune which she dreaded ; and particularly
wrote to her sister Herodias a circumstantial ac
count of the lamentable situation in which he
lived, and most earnestly urged her, by all the
ties of honour and consanguinity, to afford him
some immediate relief. She said that she did
every thing that was in her own power, and
hoped that her example would be followed by
her sister.
4F

474

JEWISH HISTORY.

Herodias was so much affected by this repre
sentation, that she joined with her husband in
sending a message, desiring that Agrippa would
attend them ; when they gave him a pension,
and bestowed on him the government of Ti
berias for his immediate support. But Herod
did not long continue in this generous disposi
tion, nor was Agrippa very well contented with
his present situation. Now it happened, that, on
a certain time, when they were drinking at Tyre,
Herod made many ungenerous reflections on
Agrippa, on account of his poverty, and inti
mated, among other things, that he was sup
ported by his bounty.
This insult was too great to be borne by one of
Agrippa's spirit ; he, therefore, repaired to visit
Flaccus, an old particular friend of his when at
Rome, who was at that time governor of Syria.
Flaccus received him in the most free and hospi
table manner ; but, at this time, Aristobulus, the
brother of Agrippa, was a visiter in the same
house. The former was his enemy, though his
brother; yet Flaccus divided his favours and civi
lities indifferently between them, as if no ani
mosity had subsisted. Aristobulus, however, urged
by the most implacable malice, still kept up the
quarrel, and would not rest till he had inspired
Flaccus with a bad opinion of Agrippa, which was
effected in the following manner : The inhabitants
of Damascus, and those of Sidon, had a violent
dispute between them respecting the boundaries
of their territories, and Flaccus was fixed upon to
hear and determine the cause. Now the people
of Damascus being informed that Flaccus and
Agrippa were on terms of the utmost intimacy,
thought that it would be a stroke of good policy
previously to engage the interest of Agrippa, by
bribing him with a sum of money. The bargain
being made, and promises of mutual secrecy
given, Agrippa exerted all his interest for the
people of Damascus against those of Sidon.

Now Aristobulus, having discovered that
Agrippa had received a bribe to transact this
business, went to the governor, and complained
of the conduct of his brother ; and Flaccus,
examining into the merits of the affair, and
finding proof against Agrippa, dismissed him
from his favour, and left him to seek a sup
port in the best manner he was able. Here
upon Agrippa went back to Ptolemais ; and,
being in absolute want of the necessaries of
life, he came to a resolution to return into
Italy. Thus distressed, he gave directions to
Marsyas, a freed-man of his, to apply to the
brokers to raise a sum of money on any terms
whatever, to answer Ms present demand. In
consequence of these directions, Marsyas went
to Protus, a freed-man of Berenice, (the mother
of Agrippa, his late patroness, who, by her last
will, had recommended him to the service of
Antonia,) and proposed him to advance a sum
of money to Agrippa on his own bond. Protus
said that he was already in his debt ; yet Marsyas
prevailed upon him to lend twenty thousand Attic
drachmas on the security above mentioned ; but
of this sum he gave no more to Agrippa than
seventeen thousand five hundred pieces, retaining
the other two thousand five hundred to himself,
for the trouble taken in procuring this advance ;
nor was Agrippa in circumstances to dispute
about this extortion.
As soon as he was possessed of this money,
Agrippa proceeded to Anthedon, where he met
with a ship calculated for his service, and made
preparations for going to sea; but Herenius Ca-
pito, the procurator of Jamnia, hearing of this
circumstance, sent a number of soldiers to Mm,
to demand the payment of three hundred thou
sand pieces of silver, the property of the king,
which he had borrowed when at Rome. This
circumstance occasioned some little dday in
Agrippa's proceeding; but he amused the soldiers

JEWISH HISTORY.

475

with fair promises, and, when night came on,
cut his cable, and slipped out to sea, steering his
course towards Alexandria. On his arrival at
that city, he made application to Alexander, the
principal officer of the revenue, requesting that
he would lend him two hundred thousand pieces
of money on his bond. To this the officer re
plied, " With regard to yourself, I have not faith
enough in you to credit you with such a sum ;
but your wife appears to be a woman of exem
plary character an 1 amiable deportment, and she
shall have the money if she will give her security
for it." In this manner the matter was settled ;
and Cypros becoming bound for the sum
wanted, Alexander furnished Agrippa with five
talents on the spot, and gave him letters of
credit to receive the rest at Puteoli ; for he was
unwilling to trust the whole sum with him at
once, lest he should apply it to improper pur
poses. By this time Cypros was convinced that
tbere was no possibility of preventing her hus
band's proceeding; wherefore she and her chil
dren went over-land to J udea.
When Agrippa arrived at Puteoli, he sent a
letter to Tiberius Caesar, who was then at Caprasa,
informing Mm that he had come so far to pay his
humble respects to him, and requesting his per
mission to wait on him. Tiberius did not hesitate
to send him an answer replete with kindness, in
which he informed him that he should be happy
to see him at Capraea. Thither Agrippa went ;
and on his arrival, Tiberius received him with
open arms, and welcomed him to the palace,
where he entertained him in the most generous
and hospitable manner, thereby proving his sin
cerity when he gave him the invitation. But, on
the following day, letters to Tiberius arrived from
Herennius Capito, complaining ofthe conduct of
Agrippa, and stating, " That when he demanded
payment- of a bond for three hundred thousand
pieces, which had been long since due to the em

peror, Agrippa departed in a secret manner, so
that the money would probably be lost."

This conduct was so highly offensive to Tibe
rius, that he commanded the officers of his bed
chamber not to permit Agrippa to depart till the
debt was discharged. On the contrary, Agrippa
did not seem to remark the displeasure ofthe em
peror; but immediately applied to Antonia, mo
ther of Germanicus and Claudius, who was after
wards advanced to the sovereign power. To her
he related his distresses, and told her that he was
likely to lose the favour of the emperor, for want
of the above mentioned three hundred thousand
pieces ; whereupon she lent him the money in
honour of the memory of Berenice, and the mu
tual friendship they had entertained for each
other ; exclusive of which Agrippa had been
the companion and play-fellow of her son Clau
dius almost from his earliest infancy. Having
received this money, he discharged his debt, and
was reinstated in the favour of Tiberius. This
conduct had such an effect on the emperor, that
he committed his grandson, Tiberius Nero, the
son of Drusus, to the care and government of
Agrippa, requesting that he would be constantly
in his company, and regulate his whole conduct.
Agrippa, however, had so strong an idea of his
obligations to Antonia, that he paid his principal
attention and respect to her grandson Caius, for
whom the people in general had the highest
esteem, not only respecting his personal virtues,
but on account of the reverence which they
entertained for the memory of his father Ger
manicus. At this period, a Samaritan, one of
Caesar's freed- men, lent Agrippa a million of
pieces, with part of which he discharged his
debt to Antonia, and employed the remainder
in paying the expense incurred on the attend
ance of Caius, with whom He had now con
tracted the utmost friendship.
4F*

476

JEWISH HISTORY.

It happened that, on a particular day, Caius
and Agrippa were riding out in a chariot,
without any other company, when Tiberius
became the subject of conversation ; on which
Agrippa exclaimed, " From my heart I wish
it would please God that Caius was in his place."
Now Eutychus, a freed-man of Agrippa, who,
at that time, drove the carriage, heard these
words spoken, but took no notice of them for the
present Some little time afterwards, Eutychus was
charged with robbing Agrippa, and carrying off
some of his clothes. The man was really guilty
of the offence, and was apprehended and carried
before Piso, the governor of the place, to un
dergo the examination. Among other questions,
Piso asked him how it happened that he ran
away; to which he replied, " That the life of
Tiberius was in danger, and he was going to
make a discovery of the plot." On this de
claration, he was sent bound to Capraea, where
Tiberius still kept him in chains ; for the em
peror, in all affairs of state, was certainly the
most dilatory man that ever existed. Ambas
sadors could not obtain an audience of him
without a tedious delay, nor would he nomi
nate people to succeed to governments of pro
vinces till he had certain knowledge of the death
of the former possessors.
Eutychus being kept so long in chains, was
evidently the consequence of this disposition
of Tiberius ; but the emperor, at length, coming
from Capraea to Tusculanum, distant only one
hundred furlongs from Agrippa, he requested
Antonia to solicit that Eutychus might be ex
amined, that what he had to say against his
patron might be known at once.
Now Tiberius entertained a singular respect
tor Antonia, pardy on account of affinity, (lor

she was his sister-in-law, and the widow of
Drusus,) and partly for her steady virtue in re
fusing a second marriage in the prime of her
life, to which she had been earnestly pressed by
Augustus himself. In fact, her whole life ex
hibited a pattern of the most exemplary virtue.
Exclusive of the above considerations, Tiberius
was under personal obligations to Antonia,
which he could not forget; since her wisdom,
fidelity, and diligence, had saved his life from
the desperate machinations of Sejanus ; for he
was possessed of great power and credit, a cap
tain of the guards, and had engaged in the con
spiracy a number ofthe most eminent senators,
many of Caesar's freed-men, several of the fa
vourites at court, and some of the military
officers. The escape, therefore, of Tiberius was rather
extraordinary, and the effects of the treasonable
intention was evidently defeated by the resolute
industry of Antouia ; for no sooner was she m-
formed of the horrid intention, than she wrote
down a narrative of all the particulars of the
plot as they came to her knowledge, and sent
them from time to time to Tiberius at Capraea,
by the hands of Pallas, who was an approved
and confidential servant of the emperor ; and,
in consequence of this discovery, the eonfede-
racy and those concerned in it being made
known, Sejanus and his accomplices received the
reward due to their demerits.
It may be presumed, that if Antonia's merit
was great with Tiberius before she had ren
dered him this piece of service, it was much
greater afterwards ; so that when, at the re
quest of Agrippa, she had repeatedly urged
the emperor to hear the charge of Eutychus,
he could not refuse to comply with her solici
tations ; but he addressed her to the following
purport : " If this man has reported falsehoods

JEWISH HISTORY.

477

concerning Agrippa, he has been already suf
ficiently punished in the length of his imprison
ment; but let Agrippa beware how he prosecutes
this matter with too great a degree of rigour,
lest, on a clear investigation of the affair, the
punishment he intends for Eutychus should fall
on his own head."
Antonia reported the contents of this speech
to Agrippa ; but the more earnest she was in
advising him to decline all further thoughts of
prosecution, the more he seemed resolved to
have the matter determined by a full exa
mination. When she found that he refused to be ad
vised, she took an opportunity, when the em
peror was passing by in a chair after dinner,
with Caius and Agrippa walking before him,
to advance immediately to Tiberius, with a
repeated request that Eutychus might be brought
to an immediate examination ; on which he
addressed her in the following manner: " I
call heaven to witness, that what I am now
about to consent to is contrary to my own
inclination, and merely in compliance with
your urgent request." Having said this, he
gave orders to Macro, who had succeeded
Sejanus as captain of the guards, to direct
that Eutychus should be immediately brought
before him.
The prisoner having made his appearance,
Tiberius interrogated him in the following
manner: " What have you to allege against
your patron Agrippa, to whose bounty you
owe the possession of your freedom?" To
this Eutychus made answer : " One day, as I
was driving Caius and Agrippa in a chariot,
and silting at their feet in the discharge of
my duty, 1 heard the substance of the conver
sation that passed between them ; and, among

other things, I particularly recollect that Agrippa
addressed Caius in the following manner: "De
voutly do I wish that the old man was but
safely deposited in the grave, and you were
left governor of the world ; for if he was de
parted, you might easily dispose of his grand
child Tiberius; and, exclusive of the general
advantage that would arise to mankind from
this circumstance, we might reasonably hope
to share in the particular blessing of the re
volution." There wanted nothing to induce Tiberius to
give credit to this information ; and he was
inexpressibly chagrined to think, that after he
had committed the education of his grandson
Tiberius to the particular care of Agrippa, he
should totally neglect that important charge,.
and devote his whole time to an attendapce
on Caius. The emperor, therefore,, turning
about to Macro, cried, " Put Mm in. chains ;"
but Macro, not knowing who it was that he
meant, (for he could not think of such a cir
cumstance respecting Agrippa,) hesitated awhile
till he should be more fully informed of his m-
tentions. In the interim, Tiberius took a walk in the
circus ; and observing that Agrippa was still
at liberty, he again called to Macro, and
said, " Have I not given orders for the put
ting that man in chains?" Upon this Macro
exclaimed, " What man?" The emperor re
plied, " Agrippa."
Agrippa had now recourse to the most hum
ble supplications and entreaties, beseeching
Tiberius, by the regard he entertained for
the memory of his son, who had conferred on
him the honour of his acquaintance, and on
account of the services he had been happy
enough to render his grandson Tiberius, that

478

JEWISH HISTORY.

he would grant him his pardon. But his solicita
tions had no effect ; for he was immediately
dragged away to prison by the guards in his
robes of honour, as they found him. Now the
weather being remarkably sultry, and Agrippa
ready to perish through the intenseness of thirst,
he observed one Thaumastus, a servant to Caius,
who had a pitcher of water in his hand, and re
quested that he would give him a draught of it.
Thaumastus readily complied with his request ;
and when Agrippa had quenched his thirst, he
addressed his benefactor in the following man
ner : " Since you, Thaumastus, have been so ge
nerous as to confer this obligation on me during
my present disgraceful situation, with the same
readiness that you formerly served me in a more
elevated station of life, be assured that you shall
never have cause to repent the liberality of your
present conduct ; for you may depend upon my
word of honour, that as soon as my present dif
ficulties shall be overcome, I will make use of my
utmost interest with Caius that you shall be re
stored to your liberty." And Agrippa was after
wards as good as his promise ; for no sooner was
he advanced to the crown, than he begged Caius
would make him a present of Thaumastus, to
whom he gave his freedom, and intrusted him
with the management of his affairs ; and, when
his death approached, he recommended him to
his son and daughter Agrippa and Berenice, ad
vising that he might continue in the same situa
tion during the remainder of his life; and this he
did with credit to himself, and possessing the es
teem of all who knew him.
While Agrippa was standing oound with
chains with other prisoners before the palace,
leaning in a melancholy manner against a
tree, an owl perched thereon ; which being
observed by a German prisoner, he asked a
soldier, Who was the person^ dressed in purple?
And, being told that he was a Jew of the first

distinction, he begged the soldier would let him
approach him, for he wished to know some
things respecting his country. This request
being complied with, and an interpreter being
allowed, the German addressed Agrippa to the
following effect : " I perceive, young gentleman,
that you are dejected by this sudden and amazing
change in your fortune : yet it is not in your
power to conceive, nor will you easily credit
how very near your deliverance approaches,
under the special care and protection of that
providence which is your peculiar guard. 1
now invoke all the gods which are worshipped
either by your nation or ours, by whose permis
sion we are thus imprisoned, to witness that I say
not this to flatter you with idle hopes, by which
you will be deceived ; for I am not insensible that
such prognostications, if the event should not
prove answerable to the prophecy, are productive
of more injury than service. But I conceive it to
be my duty, at whatever risk to myself, to inform
you that you will see such a surprising turn
of affairs, as will elevate you from this distressful
situation, and place you on such a summit of ho
nour andpower, that you will become the envy of
those who have heretofore affected either to de
spise or pity you. The remainder of your days
will be prosperous, and your good fortune will be
possessed by children whom you will leave be
hind you. i now entreat your particular attention
to what I have further to say. When you shall
again behold this bird, you shall die at the end of
five days from that time. Thus much I am com
missioned by heaven to give you to understand
by this auspicious omen. What I declare is
founded on fact ; and I tell you the simple truth,
that you may not be borne down by the weight
of your present afflictions, but be happy in the
prospect of future events. All I have further to
desire of you is, that when you shall find these
predictions verified by the event, you will not be
unmindful of your fellow-prisoners ; but procure

JEWISH HISTORY.

479

the freedom of those you may leave in this place."
When Agripp:i heard this prophecy of the Ger
man, it appeared to him altogether as ridiculous
as it did afterwards wonderful, when it came to
be accomplished.
During this time, Antonia was exceedingly
unhappy on account of the hard treatment of her
friend ; and conceiving that the inflexibility of
the disposition of Tiberius was such, that the
making application to him would but be a mere
loss of time, she took a different method, and
applied to Macro to render his confinement as
easy to him as possible, by directing that he
should be attended by soldiers of a civil and hu
mane disposition, that he should constantly sit
down at table with the officer in whose imme
diate custody he was, that he should be permitted
the use of the bath daily, and that the visits of his
friends and freed -men should be admitted.
All these favours were granted: whereupon
he was visited by his friend Silas ; and Marsyas
and Stychus, two of his freed-men, constantly
conveyed to him the food of which he was most
fond ; and, under pretence of carrying blankets
to sell, they supplied him with those articles on
which to repose in the night, the soldiers, agree
ably to the hints they had received from Macro,
making no opposition to these proceedings.
At the expiration of about six months from
the commencement of Agrippa's imprisonment,
Tiberius, on his return from Capraea, was at
tacked with an illness that was at first but slight ;
but which gradually increasing, he grew worse,
till his life was despaired of.
When he came to perceive that there was no
hopes of his recovery, he despatched Evodus, his
favourite freed-man, to bring his children to him
early on the following day, to take a final leave

of their dying parent. These were not his na
tural children, but his adopted children; his
grandson Tiberius, the son of Drusus ; and his
nephew Caius, the son of Germanicus.
He now betook himself to fervent prayers to
the gods of his country, that he might be directed,
by some particular signal, which of the two he
should make choice of for his successor, yet
secretly wishing that Tiberius might be distin
guished by the happy omen. However he did
not dare venture to make a prejudication in a
matter of such high importance, but thought
proper first to consult his oracle. Wherefore, he
determined that he would be governed by this
circumstance, that the young prince who should
first wait upon him in the morning should suc
ceed him in the government.
Having formed this resolution, he gave parti
cular orders to the tutor of his grandchild to
bring the youth to him by day-break, not enter
taining a doubt but that the gods would declare
in favour of Tiberius ; but the event proved the
contrary ; for the emperor sending out Evodus
as soon as day-light appeared, to see if the young
princes were at the door, and to bring into the
palace the first he saw, he found Caius alone ;
informed him that he must wait on his fa
ther, and immediately introduced him. Now
it happened, that Tiberius, being unapprized of
the intention of the emperor, had stayed to
breakfast, and thus missed the favourable oppor
tunity. The emperor was astonished when Caius en«
tered the room, and wondered at that provi
dence which had defeated his design in the dis
posal ofthe government, by thus settling it in a
way totally contrary to what he had intended.
Nor did he deem the present disappointment of
his expectations the worst circumstance attending

480

JEWISH HISTORY.

the affair; for he did not consider the loss
of the empire as of equal consequence with
the personal safety of his grandchild ; since,
where the acquiring of dominion is the ob
ject, the question will be decided by force;
ambition is deaf to the calls of humanity ; and
where there is a rivalship for power, the ruin
of one party is generally deemed the security
of the other.
Being thus disappointed in the wish that he
had formed respecting the succession, he was
but ill disposed to congratulate the future em
peror on the good fortune that awaited him;
yet as on this occasion it was necessary that
something should be said, he addressed the for
tunate prince in the manner following :
" It is unnecessary, my son Caius, for me to
inform you that Tiberius is more nearly allied to
me in blood than you are ; yet I now commit the
government of the Roman empire into your
hands, in consequence of having consulted the
will of the gods, and debated on the affair in my
own mind. But I command you, that, in the
exercise of the power with which you are in
vested, you constantly remember the obligations
you are under to him who bestowed it on you ;
and that your gratitude to your patron be tes
tified by every possible instance of affection and
regard to your brother Tiberius. All that 1 have
to request of you, in grateful acknowledgment
of the honour I have now conferred, is, that in
every particular you will treat him with the ut
most kindness, since he is equally endeared to
me by nature and affection. I would likewise
wish to remark to you, that it is no less your in
terest than your duty to comply with the injunc
tions I have given ; for, on the life and happiness
of your brother, the dignity and security of your
situation will in a great measure depend, and
your unhappiness will speedily succeed the day of

his death. The situation of a sovereign prince is
equally dangerous and uncertain : he stands on
a giddy and slippery elevation : nor will the di
vine vengeance fail to follow any actions he may
be guilty of in violation of the laws of nature and
consanguinity." Tiberius having thus made his last address to
Caius, he promised a punctual and exact obe
dience to every article of his commands ; but
he did not intend that his actions should cor
respond with his words ; for no sooner did
he come into the possession of power, than
he caused his brother to be put to death ; but
within a few years he himself lost his life by
assassination. In a few days, after having given these in
junctions, Tiberius died, to the great joy ofthe
Roman people, who detested him for his ty
ranny. The tidings of his death no sooner
reached Marsyas, the freed-man of Agrippa, than
he instantly hurried away with the good news
to his patron, who was then going to bathe,
and whispered him in the Hebrew language,
" The lion is dead." .Agrippa immediately com
prehended his meaning, and exclaimed, " How
is it possible that I should requite you for this
favour, and the many other obligations thou
hast conferred on me, provided that thy present
intelligence should prove true ?" The officer to
whose custody Agrippa had been committed, ob
serving in what a hurry Marsyas delivered his
message, and how well pleased the prisoner was
with the news, immediately conjectured that the
intelligence was of the satisfactory kind, and,
therefore, desired Agrippa to inform him ofthe
particulars. At first he made some kind of he
sitation ; but on being urged to discover what he
knew, he related the plain matter of fact. The
officer having congratulated him on the good
news, invited him to partake of an elegant sup-

JEWISH HISTORY.

481

per ; but while they were in the midst of their
entertainment, a messenger arrived with an ac
count that Tiberius was out of danger, and would
soon arrive in town.
This intelligence astonished the officer in the
highest degree ; and being apprehensive that his
life must pay the forfeit of his having rejoiced
with the prisoner on the news of the death of
Tiberius, he pushed Agrippa violently from his
seat, and exclaimed in a rage, " Is it thus that
you seek to impose upon me by lies and arti
fices, and could you find no other person to
amuse with a pretended story of the death of
Caesar ? Depend upon it that you shall severely
pay for the liberties you have taken." Saying
this, he directed that he should be put in chains,
and more closely watched than he was before.
Agrippa having passed the night in this situation,
the report of Caesar's death prevailed in the
morning, and the people offered sacrifices of joy
on the event.
Soon after this report, two letters were
brought from Caius, one to the senate, informing
them that he was appointed successor to Tibe
rius; and another to Piso, governor ofthe city,
to the same effect. These letters ordered that
Agrippa should be discharged from prison, and
allowed to live in his former house ; so that though
still in a kind of custody, he was eased of all
fearful apprehensions, and considered himself as
in a state of enlargement. Soon after Caius
came to Rome, and brought with him the body
of Tiberius, which was interred in a most sump
tuous manner. The emperor would have in
stantly discharged Agrippa; but this was op
posed by Aritoiiia, not for want of affection to
the party, but that she thought it would be rather
indecent to hasten the discharge ; and, as Tibe
rius had committed the prisoner, would be
deemed a kind of insult on his memory. In a
K Nos. 41 & 42.

few days, however, Caius sent for him to his
palace ; and having given directions that he
should be properly shaved and dressed, he caused
a crown to be put upon his head, as successor to
the tetrarchy which had been possessed by
Philip : he likewise created him king, bestowed
on him the tetrarchy of Lysania, and gave hint
a chain of gold of the same weight as that of iron
which he had worn in prison. Marcellus was
now sent, as governor of Judea by Caius.
When Caius Caesar was in the second year of
his reign, Agrippa entreated his permission to
retire into his own country to adjust his private
affairs, promising to return at a limited time. It
was matter of astonishment to his countrymen to
behold Agrippa with a crown on his head, as he
appeared a singular instance of the instability of
fortune, and the fluctuation of human affairs,
having so changed his situation from one excess
to the other. Some of them considered him as
a wise and fortunate man, who could so firmly
support himself against all difficulties; while
others were so astonished at the revolution that
had happened, that they could scarcely credit the
evidence of their own senses.
Herodias, the detested wife of Herod Antipas,
greatly envied the prosperity of her brother, and
would not permit her husband to enjoy any peace
till he should consent to go with her to Rome,
and there lodge an accusation against the pros
perous Agrippa. Agrippa had, however, resided
too long at the court of Rome to be ignorant of
the arts of intrigue. He, therefore, being timely
acquainted with their ambitious designs, had
taken care to send to Rome one of his Creed-men,
to accuse Herod of having had a share in the late
conspiracy of Sejanus; aod, as a proof of it, to
mention the arsenals which he had filled with
arms sufficient to furnish seventy thousand men,
and his having formed a league with Artabanus,
4G

482

JEWISH HISTORY.

the king of Parthia. Fortunatus presented his
master's letter at the very time while Herod was
enjoying his first interview with the emperor.
Caius immediately inquired whether Herod had
really collected such a store of arms ; and find
ing that this fact could not be denied, banished
him, and afterwards Herodias, to Lyons in
France, confiscated their treasures, and con
ferred both the treasures and the tetrarchy on
Herod Agrippa. Herod had been tetrarch forty-
three years ; so that this event happened in the
year A. D. 39.
The character of Caius Caligula is well known
to all who are in the slightest degree acquainted
with the Roman history. It is scarcely too much
to affirm that he had all the follies which could
degrade, and all the vices which could con
taminate human nature. Yet his vanity was so
great, that he was disposed to account himself a
god, and lay claim to the honours which the
heathens were accustomed to render to their
deities ofthe first order, such as Mercury, Apollo,
and Mars. He first determined to personate
Mercury ; and clothed himself in a mantle re
sembling the garment of that deity, carried a
white rod in his hand, and wore buskins with
wings affixed to them. He now divested him
self of the ornaments and ensigns of Mercury,
and assumed the appearance of Apollo, wearing
a radiant crown, representing the beams of the
sun, upon his head; and to convey an inti
mation that he would be slow to punish offences,
and ready to execute benevolent offices, he
carried a bowvand arrow in his left, and the
graces in his right hand. After this, he caused
holy songs to be sung, and dances to be exhibited
in honour of the new deity ; though but a short
time had elapsed since be had been contented with
being distinguished by the^uames of Liber, Euius,
and Lycaeus. In order to counterfeit Mars, he
provided himself with a costly head-piece, sword,

and buckler, and marched with priests and bra-
voes attending him on each side, ready to obey
his inhuman commands ; for he ridiculously
imagined that by spreading destruction, and an
indiscriminate spilling of blood, he should gain
a more near resemblance to the god of war.
The Gentile nations who were accustomed to
worship as deities the most abominable of roan-
kind, though they might smile at the folly ofthe
emperor, made no hesitation to pay him divine
adoration ; and the Christians were at this time
too inconsiderable in their numbers to attract
any ver$ general notice. The Jews, therefore,
were the only people who, by their tenacious
opposition to the emperor's absurd requests,
were likely to draw down upon their heads the
tempest of his indignation. He accordingly made
no secret of his enmity against them, and the ani
mosity which he entertained soon diffused its in
fluence tMough the different provinces of the
empire. The inhabitants of Alexandria no sooner
gained intelligence of the emperor's disposition,
than they began a most violent persecution.
The houses of the Jews were forcibly en
tered and plundered of the most valuable con
tents. Many thousands of their men, women,
and children, were confined in a small space like
beasts in a pound, that they might either be forced
to abandon the city, or perish for want of pro
visions, exercise, and fresh air. Such of them
as attempted to remain in Alexandria, after they
had escaped their confinement, were put to death
with excruciating tortures. Fires were made of
the timber belonging to the Jewish merchants,
while they themselves were cast in to perish in
the flames ; and many others were cruelly exe
cuted, by being dragged about the streets with
ropes till such time as they expired. But what
the surviving Jews most of all regarded, was,

JEWISH HISTORY.

483

that their places of public worship were first plun
dered by the heathen, and then polluted by the
statues of the emperor being placed in them as
objects of adoration.
In consequence of these accumulated evils, the
Jews of Alexandria determined to send an em
bassy to Rome, to deprecate the wrath of Ca
ligula ; and, if it were possible, without violating
their religion, to regain his favour. At the head
of this embassy was placed Philo, a Jewish phi
losopher, some of whose works remain to the
present day, and are greatly valued among the
learned. Caius was, however, so effectually
wrought upon by Egyptian flatterers, who com
posed a part of his household, that he not only
treated the ambassadors with the most mortifying
contempt, but sent orders to Petronius, the go
vernor of Syria, to erect his statue in the sanctua
ry at Jerusalem.

Petronius appears to have been a prudent and
humane man ; and knowing the zeal ofthe Jews,
as well as the impetuosity of his master, he de
termined to gain time by sending to distant parts
for the best artists and materials, and to collect
Ms army into the neighbourhood of Ptolemais.
This last action having alarmed the nation, he
was obliged to tell them the orders that he had
received from Caligula ; upon which he was ad
dressed by all the heads of the Jews, who as
sured Mm, in the humblest manner, that they
would sooner hazard the loss of all that was
dear to them, even their lives, than suffer their
temple to be thus profaned. The governor strove
to bring them into a compliance, by reminding
them of the danger of their opposing, or of his
not obeying the emperor's command ; and that
their resistance would be interpreted as a down
right rebellion. They answered him, that the
prayers and sacrifices they offered daily for the

emperor were a sufficient token of their loyalty.
However, added they, we are so far from de
signing to rise in arms upon this occasion, that
we will suffer ourselves to be butchered in the
most cruel manner, and this will be all the resist
ance you will meet with from us, if you goon with
your design.
Soon after this, Aristobulus, the brother of
Agrippa, accompanied with some ofthe royal
family, came to Petronius, and begged that they
might have leave to try to mollify the emperor
by an embassy, and that he would second it with
a letter to that monarch in their behalf. Petroni
us at length consented to write to the emperor,
but forbad them to send any embassy, or let their
reluctance be so much as suspected at the Roman
court. He wrote accordingly to the emperor,
that he had met with difficulties in the execution
of his, orders through want of proper hands, and
that the statue which he designed should be
a master-piece of its kind was not yet
reared, because he feared lest the taking so
many men from their other labours should bring
a scarcity on the land, and lower the tribute ;
with such other reasons, which, instead of ap
peasing, greatly exasperated the emperor.
He was just reading the letter, and in the
height of his resentment, when king Agrippa,
who was then at Rome, came into bis presence.
He was greatly surprised to see such a mixture of
passions in his looks and gestures, and began to
fear he had either offended, or been in some way
misrepresented to him ; when Caius, who easily
perceived his disorder, broke the secret to him in
words to this effect: "Your Jewish subjects are
strange creatures, to refuse to acknowledge me
for a god, and to provoke my resentment
against them ; I had commanded the statue of
Jupiter to be set up in their temple, and they
4G*

484

JEWISH HISTORY,

have, it seems, opposed it, and raised a-kind of
umversal insm*rection."
At these words, Agrippa, like one thunder
struck, after havmg in vain tried to keep himself
up, fell into a swoon, and was carried off into his
own palace, where he continued in that condi
tion till the third day; when, having taken a little
sustenance, he set himself about writing to the
emperor the letter which the reader may see at
length m Josephus. Caius, instead of being
moved at the king's concern, was rather the more
exasperated against the Jews, and against him,
for Ms concern for such an ungrateful race, as he
called them, whom all his favours could not work
into a compliance to his will. However, he
began to relent when he read the letter; and
Agrippa, who drew a good omen even from his
not answering it, took the liberty to invite him
to a sumptuous entertainment, which Caius, who
really loved Mm, easily accepted.
Here the Jewish king, having well warmed
Ms guest with wine, began to extol the great and
signal favours he had heaped upon Mm ; and,
by Ms large encomiums and expressions of gra
titude, found means to get a fresh promise of
whatever he should ask. To this Agrippa an
swered, " Since it is your pleasure to add this new
favour to all the rest, 1 will beg for such an one
as will at once be an irrefragable proof of your
goodness to me, and draw a plenty of heavenly
blessings upon your head; and that is, that you
will lay aside your resolution of setting up the
statue in the temple of Jerusalem."
This petition, which showed not only the
greatest disinterestedness, but also the most un
feigned love for his country and religion, even at
the hazard of his life, had such an effect on that
emperor, that he wrote immediately to his go
vernor, that if his statue was not already set up,

he should forbear doing it, adding, that he had
altered his design out of friendship to Agrippa.
However, the lightness of his temper soon made
him repent of his complaisance to him, so that
he designed to have made a second attempt un
known to him. At the same time, his resent
ment against Petronius bemg kindled afresh, he
sent him an order to despatch himself; but Caius
was assassinated time enough to prevent either
mischief taking effect.
Agrippa, who still remained at Rome, was
very serviceable to Claudius in promoting Ms
accession to the empire ; in consideration of
which, the -emperor confirmed to him all the
grants of Caligula ; gave him Judea, Samaria,
and the southern parts of Idumea ; entered into
a solemn alliance with Mm ; and enacted several
edicts in favour of the Jews. At his request, he
likewise conferred the kingdom of Chalcis, which
was situated in the north of Syria, near the river
Orontes, on Herod, who was both the brother
and son-in-law of Agrippa. He became pos
sessed of all the dominions of Herod the Great^
with the addition of greater influence m the
senate than ever that monarch possessed.
Returning to Judea, he determmed to prac
tise every thing which could render him accept
able to the Jews. He first performed the solemn
vow of the Nazarites, cutting off his hair, and
offering sacrifices accordmg to the most rigid
forms of the law. Then he caused the golden
chain which Caligula had given Mm to be sus
pended in one of the most conspicuous parts of
the temple, as a testimony of his gratitude to
God, and a monument of the instability of all
human affairs. He next divested Theophilus,
the son of Ananus, of the high-priesthood, wMch
he conferred on Simon, the son of Boethus, who
was denominated Cantharas. Afterward, how
ever, he deprived him of tMs dignity, in order to

JEWISH HISTORY.

485

bestow it on Jonathan, the son of Annas, who
had already enjoyed it after Caiaphas ; but he
modestly refused it; telling the king, that he
thought himself sufficiently honoured to have
once enjoyed that office, upon which it was con
ferred on his brother Matthias. He also op
posed, through his interest, the erecting of a
statue to Caesar in a Jewish synagogue at Doris.
He next directed his attention to fortifying the
dty, making the walls of what was called the
New Town higher and stronger than they had
formerly been ; and would, in the opinion of Jo
sephus, have rendered Jerpsalem impregnable,
had it not been for the interference of Marsus,
governor of Syria after Petronius, who pro
cured a command from Claudius that he should
desist from his undertaking.
Still further to gratify the Jews, we have al
ready seen, in another part of this work, that he
commenced a bloody persecution amongst the
Christians, but was cut off by Providence in the
midst of his pride, an awful monument of the di
vine displeasure. His reign afforded a short
gleam of sunshine to the Jews, whose dark night
Of calamity was now rapidly approaching.
Agrippa's surviving family consisted of a son
of Ms own name, aged seventeen years, and three
daughters ; of whom the eldest, Berenice, when
sixteen years old, was married to her uncle He
rod. The second, Mariamne, was ten years old ;
and the youngest, Drusilla, six years. Ma
riamne was contracted to Julius Archelaus, the
son of Chelcias ; and her sister to Epiphanes,
the son of Antiochus, king of Comagena.
The death of king Agrippa was no sooner
made known to the public, than the. inhabitants
of Caesarea and Sebaste, instead of making a
proper acknowledgment of the many obligations
'e had conferred on them, loaded Ms memory

with the most scandalous and opprobrious epi
thets that their imaginations could possibly in
vent. It happened, that at this time, there was a
number of soldiers at those places, who, in aid
of the calumny, took the statues of Agrippa's
three daughters from the palace, and conveyed
them ill triumph to public brothels, with brutish
terms of reproach that are too infamous for re
petition. They feasted, and played the tricks of
buffoons in the streets ; adorned their heads with
flowers and garlands, perfumes and ointments, as
if they were sacrificing to Charon; and likewise
drank libations of thanks for the king's death.
In this manner they entertained themselves, re
gardless of all the favours they had received
from, and the obligations they owed to, Agrippa,
or of those due to Herod his grandfather, who
had founded those splendid cities, and the
temples and ports appertaining to them.
At this time, Agrippa, the son of the deceased
king, was at Rome, being educated in the court
of Claudius, who, when informed of the death of
his father, and the horrid insults that had been
offered to his memory by the ungrateful inha
bitants of Caesarea and Sebaste, expressed great
concern at the "loss of the king, and equal indig
nation at the ingratitude of the other parties :
wherefore he formed an idea of immediately
sending the present Agrippa to take possession
of his father's kingdom, which was equally agree
able to an oath he had taken, as consistent with
common reason and equity.
But the emperor was easily diverted from car
rying his plan into execution, by the persuasion
of a number of favourites who surrounded him.
They urged that it was unsafe to trust so im
portant a business into the hands of a man so
young and Inexperienced; for the commission

466

JEWISH HISTORY.

was of so difficult a kind, that it would furnish
ample employment for the most acute genius in
the empire.
These artful insinuations induced Claudius to
change his mind ; and thereon he deputed Cuspus
Fadus to the command ; but paid so great a re
spect to the memory of the deceased, that he
strictly charged him not to receive Marsus into
the government, under the consideration that he
had been the determined enemy of Agrippa ; but
he gave him still more particular directions to
punish severely the inhabitants of Caesarea and
Sebaste, on account of the indignities they had
offered to Agrippa and his daughters. He com
missioned him likewise to despatch to Pontus five
cohorts, and the other troops that were in those
cities, and to cause that their places should be
supplied by a select body of men from the Roman
legions then in Syria. This last order, however,
was not obeyed ; for, on an earnest application,
Claudius was induced to permit those troops still
to remain in Judea. From this circumstance
arose many great calamities which were after
wards suffered by the Jews, and which gave rise
to a series of wars when Florus had the com
mand ; so that Vespasian, though the conqueror,
was obliged to compel them to quit the country.
Fadus, upon his arrival in Judea, was forced
to suppress the banditti, who were by that time
grown very numerous and powerful; and to quell
an insurrection which the Jews had raised against
the inhabitants of Philadelphia, which was the
same city with Rabbah, the capital of the Am
monites. In the mean time, Claudius, having
recalled Marsus, out of respect to the late king,
had sent Cassius Longinus into that government,
who came immediately to Jerusalem, and in
sisted upon the pontifical vestments being put
into his possession, in order to be kept, as for
merly, in the fortress of Antonia. The Jews,

surprised at this new demand, begged leave that
they might send a deputation to the emperor
against it ; and did not obtain it from that go
vernor till some of the heads of the nation had
put their sons as hostages into his hands. But
upon the ambassadors applying to Claudius, in
which they were backed by the young Agrippa,
they obtained a grant that those sacred robes
should be kept in the possession of the high-
priest, in the manner Vitellius had granted it six
years before.
At the same time, Herod, kino; of Chalcis, ob
tained of that emperor the superintendency of
both the temple and sacred treasury, together
with the authority of naming whom he would to
the pontifical dignity ; in pursuance of which,
he deposed Cantharas, and raised Joseph, the
son of Cami, to it. After Herod's death, young
Agrippa obtained the same grant for himself, and
enjoyed it till the time of the Jewish war.
During Fadus' government, there arose a no
table impostor, named Theudas, who drew great
numbers of the deluded Jews after him, bidding
them follow him beyond Jordan, and promising
them that he would divide the waters of that
river, as Joshua had done, by his single word.
Cuspius sent some troops of horse and foot
against him and his followers, killed some of
them, took others prisoners, and amongst them
Theudas himself, whom he caused to be be
headed, and his head to be brought to Jeru
salem. This, according to Josephus, is themost re
markable thing that happened during Fadus' go
vernment. He was soon after succeeded by
Tiberius Alexander, an apostate Jew of sacerdo
tal race, and nephew to the famous Philo. One
of his first exploits was the crucifying James aud
Simon, the sons of Judas, surnamed Galileus,

JEWISH HISTORY.

487

head of the Gaulonitish sect ; and, about the same
time, Herod, king of Chalcis, having deposed
Joseph, the son of Cami, gave the high-priest
hood to Ananias, the son of Zebedeus, and died
soon after, in the eighth year of Claudius. That
emperor gave his kingdom to young Agrippa, in
prejudice of Aristobulus, the eldest son of the de
ceased. Soon after this died Herod, the governor of
Chalcis, who left two sons, named Berenicianus
and Hyrcanus, by Berenice, the daughter of his
brother; and Aristobulus, by Mariamne, his for
mer wife. Another brother, Aristobulus, died a
private man, and left a daughter, called Jotapa.
It has been already mentioned that these were
the children of Aristobulus, the son of Herod.
But Mariamne bore to Herod two sons, named
Alexander and Aristobulus, who were put to
death by order of their father. After this, the
children of Alexander were governors in Ar
menia the Greater.
Herod of Chalcis being dead, Agrippa, the
son of Agrippa, was advanced by the emperor to
the kingdom of his uncle; and that of Judea was
governed by Cumanus, who succeeded Tiberius
Alexander. During the administration of the latter, many
fresh misfortunes overtook the Jews. While the
people were assembled in prodigious numbers at
Jerusalem, to celebrate the festival of unleavened
bread, a guard of soldiers was stationed at the
gate of the temple, to prevent disorders, accord
ing to their usual custom. Among these soldiers
was one who, turning up his bare posteriors in
the midst of the company, made a disagreeable
noise, corresponding with the indecency of the
action. This inflamed the multitude to such a
degree, that, pressing in crowds to Cumanus,

they demanded justice on the soldier for the in
sult ; and, amongst the rest, some violent young
men proceeded to high words and quarrelling,
and struck the soldiers, and pelted them with
stones. Cumanus, .fearing the consequences of
a popular insurrection, sent other soldiers to sup
port the former, which occasioned such a terror
to the Jews, that they endeavoured all in their
power to get out of the temple ; but the throng
was so great in the passages, that near ten thou
sand were pressed or trod to death. This cir
cumstance turned the Jewish festival into mourn
ing ; there were tears and lamentations in every
house ; for the calamity was so general, that
almost every family shared in it.
No sooner was this misfortune ended, than it
was succeeded by another. A domestic of
Caesar, named Stephen, being on a journey with
some household goods belonging to his master,
was attacked by a set of thieves, who robbed
him near Bethoron. Hereupon Cumanus sent
a party to seize the inhabitants of the adjacent
villages, and bring them in bonds to answer for
not apprehending the robbers.
While searching for these people, a soldier
happening to meet with the books of Moses, tore
and threw them into the fire. Affronted by this
insult, the Jews assembled in multitudes, and, in
the hurry of their zeal, repaired to Cumanus in
Caesarea, and urged him, in the most violent
manner, to punish the author of so daring an
outrage on the law of God. Cumanus, finding
that the people would not be appeased, ordered
tke soldier to be brought forth, and put to death
in their presence; and thus the tumult sub
sided. x At this period, an unhappy dispute likewise
happened between the Jews of Galilee and those
of Samaria. A Galilean Jew, going to worship

4'i«

JEWISH HISTORY.

at the festival at Jerusalem, was killed as he was
passing through the village of Geman, in the
plain of Samaria. Hereupon the Galileans as
sembled in a body to take vengeance on the Sa
maritans by force of arms. Those of better
rank applied to Cumanus, and advised him to
go to Galilee before the matter went too far,
and do justice on the murderers on a strict
scrutiny. Cumanus, otherwise employed, would
not interfere.
When the report of this violence reached Je
rusalem, the people were beyond measure in
flamed, and resolved to attack Samaria, not
withstanding all the arguments that could be
used to restrain them. The ringleaders of these
outrages were Eleazar, the son of Dinaeus, and
Alexander, who, making inroads into the dis
trict of Acrabatena, destroyed men, women,
and children, with the swordr and burnt the
country. Cumanus, hearing of these ravages, advanced
with a party of horse from Sebaste to relieve the
country, and destroyed and made prisoners many
of Eleazar's adherents. With regard to those
who had made such ravages in Samaria, the
officers and principal people in Jerusalem went
after them in sackcloth and ashes, entreating
them, by every persuasive argument, to abandon
their design. " Do not," said they, " let your
rage against Samaria destroy Jerusalem. Pity
your country, temple, city, and wives ; the fate of
all being at stake in this contest. Let not the
idea of avenging one poor Galilean cost yovi all
that you hold dear in the world." The Jews
were at length pacified by these remonstrances.
Peace being naturally productive of sloth,
robberies of every kind became now very com
mon ; the countries were infested with men of
violence, and the greater villains preyed upon the ,

less. At this time, Numidius Quadratus, being
governor of Syria, was applied to at Tyre by
the principal of the Samaritans, who represented
how greatly their country was infested by rob
bers. Jonathan, the son of Ananus, the high-
priest, was present with a considerable number
of Jews of distinction. Jonathan replied to their
complaints, by blaming the Samaritans as the
authors of the insurrection by the death of the
Galilean ; and likewise hinted that Cumanus'
neglect of properly punishing the offenders had
produced all the fatal consequences.
When Quadratus had heard thus much ofthe
affair, he postponed the further consideration of
it till he should arrive in Judea, where he might
obtain further information respecting it. He
now went to Caesarea, and ordered the execution
of those persons whom Cumanus had made pri
soners, and then proceeded to Lydda ; when he
again heard the cause, and ordered eighteen of
the principal Jews, who were proved to have
been concerned, to be beheaded. He sent some
ofthe noble Samaritans to Caesar; likewise Jona
than and Ananias, high-priests of the Jews:
Ananus, son of Ananius; and other Jews of dis
tinction. Cumanus, and Celer the tribune, he
also sent to Rome, to answer for their conduct to
the emperor. Having thus adjusted affairs, he
went to Jerusalem ; but retired to Antioch, on
finding that the people were in the peaceable ce
lebration of their feast of unleavened bread.
The trial coming on at Rome, Agrippa was
now an advocate for the Jews, and Cumanus had
many friends to support him ; but when Caesar
had heard his defence, and that ofthe Sa aritans,
he ordered three of the most eminent of the latter
to be beheaded ; Cumanus to be banished; Celer
the tribune to be sent in chains to Jerusalem,
dragged through the city , and beheaded, and the
Jews to see the sentence executed. TMs done*

JEWISH HISTORY.

489

he constituted Felix, brother of Pallax, goyernor
of Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and Perea. He ad
vanced Agrippa from the kingdom of Chalcis to
a better government, giving him likewise Tra-
chonitis, Batanea, with the tetrarchy that Varus
had he]d, and the kingdom of Lysanias.
This happened in the year fifty-four, soon
after which the emperor Claudius died, and was
succeeded by Nero.
Agrippa, after Ms last-mentioned promotion,
gave his sister Drusilla, who is mentioned in the
Acts of the Apostles, to Azizus, king of the
Emesenes, who had been converted to the
Jewish religion. Drusilla had been betrothed to
Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus, on the condition
of his professing Judaism ; but upon his refusal
to comply with the terms, the contract was dis
solved. Another sister, named Mariamne, he
espoused to Archelaus, the son of Chelcias, to
whom she had been promised by her father
Agrippa ; and a daughter, named Berenice, was
the issue of this marriage.
Soon after their union, a separation took place
between Drusilla and Azizus. She was admired
as the most beautiful woman of her time, and
Felix, the governor of Judea, became violently
enamoured of her. He informed a Jew, named
Simon, who was his particular friend, and a man
highly celebrated as a magician, of the passion
he had conceived ; enjoining him to exert his en
deavours to prevail upon Drusilla to desert her
husband, and marry him ; and to assure her, that
if she consented, he would make her the happiest
woman upon earth. Drusilla was prevailed upon
to renounce her religion, abandon her husband,
and to marry Felix : and to this she was partly
induced by the desire of avoiding all future un
easiness from her sister Berenice, who envied her
the possession of the superior attractions of her
Nos. 41 &42.

person. By Felix, Drusilla had a son, named
Agrippa, whoj in the time of Titus Caesar, toge
ther with his wife, fell a sacrifice to a violent
eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Berenice, for a considerable time, survived
Herod, to whom she was both wife and niece.
A report being circulated, that a criminal inter
course subsisted between her and her brother,
she judged that the most effectual method for
clearing herself from the horrid and slanderous
accusation of incest, would be to prevail upon
Polemon, king of Cilicia, to embrace Judaism,
and unite herself to him in marriage. In con
sideration of her great wealth, Polemon accepted
the proposals of Berenice ; but she soon deserted
him, and he then abandoned the principles of the
Jewish religion. s
Mariamne was not more virtuous than her
sister; for she quitted her husband Archelaus,
and espoused Demetrius, the most considerable
Jew of Alexandria, both on account of his family
and wealth. He held the office of alabarcha of
Alexandria. By Demetrius, Mariamne had a
son, named Agrippinus.
Felix was no sooner vested with his authority,
than he made war on the robbers who had now
infested the country for twenty years, making
prisoner Eleazer, their captain, with several
others, whom he sent to Rome. The number of
thieves killed, taken prisoners, or put to death
judicially, with those kept in prison, including
the country people who joined them, was incre
dibly great.
These miscreants being routed, another set of
villains appeared, who were called Sicarii, from
Sica, the poignard used by them. These used
to commit murders in the open streets of Jeru
salem, particularly when the city was crowded
4H

490

JEWISH HISTORY.

on public days. They carried short daggers
under their clothes, and privately stabbed those
against whom they had an enmity; and, when a
murder was committed, were the first to wonder
at the crime. This practice was continued some
time before the authors of it were suspected.
Jonathan, the high-priest, was the first who fell
by their hands, and daily murders followed his
death. The citizens were so alarmed, that their
apprehensions aggravated the reality ; fo# the
danger in battle was not greater than in walking
the streets. Every man at a distance was sus
pected for an enemy, and people were afraid of
their approaching friends : yet the murderers
were so dexterous at their work, that vigilance
itself could not guard against them.
Another set now arose, whose tongues were
as mischievous as the weapons of the former.
Though they shed no blood, their doctrines were
worse than daggers, utterly contaminating the
minds of the people. These enthusiasts, under
pretence of religion, propagated strange doc
trines. They enticed ^he people into woods and
solitary places, pretending that God had deter
mined to give them absolute liberty, of which he
would grant them infallible assurance by signs
from heaven. Felix, foreseeing that this plan
tended only to foment a rebellion, despatched a
body of troops after the enthusiasts, by which
great numbers of them were destroyed.
It was at this time that that Egyptian re
belled, who is referred to in the Acts, and whose
history is recorded in a former chapter.
The robbers and magicians now concerted
with each other how they should engage the
people to shake off the Roman yoke, and assert
an absolute liberty. To effect this, they used ar
guments and menaces, threatening with death
those who denied their authority. Their view

was to reduce those by terror who would other
wise have submitted to voluntary slavery. These
people were dispersed through the country, plun
dering the houses of the rich, and killing and
burning as they went ; so that Judea was reduced
to the utmost degree of confusion and despair.
As the city of Caesarea, about this time, began
to be the scene of some important transactions,
which not a little accelerated the destruction of
the Jewish state, it will not be improper to give
here its description and history in the words of
Josephus. Adjacent to the sea-coast was situated
a place which had heretofore been denominated
Straton's tower ; and this Herod deemed a spot
most admirably adapted for the building of a
city. Having drawn the model of the intended
erection, he employed a number of hands to con
struct it, and completed the whole. The private
houses, as well as the palaces of this city, were
all built with marble ; but the most distinguished
part ofthe whole was the port, which was erected
on the same scale as the Pyraeum ; and, exclusive
of all other conveniences that attended it, was
protected from all danger of wind or weather.
The completion of this work was the more ex
traordinary, as every article of the materials for
finisMng it was conveyed thither from distant
parts at an expense almost incredible.
The situation of this city is in Phcenecia, near
the passage into Egypt, between Joppa and Dora,
two most considerable sea-port towns, in the har
bours of which there is no riding with any degree
of safety if the wind blows from the south-west ;
for it beats upon the coast with such fury, that
the merchantmen are often obliged to keep out
at sea for a considerable time, lest they should be
driven on shore. To obviate these dangers arising
from the situation he had chosen, Herod gave di
rections that a mole should be formed in the shape
of a half-moon, and of size sufficient to contain -a

JEWISH HISTORY.

491

complete royal navy. In this place, he gave or
ders for the sinking of stones of immense size in
twenty fathoms water. Some of th§se stones
were fifty feet long, eighteen feet broad, and nine
feet thick ; many others of them of various di
mensions, some being even more than this size.
The extent of the mole was no less than two
hundred feet, one half of which was destined to
the breaking off the surf of the sea, and the other
was appropriated to form the foundation of a
stone wall, on which a number of fortified tur
rets were erected ; and the largest and most
beautiful of these Herod called by the name of
the tower of Drusus, in honour of the memory
of Drusus, the son-in-law of Caesar, who had
died in his youth. Adjacent hereto were se
veral arched vaults, which served as cabins for
the sailors. There was also a quay, or landing
place, with a broad walk around the port, proper
to retreat for the benefit of the air, and as a
place of recreation. The opening of this port
was to the northward,, whence the wind blows
with its mildest influence. On the entrance of
this port, to the left hand, a turret was built
with a large platform, and beneath it was a
descending bank, to prevent the sea from wash
ing it. On the right hand, and opposite to the
tower, were erected two pillars. of stone, and
of an equal height. The houses adjacent to the
port were all built with the finest kind of marble,
and with the most exact uniformity to each
other. A temple dedicated to Caesar was erected
on a mount in the middle, which became a
famous sea-mark, and proved of the utmost use
to mariners. In this temple were placed a re
presentation of the city of Rome, and a statue
of Caesar, which were no less distinguished for
the beauty of the materials they were made of,
than for the elegance ofthe workmanship ; and
thence the city obtained the name of Caesarea.
Nor was less ingenuity exerted in the contri
vance of the vaults and common sewers, which

were placed at equal degrees of distance from
each other, and discharged their contents into
the sea. But there was one conveyance which
intersected all the rest ; which, while it carried
off all the filth from the various parts of the
city, was so disposed, that the tides entered 'by
it, and washed the passages, by which the whole
was kept in an uncommon state of cleanliness.
Exclusive of all the structures above mentioned,
Hergd built a theatre of stone; and, on the
south side of the harbour, constructed a very
large amphitheatre, which afforded an elegant
prospect towards the sea. In fact, nothing that
money could procure, or diligence effect, was
wanting ; and the whole of this magnificent work
was completed in about twelve years.
At this period, concerning which we are
writing, there arose a contention between the
Caesarean Jews and the Syrians, on the extent ot
certain privileges. The Jews of Caesarea es
tablished their claim of preference in the right ol
Herod their king, as the original founder of the
city. The Syrians insisted, that, previous to the
establishment of the city by Herod, and of its
being inhabited by Jews, the place had existed
under the donomination of the tower of Straton.
The governors of the adjacent provinces being
informed of the prevailing commotion, caused
the incendiaries of both parties to be apprehended
and whipped. This, punishment produced a
suspension ofthe tumult for some time ; but the
dispute was at length revived by the Jews of
Cassarea, who priding themselves in their riches,
calumniated and reproached the Syrians, who
replied with no inferior degree of acrimony; for
they were encouraged to a boldness of opposi
tion, by a consciousness that many of the soldiers
in the service of Rome were attached to their
cause. From words they proceeded to annoy
each other by casting of stones; and the quarrel
was continued till many on each side were slain
4H*

492

JEWISH HISTORY.

and wounded ; but the Jews had considerably
the advantage. The contention having increased
to a kind of war, Felix commanded the Jews to
decline all farther animosities ; but finding they
treated his authority with contempt, he ordered
his troops to march against them ; and the conse
quence was, that many of the Jews lost their
lives, and a much greater number were taken
prisoners. Felix gave the soldiers permission to
plunder, and they rifled several of the mos||Con-
siderable houses of property to a great amount.
Those Jews who were most remarkable for mo
deration and honour, dreading still more fatal
consequences, solicited Felix to recal his troops,
that the offenders might have the opportunity of
repenting of their rash and inconsiderate con
duct ; and he complied with their request.

At this time king Agrippa advanced Ismael,
the son of Phabeus, to the pontifical dignity : and
the high-priests now detached themselves from
the interests of the other priests, and the gover
nors, and the principal officers, and the inha
bitants of Jerusalem. Each of the high-priests
procured the attendance of a guard, composed
of the most intrepid and seditious people they
could select ; and they vilified their adversaries
in the most provoking terms, and molested them
by casting stones. So shameful was the conduct
of the magistrates in neglecting to restrain the
insolence of the high-priests, that by means of
their agents they destroyed the barns, and seized
the tithes belonging to the other priests, many of
the poorer sort of whom actually perished for
want of food. Had no order of government
been established, they could not have proceeded
to greater extremities.
Felix, in order more completely to terminate
this sedition, desired the leading men of both par
ties to visit Nero in the capacity of commissioners,

and plead the cause of their friends. Soon after
this, the emperor transferred the government to
Portius Eestus, when some of the most consider
able of the Caesarean Jews repaired to Rome, in
order to exhibit accusations against Felix, for the
exercise of tyranny and injustice ; and their re
presentations must inevitably have produced his
destruction, but for the interference of his brother
Pallas, who, being in high estimation with Nero,
solicited and obtained his pardon.
Two distinguished Syrians of Caesarea applied
to Beryllus, who had been preceptor, and now
held the office of Greek secretary to Nero ; and,
by an immense sum of money, prevailed upon
him to procure the emperor's mandate for dis
franchising the Jews, and for revoking the pri
vileges and immunities of the city of Caesarea,
which they claimed in common with the Syrians.
This mandate is to be considered as the cause
of all the miseries which the Jews afterwards ex
perienced ; for the Caesarean Jews were thereby
inflamed to greater violence; nor did their rest
less dispositions subside till they were involved
in all the calamities of an open war.
Upon the arrival of Festus in Judea, he found
the country ravaged and laid waste, the people
compelled to desert their habitations, the land
overrun by great numbers of robbers, who set
fire to and plundered houses, and committed
every other kind of enormity without control.
A famous impostor lived at this time. He se
duced great numbers of the people into the ab
surd notion, that if they followed him into a
certain wilderness, they should be no longer
subject to the misfortunes and accidents of life.
However, Festus ordered the procession to be
intercepted by a strong detachment of horse and
foot, who pursued and put to death the seducer
and Ms credulous disciples.

JEWISH HISTORY.

493

An event occurred about this time, which,
though it produced no very important conse
quences, deserves to be recorded as remarkably
characteristic of the spirit which then actuated
the Jewish nation. Near the porch of the royal
palace at Jerusalem, which formerly belonged to
the Maccabean family, king Agrippa had erected
a superb edifice. As this was situated on an
eminence, it commanded a view of the city; and
from the king's bedchamber might be perceived
all that passed in the temple. This circumstance
highly offended the principal Jews, who, there
fore, erected a wall which enclosed the interior
part of the temple towards the fwest ; and it
likewise concealed the galleries without the
temple on the other side, where the Roman
guards were stationed on the public days for pre
serving tranquillity. Agrippa was highly of
fended with the Jews for building the wall, and
Festus was still more so ; and the latter ordered
them immediately to destroy it; but they replied,
that they would sooner relinquish their lives
than commit any violence against their temple ;
and they requested that, before any measures
were pursued against them, they might be per
mitted to appeal to Caesar through the agency of
deputies, and Festus complied with their desire.
They nominated ten eminent citizens, with Is-
mael, the high-priest, and Chelcias, the treasurer
of the temple, as commissioners to represent their
case to Nero. Pappaea, the emperor's wife, a
friend to the Jews, interceded with Nero, and
prevailed upon him to authorize the continuance
of the wall. The empress detained Ismael and
Chelcias as hostages, but the ten deputies were
permitted to return. Agrippa, being informed
that the Jews had gained their suit, bestowed the
pontificate upon Joseph, otherwise named Cabis,
the son of Simon, who had formerly enjoyed the
. dignity ofthe high-priesthood.
Upon the death of Festus, Nero conferred the

government upon Albinus. At the same period
Agrippa displaced Joseph, and promoted Ananus
to succeed him in the pontificate. The elder
Ananus was considered as one of the most happy
men on earth ; for he had five sons, who succes
sively enjoyed the pontificate after him ; and this
was what no other man could boast. Ananus,
the son, was of a vindictive, fierce, and haughty
temper; he professed the principles of the Sad
ducees, who were a sect remarkable for their
censorious and uncharitable dispositions. After
the death of Festus, and previous to the arrival
of his successor, Albinus Ananus assembled a
council, and cited James, the brother of Christ,
and others, to appear and answer to an accusation
of having committed blasphemy, and violated
the law ; and, in consequence of this charge, they
were sentenced to be stoned. The conduct of
Ananus, with respect to these supposed offenders;
proved highly disgusting to those citizens whose
sentiments were regulated by motives of piety,
and a due regard to the laws ; and they privately
transmitted a representation of the case to the
king, requesting that Ananus might be repri
manded, in order to deter him from a repetition
of his unjustifiable conduct. The matter was
also related to Albinus, then on his journey to-
Alexandria, to whom the letters set forth, that
the parties could not be legally condemned with
out his concurrence, and that, therefore, Ananus
had been guilty of usurping his authority, and
violating the law. Highly incensed against the
high-priest, Albinus wrote to him a menacing.
letter, strongly expressive of his displeasure ; and,
at the expiration of three months, king Agrippa
deposed Ananus from the pontificate, and ap
pointed Jesus, the son of Damneus, to assume
that dignity.
Albinus is described by Josephus as a man
abandoned to every vice. Avarice, corruption,
extortion, oppression, public and private, were

¦494

JEWISH HISTORY.

equally familiar to him. He accepted bribes in
civil and personal causes, and oppressed the nation
by the weight of arbitrary taxes. If any offender,
however atrocious, convicted of robbery or as
sault, by himself, or any other magistrate, was
under snuence of the law, a friend and a bribe
would ensure his liberty: and this governor never
found a man guilty who had money to prove his
innocence. #
At this time a faction prevailed at Jerusalem :
and, wishing a change of government, the most
opulent of them previously compounded with
Albinus in case a disturbance should happen.
There was likewise a set of men who could not
be easy while the state was at peace ; and Albinus
engaged these in his interest. The leaders of
these mutineers were each of them attended by
daring fellows of their own turn of mind ; but the
governor was the most abandoned villain ofthe
whole, and had guards always ready to execute
his orders. The event proved that the injured
dared not to complain : those who were in any
danger of losing part of their property, were glad
to compound to save the rest, and the receivers
proved the worst of thieves. In fact, there ap
peared to be no sense of honour remaining ; and
a new slavery seemed predicted from the num
ber of tyrants already in power.
When Albinus had received information that
Gessius Florus was appointed to succeed him, he
determined, as the most effectual means of ob
taining the popular esteem, to execute justice
upon such offenders as he had apprehended and
committed to prison. He ordered the prisoners
to be brought into his presence, and pronounced
judgment upon them according to their degrees
of criminality. Such as were accused only of
slight offences, he dismissed on their paying fines,
and he sentenced those to death against whom
sufficient evidence was adduced to prove the [

commission of capital crimes. Thus, by clearing
the jails, did he suffer the country to be overrun
by robbers, and other abandoned characters.
The singing men of the tribe of Levi petitioned
Agrippa for permission to use the linen stole,
which only the priests had then a right to wear;
urging that, from a compliance with their request,
he would derive immortal honour.. The king
summoned a council, and granted their petition
with the usual formalities ; and the other Levites
who served in the temple he permitted to officiate
as singers. The grant of these privileges was
contrary to the laws and customs of the Jewish
nation, which, Josephus observes, have never
been violated with impunity. i
About this time, that is, about A. D. 63, the
work of the temple was completed, which had
been carried on ever since the time of Herod.
Herod having signalized himself by a great num
ber of very distinguished actions, and completed
many buildings of uncommon pomp and magni
ficence, conceived an idea, in the eighteenth year
of his reign, of erecting a temple to the honour of
God, which he proposed should be a much larger
and more splendid building than the former.
This work he intended should redound more to
the credit of his own name, and tend more ef
fectually to perpetuate Ms memory, than all he
had ever done before, which proved to be actually
the case ; but lest the people should conceive that
he proposed a plan which would be too difficult
in its execution, he caused them to be summoned
together, to try what the force of reason would
do towards the removing of that objection ; and,
when they were met, he addressed them m a
speech on the subject.
There was something in Ms address and decla
ration so totally unexpected by the people, that
they were astonished at the hearing of it, and
filled with apprehension what would be the con-

JEWISH HISTORY.

495

sequence. Exclusive of this, they were extremely
afraid that the old temple would be pulled down
before they were certain of having another to
Supply its place; nay, the having any other at
all was rather the object of their hopes than of
their expectations ; for they thought it impossi
ble that such a work should be completed.
While they were revolving this business in their
rmnds, the king, finding what it was that gave
them uneasiness, desired that they would not in
dulge their anxiety any longer; for they might
rest assured that the old temple should remain
altogether in its present situation till the materi
als for the new one should be provided ; and, in
this circumstance, his performance kept pace
with his promise.
For the completion of this work, a hundred
carriages were provided to remove stones and
other materials ; of handicraftsmen of all sorts
there were ten thousand artists, and of these the
best in each kind that could possibly be procured ;
and, for the superintendence of them, a thousand
priests that understood the business of masonry
and carpentry; and these priests were supplied
with robes and vestments at the king's expense.
When the workmen were engaged, and the stones.
timber, and other materials all provided, the first
work they began upon was to clear the old foun
dation, and lay a new one in its stead; and on
this they elevated a superstructure of a temple,
the length of which was an hundred cubits, and
the height one hundred and twenty ; but as it
afterwards happened that the odd twenty cubits
sunk it fell so much short of the original design ;
and the Jews in the time of Nero had an intention
of supplying the defect. The whole building
was a composition of durable white stone, each
stone being eight cubits high, twelve broad, and
twenty-five in length.
The principle front of this extraordinary build

ing had very much the appearance of a palace,
the centre part of which was much higher than
the sides. The prospect it afforded towards the
fields was extremely agreeable, and this prospect
extended into the country several furlongs : nor
was the view of this building itself less pleasing
to those who had their residence opposite to it,
or such as wrcre travelling towards it. The porch
of the temple was a curiosity no less singula!
than the rest of the building, the upper part of
it being adorned with an abundance of the rich
est tapestry hanging, a variety of beautiful purple
flowers and pillars, appearing to be interwoven ;
round the pillars a golden vine crept and en
twined itself, on the branches of which were
suspended clusters of grapes that descended in
elegant negligence from the cornices ofthe room ;
the whole exhibited a piece of workmanship no
less Valuable for the materials with which it was
formed, than for the admirable skill with which
it was executed.
Large galleries extended round about the
temple, which were equally superb and magnifi
cent with the rest of the work; but for the
elegance and beauty of their structure, greatly
surpassing any thing that had been seen before
of that kind. Two strong walls formed the sup
port for two of these galleries, and were of
themselves deemed pieces of a very remarkable
degree of excellence.
Near this city nature had placed a steep rocky
hill, but on the eastward side of it the descent
was gently sloping. Now Solomon, in former
ages, M*i by the particular command of God, sur
rounded this hillock with a wall, and the lower
eTfremity of it was encompassed by another wall,
under which, towards the south, was a deep
valley. This was composed of stones of immense
size cramped together with irons round the whole
work, and extending down to the bottom ofthe

496

JEWISH HISTORY.

Mil. This work was built in a square form, and
was deemed a most extraordinary piece of archi
tecture, allowance being made for its depth and
magnitude. The best opinion could be formed
ofthe size ofthe stones wherewith it was built,
by viewing it on the outside, since on the inside
they were jointed together one within another, to
prevent the inclemency ofthe weather from se
parating them.
When this wall was built up to its proper height,
the space between that and the hill was filled up
with earth, so as to bring the ground upon a level
with the wall ; and then were erected four galle
ries, each gallery being deemed a furlong in ex
tent. Within the square, likewise, there was
another stone wall, which extended round the
top of the hill, and was ornamented with a double
porch on the east side, which was opposite to the
portal of the temple, which stood in the middle.
Several princes contributed to adorn this portal
by many tokens of their royal bounty; and round
about various parts of the temple were hung the
spoils and trophies which had been acquired in
battles with the barbarians. These Herod caused
to be again dedicated, and added to them many
others of later date, which, in his battle with the
Arabians, he had brought off as proofs of his own
victories. A strong and well fortified building stood on
one of the angles of the north side, which had
been erected by some of the line of the Asmo-
neans, a family that had executed the joint au
thority of prince and high-priest for a long succes
sion of years. To this place they gave rt»e name
of Baris, or the Tower; and herein they deposited
the pontifical habits, which, agreeable to ancitnt
custom, were never to be brought forth but when
the high-priest wanted them for Ms immediate
use in the exercise of his office. To this purpose,
likewise, Herod destined the building ; but, on Ms

deceasey.it fell into the hands of the Romans, with
whom it remained till the time of Tiberius.
Before the middle enclosure was placed the
altar where the priests offered up their sacrifices.
This place was so sacred, that even Herod him
self durst not enter into it, since the law prohi
bited him from so doing, as he was not a priest.
For this reason, Herod committed the care of
this part of the sacred work to the priests; and
they completed it in the space of eighteen months;
whereas, Herod himself, in superintending the
completion of the rest, employed no less a time
than eight years.
The finishing of the sacred part of the work
in so short a time, afforded matter of such extreme
joy to the people, that they united in returning
thanks to the Almighty for the blessing he had
bestowed on their endeavours, and likewise spoke
in the highest terms of the king, for' the laudable
zeal he had shown in the promotion of the wor
ship of God.
The temple being thus restored, the circum
stance was celebrated by every demonstration of
the sincerest joy. On this occasion, three hun
dred oxen were sacrificed for the king's account,
and a proportionable number for persons of all
ranks and degrees; so that the whole of the sa
crifices exceeded in number what could possibly
be imagined. There was a very great degree of
solemnity in this dedication ofthe temple, beyond,
indeed, what any person could have formed an
idea of; and this solemnity was doubled by its
happening on the very day of Herod's accession
to the throne.
The other parts of the temple being now
completed, eighteen thousand workmen who
had been paid for their labour with the ut
most punctuality, now became destitute of

JEWISH HISTORY.

497

employment. The people being desirous to assist
these distressed artificers, and unwilling to keep
large sums of money by them, lest they should be
seized by the Romans, made a proposal to
Agrippa for repairing an edifice situated on the
east side of the temple, which overlooked a nar
row valley of great depth. The wall of this
building was four hundred cubits high ; the stones
were white, each being twenty cubits long and
six deep, and the surface of them wrought smooth
and regular. The structure was raised by Solo
mon, the original founder of the temple. Clau
dius Caesar commissioned Agrippa to make the
proposed reparations; but Agrippa considering
the extensiveness of the undertaking, the im
mense sums of money it would require, and that
all human works might easily be destroyed, he
judged that it would not be expedient to comply
with the desires of the public; but he proposed,
instead of repairing the sacred edifice, to pave
the streets of the city with white stones. After
this, Agrippa advanced Matthias, the son of
Theophilus, to the pontifical dignity, in the room
of Jesus, the son of Gamaliel ; and, in his time,
the wars between the Romans and the Jews
commenced. The character of Florus, who succeeded Al
binus in the year sixty-four, is thus described by
Josephus. His principles were so much more
abandoned than those of his predecessor, that
Albinus seemed innocent on the comparison.
Albinus was treacherous, but observed a secrecy
in his crimes that had the appearance of mo
desty; but Gessius was so consummate in Ms
wickedness, that he boasted of his atrocious.
behaviour, and declared himself the general
enemy of the nation. His conduct in his pro
vince was more like that of an executioner
than a governor ; for he treated all the people
like criminals, and extended his rapine and ty
ranny beyond all bounds. He was equally_de-
Nos. 41 k 42.

void of compassion, and dead to all sense of
honour; cruel to the unfortunate, and utterly
abandoned in cases so enormous, that impu
dence itself would blush at the recollection of
them. He exceeded all the men of his time in
making lies and imposition pass for truth, and
was equally artful in discovering new modes of
doing mischief. He could not be contented
with the idea of destroying a whole nation by
slow degrees; but his vengeance extended to
the sweeping away whole cities, and extirpating
the body of the people at once. He gave such
encouragement to the sons of rapine and plunder,
that he might as well have proclaimed that every
man was at liberty to seize whatever he could
lay his hands on, provided that he himself ob
tained a share of the plunder. His avarice was
carried to so extravagant a pitch, that the inha
bitants of the province were reduced to a degree
of poverty little short of starving, and many of
them left the country in absolute want of the ne
cessaries of life.
At this time Cestius Gallus had the command
in Syria, and it was then deemed dangerous for
any Jew to. complain of the conduct of Florus.
Notwithstanding which, when Gallus went to
Jerusalem, at the teast of unleavened bread,
a number of Jews, not less than three hundred
thousand, applied to Gallus to have compassion
on a wretched people, and relieve the province
from the infamous government of Florus. This
proceeding was immediately made known to
Florus, who was so far from being concerned at it,
that he made a perfect jest of the affair. In the
interim, Cestius, having used his utmost endea
vours to calm the passions of the multitude, by
assuring them that Florus should treat them with
more humanity for the future, returned to An
tioch. Florus attended Gallus on his journey as
far as Caesarea, recounting many improbable
tales to Mm as they travelled; but, in the mean
41

498

JEWISH HISTORY.

time, revolving in his own mind the necessity of
a war with the Jews as the only method to pre
vent a rigid scrutiny into his actions, and thereby
remain unpunished. He apprehended, that if
peace should continue, the cause would be
brought before Caesar, which might be attended
with dangerous consequences ; and that if he
could but incite them to a revolt, the lesser ca
lamity might be lost in the greater. Wherefore,
he thought the most effectual method of con
sulting his own safety, would be by gradually
forcing them into a rebellion.
At this time, the Greeks of Caesarea had
carried their cause against the Jews before
Caesar, who had pronounced sentence in their
behalf; a circumstance that was the origin of
the Jewish war. This sentence is dated in the
month Artimisius, in the seventeenth year of the
reign of Agrippa, and the twelfth of Nero.
A certain Greek in that city had a house near
the synagogue, which the Jews wanted to pur
chase; and frequently treating with the owner of
it, offered him more than its value: but he was
so far from regarding their offers, that, instead of
endeavouring to accommodate them, he, in mere
malice, crowded a number of small shops into
the passage, which almost blocked it up ; so that
the way to the synagogue was barely sufficient
for a smgle person to pass. Affronted by this
insult, some Jewish young men, in the heat of
passion, went to the workmen, and warned them
to proceed at their peril. This order of theirs
was countermanded by Florus, whom the Jews
now, therefore, thought it necessary to soften by
means of a bribe. Some of the chief of them
assembled on this business, among whom was
one John, who farmed the royal customs ; and
these contracted with Florus to forbid the build
ing on the receipt of eight talents. The governor
took the money, and promised to give the neces

sary directions ; but he had no sooner received
it, than he went from Caesarea to Sebaste, as if
on purpose to increase the dispute, and as if he
triumphed in the opportumty he gave them of
murdering each other.
The Jewish sabbath falling on the following
day, a malicious Caesarean placed an earthen
vessel, with a sacrifice of birds upon it, before
the door of the synagogue, while the people
were assembled within at their devotions. This
ridicule and mockery of their solemnities, had
such an effect on the Jews, that they lost all
patience at the profane derision. The principal
and more moderate men among them were for
making an appeal to government for redress of
the injury; while the young men of warmer
passions were only for verbal disputes and blows.
Nor were the (^aesareans less forward to come to
an encounter ; for the previous sacrifice had been
made on purpose to produce a quarrel, and the
event was as follows.
It happened that Jucundus, a captain of horse,
who had been appointed to keep the peace, ar
rived at the critical juncture ; and having given
orders for the vessel above mentioned to be re
moved, he did all in his power to quell the dis
turbance. The Jews, finding that the Caesareans
were too powerful for Jucundus, took the books
of their law, and conveyed them to the province
of Narbata, at the distance of about sixty fur
longs from Caesarea. Then ten of their principal
people, attended by John, the farmer of the cus
toms, repaired to Florus at Sebaste, complaining
of what had happened, and petitioning for re
dress, with a slight hint of the eight talents he
had received. Florus instantly ordered them
into custody, and his pretence was, their having
removed their law from Caesarea.
The Jews of Jerusalem were inexpressibly

JEWISH HISTORY.

499

astonished at this conduct of Florus ; but they
thought it prudent at present not to be free in
expressing their sentiments. In the mean time
Florus continued to foment the sedition; and,
that he might do it the more effectually, he sent
and demanded seventeen talents out of the trea
sury, in the name and as for the service ofthe
emperor. This circumstance caused great con
fusion among the Jews, who ran backwards and
forwards about the temple, exclaiming as if they
were distracted ; and calling on the name of
Caesar, demanded a deliverance from the inhu
manities of Florus, whom they pursued with
curses, clamour, and every kind of insult. One
of them, in derision of the governor, carried a
basket through the streets, begging of alms for
the poor unfortunate Florus. These reflections,
however, had no other effect on him than the
making him more avaricious and more malig
nant. Florus also, instead of suppressing the
sedition at Caesarea on its first commencement,
as it was his duty to have done, marched with a
body of horse and foot to Jerusalem, where he
made the power of Rome subservient to the gra
tification of his passions of revenge, pride, and
avarice ; and he filled the minds of the people
wherever he went with terror and apprehension.
Notwithstanding all the indignities that he
had offered to the public, the people still con
tinued to pay an apparent respect to Florus,
going out to meet him in bis way, and compli
menting him by those honourable marks of es
teem which are customary in similar cases.
While they were thus disposed to pay him every
possible honour on his entrance into the city,
Florus defeated the compliment, by sending to
them a centurion, named Capito, with fifty horse,
to impede their journey. Capito delivered to
them a message to the following effect : " In the
name, and by the command of Florus, I am to
direct that you return home ; and to inform yOu,

that the man whom you have so freely treated,
partly in a serious way, and partly in ridicule,
cannot be induced to form a more favourable
opinion of you for your false and complimentary
speeches. If you really are men of courage and
resolution, as you would wish to be thought,
why do you not abuse by scurrilous language
that man to his face, whom you have been so
free to censure in his absence, and assert by force
of arms that liberty for which you have cla
moured so loudly ?"
Daunted by this rebuke, and frightened by the
sudden attack of the soldiers, the terrified multi
tude dispersed without, waiting to congratulate
Florus, or to pay those respects to the soldiers
which are usual on such occasions. In fact, every
man retired to his own habitation, not a little
disturbed by the restless anxiety of his fears.
At this time Florus resided in the palace;
and, on the following day, he ascended the tri
bunal, attended by the high-priest, and the prin
cipal persons ofthe city. He made many severe
reflections on the free and insulting speeches that
had been made to his prejudice, and positively
demanded that the authors of them should be
discovered and delivered up; threatening, at the
same time, that he would be revenged on those
in the place, if the guilty were not surrendered;
To this the Jews replied, that " the majority of
their people were peaceable ; and with regard to
those who had spoken freely, they entreated par
don for them, since it could not be supposed, but
that in such an immense number, some rash and
violent men would be found. Nor was it pos
sible clearly to distinguish the innocent from the
guilty, since those who might have repented of
what they had done, would not be free to ac
knowledge the fact. Wherefore, they submitted
to the consideration of Florus, whether the
greatest service that could in this case be ren-
41*

600

JEWISH HISTORY.

dered to the empire of Rome, would not be to
consult the safety of the city and people, by
keeping them firm in their allegiance to the em
peror. They said they would farther advise,
in case matters came to extremities, that some of
the criminals might be spared, in compassion to
so many innocent persons, rather than that the
unoffending should be destroyed in revenge of
the insult of the guilty few."
All the effect this reasoning had on Florus,
was to increase his rage to such a degree, that
he ordered the soldiers to the great market in
the upper town, to pillage the place, and kill all
they should encounter. The soldiers, finding
their commander had given them this license to
plunder, not only executed their orders against
those places and people within their directions,
but made equally free with every house, and
destroyed the inhabitants without distinction,
committing similar violence on those they found
in their flight in by-ways and in secret places.
In a word, they hesitated not to make booty by
any means. Several of the nobility being seized
and conducted to Florus, he gave orders that
they should be whipped and crucified. It is es
timated that six hundred and thirty persons
were sacrificed on that day, including men, wo
men, and children; for even infants at their mo
thers' breasts were not spared.
This misfortune, how terrible soever in itself,
appeared the worse for its singularity ; for before
the time of Florus it was never known that the
Jewish nobility were whipped and gibbeted like
slaves ; for the Roman dignity was held sacred,
though they were Jews by extraction.
Nero having made Alexander governor of
Egypt, Agrippa was now gone to Alexandria to
pay him a visit. Berenice, sister of Alexander,
was at Jerusalem, greatly afflicted on account of

the tumults which had arisen ; so that she sent
some of her officers and guards to Florus, to en
treat that he would restrain his indignation; and
shed no more blood. But Florus was alike in
sensible of the crime he had been guilty of, or of
the honour of the mediatrix. His soul was pros
tituted to the lust of plunder, and he despised all
other considerations ; so that the soldiers were
permitted to continue their massacres, notwith
standing the presence of Berenice, who would
certainly have been sacrificed if she had not es
caped from her palace, where she had spent a
sleepless night, attended by her guards. She
now went to Jerusalem, for the purpose of paying
a vow to God, as usual, after deliverance from
sickness, or other imminent danger. Agree
able to custom, she continued in prayer thirty
days, abstaining from wine, and shaving her
hair. It was now the sixteenth of the month Arte-
misius, when Berenice was in the daily course of
her devotion, standing barefoot before the tribd-
nal, and soliciting Florus in behalf of the
people ; but she did not meet with any suc
cess, and her pious office was undertaken at
the risk of her life.
On the following day the people assembled
in the market-place of the upper town, ex
claiming most violently against those who had
murdered their friends on the preceding day;
but Florus was particularly the object of their
rage and resentment.
The high-priests and men of eminence were
so apprehensive of the danger of again inciting
the wrath of Florus, that they rent their gar
ments, and, going among the people, entreated
them not to talk so freely, for that every ill con
sequence was to be dreaded from the vengeance of
Florus. The passions of the people now began to

JEWISH HISTORY.

501

subside, partly through respect to the mediators,
and partly in tiie hope that the malice of the go
vernor was at an end.
This return of peace was painful to Florus,
who began to consider how he might foment a
new disturbance. With this view, he sent for
the high-priests, and principal people among the
Jews, to attend Mm, and informed them that two
companies were coming from Caesarea, and if
the people would go out and meet them on the
way, it would be deemed a substantial proof of
their affection to the government. This proposal
being readily acceded to, Florus gave directions
to the centurions, that if the Jews on their meeting
should treat them with civility and respect, they
should not pay the least compliment in return ;
and if this behaviour should be resented, even in
the slightest degree, that they should immediately
have recourse to arms.
The high-priests having assembled the Jews in
the temple, solemnly charged them to go and
meet the Romans on the road, and pay them
great respect, lest any ill consequences should
ensue. There were several rash people among
them, who opposed this motion; and the rest of
the company, inspired by sentiments of revenge
for the late slaughter of their friends, were ready
enough to coincide with them in opimon. At
this juncture all the priests and Levites arrived,
exposing to view the holy vessels, and other
precious ornaments of the temple, which would
probably be rifled by the Romans if they should
be irritated. Several of the high-priests ap
peared with ashes on their heads, their breasts
bare, and their garments torn; who first applied
themselves to every person of eminence sepa
rately, and then addressed the people in general,
entreating that they would not permit a slight
disagreement to encourage the proceedings of
those people who wished the ruin of their coun

try. " In what manner," said they, " will the
Romans be benefited, if you treat them with the
same degree of respect that you have formerly
done ? or how can the Jews be sufferers by re
fusing this degree of respect ? On the contrary,
if you treat them in an honourable manner, and
according to the rules of good breeding, Florus
can form no pretence of molesting you; and, in
the end, this conduct will relieve your country
from the calamities that are otherwise to be
dreaded. You will likewise reflect on the
great disproportion between the peaceable ma
jority of the people, and a few turbulent in
cendiaries; and how probable it is that the
smaller number should be overruled by the
greater. The arguments and the authority of those
who reasoned, had such an effect upon the mul
titude, that the most violent men among them
were at length prevailed on to listen to the dic
tates of reason. When affairs were brought into
this happy way, the principal people attended
the priests, and marched out to receive the sol
diers, being followed by the multitude in a re
gular manner. The Jews being come near
enough to pay their compliments, saluted the
Romans; but their salutation being received
with silent contempt, the more violent among
them began immediately to revile Florus as the
author and contriver of all the calamities they
had endured.
Agreeable to the hint given them, the soldiers
instantly attacked the Jews with clubs and
cudgels, totally routed them, and trampled num
bers under the feet of their horses. Many of
them died of the blows they received, others
were crushed to death in the crowd, or smothered
by striving to get first out at the gate, where they
only hindered each other; so that, on the whole,
the spectacle was a dreadful one, many being

502

JEWISH HISTORY.

maimed and bruised in such a manner, that their
bodies were so disfigured, that the survivors
could nor know their friends, so as to afford them
a decent funeral. In a word, the enemy de
stroyed all within their reach; but their prin
cipal aim was to get between the Jews and the
gate of Bezeth, which was a passage leading to
the castle of Antonia and the temple. In the
mean time, Florus sallied from the palace, with
all the troops under his command, on the rear of
the Jews, with a view of making himself master
ofthe castle; but the Jews rallying, and making
head against Mm, his design was frustrated.
By this time, many ofthe Jews had taken
possession of the houses, from the roofs of which
they assaulted the Romans with such violent
showersof stones and darts, that, unable to make
any resistance, or press through the crowds of
people in the narrow streets, Florus was com
pelled to retreat to the palace with the remainder
of his troops. As the Jews apprehended Florus
would return to the attack, and make an attempt
on the temple by the way of fort Antonia, they
immediately cut down a gallery which commu
nicated between that fort and the temple. Florus
was so mortified by this circumstance, that he
abandoned the enterprise, finding his project
hopeless, and his avarice disappointed ; for his
principal view was to seize the holy treasure.
He now held a conference with the high-priests
and the senate, informing them that he meant to
quit the city, but would leave them such a gar
rison as they should require. To this they an
swered, that if no new innovations took place,
they thought one company would suffice, but
hoped it might not be that company with which
the people had already quarrelled ; for having
greatly suffered by them, they were prejudiced
against them. Agreeable to their request, Florus
ordered another company, and then returned to
Caesarea wiih the remainder of his army,

As soon as Florus arrived at Caesarea, he enf
deavoured to devise a new mode of propagating
a war, which he communicated in a letter to
Cestius, governor of Syria, in which he charged
the Jews with having revolted ; but that was so
notorious a falsehood, that he himself was guilty
of the very crimes which he imputed to the
Jews. The queen Berenice, and the chief people
of Jerusalem, acted nobly on this occasion, in
forming Cestius of the real matter of fact, and
acquainting him with the mode in which Florus
had governed.
Cestius, having obtained this information,
thought it prudent previously to send a man of
credit and address to inquire into facts," and give
him a faithful account of the success of his in
quiries. The person fixed on was a tribune,
named Politianus, who, meeting king Agrippa
near Jamnia, on his return from Alexandria, in
formed him who was his employer, whence he
came, and his business. At this time many sena
tors, and persons of rank, and, among them,
several high-priests, attended to pay their duty
to the king. When the first respectful compli
ments were passed, they gave a melancholy de
scription ofthe condition to which the inhumanity
of Florus had reduced the Jews. Agrippa was
of their opinion ; but he thought it incompatible
with his rank to increase the complaint; and,
therefore, he artfully seemed to take part against
the Jews, whose situation he nevertheless com
miserated ; but his wish was to moderate, rather
than inflame their passions ; since the less they
appeared to suffer, the less temptation would they
have to seek revenge. He thought this conduct
would be taken kindly by those who had most
to lose, and, consequently, afford the greatest
reason to wish for peace.
Agrippa and Politianus were met about sixty
furlongs from Jerusalem by the people of that

JEWISH HISTORY.

503

city, who Conducted them thither with every
mark of respect. In the interim, the women
grievously lamented the loss of their murdered
husbands; and all the multitude, as infected
by their sorrow, burst into tears and lamen
tations. Some of them earnestly entreated Agrippa to
compassionate their nation, and others entreated
Politianus to go into the city, and see what
havoc had been there made by Florus. Hereupon
they took him to the market-place, showed him
the houses in ruins, and the devastations that had
been made. After this, through the interest of
Agrippa, they prevailed on Politianus to go
through the city as far as the pool of Siloah, at
tended by one servant only, whereby he might
witness the respect the Jews paid to the Romans
in authority; but they said that the cruelties of
Florus were insupportable.
Politianus having taken a view of the city,
and indisputably convinced himself of the loyal
disposition of the Jews, he assembled the people,
and went up to the temple, where he made a
speech, in which he highly commended their
known fidelity to the Romans ; and then, having
given them a variety of good counsel and
advice respecting the preservation of public
peace, he offered praise and thanksgiving to
God in the plan and manner prescribed by
law, and with all possible veneration for the
rights of religion. This being done, he re
tired to Cestius.
No sooner was Politianus gone, than the
people in general made their addresses to the
king, and the high-priests solicited permission
to send ambassadors to Nero, to exhibit a com
plaint against Florus, urging as a reason for
this request, that if they should remain su
pine, and not attempt to bring so violent an

outrage to examination, and make the authors
of it abide a severe trial, it would appear as
if themselves were the criminals, and, there
fore, durst not bring the affair to judicial de
termination. On the one hand, it was evidui.i tha. a refusal
of this liberty would be attended with danger to
Agrippa; and, on the other, he thought it would
have the appearance of malice to permit, under
the name of an embassy,. such an immense mul
titude to attack their governor in an inveterate
manner. Reflecting on the courageous and
martial disposition of the Romans, and of the
danger of provoking the Jews to an insurrection,
Agrippa summoned an assembly to meet in a
large gallery, and having placed his sister Bere
nice in a chair of state in the Asmonean palace,
which overlooked that gallery from the upper
part of the town, (a bridge uniting the temple
with the gallery,) harangued the multitude in a
pathetic speech, which tended to dissuade them
from violent and seditious practices.
Agrippa and his sister Berenice were so af
fected, that they both wept; and the violent pas
sions of the multitude were abated ; but they said
one to another, that they had no complaint
against the Romans ; they only resented the in»
dignities offered them by Florus.
In answer to this, Agrippa said, " You have
acted as the professed enemies of Rome would
have done. You broke down the Antonian gal
leries, and refused the tribute due to Caesar.
Your' business, then, if you would prevent any
further complaint of your conduct, is to rebuild
the galleries, and pay the taxes; for this is neither
the fort nor tribunal of Florus.
The passions ofthe people now subsiding, they
attended the king and Berenice to the temple,

50A

Jewish history.

immediately began to rebuild the galleries, and
despatched officers and agents through the pro
vince to collect such duties as were yet unpaid.
These duties, amounting to forty talents, were
immediately collected and paid.
The insurrection having now, in a great de
gree, subsided, Agrippa advised the people to' a
patient submission to Florus, till another gover
nor should be appointed by Caesar. This again
inflamed the passions of the people, who treated
him with the most opprobrious language, and
pelted him with stones, till he was compelled to
abandon the city. This contemptuous treatment
had a very disagreeable effect on the mind of the
king, who finding the people ungovernable,
despatched several men of rank to Florus at
Caesarea, desiring he would choose collectors for
the province among them ; and Agrippa departed
when he had discharged his duty.
Many of the factious Jews about this time
privately entered a Roman fortress, called Mas-
sada, put the garrison to death, and introduced
in the place of it one of their own. This
may be considered as the first important war
like transaction in the rebellion of the Jews,
and was regarded by the insurgents as a great
accession to their strength, since Massada was
remarkably strong both by nature and art,
being built by Judas Maccabeus, and having
received several additional fortifications from
Herod the Great.
About this same juncture, Eleazar, son of
Ananias, the high-priest, being a bold and enter
prising young man, and a military officer, urged
a number of his friends among the priests to ac
cept no sacrifices, unless from the Jewish people.
As it was easily foreseen that such a resolution
must greatly incense the Romans, a great num
ber of the priests and Pharisees, and other

persons of distinction, exerted their utmost in
fluence to oppose the measure; and, finding that
their endeavours were unsuccessful, despatched
deputies to Florus and Agrippa to vindicate
their own conduct, and solicit that a sufficient
force might be immediately sent to Jerusalem
to put an end to the rebellion. This news
was highly agreeable to Florus, whose dispo
sition led him to inflame the war, how ruinous
soever the consequence might be to himself or
others. This was evidently evinced by his delay
in giving an answer to the deputies, on purpose
to afford the rebels an opportunity of augmenting
their forces.
On the contrary, Agrippa consulted only the
general welfare, being willing to do all in his
power to save both parties, the offenders and
the offended; and by this means to secure Jeru
salem in the possession of the Jews, and bind
the Jews in subjection to the Romans. But as
his own interest was likewise at stake in this
general confusion of affairs, he despatched two
thousand auxiliary horse, with Darius at their
head, and having Philip, the son of Joachim,
also for a general. The people sent on this ex
pedition were inhabitants of Auranitis, Tra-
chomtis, and Batanea.
The high-priests, with the princes of the
people, and those in general who were disposed
for peace, received these deputies into the upper
town, the insurgents being already in possession
of the lower town and the temple. A skirmish
with darts and stones now commencedj.and then
the combatants on both sides made use of their
bows and arrows, with which they galled each
other incessantly; and occasionally they made
sallies and excursions on each other, and fre
quently fought hand to hand. The insurgents
made attacks in the most desperate manner; but
the royal forces appeared to have a superior

JEWISH HISTORY.

505

knowledge of the military art. The principal
operation they had in view was to compel the
sacrilegious faction to abandon the temple;
while, on the contrary, Eleaz.ir and his adhe
rents labouied with equal zeal to get the upper
town into their possession. The contest con
tinued without intermission for seven days, in
all which time, though there was a great slaughter
on both sides, not even the least shadow of ad
vantage was obtained by either.
At this period, a festival approached, which is
named Xylophoria, and acquires that denomi
nation from the custom of carrying wood to the
temple to keep the fire throughout the year.
Advantage was taken of this circumstance, to
exclude the insurgents from their worship ; but
while a number of Jews were engaged in this
office, the Sicarii broke in upon these people,
and improved the advantage they had gained to
such a degree, that the royal troops, equally
overcome by superior numbers and more deter
mined resolution, were obliged to abandon the
upper town, of which immediate possession was
taken by the rebels. After this exploit, they
broke into the house of Ananias, the high-priest,
and reduced to ashes the palaces of Agrippa and
Berenice. This being done, they resolved, in
the next place, to set fire to the offices of record,
and consume both them and all their contents,
thinking that if they deprived the people of for
tune of those papers which might prove their
riches, they should bring over to their interest the
whole body of debtors and beggars; and, by that
means, change the quarrel into a direct war be
tween the rich and the poor, under pretence of
asserting the liberties of the people. In fact, the
persons who had the care and security of the
public records, were so terrified, as to abandon
their trust, each man seeking his own security
in flight; on which both offices and records were
burnt to ashes. This fatal stroke being given to
Nos. 43 & 44.

the credit and safety of the city, the insurgents
began to consider the prosecution of the war as
the principal object worthy of their attention.
While things were in this unhappy state of
confusion and disorder, the high -priests and
many of the nobility were compelled to fly for
their lives, and seek for safety in vaults and other
secret places ; while others got into the upper
palace among the royal troops, bolting the door
after them, and making the passage secure from
assault ; and of this number were Ananias, the
high-priest, his brother Hezekiah, and the depu
ties who had been sent to Agrippa.
The victory being thus obtained, the insur
gents seemed to be contented for that day with
the mischief they had done, and paused a while
to reflect on what was past: but on the following
day, which was the fifteenth of the month Lous,
they made an attack on the castle of Antonia,
which resisted no longer than two days, and Was
then carried by assault; on which the rebels
burned the castle, and put all the garrison to
the sword. They now proceeded to the pa
lace, in which the troops of Agrippa had
taken sanctuary. Having divided their force
into four bodies, they made an attempt to un
dermine the walls, while those within were
under the necessity of remaining inactive, as
their strength was insufficient for them to sally
forth with hope of success. In the mean time,
the assailants continued their operations, and
several of them perished under the walls ofthe
castle, among whom were some of the Sicarii.
The operations were continued night and day
without intermission, the assailants hoping to
starve the besieged into a compliance ; and the
latter, by a constant and vigilunt attendance to
their defence, flattering themselves that the in
surgents would be fatigued with the attack, and
abandon the enterprise.
4K

£06

JEWISH HISTORY.

Among the rebels was a man named Manahem,
the son of Judas of Galilee. He was a person of
great cunning, and an artful orator. He was the
same person who formerly reflected on the Jews
under Cyrenius, for acknowledging themselves
as subject to the Romans, and, at the same time,
professing to worship only one God. Now Ma
nahem had formed a design on the arsenal of
Herod at Massada, on which he induced several
men of quality to join him, and, taking them
with him, he seized the place by force ; and then,
arming a number of low vagabond fellows whom
he found there, he took them with him as his
guard, and, marching to Jerusalem, entered that
city like a petty sovereign. When he arrived
there, he put himself at the head of the insur
gents, and issued out his orders for besieging the
palace in form.
The assailants were principally in want of ma
chines ; for they found it impracticable to work
at the foot of the wall while they were annoyed
by an enemy directly over their heads. Here
upon they began to break the ground at a. con
siderable distance from the castle; and, having
carried on a covered way to the foundation of
one of the towers, they supported its weight, as
they worked, by several props of timber. This
being done, they retreated, having first set fire
to the props ; which, being consumed, the turret
fell to the ground. Now the royal troops having
been apprized of what was going forward, had
run up a wall behind the turret to support the
rest ofthe building. The assailants had reckoned
their work almost complete; but when one ofthe
towers only fell, the discovery of what had been
done caused an astonishment and confusion
among them that is not lo be described.
Notwithstanding the success of this counter
scheme, the royalists who were in the palace sent
a messenger to Manahem and the other chiefs of

the opposition, requesting that they might have
leave to depart; which request was immediately
complied with, as far as it related to the king's
people and others who were of ihe same re
ligion, who accordingly departed without loss
of time. The Romans who were left bdiind were
quite dispirited by this circumstance ; for they
found themselves unable to cope with the su
perior number of the enemy, thought it incon
sistent with their character to submit to treat
with rebels, and dreaded the hazard they should
run when exposed to the mercy of men totally
destitute of all faith and honour. Reduced to
this extremity, they abandoned the place as not
being defensible, and retired with all expedition
to the royal forts of Hippon, Phasael, and Ma
riamne. No sooner did the soldiers begin to
quit the place, than the rebels under the com
mand of Manahem broke in, and murdered every
person they could seize on, and stripped the
places of all the valuable furniture, and concluded
the outrage by setting fire to the camp.
On the next day, Ananias and his brother He-
zekiah were found together in one of the vaults
adjoining to the court, dragged forth and put to
death. Manahem, whom we have just mentioned
as a factious leader, was, with many of his fol
lowers, soon after murdered by the partisans of
Eleazar. The people, in the mean time, were,
in general, extremely solicitous with these per
sons who had the direction of the faction, not
to act with any unnecessary severity towards the
Romans, but rather to raise the siege, and per
mit them to depart ; but the more this matter
was urged on the one side, the more obstinately
it was refused on the other. The Roman general
Metilius, and they who accompanied him, having
exerted themselves to the utmost of their power
for the defenr-A 0f the olace, and being now re-

JEWISH HISTORY.

607

duced to the greatest extremity, proposed terms
of capitulation to Eleazar, and offered to deliver
up the place, together with every thing contained
in it, on the single condition that their lives might
be spared.
These terms were too moderate to be rejected ;
whereupon Goriah, the son of Nicodemus, Ana
nias, the son of Saddaca, and Judas, the son of
Jonathas, were fixed on as commissioners to
ratify the treaty on oath, and give validity to the
articles by signing and sealing. No sooner were
the formalities ended, and the agreement pro
perly ratified, than Metilius, fully confiding in
the honour of his opponent, drew off his soldiers
while they were under arms, equally without in
terruption, and without suspicion of any ; but no
sooner, in conformity to the agreement that had
been made, had the soldiers delivered up their
swords and shields, than the troops of Eleazar
broke in upon them, seized them, and most in
humanly murdered them ; the latter neither sup
plicating for their lives, nor making any resist
ance, only reflecting on thdr barbarous foes by
the pronunciation of the word * oaths and articles.
Metilius alone was mean enough to solicit Ms
fife, which was at length granted to his earnest
prayers, on the condition of his solemnly pro
mising to turn Jew, and submit to the ceremony
of circumcision. The above mentioned assassi
nation of the Romans took place on the sabbath-
day, which was deemed a great aggravation of
the crime, since on that day all labour whatso
ever even the most sacred, is totally forbidden
to the Jews by their law.
The Roman power, however, was very little
injured by this atrocious outrage, since the loss
of the troops that were thus destroyed was in
considerable, proportioned to the vast armies of
which they were possessed. But this circum
stance was an evident prelude to the destruction

of the Jews ; for an inevitable war was actually
in view, and that founded on a good cause. The
city, which had taken the principal share in the
dispute, was so corrupted by perfidy and rebel
lion, that, admitting it might escape the ven
geance of the Romans, it was not reasonable to
suppose but that it must fall a sacrifice to divine
justice. The face of affairs was now more
mournful, melancholy, and desponding, than it
had been at any former period. They who were
innocent dreaded to share the fate of the guilty,
and feared that they should be made answerable
for the crimes they had not committed.
Divine Providence so directed affairs, that on
the very day, and at the same hour of the above
recited massacre, there was a slaughter of the
Jews at Caesarea, in which above twenty thou
sand persons fell a sacrifice, not a single Jew in
the town being left alive. With regard to the
few who sought to escape by flight, Florus took.
care to have them apprehended, and sent them
to the galleys in chains.
The whole nation of the Jews became out
rageous on occasion of this horrid slaughter,
and, dividing themselves into distinct bodies,
dispersed into different quarters. They first laid
waste a number of villages of Syria, and then
destroyed several of the adjacent cities, among
which were Philadelphia, Gibonitis, Gerassa,
Pella, and Scythopolis. This being done, they
made their attacks on Gadara, Hippon, and
Gaulanitis, proceeding from thence to Ptolemais,
Gaba, and Caesarea, and the Tyrian Cedasa ;
some of which places they burnt, and levelled
others with the ground. In the next place, they
attacked Sebaste and Askelon, which surren
dered without opposition. When they had ef
fectually reduced these places, and laid them in
ruins, they destroyed Anthedon and Gaza; and,
continuing their ravages, laid waste a number of
4K*

508

JEWISH HISTORY.

villages on the frontiers, putting to death as many
of the inhabitants as they could get into their
custody. On the other hand, the Syrians wreaked their
vengeance on all the Jews they could find in
country places, whom they put to the sword,
and extended the persecution against the inha
bitants of the several cities. This was done, not
only from motives of policy, in the weakening of
a determined enemy, but from those of revenge
on an ancient animosity.
At this time, the condition of Syria was far
more deplorable than language can describe ;
since, in fact, there were in every city two ar
mies ; nor was any safety to be expected from
the one but in the destruction of the other. The
whole day was spent in spilling of blood ; and_,
on the advance of night, the fears of the parties
were worse than the reality. The Syrians as
serted that they meant only to destroy the Jews ;
but there being a number of people whom they
only suspected to be of the Jewish faith, they
knew not how to act with regard to them. They
were afraid to leave them unpunished, lest they
should be Jews, and yet thought that the destroy
ing them on surmise only would have the ap
pearance of cruelty.
At this period, many persons who had been
heretofore distinguished by their benevolence,
became of savage disposition from the mere lust
of gain ; for those they killed they plundered,
and the booty was allowed them as a reward of
their courage, that man being accounted most
valiant who obtained most pillage ; for, in this
case, the terms victory and robbery were con
founded. It was a dreadful spectacle to behold
the streets filled with the bodies of men, women,
and children, who had been murdered, stript,-
and left, not only unburied, but uncovered.

But still more melancholy events were to take
place. To this period the Jews had only made war
on strangers ; but when they approached the
confines of Scythopolis, they found the Jews
themselves of that district to be their enemies, so
much had the latter preferred the consideration
of their own interest to that of their country ; the
Jews of Scythopolis having actually combined
with the inhabitants of that place against their
own countrymen. But the Scythopolitans were
suspicious of the good faith of their new allies,
who had entered into the agreement with an
eagerness for which they could not account.
They reflected what might be the consequence
if these people should unite against them with
the other Jews, surprise the town by night, and
then assert that what they had done arose from
the necessity of their situation, or was in re
venge of their own sufferings. On this occasion,
the citizens proposed to the Jews of their con
federacy, that if they were -willing to give a
proof of their integrity and love of justice to
wards strangers, they would for the present
withdraw with their families into a grove ad
jacent to the town. The Jews complied with
this requisition, and every thing remained in
peace at Scythopolis during the two following
days; but, on the third night, intelligence being
received of the defenceless situation of the Jews,
that some of them were asleep, others in careless
postures, and all of them off their guard, the
people of Scythopolis attacked them unawares,
destroyed them all to the number of thirteen
thousand, and departed, having first seized every
thing of value in the camp.
The example of the massacre at Scythopolis
had spirited up the people in several other
places, where also the Jews were massacred.
In Askelon two thousand five hundred fell a

JEWISH HISTORiT.

509

sacrifice; in Ptolemais two thousand; and many
of them were put to death at Tyre, where like
wise several were imprisoned. All those who
were most active at Hippon and Gadara were
destroyed, and the rest thrown into prison. In
other towns, where they were either dreaded or
hated, they were treated with similar severity ;
but the Jewish inhabitants of Antioch, Sidon, and
Apamia, remained in the peaceable enjoyment
of their lives and liberties. It is doubtful whether
this lenity arose from a belief that they were too
weak to be dreaded, or from a generous view to
spare a body of people who did not appear to har
bour any sinister design against the state : but, in
fact, this latter idea seems to have the best foun
dation. Those Jews who chose to remain with
the Gerasenes were permitted so to do, and those
who declined staying were safely conducted to
the borders of the country.
' In the interim, the possession of the castle of
. Cypros, on the frontiers of Jericho, was obtained
by the^rebels, who destroyed the place, after first
putting the garrison to the sword. About the
same period, the Romans of Macheras were
treated with by another large body of the Jews,
for the surrender of their garrison ; and they
accordingly agreed to the terms on which it
should be given up, thinking it was better to
yield it by capitulation, than to be driven out
of it by force.
Cestius, remarking the antipathy in which the
Jews were every where held, took advantage of
this circumstance to prosecute the war with
vigour. On this occasion, he assembled his
troops, and marched towards Ptolemais, taking
with him the whole twelfth legion which he
commanded at Antioch, two thousand select
men from the other legions, and four divisions of
horse, exclusive of the royal auxiliaries; and
these last . consisted of two thousand horse and

three thousand foot, belonging to Antiochus, all
armed with bows and arrows; one thousand
horse and three thousand foot of the troops of
king Agrippa; and a body of king Sohemus'
troops, consisting of four thousand men, about a
third of which were horse, and the rest foot, and
the greater number of them archers. As Cestius
continued his march towards Ptolemais, the
country people flocked to him as he passed. It
is not to be supposed these soldiers were equal in
skill to his own ; but their antipathy to the Jews,
and their zeal in the cause, amply compensated
for what they wanted in judgment and ex
perience. Cestius was assisted by Agrippa both with sol
diers and instructions; and, being thus provided,
the general proceeded with part of his army to
wards Zebulon, (otherwise called Andron,) the
most defensible city of Galilee, and by which
Judea is divided from Ptolemais. On his arrival
at the place, he found that it was amply stored
with provisions of all kinds, but not a single
person was visible in the town, all the inhabitants
having fled to the mountains, on which he gave
his soldiers permission to plunder the city.
The general was astonished at the beauty and
elegance of the buildings, which bore a great re
semblance to those of Tyre, Sidon, and Berytus :
yet notwithstanding his amazement, he caused
them to be burned and levelled with the ground.
This being done, he proceeded to ravage the ad
jacent country, laying waste wherever he came.
When he had made all possible depredationf,
and burnt the adjacent villages, he left them in
that situation, and then returned to Ptolemaic
On this occasion, the Syrians were so intent on
obtaining of plunder, that they could not prevail
on themselves to retire in time ; but many of
them remained behind : and, on the retreat of
Cestius, the Jews, taking courage, fell on these

510

JEWISH HISTORY.

plunderers, and destroyed near two thousand
of them.
Cestius proceeded from Ptolemais to Caesarea,
w ience he despatched a division of his army to
Joppa, with directions, that if they could get an
easy possession of the place, they should preserve
it; but if they found that the inhabitants made
preparation to defend it, in that case they should
wait for the arrival of the rest of : he army. How
ever, the Romans attacked the place both by
.land and sea, and became masters of it with very
little difficulty; for the inhabitants were so far
from being able to resist the attack, that they had
not even an opportunity of making their escape;
but all of them, men, women, and children,
masters and servants, were indiscriminately put
to the sword; the number of the persons slain
being reckoned at eight thousand four hundred,
and the city was plundered and reduced to ashes.
A body of Roman horse made similar destruction
in the toparchy of Narbatane, not far from Cae
sarea, where they ravaged the country, killed
great numbers of the inhabitants, took possession
of their effects, and burnt their cities to the
ground. The twelfth legion was now sent into Galilee
by Cestius, under the command of Caesarnius
G«Uus, and as many other troops were sent in
their aid as were deemed sufficient for the re
duction of that province. The strongest city in
this country was Sepphoris, the gates of which
were immediately opened to the commander,
and the other towns copied the example of Sep
phoris. The insurgents and disaffected people
retired to the mountain of Asaiuon, which crosses
Galilee, and is directly opposite to Sepphoris.
While they were thus situated, Gallus ap
proached; but as long as they were able to
maintain the higher ground, they were more
than a match for the Romans, about two hun

dred of whom they killed in the attack. But
at length the Romans making a compass, so as
to act on equal terms, the opposite party was
soon put to the rout ; since the men, being ill
armed, were unable to withstand the assault,
and the fugitives were soon cut to pieces by the
horse. Some few of them saved their lives by
hiding in crags of the rocks, but above two
thousand of them were slain on this occasion.
By this time Gallus, being convinced that
there was no further necessity for his attendance
in Galilee, retired with his troops to Caesarea,
and Cestius departed with his army to Antipa-
tris ; where, when he arrived, he was informed
that a great number of Jews had got into the
tower of Aphec, whither he sent a number of his
troops to rout them. The Jews finding them
selves totally unable to sustain the shock, aban
doned the place to the Romans, who first stripped
it of every thing of value, then set fire to all the
villages in its neighbourhood, and departed as
soon as they were destroyed.
From Antipatris, Cestius proceeded to Lydia,
where he found no more than fifty men, all the
rest of them having gone to Jerusalem on occa
sion of the feast of the tabernacles. These fifty
Cestius caused to be destroyed, set fire to the
town, and proceeded by the way of Bethoron to
a place named Gabaoh, about fifty furlongs from
Jerusalem, where he encamped.
Convinced ofthe excessive dangers ofthe war,
the Jews abandoned their former scruples with
regard to their sacred days, and applied them
selves strictly to their arms. Imagining that their
force was now sufficient to cope with the Ro
mans, they made a desperate sally on the sab
bath-day, and with a furious uproar attacked
their enemies. The rage which, on this occasion,
inflamed them, so as to induce them to forget

JEWISH HISTORY.

511

their duty, was advantageous to them in the
execution of the projected enterprise ; for, on the
first charge, they put the front ofthe Romans into
great disorder, and penetrated so far into the
main body of the army, that if a body of foot
had not yet remained entirely unbroken, and a
party of horse arrived to their relief in this cri
tical juncture, it is probable that Cestius and
all must have been cut to pieces. On this occa
sion, four hundred of the Roman cavalry were
slain, and a hundred and fifteen of the infantry,
while of the Jews there fell no more on the spot
than twenty-two men. Those who were most
eminently distinguished in this action, were
Monobasus and Cenedaeus, two relations of Mo-
nobasus, king ofthe Adiabenians ; and the valour
of these chieftains was well seconded by Niger
of Perea, and Silas the Babylonian, the last of
whom had gone over to take part with the Jews,
after having been formerly in the service of king
Agrippa. The main body of the Jews now retreating in
good order, went back into the city, and, in the
mean time, the Romans retiring towards Betho-
ron, they were followed by Gloras, the son of
Simon, who destroyed several of them, and
seized a number of carriages and a quantity of
baggage, which he found in the course of his
pursuit, and which he conveyed to Jerusalem.
Cestius remained in the field three days after this
action, during all which time a party of the Jews
was stationed on the adjacent hills to watch his
movements; and it is probable that the Jews
would have attacked the Romans if they had
offered to depart during that period.
Agrippa, observing that the Jews made their
appearance in amazing numbers on the. hills, and
on every elevated situation in the neighbourhood,
did not think that even the Romans themselves
were safe within the reach of an enemy so pow

erful; wherefore he came to a resolution to try if
fair words might not obtain him some advan
tage, flattering himself that the opposing parties
might be reasoned into a better opinion of each
other than they at present held ; or, at least, that
if he should not be able to bring them to terms
of perfect friendship, he might abate something
of their enmity, by promoting a change of opinion
on either side.
Impressed with these sentiments, Agrippa
despatched two of his friends and officers, named
Borcaeus and Phoebus, men of unsullied honour
and reputation, to offer his opponents a league
of alliance with the Romans, and full pardon
and indemnity for all that was past, on the
single condition that they should henceforth
entertain new sentiments, and immediately lay
down their arms.
This proposal was no sooner made, than (be
leaders of the opposition, apprehensive that the
people in general might entertain thoughts of
going over to the party of Agrippa, in hopes of
the promised pardon, resolved on the immediate
destruction of the ambassadors. Phoebus they
killed without permitting him to say a word in
his justification ; but Borcaeus made his escape
after being wounded. The atrocious wickedness
of this action so incensed the multitude, that
they pursued the offenders with clubs and
stones, and in this manner they drove them into
the town.
In consequence of this disturbance, Agrippa
was furnished with the fairest opportunity ima
ginable of making his attack on the faction ; and
hereupon he advanced towards them with his
whole army, attacked and routed them, and
pursued them even to the walls of Jerusalem.
This being done, he retired to a place named
Scopus, at the distance of about seven furlongs

512

JEWISH HISTORY.

from the city, where he pitched his camp, and
remained three days and nights without attempt
ing to make any attack upon the city, flattering
himself with the expectation that the people
would be induced to change their sentiments.
In this interim, he did nothing but send into the
adjacent country for a supply of corn and other
necessaries. On the following day, which was the thirtieth
ofthe month Hyperberetaeus, Cestius advanced
with his whole army in a regular manner to the
borders of the city, where the people in general
were so terrified by the faction, that they were
afraid to take any step of consequence ; while
the principal promoters of the sedition were so
alarmed by the conduct and discipline of the
Romans on their march, that they retired from
the extremities ofthe city, and took refuge in the
temple. Cestius proceeded by the way of Be-
zetha; and, as he passed forwards, burnt Cceno-
polis, and a place which was denominated the
wood-market. Hence he advanced to the upper
town, and pitched his camp at a small distance
from the palace. If at this critical juncture he
had made a vigorous attack, he might have made
himself master ofthe place, and put a period to
the war ; but he was diverted from this purpose
by the mediation of two generals, named Ty-
rannus and Priscus, and several other officers,
with the prevailing argument of some of Florus'
money; and this unhappy proceeding was the
occasion of the present misfortunes of the Jews,
and the source of many of their future calamities.
When affairs were in this situation, Ananus,
the son of Jonathas, and several other men of
distinction among the Jews, called aloud to
Cestius, making an offer to open the gates to
him ; but either through diffidence or fear, he
was so long in considering whether he should
comply With the offer, that the intention was

discovered, and the people compelled Ananus
and his companions to retreat from the walls of
the city, and retire to their houses for protection.
After this, the Jews, with a view to defend the
walls ofthe city, repaired to the different turrets,
and for five successive days defended them
against all the efforts of the Romans, though they
urged the attack with the utmost impetuosity.
Cestius, on the sixth day, made an assault on
the north side of the temple, with a select force
chosen from his troops and bowmen ; but he
was received with such a violent shower of shot
and stones from the porch and galleries, that the
Romans were not only repeatedly compdled to
retire from the severity of the charge, but finally
obliged to abandon the enterprise. Having been
thus repulsed, the Romans had at length recourse
to the following singular invention. Those in
front placing their bucklers against the wall, and
covering their heads and shoulders with them:
they who stood next closed their bucklers-to the
former, till the. whole body was covered, and
made the appearance of a tortoise. The bucklers
being thus conjoined, were proof against all the
darts and arrows of the enemy ; so that the Ro
mans could now sap and undermine' the walls
without being exposed to danger ; and the first
thing they now did was to attempt setting fire to
the gates of the temple. This circumstance
amazed and terrified the faction to such a de
gree, that they considered themselves as ruined;
and many of them absolutely abandoned the
town; nor were the honest party less elevated
with joy, than the rebels depressed by despair.
The people now demanded that the gates might
be opened to Cestius, whom they considered in
the light of a friend and preserver. Matters
having proceeded thus far, the general had
nothing more to do but to have maintained
the siege for a very little time longer, and
the town must have submitted. But the
providence of God would not permit a war

JEWISH HISTORY.

513

which had been undertaken with so little provo
cation, to end in such a manner ; for Cestius,
without considering the good disposition of the
people in general in the town, or reflecting on
the despair into which the rebels were thrown,
as if he had been infatuated, drew off his men all
at once; and, contrary to t;ll common sense and
reason, abandoned the siege at the time when his
prospects were better than they had been at any
former period. The revolters were so much en
couraged by this unexpected departure of Ces
tius, that they attacked him in the rear, and
destroyed a number both of his cavalry and in
fantry. On the first night he took up his resi
dence in a camp which he had fortified at a
place named Scopus ; and on the following day
he continued his march, closely pursued by the
enemy, who annoyed him as he went, and de
stroyed a considerable number of his troops. A
trench with pallisadoes on both sides of the way,
having been thrown up by the Romans, the Jews
annoyed them exceedingly with their darts and
arrows during their march across the passage,
while the Romans did not offer to revenge this
insult, nor even to look back in the face of their
enemies. This was partly in consideration of
their being unable to secure their flanks, as their
numbers were very considerable, and partly in
the apprehension that the order of their march
might be broken, as they were themselves bur
dened with very heavy arms, and those of the
Jews -were remarkably light, so that they were
enabled to make excursions and surprises with
out any difficulty. On the whole, this was a very
disastrous attack to the Romans, and not at
tended with any loss on the part of the Jews. In
fact the roads were covered with dead and
wounded bodies in this retreat. Great numbers
of the common soldiers were slain; and, among
those of superior rank, were Priscus, commander
tif the sixth legion ; a tribune named Longinus ;
and Emilius Jucundus, a distinguished officer of
Nos. 43 & 44.

horse. The Romans likewise lost great part ol
their baggage ; but at length they arrived at
Gabaoh, where they had encamped on a former
occasion. Cestius was now greatly distressed how to act ;
and, during two days, employed his thoughts on
his next operations. On the third day, he found
that the Jews were so greatly increased in num
bers, that the whole face of the country was co
vered with them. He was now sensible that
danger, as well as hinderance of time, had arisen
from his delay ; and that as his enemies still in
creased in number, more danger would arise
from a further delay. Hereupon he issued or
ders that the army should be eased of all their
incumbrances, that they might march with the
greater expedition. He likewise directed that
all the mules, asses, and other beasts of burden,
should be killed, except only as many as might
be necessary to carry such weapons and ma
chines as would probably be hereafter wanted ,
and this was done likewise from motives of po
licy, to prevent their coming into the possession
of the enemy, and being employed to his disad
vantage. This was the situation of the^ army
during its approach towards Bethoron, Cestius
marching at their head. While the troops con
tinued in the open country, they did not receive
the least interruption from the Jews; but as they
advanced into hollow ways and defiles, the enemy
charged them in front and rear, to separate some
divisions of tiiem from the rest of the army, and
force them further into the valley ; and in the
interim, the Jews discharged shot on the heads
of the Romans from the rocks and crags. While
the infantry were thus distressed, and in doubt
how they should act, the situation of the cavalry
was still more deplorable; for it was impossible
for them to advance against the Jews in the
mountains, or secure themselves in the valleys
nor could the order of the troops be maintained
4L

514

JEWISH HISTORV.

amidst such a shower of arrows as descended on
them. Many perished by falling from precipices,
and by other accidents. In fact, they were in
such a distressful situation, that they could nei^
ther fight nor fly. Reduced to this shocking ex
tremity, the Romans gave vent to their passion
by tears, groans, and lamentations ; while, on
the other hand, the Jews made the rocks and
valleys resound with their transports of joy,
triumph, and exultation. In fact, such was the
situation of affairs, that, if daylight had continued
some time longer, the whole army of Cestius
must have been cut to pieces; but the Romans
with difficulty crept to Bethoron under cover of
the night; all the passes near which place were
immediately secured by the Jews, to prevent the
retreat of their adversaries.
Cestius, finding in what a disagreeable manner
he was surrounded, and that it would be impos
sible to retreat within sight ofthe enemy, devised
a scheme to favour his escape. Having stationed
near four hundred of his most gallant troops on
the tops ofthe houses, he ordered that they should
act the part of sentinels, calling as loud as they
were able to the watches and guards, as if the
army was still in its encampment. While this
plan was going forward, Cestius collected his
troops, and, during the night, marched to the
distance of about thirty furlongs. In the morn
ing, when the Jews came to find that the place
had been deserted by the main body ofthe army
during the night, they were so enraged, that they
immediately attacked the four hundred Romans
who had acted as sentinels, slew every one of
them, and then instantly marched in pursuit of
Cestius : but his troops having obtained a whole
night's march on them, and proceeding with
the utmost rapidity on the following day, it was
not possible to overtake them. Such was the
hurry and confusion in which the Romans had
fled, that they dropped in the road all their slings,

machines, and other instruments for battery and
attack ; and these being seized by the pursuers,
they afterwards made use of them against the
Romans. The Jews pursued their enemies as
far as Antipatris : but finding it in vain to con
tinue the chase, they carefully preserved the en
gines, stripped the dead, collected all the booty
they could, and then returned towards Jerusa
lem, singing songs of triumph for so important a
victory, obtained with a loss perfectly incon
siderable. In this contest tbere fell of the Ro
mans and their auxiliaries three hundred and
eighty cavalry, and four thousand infantry.
When the news of the defeat of Cestius had
reached Damascus, the Syrians determined to
provide for their safety by the massacre of their
Jewish neighbours, whom they cut in pieces to
the amount of ten thousand, almost without op
position. The more moderate Jews abandoned Jerusa
lem, and the Christians in a body are said to
have retreated to Pella. Such of their country
men as were determined upon resistance, held a
meeting in the temple, in which they appointed
the officers for carrying on the war. Joseph, the
son of Gorion, and Ananus, the high-priest, were
constituted governors in civil affairs, having a
charge to superintend the city, and especially
take care of the fortifications. Jesus, the son of
Sapphas, one of the high-priests, and Eleazar,
the son of the new high-priest, were, sent into
Idumea; Joseph, the son of Simon, was made
commander of Jericho; Manasses went beyond
the river Jordan ; and John the Essene was
despatched to Thamna. The government of
Gophnitis and Acrabatene was given to John,
the son of Ananias ; and the two Galilees to Jo
sephus, the son of Matthias; to whom likewise
submitted the government of Gamala, the strong
est place in the countrv.

JEWISH HISTORY.

515

Each of these governors discharged his trust
with pleasure, and managed with great pru
dence. With regard to Josephus, as soon as
he arrived in Galilee, he sought to ingratiate
himself into the affections ofthe people, as an
interest which would amply atone for any
trivial errors they might fall into. He also re
flected, that the admitting persons of rank to
a share in the government, was a ready way to
make them his friends ; and that the most ef
fectual method of obliging the people at large,
would be the employing such ofthe natives as
were popular in all public business. The me
thod Josephus took was as follows: he selected
a council of seventy from among the oldest and
wisest men of the nation. To this council he
deputed the government of Galilee, restraining
them in a few particulars only. These seventy
judges were distributed seven in each city,
and empowered to hear and determine all
common affairs, agreeably to a plan which was
prescribed to them; but the determining in ca
pital cases and matters of great consequence,
Josephus reserved for himself.
The council of seventy thus disposed of, and
domestic affairs regulated, Josephus began to
consider how most effectually to secure him
self from foreign attacks. He had no doubt but
that the Romans would make irruptions into
Galilee, and, therefore, immediately caused
walls to be built round the defensible cities,
viz. Jotapata, Bersabee, •Selamis, Pereccho,
Japha and Sigoh, Tarichsea and Tiberias, and
also the mountain called Itabyr. In the lower
Galilee, be fortified the caves near the lake of
Genezareth : in the upper Galilee, Petra of the
Achabarians, Se'ph, Jaminth, and Mero; with
Seleucir, Soganes, and Gamala, in Gaulanitis.
But the Sepphorites, who were a rich people,
and naturally of a martial turn, were permitted

to build their own walls. Gischalawas walled
in, by Josephus' command, by John, the son of
Levi. AJ1 the rest ofthe castles were fortified
by Josephus' immediate aid and direction.
Having obtained upwards of one hundred
thousand men in Galilee, he supplied them with
arms which he had collected in various places.
He next reflected on the amazing power of the
Romans,, and what it was that contributed to
render those people so invincible ; and he was
of opinion that it was owing to their strict dis
cipline and regular obedience. As it was uot
in his power at present to discipline his people
as he wished, he determined to secure their
obedience in the best manner he could; and,
for this purpose, he thought the Roman method
of multiplying officers would be effectual, by
dividing and subdividing officers of command
beneath each other. And this method he
adopted. He appointed officers over tens, hun
dreds, and thousands, all of them still subject
to the superior commands of others.. He caused
his forces to be instructed to understand sig
nals; to know the points of war by the sound of
the trumpet, distinguishing an alarm, a charge,
or a retreat, by the different sounds; to com
prehend the mode of fighting and the form of
battle; the method of attack and retreat; and
how to second the distressed, and relieve those
that might be fatigued. He instructed them in
the virtues of fortitude, to sustain mental ot
bodily distress, admonishing them to show
themselves equally proof against trouble and
danger. He made use ofthe Roman discipline
in all his warlike instructions, as what might
produce an equal force of authority and ex
ample. He told his soldiers, that if their wish
was to obtain his good opinion of their obe
dience in time of war, it would become them
previously to decline every act of unlawful vio-
4 L*

516

JEWISH HISTORY.

fence; to avoid all fraud, pilfering, and robbery;
that they should be strictly just in their dealings
with every one; and not think that what arose
from defraud of another could produce any ad
vantage to themselves. " Is it possible," said he,
" for a war. against the rights of conscience to
prosper, when it is evident that both God and
man must be our professed enemies ?"
In this manner did Josephus continue to ad
monish and instruct his people, till he had formed
an army agreeable to his own wish. He was
now at the head of sixty thousand infantry, two
hundred and fifty cavalry, and six hundred select
men for his body guard, exclusive of four thou
sand five hundred mercenaries, on whom he
placed the utmost reliance. The expense of these
men to the country was not considerable ; for all
of them, except the mercenaries, were supported
by cities. These cities, while one half of the men
were engaged in the wars, employed the other
half to provide necessaries for their associates ;
so that the men were mutual assistants to each
other, as those who were in arms served to pro
tect those who provided for them.
The emperor, on receiving intelligence of the
defeat of Cestius in Judea, was thrown into the
most terrible consternation ; but he dissembled his
alarm, ostentatiously asserting that it was to the
misconduct of his general, and not to their own
valour, that the Jews were indebted for victory ;
for he imagined that it would be derogatory to the
sovereign state of the Roman empire, and to his
superiority to other princes, to betray a concern
at the common occurrences of life. During this
contention between his fear and his pride, he in
dustriously sought for a man qualified to assume
the important task of chastising the revolted
Jews, preserving the east in tranquillity, and the
allegiance of several other nations, who had ma
nifested a disposition to free themselves from the

power of the Romans. Upon mature delibera
tion, Nero at length judged Vespasian to be the
only man possessed of abilities adequate to the
important enterprise. Vespasian was now ar
rived at an advanced age, and, from his earliest
years, he had been engaged in a continued suc
cession of military exploits. The empire was in
debted to him for the establishment of a peace in
the west, where the Germans had revolted; and
he completed the conquest over Britain, attri
buting to the emperor the glory of triumphing
over that country, which had not before been en
tirely subdued. The years and experience of
Vespasian, and his approved courage and fide
lity ; his having sons»for hostages of his loyalty,
who, being in the vigour of youth, might execute
their father's commands ; and his appearing to
be favoured by the providence ofthe Almighty,
determined the emperor to appoint him to the
command of his army in Syria. Immediately
upon receiving the commission from Nero, who
accompanied it with the strongest professions of
friendship, he commanded his son Titus to lead
the fifth and tenth legions into Alexandria, and
he himself departed from Achaia; and, crossing
the Hellespont, proceeded by land into Syria,
where he assembled all the Roman forces, and
the auxiliaries which the princes adjacent to that
province had supplied.
On his arrival at Antioch, the metropolis of
Syria, he found king Agrippa, attended by his
troops, waiting to receive him. Hence he pro
ceeded to Ptolemais, where the people of Sep
phoris, a city in Galilee, had assembled on
occasion of his expected arrival. These were a
well disposed people; and, being conscious ofthe
great power of the Romans, and desirous of
making provision for their ow*n safety, they ac
knowledged Cestius Gallus as their governor
previous to the arrival of Vespasian, binding
themselves to act in perfect obedience to his

JEWISH HISTORY.

517

commands, even against their own countrymen,
and, at the same time, declaring their allegiance
to the state of Rome. They received a garrison
from Cestius Gallus, and solicited Vespasian to
grant them a number of cavalry and infantry suf
ficient for their defence, in case of being at
tacked by die Jews. With this request he readily
complied ; for Sepphoris being the most extensive
and the strongest city of Galilee, he judged it ex
pedient to keep so important a place in a proper
state of defence.
From Ptolemais he despatched Placidus with
an army of six thousand foot and one thousand
horse, for the security of the city of Sepphoris
within, and near which they encamped ; and, by
their frequent excursions, greatly incommoded
Josephus and his friends. Josephus, to put a
stop to these evils, determined to lay siege to
Sepphoris, but soon became convinced that such
a design was impracticable. Placidus now ra
vaged the country with greater fury than ever,
putting all such of the inhabitants as resisted to
the sword, and reduced the rest to slavery. He
then made a fruitless attempt on Jotapata, the
siege of which he was obliged to relinquish,
though with small loss.
In the mean time, Titus repaired to Vespasian,
Ms father, at Ptolemais, with much greater ex
pedition than it was supposed a winter march
would permit; and he there joined the fifteenth,
the fifth, and the tenth legions, which were es
teemed to be the best disciplined and most
courageous of the Roman troops. These were
followed by eighteen companies, besides five
companies and a troop of horse from Caesarea,
and a troop of Syrian cavalry. Ten of these
cohorts were composed of a thousand men each,
and the rest of six hundred and thirteen foot, and
a hundred and twenty horse; and the army was
strengthened by auxiliaries supplied by neigh

bouring princes. Antiochus, Agrippa, v.ml So-
hemus, furnished each two thousand infantry and
one thousand cavalry ; Malichus, king of Arabia,
sent five thousand foot, most of whom were pro-
vided with bows and arrows, and one thousand
horse. The army amounted to sixty thousand
horse and foot, exclusive of the train of baggage,
and a great number of domestics, most of whom,
having been trained to the practice of war, were
but little inferior to their masters in courage and
dexterity. Having formed the resolution of making an
incursion into Galilee, Vespasian issued marching
orders to his troops, according to the military
discipline of the Romans, and departed from
Ptolemais. The auxiliary forces being more
lightly armed than the rest of the troops, were
ordered to march first, in order to reconnoitre
the woods and other places where it was sup
posed ambushes were stationed, and prevent sur
prises from the enemy. They were followed by
a party of infantry and cavalry, to which suc
ceeded a detachment formed of ten men from
each company. Next came pioneers to level and
make good the ways, cut down trees, and remove
other obstructions ; and then followed the gene
ral's baggage, and that of his principal officers,
under the convoy of a strong company of horse.
After these Vespasian marched, attended by a
chosen body of cavalry and infantry, a number
of men provided with lances, and a hundred and
twenty of his own men, selected from the same
number of squadrons of horse. The next in
course were the engineers, with their various
implements and machines of assault ; and they
were followed by the tribunes and other officers,
escorted by a select body of troops. The im
perial eagle, preceding the rest of the Roman
ensigns, came next. The figure of the eagle
was considered as an omen of success in war,
and as an emblem, intimating that as the eagle

518

JEWISH HISTORY.

was the sovereign of all other birds, so were the
Romans superior to the rest of mankind.
The ensigns of the Romans, which were
deemed sacred, were followed by the performers
on hiartial instruments of music, to whom suc
ceeded the body of the army, drawn up six in
front, the officers attending to keep the men in
rank and file, and preserve a regular discipline
in every other respect. The domestics belong
ing to the several legions marched with the in
fantry, and it was their business to take the
necessary care that the baggage was safely con
veyed ; and the procession was closed by artisans,
purveyors, and other mercenaries, who were
escorted by a company of infantry and cavalry.
Having marched in the above order to the
frontiers of Galilee, Vespasian there encamped
his army. He might have advanced farther, but
his design was to inspire the enemy with terror,
by the formidable appearance of his army; and,
by affording time for their passions to operate, to
render them less capable of resistance, before
proceeding to an encounter ; and, in the mean
time, he caused every necessary preparation to
be made for a siege. Vespasian was not deceived
in this conjecture; for the news of his approach
threw the Jews into the most terrible consterna
tion ; and Josephus' followers, who were en
camped in the neighbourhood of Sepphoris, de
serted their leader, even before the enemy came
in sight. Being thus abandoned, and finding
that the spirits of the Jews were entirely de
pressed, the majority of the people had already
joined the enemy, and that the rest seemed incli
nable to their example, he declined all thoughts
of prosecuting the war, and retreated to Tiberias,
accompanied by a few of his people, who still
maintained their fidelity.
Vespasian attacked Gadara ; and as that city

did not contain a sufficient number of inhabitants
to make a successful defence, he with little dif
ficulty subdued it on the first assault. The enmity
they entertained against the Jews, and a principle
of revenge for the defeat of Cestius, induced the
Romans to put the inhabitants' of the town pro
miscuously to the sword; and, not satisfied with
setting fire to the conquered city, they burnt and
utterly laid waste the neighbouring small towns
and villages, and subjected the inhabitants to
slavery. Vespasian determined that his next expedition
should be against Jotapata, which was the strong
est city in Galilee, and the place to which the
Jews had fled in vast numbers for refuge. He
first, however, despatched a select party of horse
and foot, attended with pioneers, to cross the
mountains, and form a passage, the road being at
that time wholly impassable for horse, and ex
tremely difficult for foot. This work was com
pleted in the space of four days, so that the
whole army was able to proceed without incon
venience. The next day, being the twenty-first
of the month Artemisius, Josephus escaped from
Tiberias, and threw himself into Jotapata ; a cir
cumstance which much encouraged the garrison,
while it stimulated the Romans to make the more
vigorous attack, as they hoped, by taking the
general, to reduce to submission all the Galilean
revolters. On the next day Vespasian began his march,
and arrived in the afternoon at Jotapata. He es
tablished his camp on a hill about seven furlongs
to the north ofthe city, intending to alarm the
enemy by the formidable appearance of his army.
The inhabitants were so terrified, that they kept
within their walls, while the Romans were too
fatigued to attempt any exploit the remainder of^
that day. On the following morning the Romans
began to assault the city, which was defended

JEWISH HISTORY.

519

with great bravery; Josephus, at the head ofthe
Jews, making a furious assault upon the enemy,
and compelling them to retire. The pressing ne
cessities of the Jews provoked them to acts of the
most desperate valour, while the resentment of
the Romans was roused by the obstinate resist
ance which they experienced. On one side were
to be discovered the most consummate courage
and military skill ; on the other the most ferocious
and ungovernable rage. Night at length parted
the combatants, after the Romans had lost thir
teen men killed, and several wounded, and seven
teen of the Jews had been slain, and about six
hundred wounded. On the next day the besiegers
renewed their assault, and still more extraordinary
instances of valour were displayed, the Jews not
merely acting upon the defensive, but making fre
quent sallies without regard to the numbers and
strength of their enemies. Thus was the contest
obstinately maintained for five successive days.
The city of Jotapata is built on a rock, and on
three sides are valleys of such surprising depth, ,
that a man cannot look down from the precipices
without being seized with giddiness. It is ab
solutely inaccessible, but upon the north, where a
part of the city stands, upon the brow of the
mountain ; but this quarter Josephus caused to be
strongly fortified and taken into the city, thereby
precluding the enemy from taking advantage of
another mountain by which it is overlooked, and
which, with other mountains, so entirely enclose
the place, that it can be seen but at a very small
distance. Finding the place so admirably situated for de
fence, and that he had to contend with an intrepid
enemy, Vespasian assembled a council of his
principal officers, to debate on the means of ob
taining victory. The issue of the deliberations
was, that a large terrace should be raised on that
side of the city which appeared to be the least

capable of resistance. Immediately upon this
resolution being taken, Vespasian ordered his
whole army to employ themselves in procuring
materials for the intended work. Immense quan
tities of timber and stone were conveyed from
the adjacent mountains, and hurdles were formed
to protect the Romans from the darts and other
weapons that were thrown from the city. Thus
defended, they continued to prosecute their de
sign in defiance ofthe innumerable darts, arrows,
lances, and large stones, which were continually
thrown from above. What earth they had oc
casion for was procured in the neighbourhood,
and handed from one man to another. The
whole army being engaged, the work was con
tinued without intermission, and advanced with
surprising rapidity ; and the utmost efforts of the
Jews to annoy the enemy proved ineffectual.
The Roman army had now sixty machines em
ployed in throwing lances, exclusive of larger
engines for casting arrows, javelins, stones, fire,
&c, and these were managed by Arabian and
other skilful engineers. The operations were
pursued with so much vigour, that the space be
tween the city wall and the mount could be no
longer occupied. The Jews, however, made fre
quent sallies by surprise, destroyed the defences,
set fire to all the combustible materials they could
find, and, in short, did all possible damage to the
works of the enemy. In spite, however, of all
that he sustained from the repeated sallies made
by the Jews, Vespasian caused his works to be
advanced upon the interval between the walls
and the terrace, and connected his troops in a
close body, which answered the desired end.
The terrace being now raised nearly to a level
with the city wall, Josephus considered that it
would reflect dishonour upon him if he should
omit to engage in as arduous a task for the
, defence ofthe place, as the enemy had undertaken

620

JEWISH HISTORY.

for its destruction : and, therefore, ordered the
wall to be raised in proportion to the advance
ment of the enemy's work, and to be kept at a
sufficient height above the summit of the mount.
The workmen declined the undertaking, urging
the impossibility of pursuing their business, since
they should be continually exposed to the enemy.
However, Josephus suggested the following
invention as a defence against fire, stones, and
other weapons. He caused large stakes to be
fixed into the ground, and the raw hides of beasts
lately killed to be stretched upon them. On ac
count of the yielding quality of the skins, they
scarcely received any impression from the lances
and stones, and their moisture damped the fire
of the enemy. The workmen being perfectly
secured through the contrivance of Josephus,
continued indefatigably industrious both by day
and night; and they soon erected a wall twenty
cubits high, on which were formed towers and
strong embattlements. The Romans, who had
entertained the utmost confidence of subduing
the city, were equally astonished and confounded
by the depth of policy and invincible resolution
of their adversaries.
Vespasian now determined to turn the siege
into a blockade, not doubting that this, though
it might be a slow way of subduing the enemy,
would prove a very effectual one. They had an
abundance of corn and all other necessaries in
the town, excepting only water and salt, there
being neither spring nor fountain in the city, and
the people having no water for their common
uses but what descended in rain. Josephus soon
found it necessary to limit his people to a daily
allowance of water ; with which they became
discontented, and refused to continue their work.
At length he had recourse to the following stra
tagem. Recollecting that there was on the west
side of the city a hollow or gutter in a place

so little frequented, that it was not likely to
have been observed by the enemy, he wrote to
the Jews without the city to cause water and
other necessaries to be conveyed to him through
this passage, enjoining them to be careful that
the messengers should be covered with the hides
of beasts, and instructed to walk upon their
hands and feet, that in case of their being ob
served by the watch, they might be mistaken for
dogs or other animals. An intercourse was thus
maintained, till the Romans at length discovered
and blocked up the avenue.
At length Vespasian, having observed that the
terrace which he had been raising had almost
arrived at the height of the wall, determined to
make use of the battering ram, which was an
engine of an immense size, resembling the mast
of a ship. It had an iron head, formed like that
of a ram ; and, when used, its motion was some
what similar to the butting of that animal. It was
suspended by large cables affixed to cross timbers
cramped together, and strongly supported. It
bore upon the middle, and hung on the balance
like a scale beam ; and, when put in a swinging
motion, it struck with such surprising violence,
that the strongest wall could not long resist its
repeated attacks.
Conscious that the longer the siege was delayed,
the difficulty of conquest would be increased,
since the enemy would be afforded leisure to make
preparations of defence, Vespasian ordered the
slingers, archers, &c, to advance, with their seve
ral machines, nearer the town, in order to beat off
the Jews who defended the walls. This business
being executed, the ram was brought forward,
being covered with hurdles and the hides of
beasts, for the purpose of preserving the machine
from damage, and defending the men who were
appointed to conduct its operations. The first
stroke of the engine threw the Jews into a most

JEWISH HISTORY.

521-

terrible consternation; and Josephus, knowing
that the wall could not possibly long withstand
repeated batterings in the same place, ordered a
number of sacks filled with chaff to be lowered
by means of ropes; and though the assailants
frequently changed the direction of the machine,
its intended effects were constantly defeated by
means ofthe chaff-sacks which were interposed
to defend the wall. At length the Romans
affixed sharp carving irons to the ends of long
poles, and therewith cut the ropes which sus
pended the sacks. The wall being newly re
paired, had not yet acquired a hard consistence
sufficient to resist the ram, which now performed
its office without impediment. The Jews, who
had now a most alarming prospect of speedy
destruction, collected a quantity of pitch, sulphur,
and other combustibles, which they set fire to in
three several parts Of the enemy's works, and
the flames instantly communicating to the habi
tations, implements of war, &c. of the Romans,
the whole were consumed in a very short time.
An heroic exploit performed by Samaeas, who
was a native of Paab in Galilee, and the son of
Eleazar, deserves to be transmitted to posterity.
He cast down a stone of great bulk with such
surprising force, as to break off the head of a
ram, and then leaping into the midst of his ene
mies, he seized the head of tiie machine, which
he carried to the foot of the wall, where he re
mained till five arrows were fixed in his body.
In this condition he remounted the wall ; and
without betraying the least symptom of an abate
ment either of constancy or courage, he re
mained some time an object of public admiration,
till at length he fell, still grasping the trophy he
had so heroically acquired.
The Romans having repaired the ram towards
the evening of the same day, employed it against
that part ofthe wall which had already received
Nos. 43 & 44.

damage. Vespasian received a wound from an
arrow which was nearly exhausted, and, there
fore, incapable of doing him an important in
jury. Great numbers of the Jews fell by the
arrows and stones of the enemy, but the re
mainder continued to defend the walls with
undaunted bravery. However, they fought under
great disadvantages ; for the town being illu
minated by the fire which they used to annoy the
enemy, they were exposed to open view, while
they could not discern even the engines from
which the Roman weapons were discharged.
The violent noise occasioned by the engines, the
dead and wounded falling from the walls, the
shrieks and dismal lamentations of men and
women both within and without the town, were
rendered still more horrible by the continual
echo of the mountains ; the town ditch was run
ning with human blood, and crowded with car
cases, heaped high enough for an enemy to have
mounted thereon, and make an assault.
An immense number of the Jews were killed
and wounded ; notwithstanding which, the de
fence was sustained during the whole night with
astonishing bravery, in defiance of the enemy's
machines, which were kept incessantly at work.
At break of day the wall gave way: but even
in this dreadful extremity the Jews persevered in
their generous endeavours to preserve the liber
ties of their country, by exposing themselves in
the breach to prevent the enemy crossing the
ditch, and pursuing the advantage they had ob
tained. To give an adequate idea of the horrors
of the night surpasses every power of description.
The Romans having received some refresh
ment after the extreme fatigue of the night, early
on the succeeding day Vespasian issued orders
for every preparation to be made necessary for
renewing the siege, and for pursuing measures
4M

522

JEWISH HISTORY.

for deterring the Jews from appearing in the
breach. He caused a party of the most cou
rageous cavalry to dismount, and drew them up
in three divisions. These men being armed, and
carrying pikes in their hands, were first to enter
the town ; and they were seconded by a chosen
body of foot. The rest of the horse were ordered
to invest the mountainous parts of the city, to
prevent the escape of the Jews after the conquest
of the place. The archers, with their bows and
arrows, and the slingers and engineers, were the
next in order. A number 6f men provided with
ladders were ordered to attempt scaling parts of
the wall which had not been injured, with a
view, by making a diversion, to weaken the
force by which the breach was defended.

Being apprized of the enemy's design, and
conscious that little danger was to be appre
hended from the Romans employed with the
scaling-ladders, Josephus opposed to them only
such men as were enfeebled by age, or such as
had not recovered from the fatigue of the pre
ceding night. But in places where the wall had
suffered, even but in a small degree, he stationed
such soldiers as were of approved fidelity and re
solution; and he put himself, with five of his most
intrepid followers, at their head, in order to re
ceive the first assault. He enjoined his people to
disregard the shouts of the enemy, and either to
defend themselves from the arrows shot by the
Romans by means of their shields, or to retire a
little till their quivers were exhausted. He in
formed them, that if the enemy should proceed
to advance their bridges, every possible effort of
valour must be exerted, since all considerations
for preserving the country must then give place
to the noble ardour of wreaking vengeance upon
the conquerors. He added, that if the Romans
proved successful, it must be expected that the
fathers, wives, children, and the other dearest

friends and relations of his soldiers, would faff
miserable victims to their cruelty and rage.

The common people, women and children,,
observing the adjacent mountains glittering with
arms, the town surrounded by three armies, the
enemy marching with drawn swords to the
weakest part of the wall, and the archers pre
paring to discharge their arrows, joined in la
mentations that could not have been exceeded,
had the place been actually subdued. The
outcries of these people greatly affected Jose
phus ; and, lest they should dispirit the soldiers,
he ordered them to their respective habitations,
under a strict injunction of silence. He then
repaired to the station he had chosen, totally re
gardless of the scaling-ladders; his attention
being engrossed by the manner of the enemy's
assault. Upon the trumpet being sounded, the Roman
troops united in martial shouts ; and no sooner was
the signal given, than such an immense number
of arrows was discharged as to obscure the sky.
In obedience to their instructions, the Jews gave
no attention to the clamours of the enemy, and
defended themselves with their shields. When
the enemy brought their bridges forward, the
Jews attacked them with surprising fury, with
equal skill and intrepidity, throwing them off as
fast as they mounted, and they became more un
daunted in proportion as the danger increased.
They were under a great disadvantage, by being
kept to hard duty without any intervals of relief ;
while the Romans had a constant supply of rein
forcements to take the places of those who were
either fatigued or repulsed. The Romans col
lected themselves as close as possible together;
and, throwing their long bucklers over them,
they proceeded to the wall of the town, appearing
to be an entire and impenetrable body.

JEWISH HISTORY.

623

The extremity to which Josephus was now
reduced, suggested to him a new means of de
fence. He caused a large quantity of oil, of
which there was a plentiful supply in the town,
to be boiled, and, with the vessels in which it
was heated, cast from the walls upon the Roman
soldiers beneath. The scalding fluid passing
through the interstices of their armour, occa
sioned the Romans most exquisite torture, it
having the quality of long retaining heat, and
threw them into the greatest disorder. This
armour being buckled and braced, they were
unable to relieve themselves ; and the oil, flowing
from head to foot, consumed their flesh like fire.
Some were thrown into the most violent contor
tions, others were drawn nearly double by their
pains, and many fell from the bridge to the
ground, and those who attempted to escape were
prevented by the Jews.

During the above calamity, the Romans dis
played a wonderful degree of intrepidity; nor
was the policy ofthe Jews less remarkable. The
former, notwithstanding their miserable con
dition, engaged in a competition for surpassing
each other in pressing upon their adversaries,
who availed themselves of another project for
impeding their progress. They. poured boiling*
fenngreek upon the bridge, which rendered the
boards so slippery, that the Romans were neither
able to stand to their arms or retreat. Some of
them fell upon the planches, and were trampled
to death by their own people ; and others falling
still lower, were exposed to the weapons of the
Jews. Many ofthe Romans being slain, and a
great number wounded, towards evening Ves
pasian sounded a retreat. Only six of the
Jews were killed, but the number of wounded
amounted to upwards of three hundred. It was
on the twentieth day of the month Desius that
bis action took place.

The Roman general was desirous of compli
menting his soldiers for the bravery they had
shown, and consoling them for the ill success
they had experienced : but instead of finding
their spirits depressed, as he expected, they ex
pressed the utmost anxiety for proceeding again
to action ; and, therefore, he ordered his plat
forms to be raised still higher, and towers fifty
feet in height to be erected thereon ; and for the
purpose of keeping their towers steady by their
weight, and defending them against fire, that
they should be entirely covered with iron. The
most skilful marksmen and engineers, provided
with machines, darts, and other implements,
were stationed in the turrets, whence they greatly
annoyed the enemy, who were exposed to their
view. The Jews, being unable either to avoid
the weapons, or discern the people by whom
they were discharged, were under the necessity
of quitting the breach ; but they still continued to
maintain a most resolute defence, though the loss
they daily suffered considerably exceeded that of
the Romans.
The platforms were at length raised higher
than the city wall; and on the forty-seventh day
ofthe siege, a deserter communicated to Vespa
sian the state of the town, representing that,
through the loss of men, and the hard duty which
the survivors were obliged to perform, the gar
rison was so reduced, that it must necessarily
surrender to a vigorous attack, and more espe
cially if advantage was to be taken of a favour
able opportunity for making the assault by
surprise ; and advised the Roman general to
attempt the enterprise about daybreak, when the
Jews would be unapprehensive of danger, and
unprovided for defence, and the vigilance ofthe
o-uard abated by fatigue and inclination to sleep.
Being sensible that the Jews possessed a re
markable fidelity to each other, which the most
4M*

624

JEWISH HISTORY.

excruciating torments could not force them to
violate, Vespasian put no confidence in what the
deserter had related. He had been witness to a
recent instance of the amazing constancy and
resolution ofthe Jews, in the case of one of Jo
sephus' people, who being made a prisoner, and
interrogated respecting the state of the city, re
fused to divulge a single circumstance, and
persisted in that resolution till his death, not
withstanding the application of crucifixion and
other excessive torments. Considering, however,
that the information of the deserter might pos
sibly be founded in truth, and that no ill conse
quences were likely to ensue from his appearing
to believe that to be the case, he ordered the man
to be secured, and every necessary preparation
to be made for the attack.
The Roman army began a silent march at the
appointed hour, and proceeded by the walls of
the town, being led by Titus, accompanied by
Domitius Sabinas, and some chosen men from
the fifteenth legion. They put the sentinels to
death, cut the throats of the guards, and entered
the city. They were followed by the tribunes
Sextus Cerealis and Placidus, with the troops
under their command.
Notwithstanding it was open day when the
Romans gained possession of the fort, and made
themselves masters of the town, the garrison was
so exhausted and fatigued by incessant labour
and watching, that they entertained no idea of
their danger till the enemy had actually gained
their point; and even those who were awake
were almost equally strangers to the misfortune,
for they could not clearly distinguish objects on
account of a thick fog which then prevailed and
continued till the whole Roman army had gained
admittance to the city.
The recollection of their sufferings in the siege

suppressed every sentiment of humanity and
compassion in the breasts of the conquerors, who
threw many of the Jews from the top of the fort ;
others who had courage and inclination to offer
resistance, were either pressed to death by the
immense crowds of the enemy, or forced down
precipices, and killed by the ruins which fell from
above. Many of Josephus' particular friends,
being unwilling that the Romans should acquire
the reputation of taking away their lives, re
tired to a remote part of the city, where they
died by the hands of each other.
Such of the guards as first observed the city
to be taken, fled to a turret towards the north,
where they were attacked by the enemy, against
whom they for some time made a good defence :
but being oppressed by numbers, they offered to
capitulate. Their proposals, however, were re
jected, and they died with great resolution.
The Romans might have valued themselves
on gaining the victory without the loss of blood
on their side, had it not been for the fate of An
tony, a centurion, who was treacherously mur
dered in tke following manner. A number of
Jews having fled for refuge to the caves, one of
them called to Antony for quarter. The cen
turion immediately stretched forth his right hand,
thereby indicating his compliance ; when the
Jew basely stabbed him in the groin with a dag
ger, and caused his death.
Every Jew who was met by the Romans on
that day was put to instant death ; and, during
some following days, they carefully searched the
subterraneous and other secret places for the
survivors, all of whom, excepting women and
children, they destroyed. The whole number
of Jews slain amounted to forty thousand, and
the prisoners were twelve hundred. In obe
dience to the orders of Vespasian, the castfes

JEWISH HISTORY.

525

were burnt, and the city was entirely laid in
ruins. The Romans became masters of Jota
pata on the first day of the month Panemus, in
the thirteenth year of the reign of Nero.
On the third day after the termination of the
siege, Josephus was discovered to have concealed
himself in a large cave along with forty other
distinguished Jews. He was at length prevailed
upon to surrender himself to Vespasian, whose
accession to the empire he pretends to have pre
dicted, and by whom he appears to have been
treated with the greatest respect.
While the main army was occupied in the
siege of Jotapata, a detachment was sent under
the command of Trajan to attack Japtha, a very
strong city of Galilee. This was taken with
great ease, and fifteen thousand of the Jews
perished on the occasion. About the same time,
a large number of the Samaritans collected
upon Mount Gerezim, where they meditated a re
bellion. The Romans first surrounded them with
a trench, and then offered them mercy ; on their
refusal of which they were put to the sword, to
the amount of eleven thousand six hundred
men. Soon after these events, Vespasian pro
ceeded to Caesarea, the most considerable city
of Judea, where he intended to remain during
the winter.
A great concourse of people, composed of re-
volters from the Romans, and fugitives from the
conquered cities of the Jews, had now assem
ble !, and were employed in rebuilding Joppa,
which had been destroyed by Cestius. The ban
ditti, being unable to procure the means of sub
sistence on account of the desolate state in which
Cestius had left the country, constructed a num
ber of vessels for the purpose of perpetrating
robberies on the sea; and, by their piratical
practices, they proved a great obstruction to

commerce on the Syrian, Phoenician, and Egyp
tian coasts.
Vespasian being apprized of their proceedings,
despatched a body of cavalry and infantry to
Joppa; and the troops found but little difficulty
in gaining admittance by night to the city, it
being but indifferently watched and guarded.
The inhabitants were so greatly astonished by
being thus surprised, that they had not power
to attempt the least resistance, but fled with
great precipitation to their vessels, and remained
that night at sea, beyond the reach of the enemy's
weapons. Though Joppa is a sea-coast town, it has no
port. The shore is exceedingly craggy and
steep. On each side of the town stands a
pointed rock, projecting a considerable space
into the sea; so that when the wind prevails,
a more dangerous situation for shipping cannot
be imagined.
At break of day, the wind, called by the people
of the country the black north, arose, and caused
the most terrible tempest that had been known.
The vessels of those who had escaped from
Joppa, by being thrown against the rocks, or
clashed with great violence against each other,
were broken to pieces. Some, by dint of rowing,
endeavoured to avoid being foundered, by keep
ing in the open sea, but were tossed upon moun
tainous billows, and then precipitated into the
most profound abyss of waters, and great num
bers of the vessels sunk. During this violent
contention of the elements, the noises occasioned
by the dashing of the vessels, and the lamenta
tions and outcries ofthe miserable people, were
dismal and terrifying beyond description. Many
of the people were washed away by the billows,
and dashed against the nxks ; some were
drowned; others, fell upon their swords, and

526

JEWISH HISTORY.

several perished on board the wrecks; and, in
short, the water was covered with the blood
of the deceased, whose carcases were dis
persed upon the const. During this shocking
scene, the Roman soldiers waited to destroy
those who should be driven ashore alive. It
was computed that four thousand two hundred
bodies were cast upon the shore by the waves.
The Romans having obtained possession of
Joppa without being under the necessity of
proceeding to a battle, they soon laid the place
entirely in ruins. It was the fate of this city
to be twice subjected to the Roman power in
a short space of time. Lest Joppa should again
be iiihabited by pirates, Vespasian fortified the
castle, and established a garrison therein suf
ficient for its defence. He also left a strong
body of horse to set fire to and destroy the
towns and villages, and lay waste the adja
cent country, whjch, in obedience to the com
mand of their general, they punctually exe
cuted. A considerable personal esteem for Vespa
sian, a disposition to show himself faithful to
the Romans, the desire to preserve his sub
jects in a state of tranquillity, and perhaps a
secret wish to mitigate the distresses of his
countrymen, induced Agrippa to cultivate the
acquaintance of Vespasian, and to invite that
Roman general to visit him at Caesarea Phi
lippi. Here Vespasian spent the term of
twenty days in uninterrupted feastings and re
joicing, attended with his army. At length
having heard that Taricheae had revolted, and
that Tiberias was about to follow its example,
he determined to show his kindness to Agrippa
by immediately reducing these places, which
belonged to the government of that prince.
Vespasian having marched against Tiberias,

the more numerous part of the inhabitants en
treated and received his mercy; while Jesus,
the son of Tobias, and the faction which he
commanded, retired to the neighbouring city
of Taricheae.Having departed from Tiberias, Vespasian
encamped his army between that city and
Taricheae; and, conceiving that the intended
siege would occupy a considerable time, he
fortified the camp by erecting a wall. Tari
cheae, like Tiberias, is situated upon a moun
tain, and Josephus had constructed a wall, en
compassing it on every side, except on that
where it is fortified by the lake Gennesareth,
and the circuit of this wall was nearly equal to
that of Tiberias. Nature and art had contri
buted to render the place exceedingly strong,
and it was inhabited by the most desperate
of the revolters. At the commencement of the
insurrection, the people collected great quan
tities of provisions; and, being sufficiently pro
vided with men and money, they were under
little apprehension of being subdued. They
had a numerous fleet of armed vessels on the
lake, in which they meant to embark in case
of being repulsed on shore.
Jesus and his associates, regardless of the
force and discipline ofthe enemy, made a vio
lent assault upon them while they were em
ployed in forming intrenchments and other
fortifications, and dispersed the pioneers, and
did considerable injury to the Roman works.
The Romans pursued them to the lake, where
they took shipping; and having proceeded
beyond the reach of the Roman darts and ar
rows, they cast anchor, and ranged their vessels
in order of battle.
In the interim, Vespasian received intelli-

JEWISH HISTORY.

527

gence that a great number of Jews had assembled
on a plain adjacent to the city ; in consequence
whereof he despatched a body of six thousand
cliosen cavalry, under the command of his son,
to make discoveries. Titus marched to recon
noitre the situation ofthe Jews ; and finding them
to be much more numerous than the troops un
der his command, he sent intelligence thereof to
Vespasian. Though many of the troops under
Titus were greatly alarmed by the superior force
ofthe Jews, the majority of them still preserved
an undaunted resolution.
Antonius Silo was at the same time despatched
by Vespasian, with orders to lead a body of two
thousand archers to occupy a mountain facing
the town, and assault -the Jews who were ap
pointed to defend the walls ; and this they
punctually observed. Being desirous of render
ing his army more formidable in appearance
than it was in reality, Titus arranged his men in
a line answering to the front of the enemy's
forces ; and he himself made the first ass >ult,
being followed by his people with loud exulta
tions and military shouts. The Jews, who were
astonished at the intrepid manner of the charge,
made a faint resistance ; but being soon thrown
into disorder, many were beat down and trampled
to death by the cavalry, and others fled towards
the city. The fugitives were closely pursued by
the Romans, who, through the swiftness of their
horses, being enabled to attack them again in
front, drove back many who were endeavouring
to take refuge within the walls. Great numbers
were slain, and but few, if any, escaped, ex
cepting those w ho were so fortunate as to get into
the city.
At this period a violent insurrection took place
between the natives of Taricheae and the strangers
who inhabited the city. The natives urged that
they had ever been averse to engaging in the war ;

but the advantage gained by the Romans wras the
principal cause of their discontent. The strangers,
of whom there were great numbers, opposed the
citizens in the most outrageous manner. Titus,
being near the wall, soon understood that outrage
and dissension prevailed in the town ; and, deter
mining to take advantage of so favourable an op
portunity, he mounted his horse, and being fol
lowed by his troops, he rode with great speed to
that quarter of the town which is towards the
lake, and he was the first man who entered the
city. So astonished were the Jews at the intrepid
behaviour of Titus, that they had not power to
offer the least obstruction to his progress. Jesus
and his associates escaped into the fields. Some of
the people fled towards the lake, and fell into the
power of the Romans. Others were slain while
endeavouring to get into their vessels, and many
were drowned in the attempt to save themselves
by swimming. Some resistance was made by the
strangers who were not able to escape with Jesus ;
but the natives of the town readily yielded to the
Romans, from whom they expected favour, from
the consideration that they had disapproved of
engaging in the war, and been compelled to take
up arms.
The faction being subdued, Titus granted quar
ter to the natives of Taricheae. The insurgents
who had embarked upon the lake proceeded to
as great a distance as they possibly could from the
enemy. Titus despatched intelligence of the en
terprise to Vespasian, to whom it afforded great
satisfaction ; for the reduction of Taricheae was
considered as a most material point towards a ter
mination of the war in favour of the Romans.
Titus now ordered a guard to invest the city, lest
any ofthe Jews should effect an escape; and he
went to the lake of Gennesareth on the following
day, and commanded a number of vessels to be
constructed for the purpose of pursuing those who
had made a retreat bv water. There being a great

523

JEWISH HISTORY.

number of workmen, and a plentiful supply of ma
terials, the vessels were completed in a few days.
The vessels being prepared, Vespnsian embarked
in pursuit of the Jews who had escaped on the
lake Gennesareth. The fugitives had now no
probable views of escaping the vengeance of the
enemy ; for the shore being wholly occupied by
the Romans, they could not disembark without
meeting inevitable destruction ; and their bo«ts,
beside being too small, were so slightly built, thut
they could not expect to prove victorious in a
naval engagement. The Jews endeavoured to
annoy their adversaries by casting stones, and by
other means which proved equally ineffectual ; for
the weapons they discharged served only to cause
a noise by meeting the vessels or arms of the Ro
mans, who were well defended against every as
sault they could make. When they attempted a
close encounter, they were either put to death by
the sword, or their vessels overset and the men
drowned. Some ofthe Romans fought at a dis
tance, and made great havoc with their darts and
arrows. Others boarded the vessels ofthe Jews,
and cut the men to pieces with their swords. Se
veral of the Jewish boats were conquered by
being enclosed within the two divisions of the
Roman fleet. Such as attempted to save them
selves by swimming, were put to death by lances
and darts, or sunk by being overrun by the Ro
man vessels; and those who were urged by des
pair to attempt saving themselves by getting on
board the enemy's fleet, had their hands or heads
instantly severed from their bodies. At length,
the Jews were driven to such extremity, that they
pressed into the middle of the Roman fleet, in or
der to get to shore. Horror and destruction now
prevailed in the greatest variety of forms ; great
numbers of Jews were killed on the water, but
the carnage was much more terrible on shore.
The lake was discoloured with blood, and the
banks were covered with the bodies of the slain.
In a few days the carcases putrified, and infected

the air to such a degree as to render life almost
insupportable ; and even the Romans lamented
the barbarity which had produced so terrible a
calamity. The Jews who were slain when the
Romans assaulted the city, and those who
perished in the naval encounter, amounted to six
thousand five hundred.
The engagement being concluded, Vespasian
summoned a council of his principal officers to
assemble in the city of Taricheae, and, placing
himself upon the tribunal, he entered upon delibe
rations as to what measures were most advisable
to be pursued in regar i to the strangers. The
council opposed showing mercy to the strangers,
urging that they would be dangerous to the princes
into whose dominions they might retire, since they
would indisputably avail themselves of every op
portunity for promoting troubles and insurrec
tions. Vespasian was convinced that they were
unworthy of mercy, and so sensible of their aban
doned dispositions, that he entertained no doubt of
their attempting the destruction even of the very
people to whom they might be indebted for the
preservation of their lives ; but what means to
adopt he was at a loss to determine ; for he knew
that if he put the strangers to death in the city, it
would prove a circumstance productive of infinite
affliction to the natives, who, having surrendered
to him , had received his promise of showing favour
to his prisoners. The council argued that, from the
nature of circumstances, he was under no abso
lute obligation to observe a rigid conformity to the
condition, and that the case must be decided by a
regard to the public welfare. Vespasian coincided
in this opinion, but determined not to irritate the
natives, tie permitted the strangers to depart,
having first commanded them to take the road to
Tiberias, and stationed a number of Romans on
the roa>l to prevent their escape. When they had
got within the town, the Romans made them pri
soners ;, and, upon the arrival of Vespasian, he

JEWISH HISTORY.

529

ordered them to be confined in the amphitheatre,
where he caused those who were superannuated,
as well as those who were judged to be too young
to bear arms, to be put to death ; and the num
ber of those who perished in consequence of the
general's order was twelve hundred. He sent six
thousand of the most athletic men to Nero, to be
employed in working upon the Isthmus ; three
thousand four hundred were sold into slavery.
He presented a great number to Agrippa, to be
disposed of as his discretion should dictate ; and
these people were sold by the king. The re
maining part of the incendiary fugitives, whose
restless disposition had prompted the revolt, were
Hipponians, people of Gaulanitis, Gadara, and
Trachonitis. Gamala and Giscala yet remained unsubdued.
Gamala stood on the lake of Tiberias, opposite
to Taricheae, and belonged to the government of
Agrippa. It was built on the cliff of a rock rising
from the midst of a high mountain. It had crags
on the front and back part of it, and took its
name from its resemblance to the back of a ca
mel. Its natural strength was increased by art,
and its inhabitants defended it with so much per
severing valour, that king Agrippa could obtain
no advantage over the place during a siege of
seven months. At length, however, it was at
tacked by Vespasian, who entered it with a part
of his troops, but was repulsed with great
slaughter. The siege continued, notwithstanding
the distresses of the inhabitants, who suffered
much from famine and the destruction of their
bouses* till the twenty-second day of the month
Hyperberetseus, on the night of which three sol
diers having secretly undermined the tower, it
fell, and thus opened a passage for the enemy.
The Romans were now induced to think of en
tering the town ; but they had suffered so much in
their late attempt, that they waited for some time
Nos. 45&46.

undetermined how to act. In the interim, Titus
arrived ; and was so mortified at the disaster
which the Romans had met with during his ab
sence, that he immediately sdected two hundred
of his cavalry, and a body of infantry, and
marched quietly into the city unopposed. An
alarm of this proceeding being given by the
watchmen, the news of it was instantly spread
through the place ; and was no sooner known,
than the citizens fled in the utmost confusion to
the castle, taking their wives and children with
them, and crying and exclaiming as if they were
distracted. The soldiers under Titus destroyed
some of them, while others, who could not get
into the castle, strolled about, heedless whither
they went, till they fell into the hands ofthe Ro
man guards. In a word, the streets flowed with
blood : nothing was to be heard but the groans
of the wounded, and nothing to be seen but death
in its most horrid forms.
Vespasian's business was now to attack the
castle ; and for this purpose his whole army was
drawn towards that spot. This castle was
situated on the point of a rock remarkably high
and steep, surrounded by a number of precipices
and crags, and almost inaccessible. This being
its situation, the Romans could neither reach the
Jews from below, nor avoid the stones and shot
with which they were assaulted from above. But
at this juncture, Providence seemed to deter
mine in favour of the Romans, and decree the
destruction of the Jews : for a violent wind drove
the Roman arrows upon the Jews, and prevented
their reaching the Romans, or blew them wide
of the mark. This gust of wind was likewise so
strong, that the besieged were unable to make
their defence, or even to see the enemies with
whom they had to contend. These advantages
in favour of the Romans were so great, that they
soon became masters of the mountain, which
they instantly surrounded; and, in resentment of
4N

= 530

JEWISH HISTORY.

their former unsuccessful attack, they put to the
sword all who fell in their way, the unresisting,
as well as their immediate opponents. Some
were so driven to despair by the horror of their
situation, that they threw themselves, with their
wives and children, down the precipice from tiie
castle; and in this way about five thousand
perished, while only four thousand were slain:
so that a greater number of the Jews were sa
crificed to their own fears than were destroyed
by the Romans. The latter, however, in the fury
of their rage, threw the very infants down the
rocks ; nor showed mercy to a single person they
seized, except the two daughters of the sister of
Philip, the friend of Joakim, a man of distinction,
and heretofore one of Agrippa's generals.
Giscala did not make any long resistance ; for
the inhabitants in general were disposed for
peace, most of them being husbandmen, and,
therefore, desirous to preserve their farms from
ruin : yet there were some among them who
were less peaceably disposed, at the head of
whom was John, an artful and enterprising man,
who was devoid of all honour, and fond of pro
moting disturbances for the advancement of his
own interest. This man, finding that the citizens
were determined to surrender, escaped with his
followers in the night, and advanced by rapid
marches to Jerusalem. The reduction of Gis
cala put a final period to the war in Galilee.
The Jewish nation were now divided into two
very opposite parties : the one, foreseeing that the
war, if continued, would produce the ruin of their
country, were desirous to end it by a speedy sub
mission to the Romans : the other, who imbibed
the principles ofthe Gaulonitish faction, delighted
in nothing but havoc, spoil, and murder, and op
posed all peaceable measures with an invincible
obstinacy. This latter party, which was by far
the most numerous and powerful, consisted of

the vilest and most profligate characters, proud,
cruel, and rapacious; but, at the same time, ad
dicted to hypocrisy, they committed the most
atrocious wickedness under the pretence of reli
gion. In order to cut off every hope of accom
modation, they had bound themselves by a solemn
oath never to lay down their arms till they had
either extirpated all foreign authority, or perished
in the attempt. The contrary party opposed
them with arms, but were found unequal in the
conflict, and suffered more from their country
men than even from the exasperated Romans.
Not only the same cities, but even the same vilr
lages and houses, were frequently occupied by
persons belonging to the different factions; so
that the horrors of civil war were extended
throughout every part of the country wMch had
not yet been subdued by the enemy.
The zealots began to exercise their cruelty in
robbing and murdering all that opposed them in
the surrounding country, after which they easily
entered Jerusalem, with Zachariah and Eleazar
at their head. Here they were at first strenuously
opposed by the late high-priest Ananus, whose
zeal upon this occasion Josephus highly com
mends. He made a pathetic speech to the
people, exhorting them to take up arms against
those abandoned men, who had by this time
seized upon the temple, and converted it into a
place of defence, from which they sallied forth
to commit the vilest outrages and butcheries.
They followed his advice, armed themselves
without delay, and, returning in great force,
made a vigorous attack upon the zealots. The
engagement was on both sides fierce and bloody,
and lasted a considerable time. At length Ananus
forced them from the outer cincture of the tem
ple, and closely besieged them in the interior
parts of the sacred edifice, where he kept them
closely besieged, and would probably soon have
reduced them, had it not been for the treachery

JEWISH HISTORY.

531

of John of Giscala. He had found means to in
sinuate himself into the favour of the moderate
party, who deputed him as an ambassador to offer
the zealots terms of accommodation ; instead of
which he persuaded them to hold out, and to call
in the Idumeans to their assistance.
The Idumeans readily accepted the invitation,
and marched, to the number of about twenty
thousand, to the vicinity of Jerusalem. Here they
found the gates shut against them, and, therefore,
encamped on the outside of the walls. As the
next night proved exceedingly tempestuous, the
moderate party relaxed in their vigilance, and
thus afforded an opportunity to the zealots, who
were besieged in the temple, silently to unbar the
temple gates, and, passing unperceived through
the city, to open such of the city gates as were
nearest to the camp of the Idumeans. The Idu
means now rushed in, and immediately proceed
ing to the temple, united with the zealots in an
attack upon the guards, many of whom they
killed while sleeping, and others while they were
endeavouring to seize their arms. A short and
dreadful contest ensued : for when it was known
that the Idumeans were in possession ofthe place,
all resistance was given over. In every street
was heard the most fearful exclamations, while
the women shrieked aloud for the loss of their
protectors ; and the violence of the thunder and
winds, and the shouts of the zealots and Idu
means, rendered those clamours still more hor
rible. In the mean time the natural rage and
ferocity ofthe Idumeans were increased to such
a degree, by the idea of their being excluded
from the city in such extremity of weather, that
they spared no one, whether armed or kneeling
to beg their lives. The pleas of consanguinity
and religion were equally made in vain : a speedy
death ensued ; and such was their situation, that
they could neither fight nor fly. Even the fear
of death combined with the rage of the enemy to

accelerate their fate ; for they pressed on each
other with such vehemence, that it was impos
sible for any of them to retire; so that their very
situation was such, that their enemies dealt death
among them at every blow. Distracted by their
unfortunate position, some of them sought one
death to avoid another ; and, in their despair,
threw themselves from a precipice. In a word,
the whole temple was surrounded with streams
of blood ; and when daylight came, it was judged
that eight thousand five hundred persons lay dead
on the spot.
However, the insatiate appetite ofthe Idumeans
for blood was by no means appeased ; for, turn
ing their rage against the city, they plundered all
the houses, and sacrificed most of the inhabitants
they met with. But they were not so intent on
the destruction of the common people, as on
wreaking their vengeance on the high-priests,
whom they no sooner found than they beheaded
them, and trampled on their bodies, insulting that
of Jesus, on account of the speech he had made
from the walls, and that of Ananus, on account of
his influence with the people. Nay, to such a
height had their impiety risen, that they denied
them the common rights of sepulture, though the
laws ofthe Jews, from reverence for the deceased,
had provided that even crucified criminals
should be taken down and interred before the
setting of the sun.
The cruel murder of Ananus and Jesus was
no sooner effected, than the Zealots and Idu
means began to exercise the most horrid barba
rities on the common people, whom they de
stroyed without mercy as fast as they could seize
them : but persons of distinction, and particu
larly such as were in full health and vigour, they
kept in prison, in the hope that they would pur
chase their lives by coming over to their party;
but this they refused to do ; and every man of
4N*

532

JEWISH HISTORY.

them died rather than combine with the traitors.
Their death, however, was made additionally
dreadful by aggravated torments. When they
had been whipped till their bocfies were ulce
rated, the period of their existence was finished
by the sword. Those who were apprehended
during the daytime, were crowded into prisons
at night. As fast as they died, their bodies were
thrown out, to make room for other wretched
tenants, who were treated with similar barbarity.
The people were so terrified by these horrid pro
ceedings, that they did not even dare to shed a
¦•tear, or heave a sigh, for the loss of their friends,
nor even to bury their nearest relations. Nay,
they were afraid even to weep or complam in
their own houses or chambers, without first
making a diligent search lest there should be any
listeners ; since any marks of compassion for the
deceased would have been punished with death,
so criminal was it deemed to possess the feelings
of humanity. Sometimes, indeed, they would
throw a handful of earth on the dead body during
the night, and a few persons were bold enougb
to do this during the daytime. No less than
twelve thousand persons of some rank fell a sa
crifice to this rage of party.
The Idumeans at length so strongly condemned
this indiscriminate massacre, that the zealots
thought proper to set up a kind of tribunal, who
should decide upon the fate of those who were
brought before them. Zechariah, the son of Ba-
ruch, was one of the first who was brought be
fore this mock court, which consisted of seventy-
two persons. They brought a long catalogue of
heinous crimes to his charge, whidh he not only
repelled with the greatest ease, but so strongly
represented their own crimes, that they were
struck with a sense of guilt, and pronounced him
innocent. The zealots upon this immediately
murdered him, and expelled his judges from their
seats as unfit for their purpose. The Idumeans

were so shocked at their conduct, that they re
turned home, and left their allies to carry on the
war alone.
By this time John of Giscala had swelled his
ambitious views to such a degree, that he even
aspired to the sovereign power, though, in fact,
he had for a long time entertained an idea of
this kind. Wherefore, insensibly withdrawing
himself from the company of his old associates,
he gradually engaged in his interest a number of
abandoned miscreants, and formed a resolution
of embarking on his own foundation. It was a
distinguished feature of the character of this man
to impose his orders in an authoritative manner on
others, and to treat their opinions with the most
sovereign degree of contempt : and this he prac
tised as the most probable means of attaining the
supreme authority. Some of his new adherents
joined him through a principle of fear, and others
from the motives of esteem and regard; for he
had the art of moving the affections, and was
fluent in words to a very eminent degree. Some
of his followers consulted their own security by
their adherence to him, imagining, or hoping at
least, that whenever a scrutiny should be made
into their former evil proceedings, they would,
in the gross, be attributed to him, as the first in
citer ofthe irregularities. Many of the martial
part of his followers adhered to him on account
of his abilities and manly resolution ; while num
bers of others receded from him through conside
ration of his pride, and disdained to submit to
the authority of him who had lately been their
professed enemy. But the circumstance that
had more influence on them than any other, was
the aversion they had to be governed by any
single person ; and the idea, that if he once be
came possessed of unlimited power, it would not
be an easy matter to deprive him of it ; and they
also thought that those who should oppose his
first pretensions could have no reason to hope for

JEWISH HISTORY.

533

his future favour. Having deliberated on these
matters, the people came to a resolution, rather
fo abide all the events of a civil war, than to
submit to what they thought would be con
structed into a voluntary slavery. After this de
termination, the faction divided themselves into
zealots and anti-zealots, John putting himself at
the head of the latter. These parties now op
posed each other, and some trifling skirmishes
ensued ; but these skirmishes were directed more
against the people than against each other ; for
the view of each party was to obtain the prin
cipal share of the booty by the exclusion of the
other. At this period, the city of Jerusalem was op
pressed by the aggravated misfortunes of war,
tyranny, and sedition. The populace imagining
that war was the most insupportable of all ca
lamities, fled from their habitations to seek for
protection among strangers; and afterwards
found that the protection which they could not
obtain from each other, was to be met with
among the Romans.
A fourth misfortune, not less destructive to the
Jews than any of the former, immediately suc
ceeded them. Within a small distance from Je
rusalem was situated the castle of Massada,
which was equally celebrated for its antiquity,
strength, and magnificence. It had been erected
by the ancient Jewish kings, who considered it
as a royal treasury, a magazine for all the imple
ments and necessaries of war, and a retreat
which might be safely used in cases of imminent
danger. At this time it was in possession of a set
of abandoned miscreants, called the Sicarii,
whose numbers were sufficient to have totally
destroyed and ravaged the country, though the
acts they had hitherto done were the effects of
surprise and treachery. At this period it hap
pened that the Roman army was lying in ab

solute inaction, while the Jews, divided among
themselves, were distressing each other by every
possible means ; and, on this occasion, the assas
sins made a more vigorous attempt than ever
they had done before. The feast of unleavened
bread now came on; a festival that is celebrated
by the Jews in the most solemn manner, in com
memoration of their deliverance from the slavery
they had undergone in Egypt, and their being
conducted safely to the land of promise. On the
night of this festival the insurgents surprised
the town of Engaddi, into which they entered,
and conquered the people before they had even'
time to have recourse to their arms. They drove
them furiously out ofthe town, and, in the pur
suit, killed above seven hundred of them, the
majority of whom were women and children.
They then stripped their houses, and made plun
der of all the ripe and seasonable fruits they
could find, which they carried to Massada : in
their way to which place, they, in like manner.
depopulated the towns, villages, and castles, and
laid waste the country. A multitude of aban
doned people constantly coming in to join these
depredators, their numbers were daily increased.
Till this period, Judea had remained in ease and
quiet ; but on this irruption, the whole country
became the scene of every kind of violence, and
every species of irregularity. As it is in the na
tural body, so it is when sedition prevails in the
city. W'hen the more noble parts are affected,
the calamity has an influence on all the rest. In
the capital, when a part is disordered, the adja
cencies consent to the contamination, and suffer
through the force of example. When the par
ties above mentioned had acquired all the plun
der they could, they retired therewith into desert
places, where they associated together, such
numbers ofthe depredators joining their forces,
that they had the appearance of considerable
armies sufficient to destroy cities and lay temples
waste. It is reasonable to suppose that the in-

534

JEWISH HISTORY.

jured parties took every possible opportunity of
revenge, when they could meet with those who
had insulted them : but this happened but very
seldom ; for the robbers were generally so dili
gent as to escape with their booty before their
pursuers could come up with them. On the
whole, so calamitous was the situation of
affairs, that every part of Judea felt a share
of the distress with which the principal city
was affected.
All the avenues were guarded with so much
strictness and precaution by the factious party,
that not a single person could stir without im
minent danger of his life : yet, notwithstanding
this vigilant and rigorous precaution, many per
sons found means to desert daily, who gave Ves
pasian an account of the situation of the place,
and entreated his assistance to relieve such as
yet remained in the city ; representing that their
attachment to the Romans had already cost many
of the citizens their lives, and that many more
were in danger of sharing a like fate from simi
lar motives. Vespasian, concerned for the un
happy situation of the inhabitants, ordered his
army to advance nearer to the city, not with a
view, as was imagined, to attack it by a regular
siege, but with a resolution to prevent any siege
at all, by reducing all the fortresses in its neigh
bourhood, and thereby obviating any obstruction
to his future views.
Vespasian having arrived at Gadara, the most
affluent and best protected town beyond the river
Jordan, and the principal place in the province,
the most eminent of the inhabitants sent com
missioners to invite him to come to the place,
and take it under his protection, which he did on
the fourth of the month Drystus. This the in
habitants, who were a wealthy people, did with
a view to the preservation of their own lives and
fortunes. The factious multitude were unac

quainted with the meaning of this proceeding,.
farther than by Vespasian approaching the walls.
The insurgents were now totally at a loss how to
act. They found it impracticable for the town to
sustain itself against so many internal and ex
ternal enemies : for the Roman army was at
hand, and the majority ofthe citizens were their
determined enemies. Now, therefore, they
thought to trust in flight for their safety; but
they conceived that they could not honourably
adopt this plan till they had first revenged them
selves on the authors of their destruction.
Having deliberated on this matter, they ap
prehended Dolesus, a person equally distinguished
by his merit and his extraction, and an object of
envy for having advised the embassy above men
tioned. Having taken him into custody, they
gave orders that he should be put to deatn, and
then that his dead body should be whipped ; and
they privately left the town as soon as tnese or
ders were carried into execution. (
No sooner had the Romans approached nearer
towards the city, than the inhabitants went out
to meet Vespasian, whom they conducted into
the place with every testimony of congratulation ;
and, after taking the oaths of fidelity, which are
customary on such occasions, they of their own
accord destroyed the walls of the city, in order
to give a striking proof of their fidelity and peace
able intentions, by putting it out of their power
to do any injury even if they were so disposed..
This being done, Vespasian bestowed on them a
garrison of horse and foot for their protection,
and then despatched Placidus after the enemy
with five hundred cavalry and three thousand
infantry ; after which he retired to Caesarea with
the remainder of his forces.
The fugitives finding that they were pursued
and that a party of horse gained ground upon

JEWISH HISTORY.

535

them, turned aside to the village of Bethenna-
bris, before the Romans had got up to them.
In this place there was a considerable number
of stout young fellows, some of whom they per
suaded, and others they compelled to enter
into their service : and being thus reinforced,
they sallied forth, and made a desperate attack
on Placidus, who, at the first, receded a little,
but this only with a view to get the enemy far
ther from the town ; and this plan having an
swered his expectation, Placidus attacked them
when they were situated so that he had an evi
dent advantage of them, and totally routed
them. The Roman cavalry intercepted those
who consulted their safety by flight, while
those who stood to their arms were destroyed
by the infantry. In fact, they were foiled in
all their attempts.
Their attacking the Romans was indeed a
presumptuous enterprise. They might have
encountered a wall or a rock with equal hope
of success : for the Romans stood so close and
firm, that it was not possible to break their
main body; and were so guarded by their arms,
that darts and lances could not affect them.
On the contrary, the Jews were so ill pro
tected, that they were injured by every kind of
assault, and reached by any kind of weapons ;
till, at length, being irritated to the most vio
lent degree of rage, they seemed abandoned to
despair, and threw themselves on the swords
of their enemies, by which many of them
perished ; some were cut in pieces, others
were trampled under foot by the horse, and
others again put to flight. Placidus exerted
his utmost influence that none of the fugitives
should get back again to the town ; and as often
as this was attempted by any of them, the horse
soldiers under his command interposed to pre
vent the carrying their scheme into execution.

They killed with their lances such of them
as were within their reach, and did every thing
in their power to intercept the rest. Some,
however, who possessed more strength and
swiftness" than their companions, reached the
walls; and now the guards were puzzled in the
highest degree to know whom to admit and
whom to exclude; for they thought it would be
extremely unreasonable to open the gates to
their townsmen, and shut them against those
of Gadara; and, on the contrary, they were
fearful that if they opened them indifferently to
all, the loss of the place might be endangered ;
as, in the end, it had like to have happened :
for the Romans having pursued some fugitives
even to the wall, had nearly fallen into the
town with them ; but with great difficulty the
gates were shut, and the ingress prevented.
Hereupon Placidus made a vigorous attack
on the place, which he urged with so great a
resolution, that he became master of it, and
took possession of the wall on the afternoon of
the same day. The common people, who had
no means of defending themselves, were put to
the sword, and the others sought their safety in
flight, carrying with them, wherever they went
through the country, the melancholy news of
what had happened. In the interim, the vic
torious party first plundered the houses, and
then reduced the place to ashes.
It is true, that the misery hereby occasioned
was sufficiently great ; but the matter of fact
was abundantly exceeded by the account of
the reporters, who, wherever they went, cir
culated a rumour that the whole army of the
Romans was in pursuit of them. This report
alarmed the inhabitants of the country to such
a degree, that almost all of them abandoned
their houses, retiring towards Jericho in im-

536

JEWISH HISTORY.

mense numbers, as they thought it the most safe
retreat they could find, from its natural strength
and its popufousness. Placidus pursued the fu
gitives as far as the river Jordan, his forces de
stroying without distinction as many of them as
they could overtake.
When they arrived near the banks of the above
river, they found it impassable, as the waters had
been swelled by an uncommon fall of rain ; and
it was equally impossible to fly farther : where
fore, in this situation it became necessary to
abide the event of a battle. Hereupon the Jews
planted themselves along the banks of the river,
where for some time they maintained their
ground : but their ranks being once broken,
their loss, including the drowned with those who
were slain, became almost incredible. It was
estimated that fifteen hundred were killed on the
spot, about two thousand made prisoners, and
a vast booty acquired in camels, oxen, and
sheep. The Jews had never before experienced a
defeat so capital as the present, which may be
more easily conceived than described. The
public roads where they had passed were almost
covered with the dead ; and the bodies of the
slain so choked up by the river Jordan, as to
render it impassable, while great numbers floated
down the several streams that ran into the lake
Asphaltites. v A series of success now attending Placidus, he
proceeded to the reduction of Besemoth, Julias,
Aibila, and other places, even down to the lake.
In these he placed garrisons of the most able,
and those he could best trust, of the deserters
from the enemy. This being done, he embarked
his troops, having first cleared the lake of all
those who had fled thither for refuge ; and this
he did in so effectual a manner, that the Ro

mans were soon in absolute possession of every
place beyond the river Jordan, even down to
Machaeras. While these events were taking place in Judea,
Vespasian received accounts that Vindex had re
volted in Gaul, and, therefore, determined to put
a speedy period to the war. With this resolu
tion, he marched with his army from Caesarea
to Antipatris, and having regulated affairs for
the space of two days, ravaged the country to
the borders of the toparchy of Thamna, and re
ceived the submission of Lydda and Jamnia.
He likewise took the towns of Bethabri and
Caphartoba, situated in the centre of Idumea ;
and, in this enterprise, killed more than ten
thousand men, made slaves of another thousand,
and compelled the rest to seek their safety in
flight. At length having determined to attack Jeru
salem on every side, Vespasian erected a fort at
Jericho, and another at Adida, in each of which
he placed a garrison consisting of Romans and
auxiliary forces. This being done, he despatched
Lucius Annius to Gerasa with a party of ca
valry and infantry, and, on the first attack, that
place was reduced by storm. A thousand young
men who were intercepted in their flight were
destroyed by the sword : great numbers of far
milies were made prisoners, and the plunder was
given to the soldiers; after which the place was
burnt, and the commander proceeded in his de
predations. Persons of property fled ; but many were killed
in the attempt to escape. The ravage was uni
versal : those on the mountains and in the valleys
felt equally the effects of war. With regard to
those who were in Jerusalem, it was impossibly
that they should quit it; for thev who were

JEWISH HISTORY.

537

friends to the Romans were strictly watched by
the zealots ; nor did the zealots themselves dare
to venture out, lest they should fall into the hands
of the enemy, who surrounded the town on every
side. The death of Nero, and the revolutions which
rapidly succeeded it, occasioned a mighty change
in the state of public affairs, and endangered the
very existence of the Roman empire. The Jew
ish war was, therefore, now esteemed an object
of but trifling consideration, and the several fac
tions which divided the Hebrew nation were left
for some time at liberty, to tyrannize over the
people, and to persecute each other with relent
less fury.
A fresh war now broke forth at Jerusalem.
At this time there was a man, born at Gerasa,
who was named Simon, who had taken posses
sion of the city. This man was in the prime of
his life, less artful and contriving than John of
Giscala; but he had the advantage of Mm in
youth, strength, and intrepidity. Now Simon
was deemed so dangerous a person, that the
high-priest Ananus routed him from his govern
ment in the toparchy of Acrabetana, and com
pelled him to take refuge among the Sicarii at
Massada. These abandoned people were at first
so suspicious of him, that they, for a time, com
pelled him to remain with the women he had
brought with him on the first floor of the for
tress, while the rest ofthe people remained above.
But when they came to be better acquainted with
him, and found how admirably be was adapted
for their purposes, they changed their opinion of
him, and deputed him to command the parties
they sent out to rifle, and join the other troops in
the plunder and depopulation of the district of
Massada. In the mean time, Simon endeavoured
to inspire them with more ambitious views ; (for
his own thoughts were bent on obtaining the
Nos, 45 & 46.

sovereign authority ;) but this was in vain, till he
received advice of the death of Ananus. This
obstacle to the dignity, after which he aspired,
being removed, he repaired to the woods, where
he issued proclamations, offering bounties to all
freemen, and freedom to all slaves, who would
enlist under his banners. Great numbers of
abandoned and desperate people were induced to
join him on this occasion; and, by the assistance
of these miscreants, he assailed and pillaged the
villages on the hills, the number of his people
daily increasing, till at length he descended into
the lower countries, and spread terror through all
the cities within the limits of his expedition. His
credit for courage and success was such, that
many persons of power and rank now came over
to his interest, and the people of distinction in
general made application to him, and paid him
the reverence and respect due to sovereign
princes ; so that he no longer appeared to be a
commander of slaves and vagabonds. These
successes induced him to make several incursions
into the toparchy of Acrabetana and the greater
Idumea, and at length he fixed his retreat in the
town of Nain, a place which he had before walled
and fortified. He found in the valley of Pharan
a number of caverns admirably adapted to his
purpose ; and he enlarged others, and converted
them into magazines, stores, and granaries, for
the reception of such articles as he obtained by
plunder. Thus provided with forces and pro
visions, it seemed to be the prevailing opinion
that the principal view of Simon was to make
an attack on Jerusalem. In this opniion tha
zealots coincided ; and, thinking that ill conse
quences might arise from the permitting him
thus daily to increase in numbers and power,
they determined to make one vigorous effort to
suppress him while it were yet possible to effect
it. With this view they advanced in a body to
attack him at the head of his forces; but he
received them in a manner that equally demon-
40

538

JEWISH HISTORY.

strated his skill and courage, and routed them
with great slaughter.
Simon did not yet think his force equal to the
attack of Jerusalem, but determined to begin
with an assault on Idumea, towards the borders
of which country he immediately marched an
army of twenty thousand men. Instantly here
upon, the principal people of the Idumeans as
sembled an army of almost twenty-five thousand
select troops, leaving likewise a sufficient number
to protect the country against the inroads of the
banditti of Massada. With the forces above
mentioned the Idumeans waited for Simon on
the borders of their country; and, on his ap
proach, a battle ensued, which continued from
the morning till evening, the destruction on each
side being so equal, that it was impossible to de
termine which party had the advantage. Both
of them, however, were sufficiently weary of the
contest; for Simon withdrew his forces to Nain,
and the Idumeans retreated to their respective
habitations. Simon, having received considerable rein
forcements to his army, took the field again in a
short time, being now stronger than on any
former occasion ; and, having encamped near
the village of Thecne, despatched one of his as
sociates, named Eleazar, with a message to the
commander of Herodion, demanding that the
castle of that name should be delivered up to
him. On his first arrival, he was received by
the officers with every testimony of military ho
nour and respect; but when they became ac
quainted with the nature of his commission, they
S all drew their swords on him in a moment ;
whereupon, finding his escape impossible, he
, threw himself from the precipice of the wall, and
was killed on the spot.
The idea of the courage and power of Simon

had now struck the Idumeans in so forcible a
manner, that they were by no means disposed to
engage him, till they were first well acquainted
with the strength and situation of his army. On
this occasion, one of their commanders, named
James, voluntarily undertook the office of a spy
or informer; and this he did w-ith a generous ap
pearance of public spirit, but, in fact, with the
most treacherous intentions. At this time, the
Idumean party was encamped at Olurus ; and
James being commissioned to act for them, he
repaired to Simon. When som« conversation had
passed between them, he made a solemn compact
with Simon to deliver up the whole country to
him, on the consideration, that, in return for this
obligation, he should be considered as his first
minister and favourite, and that he should like
wise possess the whole country of Idumea. This
infamous bargain was succeeded by Simon's en
tertaining James in the most splendid manner,
and gratifying his ambition by the most liberal
promises. This being done, James returned to
those who had sent Mm on the embassy, to whom
he magnified the situation of Simon greatly be
yond the truth with regard to his numbers and
strength, and the admirable disposition of his
forces. This representation had a great influence
on the minds of the people in general ; and, at
length, the officers of the army began to listen to
the intelligence, so that they determined it would
be a vain attempt to contest the matter further by
force of arms, but that they would surrender to
Simon, lest worse consequences should ensue. At
this juncture, James sent repeated messengers
requesting that Simon would advance without
loss of time, and take possession of Idumea, which
he would pledge himself should submit to him
without bloodshed or opposition, if he woukfcnot
lose the present favourable opportunity. All this
was accordingly verified : for Simon advancing
with his army, James immediately mounted his
horse, and fled with the utmost rapidity, being

JEWISH HISTORY.

539

followed by those who adhered to his principles.
This proceeding had such influence on the people
in general, that they likewise fled in the utmost
confusion, each consulting his own safety ; so that
the Whole army was dispersed, and an absolute
victory gained without the least effort on the part
of the enemy.
Idumea having been thus, in a most astonish
ing manner, subjected to Simon without blood
shed, he advanced to the.city of Hebron, which
he took by surprise, and found in it an abundance
of corn and treasure. From Hebron he pro
ceeded through the whole country of Idumea,
being followed by above forty thousand people,
exclusive of his regular forces. He destroyed
towns and villages, and depopulated the whole
country in the course of his progress. A flight
of locusts through a wood could not have de
stroyed more effectually than his army : they ren
dered the country a perfect desert, destruction
marking every part of their course. It was not
possible that the necessaries of life should be
furnished for such an immense multitude ; and
the misfortunes of want were still aggravated by
the natural violence of Simon's temper, and Ms
peculiar animosity against the people of Idumea.
In a word, in a country which had been here
tofore fruitful and well cultivated, not a trace was
left of its former happy situation, owing to the
waste and devastation made by the troops under
the command of Simon.
The zealots were exceedingly shocked at the
inhumanity of the above mentioned proceedings;
but they were yet afraid to engage in an open
war, contenting themselves with such advantages
as they could gain by occasional surprises; and,
at length, they obtained a prize which they
deemed ofthe utmost importance ; for, happening
to take prisoner the wife of Simon, with a num
ber of his domestics, they hurried her away to

Jerusalem with as many tokens of triumphant
joy as if Simon himself had been their captive ;
for they did not entertain the least doubt but that
he would willingly lay down his arms on his wife
being restored to him. The effect, however, was
contrary to their expectation : for the violence
offered to the wife transported the husband to the
most extravagant degree of rage.
This extravagance was evidenced by the future
conduct of Simon. He advanced without loss of
time to the gates of Jerusalem, where his beha
viour was as furious as that 'of a wild beast which
is wounded, and finds himself incapable of
reaching the party who has injured him. He
sought vengeance on every thing that fell in his
way : men, women, and children, were equally
the objects of his fury. Those who went from
the city only to pick herbs or gather sticks, were,
by his order, apprehended and whipped to death,
the ancient suffering equally with the young ; and
it was remarked, as something extraordinary,
that he did not eat the flesh of those he caused
to be destroyed. The hands of many of these
inoffending people were cut off as a terror to his
enemies, and to prevent other persons adhering
to their party. Thus maimed, he sent them into
the city, instructing them to say that Simon made
an oath in the name of that God who governs
the world, that if his wife was not immediately
restored to him, he would make an assault on
their walls, and treat all the inhabitants, old or
young, guilty or innocent, with the same severity
that the messengers experienced. The people in
general were terrified by these threatenings,
which had likewise such an effect on the zealots,
that they sent Simon's wife back to him; on
which his anger was so far appeased, that the
cruelties which he had hitherto committed, began
now, in some degree, to subside.
Vespasian had not yet abandoned his deter*
4 0*

540

JEWISH HISTORY.

mination to reduce Judea. He made such pro
gress in this design, that Massada, Machaerus,
and Herodion, were now the only castles which
remained in the hands ofthe faction : and, after
those, the taking of Jerusalem by Vespasian
seemed to be the only circumstance necessary to
the putting a total end to this horrid and destruc
tive war.
The successes of the Romans seemed now to
be threatening the destruction of Simon's autho
rity : but an event soon after took place which
raised it much higher than before. John of Gis
cala having wearied out with his tyranny the
Idumeans and others who were not of his party,
they revolted against him, killed many of his fol
lowers, plundered his palace, and forced him to
retire into the temple. In the mean time, the
people, entertaining an opinion that he would
sally forth in the night, and set fire to the city,
held a council, in which they resolved upon a
remedy that proved in the end abundantly worse
than the disease under which they laboured.
They determined to open the city gates, and to
let in Simon with his troops, to oppose those of
John and his zealots. Matthias, who was at
that time the high-priest, against whom the
zealots had set up an obscure priest for a rival,
warmly promoted the design, and was appointed
ambassador to Simon. Simon was accordingly
admitted into the city, where his chief care was
to render his strength as great, and his authority
as permanent as possible. He looked indifferently
upon those who had invited him, and those
against whom his assistance had been requested ;
but made them both feel the same weight of his
tyranny, though the former had received him
with great honours and universal acclamations
as their future deliverer. He made, however, a
bold assault upon John ; but meeting with a
rough reception, was obliged to content himself
with keeping the zealots besieged in the temple.

The Jews became more divided. Eleazar, the
son of another Simon, a person of the sacerdotal
order, and of great sense and courage, found
means to form a new party, and to draw to him
self a considerable number of the followers ot
John. With this new party he seized upon the
court of the priests, and confined John in that ot
the Israelites. Eleazar kept the avenues so well
guarded, that none were admitted into that part
of the temple but those who came thither to offer
sacrifices ; and it was by these offerings chiefly
that he maintained himself and his men. John
now found himself hemmed in by two powerful
enemies, Eleazar above, and Simon below. He
defended himself against the former by his en
gines, out of which he threw vast numbers of
stones into the court of Eleazar ; and when he
sallied out against the partisans of Simon, he set
all on fire wherever he could reach, destroying
vast quantities of corn and other provisions,
which would otherwise have enabled them to
sustain a very long siege. Thus were these three
factions perpetually watching all advantages
against each other. Simon had the greatest
number of troops, and the best store of arms
and provisions ; but he was the most disadvan
tageous^ situated of the three. To oppose the
ten thousand zealots and five thousand Idumeans
which were commanded by Simon, John had
only six thousand men, for whom he was obliged
to provide by making sallies upon Simon. Eleazar
had but two thousand four hundred followers ;
but his situation was much the strongest of the
three, and he was constantly supplied with pro
visions by the offerings which were brought into
the temple, and which his followers oftentimes
abused by luxury and drunkenness.
WThile Jerusalem was in this distracted state,
Vespasian was advanced to the empire, Josephus
was set at liberty for having predicted his pros
perity, and Titus was sent by his father to ter

JEWISH HISTORY.

541

niinate the Jewish war. From Alexandria, where
he parted with his father, Titus went by land to
Nicopolis, w here he embarked his forces in long
boats, and sailed down the Nile on the banks of
the Mendesian Canton, to the city of Thmuis,
and landed at Tanis. Hence he proceeded to
Heracleopolis, and thence to Pelusium, where he
remained two days to refresh his troops : then
he marched across the desert, and encamped
near the temple of Jupiter Cassius. On the fol
lowing day he proceeded to Ostracine, which is
so remarkable for its drought, that the inhabitants
have no water but what they procure from other
places. Thence he went to Rinocorura, where
he remained some time. Raphia, the first city
on the confines of Syria, was his fourth stage,
and Gaza his fifth : from which he went to As-
calon, Jamnia, and Joppa; and from Joppa to
Caesarea, in the view of adding some reinforce
ments to the troops under his command.
At Caesarea he reviewed his army, and made
the necessary regulations for the further prose
cution of his designs. He led his forces into the
country in the following order : the auxiliaries
marched first ; they were followed by the pioneers,
to whom succeeded the troops appointed to mark
out the ground where the camp was to be
formed : next came the baggage of the officers,
attended by a convoy; and then followed Titus,
escorted by Ms guards and other chosen troops,
and attended by the ensign -bearers. These were
succeeded by the tribunes and other officers, with
a number of selected men under their command.
The next in course was the Roman eagle, sur
rounded by the ensigns of the legions, and pre
ceded by trumpets. Then marched the body of
the army in rank and file, the men being drawn
up six in front, and followed by the domestics
with their baggage. The rear was formed by
the victuallers, artisans, and other mercenaries,
escorted by their guard.

Thus, according to the military discipline of
the Romans, Titus led his army by the way of
Samaria to Gophna, which Vespasian had for
merly subdued, and therein established a garri
son. On the following morning he proceeded
towards a place called by the Jews the Valley of
Thorns, situated near thirty furlongs from Jeru
salem, and adjacent to the village of Gabath Saul,
or the Valley of Saul, where he arrived, and en
camped his army the same evening.
He had, beside the three legions which had
served under his father, the fifth legion, which
had been so roughly handled by the Jews in
Cestius' time, and now burned with a desire of
revenge. Besides these, Agrippa, Soemus, and
Antiochus, (the two former of whom accom
panied him in person,) and some allied cities,
had furnished him with twenty regiments of
foot, and eight of horse, besides vast multitudes
of Arabs, and a choice number of persons of dis
tinction from Italy and other places, who came
to signalize themselves under his standard.
Titus ordered the fifth legion to take the road
of Emmaus, the tenth that of Jericho, and the
other two legions followed him. It was now the
beginning of April, and near the feast of the
passover, to which there was a greater resort of
Jews than had ever been known, even from
beyond the Euphrates. Titus, having advanced
so near the city, went himself to take a view of
its fortifications, accompanied by only six hun
dred horsemen. He seemed even to flatter him
self, that, upon his first appearance, the peaceable
part of the Jews would open the gates to him ;
but, to his great surprise, the factions made so
sudden and vigorous a sally against him, that he
found himself quite surrounded with enemies in
a narrow defile, and cut off from his cavalry. He
had, therefore, now no other way left to escape
their fury, but to make a desperate push, and

542

JEWISH HISTORY.

cut his way through them ; a purpose which he
at length effected without receiving a wound, or
losing more than two of his men. After this
narrow escape, he caused his men to draw nearer
to Scopas, within seven stadia of the city, that
they might besiege it in form ; whilst the factions
within were applauding themselves for their late
advantage, which they vainly interpreted as a
good omen of their future success. His legion
which had come by way of Jericho being ar
rived, he ordered it to encamp on the mount of
Olives, which was parted from the town on the
east by the brook Cedron; and where they were
on a sudden so furiously assaulted, that they
were in danger of being cut to pieces, had not
Titus arrived for their rescue.
It was now that the three factions, seeing
themselves besieged by so powerful an army un
der so brave a general, began to think of laying
aside all private disputes, and uniting to oppose
the enemy. This union, however, proved but
short-lived ; for, on the eve of the passover,
when Eleazar had opened the avenues of his
court to admit a great concourse which came
thither to sacrifice, John found means to intro
duce some of his men with swords concealed
under their cloaks, who immediately drew their
weapons, fell upon the party of Eleazar and the
rest of the people, filled the court of the priests
with blood and dead bodies, and thus impiously
took possession ofthe place. By this cruel and
perfidious stratagem, the three factions were re
duced to two, Eleazar's men being all either cut
off, or, after their flight, returned w ith their chief,
and submitted themselves to John, who had
now no enemy but Simon within the walls.
From that time, this last leader renewed his hos
tilities against John with greater vigour. The
whole city became one field of battle, from
which they sallied forth against the enemy as
occasion required, and then returned to as ran- ,

corous hostilities against each other as before.
The Romans, in the mean time, were drawing
nearer the walls, having levelled, with great la
bour, all the surrounding space for many fur
longs, pulling down the houses and hedges
cutting down the trees, and even cleaving thc^
rocks ; a work which, however arduous, the\
accomplished in four days. We shall here in
sert a brief description of Jerusalem, as given by
Josephus. Three celebrated walls surrounded the city of
Jerusalem on every side, except on that part
which was deemed inaccessible on account ofthe
valley beneath ; and in this place there was only
one wall. This city was built on two hills, the
one situated opposite to the other, and a deep
valley laid between them, the whole of which
was likewise built on. In regard to the strength
of its situation, it originally received the name of
the Fortress, or Castle, from king David, the
father of Solomon, who erected it ; but the Up
per Market was the name by which it was dis
tinguished in more modern times.
The situation of the lower town was on the
other hill, which was called by the name of
Acra ; round about which there was a declivity
remarkably steep. Opposite to this there was
formerly another hill, not so high as the Acra,
from which it was separated by an extensive
valley ; but, during the power of the Asmonean
princes, they caused this valley to be filled up,
and, detaching a part of the hill Acra, they
united the town with the temple ; in consequence
of which it commanded and overlooked the ad
jacent parts.
Tyropaeon was the name given to the above
mentioned valley, which divided the upper from
the lower town. This valley extended even to
the fountain of Siloe. the waters of whi<5h were

JEWISH HISTORY.

543

equally distinguished by their great abundance
and the excellence of their flavour.
Without the city there were two other towns,
which were rendered almost inaccessible by the
crags and precipices which surrounded them on
every side.
The most ancient of the three walls was re
markable for its extraordinary strength, being
erected on a hanging rock, and protected by the
depth of the valley beneath it. Exclusive of the
advantages of its natural situation, it was re
peatedly strengthened at an immense expense,
and by all the arts of industry, by David, Solo
mon, and a number of other princes. Its com
mencement on one side was at the tower named
Hippocos ; and it continued to another place,
named the Galleries ; stretching away by the
Town-house to the western porch of the temple.
On the other side, reckoning from the same spot,
it extended by Bethso down to the Essene-gate ;
and thence, bending southwards by the fountain
of Siloe, at which place it turned eastward to
wards the pool of Solomon, and was from thence
continued to the east porch of the temple by way
of Ophilas.
At the gate called Genatha, which belonged to
the former wall, the second wall commenced, and
was carried on by the north side of the city to
the fort Antonia.
The beginning of the third wall being at the
tower Hippocos, it extended northward to that
named Psephinos, opposite to the sepulchre of
Helena, mother of king Izates, and queen ofthe
Adiabenians; and hence it continued by the
Royal Caves, from the tower at the corner, to
wards the place which is denominated the Ful
ler's Monument; after which it met the old wall
in the valley of Cedron. This was the extent of

the third wall, which was built by Agrippa as a
protection to that part of the city which he had
erected, which, before this wall was built, had
been totally undefended. About this period, the
city had so far increased in the number of its in
habitants, that it was unable to contain them ; in
consequence of which, a sort of suburbs were by
degrees erected ; and the buildings increased to
a very great degree on the north side of the tem
ple next the hill.
Opposite to the fort Antonia, there was a fourth
mountain ; but between this mountain and the
fort, ditches of an amazing depth had been cut,
so that it was impossible to come at the founda
tion ofthe fort so as to undermine it; and, exclu
sive of this advantage, the sinking of the ditches
apparently added to the height of the tower.
This fourth mountain received the name of Be-
zeth, or the New Town, being, in fact, nothing
more than an addition to the former buildings.
No sooner was this place well peopled, than the
inhabitants requested that it might be fortified ;
whereupon Agrippa, the father of king Agrippa,
adjusted his plan, and laid the foundation ofthe
wall about it ; but afterwards, on more mature
deliberation, he thought that Claudius Caesar
might possibly be offended at his undertaking a
work of such importance and magnificence ;
wherefore Agrippa dropped the farther prosecu
tion of his plan after he had laid the foundations:
but if he had proceeded to have completed it, the
capture of Jerusalem would have been rendered
totally impracticable
Titus now took a survey of the walls, to see
where they might be approached with the great
est probability of success. He found that neither
horse nor foot could make any penetration by
way of the valleys ; and he found that it would
be equally fruitless to attempt an attack by bat
tery on the other side, owing to the strength of

544

JEWISH HISTORY.

the wall. Wherefore, after some deliberation,
he concluded that the part of the line towards
the sepulchre of John the high-priest would be
best exposed to an attack, for the following rea
sons : — the first wall was lower in that place than
any other, and detached from the second wall ;
the fortifying of it had been also neglected, the
inhabitants of the new city not being yet suffi
ciently numerous to have attended to it; where
fore, it would not be a difficult enterprise to pass
from this place to the third wall, and thence to
the upper town ; and, through these means,
possessing themselves of Antonia, even to the
temple. While Titus was debating these things in his
mind, and Josephus was exerting all his oratory
to prevail on the Jews to solicit a peace, an ar
row was shot from a wall, which wounded Ni-
canor (an intimate friend of Titus) in the left
shoulder. This instance of the ingratitude of
these people towards their friends, who would
have advised them to peaceable measures, in
censed Titus to such a degree, that he instantly
resolved to make a formal attack on the town,
and reduce it by force. Hereupon he ordered
his soldiers to plunder the suburbs without loss
of time, and to use the rubbish and ruins of what
they should destroy for platforms and other
works. His army he separated into three divi
sions, assigning to each its proper duty. On the
mounts in the midst of the main body, he sta
tioned his archers and slingers, who were pro
vided with engines to throw stones, and other mis
sive annoyances, which answered the double pur
pose of keeping the enemy engaged on the walls,
and of repelling their attacks. No time was lost in
felling the trees, and laying the suburbs bare;
and the fortifications were made good with the
timber thus obtained. In fact, on the part of the
Romans, every hand was engaged, nor did the
Jews lose their time in idleness.

The inhabitants, who had been heretofore so
much exposed to the calamities of robbery and
murder, finding the insurgents so earnestly en
gaged in defending themselves, began to conceive
a hope that they should at length be at ease ;
flattering themselves, that if the Romans should
be successful, they would enable them to do
themselves justice, by revenging their own
quarrel. The forces under the command of John op
posed the besiegers vigorously ; while Mmself, in
fear of Simon, dreaded to quit the temple. In
the mean time, Simon, being stationed near the
temple, was constantly in action. The shot and
engines which he had heretofore taken from
Cestius, and out of the fort Antonia, he placed
along the wall : but his troops being unskilled in
the use and management of these engines, made
very little advantage of them: and this little
arose from the knowledge they occasionally ac
quired from deserters.
However, the Jews used their engines to assail
the enemy from the ramparts with arrows and
stones, and occasionally they sallied forth, and
fought hand and hand with the Romans, who,
on the contrary, defended their agents by ja-
bions and hurdles.
Each of the Roman legions was provided
with extraordinary machines for repelling an at
tack of the enemy, particularly the tenth legion,
which could tiirow larger stones, and fartherfthan
any other.
Each stone weighed a talent, and not
only did execution on the spot, but even to
the very top of the ramparts. They would
destroy at a furlong's distance, and a whole
file fell- down before them wherever they
came. The Jews had three opportunities

JEWISH HISTORY.

545

of being informed of the approach of these
stones; the first by their colour, which, being
white, they were seen at a distance; the second
by the noise they made in passing through the
air; and the third by an intimation that was
constantly given by persons that were ap
pointed to watch them: for a number of people
being stationed on the towers to observe when
the engines were played, whenever they ob
served this operation, they constantly cried
out, "A stone is coming;" by which every
man had an opportunity of retreating, and se
curing himself from the impending danger.
This becoming known to the Romans, they co
loured the stones, so that they might not be
seen in their passage ; and, by this device, a
number of Jews were frequently killed at a
stroke. All this, however, did not deter the
Jews from making an opposition to the Ro
mans in the erecting of their fortifications; for
they still endeavoured equally, by the exertions
of courage and policy, to do every thing within
their power to retard their proceedings.
The works of the Romans were no sooner
completed, than they took the distance between
the mount and wall by a line and plummet; for
this could not be effected in any other manner,
owing to the shot and darts which were thrown
down iii .abundance. When the place was
found to be properly adapted for the battering
rams, Titus directed that they might play with
the greater convenience. In obedience to these
orders, three batteries began to play at the
Same time on three different parts of the wall.
The noise occasioned by these engines was
heard in all parts of the city, and appeared not
to be less dreaded even by the faction than it
was by the citizens. At length the insurgents,
though divided among themselves, finding that
their danger was general, thought it might not
Nos. 45 & 46.

be improper to unite in the defence of each
other. Their argument was, that while thus
disputing among themselves, they were only
advancing the interest of the enemy; and that
if they could not agree for a continuance, it
would at least be proper for the present to
make a joint opposition to the Romans. Here
upon Simon despatched a herald to inform
those who had enclosed themselves within the
temple, that as many as were disposed to quit
it, and approach to the wall, had full permis
sion so to do. The purport of this embassy
did not strike John as a circumstance that
could be relied on; but he permitted his people
to act as their own inclinations might direct
them. Hereupon, the different factions united, and,
forgetting their old animosities, marched im
mediately in a body to the walls, where they
had no sooner taken their stations, than they
co-operated with their fires and other torches
on the Roman engines, plying their darts and
other weapons, without intermission, on those
who had the conducting of them. During the
violence of this determined rage:, great num. !
bers of the Jews adventurously desCended
from the walls on the engines, the covers of
which they tore off, and attacked the guards
who were appointed to their defence.
At this juncture, Titus, who was never '
deficient in aiding his friends at a time of
necessity, appointed a party of horse and
archers to guard the machines, and find em
ployment for the Jews on the walls, while
the engineers should carry on their opera
tions. This attack, however, had, for the
present, very little effect: indeed the bat
tering ram of the fifth legion shook the corner
of a tower, which being placed higher than the
4P,

546

JEWISH HISTORY.

wall, the tower fell to the ground without bring
ing any of the wall with it.
Some time having passed since the Jews had
made any sally, the Romans thought they were
either tired or disheartened, and thereupon wan
dered about carelessly as in a state of security.
This inattention on the part of the Romans being
noticed by the Jews who were in the town, they
rushed violently from a sally-port, belonging to
the tower Hippocos, set fire to the Roman works,
and, during the heat of the action, drove the Ro
mans back to their own camp. An alarm being
immediately spread through the whole army, the
Romans assembled from all parts to the assistance
of their associates ; so that the courage of the
Jews was unequally matched with the admirable
discipline of the Romans. The former, indeed,
were for a while vigorous, making an attack on
every combined company they found : but the
greatest struggle was near the engines, one party
seeking to burn, and the other to preserve them.
The outcries of the contending parties rent the
air, and many a gallant man fell a sacrifice in
the encounter. The Jews behaved with the
most determined courage and intrepidity.

By this time the fire had taken hold of the ma
chines ; and there is not a doubt but that they
would all have been destroyed, with all those
who attended them, but for the critical arrival of
a select party of Alexandrian troops, whose be
haviour on the occasion cannot be sufficiently
applauded, since it contributed in a great degree
to the honour of the day. The proceedings of
the Jews were impeded by these troops, till the
arrival of Titus with a body of cavalry. He
killed twelve men with his own hands, and drove
the remainder of the party into the city ; and by
this enterprise the engines were saved from de
struction.

Nothing had hitherto be found so effectual for
the harassing of the Jews as the turrets which the
Romans had erected. On these they placed ar
chers and slingers, and planted various sorts of
machines; while the Jews could neither carry
their platforms to a level with these towers, nor
pull them down, by reason of their solid con
struction, nor burn them, because they were
plated with iron. All, therefore, that remained
in the power ofthe Jews, was to keep at such a
distance as not to be wounded by the darts, ar
rows, and stones of the Romans; for it was fruit
less for them to think of opposing the force of the
battering-rams, which by degrees effected the
purpose for which they were designed. The
Romans were possessed of one ram dreadful in
its execution, which the Jews distinguished by
the name of " Nicon," or " the Conqueror," the
first breach having been made thereby.
The Jews had now been at hard duty during
the whole night, and were extremely fatigued by
fighting and watching. Thus dispirited, they
came to too hasty a determination to abandon
the first wall, as they yet had two others to de
pend on for their security. Having formed this
resolution, they immediately retreated to the se
cond wall ; on which some of the Romans as
cended the breach which had been made by the
battering-ram above mentioned, and opened the
gates to the whole army. The Romans became
masters of the first wall on the seventh day of the
month Artemisius, and destroyed a great part of
this wall, and also of the northern quarter of the
city, which very quarter had heretofore been
ravaged by Cestius.
This being done, Titus withdrew to a place
known by the name of the Assyrian's camp, pos
sessing himself of all between that and the valley
of Cedron, the distance of which, from the se
cond wall, is somewhat more than a bow-shot.

JEWISH HISTORY.

547

From this place, he came to a resolution of be
ginning his attack, and immediately commenced
his operations. The Jews took their stations in
a regular order on the wall, where they made a
formidable opposition. John and his associates
commanded the troops in the fortress Antonia,
and from the sepulchre of Alexander on the north
of the temple. From the monument of John,
the high-priest, to the gate by which water is
conveyed to the tower Hippocos, Simon and his
people held the command.
A number of resolute sallies were made by the
Jews, in which they came to close quarters with
the Romans ; but the military knowledge of the
latter was more than a counterpoise to the des
peration of the Jews, who were repulsed with
considerable loss: yet on the walls the Jews had
the advantage. Skill and good fortune equally
favoured the Romans ; while the Jews, from a
native hardness, and an animation arising from
despair, seemed insensible to danger or fatigue.
It should be observed, that the Romans were
now fighting for glory, and the Jews for life and
security, each party equally disdaining to yield.
They were continually employing themselves
either in violent assaults or desperate sallies, and
combats of every kind. Their labours com
menced with the day, and they were separated
only by the darkness of the night; and even
during the night, both parties were kept watch
ing to protect their walls, and the other their
camp. They continued all night under arms,
and were ready for battle by break of day. Qn
this occasion, the Jews despised danger and
death, so much that they seemed emulous who
should brave them most undauntedly, as the best
recommendation to their superiors. They en
tertained so great a fear of, and veneration for,
Simon, that they would have sacrificed their
lives at his feet, on the slightest intimation that
such a sacrifice would be agreeable to him.

The tower on the north side of the city was
the object against which the battering-ram was
now directed. They who defended this tower
were assailed by Titus with such repeated flights
of arrows, that every man of them abandoned
his post, except a crafty Jew, of the name of
Castor, and ten of his associates, who concealed
themselves behind the battlements. These having
remained quiet for a considerable time, at length
felt a shock, by the force of which the tower ap
peared to be shaking to its foundations. On this
alarm, they quitted their present station ; when
Castor, assuming the language, manner, and
behaviour of a supplicant, entreated that Titus
would pardon all that was past, and grant him
quarter. Titus, willing to believe that the Jews were
now tired of the war, directed that his archers
should cease their operations, and that the bat
tery should play no longer; at the same time in
forming Castor, that if he had any proposals to
make, he was willing to attend to what he had
to say. To this Castor said, that it was his ut
most ambition to commence a treaty; and Titus <
replied, "I grant it vrith all my heart; and if all
your companions coincide with you in sentiment,
I am freely disposed to extend my pardon to
you." This offer being made, five out ofthe ten who
associated with Castor pretended to join with
him in opinion, while the other five exclaimed,
that they would never submit to live slaves,
while it was in their power to die freemen. A
stop was put to all hostilities while this dispute
was in agitation. In the mean time, Castor
sent privately to Simon, desiring that he would
make the best advantage of the present oppor
tunity, and submit to his management the best
method of amusing the Roman general, under
pretence of recommending terms of peace to his
4 P*

548

JEWISH HISTORY.

associates. In a word, Castor acted his part
with so much artifice, that swords were drawn,
mutual blows passed, and men appeared to be
killed ; but the whole device was founded in
falsehood and dissimulation.
Titus and his people were astonished at the
stubborn obstinacy and persevering resolution of
the Jews ; and, at the same time, entertained a
generous compassion for their distress : but
having the disadvantage of the ground, they
could not be proper judges of what was done
above them. At this juncture, Castor received
a wound in his nose from an arrow ; but imme
diately drawing it outr he showed it to Titus,
seeming thereby to demand justice. Titus was
so highly enraged at this injury, that he turned
to Josephus, who stood near him, desiring that
he would go immediately, in his name, to Cas
tor, and give him all possible assurances of
friendship and fair treatment.
Josephus, however, not only desired to be ex
cused from executing this commission, but like-
Vwise dissuaded his friends who would have
undertaken it, assuring them, that this apparent
submission was founded in the deepest treachery.
However, notwithstanding what was said,
JEneas, one who deserted to the Romans, seemed
willing to undertake this expedition, to which
he was the rather encouraged, by Castor's di
recting him to bring somethmg in which to put
a sum of money that he intended to compliment
him with. Thus encouraged by the hope of
advantage, ./Eneas advanced to accept the pre
sent; when Castor let fall a large stone from the
wall, and iEneas narrowly escaped being crushed
by it, while it wounded the man who stood next
to Mm.
From this circumstance, Titus was aware of

the ill consequences that might arise from bene
volence ill-timed ; and was convinced that de
termined rigour ought to be opposed to plausible
pretences and fair promises. He thereupon be
gan to ply his batteries with greater violence
than heretofore, in order to revenge himself for
the contumacious affront that had been offered
him by Castor and his associates.
When the batteries had played some time,
Castor and his people found that the tower shook
under them, and appeared to be on the point of
falling ; on which they set it on fire, and, run
ning through the flames, escaped into a vault.
The Romans imagined that by this action they
had devoted themselves to certain destruction,
and were generous enough to extol their cou
rage and magnanimity to the skies.
Titus took possession of this part of the wall
at the end of five days from the time that he had
become master of the first. As the passage to
the second wall was now opened, he had made
the Jews fly before him ; and having selected a
hundred of his best troops, he entered the city at
that quarter inhabited by the salesmen, clothiers,
and brasiers, and passed up the narrow cross
streets to the wall. Titus, however, either from
negligence or compassion, omitted to break down
the wall, and thus, as we shall soon hear, lost the
advantage of his victory.
No sooner had Titus entered the town, than
he issued out his orders that not a single house
should be burnt, nor even one prisoner put to
the sword. He was so indulgent likewise even
to those of the faction, that he offered to permit
them to end their own disputes among them
selves, on the single condition that they should
not oppress the inhabitants. To these last, like
wise, he promised that he would support them
in all their legal possessions, and that what

JEWISH HISTORY, x

549

had been taken from them by violence should
be restored.
These terms were highly agreeable to the
majority of the people, of whom some wished
that the city might be spared for their own sakes,
and others, that the temple might be spared for
the sake of the city. However, the abandoned
part ofthe faction ascribed all the generous bene--.
volence and humanity of Titus to fear; and they
argued in this manner, that Titus would never
have offered such favourable terms, if he had not
himself despaired of accomplishing the work he
had undertaken ; and the faction now tMeatened
instant death to any person who should propose
a peace, or a treaty of reconciliation.
No sooner had the Romans entered the city,
than the Jews did all m their power to obstruct
their proceedings. They blocked up the narrow
passages, shot at them from the houses, making
frequent sallies from the walls; often compelled
the guards to abandon the towers, and seek re
fuge in the camp. The soldiers within the city
were in the utmost confusion ; and those without
were agitated in the highest degree, on account
of the apprehended fate of their companions. Se
veral smart encounters ensued between the op
posing parties; but the Jews being more nume
rous than the Romans, and likewise better
acquainted with byways and secret places, they
obtained repeated advantages. The breaches
being likewise too narrow for any number to
march out abreast, the Romans would have been
pressed to such a degree, that scarcely a man of
them would have escaped, if Titus had not ar
rived in tMs critical conjuncture ; and that gallant
officer placed a band of archers at the end of
every street, was Mmself present in every place
of the greatest danger, and bemg seconded by
Domitius Sabinus, (a gallant man, who performed
singular feats of courage on the occasion), the

Jews were so annoyed by darts and lances, that
the Romans had an opportunity of bringing off
their men. Thus were the Romans driven from
the second wall after they had gained possession
of it.
TMs piece of success gave such spirits to the
most determined of the inhabitants, that they
flattered themselves that the Romans would not
again venture to attack them ; or that if they did,
it would be totally impossible to subdue them :
whereas, if these desperate men had not laboured
under an actual infatuation, they must have re
flected, that the Romans, over whom they had at
present obtained an advantage, were not to be
compared with the immense numbers that were
yet to be encountered. But, exclusive of this
consideration, a severe famine now raged in the
city, the effects of which were daily felt in a
more sensible manner.
Hitherto, the ruin of the public had been the
support of the insurgents, and they had almost
literally drank of the blood of the. citizens. In
fact, the most worthy of the inhabitants were re
duced to great distress, and many of them fell a
sacrifice to absolute famine. The faction, how
ever, rather pleased themselves in the loss of
these people ; those only who wished to continue
the war with the Romans being objects of their
regard. The rest they considered only as useless
in themselves, and burdensome to the public.
The Romans having once gotten possession of
the wall, and then lost it, they made another at
tempt to recover it. They made repeated, and
almost constant assaults, for the space of three
successive days, during which period they were
repulsed with as much valour as they showed
in the attack. But Titus made so furious a
charge on the fourth day, that his opponents
were no lo ger able to resist his force ; where-

550

JEWISH HISTORY.

upon he took possession of the wall, the northern
part of which he destroyed, and in all the towers
to the southward he placed garrisons without
loss of tithe.
The storming of the third wall was now an
object that engaged the attention of Titus ; but
as he did not deem it a work that would be at
tended with much difficulty, he first considered
how, by more lenient methods, he might bring
the people to consider their true interest ; hoping
that they might be induced to listen to him,
through the dread of his power and the fear of
famine ; for, by this time, their plunder and pro
vision were nearly consumed ; while, on the con
trary, the forces under Titus were supplied with
every thing they could desire for their ease and
accommodation. This being the case, Titus issued orders, that,
on the day of a general muster, his troops should
be drawn up, and paid within view of the enemy.
On this occasion, the infantry advanced with
drawn swords, and the led horses were adorned
in so splendid a manner, that gold and silver
seemed to prevail over all the field. This sight
was equally agreeable to the Romans, as dis
gusting to the Jews, who had assembled in im
mense numbers on the old wall on the north side
of the city. The houses were likewise crowded,
and every part of the city was filled with people,
gazing at this splendid spectacle. In fact, the
courage of the bravest among the Jews was re
pressed by the appearance ; and, in all probabi
lity, they would have now submitted to the Ro
mans, had it not been for a consciousness that
they had offered provocation of such a nature as
not to be readily pardoned ; and that if they
abandoned the point in dispute, they must be
devoted to certain destruction : wherefore, rather
than submit to be sacrificed at present, they chose
rather to fall in the bed of honour by the chance

of war. But, in fact, Providence had so deter
mined, that the faction was to prove the ruin of
the city, and the innocent were to be involved in
the consequences of the crimes of the guilty.
After four days spent without any act of hos
tility, in procuring provisions for the camp, Titus,
on the fifth day, separated his army in two divi
sions; and, finding that the Jews were not in the
least disposed to peace, he caused w orks to be
thrown up against the forts of Antonia, near the
monument of John, in the hope that from that
quarter he might get possession of the upper
town, and then from Antonia become possessed
of the temple ; for it was impossible to keep pos
session of the city unless the fort w as taken. He
made separate attacks against each of these two
places ; and at every rising ground he placed a
legion of soldiers to defend and protect the engi
neers. Those who carried on their works near
the monument were violently assaulted by the
Jews, and the people under the command of Si
mon ; while those who besieged the fort Antonia
were still more vigorously opposed by the party
of John, and the zealots in his direction ; for these
had the advantage ofthe higher ground, and were
also supplied with machines, of the use of which
they were now perfectly acquainted, in conse
quence of daily practice. The zealots had like
wise possession of forty slings for stones, and
three hundred cross-bows, by which the Romans
were much annoyed, and a check was given to
their proceedings.
Though Titus had" hitherto entertained no
doubt but that he should make a complete con
quest of the city, yet, while on the one hand, he
continued to urge the siege, he, on the contrary,
joined to the power of force every effort of per
suasion and advice, in order to induce the Jews
to a compliance with the terms of reason. Re
flecting that an appeal to the passions had some-

JEWISH HISTORY.

551

times a better effect than that to the law of arms,
he, in the first place, personally addressed the
Jews, requesting that they would have so much
regard to their interest as to surrender a place of
which he couhl make himself master at any time.
This done, he committed tiie rest to Josephus ;
thinking that when they were addressed by their
own countryman, and in a language familiar to
them, success would probably be the consequence
of the humanity which inspired him to under
take so benevolent an office.
Agreeable to the directions given by Titus,
Josephus first walked through several parts of
the city, and then stopping on an elevated spot
within the hearing of the enemy, though not
within reach of their shot, he made a long and
eloquent speech, in which he urged every argu
ment he could think of in order to induce them
to surrender.
Josephus wept abundantly at the recital of his
own speech ; but it appeared to make no impres
sion on the opposing faction, who did not think
that they could, with safety, agree to the terms
offered by the Romans, even if they had been
disposed so to have done. But of the common
people, many were so impressed with that most
effectual means of consulting their safety by flight ;
and, for this purpose, they sold all their most va
luable effects, though at prices greatly inferior to
their real worth, and swallowed the gold they
received as the purchase money, lest they should
be stripped of it in their journey. Thus pro
vided, they repaired to the Romans, where they
were supplied with what they wanted. In the
interim, Titus permitted the deserters to enjoy
their full liberty, which was an encouragement to
others to desert, as they avoided the misfortunes
of those in the city, without being subjected to
the enemy. However, Simon and John, and
their adherents, placed guards at all the outlets',

and were not less assiduous to keep the citizens
from departing, than the Romans from making
an entrance. The least cause of suspicion was
sufficient to deprive a man of his life ; or even a
pretence on which to found a suspicion had the
same effect. Persons in affluent circumstances
were certain to be sufferers. Those who had
any thing to lose were assuredly suspected ; and
that suspicion ended in their final destruction.

The factions now became more tumultuous,
and the famine daily increased. When corn was
no longer offered to sale, they broke open houses
in search of it ; and if none was discovered, the
owners were tortured to make them declare
where their stores were deposited ; and if it was
discovered, they were severely punished for con
cealing it. The very appearance of the wretched
was constructed into the effect of guilt. If they
seemed to be in health, it was inferred that they
had a secret supply of provisions. Those who
were in a low habit of body, were immediately
killed, though it appeared to be a work of su
pererogation to destroy those who were already
perishing for want of the common necessaries of
life. At length, such was the distress, that people
in tolerable circumstances disposed of their whole
effects for a bushel of wheat, and the poorer people
for an equal quantity of barley. The purchases
being made, they secluded themselves from all
observation, when some of them began to eat the
corn before it was ground, while others waited
till it was baked, according to the different de-
.grees of their hunger. The ceremony of setting
out a table was totally dispensed with, and happy
was he who could snatch a morsel of meat, half
raw, half roasted, from the fire. The calamity
above mentioned afforded a sight truly melan
choly. The most powerful fared the best, while
the weaker had only to lament their misfor
tunes.

552

JEWISH HISTORY.

Starving is certainly the most deplorable kind
of death, as it deprives people of the common
emotions of humanity. The wife seized the
meat from the mouth of the husband ; the child
from that of the parent; and even the mother
from that of the infant which lay perishing in her
arms ; thus depriving it of sustenance in the mo
ment of the utmost necessity: yet these horrid
robberies, were not so privately committed, but
that others robbed them of what they had pilfered
from their friends.
Whenever the inhabitants saw a house shut
up, they concluded that the people in it had
sometMng to eat : wherefore breaking it open,
they seized the meat even from the mouths of
the persons who were swallowing it. Neither
age nor sex was spared : the old men, who en
deavoured to defend the provision they possessed,
were violently beaten ; while the women, who
sought to conceal any thing, were dragged by
their hair. Even children at the breast escaped
not the general fury ; so that the same treatment
attended infancy and old age.
Among the free-booters who were continually
in search of prey, nothing was deemed a more
atrocious offence than for the unhappy man who
was pursued to outrun him that followed, and
eat his bread before he was robbed of it. No
kind of cruelty was omitted in the search for
food : persons were tormented in the most ex
quisite manner, and in those parts the most sen
sible of pain. Sharp sticks were thrust up their
bodies; and they were otherwise so severely
treated, that the recital would give horror; and
all this, perhaps, in order to discover a handful
of flour, or a loaf of bread, which had been con
cealed. These crimes, however, had been greatly
aggravated by the consideration, that those who
executed the tyranny, had not the plea of una
voidable necessity to urge in their behalf. In

fact, it was the mere effect of barbarity, when
they were provided with six days provision in
advance. Some unhappy creatures, who had evaded
the vigilance of the guards, and slipped out of
the town by night, in order to gather sallad and
herbs, were unfortunate enough to fall into their
hands at a time when they thought themselves
least in danger; and having been stripped of all
they had procured at the hazard of their lives,
were happy to receive a small part of their own
property, in consequence of their earnest prayers
and entreaties.
Such was the treatment that the common
people received from soldiers ; but persons of a
superior degree were carried before the usurpers,
who directed that some of them should be put to
death on a charge of treason, false witnesses
being continually produced to swear that they
had an intention of betraying the city to the Ro
mans : and one of the constant charges against
them was, that they were disposed to have com
bined with the enemy. Those who had been
plundered by Simon were carried to John, and
the prisoners brought to John were transmitted
to Simon, as if they had mutually agreed to
triumph in the distresses of their fellow creatures.
In a word, though Simon and John contested
for the superiority, they appeared to entertain
similar sentiments with respect to the practice
and the arts of tyranny. They were partners
in robbery ; and he was accounted the greatest
villain who cheated his accomplice of that part
of the booty which each deemed to be equally
his property.
Titus plied his operations with incessant as
siduity, in the course of which he lost many
men by shots from the walls. The Jews had a

JEWISH HISTORY.

553-

practice of quitting the city during the night in
search of the necessaries of life ; and, in these ex
cursions, they were often attended by soldiers,
who could not obtain within the city sufficient
to satisfy the demands of nature. The people
who thus went out were chiefly very poor ; but
they were afraid to desert absolutely, lest their
wives and children, whom they left behind,
should be murdered; nor did they dare to take
their families with them, from the apprehension
of discovery.
These circumstances being well known to
Titus, he sent a party of his cavalry to wait for
the Jews in the valleys; and these latter, being
reduced to despair through hunger, fell into the
snare laid by the enemy. When they found their
unfortunate situation, they were compelled to
fight, in the dread of a punishment even worse
than death in battle ; and, in fact, it was now too
late for them to think of demanding quarter.
In a word, the Jews were subdued ; and having
first been put to a variety of tortures, were cru
cified in sight of their brethren who were be
sieged. The exertion of this. rigour was disa
greeable to Titus ; but he could not spare men
enough from their military duty to attend them
as prisoners, nor did he think it prudent to give
liberty to such a number. Exclusive of these
considerations, he hoped that the terrible ex
ample might tend to influence those within the
city to avoid a similar fate. The unhappy per
sons above mentioned were all crucified, but in a
variety of forms, expressive of the hatred, con
tempt, or rage ofthe enemy; but the number of
miserable wretches was so great, that crosses
were wanted, and even room for executing them.
Yet this horrid spectacle was so far from having
its proper influence on the faction, that it wrought
an effect directly contrary to what was intended ;
for the friends and relations of the fugitives, and
all those who seemed inclined to listen to terms
Nos. 47 & 48.

of accommodation, were compelled to come
down to the walls, and observe what was to be
expected by those who deserted to the Romans ;
and, on this occasion, it was insisted that the
sufferers were not prisoners of war, but deserters
who had made their submission, and implored
mercy. By this contrivance many were prevented
from going off till the fact came to be known,
though there were numbers who escaped to the
enemy, in the mere dread of being starved, which
they considered a more deplorable death than
that of crucifixion.
Hereupon Titus gave orders that several of
the prisoners should have their hands cut off, and
in this condition he sent them to John and Si
mon, so that it was not possible they should be
mistaken for deserters : and by these people he
sent his advice, that an end might be put to the
war, before he should be absolutely compelled to
destroy the city;u intimating that the Jews, on a
proper submission, had yet an opportunity of
preserving their lives, their country, and their
temple. In the mean time, however, Titus did
not neglect to forward his works, encouraging
those who laboured on them to be indefatigable,
having determined that his preparations should
be followed by convincing proofs, that what was
not to be effected by the laws of reason should
yield to those of force.
The Romans began their platforms on the
twelfth day of the month Artemisius; and after
seventeen days of incessant labour, completed
them on the twenty-ninth. There were four of
these platforms, and they were works of a very
capital nature. One of them, which was near
the fortress of Antonia, was constructed by the
fifth legion opposite the middle ofthe Struthian
Pool : the twelfth legion threw up another at the
distance of twenty cubits, from the former. Op
posite to the pool named Amygdalon, another
4Q

554

JEWISH HISTORY.

work was thrown by the tenth legion, which was
more numerous than the other legions ; and a
fourth mount was erected by the fifteenth legion,
at a small distance from the monument erected
to the memory of John the high-priest.
As soon as the works above mentioned were
completed, John gave directions for digging a
mine under that facing Antonia, and that a num
ber of props should support tiie earth from falling.
This being done, the woodwork was covered
with a bituminous inflammable matter; after
which, John ordered that the pillars should be
fired; and the props being destroyed, the whole
fortification fell to the ground with a hideous
crash. At first, no fire appeared, only dust and
smoke, till at length the flames burst forth to
view. The Romans were astonished at the
sight, and perfectly distracted to think that their
views were thus defraud on the moment that
they thought themselves certain of success. As
their ramparts were destroyed, they conceived it
would be fruitless to attempt to quench the fire.
Two days after this circumstance, Simon and
his associates made an attempt on the other two
mounts, where the Romans had by this time
planted their battering-rams, and began their
operations. Jephthaeus, a Galilean of the city of
Gasis; Megassarus, a domestic of queen Mari
amne ; and Agiras, (otherwise the lame,) the son
of Nabataeus of Adiabcne, greatly distinguished
themselves on this occasion. They ran with
torches in their hands, and, forcing their way
through the troops of the enemy with as much
unconcern as if there had been no opposition,
they set fire to the works; and though they were
opposed by darts and arrows, they resolutely
"persevered in their intention, till the whole
erection was in a flame. These three men
were esteemed among the bravest that took
•part in the war.

When theiiames began to ascend, the Romans
sent a body of troops to the relief of their brother
soldiers ; but, in the mean time, the Jews vio
lently assailed them with shot from the walls;
and, in total disregard of their own safety, made
a vigorous attack on those who were endeavour
ing to stop the progress of the fire. The Ro
mans used every effort in their power to save the
battering-rams, the covers of which were by this
time consumed ; while the Jews advanced even
into the flames to prevent them ; nor would they
let go their hold, though the iron work was then
of a burning heat. There was now no possibility
of preventing the fire passing to the ramparts;
and when the Romans found that they were en
compassed with flames, and that- no hope re
mained of saving their works from destruction,
they retreated to their camp.
Such numbers from without the city now
came in as reinforcements to the Jews, that this
additional aid gave them such fresh spirits and
courage, that, flushed with the hope of conquest,
they advanced even to the camp, and made an
attack on the guards. The office of the Roman
guards, according to the strictness of their dis
cipline, was to perform their duty alternately re
lieving each other; and the man who quitted Ms
station, under any pretence whatever, was cer
tain of suffering death without mercy. Thus as
sured, from the very nature of their station, that
they must suffer the infamous death of deserters,
if they did not fall like men of honour, they made
so resolute an opposition, that some of those who
had fled thought themselves under a necessity of
returning; when they made such resistance, by
means of their engines, that the excursions of the
Jews from the city were stopped. These Jews
had sallied forth with the utmost fury, unpro
vided even with weapons for their defence, at
tacking all they met with without distinction,
rashly rusMng among their enemies, and throw-

JEWISH HISTORY.

555

ing themselves on the points of their pikes. In a
word, the advantages of the Jews at any time
gained over the Romans, were less acquired by
real courage than rash precipitancy : while the
Romans, little afraid of any essential injury the
Jews could do them, often yielded to the violent
impetuosity of their opponents.
When Titus returned from Antonia, where he
had been to fix on a proper spot for carrying on
the siege, he severely reprimanded his troops for
permitting themselves to be attacked in their own
works, when they had possessed themselves of
those of the enemy, and yielding to be besieged
by those who could be considered as no other
than prisoners. After this, Titus made a selec
tion of some of his best troops, and, surrounding
the Jews, charged them in the flank; while they,
on the other hand, sustained the charge with as
tonishing resolution. When the parties met,
there was such a horrid noise, and the dust flew
in such clouds, that it was impossible to see or
hear any thing dictinctly, nor could friends be
distinguished from foes. This obstinate resist
ance of the Jews arose more from despair than
from any great idea they had of their own power.
On the contrary, the Romans were so enraged,
partly from a sense of military honour, and
partly from a concern for the safety of their ge
neral, who was in imminent danger, that if the
Jews had not retreated to the city in the very
moment that they did, every one of them would
have been utterly destroyed. Still, however, the
Romans were hurt at the reflection of having
lost their bulwarks, and that what they had been
so long in erecting should be demolished almost
in an hour. In consequence of this disappoint
ment, the Romans began to despair of accom
plishing their design.
During this situation of affairs, Titus issued or
ders that his principal officers should be sum

moned to a council, to advise with him how to
act in the emergency. Some of the most violent
among them recommended an immediate attack
with the whole army, and coming to a general
battle, alleging that nothing had yet been done
but by way of a skirmish ; but if once a vigorous
assault was made, the darts and arrows alone
would insure victory over the Jews. Those of
more reflection gave their voices for the re-
erection of the ramparts ; while a third party
were totally against having any fortifications,
but advised that care might be taken that no
provisions should be carried into the city; trust
ing that famine would effectually do the business,
and that victory might be obtained without a
blow being struck ; alleging that persons driven
to despair would hold their resolution even to
death. Though Titus did not think it perfectly ho
nourable to lie inactive at the head of so large
an army, yet he was not disposed to attack a
people who sought their own destruction with
such determined resolution. The want of ma
terials rendered it impracticable that he should
erect new ramparts; and with regard to the pre
venting provisions being carried into the city, he
thought it would be equally impossible, on ac
count ofthe extent ofthe place and the number
of avenues. He considered, that if the common
roads were to be all blocked up, yet the Jews,
who were acquainted with all the secret passes in
the neighbourhood, would, when driven to abso
lute necessity, find out some secret places of con
veyance. He reflected, that if the Jews should,
by stealth, convey any relief into the city, it
would tend only to protract the siege, and the
delay thereby occasioned would lessen the ho
nour of the victory.
Titus directed his officers immediately to begin
the erection of the wall, and let the whole army
4Q*

556

JEWISH HISTORY.

take a share in the business, assigning to each
party its proper station. These orders were no
sooner issued, than every soldier was animated
with a wish to exceed his fellows in this work.
The ground was measured out, the legions were
divided, and every man was emulous who should
most effectually distinguish himself. The com
mon soldiers copied the example of the Serjeants,
the Serjeants that of the captains, the captains
that of the tribunes, and the tribunes that of
their superior officers ; the whole being under
the direction of Titus, whose zeal for the des
patch of this business was such, that he was
continually taking his rounds to superintend the
whole proceeding.
This wall commenced at a place named The
Camp of the Assyrians, where Titus himself held
his head-quarters. Hence it was continued to
the Lower Ccenopolis, carried forward by the
way of Cedron to Mount Olivet, which was en
closed to the south as far as the rock Peristereon,
and this enclosure comprehended an adjacent
hill which commands the Vale of Siloah. From
this place, it inclined somewhat to the west, and
was carried on to the Valley of the Fountain.
Its next direction was to the sepulchre of Ana
nus, the high-priest : after this, it enclosed the
mountain on which Pompey had heretofore en
camped. It then turned to the north, and was
extended to a village named Frebinthonicus. It
included the sepulchre of Herod on the east side;
and soon afterwards was joined to that part of
the wall where the building originally com
menced. Nine and thirty furlongs was the whole extent
of this wall, and thirteen forts were erected on
the outside of it, ten furlongs being the compass
of each fort. It is somewhat extraordinary, but
no less so than true, that this amazing work was
completed in three days, though an equal number

of months might have been supposed a reason
able time for it. As soon as it was finished, gar
risons were placed in all the forts, who did duty
under arms eyery night. On each night, like
wise, Titus went the first round in person; Ti
berius Alexander, the second ; and the officers
who commanded the legions, the third. Some
persons were constantly on guard in the forts
during the whole night: but some ofthe soldiers
were allowed to rest alternately with others who
were appointed to watch.
The above mentioned enclosure of the Jews
within the town reduced them to the last degree
of despair; for by this time the famine had in
creased to such a height, that whole families fell
a sacrifice to its rage. The dead bodies of wo
men and children were seen in every house : the
old men were found dead in all the narrow lanes
of the city : while the younger men, who were
yet able to walk, appeared like ghosts parading
the streets. It became impossible to commit the
bodies ofthe dead to the ground. Many of the
living were unable to perform this charitable
office ; while others were unwilling to take it,
partly discouraged by the numbers of the de
ceased, and partly by the reflection that them
selves could not survive any considerable time.
Numbers of them expired even while they were
burying their fellow-citizens ; and some, prompted
by despair, sought their own graves, and interred
themselves, that they might be certain of a place
of repose. Yet miserably distressful as the pre
sent situation of these wretches was, not a single
complaint or lamentation was heard; for the
pangs of excessive hunger absorbed every other
passion. They who last expired beheld those who
had gone before them with unweeping eyes, and
looks marked with the near approach of death.
The most profound silence reigned through
every part of the city; and, during the course of
the night, heaps of dead bodies were frequently

JEWISH HISTORY.

557

piled on each other. Yet a more melancholy
part of the story (if more melancholy can be)
still remains untold. This arose from the bru
tal insolence of a number of abandoned thieves,
who broke into the houses, that at this time ap
peared like charnel-houses, and having stripped
the bodies of the dead, they derided their situa
tion : exclusive of which, they ran their swords
mto the bodies of persons who lay half expiring.
When any despairing wretch called for some
friendly hand to despatch him by a sword, that
he might no longer endure the miseries of famine,
this earnest request was constantly refused with
the most unfeeling barbarity. When any of the
unfortunate reached the moment of death, they
turned their faces to the temple, and thus closed
their eyes; lamenting, at the same time, that the
vile incendiaries who had profaned the holy
place should yet be left among the living. When
the offensive smells, arising from the corruption
of the dead bodies, became insupportable, an or
der was given that all of them should be buried
at the public expense. The abandoned incen
diaries threw them from the walls into the val
leys; a sight that occasioned so much horror to
Titus, that while he was going his rounds, and
found the ditches infected with dead bodies, and
pestilential vapours arising from them, he ex
tended Ms hands towards heaven, and made a
solemn appeal to God that these misfortunes
arose not from any orders that he had given.
The insurgents were now so pent up within
die walls, that they found it impossible for any of
them to quit the place. In the mean time, they
endured all the pangs of famine aggravated by
the tortures of despair; while, on the contrary,
the Romans lived at their ease, and passed their
time very agreeably, being amply supplied with
the necessaries of life from Syria and the adja
cent provinces. Encouraged by their better for
tune, many of the Romans advanced to the walls,

and made an ostentatious display of their provi
sions, w ith a view to reflect on the necessities of
those who were in circumstances of distress. All
this appeared to have no effect on the unfeeling
minds of the seditious' multitude: whereupon
Titus, in mere compassion to the residue of an
unhappy people, determined immediately on the
erection of new works, and resolved that no time
should be lost in their completion. One consi
derable difficulty indeed now occurred, which
was the providing the proper materials for car- '
rying these works into execution ; for all the wood
in the neighbourhood of the city had been cut
down for the erection of the former works:
wherefore, they were under a necessity of fetch
ing all the timber for this second supply from a
place of ninety furlongs ; and herewith four ram
parts of greater magnitude than the former were
erected at the fortress Antonia. Titus carried on
this business with great assiduity, and the be
sieged being now at his mercy, he plainly hinted
to them that he knew their situation. Still, how
ever, they showed no concern for what had hap
pened : they seemed to have no regard for them
selves or each other. Those who were decaying
with sickness they confined in prisons, and tore
the dead in pieces as dogs would have done.
The ungrateful return which Matthias received
from Simon, for procuring him to be admitted
into the city, was, that he first caused him to be
tortured, and then put to death. The story of
the event is as follows : Matthias was the son of
a priest, named Boethus, whom the people held
in as high esteem as any man of his function.
The zealots having treated the Jews with very
unwarrantable severity,, and John having joined
the former, Matthias recommended that Simon
might be called in to their assistance, but took no
previous precaution, nor made any condition with
regard to his conduct. Such was the ingratitude
of Simon, tiiat as soon as he had become master

558

JEWISH HISTORY.

of the city, he treated Matthias as one of his worst
enemies, and the advice the latter, had given for
opening the ports, was attributed to mere thought
lessness and simplicity. On this ridiculous pre
tence he was brought to a trial, and charged with
holding a correspondence with the Romans:
and, without any kind of proof, sentence of death
was passed on Matthias and three of his sons,
but without permitting them to urge a single ar
gument in their defence ; but a fourth son had made
his escape to the Romans. The venerable old man
made it his earnest request, and the only favour he
asked in return for his admitting-Simon into the
town, that he himself might first suffer; but even
this poor favour was denied by Simon, who gave
orders that Matthias should be executed the last,
with the cruel resolution of prolonging the term
of his sufferings. The issue of this horrid affair
was, that the good old Matthias was put to death
on the bodies of his sons, and within view of the
Romans, agreeable to an order which Simon
gave to Ananus, the son of Barnadus: which
Ananus was distinguished from all the depend
ants of Simon by the extreme cruelty of his dis
position. Simon, however, was not contented
with the simple execution of this barbarous sen
tence ; but in the moment that Ananus was pre
paring to give the fatal stroke, he said to Mat
thias, with an air of the most insolent derision,
.*' You had intended to have deserted to the Ro
mans ; let them now afford you assistance, if it be
in their power." When the execution was over,
the barbarity was carried still farther ; for Simon
gave express orders that the bodies should be
denied the rites of sepulture.
About the same time, several other distin
guished personages were put to death, the father
of Josephus imprisoned, and himself wounded
by a stone. At this juncture, a number of the
inhabitants went off to the Romans. Some of
them deserted under pretence of pursuing the

enemy with stones ; while others made their es
cape by leaping over the walls. But while they
sought to avoid the distresses which prevailed
within the city, they met with greater calamities
without; for they contracted surfeits in the camp
still more hastily destructive than the famine from
which they had fled : for after long fasting, and
being infected with a dropsical complaint, they
durst not venture to eat freely for fear of bursting,
But the most melancholy part of the history re
mains yet to be recounted.
Among the Syrians, a fugitive Jew was dis
covered, while he was searching for gold, which
he had swallowed, and which had passed through
his body. At the period above mentioned, there
was a very great scarcity of gold in the town, and
twelve attics were as valuable as twenty-five had
been in former times ; and the faction had
searched all the people in the strictest manner.
On the above mentioned discovery, it was im
mediately reported through the camp, that the
Jews who had deserted had swallowed all the
gold. [ ; ereupon the Arabians and Syrians seized
on the deserters, and cut open the bodies of two
thousand of them in one night. This Josephus
deems to have been the most inhuman butchery
that evei- was perpetrated on the Jews.
The horrid inhumanity of this action gave so
much offence to Titus, that he would undoubt
edly have ordered his cavalry to destroy every
one of the offenders with darts, if their number
had not been more considerable than that of those
they had murdered : but as this was the case, he
summoned together his officers, as well the Ro
mans as the auxiliaries; and finding that some
of his own people had been concerned in this in
human butchery, he delivered his sentiments on
the occasion in the following manner: In the
first place, addressing himself to the Romans, he

JEWISH HISTORY.

559

said, " I am astonished that any soldier of mine
should be guilty of an action so unmanly, in or
der to possess himself of so uncertain an advan
tage, without blushing at the meanness to which
he had been induced by his avarice." Then,
turning to his auxiliaries, he exclaimed, " Do
you think it reasonable that the insolences of
fered, and the inhumanities perpetrated by the
Syrians and Arabians in a foreign war, in which
they act without control, ought to be imputed to
the Romans ? and that the crimes of one party
ought to be laid to the charge ofthe other?"
Titus, so far from excusing his own people,
was transported to the highest degree of rage at
their conduct, and threatened immediate death
to any man who should be guilty of similar acts
of barbarity for the future. At the same time,
he gave orders to his legions to make a strict
search after every person who should be sus
pected, and declared that he himself would sit in
judgment on his trial.
The love of money, however, will combat
every danger. The cruel are covetous by na
ture, and avarice is the most insatiable of all our
appetites and inclinations. In some cases, it
may happen that a reasonable and upright con
duct may be the consequence of fear : but when
people are lost to all sense of moral honesty, their
destruction may arise from the very efforts made
to save them. What Titus prohibited publicly
with such severity, was repeatedly practised in
secret on the deserters from the Jews. Their
mode only of proceeding was varied; for when
any of the deserters were taken, the custom of
the murderers was first to be assured that they
were not within view of any of the Romans, and
then to rip up the bodies of the Jews in search of
treasure, though they were seldom successful in
the "finding money sought after by these infa
mous means. However, the shocking practice

had such an effect on the Jews, that they now no
longer deserted to the Romans, being appre
hensive of the fatal consequences that would
ensue. John having obtained all he could by plunder,
then proceeded to sacrilege, seizing and appro
priating to his own use several cups, dishes,
tables, and other necessary vessels appropriated
to divine service, which had been presented as
gifts, or offered as oblations, not excepting even
the pieces dedicated to the honour of the temple
by Augustus and the empress.
The Roman emperors had ever entertained a
great esteem and veneration for the temple,
though at this time it was profaned by a Jew,
who stripped it of the presents bestowed on it by
strangers, and encouraged his companions to
make free with every thing that was sacred,
saying, " It wasbut reasonable that those should
live by the temple who had fought for it." In
pursuance of these sentiments, he made no
scruple of distributing among his people the holy
wine and oil, which had been reserved for sacri
fices in the interior part of the temple : and as
John was free of his distributions, the people
were equally free of. receiving them, drinking
and anointing without ceremony.
The Romans were put to great difficulty in
procuring the necessary materials for completing
their works; but they cut down all the woods
within the circuit of ninety furlongs ofthe city,
and finished their platforms in the space of
twenty-one days.
A most dismal alteration took place in this
delightful part of Judea, which abounded in
curious gardens, plantations, and houses of plea
sure : not a building or tree was now to be seen,
but the marks of devastation and ruin occupied

560

JEWISH HISTORY.

the whole prospect. So great was the difference
between the present and the former state of Jeru
salem, that even strangers could not refrain from
tears on the comparison. So terrible was the
devastation and havoc ofthe war, that people in
the heart ofthe city might reasonably have in
quired where Jerusalem, that place so peculiarly
favoured by heaven, was situated.

The Romans having raised the mounts, the
Jews became greatly alarmed ; for matters were
now arrived to such an extremity, that they were
conscious they must inevitably surrender the city,
if their endeavours to destroy the Roman works
proved ineffectual. On the other hand, the Ro
mans were exceedingly apprehensive lest the at
tempts of their adversaries should prevail ; for
the wood of the adjacent parts of the country
being wholly exhausted, and the men greatly ha
rassed by incessant and hard duty, if the mounts
were destroyed, all hopes of success must end,
since there appeared no possibility of construct
ing other works.
Notwithstanding the enmity subsisting be
tween the parties, the Romans were more con
cerned on account of the miseries of the Jews
than they were themselves. In despite of all the
difficulties and dangers they had undergone, and
the prospect of what they had still to encounter,
the Jews preserved their spirits and resolution.
The disadvantage they had sustained in several
combats, the inefficacy of their engines against a
wall of such surprising strength, and the disap
pointment of divers stratagems by the superior
policy of the enemy, proved highly discouraging'
to the Romans.
They reflected that they had to contend with
people who, notwithstanding the disadvantages
of intestine divisions, the miseries of famine, and

the horrors of a foreign war, suffered no abate
ment of fortitude and courage; but, on the con
trary, appeared to derive additional vigour from
the difficulties in which they were engaged ; and
they exclaimed, " Were these people favoured
by fortune, to what great undertakings would
they not be equal, since, in despite of the great
disadvantages under which they at present la
bour, they conduct themselves with such surpri
sing courage and address !" The Romans now
doubled the number of their guards, and took
such other precautions as occasion required.

Before the rams were mounted, no measures
that were likely to prove effectual were omitted
by John and his adherents, who guarded the
castle of Antonia, to prevent a breach being
made in the walls. They made a sally with a
view of setting fire to the mounts ; but they went
out in small parties, and they did not act with
that courage and unanimity, which was usual to
the Jews. Their measures were not well con
certed, nor were they carried into execution with
the necessary spirit, to which may be attributed
the failure of their design.

The, Romans became unusually vigilant, and
lest their works should be set on fire, they planted
a strict guard upon the bulwarks, and adopted
such other precautionary measures as were ne
cessary for preventing any disadvantages being
taken by the enemy. Rather than submit to the
irreparable injury of relinquishing their advan
tageous station, they unanimously resolved to die
in defending the mounts.

They considered that the honour ofthe Romas
name would incur indelible disgrace if they suf
fered their courage and discipline to be baffled by

JEWISH HISTORY.

56 T

the headstrong impetuosity of a desperate and
outrageous multitude ; and to submit to the power
of the Jews was a circumstance that they could
not reflect upon with any tolerable degree of
patience. The Romans were prepared with darts to en
counter the enemy as they advanced : and such
of the foremost as were slain or wounded, ob
structed the progress and damped the courage
of their companions. They who pressed forward
were astonished and deterred, upon observing
the exact regularity of the Roman discipline;
others were alarmed at the great numbers ofthe
enemy; and they who were wounded availed
themselves of the first opportunities that offered
for effecting an escape. In short, all the Jews
retired, each man endeavouring to preserve him
self from censure by attributing the common
calamity to the misconduct of his companions.
The Jews having retreated on the first day of
the month Panemus, the Romans advanced their
rams, in order to batter the walls of the castle of
Antonia. To prevent the approach of the en
gines, the Jews had recourse to their swords,
fire, stones, and such other means as were likely
to prove effectual ; and they defended themselves
with singular resolution : they greatly depended
on the walls being sufficiently strong to resist the
force of the machines; but still they exerted
every possible effort to prevent their being ad
vanced and placed in a manner proper for ac-
*tibh. Hence the assailants concluded that the
great activity of the Jews proceeded from a con
sciousness of Antonia being in danger. For a
considerable time the battery was continued
without effect; but despairing of being able to
effect a breach by means of their engines, the
.Romans applied themselves to mining, carefully
guarding themselves with their bucklers from the
stones, lances, and other weapons discharged
Nos. 47 & 48.

from above. With immense labour, they at
length loosened four stones of the foundation.
The night now arrived, and both parties re
tired to repose. In the mean time, that part of
the wall which John had undermined, with a
view of destroying the former works, suddenly
gave way. This unexpected event had a con
trary effect upon the contending parties. ' The
Jews, Who, by a proper attention, might have
prevented the accident,were but little concerned
when it arrived ; for they deemed the place to be
still sufficiently secure. The Romans were
greatly rejoiced at a circumstance so favourable
to their views as the falling of the wall; but their
transports abated, upon observing a wall which
John had constructed within the circuit of that
wherein the breach appeared. They still, how-*
ever, entertained hopes of conquering the place ;
for the ruins of the outward wall greatly facili
tated access to the other, which was not yet suf
ficiently settled and hard to make any consi
derable resistance to the force of the battering
rams. The assailants judged that instant death
would inevitably be the fate of those w^ho should
attempt to scale ahe walls ; and, therefore, all
thoughts of that exploit were declined, unless by
one Sabinus, who lost his life in the attempt.
Two days being elapsed, twenty ofthe guards
of the platforms, the ensign of the fifth, two ca
valiers, and a trumpet assembled; and in the
dead of the night these people silently advanced
over the ruins of the wall to Antonia. They
marched without meeting the least obstruction ;
and finding the advanced guard oppressed asleep,
they cut their throats ; and having gained posses
sion of the wall, the trumpeter sounded his in- '
strument, w hich aroused the rest of the guard,
who were thrown into so great a consternation,
that they instantly fled, being ignorant that only
a small number of the enemy had entered the
4R

562

JEWISH HISTORY.

place, but strongly possessed of the Opinion that
they were exceedingly numerous. .
Upon receiving intimation ofthe state of affairs
at the fort, Titus put himself at the head of his
most resolute troops, and immediately marched
thither over the ruins already mentioned. So
astonished were the Jews at the sudden and un
expected attack, that some fled for safety to the
interior temple, and others to the mine that John
had formed with a view of destroying the Ro
man works. The factions under the command
of John and Simon were convinced that every
prospect of success must end, if the enemy ob
tained possession of the temple : and hereupon a
desperate engagement ensued before the doors of
the sacred building; one party fighting for the
preservation of life, and the other for the honour
of conquest. Neither party could use lances or
darts with effect ; for they were so closely en
gaged, that the sword was the only weapon on
which the issue of the battle was to depend.
Jews and Romans were promiscuously crowded
together, and neither order or discipline was ob
served ; but the utmost confusion prevailed. The
outcries were so loud and various, that, notwith
standing the difference of language, there was
no possibility of distinguishing from which party
they respectively proceeded. A very consi
derable slaughter was made on each side, and the
ground was encumbered with the bodies and
weapons of the slain and wounded. The spot
where the battle took place would not admit of
a retreat or a pursuit ; but when either party ob
tained an advantage, they pressed forward with
shouts of triumph, while the other retired, ex
claiming against the severity and injustice of
fortune. The rear of each army was so violently pressed
forward, that the soldiers in front were wholly
unable to retreat ; and, therefore, they had no

alternative but either to destroy their adversaries
or surrender their own lives. The encounter was
maintained for the space of ten hours, being
commenced at the expiration of the ninth hour
of the night, and not concluded till the end of the
seventh on the following morning. The deter
mined rage of the Jews, however, proved too
powerful for the discipline and bravery of the
Romans ; and that this was the case, proved a
happy circumstance for the former, whose last
advantage being at stake, had they been van
quished in this action, utter destruction to them
must inevitably have been the consequence. The
Romans judged that they had reason to be satis
fied with the advantage they had acquired, in
gaining possession of the fort Antonia : for they
had performed the exploit with only a part of the
army, the legions on whom the greatest depend^
ance was placed not being yet arrived.
Having determined to break up the founda
tions of fort Antonia, and form a level passage
for the more convenient march of his army,
Titus, before he proceeded to that extremity,
commissioned Josephus to bring back the Jews
to the exercise of their reason. His arguments
were lost in the majority of his hearers; but
prevailed with divers of those people who com
posed the faction, and heartily disposed them to
revolt to the Romans: but, notwithstanding they
deemed it impossible that the city should escape
ruin, a dread of the guards, which many of them
entertained, prevented a compliance with then
inclinations. Others seized the opportunity of
escaping to the Romans ; and in the number of
these were Joseph and Jesus, the high-priests;
the three sons of Ismael, who was beheaded at
Cyrene ; four sons of Matthias ; and one son of
another Matthias, who escaped to the Romans
after Simon, the son of Gorias, had put his father
and three brothers to death, as we have already re
lated ; and, exclusive of the above, a considerable

JEWISH HISTORY.

563

number of other persons of rank revolted to the
enemy. They experienced a most gracious and
generous reception from Titus, who conceiving
that it would prove both inconvenient and disa
greeable to reside among people whose laws,
customs, and manners, so materially differed from
those under which they had been used to live, or
dered them to Gophne, promising to grant them
considerable possessions when the war should be
concluded ; and the fugitives expressed the warm
est sentiments of gratitude for the liberal treat
ment they had received from the Roman general.
When the faction observed that the fugitives
were no longer to be seen from the city, they
circulated a rumour that the Romans had put
them to death. For some time, this stratagem
had the desired effect, by deterring other Jews
from following the example ofthe deserters: but
being apprized of the design with which the re
port had been propagated, Titus recalled the de
serters from Gophne, and ordered them to make
the tour of the walls, attended by Josephus. The
calumny being thus refuted, a still greater num
ber of the people were induced to revolt to the
Romans. Being assembled on this occasion
within sight of the Romans, with tears and la
mentations they supplicated the faction to pre
serve their country by admitting the Romans
into the town ; or, at least, to depart from the
temple, rather than provoke the enemy to destroy
it by fire, to which extremity they would not
proceed, unless aggravated to adopt the measure
by an inconsiderate perseverance in a fruitless
opposition. This conduct served but to inflame
the faction to a more extravagant degree of out
rage: and having planted machines even at the
gates of the temple, they assailed the deserters
with darts, arrows, stones discharged from slings,
and other missive weapons ; so that the sacred
building had a greater resemblance to a place of
war and slaughter than a house dedicated to the

worship of God ; and the bodies of the deceased
lay in such numbers in the space of ground be
fore the temple, as to give it the appearance of a
cemetry. They forcibly entered the holy sanc
tuary, their hands yet reeking with the blood of
the murdered citizens, and were guilty- of the
most horrid impieties.
Titus now determined to make an assault upon
the Jews; but, at the same time, consented to
remain in the fort of Antonia, where he might
witness their operations wkhoitt exposing his
person. The attack commenced at three o'clock
in the morning, when the Romans were deceived
in the expectation they had formed of surprising
the Jews while asleep. The advanced guards
resolutely opposed the assailants, and, at the
same time, joined in a general shout, which
awakening their companions, great multitudes
immediately came to their support. The Ro
mans bravely withstood the shock made by. the
advanced guard ; and when the other Jews came
up, a scene of horror took place : through the
darkness of the night, the confused sound of
voices, fear, and the impulse of rage, their con
sternation was so great, that they destroyed both
friends and enemies without distinction ; and the
Jews who fell by the hands of their own coun
trymen, were considerably more numerous than
those who were slain by the enemy. The loss
on the part of the Romans was not great ; for
they preserved a regular discipline, carefully de
fended themselves with their bucklers, and had
the advantage of knowing each other by means
of the watch-word. Upon the appearance of
day-light, the Jews discovered their error, and
pursued the encounter with more regularity.
Each party now employed darts, arrows, and
other weapons ; and, notwithstanding the con
test that had been maintained in the night, they
appeared to suffer no abatement of courage or
strength.
4R*

564

JEWISH HISTORY.

The Romans, conscious that their general was
posted in a station where he could form an exact
judgment respecting the behaviour of his troops,
and considering that their future prospects in life
would depend on their conduct in the present
action, fought with a noble emulation to surpass
each other in martial exploits. The presence of
John, who threatened and even struck those of
Ms people who appeared to be tardy in their
duty, and encouraged the rest with promises of
reward, added to the consideration that their own
lives and the safety of the temple were at stake,
induced the Jews to exert their utmost endeavours
in opposing the, enemy. Neither party was able
to make any considerable retreat, the place not
being sufficiently large for that purpose ; and the
battle was mostly maintained hand to hand, vic
tory sometimes appearing to incline to one, and
sometimes to the other side.
The fort of Antonia was as a theatre, whence
Titus and Ms friends commanded a full and per
fect view of those who were actively engaged in
the scene, urging the Romans resoluf ely to pursue
the advantages they gained, and exhorting them
firmly to maintain their ground when they ap
peared to be in danger of a repulse from the
Jews, and giving such directions as circum
stances required. In short, the contest con
tinued from the ninth hour of the night to the
fifth on the following day; and when it was con
cluded, so resolutely had the combatants main
tained their ground, it could not be decided which
party had gained the advantage.
Titus ordered the foundation of Antonia to be
broken up to the very bottom ; and, in the space
of seven days, this work was completed, and a
level passage formed for admitting the legions to
march conveniently up to the walls. Titus now
employed his troops in erecting four mounts;
the first facing the angle of the interior temple

that looked towards the north and east; a second
against the gallery,1- to the northward between
the two. gates; a third towards the west porch;
and the fourth towards the north porch of the
outward temple. The works were not completed
without great difficulty and expense ; for the Ro
mans were under the necessity of conveying
what materials they had occasion for from places
at an hundred furlongs distant from Jerusalem ;
and, placing great confidence in their strength,
they neglected to guard against surprises from"
the Jews, who, waiting for them on the way,
frequently made desperate sallies from ambushes,
and put them to considerable loss and incon
venience. WThen the Romans went out in foraging par
ties, they frequently unbridled their horses, and
turned them to graze ; and when opportunities
offered, the Jews sallied forth, seized and carried
off the animals. This being often repeated,
Titus attributed the loss to the negligence of his
troops, rather than to the enterprising spirit of
the enemy. He was not deceived in his conjec
ture : for having caused one of his soldiers to be
put to death as a punishment for losing his horse,
no instance of the like nature occurred in future.
The platforms being now raised, and the Ro
mans having made every other preparation ne
cessary to the assault they had meditated on the
following day, a number of Jews belonging to
the faction, who, being unable to procure the ne
cessaries of life by their usual practice pf pillage,
and nearly on the point of starving, formed the
resolution of attacking the Roman guards who
were stationed on mount Olivet ; and they ad
vanced about the eleventh hour of the day, when
they imagined their attempt would be most
likely to succeed, as at that time it was usual for
the enemy to take some respite from the fatigue
of duty.

JEWISH HISTORY.

565

The Romans observing the approach of the
seditious multitude, collected all their force in
order to repulse them. A terrible contest ensued,
in which great exploits were performed by both
parties. The Romans founded their hopes of
success on their superior knowledge in the art of
war; and the furious rage and impetuosity ofthe
Jews induced them to believe that they were
able to succeed in the most desperate attempts.
The valour of the one party was excited by the
dread of shame, and that of the other by the
pressing exigency of their situation : for the Ro
mans conceived that they should incur indelible
disgrace if they did not revenge themselves upon
the Jews for the insolent attempt they had made ;
and the Jews had no prospect of escaping the
vengeance of the enemy but by mere dint of
force. The following exploit, which is so remarkable
as almost to exceed credibility, was performed by
a Roman cavalier, named Pedanius : the Jews
being repulsed and pursued into the valley by
the Romans, Pedanius rode after the fugitives,
and overtaking a young Jew bearing very heavy
arms, who, in order to preserve his life, was
urging his horse full speed, he seized him by the
leg, and carrying him away a prisoner, presented
him to Titus. The general complimented Pe
danius on his courage and surprising strength
and activity ; and he consigned the Jew to death.
for having been concerned in the audacious at
tempt to surprise the Romans in their camp.
Titus continued to direct his principal atten
tion towards completing the mounts, by means
of which he entertained the hope of becoming
master of the temple.
Finding themselves considerably weakened
by the losses sustained in divers combats, that
the war daily raged with additional violence,

and that the temple was in the most imminent
danger of being destroyed, the Jews resolved to
ruin a part of the sacred edifice, in order to pre
serve the rest, as it is usual to amputate the ex
tremities, lest mortification should be communi
cated to the more noble parts of the body. They
set fire to that part of the gallery extending from
the north to the east, and facing the fort Anto
nia: and, in a short time, as much ofthe building
as occupied a space of near twenty cubits was
entirely consumed. Thus were the Jews the first
who actually put the design in execution of ef
fecting the destruction of the superb and holy
structure, so deservedly celebrated throughout
the universe.
Two days having elapsed, the Romans, on
the twenty-fourth of the same month, set fire
to the remaining^ part of the gallery; and when
the flames had gained fourteen cubits, the Jews
destroyed the roof, as well as every other matter
which was likely to serve as a communication-
with fort Antonia, though they might, had they
been so inclined, have saved the place from the
rage of the flames ; but they were wholly regard
less as to what'course the mischief took, so it
tended to promote their private views. . During
this time daily skirmishes took place in the
neighbourhood of the temple.
At this juncture, the faction in the temple, sol
diers on the mounts, and the rest of the Jews,
devised the following stratagem on the twenty-
seventh day of the month above mentioned*
They placed a large quantity of dry wood, sul
phur, and bituminous matter, between the tim
bers and the top of the roof of the western porch ;
and then affecting to give way, as if an attack
had been made on them, they retreated with
every appearance of being driven out of a place
of which they could no longer hold the posses
sion. Hereupon, a number of their opponents

566

Jewish w.ptory.

pursued them closely with the utmost eagerness,
and put up ladders to get possession ofthe place,
which the others had abandoned : but they who
reflected on the affair, deemed it to be a mere
artifice ; and, therefore, did not join in the
pursuit. As soon as the Romans had crowded into the
porch, the Jews set it on fire, and the whole
building was immediately in flames, to the horror
and confusion of those who were within, and the
astonishment of those who viewed the conflagra
tion at a distance. Some of the unhappy people
threw themselves into wells and pits ; others
leaped from the houses, and ran for their lives :
others again were smothered in the flames, while
others threw themselves on their swords, to avoid
a death still more dreadful.
Titus was greatly affected by this horrid sight,
compassionating, in a high degree, the misfor
tunes arising from so fatal a miscarriage. In the
mean time, he was highly offended at his soldiers
for having embarked in such an enterprise
without previously receiving his orders. They
had, however, one satisfaction in the midst of
their distress, to compensate for the loss of life ;
that they were pitied by the prince in whose ser
vice they suffered ; for they could behold him
giving his orders, and using his utmost endea
vours to afford them relief; and all the evidences
he gave of his regard were deemed memorials to
Ms lasting honour. With regard to those per
sons who escaped the fury of the flames, they
were attacked by the Jews, and every man of
them was slain, after they had made all the re
sistance in their power.
The fire destroyed the porch as far as the tower
which John had built (during his war with Si
mon) on the pillars that led to his porch. After
the Romans had been burnt by the Jews in the

manner above recited, they destroyed the re-
finainder ofthe building; and the following day
the Romans set fire to the north porch, and con
tinued tiiis fire to the porch facing the eastward,
which commands the valley of Cedron, from a
precipice, to take a downward view of which
affords a prospect almost distracting.
Thus unhappily were affairs situated in tne
neighbourhood of the temple. The extreme se
verity of the famine had almost depopulated the
city, and the miseries consequent on this calamity
are beyond all recital. If it was but suspected
that there was any concealed food in a family,
this circumstance was sufficient to dissolve ihe
tenderest ties, and create a general insurrection
among the parties. T ey who absolutely perished
of mere hunger were not credited even at the
hour of death, when they declared that they had
no food : for no sooner had the breath left their
bodies, than immediate search was made about
their persons, on the supposition that they had
concealed some bread. When the survivors
found not what they searched for, they ranged
the streets like mad dogs, reeling like drunkards
through weakness ; repeatedly prying into every
corner of every house, seizing whatever they
could find, even such articles as a canine appe
tite would have refused. The skins of beasts,
leather girdles, and shoes, were eaten, and even
a handful of old hay bore the price of four attics.
In the village named Vetezobra, (that is, the
house of Hyssop,) beyond the river Jordan, lived
one Eleazar, who had a d&ughter named Mary.
The family was rich, and their descent respect
able. Now this Mary fled, in company with se
veral other persons, and took refuge in Jerusa-,
lem, where it was their misfortune to be besieged.
All the more valuable effects that this woman
brought with her she was deprived of by the
tyrants ; and, with regard to such articles as she

JEWISH HISTORY.

567

had concealed, whether goods or provisions, the
soldiers frequently broke open her house, and
stole them from her. Irritated by this treatment,
she reviled the faction in terms of the utmost
acrimony ; but no language of which she was
mistress, however severe, could provoke any of
this abandoned set to put her to death, either
from motives of rage or pity. At length, tor
mented with the excruciating pangs of a devour
ing famine, from which she saw no possibility of
escaping, having no farther means of sustaining
life,, and being abandoned to the utmost rage of
despair, she determined on a resolution more
horrible than it is in the power of language to
describe. She killed her infant ; and, having boiled it,
ate the half of it; and, covering up the remainder,
put it away. The circumstance of her dressing
food soon came to the knowledge of the faction,
some of whom went to the house of the woman,
and threatened her with immediate death if she
did not produce what provisions she had in the
house. Hereupon she fetched out that part of the
child which still remained undevoured, and told
them that was all the food she possessed.

This sight had such an effect on the spectators,
that they at first appeared petrified with horror,
then trembled at the idea of what had passed,
and were shocked at the consequences to be
dreaded from it. On this the woman addressed
them as follows : " Be assured that this is my son,
the half of whom 1 have eaten myself, and re
quest that you will eat the remainder. I flatter
myself that you will not pretend to have more
delicacy than a woman, or more compassion
than a mother. But if you refuse the oblation
through scruples of conscience, you are welcome
to leave the food where you have found it ; only
remember that I have eaten a part of it already."

She had no sooner ended speaking, than they
departed with evident signs of terror, leaving,
though against their inclinations, the remainder
of the child with the unfortunate mother; the
only circumstance of their whole conduct at
tended with any degree of delicacy.

This shocking deed became immediately the
subject of conversation throughout the whole
city; and every man appeared to detest the crime
as much*as if he himself had been immediately
concerned in it.
The famine now raged with such violence,
that the people wished for immediate death in
the mere fear of starving; and they who re
mained alive envied those who had died before
the calamity increased to such an alarming de
gree. The melancholy tale soon spread from
the Jews to the Romans, some of whom commi
serated the calamities of the Jews, while others
hated them the more for their misfortunes, and
a third sort gave no credit to the recital.

In the mean time, Titus solemnly declared his
innocence respecting the whole matter, vowing,
in the presence of God, that he had exerted his
utmost influence to render the Jews easy and
happy in their fortunes, lives, and liberties.
" But," said he, " if the Jews were determined
rather to destroy each other, than to live in the
bands of fraternal affection ; if they preferred
war rather than peace, and famine rather than
plenty, it was not in my power to prevent them.
As they were determined to set fire to the temple
with their own hands, while I did every thing in
my power to preserve it, the flesh of their own
children is as good food as such parents deserve.
For my own part, I am resolved that their im-
quities shall but be the forerunners of their ruin;

568

JEWISH HISTORY.

for I will not longer permit the existence of a city,
in which mothers feed on their own children,
and the fathers, with a still more horrid degree
of impiety, continue the war, after such plain and
evident demonstration that the so doing is con
trary to the will of Almighty God," Having said
this, and reflected on the amazing obstinacy and
incurable stubbornness ofthe faction, he looked
on them as a people devoted to destruction ; for
he thought that the miseries they had already
endured, would have changed their sentiments,
if it had been in nature that such an effect could
be wrought.
Two of the legions having completed, their
platforms, Titus directed his battering-rams to
be planted against the western gallery of the out
ward temple, on the eighth day of the month
Lous. For the space of six days successively, he
played his best piece of battery against this place ;
bu,t without effect ; for the engines could make no
impression on the work. In the interim, some
of the troops were employed in sapping the
foundations on the north side; but after a .pro
digious labour, they found that they could only
^move the outward stones, the porch still remain
ing firm. Wherefore, finding that mines and
batteries were ineffectual to answer the purpose,
the Romans had recourse to the use of their
scaling-ladders. Though the Jews were unable to prevent their
enemies fixing their ladders, yet they made an
obstinate resistance in every part where it was
possible to be made. Those who ascended the
ladders were attacked immediately, before they
had time to put themselves in a posture of de
fence ; others they threw down as they were as
cending : some they destroyed as they were ad
vancing with relief; and sometimes they over
turned the ladders with the men upon them. On
the whole, the Romans sustained a very con

siderable loss in this attack, espedally in those
contests which happened for the-defence or reco
very of their colours, which military people deem
to be an affair of the utmost consequence. In
the end, however, the Jews killed a number of
the ensign-bearers, keeping such ensigns as they
got possession of; a circumstance which so dis
couraged the rest of the assailants, that they
thought it prudent to retreat.
However, to do justice to the besiegers, it must
be acknowledged that not a single man among
the slain disgraced the Character of a Roman.
Their opponents of the faction who had behaved
well on former occasions, lost not their character
for intrepidity; and Eleazar, the nephew ofthe
tyrant Simon, was distinguished by his courage.

Titus now finding that his own men were only
devoted to ruin by his wishes to spare the temple
of the enemy, he issued orders that his troops
should set fire to the gates without loss of time.

At this juncture, two deserters from the Jews
repaired to Titus, flattering themselves that their
abandoning the faction at the time they had some
advantage in their favour would secure them the
better reception. One of these deserters was Ar
chelaus, the son of Magadathes ; and the other
Ananus of Emmaus, one of Simon's guards, and
deemed the most inhuman of all his attendants.
The character of these men for cruelty was so
well known to Titus, that he entertained some
thoughts of putting both of them to death, not
withstanding their pretended attachment to his
interest, being convinced that it was not an af
fection for his service, but the consideration of
their own safety, that influenced their conduct.
He thought that those who had first inflamed their
country, and then abandoned it, were unworthy to

JEWI-SH HISTORY.

669

live : but having reflected more seriously on the
affair, he came to a resolution to spare them.
By this time, the gates ofthe temple were
burning furiously, the timbers being all on fire ;
and the silver work above the gates melted,
while the flames extended even to the adjacent
galleries. The Jews were so much surprised by
this unexpected event, that, finding themselves
encompassed by the flames, they regarded each
other with looks of the most extreme astonish
ment, not even attempting to preserve what yet
remained uninjured, orlofecting any concern for
what was already destroyed. In a word, they
were totally dispirited for any kind of enterprise ;
so that the fire continued to increase all that day
and the succeeding night, till at length the galle
ries were totally burnt to the ground.
On the following day, Titus issued out orders
for the suppression of the fire, and that the roads
might be levelled for the march of his troops.
His next step was to summon a council of his
general officers, to concert the best mode of pro
ceeding. These officers were Tiberius Alexander,
his lieutenant-general; SeXtus Cerealis, the com
mander of the fifth legion ; Lorgius Lepidus, of
the tenth; and Titus Tigrius, who presided over
the fifteenth; and to these were added Etermus
Fronto, a captain of two of the legions of Alexan
dria; and Marcus Antonius Julianus, governor of
Judea; exclusive of colonels and other officers,
whose opinions it was thought proper to take, on
the mode of proceeding requisite to be pursued
with respect to the affair of the temple.. Of
these, some recommended a strict adherence to
the laws of arms, urging, that while the temple
remained, and the Jews continued their frequent
associations in it, they would never desist from
their opposition. , Others gave their votes for
sparing the temple, oh the condition that the
Jews should abandon it, and that it should be no
Nos. 47 & 48.

longer considered as an object of Contention ; but
that if possession of it should be acquired by dint
ofthe sword, in this case, that they should not he
sitate to burn it, not considering it as a temple,
but as a castle ; since the blame would then rest
with those who compelled the burning it, not
with those" whom necessity urged to the deed.
Hereupon Titus gave his opinion, saying, " If
the obstinacy ofthe Jews w ill convert a temple to
a citadel, shall 1 take vengeance on, their per
verseness, by wreaking my wrath on the stones
of the building, and burn to ashes the most mag
nificent structure in the world on their accounts,
Indeed, I am of opinion, that the robbing the
empire of so distinguished an ornament would
be a disgrace' to the characteristic majesty of
Rome." Alexander, Cerealisrand Fronto, hear
ing the sentiments of Titus, coincided with him
in opinion, on which the council was dismissed.
Orders were now issued that the army should
be allowed to rest and take refreshment, in order
to be better prepared for future enterprises. In
the mean time, some select battalions were di
rected to observe the ^ravages made by fire, and
to make proper passages through the ruins.
The courage and strength of the Jews begin
ning now equally to fail them, they remained at
peace during this day ; but on the following day,
about the second hour, having by that time re
cruited their spirits and acquired fresh resolution,
they made a desperate sally through the eastern
gate on the guards ofthe outward temple. At
first the Romans, under the protection of their
bucklers, sustained the shock with the utmost re
solution, it making no more impression than it
would have done against a stone Wall ; but all
their courage and perseverance would not have
enabled them long to hold out in opposition to so
fierce and numerous an enemy, if Titus (who be
held the action from Antonia) had not instantly
4S

570

JEWISH HISTORY.

come to their relief before they had yielded to
their antagonists. On this relief, some of the
Jews fell back ; and the Romans breaking in on
their front, the main body fled with precipitation.
After this the Romans retreated in their turn,
while the Jews rallied and advanced in order of
battle. Thus they continued alternately ad
vancing or retreating, one party having now the
advantage, and then the other, till about the fifth
hour of the day, when the Jews were compelled
to retreat into the temple, and there enclose
themselves. Hereupon Titus retired to Antonia,
having come to a determination to make an as
sault on the temple on the following day with his
whole army.
But it seemed evident that divine providence
had originally destined this place to be destroyed
by fire, and that the period was at length ar
rived, that is to say, the tenth day ofthe month
Lous, being the return of that day on which it
had been heretofore burnt by Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon. Of this last conflagration,
however, the Jews themselves were the evident
occasion : for no sooner had Titus left them at
their repose, than the insurgents made a violent
sally on his guards, while they were engaged, by
the general's orders, in extinguishing the fire.
But on this occasion, the Romans routed the
Jews, and compelled them to retreat to the
temple for refuge.
An event happened at this period, which took
rise from the conduct of a private soldier, who
thought himself actuated by a divine impulse,
without pretending to any other authority for
what he transacted. Having got on the shoulders
of one of his comrades, he threw a fire-brand
into the golden window that was opposite to the
apartments on the north side of the temple. This
action was no sooner done, than the place was
in flames, which occasioned so violent a tumult

among the Jews, that their countrymen hastened
as fast as possible to their relief; for the present
juncture, when every thing dear to them was at
stake, was not a period in which to think of
saving their lives or indulging themselves.
Titus was just now laying down to repose
himself in his tent, after the fatigue of the ac
tion, when intelligence of the conflagration was
brought to him ; on which he immediately arose,
and, ordering his chariot, proceeded to the temple
to use all his authority towards the extinction of
the fire. He was followeofby his principal officers,
and the legions ; but in a confused manner, as
may be supposed of such an immense number,
who had not received regular orders for their
proceeding. Titus exerted himself to the utmost
of his power, both by words and signs, in giving
directions to stop the progress of the flames;
but all his efforts were vain ; the lesser noise was
lost in the greater, nor were his words more heard
than the signs and motions of his hand attended
to. The soldiers were not to be governed by
commands or threatenings, but, following the im
pulse of their rage, some were trodden on and
pressed to death by the crowd, while others were
suffocated by the smoke arising from, the ruins of
the galleries over the porches. The common
soldiers who were in the temple urged, in excuse
of their disobedience of the general's orders, that
they could not hear what he said ; while those
who followed them gave orders that they should
throw fire. In a word, the faction had no way
to prevent what happened, and on which side
soever they turned, destruction stared them in
the face. The poor people, the sick, and the un
armed, were destroyed by the sword wherever
they were found: numbers of unhappy wretches
were left streaming in their own blood ; dead
bodies were piled in heaps around the altar,
and the stairs were floated with deluges of
blood*

JEWISH HISTORY.

571

The fury of the soldiers had now arisen to
such a height, that Titus, finding it impossible to
restrain it, and that the fire continued to make
additional ravages every day, immediately pro
ceeded, with some of his officers of the first rank,
into the interior temple, where, on a careful sur
vey of the place, he found that its splendour and
magnificence greatly exceeded what common
fame had reported, and were, at least, equal to
the very account propagated respecting them by
the Jews.
Titus having now remarked that the fire had
not reached the sanctuary, and being of opinion
that it might not yet be too late to preserve the
holy place, instantly exerted himself, and en
treated the soldiers, in the most earnest manner,
to use their utmost endeavours to stop the pro
gress ofthe flames ; at the same time issuing strict
orders to Liberalis, a centurion of the guards, to
urge the accomplishment of this business, and to
punish those who refused their assistance. But
so violent was the rage of the soldiers for revenge,
that they were not restrained within the bounds
of their duty, either by the motives of respect or
fear. At the very time that Titus was exerting his
utmost endeavours to preserve the temple, one of
the soldiers set fire to several of the door-posts ;
on which Titus and his officers were obliged to
retire to such a distance, that their services could
no longer avail: so that, in the end, the- temple
was destroyed, notwithstanding every generous
effort Titus had made for its protection.
During the time that the temple was in flames,
the soldiers seized every person they could find ;
and, having first plundered, they slew them,
without paying the least attention to age, sex, or
quality. The slaughter on this occasion was im
mense : the old, the young, those of the priest

hood, and those of the laity, persons of all ranks
and all degrees, whether they sued for quarter or
otherwise, were all involved in the general ca
lamity of the war.
As the fire continued to increase, the noise of
the flames was heard, intermixed with the groans
of persons in the agonies of death ; and to those
at a distance, the whole city appeared to be on
fire, owing to the extent of the conflagration, and
the depth ofthe hill. The confusion and disor
der occasioned by this event were so great, as it
is not in the power of language to describe them.
The Roman legions made the most horrid out
cries; the rebels, when they found themselves at
the mercy ofthe fire and sword, screamed in the
most dreadful manner ; while the unhappy
wretches, enclosed between the enemy and the
fire, lamented their situation in the most pitiable
complaints. Those on the mountain, and those
in the city, seemed mutually to return the groans
of each other. Those who were already on the
point of expiring through famine, acquired fresh
spirits to deplore their misfortunes, when they
saw the dreadful effects of the raging flames.
The complaints and lamentations from the city
were repeatedly echoed from the adjacent moun
tains and places beyond Jordan ; but the calamity
exceeded in reality all that could be expressed
by the bewailings of the sufferers. The flames
of fire were so violent and impetuous, that the
mountain on which the temple stood resembled
one large body of fire, even from its foundation.
The blood of the sufferers flowed in propor
tion to the raging ofthe flames; for the number
of those who were slain exceeded that of their
executioners. Dead bodies strewed the ground
on every side, and the Roman soldiers trampled
on the bodies of the slain in pursuit of the sur
vivors. At length, however, a body of the in
surgents repelled the Romans; and, having
4S*

572

JEWISH HISTORY.

forced a passage into the outward temple, effected
their escape into the city, while the outward
porch was gained by the remainder of their
number. Many of the priests who had engaged in this
contest with the Romans, made use of the spits
belonging to the temple instead of darts ; and,
in the place of stones, they threw their seats,
which had lead in them ; but, at length, finding
that all the efforts of their resolution were fruitless,
and that fire pursued wherever they attempted to
fly, they took refuge for some time under a thick
wall that was not less than eight cubits in breadth.
Among the principal persons who exerted them
selves on this occasion, were Meirus, the son of
Belgas, and Joseph, the son of Dalaeus, who
might have preserved their own lives, if they
would have taken part with the Romans ; but
they rather chose to adhere to their associates,
and plunging themselves into the fire, were buried
in the conflagration that destroyed the temple.
The Romans, now finding that the temple
was reduced to ashes, were less anxious as to
the preservation of any particular buildings:
wherefore they set fire to most of the gates and
galleries at the same time, sparing only one on
the east side, and another on the south : in a
short time afterwards these underwent the fate
of the former. They likewise burnt the treasury
and the wardrobe, containing an immense trea
sure in jewels and money, and rich habits to a
very large amount ; for, in fact, the Jews had
made this place a repository of every thing that
they deemed most valuable.
There was yet standing one gallery on the
outward part of the temple, to which had re
sorted a very great number of women and chil
dren, with a variety of persons who had fled
from the multitude, the whole number amounting

to almost six thousand. The soldiers, enraged
to the utmost degree of fury, set this place on fire
before Titus had an opportunity of giving any
directions concerning it ; and they continued
their operations against it with such vehemence,
that not a single person escaped with life, num
bers throwing themselves precipitately from the
ruins, and all the rest being consumed in the
flames. TMs melancholy event happened through the
artifices of an impostor, who, on that day, pre
tended to be commissioned by Almighty God to
declare his will, which was, that they should im
mediately go up to the temple ; and he acconi"
panied this order with an assurance that the
divine favour and protection would be manifested
by an infallible sign. It was no unusual custom
with the faction to pretend to have received re
velations of the will of God, in order to prevent
their people from deserting, and to induce them
to encounter every kind of danger. Persons in
circumstances of distress, when they are flattered'
with relief, are generally inclined to believe that
their real misfortunes have been magnified by
their feaite.
By this time, the insurgents had fled into
the city. The Roman army now placed their
ensigns against the eastern gate, where they
made sacrifices of thanksgiving, and proclaimed
Titus emperor with every possible demonstration
of joy. So large a treasure in gold was how ob
tained in Syria, that it was reduced to half its
accustomed value.
Among the priests on the wall, there happened
to be a child, who requested the Romans to give
him a draught of water to quench his thirst :
this, on the promise of good faith on both sides,.
they readily did, in compassion to his tender age
and great necessity. On going down to drink

JEWISH HISTORY.

573

the water, he took with him a flagon, which
he filled, and ran off with it to his friends with
such expedition, that the guards found it impos
sible to catch him. On this the Romans accused
the boy with having forfeited his word ; but, in
his defence, he alleged that he had only con
tracted with them for permission to fetch the
water, but not to remain with them when pos
sessed of it, and of course had not .violated his
agreement. The Romans submitted to the im
position, in consideration of the innocence of the
fraud. The priests having continued on the wall yet
five days longer, an extremity of hunger at
length compelled them to go down and surrender
themselves prisoners: whereupon the guards
conducted them to Titus, before whom they
humbled themselves, and entreated his merciful
regard. To this the emperor replied, that they
were too late in their application for as the
temple was now destroyed, it was not unreason
able that the priests should share its fate, since
they ought to perish with the temple to which
they belonged ; and hereupon he ordered them
to be put to death.
The leaders of the faction, now finding how
they were beset on all sides, and surrounded so
¦ that there was no possibility of their escape, pro-o
posed to enter into a treaty with the emperor: to
which he, with his wonted benevolence of dis
position, lent a favourable ear, partly, indeed, on
the recommendation of his friends, and partly
with a view to spare the city, in the hope that the
insurgents, by their future conduct, might de
serve his mercy.
Titus took his station on the west side of the
interior temple, near the gates which led to the
gallery; and between the temple and the upper
town there was a bridge of communication by

which the Romans and Jews were at this time
separated. On each side, the soldiers crowded
round their commanding officers ; the Romans,
on the one part, eager to see how Titus would
receive the supplicants.; and the Jews, on the
other, equally eager to learn what chance there
was of its being pardoned.
Titus having ordered his men to forbear
making any acclamations, and to keep the
strictest peace and most profound silence, inti
mated to the Jews by an interpreter that it was
his province to speak first, addressed them in a
speech, in which, after reproaching them for
their crimes, he promised that all, unless their
leaders, should receive his pardon on sub
mission. To this address, the faction returned an an
swer, importing that they could not surrender
on any promise or assurance of safety that the
emperor could make, as they werev solemnly
sworn not to make any submissios ; but, with
his permission, they were ready to retire with
their wives and children into the desert, and
leave to the RoniarisThe possession of the city.
Enraged by the idea of prisoners giving law and
prescribing terms to the conqueror, Titus caused
proclamations to be immediately made, inti
mating that, for the future, no Jew should pre
sume to apply to him for quarter or protection :
but they now might have recourse to arms, and
defend themselves in the best manner in their
power ; for that the laws of war should here
after determine his conduct towards them.
Hereupon the soldiers had immediate per
mission to attack them with fire and sword, and
to apply the plunder they could obtain in the
city to their own use. On the present day no
step was taken; but, on the following morning,
they set fire to the Council-chamber, the castle

574

JEWISH HISTORY.

the register-office, and a place named Ophlas,
whence the flames spread to queen Helen's pa
lace in the middle of the mount, destroying
wherever they came, and burning a great num
ber of dead bodies which crowded the streets and
houses in every part.

The next proceeding of the insurgents was to
advance to the royal palace, a place of great
strength and security, in which treasure to an
immense amount was deposited. From this pa
lace the Jews routed the Romans, of whom they
killed about eight thousand four hundred, and
made prize of all the treasure to an immense
amount. In the course of this engagement, two
of the Roman soldiers were made prisoners, one
of them of the cavalry, the other of the infantry.
The latter was first put to death, and then
dragged through the streets of the city, as if the
intention had been to deride the whole nation by
the insult offered to one unhappy wretch. The
Other prisoner, pretending that he had a circum
stance of some consequence to disclose, was im
mediately conducted to Simon ; but, on his ar
rival, he had. nothing to ^pention that was
deemed of the least consequence : wherefore Ar-
dalas, one of Simon's officers, received orders to
put him to death; Hereupon his hands were
bound behind him, a cloth was tied over his
eyes, and he was conducted from Simon's pre
sence to be beheaded within view of the Ro
mans: but Justin the instant that the executioner
was drawing his sword to perform his duty, the
prisoner slipped from him, and effected an es
cape to the Romans. This circumstance bdng
made known to Titus, he considered the case,
and would not adjudge him to death for de
serting from the enemy in so critical a situation :
but deemed it so disgraceful for a Roman soldier
to be taken prisoner, that he ordered him to be
disarmed and cashiered, a punishment even

worse than death in the opinion of a man of
honour.

On the following day, it happened that the
Romans routed the Jews from the lower town,
on which occasion they set fire to all the build
ings as far as Siloah, and were happy to see the'
destruction occasioned by, the conflagration ; but
they acquired no treasure; for the insurgents had
already safely deposited this in the upper town.
It is worthy of remark, that the rebels were
not of a disposition to lament any calamities
their vices had occasioned ; and they comported
themselves with their accustomed pride, even
when fortune appeared to be their determined
foe. They seemed to behold the burning of the
city with a degree of pleasure, and publicly said,
that as affairs were then situated, the approach
of death would not create in them the least de
gree of concern or regret. They had seen the
destruction of the people almost, to annihilation,
they had been witnesses to the temple being
burned to the ground, they had viewed the city
in flames, and were now pleased that the Ro
mans, who were to succeed them, could not take
possession of any thing that might afford them
satisfaction.

While affairs were in this situation, Josephus
exerted his utmost endeavours for the preserva
tion of the few remaining inhabitants of a
ruined and almost depopulated city. He applied
himself to the passions of the people, by every art
of invective complaint, advice, and encourage
ment : but allhe could say tended to answer no
valuable purpose : the Jews were not only bound
by the sacred obligations of their oaths, but al
most subdued by the superior numbers of the
Romans, exclusive of which they were inured to
blood, and familiar with destruction.

JEWISH HISTORY.

575

In this unhappy situation of affairs they dis
persed themselves throughout the city, searching
all the ruins, vaults, and other places of secre
tion, for such as had deserted. Great numbers
of these being seized, they were all put to death ;
for they were so weak that they could not seek
their safety by flight, and the dead bodies were
thrown to the dogs. Still; however, famine
threatened a death niore dreadful than any other.
Many of the Jews now deserted to the Romans
in mere despair; for they could not entertain any
other expectation, than they might be imme
diately put to death to prevent the miseries of
starvhig. The insurgents likewise shared the
same fate, having been instigated by the same
motives. There was not a single street but
what was bestrewed with the bodies of the
dead, some of whom had been starved, and the
rest falling a sacrifice to the rage of the pesti
lence.

The insurgents placed their last hope in con
cealment. They sought every private place of
retreat, vainly hoping that they might remain
concealed till the contest should be at an end,
and the Romans had abandoned their place:
they then imagined that their escape might be
safely effected, without reflecting that the all-
Seeing eye of justice could penetrate into the most
secret recesses. The Jews who had taken pos
session of the subterraneous retreats were the
authors of more calamity than the Roipans in
setting fire to the place. They first robbed and
then murdered all who retired for safety to these
places. The famine now raged to such a de
gree, that violent contentions arose respecting
the coarsest and most loathsome; food. I am of
opinion, that if the famine had continued for any
considerable time longer, they who survived
wouM have made no scruple of feeding on the
bodies of the deceased.

Such was the situation of the upper town on
crags and precipices, that Titus thought it would
be an impossibility to get possession of it with
out the erection of new mounts ; wherefore he
ordered that these works should be commenced
on the twentieth day of the month Lous. It has
been heretofore remarked that carriage was
very expensive, and attended with great trouble ;
for to the distance of one hundred furlongs from
the town, the materials had all been cut down
for the construction of the works heretofore.
erected. The four legions now threw up a mount on
the west side of the city opposite the royal
palace ; while the auxiliaries and the other
forces threw up another mount near the gal
lery and the bridge, and fortified the place known
by the name of Simon's tower, which had been
constructed by Simon during his war with
John. At this period some of the Idumean officers
held a council together concerning how their
whole body should go over to the interest of the
Romans. Having fixed on their plan, they
despatched five deputies to Titus to make an
offer of their services; and by these they sent a
petition, imploring the emperor's mercy in the
name of their whole people. It must be ac-*
knowledged that this application was made
very late in point of time : but Titus, thinking
that Simon and John would make no farther re
sistance after so capital a desertion, dismissed the
deputies with an answer importing that he would
grant the petitioners their lives ; for the truth was,
that he deemed the Idumeans to be the most for
midable of his opponents.

The above mentioned plot having been dis
covered, Simon gave orders that the five de-

576

JEWISH HISTORY.

puties should be instantly put to death, and that
imprisonment should be the lot of those from
whom they had received their directions, of
whom James, the son of Soas, was deemed to
be the principal. „

As the leaders were now in subjection, no
great mischief was apprehended from the com
mon soldiens; notwithstanding which, a stricter
guard was kept over the remainder of the Idu
means than had been heretofore thought neces
sary; but every effort that could be devised
proved ineffectual to prevent their deserting to
the Romans. It is true that rhany of them were
slain in the attempt, but still greater numbers
effected their escape, all of, . hom were received
by Titus, who had so much generosity and be-
nevolence,. that he declined to press the rigorous
execution of his former orders,; while even the
common soldiers, partly satiated with the blood
that had been spilt, and partly in the hope of ob
taining booty, began now to conduct themselves
with more lenity and moderation than they had
heretofore done.

By this time, there were none remaining but
the inferior kind of people: and these, together
with their wives and children, were publicly
sold like beasts in the market; and at very low
prices too, for the purchasers were but few in
number. Titus, now reflecting on this circum
stance, and on the proclamation which he him
self had issued, directing that no more of the
Jews should desert to him singly, thought it his
duty, as a man of humanity, to preserve as many
of them as possible; and, therefore,' determined
to revoke his former order, and to receive' as
many of them as should come to him separately ;
but he would not receive any number together.
He appointed proper persons to inquire into their

characters, to discriminate between the worthy
and the unworthy, and to treat every man ac
cording to his deserts.

At this period, there was a priest named Jesus,
the son of Thebuth, who compounded for his life
with the emperor, on the condition of his deli
vering up several of the ornaments belonging to
the temple, with some vessels and other articles
that had been presented thereto. In pursuance
of this contract, he conveyed out of the temple,
and handed over the wall, several tables, gob
lets, and cups, with a pair of candlesticks, alf
made of the finest gold. He likewise presented
the emperor with a considerable number of the
vessels used in sacrifice, with precious stones,
veils, and the habits used by die priests.

^About this time, likewiser Phineas, the keeper
ofthe sacred treasure, being taken prisoner, he
gave up a vast number of the habits and girdles
belonging to the priest, together with scarlet
and purple stuffs which had been carefully laid
by for future use. He likewise made a discovery
of a quantity of cinnamon, cassia, gums, and
perfumes, which were used for incense daily
offered, together with a number of sacred orna
ments and effects which were the property of
private persons. Now though Phineas was a
lawful prisoner, regularly taken in open war,
yet, in consideration of these discoveries, he » as
treated with as much lenity as if he had made
them through the mere effect of his own incli
nation. After the expiration of eighteen days, the erec
tion of the mounts was completed on the seventh
day of the month Gprpiteus, (answering to Sep
tember,) at which time the Romans advanced with
their engines for battery. Many ofthe insurgents,

JEWISH HISTORY.

577

now despairing to hold possession of the place
any longer, abandoned the walls, and retired to
the castle, while others concealed themselves in
vaults and subterraneous passages. Still, how
ever, there were some more obstinate than the
rest, who were determined to oppose those who
had the management of the batteries. In the
mean time, the enemy was greatly superior to
them in numbers and strength; and the Romans
had the farther advantage, that their troops were
in full health and spirits, and animated with the
success they had obtained over an enemy that,
kaving been unfortunate in their undertakings,
were dejected by their losses, and almost aban
doned to despair.
As often as any of the Jews observed a flaw
in the wall, or that any of the turrets yielded to
the impression made by the battering engines,
they sought their safety by immediate flying
from the place of apprehended danger ; till at
length even Simon and John were terrified even
to the borders of despair, and fled before the Ro
mans were advanced within such a distance as
to be able to do them a personal injury; for their
fears operated to such a degree, that they were
frightened at danger, whether real or appre
hended. Though these men were some of the
most abandoned of the human race, yet the ex
treme calamity they endured could scarcely fail
«f exciting pity in the breasts of those who so
lately knew them boasting of their imagined
consequence, and triumphing in all the height of
presuming arrogance. The change in their af
fairs was, indeed, very great, and distressing in
the highest degree.
John and Simon now made an attempt on the
wail which had been erected round the city by
the Romans. They succeeded, in fact, so far in
this attempt, as to make a breach in the wall ;
*nd their intontion was to have attacked the
Nos. 49 & 50. ,

guards, and by that means to have effected their
escape. But when they expected to have been
properly supported in this attack, they found
that all their friends had abandoned them : where
fore they retreated in confusion, as they were led
by their fears and apprehensions.
In this distracted state of affairs, every man
told such a tale as was inspired hy his own ap
prehensions. While one brought intelligence
that the whole of the. wall to the westward was
overthrown, others asserted that the Romans
were at the foot of this wall; and a third party
declared that they had entered the city, and that
some of them were in actual possession ofthe
towers. Their imaginations appeared to realize
their fears : they fell prostrate on the ground, la
menting their unhappy fate, bewailing then fol
lies, and remained in a state of desperation of
which no language can convey an idea.
The goodness and the power of God were re
markable, and likewise equally conspicuous on
this occasion : for the tyrannical leaders of the
opposition were eventually the occasion of their
own destruction, by abandoning those forts of
their own accord, which could never have been
taken unless the besieged had been starved out ;
and this they did after the Jews had in vain
spent much time on other erections of inferior
strength. By this providential turn of affairs,
the Romans became masters of three impreg
nable forts, which they could never have ac
quired in any other manner; for the three towers
were absolutely proof against battery of every
kind. No sooner had Simon and John, influenced
by the impulse of a judicial frenzy, abandoned
the towers above mentioned, than they hurried
away to the vale of Siloah, where they reposed
themselves for a short time after the fatigue they
4T

578

JEWISH HISTORY;

had undergone. Having refreshed themselves,
and recalled their scattered ideas, they assaulted
the new wall at the above mentioned place ; but
their efforts were so feeble, that they were easily
repulsed by the guards; for their misery, despair,
and fatigue, had so reduced them, that they had
no strength remaining, and were glad to creep
away with their adherents, and conceal them
selves in vaults and caverns.
The walls being now in possession of the Ro
mans, they hoisted their colours on the towers,
and exulted with the most cheerful acclamations
at the happy conclusion of a war which promised
so little in the commencement, for they were
compelled to believe that the war was at length
ended, unless they had been disposed to discredit
the evidence of their own senses.

By this time the soldiers had spread themselves
into every part of the city, ranging through the
streets with drawn swords, and sacrificing to
their rage every one they saw without distinction.
They set fire to the houses, and burnt them and
all their contents to the ground. In many
houses into which they entered in search of plun
der, they found every person of the families
dead, and the houses in a manner filled with the
bodies of those who had perished through hun
ger : wherefore, shocked at such a sight, they
frequently returned without seizing their in
tended booty. Yet, notwithstanding this appa
rent respect they showed to the deceased, they
gave no proofs of their humanity to the living ;
for they put every man to the sword who fell in
their way, till at length the bodies of the dead
filled up all the alleys and narrow passes, while
their blood flowed to such a degree as to run
down the channels of the city in streams. To
wards night they gave over the practice, but re
newed their depredations by means of fire.

The conflagration of the city of Jerusalem
ended on the eighth day of the month Gorpiaeus.
Jerusalem was a city that must undoubtedly have
been the envy of the universe in all the prosperity
that attended it from its original foundation, had
it borne any proportion to the misfortunes and
calamities which befel it in the course of the
siege above mentioned; and what aggravated
these judgments was, that her own sons proved
her destruction, and that she had nursed a race
of vipers to prey on the body of the parent.
Titus employed himself in taking a survey of
the ruins of tMs distinguished city: while ad
miring the works and fortifications, and particu
larly the fortress which the usurpers, in the extra
vagance of their folly, had abandoned — wMle he
was contemplating the situation, dimensions, and
elevation of the towers, with the elegance of the
structures, the curiosity of the design and work
manship, and the masterly execution of the
whole, he expressed himself in the following
manner : " If our military operations had not
been aided by the immediate interposition of
heaven, it would have been impossible that we
should ever have possessed ourselves of these
fortresses. In a word, it was God who fought
for and aided us against the Jews ; for a deed
has been accomplished, which the hands of men
or the force of engines could never have ef
fected." Titus having delivered himself to this effect,
and said much more to the same purpose, bis
next business was to restore to liberty all those
prisoners whom the oppressors had left in the
towers. This being done, and the razing and
demolition of the city completed, these towers
alone excepted, he gave orders for sparing them
as a memorial of his good fortune and success ;
for unless they had been abandoned, tMs success
could never have arisen.

JEWISH HISTORY.

579

By tins time the soldiers were perfectly fa
tigued with the work of slaughter, notwithstand
ing much appeared yet to be done. However,
Titus commanded Ms men to desist so far as to
the sparing all who should not be found in arms,
or offer to make resistance : yet, notwithstanding
these directions, the soldiers exceeded their or
ders, and put to death the sick and the aged
without pity or remorse. They who appeared to
be m full health, and fit for service,, were impri
soned in the temple, and in that quarter hereto
fore destined to the use of women. Fronto, one'
of the freed men and friend of Titus, was deputed
to mquire into the cases of the prisoners, and to
treat them according to their deserts. The aban
doned, the seditious, and those who mutually
charged each other with crimes, were put to
death without mercy : but Titus preserved the
young and healthy, particularly those of a comely
appearance, to grace his triumph on his entrance
into Rome. All those who remained after this
selection, and were above seventeen years of
age, were sent in chains into Egypt to be em
ployed as slaves; and those who were under se
venteen exposed to sale, some only excepted, who
were sent into the various provinces of the em
pire to be engaged as gladiators in the several
theatres. In the interim, no less than eleven thousand of
the prisoners, who were under the care of Fronto,
were starved to death ; partly owing to their ob
stinacy in the refusal of provisions, and partly to
the severity of their overseers, who neglected to
supply them in a proper manner : but one great
cause which aggravated this calamity was the
want of sufficient provisions for such an immense
number.

Thus ended the important and melancholy
siege; and the Roman soldiers having no living
object on which to wreak their further vengeance,

(for if they had, that vengeance would have been
continued,) Titus gave orders that they should
reduce [the city and temple to a level with the
ground, and not to leave any building standing,
except the three distinguished towers so often
mentioned, which bore the names of Hippocos,
Phasael, and Mariamne ; and a part of the wall
to the westward of the city, on which he in
tended to erect a garrison. The towers were or
dered to remain as an evidence to future times of
the skill and power of the Romans in becoming
possessed of them. This order was executed
with the utmost strictness, and the rest of the
city totally demolished and razed even to the
ground ; so that it scarcely appeared to have been
the residence of human creatures. Thus the
factious multitude, whose seditions had created
all the misfortunes, were reduced; and thus,
likewise, was reduced the most distinguished city
on the face of the earth
About this period, Simon, the son of Giaras,
was made a prisoner, in consequence of the fol
lowing singular circumstance : When Jerusalem
was so closely besieged, that Simon was com
pelled to take refuge in the upper town, and
when the Romans had actually got into the city,
he was almost distracted to know how to dispose
of himself; and at length he adopted the follow
ing plan. Having sent for a number of stone
cutters, miners, smiths, and persons w^H skilled
in iron works; and having provided a great
number of tools and materials proper for their
purpose, and provisions for a considerable time,
they descended all together into a dark and pri
vate vault. In this place, they worked their
way as far as they were able ; but, finding the
passage too narrow to answer their intentions,
they began to dig and mine, with a view to open
a passage through which they might effect their
escape ; but though they managed their provi
sions in the most frugal manner possible, they
4T*

580

JEWISH HISTORY.

fell short before they had made any considerable
progress in their work, by which means the
whole plan failed. Reduced to the utmost ne
cessity, Simon had recourse to a singular. device
to terrify the Romans. In pursuance of his
plan, he dressed himself in a white garment,
which was buckled round him, over which was
thrown a purple cloak. Thus habited, he as-1
cended from the ground, under the ruins of the
late temple, to the astomshment of the soldiers,
and others who beheld the apparition. As he
advanced towards them, the soldiers assumed
sufficient courage to demand his name and bu
siness ; but Simon refused to answer their ques
tions, and demanded to speak with the captain
of the guard. Hereupon, they immediately sent
to Terentius Rufus, who at that time had the
command ; and he soon discovered who Simon
was, ordered him to be immediately put in
chains, and then related all the particulars of
the affair to Titus.
Simon was presented to Titus bound in
chains: whereupon he' gave orders that he
should be detained a prisoner to grace his tri
umphant entry into Rome. Some short time
after* his arrival, he appointed a day for the ce
lebration of the nativity of his brother Domitian,
with the utmost grandeur and magnificence :
on this occasion, a great number of condemned
persons were sacrificed to the splendour of the
ceremony; for of those who were destroyed by
beasts, by fire, or in combats with each other,
it was calculated that not less than two thousand
five hundred perished; yet such was the invete
racy of the Romans against the Jews, that they
thought even this number too small.
Some time after this, Titus went to Berytus,
a city of Phoenicia, and one of the Roman co
lonies. In this place he continued some time,
and there celebrated the anniversary of the

birth of his father Vespasian, even with a
greater degree of pomp and splendour than he
had done that of his brother, both with respect
to the articles of expense, and the public shows
exhibited. From Berytus, Titus proceeded to Antioch,
where he rejected some frivolous accusations
which were brought by the citizens against the
Jews. Thence he continued his journey to
Egypt, and embarked at Alexandria for Rome,
having previously to his embarkation despatched
the two legions that attended him to their former
stations, that is, the fifth was sent to Mysia, and
the tenth to Hungary. Simon and Jbhn, with
seven hundred of the most comely of the pri
soners, were ordered to be sent into Italy, that
they might dignify the triumph of Titus on Ms
entry into Rome.
Titus had a most favourable and agreeable
voyage, and was received with as great honour
and respect as his father had been before him ;
and, exclusive of this general respect from the
people, Vespasian went out in person to meet
and congratulate him ; a circumstance highly
grateful to the public, who now beheld the father
and his two sons meeting together in circum
stances of the most auspicious nature.
In a short time after this, the senate passed a
decree for two separate triumphs, the one in ho
nour of the father, the other in that of the son;
but notwithstanding this determination, Vespa
sian and Titus resolved that the solemnity to
their mutual honour should be jointly celebrated.
When the day was fixed on which it was to take.
place, there was hardly a single person in the
city who did not attend as a spectator ; so that
when the whole multitude was assembled toge
ther, there was scarcely room enough left for the
emperor and his son to pass. Before the break

JEWISH HISTORY.

581

of day, the soldiers marched to the palace gates,
near the temple of Isis, in regular order, pre
ceded by their officers, to wait the arrival of the
princes, who had lodged the preceding night in
the temple above mentioned1.1
Soon after the dawn of the morning, Vespa
sian and Titus came forward, being clothed in
purple robes, according to the custom of their
country, and having on their heads crowns of
laurel. They proceeded to the Octavian walks,
at which place the senate, nobility, and knights
of Rome, waited for their arrival. Before the
portal there was erected a tribunal, on which
they ascended, and reposed themselves on seats
of ivory, which had been placed there on the oc
casion ; and being thus situated, orations were
made in their praise ; while the surrounding mul
titudes testified their joy by the loudest acclama
tions. On this occasion, the princes wore no
arms; and while the orators were rapidly de
claiming in their praise, Vespasian' made a signal
for silence, -which being strictly obeyed by every
person present, he stood up ; and having thrown
his robe over a part of his head., he offered up
certain prayers agreeable to the custom on such
occasions; and in this Titus followed his exam
ple. This being done, Vespasian addressed the
company in a concise speech, and then dismissed
the military people to regale themselves at his
expense. In the next place, Vespasian and Titus
proceeded to the triumphal gate, which received
its name on account of the grand procession
passing that way. ' Here they took some re
freshment; and, being then arrayed in their
triumphal habiliments, they offered up sacrifices
at the gate, and then proceeded in great pomp
and solemnity through the midst of the crowd,
that all the people might be gratified by a sight
of them.
It is impossible for language to convey any ,

adequate idea ofthe splendour and magnificence
of this public exhibition, whether the expense and
contrivance of it, or the novelty of its orna
ments, be considered. On this occasion, all the
most valuable curiosities which the Roman nation
had been collecting through a long succession of
ages, were combined to furnish the splendid
triumph of one day, and displayed as a monu
ment of the national grandeur. So great a num
ber of curious performances in gold, silver, and
ivory, equally valuable for their cost and their
admirable contexture, were now exhibited to the
public view, that they seemed rather a confusion
than a regular display of riches. There likewise
appeared such an amazing variety of purple gar
ments and Babylonian embroideries, together
with jewels and other stones of great value,
which were disposed into the forms of crowns,
and other devices, that what was used to be ac
counted curious was now no longer deemed so.
Images ofthe gods ofthe Romans were carried
in procession, which were extraordinary for
their size and constructure ; and besides these,
there were resemblances of various sorts of
living creatures, which were dressed so as to
answer their characters.
A great number of people dressed in cloth of
gold and purple carried these pageants through
the streets; and they who were more imme
diately appointed to attend the pompous train
were habited in garments of a singularly splendid
appearance. Even the very prisoners that made
a part of the train were dressed with unusual
decency, to hide the misery of their condition,
and conceal the marks of slavery that appeared
in their countenances : but in all the procession,
nothing was so extraordinary as the carrying of
the machines; many of them were three or four
stories in height, so that it is astonishing how the
bearers could support them. The expense of
these was proportioned to the contrivance of

582

JEWISH HISTORY.

them ; for the furmture and hangings were em
broidered with gold, ivory, and other things of.
high value.
In the procession were likewise the most lively
and picturesque representations of war and all
its attendant circumstances. In one place was
to be seen the appearance of a fruitful country
totally laid waste ; in another, the destruction of
armies ; some being killed, some flying, and
others taken prisoners : there were the resem
blances of walls levelled with the ground, forts
destroyed, fortified cities entered through
breaches, towns taken by surprise, and streets
streaming with blood, while the vanquished
were imploring for mercy. Houses appeared to
be falling on the heads of their owners, while
temples were apparently in flames, and rivers
found their course through the conflagrations,
instead of supplying water to man and beast, and
refreshing the fields and meadows with their
streams. Nor was this any other than an admi
rable representation of the suffering Jews, so
finely contrived by the ingenuity of art, that to
those who were acquainted with the fate of Je
rusalem, it might seem to be a well told story of
the destruction of that celebrated city.
On each of the pageants was a representation
of the manner in which some town or city was
taken, with a figure of the governor of the place.
To these succeeded a view of the shipping, and
then were exhibited the spoils that were taken in
various places, of which the most considerable
were the golden table and the golden candlestick
which were found in the temple at Jerusalem.
The first of these weighed several talents, and
the latter was never applied to the use for which
it had been designed. This candlestick consisted
of a large foot, from which there ascended a sort
of pillar, and from that pillar, as from the body
of a tree, there arose seven branches, the top of

each branch resembling a lamp; and the number
was seven, in reference to the esteem in which
the seventh day is held by the Jews. The next,
and indeed the last trophy exhibited of the con
quest which the Romany had made, was the code
of Jewish laws, which was followed by figures of
ivory and gold, intended as an emblematical re
presentation of victory; and the procession was
closed by Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, all
mounted on fine horses, elegantly caparisoned,
and appearing with a dignity becoming their
high rank; and in this splendid manner they
proceeded together to the temple of Jupiter Ca-
pitolinus, and thus put an end to the procession.
W7hen they arrived at the temple, they re
mained there for a short time, in conformity to
an ancient custom, which rendered it necessary
that they should stay in that place till they re
ceived advice of the death of the general who
had commanded the army of the enemy. The
general on the present occasion was Simon Gio-
ras, (who had been led in triumph through the
streets,) round whose neck a rope being fixed,
he was drawn through the market-place, those
who drew him putting Mm to death, agreeable
to the laws and usages of the Romans in the case
of notorious offenders: Intelligence being brought
that Simon was dead, the very air was rent with
the shouts and acclamations ofthe multitude.
The people then offered up vows and sacrifices :
and this solemn business being discharged, Ves
pasian and his sons returned to the palace, where
they gave a most magnificent entertamment on
the occasion. Indeed the whole city exMbited one
general scene of joy and festivity, and public
thanks were every where offered for the final vic
tory which had now been obtained over their ene
mies ; a victory which seemed to promise a lasting
tranquillity, while it redounded to the immortal
honour ofthe heroes who bad acquired it.

JEWISH HISTORY.

583

As soon as the triumphs were ended, and the
peace of the empire was secured, Vespasian
caused a temple to be erected and dedicated to
Peace. This edifice was remarkable for its
richness and elegance, and still more so for the
short space of time in which it was constructed.
It was adorned with a great abundance of curious
pieces of painting and sculpture, which had been
collected at an immense expense; and it was, on
the whole, so magnificent and elegant a building,
that persons came from all parts of the world to
obtain a sight of it. The golden table and the
candlestick, as articles of inestimable value, Ves
pasian caused to be placed in this temple. With
regard to the code of Jewish laws, and the purple
vestments of the sanctuary, they were deposited
with the utmost care in the royal palace.
The emperor having granted a commission to
Lucilius Bassus, appointing him to be lieutenant-
general of Judea, he thereupon succeeded Ce-
realis Petilianus in the command of the army,
and soon rendered himself master of the castle of
Herodion by treaty. This being done, he col
lected his troops which were stationed in diffe
rent parts of the country, proposing, by the as
sistance ofthe tenth legion, to reduce Machaeras,
as a work of indispensible necessity, since that
place was so remarkably strong, that it was a
kind of incitement to acts of rebellion; and its
situation was such as to inspire those in posses
sion of it with fresh courage, though, on the other
hand, it was calculated to repress the ardour of
an assailant.
Machseras is situated on a mountain of im
mense height, and is of so strong a nature, that
it is rendered almost impregnable. It is like
wise, in a manner, inaccessible ; for nature has
surrounded it with valleys that are almost im
passable, and cannot be filled up. These valleys
are of such a depth as not to be surveyed from

the mountain without horror. The mountain
stretches sixty furlongs to the west, and ap
proaches almost close to the lake Asphaltites,
and the castle commands a very extensive view
of the district on that side.
To the north and south the valleys are very
extensive, and appear to be equally well calcu
lated for the defence ofthe place. Oh the east,
the depth of the valley is not less than a hundred
cubks; and opposite Machaeras is a mountain to
which this valley extends. This place was ori
ginally fortified by Alexander, king of the Jews,
who built a castle on it ; but this castle was after
wards destroyed by Gabinius, when he made
war on Aristobulus : but Herod the Great, think
ing this mountain well worthy of his attention,
particularly in case of any dispute with the Ara
bians, who were remarkably, well situated to
annoy him, caused a strong wall, fortified with
turrets, to be built round it, and erected a hand
some city, in which he placed a colony of inha
bitants ; and from the city he made a passage up
to the castle.
Round the castle, at the top, he built another
wall, at the angles of which were turrets sixty
cubits in height; and, in the midst of the inclo-
sure, he caused a large and elegant palace to be
erected, which was supplied with water from a
variety of cisterns ; so that the situation and con
veniences of this place seemed to have arisen from
a happy Conjunction of nature and art, each con
tributing in a liberal manner to its improvement.
Herod likewise deposited in the castle an im
mense store of military arms, engines, arrows,
&c. ; and stocked it with a great quantity and
variety of provisions; so that there could be little
danger of the garrison being reduced either by
famine or force.
When Bassus had taken a careful survey of

584

JEWISH HISTORY.

Machaeras, he came to a determination to besiege
the place; and, for this purpose, he intended to
hav e filled up the valley to the eastward of the
town, and to make his approach from that quar
ter. His first proceeding was to throw up a mount
opposite the castle with all possible expedition, as
the readiest way to insure his success. The Jews,
who were natives of the city, now divided them
selves from those who were strangers, whom
they dismissed as persons who were unworthy a
connection with them, and sent them into the
lower town to sustain the first shock, themselves
taking possession of the castle, which, from its
strength, they thought would be the most defen
sible, and a place from which, in case of neces
sity, it was probable that they might make the
best terms with the Romans. In the mean time
they exerted their utmost industry to repel the
attacks of the besiegers. There was not a day
passed in which the Jews did not sally forth in a
determined manner, when violent skirmishes en
sued, and both parties lost a considerable number
of men. The advantage lay sometimes on one
side, and sometimes on the other; the Jews being
successful when they attacked the Romans by
surprise, and the latter being the victors when
they were properly advised of the advance of the
enemy, and had time to prepare for their recep
tion. But it appeared evident that the siege was
not to end in this manner, since a most singular
accident reduced the Jews to the disagreeable
necessity of surrendering the castle.
In Machaeras there was a young man of spirit,
remarkably bold, daring, and enterprising. His
name was Eleazar, and he exerted himself in a
very extraordinary manner, both by advice and
example, to check the progress of the Romans,
and encourage his countrymen to oppose their
proceedings. This Eleazar frequently sallied
forth in a most determined manner, and was con
stantly the first man to begin an encounter, and

the last to retreat, when retreat became abso
lutely necessary. Now it happened, after the
conclusion of a skirmish on a particular day,
when both parties were retired, that Eleazar de
termined to evince his utter contempt of danger;
and to prove that he was incapable of fearing
any man, stopped without the gate of the city,
and entered into an idle conversation with some
ofthe Jews that were on the walls, seeming to
pay no kind of regard to any thing that might
pass around him.
Eleazar being now within view of the Romans
in their encampment, an Egyptian soldier, named
Rufus, took an opportunity to run to him un
noticed, and, seizing him with all his accoutre
ments, conveyed him to the enemy. The pri
soner was no sooner brought, than Bassus di
rected that he should be stripped, laid on the
ground, and publicly whipped within view of
those in the city. The distressful situation of
this youth afflicted the Jews to such a degree,
that the generality of them burst into tears, and
lamented his unhappy fate. Bassus finding how
exceedingly concerned the people in general
were for the misfortunes of this one man, a
thought struck him that he hoped to improve it
to his advantage ; for he conceived, that if he
could but increase the ardour of their passions,
they might be induced to purchase the life of
Eleazar by a surrender of the place. The
scheme succeeded to the height of his expec
tation : a cross was erected, on which it seemed
to appear that Eleazar was to be immediately
crudfied : but no sooner was this cross fixed,
than the whole garrison exclaimed, as with
one voice, that they could no longer bear
their sufferings. Immediately hereupon, Elea
zar entreated them to consider their own si
tuation, and that of himself, who was sen
tenced to an ignominious death ; and conjured
them to desist from contending against the sit-

JEWISH HISTORY.

585

perior courage and success of the Romans, to
whose dominion all the world had submitted.
' ' Kleazar being of a distinguished family, and
having many friends and relations in the castle,
their interest was exerted in support of his earnest
supplication; so that, in the end, the besieged,
compassionating his case in a high degree, des
patched deputies to the Romans, who were com
missioned to offer the surrender of the castle on
the condition that Eleazar's life and liberty
should be granted him, and that the garrison
should be permitted to dispose of themselves as
they thought proper.
Bassus readily consented to these terms ; but
the people in the lower town, enraged to think
that they had not been consulted before the agree
ment was made, determined to secure themselves
by privately retreating in the night. Those who
were in the caStle gave notice of this to Bassus
as soon as the gates were opened, partly lest
themselves should be suspected to have been con
cerned in the plot, and partly through envy of
their associates. Hereupon Bassus attacked
them ; but the most gallant of those who first
got out, made their escape, while the rest, in num
ber no fewer than seventeen hundred, were slain,
and their wives and children made slaves. Not
withstanding the above mentioned circumstance,
Bassus gave Eleazar his liberty, and dismissed
the garrison, agreeably to his contract.
The transactions above mentioned being at an
end, and Bassus having received information
that great numbers ofthe Jews who had effected
their escape during the siege of Jerusalem and
Maehteras, had assembled together and retired to
the forest of Jardus, he marched with his army
immediately to that place ; and, on his arrival,
found* 'that the intelligence which had been
brought him was true ; wherefore he issued or-
Nos. 49 & 50

ders that his cavalry should instantly surround
the whole wood, which were so punctually
obeyed, that not a single Jew could make his es
cape. In the mean time, the infantry were em
ployed to cut down the trees and bushes which
formed those thickets under which the Jejp had
taken shelter ; so that by this means they were
deprived of all possibility of concealment, and
had no hopes of safety but in cutting their way
through the forces of the enemy.

Being reduced to the alternative of perishing
or taking this desperate step, they united in a
body, and made a violent attack on those who
surrounded them, who received the assault with
the utmost bravery. In a word, the rashness ex
cited by despair on the one side, and determined
courage on the other, combined to render the en
gagement equally obstinate and violent. In the
end, however, the Romans obtained the advan
tage, with the loss of only twelve men slain, and
a small number wounded ; whereas every man
of the Jews was killed in the action, amounting
in the whole to the number of three thousand.
Among these was the commander in chief, named
Judas, the son of Jair, of whom mention has been
made in a former part of this work. This Judas
was an officer during the siege of Jerusalem, from
whence he effected his escape through a subter
raneous passage.
At this juncture, the emperor sent a letter to
his officer Tiberius Maximus, commissioning him
to expose the lands ofthe Jews to sale; and de
claring that he would not rebuild any of their
cities, but seize them all to his own use. Tiberius
was directed to leave eight hundred soldiers in
Emmaus, which is situated about sixty furlongs
from Jerusalem. The emperor likewise issued
orders that the Jews should pay a poll-tax of two
drachmas annually ; and this money was to be
4U

586

JEWISH HISTORY.

paid into the capital, as similar taxes had been
formerly paid at the temple.
The death of Bassus, which happened in Judea,
made room for the advancement of Flavius Silva,
who succeeded to his government. Silva being
informed that all the country was in due subjec
tion, one castle only excepted, he collected all the
forces he was able, with a determination to make
an attack on it. The name of this castle was
Massada, and it was under the command of
Eleazar, the leader of the Sicarii, who had ob
tained possession of this fortress.
The Roman general, Silva, now marched to
lay siege to Massada, in which was a garrison of
the Sicarii, commanded by Eleazar, who was the
chief of the people bearing that name. Silva
soon possessed himself of the adjacent country,
and with very little difficulty : he then disposed
of his troops in the most commodious manner
possible, and ran up a wall round the castle, at
once to secure his soldiers, and to prevent the
escape of the enemy. He now looked out for a
place the most convenient for the station of his
camp, which he found to be on the spot where
the adjacent mountain communicated with the
rock on which the castle stood. One great in
convenience now attended Silva; for the provi
sions with which his army was supplied by the
Jews were brought from a very great distance ;
and as there was no fountain near the place, the
procuring of water was likewise attended with
very great difficulty.
As soon as the above mentioned disposition of
affairs had taken place, Silva prepared to com
mence the siege, which, as will appear from the
situation of the castle, was likely to cost much
time, and to be attended with great difficulty.
This castle was situated on a large and high
rock, which was surrounded by deep and craggy

precipices. They who stood at the top could not
see. the bottom, on account of the higher rocks
hanging over those that are beneath. Even the
beasts could not climb this rock, so difficult was
the access, except by two passages; one of which
is from the east side from the lake Asphaltites,
and the other from the west side, the former
being much more dangerous than the latter. One
of these passages bears the name of the Snake,
from the number of turnings that there were in
the ascent; for in many parts of it the stones so
intersected each other, that passengers were
obliged to go backwards and forwards to pass
them ; and the road was so narrow, that the tra
veller could not keep both his feet on the ground
at the same time. Exclusive of all things, one
false step would have plunged a man to the bot
tom of a most horrid precipice. This road was
deemed thirty furlongs from the bottom to the
top of the mountain ; and on this eminence there
was a plain, on which the high-priest Jonathan
caused a castle to be built, to which he gave the
name of Massada, and claimed the honour of
being the founder of this castle, which was after
wards fortified and adorned, with immense la
bour, and at a large expense,' by Herod the Great;
a wall being also built round it by Herod,, eight
cubits in breadth, and twelve in height, with
white stones of considerable value. Herod like
wise caused seven and twenty turrets, each of
fifty cubits high, to be erected ; and made a com
munication between these turrets and the build
ings on the interior side of the wall. The nature
of the soil of the plain being found to be ex
tremely rich, Herod gave order that it should be
well cultivated, with a view that those who might
in future times have occasion to take refuge in
the castle, might be certain of bemg supplied
with the necessaries of life.
Within the limits of the castle, he caused a
sumptuous and magnificent palace to be erected

m_amm^_

JEWISH HISTORY.

587

for his own accommodation. The entrance of
this palace was situated so as to front the north
west. The walls of it were of great strength,
and remarkably high ; and at each of the four
corners was a tower of the height of sixty cubits.
The variety, decorations, ornaments, richness,
and splendour of the several apartments, baths,
and galleries, exceeded all description. The whole
was supported with pillars, each of one entire
stone, and so disposed as to give proof of the
strength of the structure and the judgment of the
architect. The pavement and the walls were
diversified with stones of a variety of colours.
A great number of large cisterns, hewed out of
the rock, for the preservation of water, were dis
persed in the different quarters of the palace to
the castle,, which was quite invisible from the
outside, and, as hath been heretofore observed,
the other passage was rendered altogether im
passable ; and, with regard to the western pas
sage, it was totally blocked up by a tower that
was erected in the narrowest part of it, at about
the distance of a thousand cubits from the castle.
This will serve to show how strongly the place
was fortified by art as well as nature, and how
difficult the conquest of it must have been even
with the slightest opposition. /
Thus fortified, this castle had the appearance
of being proof, not only against force, but was
unlikely to be subdued by famine ; for, when it
was surprised by Eleazar and the Sicarii, there
were found in it great treasures of corn, wine, oil,
pulse, dates, kc. equal to the consumption of
many years ; and these articles were said by Jo
sephus to be as fresh as if they had been but
newly deposited, though they had been treasured
up an hundred years.
Perhaps this circumstance might be owing to
the extreme purity and salubrious quality of the
air in so elevated a situation. Agreeably to the

king's order, there was likewise laid up a maga
zine of various kinds of arms, for the accommo
dation often thousand men, and also an immense
quantity of un wrought iron, brass, lead, and other
articles, which it is presumed were intended for
some capital enterprise. #• •
The Jews being now so closely pent up within
the walls of Massada, that it was utterly impos
sible that they should effect an escape, Silva ad
vanced with his machines to the only place which
he could find up, in order to raise a mount.
Beyond the tower which blocked up the western
passage to the palace and castle, there was a
large rock, which bore the name of Leuce : this
rock was larger than that on which the castle of
Massada stood, but not so high by about three
hundred cubits. Silva had no sooner taken pos
session of this rock, than he issued orders tohis
soldiers to raise a mount upon it; and they were |
so diligent in this business, that they soon got it *
up to the height of two hundred cubits ; but find- ^
ing that it was not of sufficient strength to support
the machines, they raised on it a kind of platform
composed of large stones, fifty cubits in height,
and of the same breadth. On this platform they
built a tower of the height of sixty cubits, which
they fortified with iron. Exclusive of their com
mon machines, they had another kind which had
been invented by Vespasian, and were afterwards
improved by Titus.
From the tower above mentioned, the Romans
assailed the besieged with such impetuous show
ers of stones and flights of arrows, that they were
afraid to appear on the walls. In the interim,
Silva directed his battering-rams against the
wall, til! at length it was damaged in some places.
In consequence hereof, the Sicarii instantly ran
up another wall behind it, which was composed
of such materials as to deaden the shock, and
sustain no kind of damage. TMs wall was built
4U*

588

JEWISH HISTORY.

in the following manner : A row of large pieces
of timber was mortised into another of equal
size, and a space was left between them equal to
the thickness of the wall. This space was filled
with the earth of the nature of clay, and boards
were nailed across the frame to prevent the earth
from falling. Thus prepared, it was as strong as
the wall of a house; and the more violently it
was battered, the stronger it became, the earth
being more firmly closed by each stroke it
received. Silva, finding that the battering with his ma
chines did not produce the consequence he ex
pected, ordered Ms soldiers to provide themselves
with fire-brands to destroy the works of the
enemy. The new wall being hollow, and chiefly
composed of timber-work, it immediately took
fire, and the flames raged with the utmost vio
lence ; but the wind being in the north, it drove
the fire with such rapidity on the Romans, that
they expected the almost instant destruction of
their machines: but, just at this juncture, the
wind veered to the south, and beat so violently
on the wall, that the whole of it was in flames in
a moment. The Romans, grateful for this pro
vidential stroke in their favour, returned to their
camp full of spirits, and with a fixed determina
tion to attack the enemy by break of day on the
following morning ; and, in the mean time, to
place strong guards, that their opponents might
not escape in the night.
However, Eleazar had no idea of departing
himself, or of permitting any of his people to
evacuate the place ; but as the wall was now
totally consumed, and there appeared to be no
longer any chance either of relief or security, it
became necessary to consider how their wives
and children might be most effectually preserved
from the violences to be expected from the Ro
mans on their taking possession of the place.

Having seriously reflected on this affair, Eleazar
determined in his own mind that a death of glory
would be greatly preferable to a life of infamy;
and that the most magnanimous resolution they
could form would be to disdain the idea of sur
viving their liberties. His own sentiments bemg
thus formed, he resolved to endeavour to inspire
others with the same ; and, for that purpose, he
summoned a number of his friends and associates,
whom he addressed in a speech strongly recom
mending suicide.
\ TMs was received in a very different manner
by his different auditors, some of whom were
charmed with his proposal, and ready to execute
it, deeming death an object of desire in their
present situation; while others, from the tender
ness of their nature, were equally terrified at the
thought of destroying their friends, or becommg
their own executioners. They regarded each
other with looks of the utmost anxiety, while
their flowing tears testified the sentiments of
their minds. Eleazar was greatly chagrined at
what he deemed a weakness, that degraded the
dignity of his plan, and might tempt those who
had appeared to be determined to abandon their
resolutions. He, therefore, pursued Ms plan of
exhorting the people, but in a different manner ;
for he now discoursed on the immortality ofthe
soul, addressing himself particularly, and with
the utmost earnestness, to those who were
weeping. Eleazar would have proceeded long on tMs
subject, but that the people interrupted him with
the warmest expressions of their readiness to
adopt the plan he had recommended, each being
ambitious to excel the other in giving this dis
tinguishing proof of his wisdom and courage ;
thus passionately were these people devoted to
the destruction of themselves and their families.
It was very extraordinary, that when thev came

JEWISH HISTORY.

589

to give proof of their resolution, not a man of
them failed in the arduous trial. They retained
their kindest affections for each other to the last
moment, conceiving that they could not render a
more acceptable office, ;or give a more perfect
proof of their regard. While they embraced
their wives and children for the last time, they
wept over and stabbed them in the same mo
ment, rejoidng, however ', 'that this work was not
left to be performed by their enemies. They
considered the necessity of the action as their
excuse, and reflected that they only destroyed
thdr dearest friends to prevent their falling by
die hands ofthe Romans. In a word, there was
not one man who wanted the necessary courage
on the occasion, and they killed their ^dearest
friends and relations without distinction; and
they thought the destruction of their wives and
cMldren far preferable to the evils to which they
would otherwise be exposed.

They who had been the principal agents in
the slaughter above mentioned, penetrated as
they were with grief for the necessity that had
occasioned it, resolved not to survive those they
had slain ; and immediately collecting all their
effects together, set them on fire. This being
done, they cast lots for the selection of ten men
out of thdr number to destroy the rest ; and these
being chosen, the devoted victims embraced the
bodies of their deceased friends, and then
ranging themselves near them, cheerfully re
signed themselves to the hands of the execu
tioners. When these ten men had discharged
the disagreeable task they had undertaken, they
again cast lots which of the ten should kill the
other nine, having previously agreed* that the
man to whose lot it might fall should sacrifice
himself on the bodies of his companions ; so
great was the trust that these people reposed m
each other. The nine devoted victims died with

the same resolution as their brethren had done;
and. the surviving man, having surveyed the
bodies, and found that they were all absolutely
dead, threw himself on his sword among his
companions, but not till he had first set fire to
thei palace.
This melancholy scene, which happened on
the fifteenth day of the month Xanthicus, was
now concluded; and the deceased had imagined
that not a single Jew would fall into the hands
of the Romans: but it afterwards appeared that
an old woman, and another woman who was
related to Eleazar, together with five children*
had escaped the general massacre, by concealing
themselves in a common sewer. Including
women and children, no less than nine hun
dred and fifty persons were slain on this oc
casion. On the dawn of the following morning, the
Romans prepared their scaling-ladders in order
to make an attack; but they were astonished in
the highest degree on not hearing any noise but
the crackling of the flames, and were totally at
a loss what conjecture to form. On this they
gave a loud shout, (such as is customary when a
battery is played off,) in expectation of receiving
an answer. This noise alarmed the women in
their place of retreat, who, immediately coming
out, related the truth to the Romans as it really
had happened. The story, however, appeared
so extraordinary, that they could not give credit
to it: but they exerted themselves in extinguish
ing the fire; and being employed in this service
till they came to the palace, there they found the
bodies of the deceased lying in heaps. Far, how
ever, from exulting in the triumph of joy that
might have been expected from enemies, they
united to admire what they deemed the steady
virtue and dignity of mind with which ' the
Jews had been inspired, and wondered at that

590

JEWISH HISTORY.

generous contempt of death by which such num
bers had been bound in one solemn compact.
The temple and holy city thus destroyed and
levelled with the ground, and the whole nation
either miserably buried under its ruins, or dis
persed into other countries, might, one would
think, have opened the eyes of the poor remains
of that once favoured people, and crushed at
once all hopes and expectations of any other de
liverer but him whom they had rejected and
crucified. Many of them were indeed moved :
but the far greater part remained in their infa
tuated state, and, according to Christ's own
prediction, have been dispersed ever since over
all the world, to attest his truth and their own
obdurate blindness, till the- happy time comes
when the veil shall be taken off their eyes. When
that will be, is one of those secrets which God
hath been pleased to leave as yet unrevealed, and
which it would be vain and presumptuous to
search too curiously after.
After the reduction of Jerusalem and Judea,
Agrippa and his sister retired to Rome, probably
with Titus, who was excessively fond of both,
but especially of Berenice. We have seen,
through the course of this last war, how ser
viceable the brother had been to that general,
accompanying him in person, and assisting him
with men and ammunition, for which we were
told Titus got his kingdom enlarged by the em
peror, and procured him praetorian honours.
But his extraordinary friendship for that prince
flowed chiefly from his special fondness for his
sister, as if she had been his real wife. Titus,
nevertheless, had promised her marriage* and
would in all probability have kept his word, had
he not found that the Romans were wholly
averse from it, partly on account of her being a
Jewess, and partly on that of her royal descent.
To pave himself, therefore, the way to the

empire, he was forced to discard her, in oppo
sition to both their inclinations. What became
, of her afterwards is not worth inquiring. As
for Agrippa, he was the last of the Herodian
race that bore the royal title, and is supposed
to have died, at Rome about the seventieth year
of his age, and in the ninetieth of Jesus Christ.
Josephus has this remarkable saying on the
Herodian line, that they all failed within a
hundred years, though they were at first so
numerous, as we have seen them in the ge
nealogy of Herod the Great.
We have already had occasion to mention the
number ofthe slain, as well as ofthe prisoners,
^according to Josephus. A curious author has
since taken the pains to make a fresh compu
tation out of him of all that perished in the se
veral places throughout that kingdom, and out
of it, from the beginning to the conclusion of
the war, in which we believe our readers will
be glad to see the whole amount ofthe several
bloody articles, as it were, at one view. They
are as follows :
At Jerusalem, by Florus' orders - - 630
By the inhabitants of Caesarea in hatred
to the Jews  20,000
At Scythopolis in Syria - - - 30,000
By the inhabitants of Ascalon in Palestine 2,500
By those of Ptolemais - 2,000
At Alexandria in Egypt, under Alexan
der, the apostate Jew - - - - 50,000
At Damascus - - 10,000
At the taking of Joppa - 8,400
In the mountain of Cabulo - 2,000
In a fight at Ascalon - 10,000
In an ambush ----- 8,000
At the taking of Aphec - 15,000
Upon mount Gerazim - 11,6Q0
Drowned at Joppa by a sudden storm - 4,200
Slain.at Taricheae  6,500

JEWISH HISTORY.

591

Slain or killed themselves at Gamala,
where none were saved but two
sisters ______ 9,000
Killed in their flight from Giscala - 2,000
At the siege of Jotapata, where Jose
phus commanded - 30,000
Of the Gadarens, besides a vast number
that drowned themselves - - 13,000
In the village of Idumea - 10,000
At Gerasium -  1,000
AtMacheron  1,700
In the desert of Jardes - 3,000
Slew themselves at Massada - — 960
In Cyrene, by the governor Catulus - 3,000

Perished at Jerusalem by sword, fa
mine, pestilence, and during the

siege

1,100,000

According to this account, the whole amounts
to 1,337,490; besides a vast multitude that died
in the caves, woods, wildernesses, common sew
ers, in banishment, and many other ways, of
whom no computation could be made ; and ten
thousand that were slain at Jotapata more than
our author has reckoned. For Josephus men
tions expressly forty thousand, but he only thirty
thousand. ''

KNIT) OF THE JEWISH HISTORY.

592

REASONS

Why the

CHRISTIAN RELIGION

IS PREFERABLE TO ALL OTHERS.

IT is often matter of much surprise to me, that
any reasonable being should reject the Chris
tian System, when fairly and truly proposed to
nim ; a system which, as a late elegant author
expresses it, " gives to virtue its sweetest hopes,
to impenitent vice its greatest fears, and to true
pemtence its best consolations."
If a man be really virtuous and honest, and is
desirous to commend himself to the Deity by a
rational and serious conduct, it seems impossible
to suppose, that he should have any objection to
that system, which " gives to virtue its sweetest
hopes;" which places the duties of morality upon
the firmest and most extensive foundation, and
which elevates the soul to the noblest and most
consistent ideas of God, and of the services which
are acceptable to him.
If, therefore, desirous to obtain the divine at
tention, a man resolves to alter his life, and to
abandon the paths of guilt, what religion should
he embrace so soon, so gladly, as that which
" gives to true penitence its best consolations :"

nay, which alone can give any solid consolation
to penitence, and assure it undoubtedly of the
pardon for which it so anxiously wishes ? The
vicious man, if he hath any real understanding,
can never, with propriety, reject Christianity;
since if ever he intends to repent, — and no man
livings it is to be wished, intends to die impeni
tent : no religion, but the Christian, can afford
him a solid, a rational ground of hope.
I observe, farther, that if indeed there be an
eternity awaiting us, if the soul of man be immor
tal, and must, in consequence, partake of the due
reward of its deeds— if man be immortal, and
that he is, the universal voice of nature declares
in every place, and in every age — then, let who
will be wrong, the Christian must be right; Jet
whatever religion be true, the sincere professor
of Christianity cannot fail of his recompense;
cannot be unacceptable to the Deity. Cicero's fine
argument against Atheism may be applied toc_
Christianity with double force. " If there should
happen," says he to his opponent, " to be no
God, I shall certainly be as well off as yourself;

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION PREFERABLE TO ALL OTHERS.

593

annihilation will be your lot as well as mine.
But if the matter should be found otherwise; if
there shall indeed be found a God, when we en
ter into a future state, how greatiy shall 1 have
the advantage of you ; who have all your life
long professed and inculcated atheism and
impiety : while I have continually laboured to
honour the Deity, and to promote virtue and
religion?" And thus the professor of Christiamty may
reply to the Deist or Infidel, " If peradventure
the doctrines which I believe shall be found to be
true; if indeed the religion of Christ is what it
assumes to itself, a revelation from the Most High
God; in bow sad a case will you be found, who
reject and despise it; who knowingly refuse to
embrace it, and resist all the evidences which it
offers ? In how sad a case will you particularly
be found, who, born and bred in a country pro-
fessing Christianity, nay, who bemg baptized
into that faith, utterly cast off and disclaim its
obligations! " Oh think, in such a case, if the doctrines of
redemption be found true, what a miserable
situation yours will be ! But, on the other hand,
supposing when we appear together m the future
world, that these doctrines should prove false,
and the facts of Christianity appear fictitious;
yet there can be no doubt but that the CMistian
will obtain favour from the Deity. If he be the
God of the Deist, he cannot but approve me, who
have made it the business of my life to purify my
heart and actions from all defilement : for he is a

God delighting in virtue ; and a being so good
and gracious, that he will never punish for the
unavoidable errors of the head, where the heart
was right If he be the G.od-*-all mercy — of the
ftifidel, I have no need to be afraid : my whole
endeavour has been to supplicate and obtain his
mercy; and if I requested it through a Mediator,
it shows that I had the higher opinion] of Ms ado
rable perfections. Should the system of Mahomet
be found true, I shall certamly obtain the rewards
offered to good Musselmen. For Mahomet him
self allows the divme mission of Jesus Christ,
and, inculcating the belief of a just and good
God, supposeth him only not so pure and holy
as the Christian supposeth him ; and of conse
quence the Christian, upon this plan, will find
nothing to Ms loss.
" It will appear indeed to him that he has
been more virtuous than there was need; and
more exact in the performance of duty, than was
requisite for a reception of the blessings of the
Mahometan paradise. Suppose, lastly, that the
Jewish religion should, in the end, be proved the
religion of truth ; yet, even agreeable to its tenets,
the Christian is safe ; the Jew waited for, and be
lieved in, a coming Messiah : the CMistian be
lieved that he was come, and as such did honour
to God the Father by him. As to the rest, no man
candeny that the morality ofthe Christian is equal
to, and must necessarily be as acceptable with
God as the Jewish morality. Thus, in the end, let
whatever faith be found right, it is undeniable,
that the Christian who lives up to the holy pre
cepts of his religion cannot be wrong."

Nos. 49 & 50

4X

594

EXHORTATIONS TO, AND DIRECTIONS FOR,

READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

THOU shalt not be as a wanderer and gadder
abroad, rambling about the streets, with
out just cause, to spy out such as live wickedly.
But by mmding thy own trade and employment,
endeavour to do what is acceptable to God. And
keeping in mind the Oracles of Christ, meditate
in the same continually. For so the Scripture
says to thee : " Thou shalt meditate in his law
day and night ; when thou walkest in the fields,
and when thou sittest in thine house, and when
thou liest down, and when thou risest up ; that
thou mayest have understanding in all things."
Nay, although thou beest rich, and so dost not
want a trade for thy maintenance, be not one
that gads about, and walks abroad at random ;
but either go to some that are believers, and of
the same religion, and confer and discourse with
them about the lively Oracles of God.
Or, if thou stayest at home, read the books of
the Law, ofthe Kings, with the Prophets; sing
the Hymns of David, and peruse diligently the
Gospel, which is the completion of the other.
Abstain from all the Heathen books. For
what hast thou to do with such foreign discourses,
or laws, or false prophets, which subvert the

faith of the unstable ? For what defect dost thou
find in the law of God, that thou shouldest have
recourse to those Heathenish fables ? For if thou
hast a mind to read history, thou hast the books
of the Kings; if books of wisdom or poetry,
thou hast those of the Prophets, of Job, and the
Proverbs ; in which thou wilt find-greater depths
of sagacity than in all the heathen poets and so-
phisters; because these are the words ofthe Lord,
the only-wise God. If thou desirest something
to sing, thou hast the Psalms; if the origin of
things, thou hast Genesis ; if laws and statutes,
thou hast the glorious Law ofthe Lord God. Do
thou, therefore, utterly abstain from all strange
and diabolical books. St. Clement.

You are already listed a soldier of Christ;
your care, therefore, must only be, to keep
within the rules of that profession which you
are engaged in, and to practise the virtues which
it reqmres from you. Be diligent in prayer, and
reading the Word of God. At some times you
must speak with God ; at other times he must
speak with you. Let him instruct you with his
precepts, and form your mind by the guidance

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTDRES.

595

of his counsel. The man who is thence en
riched, no man can impoverish ; he who is filled
with the fulness of God, cannot be empty. All
the gaudiness and pomp of life will become in
sipid and jejune to you, when once you are con
vinced that your care should rather be employed
upon yourself, and your soul be adorned with
the graces of the Gospel.

Since this is a time of leisure and recreation,
let us spend the remainder of the day. in glad
ness and singleness of heart ; nor let the hour of
our repast go over us without some portion of
that grace which hath hitherto employed our
minds and tongues. The mirth of a sober meal
should be expressed in psalmody; and as you
are blessed with an happy memory, and tunable
voice, do you undertake this office, and enter
upon it, according to received custom. Your
friends will have the better entertainment by
their intermixmg it with spiritual discourse, and
with religious harmony. St. Cyprian.

Instead of gems and silk, let your young
daughter be enamoured with the Holy Scrip
tures; wherein not gold, or skins, or Babylonian
embroideries, but a correct and beautiful variety,
producing faith, will recommend itself. Let her
first learn the Psalter, and be entertained with
those songs; then be instructed unto life by
the Proverbs of Solomon. Let her learn from
Ecclesiastes to despise worldly things ; transcribe
from Job the practice of patience and virtue.
Let her pass then to the Gospels, and never let
them be out of her hands; and then imbibe
with all the faculties of her mind the Acts ofthe
Apostles, and Epistles. When she has enriched
the storehouse of her breast with these treasures,
let her learn the Prophets, the Pentateuch, (or

the books of Moses,) Joshua and Judges, the
books of Kmgs and Chronicles, the volumes of
Ezra and Esther, and lastly the Canticles.

The book of Revelation has as many mys
teries as words. I said too little : in every word
there is a variety of senses; and the excellency
of the book is above all praise.
i St. Jerome.

We often acquaint you many days before
hand with the subject of our discourse, that
taking the Bible in your hands in the mean
time, and running over the whole passage, you
may have your minds better prepared to hear
what is to be spoken. And this is the thing
I have always advised, and shall still continue to
exhort you to, that you should not only hear
what is said in this place, but spend your time
at home continually in reading the Holy Scrip
tures. And here let no one use those frigid
and vain excuses, — I am a man engaged in
the business of the law, I am taken up with
civil affairs : I am a tradesman, I have a wife,
and children to bring up, I have the care
of a family : I am a secular man ; it belongs
not to me to read the Scriptures, but to those
who have bid adieu to the world, and are
retired into the mountains, and have nothing
else to do but to exercise themselves m such
a way of living.
What sayest thou, O man? Is it not thy
business to read the Scriptures, because- thou
art distracted with a multitude of other cares ?
Yes, certainly, it belongs to thee more than
them. For they have not so much need of the
help of the Holy Scriptures as you have, who
are tossed in the waves of the multiplicity of
business. You have perpetual need of divine
4X*

596

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

remedies, as well to cure the wounds you have
already received, as to ward off those ybu are in
danger of receiving ; to quench the darts of the
devil, whilst they are at a distance, and drive
them away by continual reading of the Holy
Scriptures. For it is impossible that a man should
attain salvation without perpetual exercise in
reading spiritual things.

But some again will say, What if we cannot
understand the things that are contained therein ?
Why, even in that case, though you do not un
derstand every thing that is contained therein,
yet by reading you shall obtain much sanctifica-
tion. For it is impossible that you should be
equally ignorant of all things in those books; for
the grace of the Spirit so ordered it, that they
should originally be composed and written by
publicans, and fishers, and tent-makers, and
shepherds, and private and illiterate men, that
none ofthe most ignorant and unlearned might
have this excuse of difficulty to fly to ; that the
things there spoken might be easy to be looked
into by all men ; that the handy-craftsman, the
servant, the widow, the most illiterate and un
learned among men, might reap benefit and ad
vantage by hearing them read.

The Apostles and Prophets wrote not like the
philosophers of the Gentiles, in obscure terms,
but made things plain to the understandings of
all men ; as being the common teachers of the
world, that every man by himself might learn
by reading alone the things that were spoken.
To whom are not all things in the Gospel ma
nifest and plain? Who is there that hearing
those sayings, " Blessed are the meek, blessed
are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart,"
and the like, would desire a teacher to under
stand the meaning of them ? Moreover, the

signs, and miracles, and histories, are they not
all intelligible and plain to any ordinary reader ?
This, therefore, is only a pretence, and excuse,
and cloak for idleness. Thou dost not under
stand the things contained in the Scripture!
How shouldest thou understand them, when
thou wilt not so much as look at them ? Take
the book into thy hands, read the whole history,
and remember those things that are intelligible
and easy ; and those things that are more ob
scure and dark, read over and over again : and
if thou canst not by frequent reading dive into
the meaning of what is said, go to a wiser per
son, betake thyself to a teacher, and confer with
him about any such passage ; show thy diligence,
and desire to be informed ; and when God sees
thy willingness and readiness of mind, he will
not despise thy vigilance and care.

But though man informed thee not in the
things about which thou makest inquiry, he him
self will certainly reveal it to thee. Remember
the Eunuch of the Ethiopian queen, who though
he was a barbarian, and immersed in a multi
tude of cares and business, and understood not
what he read, yet he read for all that, sitting in
his chariot. And if he showed so great diligence
by the way, consider how he behaved Mmself at
home. If he would not omit reading in the time of a
journey, much less would he omit it, when he
sat quietly in his own house. If when he un
derstood nothing of it, he still continued to read ;
much more would he do it, when he came to
understand it. Wherefore, because he read when
he had no guide, he quickly found a guide. God
knew the willingness of his mind, and accepted
his diligence, and presently sent him a teacher.
But Philip, you will say, does not now stand by
us: No; but the Spirit that moved Philip is

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

597

still by us. Let us not neglect our own sal
vation, beloved.
These things were written for our salvation,
upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The reading ofthe Scriptures is our great guard
against sin. Our Ignorance of them is a danger
ous precipice, and deep gulf. It is an absolute
betraying of our salvation, to know nothing of
the divme law. It is this that has brought forth
so many heresies; this, that has brought so much
corruption into our lives ; this, that has turned
all things into confusion. St. Chrysostom.

By prayer we are cleansed from sin ; by read
ing we are taught what we ought to- do. Both
of them are good, when they can be practised.
But if they cannot both be practised, it is better
to pray than to read: for when we pray, we
speak with God ; when we read, God speaks
with us. If you would always abide with God,
always pray, and always read. To read the
Scriptures is exceedmgly necessary for us : for
by reading we learn what we ought to do, what
to avoid, and at what we ought to aim. Whence
it is said, " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my paths." By reading, sense
and understanding is increased. Reading fur
nishes us for prayer, and for action. Reading
qualifies both for an active and contemplative
life : therefore it is said in the Psalms, " The
man is blessed who meditates in the law of the
Lord day and night." Reading and prayer are
the arms by which the devil is vanquished', these
are the instruments by which eternal life is ac
quired. By prayer and reading our vices are
destroyed, and virtues are nourished in the soul.
The servant of the Lord ought always to pray
and read. Hence it is written in the Psalms,
" Then shall I not be confounded, when I have

respect unto all thy commandments." There
fore be much in prayer, persevere in meditation
upon the Scriptures, be constant in the law of
God, let your study be in the divine laws, be
frequent in reading, let your daily reading be a
meditation on the law. Reading leaves less
room for the follies of life, and draws us off from
the vanity ofthe world. May God open your
hearts to understand his precepts ! St. Bernard.

" 1 usually rise at five o'clock. Between six
and seven I read two chapters of the New Testa
ment, bare-headed, and on my knees."
After dinner he took out his Testament, and
read a chapter on his knees, bare-headed, with
extraordinary reverence. Life of Monsieur de Re^ty.

See here, my dear brother, the form of life
which you are constandy to practise every day.
In the morning, as soon as you are awakened,
prepare yourself to meditate on some mystery
of our Lord, begimaing from his holy nati
vity, and continuing to his glorious ascension.
Consider every day one mystery, in such a
manner, that if, for example, on Monday the
birth of our Saviour was the subject of your
meditation, that of his circumcisipn should be
for Tuesday: and so in course, till in a month's N
time, having run through all the actions of
Jesus Christ, you come to contemplate him as
cending into heaven in triumph ! You are every
month to begin these meditations again in the
same order.
After dinner you shall resume your mormng
prayer, and reflect on the same mystery half an

598

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

hour. You are to employ yourself in this man
ner internally through all the variety of your
outward business ; giving an hour in every day
to the consideration of the most holy life of our
Lord Jesus Christ, in whatsoever affair, or in
whatsoever incumbrance you are engaged,
Francis Havier.

The night before Lady Jane Gray was exe
cuted, she wrote a letter, of which the following
is a part, on the blank leaves at the end of a
Greek Testament, which she bequeathed as a
legacy to her sister, the Lady Catharine Gray.

" I have sent you, my dear sister Catharine,
a book, which, although it be not outwardly
trimmed with gold, yet inwardly it is of more
worth than all the precious mines which the vast
world can boast of.

" It is the book, my only best and best beloved
sister, of the law of the Lord : it is the Testa
ment and last Will which he bequeathed unto us
wretches and wretched sinners, which shall lead
you to the path of eternal joy : and if you with
a good mind read it, and with an earnest desire
follow it, no doubt it shall bring you to an im
mortal and everlasting life. It will teach you to
live, and learn you to die.

" It shall win you more, and endow you with
greater felicity, than you should have gained by
the possession of our woeful father's lands. For,
as if God had prospered him, you should have
inherited his honours and manners ; so if you
apply yourself diligently to this book, seeking to
direct your life according to the rule of the same,
you shall be an inheritor of such riches, as

neither the covetous shall withdraw from you,
neither the thief shall steal, neither yet the
moths corrupt.
" Desire with David, my best sister, to under
stand the law of the Lord your God. Live
still to die, that you by death may purchase
eternal life. And trust not that the tender
ness of your age shall lengthen your life ; for
unto God, when he calleth,; all hours, times,
and seasons, are alike. And blessed are they
whose lamps are furnished when he cometh;
for as soon will the Lord be glorified in the
young as in the old." Lady Jane Gray.

Were Christians more generally sensible of
their great need of divine assistance, in order
to their attaining to a saving knowledge of the
Scriptures; did they by earnest prayer apply
themselves to God through Jesus Christ, for the
aids of his Holy Spirit to enlighten their minds,
to purify their hearts and affections, to sanctify
their wills, to reprove them for their failings, to
teach them, and to lead them into all truth, and
to set home the Scriptures on their consciences;
they would questionless become wise unto sal
vation, and ready to every good work.

Did Christians spend more time in reading
and comparing the sacred writings, than in
searching after the different and disagreeing
opinions of expositors, I am persuaded the way
to divine knowledge would be both easier, and
shorter, and more satisfactory, the disputes
among Christians fewer, and those which should
remain would be managed with a spirit of
meekness and love ; the practice of religion
would become more universal, and the world
would feel the benefit of the religion our blessed

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

699

Saviour taught men, and be convinced of its di
vine original.
Rev. Francis Fox, A. M.

There is in the Holy Scriptures such a vast
variety of entertainment for a well-disposed
reader, that the Bible is not only the most
excellent and useful, but really the most di
verting book in the world. And would we
but bestow as much time and application of
mind upon it, as we do upon other considerable
authors, we should soon discover such excel
lences in it, as would even chain us to it, but
with a most delightful captivity, and make us
relish nothing like it.
What a noble account, for instance, does it
give of the first formation of the world ; the
original of tiie human race ; the unhappy fall of
our common ancestors from the favour of their
Creator; and the hopes that were graciously
given them of a recovery!
How affecting is the history of the holy and
venerable patriarchs; their intercourse with God
and heavenly spirits; their great simplicity,
piety, and generosity; the wonderful providence
of God towards them and their posterity; and
the admirable steps and advances that were
made from age to age to the happy times of
the Messias !
And how surprising is the relation we have
of his conception, and birth, and life, and death,
who was the desire of all nations ! ,
How mean was his outward appearance!
And yet how did his divinity break through
all the clouds and veils that he was pleased to
put upon it to conceal it ! He seemed to be no

other than a poor, despised, afflicted man ; and
yet the wondrous things he did, and heavenly
doctrines he taught, bespoke him to be what he
was, God manifest in the flesh, to destroy the
works of the devil.
All the books in the world cannot afford any
thing comparable to what this divine book treats
of; and that in the most moving manner too,
without the least appearance of artifice or affec
tation ; and with a natural majestic gracefulness
in all its various turns.
But it is not every reader that will have
this taste for the Scriptures ; and it is not run
ning through a single chapter now and then,
without order and connection, and with all the
haste that may be, and then laying the book
aside, and thinking no more of the matter, that
will do us any considerable good ; for no book
whatever of any value, that is huddled over at
this heedless rate, would be read to any purpose,
much less the Book of God.
No: we must dwell upon it, and, with holy
David, make it our meditation day and night,
comparing carefully one passage with another,
and reading not scatteringly here and there a
little, but perusing what is of the same nature
and tendency together ; and then fixing it in our
minds by serious meditation, and, above all, en
deavouring to improve it to what is the great
end, as to us, of its being written, the mcrease of a
true sense of religion in us, and sincere holiness of
life, that we may grow wise by it to salvation. For
whoever reads the Scriptures out of curiosity
only, or vain glory, or for any purpose or design
that does not tend to this in the conclusion, does
highly profane and abuse them, and will sadly
repent it at last.
But he that with due reverence, humility,

600

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

and pious intention, takes the course I men
tioned just now, in Ms saered studies, will
in a little time have a true relish for the
Holy Writings; and the seeming dryness and
obscurity of them at first will soon wear off,
and they will grow more pleasant and be
neficial every day than other; especially, and
which should never be omitted, if we add
prayer to our meditations before we begm,
while we are reading, and when we have
done. Rev. Francis Bragge, B. D.

The Gospels are by no means to be looked
upon as so many detached pieces, composed
by persons totally ignorant of each other's in
tention ; but rather as one complete entire
system of divinity, supported by the strong
est proofs that the subject is capable of, and
defended against all the objections whiclj either
Jews or Gentiles, or even its most dangerous
heretical professors, could make to the truth
and certainty of it. If we read them in proper
order, we shall find them improving one
upon another, and yet all conspiring to the
same end — to a perfect representation of re
vealed religion.
Rev. Henry Owen, D. D.

To secret prayer, you will join devout study
of the Bible ; because it is our infallible guide,
and the treasury of all truth necessary to sal
vation. But the riches laid up there are not
to be found by proud or careless minds ,- none
possess them, till they dig for them as for silver,

longingfto know the will of God, that they may
do it.
To superficial readers of the Bible, it pre
sents little more than a great number of du
ties, which must be performed ; and sins, which
must be renounced ; with insupportable pains,
in failure of obedience; passages of excellent
use, when believed : as they at once rouse
the selfish soul of man to seek reconciliation
with God, and help from heaven. But earnest
and devout readers of the Bible discover much
more — they discover the tender heart of Christ;
the efficacy of his blood to cleanse from all
unrighteousness ; and a variety of spiritual bles
sings, which are the present reward of being
true-hearted in his service. I am at a loss for
words to express how much solid knowledge,
transforming your mind into the divine image,
you will certainly gain by persevering in di
ligent prayer year after year, for the true m-
terpretation of God's blessed Word, that you
may be made wise and holy.
Rev. Henry Venn, M.A.

O what a sweet and spacious field is the
Holy Scripture, my soul, in which thou may-
est traverse about, and entertain thyself with
the greatest variety of wonders and delight!
This letter of love from heaven thou canst
not peruse too often; but mayest make some
of the best employment of thy time, to me
ditate in it day and night. There thou shalt
find the noblest histories, the greatest re
marks, the wisest counsels, the sublimest
truths, the most surprising passages, the most
momentous concerns, the exactest rules, the

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

601

holiest precepts, the weightiest warnings, the
most precious promises, the highest of all encou
ragements. Away then with all the impertinent
writings, the stained paper, that do but abuse, if
not debauch, the readers. O dear Book of all
books! that has God himself for the blessed
Author, and eternal salvation for the subject
matter ! Nothing comes with such power upon
the heart; nothing gives such satisfaction and as
surance to the mind. When it is " Thus saith
the Lord," it is beyond all the sayings and con
fidence of the greatest men in the world. To
this test I bring all that I hear or read elsewhere ;
and in this centre I fix, and find sure footing.
Amidst all the uncertainty and contradiction of
sentiments in the world, I am easy that I have
the Divine Oracles, by which I can safely abide.
Rev. Benjamin Jenks, A. M.

Pray take care, that the first thing you do in
a morning, as soon as you are up, and conve
niently habited, be to sanctify and hallow the
day, by a solemn devotional address of your
selves to God in prayer. Let this be the first
thing you do ; I mean before you take any secu
lar or worldly thing in hand. But there is one
certain thing that I would advise you to do even
before you say your prayers, and that is, to read
as attentively and considerately as you can a
chapter in the Bible. This I would^have you
to do every morning before you g6 to your
prayers, which you will find to be a most
excellent and advantageous practice, not only
as serving to inform your understandings, and
bring you acquainted with the Holy Scrip
tures, but also to warn#and quicken your
wills and affections, an*p to tune your souls,
and put them into a due composure for your
following devotion. Rqv. John Norris.
Nos. 51 k 52.

LeIt us learn to value our Bibles more. Oh!
my friends, what rich mines are still to be found
in^his divine depositum, this sacred treasure,
which we justly call the Bible, that is, The Book,
or collection of books, by way of speciality' and
eminency. It is not with the Sacred Writings,
as it is with the writings of uninspired men,
though never so acute, solid, and elaborate. For
these we may see to the bottom of it, if we duly
attend to the scope and connection : and, there
fore, they judge exceedingly amiss, who make
their judgment ofthe sense of Scripture from the
writings of men only; for every material hint
given in the Bible kindles more, and these again
more, and so on : and no wonder ; for the
thoughts of God are infinite ; and, consequently,
his expressions of things, though wrapt up in the
words and language of men, must lead into pro
portionable views and ideas, were we ablejto
grasp them. I grow daily more and more in
love with this sacred Book, and in admiration
of ft. Rev. Robert Fleming,

Thou canst not search the Scriptures too
much, nor can the Word of God dwell too
richly and plentifully in thee. Bishop Richardson.

If the Scriptures, however, were recom
mended to us only as matters of the greatest
curiosity and speculation ; as a discovery only
of the nature of the Supreme Being, and other
heavenly intelligences; as an hypothesis only,
that determined the rewards of virtue, and the
immortality of our internal and more noble
part ; that accounted for all the dark and intri
cate ways of heaven ; the seemingly severe dis-
4Y

602

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

pensations of Divine Providence ; and, in a word,
proposed an infallible specific for healing the in
firmities of our nature : ourjCuriosity, one would
imagine, if nothing else, would find such an in
nocent, such an agreeable amusement, as would
be sufficient to prevail on us to take delight in so
, noble and excellent a study : but when we reflect
seriously within ourselves, that those Scriptures
are the revealed will of God, the words of eternal
life; when we consider, that virtue and vice are
therein delineated in their strongest colours, in
order to recommend the one, and discountenance
the other ; and that the salvation of our souls is
the sure consequence of our observance of the
former and abhorrence of the latter : when we
give ourselves time, I say, to ponder on these
weighty matters ; with what assiduity, with what
unwearied diligence, should we apply ourselves
to a study that is of such moment and impor
tance ! All other researches, how delightful
soever, when set in competition with this noblest
of studies, will appear as empty and idle amuse
ments. Notwithstanding we may have been conver
sant with the best systems of philosophy that the
ancients ever wrote, and have perused, with the
utmost -care and attention, the most authentic
histories of all nations ; notwithstanding we may
have worldly wisdom enough to form a proper
judgment of all the secret springs by which whole
kingdoms are governed and directed, by their
respective prime ministers of state ; yet if we are
strangers to this true wisdom, to this one thing
needful, all such worldly wisdom will avail us
nothing; we shall have studied to no manner of
purpose ; and all our learning, in short, will be
but what Solomon calls it— -vexation of spirit.
Rev. D. Bellamy.

¦ OSir, what are you doing, that other

booksare so much read, and the Bible so much
neglected ? Will you learn from a poor peni^
tent ? Indeed I repent, and God forgive my
mispent time in sciences and classics. I saw, my
folly two and twenty years ago, and have since
studied nothing else but the Bible; and I assure
you, Sir, I am got but a little way : I see such
things before me, which I know but in part, that
I am pressing on ; and I wish for some of my lost
time to spend in this blessed study.
Rev. William Romaine, M.A.

To what can we better apply ourselves than
to read the Scripture, that heavenly book, which
contains in it treasures of wisdom and know*
ledge ? and to which we may say, as the disciples
to our Lord, " Thou hast the words of eternal
life." How can we employ ourselves better,
when alone and free, than in conversing with
the doctrines and precepts of religion, and en
deavouring to know and comprehend them. We
may truly say, when we apply to these things,
we are satisfied with the marrow of God's house,
and drink of the river of his delights.
Rev. John Claude.

Rest not in high-strained paradoxes of old
philosophy, supported by naked reason, and the
reward of moral felicity ; but labour in the ethics
of faith, built upon heavenly assistance, and the
happiness of both bemgs. U nderstand the rules,
but swear not unto the doctrines, of Zeno or Epi
curus. Look beyond Antoninus, and terminate
not thy morals in Seneca or Epictetus. Let not
the twelve, but the two tables, be thy law : let
Pythagoras be thy ^remembrancer, not thy
textuary and final instructor ; and learn the va
nity of the world rather from Solomon than

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

603

Phocy fides. Sleep not in the dogmas' of the
Peripatus, Academy, or Porticus. Be a Mora
list ofthe mount, an Epictetus in the faith, and
Christianize thy notions. Sir Thomas Browne.

This heavenly food, the Word of God, abideth
for ever, and shall nourish up our souls unto
everlasting life. TJiis ought to be our daily
bread. Herein we should read and meditate
day and night, and say with David, " I have
more delight in thy commandments than in
thousands of gold and silver." For here we find
a heavenly treasure for our souls ; here we learn
all things profitable for our salvation ; here great
ones learn humility, rich men charity, poor con-
tentedness, the oppressed patience, the afflicted
comfort. Other books may be helps to devotion,
and give us some instruction for life ; but all
eome much short of this holy Book. Bishop Herbert.

In the Bible are recorded the noblest exploits
of real heroes, transmitted down to posterity for
their imitation, which we cannot but look upon
with wonder and delight. At the same time we
have the particular satisfaction of reflecting, that
this our history is as true as it is full of wonders,
without any mixture of falsehood or unfair co
louring to recommend it. It is grand, though
simple ; big with matters^ and events of the
greatest importance, the wdght of which fills the
expressions with a suitaSe dignity, a dignity
not to be met. with in the historical accounts of
profane writers. So that the Scripture, con
sidered- only in this view, would demand our at

tention before any composition merely human.
And if these Scriptures are divinely penned, are
of such dignity in themselves, and of such infinite
concern to us; if all other knowledge compared
with what may be here known, be no better than
dung, and all other books with regard to their
use and excellency, (even the most curious or
entertaining,) be no more than a sounding brass
or tinkling cymbal ; what can be said or thought
of such, who pay more regard to the flashy unsa
tisfying performances of Heathen writers, than
to the fountains of truth and life ? It is grievous!
to see rational beings, Christian men, nay, some
times Christian ministers, mispending their time
and studies in such pursuits, and teaching others
by the most forcible instruction, that of example,
that many other authors deserve a more near
and careful perusal than the inspired writers!
What will be the consequence here, and here
after, of thus following shadows instead of the
substance, of this contemptuous* treatment of the
book of life, is not matter of private judgment.
As the study of the Scriptures has been generally
neglected, and a preference given to almost any
other writer, in the esteem of many who would
be thought persons of penetration and judgment,
it will behove the clergy more particularly to
consider, whether they have any way counte
nanced this vicious and false taste. If they have
been more careful to set off and exemplify the
beauties of the Grecian and Roman writers,
than those of the sacred penmen ; if they lay
more stress upon the authority of philosophers
and human wisdom, than upon the foundation
and precepts of Prophets and Apostles; if they
have been silent upon, or industriously careful to
obscure, by spreading a false gloss over such
doctrinal principal points as are entitled to a
priority of order and dignity; what will they
say to their Master, when they are summoned to
give an account of their stewardships ?
Rev. Walter Hodges, D. D.
4Y*

604

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

Classicus is a man of learning, and well
versed in all the best authors of antiquity. He
has read them so much, that he has entered into
their spirit, and can very frigeniously imitate the
manner of any of them. All their thoughts are
his thoughts, and he can express himself in their
language. He is so great a friend to this im
provement of the mind, that if he lights of a
young scholar, he never fails to advise him con
cerning his studies.
* ' Classicus tells his young man, he must not
think that he has done enough, when he has only
learned languages ; but that he must be daily con
versant with the best authors, read them again
and again, catch their spirit by living with them,
and that there is no other way of becoming like
them, or making himself a man of taste and
judgment. How wise might Classicus have been, and how
much good might he have done in the world, if
he had but thought as justly of devotion as he
does of learning ? ' <%
He never, indeed, says any thing shocking or
offensive about devotion, because he never thinks
or talks about it. It suffers nothing from him,
but neglect and disregard:
The Old and New Testaments would not have
had so much as a place amongst his books, but
that they are both to be had in Greek.
Classicus thinks that he sufficiently shows his
regard for the Holy Scriptures, when he tells
you, that he has no other books of piety besides
them. It is very well, Classicus, that you prefer the
Bible to' all other books of piety. He has no
judgment that is not thus far of your ophiion.

But' if you will have no other book of piety be
sides the Bible, because it is the best, how comes
it, Classicus, that you do not content yourself
with one of the best books amongst the Greeks
and Romans? How comes it that you are so
greedy and eager after all of them ? How comes
it that you think the knowledge of one is a neces
sary help to the knowledge of the other ? How
comes it that you are so earnest, so laborious, so
expensive of your time and money, to restore
broken periods and scraps of the ancients ?
How comes it that you rgad so many com
mentators upon Cicero, Horace, and Homer, and
not one upon the Gospels ? How comes it that
your love of Cicero and Ovid makes you to love
to read an author that writes like them ; and your
esteem for the Gospel gives you no desire, nay,
prevents your reading such books as breathe the
very spirit of the Gospel ?
How comes it that you tell your young scholar,
he must not content Mmself with barely under
standing his authors, but must be continually
reading them all, as the only mean of entering
into their spirit, and forming his own judgment
according to them ?
Why then must the Bible lie alone in your
study ? Is not the spirit of the saints, the piety
of the holy followers of Jesus Christ, as good
and nepessary a means of entering into the
spirit and taste of the Gospel, as the reading
of the ancients is of entering into the spirit
of antiquity ?
Is the spirit of poetry only to be got by much
reading of poets and orators ? And is not the
spirit of devotionfto be got in the same way, by
frequent reading the .holy thoughts and pious
strains of devout men ?
Is your young poet to Search after every line
that may give new wings to his fancy, or direct

"¦•Pb- - . d ¦¦¦  — V ¦¦ 
EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

605

his imagination ? And is it not as reasonable for
him, who desires to improve in the divine life,
that is, in the love of heavenly things, to search
after every strain of devotion, that may move,
kindle, and inflame, the holy ardour of his soul ?
Do you advise your orator to translate the
best orations, to commit much of them to me
mory, to be frequently exercising his talents in
this manner, that habits of thinking and speaking
justly may be formed in his mind ? And is there
not the same benefit and advantage to be made
by books of devotion ? Should not a man use
them in the same way, that habits of devotion,
and aspiring to God in holy thoughts, may be
well formed in his soul ?
Now the reason why Classicus does riot think
and judge thus reasonably of devotion, is owing
to his never thinking of it in any Other manner
than as the repeating of a form of words. It
never in his life entered into his head, to think of
devotion as a state of the heart, as an improvable
talent of the mind, as a temper that is to grow
and increase like our reason and judgment, and
to be formed in us by such a regular diligent use
of proper means, as are necessary to form any
other wise habit of mind. ?¦
And it is for want of this, that he has been
content alb his life with the bare letter of prayer,
and eagerly bent upon entering into the spirit of
Heathen poets and orators.
v And it is much to be lamented, that numbers
of scholars are more or less chargeable with this
excessive folly; so negligent of improving their
devotion, and so desiroijpof other poor accom
plishments, as if they thought it a nobler talent
to be able to write, an epigram in the turn of
Martial, than to live, and think, and pray to God,
in the spirit of St Austin.

And yet to correct this temper, and fill a man
with' a quite contrary spirit, there seems to be no
more required than the bare belief of the truth of
Christianity. *¦¦
And if you were to ask Mundanus and Classi
cus, or any men of business or learning, whether
piety is not the highest perfection of man, or de
votion the greatest attainment in the world ; they
must both be forced to answer in the affkma-
tive, or else give up the truth of the Gospel.^
For to set any accomplishment against devo
tion, or to think any thing, or all things in the
world, can bear any proportiop to its excellency;
is the same absurdity in a Christian, as it would
be in a philosopher to prefer a meal's meat to the
greatest improvement in knowledge.
For as philosophy professes purely .die search
and inquiry after knowledge; so Christianity sup
poses, intends, desires, and aims at nothing else,
but the raising of fallen man to a divine life, to
such habits of holiness, such degrees of devotion,
as may fit him to enter among the holy inhabi
tants of the kingdom of heaven.
He that does not believe this of Christianity,
may be reckoned an infidel; and he that believes
thus much, has faith enough to give him a right
judgment of the value of things, and to support
him in a sound mind, and enable him to conquer
all the temptations which the world shall lay in
his way.
Rev. William Law, A. M.

}. Read the Word with prayer. Prayer is
one of the great means of bringing down the
Divine blessing upon all ordinances and duties,
to our spiritual edification. It is a means of pre-

606

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

paring our hearts for other duties, and of enabling j
us to get good from them. It would be well for
prayer to go before reading, ...
¦SS0-"
However, if circumstances will not permit
you to spend some time in this duty before you
read the Word, do not absolutely neglect it; but
send up a few petitions to God, that he would
prepare; your heart for the work that lies before
you;^open your eyes, that you may understand
the Scripture; and accompany reading with a
divine blessing, that it may answer some valuable
Fpurpose in your soul, either to enlighten, quicken,-
or comfort, or in some way or other to promote
your spiritual good.
When you consider these things, you cannot
bujL^ee the propriety of prayer before reading.
But especially accompany reading with prayer.
Do not thinkj^fui have done all that is incumbent
upon you, when you have read the Scripture
either in the family or in the closet. Pray it over
before God.
Have you been reading any promises of spi
ritual blessings ? Plead them with God. Has
the chapter been representing the odiousness of
sin, its dreadful consequences, the falls of God's
people, and salvation to the chief of sinners?
Beg that your eyes may be opened to see the
malignity of sin, and the wickedness of your
heart, and that you may be kept from those evils
which many have fallen into, and be enabled to
admire the riches of free grace in the salvation
of creatures so unworthy, and in your own in
particular. Have you been reading of the pri
vileges of God's children here, and the glory they
shall have hereafter? or have you been taking a
view of their various duties, of their respective
relations and circumstances of life, or of their
various experiences, and of the dealings of G<d
with them ? Beg that your heart may be suitably

affected' With such representations^ that you may
be encouraged in- your Christian course, quick
ened to run your race, confirmed in your belief
of the reality of religion, and be enabled to con
tinue, till you receive the end of your faith, even
your complete and everlasting salvation. ->
Has the chapter been representing the Media
tor; his glorious person, his important offices; his
amazing love, the triumph of his cross, or his
qualifications for the great work he has under
taken, and, therefore, his all-sufficiency to save ?
Be earnest with God, that you may be enabled
to leave yourself with this Jesus, may be sprinkled
with Ms blood, have a share in all the blessings
he has purchased, and that his love may ever
endear him to your souls, kindle the sacred fire
in your breasts, and engage you to walk before
him in holiness and righteousness all the days of
your life. Thus let reading be accompanied with
prayer. Remember, the Scripture is full of important
mysteries, which we cannot see the beauty of,
unless the Spirit opens the eyes of our under
standings. Our hearts are naturally full of pre
judices against the glorious contents of Scripture,
and, therefore, we want the Spirit to remove
these, and to give us a true relish for the great
truths of revelation, and impress them power
fully upon pur minds to our salvation. They
that neglect prayer, and depend upon their own
judgmenfcand skill to guide them in matters of
everlasting moment, have no reason to expect the
Spirit's teachings, and are, therefore, liable to
fall into errors, even those that will prove eter
nally destructive to their highest interest. Pray,
therefore, for divine dilection, for divine quick-
enings, that what you read may be a means of
bringing you nearer to God, and of promoting
vour everlasting advantage. Finally, earnestly
pray, that- whilst you are Beholding the glory of

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

607

tfie Lord- in ; the glass of his word, you may be
changed into his image from glory to glory, and
may find those truths, you are reading, properly
impressing, warming, and establishing your
hearts, that you may be growing in the image of
your Redeemer, and be training up for a glorious
and everlasting world above.

2. Observe some order in reading the Word,
and make, use of those helps that may be neces
sary to your understanding it. This man is at
a loss to determine, whether he shall begin with
the Bible, and go regularly through, it, or not.
This seems to be the -best method to observe at
your stated times of reading ; and it will not
prevent your looking into other parts of Scrip
ture, when you have opportunity. This method
will give you a view of the great events which
the Scripture mentions, and of the various cir
cumstances of the church from period to period,
and of God's dealings with them. By this means
you have a regular view of things, as they ap
peared from the creation down to Christ and his
Apostles. You will hereby have a greater insight
into Scripture history and cMonology, which
will be both entertaining and useful, and keep
your ideas on things relating to persons and facts
distinct and! clear..

This person farther says, there is a great part
of Scripture he does not understand. You should
read the Scripture, therefore, p-th an exposition
or paraphrase. This will open the text to you,
show you the connection, the design, the mean
ing, and furnish you with .matter for serious me
ditation. What end will h\answer for you to read
this Sacred Volume, andjnot understand it ? If
it is a sealed book, it Mike to be useless. Upon
the whole, though yft* may understand some
parts, yet there are ot|ers that will appear mys

terious, and will remain so, to your great disad
vantage in reading, unless you have some in
terpreter to help you to understand their mean
ing. 3t You should be concerned to readjthe Word
of God with great seriousness and attention, and
a real desire to have the contents of it impressed
upon your mind, that you may be fitted more
for glorifying God in every character and station.
If you run through a chapter or two in a hasty
cursory manner, you cannot expect much ad-,
vantage. You should be concerned to attend with the
utmost care and diligence, as well as with the
greatest seriousness. A sense of the glorious
Author, and of the subject-matter of Scripture,
should fill you with a peculiar awe, and com
mand a reverence. It is the Waggkgf God ; it
comes with a " Thus saith the ¦ffPn;" has his
image instamped upon it, and is, his message to
you concerning things of everlasting moment.
It is not designed to amuse us with trifling and
empty speculations^ or divert us with romantic
stories. It contains things of a far nobler and
more sublime nature, even things that concern
our everlasting peace. It reveals the transactions
of eternity concerning the salvation of man. It
represents the fall, with all- its melancholy con
sequences ; our state by nature, how wretched
and deplorable ! It sets forth the riches of divine
grace in appointing a Saviour, and in the method
taken to bring about our redemption and salva
tion. It shows us the encouragements we have
to apply to the Redeemer for all saving bles
sings ; represents the nature, variety, and excel
lency of them, the happiness of the saints in
heaven, the triumphs and solemnity ofthe great
day, the sentence that will pass upon the wicked,
and the awful execution of it in hell. It is full
of promises on the one hand, and threatenings

608

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRfPTURES.

on the other, and, therefore, calls for the greater
seriousness and attention in those who read it*
It is designed to be a mean$ofjour sanctification
and so to fit us for the heavenly world ; and
therefore, we should seriously attend to it. And,
lastly, it is that Word *by which we must be
judged, j
This is the grand book that will be opened :
according to this will the sentence be passed, and
all the opportunities we have had of reading and
hearing it, but not improved, will appear against
us, if found strangers to Jesus, and aggravate
our condemnation. How seriously, reverently,
and attentively, then, should we read this Sacred
Word ! In fine, when we read the Scripture, it
should be with views and desires of feeling its
p6\ver, and tasting its sweetness; that our minds
may be more enlightened by it, and our souls
more established ; that our corruptions may be
more mortified; and our graces more quickened
and strengthened ; that our doubts may be more
removed, and our souls be supported under all the
difficulties of fife; that thepromises may be more
and more our joy, heaven be more in our eye,
and we be set a longing more after the full and
everlasting enjoyment of God above. 'saigL,

4. Reading the Word of God should be ac
companied with meditation and self-examina
tion. Reading alone will be of little service.
Food taken into the stomach will answer no va
luable purpose, unless it is digested. Meditation
is a digesting spiritual things,*and turning them
into nourishment to our souls. By this we ex
tract honey from eVery truth, and so get some
additions made to our knowledge and experience.
It is a means of humbling, quickening, and es
tablishing our souls, and of kindling a fire in our
affections. Whilst the Psalmist was musing, the
fire burned, Psal. xxxix. 3.

How often, in meditation upon what the
Christian has been reading, has he found his af
fections raised, and his soul in some measure
brought near to God ! How often, whilst musing,
has he been filled with an indifference to this
world, hatred of sin, self-abhorrence, love to -the
Lord Jesus Christ, admiration of his rich and in
finite grace, warm desires after the enjoyments
above, and satisfying views of an interest in
them! By meditation the Word take's deeper
root in us, makes a more powerful impression on
our minds, and furnishes us with matter for
prayer. As often as you read, be concerned to
meditate upon it, examine yourself too by it, and
see what concern you have with it, what in
fluence it has had upon you, and how you may
improve it. ?

Have you been reading any of the marks and
the characters of the people of God, the graces
of the Spirit ? Inquire whether you have found
any of them in your own soul. Has the chapter
been representing some of the doctrines of Chris
tianity ? Examine what knowledge you have of
thenij how they suit your experience, and what
use you make of them for humiliation, encourage
ment, &c. Have you been reading^of the love
of God in the various parts of redemption and
salvation by Christ Jesus ?
Here is a theme for your meditation ; here is a
call for your examination. Inquire whether it
has ever affected fyour heart, raised your admi
ration, and kindled a sacred flame in your soul.

Finally, compare your heart with what you
read ; see whether it is iiot your case that is
represented, and endeavour, by meditation upon,
and self-application of it, to get some spiritual

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

609

advantage from it. To these directions I may
add, 5. Read the Word of God frequently. The
oftener you read the Scriptures, the more benefit
you are like to receive. Let the Bible be your
companion. Be much conversant with it. Con
sult it upon all occasions. In every difficulty,
when you want quickening, direction, comfort,
or establishment, look into the Sacred Word.
Let it be your daily practice to read it, as by this
means you will get a growing acquaintance with
it, its various mysteries, the duties it represents,
the encouragements and directions it gives you
in every case ; and so, by a divine blessing, will
have your knowledge and experience increased,
your graces confirmed and strengthened, and
your way made easy and pleasant through this
difficult wilderness. I shall now close with two
reflections. 1. What reason have we to be thankful for
the Scriptures, and the free use of them ! When
we consider the divine authority of this book,
view its important discoveries, its peculiar use
fulness, and liow many are deprived of it, we
have reason to admire infinite grace that we en
joy it, and should ever esteem it as the choicest
of our treasures. We have great reason to be
thankful, that God is delivering us from time to
time from superstition, as by this means our sa
cred privileges are continued to us ; and we have
the free use of the Bible, have it in our own
houses, as well as in the house of God, and can
examine it upon all occasions^ and try every
doctrme by this divine standard. These must
not be ranked amongst the least of our mercies;
they are of great importance, and call for our
highest and our united praises.
2. What matter of lamehtation is it that this
Sacred Book is so much neglected, and how
Nos. 51 & 52.

inexcusable must such for ever be ! There are
many families, it is to be feared, in this land.
who have not so much as a Bible in their house;
nor do they desire it, There are others who have
it, but let it lie neglected, as an unfashionable
book. Romances, plays, .history, and various
sorts of human compositions, are in constant use;
but this most excellent volume, this book that is
the foundation of all our knowledge of divine
things, our holiness and our comfort, is thrown
aside; or when it is ever opened, it is withl re
luctance. What amazing ingratitude and stupi
dity is this ! Oh, may we all be humbled for our
own and others' negligence, and be concerned in
our respective stations, to esteem, use, and im
prove, the Scripture ourselves, and do all we can
to excite others to do the same ; that we may see
peace and righteousness again flourish, ignorance
and superstition banished, and a knowledge* of
the Gospel spreading throughout the land. So,
Lord', let it be. Amen, and Amende
Rev. Samum Hey wood.

Jt>.

In reading the Word of God, if you would
profit by it, then look to God for his blessing
upon" it. When you begin, pray that he may
bless it to you, and open your ears and hearts
to hear and comply with it, as the voice of
God 1. Read it with reverence, not as the word of
man, but, as it is indeed, the Word of the great
God. 2. Endeavour to get your hearts impressed by
his blessed Word. The doctrines, laws, and
very spirit of our Bibles, should be transcribed
into our very souls. Let then God's Word
stand not only in your Bibles, but dwell in
your hearts.
4Z

610

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCi

s£b

TURES.

3. Have an eye to Christ m every thing you
read ; for he is the end, scope, and substance of
the whole Bible ; and every tiling in it is redu
cible to him.
4. Mark the special passages of the Word,
either those that are most important in them
selves, fir most applicable to you. Mark the
duties enjoined, and sins forbidden, with the pro
mises of the one, and threatenings against the
other: fasten these upon your memories, and
Mde them in your hearts. Meditate on them,
and pray that God may keep them in your
minds, ready for use against the time of need.
There are sundry evangelical laws and precepts
in the Word of God, which you should observe :
as, believing in Christ, doing all religious exer
cises in his name, depending upon his merits,
grace, and intercession; looking only for ac
ceptance in him ; a persuasion of the necessity
and usefijiness of his offices, as Mediator, Pro
phet, Priest, tfnd King; an apprehension of our
own ignorance, guilt, weakness, misery, and
nothingness, without Christ; a relying on him in
all his offices. We also should remark concerning
the Spirit, that he is a Spirit of conviction, illu
mination, prayer, holiness, conduct, comfort, and
sealing; so we should accept of his help, and
cherish his motions and influences.
5. Consider the worth and excellency of the
Word ; and how suitable it is to any case and
condition we may be in. It is a rich mine of
heavenly treasure, a storehouse of all spiritual
consolation ; a common shop of medicines for the
soul, full of rich privileges, promises, and large
legacies to the people of God ; it is a staff and
stay to the old, an ornament and guide to the
young. In the Word of God we read the love
which God bears to his children from all eternity,
and will continue to have for them when time
shall be no more. Here are found the leaves of

the tree of life, which God bath ordained for the
healing' of the nations. In a word, here is the
true judge of controversies, a hammer for here
tics, a touch-stone for doctrine, a rule for our
lives, a comforter and counsellor in this house of
our pilgrimage, a sovereign cordial in all our
soul's distresses. David found it so to his sweet
experience, Psal. cxix. 50. " TMs is my comfort
in my afflictions, for thy word hath quickened
me." Oh ! how excellent is the Word, and who can
set forth all its excellency ? It is a glass to dis
cover our spots, a lamp to guide us in the dark,
a fire to warm our cold affections, a magazme to
supply us with armour against our spiritual
enemies. Here are suitable cordials for all our
various cases; be it desertion, temptation, po
verty, sickness, reproach, or persecution : here is*
the heavenly rain, for making soft and tender
hearts; here is meat for strong men, and milk for
babes; and, through the Divine blessing, will be
both food and physic to our souls.
It is surely the Christian's duty to read and
meditate much on God's most excellent Word,
and that with pleasure and delight: the child
delights to read his father's will and testament,
and see what is bequeathed to him ; citizens de
light to read their charters, to see their privileges;
the malefactor acquitted, delights to read his
pardon'; and the prodigal that is received into
favour, delights to read the affectionate letters of
his father to him. Then if ye are received into
favour, and born of God, you cannot but be
lovers of this most excellent Word of God, and
read and meditate on it both day and night
6. We are to contend for the Scriptures : this
precious jewel is too »good to be parted with,
Prov. iv. 13. " Keep herjor she is thy life." It
is our duty not only to love, read, and understand,

EXHORTATIONSJTO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES?

611

the Scriptures, but also to contend for the same.
Heretics fight against it ; we must, therefore, con
tend for it, Jude, ver. 3. The Scriptures are our
book of evidence for heaven ; shall we part with
our evidences ? The saints of old were both ad
vocates and martyrs for the truth ; they held fast
Scripture, though it was at the expense of their
lives. David spends'the whole 119th Psalm, to
show his intimate affection to it ; Moses esteems
it above all the learning of other nations, Deut.
iv. 5, 6. Solomon prefers it before pearls, Prov.
iii. 15. Job prefers it before his food, Job xxiii.
\1. Jeremiah makes it his joy, Jer. xv. 16. In
a word, all the children of God have been great
lovers of God's word, and could never be pre
vailed on to part with it, though persecuted for
the same.
7. Read this excellent Word with application
to yourselves, as if God spake to you by name
and surname in every line of it. Read it as a
love-letter sent straight from heaven to you, and
to stir you up to faith and holiness. Let us accept
of its reproofs and admonitions with thankfulness,
and say, What a great mercy is it, that we may
read our Father's will in our mother tongue !
And that God speaks his mind so. plainly to us in
his Word, showing us what we are to believe, M
what we are to do, and what we are to pray for,
in order to God's glory and our own happiness.
Rev. Thomas Watson.
WmF
Perad venture it were most. expedient that
the counsels of kings should be kept secret: but
Christ would that his counsels and mysteries
should be spread abroad as much as possible. I
would desire that all women should read the Gos
pels', and Epistles of H Paul. And I would to
God they were translated into the tongues of all
men, so that they might not only be read and

known of Scots and Irish, but also of the Turks
and Saracens. Truly it is one degree to good
living, yea, the first, I had almost said the chief,
to have a little sight in. the Scripture, though it
be but a gross knowledge, and not yet' consum
mate. I would to God the ploughman would
sing a text of Scripture at his plough ; and that
the weaver at his loom with this woufd drive
away the tediousness of time. I would the way
faring man, with this pastime, would expel(the
weariness of his journey. And, in short, I would
that all the communication of the Christian should
be of the Scripture.
I believe that the very pure and natural philo
sophy of Christ can be gathered so fruitfully out
of no place as out ofthe Gospels, and Epistles^^^
the Apostles ; in which if a man will study/cuv
voutly, attending more to prayer than arguing.
desiring rather to be made a new .man, than to
be armedNwith Scriptures unto contention, he,
without doubt, shall find, that there is nothing
pertaining unto man's fej^dty, or unto any ope
ration expedient for the present life, but it is
therein declared, discussed, and absolutely
touched upon ' ?
If then we go about to learn any thing, where
fore shall any other master or instructor more
please us than Christ himself? If we require a
rule and form to live after, why do we rather
embrace any other example than the very first
copy and pattern, which is Christ himself? If
we desire a wholesome medicine against the
grievous and noisome lusts or appetites of our
minds, why seek we not here the most fruitful
remedy ? If we wish to quicken with reading
our dull and fainting mind, I pray you where
shall we find such enlivening and fiery sparkles?
If we covet to withdraw our minds from the
cares of this life, why seek we any other delec
table pastimes ? Why had we rather learn the

612

, ¦ ijy
EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

wisdom of Christ's doctrine but of men's books, !
than of Christ Mmself?

What a marvellous world is this ! We keep
the letters which are written from our friend; we
kiss them, and bear them about with us; we read
them over twice or thrice ; and how many thou
sands are there among Christians, who are es
teemed persons of great learning, and who yet
have not once in their lives read over the Gos
pels, and Epistles of the Apostles !

Why do we not all apply our diligent study to
these great authors; I mean Christ, Peter, Paul,
and John ? Why bear we not these about in our
bosoms ? Why have we not them ever in our
hands ? Why do we not haunt, seek, and search
out, these things with a curious diligence ? ;
Blessed is heSwhom death assaileth, if his heart
be wholly occupied in this wholesome doctrine.
Let us all, therefor ejjtitii fervent desire, thirst
after these spiritual springs. Let us embrace
them. Let us be studiously conversant with them.
Let us kiss these sweet words of Christ witivpure
affection. Let us be new transformed into them;
for such are our manners as our studies be.
The Gospel doth represent and express the
quick and living image of his most holy mind;
yea, and Christ himself, speaking, healing, dying,
rising again; and, to conclude, all parts of him ;
insomuch that we could not so plainly and fruit
fully see him, although he were present before
our bodily eyes. -<
Erasmus.

Hail, sacred page ! volume of inspiration ! in
whose presence the compositions of mortal wit
Mde their ashamed countenances ; as stars, which

¦shone brightly in the clear sky, disappear when
the morning sun purples the eastern clouds.
Where shall we find $ueh venerable antiquity as
in this reverend code? Before Abraham was,
was Christ, the great I AM. Before Orpheus, or
Linus, or Hesiod, or Homer, were the Scriptures
of the Hebrew Lawgiver.
It is true, the hoary head is not a crown of
glory, except when found in the way of righteous
ness. There are trifling, there are immoral, there
are inconsistent, productions. If these should vie
with the Sacred Oracles in the earliness of their
existence ; yet they must not presume to claim an
equal regard from men with the Book of God,
whose subject is a compound of the marvellous,
the pious, the useful, and the grand. The histo
ries of past, the prophecies of future events, are
neither trifling nor deceitful. The precepts, how
pure ! The doctrines and mysteries, how sub
lime ! How worthy of God to reveal them ! of
man to believe them ! Here both the natural
and the moral world unfold to our view. Here
we behold tins beauteous fabric, emerging out of
nothmg, and wrapped in a winding-sheet of
flames. Here we are informed of the birth of
evil, both natural and moral ; and how they are
again rooted out of the world. The miseries you
are to avoid ; the happiness you are to pursue ;
the mefehpd wherein you may attain the one, and
avoid the other;— these are the important and
interesting themes of the Bible. Peruse these
holy records ; and be acquainted with thyself,
and with thy God, O mortal ! To ransom thee
from death, to render you blessed both here and
hereafter ; see here thy great Creator, lying in
the womb, groaning on a cross, and sleeping in
a grave !
Jesus ! thou Saviour ofthe world, these Scrip
tures testify of thee. Thou art the Alpha and
Omega, the Beginning and the Ending of them.

¦;'

ITATI'

EXHORTATIONS TO READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

m

613

In the Old Testament thou art concealecl; in the '
New Testament thou art revealed. Thou art the
end of the law, and the sum of the Gospel.
It is true, indeed, not every place shines with
an equal lustre. But is it any detraction from
the beauty of the material world, the fair book of
the creation, that here is a champaign country,
and there a barren wilderness ; here a craggy
rock, and there a fruitful valley ? We despise
not the beauty of the firmament, though some
parts of it are not sown so thick as others with
starry lamps. But should we nearer view those
seemingly barren places in the field of revelation ;
should we dig into those rocky texts with care
and reverence; perhaps then wemight find cause
to alter our sentiments. Even the genealogies
are not useless, nor even the ceremonies .insig
nificant. Even here we find rich veins of wis
dom ; and Christ the pearl of great price.
But is there not something more than mortal
breathing through every page ? It is here the at
tentive mind is struck with awe, as under the im
penetrable shade of some aspiring grove, or under
the roof of some religious edifice. Thus angels,
which appeared to holy men of old, struck the
beholders with a dread for which they could not
well account. There was something in their
voice, in their air, in tfieirgesture, whidi spoke
them more than human.
What loftiness of phrase in some, what ma
jestic simplicity of expression me Other, passages !
How unparalleled! how inimitable by mortal
pen ! Thus he whose name is called the Word
of God, in his exalted staters more glorious than
the kings ofthe earth; and even in his humilia
tion there was something exceedingly majestic,
which poured contempt upon princes.
Be not ashamed ofthe Scriptures; " they are

the power of God to salvation to every one that
believeth:" O blessed Word ! thou convertest
the soul ; thou enlighfenest the eyes ; thou re-
joicest the heart ; thou givest wisdom unto the
simple ; and- sight unto the blind ; and life untc
the dead ! Peruse the Scriptures : your cor
ruptions shall be mortified; your graces vivified ;
your thoughts, your words, your actidHshall
be sanctified, be purified, be rectified^^Fhese
will alleviate your sorrows in adversity, and in
prosperity heighten your enjoyments. Hire,

multitudes, have found life everlasting.

O ye who have received the truth in the love
thereof! who have his blessed Word sweeter than
honey to your mouth, give glory to that God,
who, when the human race were wandering in
uncertainty and error, was pleased to makejsueh
a revelation of himself ;— a revelation evendropt,
where we have notices conveyedjuhto us, more
truly and certainly than from the famed deadly
oracles of Delphos or Dodona^ Praise him, who
has not committed the intimations of his will unto
the leaves of uncertain tradition, which every
breath of wind might puff aWay ; which, in later
ages, might have been greatly corrupted, by
passing through a multitude of hands. But he
hath written that same Word, which formerly
was only verbal, in a book, the pecular care of
Providence ; where the divine revelation is kept
as in a garrison, and needs not fear from the in
juries of time, from the cunning of Satan, nor
from the evil designs of corrupt men. Adore him,
who, by his Holy Spirit, informed the minds ol
holy men of old with such concealed truths; and
guided their pens in writing these holy originals.
Acknowledge his goodness, who hath preserved
these heavenly records from flames, floods, and
desolations ; who hath cast your lot, not in those
dusky corners ofthe world, where the Word of
God sheds not its holy light, or is, by public au
thority, prohibited frbm being consulted _

614

E.XH0RTAT10NS TO READING THE HOLY ScHSWuRES.

Know thy privilege, O happy Island ! much
are you advantaged every way beyond thy neigh
bouring states ; but chiefly, that unto you are
committed the Oracles of God. Turn not your
blessing to a curse. Young men! search the
Scriptures ; they will make you wise unto salva
tion; you shall have more understanding than the
ancients. /Old men! search the Scriptures; they
will be the support of your old age, and make
you to sing as in the days of your youth. Ye men
of Eartik and station! who dwell in lofty palaces,
and ride in glittering chariots! O make them
: your heritage for ever ! Ye weaker Christians !
here is much to satisfy your craving appetite.
Ye men of genius ! here is strong meat to suit
your nicer palates, and drive away disdain.
^Hljeditate on the law of the Lord, both day
and night. The more you draw from this re
freshing fojjg^in, the more will the waters
abound. ButM?ould you enter into the secret of
the Lord, which is with them that fear him?
Bring with you a pure, an humble, and a" fervent
mind. Whom shall he teach knowledge? Whom
shall he make to understand doctrine ? Those
whose hearts are not haughty, nor their eyes
lofty ; but who are like the child weaned from
the milk, and drawn from the breasts; those who
are estranged from their lusts; who lay aside all
filthiiiess and superfluity of naughtiness; those
whose souls do pant exceedingly, and long for
God's commandments; like thee, O blessed Da
vid, whose eyes did timely prevent the night-
watches, to meditate on the statutes ofthe Lord.

TakeWyourselves, ye deluded Zealots ! your
fabulous traditions, and hide this holy lamp un
der the bushels of foreign languages ; and by this
confess the weakness of your cause. Ye wild
Enthusiasts! vaunt of the light within you ; but
take heed, lest the light you boast is in you be
darkness. Walk in the light of your fire, and
in the sparks of your kindling, ye unbelieving
Deists! But, O house of Israel! come, and let
us walk in the light of the Lord. Consult this
heavenly guide, 0 thou my soul ! and let your
delight be in the law ofthe Lord. Let me often
expatiate in these hallowed fields of revelation,
and, like the disciples, pluck the full ears of corn ;
and rub them from the husk, by ardent medita
tion and fervent prayer.
Shine upon my soul, O heavenly Spirit !¦ —
bear witness in my heart. Imprint the Bible
there ; make tMs the library of God. Then shall
1 be made wiser than my teachers, and in all my
afflictions be comforted; and though 1 walk
through death's dark shades, yet shall my steps
be conducted unto those blissful regions, where
" tne sun shall no more go down, nor the moon
withdraw her shining : but the Lord shall be my
everlasting light, and my- God my glory."
Ik- Rev. William M'Ewen.

We shall by way of conclusion subjoin the
following excellent composition, as properly suited
to the dignity and ^iemnity of the whole.

615

w n w sr &

THE NATIVITY.

A LL glory to God in the sky,
¦jljL And peace upon earth be restor'd !
O Jesus, exalted on high,
Appear our omnipotent Lord !
Who meanly in Bethlehem born,
Didst stoop to redeem a lost race,
Once more to thy people return,
And reign in thy kingdom of grace.
When thou in our flesh didst appear,
All nature acknowledg'd thy birth,
Arose the acceptable year,
And heaven was open'd on earth :
Receiving its Lord from above,
The world was united to bless
The Giver of concord and love,
The Prince and the Author of peace.
O wouldst thou again be made known !
Again in thy Spirit descend !
And set up in each of thine own,
A kingdom that never shall end !
Thou only art able to bless,
And makethe glad nations obey.
And bid the dire enmity cease,
And bow the whole world to thy sway.
Come then to thy servants again,
Who long thy acceptance to know 5
Thy quiet and peaceable reign,
In mercy establish below :
All sorrow before thee shall fly,
And anger and hatred be o'er ;
And envy and malice shall die,
And discord afflict us no more.
No horrid alarum of war,
Shall break our eternal repose
No sound ofthe trumpet is there,
Where Jesus's Spirit o'ejflows :
Appeas'd by the charms^sffthy grace,
We all shall in amity join ;
And kindly each other embrace,
And love with a passion like thine.

HOSANNA TO CHRIST.

HOSANNA to the royal Son
Of David's ancient line !
His nature's two, his person one,
Mysterious and divine.
The root of David here we find,
And offspring is the same :
Eternity and time are join'd
In our Emanuel's name.
Bless'd he that comes to wretched men,
With peaceful news from heav'n !
Hosannas ofthe highest strain
To Christ the Lord be giv'n !
Let mortals ne'er refuse to take
Th' Hosanna on their tongues,
Lest rocks and stones. should rise, and break
Their silence into songs.

THE EXCELLENCr OP THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
LET everlasting glories crown
Thy head, my Saviour and' my Lord ;
Thy hands have broughtralvation down,
And writ the blessings of thy word.
What if we trace the globe around,
And search from Britain to Japan,
There shall be no religion found
So just to God, so safe to man.
In vain the trembling conscience seeks
Some solid ground to rest upon ;
With long despair the spirit breaks,
Till we apply to Christ alone.
How well thy blessed truths agree !
How wise and holy thy commands .'
Thy promises how firm they be !
How firm our hope and comfort stands !
Not the feign'd fields of heath'nish bliss
Could raise such pleasures in the mind ;
Nor does the Turkish Paradise
Pretend to joys so well refin'd.
Should all the forms that men devise
Assault my faith with treach'rous art,
I'll call them vanity and lies,
And bind the gospel to my heart.

616

ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

1 PeL iv. 7. The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

(See the 50th Psalm.)

nP^jS^ Cord, the Sov'reign, sends his summons forth,
¦*¦ Aalls the South Nations, and awakes the North ;
FrorjTCast to West the sounding order's spread,
KgThro' distant worlds and regions ofthe dead :
T-Io more shall Atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more : Behold the day
Behold the Judge descends ; his guards are nigh,
Tempest and fire attend him down the sky :
Heav'n, earth, and hell, draw near; let all things come
' To hear his justice, and the Sinner's doom ;
But gather first my Saints, (the Judge commands,)
Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.
*i ¦
Behold. my cov'nant stands for ever good,
. Sealrd by' tli' eternal Sacrifice in blood,
And sigu'd with all their names, the Greek, the Jew,
That paid the ancient worship or the new :
Tliere's no distinction here : Come, spread their thrones,
And near me seat my fav'rites, and my sons.
I their almighty Saviour, and their God,
I am their Judge : ye Heav'ns proclaim abroad
My just eternal sentence, and declare
Those awful truths that sinners dread to hear j
Sinners in Zion tremble and retire ;
I doom the painted hypocrite to fire.
Not for the want of goats or bullocks slain
Do I condemn thee ; bulls and goats are vain

Without the flames of love : in vain the store
Of brutal offerings that were mine before:
Mine are the tamer beasts and savage breed,
Flocks, herds, and fields and forests where they feed.
If I were hungry, would I ask thee food ?
When did I thirst, or drink thy bullock's blood ?
Can I be flatter'd with thy cringing bows,
Thy solemn chatt'rings, and fantastic vows ;
Are my eyes charm'd thy vestments to behold,
Glaring in gems^ and gay in woven gold ? *
Unthinking wretch ! how could'st thou hope to please
A God, a Spirit, with such toys as these ?
While with my grace and statutes on thy tongue
Thou lov'st deceit, and dost thy brother wrong :
In vain to pious forms thy zeal pretends;
Thieves and adult'rers, are thy chosen friends.
Silent I waited with long-suffering love,
But didst thou hope that I should ne'er reprove?
And cherish such an impious thought within,
That God the righteous would indulge thy sin?'
Behold my terrors now ; my thunders roll,
And thy own crimes affright thy guilty soul.
Sinners, awake betimes ;-ye fools, be wise ;
Awake before the dreadful morning rise ;
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend J
Fly to the Saviour, make the Judge your friend ;
Lest like a lion his last, vengeance tear
Your trembling souls, and no deliv'rer near.

FINIS.

JP*

"