Thus we fee what the chief fect among the Jews were, in their principles, difpofition, and practice. Our Saviour termed them hypocrites; and, when his accufation is fully confidered, never was the charge of hypocrify better founded. They paid tythe of mint, and anife, and cummin, and omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. They made clean the outside of the cup, and of the platter, but within they were full of extortion and excefs. They were like unto fepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful to the eye*, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleannefs. Even fo they alfo outwardly appeared righteous to men, doing all their works to be feen of them, but within they were full of hypocrify and iniquityt.

The fect of the Sadducees was very different from that of the Pharifees, and had its origin as follows. Antigonus Sochæus, a Jew, (who was born at Socho, on the borders of Judea, and flourished in the time of Eleazer the high-priest, about 300 years before Chrift, and was a difciple of Simeon the Juft,) often, in his lectures, inculcated on his scholars, that they ought not, as fome improperly taught, to ferve God, as fervants do their masters, for temporal rewards, but only from principles of filial fear and love. This doctrine was mifinterpreted by his followers, and extended to the

* Sepulchres in the eaft, Dr. Shaw tells us, are ftill adorned with great care. + See Matt. xxiii. Much has been faid on hypocrify: a modern author gives the following as the origin and application of the word. Anciently masks were worn by players on the theatre, while acting their parts, to enable them to reprefent perfons and characters, which they themselves were not. Their manner was, to put on a mask, generally over the whole head: by which means a perfon, whofe own vifage was disfigured, might wear a beautiful mask; while he himself frowned, his mask might fmile; that might be complacent and ferene, though his own temper was morofe and peevish; or that might exhibit the character of a hero, or a deity, of Alexander, or Jupiter, while the wearer was far enough from refembling either, in form, in manners, or in attributes. If we confider a hypocrite as a perfon playing under a mask, we shall come pretty near to the true import of the word: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharifees, which is HYPOCRISY: for there is nothing COVERED," veiled, masked, "that fhall not be uncovered, q. unmasked-Luke xii. 1, 2, 3 and well do fuch counterfeits deferve the woes levelled against them in the gofpel; for, was not every player under a mask, confcious of his wearing that disguise? conscious of having put on, and of continuing to wear it?-Calmet, Fragments. p. 122.

rewards of a future life; and particularly by Sadoc and Baithofus, two of his difciples, who taught their followers, that no future recompence was to be expected; and, therefore, that there would be no refurrection of the dead. They even denied the world to come, and the existence of angels or fpirits*. And hence arofe, about 200 years before Chrift, the fect of the Baithofæi or Sadduceest.

In objecting to the refurrection, the Sadducees agreed with the Heathen: and, their denying the immateriality, and, confequently, the immortality of the foul, proves, they had imbibed the fentiments of Epicurus. They did not deny that man had a reasonable foul, but maintained it was mortalt. They differed from Epicurus only in allowing, that God by his power created the world, and governs it by his providence; and, for the carrying on of his government, hath or dained, in this world, rewards and punishments. Whereas the Epicureans, who were deemed no better than atheifts, and detefted by the better fort of Heathens, denied a divine providence; and faid, God was altogether unconcerned in the government of the world. Cicero accused Epicurus of atheifm, and faid, Whatever veneration he pretended to have for the gods, yet he was no better than an atheift, and mentioned a god in his philofophy, merely to avoid falling under the difpleasure of the Athenian Senate.

The Sadducees fuppofed God to be the only Spirit ; and it has been alfo imputed to them, that they thought even Him to be corporeal. It is remarkable how they could deny angels, and yet receive the five books of Mofes, in which the appearance of angels is fo frequently mentioned. Some fuppofe they understood all thofe fcriptures, that fpeak of the appearance of angels, as importing nothing but a bodily fhape, vifible for a time, influenced and moved by the divine power, and converfing with thofe to whom it was fent. And others, that they confidered angels, not as

*Matt. xxii. 23. Mark xii. 18. Luke xx. 27. Acts xxiii. 8. + Rees's New Cyclopædia.

Jofeph. lib. 2. de Bello, cap. 12.

Thus we see what the chief fect among the Jews were, in their principles, difpofition, and practice. Our Saviour termed them hypocrites; and, when his accufation is fully confidered, never was the charge of hypocrify better founded. They paid tythe of mint, and anife, and cummin, and omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. They made clean the outfide of the cup, and of the platter, but within they were full of extortion and excefs. They were like unto fepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful to the eye*, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleannefs. Even fo they alfo outwardly appeared righteous to men, doing all their works to be feen of them, but within they were full of hypocrify and iniquityt.

The fect of the Sadducees was very different from that of the Pharifees, and had its origin as follows. Antigonus Sochæus, a Jew, (who was born at Socho, on the borders of Judea, and flourished in the time of Eleazer the high-priest, about 300 years before Chrift, and was a difciple of Simeon the Juft,) often, in his lectures, inculcated on his scholars, that they ought not, as fome improperly taught, to ferve God, as fervants do their mafters, for temporal rewards, but only from principles of filial fear and love. This doctrine was mifinterpreted by his followers, and extended to the

* Sepulchres in the eaft, Dr. Shaw tells us, are ftill adorned with great care. + See Matt. xxiii. Much has been faid on hypocrify: a modern author gives the following as the origin and application of the word. Anciently masks were worn by players on the theatre, while acting their parts, to enable them to reprefent perfons and characters, which they themselves were not. Their manner was, to put on a mafk, generally over the whole head: by which means a perfon, whofe own vifage was disfigured, might wear a beautiful mask; while he himself frowned, his mask might smile; that might be complacent and ferene, though his own temper was morofe and peevish; or that might exhibit the cha racter of a hero, or a deity, of Alexander, or Jupiter, while the wearer was far enough from refembling either, in form, in manners, or in attributes. If we confider a hypocrite as a perfon playing under a mask, we shall come pretty near to the true import of the word: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharifees, which is HYPOCRISY for there is nothing COVERED," veiled, masked, "that fhall not be uncovered, q. unmasked-Luke xii. 1, 2, 3: and well do fuch counterfeits deferve the woes levelled against them in the gofpel; for, was not every player under a mask, confcious of his wearing that disguise? confcious of having put on, and of continuing to wear it?-Calmet, Fragments. p. 1£2.

rewards of a future life; and particularly by Sadoc and Baithofus, two of his difciples, who taught their followers, that no future recompence was to be expected; and, therefore, that there would be no refurrection of the dead. They even denied the world to come, and the existence of angels or fpirits*. fpirits. And hence arofe, about 200 years before Chrift, the fect of the Baithofæi or Sadduceest.

power

In objecting to the refurrection, the Sadducees agreed with the Heathen: and, their denying the immateriality, and, confequently, the immortality of the foul, proves, they had imbibed the fentiments of Epicurus. They did not deny that man had a reasonable foul, but maintained it was mortal. They differed from Epicurus only in allowing, that God by his created the world, and governs it by his providence ; and, for the carrying on of his government, hath ordained, in this world, rewards and punishments. Whereas the Epicureans, who were deemed no better than atheifts, and detefted by the better fort of Heathens, denied a divine providence; and faid, God was altogether unconcerned in the government of the world. Cicero accufed Epicurus of atheism, and faid, Whatever veneration he pretended to have for the gods, yet he was no better than an atheist, and mentioned a god in his philofophy, merely to avoid falling under the displeasure of the Athenian Senate.

The Sadducees fuppofed God to be the only Spirit ; and it has been alfo imputed to them, that they thought even Him to be corporeal. It is remarkable how they could deny angels, and yet receive the five books of Mofes, in which the appearance of angels is fo frequently mentioned. Some fuppofe they understood all thofe fcriptures, that fpeak of the appearance of angels, as importing nothing but a bodily fhape, vifible for a time, influenced and moved by the divine. power, and converfing with thofe to whom it was fent. And others, that they confidered angels, not as

*Matt. xxii. 23. Mark xii. 18. Luke xx. 27. Acts xxiii. 8. + Rees's New Cyclopedia.

Jofeph. lib. 2. de Bello, cap. 12.

individual beings, and fubfifting of themselves, but as. powers, emanations, or qualities infeparable from the Deity, as the fun-beams from the fun*: or, that, perhaps they held angels to be mortal; just as they thought of human fpirits.

It is ftrange, alfo, how they could make any pretenfions to religion, who denied the refurrection of the body, the immortality of the foul, and a future world of recompence! This was tearing up, at once, the very foundations of all religion and morality; limiting the existence of man to a very fhort period; and fo making this life incompatible with the perfections of God, and the nature and refponfibility of man. A common faying among the Jews, excepting the Sadducees, was, All true Ifraelites are partakers of the future world. In the tranflation of Enoch, before the giving of the law, and of Elijah, under it, they had fenfible demonftration of the reality of another world, and that man would there exift. The venerable patriarchs, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in all their peregrinations, looked for a city that had foundations, whofe builder and maker is God. And, to convince the Sadducees that their hope was not delufive, our Saviour told them, that thefe perfons, fo renowned in the fcriptures for their faith, were yet alive, with regard to their fouls. "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob," and "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." If there were not a life to come, we should be at a lofs to find out a fufficient reason why we live at all, and be ready to look on ourselves as the most useless and fuperfluous race of beings in the creation. How awful would be the fuppofition of this? how unhappy its influence on mankind! We should not only forrow without hope, for those of our dear relatives already departed this life; but also, live in fearful expectation of death extinguifhing the flame of animal life in ourselves. The fcriptures every where reprefent death, not as the extinction of our being, but as a paffage out of this world into another.

*This was the opinion of fome Jews in the time of Juftin. Dialog. cum Tryphone, p. 358. See Grotius on Matt. xxii, 23. and M. Le Clerc on Acts xxiii, 8.