much pains to inculcate his precepts, he left us a pattern of industry and zeal in our profession. By the liberty he took with the Pharisees and Sadducees, the lawyers and scribes, in exposing their hypocrisy, their errors and corruptions, he taught us fortitude in the discharge of our duty.* He spared neither the faults of his friends, nor the vices of his enemies.--By his indifference and unconcern about his own accommodation and appearance, the interest of his family and fortune, he condemned all worldly-mindedness. He was perfectly sober and rational in his devotions, as witness the Lord's prayer compared with any of the compositions of modern enthusiasts.-His admirable discourses before his death are specimens of inimitable tenderness and affection towards his followers.‡ quiet submission to death, though even the prospect of it was terrible to him, exhibits a complete pattern of resignation and acquiescence in the divine will.] His And to crown all, his example was practicable, and suited to the condition of human life.-He did not, like Rousseau, call upon mankind to return back into a state of nature, or calculate his precepts for such a state. He did not, with the monk and the hermit, run into caves and cloisters, or suppose men could make themselves more acceptable to God by keeping out of the way of one another. He did not, with some of the most eminent of the Stoics, command his followers to throw their wealth into the sea, nor, with the eastern faquirs, to inflict upon themselves any tedious, gloomy penances, or extravagant mortifications. He did not, what is the sure companion of enthusiasm, affect singularity in his behaviour; he dressed, he ate, he conversed, like other people; he accepted their invitations, was a guest at their feasts, frequented their synagogues, and went up to Jerusalem at their great festival. He supposed his disciples to follow some professions, to be soldiers, tax-gatherers, fishermen ; to marry wives, pay taxes, submit to magistrates; to carry on their usual business; and, when they * Matt. xxiii. Luke xi. 54.3 Matt. vii. 20. xii. 46---53. John iv. 24. John xxii. 41---44 could be spared from his service, to return again to their respective callings.* Upon the whole, if the account which is given of Christ in Scripture be a just one;-if there was really such a person, how could he be an impostor?-If there was no such person, how came the illiterate evangelists to hit off such a character, and that without any visible design of drawing any character at all? On the morality of the gospel. THE morality of the gospel [is] not beyond what might be discovered by reason; nor possibly could be; because all morality being founded in relations and consequences, which we are acquainted with, and experience, must depend upon reasons intelli gible to our apprehensions, and discoverable by us. Nor perhaps, except in a few instances, was it beyond what might have been collected from the scattered precepts of different philosophers. Indeed, to have put together all the wise and good precepts of all the different philosophers, to have separated and laid aside all the error, immorality, and.superstition, that was mixed with them, would have proved a very difficult work. But that a single person, without any assistance from those philosophers, or any human learning whatsoever, in direct opposition also to the established practices and maxims of his own country, should form a system, so unblameable on the one hand, and so perfect on the other, is extraordinary, beyond example and belief; and yet must be believed by those who hold Christ to have been either an impostor or enthusiast. The following are some principal articles of his system. 1. The forgiveness of injuries and enemies ;—absolutely original. "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Ther shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy; but *The like did his forerunner John the Baptist. When the publicans and soldiers, people of the two most obnoxious professions in that age and country, asked John what they were to do, John dees nct require them to quit their occupations, but to beware of the vices id perform the duties of them; which also is to be understood as the Baptist's own explanation of that μεταναα εις άφεσιν αμαρ I to which he called his countrymen I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."* "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you."t "Then came Peter unto him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven; therefore (i. e. in this respect) is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants; and when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents; but, for as much as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and chil dren and all that he had, and payment to be made: the servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest; and his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all; and he would not, but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me; shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay Mat. vi. 14, 15. *Mat. v. 43-45% all that was due unto him; so likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also, which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses."t "Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest, for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." "And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left: then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." II. The universality of benevolence, without distinction of country or religion. "They went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him, and they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem; and when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did; but he returned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of."¶ "The Jewish lawyer, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves. which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead; and by chance there came down a certain priest that way, 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: but a certain Samaritan as he jour neyed, came where he was, and when he saw him he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an *Mat. xviii. 21---35. Luke xxiii. 34. Luke vi. 35. † Mark xi. 25. Luke ix. 52, 53. inn, and took care of him; and on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two-pence, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee: which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour to him that fell among the thieves? and he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."* III. The inferiority and subordination of the ceremonial to the moral law. "Leave thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." "If ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless." "And behold there was a man which had his hand withered; and they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and it fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out? how much then is a man better than a sheep? wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days." "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man-those things, which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile the man; for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, these are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."T "Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith (fidelity :) these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the others undone." "Ye make clean the outside of the cup and of Matt. xii. ? |