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LECTURES 


HISTORY  OF  JESUS  CHRIST. 


By  JAMES 'SeNNETT,  D.D. 


SECOND  EDITION,  WITH  CORRECTIONS  AND  ADDITIONS. 


IN  TWO   VOLUMES. 


VOL.    II. 


LONDON: 

PUBLISHED  BY  F.  WESTLEY  AND  A.  H.  DAVIS,   10,  STATIONERS' 
HALL  COURT  AND  AVE  MARIA  LANE  ; 


AND  SOLD  BY 


BAGSTEE,  15,  PATERNOSTER    ROW;    NISBET,  BERNERS    STREET,  OXFORD  STREET  J 
WESTLEY  AND  TYRRELL,  DUBLIN  ;    AND  JOHN  BOYD,  EDINBURGH. 


M.DCCCXXVIII. 


r.ondo„  :    Bagster  and  Tl.oms,  Printers.  14,  Bartholomew  Close. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME  II. 


Lecture  li. — An  attempt  to  seize  Christ  in  the  Temple. — 
John  vii.  10—53. 

And  the  Pharisees  and  the  chief  priests  sent  officers  to  take  him      page  1 

Lecture  lii. — Attempts  to  stone  Christ  as  a  Blasphemer. — 
John  viii.  56 — 59. 

Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Before  Abraham  was, 
I  am.     Then  took  they  up  stones  to  cast  at  him  .  page  1 1 

Lecture  liii.  —  The  Return  of  the  Seventy.  —  Luke  x. 
17—24. 

And  the  seventy  returned  again  with  joy,  saying.  Lord,  even  the  devils  are 
subject  unto  us  through  thy  name  .  .  jmge  1 9 

Lecture  liv. —  Christ's  Answer  to  the  Lawyer,  who  asks 
what  he  shall  do  to  inherit  eternal  Life.  —  Luke  x. 
25—29. 

And  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up,  and  tempted  him,  saying,  Master, 
what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?  .  .         page  29 

Lecture  lv. — Martha  and  Mary. — Luke  x.  38 — 42. 

Now  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  went,  that  he  entered  into  a  certain  village : 
and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha  received  him  into  her  house.  And 
she  had  a  sister  called  Mary  .  .  poge  39 

Lecture  lvi. —  Christ  curing  the  crooked  Woman. — Luke 
xiii.  10—17. 

And  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues  on  the  sabbath.  And  behold, 
there  was  a  woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years,  and 
was  bowed  together,  and  could  in  no  wise  lift  up  herself  pf'ge  49 

Lecture  lvii — The  Cure  of  the  Man  born  Blind,  and  its 
consequences. — John  ix.  1 — 7. 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  which  was  blind  from  his  birth 

page  58 


iv  CONTENTS. 

Lecture  lviii. — Christ's  Retirement  to  Perea,  and  He- 
rod's Threats.— John  x.  40—42.*      Luke  xiii.  23—35. 

*  And  went  away  again  beyond  Jordan  into  tlie  place  where  John  at  first 

baptized ;  and  there  he  abode  .  .  page  74 

Lecture  lix.  —  Christ   cures  a  Man  of  the  Dropsy. — 
Luke  xiv.  1 — 6. 

And  behold,  there  was  a  certain  man  before  him  whicli  had  the  dropsy 

page  82 

Lecture  lx. —  Christ   healing   ten  Lepers.  —  Luke  xvii. 
11—19. 

And  as  he  entered  into  a  certain  village,  there  met  him  ten  men  that  were 
lepers        ....  page  92 

Lecture  lxi. —  Christ  blessing  little  Children. — Matt.  xix. 
13—1.5.     Mark  x.  13.*     Luke  xviii.  15—17. 

*  And  they  brought  young  children  to  him,  that  he  should  touch  them :  and 

his  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them  .  page  101 

Lecture  lxii. —  The  rich  Youth's  Disappointment. — Matt. 
xix.  16-26.     Mark  x.  17—27.     Luke  xviii.  18—27.  * 

*  And  a  certain  ruler  asked  him,  saying,  Good  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to 

inherit  eternal  life ?         .  .  •  page  IIZ 

Lecture  lxiii.  —  The  Ambition  of  the  Mother  of  James 
and  John.— Maii.  xx.  20—28.     Mark  x.  35—45.  * 

*  And  James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  come  unto  him,  saying, 

Master,  we  would   that  thou  shouldest  do  for  us  whatsoever  we  shall 
desire      ....  page  127 

Lecture  lxi  v. — Bartimams  restored  to  Sight. — Matt.  xx. 
29-34.  *     Mark  x.  46—52.     Luke  xviii.  35—43. 

*  And  as  they  departed  from  Jericho,  a  great  multitude  followed  him. 

And,  behold,  two  blind  men  sitting  by  the  way  side         .         page  139 

Lecture  lxv. — The  Conversion  of  Zaccheus. — Luke  xix. 
1—10. 

And  Jesus  entered  and  passed  through  Jericho.     And  behold  there  was  a 
man  named  Zacclieus     .  .  .  page  149 

Lecture  lxvi. — Lazarus   raised  from  the  Dead. — John 
xi.  1—46. 

Now  a  certain  man  was  sick,  named  Lazarus,  of  Bethany,  tiie  town  of 
Mary  and  her  sister  Martha  .  .  page  162. 


CONTENTS.  V 

Lecture  lxvii. — Christ's  last  Retirement  to  Ephraim. — 
John  xi.  48-57. 
Jesus  therefore  walked  no  more  openly  among  the  Jews ;  but  went  thence 
unto  a  country  near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called  Ephraim,  page  172 

Lecture  lxviii. —  Christ  anointed,  or  embalmed,  at  Be- 
tJiany.— Matt.  xxvi.  6—13.  *  Mark  xiv.  3—9.  John 
xii.  1—11. 

*  Now  when  Jesus  was  in  Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Simon,  the  leper,  there 

came  unto  him  a  woman  having  an  alabaster  box  of  very  precious  oint- 
ment, and  poured  it  on  his  head  .  ,  po-g^  182 

Lecture  lxix. —  Christ  riding  into  Jerusalem,  weeps  over 
it.— Matt.  xxi.  1—10.  Mark  xi.  1—10.  Luke  xix. 
29—40.  *     John  xii.  12—18. 

*  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  come  nigh  to  Bethphage  and  Bethany, 
at  the  mount  called  the  mount  of  Olives,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples,  say- 
ing, Go  ye  into  the  village  over  against  you ;  in  the  which,  at  your  en- 
tering, ye  shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  yet  never  man  sat:  loose  him, 
and  bring  him  hither      .  .  .  page  1 94 

Lecture  lxx. — Christ's  second  cleansing  of  the  Temple, — 
Matt.  xxi.  12—16.  *    Mark  xi.  11.     Luke  xix.  45—48. 

*  And  Jesus  went  into  the  temple  of  God,  and  cast  out  all  them  that  sold 

and  bought  in  the  temple        .  .  .  page  210 

Lecture  lxxi. —  The  Greeks  inquiring  after  Christ. — 
Matt.  xxi.  17.     Mark  xi.  11.     John  xii.  20—43.  * 

*  And  there  were  certain  Greeks  among  them  that  came  up  to  worship  at 

the  feast :  the  same  came  therefore  to  Philip,  which  was  of  Bethsaida  of 
Galilee,  and  desired  him,  saying.  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus         page  222 

Lecture  lxxii.  —  Chrisfs  Judgment  on  the  harren  Fig- 
Tree.  —  Matt.  xxi.  18,  19.  *  Mark  xi.  12—19.  John 
xii.  44—50. 

*  Now  in  the  morning,  as  he  returned  into  the  city,  he  hungered.  And 
when  he  saw  a  fig-tree  in  the  way,  he  came  to  it,  and  found  nothing 
thereon  but  leaves  only,  and  said  unto  it.  Let  no  fruit  grow  on  thee 
henceforward  for  ever.     And  presently  the  fig-tree  withered  away 

page  234 

Lecture  lxxiii. —  Chrisfs  last  Dispute  and  Discourse 
with  the  Pharisees.  —  Matt.  xxi.  20 — 46.  Mark  xi. 
20—33.*     Luke  xx. 

*  And  in  the  morning,  as  they  passed  by,  they  saw  the  fig-tree  dried  up 

from  the  roots  .  .  .  pcgc  247 


vi  CONTENTS. 

Lecture  lxxiv.  —  Judas  hetrays  Christ.  —  Matt.  xxvi. 
1—16.*     Mark  xiv.  1—11.     Luke  xxi.  37;  xxii.  1—6. 

*  Then  one  of  tlie  twelve,  called  Judas  Iscariot,  went  unto  the  chief  priests, 

and  said  unto  them,  What  will  ye  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver  him  unto 
you?      .  -  •  •  page  261 

Lecture  lxx\  . — Christ  celebrating  the  last  Passover. — 
Matt.  xxvi.  17—20.     Mark  xiv.  12—17.     Luke  xxii. 

7—18.* 

*  Then  came  the  day  of  unleavened  bread,  when  the  passover  must  be 

killed.  And  he  sent  Peter  and  John,  saying,  Go  and  prepare  us  the 
passover,  that  we  may  eat      .  •  .  .  page  274 

Lecture  lxxvi. —  The  Saviour  ivashing  his  Disciples' 
Feet. — John  xiii.  1 — 17. 

He  riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his  garments ;  and  took  a  towel  and 
girded  himself :  after  that  he  poured  water  into  a  bason,  and  began  to 
wash  his  disciples'  feet  .  .  page  287 

Lecture  lxxvii. — The  Institution  of  the  Lords  Sujjper. 
—Matt.  xxvi.  26—29.  Mark  xiv.  22-25.  Luke  xxii. 
19,  20.* 

*  And  he  took  bread,  and  gave  thanks,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  unto  them, 

saying.  This  is  my  body  which  is  given  for  you  :  this  do  in  remembrance 
of  me.  Likewise,  also,  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying,  This  cup  is  the 
new  testament  in  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for  you         .  puge  298 

Lecture  lxxviii. — Judas  detected.— Matt.  xxvi.  21 — 25. 
Mark  xiv.  18—21.     Luke  xxii.  21.     John  xiii.  21—31.* 

*  When  Jesus  had  thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in  spirit,  and  testified,  and  said, 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me    page  309 

Lecture  lxxix. — Christ  going  to  Gethsemane. — Matt, 
xxvi.  33—46.*  Mark  xiv.  27—42.  Luke  xxii.  31—46. 
John  xviii.  1. 

*  Then  cometli  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place  called  Gethsemane,  and  saith 
unto  the  disciples,  Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder       page  322 

Lecture  lxxx. — The  Saviour  apprehended  and  deserted. 
—Matt.  xxvi.  47—56.  Mark  xiv.  43—52.  Luke  xxii. 
47—53.     John  xviii.  3—14.* 

*  Judas  then,  having  received  a  band  of  men  and  officers  from  the  chief 

priests  and  Pharisees,  cometh  thither  with  lanterns,  and  torciies,  and 
weapons  .  .  page  343 


CONTENTS.  VII 

Lecture  lxxxi. —  Christ  condemned  before  the  Ecclesias- 
tical Council— Matt.  xxvi.  59—68.  Mark  xiv.  53—65.* 
Luke  xxii.  63—71.     John  xviii.  19 — 24. 

*  And  they  led  Jesus  away  to  the  high  priest  page  358 

Lecture    lxxxii.— Peter's   Fa//.— Matt.   xxvi.   69—75. 
,  Mark  xiv.  66—72.*     Luke  xxii.  54—62.     John  xviii. 
18-27. 

*  And  Peter  called  to  mind  the  word  that  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Before  tlie 

cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.     And  when  he  thought 
thereon,  he  wept  .  .  page  373 

Lecture  lxxxiii. — The  Saviour's  Trial  before  Pilate.— 
Matt,  xxvii.  1,  2,  11—14.  Mark  xv.  1—5.  Luke  xxiii. 
1—5.*     John  xviii.  28—38. 

*  And  the  whole  multitude  of  them  arose,  and  led  him  unto  Pilate    page  385 

Lecture  lxxxiv. — Herod  insulting  our  Lord. — Luke 
xxiii.  5 — 12. 

And  as  soon  as  he  knew  that  he  belonged  unto  Herod's  jurisdiction,  he  sent 
him  to  Herod,  who  himself  also  was  at  Jerusalem  at  that  time    page  395 

Lecture  lxxxv. — Christ  rejected,  scourged,  and  con- 
ducted to  be  crucified. — Matt,  xxvii.  15 — 30.  Mark  xv. 
6 — 19.     Luke  xxiii.  13—25.*     John  xviii.  xix.  16. 

*  And  Pilate  gave  sentence,  that  it  should  be  as  they  required       page  405 

Lecture  lxxxvi.-— TAe  Suicide  of  Judas. — Matt,  xxvii. 
3—10.*    Actsi.  18— 20. 

*  Then  Judas,  which  had  betrayed  him,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  con- 

demned, repented   himself,    and    brought   again   the   thirty  pieces   of 
silver  .  .  .  page  421 

Lecture  lxxxvii. — Christ  crucified. — Matt,  xxvii.  31 — 
37.*  Mark  xv.  20—26.  Luke  xxiii.  26—38.  John 
xix.  16—19. 

*  And  after  that  they  had  mocked  him,  they  took  the  robe  off  from  him,  and 

put  his  own  raiment  on  him,  and  led  him  away  to  crucify  him    page  433 

Lecture  lxxxviii. — The  Conversion  of  the  Thief  on  the 
Cross.— Matt,  xxvii.  39—44.  Mark  xv.  29—32.  Luke 
xxiii.  35—43.* 

*  And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy 

kingdom.    And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Verily  I  say  unto  thee.  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  paradise  .  .  page  445 


Vlii  CONTENTS. 

Lecture  lxxxix. —  Christ  commending  his  Mother  to 
John. — John  xix.  23 — 28. 

When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and  the  disciple  standing  by,  whom 
he  loved,  he  saith  unto  his  mother,  Woman,  behold  thy  son !  Then  saitli 
lie  to  the  disciple,  Behold  thy  mother !  .  .       page  460 

Lecture  xc. — The  miraculous  Darkness  ;  and  the  Lamen- 
tation of  Christ.— Matt,  xxvii.  45—47.*  Mark  xv. 
33—35.     Luke  xxiii.  44,  45. 

*  Now  from  the  sixth  hour  there  was  darkness  over  all  the  land  unto  the 
ninth  hour.  And  about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying,  Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani  ?  .  .        page  470 

Lecture  xci. — The  Death  of  Christ. — Matt,  xxvii.  47 — 54.* 
Mark  xv.  35 — 41.  Luke  xxiii.  46 — 49.  Jolin  xix. 
28—30. 

*  Jesus,  when  he  had  cried  again  with  a  loud  voice,  yielded  up  the 
ghost  .  .  •  page  483 

Lecture  xcii. — Christ  among  the  Dead. — Matt,  xxvii. 
57_66.*  Mark  xv.  42—47.  Luke  xxiii.  50—56. 
John  xix.  38—42. 

*  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  .  .  -  page  499 

Lecture  xciii. — Christ's  Resurrection. — Matt,  xxviii.  1 — 
18.  Mark  xvi.  1 — 11.  Luke  xxiv.  1 — 12.  John  xx. 
1—18. 

The  Lord  is  risen  indeed  •  .  page  513 

Lecture  xciv. — Christ  showing  liimself  at  Emmaus  and 
Jerusalem. — Mark  xvi.  14.  Luke  xxiv.  13 — 49.*  John 
XX.  19—23. 

*  And,  behold,  two  of  them  went  that  same  day  to  a  village  called  Em- 

maus  .  .  .  page  527 

Lecture  xcv, — The  Saviour's  Appearance  to  Thomas,  and 
at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias. — John  xx.  24,  to  xxi.  23. 

And  Thomas  answered,  and  said  unto  him,  My  Lord,  and  my  God.  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  Tliomas,  because  thou  hast,  seen  me,  thou  hast  be- 
lieved .  .  page  542 


CONTENTS.  •  IX 

Lecture    xcvi. —  The  grand  Meeting  in   Galilee. — Matt, 
xxviii.  16 — 20. 

Then  tlie  eleven  disciples  went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain  where 
Jesus  had  appointed  them  .  .  page  557 

Lecture  xcvii. — Christ' s  Ascension. — Lukexxiv.  50,  51.* 
Mark  xvi.  19.     Acts  i.  4—12. 

*  And  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany,  and  he  lifted  up  his  hands  and 
blessed  them.  And  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted 
from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven  .  .       page  570 

Lecture  xcviii. — Recapitulation. — Heb.  viii.  1. 

Now  of  the  things  which  we  have  spoken  this  is  the  sum  page  585 

Lecture  xcix.— Evidences  of  the  Truth  of  Christ's  His- 
tory. — John  xx,  30,  31. 

And  many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples,  which 
are  not  written  in  this  book  :  but  these  are  written,  that  ye  might  believe 
tliat  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  :  and  that,  believing,  ye  might 
have  life  through  his  name  .  .  page  599 

Lecture  c. — The  practical  Improvement  of  the  Saviour  s 
History. — John  xiii.  17. 

If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them  .        page  Qi6 


VOL.  II. 


\  J,. 


LECTURES 


HISTORY   OF   CHRIST. 


"iV^rt'-  ■' 


LECTURE  LI. 

AN    ATTEMPT    TO    SEIZE    CHRIST    IN    THE    TEMPLE. 

John  vii.  10 — 53. 

And  the  Pharisees  and  the  chief  priests  sent  officers  to  take  him. 

W  E  have  already  noticed  the  remarkable  occurrences  which 
happened  while  Christ  was  on  the  road  to  Jerusalem.  To-day, 
we  behold  him  arrived  there,  and  treated  in  a  manner  that 
fully  justified  his  delay.  After  he  had  suffered  his  brethren  to 
go  away  without  him,  under  the  impression,  that  he  might, 
perhaps,  not  come  at  all ;  and  after  he  had  sent  the  seventy 
disciples  through  all  the  country,  and  they  had  diminished  ma- 
terially his  company,  and  his  publicity ;  we  may  suppose  he 
sent  forward  his  twelve  Apostles,  to  keep  the  feast  according 
to  the  law,  and  then  lingered  on  the  road,  till  the  Jews  were 
in  the  midst  of  the  feast.  At  length  Jesus  arrived,  and  we 
have  now  to  notice, 

I.  His  appearance  in  the  temple. 

The  crowd  were  probably  excited  to  talk  about  him,  by 
seeing  his  brethren  there ;  and  when  these  were  questioned, 
whether  their  relative  would  be  at  the  feast,  they  probably 
said  that  they  had  tried  to  persuade  him,  but  in  vain.  This 
was  all  the  answer  that  could  be  given  to  the  question,  "  Where 
is  he  J"  The  Pharisees,  doubtless,  failed  not  to  attempt  to  turn 

VOL.  II.  B 


2  LECTURE    LI. 

his  absence  to  his  disadvantage,  representing  him,  as  a  person 
who  had  no  pious  reverence  for  the  divine  institutions,  and 
who,  from  contempt,  neglected  to  come  at  the  appointed  time 
to  the  temple  :  about  their  scheme  to  seize  him  when  he  came, 
they,  of  course,  said  nothing. 

The  people  began  murmuring  about  him.  Some  say,  "  Oh ! 
he  is  a  good  man  !"  "  Nay,"  said  the  Pharisaic  party,  "  but 
he  deceiveth  the  people."  That  any  should  say,  "  Nay,"  to 
Jesus  being  pronounced  a  good  man,  is  at  once  surprising  and 
distressing;  for  it  argues  the  utmost  blindness  and  effrontery. 
All  this,  however,  was  in  a  kind  of  whisper,  or  low  mutter 
among  confidants  ;  for  no  one  durst  speak  openly  of  him,  for 
fear  of  the  ruling  powers,  who  w  ere  known  to  be  hostile. 

But,  suddenly  Jesus  appeared  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  now 
behold  his  employment  and  his  reception. 

1.  His  employment. 

"  He  was  found  in  the  midst  of  the  temple,  teaching." 
Though  he  had  lingered  ;  when  the  time  was  come,  he  would 
not  shun  the  light,  but  showed  himself  openly  in  the  temple, 
where  the  greatest  crowds  were  assembled. 

Such  was  his  teaching,  that  the  Jews  wondered  at  it,  and 
said,  "  How  knoweththis  man  letters,  having  never  learned?" 
Ever  since  the  Babylonish  captivity,  the  Jews  were  tending 
towards  the  loss  of  their  own  language,  the  Hebrew,  in  which 
almost  all  their  Scriptures  were  given  ;  and  before  the  coming 
of  Christ,  they  had  exchanged  it  entirely  for  a  dialect  of 
Syriac.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary  for  a  person  who  would 
read  the  original  Scripture  to  study  a  dead  language,  and  this 
has  generally  been  dignified  with  the  title  of  learning,  letters, 
or  literature.  It  was  so  well  known,  that  Jesus  had  been 
brought  up  in  poverty  and  obscurity,  and  had  not  studied  at 
the  Jewish  colleges,  that  the  Jews  concluded  he  did  not  know 
the  original  Hebrew  Scriptures.  When,  therefore,  they  heard 
him  comment  on  them,  like  one  who  must  know  their  exact 
expressions  and  import,  they  were  astonished,  as,  twenty  years 
before,  their  doctors  had  been,  at  hearing  the  child  Jesus  ask 
questions  concerning  the  law.    To  the  question,  "  How  know- 


ATTEMPT  TO  SEIZE  CHRIST  IN  THE  TEMPLE.  3 

eth  this  man  letters?"  the  Saviour  answered,  by  declaring-, 
that  his  doctrine  was  by  inspiration.  "It  is  not  mine,  but  his 
that  sent  me.  Yet,"  said  he,  "  if  you  are  willing  to  do  what 
the  divine  word  commands,  you  shall  know  whether  this  doc- 
trine is  of  God  or  not."  Never  forget,  my  friends,  this  axiom 
of  our  Lord's  school,  that  an  obedient  mind  is  the  grand  re- 
quisite for  a  successful  student  of  the  divine  word.  Many, 
alas !  who  pretended  to  this  essential  qualification,  proved  their 
insincerity  when  Christ  put  them  to  the  test. 

In  this  style,  the  Saviour  made  his  appearance,  at  the  feast 
We  were  to  direct  our  next  attention  to, 

2.  His  reception. 

He  saw,  among  the  crowd,  the  Pharisees  who  were  watch- 
ing to  kill  him.  To  them  he  said,  "  Glorying  in  Moses  and 
his  law,  and  pretending  to  be  enraged  at  me  for  violating  its 
precepts,  you  are  even  seeking  to  kill  me;  and  for  what?" 
Stung  to  the  quick,  by  this  detection  and  exposure  of  their 
malicious  and  murderous  design,  they  pretended  that  he  was 
raving,  or  was  speaking  under  demoniac  delusions,  which  were 
producing  in  his  mind  an  apprehension  that  they  were  seeking 
to  kill  him,  when  there  was  no  such  design  in  agitation.  With 
consummate  effrontery,  insolence,  and  hypocrisy,  they  said, 
"  Thou  hast  a  devil,  who  goeth  about  to  kill  thee?" 

Meekly  passing  by  the  gross  insult,  Jesus  referred  to  the 
miraculous  work  which  he  had  wrought,  when  last  at  Jerusa- 
lem, and  said,  **  I  have  done  one  w^ork,  and  you  all  marvel. 
I  healed  the  paralytic  at  the  pool,  on  the  sabbath-day.  Now 
you  have  this  reverence  for  circumcision,  which  you  call  a  rite 
of  Moses,  (not  that  it  originated  with  him,  for  it  was  given  to 
Abraham)  that  you  circumcise  a  man,  on  the  sabbath-day,  be- 
cause the  law  of  Moses  requires  it  to  be  done,  on  the  eighth 
day.  Will  you,  then,  impute  it  to  me,  as  a  crime,  that  I  made 
a  man  perfectly  whole  on  that  day?" 

To  show  that  his  charge  against  them  for  seeking  his  life 
was  true,  it  was  so  ordered,  that  some  of  the  citizens  of  Jeru- 
salem, who  knew  of  the  meeting  of  the  rulers,  and  their  deter- 
mination, said,  "  Is  not  this  he  whom  thay  seek  to  kill?  Lo 
he  speaks  boldly,  and  they  say  nothing  to  prohibit  him.    Have 

B  2 


4  LECTURE    LI. 

they  been  convinced  that  this  is  indeed  the  Christ?"  To  this 
they  seem  to  have  added,  "  but  we  know  this  man  whence  he 
is.  When  Christ  cometh,  no  man  knoweth  whence  he  is." 
And  yet,  when  the  Magi  came  to  Jerusalem,  they  answered, 
at  once,  that  Christ  was  to  be  born  at  Bethlehem,  in  the  city 
of  David.  To  this  day,  the  Jews  profess  to  believe,  that  when 
the  Messiah  comes,  it  will  be  discovered,  by  a  miracle,  whence 
he  is.  Provoked  by  Christ's  speech,  some  of  the  persecuting 
party  in  the  crowd  would  gladly  have  laid  hands  on  him.  But 
they  could  not  muster  courage,  or  a  favourable  opportunity 
did  not  occur.  His  hour  was  not  yet  come  ;  for  he  was 
not  to  die,  at  the  feast  of  tabernacles,  but  at  the  passover. 
When,  however,  many  of  the  people,  struck  with  the  truth 
and  grace  of  his  discourse,  believed  on  him,  urging  that  if 
Christ  were  to  come,  he  could  not  be  expected  to  do  more 
miracles  than  this  man  had  done  ;  the  rulers,  alarmed,  deter- 
mined to  take  him.     There  follows,  therefore, 

II.  The  attempt  to  apprehend  him. 

Finding  that  popular,  unauthorized  attempts  to  seize  Jesus 
were  not  to  be  depended  upon,  they  resolved  to  risk  every 
thing  on  an  act  of  the  government.  We  have,  then,  to 
see  the  officers  come  to  take  him ;  to  see  them  go  away 
without  him ;  and  to  behold  unexpected  friends  arise  to  de- 
fend him. 

1.  See  the  officers  come  to  take  him. 

This  was  what  was  to  be  expected,  after  all  the  wicked  re- 
sistance which  the  rulers  had  opposed  to  their  long  promised 
king.  But  what  a  sight!  Jesus  proclaiming  salvation,  and 
some  of  his  audience  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  seize  the 
herald  of  glad  tidings,  and  shed  his  blood  !  As  the  officers 
came  up  to  the  court  of  the  temple,  where  he  stood  preaching 
to  the  crowd  around  him,  they  listened,  on  the  outside  at  first, 
probably  from  curiosity  to  know  what  this  object  of  their 
masters'  malice  had  to  say,  and  what  had  so  much  provoked 
their  resentment.  At  the  sound  of  his  voice,  they  perhaps 
said  to  themselves,  "  This  is  not  the  tone  of  an  incendiary : 
there  is  reason  and  gentleness  in  his  voice."  But  when  they 
pushed   farther  through    the   crowds,  to  see  him,  their  ears 


ATTEMPT  TO  SEIZE  CHRIST  IN  THE  TEMPLE.  5 

are  arrested  with  a  proclamation,  uttered  with  the  singular 
combination  of  supreme  authority  in  the  speaker,  and  super- 
lative grace  in  the  words  :  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him 
come  to  me  and  drink.  He  that  belie veth  in  me,  as  the 
Scriptures  have  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of 
living  waters." 

Now  see,  as  these  words  fall  upon  the  officers'  ears,  every 
hand  drops.  "  They  cannot  find  their  hands,"  as  the  Psalmist 
says,  to  seize  such  a  speaker.  Their  feet  are  fastened  to 
the  spot,  they  are  unable  to  press  a  step  farther,  to  intrude 
upon  his  society.  They  stand  and  listen,  awed  by  his  ma- 
jesty, won  by  his  grace,  and,  at  last,  so  completely  entranced, 
that  every  one  feels,  and  some  whisper  to  others,  "  We  can- 
not seize  such  a  man  as  this!"  All  agree,  "  It  is  impossible  ! 
Let  us  go  and  tell  them  so  that  sent  us ! " 

2.  See  them  go  away  without  him. 

There  must  have  been  a  strange  struggle  in  their  breasts, 
as  the  constables  returned  to  the  magistrates,  without  accom- 
plishing, or  even  attempting  to  accomplish,  the  business  for 
which  they  were  sent.  They  must  have  expected  to  be  ques- 
tioned, and  must  have  prepared  some  reply.  They  could  not  say 
that  he  resisted,  or  that  the  disciples  and  the  crowd  defended 
him;  for  this  would  only  have  ensured  their  being  sent  back, 
with  greater  force,  to  accomplish  the  hateful  business. 

Now,  seeing  their  officers  arrive  in  the  hall,  the  magistrates 
dart  their  eyes  through  the  company,  to  see  the  prisoner. 
"  Where  is  he?  Why  have  ye  not  brought  him?"  But,  when 
the  officers  reply,  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  man,"  their 
masters  feel  as  Balak  towards  Balaam,  "  We  sent  you  to  seize 
him,  and  you  came  back  to  praise  him."  Yet,  great  is  the 
truth,  and  will  prevail  !  How  forcible  are  right  words  !  Vo- 
lumes of  panegyric  could  scarcely  speak  more  than  these 
six  words.  All  the  defence  that  the  officers  of  a  govern- 
ment make  for  failing  in  what  was  thought  their  duty,  and 
not  bringing  a  single  unarmed  man,  for  whom  they  were 
sent,  was  this:  "  He  spake  so!  He  disarmed  us  by  his  words." 
The  staff"  of  authority,  and  the  sword  of  the  magistrate,  were 


(J  LECTIKK    LI. 

nothing  before  his  breath.  It  was  more  than  that  of  mortal 
being.     "  Never  man  spake  like  this  man." 

Whoever  has  seen  wicked  men  fail  in  some  favourite  but 
infernal  scheme,  may  form  a  conception  of  the  looks  and  the 
tone  with  which  the  Pharisees  replied  to  their  officers,  "Are 
vou  also  deceived  ?  Has  he  converted  our  own  officers  into 
his  disciples  t  Have  any  of  the  rulers  or  Pharisees  believed 
on  him  I "  A  most  perplexing  question  to  be  sure  !  As  if 
the  understandings  of  men,  their  consciences,  and  their  moral 
and  religious  sense,  were  to  be  held  in  chains  to  wait  upon 
their  rulers  ;  that  until  these,  and  the  dominant  sect,  choose 
to  be  convinced  and  be  saved,  the  poor  people  must  be  con- 
tent to  be  damned.  The  proud  Pharisees,  proceeding  to  curse 
the  people  for  ignorance  of  the  law,  are  doomed  to  the  mor- 
tification of  meeting  with  opposition  that  springs  up  in  their 
own  party. 

3.  Behold  a  new  friend  rise  up  to  defend  Christ. 

Nicodemus,  who,  at  first,  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  said  to 
them,  "  Does  our  law  judge  any  man,  before  it  hears  him, 
and  knows  what  he  has  done?"  This  distinguished  rabbi 
seems  to  have  been  roused,  by  the  impious  execrations  which 
had  been  poured  upon  the  whole  people,  for  believing  in  Je- 
sus ;  and  as  that  "  curse  causeless,"  had  been  sanctified,  by 
pretence  of  zeal  for  the  law,  and  indignation  at  the  people's 
ignorance  of  it,  Nicodemus  wisely  asked  them,  whether  they 
were  so  ignorant  of  the  law  as  not  to  know,  that  it  prescribed 
a  very  different  mode  of  procedure  from  that  which  they 
adopted.  According  to  God's  equitable  statutes,  the  rulers 
ought  to  have  examined  Jesus  in  a  dispassionate  way.  This, 
perhaps,  was  all  that  was  at  first  avowed  as  their  design. 
Now,  however,  that  he  had  eluded  their  grasp,  their  morti- 
fication compels  them  to  betray  the  disgraceful  secret,  that, 
before  trial,  their  object  was  not  trial,  but  condemnation  ;  not 
justice  but  vengeance.  Against  this,  Nicodemus  protests,  by 
one  of  those  stinging  questions  which  wound  the  wicked  to  the 
<juick  more  than  direct  accusations. 

Such  a  question  they  could  answer  only  by  asking  another. 


ATTEMPT  TO  SEIZL  CHRIST  IN   THE  TEMPLE.  / 

"  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee?"  Because  Galilee  was  a  mean, 
despised  district,  under  a  separate  government;  because  Jesus 
lived  and  preached  there  chiefly,  and  called  his  disciples  and 
ministers  there,  a  Galilean  was  the  favourite  term  of  reproach 
of  that  day.  But  who  would  ever  have  thought,  that  men  of 
common  sense,  much  less  magistrates,  priests,  and  high  pre- 
tenders to  religion,  would  have  made  this  an  argument  against 
a  religion,  that  it  came  from  a  certain  country  ? 

They  attempt,  however,  to  give  some  colour  of  reason  to 
the  senseless  speech,  by  saying,  "  Search  and  see  ;  for  out  of 
Galilee  there  arises  no  prophet."  But  this,  like  most  of  the 
arguments  brought  in  support  of  error  and  sin,  is  as  manifestly 
false  and  foolish  as  that  which  it  was  intended  to  prop.  For, 
supposing  it  had  been  as  true  as  it  was  false,  and  there  never 
had  been  a  prophet  who  sprang  from  Galilee,  had  God  ever 
tied  his  hands  from  sending  one  out  of  that  despised  district? 
Or,  had  he  ever  attached  importance  to  the  native  place  of  a 
prophet  I  Had  he  extended  the  possibility  of  prophetic  in- 
spiration only  to  a  given  number  of  leagues  of  earth,  or  con- 
fined the  inspiring  spirit  within  certain  moimtains,  or  rivers  i 
If  any  such  restrictions  had  been  imposed,  the  range  would, 
at  least,  have  been  as  wide  as  the  holy  land,  and  Galilee  was 
within  its  limits.  But  Moses,  their  favourite  prophet,  was 
born  in  Egypt,  received  his  inspiration  in  Midian,  and  never 
set  his  foot  in  Canaan.  Daniel  and  Ezekiel  prophesied  in 
Babylon,  to  Israel,  when  captives. 

But,  after  all,  this  was  not  true,  that  there  never  had  been 
a  prophet  raised  up  in  Galilee.  For  the  prophet  Jonah  was 
of  Gath  Hepher,  in  the  territory  of  the  tribe  of  Zebulun,  a 
part  of  lower  Galilee.  Whether  the  Pharisees  recollected 
this,  as  soon  as  they  had  made  the  false  and  foolish  assertion, 
and  wished  to  escape  refutation ;  or  whether  the  unexpected 
but  formidable  opposition  of  Nicodemus  disconcerted  them, 
we  know  not ;  but  we  are  informed,  that,  without  accomplish- 
ing their  object,  or  commanding  their  officers  to  return  and 
make  a  second  attempt,  they  broke  up  the  council,  and  every 
man  went  to  his  own  home. 


8  LECTURE    LI. 

But  with  how  different  emotions !  The  officers  retire, 
repeating  their  own  sentence,  "  never  man  spake  like  this 
man!"  And  shall  not  we,  who  have  heard  more  glorious 
words  from  the  same  lips,  make  up  our  minds  to  pay  supreme 
regard  to  this  teacher,  saying,  "  Tell  us  not  of  your  Platos  or 
your  Ciceros,  never  man  spake  like  this  man." 

The  Pharisees  retire,  reflecting  on  their  mortification,  and 
asking,  when  shall  we  succeed  in  seizing  him,  if  even  our  own 
officers  are  sent,  only  to  be  fascinated  by  him?  Unhappy  men ! 
you  will  succeed  too  soon  for  your  welfare.  Had  your  failure 
led  to  reflection  and  repentance,  it  had  proved  your  greatest 
triumph. 

Nicodemus  retired,  confirmed  in  his  original  convictions, 
"  we  know  that  this  is  a  teacher  sent  from  God  ;  for  no  man 
can  do  these  miracles  which  he  does,  except  God  be  with 
him."  For  every  instance  of  fidelity  to  the  truth  is  a  step  of 
advancement  in  the  faith.  But  how  must  this  rabbi  have 
wept  over  the  obstinate  enmity  of  the  Pharisees,  and,  an- 
ticipating the  final  consequences,  have  exclaimed,  "  O  my 
country !  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  hatest  them  that 
are  sent  to  thee,  when  wilt  thou  take  warning  by  the  voice 
that  says,  *  shall  not  my  soul  be  avenged  on  such  a  nation 
as  this?'" 

How  many  instructive  reflections  follow  us,  on  turning 
from  this  scene. 

Behold  the  misery  of  a  country,  and  especially  of  a  church, 
in  which  the  seat  of  power  and  authority  is  occupied  by  the 
enemies  of  Christ,  The  chief  priests  and  rulers  of  the  people 
heard,  that  favourable  opinions  were  uttered  among  the  peo- 
ple, concerning  Christ;  they  are  alarmed,  as  if  the  government 
must  be  ruined,  if  the  Saviour  be  welcomed.  And  what  me- 
thods do  they  employ  to  arrest  the  march  of  opinion,  and  to 
crush  what  they  deem  a  growing  error?  What  instructions 
do  they  afford  to  those  whom  they  ought  to  have  pitied,  as  a 
misguided  multitude?  What  light  do  these  rabbis  bring 
from  the  sacred  Scriptures  ?  Where  are  their  eloquent  per- 
suasions?    Instead  of  these,   the  only  legitimate  weapons  in 


ATTEMPT  TO  SEIZE  CHRIST  JN  THE  TEMPLE.  9 

the  war  of  mind,  they  fly  to  the  arm  of  flesh,  and  send  officers 
to  take  Jesus.     Clubs  are  opposed  to  reasons. 

And,  even  when  their  oflficers  return  vanquished  and  glory- 
ing in  their  defeat,  the  constituted  authorities  merely  asked, 
"  are  ye  deceived."  They  never  put  one  question  concerning 
the  means;  though  it  had  been  so  natural,  when  their  agents 
said,  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  man,"  to  have  inquired 
"what  did  he  say  then?  tell  us;  that  we  also  may  yield  to 
its  force,  if  truth,  or  help  to  break  the  spell,  if  you  are  en- 
chanted by  error."  No ;  intoxicated  with  power,  and  proud  of 
having  all  the  rulers  and  Pharisees  on  their  side,  they  revile 
their  own  officers  and  curse  the  people  of  the  Lord.  Un- 
happy country!  fallen  church!  doomed  to  ruin,  where  such 
teachers  dictate  to  the  public  mind,  and  such  rulers  sway  the 
rod  of  empire. 

But,  let  us  console  ourselves,  by  beholding  and  admiring 
here,  the  force  of  truth.  It  has  been  said,  that  the  enemies 
fought  against  Christ  with  the  mouth  of  the  sword,  and  he 
defended  himself  with  the  sword  of  his  mouth.  The  officers, 
mingling  with  the  crowd  that  hangs  upon  the  lips  of  Jesus, 
were  marked  by  his  eye,  which  nothing  can  escape,  and  pitied 
by  his  heart,  that  can  feel  for  the  wretch  who  lifts  his  hand 
against  him,  and  were  suddenly  arrested  by  words,  that  seem- 
ed directed  to  the  multitude  at  large,  but  were,  in  reality, 
intended  for  these  agents  of  the  government  in  particular. 
Some  have  supposed  that  these  victorious  words  were,  "  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 
ye  cannot  come."  If  such  a  sentence  were  uttered,  with  the 
eye,  as  well  as  the  tongue ;  and  piercing  glances,  with  mighty 
melting  tones,  were  darted  to  the  central  seat  of  conscience 
and  of  feeling,  the  officers  might  well  hesitate  to  execute  their 
commission,  saying  within  themselves,  "  he  knows  what  we 
have  come  about.  And  can  we  be  the  conscious  wilful  in- 
struments of  fulfilling  this  dread  sentence  ?  I  am  but  a  lit- 
tle while  with  you?  Can  we  send  him  to  the  God  that  sent 
him  to  us,  and  with  bloody  hands  dispatch  such  a  messenger 


10  LECTURE    LI. 

of  grace,  to  bear  witness  against  us  ?  Can  we  leave  our  coun- 
try destitute  of  such  a  blessing,  to  find  his  value  by  his  loss, 
and  to  seek  him,  when  she  shall  not  find  him  ?  Impossible  ! 
Let  our  rulers  come  and  hear  him  themselves,  and  take  him 
if  they  can." 

It  has  been  supposed  that  these  ofiicers  were  savingly  con- 
verted, to  become  Christ's  genuine  disciples.  Their  conduct 
and  their  language  would  lead  us  to  conclude  that  some  of 
them  were.  What  a  triumph  was  this,  when  the  intended 
captors  were  made  real  captives,  and  persecution  was  van- 
quished by  grace  ! 


11 


LECTURE    LII. 

ATTEMPTS    TO    STONE    CHRIST    AS    A    BLASPHEMER. 

John  viii.  56 — 59. 

Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Before  Abraham  was, 
I  am.     Then  took  they  up  stones  to  cast  at  him. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  persecution  to  which  religion  is  ex- 
posed ;  that  which  arises  from  the  hostility  of  the  governors  of 
the  world,  and  that  which  springs  from  the  fury  of  a  lawless 
rabble.  Each  has  its  own  aggravations  and  alleviations.  It 
is  a  great  hardship  to  do  well,  as  the  Apostle  says,  and  suffer 
for  it,  "  to  be  punished  for  our  very  excellence,  by  those  who 
are  set  for  the  punishment  of  evil  doers,  and  the  praise  of 
them  that  do  well."  How  difficult  it  is  then  to  maintain  that 
reverence  for  those  in  authority  which  a  Christian  would  ever 
wish  to  cherish  !  But  to  be  assaulted  by  a  clamorous  mob, 
that  will  hearken  to  no  reason,  and  to  be  injured  in  defiance 
of  all  law,  exposes  us  to  the  danger  of  hostile  feelings  towards 
those  for  whose  benefit  we  are  particularly  called  to  labour. 
On  the  other  hand,  when  persecuted  by  the  governments  of 
the  world,  we  are  consoled  by  the  thought  of  what  was  said 
of  Christ  being  true  of  us,  "  the  common  people  heard  him 
gladly  ;"  for  it  is  usually  the  prevalence  of  religion  among  the 
multitude,  that  draws  down  the  vengeance  of  the  mighty. 
But,  if  the  mob  persecute,  the  magistrates  will  usually  per- 
ceive, that  the  safety  of  the  state  requires  the  fury  of  the  law- 
less to  be  repressed. 

We  have,  just  now,  seen  Christ  delivered,  by  his  moral 
power  over  the  officers  of  government,  from  persecution, 
under  the  sanction  of  authority  and  the  form  of  law ;  but  we 


12  LECTURE    LI  I. 

are,  this  morning,  to  behold  him  escaping,  by  his  divine 
power  over  himself,  from  a  popular  attempt  to  stone  him, 
without  trial,  or  pretence  of  legal  authority.  The  discourses 
which  led  to  this  event  come  not  within  our  plan;  but  we 
must  enter  so  far  into  the  contest  between  Christ  and  the 
Jews  as  to  show  the  occasion  ;  after  which  we  may  proceed 
to  the  transaction. 

T.  The  contest  between  the  Saviour's  truth  and  the  Jews' 
unbelief. 

The  hour  being  come  for  Christ  to  ascend  to  Jerusalem, 
and  expose  himself  to  the  opposition  which  effected  his  death, 
he  continued,  after  the  feast  was  over,  to  shoAV  himself,  and 
teach  in  the  temple.  The  whole  discourse  which  he  delivered 
on  this  occasion  was  most  beautiful  and  convincing;  but  it 
terminated,  at  length,  in  a  dispute  between  him  and  the  Jews, 
on  the  comparative  glory  of  Abraham  and  of  Christ.  For 
Jesus  having  said,  "  If  a  man  keep  my  sayings,  he  shall  never 
see  death,"  the  Jews  exclaimed,  "  Now  we  know  that  thou 
hast  a  devil,  or  art  a  demoniac.  Abraham  is  dead,  and  the 
prophets;  and  thou  sayest,  if  a  man  keep  my  sayings,  he  shall 
never  see  death."  It  has  been  contended,  that  Christ's  words 
mean  nothing  else,  but  that  a  man  shall  not  see  eternal  death, 
or  death  for  ever,  under  the  wrath  of  God.  But  it  is  evident, 
that  there  must  have  been  something  in  Christ's  expressions, 
that  was  capable  of  being  understood  in  another  sense.  The 
Syriac,  which  Christ  spoke,  and  the  Greek,  which  the  Evan- 
gelist employs,  may  best  be  rendered,  "  shall  not  see  death 
for  ever,"  which  is  equivocal,  and  may  mean,  either,  that  he 
shall  never  see  death  at  all,  or  shall  not  see  that  death  which 
lasts  for  ever,  that  is,  eternal  death.  The  Pharisees,  there- 
fore, choosing  to  take  the  words  in  the  sense  in  which  they 
would  afford  the  best  opportunity  for  cavil  and  accusation, 
charged  him  with  saying,  that  his  obedient  disciples  should 
never  die.  But  they  ought  to  have  known,  that  there  is  a 
death  worse  than  the  dissolution  of  the  body — banishment 
from  the  presence  of  God,  where  lies  our  truest  life.  Our 
Lord,  however,  chose  to  pass  by  their  minor  cavils,  and  come 
to  an  assertion  which  produced  deeper  resentments. 


ATTEMPTS  TO  STONE  CHRIST  AS  A   BLASPHEMER.     13 

Consider,  then, 

1.  The  Saviour's  singular  assertion  :  "  Your  father  Abra- 
ham saw  my  day." 

The  celebrated  commentator  on  John,  Lampe,  supposes 
that  our  Lord  means,  the  departed  spirit  of  Abraham  saw 
Christ  coming  into  the  world,  on  the  day  of  his  incarnation, 
or  birth.  But  this  is  no  more  than  might  have  been  said  of 
any  other  of  the  departed  just ;  and  our  Saviour  seems  here 
to  refer  to  something  peculiar  to  the  father  of  the  faithful. 
Abraham's  seeing  Melchizedek,  that  celebrated  type  of  Christ, 
is  then  referred  to  by  some ;  and  the  appearance  of  one  in 
human  form,  who  spoke  and  acted  as  a  divine  person  come  to 
destroy  Sodom,  is  appealed  to  by  others.  But  something  still 
more  peculiar  to  Abraham  is  likely  to  have  been  in  our  Lord's 
mind. 

"  Abraham  longed  to  see  Christ's  day,"  and  God  indulged 
him  with  the  best  view  which  humanity  could  enjoy,  by  giving 
him  to  feel  what  it  was  to  offer  up  an  only  son.  When  the 
patriarch  had  passed  through  all  the  anguish  of  that  celebrated 
trial,  and  God  had  substituted  a  ram  for  Isaac,  the  father  of 
the  faithful  might  understand  his  own  words,  "  God  will  pro- 
vide himself  a  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering."  With  these  views,  he 
might,  in  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  call  the  mount  Jehovah-jireh, 
the  Lord  shall  be  seen;  because  there  Christ  was  to  be  of- 
fered up  a  sacrifice  for  us.  This  was  the  view  that  would 
make  him  glad,  and  afford  a  rich  reward  for  the  agonies  he 
endured,  in  laying  his  son  on  the  altar,  and  lifting  the  knife 
to  his  throat.  What  a  flood  of  joy  must  have  poured  into 
his  heart,  when  he  saw  that  the  design  of  all  this  unpa- 
ralleled trial  was,  to  lay  open  to  his  view  the  counsel  of 
eternal  mercy,  and  teach  him,  that  "God  so  loved  the  world 
as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life !" 
2.  The  Jews'  objection  was  now  elicited. 

"  Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  thou  seen  Abra- 
ham?" Christ  had  not  said  he  had  seen  Abraham,  but 
that  Abraham  had  seen  his  day.  But  the  Jews  concluded, 
that  Christ  meant  to  affirm  that  Abraham  saw  his  day,  by 


14  LECTURE    LII. 

being  upon  the  earth,  at  the  same  time,  so  as  to  see  the 
living  person  of  Jesus,  who  might  there,  at  the  same  time, 
see  Abraham. 

But  it  is  natural  to  remark,  that  the  Jews  say  "  fifty  years 
old,"  when  Christ  was  little  more  than  thirty.  Erasmus  is 
said  to  have  supposed  that  our  Lord,  worn  with  care,  and 
toils,  and  griefs,  appeared  so  much  older  than  he  really 
was,  that  he  might  have  been  taken  for  a  man  of  fifty.  To 
this  we  may  add,  that  the  profound  consummate  wisdom  of 
our  Lord  would  naturally  remind  us,  when  looking  him  in  the 
face,  of  the  inspired  sentence,  "  wisdom  is  grey  hairs  to  a 
man."  To  John,  in  Patmos,  the  Saviour  appeared,  as  the 
ancient  of  days,  with  "  his  head  and  hairs  white  like  wool." 
There  is  also  a  tradition,  that  Jesus  was  never  seen  to  lauffh, 
but  often  known  to  weep ;  and  the  prophet,  long  ago,  de- 
scribed him,  as  the  "  man  of  sorrows,  acquainted  with  grief." 
This,  it  is  well  known,  will  add  many  years  to  a  person's 
apparent  age.  But  it  is,  after  all,  probable,  that  the  Jews 
spoke  in  a  loose  way,  and  meant  to  say,  that  our  Lord  was 
not  half  a  century  old,  and  therefore  could  not  have  seen 
Abraham,  who  had  been  dead  many  centuries.  They  might 
also  have  some  general  reference  to  the  age  when  the  Levites 
were  allowed  to  retire  from  the  service  of  the  temple,  and  to 
a  vague  idea  of  the  time  at  which  Christ  entered  upon  his 
public  ministry.     This  objection  did  not  prevent, 

3.  The  Saviour's  claims. 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  before  Abraham  was,  I 
am."  That  the  audience  should  have  startled  at  hearing  such 
words,  who  can  wonder?  For  Christ  does  not  merely  say, 
"  before  Abraham  was,  I  was,"  which  would  have  been  the 
natural  expression  of  the  idea,  that  he  came  into  being  before 
Abraham  did  ;  but  Jesus  says,  I  am,  which  the  Jews  knew  to 
be  language  peculiar  to  Jehovah,  who  is  the  great  "  I  am." 
This,  indeed,  is  the  special  title  of  the  Eternal,  whose  being 
never  passes  away,  but  always  is  the  same. 

When  Moses  asked  God,  to  tell  his  name,  that  the  mes- 
senger of  heaven  might  inform  Pharaoh,  who  it  was  that  sent 
an  ambassador  to  his  court ;  God  replied,   "  I  AM  hath  sent 


ATTEMPTS  TO  STONE  CHRIST  AS  A   BLASPHEMER.     15 

thee."  In  the  book  of  Revelation,  God  is  called  the  being 
"who  is,  and  was,  and  is  to  come;"  that  is  to  say,  he  who 
always  is,  always  was,  and  always  is  to  come.  I  ivas,  is 
the  language  of  a  man,  when  speaking  of  himself,  with  re- 
ference to  a  preceding  period.  I  am,  is  the  style  of  Deity, 
whose  being  never  passes  away.  To  say,  as  some  do,  that 
Christ  was  merely  destined  to  be  in  the  world,  before  Abraham 
actually  was  in  it,  seems  a  mere  evasion  ;  for  this  is  no  more 
than  may  be  said  of  any  man ;  and  that  sense  especially  re- 
quired to  be  expressed  in  the  past  tense  ;  for  though  Christ 
once  was  destined  to  be  in  the  world,  it  would  be  a  violation  of 
all  the  rationale  of  speech,  to  say,  after  he  actually  was  in  the 
world,  "  I  a?n  destined  to  be  in  it." 

We  cannot,  therefore,  wonder,  that  the  Jews  should  under- 
stand Christ  to  lay  claim  to  eternal  duration,  and  to  say,  that 
as  a  being,  who  always  was  in  existence,  he  was  prior  to 
Abraham.  Knowing  that  Jesus  was,  as  a  man,  born  into  the 
world,  ages  after  that  patriarch,  and  considering  him  nothing 
but  a  man,  the  Jews  were  enraged  ;  so  that  we  have  now  to 
considei', 

II.  The  conflict  between  the  Jews'  malice,  and  Christ's 
power. 

Those  who  have  the  weaker  argument  generally  fly  to  the 
stronger  arm.  Such  was  the  termination  of  the  contest  be- 
tween Cain  and  Abel,  and  the  better  mind  proved  to  have  the 
inferior  body.  But  while  Jesus  here  fought  with  the  sword 
of  his  mouth,  it  did  not  slay  the  enmity  of  the  Jews ;  yet  his 
miraculous  power  overcame  their  malice. 

1.  Their  murderous  aim  was  to  stone  him. 

For  we  must  not  suppose,  that,  when  it  is  said,  they  took  up 
stones  to  stone  him,  it  was  intended  for  a  comparatively  inof- 
fensive thing,  as  when  boys  throw  stones  at  a  person.  It 
was  a  serious  and  semi -judicial  attempt  upon  Christ's  life. 
The  law  of  blasphemy  is  recorded,  in  the  book  of  Leviticus.* 

"  And  the  son  of  an  Israelitish  woman,  whose  father  was 
an  Egyptian,  went  out  among  the  children  of  Israel :  and  this 
son  of  the  Israelitish  woman  and  a  man  of  Israel  strove  to- 
*  Chap.  xxiv.  10 — 16. 


16  LECTURE    LII. 

getber  in  the  camp  ;  and  the  Israelitish  woman's  son  blas- 
phemed the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  cursed.  And  they  brought 
him  unto  Moses :  (and  his  mother's  name  was  Shelomith,  the 
daughter  of  Dibri,  of  the  tribe  of  Dan  :)  And  they  put  him  in 
ward,  that  the  mind  of  the  Lord  might  be  showed  them.  And 
the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying.  Bring  forth  him  that 
hath  cursed  without  the  camp  ;  and  let  all  that  heard  him  lay 
their  hands  upon  his  head,  and  let  all  the  congregation  stone 
him.  And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  say- 
insr.  Whosoever  curseth  his  God  shall  bear  his  sin.  And 
he  that  blasphemeth  the  name  of  the  Lord,  he  shall  surely 
be  put  to  death,  and  all  the  congregation  shall  certainly  stone 
him." 

It  has  been  inquired,  how  the  Jews  could  have  found  stones 
in  the  temple.  This  dispute  occurred,  in  what  was  strictly  the 
court  of  the  temple,  which  was  very  spacious ;  and,  as  we 
have  seen  that  a  kind  of  market  was  profanely  held  in  it,  it 
might  not  have  been  difficult  to  find  stones  there.  Nor  should 
it  be  unnoticed,  that  a  pile  of  building  so  immense,  erected 
five  hundred  years  before,  must  always  have  been  needing  re- 
pairs, and  that  in  fact  repairs  were  actually  going  on,  at  that 
time.  It  must,  therefore,  have  been  easy  to  find  those  im- 
mense stones,  which  were  fit  for  building,  and  one  blow  of 
which  would  put  a  person  to  death. 

Though  no  regular  trial  had  taken  place,  the  Jews  practised 
what  they  called  the  judgment  of  zeal,  a  professed  imitation 
of  Phineas,  who,  when  he  saw  an  Israelite  committing  a  capi- 
tal crime,  in  defiance  of  the  laws,  went  and  stabbed  the  of- 
fender and  his  accomplice,  by  which  the  wrath  of  God  against 
Israel  was  arrested.  The  Jews  still  consider  such  an  action, 
as  a  high  proof  of  regard  for  the  law,  rather  than  a  violation 
of  either  its  letter  or  spirit.  Without  entering  into  the  parti- 
cular case  of  Phineas,  we  may  observe,  that  the  general  spirit 
of  the  divine  law  was  far  more  safe  and  prudent,  and  equita- 
ble, than  this  judgment  of  zeal,  which  opened  the  door  to  any 
crime,  that  the  populace,  in  their  rage,  might  choose  to  com- 
mit. God  commanded  that  Israel  should  inquire  and  search 
diligently,  and  it  was  not  till  after  the  thing  was  found  true. 


ATTEMPTS  TO  STONE  CHRIST  AS  A  BLASPHEMER.  17 

that  they  were  authorized  to  proceed  lo  execute  judgment. 
The  hands  of  the  witnesses  who  had  proved  the  truth  of  the 
charg-e,  were  to  be  first  upon  the  guilty  person,  to  put  him  to 
death.  In  defiance,  however,  of  this  just  and  holy  regulation, 
the  Jews,  who  had  lost  the  true  knowledge  and  spirit  of  the 
law,  vented  their  fiery  zeal  i^cr  it;  and,  as  in  the  case  of 
Stephen,  whom  they  dragged  away,  in  the  midst  of  the  trial, 
and  stoned  to  death,  they  now  seize  the  broken  masses  of 
stone  that  lay  about,  and  hurl  them  at  Jesus,  to  dash  him  to 
pieces  as  a  blasphemer. 

2.  His  miraculous  escape  was  by  hiding  himself  from  them. 

The  method  of  omnipotence  is  to  defer  its  interposition, 
till  the  last  extremity.  When  the  Jews  had  actually  taken  up 
the  stones,  and  were  looking  at  Jesus,  to  aim  the  deadly  blow 
at  him,  and  lay  him  lifeless  on  the  ground  ;  lo!  they  have  lost 
their  aim,  they  can  see  nothing ;  they  look  about  to  find  him, 
but  he  is  invisible.  In  the  same  way,  God  rescued  Lot  and 
his  family,  from  the  violence  of  the  men  of  Sodom,  by  bewil- 
dering them,  so  that  they  could  see  nothing.  The  army  of  a 
king  was  once  deprived  of  sight,  that  they  might  not  kill  the 
prophet  of  God,  but  submit  to  be  led  by  his  hand,  and  deli- 
vered up  to  their  foes. 

The  eyes  that  had  flashed  fury  at  the  Saviour  are  justly  de- 
prived of  the  sight  of  him.  But  how  mortifying  and  torment- 
ing must  it  have  been,  to  wicked  and  cruel  men,  to  find  their 
victim  snatched  from  their  grasp,  and  that  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  they  hoped  to  lay  his  sacred  body  bleeding  on  the 
pavement ! 

But  what  became  of  him  ?  He  passed  through  the  midst 
of  them.  While  they  were  rubbing  their  eyes,  and  gazing 
about,  and  wondering  what  was  the  matter  with  them,  or  what 
was  become  of  him,  he  was  passing  close  by  them ;  and 
though  they  could  not  see  him,  he  was  looking  at  them,  with 
infinite  dignity  and  conscious  power.  Going  on,  calm  and  un- 
moved by  the  rage  of  the  most  inveterate  of  the  foes,  he  walked 
out  to  the  gate  of  the  temple,  and  went  away ! 

But  did  they  not  seek  to  console  themselves  for  their  disap- 
pointment, by  venting  their  rage  on  the  disciples?     How  did 

VOL.  i\.  c 


18  LBCTLRE    Lll. 

these  escape  ?  It  is  probable  that  our  Lord,  seeing  what  was 
coming-,  had  taken  care  that  his  disciples  should  not  be  pre- 
sent, and  that  he  afterwards  related  to  them  the  discourse  and 
the  miracle  he  wrought,  his  escape,  and  the  fury  which  it  had 
excited.  But,  if  they  had  been  present,  the  confusion  and 
alarm  which  the  miracle  must  have  created,  may  sufficiently 
account  for  the  disciples  being  suffered  to  escape. 

Here  I  cannot  help  quoting  the  words  of  a  Lutheran  divine, 
who,  living  amidst  the  persecutions  of  popery,  may  be  excused 
if  he  speaks  as  one  that  feels.  "  The  enemies,  not  only  saw 
that  Christ  was  absent,  but  might  have  felt  that  he  was  omni- 
potent, if  they  had  any  feelings  left,  by  which  they  might  have 
been  turned  ;  for  Christ  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  convincing 
even  his  bitterest  foes.  But  he  went  out,  and  so  left  to  the 
Jews  their  temple  full  of  Pharisees  and  their  fables,  but  empty 
of  Jesus  and  his  Gospel.  So  he  treats,  in  the  present  day, 
those  who  are  found  enemies  of  the  divine  word.  They  have, 
indeed,  their  temples,  and  sometimes  they  are  sufficiently 
splendid  and  spacious  ;  but,  if  they  are  destitute  of  Christ, 
they  are  nothing  but  the  fanes  of  antichrist.  Such  are  the 
temples  of  the  papists,  in  which  their  canons  roar,  their  priests 
sacrifice,  their  ministers  burn  incense,  their  boys  light  the 
tapers ;  but  concerning  Christ  and  his  holy  Gospel,  the  sanc- 
tity and  glory  of  any  place,  there  is  a  total  silence.  Their 
temples,  therefore,  are  properly  sepulchres,  in  which  the  dead 
bury  their  dead.  Let  us  retain,  in  our  temples,  Christ  and 
his  word,  and  by  that  being  quickened,  let  us  praise  him  that 
liveth  for  ever." 

Here  we  behold,  at  once,  the  safety  of  Christ,  amidst  all 
his  most  inveterate  foes,  and  the  danger  of  those  from  whom 
he  hides  himself  and  departs.  Let  us  never  be  afraid  for  Jesus 
and  his  cause,  though  earth  and  hell  rise  up  against  him ;  but 
for  ourselves  we  may  tremble,  lest  we  should  be  found  amongst 
those  who  hate  the  sight  of  Christ,  and  whose  mind  "  the 
god  of  this  world  has  blinded,  lest  the  light  of  the  glorious 
Gospel  of  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God,  should  shine  unto 
them." 


19 


LECTURE    LIII. 

THE    RETURN    OF    THE    SEVENTY. 
Luke  x.  17 — 24. 

And  the  seventy  returned  again  with  joy,  saying,  Lord,  even  the  devils  are 
subject  unto  us  through  tliy  name. 

**  All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea,"  says  the  royal  preacher ; 
**  to  the  place  from  whence  the  rivers  come,  thither  they  return 
again."  We  have  formerly  seen  our  blessed  Lord,  as  an  ocean 
of  power  and  goodness,  send  forth  seventy  streams  of  mira- 
culous energy  and  evangelical  grace,  to  water  all  the  holy  land. 
We  have  now  to  behold  these  streams  return  to  the  ocean 
whence  they  issued,  and,  owning  Christ  as  the  source  of  their 
authority  and  power,  pour  at  his  feet  the  tribute  of  honour  and 
gratitude  due  to  his  name.  To  witness  this  interview,  is  a 
grateful  relief  to  our  minds,  after  the  anguish  we  have  felt, 
on  seeing  the  attempts  of  an  infuriate  multitude  to  stone  him, 
as  a  blasphemer. 

I.  Behold,  then,  the  joyful  interview  between  the  seventy 
and  their  Lord. 

It  is  not  improbable  that,  when  our  Saviour  hid  himself 
from  the  Jews,  who  were  lifting  the  stones  intended  to  be 
hurled  at  his  head,  he  passed  out  by  the  eastern  gate  of  the 
temple,  and  went  away  to  the  mount  of  Olives,  whither  he 
loved  to  retire.  He  had,  perhaps,  appointed  this  spot  for  the 
rendezvous  of  the  seventy,  when  he  sent  them  forth.  As  there 
were  thirty-five  couples,  they  might  have  traversed  the  whole 
extent  of  Palestine  in  less  than  a  month.  Jesus  went  away 
to  Jerusalem,  in  the  first  week  of  their  departure ;  tliere  he 
spent  a  week,   before  the  feast  had  completely  terminated  ; 

c2 


20  LECTURE    LIII. 

another  week  may  have  been  consumed  in  his  numerous  con- 
tests with  the  Pharisees ;  and  in  the  fourth,  the  seventy  may 
have  returned,  to  meet  their  Master,  on  the  mount  of  Olives, 
or  at  Bethany,  the  neighbouring  town.     Witness  then, 

1.  Their  triumphant  return. 

In  high  spirits,  they  exclaim,  "  Lord,  even  the  devils  are 
subject  to  us  through  thy  name."  Happy  ministers,  who  can 
return  to  their  Master  with  such  tidings  !  Too  often,  alas !  we 
have  to  go  back,  saying,  "  Who  hath  believed  our  report,  and 
to  whom  is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed  ? "  But  every  thing 
yielded  to  these  seventy,  according  to  their  Saviour's  promise. 
Sicknesses  fled  at  their  word,  and  hospitality  so  readily  sup- 
plied their  wants,  that  they  were  overjoyed  at  their  own  suc- 
cess. They  were  especially  delighted,  that  even  the  demons 
were  subject.  These  they  probably  most  dreaded,  and,  there- 
fore, when  they  found  Pandemonium  itself  obedient,  and  all 
the  infernal  powers  stand  trembling  at  their  word,  they  know 
not  how  to  contain  their  joy.  But  the  victory  over  invisible 
beings  was  not  only  the  more  gratifying,  because  their 
power  is  the  more  dreaded  for  being  mysterious  and  un- 
known, but  also,  because  the  disciples  had  lately  suffered 
a  shameful  defeat,  when  attempting  to  expel  the  demon  from 
the  lunatic  child.  On  this  journey,  the  seventy  suffered  no 
such  mortification  from  discomfiture.  No  spirit  was  desperate 
enough  to  defy,  or  mighty  enough  to  resist,  their  power ;  but 
all  the  fallen  angels,  at  a  word,  quitted  their  hold,  and  owned, 
that  the  commission  of  Jesus  had  clothed  with  a  kind  of  omni- 
potence seventy  men  like  ourselves. 

But  the  servants  readily  own  their  Master's  honour.  "  Not 
unto  us,  not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  but  unto  thy  name  give  glory," 
was  their  cry.  "  The  devils  are  subject  to  us  through  thy 
name."  The  seventy  felt  like  the  Apostles,  M'ho  said,  "  why 
look  ye  so  earnestly  on  us,  as  though  by  our  own  power,  or 
holiness,  we  had  made  this  man  whole  ?  It  is  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth  that  has  wrought  these  wonders. 
But  through  this  name  even  demons  are  subject  to  us." 

2.  The  Saviour's  dignified  reception  of  his  servants  now  in- 
vites our  notice. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  SEVENTY.  21 

"  I  saw,"  saith  our  Lord,  "  Satan  fall  as  lightning  from 
heaven."  This  has  been,  by  some,  supposed  to  refer  to  Christ, 
as  a  divine  person,  beholding  the  fall  of  angels,  when,  as  the 
Apostle  says,  "  angels  who  kept  not  their  first  estate,  but  left 
their  own  habitation,  were  cast  down  to  hell,  and  delivered 
into  chains  of  darkness,  to  be  reserved  unto  the  judgment  of 
the  great  day."  Our  Lord  may  be  conceived  to  say,  "  you 
seem  delightfully  surprised  to  find  devils  subject  unto  you, 
but  all  this  I  knew  before-hand ;  for  I  had  seen,  ere  man 
fell,  in  Paradise,  Satan,  the  morning  star,  fall  as  lightning  from 
heaven. 

Was  it  under  the  influence  of  this  text,  that  our  great  poet 
learned  thus  to  describe  the  fall  of  angels  ? 

"  Yet  half  his  strength  he  put  not  forth,  but  checked 
^  His  thunder  in  mid  volley  ;  for  he  meant 

Not  to  destroy,  but  root  them  out  of  heaven. 
The  overthrown  he  raised,  and  as  a  herd 
Of  goats,  or  timorous  flock  together  thronged, 
Drove  them  before  him  thunderstruck,  pursued 
With  terrors  and  with  furies  to  the  bounds 
And  crystal  wall  of  heaven,  which  opening  wide 
Roll'd  inward,  and  a  spacious  gap  disclosed 
Into  the  wasteful  deep ;  the  monstrous  sight 
Struck  them  with  horror  backward,  but  far  worse 
Urged  them  behind  ;  headlong  themselves  they  threw 
Down  from  the  verge  of  heaven,  eternal  wrath 
Burnt  after  them  to  the  bottomless  pit." 

The  circumstances  of  the  history,  however,  sufficiently  ex- 
plain the  language  of  our  Lord.  The  disciples  return  exulting, 
as  if  their  success  had  been  beyond  their  most  sanguine  hopes. 
But  Jesus  replies,  with  majestic  composure,  "  all  this  which  so 
transports  you,  and  which  you  tell,  as  surprisingly  delightful  in- 
telligence, is  no  news  at  all  to  me.  I  saw  the  end  from  the  be- 
ginning. When  I  sent  you  forth,  I  beheld  the  event,  as  clearly  as 
you  see  it  now.  To  my  eye,  Satan,  with  all  his  mightiest  forces, 
fell  when  I  uttered  your  commission,  and  all  his  power  and 
splendour  went  off",  like  the  flash  of  lightning  that  terrifies  for 
a  moment,  but  expires  in  silence  and  darkness."  The  lightning 
seems  to  come  from  heaven,  when  the  clouds  open  by  the  elec- 


22  LECTURE    LIII. 

trie  flash ;  the  noise  startles  iis,  and  creates  an  alarm,  as  if 
destruction  were  hovering  around  ;  but  all  passing  off  harm- 
lessly, furnishes  a  fine  image  of  the  power  of  Satan,  once  an 
angel  in  heaven,  controlled  and  vanquished,  and  destroyed  by 
the  omnipotence  of  Christ. 

The  Saviour  seizes  this  moment,  to  confirm  their  powers  and 
increase  their  faith.  "  I  give  you  authority  to  trample  upon 
serpents,  and  nothing  shall  by  any  means  injure  you."  This 
is,  without  doubt,  an  allusion  to  the  ninety-first  Psalm,  where 
it  is  said  to  the  Redeemer,  "  thou  shalt  tread  upon  the  lion 
and  the  adder,  the  young  lion  and  the  dragon  shalt  thou 
trample  under  feet.  There  shall  no  plague  come  nigh  thy 
dwelling."  Our  Lord  here  grants  to  his  missionaries,  to  share 
the  honours  put  upon  him.  They  had  to  travel  through  a  world 
like  that  desert  which  Israel  passed  through,  described  by 
Moses  as  "  a  great  and  terrible  wilderness,  wherein  were  fiery 
serpents  and  scorpions."  Here,  Jesus  assures  the  seventy, 
that  they  should  find  the  serpents  of  the  desert  harmless,  as 
they  were  to  Israel ;  till  rebellion  gave  the  fiery  serpent  the 
power  to  inflict  such  wounds  as  could  be  cured  by  the  sight  of 
the  brazen  serpent  only.  All  the  power  of  the  enemy  was 
placed  beneath  the  disciples'  feet. 

How  afflicting  is  it,  to  see  this  sublime  and  delightful  as- 
surance perverted  to  serve  the  purposes  of  pride,  and  lust  of 
priestly  domination  !  Pope  Alexander  III.,  the  pretended 
successor  of  St.  Peter,  trode  upon  the  neck  of  the  emperor 
Frederick,  repeating  the  words  of  the  Psalm  to  which  our  Lord 
alludes,  "  Thou  shalt  tread  upon  the  lion  and  the  adder,  the 
young  lion  and  the  dragon  shalt  thou  trample  under  feet." 
Yet,  out  of  this  perversion  we  may  deduce  a  proof  of  the  truth  of 
the  evangelical  history.  For,  in  all  the  sacred  Scriptures,  there 
is  no  instance  of  a  person,  thus  armed  with  miraculous  powers, 
employing  them  to  domineer  over  men,  or  violate  the  sacred 
duties  of  humility,  charity,  and  devotion.  Could  this  have 
been  said,  if  these  prophets  and  Apostles  had  been  such  persons 
as  the  popes,  pretenders  to  a  divine  commission,  for  the  sake 
of  founding  an  empire  over  their  fellow  men,  that,  by  resting 
their  foot  upon  another  world,  they  might  lift  this  about  as 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  SEVENTY.  23 

they  pleased  .'  This  thought  may  be  still  further  pursued  in 
the  following  particular. 

3.  The  wise  and  holy  caution  which  the  Saviour  gave, 
"  Rejoice  not  that  the  spirits  are  subject  to  you,  but  in  this 
rejoice,  rather,  that  your  names  are  written  in  heaven."  "  But 
why,  Lord,  must  we  not  rejoice  that  the  spirits  are  subject  to 
us  ?  Is  it  not  the  most  exalted  privilege  that  men  can  enjoy?" 
No !  this  may  be  common  to  you  with  the  ungodly,  whom 
I  shall  at  last  banish  from  my  presence.  They  will  at  last 
plead,  "  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name,  and  in 
thy  name  have  cast  out  devils,  and  done  many  wonderful 
works?  Then  will  I  profess  to  them,  I  never  knew  you; 
depart  from  me  ye  that  work  iniquity."  Oh,  why  then  rejoice 
in  that  which  may  leave  you  to  eternal  woe  ?  Vain  are  all  the 
advantages  which  may  at  last  quit  us,  and  which,  when  lost, 
will  but  aggravate  our  ruin.  To  have  cast  out  devils,  and  be 
ourselves  at  last  cast  out  among  devils,  will  be  most  horrible. 

In  what  then  shall  we  rejoice  ?  That  our  names  are  written 
in  heaven.  Here  is  an  allusion  to  the  custom  of  inscribing 
persons'  names  in  the  rolls,  or  archives  of  their  city.  To  have 
our  names  recorded  in  the  register  of  Zion,  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  is  the  most  legitimate 
cause  of  rejoicing  ;  for,  "  all  whose  names  are  not  found  writ- 
ten in  the  book  of  the  slain  Lamb,  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  will  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire,  which  is  the  second 
death."  Happy  seventy,  then,  who  were  told  by  the  Lamb 
himself  that  their  names  were  written  in  heaven  !  Tribulation 
surely  could  not  make  you  sad,  nor  death  be  regarded  as  any 
other  than  a  gate  to  life  !  O,  to  share  their  bliss  !  We  would 
leave  others  to  win  battles,  amass  fortunes,  rule  empires,  or 
work  miracles ;  only  give  us  to  know  that  our  names  are 
written  in  heaven.  But  who  shall  read  the  register,  and  tell 
us  that  he  saw  our  names  there  ?  Jesus,  the  Lamb  who  opens 
the  sealed  book,  is  no  more  on  earth,  to  say  to  us,  "  in  this 
rejoice,  that  your  names  are  written  in  heaven."  How,  then, 
shall  we  ascertain  this  fact,  on  which  all  our  present  and  all 
our  future  joys  depend  ?  Jesus  says  of  his  genuine  servant, 
"  I  will  write  upon  him  my  new  name."     Then  when   the 


24  LECTURE    LIII." 

name  of  Christ  is  written  upon  our  heart  in  letters  of  love, 
we  need  no  further  inquiry,  but  may  be  sure  that  our  names 
are  written  in  heaven.  For  the  inscription  in  heaven  is  coun- 
tersigned by  the  same  hand,  in  the  roll  within  our  hearts,  and 
your  own  conscience  can  see  and  read  it.  This  is  the  doctrine 
of  that  whole  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  first  epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians, where  charity,  or  love,  is  made  a  surer  mark  of  piety 
and  heaven  than  all  gifts  or  miracles  could  afford. 

"  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels, 
and  have  not  charity,  I  am  become  as  sounding  brass,  or  a 
tinkling  cymbal.  And  though  I  have  the  gift  of  prophecy, 
and  understand  all  mysteries,  and  all  knowledge ;  and  though 
I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains,  and  have 
not  charity,  I  am  nothing.  And  though  I  bestow  all  my 
goods  to  feed  the  poo7\  and  though  I  give  my  body  to  be 
burned,  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth  me  nothing.  Cha- 
rity never  faileth  :  but  whether  there  he  prophecies,  they  shall 
fail  ;  whether  there  he  tongues,  they  shall  cease  ;  whether 
there  he  knowledge,  it  shall  vanish  away.  And  now  abideth 
faith,  hope,  charity,  these  three  ;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is 
charity."* 

Here  again,  the  sincerity  of  the  sacred  writers  is  proved. 
Had  they  intended  to  impose  upon  the  world,  by  a  pretence 
to  miraculous  powers,  would  they  have  degraded  these  splen- 
did deeds  below  the  privileges  and  graces  which  the  humblest 
Christian  must  enjoy  ?  Would  they  not  have  exalted  them- 
selves, by  these  signs,  above  all  other  mortals  ;  instead  of  in- 
forming us  that  some,  who  cast  out  devils  in  Christ's  name, 
might  at  last  be  rejected  as  workers  of  iniquity  ? 

II.  The  joyful  intercourse  between  Christ  and  the  Father. 

"  In  that  hour,  Jesus  rejoiced  and  said,  I  thank  thee, 
O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  hast  hidden 
these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  them 
unto  babes." 

We  here  find,  that  if  Christ  was  never  said  to  laugh,  this  is 
no  proof  that  he  never  was  glad.  But,  as  all  his  tears  were 
spent  over  our  sin  and  sorrow,  so  his  joys  were  occasioned  by 
*  1  Cor.  xih.  1—3,  8,  13. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  SEVENTY.         25 

our  welfare.  The  smile  of  love,  that  spoke  the  joy  of  his  heart, 
was  seen  on  his  face,  when  he  thought  of  some  felicity  destined 
for  us.  The  original  expression  for  Christ's  joy,  on  this  oc- 
casion, is  very  strong.  But  why  was  Christ  in  an  ecstasy,  so 
that  his  heart  could  not  contain  his  rapture,  nor  the  breasts  of 
men  receive  the  deposit,  but  he  must  vent  into  the  bosom  of  his 
eternal  Father  joys  too  big  for  created  minds  ?  It  was  not 
because  devils  were  subject  to  his  name,  but  because  the  Father 
had  revealed  the  glories  of  redemption  to  the  feeble  children 
of  men.  This  revived  the  spirits  of  the  man  of  sorrows,  and 
broke  away  the  dark  clouds  that  hung  over  his  afflicted  soul, 
and  made  heaven's  sunshine  dart  down  to  earth. — Consider, 
then, 

1,  The  objects  of  the  Redeemer's  joy. 

The  babes  enlightened  with  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  rather 
than  the  wise  and  prudent. 

I  see  no  reason  why  the  literal  sense  of  the  word  babes 
should  not  be  considered  as  first  intended  by  our  Lord.  Upon 
the  literal  meaning  of  Scripture  depends  every  other  sense. 
By  the  analogy  which  sound  reason  and  the  sacred  Scriptures 
suggest,  we  derive  from  the  letter  the  spirit  of  the  divine  word. 
It  is  only  when  the  literal  sense  is  manifestly  absurd  or  impious, 
that  we  should  abandon  it  altogether  ;  as  when  floods  are  com- 
manded to  "  clap  their  hands,  and  the  trees  of  the  wood  to 
rejoice."  But  we  have  many  reasons  for  concluding,  that 
babes  are  the  objects  of  the  divine  choice.  Jesus  took  them 
into  his  bosom,  and  said,  "  Suffer  the  little  ones  to  come  to 
me ;  for  of  such  is  my  kingdom."  When  children  shouted 
hosannas  to  him  in  the  temple,  he  reminded  his  enemies  of  the 
prediction,  "  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings  hast 
thou  perfected  praise."  The  power  of  divine  grace  on  the 
minds  of  very  young  children,  may  be  seen  recorded  in  that 
valuable  little  book,  which  should  be  in  the  hands  of  all  our 
dear  children,  "  Janeway's  Token."  That  master-spirit  who 
has  lectured  philosophers.  President  Edwards,  has  also  taught 
our  babes  what  religion  may  reveal  to  them  in  their  earliest 
days,  in  his  narrative  of  the  extraordinary  revival  of  religion  in 
New  England. 


26  LECTURE    Llll. 

It  is,  however,  readily  admitted,  that  our  Saviour  intended 
to  include  the  illiterate,  who  were  enlightened  by  a  knowledge 
of  the  Gospel,  while  many  of  the  learned  remained  in  the 
darkness  of  sin.  That  intellectual  force  and  culture  are  in 
themselves  blessings  of  greater  worth  than  even  wealth  or  phy- 
sical advantages,  must  be  conceded.  They  become  injurious 
by  that  abuse  only  which  our  pride  produces.  We  fancy,  that 
science,  and  tongues,  and  intellectual  acumen,  supersede  the 
necessity  of  an  humble  mind  and  fervent  requests  to  be  taught 
of  God.  Then  it  is  that  the  sentence  of  an  ancient  father  is 
verified,  "  the  unlearned  rise  and  take  heaven,  while  we,  with 
,our  learning,  are  thrust  down  to  hell."  "  It  is  written,  in  the 
prophets,  they  shall  be  all  taught  of  God  ;  every  one,  therefore, 
says  the  Saviour,  who  has  learned  and  received  of  the  Father, 
-Cometh  unto  me."     Listen  then  to, 

2.  The  reasons  of  the  Saviour's  joy. 

"  Even  so.  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight." 
God's  sovereignty  is  not  mere  caprice.  When  he  asks,  "  May 
I  not  do  what  I  will  with  my  own  ? "  he  means  not  to  say, 
may  I  not  act  without  reason  ?  This  is  no  privilege.  The 
will  of  every  intelligent  being  is  guided  by  his  understanding, 
and  in  proportion  as  any  one  is  wise  and  good,  he  wills  only 
what  he  ought.  "  God  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of 
his  own  will,"  his  will  holding  a  council  to  determine  which 
object  should  be  chosen  in  order  most  effectually  to  promote 
the  divine  glory  in  the  greatest  good  of  the  universe. 

The  Saviour  exults  in  the  Father's  determination  to  reveal 
the  Gospel  to  babes,  rather  than  to  the  wise  and  prudent ;  be- 
cause so  it  seemed  good  in  his  sight,  and  whatever  seemed  so 
to  him,  we  may  be  sure  was  good  indeed.  The  reasons  for 
this  divine  decision  we  can  but  partially  discover;  though  they 
are  all  obvious  to  the  divine  mind. 

"  To  stain  the  pride  of  all  human  glory,  says  the  prophet, 
the  Lord  of  hosts  has  taken  counsel  against  Tyre,  the  crowning 
city,  whose  merchants  are  princes."  For  the  things  that  are 
highly  esteemed  among  men  are  abomination  in  the  sight  of 
God.  When  God  calls  by  his  grace  the  poor,  the  illiterate, 
the  despised ;  while  the  rich,  the  learned,  the  admired,  arc,  by 


THE    RETURN    OK     i'HE    SEVENTY.  '27 

their  conceit  of  their  own  wisdom  and  worth,  blinded  so  far 
as  to  reject  Christ ;  we  remember  the  words  of  the  Apostle, 
*'  Ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise  men 
after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called. 
But  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  con- 
found the  wise ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty  ;  and  base 
things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised,  hath  God 
chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought, 
things  that  are  :  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence."  * 

Numerous  important  lessons  here  press  upon  our  attention. 
Let  the  omnipotence  of  the  Saviour's  name  cheer  us  ;  for 
neither  earth  nor  hell  can  resist  its  force,  nor  heaven  deny  its 
merit.  The  danger  of  trusting  to  that  use  of  it,  which  merely 
enables  men  to  work  miracles,  should  impel  us  to  the  careful 
cultivation  of  those  graces  which,  beyond  all  gifts,  prove  our 
names  to  be  written  in  heaven.  The  darkness,  infidelity,  and 
ruin  of  many  of  the  literati,  contrasted  with  the  spiritual  illu- 
mination of  fishermen,  publicans,  shepherds,  and  colliers,  should 
di'ive  us  from  worshipping  our  learning,  to  supplicate  the 
Father  of  lights,  remembering  that  *'  no  man  calleth  Jesus 
Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  youngest  children  should 
take  encouragement  to  study  the  Bible,  and  seek  to  know  the 
Saviour  of  their  souls.  The  Father  of  lights,  my  dear  children, 
reveals  these  things  unto  babes.  Nor  should  the  unlearned 
make  their  circumstances  an  excuse  for  ignorance  and  a  sanc- 
tion for  negligence,  since  the  heavenly  teacher  can  take  you 
into  his  college:  and  who  teaches  like  him  ? 

If,  however,  we  are  in  the  higher  stations  of  society,  we 
should  give  peculiar  "  diligence  to  make  our  calling  and  elec- 
tion sure  ;"  exulting  that  God  has  nowhere  said,  not  any  wise 
or  noble  are  called  by  his  grace.  The  honours,  the  wealth,  the 
learning,  the  powers,  which  we  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  cross, 
shall  never  sink  us  to  the  fiery  abyss.  If  enlightened  ourselves, 
we  should  be  diligent  to  make  the  Saviour  known  to  the  most 
unlikely  and  unpromising  of  the  human  race ;  for  in  the  poor 
and  illiterate,  we  shall  find  more  success  than  in  the  wise  and 
*  1  Cor.  i.  26—29. 


28  LECTURE    LIII. 

prudent.  But  I  correct  myself.  I  should  have  considered 
the  great  and  learned,  as  the  most  unpromising,  after  the 
lesson  which  Christ  has  given  us  to-day.  Yet  even  these, 
though  unlikely  to  become  disciples  of  Christ,  should  not  be 
abandoned  in  despair  ;  since  our  Lord  has  declared,  "  I  exhort, 
therefore,  that,  first  of  all,  supplications  be  made  for  all  men ; 
for  kings,  and  for  all  that  are  in  authority.  For  this  is  good 
and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  our  Saviour ;  who  will  have 
all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth."  =* 

Finally,  let  us  rejoice  with  Christ,  in  the  Father's  choice, 
and  in  the  operations  of  his  grace.  If  our  hearts  fondly  wish 
for  the  rich  and  great,  the  learned  and  applauded,  to  be  our 
companions  in  the  road  to  heaven,  rather  than  the  rude  and 
unpolished,  the  simple  and  illiterate,  the  mere  babes  of  our 
race ;  let  us  check  the  carnal  mind  that  exalts  itself  against 
the  counsels  of  God,  and  with  Christ  exult  over  those  who  are 
counted  the  refuse  of  the  earth,  and  the  ofFscouring  of  all 
things,  saying,  "  Even  so.  Father ;  for  so  it  seemed  good  in 
thy  sight." 

*  1  Timothy  ii.  1—4. 


29 


LECTURE    LIV. 


CHRIST'S   ANSWER  TO    THE   LAWYER,  WHO  ASKS  WHAT 
HE    SHALL    DO    TO    INHERIT    ETERNAL    LIFE. 

Luke  x.  25 — 29. 

And  behold,  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up,  and  tempted  him,  saying.  Master,  what 
shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life? 

If  a  stranger  to  this  holy  book  should  take  it  up,  and  say, 
where  are  the  proofs  of  its  inspiration  ?  we  might  reply,  where 
are  they  not  ?  Open  it ;  they  meet  you  in  the  first  line  ;  go 
on  with  the  perusal,  the  evidences  of  its  divinity  are  inter- 
woven with  the  whole  narrative ;  persevere  to  the  end,  they 
follow  you  to  the  last  word.  Even  in  the  apparent  failures  of 
the  volume  of  inspiration,  we  may  at  last  discover  its  real  tri- 
umphs. For  a  mere  inventor  of  a  divine  mission,  would  have 
been  careful  to  relate  nothing  but  the  success  of  the  messen- 
gers from  God,  that  others  might  be  induced  and  encouraged 
by  this  flattering  tale  to  embrace  it  too ;  and  if  any  thing  had 
led  to  a  narrative  of  a  failure,  it  would  have  been  followed  by 
some  story  of  wondrous  judgment  that  overtook  the  rejector. 
In  fact,  we  find  that  false  stories  of  miracles,  which  were 
never  wrought,  are  accompanied  with  tales  of  wondrous  tri- 
umphs, or  of  swift  judgments  that  overtook  those  who  durst 
despise  the  authority  of  the  impostor. 

But  this  book,  which  announces  the  Son  of  God  sent  from 
his  Father's  bosom,  proclaims  him  as  one  despised  and  rejected 
of  men ;  records  the  apparent  failure  of  his  mission  ;  tells  how 
often  he  instructed  men  in  vain ;  and  yet  admits  that  they 


30  LECTURE    LIV. 

were  suffered  to  depart  without  embracing  his  message  of 
mercy,  and  without  sinking  under  the  rod  of  his  wrath.  And 
how  well  this  accords  with  what  we  see  every  day  occurring 
in  the  actual  government  of  God !  The  instructions  and  warn- 
ings he  is  giving  to  men  are,  alas!  apparently  thrown  away 
upon  them ;  and  yet  no  swift  thunderbolt  avenges  the  slighted 
honours  of  their  insulted  God.  Thus  the  analogy  between  re- 
velation and  providence  shows  that  they  come  from  the  same 
source,  and  reminds  us  that  they  are  both  adapted  to  a  dis- 
pensation of  mildness,  forbearance,  and  probation,  which  is 
designed  to  precede  the  final  state  of  eternal  retribution.  Let 
us,  then,  under  these  impressions,  meditate  on  what  we  may 
call  the  unsuccessful  interview  between  our  Lord  and  the 
Jewish  lawyer. 

I.  The  spirit  of  the  inquirer.  A  certain  lawyer  stood  up, 
tempting  him. 

We  must  banish  from  our  minds  the  common  ideas  of  a 
lawyer,  which  are  not  applicable  to  the  case  before  us.  For 
as  the  Jewish  law  was  all  contained  in  the  Bible,  a  lawyer 
among  that  nation  was  but  an  expositor  of  the  Scriptures. 
The  question,  therefore,  What  was  necessary  to  obtain  eter- 
nal life,  was  a  professional  inquiry  with  him,  though  it  is 
evidently  what  we  should  call,  not  a  legal,  but  a  theologi- 
cal case. 

When  he  is  said  to  tempt  Christ,  it  may  be  taken  in 
that  wider  sense  in  which  the  Saviour  often  uses  the  word,  as 
signifying  mere  trial ;  though  it  is  manifest  that  the  man  had 
also  a  secondary  design  concerning  himself. 

1.  His  first  design  was  to  try  the  Saviour. 

Vain  of  his  own  fancied  knowledge  of  the  law  of  his  God, 
he  probably  wished  to  discover,  whether  Christ  really  knew 
what  was  necessary  to  the  acquiring  of  eternal  life.  He  put 
the  question,  fondly  hoping  that  his  own  superior  knowledge 
would  be  displayed  to  peculiar  advantage,  by  Christ's  igno- 
rance serving  as  its  foil.  For  while,  on  the  one  hand,  there 
is  no  subject  on  which  men  bestow  so  little  real  study;  there 
is  on  the  other  none  on  which  they  are  so  ready  to  give  them- 
selves credit  for  superior  knowledge.     A  friend  of  mine  is  ac- 


CHRIST'S    ANSWER    TO    THE    LAWYER,  31 

customed  to  say,  "  1  never  met  with  more  than  one  modest 
man  on  the  subject  of  religion  and  of  sermons.  This  was  a 
naval  officer,  who,  when  asked  whether  a  certain  preacher  de- 
livered a  good  sermon,  replied,  Why,  sir,  I  am  not  qualified 
to  answer  that  question ;  for  I  have  never  studied  religion." 
It  should  be,  however,  the  study  of  every  man ;  for  it  is  the 
science  which  makes  wise  to  eternal  life. 

But  as  this  was  a  Jewish  lawyer,  whose  business  was  to 
study  and  expound  the  sacred  code,  it  might  be  supposed  that 
he  had  a  right  to  presume  on  an  adequate  acquaintance  with 
the  subject.  So,  doubtless,  he  thought.  But  were  I  now 
preaching  to  an  assembly  of  professional  students  and  doctors 
of  the  divine  law,  and  could  I  command  the  thunders  that 
should  shake  the  souls  of  men,  with  all  the  terrors  which  the 
blast  of  the  last  trumpet  shall  create,  I  would  employ  their  last, 
their  utmost  force,  to  say,  "  We  may  spend  the  study  of  a  life 
on  religion,  and  at  last  die  in  profound,  though  learned  igno- 
rance, unless  we  are  taught  of  God."  This  the  lawyer  ought 
to  have  known,  for  Moses  had  taught  his  nation  the  necessity 
of  the  circumcision  of  the  heart,  and  that  interpretations  be- 
long to  God  ;  and  it  was  written  in  the  prophets,  "  they  shall 
be  all  taught  of  God." 

Nor  is  it  improbable,  that  this  lawyer,  suspecting  the  Sa- 
viour's sincerity  and  integrity  of  character,  doubted  whether 
he  would  have  honesty  enough  to  tell,  if  he  really  knew,  what 
was  necessary  to  the  acquisition  of  eternal  life.  Ah !  how  was 
he  confounded,  when  he  found  himself  compelled  to  fly  to 
shifts  and  subterfuges,  in  order  to  escape  that  condemnation 
which  he  hoped  to  pour  upon  our  Lord!  Thou,  Lord,  "  shalt 
be  justified  when  thou  speakest,  and  be  clear  when  thou 
judgest."  "  I  know  it  is  so,  of  a  truth  ;  for  how  should  a 
man  be  just  with  God?  If  he  will  contend  with  him,  he  can- 
not answer  him  one  of  a  thousand.  He  is  wise  in  heart,  and 
mighty  in  strength :  who  has  hardened  himself  against  him 
and  has  prospered  1 " 

2.  To  justify  the  sinner  was  the  next  design. 

To  justify  a  sinner,  by  conferring  on  him  an  interest  in  the 
Saviour,  is  the  very  glory  of  the  Gospel.     But  here,  it  is 


52  LECTURE    LIV. 

manifest,  that  the  design  of  the  lawyer  was  to  justify  him- 
self, without  the  Saviour.  For,  that  his  heart  was  inflated 
with  the  peculiar  species  of  religious  pride,  which  we  call 
self-righteousness,  appears,  from  the  sequel,  where  it  is  said, 
"  That  he,  willing  to  justify  himself,  said,  Who  is  my  neigh- 
bour ? " 

Confident  of  his  own  judgment,  he  seems  to  have  enter- 
tained a  vain  hope,  that  the  result  of  this  public  inquiry  would 
be,  that  he  should  come  off  with  honour,  as  a  most  righteous 
person,  full  of  that  treasure  by  which  a  Pharisee  expected  to 
merit  eternal  life. 

For  what  does  the  poor  vain  creature  ask  ?  "  What  shall  I 
do  to  inherit  eternal  life?"  Why  does  he  not  ask,  "What 
shall  be  done  for  me,  that  I  may  inherit  it?"  If  he  felt,  as  a 
sinner  should  feel,  like  a  criminal  under  sentence  of  death, 
this  would  have  been  his  query.  Does  any  one  of  my  hearers 
doubt  the  truth  of  my  assertion?  Go  to  a  gaol  where  some 
unhappy  man  lies  waiting  for  execution.  Ask  him  what  he 
shall  do  to  regain  his  life,  and,  if  he  is  duly  sensible  of  his 
state,  he  will  reply,  "  Alas!  it  is  all  over  with  my  doing;  I 
can  do  nothing  but  die.  Once,  indeed,  my  good  doing  might 
have  availed  to  keep  me  from  this  state ;  but  now  that  I  have 
sinned  against  the  laws  of  my  country,  I  am  under  sentence 
of  death ;  the  law  has  pronounced  its  last  word  upon  me  and 
left  me,  as  having  nothing  farther  to  do  with  me.  The  law 
leaves  me  now  to  justice  to  execute  me. 

"  But,  O,  if  another  would  do  something  for  me,  I  might 
live.  If  the  king  would  pronounce  his  royal  pardon,  then 
I  might  not  die.  There,  there  lies  my  only  remedy;  for 
nothing  that  I  can  do  can  avail  to  give  me  life."  Such  is  the 
language  that  one  truly  convinced  of  his  condition  would  ut- 
ter.    But  such  was  not  the  speech  of  this  lawyer. 

II.  The  design  of  Christ's  answer  should  now  be  studied. 

We  should  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  this,  with  the 
sound  of  those  most  awful  words  of  God  by  the  prophet  Eze- 
kiel  ringing  in  our  ears ;  "  Then  came  certain  of  the  elders  of 
Israel  unto  me,  and  sat  before  me.  And  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  these  men  have  set  up 


Christ's  answer  to  the  lawyer.  83 

their  idols  in  their  lieart,  and  put  the  stumbling-block  of  their 
iniquity  before  their  face  :  should  1  be  inquired  of  at  all  by 
them.'  Therefore  speak  unto  them,  and  say  unto  them,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  ;  Every  man  of  the  house  of  Israel  that 
setteth  up  his  idols  in  his  heart,  and  putteth  the  stumbling- 
block  of  his  iniquity  before  his  face,  and  cometh  to  the  pro- 
phet, I  the  Lord  will  answer  him  that  cometh  according  to 
the  multitude  of  his  idols  ;  that  I  may  take  the  house  of  Israel 
in  their  own  heart,  because  they  are  all  estranged  from  me 
through  their  idols."* 

1.  Our  Lord  returned  the  question,  *'  What  is  written  in 
the  law?     How  readest  thou?" 

The  mode  of  instruction  which  that  model  of  heathen  wis- 
dom, the  celebrated  philosopher  Socrates,  adopted,  has  often 
been  admired ;  because  it  consisted  in  making  men  instruct 
themselves,  and  in  compelling  them  to  admit  the  lessons  of 
wisdom,  lest  they  should  appear  to  contradict  themselves. 
This  is  the  mode  which  our  Lord  here  adopts.  If  this  story 
had  not  happened  to  be  contained  in  the  Bible,  and  had  not 
tended  to  strip  men  of  their  self-righteousness,  and  convince 
them  of  sin,  it  would  have  been  lauded  with  such  eulogiums 
as  philosophers  have  agreed  to  pour  upon  the  Socratic  mode 
of  teaching.  For  Christ  here  refers  the  lawyer  to  his  own 
law :  "  How  readest  thou  ?  Why  dost  thou  come  to  ask 
of  me?  Does  not  Moses  in  the  law  answer  this  question?" 
For  if  he  does  not,  how  is  that  a  sufficient  revelation,  that 
cannot  tell  what  is  necessary  to  be  done  in  order  to  obtain 
eternal  life  ? 

The  man's  question,  which  was  intended  to  be  so  shrewd 
and  cutting,  is  shown  to  be  flat  and  foolish  from  a  lawyer ; 
while  the  Saviour,  whom  this  inquirer  would  bring  into 
suspicion,  as  if  Jesus  dishonoured  the  holy  writings,  gave 
to  them  the  glory  which  is  their  due,  by  the  solemn  inquiry, 
"  How  readest  thou?" 

Let  these  words  sink  down  into  your  hearts,  my  friends, 
for  he  who  first  uttered  them,  in  the  mild  tone  of  expos- 
*  Ezek.  xiv.  1 — 5. 

VOL.   II.  D 


34  '^^  LECTURE    LIV. 

tulation,  when  he  appeared  in  the  humble  form  of  a  servant, 
will  repeat  them,  in  thunders  and  lightnings,  and  flames  of 
fire,  when  he  shall  come,  in  the  form  of  God,  to  judge  the 
world. 

I  well  know,  that  those  who  come  to  us,  with  this  lawyer's 
question  on  their  lips,  "  What  shall  I  do  that  I  may  in- 
herit eternal  life?"  would  have  us  reply.  How  thinkest 
thou?  What  are  thy  reasonings,  thy  speculations,  thy  sup- 
positions concerning  the  way  in  which  God  ought  to  grant 
eternal  life?  For,  it  is  upon  these  speculations  that  they 
build  their  false  hopes  of  heaven,  as  the  reward  of  what 
they  do !  But  alas,  how  vain !  What  right  have  we  to 
stipulate  for  the  terms  of  salvation,  or  to  say  how  God  ought 
to  save  us  ?  Were  we  in  our  original  innocence,  we  should 
think  it  wisely  modest  to  refrain  from  such  speculations ; 
then  we  should  humbly  ask  our  Maker's  decision,  concern- 
ing the  way  in  which  he  might  choose  to  grant  us  his  eternal 
smiles.  But  now  that  we  are  fallen  and  become  guilty,  it  is 
beyond  the  ken  of  angels  to  conjecture  how  we  could  obtain 
life.  Then  how  much  farther  beyond  the  powers  of  a  mind 
darkened  and  enfeebled  by  sin ! 

From  these  arrogant  and  fruitless  speculations,  he  who  is 
to  be  our  final  judge,  calls  us  off,  by  saying,  "  How  readest 
thou?"  Ah!  beware  of  saying  to  him  at  last,  "  I  thought, 
if  I  did  as  well  as  I  could,  I  should  be  admitted  to  eternal 
life;"  lest  he  reply,  "Thou  thoughtest !  Who  gave  thee  a 
right  to  think,  after  I  had  deigned  to  speak  ?  Are  thy 
thoughts  to  be  set  up  against  my  words?  Did  I  not  warn 
thee,  that  my  thoughts,  and  my  ways,  were  as  much  above 
thine  as  heaven  is  higher  than  earth  J "  O,  my  friends,  we 
should  deem  ourselves  happy  that,  instead  of  being  left  to 
the  distracting  uncertainty  of  our  own  reasonings,  we  may 
repose  in  the  infallible  truth  and  grace  of  the  divine  writings. 

2.  Christ  drew  forth  a  declaration  of  the  law. 

The  lawyer  "  answering,  said.  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 


CHRIST'S    ANSWER    TO    THE    LAWYER.  -35 

thyself."*  Had  not  the  unhappy  man  been  under  the  pecu- 
liar infatuation  of  self-righteousness,  his  own  words  would 
have  rebounded  upon  him,  and  prostrated  him  in  the  dust. 
He  would  have  exclaimed,  "  Righteous  judge!  what  child  of 
Adam  has  ever  kept  this  law  ?"  But  no;  with  great  coolness 
he  parades  his  knowledge  of  a  law  which  pronounced  him 
cursed.  As,  however,  his  answer  was  correct,  though  fatal 
to  his  own  proud  hopes ;  our  Lord  mildly  receives  it,  saying-, 
"  Thou  hast  answered  right :  this  do,  and  thou  shalt  live." 

Where  now  is  the  new  and  mitigated  law,  of  which  some 
speak  I  Christ  binds  us  over  to  the  eternal  law,  with  all  its 
strictness,  if  we  ask,  "  What  shall  I  do  ?"  He  knows  no  more 
of  a  law  suited  to  the  moral  state  of  a  sinner,  than  any  ra- 
tional government  can  know  of  a  law  conformed  to  the  moral 
state  of  thieves  and  murderers.  To  our  physical  state,  in- 
deed, the  law  is  adapted,  for  it  demands  no  more  than  all  the 
powers  which  God  has  given ;  and  less  than  all  our  heart  and 
soul  and  strength  it  could  not  claim  for  God,  without  admit- 
ting that  he  was  not  worthy  of  being  loved,  to  the  utmost  ex- 
tent to  which  our  powers  could  go. 

Go,  then,  love  your  God  with  all  your  whole  compass  of 
being,  and  love  your  neighbour  exactly  as  yourself;  and  you 
have  the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  for  it,  "  you  shall  live." 

But,  what  means  that  lawyer's  countenance  ?  O,  for  the 
powers  of  a  moral  painter,  to  delineate  those  passions  which 
rise  in  quick  succession,  and  vary  the  expression  of  his  face. 
What  strange  surprise  !  What  bitter  disappointment!  What 
confusion  of  mind  !  What  mortification !  What  conscious- 
ness of  guilt !  What  struggling  to  escape  !  What  gladness 
at  the  discovery  of  an  evasion  which  now  presents  itself ! 

3.  Jesus  elicits  a  new  inquiry  from  the  man  ;  "  But  who 
is  my  neighbour?"  Some  persons  have  been  convinced  of  sin 
by  words  spoken  by  themselves  ;  as  men  have  been  killed,  by 
the  recoil  of  the  bolt  of  death  shot  by  their  own  hands.  The 
last  words  of  this  man's  own  exposition  of  the  law  seem  to 
have  rebounded  upon  him.  "  Love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself!" 
This  do,  and  thou  shalt  have  life !  Then  I  am  a  dead  man  ! 
*  Luke  X.  27. 
D  2 


36  LECTURE    LIY. 

For  w  hat  man  of  common  sense,  or  one  ^ain  of  self-know- 
ledge, can  pretend  to  have  kept  this  half  of  God's  law  ? 

But,  to  parry  this  deadly  thrust  at  his  beloved  self-righteous- 
ness, which  probably  the  Redeemer  made  with  a  tone  and 
a  force  that  reached  the  centre  of  the  conscience,  the  lawyer 
thought  of  starting  a  difficulty,  "Who  is  my  neighbour?" 
Did  he  know  no  neighbour  I  Not  even  one  who  was  near- 
ly related,  or  lived  next  door  I  If  he  did,  as  he  certainly 
must;  then,  had  he  loved  this  person  as  himself?  Certainly 
not ;  and,  therefore,  he  wished  to  escape  the  stings  of  con- 
science, by  wandering  into  the  question,  whether  his  nation 
only,  as  the  Jews  pretended,  were  his  neighbours  ;  or  whether 
all  mankind  were  included.  But,  till  he  could  prove  that  he 
loved  as  himself  those,  who  were  owned  to  be  neighbours,  it 
was  mere  evasion  to  go  into  the  question  concerning  others. 

Why,  however,  does  he  seem  more  gravelled  with  this  part 
of  the  law  than  the  other  ?  Was  he  more  sure  of  having 
loved  God  with  all  his  heart?  Far,  far,  from  it.  Men,  by 
nature,  love  their  neighbour  better  than  their  Maker.  The 
Apostle  asks,  "  If  a  man  love  not  his  brother,  whom  he  hath 
seen,  how  can  he  love  God,  whom  he  hath  not  seen  ?"  In 
fact,  the  true  reason  why  this  man  gave  his  conscience  a  di- 
version, by  asking  about  his  neighbour,  was,  that  he  passed  his 
Maker  by  so  slightly,  as  not  to  notice  how  far  he  was  from 
loving  him  with  all  the  heart,  and  soul,  and  strength.  Had 
not  God  been  thrust  below  the  creature,  the  lawyer  would 
have  been  filled  with  alarm,  at  his  condemnation  by  the  first 
table  of  the  law. 

But  we  cannot  so  easily  escape  our  neighbour.  We  are 
coming  into  contact  with  him,  at  every  turn.  We  have  a  cer- 
tain definite  standard  by  which  to  try  our  delinquency  towards 
him  ;  for  we  well  know  how  we  love  ourselves.  Ah  !  did  we 
as  clearly  perceive,  how  much  is  included  in  loving  God  with 
all  our  heart,  and  all  our  soul,  and  all  our  mind,  and  all  our 
strength,  we  should  as  readily  say,  then  "  if  this  I  must  do, 
to  inherit  eternal  life,  upon  the  basis  of  my  doings,  I  am  a 
dead  man."  "  I  was  alive  without  the  law  once,"  says  Paul, 
•'  but  when  the  commandment  came,  sin  revived,  and  I  died  ; 


CHRIST'S    ANSWER    TO    THE    LAWYER.  37 

and  the  commandment  which  was  ordained  unto  life,  I  found 
to  be  unto  death." 

Into  the  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan,  which  our  Lord 
now  delivers,  it  is  not  according  to  my  plan  to  enter.  But 
we  may  observe,  that  it  answers  the  question,  "  who  is  my 
neighbour,"  by  compelling  the  proud  Jew  to  own  that  the  Sa- 
maritans, whom  he  almost  made  it  a  duty  to  hate  and  despise, 
were  included  among  those  whom  he  was  bound  to  love,  as  ano- 
ther self.  So  they  who  struggle  to  maintain  their  own  self-right- 
eous pleas  involve  themselves  in  deeper  conviction  of  guilt. 

See  how  the  man,  who  came  to  tempt  our  Lord,  in  hope  of 
convicting  him  of  ignorance  and  violation  of  the  law,  was 
caught  in  his  own  net,  compelled  to  condemn  himself,  and 
bring  glory  to  that  teacher,  who  knew  more  of  the  law  than  all 
the  lawyers,  and  who  had  justly  said,  "  except  your  righteous- 
ness exceed  that  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  not 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

But  who  would  have  thought  it?  After  all,  some  called 
Christians  have  contrived  so  to  miss  the  whole  design  of  this 
event  of  Christ's  history,  as  to  employ  it  to  bolster  up  their 
own  claims  to  eternal  life,  by  doing  what  they  call  their  duty, 
and  keeping  God's  law. 

If  any,  however,  ask,  with  the  Philippian  gaoler,  "  what 
shall  I  do  to  be  saved?"  the  Apostle  answers,  "believe  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved  and  thy  house." 
With  grateful  joy,  let  us  receive  this  answer  of  the  Gospel  to 
our  anxious  inquiry,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life?" 
For  what  other  reply  can  be  given,  except  that  which  seals 
us  to  despair  and  perdition,  by  sending  us  to  a  law  which  we 
have  broken,  and  which  says,  indeed,  "  this  do  and  thou  shalt 
live,"  but  says  also,  "  Cursed  is  every  one  that  continueth  not 
in  all  things  written  in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them." 
Thus  are  we  shut  up,  as  the  Apostle  expresses  it,  "  unto  the 
faith.''  "  For  God  hath  concluded  them  all  in  unbelief,  that 
he  might  have  mercy  upon  all.  O  the  depth  of  the  riches 
both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  !  How  unsearch- 
able are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out !  For 
who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ?   or  who  hath  been 


S8  LECTURE    LIV. 

his  counsellor  ?  or  who  hath  first  given  to  him,  and  it  shall 
be  recompensed  unto  him  again?  For  of  him,  and  through 
him,  and  to  him,  are  all  things :  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever. 
Amen."  * 

One  would  have  thought  by  the  use  which  some  have 
made  of  it,  that  they  had  seen  this  lawyer  go  off,  in  triumph. 
But  the  story  closes  abruptly ;  because  he  made  an  abrupt 
retreat,  unable  to  endure  the  sting  of  those  conclusions  to 
which  our  Lord  brought  him,  and  afraid,  that,  if  he  said 
more,  or  staid  longer,  he  should  be  drawn  in  to  make  some 
other  confession,  that  would  cover  him  with  shame.  And, 
yet,  this  has  been  supposed  to  countenance  those  who  come 
to  Christ  to  ask  for  what  good  deeds  of  their  own  doing  they 
shall  inherit  eternal  life. 

*  Rom.  xi.  32—36. 


39 


LECTURE   LV. 


MARTHA     AND     MARY 


Luke  x.  38 — 42. 


Now  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  went,  that  he  entered  into  a  certain  village  : 
and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha  received  him  into  her  house.  And 
she  had  a  sister  called  Mary. 

That  which  is  in  itself  a  duty  may,  by  encroaching  on  the 
just  domains  of  another  obligation,  become  a  sin.  This  con- 
sideration often  creates  to  a  Christian  much  embarrassment. 
While  he  is  in  this  world,  he  wishes  to  "  provide  things  honest, 
in  the  sight  of  all  men,"  and  to  maintain  that  good  neighbour- 
hood which  the  law  of  God,  the  law  of  love,  enjoins.  But,  to 
keep  this  part  of  our  duty  from  encroaching  on  our  intercourse 
with  God,  to  maintain  his  paramount  rights  over  all  human 
claims,  here  is  the  task  ! 

0,  for  some  infallible  judge,  to  decide  between  these  con- 
tending claims,  and  some  heavenly  voice,  to  whisper  in  our 
ear,  "  this  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it,  when  we  should  turn  to 
the  right  hand  or  to  the  left!"  Such  a  judge  presents  himself 
before  you,  my  friends,  this  morning,  and  his  voice  determines 
a  question  between  two  well  meaning  persons,  to  settle  the 
relative  claims  of  domestic  and  devotional  duties. 

1.  The  different  characters  of  the  two  parties  demand 
notice. 

Jesus  travelling  from  mount  Olivet,  on  which  perhaps  the 
lawyer  came  to  him,  moved  towards  Jericho,  and  on  the  way 
came  to  the  village  of  Bethany.  Here  he  was  entertained  by 
two  sisters,  who,  as  like  as  sisters  should  be,  in  the  grand  cha- 


40  LECTURE    LV. 

racteristics  of  love  to  Christ,   yet  showed  the  striking  differ- 
ences we  are  now  to  inspect. 

1.    Martha,  the  elder,  claims  precedence. 

She  was  a  perfect  model  of  many  of  our  good  housewives. 
Her  very  faults  arose  from  her  excellences ;  for  she  was 
hospitable,  industrious,  anxious,  and  thus,  perhaps,  a  little 
fretful. 

Observe  her  hospitality. 

When  the  historian  says,  "  a  certain  woman,  named  Mar- 
tha, received  him  into  her  house,"  she  has  the  high  credit 
that,  when  the  Saviour  was  a  stranger  she  took  him  in,  and 
when  he  was  hungry  and  thirsty,  she  fed  him  and  gave  him 
drink.  Happy  Martha  !  Perhaps  she  was  the  eldest  of  the 
three  who  composed  this  family,  and  the  house  was  hers.  It 
is  certain  that  she  entered  so  heartily  into  the  privilege  of 
entertaining  our  Lord,  that  she  was  cumbered  with  much 
serving.  Those  who  receive  the  hospitalities  of  others  should 
not  be  insensible  how  much  serving  is  demanded,  for  their 
entertainment.  As  far  as  this  is  necessary  to  provide  things 
requisite  for  the  body,  it  is  a  sacred  duty.  "  Be  not  forgetful 
to  entertain  strangers,  for  thereby  some  have  entertained 
angels  unawares,"  and  thereby  Martha  entertained  the  Lord 
of  angels.  To  be  "given  to  hospitality,"  is  mentioned,  among 
the  characteristics  of  those  who  are  fit  to  be  promoted  to 
office  in  the  Christian  church.  AVe  have  a  right  to  suspect 
something  wrong,  where  persons  never  entertain  a  guest  be- 
neath their  roof.  There  must  be  some  coldness  of  heart. 
But  hospitality,  like  all  other  duties,  is  in  danger  of  being,  by 
excess,  converted  into  sin.  The  good  Mr.  Newton  makes 
the  following  just  remarks: 

"  When  ministers  of  the  Gospel  are  invited,  they  may 
sometimes  have  reason  to  suppose,  that  some  part  of  the  ap- 
paratus they  meet  with  may  be  intended  as  a  mark  of  regard 
and  attention  to  them ;  and  it  has  the  appearance  of  ingratitude 
to  blame  our  friends  for  their  kindness;  but  some  of  us  would 
be  better  pleased  to  be  treated  less  sumptuously,  and  in  a  way 
more  conformable  to  the  simplicity  of  our  Christian  ])rofession. 
We  would  not  wish  to  be  considered  as  avowed  epicures,  who 


MARTHA    AND    MARY.  41 

cannot  dine  well  without  a  variety  of  delicacies ;  and  if  we 
could  suppose,  that  such  cost  and  variety  were  designed  to 
remind  us  how  much  better  we  fare  abroad  than  at  home,  we 
might  think  it  rather  an  insult  than  a  compliment.  I  have 
known  in  families  where  there  is  no  professed  housekeeper,  the 
mistress  of  the  house  has  been,  like  Martha,  too  much  encum- 
bered with  cares  and  anxieties  in  making  preparation  for  her 
friends.  They  could  not  see  her  so  soon  as  they  have  wished, 
and  when  she  has  appeared,  she  could  not  wholly  conceal  the 
discomposure  she  has  felt  from  some  unexpected  incident, 
which  has  more  or  less  disconcerted  the  projected  arrangement 
of  her  feast.  Such  things  may  be  common  among  those  who 
live  without  God  in  the  world ;  but  they  should  be  carefully 
avoided  by  those  who  make  a  profession  that,  whether  they 
eat  or  drink,  they  do  all  for  God's  glory.  Often,  we  cannot 
avoid  the  thought,  '  this  dish,  unnecessai'y  in  itself,  or  unne- 
cessarily expensive,  might  have  been  well  spared,  and  the 
money  given  to  the  poor ;'  for  there  is  not  a  day,  in  which 
some  of  the  dear  people  of  God  do  not  find  a  difficulty  in  pro- 
viding bread  for  their  children." 

See  now  how  industrious  Martha  was. 

She  was  cumbered  with  much  serving.  So  ready  was  she 
to  do  the  active  duties  of  the  house,  that  she  was,  for  a  time, 
as  she  says,  left  to  serve  alone  and  to  complain,  *'  they  that 
will  work  may  work."  But  after  all,  she  loved  to  be  bustling, 
and  nothing  was  so  fatiguing  to  her  as  idleness.  When  our 
Lord  afterwards  visited  them,  to  raise  Lazarus,  Martha  no 
sooner  heard  that  the  Saviour  was  come  near  the  town,  than 
she  started  up  and  flew  aAvay  to  meet  him,  while  Mary  sat  still 
in  the  house. 

"  Be  not  slothful  in  business,"  says  God,  "  but  go  to  the 
ant,  thou  sluggard,  consider  her  ways,  and  be  wise."  Dr. 
Watts,  in  his  inimitable  hymn  on  industry,  sends  our  children 
to  school  to  the  "  little  busy  bee  ;"  and  there  is  no  blast  that 
is  more  fatal  to  our  youthful  buds  and  blossoms  of  hope  than 
sloth.  It  is  this  which  fills  the  ale-houses  ;  men  feel  them- 
selves there,  out  of  the  sight  of  work,  free  from  the  reproaches 
which  the  busy  give  to  the  lazy.     It  is  this  Avhich  forms  the 


42  LECTURK    LV. 

grand^attraction  to  fairs,  and  feasts,  and  wakes,  and  races,  and 
theatres.  But  with  infinite  skill  and  knowledge  of  the  human 
heart,  the  Scriptures  select  a  female  as  a  pattern  of  industry. 
Eye  the  picture,  "  Who  can  find  a  virtuous  woman  t  for  her 
price  is  far  above  rubies:  the  heart  of  her  husband  doth  safely 
trust  in  her,  so  that  he  shall  have  no  need  of  spoil.  She  will 
do  him  good  and  not  evil  all  the  days  of  her  life :  she  seeketh 
wool  and  flax,  and  worketh  willingly  with  her  hands :  she  is 
like  the  merchants'  ships  ;  she  bringeth  her  food  from  afar : 
she  riseth  also  while  it  is  yet  night,  and  giveth  meat  to  her 
household,  and  a  portion  to  her  maidens :  she  considereth  a 
field  and  buyeth  it ;  with  the  fruit  of  her  hands  she  planteth  a 
vineyard  :  she  girdeth  her  loins  with  strength,  and  strengthen- 
eth  her  arms :  she  perceiveth  that  her  merchandise  is  good  ; 
her  candle  goeth  not  out  by  night :  she  layeth  her  hands  to 
the  spindle,  and  her  hands  hold  the  distaff:  she  stretcheth  out 
her  hand  to  the  poor ;  yea,  she  reacheth  forth  her  hands  to 
the  needy."* 

But  here  too,  the  extremity  of  virtue  is  seen  to  be  the  bor- 
der of  vice.  Martha  was  so  busy  that  she  was  here  and  there 
and  every  where,  but  at  the  Redeemer's  feet.  Her  swift  feet, 
which  never  had  suffered  the  grass  to  grow  under  them, 
moved  about  so  quickly,  and  her  active  hands  made  such  a 
clatter  among  the  domestic  utensils,  that  she  could  not  hear 
the  words  of  him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake.  What  a 
pity  to  lose  such  an  opportunity  of  hearing  him,  for  whose  lec- 
tures angels  would  bid  their  golden  harps  be  silent ! 

Yet  how  many,  in  our  days,  are  so  busy  in  entertaining  a 
good  man,  that  they  cannot  find  time  to  listen  to  his  good 
words.  We  are  not  insensible  of  the  kindness  that  labours 
for  our  comfort ;  but  we  cannot  be  contented  to  lose  the  whole 
design  of  the  interview.  Alas!  that  Christian  visits  should  be 
all  coming  and  going,  andjeating  and  drinking,  and  ceremony 
and  trouble,  without  instruction,  or  piety  or  profit ! 

Observe  Martha's  anxiety. 

The  same  temperament  that  produces  industry  exposes  us 
to  the  sin  which  the  Scriptures  condemn,  that  of  being  of  an 
*  Proverbs  xxxi.  10 — 20. 


MARTHA    AND    MARY.  43 

anxious  mind.  The  high  solicitude  to  have  every  thing  right, 
which  pushes  to  exertion,  creates  a  tendency  to  be  constantly 
saying,  "  What  if  any  thing  should  go  wrong !"  The  original 
words  employed  to  express  Martha's  solicitude,  are  peculiarly 
strong.  She  was  exceedingly  hurried,  about  much  serving, 
and  Jesus  said,  "  Martha,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about 
many  things."  She  may  have  had  servants,  but  what  are 
these  to  one  whose  anxious  mind  impels  her  to  see  every  thing 
with  her  own  eyes,  and  almost  to  do  every  thing  with  her  own 
bands  ? 

What  an  affliction  is  such  a  disposition!  And  what  a  sin 
too  !  "  Be  careful  for  nothing,  neither  be  ye  of  an  anxious 
mind,"  is  as  truly  the  voice  of  God,  as  "  Thou  shalt  do  no 
murder."  And  shall  we  venture  to  say  which  of  the  com- 
mands of  God  we  will  not  obey  ? 

Fretfulness  is  betrayed  by  Martha. 

To  a  mind  excessively  anxious  to  see  all  things  exactly 
right,  theyvwill  often  appear  wrong,  seriously  wrong,  when 
there  is  in  fact  not  much  amiss.  But,  when  events  go  really 
cross,  as  they  sometimes  will  in  a  world  which  sin  has  arrayed 
with  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit,  an  anxious  woman  will  fret 
and  appear  much  less  benevolent  and  amiable  than  she  really 
is.  Martha  is  so  anxious  to  entertain  and  please  our  Lord, 
that  she  rushes  into  his  presence,  almost  like  a  scold,  and 
almost  scolds  him  too.  "  Carest  thou  not  that  my  sister  has 
left  me  to  serve  alone  ?     Bid  her,  therefore,  to  help  me." 

To  find  fault  with  her  sister,  before  company,  and  such 
company  !  To  dictate  to  Jesus,  and  bid  him  bid  her  sister ! 
We  wonder  at  her,  and  perhaps,  when  she  was  as  cool  as  we 
now  are,  she  wondered  at  herself.  She  might  then  say,  "  I 
was  so  solicitous  to  have  all  nice  about  me,  that  I  forgot  how 
much  derangement  was  within.  My  house  was  neat,  and  my 
mind  confused  ;  my  table  well  ordered,  and  my  heart  disor- 
dered. I  did  as  much  to  disturb  my  illustrious  guest,  by  my 
fretfulness  and  complaints,  as  I  did  to  entertain  him,  by  my 
anxious  cares  and  industrious  efforts." 

But,  ere  we  dismiss  Martha's  case,  let  us  make  one  conces- 
sion which  is  her  due.     Her  fretting  and  anxiety  arose  out  of 


44  LECTURli    LV. 

her  industry  and  hospitality.  If  she  made  others  uncomfort- 
able, it  was  through  excessive  solicitude  for  their  comforts, 
not  her  own.  How  amiable  is  this,  when  compared  with  the 
fretfulness  of  selfishness  !  When  we  see  a  person  leave  all 
others  to  shift  for  themselves,  when  we  observe  him  absorbed 
in  beloved  self,  and  only  fretting  because  every  thinj^  will  not 
give  way  to  him,  we  loathe  and  condemn  his  spirit,  as  alto- 
gether abominable,  and  cry,  "  Commend  me  to  Martha,  with 
all  her  faults." 

2.  To  Mary,  the  younger  sister,  we  should  now  turn. 

There  she  sits,  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  hearing  his  words.  I 
cannot  think  she  was  culpably  negligent  of  domestic  duties, 
or  our  Lord  would  have  given  her  some  cautions  and  counsels, 
if  not  reproofs.  Jesus  said,  of  the  weightier  matters  of  the 
law,  "  These  ye  should  have  done,"  and  of  the  lighter, 
"  These  ye  should  not  have  left  undone."  In  fact,  the  neglect 
of  what  the  French  call  the  petit e  morale,  or  the  minor  duties, 
creates  in  families  serious  disorder,  and  often  no  small  sin. 
The  duties  that  are  small,  in  the  observance,  are  great,  in  the 
neglect.  But  Mary  was  not  a  slave  to  her  house  and  her 
family,  as  some  good  women  are.  She  wisely  said,  ''  I  cannot 
always  enjoy  the  society  and  instructions  of  Jesus,  and  he 
would  rather  feed  me  than  be  feasted  by  me."     Behold, 

Her  calmness. 

This  appears,  in  her  sitting  down  at  the  Saviour's  feet, 
while  Martha  was  bustling  about.  Mary  had  "  the  ornament 
of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of 
great  price."  This  calmness  is  sometimes  the  result  of  consti- 
tutional temperament.  A  healthful  frame,  sound  nerves, 
and  equable  spirits,  are  so  conducive  to  mental  excellence, 
that  they  demand  the  largest  tribute  of  gratitude,  to  him  who 
rendered  the  circumstances  of  our  birth  so  propitious.  Some- 
times we  owe  our  calm  temperament  of  mind  to  the  force  of 
education  and  example.  A  gentle  mother,  a  wise  father,  an 
amiable  instructor,  may  have  taught  us  early,  to  subdue  our 
impetuosity,  and  "  study  to  be  quiet."  Let  us  gratefully 
cherish  their  memory.  But  it  is  most  holy  and  blessed,  when 
this  calmness  is  the  effect  of  religion,  which  has  given  us  "  the 


MAUTHA    AND    MARY.  45 

meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ."  To  have  every  thought 
brought  into  obedience  to  the  law  of  love,  written  in  the 
heart ;  to  be  taught  the  art  of  self-government ;  "  to  be  care- 
ful for  nothing,  but  in  every  thing,  by  prayer  and  supplication 
with  thanksgiving,  make  known  our  requests  to  God,  so  that 
the  peace  of  God,  that  passeth  all  understanding,  may  keep 
our  hearts  and  minds  by  Christ  Jesus  ; "  to  have  the  peaceful 
dove  dwelling  in  our  breasts,  and  witnessing  to  our  spirits,  that 
we  are  heirs  of  heaven,  is  an  anticipation  and  a  pledge  of  the 
eternal  calm  of  heaven.  This  is  peculiarly  lovely  and  useful 
in  a  Christian  female. 

Her  tenderness  also  distinguished  Mary. 

If  Martha  had  more  of  the  masculine  vigour  which  makes 
its  way  in  the  world,  and  enabled  her  to  entertain  our  Lord, 
Mary  had  more  of  the  female  tenderness  and  affection.  After 
the  death  of  Lazarus,  when  Martha  heard  that  Jesus  was 
come,  she  flew  to  meet  him ;  "  but  Mary  sat  still  in  the 
house,"  weeping  her  loss  ;  and  when  she  rose  to  go  out,  the 
Jews,  who  knew  her,  said,  "She  is  going  to  the  grave  to 
weep  there."  When  Jesus  had  raised  their  brother,  Martha 
was  again  gratefully  busy  to  serve  him,  at  a  feast ;  but  Mary 
poured  a  precious  ointment  on  him,  to  embalm  him  for  the 
burial.  And  as  the  house  was  filled  with  the  fragrance  of  the 
ointment,  our  Lord  declared,  that  the  whole  world  should  be 
filled  with  the  grateful  odour  of  her  affection  for  him  ;  for 
"  wherever  this  Gospel  shall  be  preached,  in  the  whole  world, 
there  shall  this  also  that  this  woman  hath  done  be  told,  for  a 
memorial  of  her."  What  is  a  tender  and  affectionate  heart, 
that  throbs  exquisitely  at  the  touch,  the  name,  the  word  of 
Christ,  but  the  fulfilment  of  these  grand  promises  ?  "  I  will 
take  away  the  heart  of  stone,  and  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh  ; 
and  I  will  put  my  law  in  their  heart ;  and  I  will  pour  out  the 
spirit  of  grace  and  supplication,  and  they  shall  look  at  me 
whom  they  pierced,  and  mourn."  This  tenderness  has  ren- 
dered the  name  of  Mary  dear  to  the  Christian  world. 

A  devotional  spirit  was  displayed  by  this  female  disciple. 

As  we  are  expressly  assured,  that  "  Jesus  loved  Martha,'' 
we  cannot  doubt  but  she  loved  to  hear  his  words,  and  intended. 


46  LECTURE    LV. 

when  the  bustle  of  preparation  was  over,  to  sit  down,  with 
Mary,  and  listen  to  Christ.  Martha,  like  some  modern  Chris- 
tians, was  sincerely  conscientiovis  in  attention  to  the  duties  of 
religion,  at  the  appointed  seasons.  She  would  not  neglect  the 
hour  of  secret  prayer,  at  morning  and  evening,  and  the  regular 
periods  of  public  worship.  But,  when  she  once  entered  on  the 
business  of  the  day,  she  pursued  it  as  keenly  as  the  hound 
follows  the  hare,  till  all  business  was  finished  ;  and  then  she 
could  sit  down  and  converse  with  Jesus.  But  Mary  was  like 
some  others,  alas,  too  few !  who  are  always  in  a  devotional 
frame.  They  never  find  the  subject  of  religion  out  of  time, 
or  out  of  place.  With  a  soul  that  is  ever  in  the  devout  pos- 
ture, which  the  Apostle  calls  "  praying  without  ceasing,"  they 
could,  at  any  moment,  welcome,  or  introduce,  religious  con- 
versation. Mary,  therefore,  sat  down,  at  once,  to  listen  to  her 
Lord,  and  would  not  defer  the  sacred  treat,  till  after  supper. 
She  was  satisfied,  that  sufficient  provision  was  made  to  please 
and  entertain  the  Saviour,  and  that  he  would  be  more  gratified, 
by  an  extra  share  of  attention  to  religion,  during  these  precious 
fleeting  moments  of  his  visits,  than  by  any  superfluous  enter- 
tainment. Go,  my  Christian  sisters,  both  Marthas  and  Marys, 
and  do  likewise. 

II.  The  different  sentences  of  the  judge  upon  these  two 
cases. 

Christ's  decision  was  called  forth  by  Martha's  appeal  to  him, 
saying,  "  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister  has  left  me 
to  serve  alone  ?  Bid  her,  therefore,  that  she  help  me."  In- 
stead, however,  of  a  reproof  to  Mary,  Martha  brought  one 
down  upon  herself.  How  often,  when  we  call  upon  heaven 
for  its  censures,  they  light,  not  upon  others,  as  we  intended, 
but  upon  our  own  heads  !  Here  our  Lord  administered  both 
censure  and  applause. 

1.  To  Martha  censure. 

Jesus  said  to  her  "  Martha,  Martha,  thou  art  careful  and 
troubled  about  many  things.  One  thing  is  needful."  What 
fidelity  is  mingled  with  the  tenderness  of  Jesus  !  When  the 
woman  who  so  kindly  entertained  him  bade  him  lay  his  com- 
mands upon  her  sister,  he  faithfully  tells  her  of  her  own  faults. 


MARTHA    \ND    MARY.  47 

Some  would  say,  "  Was  this  his  kindness  to  his  friend  ;  this 
his  return  for  all  the  trouble  she  gave  herself  to  serve  him  ?" 
Yes,  the  kindest  that  could  be  given;  for  "  faithful  are  the 
wounds  of  a  friend."  "  Let  the  righteous  smite  me,  and  it 
shall  be  a  kindness ;  let  him  reprove  me,  it  shall  be  an  excel- 
lent oil,  that  shall  not  break  my  head,  for  my  prayer  shall  be 
for  them  in  their  calamities."  When  they  are  fallen  into 
trouble,  I  will  intercede  for  the  men  who  were  so  kind  as  to 
warn  me  of  my  sin  and  danger.  "  Thou  shalt  not  suffer  sin 
upon  thy  brother,"  says  God,  "  thou  shalt  not  hate  him  in  thy 
heart,  but  shalt  in  any  wise  reprove  him."  Yet  this  godlike 
reasoning  is  mpst  rare  among  men.  Our  friends  are  so  kind 
to  us,  that  we  cannot  bear  to  tell  them  their  clothes  are  on  fire. 
If  we,  like  our  Lord,  administered  reproof  in  the  spirit  of  love, 
we  should  often  find,  that,  instead  of  giving  the  offence  we 
dreaded,  it  was  taken  as  kindly  as  it  was  meant. 

Hear  then,  ye  active  merchants,  ye  careful  tradesmen,  ye 
industrious  farmers,  ye  busy  housewives,  ye  zealous  ministers ; 
ye  are  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things,  and  ye  mean 
as  well  as  Martha;  but  your  solicitudes  distract  the  mind, 
chill  the  heart,  dry  up  the  springs  of  devotion,  and  create  fret- 
fulness  of  spirit.  The  more  active  your  temper  is,  the  more 
careful  should  you  be  lest  you  be  injured  as  much  as  others 
are  served. 

One  thing  is  needful.  The  opinion  of  two  of  the  Greek 
fathers  has  been  adopted  by  some  of  the  moderns,  that  our 
Saviour  meant  "  one  dish  is  enough."  But  I  cannot  help  re- 
jecting, with  Doddridge,  this  singularly  frigid  interpretation. 
Its  only  recommendations  are,  that  it  seems  to  arise  out  of  the 
connection  of  the  story,  and  to  be  the  exact  reproof  which 
Martha  needed.  But  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  Martha 
was  preparing  many  dishes.  The  many  things  about  which 
she  was  troubled,  were  probably  seats  and  beds,  and  other  ac- 
commodations, as  well  as  provisions,  for  Jesus  and  his  numer- 
ous train.  It  is,  indeed,  highly  probable  that  one  dish  would 
not  have  been  enough.  Nor  does  the  original  sanction  this 
interpretation,  but  leads  us  rather  to  conclude,  that  the  one 
thing  which  Jesus  pronounced  necessary,  was  that  good  part 


'i^  LKCTURE    LV. 

which  Mary  chose,  which  certainly  was  not  one  good  dish.  But 
this  leads  us  to  observe  that  Jesus  gave, 
2.  To  Mary,  approbation, 

"  She  has  chosen   that   good  part  that  shall  not  be  taken 
away  from  her." 

How  difficult  it  is  to  bestow  deserved  praise,  without  doing 
mischief  by  flattery !     Yet,  the  Scriptures  teach  this  delicate 
art.     How  beautifully  Paul  praises  Philemon  !     And  who  does 
not  feel  that  the  Philippians  must   have   been  edified,  rather 
than  injured,  by  this  address,  "  I  am  full,  having  received  of 
Epaphroditus,  the  things  which  loere  sent  from  you,  an  odour 
of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleasing  to  God. 
But  my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need,  according  to  his  riches 
in   glory,   by  Christ  Jesus."*     That  good  part  which   Mary 
had  chosen,  was  to  sit  at  Christ's   feet,   and   hear  his  words. 
That  was  the  one  duty  of  the  moment.    All  other  things  should, 
as  far  as  possible,  have  been  postponed  and  compelled  to  give 
way  to  this  paramount  interest.     Jesus  came  not  to  be  minis- 
tered unto,  but  to  minister  salvation.     This  Mary  had  chosen  ; 
for  the  heart  of  him  whom  God  has  chosen,  under  the  influence 
of  his  grace,  chooses  as  truly  and  freely  the  good  part,  as  once 
it  chose  only  evil.     Now  here  was  the  charm  of  the  one  thing 
needful  which  Mary  chose,  that  it  would  outlast  all  the  many 
things  that  occupied  Martha's  anxious  mind. 

The  care  of  the  soul,  its  final  salvation,  that  one  thing  need- 
ful, that  good  part  v/hich  Mary  chose,  and  secured  at  the 
Saviour's  feet,  has  been  so  finely  recommended  by  Doddridge, 
in  his  sermon  on  these  words,  that  I  close,  with  recommending 
it  to  your  devout  perusal. 

*  Philipp.  iv.  18,  19. 


49 


LECTURE  LVI. 

CHRIST    CURING    THE    CROOKED    WOMAN. 

Luke  xiii.  10 — 17. 

And  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues  on  the  sabbath.  And  behold, 
there  was  a  woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  infirmity  eighteen  years,  and  was 
bowed  together,  and  could  in  no  wise  lift  up  herself. 

"  He  that  despiseth  little  things,"  saith  the  Lord,  "  shall  fall 
by  little  and  little."  Not  many  of  the  numerous  maxims  of 
wisdom,  which  have  fallen  from  the  lips  of  inspiration,  are  of 
greater  importance  than  this  concerning  little  things.  For,  as 
a  small  leak  may  sink  a  valuable  ship,  so  what  is  thought  a 
trifling  sin,  may  prove  the  brand  of  perdition  upon  an  immortal 
soul.  Nor  is  it  less  true,  or  less  important,  that  the  benevo- 
lence which  forms  the  essence  of  virtue,  or  holiness,  often 
shows  itself  by  attention  to  little  things.  For  these  may  often 
be  of  great  consequence  to  the  comfort  of  life  ;  and  if  they 
are  not,  it  displays  an  exquisite  solicitude  for  the  happiness  of 
our  fellow-creatures,  when  we  study  to  relieve  them  of  even 
their  minor  troubles.  This  benevolence  is  peculiarly  honour- 
able to  the  great ;  for  a  mighty  mind  stooping  to  attend  to  the 
lesser  interests  of  those  beneath  him,  is  like  the  sun  in  its  even- 
ing declination,  remitting  something  of  its  splendour,  indeed, 
but  apparently  extending  the  size  of  its  orb,  and  much  im- 
proved by  the  pleasant  softness  of  its  beams.  In  this  point  of 
light,  we  are  to  behold  our  Lord,  this  day,  relieving  a  woman, 
not  indeed  of  dangerous  disease,  but  of  an  irksome,  painful, 
inconvenient  deformity. 

After  that  interview  with  Martha  and  Mary  which  we  last 
considered,  our  Lord  cast  out  a  demon,  which  had  rendered 
a  man  deaf  and  dumb.  But  as  this  wonder  of  power  and 
goodness  is   not  minutely  recorded  ;  as  the  general  narrative 

vol..  II.  K 


50  LECTURE    LVl. 

differs  not  from  others,  into  which  we  have  fully  entered  ;  and 
as  the  miracle  produced  no  other  effects  than  a  repetition  of 
the  old  charge,  of  being  in  compact  with  the  devil,  I  have  not 
chosen  it  as  the  theme  of  a  discourse.  After  this,  our  Lord 
was  invited  to  dine  with  a  Pharisee,  which  gave  rise  to  one  of 
those  sermons,  which  I  reserve  for  a  distinct  course  of  lectures. 
To  the  same  series,  I  refer  several  other  discourses  delivered 
at  this  season,  and  pass  on  now,  to  the  case  of  the  crooked 
woman,  as  she  is  usually  called.     Mark, 

I.  The  singular  affliction. 

The  palsies  and  dropsies,  and  other  diseases  which  are  so 
common  in  our  fallen,  afflicted  world,  our  Lord  often  cured. 
This  was  the  only  instance  of  affliction  of  this  kind,  coming 
before  him,  and  perhaps  not  many  of  us  have  ever  seen  a  pa- 
rallel case.     Here  notice, 

1.  The  description  of  the  woman. 

A  woman  bent  double.  She  is  said  to  have  had  a  spirit  of 
infirmity.  There  is  something  in  this  expression,  and  in  our 
Lord's  mention  of  Satan's  having  bound  her,  which  perhaps 
we  do  not  understand,  and  of  which,  it  is  most  wise  to  confess 
our  ignorance.  Infirmity,  however,  or  weakness,  there  seems 
to  have  been  in  the  spine  ;  so  that  her  back  was  bent  to  such 
a  degree  that  she  could  not  unbend  it,  or  bend  it  up  at  all ;  for 
this  would  be  the  most  exact  translation  of  the  very  emphatic 
words  of  the  original. 

To  have  an  erect  frame,  and  a  countenance  sublime,  directed 
towards  the  heavens,  has  been  justly  described  as  the  great 
privilege  of  man,  by  which  he  is  distinguished  from  the  brutes, 
that  are  prone  towards  the  earth.  To  be  deprived  of  this,  our 
noble  distinction,  and  compelled  to  crouch  like  a  beast,  and 
look  continually  down  to  the  ground,  unable  to  rise  and  cast 
a  look  to  the  heavens  over  our  heads,  must  be  felt  an  affliction 
most  severe.  Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that  this  must  have 
been  peculiarly  trying  to  a  female.  He  that  formed  their  frame, 
intended  it  to  be  agreeable  to  the  eye,  and  gave  their  minds 
an  exquisite  sense  of  beauty  and  deformity,  which,  of  course, 
makes  them  more  alive  to  their  own  appearance,  and  more 
susceptible  of  the   pains   and   pleasures  that   arise  from  this 


CHRIST    CURING    THE    CROOKED    WOMAN,  ol 

source.  Nor  is  this  in  itself  sinful ;  but,  under  due  regulation, 
it  is  productive  of  many  valuable  consequences  to  society. 
Here  then,  was  a  person,  who,  for  eighteen  years,  had  suffered 
a  thousand  pains  and  inconveniences,  from  this  distortion  of 
her  frame.  Perhaps  she  had  many  a  time  exclaimed,  in  the 
bitterness  of  her  mortification,  O  sinful  parent,  Adam,  or  rather, 
unhappy  temptress,  common  mother,  Eve,  how  has  thy  fall 
bowed  down  thy  posterity  from  their  lofty  original,  and  doomed 
them  to  stoop  to  the  earth  like  brutes  I 

2.  The  situation  in  which  she  was  found. 

In  one  of  the  synagogues,  where  our  Lord  was  teaching,  on 
the  sabbath-day.  It  is  not  certain  where  this  synagogue  was, 
but  probably  between  Jerusalem  and  the  Jordan  ;  for  the 
Saviour  was  now  perambulating  the  country,  visiting  the  towns 
and  cities  into  which  he  had  sent  the  seventy,  to  prepare  his 
way.  It  was  Christ's  constant  practice  to  attend  the  public 
worship  of  God,  on  the  sabbath  ;  but  though  we  cannot  wonder 
to  see  Jesus  here,  we  may  to  behold  this  woman.  Her  infir- 
mity must  have  made  it  diflicult  for  her  to  walk,  and  her  ap- 
pearance might  naturally  have  created  an  aversion  to  being  seen 
in  public.  These  would  have  been  thought,  by  too  many, 
sufficient  excuses  to  justify  her  neglect  of  the  sacred  assemblies 
of  the  synagogue.  Happily,  however,  for  her,  she  was  of 
another  mind.  She  found  even  physical  advantages,  in  going 
abroad  into  the  open  air,  and  mental  ones,  in  accustoming  her- 
self to  appearance  in  public  ;  and  we  cannot  but  hope,  from 
this  narrative,  that  she  enjoyed  the  delight  of  worshipping  her 
Maker  with  uplifted  mind,  and  indulging  in  the  prospect  of 
that  resurrection  of  the  just,  which  shall  raise  the  body,  from 
weakness  to  power,  from  dishonour  to  glory.  But  let  her 
success  in  meeting  with  the  Saviour,  and  in  him  complete 
relief,  stimulate  all  to  surmount  the  disadvantages  under  which 
they  may  labour,  and  press  through  every  hindrance  to  the 
place,  "  where  two  or  three  are  met  together  in  the  Saviour's 
name,"  for  "  there,"  says  he,  "  I  will  be  in  the  midst  of  them." 

II.  The  benevolent  cure  the  Saviour  wrought  now  demands 
our  notice. 

The  eyes  of  Jesus,  which  are  as  flames  of  fire,  were  darted 

k2 


52  LECTURli    LVl. 

through  the  assembly,  and  whither  his  eye  pierced,  thither  his 
voice  and  his  touch  were  directed. 

1.  Listen  to  his  voice. 

He  called  her,  and  said  to  her,  "  woman,  thou  art  loosed 
from  thy  infirmity."  It  does  not  appear  that  she  spake  to  our 
Lord,  or  presented  herself  before  him,  to  attract  his  compas- 
sion. Perhaps  she  would  have  thought  it  culpable,  to  ask 
for  a  miracle  to  be  wrought  to  deliver  her  from  an  affliction, 
which  neither  tormented  her  with  extreme  pain,  nor  exposed 
her  to  danger.  But  how  she  might  have  longed  in  secret  for 
such  a  display  of  the  Saviour's  power,  who  can  tell? 

The  Redeemer's  kindness,  however,  anticipated  her,  and 
she  heard  herself  called  upon,  whether  by  name,  or  description 
of  her  person,  or  place,  we  cannot  tell.  But  what  emotions 
must  have  been  excited  in  the  mind  of  a  female  in  her  cir- 
cumstances, when  she  was  called  forth,  by  the  voice  of  this 
wonder- working  prophet,  before  all  the  congregation  1  Jesus 
could  have  healed  her  privately,  where  she  sat;  but  he  chose 
to  make  the  miracle  conspicuous,  by  calling  her  to  him,  that 
all  might  be  struck  with  her  case,  and  see  the  difference  made 
in  her  instantaneously.  But,  without  bidding  her  do  any 
thing,  as  a  test  of  her  faith,  he  said,  "  woman,  thou  art  loosed 
from  thine  infirmity."  He  had  not  yet  laid  his  hands  on  her, 
nor  produced  the  cure,  and  yet  he  pronounced  her  delivered. 
Why  ?  To  show  that  he  was  sure  of  effecting  all  that  he  pur- 
posed ;  that  his  word  is  as  good  as  a  deed  ;  that  all  that  he 
says  should  be  received  by  us,  as  surely  performed. 

"  Oh  for  a  strong,  a  lasting  faith. 
To  credit  what  th'Ahnighty  saith  : 
To  embrace  the  message  of  his  Son, 
And  call  the  joys  of  heaven  our  own  !  " 

2.  Behold  his  action. 

"  He  laid  his  hands  on  her,  and  immediately  she  was  made 
straight."  Many  who  would  look  kindly  at  the  poor  and  af- 
flicted, and  speak  to  them  with  condescension,  would  not 
tench  them.  But  Jesus  never  refused  to  come  in  contact 
with  the  objects  of  his  compassion,  and  his  touch  was  life  and 
health.     He  laid  his  hands,  probably,  upon  her  bowed  back, 


CHRIST    CUKIISG     TIIK    CROOKED    WOMAN.  53 

the  seat  of  her  comuiaiiit,  where  perhajjs  the  diseased  spinal 
cord  needed  his  healing  power.  By  a  touch  from  his  sacred 
body,  in  which  "  dwelt  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead,"  he 
showed  the  saving  efficacy  of  his  taking  to  him  a  body  like 
our  own. 

Immediately,  the  spine  that  had  been  crooked  and  depress- 
ed, for  eighteen  years,  sprang  back,  like  a  bow  when  its  string 
is  broken,  or  the  arrow  is  let  fly ;  and,  for  the  first  time, 
during  all  those  years,  she  rose  up,  stood  erect,  and  looked 
towards  the  sky.  What  a  delicious  moment!  How  tall  she 
must  have  felt  herself!  How  light  and  pleasant  her  frame, 
when  she  could  throw  its  centre  of  gravity  in  the  right  place ! 
How  healthful  all  her  internal  feelings,  when  the  diseased 
position  and  action  of  the  viscera  induced  by  the  curvature  of 
the  spine  were  removed  !  What  joy  would  suffuse  her  coun- 
tenance !     What  gratitude  sparkle  in  her  eye  ! 

But  I  am  in  danger  of  encroaching  on  what  I  proposed  to 
make  the  next  object  of  reflection. 

III.  The  various  eilects  that  followed. 

Every  thing  is  to  us,  as  we  are  to  it;  and  here  the  different 
characters  of  the  parties  concerned  are  elicited  in  their  se- 
veral actions. 

1.  The  woman  glorified  God. 

The  Pharisees,  persisting  in  ascribing  many  of  Christ's  most 
splendid  works  to  Beelzebub,  prince  of  the  devils,  may  be 
said  to  have  glorified  the  devil,  by  ascribing  to  him  the  honour 
of  the  miracles.  But  this  woman,  though  she  might  have 
known  the  wicked  determination  of  the  rulers  to  pour  infamy 
on  the  Saviour,  was  not  prevented  by  it  from  giving  to  God  the 
glory  due  to  his  name,  and  ascribing  to  him  the  honour  of  the 
cure.  "  Glory  be  to  God !  he  alone  could  have  wrought  the 
cure  I  now  enjoy.  He  has  honoured  his  prophet,  and  set  the 
seal  of  heaven  on  his  mission  and  doctrine !  Surely  this  is 
the  finger  of  God  !  I  magnify  him  for  his  compassion  to- 
wards me.  To  his  honour  I  consecrate  the  health,  and 
.  strength,  and  enjoyment,  I  now  taste.  Behold  in  me,  assem- 
bly of  Israel,  what  God  hath  wrought !  Surely  he  hath 
visited  and  redeemed  his  people,  and  raised  up  a  horn  of  sal- 


54  LECTURE    LVl. 

vatioji  for  us !"    But,  while  she  might  be  thus  glorifying  God, 
far  different  was  the  employment  of  another. 

2.  The  ruler  of  the  synagogue  murmured  at  the  people. 

*'  lie  answered,  with  indignation,"  envy  burning  in  his 
heart,  and  rage  flashing  in  his  eyes,  **  because  that  Jesus  had 
healed  on  the  sabbath,"  which  he  still  persisted  in  doing, 
though  it  had  before  given  deadly  offence.  But,  when  the 
sabbath  was  perverted  to  purposes  of  superstition  and  hypo- 
crisy, the  Saviour  deemed  it  right  to  brave  all  consequences, 
in  order  to  secure  the  sacred  day  to  the  cause  of  pure  religion 
and  benevolence. 

How  then  did  the  ruler  argue  ?  Afraid  to  attack  our  Lord 
himself,  whose  power  had  been  thus  displayed,  lest  confusion 
should  overwhelm  the  rash  attempt  to  engage  in  a  contest  so 
imequal,  he  falls  upon  the  people,  whom  he  thought  less  able 
and  less  willing  to  defend  themselves  against  their  ecclesias- 
tical ruler.  He,  in  effect,  reproaches  the  once  afflicted  wo- 
man, and  instead  of  congratulating  her  on  her  happy  de- 
liverance, the  consequence  of  her  devout  attention  at  the 
synagogue,  he  virtually  blames  her,  for  coming  to  be  healed 
on  the  sabbath  day.  What  then,  had  he  never  seen  her  at 
the  synagogue  before  ?  Did  she  go  up  to  Jesus  and  ask  to  be 
made  straight  ?  Had  he  not  called  her  forth  from  silence 
and  obscurity  t 

But,  when  this  ruler  said,  "  there  are  six  days  in  which  men 
ought  to  work,  in  them  come  and  be  healed,"  he  surely  thought 
the  people  had  lost  their  senses,  because  he  had  lost  his  tem- 
per !  For  the  simplest  among  them  might  have  said,  "  to 
work  for  our  bread  is  not  the  same  thing  as  to  be  healed  of 
our  diseases  !  There  are  six  days,  indeed,  for  working,  but 
out  of  them  all  are  we  able  to  find  one  for  such  healing  as  we 
have  seen  to-day?  In  them,  you  say,  come  and  be  healed. 
Come  to  whom?  To  you,  envious  ruler?  Will  you  then 
engage  to  heal  us,  if  we  come,  on  these  working  days  ?  If 
not,  can  you  engage  that  Jesus  shall  be  here,  all  the  six  days, 
to  exert  his  power  and  display  his  grace?  If  you  had  been  sick, 
on  the  sabbath,  would  you  have  said  to  the  physician,  go  away, 
there  are  six  days  in  which  men  ought  to  be  healed,  in  them 


CHRIST    CURING    THE    CROOKED    WOMAN.  55 

come  and  heal  me  t     Or  if  you  had  fallen  into  a  pit,  would 
you  refuse  to  be  taken  out  on  the  sabbath  I " 

But  let  me  not  anticipate  what  is  to  follow. 

3.  The  Saviour  defended  himself. 

He  exclaimed,  "thou  hypocrite!"  for  the  hypocrisy  was 
manifest  to  all,  and  much  more  to  the  eye  of  Jesus,  which 
searches  the  heart.  This,  however,  would  not  justify  us  in 
using  such  an  address,  where  we  know  not  but  men  may  be 
sincere,  though  mistaken.  Christ  had  formerly  said  to  the 
Pharisees,  "  if  you  had  a  sheep  fallen  into  a  pit  on  the  sabbath 
day,  would  you  not  go  and  pull  it  out?  Then  how  much  bet- 
ter is  a  man  than  a  sheep?"  Here  he  adopts  a  similar,  though 
somewhat  varied,  argument.  He  argues  from  the  known  and 
constant  practice.  "  Doth  not  each  one  of  you,  on  the  sab- 
bath, loose  his  ox,  or  his  ass,  from  the  stall,  and  lead  him  away 
to  watering?"  You  think  yourselves  justified  in  releasing  the 
dumb  creature  from  the  restraint,  lest  it  should  suffer  from 
want  of  drink,  and  you  untie  the  halter  and  go  away,  even 
with  an  ass,  to  give  it  water,  though  it  may  take  some  time, 
on  the  sabbath.  Then  ought  not  this  woman,  a  rational  being, 
your  fellow  creature,  your  sister,  a  daughter  of  Abraham,  not 
merely  by  blood,  in  which  you  all  glory,  but  by  faith  too,  and 
by  piety,  in  glorifying  God,  to  be  loosed  from  a  bond  by  which 
Satan  has  bound  her,  for  these  eighteen  years  ? 

It  is  difl&cult  even  to  form  a  conjecture  concerning  our 
Lord's  exact  meaning,  in  ascribing  this  disease  to  Satan.  If 
we  suppose,  with  the  Jews,  that  bodily  diseases  are  the  work 
of  Satan,  who  is  allowed  to  derange  man's  physical  frame,  as 
well  as  his  mental  powers,  we  may  also  suppose,  that  the  mi- 
serable distortion  of  this  woman  was  produced,  in  order  to 
create  murmurs  and  reflections  on  the  nature  and  government 
of  God.  As,  therefore,  the  ox  or  the  ass  was  kept  tied  from 
the  water  which  it  needed,  this  woman  was  held  tied  down, 
as  by  a  cord,  to  the  ground,  till  the  hand  of  Jesus  loosed  her, 
and  his  voice  said,  "  be  free  !" 

I  suspect,  that  our  Lord  called  this  woman  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  for  various  reasons ;  to  show  that  the  Saviour  had 


5(»  LKCTLRK    LVI. 

more  regard  to  the  father  of  the  faitliful  than  these  Pharisees 
bad,  who,  boasting  of  being  his  seed,  cared  not  for  her  who, 
as  well  as  they,  descended  from  him  ;  to  prove  that  her  infir- 
mity was  no  proof  of  peculiar  guilt,  though  Satan  was  allowed 
to  afflict  her;  and  to  reprove  the  pride  and  hard-heartedness  of 
the  Jewish  men,  who  were  disposed  to  treat  females,  as  if 
they  had  no  souls,  though  Christ  claimed  for  them  the  spiritual 
blessings  of  children  of  Abraham.     It  is  consoling  to  say, 

4.  The  adversaries  were  confounded. 

How  forcible  are  right  words !  When  Jesus  had  thus 
boldly  appealed  to  the  reason  and  conscience  of  the  Pharisee, 
and  to  his  own  constant  practice  towards  even  an  ox,  or  an 
ass;  all  that  had  taken  part  with  him,  in  opposition  to  Christ, 
shared  in  the  confusion  the  ruler  felt.  Feeling  in  themselves, 
that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  an  answer  to  be  invented  to 
such  reasoning,  they  were  struck  dumb.  They  endured,  that 
most  mortifying  of  all  things  to  a  proud  spirit,  a  public  expo- 
sure, before  the  whole  synagogue,  where  they  had  been  re- 
vered as  the  wise  and  the  good.  They  stood  convicted  fools 
and  hypocrites,  put  down  by  a  simple  question,  that  a  child 
might  have  asked  ;  and  all  this  brought  upon  them,  by  one 
whom  they  wished  to  expose  before  the  people,  as  a  bad  man, 
a  sabbath- breaker. 

5.  The  people  exulted  at  what  was  done. 

They  probably  had  stood,  as  the  populace  often  does,  to 
see  what  turn  things  would  take,  and  which  side  would  tri- 
umph, before  they  declared  themselves  of  either  party.  But 
when  they  saw  how  completely  Jesus  triumphed,  they  joined 
the  shout  of  victory.  Let  us  join  in  the  exultation,  for  there 
are  many  reasons  why  we  should  take  pleasure  and  instruction 
from  this  history. 

We  may  exult  in  the  goodness  of  Providence,  which  has 
taken  care  that  distortions  of  our  frame,  to  which  its  feeble- 
ness renders  it  so  liable,  are  yet  so  rare. 

Wo  should  gratefully  adore  him,  who  has  saved  us  from  a 
calamity  that  so  much  abridges  the  comfort  and  usefulness  of 
life.     With  benevolent  joy,  we  should  learn,  that  these  bodily 


CHRIST    CURING    THE    CROOKED    WOMAN.  57 

afflictions  are  no  proofs  of  divine  displeasure;  for  many,  who 
are  suffering  under  them,  are  consoled  with  the  privilege  of 
being  children  of  Abrtiham,  God's  friend. 

The  lawfulness  of  doing  good,  on  the  sabbath,  should  render 
us  diligent  to  improve  its  sacred  hours,  by  communicating  in- 
struction to  the  ignorant,  healing  and  consolation  to  the  sick 
and  afflicted. 

But  the  grand  instruction  which  we  should  derive  from  this 
miracle,  is,  not  merely,  that  the  benevolence  of  Jesus  cares 
for  our  comforts,  as  well  as  our  necessities  ;  but  also,  that  his 
miraculous  proofs  of  a  divine  mission  are  incontrovertible. 
Every  one  knows,  that  a  distortion  of  the  spine,  which  has 
lasted  for  eighteen  years,  is  not  to  be  cured  in  a  moment,  but 
by  the  power  of  God.  That  this  cure  was  wrought  we  know, 
by  the  testimony  of  a  most  unwilling  witness.  The  ruler  of 
the  synagogue,  by  condemning  it  as  a  crime,  showed  that  he 
could  not  deny  it  as  a  fact.  How  admirably  the  Saviour 
elicited  proofs  of  his  mission,  from  the  very  enmity  and  op- 
position of  the  wicked  ;  and  proved  that  he  had  the  most  suf- 
ficient reasons  for  persisting  in  doing  cures,  on  the  sabbath ! 

Nor  let  us  forget,  that,  wherever  the  truth  of  the  evange- 
lical revelation  is  proved,  there  our  encouragements  and  ob- 
ligations to  faith  are  augmented.  For  "  these  things  were  done 
by  Jesus,  that  ye  might  believe,  and  that  believing  ye  might 
have  life  through  his  name." 


58 


LECTURE  LVII. 

THE    CURE    OF    THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND,    AND    ITS 
CONSEQUENCES. 

John  ix.  1 — 7. 
And  as  Jesus  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  which  was  blind  from  his  birth. 

Many  of  the  cures,  which  our  blessed  Lord  performed,  were 
miraculous,  by  the  mode  in  which  they  were  wrought,  the  in- 
stantaneous way  in  which  the  benefit  was  conferred,  and  the 
previous  absolute  certainty  of  success.  For,  amidst  the  mala- 
dies that  sin  has  introduced,  we  are  furnished  by  Divine 
Providence  with  the  aids  of  the  medical  art,  which  is  often 
successful  in  removing,  at  least  to  a  considerable  degree, 
those  diseases  which  Christ  cured  always,  perfectly,  and  in 
a  moment. 

But  we  are  called,  this  morning,  to  witness  a  cure,  of  which 
it  was  said,  "  From  the  beginning  of  the  world  it  has  never 
been  known  that  any  one  has  opened  the  eyes  of  one  born 
blind."  Let  us,  then,  give  a  proportionate  attention  to  this 
unrivalled  prodigy;  and  may  the  spiritual  blessing,  also,  Avhich 
was  bestowed  on  this  man  born  blind,  open  our  eyes,  to  see 
the  glory  of  its  author.  Thus  shall  we  be  saved  from  that 
fearful  perversion  of  medicine  to  poison,  which  is  exhibited  to 
us  in  the  renewed  attempt  of  the  Jews  to  stone  Christ,  as  a 
blasphemer,  which  arose  out  of  this  miracle. 

I.  The  cure  of  the  man  born  blind. 

Christ  had  been  making  a  large  circuit  about  Jerusalem, 
and  was  now  on  his  way  back  to  the  capital.  "  And  he  went 
through  the  cities  and  villages  teaching,  and  journeying  to- 
ward Jerusalem."* 

*  Luke  xiii.  '2'2. 


THE    CURIi    OF    Tllli    MAN    BORN     BLIND.  5)9 

As  he  approached  the  city,  he  saw  this  poor  man,  whose 
case  attracted  attention,  and  produced  a  conversation  between 
the  disciples  and  their  instructor. 

The  miracle  was  introduced  by, 

1.  The  meeting  between  the  Saviour  and  the  object  of  his 
pity. 

"  Jesus,  passing  by,  saw  a  man  who  had  been  blind  from 
his  birth."  A  blind  beggar,  sitting  near  the  gates  of  a  city, 
to  ask  alms,  is  no  uncommon  sight.  But  the  Jews  were  com- 
manded  so  to  relieve  their  poor  brethren,  that,  if  they  had 
acted  up  to  the  spirit  of  their  religion,  no  beggars  would  have 
been  seen  in  their  streets.  None  are  more  entitled  to  effectual 
relief  than  those  who  are  needy,  in  consequence  of  being  born 
blind.  Our  asylums  for  the  blind  have  the  strongest  claims 
on  our  patronage ;  because  they  teach  these  afflicted  persons 
to  earn  their  bread  by  honest  labour,  which  promotes  happi- 
ness and  morals,  both  which  are  injured,  if  not  destroyed,  by 
mendicity. 

But  here  we  have  another  of  the  melancholy  spectacles  pre- 
sented to  this  world,  through  our  first  father's  fall:  a  man  born 
blind !  Those  who  have  once  enjoyed  sight  may  cheer  them- 
selves, by  recalling  the  objects  they  formerly  beheld  ;  and  if 
this  must  be  accompanied  with  regrets,  they  will  be  over- 
balanced by  advantages  and  enjoyments.  But,  to  be  un- 
able to  form  even  a  conception  of  what  light,  or  colours, 
or  forms  mean,  must  leave  the  man  in  a  dreary  state.  Yet, 
even  this  is  bliss,  compared  with  the  mental  and  religious 
state  of  those  who  "  have  the  understanding  darkened,  being 
alienated  from  the  life  of  God  through  the  ignorance  that  is 
in  them,  because  of  the  blindness  of  their  heart."  * 

2.  The  question  of  the  disciples  next  occurs. 
But  are  you  not  surprised  to  hear  them  say,  "  who  did  sin, 
this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born  blind  J"  Were  the 
disciples  tinged,  or  tainted  rather,  with  the  heathen  doctrine 
of  the  transmigration  of  souls,  so  as  to  suppose  that  the  soul 
of  this  man  had  been  formerly  in  another  body,  and  for  the 
*  Ephes.  iv.  18. 


60  LECTURE    LVll. 

sins  then  committed,  had  been  sent  into  this  world  again,  in  a 
blind  body?  But,  as  the  Pharisees  are  said  to  have  enter- 
tained the  notion,  that  some  men  are  born  into  the  world  more 
deeply  affected  by  the  fall  of  our  first  parent  than  others ;  the 
disciples  might  design  to  ask  their  Master,  if  this  were  true  or 
not.  Their  inquiry  concerning  the  parents'  sin,  however,  in- 
timates, that  they  supposed  some  offence,  of  which  the  father 
and  mother  were  guilty,  might  have  been  punished  by  this 
calamity  with  which  their  cliild  vas  sent  into  the  world.  God 
has  said,  "  I  visit  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  chil- 
dren, even  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  them  that 
hate  me."  But  while  we  naturally  feel,  with  the  disciples,  a 
curiosity  concerning  the  judgments  of  God,  we  should  remem- 
ber, with  David,  that  they  "  are  a  great  deep,"  and  that  God's 
footsteps  here  are  past  finding  out.  We  should  be  especially 
tender  of  the  character  of  individuals,  and  beware  of  inter- 
preting calamities  as  a  proof  that  the  greatest  sufferers  are 
sinners  above  all  others. 

This  strange  question  elicited, 

3.   Our  Lord's  answer. 

"  Neither  has  this  man  sinned,  nor  his  parents."  Taken  in 
the  most  naked  way,  these  words  would  contradict  the  divine 
sentence,  "  All  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God."  But  we  may  prove  any  thing  we  please,  if  we  disre- 
gard the  connection  in  which  words  stand,  and  the  design  of 
the  speaker.  Our  Lord  answered  the  question  of  the  disciples, 
concerning  the  reason  why  this  man  was  born  blind,  by  in- 
forming them,  that  it  was  no  peculiar  depravity  of  nature  in 
the  man,  nor  any  particular  sin  committed  by  his  parents;  but 
a  design  to  glorify  Christ,  by  affording  an  opportunity  for  the 
miracle  which  he  was  about  to  work.  Instead,  therefore,  of 
a  judgment,  the  man's  blindness  proved  a  privilege,  by  ren- 
dering him  a  subject  of  the  Saviour's  power  and  grace,  and  a 
witness  to  the  truth  of  his  divine  mission.  While  we  are 
weeping  over  our  own  calamities,  or  those  of  our  children,  how 
know  we  that  the  greatest  honour  or  felicity  of  our  house  may 
be  concealed  under  this  disguise? 


THE    CUUE    OF    THE    MAN    hORN     BLIND.  61 

Our  Saviour,  then,  girds  himself  to  the  mighty  deed  of 
mercy,  uttering  a  sentence  which  should  continually  sound  u 
our  ears,  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while 
it  is  day:  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work.  As  long 
as  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  light  of  the  world."  The 
bodily  presence  of  Christ  upon  earth  afforded  light  to  every 
blind  man  that  applied  for  cure,  and  thus  sealed  the  truth  of 
those  instructions,  by  which  he  poured  the  light  of  eternal 
truth  upon  the  benighted  mind.  But  he  has  promised  to  be 
with  his  church,  to  the  end  of  the  world  ;  and  it  is  his  pre- 
sence that  renders  Zion,  what  Goshen  was  to  Israel  of  old, 
a  region  of  light,  amidst  a  world  that  lies  in  Egyptian  dark- 
ness. 

The  mode  of  working  the  miracle  was  peculiar.  We  can- 
not perceive  that  this  man  asked  our  Lord  to  restore  him  to 
sight,  which  he  perhaps  was  prevented  from  doing  by  the  very 
blindness  itself.  He  did  not  see  Christ  when  he  came  by.  It 
may  be  thought  that  the  conversation  between  Jesus  and  the 
disciples  might  have  informed  the  blind  man  who  it  was  that 
stood  near  him ;  but  we  are  not  sure  that  the  Saviour's  party 
was  sufficiently  near  to  be  heard.  Happily,  however,  Christ 
was  not  blind.  He  beheld  the  poor  man,  with  an  eye  of  pity, 
and  proceeded  to  grant  relief;  for  be  is  often  found  of  them 
that  sought  him  not.  Let  us  trace  the  progress  of  the  miracle, 
step  by  step. 

The  first  step  was  this:  "Christ  spat  on  the  ground,  and 
made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
man  with  the  clay."  This  action  would,  by  its  own  natural 
effect,  rather  blind  a  man  that  could  see,  than  cure  one  that 
was  blind.  By  which  Christ  taught  men,  that  he,  who  could 
cure  by  these  means,  could  have  produced  the  same  effect, 
without  any  means.  Some  of  the  ancients  have  supposed, 
that  the  man  was  blind  because  his  eye-balls  never  were 
formed,  or  had  afterwards  perished,  and  that  Christ  produced 
this  part  of  the  frame  out  of  the  clay,  as  God  at  first  made  man 
from  the  dust  of  the  earth.  To  be  thus  wise  above  what  is 
written,  is  great  folly. 


()'i  LECTURE    LVIl. 

The  second  step  in  the  cure  was,  our  Lord's  sending  the 
man  to  the  pool  of  Siloam,  to  wash.  This  pool  seems  to  have 
been  the  same  as  is  referred  to,  in  the  book,  of  Nehemiah. 
"  Then  I  went  on  to  the  gate  of  the  fountain,  and  to  the  king's 
pool ;  but  there  was  no  place  for  the  beast  that  was  under  me 
to  pass.  Then  went  I  up  in  the  night  by  the  brook,  and 
viewed  the  wall,  and  turned  back,  and  entered  by  the  gate  of 
the  valley,  and  so  returned."*  The  pool  was  supplied  from  a 
spring  that  rose  at  the  foot  of  mount  Zion,  and  gave  the 
western  entrance  to  Jerusalem  the  name  of  the  fountain  gate, 
or  the  gate  of  Gihon,  or  Siloam  .f 

Jerom  says,  "  the  waters  issued  from  a  rock  ;"  and  when 
the  Evangelist  observes,  that  the  name  of  the  pool  signifies 
"  Sent,"  he  reminds  us,  that  the  waters  were  sent  forth  from 
the  rock,  by  the  hand  of  God.  These  streams,  being  too 
precious  to  be  suffered  to  run  to  waste,  were  collected  into 
two  pools,  called  the  upper  and  the  lower.  Isaiah  was  com- 
manded to  meet  king  Hezekiah  by  the  way  of  the  upper  pool ; 
and,  to  the  same  prophet,  God  said  of  Israel,  "  because  this 
people  refuse  the  waters  of  Siloah,  which  flow  softly,"  (reject- 
ing the  house  of  David  that  reigned  mildly  on  Zion,  whence 
this  spring  arose;)  "T  will  bring  upon  them  the  waters  of 
the  river,  (Euphrates,)  strong  and  many,  even  the  king  of 
Assyria."  By  sending  the  blind  man  to  this  pool,  where  mul- 
titudes of  people  were  usually  collected,  and  whither  he  was 
perhaps  conducted  by  some  guide  who  could  testify  that  it 
was  Jesus  who  sent  them  there,  our  Lord  provided  witnesses 
to  the  truth,  and  heralds  to  publish  the  glory  of  the  miracle. 

The  third  step  was,  that  "  the  man  went  and  washed,  and 
came  back  seeing  his  way."  The  prompt  obedience  of  the 
subject  of  this  merciful  change,  and  his  subsequent  conduct 
and  conversation,  induce  us  to  hope,  that  a  miracle  of  divine 
illumination  had  been  wrought  upon  his  soul.  He  was,  there- 
fore, saved  from  imitating  Naaman,  and  saying,  "  I  thought 
the  prophet  would  have  put  his  hands  upon  my  eyes,  and  I 

*  Nehem.  ii.  14,  15. 

t  The  words  Gihon  and  Siloam  both  express  the  rushing  forth  of  the  waters. 


THE    CURE    OF    THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND.  G3 

should  instantly  have  been  restored  to  sight.  What  means  this 
strange  process  he  is  now  adopting,  which  looks  so  like  leger- 
demain ?  And  if  I  must  go  and  wash,  may  not  any  other 
water  do  as  well  ?  Is  not  this  sending  me  away  to  a  certain 
pool,  a  mere  contrivance  to  afford  him  an  opportunity  to 
escape,  that  I  may  not  reproach  him  for  my  disappoint- 
ment?" 

But,  happily  for  this  man,  away  he  goes,  at  Christ's  bidding, 
to  the  pool,  where  he  washes  away,  not  merely  the  clay  from 
his  eye-lids,  but  the  blindness  from  his  eye-balls.  So  prompt 
was  the  miracle,  and  so  simply  is  it  related,  or  rather  implied, 
that  it  reminds  us  of  Caesar's  celebrated  laconic  epistle,  which 
the  man  might  have  imitated,  by  saying,  "  I  came,  I  washed, 
I  saw."  And  what  a  sight  it  must  have  been !  The  water  of 
the  pool  probably  first  presented  itself  to  his  eyes,  as  he  held 
them  over  the  basin  to  wash.  What  a  beautiful  object  must 
clear  spring  water  have  appeared  to  a  man  who  had  never 
before  seen  or  conceived  of  such  a  sight !  Then  his  own  coun- 
tenance, reflected  as  from  a  polished  mirror,  and  the  eyes  that 
had  just  been  opened,  and  which,  flashing  their  light  upon  the 
waters,  saw  it  reflected  back  again  !  Who  can  describe,  or 
even  imagine,  with  what  emotions  a  man  must,  for  the  first 
time,  behold  a  human  face,  and  that  face  his  own  ? 

When  it  is  said,  "  he  came  seeing,"  we  are  reminded  of  the 
completeness  of  his  restoration  to  sight,  which  those  who  best 
understand  the  nature  of  vision  will  most  admire.  It  is,  by 
long  experience,  through  the  aid  of  other  senses,  that  we 
learn  to  use  our  sight.  What  we  suppose  to  be  the  mere 
faculty  of  seeing,  is  a  very  complex  affair,  a  combination  of 
sight  and  other  senses,  and  various  associations  of  ideas  and 
efforts  of  intellect.  But  the  same  power  which  operated  on 
this  man's  eyes  must  have  wrought  a  miracle  on  his  mind,  to 
give  him,  in  a  moment,  the  same  advantage  from  sight,  which 
we  acquire  by  a  long  process.  In  this  perfect  enjoyment  of 
the  faculty  of  vision,  the  man  came  to  see  his  benefactor,  but 
Jesus  was  gone. 

III.  The  consequences  that  followed  upon  this  miracle  now 
present  themselves  to  notice. 


(;4  LECTURE    L\  II. 

Few  of  the  miracles  of  our  Lord  produced  effects  so  strik- 
ing ;  and  never  w  as  there  so  grand  a  dispUiy  of  the  force  of 
tiuth,  and  its  triumphs  over  sophistry  and  malice.  Never  did 
sin  more  terribly  display  its  malignant  opposition  to  Christ. 

1.  The  minor  effects  of  this  miracle.     These  are  as  follows. 

The  contest  between  the  neighbours  and  the  man  that  had 
been  blind. 

"  The  neighbours,  therefore,  and  they  who  had  seen  him, 
that  he  was  blind,  said,  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged?" 
The  neighbours  were  those  who  lived  near  the  spot  where  the 
man  sat,  and  who  must  have  had  constant  opportunities  of 
seeing  him  ;  and  when,  in  addition,  the  Evangelist  mentions 
those  who  saw,  he  points  out  such  as,  whenever  they  passed 
that  way,  noticed  him,  "  because  he  was  a  beggar,"  which  is 
Griesbacli's  reading,  instead  of  the  words,  "  saw  that  he  was 
blind."  A  public  beggar  naturally  attracted  that  notice  which 
we  see  attendant  on  this  miracle.  But,  when  it  was  asked,  how 
the  blind  beggar  came  to  see,  some  doubted,  whether  the  per- 
son they  beheld  were  really  the  same  they  used  to  notice  here, 
asking  alms,  or  only  one  very  like  him ;  while  others  expressed 
their  certainty  that  it  was  the  very  man  himself. 

He,  however,  decided  the  case  by  saying,  "I  am  he."  The 
spectators,  then,  naturally  inquired.  How  were  thine  eyes 
opened  ?  And  when  he  related  the  whole  process,  they  were 
induced  to  ask,  "AVhere  is  he  that  wrought  this  wonder  r'  To 
which  the  subject  of  the  cure  could  only  reply, "  I  know  not;" 
for  Jesus  had  walked  away,  before  the  man  could  return  from 
the  pool,  to  pay  his  thanks  to  his  benefactor. 

Between  the  Pharisees  and  the  subject  of  the  miracle  a 
contest  arose. 

For  they  brought  the  man  to  the  Pharisees;  which  augured 
ill  for  the  result  of  the  investigation.  "  It  was  on  the  sabbath 
day,  when  Jesus  made  the  clay  to  anoint  the  man's  eyes,"  and 
the  superstitious  Jews,  fancying  that  the  sabbath  was  violated 
by  this  act,  brought  the  question  into  a  partial  court.  When 
the  Pharisees  pursued  a  similar  train  of  inquiry  into  the  nature 
of  the  miracle,  and  the  man  born  blind  returned  the  same 
.simple  ingenuous  answers,  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that 


THE    CURE    OF    THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND.  65 

Jesus  could  not  be  of  God,  notwithstanding  the  divine  power 
had  exerted  itself  by  him,  because  he  kept  not  the  sabbath. 
Yet  all  were  not  so  completely  abandoned  to  prejudice,  as  to 
be  satisfied  with  this  conclusion;  and  some  naturally  asked, 
"  How  can  a  man  that  is  a  sinner  do  such  miracles?"  There 
was,  therefore,  a  schism  among-  the  Pharisees.  For  this  is  the 
scriptural  idea  of  schism,  a  rent  or  division,  in  a  body  which 
still  appears  one,  though  divided  in  opinion  and  feeling.  As 
the  two  parties  could  not  agree,  what  should  be  said  of  the 
case,  and  could  obtain  nothing  from  the  man  once  blind,  but 
a  confirmation  of  his  former  narrative,  or  an  expression  of  his 
conviction  that  his  benefactor  was  a  prophet ;  they  affected  to 
doubt  the  reality  of  the  miracle,  till  they  called  the  man's 
parents.     This  led  to 

The  contest  between  the  parents  of  the  man  and  the  Pha- 
risees. 

To  these  poor  people,  the  proud  sectaries  put  three  ques- 
tions together,  as  if  they  insidiously  designed  to  puzzle  the 
simplicity  of  the  father  and  mother.  "  Is  this  your  son,  who 
ye  say  was  born  blind?  How  then  doth  he  now  see?"  The 
parents,  however,  like  their  son,  show  the  superiority  of  simple 
truth  over  learned  sophistry.  To  the  question,  Is  this  your 
son?  they  answer,  "  We  know  that  this  is  our  son;"  to  the 
query.  Do  you  say  he  was  born  blind?  they  reply,  "We 
know,  too,  that  he  was  born  blind;"  but  to  the  grand  question. 
How  then  doth  he  now  see?  .they  only  said,  "  We  know  not; 
and  who  hath  opened  his  eyes  we  know  not.  He  is  of  age, 
ask  him;  he  shall  speak  for  himself."  It  can  scarcely  be 
imagined,  that  the  man  had  not  told  his  parents  the  miracu- 
lous story;  unless  we  suppose  that  the  Jews  led  away  the  man 
immediately  to  the  Pharisees,  and  ktpt  the  parents  and  their 
child  apart,  that  they  might  not  contrive  together  a  story 
which  should  baffle  all  cross-examination.  If  this  were  the 
case,  the  effort  to  procure  detection  served  only  to  manifest 
the  truth.  Yet,  in  the  examination,  it  must  have  come  out, 
tliat  Jesus  had  wrought  the  cure,  and  it  was  through  fear  that 
the  parents  so  cautiously  avoided  expressing  any  opinion  on 
the  subject;  because  the  Jews  had  agreed  already,  that  if  any 

VOL. IL  F 


66  LECTURE    LVII. 

confessed  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ,  he  should  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue,  or  excommunicated  from  the  Jewish  church. 
Timidity,  as  well  as  caution,  grows  with  age ;  and  the  parents 
threw  upon  their  son  the  whole  burthen  of  defending  Jesus, 
the  benefactor  of  their  blind  child.     This  again  produced 

The  second  contest  between  the  man  born  blind  and  the 
Pharisees. 

The  ruling  sect  cover  their  malice  with  an  hypocritical  mask 
of  piety,  saying,  "Give  glory  to  God."  Whether  they  meant 
to  imitate  Joshua,  who,  by  this  expression,  called  upon  Achan 
to  confess  the  truth;  or  whether  they  designed  to  say,  "  thank 
God  for  your  sight,  even  though  given  by  the  hands  of  the 
devil,"  we  cannot  ascertain.  Perhaps  they  intended  to  be  equi- 
vocal. They  declare  roundly,  however,  that  Christ  was  a  sin- 
ner. To  which  the  poor  man,  with  admirable  spirit  and  intel- 
ligence, replies,  "  I  don't  know  that  he  is  a  sinner  ;  but  I  do 
know  one  thing,  that  I,  who  was  blind,  now  see."  This  keen 
stroke  so  cut  them  to  the  quick,  that  they  felt  themselves  com- 
pelled to  appear  to  seek  for  further  information.  But  the  man 
saw  through  them,  and  said,  "  I  have  told  you,  before,  all  about 
the  miracle,  and  you  have  not  hearkened.  Do  you  wish  to 
hear  it  again,  that  you  also  may  be  his  disciples  I "  The  most 
mortifying  query  that  could  have  been  proposed  to  those  bitter 
and  determined  enemies  of  Jesus  !  They,  therefore,  retort, 
with  bitterness,  "  Thou  art  this  man's  disciple."  What  won- 
der that  the  benefactor  should  be  chosen  as  an  instructor? 
**  But  we  are  Moses'  disciples,  for  we  know  that  God  spoke 
to  Moses."  How?  Because  Moses  wrought  miracles?  And 
did  not  Jesus  I  "  But  we  know  not,"  say  they,  "  whence 
Jesus  is." 

This  enabled  the  poor  man  to  say,  "  Now  herein  is  a  mar- 
vellous thing,  that  you  know  nothing  of  the  man  that  has 
opened  my  eyes,  such  a  miracle  as  we  have  never  heard  of, 
since  the  beginning  of  the  world."  There  was  no  meeting 
this,  with  reasoning,  and,  therefore,  the  enemies  resorted  to 
railing  and  persecution :  "■  Thou  wast  altogether  born  in  sin, 
and  dost  thou  teach  us  ?  And  they  cast  him  out."  It  is,  how- 
ever, the  greatest    honour  that  can  be  conferred  u])on  us,  to 


THE    CURE    OF    THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND.  67 

be,  for  the  open  confession  of  the  truth,  cast  out  of  a  corrupt 
church. 

Jesus  now  consoled  the  child  of  persecution ;  for  when  he 
heard  that  the  man  had  been  cast  out,  and  made  an  outlaw, 
the  Saviour  found  him,  in  the  temple,  probably  paying  his 
grateful  vows  to  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  said  to  him, 
"  Dost  thou  believe  in  the  Son  of  God?"  When  persecuted 
for  righteousness'  sake,  it  becomes  us  to  inquire.  Do  I  possess 
that  for  which  I  am  supposed  to  suffer?  Jesus  replied  to  the 
man's  inquiry,  concerning  the  Son  of  God,  "Who  is  he,  Lord, 
that  I  might  believe  on  him?"  by  a  more  explicit  declaration 
than  he  almost  ever  made:  "  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  it 
is  he  that  talketh  with  thee."  With  what  eagerness  must  this 
man  have  employed  his  newly  acquired  sight,  by  gazing  upon 
him  who  gave  it,  and  who  could  utter  such  words  of  himself ! 
**  Lord,  I  believe,"  said  the  astonished  and  delighted  man, 
while  he  worshipped  his  mighty  benefactor.  Go  thou,  and  do 
likewise. 

Others,  alas  !  acted  a  very  different  part ;  for  we  have  to 
comment  on, 

2.  The  more  important  consequence  of  this  miracle,  the 
attempt  to  stone  Christ  as  a  blasphemer. 

After  our  Lord  knew,  that  the  Jews  had  determined  to  ex- 
communicate all  those  who  owned  him  as  Messiah,  and  that 
they  had  cast  out  the  man  whom  he  had  restored  to  sight;  in- 
stead of  retiring  from  the  guilty  city,  he  entered  into  the 
temple,  as  soon  as  the  feast  of  dedication  appeared  to  render 
it  a  duty.  This  was  in  the  winter.  The  tabernacle  of  Moses 
was  set  up  in  the  spring;  the  temple  of  Solomon  was  dedi- 
cated in  autumn ;  its  rebuilding  was  completed  by  Zerubbabel 
in  February  ;  but,  after  Antiochus  Epiphanes  had  converted 
it  into  a  temple  of  Jvipiter,  Judas  Maccabeus  restored  it  to 
the  worship  of  Jehovah,  and  held  a  solemn  feast  of  purifica- 
tion, or  rededication,  on  the  twentieth  of  the  month  Caslew, 
which  corresponds  to  the  early  part  of  our  December.  This 
event  was  afterwards  celebrated  by  an  annual  feast,  with  great 
solemnity.*  In  consequence,  therefore,  of  the  season,  Jesus 
*  1  Mace.  iv.  44. 

f2 


68  LECTURE    LVII. 

walked  in  the  porch  of  the  temple,  or  covered  way.  This  was 
called  Solomon's,  because  it  was  built  in  imitation  of  the  one 
which  that  kin^  is  said  to  have  constructed,  in  front  of  his 
celebrated  temple.* 

The  first  attempt  to  stone  the  Saviour,  in  this  place,  we 
shall  now  consider. 

This  was  occasioned  by  the  question  of  the  Jews,  "  How 
long  dost  thou  make  us  to  doubt  ?  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell 
us  plainly."  As  if  they  were  much  distressed  by  uncertainty, 
or  Jesus  had  never  been  sufficiently  explicit !  But,  unhappy 
men  !  when  the  Lord  spake  openly  of  himself,  they  only  said, 
"  Thou  bearest  witness  of  thyself,  thy  witness  is  not  true." 

Yet  the  Saviour  enters  meekly  into  discourse  with  them.  I 
have  told  you.  How?  Where?  Many  times  he  had  said  what 
includes  a  declaration  of  his  Messiahship  ;  especially  when  he 
said,  "  I  am  the  good  shepherd,"  For  in  that  celebrated  pro- 
phecy of  Isaiah,  where  the  forerunner  of  Christ  is  announced, 
as  a  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness,  "  Prepare  ye  the  way  of 
the  Lord,"  our  Saviour  is  next  proclaimed  as  following  :  "  The 
Lord  shall  come  with  strong  hand,  and  shall  feed  his  flock  like 
a  shepherd."  But,  says  our  Saviour,  "  when  I  told  you  I 
was  the  good  shepherd,  whom  the  voice  of  John  in  the  wil- 
derness proclaimed,  ye  believed  not;  because  ye  are  not  of 
my  sheep,  as  I  said  unto  you.  My  sheep  hear  my  voice." 

The  Saviour's  claim  to  almighty  power  was  the  next  thing 
that  gave  occasion  to  this  attempt  on  his  life. 

The  very  existence  of  all  the  attributes  of  Deity  is  taught 
by  Scripture,  not  in  a  cold  abstract  way,  but  embodied  in  some 
history  or  duty ;  as  when  the  Bible  opens  with  saying,  "  In 
the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth ;"  so  the 
omnipotence  of  the  Saviour  is  here  declared,  in  connection 
with  his  care,  as  the  good  shepherd,  to  keep  his  sheep.  The 
Jews  had  lately  excommunicated  the  man  born  blind,  for 
honestly  ownuig  Christ.  But  Jesus  here  declares,  that  though 
the  rulers  of  the  nation  had  cast  out  the  poor  man  from  their 
church,  none  was  able  to  pluck  the  chosen  sheep  froi^i  the 
hands  of  the  good  shepherd.  To  prove  this,  he  goes  on  to 
*  1  Kiiiffs  vi.  3. 


THE    CURE    OF    THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND.  69 

^ay,  what  he  was  certain  they  would  admit,  that  the  Father 
was  greater  than  all  the  world,  and  none  could  pluck  any  one 
out  of  the  Father's  hands. 

The  Jews,  however,  he  knew,  were  disposed  to  reply, 
"  Though  your  premises  are  good,  your  conclusion  does  not 
follow ;  for  if  the  Father  is  almighty,  it  does  not  follow  that 
you  are  ;  and  if  the  sheep  are  kept  by  the  Father's  hand,  they 
are  not  indebted  to  yours  for  their  security."  This  Jesus  an- 
ticipates, by  saying,  "  I  and  my  Father  are  one." 

The  opponents  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  say,  that  this  means 
no  more  than  identity  of  counsel  and  design.  This,  however, 
taken  in  the  most  absolute  sense,  includes  Deity  ;  for  what 
mere  creature  can  say,  he  and  the  Deity  are  one  in  intention  ? 
But,  in  an  inferior  sense,  in  which  any  good  man  may  say, 
"  he  has  one  counsel  and  design"  with  God,  how  would  it  answer 
the  Saviour's  purpose,  which  was  to  prove  the  security  of  his 
sheep  ?  The  argument  of  the  Redeemer,  however,  requires 
that  we  should  understand  him  to  mean,  not  merely  one  in 
counsel  and  will,  but  one  in  power  and  being  ;  for  he  is  proving 
that  none  can  pluck  the  sheep  from  his  hands,  by  showing  that 
no  one  can  pluck  them  from  his  Father's  hands,  which  would 
be  no  proof  at  all,  unless  he  and  the  Father  were  one  in  essence 
and  power.  That  the  Jews  who  heard  him,  in  their  own  tongue, 
with  all  the  advantages  of  the  living  voice,  understood  him 
thus,  we  know  from  what  followed. 

They  took  up  stones  to  stone  him.  We  have  seen  them 
attempt  this  before.  But  as  Jesus  then  hid  himself  from  them, 
by  divine  power,  so  now  he  seems  to  hold  them  entranced, 
by  the  spirit  with  which  he  appealed  to  them.  "  Many  good 
works  have  I  showed  you  ! "  What  a  host  should  have  rushed 
upon  their  recollection  at  this  appeal !  How  many  blind  re- 
stored to  sight  !  How  many  sick  healed  !  How  many  lepers 
cleansed  !  How  many  demoniacs  delivered  !  What  starving 
thousands  fed  !  And  to  these  we  may  add,  more  than  one 
dead  person  raised  to  life.  All  these  should  have  convinced 
the  Jews,  that  if  Christ  spoke  great  things,  he  did  great  things, 
and  proved  his  words  by  his  works.     That  they  needed  not  to 


70  LECTURE    LVII. 

have  been  alarmed  for  the  Father's  honour,  he  shows,  by  ob- 
serving, that  he  had  shown  them  these  works  from  the  Father ; 
that  he  had  always  consulted  the  Father's  honour  in  them  ; 
and  that  the  Father  had  shown  he  had  intrusted  his  honour  to 
the  Saviour's  hands,  by  which  he  had  wrought  such  works  ; 
and  that  the  works  proved  he  and  the  Father  were  one. 
What  a  cutting  appeal  was  it,  then,  when  he  said,  "  for 
which  of  these  works  do  ye  stone  me  1 "  This,  however,  only 
led  to 

The  second  attempt  to  destroy  Christ. 

**  For  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not,"  they  cry.  And  is 
this  all  they  say  about  his  good  works  ?  Yes ;  though  they 
might  have  said  as  much,  to  the  vilest  blasphemer  that  ever 
was  stoned  to  death.  Had  his  appeal  acted,  as  it  must  have 
done  upon  a  heart  rightly  disposed,  it  would  have  proved  a 
sword  anointed  with  balm,  at  once  to  wound  and  heal,  con- 
vincing them  of  their  sin,  and  curing  them  of  their  rage.  They 
would  then  have  answered,  "many,  and  good,  indeed,  have  been 
thy  works."  But,  passing  by  all  these,  they  charge  him  with 
blasphemy.  "  For  this  we  stone  thee,  that  thou,  being  a  man, 
makest  thyself  God."  The  Saviour  had  not,  on  this  occasion, 
called  himself  by  the  name  of  God.  But  they  considered  his 
argument,  as  implying  claim  to  Deity,  evidently  taking  it  in 
the  sense  for  which  I  have  pleaded.  This  to  the  Jews  appeared 
blasphemy.  They  saw  that  Christ  was  a  man.  But  were  they 
justified  in  concluding,  that  he,  therefore,  could  not  be  God  I 
Had  they  not  been  prepared  for  other  conclusions,  if  they  had 
duly  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  the  prophets,  from  whom  all 
their  ideas  of  divine  truth  should  have  been  derived  ?  Had 
not  Isaiah  said,  "  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is 
given,  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulders,  and 
his  name  shall  be  called  wonderful  counsellor,  mighty  God, 
everlasting  father,  prince  of  peace  ?"  Had  not  Micah  said, 
"  Out  of  thee,  Bethlehem  Ephrata,  shall  come  forth  a  ruler 
in  Israel,  whose  goings  forth  have  been  of  old,  from  everlast- 
ing ? "  From  these  and  other  passages  in  their  own  Scriptures, 
they  might  have  known,  that  it  was  no  proof  of  blasphemy. 


THE    CURE    OF    THE    MAN     BORN    BLIND.  71 

that  one,  who  was  evidently  a  man,  called  himself  God.  The 
only  question  with  them,  then,  should  have  been,  is  this  the 
person,  of  whom  the  prophets  spake,  as  at  once  God  and  man? 
This  would  have  been  decided  in  Christ's  favour,  by  those 
works  to  which  he  appealed,  and  which  they  had  not  dared  to 
deny.     He  defends  himself  by  an  appeal  to  Scripture. 

"  Jesus  answered  them,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said, 
ye  are  gods?  If  he  called  them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word 
of  God  came,  and  the  Scripture  cannot  be  broken ;  say  ye  of 
him,  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the 
world.  Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of 
God?"* 

It  has  been  asserted,  by  those  who  deny  Christ's  'divinity, 
that  he  here  argues,  that  many  are  called  gods,  in  the  Greek, 
without  the  article  ;  though  only  one  being  can  be  called  The 
Deity,  with  the  article.  But  this  supposes,  that  Christ  and  the 
Jews  spoke  Greek.  On  the  contrary,  they  conversed  in  Syriac, 
in  which  this  distinction,  arising  from  the  use  or  omission  of  the 
article,  does  not  exist ;  for  it  has  no  article. 

Nor,  in  the  Greek,  can  this  view  of  the  Saviour's  argument 
be  made  to  appear.  For,  if  the  omission  of  the  article  were 
that  on  which  the  Saviour  founded  his  justification  of  the  use 
of  the  word  God  ;  how  is  it  that  the  Evangelist,  writing  in 
Greek  what  was  said  in  Syriac,  omits  the  article,  when  he 
reports  the  Jews'  charge  of  blasphemy,  saying,  "  thou  that  art 
a  man  makest  thyself  God?"  Nor,  indeed,  had  Christ  any 
occasion  to  argue  on  the  use  of  the  word  God  at  all,  whether 
with  or  without  the  article ;  for  he  had  not  called  himself  God, 
in  the  course  of  this  debate. 

He  evidently,  therefore,  does  not  employ  any  such  verbal 
criticism,  though  at  first  he  may  seem  to  do  so,  but  pleads  upon 
a  grander  scale  for  his  right  to  claim  Deity  ;  because  the  very 
delegates,  or  representatives  of  himself,  are  in  Scripture  called 
gods,  only  because  of  their  relation  to  him. 

This  appeal  is  to  the  eighty-second  Psalm. 

"  God  standeth  in  the  congregation  of  the  mighty;  he 
*    lolm  X.  34 — 36. 


72  LECTURE    LVII. 

judgeth  among  the  gods.  I  have  said,  Ye  are  gods  ;  and  all 
of  you  are  children  of  the  Most  High.  But  ye  shall  die  like 
men,  and  fall  like  one  of  the  princes."  * 

The  Saviour  has  been  said,  by  some,  to  argue,  that  prophets 
were  of  old  called  gods,  because  the  word  of  God  came  to 
them  by  divine  inspiration,  and  therefore,  Christ,  as  a  great 
prophet,  might  call  himself  God.  But  it  is  quite  contrary  to 
Scripture  and  reason,  to  call  prophets  gods.  When  Moses 
was  said  to  be  made  a  god  to  Pharaoh,  Aaron  is  said  to  be 
Moses's  prophet,  carefully  distinguishing  the  god  from  the 
prophet.  Judges  only,  who  sat  in  God's  name,  to  exercise  a 
right  to  decide  upon  life,  are  in  Scripture  called  gods.  It  is 
to  these  God  speaks  in  the  Psalm,  saying,  "  do  ye  judge  up- 
rightly ? "  And  the  Psalm  alludes  to  their  being,  in  the  law, 
called  gods,f  "  I  said,  Ye  are  gods." 

The  Saviour's  argument  then  is,  "  they  who  merely  acted 
in  the  name  of  God,  as  judges,  are  called  gods,  and  sons  of  the 
Most  High ;  because  they  bore  some  faint  resemblance  to  the 
authority  of  the  Son  of  God,  whom  the  Father  has  now  sanc- 
tified, and  sent  into  the  world,  to  act  as  supreme  judge  ;  and 
do  ye  say.  Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of 
God?" 

Then,  appealing  to  his  works  in  support  of  his  claims,  he 
said,  "  If  I  do  not  the  works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not ; 
that  is,  do  not  believe  that  I  and  the  Father  are  one,  if  ye  do 
not  see  me  perform  such  works  as  prove  this.  But  if  I  do, 
though  ye  believe  not  me,  believe  the  works,  that  ye  may  know 
and  believe  that  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  am  in  him." 

The  language  of  the  Saviour,  on  this  occasion,  is  similar  to 
that  which  he  delivered,  when  among  his  disciples.  "  Philip 
saith  unto  him.  Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us. 
Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and 
yet  hast  thou  not  known  me,  Philip  ?  He  that  hath  seen  me 
hath  seen  the  Father ;  and  how  sayest  thou  then.  Show  us  the 
Father  t  Believest  thou  not  that  1  am  in  the  Father,  and  the 
Father  in  me  ?  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  I  speak  not 
*  Psalm  Ixxxii.  1,  li,  7.  f  Exod.  xxi.  6. — xxii.  28. 


THE    CURE    OF    THE    MAN    BORN    BLIND.  73 

of  myself :  but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the 
works.  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  me  :  or  else  believe  me  for  the  very  works'  sake."  * 

The  Jews,  understanding  the  Saviour  to  persist  in  asserting, 
that  he  and  the  Father  were  one,  in  power  and  existence,  at- 
tempted to  seize  him,  that  they  might  destroy  him  as  a  blas- 
phemer. But  he  again  escaped  from  their  hands  :  by  what 
means  we  know  not. 

Thus  ended  the  third  year  of  our  Lord's  public  ministry. 
For,  after  this,  he  retired  for  a  time,  and  we  shall  now  have 
to  trace  his  progress  by  more  minute  steps,  until  they  terminate 
at  the  cross. 

*  Johnxiv.  8 — 11. 


74 


LECTURE  LVIII. 

CHRIST'S    RETIREMENT    TO    PEREA,    AND    HEROD'S 
THREATS. 

*JoHN  X.  40—42. 
Luke  xiii.  23 — 35. 

*  And  went  away" again  beyond  Jordan   into  the  place  where  John  at  hrsi 
baptized  ;  and  there  he  abode. 

W  ERE  none  of  my  auditors  ever  struck  with  the  resemblance 
between  this  part  of  the  biography  of  the  head  of  the  church, 
and  that  section  of  the  prophetic  history  of  the  church  itself 
which  is  given  in  the  Revelation  ?  "  She  fled  into  the  wilder- 
ness, where  she  hath  a  place  prepared  of  God,  that  they  should 
feed  her  there  for  a  time.  And  the  serpent  cast  out  of  his 
mouth  water  as  a  flood,  after  her,  that  he  might  cause  her  to 
be  carried  away  of  the  flood."  We  have  to  meditate,  this 
morning,  on  the  retreat  of  the  Saviour  to  a  comparative  desert, 
Perea,  and  the  efforts  of  the  enemy,  which  followed  him  there. 

I.  The  retreat  to  Perea. 

This,  you  are  aware,  was  occasioned  by  the  attempt  which 
the  Jews  made  to  stone  him,  while  he  taught  in  the  temple. 
As  his  hour  was  not  yet  come,  he  withdrew  from  them,  and 
chose  a  place  of  retirement,  not  rest ;  for  here  his  labours  ob- 
tained signal  success. 

1.  The  place  of  Christ's  retirement  was  that  which  John  the 
Baptist  had  formerly  made  the  scene  of  his  ministry.  Being 
beyond  the  Jordan,  it  was  out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Sanhe- 
drim. The  Jews,  therefore,  who  most  hated  our  Lord,  could,  for 
a  time,  have  only  gnashed  their  teeth  at  prey  which  had  escaped 
^hoir  fangs.     But  the  great  advantage  of  this  district  lay,  in 


CHRIST'S    RETIREMENT    TO    PEREA.  75 

its  beinff  well  watered  with  the  streams  of  divine  doctrine, 
which  had  flowed  from  John,  as  from  a  spacious  pool. 
Though  the  holy  man  had  been  dead,  some  time,  and  his 
fame  too  seemed  dying,  yet,  "  the  righteous  are  in  everlasting 
remembrance;"  "their  leaf  shall  not  wither,"  and  the  seed 
sown  by  a  faithful  minister  shall  spring  up,  after  it  has  been 
supposed  to  have  perished  under  the  clods. 

Another  advantage  attended  this  spot  which  Christ  chose 
for  his  retreat.  He  had  himself  been  baptized  there,  by  John, 
and  had  received,  not  only  the  honourable  testimony  of  the 
forerunner,  but  also  the  higher  witness  from  heaven.  The 
Father  had  roused  the  world  to  behold  his  beloved  Son ;  and 
the  Spirit  had  descended,  in  a  visible  form,  and  rested  on  him, 
like  a  dove.  The  report  of  this  must  have  spread  through  all 
the  country,  and  have  produced  some  powerful  effects.  Thi- 
ther our  Lord  now  chose  to  retreat,  to  reap  a  harvest  which 
had  been  denied  to  him  in  Jerusalem,  the  proud  capital.  If 
the  city,  the  palace,  and  even  the  temple,  reject  the  Saviour 
and  his  religion ;  he  can  find  a  retreat  in  a  desert ;  and  of  the 
dwellers  in  the  wilderness,  which  seemed  mere  rocks  or  stones, 
he  can  raise  up  children  to  Abraham. 

2.  The  success  of  the  Saviour's  ministry  here  is  consoling  ; 
for  many  resorted  to  him  in  Perea. 

We  cannot  but  hope,  that  some  of  the  citizens  of  Jerusalem, 
when  they  heard  whither  Jesus  had  withdrawn,  followed  him ; 
preferring  even  the  desert  where  Christ  was,  to  the  splendid 
city  and  the  gorgeous  temple,  from  which  he  was  expelled. 
But  it  seems,  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  country,  the  Pereans 
themselves,  chiefly,  flocked  to  Christ.  They  argued  concern- 
ing John  the  Baptist,  who  used  to  labour  among  them,  and 
they  reasoned  thus :  "  John  wrought  no  miracle,  and  yet  we 
almost  thought  him  the  Messiah;  because  there  was  such 
evidence  of  the  holy,  mighty,  and  divine  Spirit  resting  on  him. 
We  cannot  doubt  that  he  was  a  prophet.  He  has,  indeed,  now 
sealed  the  truth  of  his  message  with  his  blood.  Then  how  can 
we  refuse  to  believe  in  Jesus  ?  Did  not  the  acknowledged 
prophet,  the  sainted  martyr,  bear  witness  to  this  man  of  Na- 
zareth, and  say,  ere  yet  the  second  prophet  made  his  appear- 


76  LECTURE    LVIIl. 

ance,  '  after  me  there  cometh  one  who  is  preferred  before  me, 
whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  carry  ? '  And  has  not  Jesus 
come,  just  as  John  predicted?  It  is  true  the  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees  have  rejected  this  holy  person,  who  now  fills  the 
land  with  his  miraculous  benefits ;  but  John  taught  us  what 
to  think  of  these  leaders  of  religion,  when  he  called  them  '  a 
generation  of  vipers,'  exposed  to  impending  wrath.  Can  we, 
then,  in  consistency  with  our  reception  of  John,  refuse  to  hail 
Jesus,  who  is  come  among  us,  as  the  great  Messiah,  Israel's 
hope  and  consolation  'i " 

Such  were  the  reasonings  which  led  to  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus,  and  such  were  the  fruits  of  John's  ministry,  after  he 
was  dead.  Thus  "  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall 
be  glad  for  them  ;  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as 
the  rose.  It  shall  blossom  abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with 
joy  and  singing :  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be  given  unto  it, 
the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon ;  they  shall  see  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  excellency  of  our  God.  Strengthen  ye 
the  weak  hands,  and  confirm  the  feeble  knees.  Say  to  them 
that  are  of  a  fearful  heart.  Be  strong,  fear  not :  behold,  your 
God  will  come  with  vengeance,  even  God  with  a  recompence : 
he  will  come  and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall 
be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped.  Then 
shall  the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the 
dumb  sing :  for  in  the  wilderness  shall  waters  break  out,  and 
streams  in  the  desert."* 

But  here  our  Lord  was  not  suffered  to  be  quiet;  for  as  we 
have  observed,  how  the  persecuting  dragon  was  said  to  follow 
the  church  into  the  wilderness,  so  we  have  to  notice  here, 

II.  Herod's  threat. 

Luke  informs  us,  indeed,  of  another  occurrence,  while 
Christ  was  in  Perea.  There  came  one  to  Jesus,  saying, 
"Lord,  are  there  few  that  shall  be  saved?"  This  question 
arose,  probably,  from  Christ's  leaving  the  capital  city,  and 
retiring  to  a  comparative  solitude.  That  mixture  of  motive 
which  makes  it  often  so  hard  to  know  what  to  think  of  a  man, 
or  how  to  deal  with  him,  may  have  attended  this  question. 
*  Isaiah  xxxv.  1 — 6. 


CHRISt'S    RETIREMENT    TO    PEREA.  77 

Some  portion  of  sneering  reflection,  I  suspect,  there  was  in  the 
query,  which  said,  "  If  thou  art  the  Saviour,  and  thy  ministry 
is,  like  that  of  John,  to  be  exercised  here,  there  will  be  few 
saved." 

But  there  may  have  been  also  some  real  solicitude,  to  know 
whether  it  would  be  safe  to  trust  to  one  who  seemed  to  have 
so  few  who  welcomed  him.  "  Are  there  few  that  are  saved  ?" 
and  shall  we  be  of  the  winning  side,  by  being  in  the  minority? 
To  this,  our  Lord  returned  the  only  edifying  answer;  "  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  mas- 
ter 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 :  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  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,  and /rom  the  south,  and  shall  sit  down  in  the  king- 
dom of  God.  And,  behold,  there  are  last  which  shall  be  first, 
and  there  are  first  which  shall  be  last."  * 

"  The  same  day  there  came  certain  of  the  Pharisees,  saying* 
unto  him.  Get  thee  out,  and  depart  hence:  for  Herod  will  kill 
thee.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye,  and  tell  that  fox.  Be- 
hold 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.  O  Jerusa- 
lem, Jerusalem,  which  killest  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  would  not !  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto 
you  desolate :  and  verily  I  say  unto  you.  Ye  shall  not  see  me, 
*  Luke  xiii.  24—30. 


78  LECTURE    LVIII. 

until  the  time  come  when  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  he  that 
Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."*  This  event  must  have 
happened,  and  this  discourse  been  delivered,  w  hile  Christ  was 
in  Herod's  jurisdiction.  Nor  could  it  have  been,  at  any  other 
period  than  this,  when  Jesus  was  about  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem 
to  die.  That  city  was  not  to  see  him,  till  it  should  say, 
"  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  which 
we  know  its  inhabitants  did,  the  next  time  Christ  entered, 
after  his  retreat  to  Perea ;  though,  alas  !  they  so  soon  after 
pronounced  him  accursed,  and  hung  him  on  a  tree  !  Let  us 
here  dwell  upon  the  message  and  the  answer. 

1.  The  message. 

Certain  of  the  Pharisees  brought  this  information  to  Christ, 
that  Herod  was  about  to  kill  him.  What !  were  the  Pha- 
risees become  Christ's  friends  ?  Were  they  anxious  to  pre- 
serve his  life,  and,  jealous  of  Herod's  designs,  willing  to  risk 
their  own  lives,  to  save  that  of  Jesus  from  falling  a  sacrifice 
to  the  tyrant's  jealousy?  For  what  could  be  more  friendly, 
than  to  apprise  a  persecuted  man  of  the  designs  formed 
against  his  life?  In  this,  Jonathan  displayed  his  far-famed 
friendship  for  David. 

But  had  the  Pharisees  become  Herod's  privy  counsellors  ? 
If  the  king  really  wished  to  get  rid  of  Jesus,  the  royal  com- 
mand might  have  banished  the  obnoxious  preacher.  I  think, 
then,  from  the  general  conduct  of  Herod  towards  Christ ; 
from  the  recent  attempts  of  the  Pharisees  against  Christ's 
life ;  and  from  the  manner  in  which  they  acted  together  as 
a  sect,  that  this  was  all  an  invention  of  their  own.  They 
wished  to  get  rid  of  Christ's  presence  and  preaching,  which 
diminished  their  credit  and  influence  with  the  people,  and 
therefore  they  longed  to  see  him  out  of  the  jurisdiction  of 
Herod,  where  they  durst  not  lay  their  hands  on  the  Son  of 
God. 

If,  however,  any  hint  of  designs  against  Christ  had  been 

given  by  Herod,  it  is  probable  that  the  Pharisees  themselves 

had  stirred  him  up  to  it,  and  that  he  had  only  said  to  them,  in 

a  politic  way,  in  order  to  rid  himself  of  their  importunities, 

*  Luke  xiii.  31 — 35. 


CHRIST'S    RETIREMENT    TO    PEREA.  79 

"  Go  tell  him,  then,  to  depart  out  of  my  territories."  The 
king-,  perhaps,  cared  little  whether  Jesus  complied  or  not; 
though  it  might  have  been  deemed  by  Herod  desirable  to  be 
delivered  from  the  noise  of  that  fame,  which  disturbed  his 
conscience  by  recollections  of  the  murdered  forerunner  of 
Jesus. 

These  views  best  accord  with  Herod's  former  wish  to  see 
Jesus,  and  with  the  manner  in  which  the  Saviour  was  after- 
wards treated  by  the  king.  If  the  disciples  of  Christ  are  dis- 
turbed and  driven  away  from  a  field  of  usefulness,  by  the 
governors  of  this  world,  it  is  usually  in  consequence  of  the  in- 
trigues of  wicked  priests,  and  false  professors  of  religion. 
How  constantly  has  the  church  of  Rome  made  the  civil  power 
the  tool  of  her  persecuting  spirit  ? 

If,  however,  Herod  had  really  formed  any  designs  against 
Christ's  life,  how  vain  were  all  that  prince's  good  desires  to 
see  Jesus  !  and  how  wisely  did  the  Redeemer  decline  the 
proffered  honour  of  preaching  before  the  king  !  But  why 
should  the  ruler  have  wished  to  kill  the  Saviour?  Was  the 
son  of  Herod  the  Great  alarmed  at  the  miracles  which  Christ 
wrought,  and  afraid  that  the  Son  of  David  would  gain  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  and  set  up  for  king  of  the  whole  territory 
of  Palestine  ?  Vain  fear !  Jesus  preferred  a  throne  in  the 
bosoms  and  consciences  of  men  to  the  most  splendid  temporal 
dominions  which  earth  contained. 

Hear  now, 

2.  The  answer  to  this  message. 

Did  Christ  say,  "  go  tell  the  king,  that  if  my  being  in  his 
territories  offends  him,  I  will  depart?"  No;  "Go  ye,  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."  ^ 

This  sounds  so  strangely,  and  is  so  utterly  unlike  the  Sa- 
viour's general  address,  that  one  of  the  fathers  thought  our 
Lord  addressed  a  Pharisee,  and  bade  him  say  to  another 
Pharisee,  who  was  the  instigator  or  fabricator  of  the  whole 
affair,  "  Thou  fox,  I  see  through  thy  craft."  Others  have 
thought  that  Christ  intended  the  answer  he  gave,  to  apply  to 
the  king,  whose  character  was  such  as  would  justify  calling 
*  Luke  xiii.  32. 


80  LECTURE    LVIir. 

him  a  fox.  Herod,  indeed,  piqued  himself  upon  imitating 
Tiberius  Csesar,  whose  dark  and  crooked  policy  was  his  chief 
characteristic.  It  is  probable,  that  the  king  of  Galilee  would 
not  have  been  much  displeased  to  be  called  by  a  name,  which 
gave  him  some  credit  for  the  chief  faculty  he  chose  to  culti- 
vate, that  of  deceiving  men.  His  conduct,  in  affecting,  at 
first,  great  regard  for  John,  and  then  contriving  to  get  rid  of 
him,  with  a  decent  reluctance  and  pretended  compulsion ;  his 
professions  of  anxiety  to  see  Jesus,  with  the  treatment  he 
afterwards  gave  him;  indeed  the  whole  administration  of  the 
king,  would  have  rendered  this  address,  thou  fox,  very  ap- 
propriate. 

But,  as  I  think,  that  Herod  had  not  really  sent  any  message, 
but  that  this  warning  was  an  invention  of  the  messengers  them- 
selves ;  so  I  conclude  that  the  Saviour  acted,  as  he  often  did, 
in  accordance  with  the  scriptural  direction,  "  Answer  a  fool 
according  to  his  folly,  lest  he  be  wise  in  his  own  conceit." 
Christ,  then,  gave  an  ironical  answer  to  an  hypocritical  mes- 
sage. They  had  brought  a  message  which  Herod  never  sent, 
and  Jesus  gave  them  such  an  answer  as  they  would  never 
carry  back.  He  virtually  replied,  "  Herod  is  too  deep  a  po- 
litician to  intend  to  kill  me,  and  too  cunning  to  let  you  know 
it,  if  he  did  ;  carry  back,  if  you  dare,  the  only  answer  which 
your  message  deserves." 

*'  For  I  am  come,  only  for  a  day  or  two,  as  it  were,  to  He- 
rod's jurisdiction;  and,  for  that  time,  I  must  walk  at  liberty. 
For  it  is  not  at  Capernaum,  but  at  Jerusalem;  not  at  the 
court,  but  in  the  temple;  not  by  the  king,  but  by  the  Pha- 
risees, that  the  plot  is  formed  against  my  life."  "  O  Jeru- 
salem !  Jerusalem !  which  killest  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  would  not !  "*  Thus  our  Lord  **  taketh  the 
wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  and  turneth  the  counsel  of  the 
wicked  headlong.  But  the  counsel  of  the  Lord  it  shall  stand, 
and  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  to  all  generations;  for  it  cannot 
be  that  the  prophet  shall  perish  out  of  Jerusalem." 

Let  us  letirn,  from  this  part  of  our  Lord's  history,  not  to  be 
*  Luke  xiii.  34. 


CHRIST'S    RETIREMENT    TO    PEREA,  81 

a&aid  of  a  retreat,  to  which  we  are  driven  by  Providence. 
To  us  it  may  appear  like  putting  a  candlestick  under  a  bushel; 
as  doubtless,  the  imprisonment  of  many  of  the  nonconformist 
ministers  did  to  them  and  their  friends.  But  the  event  proved, 
that  the  design  of  heaven  was  the  extension  of  their  usefulness. 
Like  Christ  in  Perea,  they  were  resorted  to  in  their  retreat, 
and  in  their  prison ;  and  made  more  disciples  than  in  the  po- 
pulous city.  Leave,  therefore,  to  your  Master,  the  place  of 
your  labour,  and  trust  him  with  your  success. 

Beware  of  idle  speculations  on  the  number  of  the  saved. 
*'  Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  us ;  it  is  high,  we  can- 
not attain  to  it."  By  a  guilty  desire  of  forbidden  knowledge, 
our  first  parents  brought  ruin  on  themselves  and  us.  To  this 
•day,  we  are  in  danger  from  the  same  temptation.  Our  Lord, 
■therefore,  refused  to  gratify  the  curiosity  that  asked,  are  there 
few  that  be  saved  ?  If  there  are,  we  should  resolve,  by  the 
help  of  God,  to  be  among  the  holy  happy  few.  And  what 
will  it  avail  us,  if  there  are  many ;  and  we  are  not  among 
them?  This,  then,  should  be  our  inquiry,  "  shall  we  be 
«aved?"  To  assist  you,  in  this  momentous  investigation,  I 
would  recommend  the  use  of  an  excellent  little  book,  entitled, 
Scripture  Marks  of  Salvation,  by  RisdonDarracott. 

Flee  from  hypocrisy,  and  dread  all  pretences  to  concern  for 
Christ's  honour  and  interest,  which  your  hearts  do  not  feeL 
For  what  benefit  can  you  derive  from  professions,  which  spring- 
not  from  the  centre  of  the  soul  ?  Your  own  mind  cannot  be 
profited,  but  must  be  deeply  injured,  by  any  thing  insincere. 
That  high  importance  which  the  Scriptures  ascribe  to  con- 
fession, by  saying,  that  it  is  made  to  salvation,  supposes  the 
sincerity  of  it;  for  it  is  only  when  we  really  feel  the  attach- 
me  it  to  Christ,  which  we  avow,  that  this  confession  fortifies 
our  principles  and  benefits  the  world. 

To  Christ  himself,  we  never  can  commend  our  souls,  by 
fawning  pretences,  to  attachment  we  never  felt.  He  detects 
the  hypocrisy  and  spurns  the  service  of  him  who  withholds  the 
heart. 


VOL.     II, 


82 


LECTURE  LIX. 

CHRIST    CURES    A    MAN    OF    THE    DROPSY. 

Luke  xiv.  1 — 6. 

And  behold,  there  was  a  certain  man  before  him  which  had  the  dropsy. ; 

1  o  receive  good  and  return  evil,  is  infernal ;  to  receive  good 
and  repay  good,  is  merely  human  ;  but  to  receive  evil  and  re- 
quite it  with  good,  is  divine.  Such  was  Christ's  conduct.  If 
there  are  some  who  would,  for  the  sake  of  the  gratitude,  ad- 
miration, and  applause  of  the  world,  labour  for  the  public 
weal ;  who  are  they  that  would  be  able  to  hold  out  in  labours 
of  love  and  mercy,  if,  instead  of  being  followed  by  eyes  that 
glistened  with  admiration,  they  were  pursued  by  the  malicious 
glance  of  spies,  watching  for  their  destruction  i  Yet,  such  is 
the  display  of  character  which  the  historian  of  our  Lord  pre- 
sents to  our  view,  this  day.  For  we  are  to  see  our  Saviour 
receiving  the  hospitalities  of  one  who  hated  him,  and  who, 
probably,  invited  him,  with  the  double  purpose — of  covering, 
under  a  mask  of  friendship,  the  false  news  they  had  just  given 
him  concerning  Herod's  design  to  kill  him — and  of  watching 
for  something  about  him,  in  the  freedom  of  social  life,  for  which 
they  might  condemn  and  destroy  him. 

I.  The  scene  is  singular. 

"  Jesus  went  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  chief  Pharisees  to 
eat  bread."  We  have  often  seen  our  Lord,  in  humble  dwell- 
ings, or  in  the  open  air,  sitting  on  the  grass,  or  on  the  deck 
of  a  ship,  or  on  the  sand  that  forms  the  barrier  of  the  sea. 
This  day,  we  are  to  view  him,  in  the  dining-room  of  a  noble- 
man ;  for  the  Pharisees  included  in  their  sect  the  first  person- 
ages of  the  country  ;  and  as  this  was  a  chief  among  Pharisees, 


CHRIST   CURES    A    MAN    OF    THE    DROPSY.  83 

he  must  have  been  a  man  of  high  distinction.     We  are,  there- 
fore, struck  when  we  see, 

1.  The  Pharisees,  who  sought  Christ's  life,  invite  him  to 
their  tables. 

Not  every  individual  of  an  evil  sect,  however,  is  imbued 
with  the  vices  of  his  party-  Sometimes  a  man  is  too  good  for 
his  system  to  corrupt.  Nicodemus,  though  a  Pharisee,  inter- 
posed on  the  most  critical  occasions  in  Christ's  behalf. 

But  there  is  reason  to  fear,  from  the  connection,  that  our 
Lord's  host,  to-day,  invited  him  to  table  with  the  most  foul 
and  insidious  design.  The  dainties  of  the  rich  are  described 
by  the  wise  man  as  "  deceitful  meats."  There  may  be  many 
strange  and  many  vile  motives  for  inviting  either  Christ  or  his 
friends  to  our  table.  Ah !  let  us  search  and  try,  whether  we 
have  Jesus  and  the  saints  in  our  hearts,  otherwise  it  is  not 
accepted  at  our  hands  as  a  proof  of  real  friendship  that  we 
entertain  them  at  our  board. 

But  how  horrible  it  is  to  ask  the  Saviour  to  dinner,  only  to 
watch  for  some  fault  in  him,  and  to  make  him  pay  for  his  feast 
with  his  blood  !  False  pretences  to  friendship  are  among  the 
vilest  effects  of  human  depravity.  Those  who  are  not  openly 
profane  are  often  charged  with  being  secretly  so,  and  making 
their  religious  profession  a  mask,  to  conceal  the  selfishness  that 
would  betray  the  dearest  friend.  It  is,  however,  consoling  to 
observe,  that  the  religion  which  played  the  hypocrite  here  was 
not  that  of  Jesus,  or  his  doctrines  of  grace  ;  but  that  of  the 
Pharisee,  which  rejects  the  cross,  and  boasts  of  the  righteous- 
ness which  his  own  hands  have  wrought. 

2.  Christ,  knowing  their  evil  intentions,  yet  accepts  their 
invitation. 

Our  Lord  was  now  travelling,  and  must  be  somewhere  as 
a  guest.  It  was  on  the  sabbath ;  but  even  on  that  day  we 
may,  when  on  a  journey,  accept  the  invitations  of  the  hospi- 
table. As  a  general  rule,  we  may  say,  it  is  not  proper  to  visit 
on  the  Lord's  day.  We  cannot  be  so  calm  and  devotional  any 
where  else,  as  we  may  in  our  own  house,  and  at  our  own  table- 
Nor  should  we  willingly  trouble  our  friends,  or  create  their 
servants  additional  labour,  on  the  day  of  rest. 

G  2 


84  LECTURE    LIX. 

With  these  general  rules,  it  is  still  to  be  owned  that  it  is 
not  only  lawful,  but  most  comraendaijle,  to  exercise  hospitality 
on  the  Lord's  day.  By  receiving  a  stranger  to  our  tables,  on 
that  day,  we  may  save  him  from  the  pains  and  injuries,  which 
the  scenes  of  an  inn  would  inflict  on  a  pious  traveller ;  and 
even,  if  the  person  should  not  be  devout,  where  acquaintance 
or  kindred  throw  him  in  our  way  on  the  sabbath,  we  may  be 
the  means  of  leading  a  lost  sheep  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  by 
conducting  him  to  the  house  of  God,  and  introducing  him  to 
the  pious  order  of  a  Christian  family.  A  neglect  of  these 
hospitable  attentions  exposes  Christians  to  the  suspicion  of 
misanthropic  coldness,  most  dishonourable  to  our  Saviour's 
name. 

At  the  table  of  a  Pharisee,  our  Lord  met  with  lawyers  and 
Pharisees.  This  might  be  expected.  As,  therefore,  a  man's 
company  is  decisive  of  his  character,  we  should  carefully  con- 
sider into  what  society  we  are  likely  to  be  drawn  by  visiting 
certain  scenes.  Where  duty  calls,  we  must  go  ;  but  where 
our  visits  are  voluntary,  we  should  inquire,  whom  shall  I  meet 
there?  And  what  good  can  I  do  them?  Apply  this  to  the 
theatre.  Is  it  not  notoriously  the  haunt  of  the  dissipated  and 
dissolute,  of  harlots  and  their  paramours  ?  At  the  gaming 
table,  whom  shall  we  meet  with  but  sharpers  I  At  the  race 
ground  shall  we  not  find  the  most  complete  assemblage  of 
the  pests  of  society  t  And  w  hat  good  can  we  do  there  ?  What 
hope  can  we  entertain  of  reclaiming  the  transgressors  from  the 
error  of  their  ways  I 

Our  Lord  was  here,  among  the  Pharisees  and  lawyers,  as 
a  physician  among  the  sick.  He  watched,  as  we  should  do, 
in  all  companies,  and  especially  among  those  who  are  least 
favourable  to  religion,  for  opportunities  of  usefulness.  To 
labour  to  do  sinners  good,  is  the  best  way  to  prevent  their  doing 
us  harm.  With  the  most  benevolent  designs,  our  Saviour  bore 
with  the  society  of  those  who  hated  him,  and  fearlessly  ex- 
posed himself  to  the  malignant  eye  of  the  basilisk.  "  I  will 
build  you  a  house,"  said  the  Roman  architect,  to  Cato,  "  in 
which  no  one  will  be  able  to  overlook  you."  "  Nay,"  said  the 
Censor,  "  if  you  have  any  skill,  build  me  such  a  house  that 


CHRIST    CURES    A    MAN    OF    TUF,    DROPSY.  85 

every  one  may  see  me."  A  Christian  should  not  fear  to 
dwell  in  a  house  transparent  as  glass,  and  should  remember 
that,  as  the  eye  of  God  is  upon  him,  he  is  under  more 
important  inspection  than  if  the  universe  were  gazing-  at 
him.  Thus  our  Saviour  sat,  amidst  Pharisees  and  lawyers, 
who  were  watching  him  to  find  what  no  one  ever  yet  foutid 
in  him,  sin. 

But  as  the  scene  in  which  our  Lord  is  presented  to  our  view 
was  singular,  so, 

II.  The  miracle  was  splendid. 

Yet  here  again,  what  is  so  honourable  to  Christ  is  in  the 
narrative  passed  by  so  coolly,  that  we  can  scarcely  discover 
enough  to  inform  us  of  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 

1.  The  affliction  was  the  disorder  called  the  dropsy. 

The  man  that  was  afflicted  seems  not  to  have  been  one  of 
the  family,  at  whose  table  Christ  was  sitting,  nor  one  of  the 
company  invited;  for  as  soon  as  the  Saviour  had  healed,  he 
dismissed  him.  You  ask,  then,  had  this  man  seen  our  Lord 
go  into  the  house  and  followed  him,  though  uninvited,  hoping 
to  catch  his  eye,  to  move  his  compassionate  heart,  and  feel  the 
touch  of  his  healing  hand  I  Ask  rather,  had  the  Pharisees 
brought  the  man  there,  that  he  might  attract  notice,  and  give 
them  that  opportunity  of  accusing  Jesus  for  which  they  watched; 
that  if  he  healed,  they  might  accuse  him  of  sabbath-breaking, 
or,  if  he  refrained,  they  might  insinuate  that  it  was  through 
defect  of  kindness,  or  of  power  ? 

But,  happily  for  this  afflicted  creature,  he  found  it  good  to 
be  where  Jesus  was,  whatever  were  the  motives  that  brought 
him  there.  His  case  was  probably  incurable  by  any  other 
hands,  as  a  complete  dropsy  of  the  whole  frame  usually  is. 
The  Syriac  term  for  the  complaint  is  an  accumulation  of  waters, 
and  the  Greek  from  which  our  term  dropsy  is  derived,  ex- 
presses the  same  idea. 

"  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  m.ade,"  says  the  Psalmist; 
"  marvellous  are  thy  works,  and  that  my  soul  knoweth  right 
well."  All  my  bones  say,  "  Lord,  who  is  like  unto  thee?" 
Our  body  is  composed  of  the  most  different  materials ;  solids 


86  LECTURE    LIX. 

and  fluids  ;  fibres  so  firm  that  they  can  resist  the  strength  of 
a  horse,  and  liquids  weak  as  water ;  earths  gross  as  those  we 
tread  upon,  and  gases  sublimated  and  etherial.  Upon  the  due 
proportion  and  mixture  of  these,  the  health  and  strength  of 
the  body  depend.  But  sometimes  this  proportion  is  destroyed, 
and  the  fluids  so  predominate,  that  the  body  seems  a  mere 
vessel  filled  to  overflowing  with  water.  The  solids  themselves 
seem  melted  and  converted  into  fluids,  and  the  redundant 
waters  are  felt  to  splash,  at  every  step  which  the  poor  afflicted 
creature  takes,  while  the  lungs  and  heart  are  almost  drowned, 
and  heave  with  difficulty  and  anguish.  This  disease,  in  its 
worst  forms,  like  our  last  disorder,  old  age,  is  incurable  by 
mortal  hands. 

But  can  any  thing  be  too  hard  for  the  Lord  J  There  is  one 
who  can  *'  forgive  all  our  iniquities,  and  heal  all  our  diseases, 
and  redeem  our  life  from  destruction."  Yet,  why  did  our 
Lord  heal  this  man,  who  is  not  said  to  have  asked  for  the  cure  i 
Had  intemperance  brought  on  the  disease  ?  Was  his  sin,  ex- 
cessive drinking,  written  in  his  punishment,  excess  of  fluids  in 
his  frame  ?  Had  this  made  him  afraid  or  ashamed  to  ask  for 
a  cure,  which  he  was  conscious  he  did  not  deserve?  Was  the 
utmost  he  durst  venture  upon,  to  place  his  bloated  frame,  be- 
fore the  compassionate  eye  of  the  sovereign  physician?  Or 
had  the  consciousness  that  the  Pharisees  had  placed  him  here 
to  try  what  Jesus  would  do,  compelled  him  to  stand  as  a  dumb 
spectator  of  the  event?  In  whatever  way  we  decide  these 
questions,  the  aff"air  led  to, 

2.  A  discussion  on  the  lawfulness  of  healing  on  the  sabbath. 

Jesus  spake  to  the  lawyers  and  Pharisees,  saying,  "  Is  it 
lawful  to  heal  on  the  sabbath  day  ? "  His  eye  caught  the 
miserable  sight,  and  looked  round  on  the  host  of  spies  that 
were  watching  him  to  see  what  he  would  do.  He  then  boldly 
appealed  to  themselves,  "Is  it  lawful  ? "  By  putting  this 
question,  our  Lord  shows  its  importance.  Every  wise  and 
good  man  should  ask,  before  he  does  any  thing,  "  is  it  lawful  V 
Nay,  it  is  not  enough  that  it  is  so  in  itself,  for  we  should  ask, 
"  is  it  lawful  for  me,  and  at  this  time  and  ]}lace  V     Especially 


CHRIST    CURES    A    MAN    OF    THE    DROPSY.  87 

we'  should  ask,  "  Is  it  lawful  to  do  this  on  the  sabbath 
day?"  For  what  says  the  Lord  of  the  sabbath?  "  If  thou 
turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  sabbath,  fro7n  doing  thy  plea- 
sure on  my  holy  day  ;  and  call  the  sabbath  a  delight,  the 
holy  of  the  Lord,  honourable  ;  and  shalt  honour  him,  not 
doing'  thine  own  ways,  nor  finding  thine  own  pleasure,  nor 
speaking  tidne  own  words ;  then  shalt  thou  delight  thy- 
self in  the  Lord ;  and  I  will  cause  thee  to  ride  upon  the 
high  places  of  the  earth,  and  feed  thee  with  the  heritage 
of  Jacob  thy  father :  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken 

By  his  question  our  Lord  showed  to  the  doctors  learned  in 
the  law,  and  to  the  Phai'isees  strict  in  the  observance  of  the 
sabbaths  and  ceremonies,  that,  however  he  had  provoked  them 
by  his  actions,  on  the  sabbath,  he  had  not  acted  from  inad- 
vertence, or  indifference,  much  less  from  impious  defiance  of 
divine  institutions,  but  from  full  consideration  of  what  was 
lawful  on  the  sabbath. 

But  while  Jesus  showed  his  confidence  in  the  goodness  of 
his  cause,  by  the  question  which  he  proposed  for  discussion; 
they  betrayed,  at  least,  their  suspicion  of  the  weakness  of  their 
objections,  by  their  silence.  "  They  held  their  peace."  But 
why  all  dumb  ?  Was  it  a  case  so  difficult  that  lawyers  could 
not  decide?  Then,  where  law  is  silent,  mercy  should  speak. 
If  wise  or  good  men  may  rationally  doubt  whether  they  ought 
to  condemn,  it  is  no  longer  doubtful,  for  charity  approves. 
Nothing  but  a  clear  proof  of  its  being  unlawful,  should  pre- 
vent a  fellow-creature  from  being  healed. 

If,  however,  these  lawyers  were  not  in  doubt,  but  were 
sure  it  was  unlawful  to  heal,  on  the  sabbath,  it  was  their  duty 
to  say  so.  For  they  were  the  authorized  interpreters  of  the 
law,  whose  province  it  was  to  warn  men  against  every  viola- 
tion of  the  divine  commands.  Instead  of  waiting  till  Jesus 
had  committed  what  they  accounted  a  crime,  that  they  might 
have  an  opportunity  to  accuse  him ;  common  charity,  as  well 
as  official  duty,  demanded  of  them  to  give  previous  warning, 
*  Isaiah  Iviii.  13,  14. 


88  LECTURE    LIX. 

The  object  of  law  and  government,   both  civil  and  sacred, 
shoukl  be  to  prevent  crime,  not  to  punish  it. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  they  knew  that  it  was  lawful  to  heal  on 
the  sabbath,  what  wretches  were  they  who  could  wish  to  pre- 
vent its  being  done,  or  to  condemn  it  when  done!  What! 
keep  a  fellow-creature  under  the  torments  of  disease,  or  con- 
demn a  benefactor  to  our  race,  for  what,  after  all,  was  known 
to  be  a  mere  superstitious  scruple,  unsanctioned  by  the  divine 
law  J  Yet  such  was  the  spirit  of  the  men  by  whom  our  Lord 
was  rejected,  hated,  and  opposed,  as  a  wicked  person,  and  at 
last  condemned  and  executed  as  an  impostor  and  blasphemer. 
Who  can  think  the  worse  of  him  for  being  the  object  of  their 
rejection  and  abhorrence  ? 

3.  A  display  of  sovereign  power  and  grace  now  followed. 

Jesus,  turning  to  the  man,  "  took  and  healed  him,  and  let 
him  go."  It  seems  that  Christ  took  hold  of  the  man,  and  by 
that  touch  healed  him.  Blessed  touch  !  Disease  and  death 
fled  before  it !  The  ovei-flowing  waters  were  dried  up  by  the 
finger  of  God.  In  an  ordinary  way,  it  would  have  taken  not 
only  days,  but  weeks,  and  months,  to  remove  the  former  ef- 
fects of  the  disease,  even  after  the  cause  had  been  expelled. 
The  superabundant  fluids  could  not  have  been  removed  in  a 
moment,  but  by  the  same  power  that  dried  up  the  sea,  and 
made  the  Jordan  roll  back  its  waters,  to  leave  Israel  a  dry 
road  into  the  promised  land. 

What  a  sensation  must  have  been  created  by  that  touch, 
which  dried  up  the  fountain  of  the  disease,  and  restored  all 
the  solids  to  their  healthful  tension !  How  lightsome  and 
joyous  must  the  whole  frame  have  felt,  and  how  obedient 
the  once  burdensome  mass  of  matter  now  became  to  a  grateful 
mind  ! 

This  done,  our  Lord  dismissed  the  man.  The  sending  of 
him  away  might  be  designed  partly  in  compassion  to  the  man, 
that  he  might  not  be  involved  in  the  dispute  which  would  fol- 
low, but  might  go  home  to  his  joyful  friends  ;  partly  to  prove 
the  truth  of  the  miracle,  as  the  man  might  not  before  have 
been  able  to  go  home  to  his  dwelling ;  and  chiefly,  perhaps. 


CHRIST    CURliS    A    MAN    OF    THE    DROPSY. 


89 


as  a  tacit  reproof  to  the  Pharisees,  for  bringing  him  there  to 
ensnare  Jesus.  He  seemed  to  say,  "  you  have  brought  him 
here  to  torment  him,  by  defying  me  to  cure  him  on  the  sab- 
bath ;  I  now  send  him  away,  cured,  by  which  you  may  know 
that  it  was  lawful."  For,  when  the  question  was  first  delibe- 
rately proposed,  "Is  it  lawful  to  heal  this  man  on  the  sab- 
bath?" and  an  attempt  was  afterwards  made  to  heal  him, 
it  was  a  kind  of  appeal  to  the  omnipotent  giver  of  the  law 
of  the  sabbath  to  decide  the  doubtful  case.  Heaven,  there- 
fore, decided  it  in  the  affirmative  by  sending  the  man  away 

healed. 

The  Saviour  then  proceeded  further  to  defend  his  action, 
by  the  same  reasoning  which  he  employed  on  similar  occasions, 
an  appeal  to  their  own  practice  in  delivering  even  an  irrational 
creature  from  a  pit,  on  the  sabbath.  On  this  I  have  before 
given  my  comments. 

Let  us  now  reflect,  that  this  display  of  the  power  and  kind- 
ness of  Christ  in  curing  a  bodily  disease,  was  designed  to  en- 
courage us  to  commit  to  him  the  salvation  of  the  soul.  What 
dropsy  is  to  our  mortal  frame,  that  is  pride  or  covetousness  to 
the  immortal  spirit.  As  the  dropsical  thirsts  for  water,  while 
he  is  drowned  with  the  excess  within  him,  the  miser  longs  for 
money,  which  is  already  a  plague  and  a  curse  to  him.  "  The 
love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil :  which  while  some  coveted 
after,  they  have  erred  from  the  faith,  and  pierced  themselves 
through  with  many  sorrows."* 

But  Jesus  can  cure  that  dropsy  of  the  soul.  His  touch  can 
rescue  us  from  the  diseased  longing  for  this  world's  possessions, 
by  opening  to  our  view  his  own  worth,  and  the  glories  of  that 
happier  world  to  which  he  invites.  "  Lay  not  up  for  your- 
selves treasures  upon  earth,  where  moth  and  rust  doth  cor- 
rupt, and  where  thieves  break  through  and  steal :  but  lay 
up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth 
nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through 
nor  steal :  for  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be 

also."t 

No  one,  surely,  needs  to  be  warned,  after  what  we  have 

*  1  Tim.  vi.  10.  t  Malt.  vi.  19—21. 


90  LECTURE    LIX. 

seen,  against  the  sin  of  tendering-  to  Christ  a  hollow  friend- 
ship. We  will  not  say,  "  entertain  Jesus  sincerely,  or  not  at 
all ;"  for  we  have  no  authority  to  offer  you  any  such  alterna- 
tive. But  we  must  say,  "  invite  him  to  your  house,  with  all 
your  heart.  He  will  well  repay  your  hospitalities,  and  you 
will  be  glad  to  be  invited  to  enter  his  palace,  when  your  own 
abode,  and  the  very  globe  on  which  it  stands,  shall  be  burnt 
up,  with  fire  from  heaven.  But,  if  you  do  not  sincerely  wel- 
come him  to  your  dwelling,  do  not  mock  him  by  a  mere  com- 
pliment; for  that  can  end  in  nothing  but  your  own  confusion, 
and  the  aggravated  condemnation,  which  hypocrisy  brings 
upon  impiety." 

Christians,  if,  like  your  Lord,  you  be  invited,  in  order  to  be 
watched,  to  see  what  manner  of  persons  you  are,  learn  from 
him  not  to  refuse  always,  but  sometimes  to  consent.  If  the 
men  of  the  world  wish  to  know  what  sort  of  being  a  Christian 
is,  let  them.  It  may  turn  to  the  honour  of  divine  grace  and 
the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men.  They  often  have  a  very  in- 
distinct, and  often  a  very  erroneous  notion  of  a  genuine  dis- 
ciple of  Christ.  It  may,  therefore,  be  a  benevolent  sacrifice, 
to  suffer  yourself  to  be  watched  and  marked,  that  men  may 
have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  true  religion  in  the  intimacies 
of  private  life,  and  in  the  discharge  of  every-day  duties.  The 
Apostle  Peter  exhorts  Christian  wives  to  live  so,  that  hus- 
bands who  obey  not  the  word  may,  without  the  word,  be  won 
by  the  conversation  of  the  wives.  The  hope  of  such  an  event 
should  induce  us  to  comply  with  an  invitation,  that  may  not 
be  given,  with  the  best  motives,  and  may  not  be  otherwise 
suited  to  our  taste. 

And  why  should  we  be  afraid  of  being  watched  \  They  who 
"  endure  as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible,"  and  who  frame  their 
whole  lives,  to  please  the  eye  of  omniscience,  that  is  continu- 
ally upon  them,  may  well  brave  the  scrutinizing  eye  of  man. 
Let  the  hypocrite  dread  to  go  where  prying  eyes  inspect  his 
ways  and  seek  to  detect  secret  faults ;  but  let  the  sincere  in 
heart  willingly  afford  those  who  suspect  us,  an  opportunity  of 
knowing,  that  our  public  profession  rather  falls  below,  than 
exceeds  all  that  wo  aim  to  bo  in  private  life. 


CHRIST    CURES    A    MAN    OF   THE    DROPSY.  91 

Finally,  your  Lord  here  instructs  you,  my  friends,  not  to 
shrink  from  duty,  when  it  threatens  to  attract  censure,  but 
fearlessly  to  do  all  that  is  right,  though  earth  and  hell  should 
oppose.  Truth  will  plead  its  own  cause.  When  Christ  deter- 
mined to  work  a  beneficent  miracle,  on  the  sabbath,  and 
pleaded  for  the  propriety  of  the  action,  it  is  said  of  the  ene- 
mies, "  they  could  not  answer  him  again  to  these  things." 
Thus,  by  well  doing,  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish 
men,  that  they  who  are  of  the  contrary  part  may  be  ashamed, 
having  no  evil  thing  to  say  of  you. 


92 


LECTURE  LX. 

CHRIST    HEALING    TEN    LEPERS. 

Luke  xvii.  11 — 19. 

And  as  lie  entered  into  a  certain  village,  there  met  him  ten  men  that 
were  lepers. 

What  a  view  these  words  give  of  the  contrast  between  God's 
conduct  to  men,  and  our  returns  to  God!  He  is  continually 
shedding  blessings,  and  we  are  constantly  requiting  him  with 
ingratitude.  On  what  a  world  of  provocations  yonder  sun 
sheds  his  cheering  beams!  How  many  refreshing  showers  de- 
scend to  make  fruitful  the  fields  of  those  whose  hearts  are 
utterly  barren  of  all  gratitude,  obedience,  or  devotion  !  How 
gloriously  our  Creator  persists  in  doing  good  to  his  enemies, 
unconquered  by  their  ill  returns !  But  how  hard  we  find  it 
to  obey  and  imitate,  when  we  hear  the  charge,  "be  ye  per- 
fect, as  your  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect !  "  Ingratitude  soon 
checks  the  flow  of  our  charity,  and  threatens  to  dry  up  the 
fountain  of  benevolence  within  our  breasts.  To  guard  us 
against  an  effect  so  much  to  be  deprecated,  let  us,  this  morn- 
ing, behold  our  Saviour  bestowing  his  favours  on  the  ungrate- 
ful ;  that  we  may  learn  to  flee  from  their  sin  ourselves,  and, 
in  the  true  spirit  of  disciples  of  Christ,  to  bear  with  it  from 
others.     Contemplate, 

I.  A  constellation  of  miracles. 

Our  Saviour  was  still  pursuing  that  journey  which  he  was 
to  finish,  before  he  went  to  Jerusalem,  to  die.  From  Perea, 
to  which  we  have  lately  seen  him  retire,  to  reap  the  fruit  of 
the  seed  which  John  the  Baptist  had  sown  there,  Jesus  crossed 
over  the  Jordan,  into  Samaria,  intending  to  pass  through  that 
district  and  Galilee  once  more,  before  he  terminated  his  minis- 


CHRIST    HEALING    TEN    LEPERS.  98 

try.  It  is  only  in  this  way,  that  we  can  reconcile  what  Luke 
says  with  the  positions  of  the  places  mentioned;  for  instead  of 
going  towards  Jerusalem,  through  Samaria  and  Galilee,  he 
would  have  reversed  the  order,  since  Galilee  lay  farther  than 
Samaria  from  Jerusalem. 

It  is  probable  that  these  lepers  met  the  Saviour's  eye,  on 
his  entrance  into  the  district  of  Samaria,  and  his  kindness  to- 
wards the  one  of  them  who  was  a  Samaritan,  presents  a  most 
striking  contrast  to  the  former  treatment  of  his  countrymen 
towards  Christ,  whom  they  had  denied  the  common  hospitality 
given  to  travellers.  To  the  disciples,  also,  our  Lord  furnished 
a  fine  practical  lesson,  when,  instead  of  calling  down  fire  from 
heaven  upon  the  Samaritans,  he  scatters  blessings  upon  their 
ungrateful  heads. 

1.  Let  us  take  a  glance  at  the  afilicted  objects. 

"  As  Jesus  entered  into  a  certain  village,  there  met  him  ten 
men  that  were  lepers."  The  case  of  leprosy,  as  a  disease  se- 
lected to  set  forth  the  defilement  of  sin ;  and  the  singular 
mode  of  cure  prescribed  by  God,  to  exhibit  the  salvation  of 
Christ,  have  been  enlarged  upon  in  a  preceding  lecture.*  I 
shall,  therefore,  pass  on,  to  notice  that  these  men  stood  afar 
off.  They  durst  not  venture  to  come  near  any  one  who  was 
not  himself  diseased,  lest  they  should  defile  him.  There  were 
ten  of  them  together;  for,  though  one  of  them  was  a  Samari- 
tan, whom  the  rest,  as  Jews,  hated  and  despised  ;  their  com- 
mon calamity,  like  that  great  leveller  death,  had  thrown  them 
all  together  in  one  common  mass  of  pollution.  Whoever  has 
seen  one  case  of  leprosy,  even  in  the  milder  form  in  which  it 
is  found  in  this  country,  will  readily  admit,  that,  to  behold 
ten  such  objects  together,  would  put  our  fortitude  to  no  mean 
test. 

Though  compelled  to  stand  afar  off,  they  knew  Jesus,  either 
by  something  in  his  own  person  and  gait,  or  by  the  retinue 
that  attended  him,  and  the  crowd  which  flocked  after  him, 
wherever  he  went.  Joined  together  in  misery,  they  united  in 
the  cry,  "Jesus,  master,  have  mercy  on  us."  They  owned  the 
Saviour's  authority,  when  they  called  him  their  master;  they 
*Page  211,  vol.1. 


94  LECTURE    LX. 

confessed  his  power,  when  they  appealed  to  his  mercy,  taking 
it  for  granted,  that,  if  his  compassion  were  drawn  out  towards 
them,  they  were  in  no  danger  of  failure,  for  want  of  ability  in 
their  friend.  This  was,  in  fact,  the  same  acknowledgment  as 
was  made  by  another  leper,  "  Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst 
make  me  clean." 

To  the  same  mercy,  David,  under  a  distressing  sense  of  the 
defilement  of  sin,  appealed.  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God, 
according  to  thy  loving-kindness ;  according  unto  the  multi- 
tude of  thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  my  transgressions.  Wash 
me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity,  and  cleanse  me  from  my 
sin  :  for  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions ;  and  my  sin  is  ever 
before  me.  Against  thee,  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  I 
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." 

2,  Consider  the  singular  prescription  of  the  physician. 

When  he  saw  them,  he  said  unto  them,  "  go  show  your- 
selves to  the  priest."  We  have  already  observed,  that  the 
only  physician  to  whom  this  disease  was  committed  was  the 
priest,  but,  that  all  he  was  to  do  was  to  look  on,  not  at- 
tempting any  thing,  to  effect  a  cure.  His  whole  duty  was 
merely  to  pronounce  whether  the  cure  were  effected  or  not, 
Christ  now  chose  to  honour  that  law  which  he  came  to 
abolish,  by  sending  these  lepers  to  the  priest,  who  was  the 
appointed  judge  of  the  case,  and  through  whom  offerings 
were  to  be  presented  to  God,  by  all  that  were  cured.  Yet, 
to  how  severe  a  test  Christ  put  the  faith  and  obedience  of 
these  ten  men,  by  sending  them  to  the  priest  as  cured,  when 
in  fact  the  miracle  was  not  yet  wrought.  But  their  obedience 
was  as  prudent  as  it  was  advantageous  ;  for  when  they  went 
away  from  Jesus  to  the  priest,  they  might  have  said  to 
each  other,  "  Though  the  prophet  has  done  nothing  to  us, 
and  we  are  as  leprous  as  we  were,  he  must  be  confident  of 


CHRIST    HEALING    TEN    LEPERS.  95 

the  cure.  For  he  knows  how  hostile  the  priests  are  to  him, 
and  he  would  never  send  us  to  show  ourselves  to  the  appointed 
judge,  only  to  bring  upon  himself  ridicule  and  contempt.  If 
Jesus  has  put  our  faith  to  the  test,  he  has  submitted  his  own 
honour  to  equal  risk.  When  we  made  our  appeal  to  his 
mercy,  we  took  his  power  for  granted,  and  cannot  now  hesi- 
tate to  stake  our  fortunes  with  his." 

The  Saviour,  by  sending  the  lepers  to  the  priest,  not  only 
honoured  the  divine  law,  which  had  prescribed  this  conduct, 
but  secured  to  himself  the  testimony  of  the  appointed  judge 
and  witness  of  the  cure.  As  this  disease  was  considered  to 
be  both  inflicted  and  healed  by  the  hand  of  God  himself,  Jesus 
left  a  witness  in  the  conscience  of  the  priests,  that  he  was  all 
he  pretended  to  be. 

The  modesty  of  the  Saviour  was,  by  the  same  means,  admi- 
rably combined  with  the  display  of  his  glory.  The  cure  was 
wrought,  while  the  subjects  of  it  were  at  a  distance  from  the 
author,  and  could  not  immediately  vent  the  fulness  of  their 
hearts  in  bursts  of  praise.  Nine  of  them  he  never  saw  again. 
It  was  therefore  manifest,  that  Jesus  was  not  courting  popular 
applause,  by  miracles  that  were,  in  themselves,  well  calculated 
to  make  the  world  ring  with  his  fame. 

But  it  must  not  be  unnoticed,  that  while  Christ  showed  his 
superiority  to  the  prejudices  of  the  Jews  against  the  Samari- 
tans, by  making  no  difference  between  the  single  stranger  and 
the  other  nine,  but  healing  all  alike  ;  he  also  adopted  the  best 
means  for  the  conversion  of  this  man  from  his  corrupt  religion 
to  the  pure  institutions  of  the  divine  law,  by  sending  him  to 
receive,  while  on  the  road  to  the  Jewish  priests,  the  richest 
favour  he  could  obtain.  Heaven's  way  of  converting  an  enemy 
to  a  friend,  is  to  befriend  him.  Therefore,  "  if  thine  enemy 
hunger,  feed  him ;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink ;  (if  he  is  a  leper, 
cleanse  him,)  for  in  so  doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on 
his  head.  Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good."  For  as  the  refiner  heaps  coals  of  fire,  not  only  round 
the  crucible,  but  on  the  head  of  it,  to  melt  down  the  metal ; 
so  the  Lord  heaped  kindness  on  the  head  of  the  Samaritan,  to 
overcome  his  evil  by  good ;  instead  of  complying  with  the  dis- 


96  LECTURE    LX. 

ciples,  who,  overcome  by  the  Samaritans'  evil  conduct,  would 
have  called  down  avenging  fire  on  their  heads. 

Now  follow  these  men  on  the  road  to  see, 

3.  The  triumphant  success  of  Christ's  methods.  Had  any 
one  met  these  lepers,  when  turning  away  from  Jesus,  to  go  to 
the  priest,  and  said  to  them,  "  Whither  are  you  going?" 
**  To  the  priest,"  they  would  have  replied.  **  For  what?" 
■"To  show  ourselves,  that  we  may  be  pronounced  clean."  The 
inquirer  might  have  said,  "  Why  you  are  not  clean,  but  as 
leprous  as  ever.  What  madness,  to  go  to  be  pronounced 
clean,  when  you  know  you  are  yet  defiled!"  They  might 
have  replied,  "  Jesus,  who  has  cleansed  the  leper  before,  and 
healed  all  manner  of  diseases,  and  done  all  things  well,  on 
whose  mercy  we  have  cast  ourselves,  has  sent  us  on  this 
errand,  strange  as  it  may  seem.  We  will  therefore  go,  not 
doubting  but,  ere  we  arrive  at  the  abode  of  the  priest,  we 
shall  be  well." 

See  now  the  rewards  of  their  faith  and  obedience.  While 
they  were  walking  along,  they  felt  a  change  through  all 
their  frame.  What  tongue  can  describe  the  delicious  transi- 
tion from  disease  to  health  ?  Looking  at  each  other,  to  see  if 
the  same  joyous  sensations  within  were  expressed  in  another's 
countenance,  they  beheld  the  horribly  disfigured  face  assume 
the  pleasant  healthful  look,  and  the  loathsome  skin  become,  as 
was  said  on  a  similar  occasion,  "  as  fresh  as  that  of  the  little 
child."  What  painter  could  fix  upon  the  canvass  the  scene  ? 
These  men,  all  looking  at  each  other  with  such  emotions,  and  all 
making  another's  fcice  the  mirror  in  which  they  might  see  their 
own  cure,  which,  though  they  felt,  they  could  hardly  believe! 

What  a  display  of  the  Saviour's  power  and  goodness!  Ten 
of  the  most  afflicted  creatures,  that  even  this  world  of  misery 
ever  presents  to  view,  all  snatched,  in  a  moment,  from  their 
most  loathsome  disease,  and  restored  to  their  families,  to 
society,  to  the  worship  of  the  church,  and  the  enjoyment  of 
health.  It  may  be  doubted,  whether  as  many  lepers  had  been 
cured,  from  the  creation  of  the  world,  as  were  now  healed  on 
this  spot.  But  who  restored  them  ?  There  is  neither  priest 
nor  physician  to  be  seen.     No  :  the  power  that  conferred  the 


CHRIST    HEALING    TEN    LEPERS.  97 

benefit  resided  in  one  at  a  distance,  who  touched  them,  but 
it  was,  with  the  finger  of  God,  for  they  were  out  of  the  reach 
of  human  touch.  He  sent  them  away,  but  his  heart  followed 
them.  His  mercy,  to  which  they  fled,  never  quitted  them  ; 
and  his  power,  accomplishing  all  that  his  mind  willed,  at  the 
spot  which  he  had  selected  on  the  road,  to  be  the  site,  of  the 
miraculous  cure,  said  to  the  disease,  "  Stop !  hitherto  shalt 
thou  go,  but  no  farther." 

But  this  constellation  of  miracles  was  followed  by, 

II.  A  solitary  instance  of  gratitude. 

"  And  one  of  them,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  healed,  turned 
back,  and,  with  a  loud  voice,  glorified  God."  O,  what  a  fall- 
ing off  was  here !  Christ's  cure  was  universal  and  effectual. 
No  one  of  the  ten  is  excepted,  as  too  diseased,  or  too  unwor- 
thy. All  that  we  see  in  the  Redeemer  is  triumphant  grace 
and  power.  But,  among  all  these  men,  there  is  only  one  that 
we  can  look  at  with  pleasure  :  he  was  a  Samaritan.  Let  us, 
however,  contemplate  more  closely  the  Samaritan,  the  Jews, 
and  the  Saviour. 

1.  The  grateful  Samaritan. 

It  is  probable,  that  they  all  went  to  the  priest,  not  willing 
to  trust  to  their  own  eyes,  and  their  own  sensations,  till  they 
had  it  from  the  lips  of  the  constituted  judge,  that  they  were 
clean.  As  in  cases  of  quarantine,  they  would  not  have  been 
allowed  to  presume  upon  their  own  opinion,  so  far  as  to  mingle 
in  society  again.  The  Redeemer  probably  knew,  that  there 
was  a  priest  not  far  off,  and  when  he  had  pronounced  the  word 
''  clean,"  they  might  exult  in  the  certainty  of  the  cure.  But, 
when  the  priest  inquired,  as  naturally  he  would,  how  so  many 
cures  of  this  difficult  disease  had  been  wrought  at  once,  and 
they  told  him,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  had  sent  them  away  to 
him  and  cured  them  on  the  road,  the  blank  countenance  and 
injurious  hints  of  the  priest  arrested,  probably,  the  rising  gra- 
titude of  the  Jews. 

The  Samaritan,  not  feeling  the  same  reverence  for  a  Jewish 
priest,  would  argue  more  resolutely  in  favour  of  gratitude  and 
duty.  "  Shall  I  not  return  and  pay  the  tribute  due  to  my 
deliverer  i     Can  I  refuse  to  pour  my  joys  into   the  bosom 

VOL.  II.  H 


98  LECTURE    LX. 

whence  they  flowed  J  He  made  no  difference  between  me  and 
his  own  nation,  the  Jews;  and  if  they,  prejudiced  against  him, 
g-rudge  him  the  poor  return  of  thankful  acknowledgment, 
which  is  so  much  his  due,  am  not  I,  for  this  very  reason,  bound 
with  stronger  bonds  to  return  and  cast  myself  at  his  feet  T' 

"  The  Samaritan  returned,  and  wiih  a  loud  voice  glorified 
God  that  healeth  us,"  filling  the  air  with  his  exultations,  "  I 
am  well !  I  am  clean!  the  priest  himself  has  pronounced  me 
cured !  Blessed  be  God  !  All  glory  to  Jesus,  the  mighty  and 
the  kind." 

The  profound  gratitude  and  adoration  of  his  soul  this  man 
expressed,  by  falling  down  at  the  Redeemer's  feet.  What  a 
lovely  sight  is  gratitude  prostrate  at  the  feet  of  mercy!  Mercy 
best  enjoys  her  triumphs,  when  she  sees  in  her  pensioner  that 
gratitude  that  tastes  them.  Few  things  are  more  gratifying 
to  a  rightly  disposed  mind,  than  to  witness  the  simplicity, 
propriety,  and  fervour  with  which  a  subject  of  divine  grace 
pays  its  thanks  to  the  Giver  of  all  good.  After  what  we  have 
lately  seen,  it  is  peculiarly  cheering  to  behold  a  Samaritan 
prostrate  before  the  Saviour,  giving  thanks  to  his  name. 

2.  See  the  contrast  in  the  ungrateful  Jews. 

To  these,  our  Lord  directs  our  attention,  by  saying,  "  were 
there  not  ten  cleansed  ?  but  where  are  the  nine  ? "  Christ 
knew  they  were  all  cleansed,  though  it  is  not  said,  that  this 
Samaritan  made  mention  of  any  cure  but  his  own.  The 
Saviour,  however,  might  have  said,  as  the  prophet  once  did, 
"  Went  not  my  heart  with  thee  I  Did  not  my  power  go  forth 
upon  them  all  i  Have  I  not  seen  the  health  that  entered  and 
took  possession  of  their  frame  ?  Could  they  let  this  Samaritan 
return  alone  i  Were  they  too  proud  to  imitate  the  excellent 
example  of  this  grateful  man,  because  it  was  given  by  a  Sa- 
maritan i  Ought  they  not  rather  to  have  been  ashamed  to  let 
a  Samaritan  surpass  them  in  the  temper  of  religion  ?" 

We  cannot  but  wonder  at  the  Jews'  ingratitude;  but  at  our 
own  we  may  be  astonished  still  more.  How  many  of  us  have 
been  healed  of  diseases  painful,  loathsome,  and  dangerous ; 
and  yet  what  have  we  rendered  to  the  Lord,  for  all  his  kind- 
ness ?     Like  these  lepers,  we  cried  out  for  mercv  and  deliver- 


CHRIST    HEALING    TEN    LEPERS.  99 

ance,  while  we  wei-e  afflicted ;  but  when  healed,  we  imitated 
not  the  grateful  Samaritan,  who  returned,  prostrated  himself 
at  the  feet  of  the  benefactor,  and  with  loud  voice  glorified 
God.  Under  the  cross,  we  groan  and  cry,  and  say,  "  how 
grateful  we  should  be  if  God  would  heal  us  ; "  but,  when 
healed,  we  coldly  return  to  the  enjoyment  of  health,  as  if  it 
were  a  thing  of  course.  How  many,  after  their  recovery  from 
sickness,  are  worse  than  before.  And  even  where  religion 
prompts  to  some  grateful  returns,  how  often  may  it  be  said,  as 
of  Hezekiah,  "  he  rendered  not  to  God  according  to  his 
mercies  ! " 

3.  The  Saviour  now  demands  your  notice. 

HoAV  gently  he  rebukes  the  ingratitude  of  the  Jews.  He 
might  have  said,  "  What!  so  absorbed  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health  as  to  forget  the  giver  !  Then  the  leprosy  which  I  healed 
shall  return  to  you,  and  cleave  to  you  and  yours  for  ever." 
But,  no  :  he  only  asks,  "  Are  there  not  found  that  returned 
to  give  glory  to  God,  save  this  stranger  ? "  And  turning  to 
the  man,  who  was  lying  in  the  dust  at  his  feet,  Jesus  said, 
"  Arise,  do  not  continue  to  lie  there  upon  the  ground,  but  go 
home  now,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  wiole."  Did  this  inti- 
mate, that  the  man  had  found  healing  of  the  nobler  kind,  and 
that  he  was  the  only  one  who  had  faith  in  Christ,  though  the 
rest  had  received  a  bodily  cure,  to  show  the  power  of  the 
Saviour,  and  the  contrast  between  a  mere  temporal  and  a 
genuine  spiritual  healing  ? 

By  this,  then,  our  Lord  taught  his  disciples,  how  his  grace 
had  marked  out  for  its  objects  the  people  whom  they  had 
asked  to  make  the  victims  of  avenging  fire.  "  For  there  are 
last  that  shall  be  first,  and  first  that  shall  be  last."  Those 
from  whom  we  had  a  right  to  expect  most  often  return  least. 

Let  us,  to-day,  look  at  the  ugliness  of  ingratitude,  till  we 
are  filled  with  horror  at  its  haggard  countenance,  and  dread  it 
more  than  leprosy.  This  disposition  renders  us  worse  than 
beasts.  For  "  the  ox  knoweth  his  owner,  and  the  ass  his 
master's  crib,"  and  the  very  dog  will  fondly  lick  the  hand  that 
feeds  it,  and  the  horse  more  willingly  obey  the  curb  of  a  kind 
rider.     But  ingratitude  is  made  up  of  stupidity  that  knows 

h2 


100  LECTURE    LX. 

not  how  duly  to  appreciate  favours,  of  hardness  of  heart  that 
cannot  feel  a  kindness,  of  pride  that  scorns  to  own  an  obliga- 
tion, and  selfishness  that  cannot  spare  to  another  that  pleasure 
which  it  is  very  ready  to  receive  from  his  hand. 

On  the  contrary,  how  sweet  is  gratitude !  It  is  like  the 
fragrant  incense  of  costly  spices  offered  to  God  in  the  temple. 
It  not  only  pays  the  tribute  of  honour  due  to  the  fountain  of 
all  blessings,  but  sends  up  a  fragrance  grateful  to  the  senses  of 
him  that  offers  it ;  at  once  perfuming  the  temple  and  the  wor- 
shipper. How  delightful,  then,  is  the  prospect  of  recovery,  to 
an  afflicted  grateful  mind,  which  says,  "  then  shall  I  go  to  the 
altar  of  God,  to  God  my  exceeding  joy.  Upon  the  harp  will 
I  sing  praise  to  thee,  and  pay  thee  my  vows  which  my  mouth 
hath  uttered,  and  my  lips  have  spoken  when  I  was  in  afflic- 
tion!" 

But  all  delightful  prospects  meet  in  one,  when  we  look  to 
heaven,  where,  recovered  from  our  diseases  and  defilements, 
we  shall  be  eternally  paying  the  vow  of  gratitude,  saying, 
"  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his 
own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and 
his  Father,  to  him  he  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen."* 

*  Rev.  i.  5,  6. 


101 


LECTURE   LXI. 

CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE   CHILDREN. 

Matt.  xix.  13—15. 
*Markx.  13. 
Luke  xviii.  15 — 17. 

*  And  they  brought  young  children  to  him,  that  he  should  touch  them :  and 
his  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them. 

When  John  the  Baptist  awakened  the  Jewish  nation  to  the 
advent  of  the  Messiah,  by  a  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
"  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,"  he  commenced  a  quotation 
from  Isaiah,  who  goes  on  to  say,  "  Behold  the  Lord  God  shall 
come  with  strong  hand.  He  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  shep- 
herd ;  he  shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carry  them 
in  his  bosom."  In  this  lovely  point  of  light,  we  are  to  view 
our  Lord  this  morning.  Few  passages  of  Scripture  are  more 
frequently  quoted  than  those  which  stand  at  the  head  of  this 
lecture ;  for  they  are  naturally  called  to  our  recollection,  when 
baptizing  our  children.  As,  therefore,  it  is  of  great  impor- 
tance, that  these  texts  should  be  well  understood,  let  this 
portion  of  history  be  carefully  studied.     Reflect  on, 

I.  The  conduct  of  the  parents  in  bringing  their  children  to 
Jesus. 

There  is  no  relation,  in  which  one  human  being  can  stand 
towards  another,  more  interesting,  more  responsible,  more 
awful,  more  delightful,  than  that  of  parents  towards  their  chil- 
dren. Can  we  reflect,  that  we  have  been  the  means  of  bring- 
ing into  being  a  creature  who  will  never  be  blotted  out  again, 
but  will  to  eternity  bless  or  curse  the  day  that  gave  him  birth, 
without  feeling  a  strong  conflict  of  mighty  emotions  {     Need 


102  LECTURE    LXI. 

I  say  any  thing  more,  to  call  your  attention  to  the  conduct  of 
parents  towards  their  children,  with  regard  to  their  everlasting 
destination  ?     In  the  case  before  us,  we  are  told, 

1.  Of  the  parents'  action.  "  They  brought  their  young 
children  to  Jesus." 

The  Saviour,  having  been  met  by  ten  lepers,  and  having 
healed  them  all,  they  must  necessarily  have  spread  his  fame 
through  all  the  country.  Especially  would  the  grateful  Sa- 
maritan, who,  with  loud  voice,  glorified  God,  rouse  the  whole 
region  to  notice  this  visit  of  our  Lord.  Those  who  had  sick 
relatives  brought  them  out,  to  receive  his  healing  touch.  But 
parents  now  cast  an  eye  upon  their  babes,  and  a  mother  said, 
"  I  will  take  my  John  to  the  prophet,"  "  and  I  will  take  Mary," 
exclaimed  the  father.  See  now  the  fond  parents  flock  around 
the  Saviour,  holding  up  their  babes  to  his  view,  and  pressing 
eagerly  forward,  that  they  may  come  near  enough  to  Jesus  to 
accomplish  their  object. 

As  the  Saviour  gave,  on  this  journey,  numerous  and  distinct 
intimations,  that  he  was  about  to  be  taken  away,  he  must  have 
created,  in  many  minds,  the  impression  that  this  was  a  fare- 
well visit.  Wherever,  therefore,  ptirents  who  esteemed  Christ 
were  aware  of  this,  they  must  have  reflected,  with  grief,  that 
their  children  would  not  have  the  privilege  of  seeing  and  hear- 
ing this  Jesus,  who  had  made  the  father  and  the  mother  so 
blessed.  "  Alas,  our  little  ones,"  they  cry,  "  will  never  gaze 
upon  his  blessed  countenance,  or  hang  upon  his  gracious  lips, 
or  be  fed  by  his  bounteous  hand,  or  be  healed  by  his  potent 
touch.  Then,  although  our  babes  have  nothing  the  matter  with 
them  now, we  will  take  them,  that  the  kind  prophet  may  lay 
his  hands  on  them,  and  they  may,  at  least,  be  able  to  say, 
when  they  grow  up,  that  Jesus,  whose  touch  was  health  to  the 
sick  and  life  to  the  dead,  once  touched  me." 

Mark  and  Luke  both  affirm,  that  "  the  design  of  the  parents 
in  bringing  their  children  was,  that  Jesus  might  touch  them." 
Matthew  adds,  that  "  Jesus  might  lay  his  hands  on  them  and 
pray."  It  was  common,  among  the  ancient  people  of  God, 
to  request  persons  of  eminent  sanctity,  to  lay  their  hands  on 
others,  and  pronounce  on  them  their  benediction.     We  sec 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.  103 

Joseph  bringing  his  sous  to  his  dying-  father,  Jacob,  as  the 
parents  brought  theirs  to  the  Saviour,  now  that  he  was  about 
to  die.  Great  importance  was  attached  to  the  old  Patriarch's 
laying  his  hands  on  the  head  of  the  boys  ;  and  even  the  ad- 
vantage of  having  the  right  hand,  rather  than  the  left,  was  not 
despised ;  for  when  Joseph  saw  that  Jacob's  right  hand  was 
on  the  head  of  the  younger,  he  was  displeased,  and  attempted 
to  change,  either  the  hands  or  the  children.  "  I  know  it,  my 
son,"  said  the  dying  parent,  "  I  know  it ;  for  he  had  guided 
his  hands  wittingly,"  and  had  even  crossed  them,  to  lay  his 
right  hand  on  the  younger,  for  he  was  to  have  the  larger 
blessing. 

These  parents,  recollecting  that  God  had  promised  to  "  pour 
out  his  Spirit  on  the  seed  of  his  people,  and  his  blessing  on 
their  offspring,"  probably  hoped,  that,  if  Jesus  were  the  Mes- 
siah, he  would  fulfil  that  promise.  They  therefore  brought 
their  children  to  him,  to  receive  this  blessing.  Where  is  the 
parent  that  has  any  regard  for  the  soul  of  his  child,  who  would 
not  be  anxious,  that  the  babe  might  receive  the  benefit  of  such 
prayers  as  those  of  Jesus  I  Every  pious  father  and  mother 
welcomes  a  child  into  the  world  by  prayer,  saying,  "  Parent 
of  our  being,  thou  hast  now  brought  into  existence  this  can- 
didate for  immortality,  O  smile  upon  its  natal  day,  and  grant 
to  this  babe  that  new  and  nobler  birth,  that  shall  cause  it  to 
be  said,  '  Better  is  the  day  of  its  death  than  the  day  of  its 
birth.'  From  this  hour,  in  which  it  first  draws  the  vital  air, 
we  lay  it  at  thy  feet,  and  offer  it  up  to  thee,  asking  no  higher 
honour,  or  bliss,  to  attend  its  being,  than  that  it  may  be  en- 
tirely and  for  ever  thine." 

But,  if  the  parent  who  thus  consecrates  his  child  to  religion, 
would  naturally  have  wished,  if  he  had  seen  Jesus  in  the  days 
of  his  flesh,  that  he  might  offer  up  such  prayers  as  his  for  the 
dear  babe,  it  may  yet  be  asked.  Why  bring  the  children  to 
Jesus,  to  touch  them  ?  Could  he  not  pray  for  them,  without 
touching,  or  even  seeing  them  1  "  Mine  eye  affecteth  my 
heart,"  says  the  prophet ;  and  who  is  not  conscious,  that  this 
arises  from  a  principle  common  to  our  nature  '.     If  then,  the 


104  LECTURE    LXI. 

sight  of  a  babe  speaks  to  the  heart,  and  wakes  the  soul  to 
prayer  ;  must  not  the  touch,  the  laying  of  the  hands  upon  the 
little  tender  frame,  add  to  the  effect,  and  make  our  prayers 
more  definite,  more  explicit,  more  tender,  more  fervent? 
In  this  way  the  parents  who  brought  their  children  to  Jesus, 
that  he  might  lay  his  hands  on  them  and  pray,  argued.  But, 
as  the  Apostle  speaks  of  *'  the  doctrine  of  laying  on  of  hands," 
which  we  have  seen  practised  in  the  Jewish  church,  and  which 
was  introduced  into  the  Christian  ;  we  may  conclude,  that  the 
parents  wished  Jesus  to  lay  his  hands  on  their  children,  as  a 
divine  intimation,  a  sacred  sign  and  seal,  of  the  benediction 
which  they  sought  for  their  babes.  I  have  myself  seen,  in  the 
Jews'  synagogue,  the  children  gather  round  the  principal  rabbi, 
who  laid  his  hands  on  their  heads,  and  uttered  something  which, 
no  doubt,  was  intended  as  a  blessing.     We  proceed  to, 

II.  The  conduct  of  Christ's  disciples. 

'*  They  rebuked  those  who  brought  the  children."  The 
disciples  of  our  Lord  are  usually  seen  in  an  amiable  light, 
furnishing  a  soothing  contrast  to  the  malignant  opposition,  with 
which  the  Jews  treated  the  Saviour.  But,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  we  have  seen  that  Jesus  suffered  from  his  friends,  as 
well  as  his  foes.  In  the  present  instance,  we  might  have  ex- 
pected to  find  the  disciples  helping  the  parents  to  bring  their 
babes  to  the  Master  ;  instead  of  which,  we  see  them  rebuking 
those  whom  they  should  have  encouraged. 

It  is  then,  our  painful  duty  to  see, 

1.  The  disciples  of  Jesus  acting  as  adversaries,  instead  of 
helps  to  the  souls  of  men. 

All  the  Evangelists  who  record  this  event  concur  in  saying, 
that  the  disciples  administered  rebukes  to  the  parents.  What! 
say  to  those  who  would  bring  their  babes  to  a  Saviour,  "  Go 
away ;  do  not  bring  your  little  troublesome  children  to  our 
Master!"  This  must  have  been  discouraging  and  mortifying 
to  the  fathers  and  mothers,  who  must  have  been  ready  to  form 
hard  conclusions,  concerning  the  temper  of  the  Master,  on 
account  of  the  conduct  of  his  ministers.  Their  sweet  hope 
for  their  beloved  offspring,  and  for  the  benefit  and  bliss,  which 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.  105 

they  would  derive  from  the  hands  and  the  prayers  of  Jesus, 
must  have  been  dashed  with  bitter  fears,  that  there  was  no 
blessing'  for  the  poor  babes  from  this  quarter. 

Hindrances  to  our  religion,  arising  from  the  quarter  whence 
we  had  a  right  to  expect  the  greatest  helps,  are  peculiarly  hard 
to  be  borne.  This,  however,  may  be  a  trial  wisely  ordained. 
The  spirit  and  conduct  of  those  who  profess  superior  religion 
often  prove  a  stumbling-block,  to  one  whose  youthful  steps  in 
the  way  to  heaven  are  easily  overthrown.  Nor  can  we  con- 
ceal the  disgraceful  fact,  that  ministers,  who  are  appointed  to 
be  helpers  of  your  faith,  are  sometimes  the  greatest  hindrances. 
The  Lord  forgive  us  I  Well  did  a  good  man  remark,  that 
when  the  Apostle  wrote  to  churches,  he  asked  for  grace  and 
peace  on  their  behalf ;  but  when  he  addressed  three  letters  to 
Timothy  and  Titus,  ministers,  he  said,  "  grace,  mercy,  and 
peace  be  to  you."  For  who  stands  more  in  need  of  mercy 
than  he,  who,  called  to  watch  for  souls  as  one  that  must  give 
an  account,  may  dread,  lest  the  blood  of  souls,  hindered  rather 
than  helped  by  him,  should  be  laid  to  his  charge  ? 

Yet,  let  not  these  inconsistencies,  either  in  private  Christians 
or  in  ministers,  discourage  you,  and  induce  you  to  go  back 
and  walk  no  more  with  Jesus.  For  they  are  but  trials  of  your 
sincerity,  which  should  cause  you  to  say,  "  Let  God  be  true, 
though  every  man  should  be  a  liar ;"  and  it  shall  be  my  prayer, 
as  it  will  be  to  my  eternal  interest,  to  be  sincere,  though  every 
other  professor  of  religion  should  prove  a  hypocrite.  Let  me 
learn,  from  these  discouragements,  to  obey  the  inspired  com- 
mand, "  Cease  from  man,  whose  breath  is  in  his  nostrils;  for 
wherein  is  he  to  be  accounted  of?" 

2.  The  disciples  of  Christ  are  here  seen  influenced  by  their 
own  spirit,  rather  than  that  of  their  Lord. 

If  you  take  the  parents'  part,  and,  seeing  them  wounded  by 
the  disciples'  rebukes,  ask,  '*  why  put  away  the  dear  babes, 
and  find  fault  with  the  fond  mothers  for  bringing  them  here  I " 
they  who  are  so  officious  about  the  Saviour's  person,  answer, 
"  the  children  are  troublesome :  our  Master  cannot  attend  to 
babies ;  he  is  engaged  about  gifeater  concerns."  You,  that 
are  parents,  exclaim,  "  Greater  concerns  !     What,  then,  can 


106  LECTLfRE    LXI. 

be  of  greater  importance  than  to  bless  our  babes,  to  bring 
them  under  the  eye  of  Him,  '  whose  morning  smile  can  bless 
all  the  day  of  life  I '  For,  little  as  these  creatures  are,  who  can 
tell  to  what  size  their  souls  may  expand  ?  And  if  this  young 
germ  of  being  should  be  blessed  with  the  Saviour's  grace,  its 
expansion  shall  be  something  better  than  the  spreading  of  a 
peacock's  tail  to  the  sun ;  it  shall  be  the  stretching  of  a 
seraph's  wing,  to  fly  through  the  universe,  on  errands  of  obe- 
dience, or  to  cover  a  face  that  devoutly  adores  before  the 
eternal  throne." 

"  But  what  good  can  these  children  get  from  Jesus  J"  The 
disciples  cry,  "  they  are  too  young."  '*  Indeed!"  return  the 
pious  father  and  mother :  "  Is  any  age  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
grace  of  Christ  ?  Can  he  not  bless  us,  from  the  womb,  and 
touch  the  heart  of  the  infant  as  well  as  of  the  hoary  sage  T' 
"  But  these  children  have  nothing  the  matter  with  them,  and, 
therefore,  want  no  cure  ;  and  they  are  too  young  to  receive 
instruction."  Again,  a  Christian  parent  might  reply,  '*  Have 
nothing  the  matter  with  them  !  Alas  !  they  were  *  conceived 
in  sin,  and  shapen  in  iniquity,  and  are  by  nature  children  of 
wrath,  even  as  others.  Every  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of 
the  heart  is  only  evil  continually.'  Want  no  cure  from  Jesus ! 
they  want  their  very  nature  cured :  they  need  absolutely  to  be 
born  over  again,  or  they  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven ; 
and  then  it  had  been  better  for  them  if  they  had  never  been 
born  at  all ! " 

The  disciples,  then,  acted  under  the  influence  of  their  own 
spirit,  in  putting  away  these  children,  and  rebuking  the 
parents,  though  Jesus  had  already  inculcated  another  spirit, 
when  he  took  a  little  child,  and,  placing  it  amidst  the  disci- 
ples, said,  "  Except  ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little 
children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 

But  let  the  Saviour  plead  his  own  cause,  and  that  of  our 
children.  /'Tor  the  conduct  of  the  disciples  is  corrected  by 

III.*  The  conduct  of  the  Saviour. 

WHile  we,  with  all  our  littleness,  think  babes  beneath  us, 
Jesus,  in  all  his  grandeur,  r^toops  to  notice  them,  and  thinks 
jMHie  beneath  him,  to  whom  he  may  do  good.    Here,  then,  we 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.  107 

have,  presented  to  our  meditations,  Christ's  displeasure,  his 
commands,  his  reasons,  his  confirmation  of  those  reasons,  and 
his  action. 

1.  His  displeasure. 

"  When  Jesus  saw  what  his  disciples  did,  he  was  much  dis- 
pleased." Though  it  is,  of  course,  not  pleasant  to  be  displeased, 
and  though  our  displeasure  often  arises  from  sinful  causes, 
and  produces  pernicious  effects,  by  its  irregularity  or  excess ; 
yet  we  here  learn,  that  a  perfectly  holy  being  may  be  said  to 
be  displeased.  It  seems  the  natural  and  necessary  effect  of 
attachment  to  benevolence,  rectitude,  and  truth,  when  these 
are  violated  by  malignity,  injustice,  and  falsehood.  Oh,  for 
that  hour,  when  all  our  displeasure  will  arise  from  just  causes, 
be  confined  to  due  limits,  and  produce  neither  sinful  nor  tor- 
menting effects ! 

Jesus  was  now  much  displeased  with  the  disciples,  for 
rebuking  the  parents,  and  standing  between  him  and  the  chil- 
dren. The  men,  that  thought  they  were  doing  him  service, 
were  only  drawing  vipon  themselves  his  displeasure.  He 
afterwards  told  them,  "  The  hour  is  coming,  when  whosoever 
killeth  you,  will  think  he  doeth  God  service."  For  men  may 
be  so  strangely  mistaken,  as  to  perform  that,  for  a  duty,  which 
our  Lord  will  frown  upon,  as  a  sin.  "  Who  then  can  tell  his 
errors  ?  Cleanse  thou  us  from  secret  faults,  as  well  as  keep 
thy  servant  back  from  presumptuous  sins.  In  many  things, 
we  offend  all.  There  is  not  a  just  man  that  liveth  and  sin- 
neth  not." 

Nor  is  Christ  ever  more  displeased,  than  when  hindrances 
are  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  soul  that  was  coming  to  him. 
And  who  shall  dare  to  say,  "  Oh!  it  is  only  a  child?"  Only  a 
child  !  The  soul  of  a  babe  is  worth  more  than  the  treasures  of 
a  world.  He  that  would  hinder  such  a  one  from  coming  to 
Jesus,  would  pluck  from  his  crown  a  jewel,  and  trample  it  in 
the  dirt.  The  loftiest  mind,  the  most  eminent  disciple,  may 
justly  tremble,  at  the  guilt  and  danger  of  standing  between 
souls  and  the  Saviour,  by  any  ill-advised  sentiments  and  con- 
duct toward  children.     The  Saviour  calls  you  next  to  hear. 


108  LECTURE    LXI, 

2.  His  commands. 

"  Suffer  little  children,  and  forbid  them  not,  to  come  to 
me." 

Is  there  here  a  little  girl  or  boy  who  has  ever  said, 

"  Gentle  Jesus,  meek  and  mild, 
Look  upon  a  little  child  ; 
Pity  my  simplicity. 
And  suffer  me  to  come  to  thee. 
Fain  I  would  to  thee  be  brought. 
Dearest  Lord,  forbid  it  not?" 

This  day,  you  hear,  my  dear  children,  the  Saviour  return  a 
kind  answer  to  the  petition  of  your  little  hymn.  He  says  to 
his  disciples,  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  to  me.  Per- 
mit their  parents  to  bring  them  to  me,  from  the  womb ;  to  lay 
them  at  my  feet  in  prayer ;  to  commit  them  to  my  bosom,  as 
Lord  of  the  church,  in  baptism  ;  and  to  rear  them  at  my  side, 
in  Christian  instruction."  His  ministers,  nay,  the  chief  of  the 
Apostles,  he  commanded  to  feed  these  lambs. 
For  these  commands  of  Christ  he  assigns, 
3.  His  reasons. 

"  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
The  kingdom  of  heaven,  as  proclaimed  by  our  Lord,  means, 
not  the  state  of  future  bliss,  but  the  reign  of  grace  in  the 
church  upon  earth.  Now  Christ  says,  that  this  kingdom  con- 
sists of  such  subjects  as  these  children,  that  were  brought  to 
him  by  their  parents.  It  has,  however,  been  contended,  that 
the  word  such  means  grown  persons,  who  are  like  children  in 
disposition,  meek  and  obedient.  But  this  cannot  be  the  Sa- 
viour's meaning  ;  for  he  is  here  expressing  his  displeasure 
towards  his  disciples,  for  hindering  the  parents  from  bringing 
those  who  were  literally  babes.  The  reason  he  assigns  for 
charging  the  disciples  not  to  hinder  these  children,  is,  that  of 
such  his  kingdom  consists.  Now,  the  reason  is  good  and  con- 
clusive, only  as  applied  to  those  who  are  children  in  age.  If 
Christ's  kingdom  consists  of  none  but  men  and  women  who 
arc  of  a  child-like  spirit,  this  furnishes  no  reason  at  all  why 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE   CHILDREN.  109 

the  disciples  should  suiFer  infants  to  be  brought,  in  their 
mothers'  arms,  to  Jesus.  But,  if  the  heavenly  kingdom, 
which  Christ  came  to  set  up  on  earth,  receives  infants  into  its 
bosom,  that  furnishes  a  sufficient  reason  why  Jesus  should  be 
displeased  at  those  who  would  hinder  babes  from  being- 
brought,  and  why  he  should  say,  "  Suffer  them  to  come,  and 
do  not  forbid  them,  for  my  kingdom  contains  such  babes  as 
these." 

If,  then,  Christ's  kingdom  contains  such  little  children,  and 
parents  are,  therefore,  to  be  allowed  to  bring  them  to  the  king, 
it  furnishes  an  answer  conclusive  in  favour  of  infant  baptism. 
All  those  who  practise  the  rite  of  baptism  at  all,  admit  that  it 
is  an  initiatory,  dedicatory  rite,  forming,  as  it  were,  the  door 
of  entrance  into  the  visible  church  ;  so  that  none  are  to  be 
considered  as  having  regularly  entered  in  who  have  not  passed 
through  that  door.  This  is  most  readily  admitted  by  those 
who  reject  infant  baptism. 

When,  therefore,  the  Apostles  afterwards  said,  that  they 
baptized  believers  and  their  households,  they  knew  that  this 
language  and  conduct  would  be  considered  as  not  only  indica- 
tive of  the  same  practice  as  had  been  adopted  by  the  ancient 
church,  into  which  a  heathen  and  his  household  were  admitted 
by  circumcision,  but  as  springing  from  the  command  which 
their  Lord  had  given  them,  to  suffer  the  parents  to  bring  their 
children  with  them  to  Christ.  The  same  application  they 
might  naturally  expect  would  be  made  of  their  words,  at  Pen- 
tecost, "  Repent  and  be  baptized,  all  of  you,  for  the  promise 
is  to  you  and  to  your  children." 

Consider,  further, 

4.  Christ's  confirmation  of  his  reasonings. 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  whosoever  shall  not  receive  the 
kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  shall  not  enter  therein." 

The  true  import  of  these  words  will  be  best  perceived,  by 
keeping  in  view  the  circumstances  in  which  they  were  uttered. 
To  all  the  reasonings  of  the  Apostles  against  the  children,  as 
too  young  to  come  to  Christ,  Jesus  replies,  "  Can  these  chil- 
dren do  nothing  to  merit  my  favour,  and  change  their  hearts? 


110  LECTURE    LXl. 

Neither  can  you.  Whoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of 
God,  the  reign  of  heaven,  by  an  act  of  grace  and  power  on 
my  part,  doing  that  in  him,  and  for  him,  which  he  would  never 
do  for  himself,  shall  never  enter  that  kingdom."  This  is  the 
true  reason  why  children  should  be  brought  to  Christ;  because 
he  is  as  much  able  to  give,  and  they  are  as  competent  to  re- 
ceive, that  new  birth  by  which  we  enter  into  his  kingdom,  as 
he  is  able  to  give  to  the  eldest  the  grace  of  regeneration,  or 
they  are  capable  of  receiving  it. 

It  is  a  proud  conceit  of  our  doing  something  towards  our 
own  regeneration,  that  makes  us  fancy  we  are  better  fitted  to 
receive  it  than  a  little  child.  But,  as  truly  as  the  parent 
brings  in  his  arms  a  passive  babe,  to  be  received,  by  baptism, 
into  the  visible  kingdom  of  Christ ;  so  the  Father  of  mercies 
brings  us,  by  an  operation  of  his  Spirit,  into  the  invisible 
and  spiritual  empire  of  grace,  into  which,  by  our  depravity, 
we  would  not,  and  therefore  morally  could  not,  enter  our- 
selves. 

It  is,  therefore,  with  a  surprisingly  ill  grace  that  those  who 
agree  in  the  general  system  of  doctrine  with  the  great  re- 
former, Calvin,  are  accused  of  denying  the  salvation  of  infants, 
when  it  is  only  upon  this  system  that  any  hope  can  be  enter- 
tained of  their  salvation.  If  we  deny  that  they  were,  with  the 
rest  of  the  race,  lost  in  Adam,  then  there  can  be  no  salvation 
needed.  But  if  we  believe  the  Scripture  testimony,  that  "  we 
are  by  nature  children  of  wrath,"  how  can  infants  be  saved, 
but  by  the  sovereign  favour  of  God;  and  by  a  change  which 
his  Spirit  produces  on  their  nature,  and  to  which  they  contri- 
bute nothing?  But  these  two  are  the  grand  characteristic 
principles  of  the  Calvinistic  system.  On  the  contrary,  those 
who  suppose  that  the  concurrence  of  our  own  will,  improving 
the  general  offers  of  grace,  and  some  better  conduct  of  our 
own,  must  make  us  to  differ  from  those  who  are  lost,  cut  off 
all  hope  for  those  who  die  in  infancy.  If  it  be  said,  that  God 
may  adopt  a  different  mode  in  dealing  with  children,  and  may 
change  their  nature  by  his  grace  alone,  and  make  them  to  dif- 
fer from  the  lost,  though  they  never  did  any  thing  to  differ- 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.  Ill 

ence  themselves,  aud  thus  may  choose  to  save  them,  this  may 
be  admitted;  but  then  it  is  introducing  two  very  different 
ways  of  salvation,  and  admitting  the  Calvinistic  mode,  as 
necessary  to  account  for  the  salvation  of  infants,  which  is  the 
object  I  designed  to  establish.  The  election,  regeneration, 
and  salvation  of  infants,  then,  will  give  them  eternal  reason  to 
adore  the  God,  who,  while  he  does  injustice  to  none,  showed 
special  favour  to  them  whom  he  saved  by  his  own  choice  and 
favour,  without  exposing  them  to  the  dangers  which  prove  so 
fatal  to  many,  and  indeed  to  most. 

5.  The  action  of  the  Saviour  closed  the  scene. 

He  took  the  children  that  were  brought  to  him,  up  into  his 
arms,  and  laid  his  hands  on  them  and  blessed  them. 

What  a  lovely  sight !  The  Lord  of  glory  with  a  little  babe 
in  his  arms !  Never,  except  when  extended  on  the  cross,  do 
his  arms  appear  more  glorious  than  when  folding  in  them  an 
infant,  and  pressing  it  to  his  compassionate  bosom.  This  sight 
consoles  us,  when  weeping  over  the  lovely  corpse  of  a  babe. 
Jesus  has  taken  it  into  his  bosom. 

The  heat  of  controversy  often  impels  persons  to  say  what 
their  cooler  moments  condemn.  I  yield,  therefore,  to  the  voice 
of  duty  alone,  when  I  animadvert  upon  what  some  have  said 
against  the  baptism  of  infants,  that  we  might  as  well  perform 
the  rite  upon  the  young  of  a  brute.  But  if  this  were  true,  Jesus 
Christ  might  as  well  have  taken  up  a  brute  as  a  babe  :  yet  he 
is  never  said  to  have  taken  an  irrational  animal  into  his  arms, 
but  more  than  once  he  took  up  a  little  child.  Here  we  behold 
him  taking  several  into  his  bosom,  rebuking  his  disciples  who 
would  have  hindered,  and  declaring,  not  only  that  his  kingdom 
contained  such,  but  that  we  must  all  enter  that  kingdom  in 
the  same  way  as  a  babe  must.  Let  those  who  ask  what  good 
baptism  could  do  infants,  tell  us  what  good  the  mere  rite  can 
do  adults,  or  the  mere  touch  of  the  Saviour's  hands  to  the 
body  could  have  done  to  the  soul  of  these  infants.  Be  it  ours, 
then,  to  imitate  Jesus,  by  opening  our  arms  to  the  little  ones, 
taking  them  into  the  bosom  of  the  church,  considering  them 
as   the   younger  children  of  our  holy  family,  and  though  not 


112  LECTURE    LXI. 

yet  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  full-grown  children, 
training  up  and  educating  for  the  table  of  the  Lord  here,  and 
his  glory  in  heaven. 

The  truth  of  the  evangelical  history  is  seen  here  ;  for  the 
Apostles  record  their  own  mistakes  and  faults,  and  the  rebukes 
they  received  from  their  Lord,  like  men  who  sought  not  their 
own  glory,  but  followed  truth  wherever  it  led.  Taught  wisdom 
by  their  errors,  let  us  go  to  lead  our  children  to  Jesus,  and 
exult  in  the  assurance,  that  "  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." 


113 


LECTURE    LXII. 

THE    RICH    youth's    DISAPPOINTMENT. 

Matt.  xix.  16 — 26. 
Mark  x.  17—27. 
*  Luke  xviii.  18 — 27. 

*  And  a  certain  ruler  asked  him,  saying,  Good  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to 
inherit  eternal  life  ? 

What  a  novel  sight  we  behold  to-day  !  But  how  agreeable  ! 
how  promising  !  and  yet  how  delusive  !  While  the  rich  and 
the  great,  the  learned  and  the  wise,  despise  the  poor  man  of 
Nazareth,  and  disdain  to  be  taught  by  him  ;  lo,  one  in  the 
prime  of  life,  a  ruler,  a  man  of  large  fortune,  of  virtuous  cha- 
racter and  respected  life,  comes  running  to  Jesus,  with  breath- 
less eagerness,  and  kneeling  humbly  at  his  feet,  asks  him  to 
tell  the  way  to  eternal  life  ! 

Who  would  not  have  said,  when  such  a  suppliant  kneels 
before  such  a  teacher,  with  such  an  inquiry,  all  will  end  hap- 
pily in  obtaining  that  eternal  bliss  after  which  he  so  wisely 
seeks  ?  But  ah  !  what  a  disappointment !  This  young  man 
was  like  some  fine  tree  in  spring,  so  covered  with  blossoms 
as  to  be  one  vast  mass  of  flowers,  not  only  beautiful  to  the 
eye  and  fragrant  to  the  smell,  but  giving  fair  promise  of 
abundance  of  rich  fruits  in  autumn ;  when,  alas !  ere  summer 
arrives,  it  shows  that  all  this  bloom  was  deceitful  and  barren  ; 
for  it  has  all  been  shed  and  scattered  beneath  the  tree,  which 
is  left  a  collection  of  mere  branches  and  leaves,  without  one 
single  fruit  to  cheer  the  taste.  And  what  is  most  afflictive  is, 
that  the  blossoms  of  hope,  which  this  young  man  presents  to 
our  view,  all  wither  at  the  Saviour's  touch,  and  fall  blasted  at 
his  feet,  while  the  fair  pretender  turns  out  to  be  a  foul  cheat 

VOL.    II.  I 


114  LECTURE    LXII. 

1  proceed,  then,  to  direct  your  attention  to, 

I.  The  introductory  conversation  between  this  youth  and 
our  Saviour. 

Jesus  was  now  turning  away  from  a  most  interesting  scene, 
where  he  had  received  the  little  ones  into  his  arms,  to  give 
them  his  parting  blessing,  and  had  reminded  the  disciples, 
that,  unless  they  received  the  kingdom  of  God  as  one  of  those 
little  babes  might,  they  should  not  enter  into  it.  The  youth 
before  us,  having  heard  this,  perhaps,  and  seeing  our  Lord  go 
away,  came  running  up  to  him,  to  say,  **  but  what  good  thing 
shall  I,  who  am  not  a  babe,  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ? "  To 
this  question,  our  Lord  gives  a  singularly  repulsive  reply.  Con- 
sider then, 

1,  The  promising  inquiry. 

This  was  presented  in  great  haste  ;  for  the  youth  came  run- 
ning, and  in  a  moment  kneeled  down  at  Christ's  feet,  as  if  the 
inquirer  were,  at  once  most  earnest,  and  most  humble.  But, 
from  the  event,  I  fear  that  all  this  was  mere  display  ;  not, 
indeed,  of  that  grossest  kind,  which  constitutes  known  and 
intentional  hypocrisy,  but  of  the  more  dangerous  species,  which 
deceives  the  man  himself  by  whom  it  is  practised.  He  gave 
poor  evidence  of  that  superiority  to  the  pride  of  wealth  which 
his  lowly  action  implied.  My  dear  young  friends,  abhor  dis- 
play, which  is  so  evil,  both  in  its  cause  and  its  effects  ;  and 
cultivate  that  simplicity  and  sincerity  of  character,  which  Christ 
so  much  approves. 

When  this  rich  youth  exclaims,  *'  Good  Master,  what  good 
thing  shall  1  do,  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life,"  he  virtually 
declares,  that  he  is  willing  to  do  any  thing  that  Jesus  may 
prescribe.  This,  indeed,  had  been  most  rational ;  for  what  is 
not  eternal  life  worth  !  Yet  the  sequel  shows,  that  this  ruler 
was  not  the  wise  merchant,  of  whom  Christ  speaks,  who 
**  having  found  a  treasure  hidden  in  a  field,  or  a  pearl  of  great 
price,  went  and  sold  all  that  he  had,  to  obtain  the  jewel." 

With  all  this  fair  appearance,  he  came  to  receive, 

2.  A  singular  repulse. 

"  Why  callest  thou  me  good  ?  there  is  none  good  but  one, 
that  is  God."     This  has  been   supposed   by  some,  to  imply  a 


THE    YOUNG    MAN'S    DISAPPOINTMENT,  115 

renunciation  of  Deity,  on  Christ's  part.  But,  apart  from  the 
consideration  of  a  various  reading-,  the  words,  as  we  have  read 
them,  g-ive  no  support  to  such  a  supposition.  The  Jewish 
rabbis  were  accustomed  to  affect  titles  of  excellence,  which  ill 
become  a  mere  creature,  much  less  a  fallen  creature ;  and  as  this 
ruler  undoubtedly  took  Christ  for  a  mere  creature,  he  was  re- 
proved for  giving  a  flattering  title,  when  he  was  professedly 
inquiring  after  the  serious  affairs  of  eternal  life. 

Yet  some  may  naturally  ask,  where  was  the  flattery  of  call- 
ing Christ  good  ?  was  he  not  truly  so  ?  and  did  not  Jesus  him- 
self say,  "  a  good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  his  heart, 
bringeth  forth  good  things  ? "  and  has  not  one  inspired  writer 
said,  of  Barnabas,  "  he  was  a  good  man,"  and  another,  that 
'*  for  a  good  man,  some  would  even  dare  to  die?"  The  pro- 
priety of  expressions,  in  certain  cases,  depends  upon  the  sense 
in  which  they  are  used  and  understood.  I  conceive,  that  the 
Jews  were  accustomed  to  flatter  their  reputed  holy  and  wise 
men,  with  ascriptions  of  native,  inherent,  and  I  might  say, 
original,  and  independent  goodness,  and  that  it  was  in  this 
sense  the  young  man  called  Christ  good,  though  he  believed 
him  a  mere  creature.  Christ,  therefore,  who  himself  sanctioned 
the  application  of  the  term  "  good"  to  a  man,  when  it  was  used 
in  an  inferior  sense,  as  signifying  that  which  is  derived  from 
God,  seized  this  opportunity  to  show,  that  in  the  other  sense, 
it  was  applicable  to  no  creature,  and  that  it  is  blasphemy  to 
ascribe  original  independent  goodness  to  any  but  God. 

Griesbach  gives  this  various  reading  in  Matthew,  "  why 
askest  thou  concerning  the  good,  one  is  good."  But  as  it  is 
difficult  to  attach  a  meaning  to  this,  and  as  the  other  Evange- 
lists have  unquestionably  the  same  reading  as  our  translation 
indicates,  I  pass  on,  to  meet  a  remark,  which  perhaps  some  of 
my  hearers  may  have  made.  Is  there  not  an  appearance  of 
wishing  to  find  fault,  in  the  manner  in  which  our  Lord  checks 
this  youth  ?  There  is  ;  and  doubtless  it  was  necessary.  He 
came  flattering,  in  order  to  be  flattered.  It  was,  therefore, 
most  wise,  holy,  and  benevolent  in  our  Lord,  to  give  him  this 
cold  repulse,  to  teach  him  to  deal  sincerely,  where  the  soul, 
eternity,  and  the  divine  favour  were  concerned.     Happy  had 

1  2 


116  I.ECTURE    LXII. 

it  been  for  the  young  man,  if  this  mortifying  commencement 
of  the  interview  had  led  him  to  fling  away  his  mask,  and  lay 
his  whole  soul  open  to  the  force  of  t^uth.  This  would  have 
accomplished  the  benevolent  design  of  our  Lord,  in  thus  re- 
calling him  to  the  just  use  of  language,  and  the  vast  distinction 
between  the  goodness,  or  virtue,  of  God  and  that  of  any  crea- 
ture. Death  and  eternity  are  themes  so  awfully  serious,  and 
sincerity  is  so  important  in  religion,  that  it  is  kindness  to  give 
any  repulse,  that  may  lead  a  man  to  deal  honestly  with  con- 
science and  with  God. 

II.  The  display  of  the  young  man's  self-righteousness. 
"  Thou  knowest  the  commandments,"  says  Jesus,  "  Do  not 
commit  adultery,  do  not  kill,"  &c. 

This  reply  has  been  so  completely  mistaken,  and  so  often 
employed  to  sanction  the  very  error  which  it  was  designed  to 
detect  and  expose,  that  it  becomes  necessary  to  pay  peculiar 
attention  to  the  drift  of  the  conversation,  and  pray  earnestly 
that  we  may,  with  candid  mind,  embrace  the  truth. 

1.  Christ  answers  the  young  man  according  to  the  self- 
righteousness  of  his  heart. 

"  Thou  knowest  the  commandments."  "  Professing  to 
come  to  me  to  learn,  thou  hast  already  expressed  thy  know- 
ledge, that  it  is  some  good  thing  that  thou  must  do,  which  shall 
entitle  thee  to  eternal  life.  Well  then,  if  thou  knowest  this,  thou 
knowest  too  what  are  the  commands  of  God,  which  prescribe 
the  good  things  to  be  done.  Why  ask  me  ? "  Then  our  Lord 
reminds  him  of  those  precepts,  which  belong  to  what  is  called 
the  second  table  of  the  law,  that  contains  our  duty  towards 
our  neighbour.  Why  ?  Was  it  because  it  is  more  easy  to 
convict  men  of  not  loving  their  neighbour  as  themselves,  than 
of  not  loving  God  with  all  the  soul  l  or  because  this  part  of 
the  law  best  accorded  with  our  Lord's  design,  which  was  to 
bid  him  give  all  his  property  to  the  poor  ? 

Now,  lest  any  should  suppose,  that  Jesus  must  seriously 
have  designed  to  teach  this  young  man  that  he  was  to  obtain 
eternal  life  by  keeping  the  commandments,  we  must  recall 
what  I  have  before  quoted  from  the  prophecies  of  Ezekiel ; 
that,  if  any  one  came  to  inquire  of  God,  having  set  up  the 


THE    RICH    youth's    DISAPPOINTMENT.  117 

stumbling-block  of  iniquity  in  his  heart,  God  would  answer 
him  according-  to  his  own  heart.  This  young  man  evidently 
had  in  his  heart  his  wealth,  and  his  fancied  righteousness,  as 
the  stumbling-blocks  which  stood  in  the  way  of  his  reception 
of  the  truth;  and  our  Lord  answers  him  according  to  his  own 
heart,  when  he  says,  "  Thou  knowest  the  commandments." 

If,  however,  any  object,  and  say,  "  surely  Christ  would  not 
act  insincerely,  nor,  for  the  sake  of  detecting  insincerity  in 
another,  say  himself  what  was  not  true,"  I  reply,  "  this  1  can 
readily  admit."  But  it  is  most  true,  that  if  a  man  asks  what 
good  thing  must  /  do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life,  we  can, 
consistently  with  truth,  give  him  no  other  reply,  than  "  keep 
the  commandments,  and,  as  far  as  thy  neighbour  is  concerned, 
thou  must  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself." 

2."  The  ruler  answered  according  to  the  conceit  of  his  own 
heart. 

"  All  these  have  I  kept  from  my  youth  up."  What  a  self- 
deceiver  is  man  !  Indeed,  young  man  !  Hast  thou  never  had 
a  covetous  wish  ?  for  one  of  these  commands  is.  Thou  shalt  not 
covet  any  thing  that  is  thy  neighbour's  !  What !  never,  when 
a  boy,  wish  to  have  another  boy's  fruit,  or  toys,  or  success  at 
play  I  All  these  commands  are  summed  up,  by  Moses,  whose 
disciple  thou  professest  to  be,  in  this  one,  "  thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbour  as  thyself."  *  Hast  thou,  then,  always  done 
this,  from  thy  youth  ?  What !  never,  when  a  lad  among  thy 
play-fellows,  prefer  thine  own  claims  to  those  of  another,  nor 
wish  to  win,  nor  take  pleasure  to  see  another  lose,  nor  desire 
to  have  the  best  place  for  thyself ;  nor,  at  school,  indulge  in  a 
little  of  that  eiuulation  which,  because  it  springs  from  selfish- 
ness, the  essence  of  sin,  God  has  branded  as  one  of  the  works 
of  the  flesh  ?  -f-  Hast  thou  always  weighed  thy  neighbour's 
claims  and  thine  own,  in  a  balance  so  even,  that  thou  hast 
never  preferred  thine  own,  merely  because  they  were  thine 
own,  which  is  indeed  no  reason  at  all  ?  Alas,  thy  conduct  on 
this  occasion,  preferring  to  lose  thy  heaven,  rather  than  dis- 
tribute thy  riches  to  those  who  are  in  want,  sufficiently  proves 
that  thou  lovest  not  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 

Such,  however,  was  the  confidence  of  this  ruler  in  his  obe- 
*  Lev.  xix.  18.  t  Gal.  v.  20. 


118  LECTURE    LXII. 

dience  to  the  law,  that  he  not  only  affirmed,  '*  all  this  have  I 
kept  from  my  youth,"  but  he  boldly  asks,  "  what  lack  I  yet?" 
This  was  what  we  familiarly  call  fishing  for  a  compliment, 
studying  to  draw  from  our  Lord  a  public  commendation  of 
his  virtue.  He  hoped  to  hear  Jesus  say,  "well  done,  excel- 
lent youth,  thou  art  perfect,  and  lackest  nothing."  It  is,  how- 
ever, not  improbable  that,  with  the  mixed  motive  and  con- 
flicting conclusions  that  are  so  commonly  found  in  the  human 
breast,  the  youth  sought  to  find  some  relief  to  that  aching 
sense  of  failure,  which  deprives  the  self-righteous  of  solid 
peace.  What  lack  I  yet?  must  ever  be  the  language  of  those 
who  ask;  "what  good  thing  shall  I  do,  that  I  may  inherit 
eternal  life?"  For  the  law  makes  nothing  perfect.  Now 
witness, 

III.  The  exposure  of  his  sinfulness. 

It  is  said,  that  Jesus,  "  looking  at  him,  loved  him."  For 
there  are  many  things  very  lovely,  that  are  not  spiritual  or 
holy.  The  beauties  of  nature,  and  the  works  of  art,  are 
worthy  of  an  inferior  kind  of  affection.  The  bloom  of  youth, 
and  the  sweetness  of  natural  disposition,  and,  above  all,  the 
correctness  of  moral  character  and  propriety  of  deportment, 
which  may  have  been  conspicuous  in  this  youth,  may  have 
been  just  such  as  endears  to  you,  my  honoured  friends,  some 
of  your  children,  whom  yet  you  may  not  have  reason  to  think 
born  of  God.  As  you  ought  to  be  thankful  for  such  endear- 
ments in  your  offspring ;  so  our  Lord  Jesus  was  far  from  being 
insensible  to  worth  and  loveliness,  of  even  an  inferior  order,  for 
he  has  a  heart  susceptible  of  the  kindest  emotions  towards  all 
that  is  lovely,  in  every  way.  Yet  he  deemed  it  right,  to  put 
this  lovely  youth  to  a  severe  test  of  his  sincerity,  and  he  gave 
a  painful  proof  of  insincerity. 

1.  The  severe  test  of  his  sincerity. 

"  One  thing  thou  lackest;  go  sell  whatever  thou  hast,  and 
give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven,  and 
come,  take  up  thy  cross,  and  follow  me."  What  a  thunderbolt 
must  this  have  been,  to  one  who  was  so  much  in  love  both  with 
his  riches  and  his  righteousness!  But  how  completely  this  an- 
swer confutes  the  strange  notion,  that  our  Lord  intended  to  teach 
the  young  man,  that  he  was  to  obtain  eternal  life,  by  his  own 


THE    RICH    youth's    DISAPPOINTMENT.  119 

obedience  to  the  commandments !  Had  this  been  the  case, 
what  could  Christ  have  replied  to  him  who  declared  he  had 
kept  them  all,  but  this,  "  then  thou  lackest  nothing,  but  art 
entitled  to  life?"  For  the  law  says,  "the  man  that  doeth 
these  things  shall  live  by  them."  But,  instead  of  this,  which 
the  youth  expected,  Christ  utters  a  sentence  so  severe  as  to 
dash  all  the  vain  hopes  of  heaven  to  the  ground ;  and  prove 
that  Jesus  had  not  uttered  all  his  mind,  but  was  merely  draw- 
ing out  the  young  man's  character  to  view.  Having  accom- 
plished the  object  of  eliciting  the  youth's  confidence  in  his 
own  righteousness,  our  Lord  shows  how  vain  it  was,  and  how 
essentially  a  man  of  the  world  was  this  pretended  aspirant  after 
eternal  life. 

To  sell  all  his  property  and  give  away  the  proceeds  to  the 
poor ;  to  be  contented  with  treasure  in  heaven  ;  to  take  up 
his  cross,  which  is  equivalent  to  putting  a  halter  round  his 
neck,  or  a  gibbet  on  his  shoulder,  for  it  alludes  to  the  custom 
of  compelling  the  condemned  to  carry  to  the  place  of  execution 
the  instrument  by  which  he  was  to  suffer  death  ;  to  follow,  in 
this  style,  a  master  who  was  now  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  to  be 
crucified  ;  is  this  what  the  young  man  lacks  ? 

But  here  men  writhe  and  twist,  and  ask,  "  can  this  be  ne- 
cessary to  eternal  life?  Surely  it  cannot  be  required  of  all." 
What  then,  can  we  suppose  that  our  Lord  was  unnecessarily 
severe  upon  this  youth  ?  No,  my  dear  friends.  One  simple 
observation  puts  down  all  these  vain  reasonings.  It  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  all  to  do  this,  whenever  Christ  calls,  as  he 
did  this  young  man.  He  may  not  always  command  us  ac- 
tually to  do  it,  and  then  we  are  exempt  from  the  necessity ; 
but  we  must  always  possess  the  disposition  to  do  it  at  his  bid- 
ding, or  we  are  not  his  disciples. 

In  this  instance  our  Lord  chose  to  issue  the  command.  For 
desperate  diseases  require  desperate  remedies ;  and  the  young 
man  had  shown  such  confidence  in  his  own  righteousness,  that 
Jesus  deemed  it  fit,  by  a  strong  measure,  to  expose  his  real 
character  to  shame.  But  all  the  severity  of  the  test  was  in- 
tended to  act  upon  us  too,  that  we  also  might  be  benefited 
by  this  exposure. 


120  LECTURE    LXll. 

We  are,  however,  accustomed  to  fasten  upoD  only  one  part 
of  Christ's  requirement,  and  dwell  upon  that  alone  as  severe, 
though  that  is  not  the  most  difficult  by  any  means.  Do  not 
startle,  then,  my  dear  friends,  if,  when  you  exclaim,  what ! 
must  we  be  willing  to  part  with  all  our  property  I  I  reply, 
yes,  and  that  is  not  all,  nor  even  the  chief  requirement  of 
Christ.  For  he  did  not  say  merely,  "  sell  all  thou  hast,  and 
give  to  the  poor,"  but,  "  take  up  thy  cross,"  that  is,  "  submit 
to  lay  down  thy  life  for  my  sake."  "  For  if  any  man  love 
father,  or  mother,  or  sister,  or  brother,  or  houses  or  lands,  or 
his  own  life  more  than  me,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple."  Then 
why  harp  upon  parting  with  all  your  property,  as  if  this  were 
the  mighty  affair,  when  it  was  well  said,  "  all  that  a  man  hath 
will  he  give  for  his  life,"  and  we  are  required  to  give  up  life 
itself  for  Christ  ?  Have  not  the  most  desperate  misers,  when 
life  was  at  stake,  parted  with  all  their  wealth,  and,  with  their 
own  hands,  thrown  overboard,  in  a  storm,  their  most  precious 
treasures,  to  save  their  lives,  glad  to  escape  to  shore,  at  last, 
on  a  plank,  with  scarcely  a  rag  to  cover  them?  And  yet  the 
precious  life,  for  which  we  would  part  with  all  our  property, 
must  itself  be  resigned  for  Christ's  sake.  Nor  is  this  merely 
a  hard  speculation,  a  difficulty,  or  a  doctrine,  never  reduced 
to  practice,  except  in  one  or  two  rare  and  almost  miraculous 
cases.  It  is,  I  might  almost  say,  no  uncommon  occurrence. 
What  means  the  well-known  phrase,  "  the  noble  army  of  mar- 
tyrs ? "  Does  it  not  declare  that  there  has  been  a  whole  host 
of  men,  who,  at  Christ's  bidding,  have  sacrificed,  not  merely 
property,  but  life  itself,  that  they  might  lay  hold  of  eternal 
life  I  Many  of  them  have  been  persons  of  good  property  and 
fair  prospects,  and  yet  they  have  not  only  submitted  to  the 
loss  of  all,  but  have  suffered  the  most  horrid  deaths,  at  which 
nature  shudders.  Females  have  endured  burning  alive,  for 
Christ's  sake.  For  we  must  not  fail  to  notice,  that  these  no- 
ble sacrifices  have  been  made,  not  by  those  who  have  boasted 
of  their  own  righteousness,  but  by  such  as  have  said,  with  one 
who  himself  afterwards  suffered  martyrdom,  "  O  that  I  may 
win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him,  not  having  on  mine  own 
righteousness  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through 


THE    RICH    youth's    DISAPPOINTMENT.  121 

the  faith  of  Christ."  If,  therefore,  this  young  man,  with  all 
his  high  professions,  had  been  sincere,  or  had  even  made  any 
tolerable  approach  to  loving  God  with  all  his  heart,  and  his 
neighbour  as  himself,  he  would  have  replied  to  Christ's  com- 
mand, "  I  go.  Lord,  and,  at  thy  bidding,  follow  thee,  poor 
and  despised,  to  prison  and  to  death."  Instead  of  this,  we 
have  now  to  turn  to  behold, 

2.  The  sad  proofs  of  his  insincerity. 

"  When  he  heard  this,  he  was  very  sad,  and  went  away 
grieved,  for  he  was  very  rich."  Thus  the  mask  drops,  the 
man  of  perfect  virtue  vanishes,  and  the  worldly-minded  sinner 
stands  exposed,  he  that  came  to  be  admired  remaining  a  bea- 
con to  be  shunned  by  all  future  generations.  For  see,  with 
fallen  countenance  and  sullen  step,  he  turns  away  at  once, 
without  stopping,  for  a  moment,  to  argue  the  case,  or  consider 
whether  the  requisition  were  just  and  necessary  or  not.  As 
soon  as  "  sell  all,  and  resign  life,"  are  heard,  he  turns  round 
upon  his  heel,  as  if  he  would  say,  "  that  I  will  not  do,  even 
for  heaven  itself."  The  Evangelist,  therefore,  with  the  usual 
coolness  and  terseness  of  the  Scriptures,  says,  "  he  went  away 
sorrowful,  for  he  was  very  rich."  It  was  not  any  doubt  of  the 
propriety  of  the  command,  but  a  determined  love  of  property 
and  life,  that  made  him  resolve  not  to  obey.  Now  what  proof 
of  sincerity  of  character  was  this  ?  For  if  he  had  been,  as  he 
pretended,  a  candidate  for  heaven,  at  any  price,  wishing  only 
to  know  what  he  lacked  of  that  price,  he  would  have  been 
willing  to  obey  Christ's  command.  And  if  he  loved  his  money 
and  his  life  so  well  as  to  be  determined  not  to  part  with  them, 
even  for  eternal  life,  why  did  he  come  to  Christ  to  ask  what 
he  should  do,  and  what  he  yet  lacked  ? 

Nothing,  then,  can  be  more  manifestly  false,  than  the  opi- 
nion that  our  Lord  designed  here  to  teach,  that  the  way  to 
obtain  eternal  life  was  by  works  of  obedience  to  the  commands 
of  God's  law.  On  the  contrary,  as  the  epistles  argue  most 
clearly,  that  none  are  truly  righteous  in  God's  sight,  but  those 
who  have  obtained  that  privilege  by  faith  in  Christ  alone;  so 
this,  and  some  other  cases  in  the  Gospels,  are  designed  to  show, 
that  all  who  seek  righteousness  by  their  own  works  are  esseu- 


122  LECTURE    LXII. 

tially  defective,  according  to  the  apostolic  maxim,  "  as  many 
as  are  of  the  works  of  the  law,  are  under  the  curse."  Now 
follows, 

IV.  The  warning"  of  the  danger  of  riches. 

This  striking  occurrence  naturally  produced  such  a  con- 
versation between  our  Lord  and  his  disciples,  as  forms  one 
of  the  most  perplexing  difficulties  in  Scripture.  Let  us  then 
view, 

1.  The  strength  of  the  difficulty. 

When  the  young  man  went  away  vexed,  our  Lord  looked 
round  upon  his  disciples,  and  said,  "  how  hardly  shall  they 
that  have  property  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  As 
this  surprised  them,  Jesus  seems  to  say,  "  what !  have  you 
never  read  in  the  Scriptures,  '  if  riches  increase,  set  not  your 
heart  upon  them  ? ' "  intimating,  that  there  was  danger  of 
riches  having  our  hearts,  though  God  had  said,  "  my  son, 
give  me  thy  heart."  Had  they  never  read,  "  the  ungodly 
prosper  in  the  world,  they  increase  in  riches :  I  will  leave  in 
the  midst  of  Zion  a  poor  and  afflicted  people,  and  they  shall 
trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord?"  They  doubtless  had  read 
those  words,  but  they  would  not  strike  so  forcibly  as  these  of 
Christ,  "  how  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  the  king- 
dom of  heaven ! "  Jesus,  therefore,  seeing,  in  their  astonish- 
ment, proofs  that  their  minds  had  never  sufficiently  adverted 
to  the  greatness  of  this  danger,  deemed  it  right,  not  to  soothe 
them  by  explaining  away  his  words,  but  to  rouse  them  more 
completely,  as  by  a  new  blow  upon  a  place  already  made  sore, 
saying,  "it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a 
needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  God." 

This  way  of  expressing  the  difficulty  has  so  completely  an- 
swered Christ's  design,  that  this  text  has  stormed  the  castles 
of  the  rich,  and  forced  a  way  for  itself,  where  a  softer  mode 
of  speaking  would  have  never  found  admission.  Most  rich 
men  are  aware  that  Christ  has  uttered  this  sentence,  even 
though  they  know  no  other  text  in  the  Bible.  Thus  has 
Christ  shown  his  compassion  for  the  rich,  by  apprising  them 
of  their  danger  in  such  terms  as  they  may  not  like  to  hear, 
and  such  as  few,  but  their  best  friends,  would  like  to  repeat. 


THE    RICH    youth's    DISAPPOINTMENT.  123 

Yet  as  the  Apostles  themselves,  when  they  heard  the  sentence, 
were  out  of  measure  astonished,  and  exclaimed,  "who  then 
can  be  saved  ? "  we  cannot  wonder  that  others  have  tried  what 
methods  they  could  devise  to  soften  it  down,  or  explain  it 
away. 

Some  have  said,  there  was  a  gate,  at  Jerusalem,  called  the 
Needle's  Eye,  and  that  a  camel  could  not  pass  through  it, 
without  stooping,  and  being  relieved  of  the  burthen  on  his 
back.  But,  in  addition  to  there  being  little  or  no  evidence 
that  there  was  any  such  gate,  at  Jerusalem,  the  solution  is 
utterly  inadmissible ;  for  the  Apostles  would  not  have  thought 
this  expressed  an  impossibility  of  being  saved,  nor  would  our 
Lord  have  replied,  "  with  men  it  is  impossible."  More  plau- 
sibility must  be  conceded  to  another  opinion,  that  our  Lord 
meant  not  the  animal  called  a  camel,  but  a  rope  correspondent 
perhaps  with  what  we  call  a  cable.  It  is,  indeed,  probable, 
that  the  Saviour  should  speak  of  a  cable  passing  through  the 
eye  of  a  needle.  But  the  Greek  word,  which  signifies  the 
rope,  differs  from  this  which  we  have  in  our  copies,  in  being 
written  with  an  i  instead  of  an  e ;  and  after  all,  it  would  make 
no  material  difference,  for  it  would  be  as  impossible  for  any 
thing  but  omnipotence  to  make  a  cable,  as  a  camel,  pass 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle.  It  is  manifest  then,  that  our 
Lord  intended  to  express  a  difficulty  so  great  that  it  is  "  im- 
possible to  men,"  though  "  with  God  all  things  are  possible." 
But  why  did  the  Apostles  exclaim,  "  who  then  can  be  saved?" 
For  all  men  are  not  rich.  But  the  Apostles,  doubtless,  saw 
that  it  was  not  so  much  what  we  possess,  as  how  we  love  it, 
that  constitutes  our  danger;  and  aware  that  poor  men,  as 
well  as  rich,  are  liable  to  refuse  to  part  with  all,  and  even  life 
itself,  for  Christ's  sake,  they  exclaimed,  •*  who  then  can  be 
saved?" 

2.  The  explanation  of  the  difficulty. 

"  Children,  how  hardly  shall  they  that  trust  in  riches  enter 
the  kingdom  of  God ! "  Here  is  the  solution.  Trust  in 
riches  is  inconsistent  with  "  trusting  in  the  living  God,  who 
giveth  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy ;"  and  it  is  hard  to  possess 
riches,  without  trusting  in  them.    But  if,  by  divine  power,  we 


124  LECTURE    LXII. 

overcome  that  difficulty,  the  mere  possession  of  riches  will  not 
hinder  our  salvation.  For  the  Apostles  might  have  remem- 
bered, that  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faithful,  "  was  very 
rich  in  cattle,  and  in  silver,  and  in  gold."  But,  then,  mark 
what  proof  Abraham  gave,  that  he  trusted  not  in  uncertain 
riches!  In  the  first  place,  he  left  his  own  country  and  his 
father's  house  at  God's  command,  and  became  a  wanderer 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  declaring  plainly  that  he  "  sought 
a  better  country,  that  is  a  heavenly."  In  the  next  place,  when 
grown  old,  he  took  his  only  son,  the  heir  to  his  wealth,  for 
whose  sake  all  his  property  would  be  valued  by  a  rich  old 
man,  and,  at  God's  command,  offered  him  up  on  the  altar. 
Thus  he  proved,  that  he  trusted  in  nothing,  but  God,  to  make 
him  happy,  and  that  there  was  nothing  with  which  he  would 
not  part,  for  God's  sake.  This  young  ruler,  hoM  ever,  showed 
that  he  loved  his  riches  better  than  God,  or  the  eternal  enjoy- 
ment of  his  favour. 

And  now,  my  young  friends,  I  would  commend  this  narra- 
tive to  your  peculiar  regard.  We  know  not  what  was  the 
subsequent  history  of  this  youth  ;  but  all  that  we  read  of  him 
is  most  ominous  ;  and,  therefore.  Dr.  Watts  has  written  on 
him  a  beautiful  discourse,  entitled,  "  The  Lovely  Youth 
perishing  in  Sin."  Read  it,  O  read  it,  that  you  may  never 
exemplify  it.  For  consider,  now  that  the  world  flatters  and 
allures  you,  what  kind  of  bargain  this  worldly  wise  man  made. 
When  he  heard  what  Christ  said  must  be  done,  and  in  effect 
exclaimed,  "  that  I  never  will  do,"  the  prudent  for  this  world 
applauded  his  discretion.  Now,  let  us  examine  it.  He  kept 
his  fortune  :  how  long  ?  Supposing  him  to  have  been  about 
twenty,  when  he  turned  away  from  Christ,  and  calculating 
upon  his  living  till  seventy,  he  may  have  retained  his  riches 
half  a  century.  But  how  many  chances,  if  I  may  so  speak, 
were  there  against  his  living  so  long !  Well,  suppose  he  did, 
and  all  that  time  enjoyed  his  fortune,  what  could  it  do  for 
him?  "  Oh!"  exclaims  the  young  lover  of  the  world,  "  how 
genteelly  might  he  live  !  how  much  agreeable  company  might 
he  keep!  how  many  entertainments  might  he  give  and  re- 
ceive!"    Yes,  and  how  many  disappointments  might  he  ex- 


THE    RICH    youth's    DISAPPOINTMENT.  125 

perience  in  them  all !  What  head-aches  !  what  mortifica- 
tions !  what  low  spirits !  what  sleepless  nights,  which  no 
riches  could  drive  away !  for  they  plant  thorns  in  the  pil- 
low, rather  than  smooth  it.  He  marries,  and  soon,  perhaps, 
his  beloved  wife  dies,  and  leaves  the  world  to  him  a  blank. 
Or  she  lives,  and  proves  cross  or  faithless.  He  has  children, 
and  they  sicken  and  die,  or  live  to  make  him  wish  them  in 
their  graves. 

But,  from  the  hour  he  turned  from  Christ,  stings  were 
planted  in  his  conscience,  that  no  pleasure,  no  wealth,  no 
company,  no  time  could  pluck  out.  And,  after  all,  though 
he  would  not  part  with  his  wealth,  his  riches  might  take 
wings  and  fly  away  from  him.  He  might  very  shortly  be 
reduced  to  beggary,  by  one  of  those  strange  reverses  that 
often  befall  the  rich.  He  may  have  lived  to  the  time,  when 
the  Roman  army  entered  Judea,  and  ravaged  the  country ;  so 
that  he,  with  all  the  other  men  of  property,  lost  their  all;  and 
he  may  have  been  one  of  those  who,  reduced  to  want  a  morsel 
of  bread,  killed  their  own  children,  and  ate  their  flesh.  If  he 
ever  saw  such  an  hour,  how  bitterly  might  he  have  sighed,  and 
exclaimed,  "  O  that  I  had  parted  with  all  when  Jesus  of  Na- 
zareth bade!" 

But,  at  any  rate,  death  came  at  last,  and  said,  "  Thou  fool, 
this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee!  Then  whose 
shall  those  things  be  that  thou  hast  retained  ? "  Now,  after 
clinging  to  these  riches,  for  half  a  century  at  the  utmost,  he 
has  endured,  for  eighteen  centuries  almost — what?  I  shudder 
to  express  it.  For,  O,  there  is  a  horror  in  the  damnation  of 
an  immortal  soul  that  makes  the  blood  run  cold  to  think  of  it. 
And,  yet,  those  eighteen  hundred  years  that  he  has  already 
suffered  are  not  all.  There  are  eighteen  hundred  more  to 
come,  and  then 

But  I  turn  from  so  gloomy  a  thought,  to  ask,  what  would 
have  been  the  case,  if  the  young  man  had  obeyed  Christ's 
command  ?  Then,  perhaps,  as  the  youth  went  away  to  sell 
his  property,  Christ  might  have  called  him  back,  and  said 
to  him,  "  I  have  but  tried  thy  faith  and  love,  as  God  tried 
thy  father  Abraham.      Now  take  back  thy  property,  as  he 


196  LECTURE    LXII. 

took  his  son,  and  use  all  for  God  ;  for  now  know  I  that 
thou  lovest  me  above  all  thy  money."  If,  however,  he  had 
sold  all,  and  given  to  the  poor,  he  would  have  enjoyed  much 
pleasure  in  giving-,  which  is  more  blessed  than  receiving ;  and 
he  would  have,  perhaps,  felt  himself  light,  and  relieved  of 
a  burthen,  when  the  care  of  his  property  was  taken  from 
his  mind.  He  then  would  have  followed  with  those,  to  whom 
Christ  said,  **  When  I  sent  you  forth  without  purse  or  scrip, 
lacked  ye  any  thing?  and  they  said,  nothing.  Lord."  What 
could  the  richest  man  in  the  world  say  more  than  this? 
But  soon,  perhaps,  might  he  have  been  called  away  by  death ; 
and  if  it  had  been  upon  a  cross  that  he  resigned  his  life 
for  Christ,  he  would  have  smiled  and  said,  "  Death,  where  is 
thy  sting?  I  thank  Christ  Jesus,  my  Lord,  who  has  counted 
me  worthy  to  suffer  for  his  name.  To  die  is  gain.  Now  T 
go  to  my  fortune,  to  that  treasure  which  Jesus  assured  me  I 
should  have  in  heaven."  Eighteen  hundred  years  he  might 
have  been  enjoying  a  treasure  to  which  that  of  kings  is  mere 
poverty;  and  yet  the  enjoyments  of  his  soul  would  be  but 
commencing.  For  that  God,  who  would  have  been  his  ex- 
ceeding great  reward,  would  have  given  to  his  fortune  infinity 
of  extent,  and  secured  to  it  the  duration  of  eternity. 


127 


LECTURE  LXIII. 

THE    AMBITION    OF    THE    MOTHER    OF    JAMES    AND   JOHN. 

Matt.  xx.  20 — 28. 
*  Mark  x.  35—45. 

*  And  James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  come  unto  him,  saying,  Master, 
we  would  that  thou  shouldest  do  for  us  whatsoever  we  shall  desire. 

It  is  probable  that  our  Saviour  now  received  the  well  known 
message  from  Martha  and  Mary,  concerning  the  dangerous 
illness  of  their  beloved  brother.  But  John  informs  us,  that 
his  master,  having  heard  that  "  he  whom  he  loved  was  sick," 
strangely  remained,  two  days,  in  the  same  place  where  he 
was,  probably  in  Perea.  On  one  of  these  days,  or  on  the 
following,  when  he  was  travelling  to  Bethany,  this  occurrence 
happened,  which  calls  us  to  attend,  this  morning,  to  a  history 
and  a  sermon. 

I.  The  history. 

Matthew  mentions  "  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  children,"  that 
is,  Salome.  Mark  speaks  of  only  the  children  themselves,  who 
were  James  and  John.  But  from  what  even  Matthew  says, 
it  appears,  that  the  sons  joined  in  the  mother's  request ;  for 
this  Evangelist  declares  that  Jesus  said,  "  ye  know  not  what 
ye  ask."  The  sons,  then,  afraid,  or  ashamed,  to  present  such 
a  petition,  employ  their  mother's  eloquence,  hoping  that,  as 
she  was  the  cousin  of  our  Lord,  she  would  succeed.  The  dis- 
tinction which  our  Saviour  conferred  upon  James  and  John, 
on  various  occasions,  seems  to  have  kindled  some  ambition  in 
their  breasts.  We  are  informed  of  their  request,  Christ's  re- 
fusal, and  the  effects  produced  upon  the  other  ten  Apostles. 

1.  The  request  of  the  two  brothers. 


128  LECTURE    LXIII. 

Though  it  was  a  proud  petition,  it  was  presented  in  a  lowly 
posture.  Salome  and  her  sons  came  kneeling.  Stoop  to  rise, 
is  a  wise  maxim.  "  Humble  yourselves  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  and  he  shall  exalt  you  in  due  time."  But  the 
body  may  be  prostrate,  while  the  heart  is  puffed  up  ;  and  let 
us  not  imagine,  that  the  eye  of  Jesus  is  to  be  deceived  by 
lowly  postures  and  expressions.  He  looks  for  the  humble 
mind,  and  sees  the  true  posture  of  the  soul. 

The  first  request  was,  that  Jesus  would  grant  to  these  two 
sons  of  Zebedee  whatever  they,  or  their  mother  for  them, 
should  ask.  This  was  a  most  improper  way  of  petitioning  him 
who  knows  better  than  we  what  we  really  want.  Even  a 
heathen  writer  could  teach  us  wiser  modes  of  dealing  with 
heaven,  in  prayer ;  for  he  advises  us  to  entreat  the  gods  to 
refuse  the  foolish  and  evil  petitions  we  may  prefer. 

Were  these  disciples  afraid,  that,  if  Jesus  knew  before  he 
promised,  he  would  not  consent  to  their  request?  Did  they 
wish  to  bind  him,  as  Herod  bound  himself,  by  his  own  oath, 
to  give  whatever  the  daughter  of  Herodias  might  ask  i  What, 
then,  would  they  have  their  Lord  grieved,  like  Herod,  at  his 
own  folly,  and  compelled  to  do  what  his  better  judgment  con- 
demned ?  Could  they  expect  to  enjoy  what  they  obtained  by 
such  means,  and  at  such  a  price  ? 

Happily  for  them,  our  Lord  was  not  to  be  taken  in.  His 
prudence  asked,  before  be  made  any  promise,  "  What  do  you 
wish  me  to  do  for  you?"  Not  that  he  was  ignorant,  any  more 
than  God  is,  before  we  make  known  our  requests  in  prayer. 
But  Jesus  chose  to  have  their  wish  expressed  by  their  own 
lips,  for  the  instruction  of  all  present,  and  of  all  future  gene- 
rations. 

Now,  hear  it  and  blush ;  not  merely  for  James  and  John, 
but  for  your  own  hearts,  which  are  reflected  from  theirs,  as 
our  faces  from  a  mirror.  "  That  we  may  sit,  the  one  at  thy 
right  hand,  and  the  other  on  the  left,  in  thy  kingdom."  As 
Jesus  was  going  towards  Jerusalem,  though  he  had  repeatedly 
declared  he  was  to  be  crucified  there,  the  disciples  could  not 
shake  off  their  Jewish  notions  of  a  worldly  Messiah ;  but,  fan- 
cying their  Master  must  have  a  tcmi)oral  kingdom,  these  two 


AMBITION  OF  JAMES  AND  JOIIN'S  MOTHER.  129 

tliought  they  would  be  in  time,  and  speak  for  high  posts,  as 
prime  ministers  of  the  empire. 

See,  then,  what  a  mixture  of  motives  induced  them  to  fol- 
low our  Lord.  That  they  loved  his  person,  and  were,  at 
heart,  willing  to  bear  the  cross  after  him,  we  cannot  doubt ; 
but  that  they  still  fondly  hoped  to  gain  something  in  this 
world,  this  petition  proves.  It  probably  was  suggested  by 
some  of  those  vague  and  confused  notions  which  often  prompt 
our  prayers.  Their  minds  floated  between  earthly  and  hea- 
venly things  ;  and  their  hearts  were  divided  between  a  sacred 
and  a  carnal  ambition;  so  that  they  said,  *' Whatever  may  be 
the  nature  of  our  Master's  kingdom,  we  should  like  a  high 
place  in  it."  And  when  did  we  ever  perform  an  action,  with- 
out any  mixture  of  error  in  our  views,  or  of  false  motive  in 
our  hearts  ?  Which  of  our  prayers  is  without  sin  ?  What  rea- 
son have  we  to  embrace,  with  eager  faith,  that  consoling  view 
of  the  priesthood  of  Christ  which  is  given  in  the  directions  for 
Aaron's  ministry.  "  And  thou  shalt  make  a  plate  of  pure 
gold,  and  grave  upon  it,  like  the  engravings  of  a  signet.  Ho- 
liness TO  THE  Lord.  And  thou  shalt  put  it  on  a  blue 
lace,  that  it  may  be  upon  the  mitre;  upon  the  forefront  of  the 
mitre  it  shall  be.  And  it  shall  be  upon  Aaron's  forehead,  that 
Aaron  may  hear  the  iniquity  of  the  holy  things  which  the 
children  of  Israel  shall  hallow  in  all  their  holy  gifts  ;  and  it 
shall  be  always  upon  his  forehead,  that  they  may  be  accepted 
before  the  Lord."  * 

2.  The  Saviour's  refusal  happily  followed  upon  the  disciples' 
foolish  request. 

Though  the  mother  first  presented  the  petition,  fondly  hop- 
ing to  see  her  James  and  John  great  men,  and  prime  minis- 
ters of  King  Jesus ;  yet,  as  it  was  either  first  suggested,  or 
afterwards  repeated  by  them,  Jesus  directed  the  answer  to  the 
sons,  *'  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask." 

How  often  has  our  Lord  occasion  to  give  us  the  same  reply ! 

This,  indeed,  he  always  virtually  does,  when  he  refuses  our 

petitions.     Our  prayers  often  express,  not  our  real  wants  and 

spiritual  desires,  but  the  rovings  of  an  ignorant  mind,  and  the 

*  Exod.  xxviii.  3G — 38. 

VOL.  II.  K 


130  LECTURE    LXllI. 

sickly  longings  of  a  sinful  heart.  It  was  infinite  wisdom  and 
purity  that  taught  us  to  pray,  "  not  my  will,  but  thine  be 
done." 

The  mildest  reproof  our  Lord  could  give  these  ambitious 
disciples  was,  to  attribute  their  petition  to  ignorance,  saying, 
"  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  You  wish  for  great  promotion 
and  high  posts  in  my  kingdom;  but  do  ye  know  that  these  are 
always  accompanied  with  great  trials,  suflFerings,  and  dangers? 
The  King  of  the  heavenly  empire  being  doomed  to  the  cross, 
all  his  princes,  nobles,  grandees,  and  ministers  of  state  must 
be  knights  companions  of  the  cross.  The  promotion  which  I 
srive  to  those  whom  T  honour  with  the  seals  of  office,  is  to 
show  them  how  great  things  they  must  suflfer  for  my  name's 
sake.  They  must  all  wear  the  cross,  be  ready  to  put  on  the 
halter  for  a  golden  chain  around  their  neck,  to  take  a  gaol  for 
their  palace,  and  be  crowned  with  death  as  martyrs  ;  and  then 
they  may  consider  themselves  highly  exalted  in  my  kingdom." 

"Are  ye  equal  to  this,  then,  sons  of  Zebedee  ?  Can  ye 
drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink  of,  and  be  baptized  with  the 
baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with  I "  This  may  allude  to  the 
eastern  custom  of  bathing  before  meals.  After  coming  from 
the  bath,  and  sitting  down  at  table,  there  was  not  only  a  pe- 
culiar seat  for  the  prince,  and,  next  to  that,  the  seats  of  his 
chief  nobles  and  prime  dignitaries ;  but  a  cup  was  set  before 
the  king,  and  it  was  esteemed  one  of  the  highest  honours,  to 
be  allowed  to  drink  out  of  the  same  cup  with  him.  Jesus, 
therefore,  seeing  James  and  John  full  of  the  notions  of  earthly 
dominion,  kept  up  the  language  of  state,  by  talking  of  himself 
as  a  king,  and  of  them  as  ministers  of  state.  "  If,  then,  you 
wish  to  sit,  one  on  my  right  hand,  and  the  other  on  my  left, 
in  my  kingdom,  are  ye  able  to  bathe  in  my  bath,  and  to  drink 
out  of  my  cup  I " 

They  say,  "  we  are  able;"  but,  as  on  another  occasion,  it 
may  be  added,  "  not  knowing  what  they  said."  They  knew 
not  that  Jesus  was  to  be  baptized  with  his  own  blood,  and  to 
drink  a  cup  so  bitter  as  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 
When  they  afterwards  saw  their  king  in  this  bath,  in  Gethse- 
mane,  all  covered  with   a   bloody  sweat,  and  heard  him  say. 


AMBITION  OF  JAMES  AND  JOHN'S  MOTHER.  131 

**  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me," 
did  the  disciples  think  of  their  own  words  ?  And  could  they 
stand  to  them  then,  and  say,  "  we  are  able  to  be  baptized 
with  thee,  and  to  drink  out  of  the  same  cup?" 

But,  while  they  certainly  did  not  know  what  they  pledged 
themselves  to,  when  they  said  "  we  are  able ;"  they  probably 
began  to  have  some  idea  of  their  Lord's  meaning,  and  having 
gone  so  far  would  not  retreat.  Yet  how  vain  is  the  boast 
"  we  are  able."  So  Peter  said,  *'  If  I  should  die  with  thee, 
I  would  in  no  wise  deny  thee."  Never  do  we  betray  our 
weakness  more  egregiously  than  when  we  say  "  we  are  able." 
"  When  we  are  weak,  then  it  is  that  we  are  strong." 

Jesus,  however,  knew  their  sincerity.  Intending  to  honour 
them  highly,  by  enabling  them  to  suffer  for  him,  he  said, 
"  You  sKall,  indeed,  drink  of  my  cup,  and  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with,  you  shall  be  baptized.  The  suffer- 
ings which  you  would  not  have  thought  of  asking  for,  I  grant 
you  as  a  favour."  James  drank  of  the  bitter  cup  of  a  violent 
death,  for  Christ's  sake.  Early  in  the  history  of  the  church, 
we  read  that  "  Herod  killed  James,  the  brother  of  John,  with 
the  sword."*  John  also,  with  the  rest  of  the  Apostles,  was 
not  only  thrown  into  the  common  prison,  but  beaten,  f  which 
probably  signifies  such  a  scourging  as  reminded  him  of  his 
Lord's  assurance,  "  Thou  shalt  be  baptized  with  my  baptism, 
bathed  in  thine  own  blood."  It  is  said  that  he  was  thrown,  by 
Domitian's  order,  into  a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil,  and  we  know 
that  he  was  banished  to  the  isle  of  Patmos.  Thus  these  aspi- 
rants after  distinction  in  Christ's  kingdom,  were,  indeed,  pro- 
moted to  great  honour,  as  sufferers  for  Christ's  sake.  Jesus 
told  them  of  no  shameful  fall,  as  he  warned  Peter,  who  pro- 
mised to  die  for  his  Master,  that  he  should  first  deny  him;  for 
no  such  melancholy  event  awaited  the  sons  of  Zebedee. 

"  But,  to   sit  on  my  right   hand,   and  on   my  left,"  says 

Christ,  "  is  not  mine  to  give  ;  but  it  shall  be  given  to  them 

for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father."     The  words  that  are 

printed  in  italics,  you  are  aware,  are  not  in  the  original,  but 

*  Acts  xii.  2.  t  Acts  v.  40. 

K   2 


132  LECTURE    LXIII. 

are  supplied  by  our  translators.  They  were,  however,  not 
necessary  to  complete  the  sense,  which  might  have  been  given 
thus :  "  to  sit  on  my  right  hand  and  on  my  left,  is  not  mine  to 
give,  except  to  those  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father," 
This  declaration  of  our  Lord  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  con- 
fession of  inferiority  to  the  Father.  But^  to  say  nothing  of 
the  official  inferiority,  to  which  Jesus  voluntarily  stooped, 
when  he  undertook  the  office  of  mediator ;  it  may  be  urged, 
that,  if  two  persons,  perfectly  equal,  had  agreed  together  to 
bestow  certain  favours  on  others,  and  new  applicants  should 
appear  for  those  favours,  either  of  the  parties  to  the  original 
agreement  might,  with  propriety,  say,  "It  is  not  mine  to 
give,  but  to  those  for  whom  it  is  destined." 

On  the  other  hand,  our  Lord  speaks  of  giving  the  highest 
seats  in  his  kingdom.  Thrones  in  glory  are  given  away,  by 
the  poor  man  of  Nazareth.  "  To  him  that  overcometh,"  he 
says,  "  I  will  give  to  sit  down  with  me  on  my  throne,  even  as 
I  overcame  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  on  his  throne." 
But  the  seats  are  disposed  of,  the  purposes  of  God  are  fixed, 
his  arrangements  are  unalterable,  and  to  sit  on  Christ's  right 
hand  and  left,  can  be  given  to  them  only  for  whom  it  is  pre- 
pared of  the  Father.  The  judge  will  say,  at  the  last  day, 
"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  receive  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  The  two 
ambitious  disciples  were  thus  taught  to  acquiesce  in  the  divine 
arrangements,  to  be  willing  to  concede  the  highest  places  in 
the  heavenly  kingdom  to  those  for  whom  they  were  destined, 
and  be  satisfied  with  the  honour  assured  to  them,  that  they 
should  suffer  with  their  Lord,  and  together  with  him  should 
be  glorified. 

3.  The  effects  produced  on  the  other  ten  Apostles  were, 
"  When  they  heard  it  they  were  moved  with  indignation 
against  the  two  brothers."  Such  are  the  effects  of  ambition. 
*'  From  whence  come  wars  and  fightings  among  you  I  come 
they  not  hence,  even  of  your  lusts,  that  war  in  your  members? 
Ye  lust,  and  have  not ;  ye  kill,  and  desire  to  have,  and  can- 
not obtain :  ye  fight  and  war,  yet  ye  have  not,  because  ye  ask 


AMBITION  OF  JAMES  AND  JOHNS  MOTHER.         133 

ftot.  Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss,  that  ye 
may  consume  it  upon  your  lusts."* 

But  why  were  the  other  Apostles  moved  with  indignation 
against  their  brethren  ?  The  ten  had  lost  nothing,  for  the  two 
had  gained  nothing.  Should  not  the  majority  rather  have 
pitied  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  who  had  suffered  a  refusal  and 
disappointment  ?  Why  indignant  then  ?  "  To  think  of  the 
ambition  of  these  sons  of  Zebedee,  that  they  should  wish  to 
exalt  themselves  over  us!"  By  this,  then,  the  ten  show  that 
they  had  the  seeds  of  the  same  conduct,  the  same  disposition 
in  their  own  hearts.  Their  indignation  against  their  brothers' 
sin  shows  that  it  was  their  own.  Had  they  been  perfectly 
free  from  it,  they  would  have  been  content,  if  it  were  their 
Lord's  will,  to  see  James  and  John  sit  above  them,  at  their 
Lord's  right  and  left  hand.  When,  therefore,  the  rest  saw 
the  two  repulsed,  and  forbidden  to  entertain  a  hope  of  being 
exalted,  according  to  their  request,  charity  would  have  pro- 
duced, instead  of  indignation,  sorrow  for  the  undue  ambition 
of  James  and  John,  and  sympathy  with  them,  under  the  pains 
which  disappointed  ambition  is  doomed  to  suffer. 

How  often  the  anger  we  feel  against  other  men's  sins  arises 
from  our  being  partakers  of  the  sins !  The  censure  we  pour 
upon  our  brother's  faults,  we  should  reserve  for  ourselves,  and 
be  too  sensible  of  our  own  resemblance  to  their  worst  features 
to  be  capable  of  much  severity  towards  their  faidts.  It  is, 
however,  painful  to  observe  how  much  our  Lord  was  tried  by 
the  open,  avowed  ambition  of  the  twO;,  and  the  more  secret 
share  which  the  rest  took  with  them  in  the  same  temper  of 
heart ;  and  by  the  indignant  feeling  which  those,  who  were  all 
dear  to  him,  felt  towards  each  other. 

Before  we  quit  this  history,  let  us  reflect  how  manifestly 
the  supremacy  of  Peter,  for  which  the  court  of  Rome  pleads, 
was  unknown  to  the  college  of  Apostles.  The  sons  of  Ze- 
bedee could  not  have  understood,  that,  when  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  were  committed  to  the  son  of  Jona,  he 
was  constituted  prince  of  the  Apostles  and  Christ's  universal 
vicar.  Nor  could  the  rest,  who  were  all  alike  indignant,  as 
*  Jtimos  iv.    1 — 3. 


134  LECTURE    LXllI. 

if  they  thought  they  were  all  equally  entitled  to  the  highest 
place  in  the  empire  of  religion.  Nor  do  we  find  that  Peter 
objected  to  Salome's  request,  saying,  "  the  right  hand  seat  is 
given  me."  No,  nor  does  our  Lord  remind  James  and  John, 
that  he  had  already  given  to  Peter  the  highest  place  in  the 
kingdom. 

This  history  gave  rise  to, 

II.  The  sermon. 

Instructions  never  sink  so  deeply  into  the  soul,  as  when 
they  arise  out  of  circumstances  and  events  which  throw  the 
mind  into  a  frame  suited  to  the  truth.  Our  Saviour,  there- 
fore, suffered  this  occurrence  to  happen,  in  order  to  give  oc- 
casion and  effect  to  a  most  important  discourse  against  worldly 
ambition.  Here,  then,  he  points  to  a  beacon,  utters  a  warn- 
ing, and  proposes  to  us  an  example. 

1.  He  points  to  a  beacon. 

Jesus  called  the  disciples  unto  him,  and  when  they  were 
collected  in  a  cucle,  round  this  centre  of  wisdom  and  grace, 
he  said  to  them,  "  ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the  gentiles  ex- 
ercise dominion  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercise 
authority  upon  them."  * 

Our  compassionate  Lord  seems  to  point  with  the  finger, 
and  to  say,  "you  see  that  light?  It  is  upon  a  dangerous 
rock."  When  Mark  reports  the  words  of  our  Lord,  thus, 
"  they  that  are  accounted  to  rule  over  the  gentiles,"  it  may 
be  thought  to  be  a  Greek  idiom,  for  "  they  who  rule  over 
them."  But  I  suspect  that  our  Lord  intended  to  hint,  that 
they  who  seem  to  rule  and  are  accounted  the  lords  of  the 
earth,  are  not  the  real  rulers.  When  Pericles,  pointing  to 
his  little  boy  at  play,  said,  "  that  boy  rules  all  the  world,  for 
he  rules  his  mother,  his  mother  rules  me,  I  rule  the  Athenians, 
the  Athenians  rule  Greece,  and  Greece  rules  the  world  : "  he, 
like  a  wise  man,  uttered  a  grave  truth  in  a  joke.  Little  do 
we  know  who  rules  him  that  seems  to  rule  us.  When,  there- 
fore, our  Lord  said  to  the  ambitious  sons  of  Zebedee,  "  you 
would  be  accounted  rulers  in  my  kingdom,  but  you  know  not 
who  would  rule  you,  if  you  could  rule  others  as  you  wish  ; " 
'Malt.  XX.   25. 


AMBITION   OF  JAMES  AND  JOHNS   MOTHER.         135 

he  applied  a  powerful  antidote  to  the  poison  of  the  disease 
with  which  they  were  infected. 

But  they  who  are  accounted  to  rule  lord  it  over  others,  and 
their  great  ones  make  their  will  their  law,  and  their  authority 
their  boast,  and  even  affect  to  be  deemed  benefactors  for  play- 
ing the  absolute  monarch.  This  was  too  much  the  ambition 
of  the  disciples,  the  mark  to  which  they  steered.  Their  Lord, 
however,  pointed  it  out  to  them  as  the  beacon  on  a  rock, 
which  they  should  shun.     Hear,  therefore, 

2.  The  warning. 

"  It  shall  not  be  so  among  you."  While  the  disciples 
would  have  taken  that  description  of  gentile  rule  and  lordly 
domination,  as  exhibiting  to  them  the  harbour,  the  fair  haven, 
the  happy  port  into  which  they  wished  to  sail,  with  the  full 
gale  of  his  auspicious  breath;  he  destroyed  all  their  hopes,  by 
solemnly  prohibiting  the  adoption  of  any  such  spirit  or  maxims 
of  government.  "  In  my  kingdom,"  says  our  Lord,  "  all 
these  worldly  principles  are  reversed.  Whoever  wishes  to  be 
a  great  man  among  you  must  become  your  minister."  The 
original  word  is  deacon,  or  waiter  at  table.  The  grandee  in 
Christ's  kingdom  is  not  he  who  is  waited  upon  by  all,  but 
who  waits  upon  others,  to  do  them  service.  And  he  that 
wishes  to  be  the  first  of  Christians  must  become  the  servant, 
or  rather  the  slave  of  all ;  that  is,  the  property  of  all ;  to  do 
them  service,  with  his  body  and  mind,  as  not  his  own,  but 
theirs.  This  has  been  finely  exemplified  in  the  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, who,  unable  to  gain  access  to  heathen  slaves,  but  by 
becoming  a  slave,  offered  himself  for  a  slave,  that  he  might 
enjoy  an  opportunity  of  making  known  to  others  "  the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  makes  us  free."  Here  you  behold  the  first 
among  Christians.  The  men  who  make  themselves  nothing 
for  Christ's  sake,  are  every  thing  in  the  estimation  of  his 
church.  The  nobility  of  religion  is  to  be  enjoyed  only  by  the 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart. 

After  a  warning  so  pointed  and  so  solemn,  it  is  astonishing, 
that  Christians  have  still  persisted  in  modelling  the  church, 
after  the  pattern  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world.  When  Con- 
stantine,  professing  to  become  a  Christian,  took   the  church 


136  LECTURE    LXIII. 

under  his  protection  as  he  thought,  and  made  its  pastors  lords, 
like  the  civil  rulers  in  the  empire,  and  introduced  the  various 
gradations  of  rank  among  Christian  ministers,  we  ask  with 
astonishment,  had  he  never  read  these  words  of  our  Lord  ? 
Or  did  the  mighty  emperor  think  he  had  authority  to  re- 
verse the  statutes  of  so  poor  a  king  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ? 
But  why  condemn  Constantine,  when  men,  to  this  day, 
argue  for  the  propriety  and  necessity  of  conforming  the 
church  and  religion  to  the  spirit  and  customs  of  the  world? 
As  if  Christ  had  pointed  out  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  for 
our  model,  instead  of  our  beacon,  and  had  said,  "so  it  shall 
be  among  you  ! " 

But  let  us,  who  value  our  allegiance  to  the  only  Lord  of 
religion,  remember,  and  obey  his  voice  ;  "So  it  shall  not  be 
among  you."  Let  all  lordship,  but  that  of  Christ,  be  re- 
nounced, and  let  our  own  way  of  seeking  superiority  be,  to 
cultivate  the  spirit  of  him  who  made  himself  a  slave,  to  serve 
the  meanest.  Yet  let  us  not  say,  there  can  be  no  religion  in 
those  who  are  captivated  with  this  world's  rule  and  authority. 
For  who  were  these  who  called  for  this  warning  from  the  Sa- 
viour ?  James,  who  soon  after  laid  down  his  life  for  Christ; 
and  John,  the  beloved  disciple,  who  stood  by  the  Redeemer 
when  others  fled  and  abandoned  his  cause.  All  that  we  can 
infer,  from  the  vain  project  of  some  to  mould  the  church 
after  the  fashion  of  the  world  is,  that  they  are  not  sufficiently 
informed  of  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  need  to  be  reminded  of 
his  words,  "  So  it  shall  not  be  with  you." 

3.  The  example  which  Christ  presents  is  the  last  object  of 
attention. 

"  Even  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto, 
but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many."  * 
How  clearly  this  proves  Christ  to  have  been  not  a  mere  man 
like  ourselves,  but  a  person  of  a  superior  nature,  stooping  to 
take  upon  him  an  inferior  rank.  As  a  mere  man,  he  was  ex- 
alted by  the  attentions  paid  to  him  by  the  wise  and  good,  while 
here,  and  by  the  homage  of  the  universe,  now  he  is  departed. 
But,  as  the  Son  of  God,  who  "  had  glory  with  the  Father  be- 
*  Mark  x.  43. 


AMBITION  OF  JAMES  AND  JOIIN'S  MOTHER.         137 

lore  the  world  was,  he  humbled  himself  and  took  on  him  the 
form  of  a  servant,  in  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man."  This 
is  adduced  by  the  Apostle  as  the  strongest  incentive  to  hu- 
mility: "Let  nothing  he  done  through  strife,  or  vain  glory, 
but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem  others  better  than 
himself.  Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but  every 
man  also  on  the  things  of  others.  Let  this  mind  be  in  you, 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus,  who,  being  in  the  form  of  God, 
thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God  ;  but  made  him- 
self of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men :  and  being  found  in 
fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  Wherefore  God 
also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which 
is  above  every  name ;  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth, 
and  things  under  the  earth;  and  that  every  tongue  should 
confess,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the 
Father."  * 

When  the  Saviour  says,  "  he  gave  his  life  a  ransom,"  he 
shows  the  falsehood  of  the  notion,  that  his  death  was  designed 
to  benefit  us,  merely  by  making  way  for  his  resurrection, 
which  was  to  prove  to  us  the  certainty  of  a  future  life.  Upon 
this  system,  it  was  not  his  giving  up  his  life,  but  his  taking  it 
back  again,  that  was  the  beneficial  act.  But  Jesus  declares, 
that  he  gave  his  life  a  ransom  for  us,  alluding  probably  to 
the  ancient  practice  of  sacrificing  the  life  of  a  slave,  to  ran- 
som, or  to  honour,  his  master.  Our  Lord  Jesus  made  him- 
self a  servant,  to  perform  a  meritorious  obedience  for  us,  in 
life,  and  then  gave  his  life  a  ransom  for  our  souls,  in  death. 
Let  us  not  fail  to  notice,  that  he  says,  not  a  few,  but  many, 
were  the  objects  for  which  he  gave  the  inestimable  price  of 
ransom. 

Observe  how  this  event  of  Christ's  life  proves  the  truth 

of  the  Gospel.     The  Apostles  record  the  ambition  of  two  of 

their   number,   and   the  anger  of  the  rest,   and   the  reproof 

given  to  all.     Had  they  been  left  to  their  own  self-love,  the 

*  Philip,  ii.  3—11. 


138  LECTURE    LXIII. 

same  pride  that  produced  this  error,  would  have  concealed  it. 
But  they  tell  it,  like  men  who  sacrificed  every  thing  to  truth 
and  duty. 

When  infidels  reject  Christianity,  as  a  contrivance  of  priest- 
craft, a  golden  fable  to  enrich  those  who  lift  their  mitred  heads 
in  courts  and  parliaments,  they  should  look  into  the  original 
Christianity,  as  recorded  in  Scripture,  and  see  whether  it 
sanctions  what  they  condemn.  Let  those  who  have  made 
Christ's  kingdom  a  worldly  empire  bear  their  own  blame,  but 
let  Christ  and  his  word  be  clear. 


139 


LECTURE    LXIV. 

BARTIMiEUS    RESTORED    TO    SIGHT. 

*  Matt.  xx.  29 — 34. 
Mark  x.  46—52. 
Luke  xviii.  35 — 43. 

*  And  as  they  departed  from  Jericho,  a  great  multitude  followed  him.    And, 
behold,  two  blind  men  sitting  by  the  way  side. 

In  passing  from  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Jordan,  where  he 
had  been  for  some  time,  to  go  to  Bethany,  which  was  in  the 
vicinity  of  Jerusalem,  the  Saviour  naturally  took  Jericho  in 
his  way.  But  he  chose  not  to  stop  in  this  city;  for  he  was 
pressing  on  to  the  place  where  Lazarus,  his  friend,  lay  dead, 
waiting  for  the  quickening  voice  that  was  to  call  him  back  to 
life  ;  and  there  were  other  objects,  just  beyond  Jericho,  on 
whom  our  Lord  was  about  to  display  his  power  and  grace. 

But,  in  considering  the  cure  of  the  blind  men  near  Jericho, 
a  difficulty  arises.  Some  suppose  that  our  Lord  cured  one 
blind  man,  just  before  entering  the  town,  and  another,  imme- 
diately after  quitting  it.  But,  both  the  miracles  are  so  alike 
in  their  circumstances  as  to  lead  others  to  think  of  only  one 
event.  Luke's  words,  "  as  they  drew  near  to  Jericho,"  may 
justly  be  translated,  as  they  were  near;  meaning,  after  passing 
through  the  city,  not  as  they  approached  it. 

Matthew  relates,  also,  that  two  blind  men  were  healed,  when 
Christ  went  out  of  Jericho.  One  of  these,  no  doubt,  was  the 
person  whom  Mark  mentions  by  name,  and  whom  we  may 
suppose  Luke  also  intends  to  point  out.  Yet,  it  has  been  as- 
serted, that  there  were  two,  beside  Bartimseus,  healed  on 
the  western  side  of  Jericho,   and  one  on  the  eastern.     But 


140  LECTURE    LXIV, 

I  consider  that  the  different  Evangelists  intended  to  represent 
only  two  blind  men  healed  by  Christ,  on  this  journey,  both  of 
them  when  he  departed  from  Jericho  ;  and  that  one  of  them  is 
rendered  prominent  under  the  name  of  Bartimaius. 

I  request  your  attention  to, 

I.  The  previous  occurrences. 

Many  things  introduced  this  miracle — the  journey  of  our 
Lord  through  a  celebrated  city  ;  the  crowd  that  attended  him ; 
the  urgent  cries  of  the  blind  ;  and  the  vain  attempts  made  to 
silence  them. 

1.  The  journey  of  Christ  through  Jericho. 

This  was  the  direct  road  from  Perea  to  Jerusalem ;  for  the 
passage  of  the  Jordan,  called  Bethabara,  was  just  opposite  to 
Jericho.  This  city  being  the  first  that  withstood  Joshua  and ' 
Israel,  when  entering  on  the  possession  of  Canaan,  after  the 
walls  had  been  miraculously  thrown  down,  Joshua  devoted 
Jericho  to  perpetual  desolation,  saying,  **  Cursed  be  the  man, 
before  the  Lord,  that  riseth  up  and  buildeth  this  city  Jericho  : 
he  shall  lay  the  foundation  thereof  in  his  first-born,  and  in  his 
youngest  son  shall  he  set  up  the  gates  of  it."* 

This  deterred  all  others  from  attempting  to  rebuild  it,  till 
the  days  of  Ahab  ;  but,  "  In  his  days  did  Hiel  the  Beth-elite 
build  Jericho  :  he  laid  the  foundation  thereof  in  Abirara  his 
first-born,  and  set  up  the  gates  thereof  in  his  youngest  son 
Segub,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  by 
Joshua  the  son  of  Nun."  f 

But,  when  the  loveliness  of  the  spot  had  induced  the  un- 
happy man  to  rebuild  the  city,  though  at  the  price  of  his  chil- 
dren's blood,  God  suffered  the  new  Jericho  to  remain.  It  was 
when  on  his  journey  to  this  city,  that  our  Lord  surprised  his 
Apostles  by  the  manner  in  which  he  pressed  forward,  taking 
the  lead  all  the  way,  as  if  greedy  for  death.  Whether  he 
passed  through  the  city  without  stopping,  because  he  was  now 
intent  on  bringing  relief  to  the  sorrowful  family  at  Bethany  ; 
or  whether  he  refused  to  lodge  in  the  pleasant  city  of  palm 
trees,  because  it  ought  never  to  have  been  rebuilt,  we  cannot 
decide.     This,   however,   we  know,  that  he  lingered  not  to 

*  Josli.  vi.  26.  t  1  Kings  xvi.  34. 


BARTIISfyEUS    RESTORED    TO    SIGHT.  141 

gather  roses  in  this  world's  paradise,  but  pressed  on  to  scenes 
of  misery,  where  he  might  pluck  the  thorn  from  a  bleeding 
heart,  and  to  that  spot.  Calvary,  sacred  to  expiation,  where 
his  own  brow  was  to  be  pierced  with  thorns. 

2.  The  crowd  that  attended  our  Lord  comes  into  view. 
When  the  Evangelist  says,    "  a  great  multitude  followed 

Jesus,"  he  seems  to  mention  a  very  ordinary  occurrence  in 
this  history.  It  was,  however,  productive  of  important  con- 
sequences. It  expresses  the  Redeemer's  humility  and  bene- 
volence ;  for  who  of  us  would  like  to  go  about  with  a  mob  at 
our  heels  ?  But  it  led  to  a  miracle  ;  for,  if  Jesus  had  passed 
quietly  by,  and  alone,  the  blind  men  might  have  thought  of 
nothing  but  asking  alms.  The  attention  of  the  beggars  was 
roused  to  something  greater,  by  the  footsteps  of  thousands, 
and  by  the  buz  of  so  many  voices.  Deprived  of  information 
by  the  eye,  the  blind  are  curious  to  know  the  meaning  of  what 
they  hear.  We  should  study,  on  all  suitable  occasions,  to 
gratify  them,  and  thus  become  eyes  to  the  blind.  But  espe- 
cially should  we  be  ready,  by  reading  the  Scriptures  to  them, 
to  give  them  every  information  concerning  Jesus. 

These  blind  men,  roused  to  ask  the  meaning  of  the  noise 
they  heard,  were  told  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passed  by.  This 
was  naturally  given  as  a  sufficient  reason  for  any  crowd  and 
for  any  excitement ;  for  the  ordinary  walks  of  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, when  he  passed  by,  were  more  magnificent  than  the  most 
splendid  triumphal  entry  that  Rome  ever  witnessed,  when  her 
consuls  returned  loaded  with  the  spoils  of  a  vanquished  world, 

3.  The  urgent  cries  of  the  blind  pierce  our  ears. 

"  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  us."  They  sat  there  to  beg 
for  money,  which  was  a  disgrace  to  the  Jews,  to  whom  God 
had  forbidden  mendicity.  He  had  set  apart  a  tenth  for  the 
poor,  and  every  seventh  year  the  spontaneous  produce  of  the 
whole  land  was  free  to  every  man.  All  this,  however,  was  in 
vain  ;  for  the  Pharisees  had  seized  like  harpies,  and  perverted 
to  superstition  what  God  had  consecrated  to  benevolence. 
But  how  much  greater  disgrace  falls  on  Christians,  when  those 
whom  they  call  by  the  same  sacred  name,  and  whom  they  pro- 


142  LECTURE    LXIV. 

fess  to  think  fellow-Christians,  are  left  to  beggary,  with  all  its 
attendant  misery  and  vice  ! 

These  blind  men,  however,  utter,  on  this  occasion,  an  un- 
usual cry;  not  "  pray  relieve  the  poor  blind;  bestow  your 
charity  ;  give  a  penny  to  a  blind  beggar."  They  seem  to  forget 
their  poverty,  and  to  think  only  of  their  blindness.  They  can 
ask  any  one  for  money,  but  they  cry  to  the  Son  of  David  for 
mercy  and  for  sight. 

They  had  heard  the  Scriptures  read  in  the  Synagogues ; 
and  among  the  numerous  reasons  for  making  the  reading  of 
the  inspired  volume  an  important  part  of  the  public  worship 
of  God,  this  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  many,  from  various 
causes,  cannot  read  the  Bible  at  home.  But,  from  the  pro- 
phecies, the  blind  men  had  learned  that  Messiah  was  to  be  the 
Son  of  David.  They  had  also  heard,  no  doubt,  the  promise 
in  Isaiah :  "  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be 
glad  for  them  ;  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as 
the  rose.  It  shall  blossom  abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with 
joy  and  singing :  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be  given  to  it, 
the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon  ;  they  shall  see  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  excellency  of  our  God.  Strengthen  ye 
the  weak  hands,  and  confirm  the  feeble  knees.  Say  to  them 
that  are  of  a  fearful  heart,  Be  strong,  fear  not :  behold,  your 
God  will  come  with  vengeance,  even  God  with  a  recompence  ; 
he  will  come  and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall 
be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped."* 

These  two  men  had  certainly  learned  from  the  mouth  of 
fame,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  had  opened  the  eyes  of  other 
blind  persons,  and  they  concluded  that  he  was  the  promised 
seed  of  David.  The  Saviour  told  the  Pharisees,  that  those 
who  could  see  were,  by  prejudice,  blinded  to  the  glory  of  Christ, 
while  those  who  were  blind  were  made  to  see  the  light  of  the 
world  with  the  eyes  of  the  body  and  of  the  soul  too.  Here 
we  see  this  declaration  fulfilled. 

When  these  blind  men  hail  our  Lord,  Son  of  David,  and  ask 
of  him,  at  once  mercy  and  a  miracle,  they  show  that  the  mercy 
*  Isaiah  xxxv.  1 — 5. 


BARTIMiEUS    RESTORED    TO    SIGHT.  143 

they  implore  is  of  that  highest  kind,  which  God  alone  can  give. 
Often  did  the  most  obscure  petitioners  give  intimations  of 
secret  confidence  in  the  Saviour's  divine  power,  and  of  implicit, 
if  not  explicit,  acquaintance  with  his  true  glory  ;  when  those 
who  had  higher  advantages,  and  were,  in  some  respects,  better 
informed,  betrayed  their  ignorance  and  unbelief.  They  are 
wise,  indeed,  who  cast  themselves  on  the  Saviour's  mercy, 
owning  their  sins,  as  the  true  cause  of  their  miseries,  and  seek- 
ing relief,  not  as  an  act  of  justice,  but  of  grace. 

4.  Vain  attempts  were  made  to  silence  these  clamorous 
beggars. 

"  The  multitude  rebuked  them."  The  cry  for  mercy  was 
raised  with  such  urgency,  and  repeated  with  such  importunity, 
that  it  became  troublesome,  even  amidst  this  noisy  crowd,  and 
made  the  rest  of  the  multitude  bid  the  blind  men  not  to  make 
so  much  noise.  Some,  perhaps,  from  unfeeling  selfishness, 
said  to  the  blind  men,  "  hold  your  tongues,"  that  they  might 
not  offend  the  delicate  ears  of  those  who  were  at  their  ease. 
Others,  however,  may  have  been  afraid  that  Jesus  would  be 
offended  by  the  rudeness  of  the  cry,  as  disturbing  to  the  calm- 
ness of  his  mind,  and  derogatory  from  the  majesty  and  dignity 
of  his  march. 

But  little  did  they  know  the  heart  of  the  Saviour,  if  they 
thought  he  would  be  displeased  with  a  cry  for  mercy.  Yet, 
as  the  blind  men  said  not  what  kind  of  mercy  they  wanted, 
the  reprovers  might  suppose  that  money  was  asked  ;  and  never 
having  seen  much  of  this  in  the  hands  of  Jesus,  the  multitude 
may  have  wished  to  check  a  greedy  application  for  that  which 
the  prophet  might  not  be  able  to  give.  Jesus,  however,  did 
not  neglect  this  duty  of  religion  ;  for  he  was  supposed,  by  those 
who  knew  his  practice,  to  say  to  Judas,  on  a  particular  occa- 
sion, "  give  something  to  the  poor."  He  still,  by  his  disciples, 
relieves  the  temporal  wants  of  the  poor,  while,  with  his  own 
hands,  he  bestows  mercy  on  our  souls. 

Reproved  by  the  bystanders,  these  blind  men  only  cried  out 
so  much  the  more,  "  have  mercy  on  us,  O  Lord,  thou  Son  of 
David."  In  this,  they  seem  to  have  been  led  on  by  Bartimaeus, 
whose  name  signifies  the  son  of  one  Timseus,  who  is  mentioned 


144  LECTURE    LXIV. 

as  a  well-known  person,  having,  probably,  been  in  better  cir- 
cumstances, though  his  son  had  become  a  blind  beggar.  For 
who  can  tell  to  w  hat  poverty  themselves,  or  their  children  may 
be  reduced  ?  A  female,  who  was  at  once  the  grandaughter 
of  the  Lord  Chancellor  Clarendon,  and  the  niece  of  the  queen 
of  England,  is  said  to  have  died  in  a  workhouse. 

But,  if  the  former  rank  of  Bartimseus  may  have  given  him 
more  confidence  to  withstand  the  reproofs  of  the  crowd,  his 
affliction  made  him  more  clamorous  ;  for  not  knowing  exactly 
where  Jesus  stood,  the  poor  blind  creature  seems  to  have  been 
determined  to  raise  a  cry  loud  enough  to  reach  his  ear.  Jesus 
is  so  far  from  being  offended,  by  such  conduct,  that  "  he  spake 
a  parable  to  this  end,  that  men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not 
to  faint." 

We  must  now  turn  to  the  second  head  of  the  lecture. 

ir.  The  manner  in  which  the  miracle  was  wrought. 

At  first,  all  was  discouraging  to  these  men.  The  crowd  was 
angry  with  them.  Amidst  the  thousands  whose  footsteps  were 
heard,  any  one  might,  by  a  blind  man,  be  mistaken  for  Jesus, 
yet  no  one  but  Jesus  could  do  what  these  afflicted  creatures 
wanted.  Blindness  prevented  their  finding  out  Jesus,  except 
by  his  voice,  and  he  was  not  near  enough  to  be  heard  amidst 
the  confused  noise  of  the  multitude. 

So  much  more  welcome  must  have  been,  • 

1.  The  Saviour's  intimations  of  kind  regard. 

"  He  stood  and  commanded  them  to  be  called,  and  brought 
to  him."  At  first,  he  took  no  more  notice  of  their  clamour 
than  if  he  had  not  heard  it.  This  was  his  usual  way  of  kin- 
dling a  warmer  sense  of  the  value  of  the  mercies  he  bestowed, 
and  awakening  the  spectators  to  more  just  views  of  his  glory. 
At  length,  as  Joshua  once  stood  near  this  spot,  and  bade  the 
sun  stand  'still,  the  Sun  of  righteousness  himself  stands,  and 
sheds  his  illuminating  beams  on  the  children  of  night. 

Jesus  called  to  the  blind  men,  saying,  perhaps,  *'  come 
here  ;"  for  they  might  easily  be  guided  by  their  ears  to  him 
who  was  to  be  the  light  of  their  eyes.  But  they  did  not  hear, 
and  Jesus  said  to  some  one,  most  probably  a  disciple,  "  go  call 
them,  bring  them  to  me."     The  Saviour,  perhaps,  seeing  them 


BARTIMiEUS    RESTORED    TO    SIGHT.  145 

grieved  at  the  unfeeling-  rebukes  of  the  crowd,  and  hearing 
the  tone  of  anguish  and  despair  in  their  cries,  said,  "  Do 
not  discourage  them  by  your  rebukes,  tell  them  to  come  to 
me." 

Instantly  some  one  says  to  them,  "  Courage,  he  calls  you." 
At  the  sound  of  that  word,  those  who  were  sitting  on  the 
ground  by  the  road  side,  sprang  up,  and  Bartimaeus,  in  his 
eagerness,  threw  away  his  upper  garment,  which  was  a  kind 
of  cloak  thrown  loosely  over  the  shoulders,  like  the  highland 
plaid.  What  he  had  needed  to  keep  him  warm  as  he  sat  still 
begging  seemed  a  hindrance  when  going  to  Jesus.  The  same 
persons  that  called  them  seem  to  have  led  them  by  the  hand 
to  the  spot  where  Jesus  was  waiting  for  them.  O  it  is  a  lovely 
sight,  to  behold  those  who  themselves  enjoy  the  sight  of  him 
leading  those  who  are  blind  to  Jesus  !  And  can  we  have  seen 
his  glory  ourselves,  if  we  count  it  not  our  honour  and  our  bliss 
to  lead  others  to  his  cross,  and  to  his  throne  ?    Listen  now  to, 

2.  The  Saviour's  conversation  with  the  blind. 

"  What  do  you  wish  me  to  do  for  you?"  "  Lord,  that  we 
may  receive  our  sight."  He  that  had  showed  he  could  heal 
at  a  distance  chose  to  have  these  two  persons  brought  near, 
and  he  that  knew  what  they  wanted  asked  to  hear  it  from 
their  own  lips.  Thus  he  elicited  the  proof  that  their  blindness 
was  real,  and  that  it  was  sight,  not  money,  which  they  asked 
for  mercy's  sake.  For  what  is  silver  or  gold  compared  with 
the  sight  of  our  eyes  ?  Our  two  eyes  are  more  precious 
than  any  jewels  that  ever  adorned  the  diadem  of  monarchs. 

But,  by  this  question,  our  Lord  proved  to  the  surrounding 
multitude,  that  these  men  reposed  in  him  an  exalted  confi- 
dence, as  one  able  to  open  their  eyes.  At  the  same  time, 
he  designed  to  say  to  us,  and  all  future  readers  of  the  nar- 
rative, "  what  do  you  wish  me  to  do  for  you?"  He  would 
fain  hear  your  confessions  of  need,  and  your  supplications 
for  relief.  Are  there  none  here  who  cry,  "  Lord,  that  our 
eyes  may  be  opened?"  O,  plant  eyes  within,  and  give  me  to 
see  "  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ." 

3.  The  Saviour's  gift  to  the  blind  beggars. 

**  Jesus  was  moved  with  compassion."     What  can  be  a 
¥0L,  II.  L 


146  LECTURE    LXIV. 

more  pitiable  sight,  than  the  countenance  of  a  blind  man  look- 
ing up  towards  you,  or  attempting  to  do  so,  when  his  sightless 
eye-balls  roll  in  vain  to  find  the  beam  of  day,  or  catch  the 
object  of  vision?  When  more  than  one  such  child  of  affliction 
stands  before  him,  with  piteous  look  and  suppliant  posture, 
and  cries  for  mercy,  the  Son  of  David  is  too  tender  hearted  to 
behold  them  unmoved.  But,  though  we  might  have  yearned 
over  their  miseries  in  vain,  the  pity  of  Jesus  was  not  barren 
of  relief;  for  he  touched  their  eyes,  and  said  to  each  of  them, 
"  receive  thy  sight,  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee,  go  in  peace." 
God  spake,  and  it  was  light :  immediately  their  eyes  were 
opened. 

If  the  disease  was  on  the  nerves,  that  most  mysterious  part 
of  our  frame,  essential  to  all  sensibility,  and  the  instrument  of 
all  the  pleasures  and  pains  of  sight,  hearing,  touch,  taste, 
smell ;  what  power  was  that  which  touched  these  strings,  so 
much  beyond  the  reach  of  man,  and  made  the  optic  nerve 
again  to  vibrate  soundly,  and  send  its  images  to  the  brain,  and 
thus,  by  a  step  which  we  cannot  trace,  to  the  mind  !  Two  of 
these  miracles  were  wrought  at  once  ;  two  men  felt  the  heal- 
ing power  run  through  their  frame,  at  the  same  moment ;  two 
visions  of  worlds  were  laid  open  to  the  mind,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye  ;  and  two  monuments  were  erected  to  the  honour  of 
Christ's  power  and  love. 

But  Jesus  now  uttered  that  commendation  of  their  faith 
which  directed  their  attention  to  their  minds,  as  the  chief 
seat  of  all  that  is  good  or  evil  in  man.  He  seems,  by  saying 
"  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee,"  to  turn  off  their  attention  from 
himself,  as  if  he  would  ascribe  their  cure  to  their  faith,  rather 
than  to  his  own  power.  To  those,  however,  who  have  imitated 
the  disciples  and  the  afflicted  father,  and  gone  to  Jesus,  say- 
ing, "  Lord,  increase  our  faith,  help  us  against  our  unbelief," 
the  words  of  Jesus  serve  only  to  exalt  the  Saviour's  power  and 
goodness  to  diviner  heights.  For  if  our  faith  has  saved  us, 
who  gave  us  that  faith?  "  It  is  not  of  ourselves,  it  is  the  gift 
of  God."  Then  what  thanks  we  owe  to  him  that  first  in- 
spired, and  afterwards  honoured  our  faith,  as  the  medium  of 
salvation ! 


BARTIMiEUS    RESTORED    TO    SIGHT.  147 

4.  The  Saviour's  honours  from  this  miracle  must  be  our 
final  object  of  contemplation. 

The  blind  men,  shall  I  now  call  them  i  no,  the  men  that 
were  no  longer  blind,  "  followed  Jesus,  and  the  multitude 
glorified  God."  The  two  suppliants  would  probably  have  fol- 
lowed, before  this  moment,  but  their  blindness  prevented  their 
marking  the  footsteps  of  Jesus.  Now  they  were  no  longer 
dependent  on  the  hand  of  a  guide,  and  as  Jesus  stopped  not 
to  receive  the  applause  of  the  multitude,  but  marched  on,  with 
all  the  dignity  and  unaffected  humility  of  one  to  whom  mira- 
cles were  easy  things  ;  the  restored  beggars  followed  him,  not 
merely  with  their  newly  illuminated  eyes,  but  with  their  steps 
too.  The  two  men  were  spoiled  for  the  trade  of  a  beggar ; 
because  they  were  no  longer  able  to  say,  "  pity  the  poor 
blind ;"  and  the  grace  of  Christ  inclines  us  to  "  work  and  eat 
our  own  bread,  and  seek  to  give  to  him  that  needeth."  Their 
seat  by  the  way  side  is  therefore  forsaken ;  and  when  the  tra- 
veller comes  that  way  again,  and  asks,  "  where  are  the  two 
blind  beggars  that  used  to  sit  here,"  he  is  told  they  are  gone 
after  Jesus  of  Nazareth ;  for  they  are  no  longer  blind,  but 
have  received  from  his  hands  their  sight. 

But  while  the  two  recipients  of  the  miracle  follow  Jesus, 
glorifying  God,  the  multitude  also  give  him  praise.  They 
might  well  sing  the  song  of  Zacharias,  "  Blessed  be  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel ;  for  he  hath  visited  and  redeemed  his  people, 
and  hath  raised  up  an  horn  of  salvation  for  us,  in  the  house  of 
his  servant  David  ;  as  he  spake  by  the  mouth  of  his  holy  pro- 
phets, which  have  been  since  the  world  began  :  that  we  should 
be  saved  from  our  enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  all  that  hate 
us ;  to  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers,  and  to  re- 
member his  holy  covenant :  the  oath  which  he  sware  to  our 
father  Abraham,  that  he  would  grant  unto  us,  that  we  being 
delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies,  might  serve  him 
without  fear,  in  holiness  and  righteousness  before  him,  all  the 
days  of  our  life.  To  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  his 
people,  by  the  remission  of  their  sins,  through  the  tender 
mercy  of  our  God,  whereby  the  day-spring  from  on  high 
hath  visited  us,  to  give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness,  and 

L  2 


148  LECTURE    LXIV. 

in  the  shadow  of  death,  to  guide  our  feet  into  the  way  of 
peace."  * 

We  are  not  told  how  far  the  two  men  followed  Jesus  ;  per- 
haps till  he  went  into  the  house  of  Zaccheus,  where  he  may 
have  dismissed  them,  to  go  home,  and  tell  their  kindred  how 
great  things  the  Lord  had  done  for  them.  The  fickle  multi- 
tude seem  to  have  praised  Christ,  as  long  as  there  was  no  op- 
position. When  the  Pharisees,  those  leaders  of  the  ton,  the 
makers  of  the  manners  of  their  day,  were  present,  rebukes, 
and  reproaches,  and  attacks  upon  his  life  were  Christ's  reward 
for  the  good  works  he  wrought.  But,  as  soon  as  the  people 
were  left  to  themselves,  they  fall  under  the  force  of  truth,  and 
laud  the  Saviour's  name.  They  who  consented  to  the  foul 
charge,  "  he  casts  out  devils  through  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of 
the  devils,"  hearing  the  two,  that  were  restored  to  sight,  glo- 
rify God  for  his  manifest  interference  in  their  behalf,  unite  and 
exclaim,  "  It  is  the  finger  of  God."  And  who  can  reflect  on 
all  the  circumstances  of  this  miracle,  and  not  join  in  the  same 
expression  ? 

*  Luke  i.  68—79. 


149 


LECTURE  LXV. 

THE   CONVERSION    OF    ZACCHEUS. 

Luke  xix.  1 — 10. 

And  Jesus  entered  and  passed  through  Jericho.     And  behold  there  was 
a  man  named  Zaccheus. 

When,  on  a  former  occasion,  we  saw  a  rich  man  apply  to 
Christ,  we  were  at  first  agreeably  surprised,   but  at  length 
cruelly  disappointed.     We  have  now  to  behold  another  rich 
man  approach  the  Saviour,  under  far  less  promising  auspices, 
but  with  much  happier  success.     The  former  applicant  was  of 
a  fairer  character,  and  of  an  age  in  which  divine  grace  more 
frequently  displays  its  triumphs.     He  came  more  directly  to 
consult  Jesus,  and  he  prostrated  himself  more  humbly  at  the 
Saviour's  feet.     But  the  love  of  his  money,  and  of  his  own 
righteousness  still  reigned  in  his  heart ;  so  that  when  he  found 
he  must  resign  both,  if  he  hearkened  to  Jesus,  determined  to 
part  with  neither,   he  went  away  sorrowful,  for  he  was  very 
rich.     But  the  person,  whom  we  have  now  to  behold  present- 
ing a  less  fair  and  promising  front,  at  last  discloses  a  heart 
touched  by  divine  grace,   inspired  with  a  holy  resolution  to 
burst  all  the  fetters  that  bound  him  to  the  world,  and  de- 
termined to  part  with  every  thing,  for  Christ's  sake.      As, 
however,  "  not  many  mighty,  or  noble,  or  rich  are  called ;"  as 
it  was  the  distinguished  character  of  Christ's  ministry,  that  by 
it  "  the  poor  had  the  Gospel  preached  to  them;"  and  as  the 
former  application  of  a  rich  man  ended  in  disappointment  so 
gloomy,  let  us  attend,  with  the  more  lively  and  delighted  in- 
terest, to  the  conversion  of  the  rich  publican  Zaccheus.     The 
Evangelist  records. 


150  LECTURE   LXV. 

I.  The  introduction  of  Zaccheus  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Saviour. 

This  was  brought  about,  in  a  way  so  singular,  that  it  pre- 
sents a  most  picturesque  scene,  and  has  rendered  the  narra- 
tive familiar  to  all  readers  of  the  sacred  Scriptures.  Here 
we  have  one  of  the  circumstances  which  display  the  truth  of 
the  very  strange  and  striking  expressions  of  the  Apostle  ; 
"  the  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men,  and  the  weakness 
of  God  is  stronger  than  men."  Infidels  have  derided  the 
Scriptures  for  being  a  mere  story  book,  instead  of  being,  as 
they  affirm  a  revelation  from  God  should  be,  a  collection  of 
solemn  apothegms,  a  digest  of  formal  statutes  and  commands. 
But  no  mere  precepts  concerning  restitution  or  charity,  and 
no  grave  didactic  account  of  conversion,  would  have  had  half 
the  effect  upon  the  heart,  or  produced  any  thing  like  the 
impression  on  the  memory,  which  this  romantic  picture,  as 
I  may  call  it,  of  the  conversion  of  Zaccheus,  is  calculated  to 
leave. 

The  interview  between  these  two  parties  was  effected,  as  in 
many  subsequent  instances,  by  means  of  the  sinner's  curiosity, 
and  the  Saviour's  kind  familiarity.     Reflect  then  on, 

1.  The  sinner's  curiosity. 

This  is  one  of  the  inferior  principles  and  motives  which  God 
overrules  for  great  good.  Zaccheus,  a  rich  publican,  who 
lived  probably  in  a  pleasant  suburb  or  villa,  in  the  delightful 
vale  of  Jericho,  wished  to  see  Jesus,  of  whom  he  had  heard  so 
much ;  that  he  might  know  whether  that  picture  which  we 
naturally  form  of  some  great  unknown  were  true  or  false. 
Though  Jesus  did  not  follow  after  fame,  fame  followed  after 
him.  The  Gospel  too  seeks  to  do  good  in  the  most  unostenta- 
tious'way,  and  Christians  should  never  forget  that  "  the  king- 
dom of  God  cometh  not  with  observation;"  yet,  when  the 
tongues  of  fire  rested  on  the  Apostles  "  it  was  noised  abroad, 
and  the  multitudes  came  together."  What  will  not  curiosity 
do?  How  often  it  conquers  even  that  false  shame  which  pre- 
vents men  from  coming  within  the  sound  of  the  Gospel !  Kings 
alone  seem  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  its  influence.  For 
Herod  heard  the  fame  of  Jesus,  and  wished  to  see  him;  but 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    ZACCHEUS.  151 

Jesus  refused  to  go  to  court ;  and  Herod  could  not  violate 
the  etiquette  of  kings,  even  to  see  him  that  could  raise  the 
dead.  Happily  for  Zaccheus,  he  was  not  a  king,  but  only  a 
rich  collector  of  the  taxes,  and  he  sacrificed  or  forgot  the 
supposed  dignity  of  riches,  and  braved  the  censures  of  the 
genteel,  to  see  this  famous  prophet,  whose  name  was  returned 
by  the  echoes,  from  the  borders  of  Egypt,  to  the  foot  of 
Lebanon,  and  from  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  to  the  Medi- 
terranean sea. 

Sometimes  the  flashes  of  genius,  and  the  thunders  of  elo- 
quence, will  draw  all  the  world  to  hear  an  ApoUos.  A  beauti- 
ful and  spacious  building  will,  for  a  time,  attract  a  congrega- 
tion. To  a  fashionable  audience  many  will  resort,  to  see  the 
dresses,  or  to  show  their  own.  The  singing  and  the  music 
have  attracted  thousands.  But  it  was  well  said  by  a  pious 
man,  '*  Better  go  for  these  motives  to  hear  the  Gospel,  than 
not  hear  it  at  all."  For  until  men  have  felt  its  regenerating 
influence,  they  are  never  actuated  by  truly  holy  motives,  and 
when,  by  those  which  are  inferior,  the  person  is  drawn  within 
the  sound  of  the  Gospel,  he  may  find  "  that  faith  cometli  by 
hearing." 

Curiosity,  as  a  desire  of  knowledge,  is  in  itself  indifferent, 
and  becomes  good  or  evil,  according  to  its  motives  and  direc- 
tion. But  even  when  it  is  decidedly  of  the  inferior  kind,  it  is 
often  overruled  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  most  happy 
effects.  Is  not  this  the  case,  when  the  popularity  of  a  preacher 
of  the  Gospel  rouses  the  world  from  its  death-like  torpor  and 
indifference  to  religion,  and  brings  within  its  hallowed  sphere 
those  who  had  otherwise  been  completely  shut  out  I 

But  Jesus  was  followed  by  such  a  crowd,  that  his  very 
popularity  seemed  to  obstruct  his  usefulness,  and  prevent 
strangers  from  hearing.  This,  however,  where  the  excite- 
ment is  powerful,  will  be  overcome.  Members  of  parliament, 
and  peers,  have  been  seen  climbing  in  at  the  windows  of  a 
place  where  a  man  of  renown  preached.  And  now  Zaccheus, 
hearing  that  Jesus  was  coming  that  way,  reflecting,  "  I  who 
am  a  short  man  shall  be  lost  in  the  crowd  that  presses  upon 
the  prophet,"  showed  that  a  mind  of  some  energy  and  decision 


152  LECTURE    LXV. 

dwelt  in  that  little  body,  by  determioing  not  to  be  deprived  of 
the  sight  of  such  a  person  as  was  never  before  seen  by  mortal 
eyes.  He,  therefore,  ran  before  and  climbed  up  into  a  syca- 
more tree,  which  some  describe  as  peculiarly  suited  to  his 
purpose,  because  it  threw  its  branches  horizontally  over  the 
road,  so  as  to  afford  him  at  once  a  good  seat  and  a  clear  view. 
Now  see  him  there,  perched  like  a  bird  on  a  bough,  and  bear- 
ing the  sneers  of  his  acquaintance,  who  would  pretend  to  be 
shocked  at  their  friend's  degradation  from  his  elevated  rank. 
If  Zaccheus  had  been  less  eager  to  see  Jesus,  he  wauld  have 
been  afraid  to  climb  the  tree,  for  fear  of  "  letting  himself 
down,"  as  the  phrase  is.  But  where  a  desire  after  the  Saviour 
is  implanted  in  the  heart,  and  the  Father  is  drawing  us  to  the 
Son,  we  shall  conquer  all  such  fears,  though  it  may  cost  us  a 
severe  struggle.  There  are  two  things,  says  the  devout  but 
mystical  Quesnel,  that  hinder  our  conversion,  "  the  crowd  of 
the  world  getting  between  us  and  Christ,  and  the  littleness  of 
our  own  heart.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  leave  this  world, 
and  to  be  carried  by  the  force  of  divine  grace  above  it.  But 
great  men  in  their  public  offices,  civil  and  military  (and  I  may 
add  ecclesiastical  too),  are  often  in  the  affairs  of  salvation  less 
than  children."  Of  all  the  difficulties  that  lie  in  the  way  of 
our  salvation,  none  are  so  serious,  and  so  hard  to  our  proud 
hearts  to  overcome,  as  those  which  arise  from  false  notions  of 
our  own  honour,  and  the  maxims  of  the  world,  concerning 
Christ  and  religion.  Strong,  however,  as  is  the  determination 
of  men  to  save  their  credit,  even  at  the  hazard  of  the  loss  of 
their  souls ;  when  the  grace  of  Christ  operates  upon  us,  it  will 
carry  us  above  the  fear  and  the  love  of  the  world,  and  make 
God  and  eternity,  Christ  and  his  cross,  triumphant  over  the 
world  and  its  pride. 

"  Jesus  came  near  to  the  tree,  and  looked  up."  He  might, 
if  he  had  chosen,  have  kept  his  eye  immoveably  fixed  on  the 
ground,  and  thus  have  deprived  the  curious  prying  eyes  of 
Zaccheus  of  the  sight  of  that  countenance  in  which  beamed 
infinite  dignity,  sanctity,  wisdom,  and  grace.  But  the  Saviour 
had  already  touched  the  heart  of  the  man,  with  an  inextin- 
guishable thirst  to  behold  the  person  of  Jesus,  who  now  met 


THE   CONVERSION    OF    ZACCHEUS.  153 

the  fruits  of  his  own  grace  in  the  soul,  by  directing  his  coun- 
tenance upwards,  looking  the  man  fully  in  the  face,  that  eye 
might  meet  eye,  look  answer  to  look,  and  heart  speak  to  heart. 
God,  describing  his  early  kindness  to  Israel,  said,  "  I  passed 
by  thee,  and  saw  thee,  and  said  unto  thee,  live."  And  now, 
while  Zaccheus  only  thought  of  looking  at  Jesus,  watching 
his  countenance  and  manner,  and  judging  whether  he  ap- 
peared equal  to  his  fame,  which  might  all  have  passed  off 
without  effect,  Jesus  looked  at  him.  And  O,  that  look!  What 
expression  !  What  penetration  !  What  force !  What  persua- 
sion !  How  it  darted  into  the  centre  of  the  heart  of  Zaccheus ! 
How  it  disclosed  all  the  love  that  dwelt  in  the  bosom  of  Jesus ! 
These  are  thy  glorious  ways.  Lord  God  of  grace  !  Cast,  then, 
thy  penetrating  glance  of  love  and  power  on  those  who  are 
but  idle  gazers  here,  and  give  them  to  see  thy  glory.  For 
surely  they  need  conversion  who  come  to  the  church  of  God 
only  to  trifle  and  to  stare.  A  sinner  stare  at  a  Saviour- God, 
with  mere  idle  curiosity!  What  monstrous  trifling!  What 
cold-hearted  ingratitude!  Should  we  not  be  stung  with  shame 
thus  to  meet  the  Saviour's  eye,  while  he  says,  "  these  things, 
saith  the  Son  of  God,  who  hath  his  eyes  like  unto  a  flame  of 
fire?"  And  when  we  find  that  he  sometimes  so  overrules  this 
vain  curiosity  as  to  be  found  of  them  who  truly  sought  him 
not,  should  it  not  magnify  his  grace  in  our  esteem,  melt  our 
hearts  to  contrition,  and  bring  us  down  to  his  feet,  to  embrace 
the  salvation  he  bestows  ? 

Such  being  the  means  of  introduction,  a  vain  curiosity  on 
the  sinner's  part,  let  us  now  consider, 
2.  The  Saviour's  kind  familiarity. 

"  Zaccheus,  make  haste,  and  come  down,"  saith  Jesus  ; 
"  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house."  We  have  often  seen 
Jesus  go,  when  invited,  into  the  houses,  not  only  of  his 
avowed  friends,  but  also  of  his  secret  foes.  This,  however, 
is  the  only  instance  in  which  we  have  seen  him  invite  himself. 
Grace  is,  indeed,  always  "  prevenient,"  as  our  great  poet  says. 
Christ  had  already  invited  himself  into  this  man's  heart,  as 
the  event  proved.  Had  you  seen  Jesus  pass  right  through 
Jericho,  and,  wondering  at  his  haste,  inquired,  "  Why  not 


154  LECTURE    LXV. 

stop  here,  Lord,  and  lodge  for  the  night  ? "  if  he  had  replied, 
"  There  is  no  one  here  that  owns  or  loves  me  : "  you  might 
have  rejoined,  "  but  is  there  any  friend  farther  on  I  for  the 
day  is  advancing,  and  it  will  be  necessary  to  be  provided  with 
a  lodging."  Had  he  then  said,  "  There  is  a  publican  just 
beyond  the  gates."  "  A  publican  ! "  one  would  have  exclaimed, 
"  But  who  is  he  ?  Zaccheus.  He  knows  thee  not !"  "  You 
shall  see,"  the  Saviour  might  have  said,  "  I  have  an  appoint- 
ment there,  and  I  must  keep  it,  and  abide  at  his  house." 

When,  therefore,  he  comes  up  to  this  his  destined  host,  he 
addresses  him  in  language  that  might  well  have  excited  sur- 
prise. "  Make  haste,  and  come  down  out  of  the  tree,  for  to- 
day I  must  be  thy  guest."  Christ  had  already  fulfilled  his  own 
words,  "  behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  :  if  any  man 
hear  my  voice  and  open  to  me,  I  will  come  in  and  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with  me."  He  invites  himself  to  come,  and  take 
up  his  abode  in  the  hearts  of  men.  Such  is  his  condescension 
and  affection,  that,  though  he  has  mansions  in  glory,  and 
angels  consecrate  to  him  their  bosoms,  he  offers  to  come  and 
live  in  our  worthless  breasts.  He  says,  "  if  a  man  love  me, 
he  will  keep  my  words,  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we 
will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him."  The 
prayer  of  an  Apostle  for  his  friends  is,  "  that  Christ  may  dwell 
in  your  hearts  by  faith."  For  "  Christ  in  you  is  the  hope  of 
glory."  But  where  Christ  dwells  in  the  heart,  he  must  lodge 
in  the  house.  We  must  say  with  Joshua,  "  as  for  me  and  my 
house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord."  When,  therefore,  the  Lord 
opened  the  heart  of  Lydia,  she  said,  "  if  ye  have  judged  me 
faithful  to  the  Lord,  abide  in  my  house." 

But  Jesus  invites  not  himself,  as  with  a  cold  card  of  com- 
pliment, or  with  many  fine  words  that  are  understood  to  mean 
nothing.  Christ  is  urgent  and  importunate.  He  says,  "  make 
haste,  to-day,  I  77mst  abide  with  thee."  When  he  comes  with 
power,  he  will  admit  neither  denial  nor  delay. 

Then  let  us  say  with  David,  "  I  made  haste  and  delayed 
not  to  keep  thy  statutes."  Reply  not,  "  to-morrow."  You 
have  given  this  answer  long  enough  already.  To-morrow  never 
-comes.     How  many  have  replied  "  to-morrow,"  till  they  have 


THE   CONVERSION    OF    ZACCHEUS.  155 

ceased  even  to  say  that,  and  at  length  put  it  off  sine  die,  like 
Felix,  promising  only,  **  when  I  have  a  convenient  season, 
I  will  send  for  thee."  Then,  to-day,  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice, 
harden  not  your  hearts.  For  the  truth  is,  that  the  only  reason 
why  we  are  not  willing  to  receive  Christ  to-day,  is,  because 
we  are  not  willing  to  receive  him  at  all,  and  we  put  him  off 
with  a  courtier's  promise,  that  we  may  escape  the  pain  and 
the  shame  of  a  direct  refusal.  This  introduction,  which  Jesus 
gave  himself,  led  to, 

II.  The  happy  interview. 

For  the  Saviour's  call  was  obeyed,  and  though  the  Pharisees 
murmured,  the  convert  justified  his  Lord,  and  the  Saviour  de- 
fended his  own  grace. 

1,  The  call  was  obeyed. 

"  Zaccheus  came  down  and  received  him  joyfully." 

We  have  just  seen  the  rich  man  perched  like  a  bird  upon  a 
bough,  and  we  are  now  reminded  how  the  bird  is  sometimes 
brought  down  by  the  fascination  of  a  look.  But  how  different 
was  this  charm  from  that  of  which  naturalists  speak  !  This 
was  the  fascination  of  love,  not  of  enmity;  intended  not  to 
destroy,  but  to  save.  Jesus  holds  the  keys  of  death,  of  heaven, 
and  of  hell,  and,  happily,  the  key  of  hearts  too.  "  Thy  people 
shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power.  I  am  the  Lord,  saith 
he,  I  will  work,  and  who  shall  let  it." 

Zaccheus  made  haste  down  ;  for  when  the  heart  is  opened, 
it  asks  no  delays.  "  The  time  past  of  our  life  may  suffice  to 
have  wrought  the  will  of  the  flesh,"  says  the  Apostle,  and  so 
says  the  true  convert.  All  he  regrets  is,  that  the  world  and 
sin  have  had  so  much  of  his  time,  and  so  little  is  left  for  the 
Saviour.  The  rich  publican  received  Jesus  joyfully,  and 
whenever  he  is  received  at  all,  it  is  with  joy.  A  man  of  the 
world,  indeed,  of  the  best  education,  and  of  high  reputation 
for  superior  sense,  once  said,  "  nothing  would  vex  and  mor- 
tify me  more  than  to  find  myself  converted,  as  rehgious  people 
call  it."  Nothing,  however,  could  more  effectually  display, 
not  merely  ignorance  of  religion,  but  also  a  suspension,  not 
only  of  the  fine  sense  for  which  this  gentleman  had  acquired 


156  LECTURE    LXV. 

a  reputation,  but  even  of  common  sense.  For  what  is  con- 
version ?  A  change  of  all  the  sentiments,  tastes,  and  tempers 
of  the  soul  on  the  subject  of  religion.  Then  surely  a  man  of 
sense  might  have  reflected,  that  he  could  not  certainly  tell 
what  would  vex  and  mortify  him,  when  thus  converted  into 
a  new  creature  ;  and  that  it  was  probable  that  what  he  thought, 
while  unconverted,  would  be  vexatious  to  him,  would,  when 
the  change  had  taken  place,  prove  most  pleasing.  He  that 
is  vexed  at  being  converted,  may  comfort  himself  with  the 
assurance  that  he  has  nothing  of  that  kind  to  be  grieved 
about. 

Far  other  feelings  than  those  of  mortification  were  excited 
in  the  breast  of  Zaccheus,  when,  for  the  first  time,  he  received 
the  Saviour  beneath  his  roof.  He  said,  as  all  real  converts  do, 
"  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lift  up  ye  doors 
of  my  heart  and  of  my  house,  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come 
in.  Whence  is  this  that  my  Lord  should  come  to  me  ?  And 
will  God,  indeed,  come  down  to  dwell  in  my  heart,  and  my 
lowly  habitation  ?  Take,  then,  my  breast  and  my  house,  as  thy 
home.  Hope  of  Israel,  Saviour  thereof  in  the  time  of  trouble, 
be  not  a  stranger  here,  nor  as  a  wayfaring  man  that  turneth 
aside  to  tarry  but  for  a  night." 

Zaccheus,  therefore,  instead  of  making  an  excuse,  saying, 
"  I  came  only  to  see  thee,  and  am  not  prepared  to  entertain 
thee,  having  no  bed  ready,  and  no  supper  provided  ;"  instantly 
took  the  Saviour  at  his  word,  and  received  him  to  the  house, 
that  was  now  more  his  own  than  ever  it  had  been  the  mansion 
of  the  publican. 

But  if  Zaccheus  obeyed  and  rejoiced, 

2.  The  world  murmured. 

They  said,  "  he  is  gone  to  be  a  guest  with  a  man  that  is  a 
sinner."  For  if  the  convert  will  not  grieve  for  himself,  when 
converted  to  Christ,  there  is  a  world  of  those  that  will.  Satan 
is  vexed  to  have  lost  his  prey.  The  world  is  mortified  at  the 
loss  of  a  companion.  "  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God ;"  and  this  is  never  seen  more  clearly  than  when  some 
one  is  reconciled  to  God.     Ignorant  of  the  real  nature  and 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    ZACCHEUS.  157 

excellence  of  the  change  which  religion  produces,  men  find 
fault  with  Christ  himself,  for  what  he  does  to  save  sinners. 
The  cavillers  rake  in  the  ashes  of  dead  works,  and  find  fault 
with  Christ  for  what  Zaccheus  has  been,  calling  him  a  sinner, 
because  he  once  was  so.  They  think  of  all  the  crimes  he  has 
committed,  and  perhaps  of  more  than  all.  They  insinuate  that 
he  is  not  sincere  now  ;  for  when  grace  has  saved  the  profligate, 
then  the  world  concludes  he  must  be  a  hypocrite.  He  is 
courting  the  favour  of  the  religious  world. 

But  upon  Christ,  too,  reproach  is  poured.  "  He  is  gone  to 
be  a  guest  with  a  sinner,  and  is  become  a  minister  of  sin.  His 
doctrine  of  salvation  by  faith,  without  the  merit  of  works,  leads 
to  licentiousness."  We  are  slanderously  reported  to  say,  "  let 
us  do  evil,  that  good  may  come."  But  where  should  a  Saviour 
go,  if  not  to  the  sinner  ?  Who  ever  reproached  a  physician 
for  visiting  the  sick  ?  Did  they  not  know  that,  wherever 
Jesus  went,  he  became  an  instructor  to  the  ignorant,  a  reformer 
to  the  vicious,  and  an  antidote  to  every  evil,  both  of  the  body 
and  of  the  mind  ?  Had  they  in  reality  felt  all  the  abhorrence 
of  sin  which  their  murmurs  profess,  they  would  have  said,  not 
by  way  of  accusation,  but  in  a  tone  of  admiration,  "  he  that  is 
the  good  shepherd,  that  brings  back  the  lost  sheep,  is  gone  to 
be  guest  to  a  man  that  is  a  sinner.  We  shall  have  an  upright 
collector  general  of  the  taxes  now."  So  the  event  proved. 
3.  The  convert  justifies  his  Lord. 

Or,  as  our  Saviour  said,  when  adverting,  before,  to  the 
cavils  of  his  enemies,  "  wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children." 
Hear,  then,  her  child's  plea.  "  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my 
goods  I  give  to  the  poor ;  and  if  I  have  taken  any  thing  from 
any  man  by  false  accusation,  I  restore  him  four-fold."  Zac- 
cheus left  his  faith  and  repentance  to  be  witnessed  and  attested 
by  his  Lord,  who  alone  could  search  his  heart ;  but  their  fruit 
he  now  produces  before  all  the  world.  "  Show  me  thy  faith 
without  thy  works,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  and  I  will  show  thee 
my  faith,  by  my  works."  Zaccheus  was  convinced,  it  seems, 
that,  occupied  with  the  enjoyment  of  his  wealth,  he  had  not 
given  a  due  proportion  to  relieve  the  wants  of  others.     Now, 


158  LECTURE    LXV. 

touched  by  the  benevolent  influence  of  the  grace  of  Christ,  he 
offers  the  half  of  his  property  to  the  uses  of  charity.  I  ques- 
tion whether  his  accusers  did  not  think  that  he  was  now  erring 
on  the  opposite  side.  Jesus,  however,  by  his  silence,  rather 
speaks  consent  and  approbation.  Zaccheus  seems  to  think 
this  his  duty,  the  necessary  effect  of  his  reception  of  Christ, 
and  the  only  satisfactory  answer  to  those  who  murmur  at  the 
Saviour's  religion  as  licentious.  In  many  cases  it  is  demanded, 
and  happily,  we  can  say,  it  is  sometimes  practised.  For  when 
persons  have  no  children  or  near  relatives  to  be  provided  for, 
and  their  income  is  twice  as  much  as  they  need,  or  even  wish 
to  spend  upon  themselves,  what  are  they  to  do  with  the  re- 
maining half  I  Lay  it  up  to  increase  riches  for  themselves  ? 
Not  if  they  hear  what  Christ  says  :  "  Lay  not  up  for  your- 
selves 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  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor 
steal :  for  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be 
also."* 

There  are,  to  the  honour  of  divine  grace,  not  a  few  who 
spend  far  more  upon  charity  or  benevolence  than  upon  them- 
selves. This  triumph  of  benevolence  over  selfishness  is  one 
of  the  most  decisive  proofs  of  "  the  love  of  God  being  shed 
abroad  in  the  heart,  by  the  Holy  Ghost  given  to  us." 

For  while  these  pharisaic  Jews  murmur  at  Christ,  for  visit- 
ing a  sinner,  and  the  world  upbraids  the  doctrines  of  grace, 
for  making  good  works  useless,  who  are  they  who  spend 
most  of  their  property  in  doing  good  I  They  who  trust  to 
their  charities  as  the  price  of  their  heaven,  or  they  who,  re- 
ceiving salvation  as  a  free  gift,  bestowed  by  divine  grace  on  a 
sinner,  consecrate  their  property  as  an  offering  of  gratitude  to 
their  Saviour? 

But,  an  objection  will  be  started,  "  well  may  he  give  freely 
what  is  not  his  own  !     Let  him  restore  his  ill-gotten  gains,  and 
then  give  to  the  poor."     Zaccheus,  therefore,  says,  "If  I  have 
*  Matt.  vi.  19—21. 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    ZACCHEUS.  159 

taken  any  thing  from  any  man,  by  false  accusation,  I  restore 
him  four-fold."  This  proves,  that  his  wealth  could  not  have 
been  the  mere  produce  of  extortion  ;  for  then  he  could  not, 
after  giving"  half  to  the  poor,  have  restored  four-fold  to  those 
whom  he  might  have  wronged.  The  Jews,  impatient  under  a 
foreign  yoke,  regarded  all  who  collected  taxes  for  the  Romans, 
with  abhorrence,  as  renegadoes,  and  often  attributed  to  the 
publicans  crimes,  of  which  they  were  not  guilty.  But  Zac- 
cheus,  aware  that  they  murmured  at  Christ's  friendship  for 
him,  because  they  ascribed  his  wealth  to  the  practice  of  ex- 
torting from  them  what  he  was  not  called  to  pay  into  the 
Roman  treasury,  here  declares  to  our  Lord,  that  the  demand 
of  the  divine  law  in  such  cases  should  be  obeyed.  For  thus 
says  Moses,  "  If  a  man  shall  steal  an  ox  or  a  sheep,  and  kill 
it,  or  sell  it :  he  shall  restore  five  oxen  for  an  ox,  and  four 
sheep  for  a  sheep."  * 

Here  is  the  best  answer  to  the  cavils  of  the  world.  "  What- 
ever I  was  by  nature,  by  the  grace  of  God  I  am  a  new  crea- 
ture. If  my  wealth  was  once  accumulated  by  covetousness, 
I  now  distribute  it  in  charities.  Whatever  portion  I  have 
gained  unjustly  I  restore  to  the  right  owners,  and  add  to  it 
whatever  the  law  of  God  demands."  There  can  be  no  repent- 
ance, without  all  practicable  restitution.  The  measure  and 
the  means  may  be  very  difficult  to  determine,  but  there  will 
be  a  willing  mind,  and  a  disposition  to  ask  counsel  of  God  and 
his  people ;  and  "  God  accepteth  according  to  what  a  man  hath." 
One  person,  on  being  instructed  in  the  duty  of  giving,  found 
that  he  had  not,  for  many  years,  discharged  his  obligations ; 
and  therefore,  not  only  improved  his  practice  in  future,  but 
gave,  at  once,  all  that  sum  which  his  conscience  told  him  he 
was  in  arrear  to  the  cause  of  benevolence. 

Others  who  have  once  been  bankrupts,  and  have  afterwards 
prospered  in  trade,  have,  under  the  influence  of  religion,  re- 
stored to  their  creditors  twenty  shillings  in  the  pound  with  in- 
terest. And  can  religion  ever  fail  to  produce  this  effect,  when 
even  common  honesty  will  do  as  much,  whenever  the  bank- 
*  Exodus  xxii.  1. 


160  LECTURE    LXV. 

ruptcy  has  not  been  the  effect  of  the  creditors'  own  injustice, 
and  the  failure  of  full  payment  has  not  arisen  from  the  mere 
expenses  of  law  ? 

Thus  Zaccheus  showed  his  faith  by  his  works,  and  proved, 
that,  however  the  world  murmured,  he  was  not  the  sinner  they 
thought,  but  the  grace  of  Christ  had  transformed  him  to  a 
saint. 

But  I  was  to  show,  that 

4.  The  Saviour  defended  his  own  grace. 

"  This  day,"  says  Jesus,  "  salvation  is  come  to  this  house, 
forasmuch  as  he  also  is  a  son  of  Abraham."  If  Zaccheus  was 
a  gentile,  Christ  now  declared,  that  faith  in  him  renders  men 
of  all  nations  children  of  Abraham.  But,  as  it  is  most  probable 
that  this  publican  was  a  Jew,  who  had  been  regarded,  by  his 
countrymen,  as  a  sinner,  for  taking  upon  himself  an  odious 
calling  ;  he  is  now  pronounced  a  son  of  Abraham,  not  merely 
after  the  flesh,  but  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  promise.  For 
to  Abraham  God  promised,  *'  I  will  be  a  God  to  thee,  and 
thy  seed  after  thee."  Thus  Christ  says,  "  salvation  is  come, 
not  only  to  the  man,  but  to  his  house,"  that  is,  to  his  family 
too.  For  this  is  the  import  of  the  phrase,  when  salvation  is 
said  to  come  to  a  man  and  his  house,  since  it  cannot  mean  that 
salvation  is  come  to  a  building. 

When  Abraham  was  called  out  of  an  idolatrous  house,  he 
was  made  a  blessing  to  his  own  future  family,  for  God  said, 
*'  I  will  be  a  God  to  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee." 
*'  Now,"  says  Jesus,  "  salvation  is  come  to  the  house  of  Zac- 
cheus, as  he  is  become  a  true  son  of  Abraham,  a  blessing  to 
his  family."  Jesus  comes  not  empty-handed  to  our  house, 
nor  does  he  come  as  a  blessing  single-handed  ;  but  says,  "  Be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved  and 
thy  house."  The  means  of  salvation  come  to  our  family,  in 
that  knowledge  of  Christ  which  is  life  eternal,  and  which  a 
Christian  parent  must  seek  to  diffuse  among  his  children.  The 
worship  of  God  must  then  be  set  up  in  the  house  ;  and  family 
prayer,  the  incense  of  intercession  for  the  salvation  of  our 
children,  cannot  be  offered  in  vain. 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    ZACCHEUS.  161 

How  important,  then,  is  the  relation  which  a  parent  holds 
to  the  family  committed  to  his  care !  He  becomes  either  a 
blessing  to  them,  or  a  curse.  Salvation  or  perdition  comes 
to  the  house  when  the  one  or  the  other  comes  to  the  heart  of 
a  man.  Then  hear  that  invitation,  which,  appealing  not  only 
to  your  self-love,  your  solicitude  for  your  own  deathless  spirit, 
but  also  to  your  parental  bowels,  your  horror  at  the  thought  of 
being  the  means  of  bringing  children  into  the  world,  for  their 
eternal  ruin,  says,  "  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house." 


VOL.  If.  M 


162 


LECTURE  LXVI. 


LAZARUS    RAISED    FROM    THE    DEAD. 

John  xi.  1 — 46. 

Now  a  certain  man  was   sick,  named  Lazarus,  of  Bethany,  the  town    of 
Mary  and  her  sister  INIartha. 

**  It  is  easy  to  kill ;  but  who  can  make  alive?  If  a  man  die, 
shall  he  live  again?"  asks  Job.  "  Man  dieth,  and  wasteth 
away  :  yea,  man  giveth  up  the  ghost,  and  where  is  he  i  As 
the  waters  fail  from  the  sea,  and  the  flood  decayeth  and  drieth 
up :  so  man  lieth  down,  and  riseth  not :  till  the  heavens  be  no 
more,  they  shall  not  awake,  nor  be  raised  out  of  their  sleep." 

How  welcome,  then,  should  be  the  scene  which  is  presented 
to  our  view  this  morning  !  a  specimen  of  this  grand  deside- 
ratum ;  a  proof  that  death,  though  the  king  of  terrors,  is  not 
unconquerable  ;  a  demonstration  that  there  is  one  who  can 
snatch  the  victory  out  of  his  hands,  and  can,  after  we  have 
been  crushed  by  death's  iron  sceptre,  raise  us  out  of  the  dust 
again,  to  sing,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth." 

I  proceed,  then,  to  point  out  the  steps  that  conducted  to 
this  miracle,  and  the  style  in  which  it  was  wrought. 

I.  The  steps  that  conducted  to  the  miracle. 

I  might  mention,  as  the  first  of  these,  the  friendship  of 
Jesus  for  the  family  of  Lazarus.  But  this  has  occurred  to 
notice  already.  As  the  family  of  the  Shunamite  was  honoured 
with  the  friendship  of  the  prophet,  by  lying  in  his  way,  and 
giving  him  an  hospitable  reception  in  his  journeys,  which  was 
amply  repaid  by  the  resurrection  of  her  son  from  the  dead  ; 
so  the  house  of  Lazarus,  lying-  in  the  Redeemer's  way,  on  his 
visits  to  Jerusalem,  became  the  scene  of  some  of  his  most 


LAZARUS    RAISED    FROM    THE    DEAD.  1C3 

gracious  visits,  and  at  last  of  one  of  his  most  splendid  mi- 
racles. 

It  is  expressly  recorded,  that  Jesus  loved  Mary  and  her 
sister,  who  were  alike  in  this  grand  privilege,  though  we  have 
seen  how  much  they  differed  in  natural  disposition.  The  two 
sisters  remind  our  Lord,  that  Lazarus,  their  brother,  was  he 
whom  Jesus  loved ;  and  Jesus  OAvns  the  truth  of  the  appeal, 
by  calling  him  "  our  friend  Lazarus." 

Oh  happy  family !  united,  though  not,  as  some  families  are, 
in  dreadful  league  with  hell,  all  agreeing  together  to  take  this 
world  as  their  portion ;  but  all  bound  together  in  those  more 
tender,  more  holy,  more  lasting  bonds  of  Christian  fellowship, 
which  death  itself  cannot  break.  As,  however,  the  happiest 
family  must  prepare  for  separations,  we  have  to  observe  that, 

1 .  The  first  step  that  led  to  this  miracle  was  the  affliction 
which  befel  the  family  at  Bethany. 

*'  Now,  a  certain  man,  named  Lazarus,  was  sick."  Though 
many  of  the  diseases  which  men  suffer  are  the  direct  and  ne- 
cessary consequences  of  sins,  from  which  we  are  saved  by  re- 
ligion ;  yet  we  are  so  far  from  being  authorized  to  expect  the 
same  happy  cause  to  deliver  us  from  all  the  sorrowful  effects 
of  the  fall,  that  we  are  assured  "  many  are  the  afflictions  of 
the  righteous."  A  healthful  spirit  often  dwells  in  a  frail  tene- 
ment, and  gives  occasion  to  an  Apostle  to  say,  "  Beloved,  I 
wish,  above  all  things,  that  thou  mayest  prosper,  and  be  in 
health,  even  as  thy  soul  prospereth."  * 

For  if  pious  persons  must  die,  that  they  may  go  to  dwell 
with  Christ,  which  they  esteem  far  better  than  to  abide  in  the 
flesh;  are  not  sicknesses  death's  harbingers?  The  pains  of 
disease  afford  so  many  opportunities  of  displaying  the  triumphs 
of  grace,  that  Christians  ought  to  be  quite  willing  to  pass 
through  a  process  so  profitable  to  their  own  minds,  so  demon- 
strative of  the  reality  of  their  religion,  and  so  honourable  to 
their  Lord. 

The  second  step  which  led  to  the  miracle  was  the  message 
sent  to  Christ. 

The  sisters  dispatched  a  messenger  across  the  Jordan,  into 
*  3  John  2. 
M    2 


164  LECTURE    LXVI. 

the  country  whither  our  Lord  had  retired,  to  say  to  him,  "  he 
whom  thou  lovest  is  sick."  It  was  the  felicity  of  these  pious 
women  to  know  the  Lord,  to  believe  in  his  name,  to  fly  to  him 
in  trouble,  and  pour  their  sorrows  into  his  bosom.  And  they 
felt  it  their  privilege  to  be  able  to  say  to  him,  "Thou  lovest 
our  brother.  It  is  not  for  an  enemy  to  thee  that  we  plead; 
though  even  if  it  were,  we  might  have  entertained  hope,  from 
thy  kindness  to  thy  foes.  Then  what  may  we  not  expect 
from  thy  love  to  thy  friends?"  My  dear  hearers,  if  you 
should  be  laid  on  the  bed  of  sickness,  could  your  friends  plead 
thus  with  the  Saviour  on  your  behalf?  Could  they  appeal  to 
his  love  displayed  in  your  regeneration  and  forgiveness,  and 
entreat  him  to  spare  the  friend  of  his  bosom,  whom  he  had 
taught  to  glorify  him  on  earth  ? 

There  was,  however,  a  wise  modesty  and  reserve  in  the 
message  which  these  afflicted  sisters  sent  to  Christ,  on  behalf 
of  their  pious  brother.  They  only  venture  to  say,  "he  whom 
thou  lovest  is  sick  ;"  and  leave  it  to  Jesus  to  determine  whether 
he  will,  at  the  first  moment,  bid  the  sick  man  be  well,  or  whe- 
ther the  messenger  shall  carry  back  a  healing  word,  or  whe- 
ther it  shall  be  said,  "  this  sickness  must  terminate  in  death, 
from  which  there  shall  be  no  restoration  till  the  last  day." 

The  third  step  to  the  miracle  was  Christ's  delay. 

When  Jesus  heard  the  message,  instead  of  replying,  as  on 
other  occasions  he  did,  "  I  will  come  and  heal  him,"  he  an- 
swered, "  this  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of 
God,  that  the  Son  of  God  might  be  glorified  thereby."  And 
yet  he  waited  two  days,  till  he  could  say,  "  Lazarus  is  dead." 
How  mysterious  are  the  ways  of  Christ  towards  his  friends ! 
He  often  appears  less  kind  to  them  than  to  his  foes.  Yet  our 
Lord's  reply  teaches  us,  that  we  should  esteem  ourselves  ho- 
noured and  happy  in  being  called  to  suffer  any  thing,  even 
death  itself,  whereby  God  may  be  glorified.  The  faith  and 
patience  of  these  sisters  must  have  been  tried  to  the  utmost, 
when  they  saw  their  messenger  return  without  Jesus,  and 
without  even  any  positive  assurance  of  healing,  and  bringing 
only  the  mysteriously  cold  remark,  "  this  sickness  is  not  unto 
death."     For  they  see  their  brother  sinking  into  the  arms  of 


LAZARUS    RAISED    FROM    THE    DEAD.  165 

death,  while  they  wait  in  vain  for  Jesus.  After  straining 
their  eyes  in  eager  looking  for  the  deliverer,  fancying  every 
one  they  see  at  a  distance  is  Jesus;  and  after  exhausting  all 
means  of  cure,  they  behold  their  brother  sink,  they  hear  his 
parting  sigh,  they  catch  his  last  breath,  they  see  he  is  dead. 
And  now  what  must  they  think  of  Jesus  and  his  assurance, 
"  this  sickness  is  not  unto  death  ?" 

The  fourth  step  to  the  miracle  was  Christ's  journey  to 
Bethany. 

This  we  have  already  noticed ;  for  several  of  the  events 
which  we  have  lately  considered  happened  while  Jesus  was 
on  the  road  to  work  the  miracle  now  under  consideration. 
After  staying  two  days  in  Perea,  till  he  could  say,  "  Lazarus 
is  dead,"  our  Lord  began  to  open  to  his  disciples  his  design. 
At  first,  as  he  spake  of  death  under  the  soothing  image  of  a 
sleep,  the  disciples  strangely  supposed  that  their  Lord  was 
going  a  journey  of  two  days  to  wake  a  person.  But  when 
they  understood  him  to  speak  of  death  and  a  resurrection,  Jesus 
informed  them  that  he  was  glad,  for  their  sakes,  that  he  was 
not  there  to  prevent  Lazarus  from  dying;  since  a  resurrection 
from  the  dead  would  be  to  them  a  more  convincing  miracle. 

The  journey  to  Judea,  however,  seemed  fraught  with  dan- 
ger ;  for  the  Jews  sought  to  stone  the  Saviour.  Yet  Thomas 
says,  "  let  us  go  that  we  may  die  with  him  :  better  die  with 
Jesus  than  live  without  him."  Jesus,  having  wrought  mira- 
cles on  the  road,  arrives  at  the  suburbs  of  Bethany,  and  is 
met  by  Martha  with  reproaches,  rather  than  welcome.  "  Lord, 
if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died."  Is  it  thus 
our  unbelief  meets  our  Lord,  when  he  comes  for  our  deliver- 
ance on  wings  of  love,  which  bear  him  swiftly  enough ;  since 
his  own  time  is  always  the  best  ? 

But  while  her  eye  is  dim  with  tears,  she  sees  so  clearly 
Christ's  power  and  grace,  that  she  is  sure,  if  he  had  been 
there,  he  would  not  have  suffered  Lazarus  to  die.  Nor  is 
this  all ;  for  as  she  was  certain  that,  if  Jesus  had  been  there, 
death  would  have  been  afraid  to  carry  off  his  prey,  she  be- 
lieved that,  even  now,  the  conqueror  might  be  compelled  to 
bring  back  his  spoils.     And  when  Jesus  said,  "  thy  brother 


166  LECTURE    LXVI. 

shall  rise  again,"  suspecting  that  it  might  mean  only  among 
all  the  dead,  at  the  last  day,  she  ventured  to  hint  a  wish  for 
something  more  definite  and  speedy. 

But  now,  probably  with  the  Saviour's  concurrence,  she  goes 
and  calls  her  sister ;  but  secretly,  because  she  was  surrounded 
by  the  Jews,  who  were  bitter  enemies  to  Jesus.  Mary,  there- 
fore, learning  that  the  Master  was  come,  and  called  for  her, 
left  the  Jews,  who  had  come  to  comfort  her,  and  goes  to  seek 
a  better  comforter.  The  Jews,  however,  thinking  she  was 
going  to  the  grave  to  weep,  followed,  and  thus  frustrated  Mar- 
tha's design  in  whispering  to  Mary ;  but  accomplished  Christ's 
intention  of  securing  the  testimony  even  of  enemies,  to  prove 
the  truth  of  his  most  astonishing  miracle.  Mary,  too,  as  well 
as  her  sister,  met  our  Lord  with  reproaches.  "  Why  treat 
us  so  cruelly?  Why  not  come  as  soon  as  we  sent  for  thee? 
Thou  mightest  have  saved  our  brother  then  ;  but  now,  alas, 
he  is  dead." 

The  company  having  at  length  collected  in  sufficient  num- 
bers, Jesus  said,  "  where  have  ye  laid  him?"  He  that  could 
raise  him  could  find  him.  But  Jesus  said  this  to  excite  at- 
tention to  the  fact,  that  the  man  was  laid  in  the  grave,  and  to 
draw  the  witnesses  to  the  tomb. 

Let  us  hearken  to  the  invitation,  to  witness, 

II.  The  style  in  which  the  miracle  was  wrought. 

We  need  not  march  up  to  this  tomb  with  the  slow,  trem- 
bling, funereal  step;  but  may  advance  with  joyful  confidence, 
to  see  the  grave  for  once  giving  back  his  prey.  This  miracle 
was  wrought  in  a  style  of  majesty,  sympathy,  piety,  and  au- 
thority. 

1.  Majesty  characterised  this  miracle. 

With  godlike  consciousness  of  power,  as  one  who  was  sure 
that  there  was  no  strength  in  death  to  resist  his  fiat,  our  Lord 
said  to  the  weeping  sister,  "  thy  brother  shall  rise  again." 
When  he  comes  up  to  the  grave,  he  sees  a  huge  stone  block- 
ing up  its  mouth,  to  conceal  the  mass  of  corruption  which  a 
body  that  had  been  dead  four  days,  in  that  climate,  would 
present  to  view.  At  the  command  to  roll  away  the  stone, 
Martha  is  alarmed,  lest  the  body  of  her  much-loved  brother 


LAZARUS    RAISED    FROM    THE    DEAD.  167 

should  present  a  loathsome  object  to  the  eye  and  to  the  smell 
of  those  around.  But  to  her  objections  Jesus  replies,  "  Said 
I  not  imto  thee,  that  if  thou  wonkiest  believe,  thou  shouldest 
see  the  glory  of  God  I "  What,  though  the  frightful  process 
of  putrefaction  has  commenced,  and  the  decomposition  of  the 
frame  has  made  it  necessary  to  exert  a  creative  power,  to  form 
the  body  again  for  the  reception  of  the  spirit,  as  well  as  to 
bring  back  that  spirit  from  other  realms,  is  any  thing  too  hard 
for  the  Lord  i  The  Saviour  felt  himself  that  glorious  Being 
who  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  in  whom  all  our  hopes  of 
being  restored  at  last  from  scattered  dust  to  living  bodies  cen- 
tre, and  of  whom  we  say,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth, 
and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth :  and 
though  after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this  hodij,  yet  in  my  tlesh 
shall  I  see  God  :  whom  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and  mine  eyes 
shall  behold,  and  not  another :  though  my  reins  be  consumed 
within  me."  * 

2.  Sympathy  marks  this  miraculous  exertion. 

Jesus,  seeing  the  sisters  weeping,  and  the  Jews  also  weep- 
ing who  came  with  her,  gives  signs  of  sympathetic  trouble,  by 
groaning  in  the  spirit ;  and  when  they  asked  him  to  come  and 
see  the  grave  where  Lazarus  lay,  "  Jesus  wept."  Sin  and 
sorrow,  death  and  tears,  are  constant  companions.  But  though 
we  weep  at  the  grave,  because  we  are  conscious  of  our  weak- 
ness and  inability  to  recall  our  friends,  or  save  ourselves  from 
death ;  Jesus  wept  from  tender  sympathy,  while  he  felt  him- 
self mighty  to  save  to  the  uttermost. 

The  vulgar  tears  that  are  shed  over  the  dead  evaporate,  or 
are  absorbed  as  they  fall,  and  leave  no  trace  behind.  But  if 
it  is  said  that  by  genius  a  tear  is  crystallized  and  exhibited  to 
the  admiration  of  future  ages,  should  not  the  dignity  and  be- 
nevolence of  Jesus  make  his  sorrows  to  us  illustrious,  instruc- 
tive, and  affecting  I  Three  times  it  is  said  that  Jesus  wept, 
but  always  sin  was  the  cause.  This  was  the  first  time  ;  the 
next  was  when,  on  his  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem,  he 
beheld  the  city,  and  wept  over  it ;  and  the  last  was  when,  in 
the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  "  he  poured  out  his  supplications 
*  Job  xix.  25—27. 


168  LECTURE    LXVI. 

with  strong  crying  and  tears  to  him  that  was  able  to  save  him 
from  death." 

AVhen  they  ask  him  to  come  and  see  the  friend  whom  he 
last  saw  as  the  pleasant,  hospitable  inhabitant  of  the  mansion 
at  Bethany,  now  cold,  and  putrid,  and  offensive,  and  shut  up 
in  the  dark,  dismal  grave,  Jesus  wept,  to  think  what  sin  had 
done  to  his  friend.  A  body,  constructed  to  be  the  living  tem- 
ple of  the  Holy  Ghost,  now  exhibits  the  frightful  spectacle  of 
a  temple  in  ruins,  from  which  the  great  inhabitant  is  fled  and 
gone.  I  cannot  think  that  our  Lord  wept  that  Lazarus  must 
return  to  the  miseries  of  this  life ;  for  it  was  highly  to  the 
honour  and  happiness  of  this  person  to  be  thus  rendered  a 
monument  of  Christ's  power  to  restore  from  death. 

For  the  afflicted  sisters,  Martha  and  Mary,  Jesus  wept. 
He  mourned  to  see  sin  and  death  spreading  anguish  among 
all  the  children  of  Adam,  to  see  the  tenderest  ties  violently 
burst  asunder,  to  behold  the  hearts  he  loved  bleeding  at  a 
fatal  stroke  of  separation,  and  the  purest  joys,  those  of  do- 
mestic and  pious  affection,  become  the  source_  of  the  bitterest 
pains. 

For  the  Jews,  who  were  to  be  unprofitable  spectators  of 
this  miracle,  Jesus  wept.  They  had  come  to  weep  with  the 
sisters  for  the  loss  of  their  brother  ;  but  the  Saviour  might 
have  said,  "weep  for  yourselves."  For,  alas!  this  miracle 
consummated  their  guilt  and  ruin.  Knowing  that  they  would 
blindfold  him,  after  he  had  looked  upon  them  with  grief  and 
tears,  and  that  they  would  mock  at  his  sorrows,  he  wept  to 
think  of  their  unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart. 

3.  Piety  distinguished  this  miracle. 

"  Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said.  Father,  I 
thank  thee  that  thou  hast  heard  me.  And  I  knew  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."*  It 
was  manifestly  proper  that  when  "  the  Word,  who  was  God, 
was  made  flesh  to  dwell  among  us,"  it  should  be  as  the  Father's 
servant ;  that  it  might  not  be  supposed  that  any  man  was,  in 
his  own  nature,  independent  Deity.  And  when  Christ  came 
*  John  xi.  41,  42. 


LAZARUS    RAISED    FROM    THE    DEAD.  169 

to  exercise  one  of  the  most  distinguishing  prerogatives  of 
Deity,  to  give  life  to  the  dead,  it  was  judged  by  him  suitable 
to  preface  the  work  by  a  pious  acknowledgment  of  his  Father's 
authority  and  power. 

Ere  yet  the  miracle  was  wrought,  Jesus  gave  thanks  to  the 
Father  for  having  heard  him ;  for  such  was  the  intercourse  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  Father  that  the  Saviour's  bosom  felt 
before  hand  what  all  the  world  afterwards  saw.  We  hear  no 
prayer  uttered :  but  the  most  effectual  supplication  is  that  of 
the  heart,  the  devout  aspiration  of  a  soul,  always  in  the  pos- 
ture of  prayer.  This  the  Father  always  hears,  whether  we 
see  the  evidences  of  it  or  not.  But  Jesus,  knowing  that  the 
Father  always  heard,  gave  thanks  on  this  occasion,  that  all 
around  might  listen  and  know.  For,  O,  it  is  consolatory  to 
our  hearts  to  be  sure  that  the  Father  always  heareth  him  who 
"  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us."  Here  he  taught 
us,  at  the  edge  of  the  grave,  not  to  indulge  in  those  tears 
that  check  prayer,  and  quench  devotion,  and  speak  despair ; 
but,  while,  like  Jesus,  we  weep  with  them  that  weep,  like  him 
to  offer  up  supplications  with  thanksgivings,  "  that  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding  may  keep  our  hearts 
and  minds  by  Christ  Jesus." 

4.  Authority  marked  this  miracle. 

Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth."  That 
voice  was  loud  enough  to  wake  the  dead  ;  for  it  was  the  voice 
of  him  that  will  one  day  wake  up  all  those  millions  that  have 
been  slumbering  in  their  graves  for  ages  of  ages.  Without 
going  down  into  the  cave,  then,  or  taking  the  dead  by  the 
hand,  he  spake  and  bade  the  dead  come  to  him.  Strange 
words  it  might  be  thought !  As  if  the  dead  could  hear  !  As 
though  death  were  under  the  control  of  a  corpse,  and  it  could 
shake  off  this  deep  sleep,  and  obey  and  live  as  soon  as 
commanded.  But  what  would  have  been  folly  and  weak- 
ness on  any  other  lips,  was  wisdom  and  power  on  those  of 
Jesus. 

Death  heard  the  mighty  voice,  and,  starting  at  the  sound, 
shrunk  from  the  contest  with  superior  power,  and,  though  re- 


170  LECTURE    LXVI. 

luctant,  gave  back  his  prey.  See  the  corpse  stirring  within 
the  cave,  and,  turning  upon  its  face,  rise  from  its  recumbent 
posture.  Hear  the  rustling  of  its  movements,  which  break 
the  former  silence  of  the  tomb.  Behold  it  is  coming,  stooping 
at  the  door  of  the  cave,  and  moving  with  difficulty  under  the 
restraint  of  the  grave-clothes. 

But  Jesus  says,  "  loose  him,  and  let  him  go."  And  now 
the  sisters,  half  afraid  and  half  delighted,  approach  and  touch 
their  brother  again,  and  the  same  hands  that  bound  the  grave- 
clothes  on  him  untie  them  again.  They  take  off  a  napkin 
or  face  cloth  ;  they  see  the  light  of  life  flash  from  his  eyes ; 
they  are  greeted  with  his  wonted  smile  of  affection,  and  hear 
him  utter  the  language  of  gratitude  and  adoration  to  his  great 
deliverer. 

By  calling  Lazarus  from  the  tomb,  in  this  dress,  by  bid- 
ding those  around  unfasten  the  grave-clothes,  Jesus  gave 
them  the  most  impressive  conviction  of  the  reality  of  the  mi- 
racle, and  left  upon  their  lips  the  confession,  "  this  is  the  finger 
of  God." 

But  as  Jesus  had  said  that  this  affliction  of  Lazarus 
should  not  terminate  in  death,  but  should  be  "  for  the  glory 
of  God,  that  the  Sou  of  God  might  be  glorified  thereby," 
some  of  the  Jews,  who  had  hitherto  resisted  the  evidences  of 
Christ's  divine  mission,  could  withstand  no  longer,  but  fell 
under  the  power  of  the  truth,  and  owned  the  Son  of  God,  the 
long  promised  Messiah. 

Others  went  away  and  told  the  Pharisees  what  Jesus  had 
done.  Mentioned  in  opposition  to  those  who  believed,  these 
persons  certainly  carried  the  news  with  no  good  design,  but  to 
rouse  the  enemies  of  Jesus  to  action,  lest  the  whole  world 
should  believe  on  him. 

While,  however,  this  miracle  was  wrought  in  the  pre- 
sence of  a  crowd,  and  many  of  them  were  enemies,  none 
pretend  to  deny  its  reality.  In  former  instances,  the  per- 
sons raised  had  been  but  recently  reduced  to  the  state  of 
the  dead,  and  if  any  suspicion  might  lurk  in  the  hearts  of  men, 
that  it  was  only  the  semblance  of  death ;  in  the  present  case 


LAZARUS    RAISED    PROM    THE    DEAD.  171 

all  such  surmises  are  excluded,  for  Lazarus  had  been  dead  four 
days,  and  had  been,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Jews,  three 
days  in  the  grave. 

If,  therefore,  we  must  turn  from  this  grave  with  an  in- 
creased conviction  of  the  truth  of  Christ's  religion,  to  which 
the  seal  of  heaven  is  here  affixed,  we  should,  also,  bear 
with  us  a  more  lively  anticipation  of  the  hour  when  Christ 
shall  raise  us  also  from  the  dead,  and  "  change  our  vile  body, 
fashioning  it  like  unto  his  own  glorious  body,  according  to  the 
mighty  working  whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  to 
himself." 


172 


LECTURE  LXVII. 

Christ's  last  retirement  to  ephraim. 

John  xi.  48 — 57. 

Jesus  therefore  walked  no  more  openly  among  the  Jews;  but  went  thence 
unto  a  country  near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called  Ephraim. 

What!  Jesus  Christ  retiring-  again  from  the  rage  of  his 
enemies !  Is  the  sun  of  righteousness  once  more  to  be  hidden 
behind  a  cloud?  And  for  what?  Had  any  spot  been  detected 
in  that  sun,  that  makes  it  deserve  to  be  put  out  of  its  orbit  as 
unworthy  to  enlighten  a  world  ?  He  raised  Lazarus  from  the 
dead ;  and  was  this  a  crime  ?  Have  men  so  many  conquerors 
of  death  that  they  can  afford  to  part  with  this  one?  Or  is  it 
such  a  calamity  to  be  called  from  the  grave  that  he  who  effects 
this,  must  be  hunted  from"  society  as  its  pest?  Might  we  not 
have  expected,  from  men's  shuddering  at  death,  from  the 
eagerness  with  which  they  catch  at  life,  that  they  would  have 
borne  with  triumph  to  the  capital  the  man  who  in  its  suburbs 
had  robbed  the  grave  of  its  prey,  and  that  we  should  ever 
after  have  seen  Jesus  walking  in  public,  welcomed  wherever 
he  came  with  the  most  ardent  joyful  shouts?  Far  from  this, 
he  retires  into  the  shades,  and  never  comes  forth  again  but  to 
death.  If,  then,  you  have  felt  an  interest  in  his  history ;  if 
you  have  followed  him,  instructed  and  delighted  by  his  pub- 
licity, you  will  attend  him  into  bis  retirement  with  devout  and 
melancholy  awe.     Inquire  into, 

I.  The  occasion  of  the  retirement. 

This  was,  on  his  part,  most  honourable,  for  it  was  an  act  of 
grace  and  power  to  his  friend;  on  his  enemies'  part  it  was 
most  disgraceful,  for  it  was  a  guilty  perversion  of  justice;  and 


CHRIST'S    LAST    RETIREMENT    TO    EPHRAIM.        173 

on  the  part  of  the  public  it  was  most  ungrateful ;  for  it  was 
the  danger  to  which  they  were  exposed  of  betraying  him  for 
a  reward. 

1.  On  Christ's  part  it  was  honourable,  for  the  occasion  of 
this  last  flight  was  his  act  of  kindness  and  power  to  his  friend 
Lazarus. 

When  the  sisters  sent  to  ask  our  Lord's  aid,  they  little 
thought  they  were  asking  him  to  sacrifice  his  own  life,  to  save 
his  friend.  But  Jesus  knew ;  he  marched  to  Jerusalem, 
though  not  with  a  slow,  yet  with  a  solemn  step,  as  to  his  own 
funeral.  "  When  the  hour  came  that  he  was  to  be  delivered 
up,  he  stedfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem:"  he  knew 
the  effect  the  miracle  would  have,  but  he  shrunk  not  from  the 
task.  He  came  into  this  world  to  die  for  doing  good,  to  make 
his  life  the  ransom  for  ours. 

"  This  was  compassion  like  a  God, 
That,  when  the  Saviour  knew 
The  price  of  pardon  was  his  blood, 
His  pity  ne'er  withdrew." 

When,  therefore,  the  miracle  wrought  on  Lazarus,  by  raising 
him  from  the  grave  in  which  he  had  lain  for  four  days,  had 
roused  his  enemies  to  fury,  they  proceeded  to  the  last  extre- 
mities. 

2.  On  the  part  of  the  enemies,  then,  the  occasion  of  Christ's 
retirement  was  most  disgraceful. 

They  perverted  justice  by  calling  a  council,  the  grand  San- 
hedrim of  the  nation,  which  ought  to  have  been  a  sacred  as- 
sembly, devoted  to  the  interest  of  their  church  and  nation,  but 
was  in  truth  a  bloody  cabal,  employed  to  murder  him  that  was 
the  hope  of  both. 

They  open  the  debate  by  asking  what  they  were  doing, 
while  Jesus  was  working  many  miracles?  And  well  might 
they  have  asked  what  they  were  doing,  in  opposing  one  who 
thus  showed  that  God  was  with  him.  But  they  were  misera- 
bly infatuated  with  the  notion  that  miracles  might  be  wrought 
by  magic,  and  were  entangled,  perhaps,  with  something  like  a 
belief  of  their  own  lie,  that  Jesus  wrought  wonders  by  the  aid 


174  LECTURE    LXVII. 

of  Beelzebub,  prince  of  the  demons.  Such  has  been  the  sub- 
terfuge of  the  Jews  in  later  ages  ;  so  that,  without  denying 
the  facts,  they  have  yet  resisted  the  evidence  of  the  miracles 
of  Jesus. 

The  chief  priests,  however,  seem  to  have  paid  little  i-egard 
to  the  character  of  the  Redeemer,  or  the  nature  of  his  doctrine, 
or  the  proofs  of  his  divine  mission  ;  for  their  attention  was  ab- 
sorbed by  the  consequences  of  believing  on  him.  If  the  people 
owned  Jesus  for  the  Messiah,  as  they  must  if  he  were  let  alone, 
the  Romans  would  come  and  take  away  their  place,  Jerusalem, 
the  seat  of  their  worship,  and  destroy  the  authority  of  the 
rabbis  and  annihilate  the  nation.  And  what,  then,  were  they 
looking  for  ?  Were  they  not  pretending  to  expect  a  Messiah 
who  should  deliver  them  from  the  Roman  yoke  i  Yes  ;  but 
then  he  was  to  be  a  military  conqueror,  and  this  Jesus  was  a 
poor  man,  without  pretensions  to  power  and  authority.  Yet, 
had  it  not  been  wise  to  inquire,  before  all  things,  whether 
Jesus  were  the  promised  Messiah,  or  not  I  Let  us  decide 
first  what  is  duty,  and  not  what  will  be  the  consequence  of 
following  it.  And  had  they  taken  this  wiser,  holier  course, 
might  they  not  have  seen  their  safety  in  the  very  miracle  that 
now  alarmed  them  ?  For  he  that  could  raise  the  dead  needed 
not  to  fear  the  Roman  army,  that  at  most  could  but  kill  the 
body,  which  Jesus  could  raise  to  life  again.  But  they  had 
already  determined  not  to  receive  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  and 
had  threatened  with  excommunication  all  who  should  confess 
him  as  their  nation's  promised  deliverer ;  and,  therefore,  their 
pride,  as  well  as  their  enmity,  was  pledged  against  him. 

The  president  of  their  council  seeing  them  embarrassed, 
assumed  the  airs  of  a  man,  proud  of  ill  gotten  authority,  for 
he  was  high  priest  that  year  when  the  sacred  dignity  was  ob- 
tained by  violence,  intrigue,  or  bribery.  He  told  them  rudely, 
they  knew  nothing,  if  they  did  not  admit  that,  guilty  or  inno- 
cent, Jesus  ought  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  safety  of  the  nation. 
On  this  the  Evangelist  makes  a  comment  which  intimates  that 
God  may  overrule  the  schemes  of  wicked  men,  so  as  not 
merely  to  accomplish  his  holy  counsels,  but  even  to  make  their 
very  words  prophetic  of  his  acts.     It  is  remarkable  that  two 


CHRIST'S    LAST    RETIREMENT   TO    KPHRAIM.         175 

agents  of  Satan,  Balaam  and  Caiaphas,  uttered,  without  in- 
tending it,  predictions  concerning  Christ.  The  former  fore- 
told that  "  there  should  come  a  star  out  of  Jacob  -,"  and  Caia- 
phas showed  that  it  was  necessary  for  Christ,  though  innocent, 
"  to  die  for  the  people  ;  and  not  for  that  nation  only,  but  to 
gather  into  one  church  all  the  children  of  God  throughout  the 
world."  From  that  day,  the  rulers  made  up  their  minds  to 
sacrifice  Jesus  to  their  own  safety,  or  political  consequence. 

S.  On  the  part  of  the  public,  it  was  most  ungrateful,  that 
Jesus  should  be  obliged  to  retire  from  their  notice,  lest  they 
should  betray  him  to  his  enemies. 

There  were  several  gradations  in  the  opposition  of  the  Pha- 
risees to  Jesus  Christ.  At  first  they  looked  on  with  a  sus- 
picious eye,  even  while  they  said,  by  the  mouth  of  Nicodemus, 
"  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."  But  when  his  spiritual  doctrine  condemned  their  for- 
mality, and  exposed  their  hypocrisy,  they  determined  against 
him,  and  ascribed  his  miracles  to  Satanic  power.  From  this 
time,  they  sought  to  kill  him  by  some  sudden  attack  ;  and 
threatened  with  excommunication  those  who  owned  him.  But 
now  they  pronounced  a  solemn  decree,  that  he  should  die  ; 
and  though  they  could  lay  nothing  to  his  charge,  they  unblush- 
ingly  made  the  safety  of  the  state  their  pretext. 

"  And  with  necessity,  the  tyrant's  plea,  excused 
Deeds,  which  though  damned,  they  should  abhor." 

Having,  however,  brought  themselves  to  this  pitch,  and  de- 
termined to  defend  their  conduct  by  such  a  reason,  they  no 
longer  made  a  secret  of  it ;  but  issued  public  orders,  that,  if 
any  man  knew  where  Jesus  was,  he  should  give  information 
to  the  government,  that  their  officers  might  seize  him.  With 
this,  I  conceive,  was  connected  an  offer  of  reward,  or  to  speak 
in  modern  phrase,  a  price  was  set  upon  his  head.  This,  pro- 
bably, was  a  constant  practice,  that,  when  the  government  had 
determined  to  put  any  one  to  death,  and  had  given  orders  that 
all  who  knew  where  he  was  should  give  information,  a  reward 
to  the  informer  was  implied.     The  exact  sum,  however,  seems 


176  LECTURE    LXVn. 

not  to  have  been  specified ;  and  it  probably  varied  according 
to  the  rank,  or  crime,  of  the  person  to  be  seized,  or  the  im- 
portance which  the  government  attached  to  his  apprehension. 

It  was  this  reward  implied,  if  not  expressed  in  the  procla- 
mation of  the  Sanhedrim,  which  seems  to  have  awakened  the 
cupidity  of  Judas,  and  made  him  conceive  the  foul  design  of 
betraying  his  Master,  for  "the  sake  of  obtaining  what  Peter 
emphatically  calls,  "  the  reward  of  iniquity."  It  is  not  at  all 
improbable,  that,  at  first,  he  excused  the  deed  to  himself,  by 
the  flattering  unction  laid  to  his  conscience,  that  it  would  be 
a  good  stroke  of  policy  ;  for  he  would  get  the  money,  and  they 
would  never  get  their  man,  who  had  so  often  escaped  from 
their  hands  by  his  miraculous  power  as  to  leave  no  probability 
of  their  ultimate  success.  How  the  traitor's  design,  and  mo- 
tives, and  character,  were  afterwards  modified,  by  the  very 
influence  of  his  own  wicked  plot  upon  his  mind,  and  by  the 
course  of  events,  we  shall  see  in  the  progress  of  the  narrative. 
But  if  one  of  Christ's  own  disciples  was  awakened  to  conceive 
a  plot  so  horrible,  by  the  tempting  influence  of  money  ;  Jesus 
knew  also  that  many  of  his  enemies  or  even  of  the  fickle  mul- 
titude, whom  he  had  loaded  with  the  favours  of  a  God,  which 
no  money  could  purchase,  would,  by  the  same  bait,  be  tempted 
to  sell  him  into  the  hands  of  the  foe.  For  it  appears,  that  the 
Jews  were,  before  their  dispersion,  marked  with  the  same 
character  as  has  been  ascribed  to  them  since,  a  love  of  pelf. 
And  what  ingratitude,  treachery,  and  crime,  will  not  the  hope 
of  gain  produce  ?  Aware,  therefore,  of  the  snare,  and  knowing 
how  many  were  now  watching  for  the  reward,  "  Jesus  would 
no  longer  walk  openly  among  the  Jews,"  but  withdrew,  for  the 
last  time,  till  the  hour  should  come,  when  he  was  to  advance 
to  the  altar,  as  a  lamb  to  be  sacrificed  for  our  sins. 

Let  us  now  follow  and  behold, 

II.  The  scene  of  his  retirement. 

This  is  described  by  no  Evangelist,  except  John,  and  he  in- 
forms us  of  the  place,  and  the  company. 

1.  The  place. 

It  was  not  in  Judea  proper,  or  at  least  not  in  the  territories 
of  the  tribe  of  Judah.     For,  though  Jesus  had  been  for  some 


Christ's  last  retirement  to  ephraim.      177 

time  travelling  towards  Jerusalem,  and  had  now  arrived  within 
a  short  walk  of  it,  at  Bethany,  the  abode  of  his  friend,  and  the 
scene  of  that  miracle  which  had  called  him  from  the  tomb,  the 
Saviour  would  not  expose  the  beloved  family  to  trouble  by 
lodging  with  them,  after  the  decree  was  passed  for  his  appre- 
hension and  death.  Nor  would  he  press  on  to  Jerusalem,  as 
a  lamb  to  the  slaughter  ;  for  his  hour  was  not  yet  fully  come. 
He  turned  aside,  therefore,  a  little  to  the  north,  and  went  into 
the  territories  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  He  seems  to  have 
gone  in  this  direction,  because  it  was  near  to  what  we  call 
a  desert,  or  wilderness,  meaning  a  district  like  our  commons 
or  downs,  less  cultivated  and  less  inhabited  than  the  rest  of 
the  country.  Here  our  Lord  chose  a  little  town,  or  city, 
called  Ephraim,  or  Ephrem,  or  Ephrain.  It  is  mentioned  in 
2  Chronicles,  xiii.  19.  "  And  Abijah  pursued  after  Jeroboam, 
and  took  cities  from  him  ;  Bethel  with  the  towns  thereof,  and 
Jeshanah  with  the  towns  thereof,  and  Ephraim  with  the  towns 
thereof."  The  accurate  Reland,  the  only  geographer  of  Pa- 
lestine to  be  depended  upon,  says,  that  a  desert  stretches  from 
Jericho  through  the  mountains  of  Bethel,  in  proof  of  which  he 
refers  to  Joshua,  xvi.  1.  "  The  wilderness  that  goeth  up  from 
Jericho  throughout  mount  Bethel."  Near  this  wilderness 
seems  to  have  been  the  city  Ephraim,  where  Christ  lay  hidden. 
Mention  of  it  is  made  in  Josephus,  who  says,  that  Vespasian, 
of  the  little  towns,  took  Bethel  and  Ephraim.  We  must, 
therefore,  seek  for  this  Ephraim  between  Jericho  and  Bethel. 
It  may  also  be  the  same  of  which  Eusebius  speaks,  as  about 
eight  miles  distant  from  Elia,  saying  that  it  is  situated  some- 
where about  the  mountains  of  Elia,  and  is  called  Ephraim. 

It  is  probable  that  its  situation,  in  one  of  the  deep  valleys, 
amidst  the  mountains  which  separated  it  from  Jerusalem,  in- 
duced our  Lord  to  choose  it  as  the  place  of  his  retreat.  There, 
like  his  followers,  the  Waldenses,  in  after  times,  amidst  the 
valleys  of  Piedmont,  Jesus  eluded  the  search  of  his  pursuers. 

2.  The  companions  of  our  Lord's  retirement  call  for  atten- 
tion. 

He  went  with  a  small  number,  doubtless,  as  his  design  was 
concealment.     Perhaps   none  but  the  twelve  Apostles  were 

VOL,     II.  N 


178  LECTURE    LXVIl. 

acquainted  with  the  step  which  the  Saviour  now  took,  and 
whether  even  Judas  Iscariot  knew  it,  we  may  be  allowed  to 
doubt.  The  celebrated  Massillon,  whose  eloquent  sennons  are 
usually  founded  on  so  strange  misapplications  of  Scripture  as 
to  intimate  that  he  was  conscious  bis  hearers  could  not  search 
the  Bible  for  themselves,  has  made  an  application  of  this  record 
of  Christ's  retreat,  which  the  words  of  the  Evangelist  will  by 
no  means  bear.  The  preacher  has  founded  on  it  a  discourse 
entitled,  '*  The  small  number  of  the  Elect."  He  thus  com- 
mences his  address  ;  "  Jesus,  therefore,  no  more  walked  openly 
among-  the  Jews,  but  withdrew  to  the  desert,  to  a  city  called 
Ephraim,  and  there  he  abode  with  his  disciples."  See  here 
then,  my  brethren,  all  the  fruit  of  the  mission  of  Jesus  Christ 
in  Judea.  The  coming  of  this  Messiah,  whom  all  the  faithful 
had  for  so  long  a  time  expected,  whom  all  the  Jews  had  desired, 
whom  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  law  had  prefigured,  whom  all 
the  prophets  had  predicted,  has  terminated  in  the  formation  of 
a  small  number  of  disciples,  whom  he  has  honoured  with  his 
friendship.  Three  years  of  instructions,  of  examples,  of  pro- 
digies, of  apostolic  labours,  have  terminated  in  attracting  to 
him  only  this  handful  of  rude,  obscure,  ignorant  persons,  and 
if  he  has  made  himself  known  and  loved  by  them,  all  the  rest 
of  the  Jews  either  do  not  know  him,  or  all  form  the  barbarous 
design  of  destroying  him,  and  he  is  obliged  to  retire  into 
another  country  with  this  little  flock  of  faithful  disciples,  to 
withdraw  himself  from  ih^  fury  of  a  whole  people.  That  is  to 
say,  that  "  salvation  is  for  a  few  people,  and  the  number  of 
the  elect  is  very  small."  How  this  son  of  the  Roman  church 
learned  that  the  number  of  the  elect  was  very  small,  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  determine  ;  but  that  this  event  in  the  Redeemer's  life 
furnishes  no  proof  of  such  an  opinion  we  may  very  safely  assert. 
The  Romish  communion,  like  some  others,  is  divided  on  the 
question  of  election ;  the  Jansenists,  its  better  part,  adopting 
what  are  called  the  Calvinistic  views,  while  the  Jesuits  took 
the  Arminian  side  of  the  question.  But  the  number  of  the 
elect,  and  of  course  of  the  saved,  though  small  in  some  periods 
of  the  church's  history,  will  be  found  to  be  large  when  the 
whole  amount  is  made  up  ;  for  Christ  was  ordained  to  "  bring 


CHRIST'S    LAST    RETIREMENT    TO    EPHRAIM.         179 

many  sons  to  glory,  and  by  his  knowledge  he  shall  justify  many, 
having  borne  their  iniquities."  Thus,  at  last,  there  will  be 
found  before  the  Saviour's  throne  "  a  multitude  which  no  man 
can  number,  who  will  praise  him  for  redeeming  them  out  of 
every  nation  under  heaven." 

It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  for  what  reason  our  Lord  chose 
Ephraim  as  the  scene  of  his  retirement.  Was  it  because  he 
had  not  yet  visited  and  evangelized  that  district,  or  because 
he  chose  to  confirm  the  faith  of  his  disciples  already  converted 
there  i  Certain,  however,  it  is,  that  this  retreat  was  very 
embarrassing  to  his  foes.  Let  us,  then,  advance  to  the  con- 
sideration of, 

III.  The  effects  of  Christ's  retreat  to  Ephraim. 

How  long  he  continued  in  the  valleys  of  Ephraim  is  not  re- 
corded. It  was,  probably,  less  than  a  month,  and,  during  that 
period,  he  was  missed  at  Jerusalem,  inquired  after  by  the 
crowd,  and  hunted  for  by  the  Pharisees, 

1.  He  was  missed  at  Jerusalem. 

For  as  the  passover  was  approaching,  multitudes  flocked  up 
to  the  capital  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  to  prepare  for  the 
feast.  This  was  to  be  celebrated  by  those  only  who  were 
ceremonially  clean,  and  many  of  the  rites  of  purification, 
required  seven  days.  While,  therefore,  the  company  was 
coming  into  the  city,  it  was  natural  to  look  for  Jesus,  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  attend  at  the  temple  to  celebrate  the  feast, 
and  who  had  been  known  to  be  in  the  neighbourhood  so  re- 
cently. His  non-appearance,  therefore,  was  marked,  and 
doubtless  created  many  surmises.  It  had,  probably,  been 
noticed,  that  he  had,  when  bewailing  Jerusalem,  declared  that 
she  should  not  see  him  again  till  she  should  shout,  "  Blessed 
is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  With  the  more 
eager  jealousy,  therefore,  the  inhabitants  of  the  capital  would 
look  for  his  arrival,  expecting  to  hear  the  popular  shout,  and 
to  see  all  the  city  in  motion. 

2.  The  crowd  inquired  after  Jesus. 

"What  think  ye?"  said  they,  as  they  met  together  in 
crowds  in  the  temple;  "will  he  come  to  the  feast?"  The 
hope  of  seeing  him  had  probably  been  a  principal  attraction 

n2 


180  LECTURE    LXVII. 

to  the  passover ;  for  such  had  been  his  miracles  at  each  fes- 
tival, that  they  must  have  eclipsed  all  the  glory  of  the  temple 
and  all  the  splendour  of  its  rites.  Every  one  who  had  not 
seen  a  prodigy  of  this  kind  must  have  been  anxious  to  go 
where  he  might  at  once  satisfy  his  conscience  and  his  curio- 
sity. Nor  would  the  reserve  and  concealment  which  the 
Saviour  had  of  late  practised  fail  to  whet  the  edge  of  that 
curiosity,  and  of  that  love  of  the  marvellous,  which  operates  so 
strongly  in  the  hearts  of  men.  The  multitude,  therefore,  were 
all  eagerly  questioning  each  other,  one  asking  another,  whether 
he  thought  there  was  any  hope  of  seeing  Jesus  at  this  feast. 
That  they  talked  thus  in  the  temple  should  not  surprise  us, 
because  that  space  where  the  people  assembled  was  an  open 
court,  in  which  they  freely  conversed  "on  all  subjects,  and 
sometimes,  to  their  disgrace,  drove  bargains  in  trade. 

3.  The  rulers  hunted  after  Christ. 

For,  immediately  on  the  mention  of  the  popular  inquiry; 
the  Evangelist  records  that  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees 
gave  commandment,  that  if  any  man  knew  where  Jesus  was, 
he  should  show  it,  that  they  might  take  him.  The  foes  that 
thirsted  for  the  Saviour's  blood  seemed  to  have  mingled  with 
the  multitude,  and  to  have  planted  their  spies  in  all  quarters, 
to  accomplish  their  object. 

By  leaving  them  thus  to  hunt  for  him  in  vain,  it  may  have 
been  the  design  of  Jesus,  to  convince  them  that  he  could 
escape  them  if  he  chose ;  and  that  when  he  came  forth  to 
public  view  again,  it  was  because  his  hour  was  come,  and  that 
then  he  was  a  willing  victim. 

But  while  the  Saviour  waits,  in  silence,  the  time  appointed 
of  the  Father,  he  teaches  us  the  important  lesson,  that,  to 
perform  God's  will,  we  must  consult  his  time.  In  this,  some 
of  the  most  zealous  Christians  have  failed.  It  is  related  by 
ecclesiastical  historians,  that  when  the  Roman  emperors  found 
how  numerous  the  Christian  sect  was,  they  ordered  the  go- 
vernors of  provinces  not  to  search  for  them  ;  but,  if  any  came 
before  the  tribunals,  they  should  deal  with  them  according  to 
law.  On  this,  many  mistaken  disciples  of  Christ,  unduly 
zealous  to  obtain  the  crown  of  martyrdom,  came  forward  and 


CHRIST'S    LAST    RETIREMENT    TO    EPHRAIM.         181 

declared  themselves  Christians,  and  were  thus  reproached  by 
the  governors  : — "  Are  there  not  precipices  from  which  you 
may  hurl  yourselves,  or  halters,  or  poisons,  or  daggers,  by 
which  you  may  make  away  with  yourselves,  that  you  come 
here  to  fatigue  us  with  the  labour  of  your  execution  ? " 

But,  by  the  contrast  with  this  rash  zeal,  we  see  the  perfec- 
tion of  our  Lord's  example.  Armed  with  all  the  courage  of 
the  king  of  the  martyrs,  he  threw  not  away  his  life,  but  waited 
in  calm  retirement  for  the  long-appointed  day.  "  The  Lord 
direct  your  hearts  into  the  love  of  God,  and  into  the  patient 
waiting  for  Christ."  * 

*  2  Thess.  iii.  5. 


182 


LECTURE  LXVIII. 

CHRIST   ANOINTED,    OR    EMBALMED,    AT    BETHANY. 

*  Matt.  xxvi.  6 — 13. 
Mark  xiv.  3 — 9. 
John  xii.  1 — 11. 

*  Now  when  Jesus  was  in  Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Simon,  the  leper,  there 
came  unto  him  a  woman  having  an  alabaster  box  of  very  precious  ointment, 
and  poured  it  on  his  head. 

The  biographer  of  Charles  V.  gives  the  following  narrative. 
"  The  emperor  resolved  to  celebrate  his  own  obsequies  before 
his  death.  He  ordered  a  tomb  to  be  erected  in  the  chapel  of 
the  monastery.  His  domestics  marched  thither  in  funeral  pro- 
cession, with  black  tapers  in  their  hands.  He  himself  followed 
in  his  shroud.  He  was  laid  in  his  coffin  with  much  solemnity. 
The  service  for  the  dead  was  chanted,  and  Charles  joined  in 
the  prayers  which  were  offered  up  for  the  repose  of  his  soul, 
mingling  his  tears  with  those  which  his  attendants  shed,  as  if 
they  had  been  celebrating  a  real  funeral.  The  ceremony 
closed  with  sprinkling  holy  water  on  the  coffin  in  the  usual 
form,  and,  all  the  assistants  retiring,  the  doors  of  the  chapel 
were  shut.  Then  Charles  rose  out  of  the  coffin,  and  withdrew 
to  his  apartment,  full  of  those  awful  sentiments  which  such  a 
singular  solemnity  wa^  calculated  to  inspire.  But  either  the 
fatiguing  length  of  the  ceremony,  or  the  impression  which  the 
image  of  death  left  on  his  mind,  affected  him  so  much,  that, 
next  day,  he  was  seized  with  a  fever.  His  feeble  frame  could 
not  long  resist  its  violence,  and  he  expired." 

According  to  our  Lord's  own  interpretation  of  the  event, 
we  have,  this  morning,  to  behold  him  embalmed  for  the  tomb 
before  he  was  yet  dead. 


CHRIST  ANOINTED,  OR  EMBALMED,  AT  BETHANY.    183 

See  then, 

I.  Christ  honoured  by  his  friends. 

For,  from  this  time,  there  is,  in  our  Lord's  history,  a  mys- 
terious combination  of  humiliation  and  of  glory  ;  as  though  the 
gates  of  death,  now  opening  to  receive  him,  let  out  some  beams 
of  that  glory  which  awaited  him  on  the  other  side  of  death. 

Let  us  notice  the  time,  the  place,  the  person,  and  the  action 
to  which  the  Evangelists  here  refer. 

1.  The  time. 

This  is  fixed,  by  John,  to  "  six  days  before  the  passover ;" 
while  Matthew  and  Mark  seem  to  place  it  two  days  before  the 
feast ;  which  has  induced  some  to  suppose  that  two  different 
events  are  recorded.  But  it  is  utterly  improbable  that,  within 
so  short  a  period,  the  same  action  should  have  been  repeated 
with  ointment  of  the  same  value  ;  and  that,  after  Christ  had 
so  recently  defended  the  action,  the  same  fault  should  again 
have  been  found  with  the  woman.  In  fact,  neither  Matthew 
nor  Mark  says  that  the  anointing  which  they  relate  happened 
two  days  before  the  passover ;  though  they  mention  the  cir- 
cumstance when  recording  the  treason  of  Judas,  which  was 
consummated  two  days  before  the  feast ;  because  the  traitor 
had  been  stimulated  to  the  crime  by  the  circumstances  atten- 
dant on  the  anointing  of  our  Lord. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  John,  writing  after  the  other  Evan- 
gelists, fixes  the  event  to  its  proper  time,  six  days  before  the 
passover.  For  our  Lord  came  to  Bethany,  whence  he  had 
retired  to  Ephraim,  on  the  Jewish  sabbath ;  and  when  it  ter- 
minated, as  with  the  Jews  it  did,  on  the  approach  of  evening, 
he  received  the  entertainment  of  his  friends  according  to  their 
usual  custom.  On  that  day  week,  therefore,  after  he  was 
embalmed,  he  was  laid  in  the  grave. 

Through  the  whole  of  this  week,  we  have  to  watch  the  Sa- 
viour's footsteps  daily.  During  our  Lord's  private  life,  few 
events  are  recorded,  and  we  pass  over  eighteen  years  without 
notice.  When  he  came  forth  to  public  view,  the  first  three 
years  are  not  so  minutely  traced  ;  but  the  principal  anecdotes 
belonging  to  each  are  given  by  one  or  other  of  the  historians. 
The  last  half  year  is  more  fully  narrated,  so  that  we  can  account 


184  LECTURE    LXVIII. 

for  every  month.  But  now  that  we  come  to  the  last  week, 
we  see  how  he  was  employed  every  day ;  and,  at  last,  the 
events  of  every  hour  are  put  on  record. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  the  embalming  of  our  Lord,  consider, 
2.  The  place  where  this  event  occurred. 
It  was  at  Bethany,  which  Christ  had  lately  made  so  cele- 
brated by  that  most  splendid  miracle  wrought  on  Lazarus,  his 
friend,  by  raising  him  from  the  dead.  The  plot  of  the  Pha- 
risees having  caused  our  Lord  to  quit  this  spot,  immediately 
after  the  miracle,  he  now  returns  to  indulge  his  friends  with 
those  interviews  of  which  they  had  formerly  been  deprived. 
Jesus  loves  to  visit  and  converse  with  those  whom  he  has 
raised  from  the  dead.  Through  eternity  he  will  do  this,  after 
he  has  changed  these  vile  bodies,  and  made  them  like  to  his 
own  glorious  body  ;  and  through  the  whole  of  the  Christian 
life,  he  visits,  by  his  grace,  those  whom  that  grace  has  raised 
from  the  death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness. 

But,  in  addition  to  "  Lazarus,  who  had  been  dead,  whom 
he  had  raised  from  the  dead,"  it  is  probable  that  Christ  had 
other  friends  to  visit  at  Bethany  ;  for,  as  he  had  tarried  there 
before,  it  is  scarcely  to  be  questioned  that  he  left  behind  him, 
in  other  houses,  the  monuments  of  his  power  and  grace.  The 
house,  therefore,  in  which  Christ  was  anointed  was  not  that 
in  which  Lazarus  lived,  as  some  suppose  to  be  asserted  by 
John,  but  that  of  Simon  the  leper.  Nor  were  there  two  such 
events  in  two  different  houses.  John  does  not  say  that  our 
Lord  was  anointed  in  the  house  of  Lazarus.  On  the  contrary, 
the  Evangelist  says  what  amounts  to  the  opposite  assertion. 
He  relates  that  "  Jesus  came  to  Bethany,  where  Lazarus  was," 
without  asserting  that  Christ  came  to  the  house  of  his  friend. 
When  the  feast  is  mentioned,  it  is  only  affirmed  that  it  was  at 
Bethany,  and  that  "  Lazarus  was  one  of  those  who  sat  at 
meat."  It  is  utterly  improbable  that  the  master  of  the  house 
would  have  been  thus  mentioned  as  one  of  those  who  were  at 
supper,  if  he  had  been  himself  the  host  at  the  head  of  the 
table.  Who  would  say,  when  telling  of  dining  at  a  friend's 
table,  that  the  friend  himself  was  one  of  the  company  at  table  .' 
The  feast,  therefore,  was  at  the  house  of  Simon,  who  was 


CHRIST  ANOINTED,  OR  EMBALMED,  AT  BETHANY.    185 

called  the  leper ;  not  that  he  was  such  at  that  time ;  for  then 
he  must  have  been  separated  from  society,  as  one  with  whom 
it  was  unlawful  to  hold  intercourse.  But  he  had  probably 
been  a  leper,  and  had  been  healed  by  our  Lord  in  one  of  his 
former  visits  to  Bethany.  This  meets  and  answers  the  chief 
reason  that  has  led  to  the  opinion  of  our  Lord's  being  enter- 
tained in  the  house  of  Lazarus,  that  the  favour  he  had  received 
from  Jesus  would  induce  the  brother  of  Martha  and  Mary  to 
claim  that  honour.  Others,  being  indebted  to  Christ  for  mi- 
raculous favours,  might  wish  to  share  in  the  privilege  of  re- 
ceiving him  beneath  their  roof.  The  ancients  have  affirmed, 
that  Simon  was  the  father  of  Lazarus,  which,  if  it  coxxld  be 
proved,  would  account  for  the  part  which  Martha  and  Mary 
acted  on  this  occasion.  But  whatever  we  may  think  of  this, 
our  Lord,  knowing  what  designs  would  be  formed  against  the 
life  of  Lazarus,  on  the  Saviour's  account,  might  choose  to  be 
entertained  in  another  house,  to  diminish  the  danger  to  his 
friend. 

But  when  we  see  Lazarus  sitting  at  table,  and  partaking  of 
the  entertainments  of  his  friends,  let  us  not  forget  that  he  had 
been  dead.  The  Egyptians  are  said  to  have  kept  the  em- 
balmed bodies  of  their  dead  friends  in  their  houses,  and,  on 
festival  occasions,  to  have  seated  them  at  their  tables  with  the 
rest  of  the  family.  Death  is  so  ghastly,  and  there  is  something 
so  appalling  in  the  practice,  that  we  can  scarcely  believe  that 
men  of  common  sense,  and  with  the  ordinary  feelings  of  hu- 
manity, would  have  adopted  a  custom  so  gloomy  and  unnatural. 
But  when  you  look  back  to  Lazarus,  a  few  weeks  before,  and 
see  him  then  a  corpse  in  the  tomb,  wrapped  in  a  shroud,  pu- 
trescent and  offensive ;  and  now  look  at  him  at  table,  all  alive 
and  well,  joining  in  the  animated,  affectionate  conversation  of 
the  feast,  what  a  train  of  reflections  it  produces  !  How  must 
he  have  gazed  upon  him  that  was  the  resurrection  and  the  life ! 
All  the  entertainments  of  the  evening  were  nothing,  when 
compared  with  the  sight  of  the  prince  of  life  and  conqueror  of 
death,  and  the  sound  of  that  voice  which  Lazarus  had  heard  in 
the  invisible  world,  calling  him  back  with  irresistible  power  to 
this  mortal  state  !     No  wonder  that  many  of  the  Jews  came, 


186  LECTURE    LXVIII. 

"  not  merely  to  see  Jesus,  but  also  to  behold  Lazarus,  whom 
he  had  raised  from  the  dead." 

Nor  can  we  be  surprised  that  Martha  served,  though  it  was 
not  at  her  own  house.  For  if  Simon  was  their  relation,  or 
only  a  next-door  neighbour;  a  good  housewife  as  she  was,  of 
an  active,  ardent  turn,  would  be  sure  to  ofl'er  her  services  to 
assist  in  an  entertainment  made  to  honour  Jesus,  and  at  which 
Lazarus  was  a  guest.  As  David  had  rather  *'  be  a  door-keeper 
at  the  house  of  his  God,  than  dwell  in  the  tents  of  sin;"  doubt- 
less Martha  would  prefer  standing,  as  a  waiter,  at  the  table 
where  Jesus  was  entertained,  and  her  risen  brother  sat,  to 
presiding  at  her  own  table,  though  it  were  to  entertain  the 
princes  of  the  earth. 

3.  The  person  that  anointed  our  Lord. 

Matthew  and  Mark  merely  mention  a  woman,  which  may ' 
be  thought  to  have  arisen  from  these  Evangelists  having 
written  early,  while  Mary  was  still  living,  whom  they  would 
not  expose  to  danger  by  recording  her  name.  But  John,  who 
wrote  much  later,  after  she  was  dead,  fulfilled  our  Lord's 
prediction,  by  holding  up  her  name  to  everlasting  honour. 

The  truth  of  the  Scriptures  appears  in  the  artless  manner 
in  which  they  narrate  events,  combined  with  the  high  style  in 
which  they  support  the  character  of  the  persons  whom  they 
introduce  to  notice.  Without  one  word  of  comment,  they 
present  all  the  soul  of  each  one  to  our  view.  Martha's  ac- 
tivity and  energy  of  character,  and  her  solicitude  to  have 
every  domestic  duty  well  fulfilled,  we  have  seen  again  and 
again.  Now  we  once  more  behold  Mary  all  herself;  for  she 
is  all  heart,  and  that  heart  all  devotion,  and  that  devotion  all 
love  for  the  Saviour.  When  they  were  making  an  entertain- 
ment for  him  in  her  house,  while  Martha  was  bustling  here 
and  there  to  have  all  comfortable  and  perhaps  genteel  at  the 
table,  Mary  stood  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  could  not  stir  from 
thence,  entranced  with  the  gracious  words  she  heard  drop 
from  his  lips.  When  Lazarus  died,  Mary  sat  weeping  her 
loss,  and  unable  to  move  till  she  heard  that  Jesus  called,  and 
then  she  flies  to  cast  herself  at  his  feet  and  bathe  them  with 
her  tears.     And  now  that  she  sees  her  lost  brother  restored, 


CHRIST  ANOINTED,  OR  EMBALMED,  AT  BETHANY.   187 

seated  at  table,  and  enjoying  the  company  of  that  blessed  Lord 
who  raised  him  from  the  dead,  she  is  unable  to  sit  down  to 
eat,  any  more  than  to  move  about  and  serve.  She  casts  her- 
self again  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  and  pours  forth  upon  them  a 
precious  ointment,  with  which  she  pours  out  all  her  heart. 

4.  The  action  of  anointing  the  Saviour  now  waits  our 
notice. 

The  Jews,  along  with  other  Oriental  nations,  were  accus- 
tomed to  honour  their  friends,  not  merely  by  preparing  feasts 
for  them,  but  also  by  providing  a  bath  in  which  they  might 
wash.  Slaves  also  attended,  to  anoint  the  guests  with  per- 
fumes, on  coming  out  of  the  bath,  before  they  sat  down  to 
supper.  We  have  already  seen  our  Lord  contrast  the  affec- 
tionate attention  of  the  converted  sinner,  who  washed  his  feet 
with  tears  and  anointed  them  with  ointment,  with  the  cold 
friendship  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  who  had  neglected  to  show 
him  these  tokens  of  respect.  Eut  Mary  living  close  at  hand, 
and  having  in  her  house  a  most  costly  perfume,  probably  step- 
ped home  to  fetch  it.  The  ancient,  like  the  modern  Orientals, 
were  most  sumptuous  in  their  perfumes ;  but  that  which  was 
used  on  this  occasion  is  particularly  described  as  to  kind,  and 
quantity,  and  worth.  It  would  be  tedious  and  unprofitable 
to  relate  all  that  has  been  said  by  commentators  on  this  sub- 
ject. The  perfume  is  called  Xard,  we  render  it  spikenard. 
**  Lavender,  or  lavandula  spica,"  says  Woodeville,  "  appears 
to  be  the  pseudo-nardus  of  Pliny."  The  broad-leaved  variety 
of  lavender,  to  which  foreign  writers  have  given  the  name  of 
spike,  yields  a  larger  quantity  of  essential  oil,  which  with  other 
ingredients,  formed  the  oleum  spicse,  or  oil  of  spikenard,  cele- 
brated for  its  medicinal  virtues,  as  well  as  its  fragrance.  As, 
then,  the  essential  oil  of  roses  is  now  famous  and  costly,  un- 
der the  name  of  the  ottar  of  roses,  so  the  essential  oil  of  la- 
vender appears  to  have  been  employed  on  this  occasion.  The 
vessel  which  Ave  call  a  box,  should  be  rather  rendered  vase, 
and  was  made  of  alabaster,  a  species  of  marble  that  was  va- 
lued for  its  whiteness  and  lustre.  It  was  large  enough  to 
contain  a  pound  weight. 

Mary,  having  fetched  this,  came  and  stood  behind  our  Lord, 


188  LECTURE    LXVllI. 

as  he  reclined  on  a  couch  without  a  back,  which  admitted  his 
feet  to  project  behind  and  to  be  presented  to  view.  She  pro- 
bably designed,  at  first,  to  anoint  his  head,  according  to  the 
ordinary  custom,  but  his  feet  being  nearer  and  presenting  to 
her  eye  a  red  and  swollen,  or  hard  and  callous,  appearance,  in 
consequence  of  many  a  journey  of  mercy,  she  was  induced  by 
her  affection  to  pour  upon  them  the  mollifying  ointment. 
But  when  she  had  done  this,  our  Lord  rose  and  turned  to  look 
at  her,  and  see  what  she  was  doing  to  him,  when  his  head 
now  being  presented  nearer  to  her,  she  poured  the  fragrant 
oil  upon  it  also.  Her  affection  rises  with  the  indulgence  of 
it,  she  wished  to  expend  all  the  perfume  upon  him  that  was 
worthy  of  all ;  but  the  top  of  the  vessel  being  made  narrow, 
to  preserve  the  odour  of  the  perfume,  she  broke  off  the  neck 
that  the  last  drops  might  freely  flow  upon  her  Lord. 

But  this,  perhaps,  from  the  quantity,  became  inconvenient 
to  the  Saviour,  which  she  perceiving  attempted  to  apologize 
for  her  troublesome  affection,  by  wiping  it  off.  And  to  show 
that  there  was  nothing  she  would  not  stoop  to,  to  serve  and 
honour  Christ,  she  took  her  flowing  lock§  and  wiped  off  the 
oil,  wherever  it  might  seem  to  incommode  our  Lord.  Thus 
the  whole  house  was  filled  with  the  odour. 
Now  contrast  this  with, 

II.  The  dishonour  done  to  our  Lord,  by  the  censure  cast 
upon  this  action. 

Those  who  expect  that  what  is  done  in  simplicity,  and  godly 
sincerity,  from  the  most  pure  and  upright  motives,  will  always 
be  taken  as  well  as  it  was  meant,  are  much  mistaken.  They 
calculate  falsely  on  human  nature,  who  think  that  men  will 
always  respect  what  is  respectable,  approve  of  what  is  reason- 
able, love  what  is  lovely,  and  be  grateful  for  what  is  kind. 
Especially  in  religion,  the  worst  returns  are  given  for  the  best 
actions.  This,  however,  should  only  make  us  cultivate  purity 
of  motive,  and  seek  not  the  praise  of  short-sighted  and  de- 
praved man,  but  the  approbation  of  that  God  from  whom  we 
shall  never  fail  of  our  reward.  Hearken  now  to  the  censure 
thrown  upon  Mary,  and  then  observe  the  motive  to  which  it  is 
assigned. 


CHRIST  ANOINTED,  OR  EMBALMED,  AT  BETHANY.    189 

1.  The  censure. 

The  censor,  says  John,  was  Judas  Iscariot,  who  was  going 
to  betray  Christ,  intimating,  I  think,  that  the  base  thought  had 
already  been  harboured.  It  had  been  kindled  by  the  hope  of 
the  reward  which  the  goverpment  gave  to  those  who  delivered 
up  such  as  were  doomed  to  death,  but  it  was  inflamed  by  this 
affair.  "  I  love  to  be  praised,"  says  Cicero,  "  but  it  must  be 
by  one  who  is  himself  praiseworthy."  "  If  I  must  be  cen- 
sured," might  Mary  say,  "  let  it  be  by  him  who  could  betray 
my  Lord."  As  the  proverb  of  the  ancients  declares,  "  wicked- 
ness proceedeth  from  the  wicked,"  it  was  profitable  to  have  the 
character  of  the  censor  displayed,  before  the  censure  itself 
was  recorded,  that  we  might  see  what  sort  of  person  it  was 
who  could  find  it  in  his  heart  to  condemn  such  an  action  as 
that  which  has  just  excited  your  admiration.  The  mysterious 
counsels  of  Christ,  in  choosing  one  to  be  of  the  number  of  the 
twelve  Apostles  who  was  not  even  a  true  disciple,  but  whom 
he  long  before  saw  worthy  to  be  called  a  devil,  a  traitor,  a 
thief,  has  answered  many  valuable  ends.  But  now  the  traitor 
is  drawing  near  the  end  of  his  hypocritical  career,  and  the 
occurrence  we  are  considering  seems  to  bring  things  to  a 
crisis. 

Judas  was  indignant,  and  exclaimed,  "  why  was  this  waste? 
It  is  extravagant,  for  the  ointment  might  have  been  sold  for 
more  than  three  hundred  pence  and  given  to  the  poor."  This 
sum  was  between]nine  and  ten  pounds.  The  appearance  of  the 
censure  was  fair  and  specious ;  but  evil  can  never  be  chosen 
as  such,  and  is,  therefore,  always  compelled  to  assume  the 
garb  of  excellence.  The  comment  of  the  Evangelist  shows, 
that,  if  Judas  had  said  this  with  a  real  solicitude  for  the  poor, 
the  motive  would  have  furnished  some  apology.  But  those 
who  are  most  forward  to  condemn  all  expenditure  on  Christ 
and  his  religion  are  not  the  persons  who  are  most  anxious  to 
relieve  the  poor ;  while  those  who  truly  feel  for  the  poor,  are 
the  men  in  whose  hearts  the  love  of  Christ  reigns,  prompting 
them  to  sacrifice  every  thing  to  his  honour.  A  person  on 
being  informed  of  the  design  of  a  gentleman  to  sell  an  estate 
worth  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  pounds,  in  order  to  embark 


190  LECTURE    LXVIII. 

in  a  mission  to  make  known  Christ  to  the  heathen,  exclaimed, 
"  What  a  mad  scheme  ?  how  many  poor  people  that  money 
might  have  fed  and  clothed!"  To  which  another  replied, 
"  Sir,  you  have  unhappily  made  the  same  objection  as  Judas 
did,  '  why  was  this  waste  ?  for  this  ointment  might  have  been 
sold  for  much  and  given  to  the  poor.' " 

But  we  are  now  told  that  others  joined  in  this  censure. 
For  some  of  the  Evangelists  record  only,  that  "  the  disciples, 
when  they  saw  it,  had  indignation"  at  the  waste.  It  seems, 
however,  that  Judas,  whom  alone  John  marks  out,  led  the 
way ;  and  the  others,  struck  with  the  value  of  the  fragrant  oil, 
and  the  quantity  that  might  be  said  to  be  squandered,  fell  in 
with  the  specious  remark  of  the  traitor,  that  it  was  a  pity  to 
expend,  on  this  occasion,  what  might  have  afforded  permanent 
relief  to  so  many  poor.  The  disciples  are  said  to  have  ex- 
pressed their  displeasure  to  or  among  themselves.  They  were, 
perhaps,  not  quite  sure  enough  of  the  propriety  of  the  remark 
to  speak  it  aloud  in  our  Lord's  hearing,  while  yet  they  were 
drawn  away  by  the  traitor's  specious  argumentation  to  join  in 
his  censure.  Thus,  as  the  wise  man  says,  "  a  single  dead  fly 
will  spoil  the  smell  of  a  whole  pot  of  perfume,  and  one  siinier 
will  destroy  much  good."  One  hypocritipal  traitor  drew  in 
the  whole  college  of  Apostles  to  condemn  that  work  which 
their  Master  pronounced  worthy  to  be  lauded  to  the  whole 
world.  But  the  confession  and  the  record  of  their  fault  prove 
the  truth  and  sincerity  of  their  writings ;  for  if  they  had  been 
actuated  by  mere  human  motives,  they  would  never  have  told 
us  that  they  all  joined  in  a  censure  that  was  so  little  to  their 
honour,  and  that  was  first  started  by  the  traitor  from  the  most 
odious  motives. 

2.  The  motive,  then,  we  must  consider. 

"  This  he  said,"  observes  John,  "  not  that  he  cared  for  the 
poor,  but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and  carried  the  bag  and  kept 
what  was  put  therein."  This  appears  to  me  to  say,  that  Judas 
had  already  stolen  from  the  common  purse,  of  which  probably 
he  contrived  to  be  made  the  bearer  for  that  very  ])urpose. 
This  unhappy  man  seems  to  have  thought  that,  from  the 
celebrity  which  our  Lord  acquired,  he  would  soon  become 


CHRIST  ANOINTED,  OR  EMBALMED,  AT  BETHANY.     191 

very  rich,  and  that  it  would  be  easy  to  make  what  is  called  a 
good  thing  of  the  treasurership  to  that  society.  When,  there- 
fore, he  saw  about  ten  pounds  miss  that  bag  which  he  carried, 
and  take  another  direction,  he  was  not  only  vexed,  but  also 
seized  the  opportunity  to  pronounce  that  censure  that  would 
teach  the  disciples  and  friends  of  Jesus  to  enrich  the  common 
purse  another  time ;  so  that  it  might  become  heavy  against  the 
day  when  Judas  might  choose  to  carry  it  off.  It  is  justly  said, 
that  a  covetous  man  can  hardly  be  an  honest  man.  A  Judas 
will,  after  grudging  what  is  spent  upon  Christ,  steal  what  was 
given  for  the  poor. 

In  the  sight  of  God,  with  whom  motive  is  every  thing,  had 
this  man  really  felt  what  he  said,  he  might,  though  mistaken, 
have  escaped  the  most  severe  condemnation.  But  he  who 
searches  the  heart  has  branded  Judas  on  the  forehead,  as  a 
hard-hearted  wretch,  who  cared  not  for  the  poor ;  as  covetous 
men  care  for  none  but  themselves,  and  think  every  thing 
wasted  which  does  not  go  into  their  purse.  Not  to  care  for 
the  poor  is  the  brand  of  one  who  cares  not  for  Christ ;  for  no 
one  who  truly  values  the  Saviour  can  be  indifferent  to  the 
poor,  whom  he  has  identified  with  himself. 

III.  Christ  fulfils  his  own  word,  "  him  that  honoureth  me 
I  will  honour." 

This  word  he  had  anciently  pronounced  by  the  lips  of 
Samuel,  his  prophet,  and  now  he  proves  it  good  to  Mary. 

1.  He  pronounces  his  approbation  of  her  work,  "  Why 
trouble  ye  the  woman?  Let  her  alone,  for  she  has  wrought 
a  good  work  upon  me.  Ye  have  the  poor  always  with  you, 
and  whenever  ye  will  ye  may  do  them  good  ;  but  me  ye  have 
not  always.  Against  the  day  of  my  burial  hath  she  kept  this. 
She  has  done  what  she  could ;  for  in  that  she  has  poured  this 
ointment  on  my  body,  she  has  come  beforehand  to  anoint  it 
for  interment."  How  mild  and  gentle  this  defence  !  Yet  how 
forcible  and  touching !  While  Jesus  knew  the  wickedness  of 
the  traitor's  heart,  he  speaks  only  in  defence  of  the  affection 
of  Mary's. 

Thus  we  learn,  in  the  "  meekness  of  wisdom,"  to  reprove 
sin.     Christ  said,   "why  trouble  you  the  woman?"    for  he 


192  LECTURE    LXVIII. 

notices,  and  feels  a  lively  interest  in  the  troubles  we  meet 
with  in  his  service ;  though  he  does  not  always  see  it  right 
to  prevent  that  trouble ;  for  it  may  redound  to  our  good, 
and  his  glory.  Yet  he  sometimes  interposes  to  give  his 
servants  rest,  and  with  his  own  powerful  voice,  after  he  has 
tried  us,  says  to  our  troublers,  "  let  my  disciples  alone." 

"  She  hath  wrought  a  good  work  on  me."  Some  think 
there  is  no  good  work  but  alms-giving ;  but  Jesus  pronounces 
this  good,  which  was  thought  to  stand  in  the  way  of  alms.  It 
was  done  to  Christ,  from  love  to  his  person,  and  with  a  view 
to  his  honour.  Ah,  my  dear  hearers,  it  is  a  great  thing  for 
Christ  to  pronounce  on  any  of  us,  "  They  have  wrought  a  good 
work."  For  with  all  the  talk  of  good  works,  there  is  much 
that  passes  under  this  name  among  men,  which  will  never  be 
owned  for  such  by  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth. 

"  The  poor  you  have  always  with  you."  While  Judas  was 
reasoning  and  calculating  against  this  good  work,  Christ  shows 
us  that  we  may  calculate  and  reason  upon  the  comparative 
claims  of  different  duties.  But  the  goodness  of  our  reasoning 
depends  upon  the  temper  of  our  hearts.  Few  men  that  are 
raised  above  the  rank  of  idiots,  will  argue  without  some  ap- 
pearance of  reason ;  so  that,  not  only  others,  but  themselves 
may  be  taken  in  by  the  appearance.  Judas  thought  it  mani- 
fest that  many  poor  people  might  have  been  fed  and  clothed 
with  the  three  hundred  pence  spent  in  anointing  Christ,  which 
was  gone  in  a  moment.  But  Christ  now  observes  that  the 
poor  they  would  always  have  with  them,  and  they  could  do 
them  good  at  any  time  ;  but  they  were  about  to  lose  the  Sa- 
viour, and  this  was  their  last  opportunity  of  testifying  their 
love  to  him. 

For  this  reason,  though  I  would  advise  you  to  do  all  the 
good  you  can  to  the  poor,  and  to  the  bodies  of  men ;  I 
would  say,  "  remember  that  there  are  many  men  of  the  world 
who  will  do  this  ;  and  but  few  who  know  the  worth  of  the 
soul,  or  will  bestow  on  it  that  labour  and  property  which  its 
value  demands. 

For  this  reason  missionary  societies  have  the  highest  claims 
on  Christians.     Other  institutions  will  gain  aid  from  the  pro- 


CHRIST  ANOINTED,  OR  EMBALMED,  AT  BETHANY.     193 

perty  and  patronage  of  even  wicked  men.  But  only  the  man 
who  is  filled  with  love  to  Christ  will  feel  the  strong  claims  of 
missions  to  diffuse  the  Saviour's  name  through  the  world. 

"  Me  you  have  not  always,"  says  Christ.  "  Therefore  she 
hath  done  what  she  could  and  come  before-hand  to  anoint  my 
body  to  the  burial."  Our  Saviour  knew  what  would  happen 
to  his  dead  body.  He  was  aware  it  would  be  buried  in  a 
hurry,  on  the  eve  of  the  sabbath,  and  that  when  that  day  was 
over,  they  who  came  to  embalm  him  would  find  his  body  gone, 
and  thus  they  would  be  disappointed.  But  he  who  takes  the 
will  for  the  deed,  takes  this  which  Mary  did  for  the  embalm- 
ing of  his  body.  He  declares  that  while  an  enemy  censured 
her,  he  would  take  care  of  her  reputation ;  for  where  the 
Gospel  should  be  preached  through  the  world,  there  what  this 
woman  had  done  should  be  told  for  a  memorial  of  her.  How 
completely  is  this  prediction  fulfilled  !  Here  we  are,  in  a 
distant  island  of  the  sea,  at  a  distant  age,  hearing  of  what  this 
woman  has  done,  and  admiring  her  affection  and  zeal.  "  Hea- 
ven and  earth  shall  pass  away,"  says  Christ,  "  but  my  words 
shall  never  pass  away." 


VOL.  II. 


194 


LECTURE  LXIX. 

CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM,    WEEPS    OVER    IT. 

Matt.  xxi.  1 — 10. 
Mark  xi.  1 — 10. 
*  Luke  xix.  29 — 40. 
John  xii.  12 — 18. 

*  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  come  nigh  to  Bethphage  and  Bethany, 
at  the  mount  called  the  mount  of  Olives,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples,  say- 
ing. Go  ye  into  the  village  over  against  you;  in  the  which,  at  your  entering, 
ye  shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  yet  never  man  sat :  loose  him,  and  bring 
him  hither. 

**  Gro  forth,  O  ye  daughters  of  Zion,"  says  the  inspired 
song,  "  and  behold  king  Solomon  with  the  crown  wherewith 
his  mother  crowned  him  in  the  day  of  his  espousals,  and  in 
the  day  of  the  gladness  of  his  heart."  If  this  refers  to  the 
triumphal  entry  of  Solomon  to  his  capital,  when  "they  made 
him  ride  upon  David's  own  mule,  and  all  the  city  shouted  and 
rejoiced  with  great  joy,  so  that  the  earth  rent  with  the  shout;" 
how  different  was  the  entrance  of  Christ,  who  bursts  into  tears 
of  compassion  amidst  his  triumphal  entry  into  the  city  of  God ! 
For  we  are,  to-day,  reminded  of  the  ancient  custom  of  con- 
ducting the  victim  that  was  about  to  be  sacrificed  in  solemn 
pomp,  with  gilded  horns  and  garlands  to  the  altar  ;  or  of  what 
has  been  said  of  the  Jewish  ceremony  of  leading  one  of  the 
paschal  lambs  covered  with  boughs  and  flowers  up  to  the 
temple,  where  it  was  kept,  till  the  hour  arrived  when  its 
blood  was  to  be  shed.  Now  we  are  called  to  behold  Christ 
our  passover,  "  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin 
of  the  world,"  going  up  to  the  solemn  feast  to  be  sacri- 
ficed for  us.     Never  did  he  enter  the  holy  city,  or  approach 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO   JERUSALEM.  195 

the  temple  and  the  altai-  of  Gocl,  with  such  pomp  and  triumph 
as  on  this  solemn  occasion.  But  as  the  whole  course  of 
Christ's  sojourning-  upon  earth  was  a  mysterious  compound  of 
opposite  qualities,  majesty  and  meanness,  merit  and  misery, 
weakness  and  power,  glory  and  obscurity,  welcome  and  re- 
jection ;  so  it  was  at  the  close  of  his  life  that  he  peculiarly 
darted  through  the  thick  veil  that  covered  him  the  beams  of 
glory  which  betrayed  his  true  character,  and  rendered  unbelief 
inexcusable.  Yet  even  this  discovei'y  was  necessarily  en- 
veloped in  mystery;  so  that  "none  of  the  princes  of  this 
world  knew  him ;  for,  had  they  known  him,  they  would  not 
have  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory."  Jesus  came  to  triumph  on 
the  cross.  Let  us  go  forth  to-day,  and  attend  our  Lord's  en- 
trance into  Jerusalem,  observing  how  glory  and  humility,  ex- 
ultation and  grief,  march  by  his  side  all  the  way. 

I.  The  joy  of  Christ  in  his  triumphant  procession  to  Jeru- 
salem. 

This  happened,  on  the  morrow  after  the  feast  at  Bethany, 
at  which  he  was  anointed ;  so  that  Jesus  marched  into  his 
capital  with  the  odour  still  fresh  upon  him,  anointed  with  the 
oil  of  gladness  above  his  companions ;  and  the  daughters  of 
Jerusalem  might  have  sung  the  forty-fifth  Psalm,  "  All  thy 
garments  smell  of  myrrh,  aloes,  and  cassia,  out  of  the  perfume 
boxes  wherewith  they  have  cheered  thee."  * 

According  to  the  calculations  of  some  divines,  this  was  the 
day  on  which  the  paschal  lamb  was  appointed  to  be  set  apart; 
and  we  know  that  it  was  the  first  day  of  the  week,  the  Lord's 
day.  On  this  day  week,  our  Lord  was  to  rise  glorious  and 
triumphant,  to  enter  into  his  state  of  exaltation.  Bitter,  in- 
deed, was  to  be  the  Saviour's  experience  between  this  day 
and  that ;  but  as  every  step  of  Christ's  life  shows  that  he 
had  all  before  him ;  he  seems  to  have  anticipated,  on  this 
day,  the  triumph  he  was  afterwards  to  enjoy,  in  that  weekly 
celebration  of  the  resurrection  which  we  now  practise.  Medi- 
tate, then,  on  the  following  particulars. 

1.  The  Saviour's  sending  for  a  conveyance. 

"  When  he  was  come  nigh  to  Bethphage  and  Bethany,  at 
*  Psalm  xlv.  8. 

o2 


196  LECTURE    LXIX. 

the  mount  called  the  mount  of  Olives,  he  sent  two  of  his  dis- 
ciples, saying,  Go  ye  into  the  village  over  against  you;  in 
which,  at  your  entering,  ye  shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  yet 
never  man  sat :  loose  him,  and  bring  him  hither.  And  if  any 
man  ask  you.  Why  do  ye  loose  him?  thus  shall  ye  say  unto 
him,  Because  the  Lord  hath  need  of  him."* 

Though  our  Lord's  life  was  full  of  activity,  though  he  was 
continually  in  motion,  or,  as  an  inspired  writer  has  happily 
expressed  it,  "  he  went  about  doing  good;"  we  never  read  of 
his  riding,  but  on  this  occasion.  Often  we  find  him  walking 
many  miles,  and  once  see  him  sitting  down  by  the  side  of  a 
well,  and  asking  for  a  drop  of  water  to  refresh  his  weary  frame. 
Even  this  journey  was  commenced  on  foot,  for  he  seems  to 
have  walked  from  Bethany  this  morning,  about  half  way  to 
Jerusalem.  How  must  the  disciples,  then,  have  been  sur- 
prised to  find,  that  when  he  arrived  at  the  point  where  the  dis- 
tiict  of  Bethany  bordered  on  that  of  Bethphage,  just  at  the 
foot  of  mount  Olivet,  which  now  lay  between  him  and  Jerusa- 
lem, he  stopped  and  sent  for  a  conveyance !  But  what  a  con- 
veyance !  Instead  of  sending  into  the  city  for  a  horse,  or 
carriage,  he  told  two  of  his  disciples  to  go  into  the  village  just 
before  them,  and  there  in  a  certain  spot  they  should  find — 
what?  A  conveyance  that  had  been  pointed  out  for  him,  four 
centuries  and  a  half  ago,  by  the  prophet  who  spoke  while  Je- 
rusalem was  building.  But  it  was  not  like  what  the  kings  of 
the  earth  think  essential  to  their  state,  a  gilded  chariot ;  or  a 
beautiful  horse,  richly  caparisoned,  champing  the  bit,  and 
tossing  his  arched  neck,  as  if  proud  of  Iiis  rider.  It  was  an 
ass,  which,  though  not  in  that  country  reckoned  as  mean  as  it 
would  appear  to  us,  was  yet  deemed  far  too  low  for  the  great 
ones  of  the  earth.  Nor  was  even  this  animal  the  best  of  its 
kind;  for  it  appears  that  it  was  a  she  ass  that  had  been  at 
that  time  kept  for  breeding,  rather  than  riding;  and  it  was 
accompanied  by  that  which  is  one  of  the  rudest,  most  untract- 
able,  and  unsightly  things  in  the  world,  the  unbroken  colt  of 
this  she  ass.  The  Saviour,  however,  ordered  them  to  be 
brought  to  him,  though  he  knew  that  never  man  had  mounted 
*  Luke  XIX.  29—31. 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM.  197 

the  ass's  colt  before.  Jesus  sent  to  borrow  them  too,  for  he 
had  not  even  such  things  as  these  to  call  his  own.  In  this 
very  borrowing,  however,  he  showed  himself  Lord  of  all. 

2.  The  obedience  paid  to  his  commands. 

The  disciples  went  away  to  obey  their  Lord,  without  dis- 
puting, though  a  thousand  scruples  might  have  arisen  in  their 
minds.  "  Why  can  our  Lord  wish  to  ride  this  short  distance? 
Or  why  should  he  send  to  borrow  of  a  stranger,  when  he 
might  have  set  out  from  Bethany  in  any  conveyance  that 
money  could  procure?  And  why  choose  a  she  ass  with  a  rough 
unbroken  colt  ?  Or  why  send  us  to  untie  them,  and  leave  us 
to  defend  ourselves  against  the  charges  of  the  owners,  when 
he  might  have  sent  us  direct  to  them  to  obtain  their  previous 
compliance  ?  Might  he  not  as  well  walk  a  few  yards  farther 
himself,  till  he  come  up  to  the  animals  and  mount  them  there?" 
But,  instead  of  these  reasonings,  which  would  have  looked  so 
specious,  they  adopt  the  more,  the  only,  reasonable  course, 
where  Christ  is  concerned,  that  of  instant,  unhesitating  obe- 
dience. 

They  went  and  found  all  just  as  their  Lord  had  said. 

What  a  proof  of  minute  providence  ordering  all  affairs,  and 
a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  circumstances  dwelling  in  the  mind 
of  our  Lord !  The  time  being  now  arrived  when  an  ancient 
prediction  of  the  Scripture  was  to  be  fulfilled,  these  animals 
must  be  here  just  at  the  place  where  our  Saviour  would  need 
to  find  them,  on  his  entrance  into  Jerusalem,  and  just  at  the 
very  time  when  the  disciples  arrived !  Jesus  knew  that  all 
things  were  here  in  readiness  to  meet  him,  though  no  intima- 
tion had  been  given  to  any  mortal,  but  all  seemed  perfectly 
fortuitous.  When,  therefore,  the  disciples  came  to  the  village, 
at  the  turn  of  a  street,  where  two  ways  met,  how  must  they 
have  been  struck  !  "  There  are  the  animals,  just  as  our  Master 
told  us !  See  the  she  ass  ;  and  there  is  her  little  colt  standing 
by  her.  The  colt  is  tied,  the  mother  has  been  left  untied,  in 
confidence  that  she  will  not  leave  her  young  one." 

Emboldened  by  this  occurrence,  they  come  up,  and  venture 
to  take  and  untie  the  colt,  though  they  knew  it  was  not  their 
Lord's.  But  now  the  owner  comes  out,  and,  with  others,  says. 


1^  LECTURE    LXIX. 

**  What  are  you  doing?  why  are  you  untying  the  colt?"  They 
reply,  "  The  Lord  wants  them;"  without  telling  who  their 
Lord  is.  The  owner  might  be  a  friend  of  our  Lord,  and  might 
know  the  disciples ;  but  from  the  manner  in  which  the  affair  is 
related,  it  seems  rather  that  he  was  a  stranger.  Touched  by 
the  power  of  Christ,  the  man  instantly  complied,  and  allowed 
them  to  loose  the  colt,  which  is  spontaneously  followed  by  the 
mother. 

The  permission  of  the  owner  at  once  served  to  show  the 
secret,  but  irresistible,  influence  of  our  Lord  Christ,  and  to 
cut  off  occasion  of  calumny  from  those  who  would  have 
charged  Jesus  with  injustice,  in  taking  other  men's  property. 
In  fact,  the  Jews  have  accused  Christ  of  stealing  an  ass ;  but 
as  the  owners  willingly  sent  the  animals,  so  there  is  no  doubt 
but  they  returned  to  their  masters  again,  under  the  influence 
of  the  same  power  which  had  employed  them  in  the  service  of 
Christ. 

3.  The  manner  in  which  Christ  rode  towards  the  city. 

The  disciples  threw  their  cloaks,  or  upper  garments,  on 
both  the  animals,  it  seeming  doubtful  on  which  of  them  their 
Master  intended  to  ride,  and  neither  of  them  being  saddled. 
But  this  sort  of  equipment  would  increase  the  rude,  grotesque 
appearance  of  the  animals. 

On  which  of  them  our  Saviour  rode  has  been  questioned. 
Matthew  speaks  of  our  Lord  mounting  them,  as  if  he  rode 
both,  which  some,  thinking  incredible,  have  ascribed  to  the 
grammatical  figure  enallage.  As  the  colt  is  mentioned  by 
others,  it  is  generally  thought  that  our  Lord  rode  on  it  alone. 
But  why  may  we  not  adhere  strictly  to  the  letter  of  the  record  ? 
The  Saviour  might  have  chosen  to  ascend  the  steep  side  of 
the  mount  of  Olives  on  the  back  of  the  older  and  stronger 
animal;  and  as  he  seems  to  have  stopped,  and  held  a  discourse 
on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  he  might  have  dismounted,  and 
then  when  he  commenced  descending  the  hill  he  might  have 
seated  himself  on  the  colt.  This  accounts  for  the  historians' 
making  most  mention  of  Christ's  riding  into  Jerusalem  on 
the  colt. 

Now  we  see  him  mount  the  rude  but  patient  creature. 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM.  199 

which,  probably  without  bridle,  obeys  his  will,  while  the  colt 
follows  by  her  side.  The  young  one  was,  at  first,  tied  by  the 
owners ;  because  they  could  not  trust  its  wild  nature,  though 
they  could  be  sure  that  the  natural  affection  of  the  parent 
animal  would  keep  her  close  to  her  young  one.  But  now  the 
little  untamed  colt  follows  quietly,  till  its  turn  should  come  to 
serve  the  purposes  of  the  Lord  of  all,  and  then  as  tamely  it 
suflfers  him  to  ride,  though  never  had  it  borne  the  weight  of 
man  before. 

But  all  these  circumstances  show,  that  whatever  of  mean- 
ness or  humiliation  might  appear  in  this  march  of  our  Lord, 
however  unsuitable  to  his  dignity  these  animals  might  seem, 
he  who  could  thus  control  the  nature  of  the  creatures,  as  well 
as  secure  the  consent  of  their  owners,  could,  if  he  had  chosen, 
have  commanded  the  proudest  state  horse,  or  most  splendid 
chariot,  to  bear  him  in  triumph  to  the  royal  city  of  David  his 
father. 

4.  The  reception  given  him  by  the  multitude. 

The  disciples  of  Jesus  saw  that  there  was  something  re- 
markable in  our  Lord's  conduct,  and  doubtless  suspected  that 
some  crisis  was  approaching ;  and,  as  they  could  not  divest 
themselves  of  the  notion  of  a  temporal  kingdom,  they  may 
have  secretly  cherished  the  fond  hope  that  this  was  the  mo- 
ment for  its  commencement.  Seeing  their  Lord  mounted  as 
he  never  was  before,  they  threw  their  garments  on  the  road, 
as  he  passed,  to  make  a  kind  of  carpet  for  their  king,  and  cut 
down  branches  of  palm  trees,  the  emblems  of  victory,  and 
strewed  them  in  the  road. 

But  soon  the  report  was  spread  in  the  city,  that  Jesus,  the 
prophet  of  Nazareth,  was  coming  to  the  feast.  They  knew 
that  he  had  arrived  the  day  before  at  Bethany,  where  he  had 
lately  raised  one  from  the  tomb,  in  which  he  had  lain  four 
days.  Some  persons  had  probably  seen  Jesus  set  out  from 
the  village  in  the  morning.  Though  the  citizens  of  the  capi- 
tal seem  to  have  been  poisoned,  by  the  Pharisees  and  priests, 
with  prejudices  against  Jesus,  there  were  multitudes  now 
arrived  from  the  country  who  had  seen  Christ's  miracles,  or 
come  up  to  the  feast  in  hope  of  seeing  them.     These,  there- 


200  LECTURE    LXIX. 

fore,  when  they  heard  that  he  was  coming,  flocked  throngb 
the  gates  to  meet  him,  and  cut  down  branches  from  the  trees 
to  bear  in  their  hands,  and  soon  met  the  other  company  that 
was  advancing  with  Jesus  towards  the  city. 

The  whole  host  of  Christ's  disciples,  seeing  the  flattering 
reception  given  to  their  Master,  were  so  delighted  that  they 
began  to  praise  God.  The  two  companies,  having  met,  joined 
in  a  shout,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  ;  blessed  is  that 
king  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ;  peace  in  heaven, 
and  glory  in  the  highest."  Others  exclaimed,  "  Blessed  is  the 
reign  of  our  father  David,  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  :  Hosanna  in  the  highest."  That  such  shouts  should 
rend  the  air,  we  cannot  wonder,  when  we  learn  that  many  in 
the  crowd  had  seen  Jesus  call  Lazarus  from  his  grave,  and 
had  come  forth  to  meet  Christ  for  that  reason  ;  while  others, 
who  had  only  heard  of  the  miracle,  were  drawn,  by  its  fame, 
to  gaze  and  cry,  "  Is  that  he?  Blessed  be  his  name!  Save 
us  now,  O  Lord,  we  beseech  thee.  What!  he  that  could  call 
back  the  dead  from  their  graves,  come  thus  meekly  riding  an 
ass  !  What  condescension  I " 

Amidst  these  exulting  crowds  there  were  some  of  the  Pha- 
risees, who  were  stung  to  the  quick  by  the  praises  bestowed 
on  Jesus.  Pretending  a  regard  for  Christ's  pious  and  modest 
feelings,  they  said  to  him,  "  Master,  rebuke  thy  disciples,  for 
they  are  actually  applying  to  thee  the  words  of  the  psalm 
which  David  sung  to  God  ;  Hosanna,  save  now,  I  beseech 
thee,  O  Lord.  Canst  thou  suffer  divine  honours  to  be  paid 
to  thee?"  Ah!  little  did  they  think  how  soon  the  next  verses 
of  that  psalm  would  be  fulfilled  in  them  and  in  Jesus !  "  The 
stone  which  the  builders  refused  is  become  the  head  stone  of 
the  corner.  This  is  the  Lord's  doing :  it  is  marvellous  in  our 
eyes."  Soon  the  disciples  of  Jesus  began  weekly  to  sing  of 
that  day  on  which  the  rejected  stone  was  raised  to  become  the 
head  of  the  corner,  "  This  is  the  day  which  the  Lord  has 
made  ;  we  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  it." 

But  what  must  have  been  the  mortification  and  disappoint- 
ment of  the  Pharisees,  when  Jesus,  instead  of  interposing  his 
authority,  as  they  requested  and  hoped,  to  condemn  and  pro- 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM.  201 

hibit  these  acclamations,  most  powerfully  sanctioned  them,  by 
the  striking  declaration,  "  I  tell  you,  that  if  these  should  hold 
their  peace,  the  stones  would  immediately  cry  out ! "  These 
sanctimonious  persons  were  thus  convicted  of  having  hearts 
harder  than  stones.  For  not  joining  in  those  shouts  which 
they  wished  Christ  to  suppress,  they  were  informed  that  it 
was  only  their  own  deafness  that  prevented  their  starting  at  the 
voice  of  the  very  stones  on  which  they  trod,  exclaiming, 
"  Hardened  wretches,  why  do  ye  not  join  the  shout,  and  cry, 
Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  ! " 

5.  The  fulfilment  of  prophecy  by  this  event. 

"  All  this  happened,  that  what  was  spoken  by  the  prophet 
might  be  fulfilled."  Here  it  has  been  supposed,  that  several 
prophecies  are  tacitly  quoted  ;  that  of  David  in  the  Psalms, 
"  This  is  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made  ;  we  will  rejoice 
and  be  glad  in  it;"  "  Save  now,  O  Lord;"  or,  "  Hosanna;" 
and  that  of  Isaiah,  "  O  Zion,  that  bringest  good  tidings,  get 
thee  up  on  the  high  mountain,  (mount  Olivet,)  and  say  to  the 
cities  of  Judah,  Behold  your  God;  go  through  the  gates; 
prepare  ye  the  way  ;  gather  out  the  stones  ;  behold  the  Lord 
hath  proclaimed  to  the  end  of  the  world ;  say  ye  to  the  daugh- 
ter of  Zion,  Behold  thy  salvation  cometh."  But  to  the  pro- 
phet Zechariah  no  doubt  the  Evangelists  especially  refer. 
**  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."  * 

This  prophet,  being  one  of  the  last  writers  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, prophesied  after  the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  ;  and  as 
Haggai  cheered  the  Jews,  when  depressed  with  the  inferiority 
of  the  second  temple,  by  assuring  them  the  glory  of  the  latter 
should  be  greater  than  that  of  the  former,  because  Messiah 
should  come  into  this  temple;  so  Zechariah  animated  the  peo- 
ple who  rebuilt  the  city  with  an  assurance,  that,  however 
mean  and  inferior  it  was,  the  long-promised  king  would  not 
disdain  to  visit  it ;  for  it  would  suit  the  meek  and  lowly  mind 
of  him  who  should  ride  into  it  on  an  ass. 

*  Zech.  ix.  9. 


203  LECTURE    LXIX. 

Well  might  the  very  stones,  therefore,  upbraid  these  Phari- 
sees, who,  pretending  to  be  interpreters  of  the  law  and  the  pro- 
phets, were  ignorant  of  this  celebrated  prediction ;  or,  if  they 
knew  and  remembered  it,  did  not  see  the  finger  of  God  in  its 
fulfilment.  For  we  must  not  fail  to  observe,  that  they  should 
have  reflected  how  Jesus  reserved  this  triumph  to  the  very  mo- 
ment when  it  was  least  likely  to  be  fulfilled.  If  he  had  enjoyed 
it  earlier,  it  might  not  have  been  so  remarkable.  For,  when 
Jesus  had  not  yet  so  clearly  declared  the  spiritual  nature  of 
his  kingdom,  and  had  not  predicted  his  own  death,  and  when 
the  Pharisees  had  not  declared  against  him,  condemned  him 
to  death,  and  set  a  price  upon  his  head,  it  would  have  been 
less  surprising  if  he  had  ridden  into  the  capital  in  triumph, 
amidst  the  national  acclaim.  But  now  who  can  see  him  thus 
literally  fulfil  the  prophecy,  in  spite  of  all  opposing  circum- 
stances, without  exclaiming,  "  sui'ely  this  is  the  finger  of  God! 
Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away  sooner  than  one  jot  or  tittle 
of  God's  word  shall  fail  to  be  accomplished." 

The  Evangelist,  however,  adds,  "  These  things  understood 
not  his  disciples  at  the  first :  but  when  Jesus  was  glorified, 
then  remembered  they  that  these  things  were  written  of  him, 
and  that  they  had  done  these  things  unto  him."  *  Think  not, 
therefore,  that  this  was  all  a  contrivance  of  the  disciples  to 
make  a  fulfilment  of  a  prophecy  for  their  Master.  They  ac- 
knowledge that  they  did  not  even  know  what  they  were  about, 
or  how  they  were  accomplishing  the  Scriptures,  in  fetching 
the  asses,  strewing  the  clothes,  cutting  down  the  branches, 
and  shouting  hosannas.  Though,  in  making  this  confession, 
the  Apostles  own  that  they  were  strangely  ignorant  of  their 
own  Scriptures,  and  of  the  most  important  prophecies  of  Christ, 
and  therefore,  partook  largely  of  the  temper  of  the  Pharisees, 
who  were  as  stupid  as  the  stones.  But  it  was  when  the 
Spirit  was  given,  because  Jesus  was  glorified,  that  the  film 
was  removed  from  the  eyes  of  the  disciples,  and  they  re- 
membered that  they  had  done  these  things  just  as  they  were 
predicted. 

Even  unto  this  day,  however,  the  veil  is  upon  the  hearts  of 
*  John  xii.  16. 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM.  203 

the  Jews  in  the  reading  of  the  Old  Testament,  that  they  can- 
not see  Christ,  the  end  of  the  law ;  but  when  the  heart  shall 
turn  to  the  Lord,  the  veil  shall  be  taken  away. 

Let  us  turn  to  witness, 

II.  The  sorrow  mingled  with  this  joy,  in  Christ's  weeping 
over  Jerusalem. 

For  Jesus,  having  reached  the  summit  of  mount  Olivet, 
which  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  city  from  the  east,  the 
buildings  all  burst  upon  his  sight,  and  especially  the  temple, 
with  its  lofty  turrets.  He  stood  still,  as  if  struck  with  the 
view,  and  having,  as  I  suppose,  dismounted,  remained  in  pro- 
found meditation,  looking  at  the  city,  like  the  prophet  gazing 
in  the  face  of  Hazael,  till  he  burst  into  tears.  As  he  came  to 
the  descent  of  the  mount  of  Olives,  and  so  drew  near  to  the 
city,  he  wept  over  it,  says  Luke,  "  Saying,  If  thou  hadst 
known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which 
belong  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  children  within  thee  ;  and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee 
one  stone  upon  another  ;  becaiise  thou  knewest  not  the  time 
of  thy  visitation."  ^ 

It  is  related  of  David,  the  great  ancestor  of  our  Lord,  that 
he  ascended  this  very  declivity  weeping  and  barefoot.  Here 
we  have  to  behold  the  root  and  offspring  of  David  in  tears, 
amidst  his  triumphs.  David  wept  not  so  much  for  himself,  or 
the  loss  of  a  throne,  as  for  the  wickedness  of  his  son,  for  whom 
he  would  gladly  have  died,  to  save  his  soul.  Nor  was  Christ 
now  weeping  for  his  own  approaching  crucifixion,  but  for  the 
crimes  and  miseries  of  the  people,  who,  with  wicked  hands, 
would  crucify  him.  While,  therefore,  they  shouted  and  bade 
him  welcome,  hoping  he  would  prove  their  long-expected  Sa- 
viour from  the  Romans,  he  well  knew  the  sad  reverse  which 
all  these  hopes  would  meet.  He  saw  how  soon  they  would 
crown  him  with  thorns,  instead  of  palms,  and  exchange  their 
*  Luke  xiv.  42 — 44. 


204  LECTURE    LXIX. 

"  hosanua"  for  "crucify!"  He  was  aware  how  dreadful 
would  be  the  vengeance  of  Heaven  for  that  bloody  deed ;  and 
saw  that  the  Romans  would  come  and  first  pitch  their  camp, 
and  prepare  their  siege,  as  Josephus  says,  on  that  very  spot 
on  which  Jesus  stood.  In  the  view  of  such  scenes,  he  burst 
into  tears. 

Some  of  the  ancients,  fancying  that  these  tears  were  un- 
worthy of  Christ's  dignity  and  firmness,  have  endeavoured  to 
explain  away  the  expression.  But  as  Jesus  had  thus  far 
shown  himself  a  powerful  king,  he  now  proved  himself  a 
compassionate  high-priest,  and  a  prescient  prophet.  For  the 
Apostle  observes,  that  a  high-priest  should  be  one  that  "  can 
have  compassion  on  the  ignorant,  and  them  that  are  out  of 
the  way."  Our  Lord  proved  himself  most  tender-hearted, 
when  all  the  triumphs  he  now  enjoyed  could  not  prevent  his 
bursting  into  tears  at  the  prospect  of  even  his  enemies'  sor- 
rows. But  his  prediction  of  Jerusalem's  destruction,  on  this 
occasion,  was  a  most  striking  display,  that  no  delusive  ap- 
pearance could  dazzle  his  prophetic  eye.  Had  he  predicted 
the  fate  of  the  capital,  when  lately  he  was  driven  away  from 
it,  by  an  attempt  to  stone  him;  or  had  this  prediction  been 
uttered  when  he  was  going  forth  out  of  the  gates  towards 
Calvary,  bearing  his  cross,  it  had  been  less  surprising.  But 
when  he  was  entering  as  a  conqueror,  amidst  thunders  of 
applause,  shaded  by  the  waving  branches  of  the  palm  of  vic- 
tory, then  to  foretell  the  dismal  fate  of  the  city,  because,  with- 
in a  few  days,  its  inhabitants  would  hang  him  as  a  criminal, 
was  a  proof  of  prophetic  impulse  which  must  powerfully  strike 
every  reflecting  mind. 

What  a  sight  is  such  a  person  weeping,  on  such  an  occa- 
sion !  Children  often  weep  for  trifles,  and  we  take  but  little 
notice  of  their  tears.  Women  often  shed  tears  where  men 
would  disdain  to  weep.  But,  here  is  not  merely  a  man,  but 
one  who  is  more  than  a  man,  an  incarnate  God,  in  tears. 
One  who  could  go  away  to  the  stake  without  weeping  for 
himself,  and  even  say  to  those  who  bewailed  his  sad  end,  "  do 
not  weep  for  me  ;"  is  now  himself  bathed  in  tears.     Nor  is  it 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM.  205 

in  a  private  place,  where  we  should  naturally  prefer  giving* 
vent  to  our  grief,  but  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd,  in  a  public 
procession,  where  all  were  exulting  around  him ;  there,  where 
ordinary  griefs  would  be  suspended,  and  the  total  want  of 
sympathy  with  us  would  make  us  stifle  our  emotions,  till  we 
could  escape  from  the  crowd  and  the  huzzas,  there  the  Son  of 
God  is  seen  to  sigh,  and  the  big  drops  to  flow  down  his  cheeks 
and  fall  upon  the  ground,  while  he  fills  the  air  with  his  la- 
mentations. David  had  penned  glad  hosannas  for  this  occa- 
sion, and  the  multitude  were  now  singing  them.  Zechariah 
had  called  upon'Jhe  daughter  of  Jerusalem  to  shout  for  joy, 
that  her  king  was  thus  coming  to  her  in  meek  and  lowly  guise, 
and  she  was  coming  forth  to  meet  him  with  exultation.  But, 
lo !  he  himself  alone  is  sorrowful.  He,  for  whose  sake  the 
general  shout  was  raised,  instead  of  being  carried  away  by 
the  popular  joy,  is  the  only  one  that  seems  not  to  partake  of 
it,  but  to  throw  a  damp  upon  the  scene,  by  sighs,  lamenta- 
tions, and  tears. 

But  what  words  are  these  that  are  commended  to  us  by  the 
Saviour's  tears  ?     They  express, 
1.  A  benevolent  wish. 

"  If  thou  hadst  known,  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that  be- 
long to  thy  peace."  This  is  equivalent  to  our  form  of  speech, 
"  O,  if  thou  hadst  known,  or,  O,  that  thou  hadst  known." 
"  God  willeth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but  rather  that  he 
turn  to  him  and  live."  For,  in  itself,  the  repentance,  and 
conversion,  and  holiness,  and  salvation  of  an  intelligent,  ac- 
countable, and  immortal  creature,  must  be  most  agreeable 
to  a  holy  and  benevolent  being.  Let  it  not,  therefore,  be 
said,  that  Christ  here  gives  vent  to  mere  human  sorrows,  as 
though  his  humanity  were  in  opposition  to  his  Deity.  The 
grief,  indeed,  which  he  felt,  is  not  an  affection  of  which  the 
Divine  nature  is  capable,  nor,  of  course,  could  Deity  be  liable 
to  tears.  But  the  Saviour,  as  the  express  image  of  the  in- 
visible God,  on  this  solemn  occasion,  conveyed  no  false  im- 
pression of  the  Divine  mind,  when  he  said,  "  O,  that  thou  hadst 
known,  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that  belong  to  thy  peace." 


206  LECTURE    LXIX. 

These  things  that  belong  to  our  peace  are,  the  character 
of  God,  the  nature  of  his  law  and  government,  the  spirituality 
of  religion,  and  the  method  and  bliss  of  acceptance  with  him. 
Without  an  acquaintance  with  these,  no  man  can  enjoy  that 
"  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding."  But 
though  Jerusalem  had  long  been  ignorant  of  these  things; 
if  she  had  at  least  known  them  when  Christ  came  and  afford- 
ed her  a  day  of  special  light,  a  blaze  of  glory  and  of  grace,  it 
had  been  well.  Let  not  any  say,  that  God  cannot  wish  a 
thing  had  happened  otherwise  than  it  has ;  for  this  is  either 
true  or  false,  according  to  the  sense  in  which  it  is  taken.  In 
the  only  sense  in  which  it  is  true,  it  expresses  nothing  contrary 
to  the  sincerity  of  Christ  in  this  benevolent  lamentation.  A 
wish  that  an  event  had  been  otherwise,  is  but  a  declaration 
that  the  other  event  had  in  it  something  more  agreeable  to 
the  person  wishing  than  that  which  has  happened.  And  who 
can  doubt  that  the  Jews'  perception  of  Christ's  glory,  and 
acquaintance  with  the  peace  of  the  Gospel,  were  more  agree- 
able to  the  Divine  nature  than  their  blindness  and  unbelief? 
But  there  might  yet  be  sufficient  reasons  why  infinite  wisdom, 
power,  and  grace,  would  not  interpose  to  prevent  that  which 
was  in  itself  less  agreeable  to  God;  so  that,  upon  the  whole, 
no  such  disappointment  as  implies  weakness  or  want  of  fore- 
sight was  expressed.  In  every  expression  of  the  Divine  mind 
we  must  remember  that  human  language  should  be  understood, 
when  applied  to  God,  with  that  difference  of  meaning  which 
avoids  the  imputation  of  human  imperfection  to  a  being  of 
infinite  perfections. 

2.  An  awful  sentence  is  expressed. 

"  Now  they  are  hidden  from  thine  eyes."  The  Jews  were 
shortly  to  lose  the  light  of  the  sun  of  righteousness,  which  had 
shone  so  gloriously  in  their  horizon.  Soon  they  would  drive 
away  the  Apostles  from  their  capital.  It  would  not  be  long 
ere  the  Christian  church  would  make  its  escape  from  Jerusa- 
lem to  Pella,  warned  by  the  approach  of  the  Roman  army ; 
and  the  words  of  Christ,  when  going  out  to  Calvary,  would 
be  fulfilled ;  "  Jesus,  turning  unto  them,  said.  Daughters  of 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM.  207 

Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  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  begin  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  ? "  * 

Then,  driven  into  foreign  lands,  the  Jews  would  be  removed 
from  the  instructive  scenes  they  had  enjoyed  in  their  own 
country,  and,  sunken  in  worldly  trade  and  gratified  with  its 
gains,  would  abandon  in  great  measure  the  light  of  the  Scrip- 
ture for  the  blind  tales  of  the  rabbins.  Thus  "  blindness  in 
part  has  happened  to  Israel,  till  the  fulness  of  the  gentiles  be 
come  in."  And  where  is  the  intelligent  Christian  who  has 
conversed  closely  with  a  Jew  on  the  things  that  belong  to  his 
peace,  without  heaving  a  sigh  over  the  darkness  that  hides 
truth  from  their  eyes,  and  mingling  his  tears  with  those  of 
Jesus? 

3.  A  melancholy  prediction  is  delivered. 

*'  The  days  shall  come  upon  thee,  that  thine  enemies  shall 
dig  a  trench  about  thee,  and  compass  thee  round,  and  keep 
thee  in  on  every  side."  A  Jew,  Josephus,  is  the  best  com- 
mentator on  these  words,  for  he  saw  them  fulfilled.  These 
are  his  statements.  "  Titus,  the  Roman  commander,  deli- 
berated on  the  best  course  to  be  pursued.  Some  proposed  to 
carry  the  city  by  storm.  But  the  more  prudent  advised  to 
raise  entrenchments,  and  leave  the  city  to  perish  by  famine. 
Titus  thought  it  disgraceful  to  him  to  sit  idly  before  the  city, 
and  yet  deemed  it  desperate  to  fight  with  men,  who  rushed 
upon  the  sword,  desirous  of  death.  To  raise  mounds  appear- 
ed very  difficult ;  for  they  wanted  materials,  and  to  enclose 
the  whole  city  with  an  army  was  arduous,  because  the  city 
was  vast,  and  the  ground  difficult.  But  the  Romans  sought 
to  attempt  great  things,  and  nothing  great  is  done  without 
labour.  Having  thus  persuaded  the  officers,  he  commanded 
them  to  divide  their  forces  for  the  work ;  a  sort  of  inspiration 
*  Luke  xxiii.  28—31. 


208  LECTURE    LXIX. 

seized  the  soldiers,  and  they  strove  to  surpass  each  other. 
Beginning  at  a  place  called  the  camp  of  the  Assyrians,  they 
directed  the  course  of  the  wall  to  the  brook  Cedron,  and  the 
Mount  of  Olives  (the  very  spot  where  Jesus  was  now  stand- 
ing). They  built  in  three  days  a  wall  that  seemed  the  work 
of  months."  And  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  this  was  at  the 
very  season,  the  feast  of  passover,  at  which  our  Lord  was  now 
entering  Jerusalem.  Thus  the  enemy,  contrary  to  all  ex- 
pectation, hemmed  them  in  on  every  side. 

"  They  shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,"  says  Christ, 
*'  and  thy  children  within  thee,"  The  whole  nation  of  Israel, 
as  it  were,  seemed  collected  in  the  capital  to  keep  the  feast ; 
so  that  eleven  hundred  thousand  Jews  are  said  to  have  perished 
in  that  siege.  "  When  the  army  had  nothing  more  to  kill  or 
to  plunder,"  says  Josephus,  "  Caesar  ordered  them  entirely  to 
level  the  city  and  temple,  and  they  performed  it  so  completely 
that  to  those  who  came  there  it  would  hardly  seem  credible 
that  it  had  ever  been  inhabited.  Two  or  three  towers  Titus 
left  to  show  how  vast  and  mighty  had  been  the  city  which  the 
Romans  had  overthrown."  *  But  these  are  said  to  have  been 
afterwards  destroyed :  so  that  our  Lord's  prediction  was  com- 
pletely fulfilled. 

All  this  was  because  she  knew  not  the  time  of  her  visitation. 
For,  when  the  husbandman  said  of  the  barren  fig  tree,  "  cut 
it  down,  why  cumbereth  it  the  ground?"  Jesus  interceded, 
■"  spare  it  yet  another  year."  This,  however,  was  the  last  visi- 
tation of  Jesus  to  Jerusalem,  which  would  be  fatally  unfruitful, 
and  that  of  the  Apostles  proving  equally  so,  the  Jews  would 
"  fill  up  their  sins  all  ways,  that  wrath  might  come  upon  them 
to  the  uttermost."  For  what,  but  this  abuse  of  the  great  visi- 
tation by  the  Son  of  God,  has  Jerusalem  now  been  trodden 
down,  and  the  nation  of  the  Jews  scattered  for  almost  two 
thousand  years  ?  Within  forty  years  after  Christ  uttered  these 
words,  amidst  his  compassionate  tears,  the  Romans  marched 
into  the  country  to  fulfil  his  prophecy,  and  still  we  look  at  the 
scene,  and  cry,  "  Behold  the  desolation  !" 

*  Josephus  TTtpi  rov  'lovSaiKov  IloXf/iov,  Z,. 


CHRIST    RIDING    INTO    JERUSALEM.  209 

But  now  Jesus,  having  vented  his  sorrows  and  uttered  his 
warning,  advanced  towards  the  city,  which  was  all  in  commo- 
tion as  he  entered.  They  who  knew  not  what  had  happened 
on  the  road  seeing  such  a  crowd  and  hearing  the  huzzas,  or 
hosannas,  asked,  "  what  is  all  this  ? "  To  which  others  replied, 
"  this  is  Jesus,  the  prophet  of  Nazareth  in  Galilee." 

But  the  Pharisees  seeing  him  whom  they  had  condemned  to 
death  enter  the  city  in  triumph  exclaimed  to  each  other,  in  a 
paroxysm  of  rage,  "  see  ye  how  we  prevail  nothing  ?  the  world 
is  gone  after  him." 


VOL.  II. 


210 


LECTURE  LXX. 

Christ's  second  cleansing  of  the  temple. 

*  Matt.  xxi.  12 — 16. 
Ma'rk  xi.  11. 
Luke  xix.  45 — 48. 

*  And  Jesus  went  into  the  temple  of  God,  and  cast  out  all  them  that  sold 
and  bought  in  the  temple. 

W  E  have  seen  the  King  of  Israel  riding  in  triumph  into  his 
capital.  Now,  to  show  that  his  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world, 
he  enters  not  by  the  gate  of  the  citadel,  nor  marches  up  to  the 
royal  palace ;  but,  turning  a  little  aside,  passes  through  the 
sheep  gate,  or  the  gate  of  the  temple,  and  goes  away  to  his 
Father's  house,  the  palace  of  the  heavenly  King.  It  is  pro- 
bable that  our  Lord  alighted  as  soon  as  he  arrived  at  that  en- 
trance to  the  temple,  which  was  called  the  horse  gate,  and 
sent  away  the  asses  by  the  hand  of  the  same  two  disciples  who 
had  been  despatched  to  borrow  them ;  unless  the  owners  being 
drawn  to  follow  the  cavalcade,  were  at  hand  to  take  care  of 
the  animals.  Jesus  went  so  directly  through  the  city  to  the 
temple  that  we  are  reminded  of  his  question  to  Joseph  and 
Mary,  "  how  came  ye  to  seek  me  any  where  else?  Know  ye 
not  that  I  must  be  at  my  Father's  I "  Here  our  King  is  in  his 
palace  ;  for  it  is  in  the  church  of  God  that  he  reigns,  his  throne 
is  the  heart  of  the  genuine  worshipper. 

That  Saviour  who  proclaims  himself  the  alpha  and  the  omega, 
the  first  and  the  last,  this  day  shows  what  is  first  and  last 
to  him — the  honour  of  God  in  the  church.  The  first  public 
visit  he  made  to  the  temple  was,  to  cleanse  it  from  the  sacri- 
legious profanation  of  the  mercenary  priests;  and,  now  that  he 
is  come  to  the  holy  city  for  the  last  time,  he  repeats  the  same 


CHRIST'S  SECOND  CLEANSING   OF  THE  TEMPLE.        211 

act  of  holy  zeal.  But  as  the  Saviour,  after  performing  this 
service,  wrought  many  miracles,  and  received  the  hosannas  of 
the  children,  we  must  proceed  to  notice  each  of  these  three 
occurrences. 

I.  Christ  rescues  the  temple  from  profanation. 

Having  already  considered  largely  a  similar  act,  we  may  pass 
the  more  rapidly  over  this  event.  It  has,  indeed,  been  com- 
pletely passed  by  in  some  histories  of  Christ,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  this  is  but  the  same  event  which  the  three  former 
Evangelists  have  thrown  out  of  its  place,  and  which  really 
happened  at  the  beginning  of  Christ's  public  ministry,  where 
John  has  placed  it.  But  the  beloved  disciple,  writing  the 
history  of  his  Master,  after  all  the  others,  observed,  no  doubt, 
that  they  had  recorded  the  latter  cleansing  of  the  temple,  and 
left  him  to  mention  only  that  which  had  occurred  three  years 
and  a  half  before.  We  shall,  indeed,  see  that  our  Lord  per- 
formed the  same  act  a  third  time.     Observe,  then, 

1.  His  driving  out  the  buyers  and  sellers. 

It  will  scarcely  be  necessary  again  to  notice  that  it  was  not 
from  the  place  of  worship,  strictly  so  called,  that  these  persons 
were  driven.  The  people  stood  in  a  court,  which  led  to  what 
was  strictly  the  temple.  But  on  the  outside  of  this  court 
there  was  another,  called  the  court  of  the  gentiles,  which  the 
priests  had  profaned  by  making  it  a  market  place  for  the  sale 
of  animals  that  were  to  be  offered  in  sacrifice,  and  for  the 
changing  of  foreign  and  larger  coin  into  that  particular  sort 
which  was  to  be  offered  to  God's  treasury. 

On  the  former  occasion,  our  Lord  drove  out  only  those  who 
were  selling  oxen,  and  sheep,  and  doves,  and  the  changers  of 
money;  for  these,  probably,  were  the  agents  of  the  priests,  who 
ought  to  have  known  better.  But  now  that  Christ  had  taught 
this  public  lesson,  those  who  bought  things  in  the  court  of  the 
temple  were  guilty ;  and  therefore  Christ  this  second  time 
drove  out  the  buyers  as  well  as  sellers.  But  how  ?  With 
what  arms  1  For  men  of  this  temper,  who  insult  God  publicly 
in  his  house,  and  make  a  trade  of  religion,  are  the  last  to  yield 
tamely,  and  resign  without  a  struggle  that  possession  of  power 
and  influence,  both  in  church  and  state,  which  they  have  un- 

p  2 


212  LECTURE    LXX. 

justly  acquired.  Once  we  have  seen  Christ  here  with  a  whip 
in  his  hand,  but  he  has  not  even  this  weapon  now.  How  came 
they  all  to  flee  before  a  single  unarmed  individual,  whom  the 
state  had  already  doomed  to  death,  and  for  whose  appre- 
hension a  reward  was  offered  ?  That  divine  power  which, 
shortly  after  this,  struck  to  the  ground  the  army  that  came  to 
seize  him,  now  awed  them  to  submission,  and  thus  proved  that 
his  apprehension,  at  last,  was  not  the  effect  of  human  force, 
but  of  divine  love.  The  Lamb  went,  without  a  struggle,  to 
the  altar  to  die  for  us.  This  effect  of  the  divine  majesty  of 
the  Redeemer  upon  the  crowds  assembled  in  the  temple,  at 
this  great  feast,  their  fleeing  at  his  look,  trembling  at  his  word, 
and  abandoning  their  seat  of  power  and  of  gain,  without  daring 
to  attempt  resistance,  has  been  deemed  the  most  triumphant 
circumstance  even  in  that  life  of  wonders  which  we  are  now 
reviewing. 

The  flight  of  the  buyers  and  sellers  was  followed  by, 

2.  Christ's  overturning  their  seats  and  tables. 

In  the  first  cleansing  of  the  temple,  our  Lord  poured  out  the 
changers'  money,  and  overthrew  the  tables  on  which  they 
counted  it,  and  where,  perhaps,  were  the  drawers  that  con- 
tained it.  He  repeats  this  act,  and  thus  shows  that  whatever 
he  had  formerly  done  he  still  approved,  as  no  ebullition  of 
passion,  but  the  calm  decision  of  righteous  zeal.  He  then, 
however,  meekly  commanded  those  who  sold  doves  to  take 
them  away  ;  and  now  he  overturns  the  seats,  on  which  these 
poulterers  were  sitting,  and  probably  exposed  them  to  the 
danger  of  losing  their  property  ;  for  the  birds  might  fly,  when 
all  the  arrangements  for  keeping  and  selling  them  were  thus 
deranged. 

See,  then,  the  banking  tables  overthrown,  the  money  scat- 
tered upon  the  ground,  the  birds  flying  about  wild,  the  sheep 
and  oxen  driving  in  all  directions,  and  their  owners  all  fleeing 
in  alarm,  along  with  the  multitudes  who  had  come  to  purchase 
in  this  market.  You  ask,  who  created  all  this  confusion,  and 
exposed  so  many  persons  to  the  loss  of  their  property  ?  The 
answer  must  be,  the  meek  and  gentle  Lamb  of  God.  But 
that  Lamb  is  also  the  lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  and  when,  at 


Christ's  second  cleansing  of  the  temple.    213 

last,  he  shall  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  to  judgment,  the 
stoutest  spirits  will  cry  to  rocks  and  hills  to  cover  them,  and 
hide  them  from  the  wrath  of  this  Lamb. 

See  how  little  respect  Christ  pays  to  persons,  or  to  property, 
when  these  are  employed  to  insult  the  majesty  of  heaven  by 
profaning  his  worship  and  his  church.  And,  observe,  how  he 
rises  in  zeal,  and  bids  the  fire  of  his  justice  blaze  higher,  as 
men  persist  in  their  crimes  and  slight  his  former  warnings  and 
commands.  "  He  that,  being  often  reproved,  hardeneth  his 
neck,  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy." 

The  Saviour  added, 

3.  The  prohibition  to  carry  any  vessel  through  the  temple. 

This  belongs  properly  to  a  third  cleansing  of  the  temple, 
which  occurred  the  next  morning.  But  not  intending  to  enter 
into  a  particular  consideration  of  that  event,  so  similar  to  this, 
and  occurring  so  shortly  after,  I  deemed  it  proper  to  introduce 
it  here.  Some  have  supposed  that  the  vessels  which  our  Lord 
would  not  suffer  to  be  carried  through  the  temple  were  those 
which  were  used  in  public  worship,  and  that  he  intended  by 
this  to  intimate  his  intention  speedily  to  abolish  that  dispensa- 
tion of  religion.  This,  however,  is  utterly  improbable.  Our 
Lord  is  not  here  acting  as  a  legislator,  but  as  a  reformer.  He 
is  not  altering  the  way  of  worshipping  God,  but  restoring  the 
old  institutions  to  their  pristine  purity. 

The  vessels,  then,  which  Christ  suffered  not  to  be  carried 
through  the  temple  were,  such  as  were  employed  in  the  market 
profanely  held  there.  The  Hebrew  word  for  vessels,  which 
the  Apostles  may  be  supposed  to  have  in  their  minds,  was  of 
very  extensive  import,  and  included  such  things  as  sacks  and 
baskets,  barrows  and  hampers,  which  we  should  be  shocked  to 
see  brought  into  a  place  where  worship  was  offered  continually. 
But  when  you  reflect  on  the  extent  of  the  courts,  and  the 
building,  and  the  obstinacy  of  these  trading  habits  among  the 
priests  and  Levites,  are  you  not  struck  with  the  power  exerted 
by  the  Redeemer,  who  singly  stood  up  against  a  host,  and  suf- 
fered not  a  man  to  carry  any  thing  profane  through  the  courts 
of  his  Father's  house  ! 

Let  us,  then,  reflect  that  the  same  Saviour  is  here ;  for  he 


214  LECTURE    LXX. 

says,  "  wherever  two  or  three  are  met  together  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  Nor  let  us  forget,  that, 
with  eyes  as  flames  of  fire,  he  inspects  our  worship.  May  he 
not,  then,  see  us  bring  into  his  church  the  implements  of  hus- 
bandry, the  tools  of  trade,  the  books  of  merchandise,  the  pat- 
terns of  dress  1  Is  he  not  indignant  to  see  the  plough  in  the 
heart,  as  well  as  in  the  hand  ;  and  to  behold  the  world  brought 
here  in  our  thoughts,  as  well  as  on  our  shoulders  ?  Almighty 
Saviour,  exert  the  omnipotence  of  thy  grace,  and  cleanse  the 
thoughts  of  our  hearts  by  the  inspiration  of  thy  Holy  Spirit, 
that  we  may  remember  that  holiness  becometh  thy  house,  and 
thy  worshippers  for  ever  ! 

4.  The  vindication  of  Christ's  conduct  by  an  appeal  to  the 
word  of  God. 

He  said  unto  them,  "It  is  written.  My  house  shall  be 
called  a  house  of  prayer,  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of 
robbers." 

The  whole  passage  that  applies  to  the  case  in  hand  is  not 
quoted,  nor  even  those  words  that  seem  most  appropriate. 
Recollect,  however,  that  this  part  of  the  temple  which  the 
Jews  had  profaned  was  the  court  of  the  gentiles,  where  those 
who  were  converted  from  among  the  heathen  performed  their 
worship.  But  the  Scripture  to  which  Christ  here  refers  them 
is  a  most  encouraging  prophecy  of  the  calling  of  the  gentiles, 
declaring  that  God  would  give  them  all  the  honours  of  native 
Jews,  when  turned  from  their  idols  to  worship  the  true  God. 

How  delightful,  then,  are  these  words ;  **  ray  house  shall 
be  called  the  house  of  prayer  for  all  nations !"  Solomon,  at 
the  dedication  of  the  temple,  looked  forward  to  the  hour  when 
the  fame  of  this  splendid  building,  the  wonder  of  the  world, 
should  attract  the  heathen  from  afar,  to  come  and  worship 
God  in  his  temple.  We,  who  now  form  the  church,  the  tem- 
ple of  God,  look  with  eagerness  to  the  day,  when  all  nations 
that  God  hath  made  shall  come  and  worship  before  him  in  his 
house. 

The  latter  part  of  Christ's  speech  might  seem  to  many  to  be 
harsh,  and  unlike  the  Saviour's  lips,  on  which  dwelt  the  meek- 
ness of  wisdom.     But  this  also  is  a  quotation  from  the  Old 


CHRIST'S  SECOND  CLEANSING  OF  THE  TEMPLE.      216 

Testament,  with  which  the  Jews  ought  to  have  been  well  ac- 
quainted. In  Judea,  and  many  other  countries,  the  robbers 
combined  to  form  large  companies,  and  made  their  abode  in 
immense  dens  and  caves,  where  they  not  only  lived,  and  di- 
vided their  booty,  but  from  whence  they  issued  to  plunder  the 
country.  Christ  declares  that  it  was  not  without  reason  that 
the  prophet  had  characterized  the  high  priests  and  rulers  of 
the  Jewish  church  as  converting  their  temple  into  a  den  of 
robbers,  who  plundered  the  people  of  their  property,  and  were 
the  terror  rather  than  the  friends  of  the  country.  They  who 
could  make  a  market  of  God's  temple,  may  well  be  supposed 
not  to  be  scrupulously  honest  in  their  dealings  in  that  holy 
place.  They  probably  exacted  from  the  people  more  than  God 
had  required  in  his  worship. 

By  making  gain  of  the  place  of  worship,  they  were  robbing 
God  of  his  honour,  and  the  souls  of  men  of  that  benefit  which 
he  designed  they  should  derive  from  his  service.  Of  all  rob- 
beries that  is  most  wicked  which  is  committed  upon  God,  and 
souls.  But  while  the  Saviour  here  teaches  us  that  the  true 
use  of  the  temple  is  to  be  a  house  of  prayer  rather  than  a 
slaughter-house  for  cattle,  he  tacitly  reproves  the  Jews,  who 
lost  sight  of  the  devotion  that  should  have  attended  their  rites, 
and  rested  in  the  opus  operatum. 

The  whole  value  of  these  sacrifices  in  the  temple,  lay  in 
their  presenting  types  of  the  Saviour,  to  awaken  the  desires 
and  prayers  of  the  church  for  his  coming,  and  humble  suppli- 
cations to  God  for  acceptance  through  his  sacrifice  and  medi- 
ation. Christ  refers  the  Jews  to  a  prediction  of  Jeremiah, 
delivered  when  that  prophet  was  warning  his  countrymen  that 
the  temple  of  Solomon,  in  which  they  trusted,  would  be  de- 
stroyed by  the  Babylonians.  Tacitly,  therefore,  our  Lord 
warns  them  that  this  house  also  should  be  razed  to  the  ground 
by  the  Romans.* 

It  is  also  remarkable,  that  as  the  temple  was  turned  by 

these  priests  into  a  den  of  robbers,  who  murdered  as  well  as 

plundered ;  so,  in  the  following  verses,  the  Evangelist  informs 

us,  that  the  chief  priests,  and  scribes,  and  elders,  sought  to 

*  Jeremiah  vii.  1 — 10. 


tiii^  ■  t       -'rlT'      I     *  ■ ., 


216  LECTURE    LXX. 

destroy  Christ.     These  robbers  soon  proved  themselves  mur- 
derers. 

II.  Christ  filled  the  temple  with  the  glory  of  his  miracles. 

Every  thing  in  this  last  visit  serves  to  show  the  glory  of  our 
Redeemer,  and  leaves  without  excuse  those  who  rejected 
him.  The  miracle  wrought  on  the  spirits  of  his  enemies,  and 
on  the  whole  crowd  of  the  people,  in  expelling  them  from  the 
market  held  in  the  temple,  was  followed  by  another  upon  the 
bodies  of  men,  who  came  to  him  afflicted  with  various  mala- 
dies. 

1.  The  works  of  Christ  demand  our  attention. 

The  general  buz  ran  through  the  city,  "  the  prophet  of 
Nazareth  is  come!  He  that  has  wrought  so  many  miracles  is 
gone  up  to  the  temple ! "  All  that  were  labouring  under  af- 
flictions incurable  by  man,  would  instantly  catch  at  the  news, 
and  exclaim,  "  now  is  our  time  for  obtaining  relief  from  the 
finger  of  God ! "  The  lame  seize  their  crutches,  or  beg  their 
friends  to  become  their  bearers  ;  the  blind  grasp  the  hand  of 
their  guide,  or  set  off,  led  by  a  dog,  or  feeling  their  way  by 
the  wall,  and  up  they  climb  the  steep  ascent  of  the  temple. 
See  the  motley  group  succeed  to  the  buyers  and  sellers,  and 
misery  occupy  the  spot  where  lately  mercenary  men  sought 
worldly  gain.  But  when  these  sons  of  affliction  flocked  around 
the  fountain  of  compassion,  it  is  not  said,  as  of  the  sons  of 
Israel  in  a  time  of  drought,  "  they  came  to  the  wells  and  re- 
turned hanging  down  their  heads  ashamed,  for  there  was  no 
water."  It  is  recorded,  with  a  modesty  that  most  loudly  pro- 
claims Christ's  glory,  and  with  a  conciseness  that  speaks  vo- 
lumes, "  he  healed  them."  No  difficulty  is  made,  no  exception 
is  taken,  none  are  rejected  as  incurable  ;  but  all  are  healed, 
in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  What  a  display 
of  the  extent  to  which  Christ  carried  his  cures,  that  the  Evan- 
gelists, in  recording  a  kind  of  general  resort  of  the  blind  and 
lame  in  the  city,  on  a  critical  occasion,  think  it  not  necessary 
to  say  more  than  that  Jesus  healed  them !  In  any  other  case, 
we  should  have  been  told,  how  lame  was  this  one,  and  how 
blind  the  other,  and  a  picturesque  description  would  have 
been  given  of  the  mode  and  effects  of  the  cure.     But  here  we 


CHRIST'S  SECOND  CLEANSING  OF  THE  TEMPLE.      217 

are  not  even  told  whether  they  spoke  a  word  to  implore  Christ's 
healing  power,  or  whether  he  spoke  to  them  or  touched  them, 
or  whether  all  was  done  by  mere  volition.  It  is  only  said, 
"  he  healed  them." 

2.  The  language  which  these  works  spoke  requires  especial 
notice. 

The  benevolence  that  was  expressed  by  such  a  constellation 
of  miracles  is  of  great  importance  in  the  present  crisis.  For 
the  Saviour  had  just  exhibited  the  courage,  shall  I  say  the 
fury,  of  Judah's  lion  ?  Some  might  suppose  him  transported 
to  rage,  when  he  overthrew  the  money  and  the  seats  of  the 
merchants,  and  drove  out  the  buyers  as  well  as  sellers  from  the 
temple.  But  here  you  see  him  still  meek  and  gentle,  the 
Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  and  sorrows  of  the 
world.  He  is  just  as  ready  as  ever  to  heal  the  blind  and  the 
lame.  You  have  no  reason  to  think  that  he  was  thrown  into 
an  ill  humour  by  all  "  the  contradiction  of  sinners  against 
himself;"  which  has  called  forth  so  terrible,  but  so  just  indig- 
nation. 

On  the  other  hand,  these  miracles  prove  the  right  of  the 
Redeemer  to  assume  authority  in  the  temple.  He  that  thus 
could  save,  was  surely  the  being  that  should  rule.  He  calls 
the  temple  his  house,  and  proved  it  so ;  for  there  he  shows 
himself  "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh."  This  was  the  reason, 
doubtless,  why  his  enemies  durst  not  repeat  their  former  chal- 
lenge, which  they  were  so  ready  to  throw  out  when  he  first 
cleansed  the  temple:  "what  sign  showest  thou,  since  thou 
assumest  a  right  to  do  such  things  I "  They  now  saw  the  signs, 
were  confounded,  and  were  silent. 

By  all  these  things  Jesus  showed  that  he  justly  accepted  all 
the  honours  of  Messiahship,  publicly  given  him  that  day.  He 
came,  according  to  the  predictions  of  Malachi,  to  the  temple, 
"  to  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  that  they  might  offer  to  the  Lord 
an  offering  in  righteousness."  To  fulfil  the  prophecy  of  Zecha- 
riah,  he  was  borne  thither  "  upon  an  ass,  and  a  colt  the  foal  of 
an  ass."  Isaiah  described  the  spirit  of  mingled  justice  and 
grace  which  Christ  displayed,  saying,  "  Your  God  will  come 
with  vengeance,  even  God  with  a  recompence,  he  will  come 


218  LECTURE    LXX. 

and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  opened, 
and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped,  then  shall  the 
lame  man  leap  as  a  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing." 
The  multitude  had  shouted  the  hosannas  written  for  them  by 
David  in  the  hundred  and  eighteenth  Psalm ;  and  now  we 
have  to  notice  the  shouts  of  the  children,  which  fulfilled  a 
prediction  in  the  eighth  Psalm.    This  brings  us  to  show,  that, 

III.  The  children  fill  the  temple  with  Christ's  praise. 

'*  For  when  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  saw  the  wonderful 
things  that  Christ  did,  and  the  children  shouting  in  the  temple, 
Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!  they  were  much  displeased, 
and  said,  Hearest  thou  what  these  say?  And  he  said.  Yes  : 
have  ye  never  read,  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings 
thou  hast  perfected  praise?" 

These  voices  now  demand  our  attention. 

1.  The  voice  of  youth  proclaiming  Christ's  glory. 

In  nature,  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  Creator  is  more 
glorified  by  the  little  or  the  great,  by  the  sun  that  blazes  in  the 
sky,  or  the  glow-worm  that  glimmers  under  the  hedge ;  by  the 
cedar  of  Lebanon,  or  the  liver- wort  that  grows  upon  its  bark. 
Nor  can  we  well  determine,  whether  the  huzzas  of  the  mul- 
titude, as  they  came  down  mount  Olivet  and  passed  through 
the  gates  of  Jerusalem,  or  the  shouts  of  the  children  who  make 
the  temple  echo  with  hosannas  to  the  Son  of  David,  are  more 
honourable  to  Christ.  Children  are  little  mimics,  and  what 
they  see  and  hear  their  elders  do  they  think  they  must  do. 
They  are  also  disposed  to  repeat  a  thing  to  satiety,  and  when 
men  and  women  have  dropped  a  sound,  girls  and  boys  will 
attempt  to  keep  it  up.  These  children  seem  to  have  been  ex- 
cited by  the  sight  of  the  procession,  and  the  palm  branches, 
by  the  shouts  of  the  multitude,  and  the  demonstrations  of 
general  joy,  which  so  delighted  their  little  hearts  that  they 
could  not  forget  it  all,  nor  cease  to  shout,  "  Hosanna  to  the 
Son  of  David ! "  This  is  far  from  diminishing  the  honour  of 
Christ ;  for  it  is  a  proof  to  what  extent  this  conviction  of  his 
Messiahship  and  the  shout  of  popular  applause  must  have 
risen,  when  the  very  children  in  the  city  followed  him,  shout- 
ing his  praise  as  the  promised  Son  of  David. 


CHRIST'S  SECOND  CLEANSING  OF  THE  TEMPLE.     219 

But  I  cannot  doubt  that  there  was  something  deeper  and 
more  serious  in  this  infantile  joy.  It  was  God's  design  to  call 
the  first  Christian  churches  from  among  the  Jews ;  and  as 
that  generation  of  Israel  which  first  settled  in  Canaan,  though 
the  seed  of  an  evil  generation  that  perished  in  the  wilderness, 
was  itself  the  best  that  ever  Israel  knew  ;  so  the  myriads  of 
the  first  Christian  churches  who  formed  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians, were  the  children  of  those  who  crucified  Christ,  and 
were  actually  the  girls  and  boys  of  the  days  when  Christ  was 
in  the  temple.  I  conceive,  therefore,  that  many  of  them  were 
under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  truth,  who  glorifies  Christ 
by  making  him  known  to  us.  Their  knowledge  of  the  Sa- 
viour, and  delight  in  his  triumph,  was  the  most  severe  reproof 
to  priests  and  scribes,  who  were  blind  to  what  even  babes 
could  see.  But  thus,  said  Jesus,  "  I  thank  thee,  O  Father, 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  hast  hidden  these  things 
from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  them  to  babes ! " 

Hear,  however, 

2.  The  voice  of  age  betraying  its  hostility. 

The  elders  had  stifled  their  envy  and  vexation,  when  they 
saw  the  public  procession,  especially  after  Christ  had  defended 
the  hosannas.  The  miracles  of  Jesus  were  too  splendid  and 
convincing  to  admit  of  cavils.  But  now  that  children  are  the 
speakers,  these  grey-headed  sinners  venture  to  interpose,  and 
say  to  Christ,  "  Hearest  thou  what  these  say  ?"  The  priests 
durst  not  tell  what  they  had  to  urge  against  the  children's  ap- 
plause, but  insinuate  only  that  it  was  wrong,  and  unworthy  of 
Christ  to  receive.  "  It  was  puerile,"  they  would  cry  ;  '*  the 
children  cannot  know  what  they  are  saying,  or  be  proper 
judges  who  is  the  Son  of  God.  Jesus  must  be  greedy  of 
applause  indeed,  if  he  wishes  to  receive  these  senseless,  child- 
ish huzzas.  He  might  pretend  that  he  could  not  silence  the 
clamour  of  a  whole  people,  but  he  could  bid  the  children  hold 
their  tongues." 

Yet,  secretly,  the  enemies  were  galled  with  this  more  than 
with  any  thing  that  had  happened.  They  had  threatened,  that, 
if  any  man  confessed  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ,  the  promised 
Son  of  David,  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue  ;  and. 


220  LECTURE    LXX. 

lo,  now  the  very  children  are  making  the  temple  itself  ring 
with  the  confession,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David."  Nor  is 
it  improbable  that  the  priests  saw  that  Jesus  had  already, 
since  his  triumphal  entry,  forfeited  somewhat  of  his  popu- 
larity with  the  Jews,  by  taking  part  with  the  converted  gen- 
tiles, in  cleansing  their  court  of  the  temple  from  the  contempt 
which  the  spiritual  pride  of  the  Jews  had  put  upon  it.  Now, 
therefore,  it  must  have  been  peculiarly  mortifying  to  see  the 
children  superior  to  the  pride,  and  cupidity,  and  bigotry  of 
their  elders,  and  to  find  them  reviving  the  hosannas  that  were 
dying  away,  and  fanning  the  flame  of  zeal  for  Christ,  which 
seemed  ready  to  expire. 

Finally,  hear, 

3.  The  voice  of  Christ  defending  the  babes  against  the 
priests. 

Jesus  says,  "  Yes,  I  hear  what  these  say,"  and  he  might 
have  added,  "  Do  you  not  hear  what  they  say,  and  see  what 
I  do?  And  are  you  not  ashamed  that  children  should  be  your 
instructors?  For  you  are  scribes,  that  make  the  Scriptures 
your  professional  study,  and  '  priests,  whose  lips  should  keep 
knowledge,  and  the  people  should  seek  the  law  at  your  mouth;' 
and  have  you  not  read  in  the  Scripture, '  Out  of  the  mouth  of 
babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise?'"  This  is 
taken  from  the  eighth  Psalm,  which  the  Apostle  Paul  quotes 
as  a  prophecy  of  Christ.  We  should  not  have  seen  it  in  this 
light,  but  a  close  inspection  convinces  us,  that  some  one  Son 
of  man  must  be  spoken  of,  who  has  all  creation  under  his 
power,  even  "  the  heavens,  the  work  of  God's  fingers,  the 
moon  and  stars,  which  he  has  ordained."  This  could  be  none 
but  Christ.  When,  therefore,  the  babes  and  sucklings  are 
introduced,  it  is  to  show  that  all,  even  the  feeblest,  as  well  as 
grandest,  are  rendered  subservient  to  Christ's  honour.  The 
original  Hebrew  says,  "  thou  hast  ordained  strength  from  the 
mouth  of  the  babes,"  while  Christ  says,  "  thou  hast  perfected 
praise."  But  when  you  reflect  that  the  Hebrew  psalm  says, 
"  thou  hast  out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  ordained  strength,"  you 
perceive  that  it  must  be  strength  of  expression,  (he  power  of 
language ;  and  as  this  is  said  to  be  ordained,  to  still  God's 


CHRIST'S  SECOND  CLEANSING  OF  THE  TEMPLE.    221 

enemies,  it  is  manifest  that  speaking  to  God's  praise  must  be 
intended.  We  may  be  sure,  also,  from  the  answer  of  Christ, 
in  defence  of  the  children,  as  accomplishing  the  end  predicted, 
and  stilling  the  Jewish  enemies,  that  these  latter  were  aware 
the  Saviour  had  quoted  the  psalm  according  to  its  true  mean- 
ing. The  rendering  which  Christ  gave,  according  to  the 
Evangelist,  is,  indeed,  that  of  the  Septuagint,  which  was 
made  by  the  Jews,  and  was  for  a  long  time  used  by  them  in 
the  worship  of  the  synagogue. 

From  this  scene,  let  us  not  retire  without  increased  admira- 
tion for  the  Saviour,  who  comes  out  of  every  contest  with 
augmented  glory  ;  nor  without  additional  reverence  for  the 
Scriptures,  which  are,  in  a  mysterious  way,  fulfilled  by  the 
most  unconscious  agents  ;  nor  without  inflamed  desires  for  the 
conversion  of  the  Jews,  who  have  been,  for  so  many  ages, 
suffering  under  the  penalty  of  their  rejection  of  Christ. 


222 


LECTURE   LXXI. 

THE   GREEKS    INQUIRING    AFTER    CHRIST. 

Matt.  xxi.  17. 
Mark  xi.  11. 
*  John  xii.  20 — 43. 

*  And  there  were  certain  Greeks  among  them  that  came  up  to  worship  at 
the  feast :  the  same  came  therefore  to  Philip,  which  was  of  Bethsaida  of 
Galilee,  and  desired  him,  saying.  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus. 

When  Christ  was  near  the  manger  at  Bethlehem,  we  saw 
wise  men  from  the  east  come  to  pay  their  honours  to  their 
newly-born  Lord ;  and  now  that  he  is  approaching  to  the  cross, 
we  are  to  behold  Greeks  from  the  west  flocking  with  eager 
desire  to  see  him.  For  the  Father  had  said  by  the  prophet,  "  It 
is  a  light  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be  my  servant,  to  restore 
the  preserved  of  Israel ;  I  will  give  thee  to  be  a  light  of  the 
gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth."  The  Pharisees  exclaimed  in  alarm,  "  The  world  is 
gone  after  him  : "  when  they  saw  foreigners  from  afar,  as  well 
as  Jews,  their  own  countrymen,  press  with  eager  desire  to  see 
the  Son  of  David.  But  these  first  fruits  of  the  gentiles 
should  be  peculiarly  interesting  to  us,  who  hope  that  we  form 
a  part  of  the  promised  harvest.  Devoutly,  then,  let  us  ap- 
proach the  consideration  of  the  leading  event,  the  request  of 
the  Greeks  for  an  interview  with  Jesus,  and  the  subsequent 
occurrences  to  which  it  gave  rise,  the  conversations  and  mira- 
cles that  immediately  followed. 

I.  The  leading  event :  the  request  of  the  Greeks  for  an  in- 
terview with  Jesus. 

This  is  recorded  by  John  alone.     It  has  been  doubted  by 


THE    GREEKS    INQUIRING    AFTER    CHRIST.  223 

some,  whether  the  event  should  be  inserted  in  the  history  of 
the  day  in  which  Christ  triumphantly  entered  Jerusalem.  But 
as  this  best  accords  with  the  narrative  of  John,  which  is  our 
only  guide  here ;  I  have  chosen  to  introduce  it  immediately 
after  the  Saviour's  cleansing  the  temple,  to  which  we  shall  see 
it  has  a  peculiar  relation.     Observe  then, 

1,  The  request  of  the  foreigners. 

They  are  called  Greeks,  which  word  is  used  in  the  New 
Testament  as  the  opposite  of  the  Jews,  where  these  two  terms 
are  employed  to  express  the  whole  human  race.  It  has  been 
asked  whether  these  persons  were  of  gentile  or  Jewish  origin. 
But  as  they  are  not  called  Hellenists,  which  is  the  proper  term 
for  descendants  of  Abraham,  who,  living  in  the  countries 
where  Greek  was  spoken,  had  adopted  that  as  their  native 
tongue,  we  may  conclude  that  they  were  gentiles  by  birth. 
For  the  prayer  of  Solomon,  at  the  dedication  of  the  first  tem- 
ple, was  fulfilled ;  and  strangers,  who  were  not  of  God's 
people  Israel,  came  from  far  countries  to  pray  in  his  house. 

These  Greeks,  therefore,  had  come  up  to  the  feast,  whether 
from  Greece,  or  from  some  other  country  where  Greek  was 
spoken,  we  cannot  say  ;  but  we  may  conclude,  that  they  had, 
by  intercourse  with  the  Jews,  who  were  scattered  at  this  time 
over  a  great  part  of  the  world,  become  acquainted  with  the 
God  of  Israel,  and  with  the  sacred  Scriptures,  through  the 
Septuagint,  or  Greek  version  of  the  Bible.  Such  was  the 
superiority  of  the  Jewish  religion  over  the  heathen  systems, 
that  we  cannot  wonder  that  sensible,  inquiring  men,  who  were 
sincere  in  their  researches  after  truth  and  their  solicitudes  for 
future  safety,  should  adopt  the  worship  which  God  had  pre- 
scribed to  his  people.  These  persons  had,  like  the  Ethiopian 
treasurer,  shown  their  sincerity,  by  coming  from  a  foreign 
country  to  worship  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;  and  they  were 
well  repaid  for  their  wearisome  and  expensive  journey,  by 
being  brought  to  an  acquaintance  with  Jesus,  who  was  "  the 
light  to  lighten  the  gentiles,  as  well  as  the  glory  of  the  people 
of  Israel." 

Whether  the  Greeks  had  heard  of  Jesus,  before,  we  know 
not.     It  is,  indeed,  difficult  to  conceive,  how  they  could  have 


224  LECTURE    LXXI. 

visited  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  at  the  great  feasts,  without 
learning  something  of  the  Saviour.  Yet  they  seem  to  ask  as 
if  they  never  had  seen  Jesus  ;  and  it  is  possible  that  this  may 
have  been  the  first  feast  at  which  they  had  been  present,  since 
Christ's  public  appearance  as  the  Messiah.  I  conceive,  how- 
ever, that  the  circumstance  which  led  to  this  interview  was 
Christ's  cleansing  the  temple.  The  zeal  of  the  Saviour  was 
shown  in  behalf  of  that  part  which  was  appropriated  to  the 
worship  of  the  gentiles  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  this  had 
attracted  their  notice,  and  conciliated  their  favour.  They  had 
seen  the  priests  and  scribes  pour  contempt  upon  the  converted 
gentiles,  by  making  a  market-place  of  that  court  where  they 
were  to  worship ;  and  perhaps  had  reasoned  upon  it  thus : 
"  This  people  have  appropriated  to  us  a  court  for  worship,  as 
if  we  were  welcome  to  join  with  them  in  serving  their  God. 
Why,  then,  afterwards  desecrate  that  very  spot,  and  virtually 
prevent  our  worship,  by  selling  sheep  and  oxen,  and  changing 
money  in  this  court?  This  indicates  at  once  defect  of  benevo- 
lence and  excess  of  covetousness.  They  seem  more  eager  to 
get  money  by  their  religion,  than  to  win  us  heathen  idolaters 
to  the  worship  of  their  God !  Yet  this  should  not  drive  us 
away  from  their  temple.  It  may,  indeed,  justly  grieve  us  for 
those  who  worship  here,  but  should  not  repel  us  from  their 
altars ;  for  the  evidence  of  the  truth  of  their  religion  is  too 
strong  to  be  overthrown  by  the  conduct  of  those  to  whom  it 
was  given.  We  know  that  their  God  is  true,  though  his  pro- 
fessed people  may  be  false  and  covetous,  selfish  and  proud." 

When,  however,  these  Greeks  heard  of  Christ's  driving  out 
the  buyers  and  sellers  from  the  temple,  they  must  have  been 
led  into  a  train  of  very  different  and  far  more  soothing  reflec- 
tions. "  This  is  exactly  as  it  should  be !  Here  is  a  Jew  as- 
serting the  rights  of  the  gentiles !  a  descendant  of  Abraham 
claiming  the  temple  as  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  nations ;  as  it 
was  said  to  Abraham,  *  I  have  made  thee  a  father  of  many 
nations,  that  in  thee  all  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be 
blessed  !'  Here  is  no  Jewish  selfishness  or  pride,  but  a  just 
tenderness  for  the  heathen,  and  a  holy  severity  towards  the 
very  priests   and   teachers  of  the  Jewish  church,   who  are 


THE    GREEKS    INQUIRING    AFTER    CHRIST.  225 

charged  with  turning  their  temple  into  a  den  of  robbers  !  This 
person  must  have  seen  into  the  true  spirit  of  his  religion  ;  and 
if  the  voice  of  the  multitude  is  true,  and  he  is  the  promised 
Son  of  David,  it  is  a  good  omen  for  us  Greeks,  since  he  bears 
the  most  encouraging  marks  of  being  that  friend  of  whom  it 
is  said,  *  To  him  shall  the  gentiles  seek,  and  his  rest  shall  be 
glorious  !'  O,  to  see  this  far-famed  person  !  But  how  shall 
we  effect  so  desirable  an  object  ?"     This  leads  us  to, 

2.  The  way  in  which  their  wish  was  communicated  to 
Christ, 

They  came  not  directly  to  Jesus,  which  would  have  been 
the  best  way  ;  but  addressed  themselves  to  Philip.  It  is  not 
certain  for  what  reasons  they  approached  through  the  media- 
tion of  the  disciples ;  but  as  the  Jews  were  inflated  with  na- 
tional and  religious  pride,  it  might  be  thought  that  these  Greeks 
were  afraid  to  shock  the  feelings  even  of  one  who  had  shown 
himself  superior  to  the  common  prejudices  of  the  Jews,  by 
approaching  him  directly.  But  I  think  it  not  unlikely,  that, 
when  Jesus  had  cleansed  the  court  of  the  gentiles,  he  went 
into  the  inner  court,  devoted  to  the  people  of  the  Jews,  and 
that,  by  this,  the  Saviour  had  become,  for  the  present,  inac- 
cessible to  the  Greeks.  They  came,  therefore,  to  Philip,  who 
might  happen  to  be  seen  passing  at  that  time,  and  whom  they 
may  have  known  as  a  disciple  of  Jesus.  His  name,  Philip, 
being  Greek,  has  led  some  to  suppose,  that  he  or  his  parents 
had  lived  among  the  Greeks.  His  residence,  also,  Bethsaida 
of  Galilee,  being  noticed,  may  lead  to  the  conclusion,  that  this 
border  town  had  introduced  him  to  intercourse  with  gentiles, 
and  so  had  led  to  an  acquaintance  with  some  of  these  very 
persons. 

Philip,  however,  seems  to  have  been  embarrassed  with  the 
request.  Afraid  of  doing  wrong  by  instantly  introducing  the 
gentiles  to  his  Master,  he  prudently  went  and  consulted  with 
a  fellow  disciple,  Andrew.  This  man  being  one  of  the  very 
first  converts  to  Christ,  is  said  by  the  ancients  to  have  been 
not  only  of  note  among  the  Apostles,  but  of  great  authority. 
His  advice  seems  to  have  been,  that  they  should  not  at  once 
bring:  the  Greeks  to  Jesus,  lest  he  should  be  drawn  into  difli- 

VOL.  II.  Q 


226  LECTURE    LXXI. 

culties.  For  the  Pharisees  would  not  have  failed  to  reproach 
him  for  any  thing  which  they  could  have  interpreted  as  a  slight 
put  upon  the  people  of  God,  or  an  insult  offered  to  that  temple 
which  they  had  in  eflFect  defiled,  but  he  had  purified.  The 
disciples,  therefore,  went  together  to  tell  Jesus  himself. 

What  the  success  of  this  information  was,  we  are  not  told. 
If  we  were  to  consult  the  letter  of  the  record,  we  should  con- 
clude that  Jesus  took  no  further  notice  of  the  affair  than  to 
found  upon  it  some  most  instructive  lessons  to  his  disciples  ; 
for  it  is  not  recorded  that  the  Saviour  consented  to  see  the 
Greeks,  or  that  the  disciples  introduced  these  foreigners  to  the 
Son  of  David.  Nor  would  it  be  difficult  to  assign  a  cause 
why  Jesus  should  not  consent  to  an  interview  with  the  Greeks. 
The  reason  is  the  same  in  effect  as  that  which  had  made  the 
disciples  slow  to  introduce  those  who  had  come  and  said,  "  Sir, 
it  is  our  wish  to  see  Jesus."  For  though  the  hour  was  come 
for  Jesus  to  be  glorified  by  being  made  known  to  the  world, 
as  its  great  sacrifice  ;  yet  this  sacrifice  was  to  be  offered,  before 
he  should  draw  all  men  to  him.  Jesus  had  restricted  the  mis- 
sion of  the  disciples  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,  to 
whom  he  declares  he  himself  was  sent,  and  he  might  not  choose 
to  give  any  occasion  to  his  enemies  to  say  he  preferred  heathens 
to  Jews,  and  gave  a  friendly  interview  to  Greeks,  while  he  was 
waging  war  with  the  rulers  of  Israel. 

Still,  however,  it  has  been  thought  that  Jesus  admitted  these 
Greeks  into  his  presence.  This  certainly  would  best  accord 
with  the  general  spirit  and  conduct  of  the  Saviour,  who  cast 
out  none  that  came  to  him.  It  may  have  been  presumed  to  be 
unnecessary  to  inform  us,  that  Jesus  allowed  the  Greeks  to 
see  him.  In  their  presence,  then,  I  suppose  the  following 
discourse  was  delivered,  and  those  testimonials  from  heaven 
were  received,  which  must  have  tended  so  powerfully  to  con- 
firm their  faith  in  him,  as  the  hope  and  desire  of  all  nations. 

If  this  was  the  fact,  as  my  mind,  after  embracing  the  con- 
trary opinion,  now  inclines  to  believe,  it  gives  peculiar  interest 
and  meaning  to  much  that  follows.  With  what  emotions 
these  Greeks  must  have  come  into  the  presence  of  that  Saviour, 
who  now  advanced  probably  into  the  court  of  the  gentiles,  to 


THE    GREEKS    INQUIRING    AFTER    CHRIST.  227 

hold  converse  with  men  from  a  far  country  !  In  what  language 
Christ  conversed  with  these  men,  we  are  not  informed.  From 
the  name  given  them,  we  may  conclude,  that  they  spoke  Greek. 
We  are  never  informed  that  our  Lord  exercised  the  gift  of 
tongues,  though  he  promised  and  communicated  that  astonish- 
ing power  to  his  disciples.  Yet  I  conceive,  that  on  this  occa- 
sion he  did  converse  in  Greek,  and  showed  himself  possessed  of 
that  which  he  gave  to  others.  That  we  have  the  whole  con- 
versation between  Jesus  and  the  Greeks  is  not  likely.  But 
though  the  introductory  compliments,  and  perhaps  much  more 
of  what  was  peculiar  to  that  moment,  may  have  been  omitted, 
we  have  such  parts  of  the  discourse  as  demand  our  serious 
attention.  This,  however,  belongs  to  the  following  head  of 
the  lecture. 

II.  The  subsequent  events  to  which  this  interview  gave  rise. 

These  events  were  of  great  consequence  in  the  history  of 
the  Saviour ;  they  were  Christ's  warning  against  false  expec- 
tations ;  the  discourse  between  him  and  his  Father ;  the  dis- 
pute between  Jesus  and  the  multitude ;  and  the  departure  of 
the  Saviour  from  the  Jews. 

1.  Christ's  warning. 

"  And  Jesus  answered  them,  saying,  The  hour  is  come,  that 
the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified.  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  bringeth  forth  much  fruit.  He 
that  loveth  his  life,  shall  lose  it ;  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in 
this  world,  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.  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  honour." 

These  words  seem  to  have  been  addressed  as  much  to  the 
disciples  as  to  the  Greeks.  The  former  were  perhaps  over- 
joyed to  see  foreigners  inquiring  after  their  Master,  and  were 
ready  to  repeat,  in  a  better  sense  than  the  Pharisees,  "  the 
world  is  gone  after  him."  The  Greeks,  admitted  to  an  inter- 
view, were,  perhaps,  in  hopes  of  seeing  the  Son  of  David  take 
them  under  his  sceptre,  and  unite  all  that  believe  in  one  visible 
earthly  kingdom.  Jesus  says,  "  you  are  indeed  right  in  ex- 
pecting a  speedy  display  of  my  glory ;  for  the  hour  is  come 

Q  2 


228  LECTURE    LXXI. 

for  the  Son  of  man  to  be  glorified,  but  you  are  little  aware  in 
what  way  this  is  to  be  effected.  Hitherto,  it  is  true,  I  have 
been  obscured,  and  am  now  about  to  throw  oft'  the  veil,  but  it 
shall  be  by  throwing  off  the  body.  For  I  shall  '  grow  as  the 
corn,'  to  use  the  language  of  the  prophet.  "  Excep!  a  corn 
of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone  ;  but  if 
it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit.'" 

This  simile  has  been  censured,  as  well  as  that  which  the 
Apostle  derives  from  it,  in  the  beautiful  discourse  on  the  re- 
rurrection,  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  his  letter  to  the  Corin- 
thians :  "  That  which  thou  sowest  is  not  quickened  except  it 
die."  It  has  been  said,  that,  if  the  corn  die,  it  will  not  bear 
fruit.  But  it  is  well  known,  that  death,  like  every  other  word, 
is  employed  in  different  senses  ;  sometimes  more  absolute, 
sometimes  more  restricted.  Now,  as  the  comparison  lies  be- 
tween the  death  of  the  corn  and  our  death,  it  may  be  con- 
tended that  the  language  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Apostle  is 
strictly  proper.  In  what  sense  does  the  corn  die  in  order  to 
reproduce  i  The  mass  of  the  grain  passes  through  a  putre- 
factive process  ;  but  a  small  portion,  the  vital  germ,  still  lives  ; 
and  this,  by  the  very  death  of  the  rest  is  nourished,  and  en- 
abled to  produce  new  and  beautiful  plants.  In  like  manner, 
the  body  of  man  dies  ;  but  the  soul,  the  vital  principle,  yet 
lives,  and  shall  come  forth  clothed  with  immortality  and  glory. 
Now  in  the  case  of  Jesus,  death  was  productive  of  life ;  his 
body  died,  being  made  a  sacrifice  for  sin  ;  but  his  soul,  still 
united  to  his  Deity,  reanimated  his  body,  and  produced  the 
most  abundant  and  happy  effects  on  myriads  of  our  race,  who 
owe  their  eternal  life  to  his  death. 

By  this  simile,  our  Lord  destroyed  the  false  expectation  that 
he  was  about  to  assume  an  earthly  dominion.  He  proceeds, 
therefore,  to  warn  his  disciples  and  the  Greeks,  that  the  undue 
love  of  this  life  would  expose  them  to  the  danger  of  losing 
their  share  in  the  future,  better  life,  and  that  they  ought  even 
to  hate  their  own  life,  if  it  should  stand  in  the  way  of  their 
obtaining  life  eternal.  To  confirm  this,  he  says,  "  if  any  man 
come  with  a  profession  of  becoming  my  servant,  he  must  follow 
rae,  and  I  am  now  going  away  to  death.     That  death,  however, 


THE    GREEKS    INQUIRING    AFTER    CHRIST.  229 

shall  lead  me  to  my  Father's  presence,  and  endless  life,  and 
where  I  am  there  shall  my  servant  be.  If  any  man  serve  me, 
by  consecrating  his  life  to  my  honour  and  interests,  my  Father 
will  honour  him,  and  admit  him  into  his  presence,  to  dwell  for 
ever  with  the  eternal  Son  of  his  love." 

2.  Now  follows  a  discourse  between  Christ  and  the  Father. 

For,  while  Christ  was  saying  these  things,  to  show  that  he 
did  not  animate  others  to  death  when  he  knew  not  what  it  was 
to  die,  he  suffered  to  come  upon  him  all  the  presentiment  of 
dissolution.  His  soul  was  thrown  into  agitations,  which  made 
him  exclaim,  "  even  now  I  have  the  anticipation  of  death  upon 
me ;  now  is  my  soul  troubled,  and  what  shall  I  say  ?  what 
language  shall  express  my  agonies?  or,  what  shall  I  ask  in 
such  a  crisis  I  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour  !  This  is  what 
nature  would  cry,  and  what  the  natural  aversion  of  humanity 
to  pain  would  permit.  But  to  this,  I  say.  Father,  glorify 
thy  name.  At  whatever  price  that  object  may  be  procured  ; 
though  it  be  all  this  trouble  of  soul  which  I  feel  coming  on 
me,  and  though  this  agony  advance  till  it  tear  my  soul  from 
the  body,  I  still  cry,  Father,  glorify  thy  name."  Thus  spake 
the  Son  of  God. 

Then  came  there  a  voice  from  heaven,  "  I  have  both  glori- 
fied and  will  glorify  again."  This  expression  is  left  elliptical, 
to  show,  no  doubt,  that  it  was  an  answer  to  Christ.  For  it 
makes  no  complete  sense  till  you  add  to  it  what  Christ  had 
said,  "  Father,  glorify  thy  name ;"  to  which  the  voice  replied, 
**  I  have,  and  will  again."  i.  e.  "I  have  glorified  my  name  in 
sending  thee  into  the  world,  and  attesting  thy  mission  by 
mighty  signs  and  voices  from  heaven ;  and  I  will  glorify  it 
again  by  all  that  thou  shalt  suffer  for  sin,  and  by  all  the  triumphs 
that  shall  attend  thy  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  thy  as- 
cension to  my  right  hand." 

When  Christ  first  came  forth  to  public  view,  at  his  baptism, 
and  was  praying,  a  voice  from  heaven  proclaimed,  "  This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  ;"  and  now  that 
Jesus  is  approaching  the  end  of  his  career,  and  is  near  the 
floods  of  death,  the  same  voice  answered  his  prayer  again, 
saying,  "  I  have  glorified  my  name  in  thee,  and  as  a  token 


230  LECTURE    LXXI. 

that  I  am  well  pleased  with  the  whole  course  of  thy  life,  I  en- 
gage again  to  glorify  my  name  by  such  an  attestation  of  ray 
approbation  of  thee  as  shall  bow  the  world  to  the  obedience  of 
faith."  That  voice  at  baptism  was  in  a  solitary  spot,  where 
few,  perhaps,  but  those  who  went  to  John's  baptism  heard ; 
but  this  second,  or  rather  third  proclamation  from  the  skies,  (for 
there  had  been  one  on  mount  Tabor,)  was  addressed  to  Jesus 
in  the  midst  of  the  temple,  where  crowds  were  standing  around 
as  ear  witnesses. 

3.  The  dispute  between  Christ  and  the  people. 

"  Some  of  the  people,  therefore,  who  stood  by  and  heard, 
said  that  it  thundered."  I  conclude  that  the  voice  spoke  in 
Greek,  for  the  sake  of  the  Greeks  with  whom  Christ  was 
now  conversing  in  that  tongue.  This  was  the  reason  why 
the  Jews  who  stood  by  uttered  this  speech.  They  heard  a 
noise  coming  from  heaven,  and,  imagining  that  it  spoke  no 
articulate  sounds  expressive  of  any  rational  meaning,  they 
supposed  it  was  only  thunder.  This,  however,  should  have 
struck  them  with  awe,  and  convinced  them  of  Christ's  inter- 
course with  heaven ;  that  immediately,  in  answer  to  his  prayer, 
which  from  his  manner  they  must  have  known  he  was  offer- 
ing, the  thunder  should  utter  its  voice. 

"  Others  said  an  angel  spake  to  him."  Whether  these 
were  Jews  who  understood  Greek,  and  therefore  perceived 
that  the  voice  from  heaven  was  an  intelligible  speech, 
which  they  attributed  to  an  angel  speaking  with  Jesus,  we 
cannot  ascertain.  It  must,  however,  have  been  most  im- 
pressive and  encouraging  to  the  strangers,  who  bad  come  to 
behold  the  Saviour,  to  find  him  thus  in  converse  with  heaven. 
They  had  not  been  witnesses  to  many  of  the  signs  by  which 
heaven  had  attested  its  approbation  of  Christ.  The  testimony 
of  John  the  baptist,  the  voice  from  heaven  at  the  baptism,  or 
on  mount  Tabor,  they  had  not  heard  ;  but  God  gave  them 
a  sign  in  the  very  first  interview  which  they  enjoyed  with 
the  Son  of  God.  They  heard  Jesus  call  God  "Father;"  they 
heard  heaven  answer  the  first  prayer  which  the  Saviour  offered 
in  their  presence;  they  found  that,  while  he  preferred,  to  life 
and  ease,  the  glory  of  his  Father's  name,  the  Father  had 


THE    GREEKS    INQUIRING    AFTER    CHRIST.  231 

pledged  himself  to  glorify  that  name.  Well,  therefore, 
might  they  go  home  to  their  country  and  say,  "  we  have  seen 
a  man,  who,  standing  upon  earth,  holds  converse  with  God  in 
heaven,  as  his  father,  and  speaks  with  him  as  with  a  parent. 
Whatever  the  Jews  may  say  of  his  past  life  and  conduct,  we 
know  that  it  must  have  been  honourable  lo  God;  and  what- 
ever may  become  of  Jesus  in  future,  we  are  sure  that  every 
thing  will  answer  his  prayers  and  redound  to  the  honour  of 
God ;  for  he  hath  said,  *  I  will  glorify  my  name  again,  as 
thou  hast  asked.'  " 

The  dispute  with  the  Jews  assumes  a  more  decided  tone. 
Jesus  changing,  as  I  suppose,  his  language,  addressed  the  people 
of  Israel  in  their  own  tongue.  For,  observing  their  disputes  about 
the  voice  from  heaven,  some  saying  that  it  was  thunder,  others, 
that  it  was  an  angel's  voice;  the  Saviour  now  explained  its 
meaning,  if  this  had  not  already  been  done  by  those  who  un- 
derstood Greek.  Our  Lord,  however,  told  the  Jews,  that  this 
voice  came  not  for  his  sake,  as  if  he  needed  to  be  told  that 
the  Father  had  been  glorified,  and  would  be  so  again;  but  for 
their  sakes  who  stood  by.  This  must  have  recalled  to  those 
who  had  seen  him  raise  Lazarus,  that  at  his  grave  Jesus  had 
said,  "  Father,  I  thank  thee,  that  thou  hast  heard  me,  and  I 
know  that  thou  hearest  me  always  ;  but,  because  of  them  that 
stood  by,  I  said  it,  that  they  might  believe."  Proceeding  to 
converse  with  the  Jews,  Jesus  says,  "  now  is  the  judgment  of 
this  world,"  using  the  word  judgment  either  in  the  sense  of 
crisis,  which  is  but  the  Greek  word  for  judgment  adopted  into 
our  language,  or  in  the  Hebrew  sense,  signifying  the  vindi- 
cation of  the  cause  of  this  world :  the  latter  sense  best  accords 
with  what  follows,  "  now  is  the  prince  of  this  world  cast  out." 
Connect  all  this  with  the  preceding  declaration,  that  the 
trouble  of  death  had  begun  to  come  upon  the  Saviour's  soul. 
Now  was  come  the  world's  crisis,  the  time  to  vindicate  the 
cause  of  our  race  against  its  destroyer ;  for  he  that  acted  as 
prince  of  the  world  by  leading  on  its  rebellions  against  God 
should  be  cast  out.  But  to  show  in  what  way  this  should  be, 
our  Lord  advances,  and  says,  "I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the 
earth,  will  draw  all  men  to  me."     This  spake  he,  signifying 


232  LECTURE    LXXI. 

by  what  death  he  should  die.  For  the  expression,  lifted, 
might  be  rendered  hanged  up,  and  thus  expresses  the  death 
on  the  cross,  which  Jesus  knew  he  should  die.  This  was  to 
be  the  grand  attraction,  though  nothing  is,  naturally,  more 
repulsive  than  the  sight  of  one  hanging  upon  the  gibbet.  Yet 
all  the  miracles  he  had  now  wrought,  and  which  had  drawn 
the  Greeks  to  him,  would  be  nothing  in  comparison  with  the 
influence  of  his  cross,  so  that  he  might  say,  "  living,  I  have 
drawn  a  few;  dying,  I  will  attract  all." 

This,  however,  gave  rise  to  a  new  cavil  from  the  Jews,  who 
said,  "  we  have  heard,  out  of  the  law,  that  Christ  abideth  for 
ever:  how  say  est  thou  the  Son  of  man  must  be  lifted  up? 
Who  is  this  Son  of  man  ?"  The  Jews  could  be  wise  or  igno- 
rant, as  suited  their  purpose.  Here  they  were  ignorantly 
wise.  They  knew  the  words  of  Scripture,  and  enough  of 
their  application  to  furnish  an  opportunity  of  cavil ;  but  not 
enough  to  lead  them  to  the  truth.  The  eternity  of  Christ's 
reign  is,  indeed,  taught  in  their  Scriptures,  which  they  call 
the  law.  * 

To  this  objection  our  Lord  replied,  by  saying,  "  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."  These  words  were  followed 
by  the  most  appropriate  but  awful  action,  for  we  must  now 
proceed  to  consider, 

4.  The  departure  of  Jesus  from  the  Jews. 

He  departed  and  hid  himself  from  them ;  for  night  now 
coming  on,  he  acted  as  Matthew  and  Mark  relate :  *'  And  he 
left  them,  and  went  out  of  the  city  into  Bethany,  and  he 
lodged  there." t  "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."  X 

In  all  this  populous  city,  it  seems,  that  no  one  asked  the 
Saviour  to  come  into  a  house,  or  to  partake  of  a  meal,  or  lie 
in  a  bed ;  but,  after  a  long  day  of  public  labour  and  preaching, 

*  Psalm  xlv.  7. — Ixxii.  5. — Ixxxix.  5,  and  30. — ex.  4  ;  Isaiah  ix.  5,  6; 
pz(;k.  xxxvii.  24;  Dan.  vii.  14. 

f  Matt.  xxi.  17.  J  Mark  xi.  11. 


THE   GREEKS    INQUIRING    AFTER    CHRIST.  233 

and  miracles  and  disputes,  the  Saviour  was  obliged  to  go  out  of 
the  city,  and  return  again  to  Bethany,  whence  he  had  come 
forth  in  the  morning. 

But  O !  my  friends,  let  him  not  go  without  waking  up  your 
souls  to  deprecate  his  departure  from  you.  The  most  alarm- 
ing of  all  calamities  is  the  Saviour's  turning  his  back  upon  us. 
That  numerous  host  of  invincible  Romans  which  Vespasian 
shortly  after  led  against  Jerusalem  was  viewed  from  her  walls 
with  terror  and  dismay;  while  Jesus  was  suffered  to  depart 
unnoticed  and  unregretted,  no  one  deigning  so  much  as  to  say, 
*'  do  not  leave  us."  Yet  that  hostile  invasion  which  filled  the 
whole  country  with  so  much  horror,  was  formidable,  only  be- 
cause he  who  was  "  despised  and  rejected"  of  that  nation  had 
gone  silently  forth  from  the  gates  of  the  capital,  saying,  "  O ! 
that  thou  hadst  known,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that 
belong  to  thy  peace."  Let  afflictions  come  upon  us,  let  hostile 
armies  invade  us,  let  all  the  thunders  of  creation  assail  us; 
only,  Jesus,  do  not  leave  us. 


234 


LECTURE  LXXII. 

Christ's  judgment  on  the  barren  fig-tree. 

*  Matt,  xxi.  18,  19. 
Mark  xi.  12 — 19. 
John  xii.  44 — 50. 

*  Now  in  the  morning,  as  he  returned  into  the  city,  he  hungered.  And  when 
he  saw  a  fig-tree  in  the  way,  he  came  to  it,  and  found  nothing  thereon  but 
leaves  only,  and  said  unto  it.  Let  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  henceforward  for 
ever.     And  presently  the  fig-tree  withered  away. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  formerly  spake  this  parable,  "  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;  why 
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  down." 

This  day  we  are  to  behold  Christ's  words  illustrated  and 
confirmed  by  his  works.  It  has,  indeed,  been  justly  observed, 
that  the  pretended  prodigies  of  Mahomet  were  for  useless 
ostentation ;  the  real  miracles  of  Moses  were  for  terror  and 
judgment,  to  awe  the  rebellious  Jews ;  but  the  miracles  of 
Jesus  were  kind  and  beneficent,  suited  to  the  dispensation  of 
grace  which  he  introduced.  "  He  went  about  doing  good 
and  healing  all  manner  of  diseases  ;"  so  that  the  people  ex- 
claimed, "  he  hath  done  all  things  well ;  he  maketh  both  the 
dumb  to  speak,  and  the  deaf  to  hear." 

There  were,  however,  two  miracles  of  Christ  which  may 


CHRIST'S  JUDGMENT  ON  THE  FIG-TREE.  235 

seem  exceptions  to  this  general  rule.  Neither  of  them  smote 
man  with  judgments ;  but  one  destroyed  a  herd  of  swine,  and  the 
other,  which  we  are  to  consider  to-day,  withered  a  tree.  Let 
us  advance  then  to  meditate  on, 

I.  Christ's  miracle,  on  his  way  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 
For  one  Evangelist  says,  this  happened  on  the  morrow,  and 
another  informs  us  that  it  was  early,  and  both  assure  us  that 
Christ  was  returning  to  the  city  from  Bethany.  How  he  was 
received  at  the  favoured  village  we  are  not  informed;  but  we 
cannot  suppose,  that  where  he  had  been  so  kindly  entertained 
and  so  sumptuously  anointed  the  night  before,  he  would  be 
coldly  treated  either  by  Simon  the  leper,  or  by  the  family  of 
Lazarus,  when  they  saw  the  Saviour  return  weary  and  hungry, 
on  foot,  and  in  the  dark,  after  having  gone  to  Jerusalem  in  a 
kind  of  royal  triumph.  Nor  are  we  permitted  to  know  how  our 
Lord  passed  the  night  at  Bethany.  But  as  the  last  sleepless 
night  of  Gethsemane  approached,  we  may  naturally  conclude 
that  watchfulness  and  prayer,  rather  than  sleep,  consumed  the 
midnight  hours. 

However  this  may  be,  he  was,  early  on  the  morrow,  that  is, 
on  the  morning  of  Monday,  on  the  road  again  towards  the  fatal 
city.  Undeterred  by  the  ingratitude  of  the  Jews,  he  hastens 
to  teach  them  again,  and,  unterrified  by  the  threats  and  plots 
of  the  rulers,  he  betakes  himself  to  his  post,  to  teach  us  to  be 
sure  that  death  find  us  where  duty  calls  us.  The  Saviour  was, 
on  this  occasion,  accompanied  by  his  disciples,  whom  he  de- 
signed to  make  witnesses  of  the  instructive  judgment  he  was 
about  to  execute. 

1.  The  occasion  of  the  miracle  was  Christ's  hunger.  It 
has  been  disputed  whether  this  were  natural,  or  miraculous, 
or  feigned  hunger.  With  regard  to  the  latter,  we  must  all 
conclude,  that  where  the  spirit  of  inspiration  has  said,  "Jesus 
hungered,"  it  is  highly  unbecoming  to  suppose  that  mere  pre- 
tence was  intended.  Then  it  must  have  been,  say  some,  by  a 
miraculous  command  over  his  frame,  by  which  he  could  call 
as  well  as  repel  hunger  at  will.  For  he  must  have  been  well 
entertained  the  preceding  evening  at  Bethany,  and  it  was  not 
yet  time  for  taking  the  first  meal.     We  reply,  that  we  do  not 


286  LECTURE    LXXII. 

know  whether  his  state  of  mind  allowed  of  Christ's  taking  what 
his  hospitable  friends  would  gladly  have  given,  and  whether 
the  watchful  solicitude  and  devotion  of  the  night  may  not 
have  prodiiced,  as  naturally  they  might,  a  premature  hunger 
the  next  morning. 

But,  from  whatever  cause  it  may  have  happened,  we  may 
be  sure  of  the  fact,  and  may  from  it  derive  much  instruction. 
Christians  in  poor  circumstances  may  learn,  that  their  Lord 
can  sympathize  with  them  in  hunger  and  want;  and  those 
who,  in  their  labours  for  the  souls  of  others,  are  sometimes 
deprived  of  their  necessary  meals,  may  think  themselves 
honoured  in  being  allowed  to  tread  thus  closely  in  the  foot- 
steps of  Jesus  Christ.  This  we  should  especially  notice, 
that,  however  hungry  the  Saviour  was,  he  would  not  suffer 
his  own  wants  to  detain  him  at  Bethany,  to  receive  the  af- 
fectionate hospitality  of  friends.  He  pressed  on  eagerly  to 
preach  and  suffer  at  Jerusalem.  For  our  salvation  the  blessed 
Redeemer  hungered  and  thirsted,  more  than  for  food  or 
drink. 

2.  The  subject  of  this  miracle  was  a  fig-tree,  which  Jesus 
saw  by  the  road,  a  good  way  off.  It  is  so  mentioned  as  to 
indicate  a  single  solitary  fig-tree  standing  by  itself.  This 
rendered  the  judgment  wrought  on  it  manifest,  as  it  would 
not  have  been,  if  the  tree  had  stood  amidst  a  number  of  others. 
In  this  latter  way,  however,  it  seems,  that  fig-trees  ordinarily 
grew  ;  for  the  Jews  had  whole  orchards  of  them,  which  they 
cultivated  with  singular  care.  Bethphage  is  supposed  by 
some  to  derive  its  name  from  this  fruit,  and  to  signify  the 
house  of  figs.  But  though  the  road  probably  abounded  with 
fig-trees,  this  one  attracted  notice  by  being  full  of  leaves,  per- 
haps earlier  than  others,  and  thus  giving  promise  of  earlier 
fruit.  For  it  is  said,  that  one  species  of  fig,  called,  from  its 
precocity,  Becorah,  first  ripe,  began  to  appear  about  the  time 
of  the  Jewish  passover,  and  the  fruit  was  produced  as  soon 
as  the  leaves  appeared.  When,  therefore,  it  is  said  by  Mark, 
"  the  time  of  figs  was  not  yet,"  we  are  to  understand  his  ex- 
pression as  meaning,  like  our  phrases,  cherry-time,  or  straw- 
berry-time, the  season  for  these  fruits  to  be  gathered,  when 


CHRIST'S    JUDGMENT    ON    THE    FIG-TREE.  237 

we  should  not  be  surprised  to  find  a  plant  or  tree  destitute  of 
fruit,  because  it  had  already  been  gathered.  This  season  was 
not  yet  come :  at  the  same  time  the  tree,  by  its  leaves, 
gave  intimation  of  having  an  early  crop.  Thus  viewed,  all 
the  difficulty  and  apparent  contradiction  of  this  passage  va- 
nish. 

Our  Lord  turned  aside  from  the  road,  to  go  up  to  this  tree, 
to  seek  for  fruit.  Whether  he  acted  as  man,  and  in  that  na- 
ture did  not  avail  himself  of  the  omniscience  of  his  Deity,  or 
whether  as  God,  doing  what  he  had  formerly  described,  "  I 
looked  that  the  vine  should  bring  forth  grapes,  and  it  brought 
forth  wild  grapes,"  it  is  not  of  importance  for  us  to  ascertain. 
But  when  Jesus  "  came  up  to  the  tree,  he  found  nothing 
thereon  but  leaves."  These  served  only  to  deceive  and  to  dis- 
appoint. They  looked  fair  at  a  distance,  and  thus  attracted 
the  eye  of  the  Redeemer,  and  their  appearance  was  a  kind  of 
promise  of  fruit,  in  a  tree  of  this  kind  in  which  the  fruit  comes 
as  soon  as  the  leaves.  When,  therefore,  no  fruit  was  to  be 
found  to  meet  the  hopes  excited,  and  supply  the  wants  of  the 
hungry,  the  Saviour  chose  to  make  the  tree  the  subject  of  his 
instructive  miracle  of  judgment,  which  we  have  now  to  be- 
hold. 

3.  The  sentence  pronounced :  "  No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee 
hereafter  for  ever,  and  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  henceforth  for 
ever."  The  disciples  who  had  followed  Christ  up  to  the  tree, 
heard  this  sentence,  and  saw  the  tree  instantly  wither.  Though 
no  axe  had  been  laid  to  the  root,  no  lightning  had  blasted  the 
foliage,  and,  as  far  as  the  eye  of  man  could  see,  'nothing  had 
been  done  to  it;  yet  its  fair,  deceitful  leaves  shrivelled  up, 
lost  their  glossy  green,  and,  began  to  drop  in  the  midst  of 
spring,  as  if  the  blasts  of  winter  had  seized  it.  Such  was  the 
power  of  the  voice,  or  rather  of  the  will,  of  Christ. 

The  disciples,  who  were  witnesses  of  the  fact,  were  here 
taught  the  most  important  and  impressive  lessons.  But  as 
these  were  lessons  of  judgment,  our  Lord  chose  to  convey 
them  by  means  of  a  tree.  His  lectures  of  love,  which  were 
to  teach  his  power  to  save,  and  his  readiness  to  heal  the  dis- 
ease of  sin,   he   taught  by  miracles  of  mercy  on  men.     He 


238  LECTURE    LXXII. 

never  struck  a  human  being  with  disease  or  death,  to  show  the 
omnipotence  of  his  vengeance.  Yet  as  this,  also,  we  needed 
to  learn,  he  taught  it  by  blasting  a  barren,  deceitful  fig-tree. 
A  tree  is  often  employed  in  Scripture,  and  with  great  force  as 
well  as  beauty,  to  represent  the  moral  state  of  man.  The  fig- 
tree  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  exemplify  the  state  of  the  Jews. 
Not  to  mention  that  our  Lord  had  already  called  their  attention 
to  very  striking  parabolic  emblems  of  their  condition,  derived 
from  this  object  in  nature ;  we  may  observe  that  this  kind  of 
tree  was  very  familiar  to  their  eye,  was  of  great  importance  to 
them  for  food  and  comfort,  and  was  exactly  suited  to  their  soil. 
The  individual  tree  which  our  Lord  selected  was  fair  to  the  eye, 
attracting  attention  by  its  fine  foliage,  and  thus  proving  that  it 
was  not  owing  to  a  bad  soil,  or  unfavourable  seasons,  that  it  bore 
no  fruit.  Now  was  the  time  that  it  should,  if  ever,  produce 
that  for  which  it  was  planted,  and  which  constituted  all  its 
worth  ;  and  now  the  Lord,  who  had  a  sovereign  right  over  it, 
came  seeking  for  food  from  it,  in  an  hour  of  need.  But,  not- 
withstanding all  this,  it  yielded  no  fruit ;  there  was  nothing 
on  it  but  leaves. 

See  here  the  Jewish  people.  Planted  in  a  very  favourable 
soil,  they  were  blessed  with  every  advantage  for  religion — the 
sacred  Scriptures,  the  institutions  that  pointed  to  Christ,  and 
peculiar  dispensations  of  a  most  instructive  providence.  The 
Saviour  had  now,  for  three  years  and  a  half,  been  seeking 
fruit,  and  finding  none.  They  had  been  warned  that,  if,  after 
these  more  mighty  visitations,  they  still  continued  barren,  they 
should  be  cut  down  by  the  axe  of  vengeance.  They  were  now 
about  to  give  the  last,  most  dreadful  proof  of  their  bar- 
renness as  a  nation,  by  rejecting  and  crucifying  the  Lord 
of  glory.  Here,  then,  they  were  presented  with  a  most  affect- 
ing emblem  of  the  judgment  that  was  coming  upon  them. 

Christ  left  the  tree  standing,  though  he  that  withered  could 
in  a  moment  have  burnt  or  annihilated  it.  The  Jews  re- 
mained for  a  time  in  their  own  land,  after  they  were  smitten 
with  the  curse  of  heaven.  Ever  since,  they  have  been  driven 
by  the  blast  of  providence  over  the  face  of  the  whole  earth, 
they  have  preserved  their  existence  as  a  people,  and  by  a  pro- 


CHRIST'S   JUDGMENT   ON    THE    FIG-TREE.  239 

digy  of  unrivalled  wonder,  they  still  continue,  without  being 
absorbed  in  the  general  mass  of  the  nations  among  which  this 
singular  people  has  been  scattered. 

But  what  was  the  curse  of  the  fig-tree  ?  Not  that  in  future 
it  should  bear  poisonous  fruit,  but  that  it  should  bear  no  fruit 
at  all.  Its  fault  was  made  its  punishment.  That  which  did 
not,  in  future  should  not  bear  fruit.  "  From  him  that  hath 
not,"  says  Jesus,  "  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  which  he 
seemeth  to  have."  Now  Christ's  mighty  voice  laid  the  powers 
of  nature  under  an  interdict,  and  forbade  them  to  nourish  that 
one  tree,  though  they  cherished  all  the  other  plants  around. 
The  earth  could  administer  no  nourishment  to  the  root,  the 
air  must  supply  no  vital  gas  to  the  leaves,  the  rain  and  dew 
were  not  to  recruit  the  sap ;  but  dry,  withering,  and  hastening 
to  the  fire,  the  accursed  tree  was  to  warn  the  passengers  by 
the  way,  as  with  an  articulate  voice,  saying,  "  expect  no  fruit 
from  me."  Thus  stands  the  nation  of  the  Jews.  For  almost 
two  thousand  years  it  has  remained  blinded  in  mind,  hardened 
in  heart,  filled  with  enmity  to  Christ,  and  love  of  nothing  but 
the  world  and  sin,  nor  has  any  one  expected  good  from  them  ; 
nor  can  we  hope  for  fruits  of  righteousness,  till  the  Lord 
our  Saviour  turn  the  curse  into  a  blessing. 

See,  then,  the  sin  and  punishment  of  barrenness.  Many, 
alas !  think  negative  guilt  to  be  innocence.  They  deem  it  a 
justification  of  their  character  to  say,  we  have  done  nothing. 
This  may  be  the  foul  crime  of  which  we  are  accused.  This 
was  the  fault  of  the  barren  fig-tree ;  not  that  it  bore  poison, 
but  that  it  bore  nothing.  For  this,  it  was  smitten  with  the 
sentence  that  henceforth  it  should  bear  nothing.  Then  let  us 
tremble,  lest  it  be  said  of  us,  "  these  many  years  have  I  come 
seeking  fruit  from  them,  and  find  none."  For  if  we  should 
be  smitten  with  the  curse  of  barrenness,  and  heaven  should 
declare  that  the  privilege  of  doing  aught  for  the  service  and 
honour  of  God  shall  never  be  ours,  what  malediction  would  be 
so  severe? 

But  now  we  have  seen  our  Lord  give  a  proof  of  his  power 
to  execute  judgment,  as  well  as  to  bestow  mercy,  to  curse  as 


240  LECTURE    LXXII. 

well  as  to  bless ;  that  his  disciples  mig-ht  not  mistake  his  pa- 
tience for  weakness,  and  suppose  he  suffered,  because  he  could 
not  resist  and  revenge.  Let  us  follow  him  into  the  city,  where 
he  was  to  endure  the  contradiction  of  sinners,  even  unto  death. 
Study  now, 

II.  His  conduct  on  his  return  to  the  temple. 

We  might  have  hoped  for  some  happy  effects  from  the  pre- 
ceding day's  popularity,  miracles,  and  instructions.  Instead 
of  this,  the  Saviour  found  in  the  Jews  a  barren  fig-tree,  that 
produced  no  fruit,  after  all  the  culture  he  had  bestowed  upon 
it,  so  that  he  had  all  his  labour  to  repeat. 

1.   He  cleansed  the  temple  again. 

The  buyers  and  sellers,  though  scared  by  the  previous  con- 
duct of  Christ,  and  unable,  as  the  prophet  foretold,  to  abide 
his  coming,  had  rallied  as  soon  as  he  went  away,  and  were  at 
their  market  again  in  the  temple,  after  Jesus  retired.  But 
as  he  repaired  again  to  the  temple,  to  pay  his  devotion  at 
his  Father's  house,  finding  them  there,  the  Lamb  of  God 
once  more  put  on  the  terrors  of  the  judge,  and  drove  the  whole 
host  before  him.  On  this  occasion,  it  was  said,  that  "  he 
would  not  suffer  any  one  to  carry  a  vessel  through  the  temple." 
Whether  this  was  a  new  exertion  of  his  authority  and  expres- 
sion of  his  reverence  for  the  temple  of  God,  or  whether  he 
had  before  done  the  same,  though  it  was  not  recorded,  we 
cannot  be  sure.  We  may  conclude  that  it  was  felt  to  be 
an  exercise  of  influence  most  mysterious,  that  a  single  un- 
armed individual  should  thus  control  the  actions  of  a  host  over 
so  large  a  space  as  the  temple  occupied.  But  when  we  see 
Christ  renew  these  exertions  of  his  power  and  wisdom,  autho- 
rity and  sanctity,  we  learn  not  to  be  discouraged  by  the  ap- 
parent failure  of  former  efforts  for  reformation.  Persevere  in 
well  doing;  "  for  in  due  season  we  shall  reap,  if  we  faint 
not."  These  miracles  of  our  Lord  have  been  some  of  the  most 
useful  he  ever  wrought;  for  we  are,  at  this  day,  deriving  bene- 
fit from  them,  however  insolently  the  Jews  may  have  spurned 
at  his  authority,  and  however  obstinately  they  may  have  re- 
sisted the  methods  of  his  orrace.     How  often  have  Christians 


CHRIST'S    JUDGMENT    ON    THE    FlG-TREli.  241 

been  roused  to  inspect  their  own  hearts,  and  render  to  God 
sincere  spiritual  worship,  by  reflecting  on  the  conduct  of  Christ 
in  cleansing  the  temple  of  God! 

2.   His  enemies  again  sought  the  Saviour's  life  in  vain. 

"The  scribes  and  chief  priests  heard  it,  and  sought  how 
they  might  destroy  him  ;  for  they  feared  him,  because  all  the 
people  were  astonished  at  his  doctrine." 

These  ecclesiastical  leaders  were  stung  with  the  reproof 
which  Christ  gave,  feeling  that  they  were  the  persons  on  whom 
fell  the  charge  of  turning  the  temple  of  God  into  a  den  of 
robbers.  Conscious  that  they  had  sanctioned  this  profanation, 
for  the  sake  of  gain,  and  that  they  were  convicted  before  the 
world  of  dishonouring  the  very  temple  of  which  they  boasted, 
and  from  which  they  derived  their  consequence,  they  turned 
their  hatred,  not  upon  their  sins,  but  upon  their  reprover. 
The  chief  priests,  instead  of  being  awakened  to  jealousy  for 
the  sanctity  and  honour  of  the  holy  place,  felt  nothing  but 
spite  against  him,  who  was  at  once  the  true  priest  and  temple. 
The  scribes,  who  ought  to  have  been  roused  by  Christ's  quo- 
tation of  Scripture,  reflect  with  shame  upon  their  ignorance  or 
misapplication  of  the  book  which  they  were  appointed  to  ex- 
plain, and  were  the  more  bent  upon  quenching  the  light  of 
Israel,  that  there  might  be  none  to  detect  their  perversion  of 
divine  revelation.  Such,  however,  is  the  usual  course  of 
things.  None  are  more  enraged  at  the  reformation  of  religion 
than  wicked,  worldly  priests,  and  none  more  anxious  to  put 
out  the  light  of  the  holy  Scriptures  than  those  who,  by  office, 
are  bound  to  explain  and  circulate  them. 

These  ecclesiastical  authorities,  therefore,  "  sought  how 
they  might  destroy  Jesus."  They  had  before  determined  to 
do  it,  having  condemned  him  to  death,  and  issued  orders  that 
whoever  knew  where  he  was  should  give  information.  Now, 
however,  that  they  know  where  he  is,  and  have  him  before 
their  eyes,  they  are  embarrassed  by  his  conduct,  for  they  were 
afraid  of  him.  One  would  naturally  have  concluded,  that 
their  fear  arose  from  the  divine  glory  that  shone  around  him, 
in  the  undaunted  spirit  with  which  he  had  cleansed  the  temple, 
and   claimed   supreme  authority  in  the  house  of  God,  and 

VOL.    II.  R 


242  LECTURE    LXXII. 

from  the  splendour  of  his  miracles  and  doctrine.  But,  un- 
happily, to  these  things,  which  were  calculated  to  create  that 
"  fear  of  the  Lord  which  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,"  they 
were  blind,  and  all  their  fear  was,  lest  the  people  should  take 
part  with  Jesus,  and  attempt  to  rescue  him.  Mark  gives  this 
reason  why  they  anxiously  studied  how  they  might  accomplish 
Christ's  destruction,  because  '*  they  feared  the  people,"  who 
were  all  astonished  at  his  doctrine ;  and  Luke  says,  "  They 
sought  to  destroy  him,  but  did  not  find  what  they  could  do  to 
him  ;  for  all  the  people  were  very  attentive  to  hear  him." 

The  strongest  expressions  are  employed  to  convey  an  idea 
of  the  effect  which  Christ's  conduct  and  discourse  produced 
on  the  people.  They  are  said  to  have  been  transported,  or 
enchanted,  with  his  doctrine.  There  was  that  purity  of  mo- 
tive which  formed  such  a  contrast  with  the  covetousness  of 
the  priests,  who  were  "  looking  every  one  for  his  gain  from 
his  quarter;"  there  was  such  attention  to  the  weightier  mat- 
ters of  the  law  in  preference  to  the  minutise  of  the  Pharisees' 
traditions;  and  such  solicitude  for  the  divine  glory  in  the 
salvation  of  the  people,  instead  of  the  austere  pride  of  pha- 
risaic  hypocrisy,  that  the  people  were  fascinated  with  Jesus, 
and  exclaimed,  "  never  man  spake  like  this  man." 

This  rendered  it  necessary  for  the  enemy  to  think  carefully 
what  could  be  done  against  such  a  man.  Two  ways  alone 
seemed  open  to  them  ;  either  to  watch  an  opportunity  to  seize 
him  privately  in  the  absence  of  the  people,  and  despatch  him 
by  some  expeditious  process ;  or  to  turn  the  tide  of  popular 
applause  by  engaging  him  in  discourse  and  disputation,  in  hope 
that  he  might  say  something  for  which  the  fickle  populace 
might  be  induced  to  hate  him.  The  former  method  was  now 
out  of  the  question,  but  Christ  gave  them  an  opportunity  of 
trying  the  latter,  by  entering  into  a  sort  of  farewell  discourse 
to  them. 

3.  Jesus  again  explained  his  action  by  his  preaching. 

It  is  particularly  recorded,  that  "  Jesus  cried,"  expressive 
of  the  bold  publicity  which  he  gave  to  his  instructions  at  this 
dangerous  crisis.  He  had  lately  withdrawn  and  hidden  him- 
self from  them.     But  \\v  now  shows,  that  it  was  not  through 


CHRIST'S    JUDGMENT    ON    THE    FIG-TREE.  243 

fear  of  their  power  and  malice.  When  the  jiroper  hour  was 
come,  he  coukl  **  cry  aloud,"  as  the  prophet  says,  "  lifting  up 
his  voice  as  a  trumpet  to  show  to  Israel  their  sins." 

This  being  a  kind  of  adieu  to  the  temple,  Jesus  filled  it 
with  his  voice  that  all  the  multitude  which  crowded  its  spacious 
courts  might  hear,  and  mark  at  once  the  importance  of  his  in- 
structions, and  the  strength  of  his  aflFection.  In  this  style  our 
Lord  proceeds  to  show  the  dignity  of  his  person.  "  He  that 
believeth  on  me,  believeth  not  on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent  me." 
These  words  sound  at  first  like  a  contradiction,  "  he  that  be- 
lieveth on  me,  believeth  not  on  me."  But  this  strong  way  of 
stating  things  the  inspiring  Spirit  of  the  Scripture  has  adopted, 
to  rouse  attention ;  for  if  men  can  only  be  awakened  from 
their  torpor  and  formality  in  religion,  to  ask  "  what  can  this 
mean?"  a  grand  object  is  gained.  Let,  then,  this  sentence 
sink  down  into  your  ears,  that  he  who  believes  in  Jesus, 
believeth  not  merely  in  him,  for  such  is  the  import  of  this 
apparent  denial  of  one  thing  in  the  Scriptures,  intending  strong- 
ly to  contrast  it  with  another.  Whoever,  therefore,  believes 
in  Jesus,  believes  also  on  him  that  sent  him.  Such  is  the 
identity  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  that  while  we  give  credit 
to  the  one,  we  repose  our  confidence  in  the  other.  Think  not, 
then,  says  Christ,  that  it  is  beneath  you  to  trust  to  me,  apparent- 
ly a  poor  man ;  for  he  that  believes  truly  on  me,  reposes  not 
confidence  on  the  human  being  that  you  see,  but  on  the  Deity 
that  dwells  within.  Thus  Jesus  said  to  Philip,  "  believest 
thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  ?" 

But  the  greatness  of  their  present  privilege,  in  beholding 
the  Saviour,  he  goes  on  further  to  explain  to  the  Jews.  "  He 
that  seeth  me,  seeth  him  that  sent  me."  "  Blessed  are  the 
pure  in  heart,"  says  our  Lord  Jesus,  "  for  they  shall  see  God." 
And  who  has  not  felt  disposed  to  join  with  Philip  in  saying, 
"  Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us."  O  to  see 
that  mysterious  Being  who  made  us  and  all  things !  But  it 
is  he  that  "  dwells  in  light  inaccessible  whom  no  man  hath  seen 
or  can  see!"  Yet,  when  Philip  asked  to  see  the  Father,  Jesus 
said,  "  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not 
seen  me?    He  that  hath  seen  me,  hath  seen  the  Father;  then, 

R  2 


244  LECTURE    LXXII. 

how  sayest  thou,  Show  us  the  Father  I  Believe  me,  that  I 
am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me."  Who  but  a  divine 
person  could  say,  "  he  that  has  seen  me,  has  seen  God."  And 
yet,  what  could  we  expect  to  see  in  God?  A  body  ?  If  so, 
we  could  have  no  great  difficulty  in  believing,  that  when  we 
saw  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  saw  God.  But  *'  God  is  a 
spirit,  and  a  spirit  has  not  flesh  and  bones,"  says  Jesus,  ■'  as 
ye  see  me  have."  That  body  which  Jesus  Christ  wore,  was 
humanity,  not  Deity.  What  then  are  we  to  see  in  a  spirit? 
Not  what  the  eyes  of  the  body  can  behold;  but  something 
cognizable  by  mental  vision,  certain  attributes  such  as  eternity, 
infinity,  omniscience,  omnipotence,  wisdom,  sanctity,  grace, 
justice,  and  truth.  These  form  "  the  glorious  and  fearful  name, 
the  Lord  our  God."  These  are  the  invisible  things  of  him, 
which,  says  the  Apostle,  "  are  clearly  seen  by  the  things  that 
are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  Godhead,  so  that  they  are 
without  excuse  who  do  not  see  him  in  his  works  of  creation, 
and  glorify  and  serve  him  as  God."  And  were  not  these 
seen  in  Christ  ?  Are  not  his  miracles  a  display  of  omnipo- 
tence ?  For  he  that  could  do  what  Christ  did,  could  do  any 
thing.  He  that  was  able  to  rule  the  winds  and  waves,  to  walk 
upon  the  sea,  raise  the  dead,  expel  demons,  and  change  the 
nature  of  things,  could  accomplish  all  the  determinations  of 
his  will.  These  works  of  Christ  stamp  divinity,  and  its  at- 
tendant infallibility,  upon  his  words;  and  he  said,  "before 
Abraham  was,  I  am,"  and  "  the  Sou  of  man  is  in  heaven," 
though  he  was  then  discoursing  on  earth.  He  searched  the 
heart,  and  replied  to  men's  thoughts.  Thus  he  claimed  or 
displayed  all  the  attributes  of  Deity.  Then,  all  the  Father  was 
seen  in  the  Son,  and  where  could  we  wish  to  see  the  Father 
to  greater  advantage,  more  lovely,  or  more  venerable  ? 

But  as  the  Saviour  is  now  addressing  those  who  saw  him 
with  the  eyes  of  the  body,  it  may  be  asked  in  what  sense  he 
uses  the  word,  "  to  see."  He  doubtless  includes  that  advan- 
tage which  the  Jews  then  enjoyed  of  beholding  Christ  in  the 
flesh ;  for  as  he  who  sees  the  body  of  any  one  is  said  to  have 
seen  the  person,  though  the  principal  part  of  a  person  is  his 
soul,  which  cannot  be  seen  ;  so  he  that  had  seen  Christ  in  the 


CHRIST'S    JUDG^IENT    ON    THE    FIG-TREE.  245 

flesh,  had  seen  him  that  sent  him,  having-  beheld  the  humanity 
in  which  dwelt  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily.  "  That 
which  was  from  the  beginning,"  says  the  Apostle  John,  "  which 
we  have  heard,  which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we 
have  looked  upon,  and  our  hands  have  handled  of  the  word  of 
life ;  for  the  life  was  manifested,  and  we  have  seen  it,  and 
bear  witness  and  show  unto  you  that  eternal  life,  which  was 
with  the  Father,  and  was  manifested  unto  us,  that  which  we 
have  seen  and  heard  declare  we  unto  you,  this  is  the  true 
God,  and  eternal  life." 

As,  however,  the  privilege  of  seeing  Christ  with  the  eye  of 
the  body  is  not  granted  to  all  believers,  we  cannot  doubt  but 
our  Lord  designed  to  include,  also,  that  mental  sight  which 
they  enjoy,  who,  beholding  Christ  exhibited  in  Scripture, 
catch  the  true  idea,  and  discern  the  Father  in  the  person 
of  the  Son. 

But  now  our  Saviour  draws  near  to  the  close  of  his  farewell 
discourse.  He  reminds  them  that  he  had  come  a  light  into 
the  world,  and  as  the  day  of  his  mission  was  hastening  to  its 
termination,  and  the  shadows  of  evening  were  stretching  out 
over  the  Jews,  he  warns  them,  that  those  only  who  believed 
in  him  would  be  rescued  from  everlasting  darkness.  Yet, 
lest  they  should  suppose  that  he  was  becoming  soured  by  their 
opposition,  and  had  contracted  a  revengeful  spirit  towards 
them,  he  says,  "  if  any  man  hear  my  words  and  believe  not, 
I  judge  him  not,  for  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to 
save  the  world.  Those  words  which  I  have  spoken  from  the 
beginning  while  I  was  popular  among  you,  I  leave,  to  judge 
you  at  the  last  day.  For  I  have  not  spoken  of  myself;  but 
as  they  who  have  seen  me  have  seen  the  Father,  so  they 
who  have  heard  me  have  heard  the  Father ;  for  he  gave 
me  a  commandment  what  I  should  say.  Nor  let  it  be 
imagined  that  its  failure  should  be  attributed  to  any  de- 
fect in  my  instruction,  for  I  know  that  his  commandment 
is  life  everlasting.  Whether,  therefore,  you  would  hear, 
or  whether  you  v.ould  forbear,  as  the  Father  said  unto  me, 
so  I  speak." 


246  LECTURE    LXXII. 

Now  Christ,  closes  his  sermon  with  the  waning  light  oi 
day,  and  Avhen  the  evening  set  in,  he  went  out  of  the  city 
again,  withdrawing,  as  Luke  says,  to  the  mount  of  Olives. 
May  we  not  conclude  that  he  returned  to  Bethany  among 
his  beloved  friends  ?  For  this  would  lead  him  again  by  the 
mount  of  Olives,  and  we  find  that,  next  morning,  he  re- 
turned on  the  same  road  by  which  he  had  entered  the  city 
this  day.  Thus  closed  what  we  call  Monday,  in  the  week 
of  our  Lord's  crucifixion. 


247 


LECTURE    LXXIII. 

/  CHRIST'S    LAST    DISPUTE    AND    DISCOURSE    WITH    THE 

PHARISEES, 

Matt.  xxi.  20 — 46. 
*  Mark  xi.  20—33. 
Luke  xx. 

*  And  in  the  morning,  as  they  passed  by,  they  saw  the  fig-tree  dried  up 
from  the  roots. 

JJECAUSE  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  speedily 
executed,"  says  the  Scripture,  "  the  hearth  of  the  children  of 
men  are  fully  set  in  them  to  do  eviL"  The  warnings  which 
our  Lord  delivered  were  slighted  and  despised  by  the  Jews, 
because  they  saw  no  signs  of  their  immediate  execution.  Je- 
sus, therefore,  proceeds,  to-day,  to  exhibit  to  us  such  a  spe- 
cimen of  the  speedy  and  mighty  effects  of  his  abandonment 
and  malediction,  as  should  rouse  every  heart  to  serious  re- 
flection on  the  certainty  and  terrors  of  that  retribution  with 
which  he  has  threatened  all  those  who  despise  his  grace. 

On  this  third  day  of  our  Lord's  entrance  into  Jerusalem, 
the  Tuesday  of  the  last  week  of  his  suffering  life,  we  are  to 
view  the  blasted  fig-tree,  and  to  glance  at  the  subsequent 
discourse,  which  gave  warning  to  the  Jewish  nation,  that  it 
was  about  to  be  smitten  with  the  divine  curse. 

I.  Let  us  view  attentively  the  blasted  fig-tree.  For  though 
it  was  smitten  and  dry,  it  may  yield  us  much  fruit,  if  we 
properly  consider  the  disciples'  wonder,  and  the  Saviour's 
answer. 

1.   The  disciples'  wonder. 

Matthew  has  so  related  together  all  the  circumstances  con- 


248  LECTURE   Lxxm. 

cerniijgtbis  tree,  that  we  might  naturally  have  concluded,  that 
what  we  are  now  to  consider  happened  on  the  very  day  and 
hour  when  our  Lord  pronounced  the  sentence  on  the  fig-tree. 
But  by  Mark  we  learn,  that  one  material  part  occurred  on  the 
following  day.  "  In  the  morning  when  they  passed  by,"  says 
this  latter  Evangelist,  "  they  saw  the  iig-tree  dried  up  from 
the  roots."  The  Saviour  and  his  disciples  were  again  on  their 
return  to  the  temple,  where  we  are  informed  Christ  daily 
taught,  on  this  last  eventful  week.  Very  early,  it  is  said, 
they  pursued  their  course  towards  the  place,  where  nothing 
but  ingratitude  and  rebellion  repaid  the  prompt  and  kind  at- 
tentions of  our  Lord.  Having  lodged  on  Monday  night  at 
Bethany  again,  it  seems  that  their  road  lay  by  that  fig-tree 
which  the  preceding  morning  had  seen,  by  the  way  side,  so 
fair  and  promising.  But  now,  as  they  passed  it,  the  eyes  of 
the  company  were  naturally  directed  that  way,  and  Oh,  how 
changed  !  All  exclaimed,  "  how  soon  it  is  withered  away  !" 
On  the  preceding  day,  they  passed  on,  immediately  after  the 
sentence  was  pronounced  by  Christ,  and  either  saw  not  at  all 
that  execution  which  doubtless  immediately  commenced,  or 
beheld  it  in  so  incipient  a  state,  that  it  struck  them  not  with 
much  force.  Now,  however,  a  whole  day  and  night  had 
intervened,  and  the  full  effect  was  seen.  From  the  roots  the 
tree  was  dried  up  ;  its  leaves  appearing  as  if  scorched  with 
fire,  and  the  branches  all  presenting  the  indications  of  dry 
sticks,  and  even  the  bark  down  to  the  root  showing  that  all 
vital  sap  was  gone,  and  that  death  had  smitten  the  tree  even 
to  the  very  root  that  was  hidden  in  the  earth.  This  must  have 
been  the  more  remarkable,  because  it  was  the  spring  of  the 
vear,  when  all  the  vegetable  world  around  was  clothed  with 
o-lorv  and  beauty,  and  especially  the  fig-tree,  which  abounded 
in  Judea,  and  of  which  the  foliage  was  peculiarly  rich  and 
.splendid. 

But,  when  it  is  observed,  "  they  marvelled,  saying,  How  is 
the  fig-tree  withered  away ! "  We,  in  our  turn,  wonder  at 
them,  for  had  they  not  seen  far  more  striking  miracles  than 
this  ?  They  had  beheld  Lazarus,  who  had  been  dead  four 
davs,  walk  out  of  his  grave  at  Christ's  word.     Is  it  not  more 


(JllRlfeJTS  LAST  DISPUTE  WITH  THE  PHARISELS.      249 

difficult  to  give  life  to  a  dead  man  than  to  smite  with  death  a 
living  tree  ?  What  could  be  the  cause  of  this  wonder  I  It 
seems  probable,  that  the  disciples,  having  never  seen  Christ's 
power  exerted  in  this  particular  way  upon  the  vegetable  crea- 
tion, were  struck  with  it  as  a  new  thing.  They  scarcely  ex- 
pected any  visible  mark  of  the  curse  taking  effect,  but  sup- 
posed that  all  the  consequence  of  the  sentence  would  be  the 
barrenness  of  the  tree,  not  its  death.  In  the  same  way, 
we  find  the  disciples,  on  every  new  occasion,  expressing  new 
wonder,  advancing  little  farther  than  to  believe  that  a  miracle 
was  wrought,  when  they  saw  it  before  their  eyes.  We  are, 
indeed,  expressly  informed,  that  when  they  saw  Christ  walking 
on  the  water,  they  were  confounded  by  the  prodigy,  because 
they  considered  not  ihe  miracle  of  the  loaves  which  had  just 
occurred.  But  let  us  not  reproach  them  ;  for  which  of  us  can 
say  that  we  have  exercised  that  universal  confidence  in  Christ's 
power  and  dominion  over  all  things  that  his  miracles  should 
have  inspired  I  Their  astonishment,  however,  they  express, 
as  if  it  arose  from  the  fig-tree  being  so  soon,  or  immediately, 
withered  away.  If  an  ordinary  blast  had  smitten  it,  the  ap- 
pearance would  have  gradually  discovered  the  fact,  that  the 
tree  was  blighted.  But  it  would  have  been  many  days,  or 
weeks  probably,  before  it  would  have  been  reduced  to  its  pre- 
sent state.  Now,  however,  they  saw  it  so  completely  reduced 
to  a  dry  stick,  that  they  concluded  the  word  spoken  had  taken 
effect  instantaneously. 

This  attracted  the  attention  of  all ;  but  Peter,  as  usual, 
showed  himself  Avhat  the  ancients  called  him,  "  the  mouth  of 
the  Apostles."  Calling  to  remembrance  the  occurrence  of  the 
preceding  morning,  he  said  to  Jesus,  "  Master,  behold  the 
fig-tree  which  thou  cursedst  is  withered  away."  This  was  that 
which  gave  rise  to  the  second  object  of  our  consideration.    , 

2.  Christ's  answer. 

"  Have  faith  in  God  ;  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  you  have 
faith  and  doubt  not,  you  shall  not  only  do  this  which  is  done 
to  the  fig-tree ;  but  whosoever  shall  say  to  this  mountain.  Be 
thou  removed,  and  be  thou  cast  into  the  sea,  and  shall  not 


250  LECTURE    LXXIII. 

doubt  in  his  heart,  but  shall  believe  that  this  thing  which  he 
saith  shall  come  to  pass,  it  shall  be  done." 

The  expression  which  we  render,  "  have  faith  in  God,"  is, 
in  the  original,  "  have  a  faith  of  God,"  which,  I  conceive, 
was  designed  to  express  the  Hebrew  idiom  for  the  superlative 
degree,  and  that  Christ  liere  exhorts  them  to  exercise  that 
mighty  faith  which  the  power  of  Christ  demands.  The  dis- 
ciples had  shown  how  small  was  their  faith,  by  their  wonder  ; 
and  their  Master  now  bids  them  to  believe  in  him  with  a  faith 
that  could  remove  mountains.  Doddridge  has  justly  observed 
how  much  faith  was  requisite  to  perform  miracles  in  public. 
They  were  generally  introduced  by  some  solemn  declaration 
of  what  was  intended,  which  was,  in  effect,  predicting  before- 
hand that  the  miracle  would  be  wrought.  Thus  Peter'  says 
to  the  lame  man,  "  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  rise  up  and 
walk  ;"  and,  "  Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee  whole."  To  Tabitha, 
who  was  dead,  he  said,  "  arise."  Pronouncing  such  words, 
the  person  speaking  staked  all  his  credit  as  a  messenger  from 
God,  and  consequently  all  the  honour  and  usefulness  of  his 
future  life,  on  the  immediate  miraculous  energy  to  attend  his 
words,  and  to  be  visibly  exerted  on  his  uttering  them.  And 
hence  it  is,  that  such  a  firm  courageous  faith,  is  so  often  urged 
on  those  to  whom  such  miraculous  powers  were  given.  But 
what  kind  of  intimations  of  God's  miraculous  interposition  the 
Apostles,  in  such  cases,  felt  on  their  minds,  it  is  impossible  for 
any,  without  having  experienced  it,  to  say.  It  is,  therefore, 
an  instance  of  their  wisdom  that  they  never  pretend  to  describe 
the  sense :  no  words  could  have  conveyed  the  idea. 

Such,  however,  was  the  confidence  that  the  Apostles  had 
reason  to  repose  in  Christ,  who  had  imparted  to  them  the  gift 
of  miracles,  that  this  which  had  been  done  to  the  fig-tree  was 
little  when  compared  with  what  they  might  expect,  not  only 
to  see,  but  to  do  themselves.  They  might  even  say  to  this 
mountain,  i.  e.  the  mount  of  Olives,  which  was  then  full  in 
view,  *•  be  thou  removed,  and  be  cast  with  all  thy  trees  into 
the  sea,"  and  it  should  be  done.  Now  set  your  imagination 
at  work,  my  dear  hearers,  and  think  you  see  mount  Olivet, 


CHRIST'S  LAST  DISPUTE  WITH  THE  PHARISEES.      251 

which  overhung  Jerusalem,  rise  from  its  base,  and,  with  all  its 
mighty  mass  of  soil,  and  all  its  olive-trees  and  abundant  vege- 
tation, move  away,  twenty  miles,  into  the  ocean,  which  swells, 
and  foams,  and  roars  as  the  mountain  dashes  into  the  bosom 
of  the  deep.  Then  remember,  that  even  this  is  not  too  much 
for  God  to  do,  nor  for  man  to  command,  when  God  shall  call 
him  to  the  work. 

But  this  mighty  faith  gives  no  encouragement  to  enthusiasm ; 
as  no  one  can  truly  in  his  heart  believe  that  such  effects  shall 
follow  his  command,  unless  called  by  God  to  perform  such 
works  for  the  divine  glory  in  the  world. 

Here  many  things  are  said  by  the  ancients,  in  answer  to  the 
question,  whether  the  Apostles  ever  did  remove  mountains  ? 
And  such  stories  are  told  of  the  moving  of  a  mountain  by 
Gregory  Thaumaturgus,  in  order  to  build  a  place  of  worship, 
as  serve  to  set  off  the  truth  and  beauty  of  the  inspired  Scrip- 
tures, which  tell  no  such  tales.  In  fact,  the  Saviour  never 
predicted  that  the  disciples  should  actually  remove  mountains, 
though  he  declared,  that  if  they  had  the  faith  which  the  divine 
power  deserved,  they  would  be  able  to  do  so. 

But  let  us  remember,  that  while  we  should  seek  to  possess 
a  faith  that  we  can  expect  any  thing  which  we  ask  of  God  in 
prayer  ;  "  if  we  have  all  faith,  so  that  we  could  remove  moun- 
tains, and  have  not  charity,  we  are  nothing."  For  our  Lord 
having  thus  urged  faith  by  the  most  powerful  expressions, 
chose  to  add  to  it  charity,  its  inseparable  attendant,  wherever 
it  is  not  merely  the  faith  of  miracles,  but  that  of  salvation. 
"  When  you  stand  praying,"  says  our  Lord,  (for  such  was  the 
posture  they  adopted  in  prayer,)  "  forgive,  if  you  have  aught 
against  any  ;  that  your  Father,  also,  who  is  in  heaven,  may 
forgive  you  your  trespasses.  But  if  you  do  not  forgive,  neither 
will  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  forgive  your  trespasses." 

That  such  a  sermon  should  have  been  preached  on  such  a 
spot,  not,  indeed,  under  the  shade  of  a  fig-tree,  for  shade  it 
now  formed  none,  but  under  the  withered  branches  of  a  blasted 
tree,  was  not  accidental,  but  designed  to  convey  the  most 
valuable  instruction.  We  can  easily  see  why  a  sermon  on  faith 
should  be  preached  where  the  most  astonishing  effects  were 


252  LECTURE    LXXIU. 

])roduced  by  the  word  of  Christ ;  that  we  may  learn  to  rely 
upon  his  word,  and  expect  every  thing  from  his  power.  But 
why  was  a  discourse  on  forgiveness  preached  here  I  To  teach 
us  that  Christ  was  not  influenced  by  any  human  passion  or 
unholy  resentment,  when  he  cursed  the  tig-tree,  as  an  emblem 
of  the  malediction  that  should  smite  the  Jewish  nation ;  and 
to  warn  the  disciples,  lest  they  should  draw  it  into  an  example 
to  authorize  malice  and  revenge.  It  reminded  them,  that  if 
they  were  not  smitten  with  the  curse  of  heaven,  it  was  not 
because  they  Avere  without  sin  ;  for  they  every  moment  de- 
pended upon  divine  mercy;  and  it  shows  us  that  mercy  should 
characterize  the  temper  and  conduct  of  those  who  lie  so  en- 
tirely as  we  do  at  God's  mercy. 

This  last,  indeed,  is  not  a  new  lesson  ;  for  our  Lord  inserted 
it  in  that  prayer  which  goes  by  his  name,  and  in  such  a  form 
that  no  revengeful  man  can  offer  this  prayer  without  impre- 
cating judgment  on  his  own  head  ;  for  he  asks  that  God  would 
forgive  him,  as  he  forgives  others.  So  important  is  this  doc- 
trine in  the  Christian  system,  that  it  is  inculcated  at  least  five 
times.  In  that  sermon  on  the  mount,  when  our  Lord  com- 
mands those  who  come  to  worship,  and  remember  that  they 
have  a  difference  with  their  brethren,  to  go  first,  and  be  re- 
conciled to  them  ;  in  that  parable  in  which  our  Saviour  ex- 
hibited the  servant  who  had  been  indebted  to  his  Lord  throw- 
ino'  a  fellow-servant  into  gaol ;  in  that  discourse,  in  Luke,  in 
which,  among  other  precepts,  the  Saviour  says,  "  forgive,  and 
it  shall  be  forgiven  to  you  ;"  in  the  Lord's  prayer  ;  and  again 
in  the  discourse  delivered  at  the  foot  of  the  fig-tree. 

II.  Let  us  glance  at  the  subsequent  events  of  this  day. 

These  are  numerous  and  important,  but  they  relate  chiefiy 
to  discourses  delivered  by  our  Lord  ;  and  as  the  facts,  rather 
than  the  sermons  which  are  recorded  in  his  life,  are  the  object 
of  my  attention,  I  shall  not  dwell  largely  on  any  of  the  things 
that  are  mentioned,  as  filling  up  the  remainder  of  this  day. 
We  are  told,  that  when  Christ  came  again  to  Jerusalem,  and 
was  walking  in  the  temple,  the  chief  priests,  and  scribes,  and 
elders  came  up  to  him. 

1.  Christ  is  challcnj'od  to  show  his  authoritv. 


CHRIST'S  LAST  DISPUTE  WITH  THE  PHARISEES.      253 

"  By  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things?  and  who  gave 
thee  this  authority?"  On  the  first  day,  when  our  Lord 
cleansed  the  temple,  the  Pharisees  seem  not  to  have  called 
upon  him  for  any  sign  of  his  right  to  assume  this  authority, 
because  he  voluntarily  wrought  many  miracles  before  them  all. 
But  now  that  the  Saviour  employed  himself  chiefly  in  preach- 
ing, they  demand  a  proof  of  his  authority.  To  this  the  Sa- 
viour replied,  with  his  accustomed  wisdom,  in  such  a  way  as 
at  once  silenced  them,  and  yet  gave  them  the  most  direct, 
though  apparently  the  most  indirect  answer.  Their  question 
w^as  insidious ;  for  they  seem  to  have  hoped  to  draw  him  into 
danger  with  the  government.  They  knew  that  he  would  not 
profess  to  have  a  right  to  teach  in  the  temple  as  a  priest ;  for 
Christ  was  not  descended  from  Levi.  They  were  aware  that 
he  could  not  pretend  to  have  received  a  commission  from  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities  to  preach,  nor  from  the  civil  powers 
to  drive  the  buyers  and  sellers  from  the  temple.  They,  there- 
fore, hoped  that  he  would  found  his  right  to  do  this  thing  on 
his  being  what  the  multitude  had  so  lately  declared,  the  Son 
of  David,  the  promised  Messiah,  the  king  of  Israel. 

But  now  Christ  says,  "  I  also  will  ask  you  one  thing,  which, 
if  you  tell  me,  I,  in  likewise,  will  tell  you  by  what  authority  I 
do  these  things.  The  baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven  or 
of  men?"  This  was  so  far  from  an  evasion,  or  refusal  to  give 
a  satisfactory  answer  to  an  important  question  from  the  proper 
authorities,  on  this  solemn  occasion,  that  it  was  the  most  satis- 
factory, as  well  as  the  most  modest  way  in  which  the  Saviour 
could  have  answered.  For  John  was  sent  by  God  to  bear 
witness  of  Christ ;  and  the  rulers  of  the  Jewish  church  ought 
to  have  satisfied  themselves  of  his  divine  mission.  If  they  had 
done  this,  as  sincere  and  honest  men,  Christ  might  have  ap- 
pealed to  what  John  himself  had  said  concerning  Jesus ;  and 
thus,  instead  of  bearing  witness  to  himself,  which  his  enemies 
formerly  professed  to  blame  him  for,  he  might  have  appealed 
to  a  confessedly-inspired  messenger,  whose  whole  business  on 
earth  was  to  bear  witness  to  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God.  In  fact, 
the  crafty  priests  perceived  this,  and,  finding  that  they  had 
brought  themselves  into  a  difficulty,  they  seem  to  have  gone 


254  LECTURE    LXXIII. 

aside  a  little  from  the  crowd,  and  consulted  with  each  other 
what  they  should  reply.  There  you  hear  them  muttering  with 
each  other,  and  this  rabbi  asking,  "  Shall  we  say  that  John's 
ministry  was  from  heaven?"  To  which  another  replies,  "Then 
he  will  say,  why  did  ye  not  believe  him  ?"  A  third  asks, 
"  Then  shall  we  say  it  was  fi-om  man?"  But  a  fourth  ex- 
claims, "  No,  that  will  not  do ;  for  the  people  will  stone  us, 
since  they  all  believe  that  John  was  a  prophet."  "  What  shall 
we  do,  then?"  all  cry.  One,  more  cunning  than  the  rest,  says, 
"  Let  us  profess  ignorance,  and  say  we  cannot  tell."  All  ex- 
claim, "  Ah !  that  is  the  only  answer  we  can  safely  give." 
Upon  this,  therefore,  they  determine.  But  see  what  hypocrisy 
marks  their  conduct !  They  never  think  what  is  the  truth,  nor 
seem  to  care  at  all  about  the  fact,  whether  John  was  from 
heaven  or  of  men.  They  never  consult  the  Saviour  or  their 
conscience  ;  but  the  whole  question  is  made  political ;  and 
how  to  determine  according  to  good  policy  is  their  only  care. 
For  this  they  were  justly  punished,  by  the  confusion  to  which 
their  own  forced  confession  of  ignorance  drove  them  ;  for  they 
had  to  do  with  one  who  "  turneth  the  counsel  of  the  froward 
headlong,  and  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness." 

They  came  back  to  Jesus  with  a  confession  of  ignorance,  in 
what  was  their  own  profession,  on  a  point  which  they  ought  to 
have  well  known.  We  cannot  tell,  they  cry :  then,  says  Jesus, 
**  Neither  tell  I  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things."  If 
they  had  neglected  to  satisfy  themselves  on  the  previous  ques- 
tion, they  had  no  right  to  expect  a  reply  to  the  consequent 
one,  and  they  could  have  no  good  reason  for  proposing  that 
which  they  put  to  our  Lord. 

2.  The  Saviour  delivers  some  warning  parables:  the  first  is 
that  which  Matthew  records,  *'  But  what  think  ye?  A  certain 
man  had  two  sons  ;  and  he  came  to  the  first,  and  said.  Son, 
go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard.  He  answered  and  said,  I  will 
not ;  but  afterward  he  repented,  and  went.  And  he  came  to 
the  second,  and  said  likewise.  And  he  answered  and  said,  I 
(JO,  sir ;  and  went  not.  Whether  of  them  twain  did  the  will 
of  his  father?  They  say  unto  him,  the  first.  Jesus  saith  unto 
them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  publicans  and  the  harlots 


CHRIST'S  LAST  DISPUTE  WITH  THE  PHARISEES.       255 

go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you.  For  John  came  unto 
you  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  ye  believed  him  not ;  but 
the  publicans  and  the  harlots  believed  him.  And  ye,  vehen  ye 
had  seen  it,  repented  not  afterward,  that  ye  might  believe 
him."* 

These  priests  had  pretended  that  they  were  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal authorities,  and  had  a  claim,  from  their  office  and  their 
sanctity,  to  be  satisfied  concerning  the  right  of  the  Saviour  to 
act  as  he  had  done.  But  though  Christ  might  have  disputed 
their  authority,  as  at  that  time  priests  who  could  not  show 
their  descent  from  Aaron  officiated,  and  the  high  priests 
bought  their  office,  and  one  was  put  out  and  another  put  in, 
almost  every  year,  contrary  to  God's  institution ;  yet  Jesus 
merely  reminds  them  that  their  supposed  sanctity  amounted  to 
mere  profession,  and  that  even  publicans  and  harlots  had  more 
right  to  the  appellation  of  sanctity  than  they. 

The  next  parable  was  of  a  more  stinging  kind,  f  It  is  too 
long  to  quote  here,  but  it  contained  a  most  fearful  prophecy  of 
Christ's  approaching  death  by  the  hands  of  those  men,  to 
whom,  as  husbandmen,  the  Lord  of  the  church  had  intrusted 
his  vineyard.  The  closing  passage  was  peculiarly  striking  and 
awful.  "  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  did  ye  never  read  in  the 
Scriptures,  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is 
become  the  head  of  the  corner :  this  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and 
it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes  ?  Therefore  say  I  unto  you.  The 
kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  na- 
tion bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof.  And  whosoever  shall 
fall  on  this  stone  shall  be  broken  ;  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall 
fall,  it  will  grind  him  to  powder.  And  when  the  chief  priests 
and  Pharisees  had  heard  his  parables,  they  perceived  that  he 
spake  of  them.  But  when  they  sought  to  lay  hands  on  him, 
they  feared  the  multitude,  because  they  took  him  for  a 
prophet." 

Thus  Christ  warned  the  Jews  that  their  conduct  towards 

him  would  cost  them  the  loss  of  their  great  national  privilege, 

of  constituting  the  people  of  God,  which  would   in  future  be 

given  to   those  who    were  gathered  from  among  all  nations. 

*  Matt.  xxi.  28—32.  t  Ibid.  33—46. 


256  LECTURE    LXXIII. 

The  consequence  to  them  of  their  enmity  to  him  Christ  com- 
pares, in  the  first  place,  to  the  hurt  which  a  man  gets  by  fall- 
ing against  a  stone,  and,  in  the  next  place,  to  being  crushed 
to  death  by  an  immense  stone  falling  upon  their  heads. 
Goaded  to  madness  by  these  parables,  they  burned  for  re- 
venge, but  they  durst  not  attempt  any  thing  then,  for  fear  of 
the  people,  who  all  held  Jesus  to  be  a  prophet. 

The  parable  of  the  marriage  supper  was  next  delivered,  to 
teach  the  people,  that  whilst  the  priests  were  like  those,  M'ho, 
invited  to  the  wedding,  refused  to  come,  others,  who  professed 
to  come,  were  in  danger  of  being  found  destitute  of  the  true 
temper  of  Christians,  and  being  cast  out  for  not  having  on  the 
wedding  garment. 

3.  The  question  of  giving  tribute  to  Caesar  is  proposed  to 
our  Lord. 

The  Pharisees,  stung  by  Christ's  reproof,  and  unable  to 
answer  or  endure  his  words,  went  away  and  took  counsel  how 
they  might  entangle  him  in  his  speech.  For  this  purpose, 
they  determine  not  to  go  themselves,  but  to  employ  some  of 
their  disciples,  who  might  not  be  known,  and  who  might  pre- 
tend to  be  pious  persons,  that  wished  only  to  learn  from  him 
their  duty  on  a  most  important,  and  to  them  difficult  question, 
the  lawfulness  of  paying  tribute  to  Csesar.  For  this  purpose 
they  join  the  Herodians,  or  court  party,  in  this  attempt  to  en- 
snare the  Saviour. 

To  understand  this  part  of  the  history  fully,  we  should  know 
the  political  state  of  things  in  Judea.  After  that  the  Macca- 
bees had  nobly  vindicated  their  country's  liberty,  two  brothers 
of  that  family,  Aristobulus  and  Hircanus,  quarrelled  about  the 
succession  to  the  government,  and  applied  to  Pompey,  who 
was  then  carrying  on  the  Roman  conquests  in  the  East.  He, 
pretending  to  favour  one  party,  took  possession  of  Jerusalem, 
and  reduced  Judea  to  the  condition  of  a  Roman  province. 
But  when  the  Romans  attempted  to  impose  taxes  on  the  Jews, 
one  Judas  of  Galilee  roused  the  Jews  to  resist  what  they 
thought  to  be  contrary  to  their  dignity  as  God's  peculiar 
people.  After  this  leader  was  crushed,  many  secretly  favoured 
his  principles,  among  whom  were  the  majority  of  the  Phari- 


CHRIST'S  LAST  DISPUTE  WITH  THE  PHARISEES.      257 

sees.  This  being  the  principle  which  was,  on  the  one  hand, 
popular  with  the  Jews,  and,  on  the  other,  condemned  by  the 
Romans,  Christ's  enemies  hoped  to  destroy  his  popularity, 
or  to  bring  him  under  the  axe  of  the  Romans,  by  drawing 
from  him  a  public  decision  of  the  question. 

They,  therefore,  say  to  him,  "  Master,  we  know  that  thou 
declarest  the  way  of  God  in  truth  and  carest  for  no  man,  tell 
us,  then,  is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar?"  It  was  in- 
stantly replied,  "  Why  tempt  ye  me,  by  a  compliment,  ye 
hypocrites?  Show  me  the  tribute  money."  When  they 
showed  him  the  piece  of  coin  in  which  they  paid  their  tribute, 
he  asked,  whose  image  and  inscription  it  bore :  they  answered, 
Caesar's,  for  with  Roman  coin  they  paid  their  tribute.  He, 
therefore,  by  replying,  "  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  which 
are  Caesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  which  are  God's,"  left  the 
question  so  far  undecided  that  they  could  not  accuse  him  to 
either  party,  and  yet  so  far  decided  as  to  prove  to  them,  that 
having  Caesar's  coin  current  among  them,  they  owned  his  au- 
thority, and  every  government  must  be  entitled  to  support,  and 
that  this  does  not  interfere  with  God's  authority ;  for  they 
might  still  obey  the  law  of  God  though  they  paid  tribute  to 
Caesar. 

This  mode  of  answering  excited  astonishment  at  the  wis- 
dom which  had  broken  their  snares,  and  had  sent  them  away 
confounded. 

4.  The  Sadducees'  question  concerning  the  resurrection  is 
next  proposed. 

The  Sadducees  were  a  sort  of  infidel  Jews  ;  for  though  this 
might  seem  to  be  a  contradiction,  there  are  such  still  among 
this  nation,  as  a  Jew  once  confessed  to  me,  with  this  curious 
observation,  "  there  are  deistical  Jews,  as  there  are  deistical 
Christians."  These  Sadducees  maintained,  with  a  celebrated 
prelate,  that  there  is  no  mention  of  a  future  state  in  the  writ- 
ings of  Moses,  and  they  denied  that  there  was  any  separate 
existence  of  the  soul,  or  any  resurrection  of  the  body.  They 
came,  therefore,  to  Christ,  hoping  to  perplex  him  with  the  dif- 
ficulties attendant  on  the  doctrine  of  a  future  state,  which 
they  strangely  drew  from  the  gross  idea,  that  it  would  be  a 

VOL.  II.  s 


IfiB^isvlK;: 


CHRIST'S  LAST  DISPUTE  WITH  THE  PHARISEES.      259 

was  debated  from  mere  curiosity,  "  which  is  the  first,  or  great, 
commandment  of  the  law."  To  which  Christ  not  only  replied, 
that  "  to  love  the  Lord  God  with  all  our  heart,  soul,  mind, 
and  strength,  was  the  first  command,"  but  also  that  the  second, 
about  which  they  had  not  questioned  him,  was,  "  to  love  our 
neighbour  as  ourself."  "  On  these  two  commands  hang  all 
the  law  and  the  prophets,"  says  our  Lord.  This,  by  a  single 
stroke,  swept  away  a  whole  mass  of  Jewish  precepts,  and  dis- 
played the  simplicity,  purity,  benevolence,  and  dignity,  of  the 
whole  Jewish  religion,  as  given  by  God. 

With  this  answer  the  scribe  was  so  struck,  that  he  exclaimed, 
"  well,  Master,  thou  hast  said  the  truth  !  This  is  more  than 
all  whole  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices."  Jesus  answered, 
"  thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God."  Thus  our  Lord, 
instead  of  being  conquered,  won  a  captive  from  the  Jews,  and 
therefore  no  one  after  ventured  to  ask  him  a  question.  Con- 
sider, finally, 

6.  The  remaining  events  of  this  day. 

Our  Lord  now,  in  his  turn,  questioned  his  enemies ;  and  on 
a  point  of  vital  interest,  which  would  affect  his  future  fate. 
For  they  tried  him  upon  the  question,  and  condemned  him  for 
saying  he  was  the  Son  of  God.  He,  therefore,  says,  "What 
think  ye  of  Christ,  whose  son  is  he?"  They,  having  lost  the 
true  ancient  faith  of  the  Jews  concerning  the  Messiah,  as  Son 
of  God,  answered,  that  "  Christ  was  the  Son  of  David  : "  but 
Jesus  then  asked  them,  how  David  himself,  speaking  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  called  Christ  his  Lord,  saying,  "  the  Lord  said 
to  my  Lord,  sit  thou  at  my  right  hand,  till  I  make  thine  ene- 
mies thy  footstool?"  Here  those  who  maintain  that  Christ  is 
a  mere  man,  a  simple  descendant  of  David,  must  be  as  much 
puzzled  as  the  Jews  were.  For,  upon  this  principle,  it  is  so 
obvious,  that  the  only  reply  would  be,  that  Christ,  though  de- 
scended from  David,  might  be  his  Lord,  as  he  was  to  be  that 
greater  king,  who  was  promised  to  deliver  Lsrael,  that  the 
Jews  could  not  have  failed  to  see  this  and  adopt  it  as  their 
reply.  But  they  did  not ;  for,  indeed,  they  were  not  ignorant 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  Son  of  God,  as  taught  in  their  Scrip- 
tures, which  they  showed,  when,  on  Christ's   trial,  they  con- 

s  2 


260  LECTURE   LXXIII. 

deraned  him  for  saying  he  was  the  Son  of  God.  Nor  were 
they  unaware  that  Christ's  quotation  from  the  Psalm  could  not 
thus  be  answered  ;  for  a  king  so  great  as  David  was  would  not 
call  a  son,  who  was  to  descend  from  him  ages  afterwards,  to 
whatever  honours  he  was  to  be  exalted,  "  my  Lord,"  nor  could 
David  suppose  that  a  mere  man,  descended  from  him,  would 
be  addressed  by  Jehovah  thus,  "  sit  thou  at  my  right  hand ;" 
for  David  knew  that  the  loftiest  angel  could  only  bow  at  the 
footstool  of  that  throne  on  which  Messiah  was  invited  to  sit. 
With  this  difficulty  the  enemies  were  silenced,  but  the  common 
people  heard  Jesus  gladly. 

Our  Lord,  having  convicted  the  ecclesiastical  leaders  of  ig- 
norance and  error,  proceeded  to  deliver  a  most  severe  reproof 
for  their  sins,  and  a  tremendous  warning  of  their  future  punish- 
ment.* 

The  Saviour  then  shows,  that  though  he  had  abounded  in 
reproof,  it  was  not  from  a  vindictive  spirit.  For  as  he  sat  over 
against  the  treasury,  the  place  where  they  cast  in  contributions 
for  the  support  of  the  temple  and  its  worship,  he  observed, 
that  while  the  rich  cast  in  considerable  sums,  a  poor  widow 
cast  in  two  mites,  which  make  a  farthing.  Thus  Christ  says 
to  the  disciples,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  this  poor  widow 
hath  cast  more  in  than  all  they  which  have  cast  into  the  trea- 
sury. 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."  f 

But  as  Christ  had  said,  in  the  close  of  his  most  severe  warn- 
ing to  the  pharisaic  people,  "  behold  your  house  is  left  unto 
you  destitute,"  he  now  went  out  of  the  temple,  to  which  he 
never  again  returned,  not  even  after  his  resurrection  ;  thus 
showing,  by  the  most  significant  signs,  that  he  abandoned  this 
mode  of  worship.  Though  the  Saviour  went  away  from  the 
temple,  never  to  return  to  it,  the  disciples  invite  him,  when 
they  were  on  mount  Olivet,  in  full  view  of  the  buildings,  to 
behold  them.  He  sat  down,  and  there  delivered  them  a  most 
affecting  prophetic  discourse  on  the  future  fate  of  Jerusalem, 
and,  perhaps,  of  the  future  history  of  the  church  to  the  end  of 
time. 

*  Matt,  xxiii. ;  Mark  xii.  38  ;   Luke  xx.  45.  f  Mark  xii.  43,  44. 


261 


LECTURE  LXXIV. 

JUDAS    BETRAYS    CHRIST. 

*  Matt.  xxvi.  1 — 16. 
Mark  xiv.  1 — 11. 
Luke  xxi,  37  ;  xxii.  1 — 6. 

*  Then  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Judas  Iscariot,  went  unto  the  chief  priests, 
and  said  unto  them,  What  will  ye  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver  him  unto 
you? 

After  Julius  Caesar  had  succeeded  in  converting  the  govern- 
ment of  his  country  from  a  republic  to  an  absolute  monarchy, 
and  had  reigned  triumphantly  for  several  years,  he  was  at  last 
stabbed  in  the  senate  house,  by  the  enraged  republicans.  He 
defended  himself,  for  a  time,  with  his  usual  bravery  ;  but  when 
he  saw  Brutus,  whom  he  had  cherished  as  a  son,  raising  the 
dagger  to  stab  him  to  the  heart,  he  ceased  to  struggle  against 
his  fate  ;  and,  exclaiming,  "  et  tufili! — what!  and  you  too, 
my  son,"  sunk  down  at  the  foot  of  Pompey's  statue.  Thus 
he  flung  away  life,  as  not  worth  having,  after  it  had  been  em- 
bittered by  the  treachery  of  an  obliged  friend.  And  where  is 
the  man  of  sense  and  spirit  who  does  not  feel  that  the  value  of 
his  present  existence  is  fallen,  when  he  has  detected  a  foul 
treason,  and  discovered  deadly  foes  in  those  whom  he  had 
cherished  as  his  dearest  friends  ? 

To  this  severest  affliction  of  life  the  Saviour  of  our  souls 
was  destined ;  for  he  was  to  be  well  "  acquainted  with  grief," 
and  therefore  this  lamentation  was  dictated  for  him  in  the 
Scriptures.  "  It  was  not  an  enemy  that  reproached  me ;  then 
I  could  have  borne  it ;  neither  was  it  he  that  hated  me  that 
did  magnify  himself  against  me ;  then  I  would  have  hidden 
myself  from  him;  but  it  was  thou,  a  man,  mine  equal,  my  guide, 


262  LECTURE    LXXIV. 

and  mine  acquaintance :  we  took  sweet  counsel  together,  and 
walked  into  the  house  of  God  in  company."*     Attend  to, 

I.  Christ's  prediction  of  the  event. 

When  the  Saviour  approached  the  close  of  his  mortal  career, 
the  glory  of  his  offices  shone  forth  with  peculiar  lustre.  As 
the  king  of  Israel,  he  had  entered  his  capital  in  triumph  :  as 
a  priest,  he  was  preparing  to  offer  up  himself  a  sacrifice  ;  and 
now  he  displays  his  glory  as  a  prophet.     Observe, 

1.  The  time  of  the  prediction. 

"  Jesus  said,  after  two  days  is  the  feast  of  the  passover,  and 
the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  to  be  crucified."  Along  with  the 
whole  prediction  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  some  suppose 
that  our  Lord  uttered  these  words  on  the  Tuesday  evening ; 
because  then  there  would  be  Wednesday  and  Thursday  between 
the  prediction  and  the  passover.  But,  as  even  on  this  suppo- 
sition, the  day  of  the  feast  must  be  reckoned  one  of  the  two  ; 
so  I  conceive  that  the  day  of  the  prediction  was  the  other  ; 
for  the  Greek  preposition  which  we  render  after  often  signifies 
within.  The  Saviour,  then,  delivered  the  prophecy  on  Wed- 
nesday morning,  intending  to  keep  the  passover  on  Thursday 
evening. 

This  brings  us  to  the  discussion  of  a  difficult  question,  whe- 
ther Christ  celebrated  the  passover  at  the  same  time  with  the 
Jews  ;  and  if  not,  in  what  way  he  differed  from  them  ?  That 
Christ  ate  the  passover  on  Thursday  evening,  and  that  the 
Jews  did  not  celebrate  that  feast  till  Friday,  we  may  be  sure ; 
from  the  scruples  they  had  about  entering  the  judgment-hall, 
lest  they  should  be  defiled,  and  prevented  from  eating  the 
passover.  But  why  did  not  Christ  celebrate  his  last  passover 
at  the  same  time  with  the  rest  of  the  nation  ?  To  this  some 
reply,  that  our  Lord  anticipated  the  proper  time ;  because  he 
was  to  die  at  the  time  that  the  paschal  lamb  was  to  be  killed, 
and  he  chose  first  to  celebrate  the  feast.  But  others  assert, 
with  more  evidence,  that  our  Redeemer  kept  the  passover  at 
the  true  time  appointed  by  the  law  ;  while  the  Jews,  according 
to  their  traditions,  deferred  it,  because  it  fell  on  Thursday,  the 
day  before  their  sabbath,  and  if  they  had  kept  it  on  that  day, 
^  Psalm  Iv.  12—14. 


JUDAS    BETRAYS    CHRIST.  263 

two  great  sabbaths,  or  days  of  sacred  rest,  would  have  come 
together.  But  the  law  was  peremptory,  as  to  the  day  of  the 
month.  "  In  the  tenth  day  of  the  month,  they  shall  take  to 
thera  every  man  a  lamb  ;  and  ye  shall  keep  it  until  the  four- 
teenth day  of  the  month,  and  the  whole  assembly  shall  kill  it 
in  the  evening."  *  Our  Lord,  therefore,  according  to  his  usual 
practice,  disregarded  their  tradition,  when  it  contradicted  the 
divine  law,  and,  though  against  the  whole  nation,  celebrated 
the  passover  on  Thursday  evening.  With  this  intention,  he 
reminded  the  disciples,  that  it  was  within  two  days  of  the  pass- 
over,  and  that  as  the  lamb  was  always  first  set  apart  to  be 
slain,  so  he  was  now  betrayed  to  be  crucified.  Not  that  the 
treachery  was  now  complete  ;  but,  seeing  what  was  working 
in  the  breasts  of  the  chief  priests  and  of  Judas,  he  told  his  dis- 
ciples, before-hand,  what  both  the  hostile  parties  would  do  in 
the  course  of  that  day. 

2.  The  place  on  which  this  prediction  was  delivered. 

The  mount  of  Olives  was  the  celebrated  spot ;  for  there  our 
Lord  is  said  to  have  lodged.  In  what  sense,  however,  we  are 
to  take  this  last  expression,  it  is  difficult  to  determine.  Luke 
says,  indeed,  that  "  in  the  day  time  he  was  teaching  in  the 
temple,  and  at  night  he  went  out  and  abode  in  the  mount  of 
Olives."  Some  would  interpret  this  Bethany,  the  abode  of 
Lazarus,  which  was  in  the  neighbourhood  or  district  of  the 
mount  of  Olives.  But  the  mount  of  Olives  is  so  expressly 
distinguished  from  Bethany  in  the  history  of  our  Lord's  public 
entry  into  Jerusalem,  that  I  had  rather  suppose  the  Evangelist 
to  mean,  that  our  Lord,  though  accustomed  to  visit  Bethany 
in  the  evenings  of  this  week,  merely  took  short  refreshments 
there,  and  spent  a  great  part  of  the  night  in  Gethsemane, 
which  was  at  the  foot  of  the  mount  of  Olives.  We  are 
informed,  by  the  same  historian,  that  the  people  came  each 
morning  into  the  temple  very  early  to  hear  him.  But  on  this 
Wednesday,  it  seems,  they  were  disappointed ;  for  Christ 
passed  most  of  the  day  on  mount  Olivet,  discoursing  with  his 
disciples. 

On  this  day,  and  on  this  spot,  he  delivered  that  long  and 
*  Exodus  xii.  1. 


264  LECTURE    LXXIV. 

awful  prediction  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  which  he 
had  introduced  on  the  preceding  evening,  as  he  was  going  out 
of  the  temple,  when  his  disciples  said  to  him,  "  Master,  see 
what  buildings ! "  He  then  gave  to  his  Apostles  those  faithful 
discourses  contained  in  the  parables  of  the  ten  virgins  and  of 
the  talents,  and  closed  with  a  description  of  the  procedure  of 
the  judgment-day.  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had 
finished  all  these  sayin-^s,  he  said  to  his  disciples,  ye  know 
that  after  two  days  is  the  passover,  and  the  Son  of  man  is  be- 
trayed to  be  crucified."     We  must  now  advert  to, 

II.  The  council  of  the  rulers  concerning  betraying  Christ. 

On  an  event  so  important  to  their  supposed  interests,  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities  had  many  meetings  ;  and  this  has 
given  rise  to  mistakes,  some  persons  having  confounded  one 
consultation  with  another.  This  council,  of  which  we  now 
discourse,  is  distinguished  by  two  circumstances;  the  decision, 
and  the  deferring  of  the  execution. 

1.  The  decision  was,  that  they  would  take  Jesus  by  subtil ty, 
and  put  him  to  death. 

They  had  already  determined  that  they  would  not  own 
Christ  for  the  Messiah,  let  the  consequence  be  what  it  might; 
and  they  had  given  notice,  that  whoever  knew  where  he  was 
should  make  it  known  to  the  government.  But  now,  for  three 
days,  they  had  known  more  about  Jesus  than  they  wished. 
They  durst  not  seize  him,  for  he  was  surrounded  by  an  admir- 
ing and  applauding  crowd.  They,  therefore,  now  determine 
to  abandon  the  idea  of  a  public  seizure,  and  resort  to  craft. 
Whether  they  intend  to  invite  him  into  some  house,  the  next 
time  he  came  to  Jerusalem,  pretending  to  show  him  the  hos- 
pitality which,  for  three  days,  they  had  denied  him ;  or  whether 
they  design  to  discover  his  lodgings  at  night,  and  come  upon 
him  when  asleep;  or  by  what  other  mode  they  hope  to  accom- 
plish their  object,  we  know  not ;  but  of  this  we  may  be  sure, 
that  it  was  disgraceful  to  their  character,  considered  as  rulers 
of  the  nation,  or  of  the  church.  In  the  latter  capacity,  they 
were  bound  to  act  with  simplicity  and  frankness,  as  ministers 
of  God,  who  should  openly  avow  the  truth,  and  act  according 
to  it,  let  the  consequences  be  what  they  might.     As  rulers  of 


JUDAS    BETRAYS    CHRIST.  265 

the  nation,  they  had  the  power  of  the  state  in  their  hands, 
and  should  have  disdained  to  lay  plans  to  destroy,  by  secret 
craft,  an  individual  who  had  not  yet  been  tried.  But  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  g-uilt  of  their  machinations  seems  to  have  in- 
duced them  to  meet,  not  in  the  hall  of  the  Sanhedrim,  but  in 
the  palace  of  Caiaphas,  where  their  consultations  might  be 
less  noticed,  so  that  nothing  might  transpire  to  thwart  their 
dark  designs. 

2.  The  execution  of  the  plot  was  to  be  deferred  till  after  the 
passover. 

"  They  said,  not  on  the  feast  day,  lest  there  be  an  uproar 
among  the  people."  They  saw  how  popular  Christ  was  ;  and 
as  the  feast  had  not  only  attracted  to  Jerusalem  immense 
numbers,  which  would  make  a  popular  tumult  more  formid- 
able, but  had  also  given  a  preponderance  to  the  country  peo- 
ple, who  were  more  attached  to  Jesus  than  the  citizens  of  the 
capital  were ;  it  was  deemed  politic  to  defer  their  attempt  till 
the  visitors  were  gone  home,  and  the  city  was  more  quiet. 
What  blindness  and  infatuation  these  rulers  displayed  in 
dreading  a  popular  tumult,  and  never  reflecting  on  the  cause 
of  Christ's  popularity,  his  miraculous  powers!  They  dreaded, 
lest  one  should  be  disposed  to  rise  and  rescue  the  man  of  Na- 
zareth, exclaiming,  "  none  shall  touch  him  ;  for  he  is  my 
benefactor,  who  gave  me  the  sight  of  my  eyes ;"  or  lest  another 
should  aid  in  delivering  the  victim  of  the  Pharisees'  fury, 
saying,  "  he  raised  my  child  from  the  dead."  But  they  seem 
not  to  have  thought,  "  what  if  he  should  deliver  himself  by 
one  of  those  miraculous  displays  of  power  by  which  he  has  so 
often  saved  others?"  That  the  dread  of  the  people  should 
have  induced  these  keen  blood-hounds  to  defer  their  attempt 
to  hunt  down  their  prey ;  and  that  they  should  have  felt  no 
fear  of  Christ's  withering  the  hand  that  should  be  raised  against 
him,  or  striking  their  troops  dead,  is  a  most  astonishing  dis- 
play of  the  blindness  and  infatuation  which  human  depravity 
creates. 

Yet,  how  soon  was  the  fickleness  of  popularity  betrayed ! 
The  same  persons  who,  on  Wednesday,  dreaded  the  people's 
attachment  to  Jesus,  on  Friday  stirred  them  up  to  ask  a  mur- 


266  LECTURE   LXXIV. 

derer  rather  than  the  Saviour,  and  to  compel  Pilate  to  con- 
demn Christ  by  the  deafening  outcry,  "  Crucify  him!  crucify 
him!"  So  little  dependence  is  to  be  placed  on  this  world's 
applause !  The  idol  of  to-day  may  be  to-morrow's  execration. 

But,  that  the  council  of  priests  and  rulers  should  have  de- 
termined to  defer  lying  in  wait  to  seize  Jesus  till  after  the 
passover,  and  yet  that  they  should  at  last  have  done  it,  the  day 
before  that  feast,  so  as  to  crucify  him  just  at  the  very  time 
when  they  most  dreaded  a  popular  tumult,  was  a  most  re- 
markable   occurrence.      What   a   proof   of   the    divine  fore- 
knowledge !  The  council  said,  "  we  will  not  do  it  till  after  this 
week;"  but  Jesus  said,  "it  will  be  within  two  days."    "There 
are  many  devices  in  the  heart   of  a   man,    but  the  counsel 
of  the  Lord  it  shall  stand."     We  are  now  to  witness, 
III.  The  bargain  betv/een  Judas  and  the  priests. 
This  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  traitor  brings  with  it  a  mul- 
titude of  reflections  most  interesting   and  most  instructive. 
The  manner  in  which  the  Evangelists,  Matthew  and  Mark, 
introduce  it  leads  us  to  enter  upon  a  discussion  of, 
1.  The  various  steps  which  led  Judas  to  this  act. 
The  first  was,  undoubtedly,  a  false  profession  of  religion. 
He  heard  and  admired  Christ  as  an  eloquent  preacher,  whose 
doctrine  he  professed  to  embrace,  while  he  was  conscious  that 
he  yielded  not  to  it  the  obedience  of  the  heart.     He  saw  the 
most  powerful  and  splendid  proofs  of  the  miraculous  gifts  of 
Christ,  which  awakened  mercenary  hopes  of  advantage  to  be 
derived  from  following  such  a  leader.    Selfish  and  worldly,  the 
traitor  determined  to  push  himself  forward  on  all  occasions, 
that  if  there  was  any  advantage  to  be  gained  from  this  rising 
party,  he  might  seize  it.     This  threw  him  in  the  way  of  being 
chosen  one  of  the  twelve  Apostles,  whom  Christ  most  probably 
selected  from  among  those  who  appeared   most  attached  to 
his   person   and    doctrine,  and   most  devoted   to  his  service 
and  glory.     But  while  Judas  obtained  his   object,  his  hypo- 
crisy hardened  his  heart.     The  constant  habit  of  seeing  such 
actions,  and  hearing  such  discourses  as  those  of  Jesus,  un- 
moved, unconverted,  gradually  acquired  for  Judas  a  dreadful 
facility  in  parryinar  the  thrusts  made  at  his  conscience,  and 


JUDAS    BETRAYS    CHRIST.  267 

an  infernal  skill  in  perverting  the  best  things  to  the  worst 
uses. 

The  next  step  in  the  traitor's  ruin  was,  his  becoming  trea- 
surer to  the  apostolic  college.  For  Judas  was  intrusted  with 
the  bag,  probably  by  some  manoeuvring  of  his  own ;  and  every 
step  of  advance  and  success  in  a  course  of  religious  hypocrisy 
is  a  nearer  approach  to  incurable  obduracy  and  irrevocable 
perdition.  Now,  a  system  of  little  pilfering  seems  to  have 
commenced ;  for  he  is  called  a  thief,  who  bare  the  bag,  and 
kept  what  was  put  therein.  When  once  the  purse  belonging 
to  the  Saviour's  society  was  regarded  as  affording  a  good 
opportunity  for  purloining  and  making  a  private  purse,  every 
opportunity  would  be  watched  to  turn  money  into  that  chan- 
nel ;  for  the  more  there  was  put  in,  the  more  might  be  stolen 
out. 

The  most  marked  step,  therefore,  in  the  fall  of  Judas, 
was  his  offence  at  missing  the  money  which  was  spent  in 
anointing  Christ  at  Bethany.  This  we  have  already  noticed, 
having  decided  that  it  occurred  at  a  former  period  of  the  his- 
tory, though  Matthew  and  Mark  introduce  it  here,  because  of 
its  connection  with  the  conduct  of  Judas  at  this  time.  The 
relation  of  cause  and  effect,  or  at  least  of  occasion  and  conse- 
quence, has  been,  by  many,  mistaken  for  a  coincidence  of 
time.  But  when  Christ,  not  only  defended  Mary,  in  spend- 
ing the  costly  ointment  upon  his  body,  but  said,  "  she  did  it 
for  my  burial,"  Judas  was  at  once  mortified  to  have  his  merce- 
nary opinion  openly  contradicted,  and  also,  I  suspect,  alarmed 
with  the  dread  that  Jesus,  seeing  through  him,  detected  the 
murderous  scheme  that  was  hatching  in  his  foul  breast.  For 
previously  to  this  step,  which  the  Evangelists  so  particularly 
mark,  another  has  been  pointed  out,  the  hankering  of  the 
traitor's  heart  after  the  wages  of  unrighteousness,  for  which 
he  was  set  a  longing  by  the  public  invitation  given  to  all  who 
knew  where  Jesus  was  to  inform  the  government  of  it. 

It  is  probable  that  Judas  obtained  information  by  some 
means,  that  the  council  was  now  sitting  to  devise  a  plan  for 
seizing  Jesus,  and  this  was  the  last  step  to  his  treason  and 


268  LECTURE    LXXIV. 

ruin.  All  his  lust  of  gain  was  worked  up  to  action,  and  all 
his  former  resentments  and  suspicions  revived.  For  it  is  not 
improbable  that  he  heard  our  Lord  say,  "  The  Son  of  man  is 
betrayed  to  be  crucified,"  and  was  thrown  into  a  conflict  of 
hope  and  fear.  "  He  suspects  me,"  cries  the  traitor's  con- 
science, "  and  will  shortly  throw  me  out  of  his  society,  when 
I  shall  lose  all  opportunity  of  gaining  any  thing  by  him  in  any 
way.  But  perhaps  he  means  that  some  one  else  is  about 
to  deliver  him  up,  and  then  another  will  gain  what  I  may 
now  secure.  There  is  then  no  time  to  be  lost.  I  will  go  at 
once." 

Under  what  pretence  he  slipped  away  from  the  company 
of  Jesus  and  the  disciples,  into  the  city,  we  are  not  told ; 
but  a  hypocrite,  a  covetous  man,  a  thief,  a  traitor,  a  devil, 
a  false  accuser,  as  he  is  called,  will  never  be  at  a  loss  for  a 
pretence. 

2.  The  interview  between  the  traitor  and  the  priests. 

He  seems  to  have  found  them  in  high  debate ;  for,  though 
they  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  would  not  strike 
the  blow  during  the  festival,  it  was  no  small  difiiculty  to  de- 
termine hoio  they  should  do  it  afterwards.  In  the  midst  of 
this  their  embarrassment,  the  door  opens,  and  the  porter  in- 
troduces— whom?  A  disciple,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus.  For 
what?  He  is  come  to  make  proposals  to  them.  Of  what 
kind  ?  Does  he  wish  to  act  as  mediator  between  the  contend- 
ing parties,  and  to  propose  to  them  a  way  by  which  they  may 
own  Jesus  for  the  Messiah,  and  save  their  credit  too  ?  No : 
he  comes,  open  mouth,  to  cry,  "  what  will  you  give  me?  And 
I  will  betray  him  to  you."  Impudent  traitor!  "  What  will 
you  give  me?"  Why  if  you  have  found  that  Jesus  is  not  the 
Messiah,  but  an  impostor,  you  ought  to  deliver  him  up  from 
pure  abhorrence  of  the  imposture,  and  love  of  your  country 
and  church,  without  asking,  "  What  will  ye  give  me?"  And 
if  you  have  no  charge  to  bring  against  him,  no  evidence  that 
he  is  otherwise  than  he  professes  to  be,  nothing  that  can  be 
given  you  should  cause  you  to  harbour  the  most  distant  thought 
of  delivering  him  up  to  death.     But  ah !  that  miserable  ques- 


JUDAS    BETRAYS    CHRIST.  269 

tion,  "  What  will  you  give  me?"  how  often  has  it  betrayed 
the  wickedness  of  him  that  proposed,  and  of  him  that  enter- 
tained it ! 

We  are  not  told  what  Judas's  rank  in  life  was,  but  he  seems 
to  address  the  governors  of  church  and  state  as  if  he  were 
quite  intimate  with  them.  Yet,  perhaps,  it  was  only  his 
errand  that  gave  him  access  to  the  great,  who  would  have  dis- 
dained on  any  other  occasion  to  be  found  in  the  same  room 
with  him.  Loving  the  treason,  though  they  hated  the  traitor, 
•'  they  were  glad,"  it  is  said.  Glad  to  find,  that  there  was 
one,  in  human  shape,  so  base  as  Judas !  Glad  to  discover  that 
money  would  induce  a  man  to  do  any  thing !  Glad  to  perceive 
that  the  man  has  his  price,  and  that  if  they  will  bid  high 
enough,  he  will  sink  low  enough.  This  is  just  the  language 
of  covetousness,  what  will  ye  give  me?  For  this,  a  man 
will  quit  the  company  of  Jesus  for  that  of  Caiaphas,  and 
the  disciples  and  followers  of  the  Lamb  for  the  coterie  of 
murderous  priests.  Fatal  forerunner  of  the  hour  when  he 
would  go  to  his  own  place,  and  mingle  for  ever  with  the 
company  that  best  suited  his  wicked  heart !  I  tremble  for  a 
man  when  I  see  him  exchange  the  society  of  Christ  and  his 
saints,  for  that  of  some  wealthy  enemies  to  religion,  with  the 
odious  query  upon  his  lips,  "  what  will  you  give  me?" 

Watch  with  jealous  care,  my  friends,  against  "  supposing 
that  gain  is  godliness."  For  what  could  they  give  him?  Give 
him  for  a  Saviour!  For  the  choicest  gift  that  ever  God  gave 
to  man !  A  gift  that  impoverished  heaven's  treasury  !  Be- 
yond which  infinity  could  not  go  !  After  which  every  thing 
else  that  God  himself  could  give  followed,  as  a  mere  matter 
of  course;  for,  "  if  God  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  gave  him 
up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not,  with  him  also,  freely  give  us  all 
things?"  Then  what  could  they  give  him  that  could  be  an 
equivalent  for  what  he  was  about  to  resign  to  them,  his  Sa- 
viour, his  soul,  his  all?  "For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man, 
if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  And  what 
shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  Yet  the  priests, 
the  ministers  of  religion,  the  predominant  sect,  most  revered 
for  sanctity,  were  glad  to  hear  the  foul  cry,  "  what  will  you 


270  LECTURE    LXXIV. 

give  me  ? "  though  it  should  have  shocked  them  to  the  centre 
of  their  being,  and  made  their  blood  flow  back  cold  to  their 
heart.  And  how  often  we  see  men,  who,  by  profession,  should 
be  the  patrons  of  virtue  and  avengers  of  vice,  rejoice  in 
iniquity,  because  it  suits  their  supposed  interests,  or  serves  the 
purposes  of  a  party  to  which  they  have  sold  their  souls !  Some 
have  imagined  that  Judas  glossed  over  his  sin,  and  enabled 
the  priests  to  mask  their  own,  by  some  such  speeches  as  these : 
"  I  have  been  miserably  deceived  by  Jesus,  but  now  my  eyes 
are  opened,  and  I  see  my  error.  He  formerly  pretended  to 
much  humility,  modesty,  and  frugality ;  but  at  the  supper  in 
Bethany  he  assumed  such  state,  betrayed  such  pride,  and  al- 
lowed so  extravagant  waste,  in  anointing  him,  that  what 
would  have  fed  and  clothed  many  poor  persons  was  wasted 
upon  him  in  mere  perfume.  I  am  shocked  to  think  of  him, 
and  am  glad  to  return  to  the  bosom  of  the  church  again."  But 
as  there  is  no  hint  of  any  such  pretence,  I  conceive  the  proba- 
bility is,  that  it  was  a  mere  bare-faced  money  bargain. 

The  traitor  was  aware  that  they  wished  to  have  Jesus  in 
their  hands,  but  were  embarrassed  to  know  how  they  could 
effect  their  object,  without  danger  from  the  people.  He,  there- 
fore, says,  "  I  can  do  that  for  you,  as  his  intimate  companion, 
which  no  one  else  can.  But  as  I  should  lose  that  supply  of 
my  wants  which  I  have  ever  enjoyed  with  him  ;  it  is  but  fair 
that  you  should  repay  me  with  that  reward  which  you  have 
ever  offered  to  those  who  deliver  vip  to  the  state  dangerous 
persons.  You  have  never  fixed  the  sum,  and  I  now  want  to 
know  what  you  will  give  me,  that  I  may  betray  him  to  you." 
He  demanded  not  a  certain  sum,  that  at  least  he  might  be 
sure  of  something  worth  his  while  ;  but,  as  if  he  had  some- 
thing to  sell  for  any  thing  it  would  fetch,  he  hawks  it  about 
and  says,  "  What  will  you  give  me  for  Jesus  Christ?"  Here 
Chrysostom  exclaims,  with  his  usual  eloquence,  "  O  singular 
madness !  How  was  this  man  blinded  with  the  lust  of  gain  ! 
For  he  who  had  often  seen  Jesus  escape  amidst  his  enemies, 
defying  all  their  attempts  to  lay  hands  on  him,  yet  thought  that, 
in  defiance  of  all  these  proofs  of  omnipotence,  he  could  hold 
Jesus  fast !     Yet  what  will  not  covetousness  do  to  blind  the 


JUDAS    BETRAYS    CHRIST.  271 

minds  and  harden  the  hearts  of  men  1  How  completely  it  seems 
to  have  blotted  from  the  traitor's  mind  all  remembrance  of 
former  obligations  to  Christ,  and  all  anticipations  of  future 
displays  of  the  Saviour's  power  ! "     Now  hear, 

3.  The  price  for  which  the  Saviour  was  sold. 

They,  glad  to  find  even  a  disciple,  an  Apostle,  of  Jesus 
come  among  them,  to  help  them  out  of  their  difficulty,  and 
delighted  with  the  hope  that  this  would  ruin  Christ's  credit 
with  the  people,  rescinded  their  purpose  of  deferring  the 
business,  and  agreed  to  give  Judas  money.  They  probably 
left  it  thus  indejfinite  at  first,  merely  engaging  to  reward  him. 
But  he,  greedy  after  gain,  stipulated  for  a  certain  sum.  They, 
seeing  this,  and  knowing  that  he  had  too  far  committed  him- 
self to  recede,  were  induced  to  offer  him — what  ?  If  we  had 
never  heard,  we  should  have  thought  that  the  lowest  sum 
would  have  been  thousands  of  gold  or  silver.  For  what 
would  not  they,  who  had  the  national  and  ecclesiastical  purse 
in  their  hands,  have  given  to  save  themselves  from  being 
hurled  from  their  seats,  as  they  dreaded,  either  by  Jesus  or 
the  Romans? 

But  they  offered  Judas  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of 
a  slave,  and  he  took  it !  Though  he  might  have  said,  "  Nay, 
our  law  says,  '  if  an  ox  shall  gore  a  man-servant,  or  a  maid- 
servant, the  owner  shall  give  their  master  thirty  pieces  of  sil- 
ver;'* and  you  will  surely  give  me  more  for  one,  whom  the 
multitude  think  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  David  ? "  But,  no  : 
it  is  said  he  consented,  and  promised  to  betray  Jesus  in  the 
absence  of  the  multitude.  Thus  were  fulfilled  again  the  pro- 
phecies of  the  Scriptures.  "  So  they  weighed,  for  my  price, 
thirty  pieces  of  silver.  A  goodly  price,  that  I  was  prized  at 
of  them."f  About  three  pounds  fifteen  shillings.  He  con- 
sented, and  they,  it  is  thought,  weighed  it  out  in  his  presence, 
and  put  it  by  in  a  bag  for  him,  to  stimulate  his  cupidity. 
Thus  the  two  covetous  parties  try  to  overreach  each  other. 
Judas  comes  gaping  after  the  gain,  and  crying  out,  "  AVhat 
will  you  give  me  ? "  the  priests,  with  the  treasury  of  the  tem- 
ple at  their  command,  beat  him  down  to  thirty  pieces,  when 
*  Exod.  xxi.  32.  t  Zech.  xi.  13. 


272  LECTURE    LXXIV. 

they  would  have  been  glad  to  give  thirty  times  as  much.  But 
that  covetousness,  which  so  often  overreaches  itself,  never  did 
this  more  completely  than  in  the  case  of  Judas.  He  obtained 
a  paltry  sum  for  one  who,  in  every  sense,  was  worth  infinite 
treasures,  and  lost  that  opportunity  of  enriching  himself  which 
would  have  been  most  gratifying  to  his  covetous  heart.  For 
how  would  such  a  man  as  Judas  have  enjoyed  the  sight  which 
the  faithful  Apostles,  a  few  days  after,  beheld,  when  the  dis- 
ciples sold  their  houses  and  lands,  and  brought  the  prices,  and 
laid  them  down  at  the  Apostles'  feet.  O  how  would  the  trai- 
tor's eyes  have  glistened  at  the  sight  of  the  golden  heaps,  and 
how  would  his  fingers  have  itched  to  handle  the  pelf !  But, 
alas  !  he  was  then  gone  to  his  own  place !  Woe  to  those  who 
make  haste  to  be  rich!  "They  fall  into  a  snare,  and  into 
many  deceitful  and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown  men  in  destruc- 
tion and  perdition ! "  Above  all,  their  doom  is  at  once  sure 
and  dreadful  who  sell  Christ  for  money,  and  who,  when  the 
person,  the  honour,  the  truth,  the  interests,  of  the  Saviour  are 
in  question,  can  for  a  moment  think  of  asking,  "  what  will 
you  give  me  ? " 

4.  The  conclusion  of  the  dreadful  transaction. 

From  that  time,  Judas  sought  opportunity  to  betray  Christ. 
Here  is  a  specimen  of  human  depravity.  See  to  what  lengths 
of  wickedness  the  heart  can  go,  and  what  means  of  righteous- 
ness it  can  withstand  !  Behold  the  man  return  again  to  the 
society  of  Jesus,  and  the  other  disciples ;  for  this  was  neces- 
sary, in  order  to  enjoy  an  opportunity  of  betraying  Christ,  in 
the  absence  of  the  multitude.  But  as  the  Scriptures  describe 
the  adultress  returning  to  her  injured  lord,  all  demure,  and 
with  fair  pretence  of  innocence  ;  so  we  behold  this  unhappy 
man  come  back,  with  treacherous  smile,  to  meet  the  omnisci- 
ent eye  of  Jesus  !  Ah,  how  well  might  he  have  said,  as  the 
prophet  to  another  covetous  hypocrite,  "  Whither  hast  thou 
been?  Went  not  my  heart  with  thee?  Is  this  a  time  to  receive 
silver  and  gold  ?"  But  who  can  endure  to  think  of  the  traitor, 
henceforth  watching  the  Saviour,  only  to  spy  a  happy  moment 
to  spill  his  blood?  Steadily  to  view  such  innocence,  to  mark 
the  expressions  of  such  benevolence,  to  follow  the  footsteps  of 


JUDAS    BETRAYS    CHRIST.  273 

such  sanctity,  unmoved,  never  feeling  those  compunctious 
visitings  that  exclaimed,  "  I  cannot  do  it.  O  it  is  too  much 
to  sell  such  blood,  and  give  up  such  a  lamb  to  such  butchers !" 

He  sought  opportunity,  and  he  found  it. 

Sometimes  men  seek  opportunities  to  sin,  and  cannot  find 
them  !  God  in  his  mercy  hedges  up  their  way  with  thorns,  and 
they  are  vexed  that  they  cannot  find  the  path  to  guilt  and 
ruin.  But  when  that  grace,  which  at  first  restrained,  after- 
wards converts  them,  how  they  adore  him  that  kept  them  back 
from  committing  the  cursed  deed  !  What  was  their  vexation, 
is  now  the  theme  of  their  grateful  exultation.  At  other  times, 
the  evil  man  who  is  watching  for  opportunities  to  offend  God, 
and  ruin  himself  and  others,  is  most  unhappily  successful,  and 
finds  that  he  has  fallen  into  his  own  snare.  In  vain  he  ex- 
claims afterwards,  "  O  that  I  had  missed  my  mark,  and  pro- 
vidence had  thwarted  me  in  my  efforts  to  force  my  passage  to 
the  flames ! " 

This  whole  affair  the  evangelical  historian  of  Judas  connects 
with  the  temptation  of  Satan.  "  Satan  having  put  into  the 
heart  of  Judas  Iscariot  Simon's  son  to  betray  Jesus."  Then 
let  us  pray,  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us 
from  the  evil  one." 


VOL.  n. 


274 


LECTURE  LXXV. 

CHRIST    CELEBRATING    THE    LAST    PASSOVER. 

Matt.  xxvi.  17 — 20. 
Mark  xiv.  12 — 17. 
*  Luke  xxii.  7 — 18. 

*  Then  came  the  day  of  unleavened  bread,  when  the  passover  must  be  killed. 
And  he  sent  Peter  and  John,  saying,  Go  and  prepare  us  the  passover,  that 
we  may  eat. 

"  JVIy  times  are  in  thy  hand,"  says  David,  to  his  God ;  and 
' "  the  times  and  the  seasons,"  Christ  informs  us,  "  the  Father 
hath  kept  in  his  own  power."  In  whose  hand  or  power  should 
they  be,  but  in  his  wbo  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and 
makes  circumstances  to  suit  seasons,  with  infinite  goodness 
and  skill  i  Behold  how  times  and  events  here  concur.  The 
Jews  cherished  a  tradition  that,  in  the  days  of  the  Messiah, 
they  should  be  redeemed  on  the  same  day  that  they  came  out 
of  Egypt.  Here  we  see  the  prediction  verified.  By  a  strange 
reason  they  defer  their  killing  of  the  paschal  lamb,  till  a  day 
after  the  proper  time ;  but  Jesus,  true  to  the  statutes  of 
heaven,  says,  on  the  day  of  which  we  are  now  considering  the 
history,  "  My  time  is  at  hand,  I  must  eat  the  passover  to-day 
with  my  disciples."  As,  therefore,  the  Jews  left  the  land 
of  bondage,  the  day  after  they  ate  the  first  passover ;  so 
Christ,  on  the  Thursday  of  this  week,  ate  his  last,  and  on  the 
next  day,  Friday,  died  on  the  cross,  to  redeem  the  church 
from  the  slavery  of  sin  by  his  own  blood.  At  the  very  same 
time  that  the  true  paschal  lamb  was  expiring,  they  killed  the 
typical  one.  We  should  meditate,  with  peculiar  devotion,  on 
this  grand  event  of  what  may  be  called  the  last  day  of  our 


CHRIST    CELEBRATING    THE    LAST    PASSOVER.       275 

Lord's  mortal  life ;  for  on  this  evening  he  was  seized  with  the 
agonies  of  death,  and  may  be  said  to  have  been  dying  till  the 
moment  when  he  expired  on  the  cross,  saying,  "  it  is  finished." 
Our  attention  will  now  be  directed  to  the  preparation  for  the 
passover,  and  the  celebration  of  the  feast. 

I.  The  preparation  for  the  last  passover. 

As  we  were  created  to  do  service  for  God,  not  because  he 
needs  our  services,  but  because  we  need  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  to  our  character  and  bliss  by  such  employment  of  our 
powers,  our  Lord,  in  the  whole  course  of  his  ministry,  made  much 
use  of  his  disciples ;  to  teach  them  where  lay  their  duty,  their 
honour,  their  interest,  and  their  bliss.  We  have  to  behold 
them  called  into  action,  this  day,  evidently  more  for  their 
own  sakes  than  their  Master's,  who  proves  most  clearly  that 
his  superintending  mind  and  almighty  power  could  have  done 
all  by  himself. 

1.  Mark  the  spirit  which  our  Lord  displayed. 

With  what  composure  the  meek  and  patient  lamb  meets  his 
time  of  sorrow  !  "  Then  came  the  day  of  unleavened  bread, 
when  the  passover  must  be  killed  ;  and  Jesus  said,  The  Son 
of  man  is  betrayed  to  be  crucified.  He  sent  two  of  his  dis- 
ciples, Peter  and  John,  saying.  Go,  prepare  for  us  the  pass- 
over  that  we  may  eat."  As  if  he  would  say,  "  well,  the  die  is 
cast ;  Father,  I  come ;  friends,  make  ready."  Knowing  the 
command  that  there  should  be  no  leaven  in  the  house  of  a  Jew, 
on  the  day  of  the  passover,  the  Saviour  deemed  it  fit  that  his 
apartment  should  be  provided  for  the  feast,  that  time  should 
be  given  to  cleanse  it,  and  that  it  might  be  known  that  it  was 
free  from  the  ceremonial  pollution.  The  Jews  are  said  to 
wash  their  houses  with  great  care,  and  to  search  every  corner 
^ith  candles,  to  see  that  not  a  morsel  of  leavened  bread  re- 
i:nains.  To  this  the  Apostle  alludes,  when  he  says  to  a 
Christian  churcb,  "Christ  our  passover  is  sacrificed  for  us; 
therefore  let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  with  the  old  leaven, 
ijeither  with  the  leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness,  but  with 
the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity  and  truth.  Therefore  purge 
out  the  old  leaven,  that  ye  may  be  a  new  lump,  as  ye  are  un- 
leavened." 

T  2 


276 


LECTURE    LXXV. 


As  "  it  could  not  be  that  a  prophet  should  perish  out  of 
Jerusalem,"  the  law  required  that  they  should  go  up  to  the 
city  where  the  temple  was,  to  celebrate  this  feast ;  by  which 
arrangement,  "  Christ  our  passover"  was  seized  at  the  capital, 
and  slain  there.  But  for  this,  our  Lord  might  have  remained 
among  his  friends  at  Bethany,  where  he  now  was.  The  time, 
however,  was  come,  and  the  Lamb  begins  to  move  towards  the 
place  of  slaughter,  without  struggling,  without  delay. 

2.   Mark  the  spirit  of  the  disciples. 

They  only  ask,  "  Where  wilt  thou  that  we  prepare  ?  "  They 
knew  that  an  exact  preparation  was  strictly  enjoined,  and  that 
it  must  be  at  Jerusalem ;  but  as  their  Lord  had  no  house  or 
lodging  there,  and  had  been  for  many  days  preaching  in  the 
city,  without  receiving  a  single  hospitable  invitation  to  any 
dwelling,  so  that  he  had  been  obliged  to  come  every  evening 
to  seek  a  lodging  in  the  country,  they  knew  not  where  he  could 
intend  to  eat  the  feast.  They  were  aware  also,  that  the  city 
was  swayed  by  foes  to  Jesus,  and  they  could  not  tell  but  his 
disciples  would  be  seized  as  soon  as  they  entered  the  gates. 
But  they  raise  no  objections,  and  instead  of  saying,  "  Lord, 
we  dare  not  go  ;"  they  only  ask,  "  Where  wilt  thou  that  we 
prepare  ? "  They  bowed  to  the  decision  of  Jehovah,  who  is 
"  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the  assembly  of  his  servants,  and  to 
be  had  in  reverence  of  all  them  that  are  round  about  him ;" 
and  who  had  said,  "  keep  thy  foot  when  thou  goest  into  the 
house  of  God,"  and  therefore  they  were  ready  to  go  and  pre- 
pare for  the  due  celebration  of  the  feast. 

O  that  Christians  would  take  a  hint  from  this  event,  and 
make  due  preparation  for  the  devout  observance  of  the  Lord's 
day  !  It  is  the  disgrace  of  our  country  that  so  many  things 
are  allowed  to  encroach  upon  the  sacred  time.  When  the 
present  system  of  religion  was  established  in  Scotland,  the 
legislature  passed  an  act  which  eminently  conduced  to  the 
sanctification  of  the  sabbath,  by  abolishing  all  markets  and 
fairs  that  were  held  either  on  Saturday  or  Monday.  Such 
a  law  enacted  in  England  would  contribute  to  wipe  away  one 
of  our  greatest  national  blots.  Meanwhile,  all  Christians  should 
set   their  faces   against   every  thing   that   interferes  with   the 


CHRIST    CELEBRATING    THE    LAST    PASSOVER.      277 

sacred  rest,  such  as  paying  wages  late,  and  keeping  markets 
late  on  Saturday,  and  entertaining  company  on  the  day  conse- 
crated to  religion. 

But  as  Christ  chose  not  to  send  all  his  disciples,  he  selected 
Peter  and  John,  who  were  to  be  witnesses  of  his  awful  agony 
in  the  garden,  and  needed,  therefore,  the  encouragement  they 
were  to  receive  on  this  occasion,  by  discovering  how  Christ 
foresaw  all  things,  and  rendered  all  subservient  to  his  will. 
This  commission  might  at  first  appear  to  them  full  of  peril ; 
but  if  we  pursue  the  path  of  duty  into  which  our  Lord  calls, 
though  we  may  not  perceive  his  design,  we  shall  find  that 
present  service  was  not  the  only,  nor  perhaps  the  chief,  thing 
in  his  eye  ;  but  he  designed  by  this  day's  duty  to  prepare  us 
for  to-morrow's  safety  or  bliss.  These  two  disciples  were  better 
fitted  to  go  with  Christ  to  Gethsemane  in  the  evening,  by 
having  gone  for  him  to  Jerusalem  in  the  morning. 

Our  Lord  informed  them  not  of  the  name  of  the  person  at 
whose  house  he  would  sup,  but  said,  "  go  into  the  city,  to 
a  certain  person  that  I  have  in  my  eye."  He  could  have  told 
them  the  name,  and  pointed  out  his  house  ;  but  Jesus  chose 
rather  to  send  them  to  it  by  other  means,  which  should  better 
display  Christ's  omniscience,  and  thus  confirm  their  faith.  The 
person  intended  was  probably  some  hidden  disciple  of  Jesus, 
perhaps  a  new  convert,  won  by  Christ's  last  preaching  and  ac- 
tions, which  served  only  to  provoke  the  Pharisees  to  greater 
eagerness  for  his  blood. 

But  though  the  two  disciples  knew  not  either  the  man  or 
his  residence,  they  were  not  left  to  inquire;  they  were  fur- 
nished with  a  guide.  **  Ye  shall,  as  soon  as  you  enter  the 
city,  meet  a  man,  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water  :  follow  him  into 
the  house  where  he  shall  enter.  When  ye  have  come  to  that 
house,  say  to  the  good  man  of  the  house,"  that  is,  the  master 
of  it,  "  The  teacher,  whose  disciples  we  are,  says  to  thee, 
Where  is  the  guest-chamber,  where  I  may  eat  the  passover  with 
my  disciples  ?  He  will  show  you  a  large  upper  room,  fur- 
nished :  there  make  ready."  This  was  speaking  like  one  having 
authority,  who  could  command  the  use  of  whatever  he  chose. 


278  LECTURE    LXXV. 

just  as  he  acted  when  sending  for  the  ass  on  which  he  rode  into 
Jerusalem.  The  same  two  disciples  perhaps  performed  both 
services,  and  therefore  their  success  on  the  former  occasion 
induced  them  to  go  away  without  hesitating,  expecting  that 
their  Lord  would  again  bow  all  hearts  to  obey  his  will. 

3.  Mark  the  success  of  their  commission. 

As  they  enter  the  city  gate,  see  the  disciples  look  at  each 
other  with  wonder  and  delight,  saying,  there  he  is — who  1  the 
man  with  the  pitcher  of  water  !  Now,  without  hesitation, 
they  follow  him  into  the  street  he  goes  to,  and  up  one  turn 
and  down  another,  till  he  stops  at  a  house  and  goes  in.  They 
press  steadily  after  him,  who  perhaps  wonders  what  these  two 
strange  men  want,  and  what  makes  them  so  bold.  But  when 
he  asks  what  is  their  business,  they  inquire  for  the  master  of 
the  house.  He  appears  ;  they  deliver  their  message  ;  he  asks 
them  to  walk  up  stairs  ;  they  go ;  he  introduces  them  to  the 
great  room  ;  they  look  around,  and  see  all  in  order ;  they  take 
possession,  and  go  out  into  the  city  to  purchase  all  that  was 
necessary,  and  bring  it  back  to  their  new  apartment,  as  if  it 
were  their  own  home. 

But  what  must  have  been  their  emotions,  when  they  found 
all  things  just  as  their  Lord  told  them.  What  must  have  been 
their  conversation  with  each  other  !  Hear  them.  "  What 
a  minute  concurrence  of  numerous  circumstances  was  necessary 
to  accomplish  all  this  !  The  man  must  have  gone  out  of  the 
house  to  fetch  the  pitcher  of  water  exactly  at  a  certain  time^ 
and  we  must  have  been  sent  out  by  our  Lord  exactly  at  the 
correspondent  time ;  for  if  either  of  us  had  gone  too  late  or 
too  early  for  the  other,  our  meeting  would  have  been  prevented. 
We,  too,  walked  at  our  own  pace  to  enter  the  city ;  but  the 
man  must  have  moved  at  a  pace  to  suit  ours,  or  he  might  have 
fetched  the  water  and  returned  before  we  arrived.  Nor  must 
any  other  with  a  pitcher  of  water  come  to  that  spot  w  here  we 
met  this  man,  or  we  might  have  followed  the  wrong  guide, 
and  been  led  to  the  house  of  a  foe,  instead  of  a  friend.  Nor 
was  it  less  necessary  that  this  man  should  pursue  his  course 
straight  home ;  for  if  he  had  called  at  a  neighbour's  house  by 


CHRIST    CELEBRATIIMG    THE    LAST    PASSOVER.      879 

the  way,  we  should  have  gone  there  and  told  our  errand  to 
one  who  might  have  been  himself  an  enemy,  or  have  betrayed 
us  to  those  who  were.  But  our  Lord  foresaw  and  provided 
for  every  thing." 

How  strongly  this  resembles  what  Samuel  said  to  Saul, 
just  before  his  elevation  to  the  throne  !  "  When  thou  art  de- 
parted from  me  to-day,  then  thou  shalt  find  two  men  by  Ra- 
chel's sepulchre  in  the  border  of  Benjamin  at  Zelzah  ;  and  they 
will  say  unto  thee.  The  asses  which  thou  wentest  to  seek  are 
found  :  and,  lo,  thy  father  hath  left  the  care  of  the  asses,  and 
sorroweth  for  you,  saying.  What  shall  I  do  for  my  son  ?  Then 
shalt  thou  go  on  forward  from  thence,  and  thou  shalt  come  to 
the  plain  of  Tabor,  and  there  shall  meet  thee  three  men  going 
up  to  God  at  Beth-el,  one  carrying  three  kids,  and  another 
carrying  three  loaves  of  bread,  and  another  carrying  a  bottle 
of  wine  :  and  they  will  salute  thee,  and  give  thee  two  loaves  of 
bread  ;  which  thou  shalt  receive  of  their  hands.  After  that 
thou  shalt  come  to  the  hill  of  God,  where  is  the  garrison  of 
the  Philistines  :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  thou  art  come 
thither  to  the  city,  that  thou  shalt  meet  a  company  of  prophets 
coming  down  from  the  high  place  with  a  psaltery,  and  a  tabret, 
and  a  pipe,  and  a  harp,  before  them  :  and  they  shall  prophesy : 
and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  will  come  upon  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
prophesy  with  them,  and  shalt  be  turned  into  another  man. 
And  let  it  be,  when  these  signs  are  come  unto  thee,  that  thou 
do  as  occasion  serve  thee ;  for  God  is  with  thee."  * 

Let  us  learn,  then,  that  the  world  is  not  the  sport  of  accident. 
Many  events  seem  to  us  fortuitous,  but  to  our  Lord  they  are 
all  foreknown  ;  and  when  he  sends  us  on  his  errands,  he  knows 
all  that  will  befall  us,  and  has  promised  that  "  all  things  shall 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  him,  and  are  called 
according  to  his  purpose."  The  two  disciples  now  having 
marked  the  house,  as  the  spies  sent  by  Joshua  did  that  of 
Rahab,  returned  to  their  Lord,  saying,  "  Master,  we  have 
found  it  all  just  as  thou  saidst,  and  have  done  as  thou  com- 
mandedst ;  all  things  are  now  ready." 
*  1  Samuel  x.  2—7. 


280  LECTURE    LXXV. 

4.  Mark  their  journey  to  the  sacred  feast. 

When  the  evening  was  come,  Jesus,  with  his  twelve  dis- 
ciples, set  out.  We  see  this  funeral  procession,  for  such  we 
must  call  it,  move  forward  as  the  sun  declines,  and  Jesus  at 
the  head,  advancing  with  firm  step,  though  it  was  towards  his 
cross.  To  think  of  death  seriously,  at  a  distance,  requires 
much  fortitude  ;  but  to  advance  towards  it,  when  the  hour  is 
come,  this  is  the  task  ! 

Yet,  perhaps,  none  noticed  this  solemn  procession  as  it  en- 
tered the  city  ;  for  it  was  growing  dusk,  and  Jesus  came  not, 
as  a  few  days  ago,  with  pomp,  and  noise,  and  cavalcade.  The 
King  of  Israel  travelled  incognito,  and  pursued  his  course 
unseen,  till  he  came  to  the  appointed  house  ;  that  he  might 
not  create  trouble  to  the  man  who  entertained  him.  It  was, 
perhaps,  necessary  to  throw  a  veil  of  secrecy  over  Christ's  last 
passover,  lest  the  Jews,  in  their  zeal  for  the  traditions  of  the 
fathers,  should  create  a  disturbance  round  the  house,  where 
some  were  celebrating  the  feast,  at  the  scriptural,  instead  of 
the  national  time. 

A  guide  had  been  sent  to  conduct  the  two  disciples,  but  as 
they  now  know  the  way,  so  Jesus  needs  neither  the  man  with 
the  pitcher  of  water,  nor  the  directions  of  Peter  and  John. 
He  pursues,  with  straight  course,  the  road  to  the  dwelling 
where  he  was  to  perform  the  most  important  actions,  and  de- 
liver his  most  memorable  words.  Little  did  the  priests  and 
rulers  think,  that  the  very  person  for  whose  apprehension  they 
had  just  agreed  to  pay  thirty  pieces  was  now  so  near  them. 
The  disciples  watch  their  Lord,  as  he  draws  near  to  the  house 
where  he  was  to  eat  his  last  [meal  on  earth,  and  listen  with 
unutterable  interest  to  his  salutation,  as  he  comes  up  to  the 
good  man  of  the  house,  and  says,  "  I  am  come  to  sup  at  your 
house,  before  I  suffer."  Following  their  Master  up  stairs, 
they  mark  how  he  looks  round  on  the  large  room,  and  observes 
the  preparation  that  had  been  made.  I  proceed  to  the  second 
head  of  our  discourse. 

II.  The  celebration  of  the  feast  for  the  last  time. 

We  feel  a  natural  interest  and  curiosity  excited  to  behold 


CHRIST  CELEBRATING  THE  LAST  PASSOVER.        281 

the  last  of  a  thing,  especially  if  it  is  of  ancient  date,  and  has 
been  continued  through  many  generations.  We  are  now  to 
behold  the  last  of  a  rite  that  had  been  celebrated  for  two 
thousand  years.  Its  first  celebration  was  on  a  night  which, 
Moses  justly  says,  was  much  to  be  remembered ;  for  on  that 
night  the  Lord  brought  Israel  out  of  Egypt  with  a  mighty 
hand.  But  this  last  celebration  was  on  a  night  far  more 
worthy  to  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance  ;  for  then  Jesus 
displayed  grace  more  glorious  than  the  power  that  snatched 
Israel  from  Pharaoh's  cruel  grasp. 

Let  us  notice  the  rites,  the  company,  and  the  spirit  of  this 
last  passover. 

1.  The  rites. 

I  have  felt  some  doubt  whether  I  should  enter  upon  these ; 
for  they  ought  to  be  well  known  by  every  student  of  the 
Scriptures.  But  when  I  reflect  upon  the  melancholy  igno- 
rance of  the  Scriptures  which  prevails,  and  think  how  much 
we  owe  the  faint  knowledge  we  possess  to  the  frequent  re- 
petitions that  occur  in  preaching,  I  am  induced  to  enter  upon 
the  subject.  In  addition  to  this,  it  must  be  observed,  that 
the  Jewish  writers  say  that  many  rites  were  observed  in 
practice  which  are  not  prescribed  in  the  brief  statutes  of 
Moses. 

When  God  threatened,  as  a  last  stroke,  to  destroy  all  the 
first-born  of  the  Egyptians,  the  Jews,  living  among  them, 
might  naturally  be  supposed  to  tremble  lest  some  of  the  first- 
born of  Israel  should  be  smitten.  God,  therefore,  determined 
both  to  feed  his  people,  before  he  marched  them  out,  and  by 
this  to  give  them  also  a  pledge  and  a  means  of  safety.  "  And 
the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron,  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
saying,  This  month  shall  be  unto  you  the  beginning  of  months ; 
it  shall  be  the  first  month  of  the  year  to  you.  Speak  ye  unto 
all  the  congregation  of  Israel,  saying.  In  the  tenth  day  of  this 
month,  they  shall  take  to  them  every  man  a  lamb,  according 
to  the  house  of  their  fathers,  a  lamb  for  a  house :  and  if  the 
household  be  too  little  for  the  lamb,  let  him  and  his  neighbour 
next  unto  his  house  take  it  according  to  the  number  of  the  souls ; 
every  man  according  to  his  eating  shall  make  your  count  for 


282  LECTURE    LXXV, 

the  lamb.  Your  Iamb  shall  be  without  blemish,  a  male  of 
the  first  year :  ye  shall  take  it  out  from  the  sheep,  or  from 
the  g^oats :  and  ye  shall  keep  it  up  until  the  fourteenth  day 
of  the  same  month  :  and  the  whole  assembly  of  the  congrega- 
tion of  Israel  shall  kill  it  in  the  evening.  And  they  shall  take 
of  the  blood,  and  strike  it  on  the  two  side-posts  and  on  the 
upper  door-post  of  the  houses,  wherein  they  shall  eat  it. 
And  they  shall  eat  the  flesh  in  that  night,  roast  with  fire,  and 
unleavened  bread ;  and  with  bitter  herbs  they  shall  eat  it. 
Eat  not  of  it  raw,  nor  sodden  at  all  with  water,  but  roast 
with  fire  ;  his  head  with  his  legs,  and  with  the  purtenance 
thereof.  And  ye  shall  let  nothing  of  it  remain  until  the  morn- 
ing ;  and  that  which  remaineth  of  it  until  the  morning  ye 
shall  burn  with  fire.  And  thus  shall  ye  eat  it ;  with  your 
loins  girded,  your  shoes  on  your  feet,  and  your  staff  in  your 
hand  ;  and  ye  shall  eat  it  in  haste  :  it  is  the  Lord's  passover. 
For  I  will  pass  through  the  land  of  Egypt  this  night,  and  will 
smite  all  the  first-born  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  both  man  and 
beast;  and  against  all  the  gods  of  Egjpt  I  will  execute  judg- 
ment :  I  am  the  Lord.  And  the  blood  shall  be  to  you  for  a 
token  upon  the  houses  where  ye  are  :  and  when  I  see  the 
blood,  I  will  pass  over  you,  and  the  plague  shall  not  be  upon 
you  to  destroy  you,  when  I  smite  the  land  of  Egypt.  And 
this  day  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  memorial ;  and  ye  shall  keep 
it  a  feast  unto  the  Lord  throughout  your  generations;  ye  shall 
keep  it  a  feast  by  an  ordinance  for  ever.  Seven  days  shall 
ye  eat  unleavened  bread  ;  even  the  first  day  ye  shall  put 
away  leaven  out  of  your  houses  :  for  whosoever  eateth  leaven- 
ed bread  from  the  first  day  until  the  seventh  day,  that  soul 
shall  be  cut  off  from  Israel."  * 

Ainsworth,  who,  for  his  vast  mass  of  Hebrew  literature, 
may,  as  well  as  Owen,  be  called  the  rabbi  of  the  Indepen- 
dents, gives  the  following  account  of  the  paschal  ceremonies. 
"  First,  the  lamb  that  was  selected  for  them  was  killed,  and 
its  blood  sprinkled  on  the  lintel  of  the  door  posts  ;  not  on  the 
threshold,  to  teach  us  to  beware  of  trampling  the  blood  of  Christ 
beneath  our  feet."  If  Jesus  and  his  disciples  saw  this  cere- 
*  Exodus  xii.  1 — 15. 


I 


CHRIST  CELEBRATING  THE  LAST  PASSOVER.        283 

mony  performed,  or  if  it  were  over  before  he  came  into  the 
house,  and  they  saw  any  of  the  drops  on  the  house,  or  on  the 
stones  of  the  street,  with  what  reflections  must  our  Lord  have 
looked  forward  to  the  hour  when  his  blood  would  stain  the 
streets  of  this  guilty  city. 

A  cup  of  wine,  perhaps  we  should  rather  call  it  a  glass,  was 
now  filled  for  every  guest,  and  the  Master,  at  the  head  of  the 
table,  blessing  God  for  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  drank  it.  After- 
wards, water  was  brought,  and  he  washed,  thanking  God  for 
that  comfort.  Then  was  introduced  a  table,  what  we  pro- 
bably should  call  a  waiter,  furnished  with  provisions,  which 
consisted  of  bitter  herbs,  and  unleavened  cakes,  (like  what 
are  now  called  Jews'  cakes,  and  since  called  Pharaseth,)  and 
the  body  of  the  paschal  lamb  roasted  whole,  and  the  flesh 
of  the  chagigah  or  feast-offering.  The  master  of  the  feast, 
blessing  God  who  created  the  fruit  of  the  earth,  takes  a  bit  of 
bread  and  dips  it  into  the  sauce  and  eats  it,  the  rest  of  the 
company  following  his  example. 

The  table  is  now  taken  away  from  before  him,  and  he  makes 
what  is  called  the  declaration  of  the  meaning  of  the  passover, 
and  a  second  cup  or  glass  of  wine  is  taken.  Now  a  son,  or 
other  child  is  brought  into  the  room,  and  asks  what  is  meant 
by  this  service.  The  master  of  the  house  replies,  "  How  dif- 
ferent is  this  night  from  all  others  !  This  passover  which 
we  eat  is  to  show  that  the  angel  of  death  passed  over  the 
houses  of  our  fathers  in  Egypt."  Then  he  holds  up  the  bitter 
herbs,  and  says,  "  These  are  because  the  Egyptians  made 
the  lives  of  our  fathers  bitter."  Next,  he  holds  up  the  un- 
leavened bread,  and  declares,  this  is  show  that  our  fathers 
had  not  time  to  leaven  their  dough,  when  the  Lord  de- 
livered them  out  of  Egypt.  Therefore  we  are  bound  to 
confess,  to  praise,  to  laud,  to  magnify  him  that  wrought 
for  our  fathers  all  these  signs,  and  brought  them  from  ser- 
vitude into  freedom,  and  we  say  before  him,  "  Hallelujah  ! 
praise,  O  ye  servants  of  the  Lord."  Then  they  sing  the 
cxiiith  and  cxivth  Psalms. 

"  Afterwards,  the  master  of  the  house  eats  of  the  flesh  of 
the  passover,  which  is  the  end  of  the  supper,  and  closes  all 


284  LECTURE    LXXV. 

with  drinking,  and  blessing  God  for,  another  cup  of  wine ! "  * 
With  such  rites  the  paschal  supper  was  celebrated. 

2.  The  company  that  partook  of  it,  on  this  occasion,  is 
worthy  of  particular  notice. 

This  was  always  of  great  importance  at  the  passover;  for 
none  but  descendants  from  Abraham,  or  proselytes  to  his  re- 
ligion, circumcised  and  ceremonially  clean,  and  above  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  were  allowed  to  celebrate  the  feast. 

But  what  a  company  we  behold  here !  The  master  of  the 
feast  is  the  Lord  himself,  that  very  Lamb  of  God  that  was  to 
take  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  to  whom  all  the  myriads  of 
lambs  that  had  been  offered  for  two  thousand  years,  had  borne 
witness.  This  living  Lamb  is  now  come  to  be  slain,  and  to 
give  an  honourable  dismissal  to  all  those  rites  which  had  so 
long  told  of  his  coming. 

But  Jesus  sat  down  at  this  table  with  the  twelve  Apostles. 
These  are  the  men  who,  though  they  had  doated  on  these 
typical  festivals,  and  would  sooner  have  parted  Avith  their  food, 
or  their  blood,  than  have  abandoned  the  Levitical  ceremonies, 
have  now  come  to  take  their  leave  of  them,  and  to  learn  to 
go  forth  into  all  the  world,  to  declare  them  all  superseded  by 
Christ  our  passover,  who  is  sacrificed  for  us.  There  shall  be 
added  to  the  number  of  these  twelve,  one  who  is  now  a  young 
man,  a  fierce  foe,  Saul  of  Tarsus,  who  shall  ere  long  write  an 
epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  to  show  that  all  these  rites  are  mere 
shadows,  which  Christ  has  superseded  by  the  sacrifice  of 
himself. 

There  was,  however,  one  of  the  twelve  now  at  the  table, 
one  Judas,  who,  though  he  might  celebrate  this  old  rite, 
would  have  no  portion  in  the  new  that  must  succeed  to  it. 
He  seems  not  to  have  been  present  at  the  Lord's  supper;  and 
the  table  of  the  passover  was  to  him,  as  well  as  to  the  majority 
of  his  nation,  a  snare  and  a  trap.  With  such  a  company, 
what  reflections  should  we  make  on, 

3.  The  spirit  of  this  feast  I 

The  Jews  in  general  had,  by  this  time,  become  so  sensual, 
and  so  superstitious,  that  they  either  profaned  this  holy  in- 
*  Ainsvvorth  on  Ex.  xii, 


CHRIST  CELEBRATING  THE  LAST  PASSOVER,        285 

stitution,  by  making  it  a  gratification  for  the  body,  or  per- 
verted it  to  a  work  of  righteousness,  as  if  the  blood  of  bulls 
and  of  lambs  could  take  away  sin.  Some  few,  indeed,  saw, 
through  this  veil,  the  better  things  to  come,  of  which  the  law 
was  a  shadow ;  and  like  us  at  the  Lord's  table  virtually 
sang — 

"  Not  all  the  blood  of  beasts 

On  Jewish  altars  slain 
Could  give  a  guilty  conscience  peace, 

Or  wash  away  the  stain  : 

But  Christ  the  heavenly  Lamb 

Takes  all  our  sins  away, 
A  sacrifice  of  nobler  name 

And  richer  blood  than  they." 

With  what  affections  our  Lord  celebrated  this  supper,  he 
himself  has  taught  us,  by  saying,  "  with  desire  have  I  desired 
to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before  I  suffer;  for  I  will 
not  any  more  eat  thereof,  till  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom 
of  God." 

The  killing  of  this  lamb  was  the  signal  for  the  shedding  of 
the  Saviour's  blood ;  and  the  roasting  of  its  flesh  was  the  pre- 
lude to  the  fire  of  divine  wrath  due  to  sin,  which  our  surety 
and  substitute  should  endure.  Still  the  Saviour,  far  from 
shrinking  from  the  approach  of  this  feast,  longed  for  it.  He 
said,  "  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  how  am 
I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished ! "  Who  would  have 
thought  this  was  a  baptism  of  blood,  and  that  blood  his  own  ? 
While  the  Saviour's  mind  was  full  of  the  parallel  between 
himself  and  the  paschal  lamb,  how  strong  would  be  the  taste 
of  the  bitter  herbs  to  one  who  now  was  seized  with  the  bitter- 
ness of  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross  ! 

The  Apostles  must  have  looked  on  with  strange  emotions, 
while  they  saw  their  Master's  actions  and  heard  his  words. 
They  must  have  understood  that  now  the  paschal  feast  was 
to  receive  its  accomplishment,  but  in  what  way  they  knew 
not.  We,  indeed,  may  now  write  the  epitaph  of  the  Mosaic 
ceremony,  and  say,  "  Here  lies  the  system  of  rites  and  cere- 
monies."    It   has  received  an  honourable  interment  in  the 


886  LECTURE    LXXV. 

grave  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  and  never  could  any  system  receive 
a  more  desirable  termination  than  that  of  Moses  obtained, 
when  Jesus  celebrated  this  paschal  feast. 

If  it  be  asked,  how  can  it  be  said  that  the  Jewish  passover 
ceased  from  this  time,  when  the  Jews  are  known  still  to 
celebrate  it  every  year?  I  answer,  *' They  cleave,  indeed, 
to  the  sign,  to  the  rejection  of  the  blessing  signified."  You 
see  them  indulging  the  flesh  at  this  season,  which  we  call 
Easter;  but  every  enlightened  Christian  must  view  their  feast 
as  Hezekiah  regarded  the  brazen  serpent,  once  the  honoured 
ordinance  of  God  for  blessings  to  his  people,  but  now  per- 
verted to  an  idol  and  a  curse. 


287 


LECTURE   LXXVI. 

THE    SAVIOUR    WASHING    HIS    DISCIPLES'    FEET. 

John  xiii.  1 — 17. 

He  riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his  garments ;  and  took  a  towel  and 
girded  himself:  after  that  he  poureth  water  into  a  bason,  and  began  to  wash 
his  disciples'  feet. 

■■  It  has  been  doubted  whether  the  Deity  appears  more  glorious 
•in  creating  the  vast  masses  of  matter,  or  the  smaller  portions 
which  form  the  flower  or  the  insect.  We  are,  indeed,  over- 
whelmed with  the  grandeur  of  the  omnipotence  which  formed 
and  sustains  suns  and  systems ;  but  we  are  also  transported 
with  admiration  of  the  skill  as  well  as  power  which  produced 
the  vessels  of  a  fly,  which  are  finer  than  a  hair.  The  starry 
sky  spangled  with  worlds,  and  the  summer's  breeze  loaded  with 
life,  seem  to  present  equal  claims  to  our  admiration  and 
adoring  awe. 

Nor  can  we  decide  whether  the  Saviour  ruling  on  the  throne 
'of  the  universe,  or  stooping  to  the  condition  of  a  slave,  more 
deserves  our  reverence  and  esteem.  When  he  is  described 
as  "  the  brightness  of  his  Father's  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person,  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of  his 
power ;"  when  we  are  told  that  "  all  things  were  created  by 
h'lm,  and  for  him,  whether  they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or 
principalities,  or  powers,"  that  "  by  him  all  things  consist," 
and  that  he  shall  judge  the  assembled  universe,  we  adore  and 
tremble.  But  how  should  our  adoring  wonder  be  enhanced 
at  seeing  him  condescend  to  our  mean  estate,  and  even  stoop 
to  do  the  most  servile  offices  for  us  who  are  infinitely  beneath 
his  notice  !    To  this  view  of  the  Saviour  the  Apostle  turns  our 


288  LECTURE    LXXVI. 

attention,  when  he  says,  "  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem 
another  better  than  himself:  let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which 
was  also  in  Christ  Jesus,  who,  being  in  the  form  of  God, 
thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God.  But  made  him- 
self of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant, and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  and  being  found 
in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."  In  one  of  his  lowest 
acts  of  humiliation  we  are,  this  morning,  to  behold  Jesus 
Christ,  while  he  is  washing  his  disciples'  feet.  The  record  of 
the  Scripture  directs  our  attention,  first  to  the  action  by  which 
Jesus  spake  to  their  eyes,  and  then  to  the  sermon  which  ex- 
plained that  action  to  their  minds. 

I.  The  action  which  speaks  to  the  eyes. 

It  is  not  one  of  those  efforts  of  ostentatious  humility  which, 
having  no  valuable  end,  but  being  rather  troublesome  than 
useful,  serve  only  to  betray  the  folly  and  pride  of  the  author. 
It  was  called  forth  by  an  important  occasion. 

1.  Then  let  us  consider  the  occasion. 

It  seems  that,  in  addition  to  the  roast  lamb,  which  formed 
the  strictly  religious  part  of  the  paschal  feast,  the  Jews  were 
accustomed  to  set  forth  other  provisions.  These  are  called, 
by  some,  a  second  supper ;  I  should  rather  use  the  term  second 
course.  But,  during  the  interval  between  the  first  and  the 
second,  conversation  arose;  and,  on  this  occasion,  the  disciples 
of  Christ  made  a  strange  display  of  human  folly  and  pride,  by 
disputing  who  should  be  greatest.  Our  Lord  then  gave  them 
that  instructive  reproof  which  is  recorded  :  "  The  kings  of 
the  gentiles  exercise  lordship  over  them ;  and  they  that  ex- 
ercise authority  upon  them  are  called  benefactors.  But  ye 
shall  not  he  so :  but  he  that  is  greatest  among  you,  let  him  be 
as  the  younger ;  and  he  that  is  chief,  as  he  that  doth  serve. 
For  whether  is  greater,  he  that  sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that 
serveth  I  is  not  he  that  sitteth  at  meat  ?  but  I  am  among  you 
as  he  that  serveth."  * 

Now,  we  have  seen,  in  the  last  lecture,  that  the  Jewish 
writers  mention  several  times  when  the  guests  at  the  passover 
*  Luke  xxiii.  25 — 27. 


THE  SAVIOUR  WASHING  HIS  BISCIPLES'   FEET.        28if 

washed  their  hands,  according-  to  a  custom  very  similar  to  the 
modern  one  of  placing  water  glasses  at  the  dinner  table. 
When,  therefore,  Christ  had  given  the  disciples  the  lecture 
on  humility,  which  they  so  much  needed,  and  the  time  was 
come  for  washing;  instead  of  doing  it  in  the  ordinary  way 
ijy  washing  his  own  hands,  he  saw  fit,  in  order  to  confirm  his 
instructions  by  his  actions,  to  wash  their  feet. 

When  John,  who  is  the  only  one  that  records  this  action, 
says,  it  was  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  he  means  that 
it  was  before  the  -celebration  of  that  feast  by  the  Jews,  who, 
we  have  seen,  deferred  it,  this  year,  from  Thursday,  on  which 
Christ  kept  it,  according  to  the  law,  to  Friday,  in  order  to 
avoid  what  they  called  two  great  Sabbaths  coming  together. 
"  But  with  Christ  the  paschal  supper  was  ended,"  says  the 
Evangelist,  not  meaning,  as  Doddridge  and  some  others  sup- 
pose, "  supper  being  come,  but  finished."  Now  John  declares, 
"  that  the  hour  was  come  that  Christ  should  depart  out  of  the 
world  unto  the  Father,  and  that  he  knew  that  the  Father  had 
given  all  things  into  his  hand,  and  that  he  came  forth  from 
God,"  which  enhances  the  love  he  displayed  to  us  in  behig 
thus  occupied  with  our  welfare  in  so  critical  a  moment,  and 
thus  stooping  to  us,  when  he  was  just  about  to  step  into  the 
throne  of  universal  empire.  "  Having  loved  his  own  that  were 
in  the  world,  he  loved  them  to  the  end." 

But  as  Jesus  shone  glorious  in  affection,  so  his  enemies,  by 
the  vileness  of  their  conduct,  furnished  a  foil  to  set  off  his 
glory.  For  the  Evangelist  introduces  his  narrative  thus, 
•*  Satan  having  now  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot^ 
Simon's  son,  to  betray  him."  The  heart  of  man  is  represented 
in  Scripture  as  the  fountain  of  every  thing  evil.  But  the 
devil  isj  also,  said  to  prompt  it,  and  draw  forth  its  contents  ; 
here  he  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  to  betray  Christ,  and 
Peter  says  to  Ananias,  just  before  be  dropped  down  dead, 
"  Satan  has  filled  thy  heart  to  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost."  Wicked 
devices  are  "  the  fiery  darts"  of  the  evil  one.  The  artificer  of 
mischief,  he  searches  by  what  mode  he  may  urge  the  mind  of 
the  sinner  to  crime,  and  blow  up  secret  sparks  into  devouring 
flames.     The  devil  knew  that  Judas  was  covetous  at  heartj 

VOL.  II.  u 


290  LECTURE    LXXVI. 

and  that  he  was  an  unbeliever.  The  character  of  Jesus  never 
accorded  with  the  traitor's  taste  for  a  worldly  Messiah,  and, 
therefore,  the  tempter  urged  the  unhappy  man  to  gratify  his 
love  of  money  at  Christ's  expense.  Whether  the  evil  spirit 
hoped  to  destroy  Jesus,  or  only  to  distress  him,  or  to  in- 
jure the  honour  of  his  cause,  or  merely  to  ruin  the  soul  of 
Judas,  we  know  not;  but  the  heart,  void  of  faith  in  Jesus,  of 
love  to  his  person,  and  of  hatred  to  sin,  gave  easy  entrance  to 
what  the  devil  put  into  it. 

2.  Behold  now  the  preparation  for  the  Saviour's  amazing- 
condescension. 

"  Rising  from  supper,  he  laid  aside  his  garments,"  that  is, 
his  upper  ones,  such  as  the  loose  robe  and  mantle,  which  were 
marks  of  persons  above  the  servile  rank,  and  which  would 
have  been  inconvenient  to  our  Lord,  in  the  action  he  was  about 
to  perform.  When  thus  stripped,  not  to  the  skin,  as  some 
have  strangely  thought,  but  to  the  inner  garments,  our  Lord 
was  in  the  livery  of  the  slaves  of  that  time,  and  stood  before 
his  disciples  as  one  all  light  and  ready  to  wait  upon  them.  It 
was  the  office  of  the  slaves  in  the  east  to  wash  the  feet  of  their 
master,  and  of  his  guests,  whenever  he  had  company.  It  is 
probable,  that,  to  do  this,  they  tied  the  towel  with  which  they 
wiped  the  feet  round  their  waist,  after  the  fashion  of  a 
modern  apron.  This  may  account  for  our  Lord's  conduct  in 
doing  so,  that  he  might  act  the  slave  to  them  completely. 

But  seeing  him  thus  attired,  the  disciples  must  have  looked 
on  with  wonder  and  surprise,  and  strange  curiosity.  Watch- 
ing him,  they  saw  him  go  and  take  a  basin  and  pour  water 
into  it ;  expecting  probably  that  he  was  going  to  wash  his  own 
hands,  according  to  the  Jewish  custom  at  the  paschal  feast. 
AVhen,  however,  he  came  up  to  them,  as  if  about  to  do  some- 
thing to  them,  they  doubtless  expected  some  action  that  should 
put  them  to  shame  for  their  vain  contention  for  superiority, 
and  supposed  that  he  might  design  to  hold  the  basin  for  them 
to  wash  their  hands.  They  must  have  been  stung  to  shame 
for  their  pride,  and  mortified  at  a  view  of  their  own  littleness  ; 
when  they  saw  their  Lord,  stripped  like  a  slave,  with  a  ser- 
vant's apron  on,  handing  a  basin  of  water,  and  proceeding  to 


THE  SAVIOUR  WASHING  HIS  DISCIPLES'  FEET.       291 

do  they  knew  not  what,  and  were  afraid  to  know,  lest  it  should 
place  his  condescension  in  too  striking*  contrast  with  their  am- 
bition.   We  advance  to  watch, 

3.  The  performance  of  the  principal  action. 

"  He  began  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them 
with  the  towel  wherewith  he  was  girded."  If  they  reclined, 
as  usual,  on  couches  open  at  the  back,  with  their  feet  standing- 
out  behind  them  ;  our  Lord  would  not  go  before,  as  is  repre- 
sented in  pictures,  but  behind,  and  so  would  be  more  com- 
pletely in  the  place  and  posture  of  a  slave,  especially  if  he 
kneeled  down,  as  more  convenient  for  the  action  of  washing' 
their  feet. 

In  this  way  he  appears  to  have  passed  from  one  to  another, 
and,  perhaps,  washed  them  all,  before  he  came  to  Peter,  with 
whom  a  kind  of  contention,  most  characteristic  and  instructive, 
was  to  take  place.  If,  among  the  rest,  Christ  washed  the 
feet  of  Judas  too,  as  we  have  no  reason  to  question  ;  what  a 
display  he  afforded  of  that  self-abasement  which  made  Abigail 
say,  "  let  thy  handmaid  be  a  servant  to  wash  the  feet  of  the 
servants  of  my  lord  !"  An  ancient  writer  exclaims,  ^'  See  the 
marks  of  the  most  profound  humility.  Divine  Majesty  bows 
at  the  feet  of  the  Apostles  !  God  kneels  before  men!  Holi- 
ness before  sinners !  The  Immortal  before  mortals !  The 
Creator  before  the  creature  !  With  bended  knees  the  King 
of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  waits  on  his  own  servants.  Such 
humility  can  no  other  display,  because  no  other  is  so  ex- 
alted!" 

Thus  the  Saviour  passed  from  one  Apostle  to  another,  re- 
peating the  same  action  twelve  times.  That  he  should  have 
done  it  to  any  of  them ;  that  the  Lord  of  glory  should  act  the 
part  of  a  slave  to  the  poor  fishermen  whom  he  had  called  from 
their  boats,  was  astonishing.  But  when  we  consider  what 
price  Christ  puts  upon  the  religion  which  eleven  of  these  men 
possessed,  what  value  he  sets  on  that  love  to  himself  which 
filled  their  breasts,  we  are  less  surprised.  Then,  however,  all 
our  astonishment  remains  in  undiminished,  if  not  increased, 
force,  on  seeing  him  wait  behind  the  traitor's  seat,  and  wash 
the  feet  of  him  who  would  shortly  dip  his  hands  in  the  Saviour's 

V  2 


292  LECTURE    LXX\I. 

blood,  not  to  cleanse  them,  but  to  defile  them  with  the  unpa- 
ralleled foulness  of  makino-  a  market  of  the  Redeemer's  life. 
Beyond  this  the  Saviour  could  not  go  ! 

4.  The  contention  that  arose  with  Peter. 

Then  cometh  he  to  Simon  Peter,  who  said  to  him,  "  Lord, 
dost  thou  wash  my  feet  I "  That  no  one  else  said  so  seems 
surprising.  We  must  hope  and  believe  that  it  was  because 
they  were  struck  dumb  with  astonishment ;  and  not  for  the 
same  reason  which,  Suetonius  says,  induced  Caligula  to  suffer 
the  Roman  senators,  who  had  filled  the  highest  offices  of  the 
state,  to  stand  behind  him  at  dinner,  waiting  upon  him  as  slaves, 
with  their  aprons  on.  But,  it  would  seem  that  Peter  was  left 
to  the  last ;  perhaps  to  give  full  effect  to  the  reproof  levelled 
against  the  pride  which  disputed  who  should  be  the  greatest, 
of  which  Peter  may  have  had  his  full  share.  From  the  pre- 
ference given  to  the  son  of  Simon,  on  many  occasions,  he 
might  have  expected  to  be  deemed  first,  and  when  he  was  left 
to  the  last,  his  humility  was  awakened.  When,  therefore,  it 
came  to  his  turn,  he  exclaimed,  in  a  way  that  renders  every 
word  emphatic,  "  Dost  thou,  my  sovereign  Lord,  wash  as  a 
slave,  whom  ?  rue  a  poor  fisherman,  a  servant,  a  sinner,  and 
my  feet  too  !  Lord,  can  it  be,  that  thou,  who  art  of  purer  e^'es 
than  to  behold  iniquity,  shouldst  wash  the  polluted  feet  of  a 
sinner  like  me  ! " 

Well  might  Jesus  reply,  "  what  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now, 
but  thou  shalt  know  afterwards  ;"  that  is,  after  I  have  done, 
I  will  explain  it  to  you.  The  conduct  of  Christ  towards  his 
servants  is  often  full  of  mystery.  We  must,  by  patient,  obe- 
dient submission,  leave  him  to  do  what  he  will  with  his  own, 
and  wait  his  own  time  for  explanation.  But  who  can  wonder 
at  this,  on  comparing,  or  rather  contrasting,  the  comprehension 
of  Christ's  mind  with  the  narrowness  of  ours  ?  Is  the  humble 
labourer,  in  the  construction  of  a  grand  building,  surprised  to 
find  that  there  are  many  parts  at  which  he  is  called  to  work, 
of  which  he  cannot  discover  the  design  or  use  i  But  Peter, 
with  his  usual  rashness,  overlooked  his  Lord's  hint,  and  as  if 
Peter  must  understand  every  thing  at  first,  exclaimed,  "  Lord, 
thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet."     This  is  just  like  him,  who 


THE  SAVIOUR  WASHING  HIS  DlSCIPLES'  FEET.      203 

once  said,  "  depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord  !" 
Seeing-  his  Lord,  stand,  or  kneel,  behind  him,  as  a  slave,  to 
wash  his  feet ;  he  felt  all  the  contrast  between  Christ's  dignity 
and  his  own  meanness,  his  sinfulness  and  Christ's  purity,  and 
exclaimed,  "  1  can  never  suffer  this."  So  humble  we  show 
ourselves  in  our  own  way,  contrary  to  our  duty  and  God's 
designs  :  and  by  our  very  goodness,  as  we  suppose,  we  become 
rebels  against  Christ !  But  the  divine  will  is  the  rule  of  all 
genuine  humility,  and  every  thing  that  is  not  conformed  to 
that  standard,  whatever  name  or  form  it  may  assume,  is  no- 
thing else  but  masked  pride.  True  humility  says,  it  is  enough 
to  know  the  Master's  will,  without  insisting  upon  having  a 
reason  assigned,  which,  if  it  were  given,  perhaps,  we  could 
not  understand.  But  that  humility  is  at  once  arrogant  and 
ruinous,  that  says,  "  thou  shalt  never  wash  me." 

Christ,  therefore,  gives  to  Peter  this  keen  reproof,  "  If 
I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  What  a  decla- 
ration of  Peter's  defilement !  And  as  Christ  may  now  also 
repeat  his  own  words  on  another  occasion,  "  what  I  say  unto 
you,  Peter,  I  say  unto  all ;"  what  a  declaration  of  the  defile- 
ment of  the  human  race  !  This,  indeed,  is  one  of  the  irre- 
fragable proofs  of  the  humbling  doctrine  of  human  depravity  ; 
that  the  Scriptures  always  speak  of  pardon,  redemption,  rege- 
neration, sanctification,  and  cleansing,  as  essential  to  all  hope 
of  future  bliss  !  If  every  man  were  not  guilty,  defiled,  de- 
praved, enslaved  to  sin,  it  could  not  be  necessary  that  all 
should  be  ransomed  and  cleansed.  If  Christ  then  wash  us 
not,  we  are  for  ever  lost ;  for  in  vain  we  attempt  to  cleanse 
ourselves.  "  If  I  wash  myself  with  snow  water,  and  make  my 
hands  never  so  clean  ;  yet  shalt  thou  plunge  me  in  the  ditch, 
and  my  own  clothes  shall  abhor  me."  *  Therefore  Christ  said 
to  Peter,  before  administering  to  him  the  holy  supper,  *'  If 
I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  Let  these 
words  sink  down  into  our  ears.  If  Christ  Avash  us  not,  we 
have  no  place  at  his  table,  no  inheritance  among  his  disciples, 
no  portion  with  him  in  heaven.  "  For  in  his  days,"  says  the 
prophet,  "  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to  the  house  of 
*  Job  ix.  30,  31. 


294  LECTURE    LXXVl. 

David,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  for  sin  and  for  un- 
cleanness." 

The  Saviour's  warning  brought  Peter  to  repent  of  his  rash 
resolution,  and  made  him  exclaim,  "  Lord,  not  my  feet  only, 
but  also  my  hands  and  my  head."  Hasty,  unauthorized  vows, 
only  expose  us  to  the  necessity  of  retractations  ;  and  it  is  well 
for  us  if  we  have  wisdom  and  courage  enough  to  recall  our 
words.  Peter,  discovering  that  Christ's  action  was  emblematic, 
and  designed  to  teach  the  necessity,  as  well  as  efficacy,  of 
purifying  grace,  showed  how  sensible  he  was  of  his  need  of 
sanctification,  by  saying,  "  not  my  feet  only,  the  symbol  of 
my  walk  in  life ;  but  also  my  hands,  all  my  actions  ;  and  my 
head,  my  intellect,  my  mind,  my  very  thoughts."  For  every 
true  disciple  of  Christ  says,  "  I  hate  vain  thoughts,  but  thy 
law  do  I  love." 

To  this,  however,  Jesus  replies,  in  a  way  that  shows  our 
Lord's  actions  are  too  well  chosen  to  be  improved  by  our  sug- 
gestions. For,  by  washing  their  feet,  the  Saviour  designed 
to  teach  the  daily  defilement  contracted  in  their  walk  through 
life,  even  by  those  who  are  pure  in  heart.  "  He  that  is 
washed,"  says  Jesus,  "  needeth  not,  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but 
is  clean  every  whit."  This  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  proverbial 
saying,  derived  from  the  eastern  custom  of  bathing,  and  to 
mean,  that  he  who  has  come  from  the  bath  needs  only  to  wash 
his  feet,  which  may  be  defiled  by  walking  into  the  dressing 
room,  though  the  whole  of  the  body  had  been  cleansed.  But 
the  Saviour's  chief  design  in  this  saying  was,  to  teach  that  a 
real  disciple  is  washed  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  which  cleanses 
from  all  sin,  and  is  regenerated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  which 
purifies  the  whole  nature  ;  though  he  still  needs  pardoning  and 
cleansing  from  the  daily  evils  which  he  contracts  in  his  walk 
through  a  polluted  world. 

By  this  stroke,  our  Lord  overthrows  at  once  the  notion  of  a 
Christian's  total  apostasy,  by  which  he  would  need  to  be  again 
washed  all  over,  regenerated  and  justified  ;  and  the  doctrine 
of  sinless  perfection,  according  to  which  we  should  no  more 
need  even  to  wash  the  feet,  nor  to  ask  for  daily  forgiveness  of 
sins,  as  well  as  for  daily  bread. 


THE  SAVIOUR  WASHING  HIS  DISCIPLES'  FEET.      295 

"  Ye  are  clean,"  says  Christ,  "  but  not  all ;"  for  be  knew 
that  he  had  washed  a  traitor,  and  therefore,  taught  them  that 
it  was  not  the  washing-  of  their  feet  with  water  that  made  them 
truly  clean  :  this  was  effected  only  by  "  the  washing  of  rege- 
neration, and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  shed  on  us 
abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour."  But  did  our 
Saviour  thus  begin  to  point  out  the  traitor  ?  Why  distress 
them  all,  for  the  sake  of  that  one  ?  To  teach  us  to  beware  of 
trusting  to  external  rites,  the  washing  of  baptism  or  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  supper,  and  to  remind  us  that  the  very 
rites  are  designed  to  awaken  us  to  self  examination,  and  make 
us  cry,  "  search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart,  try  me  and 
know  my  thoughts,  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me, 
and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting."     Hear  then, 

II.  The  sermon  which  was  designed  to  explain  the  action 
to  the  mind  and  apply  it  to  the  heart. 

"  Our  Lord,  having  washed  their  feet,"  says  John,  "  lays 
aside  his  slave's  livery,  puts  off  the  towel  which  he  had  tied 
before  him,  puts  on  his  upper  garments,  and  sits  down  again 
in  his  proper  place  at  the  head  of  the  table."  The  disciples, 
doubtless,  follow  him  with  their  eyes,  and  watch  his  lips,  to 
hear  how  he  could  explain  his  conduct,  as  he  promised  to 
Peter,  "  thou  shalt  know  afterwards  what  I  do." 

He  rouses  their  attention,  by  saying,  "  Know  ye  what 
I  have  done  to  you  ?  You  have  seen  my  conduct,  and  you 
know  my  rank.  You  call  me  Master,"  that  is,  teacher,  and 
lord,  which  is  the  title  given  by  slaves  to  their  proprietor.  The 
disciples,  therefore,  considered  themselves  not  merely  Christ's 
pupils,  but  his  servants,  or  slaves.  Christ  is  the  teacher  of 
souls  and  the  Lord  of  life,  and,  though  most  humble,  he, 
knowing  his  own  dignity,  adds,  "  ye  say  well,  for  so  I  am." 

He  then  conveys  the  grand  lesson  intended. 

"  If  I,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye 
also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you 
an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord; 
neither  he  that  is  sent  greater  than  he  that  sent  him.  If  ye 
know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them."* 

*  John  xiii.  14 — 17. 


^96  LECTURE    LXXYI. 

•'  Why  dispute  with  your  fellow  servants,  who  shall  be  up- 
permost, to  be  waited  upon  by  others,  when  you  should  be  ready, 
like  me,  to  do  any  service  for  others  ? "'  This  I  take  to  be  the 
whole  of  our  Lord's  design — to  convey  a  striking  lesson  of 
humility  and  brotherly  love.  Some,  however,  have  thought 
that  the  intention  was  to  institute  a  new  religious  rite,  which 
they  have  called  the  pedilaviiim,  or  foot-washing,  and  which 
they  practise  as  of  divine  obligation.  It  is  said  that  the  Pope, 
on  the  Thursday  of  what  is  called  passion  week,  washes  the 
feet  of  twelve  poor  men,  in  imitation  of  Jesus  Christ.  But 
we  never  read  of  this  being  done  by  the  Apostles,  or  first 
Christians,  as  a  religious  rite ;  and,  if  we  had  never  been 
informed  that  the  churches  of  Christ  had  practised  baptism  or 
the  Lord's  supper,  we  might  have  doubted,  whether  these  were 
intended  to  be  binding  on  us.  This  pedilavium  is,  indeed, 
much  more  beautiful  as  a  striking  lesson,  than  it  could  be  as 
a  constant  ordinance.  It  is  not  suited,  like  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  supper,  to  all  climes  ;  though  it  was  adapted  to  Judea, 
where  it  was  the  usual  office  of  hospitality  to  wash  the  feet  of 
guests,  who  came  in  from  a  walk  in  sandals,  over  the  burning 
sand.  In  this  country,  it  would  be  a  far  more  grateful  act  of 
hospitality  to  clean  our  friend's  boots  or  shoes,  than  to  wash 
his  feet. 

But  when  we  see  our  Lord  thus  acting,  and  hear  him  so 
apply  his  action,  what  a  stab  we  feel  in  the  heart  of  our  pride ! 
No  sentence  can  be  more  true  than  this,  that  "  pride  was 
never  made  for  man."  And  yet  Ave  all  think  we  have  some- 
thing to  be  proud  of.  Is  our  person  tall,  or  young,  or  beau- 
tiful, how  we  strut !  Alas,  it  was  taken  from  the  dust,  and, 
crumbling  back  to  dust  again,  our  dearest  friends  will  soon  be 
unable  to  endure  the  sight  or  smell.  But  Jesus,  whose  body, 
the  spotless  temple  of  the  Deity,  should  see  no  corruption, 
knew  no  pride.  Are  we  proud  of  our  talents  or  genius,  our 
learning  or  eloquence?  Jesus  was  not  proud,  though  angels 
would  have  listened,  entranced  by  the  wisdom  that  flowed  from 
his  lips.  We  are  proud  of  our  rank,  our  dignities,  wealth, 
and  power.  Stand  aside,  ye  rich  and  mighty,  and  noble  ;  bow, 
ye  kings  and  potentates,  before  him  who,  in  the  habit  of 
*  slave,  is  washing  the  poor  fishermen's  feet ;  for  he  is  "  the 


Tlll<:  SA\  lOlJR  WASHING  HIS  DISCIPLES'  FEET.      "297 

King-  of 'kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  the  blessed  and  only  po- 
tentate !  " 

What  honour  is  thus  put  upon  humility  !  The  heathen  mo- 
rality despised  this  Christian  grace,  as  a  mere  vice  ;  and  many 
who  are  called  Christians  are  afraid  of  it  as  a  degradation. 
But  do  you  think  Christ  degraded  by  what  you  have  seen  him 
doing  ?  Do  you  find  it  hard  to  avoid  despising  him  for  it  i 
Despise  him  !  you  exclaim.  Who  ever  felt  any  tendency  to 
such  a  sin  ?  Then  why  so  slow  to  learn  that  a  man  may  humble 
himself  without  degrading  himself,  that  he  may  stoop  without 
sinking-  ?  If  you  feel  that  Christ  becomes,  not  only  more  lovely, 
but  really  more  lofty,  in  your  eyes,  by  this  conduct ;  then  re- 
member, that,  "  before  honour  is  humility,"  and  that  "  he  who 
humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted." 

By  this  expressive  action,  our  Lord  taught  his  disciples  to 
view  his  approaching  death  aright.  They  might  here  learn, 
that  all  his  humiliations  and  sufferings  were  voluntary ;  and 
that  he  died  to  "  wash  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood." 


298 


LECTURE  LXXVII. 

THE    INSTITUTION    OF    THE    LORD'S    SUPPER. 

Matt.  xxvi.  26 — 29. 
Mark  xiv.  22 — 25. 
*LuKE  xxii.  19,  20. 

*  And  he  took  bread,  and  gave  thanks,  and  brake  if,  and  gave  unto  them, 
saying,  This  is  my  body  which  is  given  foi-  you :  this  do  in  remembrance 
of  me.  Likewise,  also,  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying,  This  cup  is  the  new 
testament  in  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for  you. 

11  AVE  you  ever,  my  dear  hearers,  when  watching  the  open- 
ing of  the  morning-,  observed  Venus,  as  the  morning-star,  just 
above  the  horizon,  at  day-break,  and,  admiring  her  splendour, 
almost  regretted  that  her  stay  would  be  so  short,  as  if  nothing 
could  compensate  for  the  loss  of  so  much  beauty  ?  But  you 
watched  her  wane,  and  saw  the  twinkling  beams  become  more 
and  more  faint,  till  they  were  utterly  lost,  and  no  morning- 
star  could  now  be  seen ;  for  the  sun,  after  darting  his  arrows 
of  fire  across  the  skies,' to  announce  his  approach,  shot  up, 
with  his  full  orb,  above  the  horizon,  and  all  meaner  glories 
were  eclipsed  and  lost  in  his  unrivalled,  overwhelming  splen- 
dour. Now  you  regretted  no  loss  of  moon,  or  stars,  when  you 
saw  all  nature  exulting  in  the  risen  sun. 

You  have  seen  the  passover  celebrated,  for  the  last  time, 
by  our  Lord ;  and  never  did  that  Jewish  feast  appear  more 
like  the  lovely  star  of  morning,  than  on  that  occasion.  For, 
touched  by  Christ's  hands,  it  shines  with  such  beauty,  and, 
cherished  by  his  heart,  it  glows  with  such  warmth,  that  you 
may  have  almost  regretted  that  it  was  passing  away,  and  was 
to  have  no  more  place  in  the  church  of  God.     But  we  are 


THE  INSTITUTION  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.         299 

now  to  see  our  Lord  institute  the  supper  of  redeeming  love, 
which  is  to  supersede  the  ancient  supper,  and  we  can  no 
longer  feel  regret  at  the  exchange  ;  but  must  adopt  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Apostle,  "That  which  is  abolished  has  no  glory, 
by  reason  of  that  which  excelleth  ;  for  if  that  which  is  done 
away  is  glorious,  much  more  that  which  remaineth  exceeds  in 
glory."     Study  then, 

I.  The  narrative  of  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  supper. 

The  account  is  so  brief,  that  we  might  have  been  left  in 
doubt  whether  our  Lord  intended  to  institute  an  ordinance  of 
religion,  if  we  had  not  the  record  of  the  celebration  of  it  by 
the  Christian  church  ;  and  if  we  were  not  informed  by  the 
Apostle  Paul,  who  was  not  present  on  this  occasion,  that  he 
had  been  taught  by  our  Lord  himself  from  heaven,  that  this 
was  an  ordinance  to  be  practised  by  the  Christian  church. 
"  For  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also  I  delivered 
unto  you.  That  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  same  night  in  which  he 
was  betrayed,  took  bread  :  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he 
brake  it,  and  said.  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body,  which  is  broken 
for  you  :  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me.  After  the  same  man- 
ner, also,  he  took  the  cup,  when  he  had  supped,  saying.  This 
cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood  :  this  do  ye,  as  oft  as  ye 
drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me.  For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this 
bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  he 
come.    * 

We  are  led,  then,  by  the  words  of  Scripture,  to  notice, 

1.  The  elements  of  the  supper. 

These  are  neither  numerous,  nor  costly,  nor  far-fetched. 
They  are  but  two  in  number,  simple,  well  known,  and  easily 
procured.  They  have  a  chaste  dignity,  and  are  admirably 
adapted  to  the  end  for  which  they  were  employed.  They  are 
bread  and  wine. 

Bread.  To  this  the  Evangelist  refers,  when  he  says,  "  As 
they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread."  The  paschal  supper 
being  finished,  the  food  was  not  removed ;  but,  as  the  unlea- 
vened cakes  were  the  novelty  of  this  season,  the  disciples 
probably  continued  now  and  then  to  break  a  piece  and  eat, 
*  1  Cor.  xi.  23— 2G. 


300  LECTURE    LXXVII. 

while  they  were  conversing.  Now,  therefore,  when  Judas 
was  gone  out,  our  Lord  took  one  of  these  cakes,  and  employed 
it  for  a  new  use.  On  this  point  a  furious  contest  arose  between 
the  Greek  and  Latin  churches  ;  the  latter  contending  for  un- 
leavened bread,  according  to  our  Lord's  example  ;  but  the 
Greeks  maintaining,  that  leavened  bread  should  be  used  ;  be- 
cause Christ  celebrated  the  paschal  supper  before  the  days  of 
unleavened  bread.  Christ  certainly  took  that  which  was  at 
hand,  and  we  may  do  so  too;  for  bread,  of  whatever  kind  it 
may  be,  sufficiently  answers  the  design  of  Christ,  and  repre- 
sents the  object  signified. 

Wine  was  the  next  element  employed  by  our  Lord.     This 
also  was  at  hand  ;  for  we  have  seen  that  it  was  used  at  the 
paschal  table.     It  was,  in  Judea,  a  common  drink,  as  beer  is 
among  us.     But  as  it  is  so  manifestly  expressive  of  the  object 
designed  to  be  represented,  we  should  not,  without  necessity, 
adopt   any   other  drink  which    may  happen  to  be  common ; 
though,  where  the  fruit  of  the  vine  is  not  to  be  obtained,  the 
Lord's  supper  should  not  be  neglected.     The  Jews  were  ac- 
customed to  mingle  their  wine  with  water;  and  some  Christian 
churches  have  contended  for  this  practice  at  the  Lord's  table. 
But,  as  we  have  no  record  of  any  such  mixture  on  the  first 
institution,  it  cannot  be  any  part  of  our  duty. 
2.  The  actions  of  our  Lord  are  mentioned. 
"  He  took  the  bread,  and  gave  thanks,  and  blessed,  and 
brake,  and  gave  to  the  disciples."  It  is  probable  that,  as  Jesus 
took  the  elements  from  the  paschal  table,  and  applied  them  to 
a  new  use,  so  he  derived  the  actions  from  the  old  institution. 
The  taking  of  the  bread  was,  therefore,  a  distinct,  solemn  ac- 
tion, exhibited  to  the  disciples  to  attract  their  attention  ;  as 
the  master  of  the  paschal  table  took  up  pieces  at  that  feast, 
and   held  them   forth  to  view.      It  has  also  been  seen,  that 
thanks  were  distinctly  given  for  each  part  of  the  provisions 
of  the  passover;  and  now  our  Lord  gave  thanks  for  this  sacra- 
mental bread,  as  that  which  demands  our  gratitude  and  love. 
Whether  this  giving  of  thanks  was  the  same  as  the  blessing 
of   the  bread,  or  was  a  distinct  action,    has    been  disputed. 
Our  practice  supposes  it  to  have  been  the  same,  as,  indeed, 


THE  INSTITUTION  OF  THE  LORD'S  Sl;PHEH.  30l 

it  is  difficult  to  discern  any  real  difference  between  the 
two. 

Our  Lord  then  brake  the  bread;  but  whether  to  give  a 
piece  at  a  time  to  each  disciple,  or  to  break  up  the  whole  into 
a  basket,  and  hand  it  round  to  them  all,  we  cannot  determine. 
But  when  he  had  broken  it,  he  gave  it  to  the  Apostles. 

He  afterwards  took  the  cup,  which  was  either  previously 
full  of  wine,  or  was  now  filled  by  Christ  for  this  occasion  ;  for 
it  was  handed  round  for  all  to  drink  of.  Previously  to  this^ 
however,  the  Saviour  gave  thanks  for  it,  as  he  had  done  for 
the  bread.  This,  also,  was  derived  from  the  practice  at  the 
passover,  at  which  distinct  acknowledgments  were  made  to 
God,  for  the  cup,  as  well  as  for  the  bread.  Now  the  Re- 
deemer handed  the  cup  round  to  the  disciples,  that  they  might 
all  drink.     Amidst  these  actions, 

3.  The  words  of  the  Saviour  strike  our  ear. 

With  the  bread,  he  said,  "  Take,  eat;  this  is  my  body, 
which  is  given  for  you:  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me."  Thus 
all  the  significance  of  our  Lord's  actions  is  laid  open  to  view ; 
and  we  are  supplied  with  an  infallible  interpreter.  The  bread 
represents  his  body.  For  that  this  is  the  true  meaning  of  the 
strong  expression,  "  this  is  my  body,"  we  know,  from  the  pas- 
chal lamb,  of  which  it  is  said  in  Scripture,  "  It  is  the  Lord's 
passover;"  though  that  word  is  explained  in  Scripture  to 
mean,  "  the  Lord's  passing  over  the  houses  of  the  Israelites, 
when  he  smote  the  first-born  of  Egypt."  In  the  same  strong 
way,  God  says  to  Ezekiel,  when  showing  him  a  valley  of  dry 
bones,  "These  bones  are  the  whole  house  of  Israel."  In  fact, 
the  Hebrew  language,  which  God  employed  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, and  the  Syriac,  which  Christ  spoke,  have  no  word 
equivalent  to  our  verb  to  signify,  and,  therefore,  those  who 
employed  those  tongues  adopted  the  phrase  which  says,  of  the 
sign,  "  it  is  the  thing  signified."  To  this  the  church  of  Rome 
objects,  saying,  "  Our  Lord  would  never  use  figurative  lan- 
guage on  this  particular  occasion."  But  we  answer,  "  There 
is  evidence  that  he  did  ;  for  he  says, '  This  cup  is  the  new  tes- 
tament in  my  blood,'  evidently  putting  the  cup,  by  a  figure, 
for  the  wine  contained  in  it." 


302  LECTURE    LXXVII. 

Our  Lord  had  already  made  his  hearers  familiar  with  the 
idea  of  his  being  bread  ;  and  especially  by  means  of  his  incar- 
nation, his  taking  a  body  like  our  own ;  for  he  had  said,  "  I 
am  the  living  bread  that  cometh  down  from  heaven  ;  and  the 
bread  that  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the 
life  of  the  world." 

The  Apostle  Paul  informs  us,  that  Christ  said,  "  This,  my 
body,  is  not  only  given,  but  broken,  for  you."  Therefore, 
says  the  Apostle,  "  the  bread  which  we  break,  is  it  not  the 
communion  of  the  body  of  Christ  ?"  And  so  important  is  this 
action,  that  the  feast  is  from  thence  called  the  breaking  of 
bread.  Christ  well  knew,  that  he  was  not  merely  to  die,  but 
by  a  violent  death,  and  that  his  sacred  flesh  would  be  torn  to 
pieces,  and  be  exhibited  thus  to  view  in  the  holy  supper.  But 
when  he  gave  the  bread  to  the  disciples,  he  said,  "My  body 
is  given  for  you"  "  We  are  sanctified,"  says  the  Apostle, 
"by  the  offering  up  of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once  for  all." 

When  he  said,  "  Take,  eat,"  he  taught  us  that  we  are  not 
to  be  contented  with  gazing,  as  we  must  have  done  at  the 
golden  loaves  which  the  emperor  had  on  his  table ;  but  are,  by 
faith,  to  receive  Christ,  and  make  the  same  practical  use  of 
the  doctrine  of  his  incarnation  and  atonement,  for  the  benefit 
of  our  souls,  as  we  do  of  the  daily  bread  that  is  placed  on  our 
table,  to  nourish  our  bodies. 

In  the  same  manner,  our  Lord  gave  the  cup  to  the  disciples, 
saying,  "  It  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood,  which  is  shed 
for  you."  Here,  again,  we  are  informed  what  the  element  of 
wine  was  designed  to  signify,  the  blood  of  Christ ;  and  most 
evident  it  is  to  all,  that  the  emblem  is  well  chosen ;  for  wine, 
especially  red  wine,  is  naturally  called  the  blood  of  the  grape. 
But  it  is  said  that  "  it  is  the  blood  of  the  new  testament,"  or 
covenant,  alluding  to  the  blood  of  the  animals  sacrificed  of 
old,  which  was  sprinkled  on  the  people,  with  these  words, 
**  This  is  the  blood  of  the  covenant  which  God  has  enjoined  to 
you."  This,  however,  sets  forth  that  blood  of  Christ  which  is 
not  the  shadowy  covenant,  but  the  new  substantial  one,  that 
seals  the  blessing  signified.  Christ  often  declared  that  he 
would  lay  down  his  life  for  the  church ;  and,  in  tlie  paschal 


THE  INSTITUTION  OP  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  303 

supper,  the  Jews  were  made  familiar  with  the  idea  of  being 
saved  by  blood,  when  the  blood  of  the  lamb  was  sprinkled  on 
their  door-posts,  to  save  them  from  the  sword  of  the  destroy- 
ing angel. 

But  again,  the  Saviour  charges  his  disciples  to  "take;" 
and  not  merely  to  look,  but  to  "drink."  We  must,  by  faith 
in  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Christ,  drink  of  his  blood,  or  we 
have  "  no  life  in  us."  And,  as  if  our  Lord  had  a  reference  to 
the  strange  conduct  of  the  church  of  Rome,  in  forbidding  the 
laity  to  partake  of  the  cup,  he  said,  "  drink  ye  all  of  it;"  and 
the  historian  says,  "  they  all  drank  of  it." 

Thus  Jesus  instituted  a  memorial  of  his  own  death,  saying, 
"  this  do,  in  remembrance  of  me." 

II.  The  reflections  which  this  history  suggests. 

These  are  too  numerous  to  be  exhausted  in  one  head  of  a 
discourse ;  but  they  are  too  important  to  be  all  passed  by.  We 
must,  therefore,  use  selection,  taking  those  which  are  chiefly 
demanded  by  the  historical  nature  of  these  lectures. 

1.  How  close  is  the  relation,  and  how  great  the  difference 
between  the  Lord's  supper  and  the  Jewish  passover. 

Each  of  them  was  a  supper,  the  principal  meal  of  the  day, 
and  eaten  towards  the  evening.  But  each  was  designed  chief- 
ly for  a  religious  use.  As  the  other  positive  rite  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  baptism,  was  taken  from  the  Jewish  rites,  and 
was  ablution  for  ablution ;  so  here  we  have  supper  for  supper. 

The  very  provisions  for  the  Lord's  supper  were,  in  the  first 
instance,  taken  from  the  paschal  table.  As  the  book  of  the 
Old  Testament  is  now  honoured  by  being  taken  from  the  old 
religion  and  the  Jewish  church,  to  which  it  was  originally 
given,  and  made  the  instructor  of  the  Christian  church,  in 
more  spiritual  truths ;  so  the  very  elements  of  the  last  Jewish 
passover  were  honoured,  by  being  employed  to  furnish  bread 
and  wine  for  the  Lord's  table. 

Both  these  suppers  were  memorials  of  deliverances  afforded 
by  God  to  the  church ;  the  passover  of  a  rescue  from  Egyp- 
tian slavery  ;  the  Lord's  supper  of  that  great  redemption  of 
the  soul  from  sin  and  hell,  of  which  the  other  was  a  mere 
shadow. 


304  LECTURE    LXXVU. 

Yet,  how  great  was  the  difference  between  these  two  feasts! 
In  the  passover,  life  was  taken  away  ;  the  lamb  was  killed ; 
for  blood  was  the  essence  of  the  feast.  But,  in  the  Lord's 
sapper,  there  is  no  animal  food  ;  because,  while  the  Jewish 
I'ite  proclaimed,  that  "  without  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no 
remission,"  the  Christian  supper  declares,  that  "  Christ,  by 
one  ofl*ering,  has  for  ever  put  away  sin."  When  he  <iied, 
he  made  an  end  of  offering-  for  sin,  and  said,  "  It  is  finished." 
Now  justice  hath  sheathed  its  sword,  since  it  has  been  bathed 
with  the  blood  of  the  Redeemer's  heart.  It  is  brandished  no 
more ;  it  no  more  cries,  "  Pay  me  that  thou  owest." 

Another  difference,  however,  must  be  marked.  The  Jewish 
feast  was  a  meal  for  the  body,  their  supper,  made  extraor- 
dinary by  more  abundant  provisions  on  that  day,  when  they 
ate,  as  the  Apostle,  on  another  occasion,  said,  "  to  the  satis- 
fying of  the  flesh."  But  the  Lord's  supper  was  evidently  not 
designed  to  be  a  meal  for  the  body ;  both  because  there  was 
nothing  but  bread  and  wine  provided,  and  also  because  it  was 
instituted,  immediately  after  our  Lord  and  the  Apostles  had 
taken  supper.  The  Apostle,  therefore,  reproves  the  Corin- 
thians for  making  it  their  own  supper,  by  which  it  ceased  to 
be  the  Lord's  supper,  and  commands  that^  "  if  any  man  were 
hungry,  he  should  eat  at  home."  For  this  Christian  supper 
is  a  feast  for  souls,  not  for  bodies.  It  is  an  entertainment 
for  men  who  have  risen  by  grace  above  the  lusts  of  the  flesh, 
and  have  learned  "  to  eat  angels'  food."  Yet,  strange  to  tell, 
while  the  jlesh  alone  of  the  paschal  lamb  was  to  be  eaten,  no 
blood  was  to  be  tasted  then  under  penalty  of  death,  though 
it  was  to  be  sprinkled  on  their  doors  ;  in  the  Lord's  supper, 
not  only  was  the  bread  which  signifies  Christ's  body  to  be  eaten, 
but  the  wine  was  to  be  drunk,  because  it  represents  Christ's 
blood. 

How  justly  has  the  pious  and  discreet  Doddridge  observed., 
that  "  this  ordinance  of  the  eucharist  has  so  plain  a  reference 
to  the  atonement,  or  satisfaction  of  Christ,  and  does  so  solemn 
an  honour  to  that  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  that  I 
cannot  but  believe  that,  while  this  sacred  institution  continues 
in  the  church,  (as  it  will  undoubtedly  do  to  the  end  of  the 


THE  INSTITUTION  OP  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  305 

world,)  it  will  be  impossible  to  root  that  doctrine  out  of  the 
minds  of  plain,  humble  Christians,  by  all  the  little  artifices  of 
such  forced  and  unnatural  criticisms  as  those  are  by  which  it 
has  been  attacked.  Unprejudiced  and  honest  simplicity  will 
always  see  the  analogy  this  ordinance  has  to  eating  the  flesh 
of  the  Son  of  God,  and  drinking  his  blood ;  and  will  be  taught 
by  it  to  feed  on  him  as  the  lamb  that  was  slain  by  the  gracious 
appointment  of  God,  to  take  away  the  sins  of  the  world.  The 
enemies  of  this  heart-reviving  truth  might  as  well  hope  to 
pierce  through  a  coat  of  mail  with  a  straw,  as  to  reach  such  a 
truth,  defended  by  such  an  ordinance  as  this,  by  any  of  their 
trifling  sophistries." 

Yet  far  superior  is  the  new  to  the  ancient  supper;  for  while 
the  passover  celebrated  only  deliverance  from  the  fate  of 
Egypt,  our  supper  commemorates  a  nobler  triumph  over  the 
powers  of  darkness,  and  the  malignity  of  sin,  from  which  our 
souls,  with  all  their  immortality  and  intense  feeling,  are  ran- 
somed by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.  Israel,  though  freed 
from  Pharaoh,  might  be  slaves  to  lust,  as  many  of  them  were, 
and  die  in  Satan's  everlasting  chains,  as  we  fear  many  of 
them  did.  But  happy  art  thou,  O  spiritual  Israel ;  for  if  the 
Son  make  thee  free,  thou  art  free  indeed.  If  the  blood  of  Jesus 
touch  the  heart,  it  no  more  boasts  of  the  name  of  liberty, 
branded  on  the  links  of  an  iron  chain  that  is  rusting  on  the 
soul,  but  exults  in  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 

The  ancient  supper  was  to  give  way  to  something  better  on 
earth,  to  this  Christian  feast  which  we  now  celebrate  ;  but 
this  shall  yield  to  nothing  superior  below  the  skies.  Only  to 
heaven  itself  shall  it  give  way,  when  we  drink  the  new  wine 
in  our  Father's  kingdom,  and  enjoy  the  fulfilment  of  Christ's 
promise,  "  to  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the 
tree  of  life  that  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God,  and  the 
hidden  manna  that  is  laid  up  in  the  temple  of  God." 

But  the  Lord's  supper  looked  forward,  as  well  as  backward, 
and  in  addition  to  its  relation  to  the  Jewish  passover,  which 
it  succeeded,  had  a  reference,  which  we  now  advance  to  un- 
fold. 

2.  How  important  is  the  holy  supper  in  its  relation  to  the 

VOL.    II.  X 


306  LECTURE    LXXVII. 

death  of  Christ,  which  was  yet  to  come  when  the  feast  was 
first  instituted. 

As  far  as  the  passover  referred  to  the  deliverance  from 
Egypt,  as  well  as  to  the  exemption  of  Israel  from  the  death 
of  the  first-born,  it  was  celebrated  by  anticipation  ;  and  like 
Moses'  dividing  out  the  land  of  Canaan,  while  yet  they  had  to 
fight  for  it,  was  a  noble  triumph  of  faith.  In  the  same  way, 
the  Lord's  supper  is  designed  to  show  forth  the  Lord's  death, 
his  body  broken,  his  blood  shed ;  and  yet,  the  first  time  it  was 
celebrated,  Christ  himself  was  at  the  head  of  the  table,  alive 
and  well,  with  no  hand  upon  him  and  no  appearance  of  death 
about  him.  But  soon  the  scene  changed,  and  all  that  followed 
justified  the  foresight  and  the  faith  which  celebrated  a  death 
that  had  not  yet  happened. 

By  this  supper  we  are  now  to  "  show  forth  the  Lord's  death 
till  he  come."  Far  from  concealing  the  event,  as  if  it  were 
disgraceful  to  Jesus  to  have  been  hanged  as  a  criminal,  we 
are  commanded  to  take  this  method  of  giving  it  publicity. 
Had  it  been  clearly  revealed,  before  the  event,  that  God 
should  be  manifest  in  the  flesh,  and,  in  the  form  of  a  man, 
give  his  life  a  sacrifice  as  a  ransom  for  men  ;  we  should  have 
expected  that  the  highest  mountain  would  have  been  chosen 
for  the  altar,  that  the  assembled  world  would  be  the  spectators, 
and  that  the  tears  and  groans  of  universal  nature  would  attest 
its  admiration  and  its  sympathy.  But  God's  thoughts  are  not 
as  our  thoughts.  That  the  guilt  of  man  which  demanded 
this  sacrifice  might  be  manifested,  it  was  ordered,  that  man 
should  be  the  executioner,  and  the  murderer.  Thus  Christ's 
love  was  glorified  in  dying  for  them  hy  whom  he  suffered. 
Therefore  his  glories  were  veiled,  and  men  knew  not  who 
was  dying,  or  for  what  he  bled  ;  for  "  had  they  known  him, 
they  would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory."  He  died 
in  obscurity  as  he  had  lived.  A  few  poor  fishermen,  and  some 
women  from  Galilee,  stood  round  the  cross  on  which  he  ex- 
pired, and  gazed  with  intense  interest,  though  they  knew  not 
what  was  then  doing ;  while  all  the  rest,  either  passed  by  with 
indifference,  or  mocked  and  insulted  more  than  at  the  execu- 
tion of  a  common  criminal. 


TFIR  IMSTITUTION  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  307 

But  to  compensate  for  this  want  of  publicity,  at  the  moment 
of  the  Redeemer's  death,  a  religious  rite  is  instituted,  which 
shall  show  forth  the  event  in  the  open  assemblies  of  the  church, 
over  all  the  earth,  till  Christ  shall  come  again  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven  to  judgment.  Here  we  are  invited  to  come  and  see 
Jesus  die;  because  he  died  not  for  himself,  but  for  us,  having 
"  loved  us,  and  given  himself  for  us,  an  offering,  and  a  sacri- 
fice to  God  for  a  sweet  smelling  savour."  Here  "  we  look  at 
him  whom  we  pierced,  and  mourn  for  him  as  one  mourneth 
for  an  only  son,  and  are  in  bitterness  as  one  is  in  bitterness 
for  his  first  born."  Here  we  are  invited  to  come  and  see,  not 
only  that  most  awfully  interesting  thing  death,  but  to  see 
one  die /or  us,  and  when  we  behold  him  expire,  say,  **  I  killed 
him.  Yet  he  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me,  the  just  for 
the  unjust,  to  bring  me  nigh  to  God." 

3.  The  importance  of  a  lively  remembrance  of  this  event, 
which  the  Lord's  supper  commemorates,  is  taught  by  the 
Saviour's  commanding  us,  to  "do  this  in  remembrance  of 
him." 

That  no  one  could  be  more  ready  than  Jesus  to  "  make 
himself  of  no  reputation,"  his  whole  history  proves.  He  not 
only  wrought  wonders,  without  saying  much  about  them,  but 
often  charged  the  subjects  of  his  miraculous  benefits  to  tell 
no  man  of  them ;  though  their  hearts  were  ready  to  burst  with 
the  secret,  and  they  were  unable  to  contain ;  and,  in  spite  of 
the  prohibition,  '*  noised  the  things  abroad."  But,  while  he 
might  have  been  contented  to  be  unknown,  or  forgotten ;  his 
death  was  our  life,  and  his  remembrance  is  our  salvatioui. 
For  this  reason  it  was,  that,  before  he  died,  he  instituted  this 
memorial ;  that  when  once  the  event  had  happened,  it  might 
never  afterwards  be  forgotten. 

But  what  a  monument  is  here  erected  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  the  event !  Who  but  Jesus  Christ  would  have 
thought  of  instituting  such  a  memorial  ?  The  death  of  a  be- 
nefactor is  often  commemorated  by  a  splendid  monument 
erected  over  his  tomb,  and  this  may  well  suit  those  who  are 
still  in  the  tomb.  But  that  Jesus,  whom  we  celebrate  because 
he  died,  is  now  alive  again  ;    and  therefore  an  ornamented 

X  2 


308  LECTURE   LXXVII. 

tomb  is  no  fit  memorial  of  him.  The  picture  of  the  departed 
has  often  brought  him  to  remembrance,  and  presented  him 
as  living  and  acting  in  some  great  scene,  or  dying  in  the 
moment  of  victory.  But  what  can  pictures  do  to  paint  the 
graces  of  the  Redeemer's  heart,  the  sorrows  of  his  soul,  or 
the  merits  of  his  atoning  death  ?  And  how  would  idle  gazing 
at  a  picture  express  our  regard  for  him  who  died  for  us  ? 

Jesus  has  erected  his  own  monument,  has  given  us  his  own 
picture ;  and  here,  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  a  monument  re- 
mains, more  durable  than  brass.  It  has  outlived  the  statues 
of  heroes  ;  the  picture  remains  to  display  the  wisdom  of  his 
mind,  the  grace  of  his  heart,  the  perpetuity  of  his  love ;  and 
while  we  eat  of  this  bread  and  drink  of  this  wine,  we  own 
that  the  only  just  remembrance  of  the  Saviour's  death  is  the 
believing,  practical  use  of  it  for  its  destined  purpose,  to  give 
life  to  our  souls. 

4.  The  discourses  which  our  Lord  delivered  at  the  sacred 
table  prove  that  the  Lord's  supper  was  not  designed  to  be  a 
mere  dumb  show,  but  an  intellectual  service,  to  give  rational 
instruction  to  the  mind,  and  thus  create  the  noblest  species  of 
devotion  in  the  heart. 

I  introduce  this  subject  here,  because  those  addresses  of 
our  Saviour  which  are  recorded  in  the  close  of  the  Gospel  by 
John,  do  not  come  under  our  review  in  this  course  of  lectures 
on  the  life  of  Christ;  and  yet  they  are  so  important  in  a  re- 
view of  this  period  of  the  history,  that  they  should  not  be 
passed  by  unnoticed.  Those  sermons  which  are  recorded  in 
the  thirteenth  and  three  following  chapters  of  John's  gospel, 
and  that  prayer  which  forms  the  seventeenth  chapter,  are  so 
exactly  the  counterpart  of  the  action  of  instituting  the  Lord's 
supper,  that  we  should  never  think  of  the  one  without  asso- 
ciating it  with  the  other. 


309 


LECTURE  LXXVIII. 

JUDAS    DETECTED. 

Matt.  xxvi.  21 — 25. 
Mark  xiv.  18 — 21. 
Luke  xxii.  21. 
*  John  xiii.  21 — 31. 

*  When  Jesus  had  thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in  spirit,  and  testified,  and  said, 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me. 

The  detection  of  a  hypocrite  is  one  of  the  most  painful  em- 
ployments to  which  a  sincere  and  benevolent  man  can  be 
called.  For  he  who  rightly  appreciates  its  enormity  will  be 
slow  to  suspect  his  fellow  creature  of  deceit.  On  the  other 
band,  the  more  candid  and  unsuspecting  our  disposition,  the 
more  shall  we  be  shocked,  when  the  hypocrisy  of  a  professed 
Christian  and  minister  of  the  Gospel  is  placed  beyond  the 
reach  of  a  doubt.  He  to  whom  the  Christian  character  is 
dear,  will  be  thrown  into  an  agony  of  compassion  to  see  any 
stripped  of  it,  as  a  mask  which  they  had  no  right  to  wear,  and 
will  feel  as  if  he  had  lost  a  brother,  and  lost  him  by  the  worst 
kind  of  death,  the  death  of  all  our  hopes  that  a  fellow  creature 
enjoyed  the  bliss  of  the  Saviour's  love.  The  sin  of  hypocrisy 
so  hardens  the  heart,  and  aggravates  the  guilt  of  a  man,  that 
it  marks  him  out  for  peculiar  perdition,  and  makes  his  future 
misery  stare  him  in  the  face,  all  the  way  to  the  dread  abode  of 
hypocrites  and  unbelievers.  We  are,  however,  this  morning, 
called  to  behold  the  omniscient  and  omnipotent  Saviour  pluck 
the  mask  from  a  hypocrite,  and  show  his  true  countenance  in 
all  its  horror. 

Three  stages  of  the  discovery  are  marked  out  by  the  Evan- 
gelists. 


310  LECTURE    LXXVIII. 

I.  The  more  general  intimation  given  to  all  the  disciples. 

After  Christ  had  finished  washing  the  disciples'  feet,  he  gave 
some  intimations  of  this  painful  fact,  by  saying,  "  Ye  are  clean, 
but  not  all."  "  For  he  knew  who  should  betray  him :  therefore 
said  he.  Ye  are  not  all  clean."  Again  he  said,  "  I  speak  not 
of  you  all;  I  know  whom  I  have  chosen:  but  that  the  Scrip- 
ture might  be  fulfilled,  He  that  eateth  bread  with  me,  hath 
lifted  up  the  heel  against  me."  But  these  general  hints  seem 
not  to  have  been  much  noticed  by  the  disciples,  and  Christ 
now  proceeds  to  give  the  affair  such  prominence  as  should 
rouse  the  anxious  inquiry  of  all.  It  has,  however,  been  dis- 
puted, whether  the  complete  discovery  were  made  before  or 
after  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  supper.  Matthew  and  Mark 
mention  it  as  occurring  before.  John  does  not  relate  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  supper  at  all,  but  records  the  detection 
of  Judas,  as  if  it  occurred  immediately  after  the  washing  of 
the  disciples'  feet.  Luke  is  the  only  Evangelist  that  seems  to 
place  the  detection  of  Judas  after  the  Lord's  supper  ;  but 
there  are  evidences  of  his  doing  so,  merely  because  he  chose 
to  keep  together  things  that  are  related  to  each  other.  For 
he  not  only  makes  the  Lord's  supper  to  follow  the  paschal 
supper  immediately,  though  we  have  seen  that  the  washing  of 
the  disciples'  feet  intervened ;  but  he  also  mentions  the  dis- 
ciples' dispute  concerning  precedency  as  if  it  happened  after 
the  Lord's  supper;  though  we  have  seen  that  the  washing 
of  the  disciples'  feet  was  designed  to  reprove  this,  which 
therefore  must  have  come  first.  The  design  of  Luke,  in  intro- 
ducing Christ's  reproof  of  the  disciples'  ambition  in  this  order, 
was  to  connect  it  with  that  warning  which  Jesus  save  to 
Peter,  after  the  sacred  supper  had  been  instituted.  I  con- 
clude, therefore,  that  Christ  unmasked  the  traitor  before  he 
instituted  the  supper. 

1.  Christ  appears  urged  by  bis  sorrows  to  introduce  the 
discourse. 

"  As  they  sat  and  did  eat,.  Jesus  was  troubled  in  spirit,  and 
said,  the  hand  of  him  that  betrayeth  me  is  with  me  on  the 
table ;  for  one  of  you  that  eateth  with  me  shall  betray  me." 
For  though  the  paschal  supper  was  ended,  the  cloth  was  not 


JUDAS    DETECTED.  311 

removed,  nor  the  dishes  taken  away,  and  some  of  the  com- 
pany perhaps  were  still  eating ;  and  if  the  hand  of  Judas  was 
seen  extended  to  take  some  more  food,  this  sight  might  call 
up  the  Saviour's  sorrows  to  mind,  and  throw  him  into  that  dis- 
tress which  is  here  expressed.  The  guilt  of  Judas  becoming 
ripe,  and  forcing  itself  upon  the  Saviour's  view,  brought  with 
it  all  the  long  catalogue  of  crimes  for  which  the  Saviour  was 
about  to  suffer.  The  agonies  of  death  began  to  seize  him,  he 
tasted  the  bitterness  of  his  last  cup,  and  he  deemed  it  full 
time  to  lay  open  the  traitor  to  himself  and  to  others.  Looking 
round  upon  the  whole  company,  Jesus  seems  to  fling  the  sus- 
picion among  them  all,  saying  no  more  than  that,  "  the 
traitor's  hand  is  on  this  table,  for  one  of  you  shall  betray 
me."  This  might  seem  unkind  to  the  sincere  disciples,  to  ex- 
pose them  all  to  suspicion  for  the  sake  of  one  traitor,  and  to 
distract  their  hearts  with  these  cruel  jealousies  of  themselves. 
But  it  is  good  and  profitable  to  be  sent  to  search  into  the 
deepest  recesses  of  our  own  souls,  and  the  pains  of  the  probing 
are  well  repaid  by  the  increased  evidence  of  sincerity  which 
we  afterwards  enjoy. 

As  to  the  unhappy  traitor,  he  should  have  esteemed  it 
kindness,  that  Jesus  started  the  subject,  so  as  to  lead  to  recon- 
sideration, rather  than  leave,  by  a  sullen  silence,  the  guilty 
heart  to  go  on  quietly  to  perpetrate  its  crime.  Had  Judas 
not  been  incurable,  he  would  have  been  thankful  that  Jesus 
gradually  opened  the  dreadful  secret.  By  not  mentioning 
names,  he  left  the  door  open  for  repentance  and  for  escape 
from  infamy.  If,  as  some  have,  though  without  evidence, 
thought,  Judas  had  hoped  Christ  would,  by  his  miraculous 
power,  escape,  he  was  now  warned  of  the  delusion ;  for  the 
deep  depression  of  the  Saviour's  soul  showed  the  mistake, 
and  thus  warned  the  guilty  man  to  retrace  his  steps.  But 
the  subject  was  forced  upon  the  attention  of  all  the  company, 
so  as  to  accomplish  the  Saviour's  object  of  laying  open  the 
traitor  to  view ;  and  therefore,  as  he  had  been  urged  by  his 
sorrows  to  begin  the  discovery, 

2.  The  disciples  w^ere  impelled  by  theirs  to  push  it  farther. 

They  began  to  be  grieved,  and  to  look  at  one  another. 


312  LECTURE    LXXVllI. 

doubting  of  whom  he  spake.  "  And  they  inquired  among 
themselves  which  of  them  it  was  that  was  going  to  do  this 
thing."  Being  exceedingly  sorrowful,  they  each  one  said, 
"  Is  it  I?"  Who  can  wonder  at  this  account  given  of  their 
feelings  and  behaviour?  To  think  that  their  Master  was 
going  away  to  the  stake  was  most  afflicting ;  for  one  of 
them  had  before  expressed  the  mind  of  the  rest,  when  he 
said,  "  Lord,  this  be  far  from  thee!"  But  that  he  should  be 
betrayed,  delivered  up  by  the  treachery  of  a  professed  friend, 
was  an  aggravation  of  the  trial.  That  Jesus  had  most  bitter 
and  envenomed  enemies  they  well  knew ;  but  they  knew  also 
that  no  one  so  well  deserved  sincere,  faithful,  and  devoted 
friends.  Yet  they  not  only  learned,  that  some  one  would  find 
it  in  his  heart  to  deal  ungratefully  and  treacherously  with 
such  a  friend,  but  that  this  monster  was  to  be  found  among 
themselves ;  that  the  college  of  Apostles  would  be  disgraced 
by  containing  in  its  number  the  man  that  could  betray  the  Son 
of  God. 

Then  the  tormenting  question  rose,  "  which  of  us  is  it?" 
For  if  it  is  one  of  us,  each  one  says,  "who  knows  which?" 
They  discuss  the  question  with  their  eyes,  looking  one  at 
another.  For  it  is  hard  to  conceal  guilt,  which  flushes  the 
cheek,  or  turns  it  pale ;  speaks  in  the  eyes  with  an  indescrib- 
able look,  or  deprives  the  eye  of  its  expression  by  sending  the 
soul  back  upon  itself.  Each  one,  therefore,  looks  the  other 
in  the  face  to  say — what?  "  Is  it  you?"  No;  to  say,  **  see! 
is  it  I? "  "  Do  I  look  as  if  I  could  do  this?  Or,  do  you  see 
in  my  countenance  any  consciousness  of  harbouring  a  design 
so  base?"  Or  they  look  each  other  in  the  face,  to  say,  "  do 
you  know  who  our  Lord  means?"  Yet  it  does  not  appear 
that  any  countenance  betrayed  the  sin.  There  was  but  one 
that  could ;  and  that  one,  it  seems,  was  covered  with  such  a 
disguise  that  nobody  suspected  what  was  lurking  within. 

With  their  lips,  they  seek  for  what  their  eyes  could  not 
detect,  and,  after  whispering,  say  aloud,  "Is  it  I?"  They 
seem  all  to  have  put  the  question  to  Christ,  "  Lord,  is  it  I?" 
They  were  persuaded,  from  their  knowledge  of  his  general 
character  and  powers,  and  from  what  they  observed  of  his  pre- 


JUDAS    DETECTED.  313 

sent  manner,  that  he  was  uttering  no  mere  general  suspicion, 
but  that  he  knew  the  very  individual  who  was  to  do  this  foul 
deed.  Yet  so  fair  was  the  character  of  Judas,  and  so  per- 
fectly did  he  act  the  hypocrite,  even  after  he  had  made  his 
bargain  with  the  priests,  that  no  one  of  the  disciples  seems 
to  have  suspected  him,  but  every  one  was  jealous  of  him- 
self rather  than  of  any  other.  They  were  quite  sure,  from 
their  Lord's  warning,  that  one  of  the  twelve  would  do  the 
deed ;  and  therefore  thinking  well  of  each  other,  and  know- 
ing the  deceitfulness  and  depravity  of  their  own  hearts,  they 
each  one  trembled  for  himself,  and  inquired  of  their  Lord, 
as  knowing  them  better  than  they  knew  themselves,  *'  Lord, 
is  it  I?"  "  Is  it  Peter  that  Jesus  means?  Or,  is  it  John? 
Or,  Philip?"  But  when  they  put  that  question,  they  seem  to 
invite  him  to  unmask  them,  if  hypocritical ;  they  in  fact  ex- 
claim, "  Lord,  these  suspicions  are  intolerable  ;  rather  let  us 
know  the  worst  of  ourselves,  and  if  our  hearts  can  harbour 
such  a  design,  let  us  see  ourselves  in  our  true  colours,  and 
learn  to  hate  ourselves,  if  we  can  betray  thee."  The  next 
stage  of  the  discovery  was, 

II.  The  more  particular  description  of  the  traitor  ;  that  it 
was  one  of  those  who  sat  near  to  the  Saviour,  and  dipped  with 
him  in  the  same  dish. 

Christ  begins  to  contract  the  circle  of  suspicion.  It  had 
before  inclosed  only  twelve  persons ;  now,  perhaps,  it  included 
not  more  than  four  or  five.  It  seems  as  if  there  were  several 
dishes  at  the  table,  and  where  there  were  thirteen  in  com- 
pany, some  would  be  at  a  considerable  distance  from  Jesus, 
who  was  at  the  head  of  the  board.  Those  more  distant 
Apostles,  therefore,  would  take  out  of  other  dishes,  rather 
than  of  those  that  were  immediately  before  our  Lord.  The 
Saviour,  then,  having  already  told  them  that  the  traitor  was 
one  of  the  twelve,  does,  in  effect,  now  say,  "  It  is  one  of  the 
four  or  five  nearest  to  me."  This  shows  that  Judas  had  car- 
ried his  effrontery  and  hypocrisy  so  far  as,  not  only  to  come 
to  the  supper  that  night,  but  also  to  get  near  to  Jesus,  as  if 
he  loved  him  dearly.  The  nearest  place  was  enjoyed  by  John, 
the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  whose  head  was  in  Christ's 


314  LECTURE    LXXVIII. 

bosom ;  and  perhaps  the  next  was  taken  by  Judas,  who  had 
already  sold  Christ's  blood.  We  shudder  at  the  thought.  The 
Saviour,  by  making  the  exposure  so  much  more  complete,  did 
not,  indeed,  yet  show  exactly  who  it  was :  but  he  brought  it 
so  near  to  pointing  with  the  finger,  and  saying,  "  Thou  art  the 
man,"  that  we  cannot  help  thinking  we  see  the  traitor's  coun- 
tenance change,  and  almost  hear  his  heart  beat  aloud,  dread- 
ing lest  he  should  next  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus  say,  "  It  is 
Judas." 

But  our  Lord  still  spares  him,  and  gives,  instead  of  an  in- 
dividual exposure,  a  general  warning.  "  The  Son  of  man, 
indeed,  goeth,  as  it  is  determined  of  him:  but  woe  to  that  man 
by  whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed.  Good  were  it  for  that 
man,  if  he  had  not  been  bom."  If  Judas  hardened  himself 
in  his  unbelief  by  means  of  his  own  crime,  arguing  that  Jesus 
could  not  be  the  Messiah,  or  he  would  not  be  betrayed  by  one 
whom  he  had  himself  chosen  as  a  minister  of  his  kingdom ; 
these  words  of  Jesus  were  admirably  calculated  to  iindeceive 
him.  They  reminded  him,  that  this  was  so  far  from  being  an 
evidence  against  Christ's  claims,  that  it  was  an  essential  proof 
of  their  validity ;  for,  the  Scriptures  had  foretold  that  thus  it 
should  be.  But,  then,  lest  the  deceitful  heart  should  catch  at 
this  also,  and  say,  "  well,  if  it  is  determined,  I  cannot  help  it, 
and  should  not  be  punished ;"  Jesus  adds,  "  woe  to  that  man 
by  whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed."  If  the  Scriptures  fore- 
told thy  crime,  Judas,  they  predicted  thy  punishment  too ; 
and  when  it  is  said,  "  he  that  eateth  bread  with  me  hath  lifted 
up  the  heel  against  me,"  and  "  it  was  thou,  a  man,  my  guide  and 
my  acquaintance  ;"  it  is  also  added,  "  let  his  days  be  few,  and 
let  his  iniquity  not  be  blotted  out."  By  this  double  prediction 
of  sins,  and  their  punishment,  we  are  taught  that  the  absolute 
foreknowledge  of  God  makes  no  diminution  in  the  guilt  of 
men.  Judas  felt  this,  after  he  had,  according  to  the  predic- 
tion of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  the  Saviour,  betrayed  Christ ; 
for,  stung  with  remorse,  the  traitor  exclaimed,  "  I  have  sinned 
in  that  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood." 

Another  awful  truth,  too,  is  taught  on  this  occasion,  for  our 
Lord  says,  *'  Good  were  it  for  that  man,  Judas,  if  he  had 


JUDAS    DETECTED.  315 

never  been  born."  Then  the  future  punishment  of  the  wicked 
must  be  eternal.  For  if,  as  some  have  said,  hell  is  but  the 
house  of  correction,  where  the  more  incorrigible  are  to  be 
cured,  and  fitted  for  ultimate  bliss ;  there  would  be  a  point  in 
future  felicity,  when  even  those  who  had  passed  through  a 
state  of  torment  would  have  the  balance  of  bliss  in  their  fa- 
vour, so  as  to  make  it  good  for  them  to  have  been  born.  But 
Jesus  says  of  the  man  that  betrayed  him,  "  It  had  been  good 
for  that  man  if  he  had  never  been  born  ; "  and  we  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  there  is  one  duration  of  punishment  for 
one  class  of  the  impenitent,  and  another  infinitely  different  for 
a  second  class. 

This  warning  given  to  Judas,  he  should  have  caught  at,  as  a 
last  effort  to  pluck  the  brand  from  the  burning.  For  how  terri- 
bly it  swept  away  all  his  apologies  for  crime,  and  all  his  hopes 
of  profit !  While  he  was  doting  upon  the  wages  of  unrighteous- 
ness, and  gaping  after  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  Jesus  was 
thundering  in  his  ears  the  woes  that  awaited  him,  and  teach- 
ing him  how  soon  he  would  curse  the  day  of  his  birth.  Yet, 
all  was  of  no  avail  to  him. 

To  the  genuine  disciples,  however,  it  was  of  the  greatest 
advantage ;  for  they  were  armed,  by  the  warning,  against  the 
shock  of  the  event ;  as  Jesus  said,  "  I  have  told  you  before- 
hand, that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  remember  that  I 
told  you."  Instead  of  thinking  less  of  their  Lord  for  this  indig- 
nity put  upon  him  by  the  traitor,  they  learned  to  admire 
Christ's  prescience,  and  to  tremble  at  unfaithfulness  to  him, 
when  they  heard  what  doom  awaited  the  traitor. 

The  last  stage  of  this  dreadful  discovery  was, 

III.  The  most  exact  information  given  to  Judas  himself, 
by  Christ's  action,  and  his  words. 

1.  But  what  led  to  this  final  detection  should  first  be 
noticed. 

"  Now  there  was  leaning  on  Jesus'  bosom  that  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved.  Peter  therefore  beckoned"  or  rather 
nodded  to  him  to  ask  the  Saviour  whom  he  meant.  This  is 
John's  own  narrative.     He  chose  to  designate  himself  not  by 


316  LECTURE    LXXVIII. 

his  name,  nor  by  the  title  of  the  disciple  who  loved  Jesus, 
which  he  seems  to  have  done  with  peculiar  attachment,  nor  as 
the  Apostle  whom  Jesus  honoured  by  calling  him  to  special 
privileges;  but  as  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved.  Christ's 
love  he  valued  more  than  all  other  distinctions.  He  was  lean- 
ing on  the  Saviour's  bosom,  not,  as  is  represented  in  pictures, 
like  a  sick  child  in  the  mother's  bosom  ;  but,  as  the  Orientals 
reclined  at  their  meals,  on  couches,  leaning  on  their  left  elbow, 
John,  being  next  to  Jesus,  had  his  head  near  to  the  Saviour's 
breast.  The  beloved  disciple,  therefore,  was  in  the  best  situa- 
tion for  obtaining  private  information  from  Jesus,  concerning 
the  person  whom  he  meant  to  point  out  as  the  traitor.  Peter 
observed  this,  and  showed  all  the  characteristic  eagerness  of  his 
mind,  by  seizing  the  opportunity  to  obtain  the  knowledge  for 
which  they  all  panted.  Between  John  and  Peter,  there  seems 
to  have  been  great  intimacy.  We  often  find  them  together, 
like  two  brothers.  Peter,  therefore,  being  at  a  greater  dis- 
tance from  Jesus,  nodded  to  John,  who,  full  of  the  present 
subject,  knew  what  that  nod  must  mean,  and  was  ready 
enough  to  comply.  Dropping  upon  the  Saviour's  bosom,  and 
perhaps  pressing  against  it,  with  the  affectionate  familiarity 
which  our  Lord  allowed  to  his  beloved  disciple,  John  whis- 
pered Jesus,  with  anxious  earnestness,  "  Who  is  it.  Lord?  do 
tell  me ;  for  this  uncertainty  is  most  distressing  to  us." 

"  We  have  not  a  high  priest  that  cannot  be  touched  with  a 
feeling  of  our  infirmities  ; "  and  Jesus,  pitying  the  sorrows  of 
his  sincere  disciples,  complied  with  the  request,  by  giving  a 
sign  which  should  show  the  exact  person,  saying,  "  It  is  he  to 
whom  I  shall  give  a  sop,  when  I  have  dipped  it."  That  our 
Lord  said  this  in  an  under  tone,  or  whisper,  in  answer  to  a 
private  inquiry,  seems  unquestionable ;  but  I  am  not  so  sure 
that  Judas,  who  sat  near,  did  not  hear  it ;  for  our  Lord  might 
design  that  this  should  be  a  farther  warning,  before  the  final 
public  exposure. 

Ere  we  pass  on  to  this,  however,  we  should  observe  how 
sincerity  shows  itself.  Though  Peter,  with  the  rest,  said, 
"Lord,  is  it  I  that  shall  betray  thee?"  he  was  so  conscious 


JUDAS    DETECTED.  317 

that  he  harboured  no  such  design,  that  he  beckoned  to  him 
that  was  nearest  to  Jesus  to  have  the  person  named.  Not  so, 
Judas.  John,  too,  had  said,  "  Is  it  I?"  But  though  he  knew 
it  was  one  who  was  near  enough  to  Christ  to  take  out  of  the 
same  dish,  and  there  was  none  nearer  than  John,  he  hesitated 
not  to  ask,  "  Who  is  it?"  not  fearing  lest  Christ  should  say, 
"  It  is  thou."  Not  so,  Judas.  For  with  all  the  anxieties,  and 
doubts,  and  jealousies  of  a  sincere  Christian,  there  are  some 
things  of  which  he  knows  that,  through  grace,  he  is  not  guilty, 
and  in  the  midst  of  his  very  doubts  he  gives,  unintentionally, 
marks  of  true  religion ;  but  in  nothing  more  than  in  going  to 
ask  Jesus  to  point  out  the  real  state  of  the  case,  saying, 
"  Search  me,  O  Lord,  and  know  my  heart." 

2.  What  followed  upon  this  private  intimation. 

Our  Lord,  immediately  after  giving  John  the  sign,  pro- 
ceeded to  act  upon  it,  and  this  gave  rise  to  some  comments ; 
so  that  Judas  was  finally  marked  out  by  actions  and  by  words. 

By  actions. 

"  Jesus  having  dipped  a  sop,  gave  it  to  Judas  Iscariot,  the 
son  of  Simon."  The  nature  of  this  action  is  best  explained  by 
reference  to  the  Jewish  passover.  At  this  feast,  they  were 
commanded  to  eat  bitter  herbs  with  the  lamb  roasted  whole  ; 
and  the  writers  on  the  subject  inform  us,  that  a  dish  was  made 
of  such  herbs  as  endive,  mixed  with  dates,  almonds  and  figs, 
of  the  consistence,  and  indeed  of  the  appearance,  of  mortar ; 
to  remind  them  of  their  fathers'  working  in  bricks  and  mortar 
in  Egypt.  This  was  called  charoseth,  and  into  it  they  dipped 
a  piece  of  the  unleavened  cakes,  or  biscuits,  and  thus  ate  of  it. 
It  was,  also,  a  common  practice  for  the  master  at  the  head  of 
the  table  to  show  polite  attentions  to  his  company  by  handing 
to  them  pieces  of  ;that  which  constituted  one  of  the  peculiari- 
ties of  the  entertainment.  Our  Lord,  therefore,  made  an  act 
of  condescending  kindness  to  Judas  the  last  transaction  be- 
tween them,  which,  however,  broke  all  bonds  between  the 
Saviour  and  the  traitor. 

Jesus,  having  dipped  the  unleavened  cake  into  the  charo- 
seth, and  made  a  sop  of  it,  gave  it  to  Judas ;  for  though  the 
paschal  supper  was  over,  the  table  was  not  cleared,  and  while 


318  LECTURE    LXXVIII. 

the  food  was  standing  before  them,  it  is  not  surprising  that  in 
a  company  of  thirteen  persons,  some  should  occasionally  take 
a  morsel.  Judas,  if  he  heard  Christ  whisper  to  John,  took 
the  sop  because  he  knew  not  how  to  refuse  it.  But  if,  as  is 
more  probable,  he  knew  not  what  the  design  of  it  was,  he  took 
it  as  accepting  a  kind  civility  from  Jesus,  glad  to  carry  on  the 
deception  to  the  last.  But  now  John,  seeing  to  whom  Jesus 
gave  the  sop,  could  not  help  betraying  his  astonishment  and 
horror.  His  eye,  his  colour,  his  attitude,  his  breathless  atten- 
tion, every  feature,  every  hue  of  his  countenance,  seemed  to 
say,  "  What,  is  it  you,  Judas  ?"  Then  Peter,  who  was  eagerly 
looking  out,  to  see  what  answer  would  be  given  to  the  ques- 
tion, which  he  had  begged  John  to  put  to  the  Saviour,  must 
have  been  struck  with  John's  appearance,  and  convinced  that 
the  action  of  Christ  to  Judas  was  that  answer.  Peter's  look 
and  manner  cried,  "What,  is  it  Judas  ?"  Now,  all  the  eleven 
must  have  been  roused ;  for  the  dreadful  discovery  was  soon 
circulated  through  the  whole  company,  and  every  look,  every 
breath  would  exclaim,  "  It  is  Judas  !  It  is  Judas  !" 

But  the  traitor,  feeling  himself  unmasked,  and  the  horrors 
of  his  guilt  laid  naked  to  view,  was  doubtless  stung  to  shame 
and  rage,  which  prompted  him  to  the  question  we  have  now  to 
notice ;  for  our  Lord  unmasked  the  traitor 

By  words. 

With  the  sop,  the  sacred  historian  says,  "  Satan  entered 
into  Judas."  What!  had  not  Christ  before  said,  one  of  you  is 
a  devil  ?  Had  not  Judas  already  conceived  the  foul  design  of 
betraying  Christ,  as  soon  as  he  saw  there  was  a  probability  of 
gaining  a  reward  from  the  government  ?  Was  it  not  said  that, 
from  the  time  of  Christ's  being  anointed,  at  Bethany,  the  co- 
vetous man  had  determined  on  the  thing  ?  Had  not  the  traitor 
been  with  the  priests  and  made  the  dread  covenant?  And  do 
we  not  read,  that,  before  Christ  washed  the  disciples'  feet,  the 
devil  had  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son, 
to  betray  him  ?  How,  then,  is  it  here  recorded  that,  after  this 
sop,  Satan  entered  into  him?  Was  it  to  teach  us,  that,  though 
the  enemy  had  before  tempted  the  traitor,  yet  there  had  been 
many  a  struggle  in  his  mind  ;  but  now  that  he  had  resisted  all 


JUDAS    DETECTED.  SlSl 

the  warnings  which  this  evening  supplied,  he  was  given  up 
wholly  to  the  power  of  Satan,  as  one  possessed,  whose  faculties 
were  mere  organs  of  the  devil  ?  He  took  the  sop  ;  he  saw 
himself  detected  ;  but  said  within  himself,  "  the  die  is  cast, 
I  have  passed  the  rubicon,  and  I  will  persist."  "  Then," 
says  Augustine,  "  Satan  entered  into  his  ov/n  possession,  and 
exclaimed,  '  now  he  is  my  minister,  and  not  thine,  Jesus !'" 

Christ,  therefore,  said  to  the  traitor,  when  he  gave  him  the 
sop,  "  What  thou  doest,  do  quickly.  Now,  no  man  at  the 
table  knew  for  what  reason  Christ  spake  this.  But  some  of 
them  thought,  because  Judas  had  the  bag,  that  Jesus  said  to 
him,  buy  those  things  that  we  have  need  of  against  the  feast ; 
or,  that  he  should  give  something  to  the  poor." 

It  is  almost  as  difficult  for  us,  after  the  event,  to  ascertain 
Christ's  exact  meaning.  But  it  is  not  unusual  in  the  Scrip- 
ture, to  express  in  the  form  of  a  command,  what  is  intended, 
only  as  a  prediction  of  what  the  person  spoken  to  will  do. 
Christ  says  to  his  enemies,  "  fill  up  the  measure  of  your  ini- 
quities ;"  but  he  means  only  to  say  that  this  was  what  they 
would  do.  Now,  Christ  says  to  Judas,  "  you  are  determined 
to  do  it ;  I  am  ready  ;  there  is  no  further  need  of  delay."  An 
ancient  writer,  indeed,  maintains  that  these  are  Christ's  chal- 
lenges to  Satan,  who  had  entered  into  Judas.  "  For  as  a  hero, 
strong  in  confidence,  says  to  the  enemy  who  is  about  to  attack 
him,  *  what  you  do,  do  quickly  ;  you  shall  find  me  ready  for 
you ;'  so  our  Lord  Jesus  bids  Satan  drive  his  war  chariot  ra- 
pidly, for  he  would  be  the  sooner  conquered  and  led  bound  to 
Christ's  chariot  wheels."  But  Augustine  argues,  that  "  this 
is  not  commanding  a  crime,  but  predicting  an  evil  to  Judas 
indeed,  but  which  would  turn  to  good  to  us  ;  for  what  could 
be  worse  for  Judas,  or  better  for  us,  than  that  Christ  should 
be  betrayed  hy  Judas,  but /or  us."  Of  this,  however,  we  are 
sure,  that  these  words  express  Christ's  promptitude  and  courage, 
that  he  cried,  "  quickly  come,  hour  of  agony,  of  merit,  and  of 
love." 

The  disciples,  not  knowing  Christ's  meaning,  and  aware  that 
Judas  was  their  treasurer,  who  was  intrusted  with  their  little 
pecuniary  commissions,  supposed  that  the  preparations  for  the 


320  LECTURE    LXXVIII. 

passover  which  was  to  be  kept  by  the  Jews  next  day,  and  those 
charitable  donations  to  the  poor,  which  they  knew  to  be  ac- 
cording to  Christ's  benevolent  practice,  were  in  the  Saviour's 
mind,  when  he  bade  Judas  use  despatch. 

The  traitor,  however,  seems  to  have  known  Christ's  meaning, 
and  suspecting,  perhaps,  that  the  rest  knew  more  than  they 
really  did,  he  now  said,  "  Master,  is  it  I?"  How  different 
may  be  the  meaning  of  the  same  words,  when  uttered  by  several 
persons,  and  at  different  times !  What  this  question  said  for 
others  we  have  considered  ;  but  for  Judas  it  says,  "  "why. 
Master,  you  do  not  mean  to  say,  that  it  is  I  who  am  going  to 
betray  you  ! "  What  impudence  thus  to  appeal  to  omniscience ! 
What  obduracy  thus  to  brave  it  out  to  the  last ! 

But  Jesus  at  last,  intending  to  keep  the  affair  a  secret  no 
longer,  replied,  "  Thou  sayest;"  a  form  of  expression  equivalent 
to  our  phrase,  "  exactly  so,"  "  the  very  thing,"  "  you  have 
hit  upon  it."  This  was  like  Nathan's  saying  to  David,  "  Thou 
art  the  man  ! "  If  the  heart  of  Judas  had  not  been  harder  than 
the  nether  millstone,  if  he  had  not  stopped  his  ears,  "  like  the 
deaf  adder  ;"  if  he  had  not  been  given  up  to  Satan,  and  to  in- 
evitable perdition,  these  words  from  the  lips  of  Christ  would 
have  waked  up  all  the  traitor's  soul,  his  conscience,  his  fear, 
his  shame,  and  made  him  exclaim,  "What  shall  I  do  ?"  But 
it  was  too  late. 

"  Judas  having  received  the  sop,  went  immediately  out,  and 
it  was  night."  Every  thing  concurred  to  make  the  seat  of 
Judas  uneasy.  But  whether  it  was  pure  rage  at  being  un- 
masked, or  whether  there  was  still  some  mixture  of  hypocrisy, 
pretending  to  go  and  buy  something  for  the  company ;  certain 
it  was,  that  he  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  away  he  went  to 
perpetrate  the  crime,  before  any  further  detection  should  put 
it  out  of  his  power. 

But  when  you  follow  him  with  your  imagination  as  he  goes 
out  into  the  street,  where  it  was  now  moonlight,  you  ask.  Does 
he  cover  his  face  with  confusion  ?  Does  he  shed  a  tear  of 
contrition,  like  Peter,  shortly  after?  Or,  must  we  \iew  him, 
deaf  to  the  voice  of  conscience,  which  speaks  loudest  amidst 
the  stillness  of  the  night,  going  away  to  his  new  masters,  the 


JUDAS    DETECTED.  321 

priests  and  rulers,  to  consult  with  them  the  means  of  perpe- 
trating- his  treason  ?  It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  latter  suppo- 
sition is  the  only  true  one.  And  now  what  a  change  he  be- 
holds, when  he  enters  the  hall,  and  says  to  the  vilest  of  men, 
"  Jesus  is  in  the  town,  and  soon  will  go  away  to  the  garden, 
called  Gethsemane,  to  his  devotions  ;  for  he  has  no  lodging  in 
the  city.  Make  ready,  therefore,  to  seize  him,  when  all  is 
quiet,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  are  gone  to  rest." 

But  when  Judas  was  gone,  into  what  a  strain  Jesus  breaks 
out !  "  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified 
in  him.  If  God  be  glorified  in  him,  God  shall  also  glorify  him 
in  himself,  and  shall  straightway  glorify  him.  Little  children, 
yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek  me  :  and,  as 
I  said  unto  the  Jews,  Whither  I  go  ye  cannot  come,  so  now 
I  say  unto  you.  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  That 
ye  love  one  another  :  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love 
one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  dis- 
ciples, if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  * 

*  John  xiii.  31 — 35. 


VOL.  II. 


322 


•  LECTURE  LXXIX. 

CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE. 

*  Matt.  xxvi.  33 — 46. 
Mark  xiv.  27—42. 
Luke  xxii.  31 — 46. 
John  xviii.  1. 

*  Then  cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place  called  Gethsemane,  and  saith 
unto  the  disciples.  Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder. 

-LT  is  recorded  in  the  history  of  David,  that,  when  he  fled  from 
his  unnatural  son,  who  had  excited  a  general  rebellion,  the 
afflicted  monarch  and  father  "  passed  over  the  brook  Kedron  ; 
and  David  went  up  by  the  ascent  of  mount  Olivet,  and  wept 
as  he  went  up,  and  had  his  head  covered,  and  he  went  bare- 
foot ;  and  all  the  people  that  was  with  him  covered  every  man 
his  head,  weeping  as  they  went  up."*  The  bitterness  and  sting 
of  David's  affliction,  doubtless,  was,  that  he  was  suffering  for 
his  own  sins,  according  to  God's  threatening  in  the  affair  of 
Bathsheba.  But  while  a  nation  was  in  arms  against  him,  he 
must  have  felt  it  peculiarly  severe  to  reflect  that  this  nation 
was  his  own  ;  and  while  danger  stared  him  in  the  face,  this 
must  have  aggravated  it,  that  treachery  was  in  his  own  house, 
and  that  his  own  son  was  the  prince  of  traitors.  Scarcely 
could  he  look  any  where  and  see  one  whom  he  durst  trust. 

We  have,  this  day,  to  behold  our  Lord  Jesus  going  over  the 
same  brook,  and  ascending  the  same  mount,  full  of  sorrows ; 
but  all  these  for  crimes  not  his  own.  In  the  midst  of  what  he 
endured  from  open  enemies,  the  Saviour's  heart  is  afflicted 
with  the  treachery  of  false  friends,  and  the  instability  of  those 
who  were  sincere ;  so  that,  whichever  way  he  turned  his  eyes, 
*  2  Sam.  XV.  23,  30. 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  323 

he  saw  that  which  wounded  his  heart.  While  thus  he  goes 
forth  to  Gethsemane  weeping,  we  should  behold  him  with  in- 
tense interest;  for  it  is  the  most  critical  moment  of  his  history. 
Gethsemane  being  passed.  Calvary  will  be  met  with  triumph. 
Let  us,  then,  reflect  on  the  discourses  by  the  way,  and  on  the 
scene  in  the  garden. 

I.  The  discourses  on  the  way. 

Here,  I  introduce  a  warning  given  to  all  the  disciples,  and 
especially  to  Peter,  when  our  Lord  was  with  them  in  the  supper 
chamber  ;  for  it  is  so  nearly  the  same  as  that  which  was  uttered 
on  the  road  to  Gethsemane,  that  I  thought  it  better  to  intro- 
duce them  both  together  in  this  place. 

1.  The  first  warning. 

Amidst  the  discourses  delivered  by  our  Lord,  immediately 
after  Judas  went  out,  Luke  and  John  inform  us,  that  the  Sa- 
viour said,  "  my  children,  it  is  yet  but  a  little  while  that  I  am 
with  you,  and  as  I  said  to  the  Jews,  whither  I  go,  ye  cannot 
come,  so  now  I  say  to  you."  This  roused  Peter's  ardent  mind 
to  ask,  "  Lord,  whither  goest  thou?"  apparently  afraid  that 
Jesus  was  going  to  leave  the  Jews,  and  visit  some  foreign  land, 
in  fulfilment  of  the  threat,  that,  "  the  kingdom  of  God  shall 
be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the 
fruits  thereof."  Jesus  replied,  "  whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not 
follow  me  now,  but  thou  shalt  follow  me  at  last."  Peter  seems 
now  to  have  caught  a  glimpse  of  our  Lord's  meaning,  and 
therefore  said,  "  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  thee  now  ?  I  will 
lay  down  my  life  for  thy  sake."  This  brought  forth  such  a 
reply  as  Peter  little  expected  ;  for  it  was  a  prediction  of  his 
shameful  fall.  *'  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  my  sake  ? 
Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  has  desired  to  have  you,  that  he 
may  sift  you  as  wheat.  But  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy 
faith  fail  not."  Here,  our  Lord  uses  the  singular  and  plural 
pronouns  in  such  a  way  as  to  intimate,  that  now  he  addressed 
the  whole  company  of  Apostles,  and  now  Peter  alone.  The 
enemy  had  desired  to  have  them  all,  to  sift  them  as  wheat ;  in 
hopes,  that  as  Judas  had  already  turned  out  meie  chaff,  so 
more  of  them  would  prove  worthless.  In  this  terrible  sifting, 
Peter  would  at  first  appear  no  better  than  chaff,  but  Jesus 

Y  2 


324  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

says,  "  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not;"  at 
once  delicately  hinting  peculiar  danger  on  the  part  of  the  dis- 
ciple, and  equal  affection  and  care  on  the  part  of  the  Master. 
This,  Peter  seems  to  have  felt,  and,  touched  to  the  quick,  he 
uttered  all  his  frankness,  affection,  and  vain  confidence  in  his 
own  strength,  exclaiming,  "  Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go  with  thee 
to  prison  and  to  death."  Such  ignorance  of  himself  required 
to  be  met  with  correspondent  rebuke  ;  and  how j  terrible  was 
the  reply  !  "  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  my  sake?  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  to  thee,  Peter,  the  cock  shall  not  crow  to-day, 
till  thou  hast  thrice  denied  that  thou  knowest  me."  What 
confusion  must  this  have  brought  upon  a  sincere,  vain  man, 
conscious  of  his  love  to  Christ,  and  sure  that  he  is  resolved  to 
die  rather  than  forsake  or  deny  him,  were  it  even  necessary  to 
follow  him  to  the  gaol  or  to  the  gibbet ! 

Let  us  not  be  too  severe  upon  the  vanity  and  presumption 
of  Peter.  We  have  all  the  same  sin  lurking  in  our  breasts. 
Were  I  to  select  the  wisest  and  most  pious  person  in  this  as- 
sembly, and  address  him  personally  thus,  "  before  to-morrow 
morning,  you  will  deny  your  own  wife,  or  child,  and  declare 
that  you  never  saw  them  before,  not  merely  asserting  this 
falsehood  once,  but  persisting  in  it,  and  swearing  to  it ;"  would 
not  that  person  look  up  at  me,  with  a  strange  mixture  of  sur- 
prise, disdain,  and  displeasure  ?  But  why  ?  Would  he  say, 
"  how  came  you  to  know  the  secrets  of  futurity?"  No;  the 
surprise  would  arise,  not  from  my  professing  to  know  what 
will  happen,  but  the  question,  "  what  right  have  you  to  think 
me  capable  of  such  conduct?"  would  indicate  that  the  source 
of  the  predominant  emotions  would  be  displeasure  at  being- 
supposed  likely  to  be  guilty  of  deliberate  falsehood.  When, 
therefore,  the  Prince  of  preachers  selects  one  of  his  most  dis- 
tinguished hearers,  and  addresses  him  with  such  a  prediction, 
we  must  not  wonder  if  he  receives  it  with  strange  surprise. 

2.  The  second  warning. 

This  was  given  on  the  way  to  Gethsemane  ;  for  as  they  were 
walking  from  the  house  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  where  they 
had  supped,  passing  out  of  the  gate,  crossing  the  brook  Kedron, 
and  ascending  to  the  garden  on  the  side  of  mount  Olivet,  much 


CHRIST   GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  325 

conversation  would  naturally  arise.  This  our  Lord  put  to  good 
account,  by  making  it  turn  upon  what  he  knew  was  about  to 
happen,  his  own  sufferings  and  their  failures.  "  All  ye  shall 
be  offended  because  of  me  this  night ;  for  it  is  written,  I  will 
smite  the  shepherd,  and  the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall  be  scat- 
tered abroad." 

This  warning  was  accounted  for,  by  the  change  of  circum- 
stances that  was  now  hastening  on.  Hitherto  the  Saviour  was 
considered  by  the  Apostles,  as  Elijah  by  his  disciples,  "  the 
chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof."  Their  security 
and  their  glory,  he  had  repelled  every  assault  and  made  them 
more  than  conquerors.  But  the  scene  was  to  be  reversed  ; 
for  the  shepherd  was  to  be  smitten,  and  the  disciples  would 
then  be  scattered  as  a  flock  of  timid  sheep.  Ah,  how  much 
are  we  the  creatures  of  circumstances  !  The  wisdom  and  good- 
ness which  we  ascribe  to  our  character,  and  fondly  call  our 
own,  we  often  owe  almost  wholly  to  others.  We  live  in  a  lu- 
minous atmosphere,  and  are  warmed  by  the  bodies  arounu  us : 
but,  if  left  to  our  own  resources,  we  grope  in  the  dark,  and 
shiver  with  cold.  Peter  was  now  in  the  company  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  Apostles,  and  therefore  thought  wisely  and  felt 
devoutly  ;  for  Christ,  like  the  sun,  filled  the  whole  sphere 
where  he  moved  with  beams  of  knowledge  and  wisdom,  and 
warmed  all  around  him  with  holy  affections  ;  so  that  his  secon- 
daries, like  our  moon,  became  in  their  turn  luminaries,  and 
shed  their  beams  on  each  other,  till  they  fancied  they  were 
themselves  suns.  But  their  Lord  knew  better,  he  was  aware 
there  was  coming  on  them  a  dangerous  season,  which  would 
throw  them  on  their  own  resources,  and,  putting  their  strength 
to  the  test,  betray  all  their  weakness. 

Christ  saw  that  he  himself  would  be  taken  from  them,  and 
this  would  lay  in  their  way  a  stumbling  block,  over  which  they 
would  fall,  which  is  the  exact  import  of  the  phrase,  "  ye  shall 
be  offended."  They  would  see  their  Master  seized,  without 
defending  himself,  and  then  they  would  begin  to  doubt  whether 
he  were  mighty  to  save.  They  would  see  him  treated  as  guilty, 
to  such  an  extent,  that  they  would  reason  doubtfully  about  his 
innocence;  saying,    "we  trusted   that  it  had  been  he,  who 


326  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

should  have  redeemed  Israel,  but  how  can  this  be  true  ? "  The 
necessity  for  this  hour  is  intimated,  that  the  disciples  might 
be  warned  how  little  there  was  to  justify  their  taking  offence, 
since  this  was  previously  declared  by  the  prophets  to  be  one 
of  the  marks  of  the  promised  Messiah.  The  prediction  in  the 
thirteenth  chapter  of  Zechariah  should  be  carefully  examined. 
"  In  that  day,  saith  the  Lord,  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened 
to  the  house  of  David,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  for 
sin  and  uncleanness."  This  has  been  so  beautifully  unfolded 
by  Cowper,  that  I  need  only  remind  you  of  the  hymn  that 
commences  thus : 

"  There  is  a  fountain  fiU'd  with  blood 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins, 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

"  In  that  day,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  cut  off  the  names  of  the 
idok'^out  of  the  land,  and  they  shall  no  more  be  remembered," 
evidently  pointing  out  a  period  subsequent  to  the  times  of  the 
Maccabees,  who  excited  such  a  horror  of  idolatry,  that  like 
our  reformer  Fox,  with  his  Book  of  Martyrs,  they  rendered  it 
impossible  for  idols  ever  to  show  themselves  in  Judea  again. 
"  Also  I  will  cause  the  prophets  and  the  unclean  spirits  to 
pass  out  of  the  land,"  referring  probably  to  those  false  prophets 
■who  were  always,  like  the  prophets  of  Baal,  ready  to  coun- 
tenance idolatry :  as  the  gentile  gods  were  called  demons,  these 
unclean  spirits  are  said  to  be  banished  with  the  idols  ;  though 
there  is  also,  perhaps,  a  reference  to  the  casting  out  of  demons, 
which  formed  so  prominent  a  part  in  the  miracles  of  our  Lord 
and  his  Apostles.  To  such  extent  would  the  national  zeal 
against  idolatry  rise,  that  those  who  were  enemies  to  true  reli- 
gion, should  be  so  far  from  assuming  the  ancient  habit  of  pro- 
phets (too  often  profaned  by  false  prophets)  that  they  would 
assume  any  other  appearance,  lest,  by  the  judgment  of  zeal, 
as  the  JeAvs  called  it,  their  own  father  and  mother  should  stab 
them,  as  Phineas  did  the  prince  that  committed  whoredom 
with  the  idolatrous  heathen.  But  when  the  unclean  spirit  of 
idolatry  was  cast  out,  they  would,  Christ  declared,  be  left  an 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  327 

empty  house,  into  which  would  enter  other  spirits  more  wicked. 
The  new  sect  of  Pharisees  would  rise  instead  of  the  idolatrous 
priests,  and  the  Messiah  himself  would  be  cut  off  by  them. 

Then  follows  the  prediction  of  that  event,  "  Awake, 
O  sword."  The  magistrate  is  said  by  the  Apostle  to  be  in- 
trusted with  the  sword,  and  this  sword  would  be  waked  up 
against  the  Messiah,  who  was  cut  off  by  the  civil  government, 
at  the  instigation  of  the  priests.  The  call  to  it  is  designed  to 
awaken  attention,  and  show  the  importance  of  the  deed.  The 
sword  is  commanded  to  awake,  in  the  name  of  If  hovah, 
against  one  whom  he  calls  "  my  shepherd  ;"  for  by  this  name 
the  Saviour  was  often  promised  to  the  church,  especially  where 
John  the  Baptist  is  introduced,  as  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
"  prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord.  Behold  the  Lord  God  shall 
come  with  strong  hand,  he  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  shepherd, 
he  shall  gather  the  lambs  in  his  arms,  and  carry  them  in-  his 
bosom,  and  gently  lead  those  that  are  with  young."  But  Je- 
hovah describes  the  person  against  whom  he  wakes  up  the 
sword,  as  not  only  his  shepherd,  but  the  man  that  is  my  fellow, 
as  we  render  it,  though  it  might  be  translated,  "  the  hero  that 
is  my  nearest  relative."  That  man  against  whom  the  sword 
was  drawn  was  the  Son  of  God.  "  Smite  the  shepherd,  says 
Jehovah,  and  the  sheep  shall  be  scattered,  and  I  will  turn  my 
hand  upon  the  little  ones."  This  command  to  the  sword,  to 
smite,  shows  the  peculiar  providence  of  God  in  this  affair  ;  for 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  evidently  in  it ;  though  it  was  done 
by  wicked  men,  at  the  instigation  of  the  devil.  The  Apostle 
thus  addresses  the  Jews,  "  Him,  being  delivered  by  the  de- 
terminate counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God,  ye  have  taken, 
and  by  wicked  hands  have  slain."  Thus  it  is  said,  "  Messiah 
the  prince  shall  be  cut  off,"  but  not  for  himself;  for  it  pleased 
the  Lord  to  bruise  him,  to  put  him  to  grief,  to  lay  upon  him 
the  iniquity  of  us  all.  But  when  it  is  said,  "  the  sheep  shall 
be  scattered,"  some  suppose  that  the  principal  reference  is  to 
the  dispersion  of  the  Jews,  in  consequence  of  their  crucifying 
Christ,  and  that  the  flight  of  the  disciples  was  but  a  kind  of 
foretaste  and  signal  of  that  melancholy  judgment  that  should 
follow  on  the  death  of  Christ.     The  care  that  would  afterwards 


328  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

be  taken  of  the  church  of  Christ  is  expressed,  when  it  is  said 
by  Jehovah,  "  I  will  turn  my  hand  upon  the  little  ones  ;"  of 
which  Christ  gave  a  most  gracious  pledge,  when,  after  his  re- 
surrection, he  rallied  his  scattered  flock,  and  reanimated  them 
with  the  sight  of  their  risen  Lord  and  shepherd,  who  had  laid 
down  his  life  for  the  sheep. 

But  the  immediate  consequence  of  Christ's  being  smitten 
with  the  sword  would  be,  the  scattering  of  the  little  flock  of 
disciples.  Yet  Peter  says,  "  though  all  should  be  offended 
because  of  thee,  I  will  never  be  offended."  Was  this  the  spirit 
with  which  such  a  warning  should  have  been  received  ?  Should 
it  not  have  excited  alarm  ?  If  daring  courage  is  implanted  in 
the  breasts  of  the  stronger  creatures  for  their  preservation,  with 
the  weaker  fear  answers  the  same  end.  The  timid  hare  starts 
at  the  sound  of  danger,  and  by  swiftness  often  escapes.  The 
children  of  God  are  compared  to  the  fearful  and  defenceless 
sheep  ;  and  God  says,  "  I  will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts, 
that  they  shall  not  depart  from  me."  Now  the  first  sound  of 
this  warning  from  the  lips  of  Jesus,  should  have  waked  up 
Peter's  pious  fears,  should  have  made  his  own  weakness  rush 
upon  his  recollection,  and  have  induced  him  to  cry,  "  hold  thou 
me  up,  and  I  shall  be  safe."  He  should  have  asked  counsel 
from  his  faithful  monitor,  saying-,  "  Whither  shall  I  go  ?  What 
shall  I  do  to  escape  the  danger  ?  But  if  I  must  enter  into  the 
temptation  ;  how  may  the  consequences  be  mitigated,  and  the 
worst  sins  avoided  I  Thou,  like  Joseph,  hast  warned  of  evils 
to  come,  like  him,  arm  me  against  the  evil  day  ;  for  well  may 
I  say,  like  Pharaoh,  *  where  can  one  be  found  to  counsel  us 
like  him  that  has  opened  our  eyes  to  the  impending  danger  ?'  " 
This,  my  young  friends,  should  be  your  conduct,  when  apprised 
of  the  rashness  and  follies  of  youth ;  for,  "  wherewith  shall 
a  young  man  cleanse  his  way?  is  it  not  by  taking  heed  thereto 
according  to  God's  word  V 

Instead  of  this,  Peter  showed  to  his  monitor  great  ingrati- 
tude ;  for  he,  in  effect,  insults  him,  by  calling  in  question  the 
truth  of  his  warning,  and  also  of  the  prophecy  which  Christ 
had  quoted.  Instead  of  saying,  "  what  wisdom  is  that  which 
sees  what  to  others  lies  hidden  in  the  womb  of  futurity  !  what 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  329 

affectionate  fidelity  which  warns  me  of  my  danger  !  Ah !  how 
much  better  my  Lord  knows  me  than  I  know  myself  I"  he 
passes  by  all,  without  one  word  of  humble,  grateful  acknow- 
ledgment, or  one  hint  that  he  thought  it  possible  Christ's  words 
should  prove  true.  This  is  the  way  in  which  warnings  are 
generally  received,  or  rather  rejected,  and  that,  unhappily, 
even  by  good  men.  Thus  warnings  prove  prophecies.  For 
the  conceit  that  made  Peter  say,  "  though  all  men  should  for- 
sake thee,  yet  will  not  I,"  was  the  forerunner  of  sin ;  since 
*'  pride  goes  before  destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit  before  a 
fall."  It  has  been  thought  by  some,  that  Peter  was  induced 
to  affirm  his  determination  not  to  deny  Christ,  though  every 
one  else  should,  because  Christ  had  before  said,  "  I  have 
prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not."  But  I  fear  little  apo- 
logy can  be  made  for  the  disciple,  by  supposing  that  he  turned 
the  Lord's  words  against  himself.  For  surely,  when  Christ 
now  declared  that  all  would  be  offended,  Peter  might  have 
learned  to  correct  any  mistaken  assurance,  that  he  should  be 
so  far  from  a  failure  of  faith  as  not  to  take  offence  at  Christ's 
adversity. 

The  Saviour  once  more  repeats  the  more  particular  warning 
concerning  Peter's  fall.  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  this  day, 
even  this  night,  before  the  cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt  thrice 
deny  me."  This  prediction  varies  from  that  given  at  the 
supper  table,  by  mentioning  the  cock's  crowing  tioice  before 
Peter's  third  denial.  In  the  first  instance,  the  mere  crowing 
of  the  cock  is  mentioned  ;  but  now  our  Lord  becomes  more 
minute  in  specifying  the  time  and  degrees  of  the  fall ;  or  else 
the  cock  crowing  mentioned  in  the  first  prediction  was,  that 
which  was  so  called  by  eminence,  and  now  our  Saviour  says, 
that,  in  addition  to  what  was  called  the  cock  crowing,  the  cock 
should  crow  while  Peter  was  denying  his  Lord.  This  was  de- 
signed, no  doubt,  to  awaken  the  disciple  to  his  danger,  by 
showing  him  the  exact  foreknowledge  of  it  in  the  mind  of 
CLrist ;  and  to  remind  him,  when  it  should  happen,  that  Christ 
knew  and  warned  him  of  it.  For  the  mention  of  such  an 
object  as  a  cock,  and  its  crowing,  and  a  particular  number  of 
times,  compared  with  a  correspondent  number  of  denials,  would 


330  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

all  operate  like  the  introduction  of  minute  and  familiar  objects 
in  preaching-,  to  rouse  that  attention  which  often  flags,  amidst 
more  abstract  reasonings,  and  more  general  and  polished  lan- 
guage. 

But  all  was  vain  ;  Peter,  yet  unwarned,  replied,  more  ve- 
hemently than  before,  "  though  I  should  die  with  thee,  I  will 
not  in  any  wise  deny  thee."  Peter  intended  this  for  an  as- 
surance of  attachment  to  Christ ;  but  any  thing  rather  than 
due  regard  for  the  Saviour  prompted  such  language.  For 
what  was  its  real  meaning  ?  "  Lord,  thou  art  mistaken. 
Thou  dost  not  know  me.  Thou  persistest  in  warning,  but  I 
persist  in  contradicting ;  for  the  more  minute  and  exact  thou 
art  in  thy  warnings,  the  more  positive  I  am  in  my  opinion 
that  they  can  never  come  true.  The  worst  thing  that  can  be 
supposed  to  happen,  to  lead  to  the  denial  thou  expectest,  death 
for  thy  sake,  shall  never  induce  me  to  disown  thee." 

Nor  was  Peter  alone  in  this  conduct.  The  rest  of  the  dis- 
ciples, who  might  have  been  supposed  to  look  on  and  reflect 
upon  this  strange  dispute  between  omniscience  and  rashness, 
were  only  drawn  away  by  Peter's  conduct  to  imitate  it,  and 
to  vie  with  him  in  folly,  lest  he  should  be  thought  more  faith- 
ful to  Christ  than  the  rest.  "  Likewise,  also,  said  they  all." 
Thus  the  prediction  began  to  be  fulfilled.  For  he  that  shuts 
his  eyes  to  danger,  and  his  ears  to  warnings ;  he  that,  instead 
of  reflecting  on  his  weakness,  boasts  only  of  the  strength  of  his 
resolution;  he  that  sets  up  his  own  judgment  against  the  word 
of  Christ,  is  already  tottering,  staggering,  falling.  But  in 
this  way,  the  word  of  God  meets  its  accomplishment,  and  the 
very  warnings,  that  we  might  suppose  would  prevent  the  ca- 
lamity, seem  only  to  inflame  the  obstinacy  and  conceit  that 
drive  men  headlong  to  their  ruin. 

While  thus  conversing,  the  Saviour  and  the  Apostles  arrive 
at  their  destination,  so  that  we  must  now  turn  to, 

II.  The  scene  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane. 

Here  every  thing  is  important ;  the  place,  the  company, 
the  agony  of  our  Lord,  the  prayers  he  offered,  his  expostula- 
tions with  his  disciples,  and  his  consolations  from  an  angel. 

1.  The  place  is  well  known  by  the  name  of  Gethsemane. 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  331 

As  Christ  had  not  now  a  home  where  to  lay  his  head ;  after 
borrowing  a  room  to  eat  his  last  supper  in,  he  was  obliged  to 
go  into  the  open  air  for  his  devotional  retirement.  For 
though  he  was  accustomed  to  withdraw  on  an  evening,  to  this 
same  spot;  it  was  because  it  lay  in  his  way  to  Bethany,  whi- 
ther he  went  each  night  to  sup  and  lodge.  But  now  that  he 
had  supped  in  Jerusalem,  he  seems  to  have  been  led  to  Geth- 
semane ;  because  the  city,  which  was  crowded  and  noisy,  af- 
forded him  no  suitable  spot  for  secret  prayer.  When  he  was 
born,  he  was  driven  into  an  outhouse,  because  there  was  no 
room  for  him  in  the  inn ;  and  when  he  was  about  to  die,  he 
was  sent  out  of  the  crowded  city  to  find,  in  the  open  air,  a 
place  for  his  last  prayers.  By  this  he  has  taught  us,  to  go 
any  where,  and  take  any  trouble,  rather  than  be  deprived  of 
secret  intercourse  with  God  ;  for  a  true  Christian  can  suffer 
any  loss  rather  than  that  of  the  religion  of  the  closet.  Our 
Lord  has  shown  us,  too,  by  his  own  example,  that  he  who 
would  meet  sufferings  and  death  with  the  spirit  of  a  martyr, 
must  prepare  for  them  by  an  agony  of  prayer. 

From  the  different  accounts  of  the  Evangelists,  we  gather, 
that  the  place  to  which  our  Lord  retired  was  on  the  east  of 
Jerusalem,  at  the  foot  of  mount  Olivet,  where  there  was  a 
house,  or  villa,  belonging,  probably,  to  some  secret  friend, 
who,  living  in  the  city,  held  a  farm  in  the  suburbs,  and  there 
kept  a  garden,  to  which  he  gave  Jesus  free  access.  For  John 
particularly  informs  us,  that  "  Judas  knew  the  place,  because 
Jesus  often  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples."  Jesus  went 
not  there  to  escape  his  enemies,  but,  like  Daniel,  to  the  cool 
discharge  of  accustomed  duty,  even  when  he  knew  that  the 
foes  were  lying  in  wait  for  him.  Christ  said,  therefore,  as  he 
rose  to  go,  "  that  the  world  may  know  that  I  love  the  Father; 
and  as  the  Father  gave  me  commandment,  so  I  do  :  rise,  let 
us  go  hence  ;"  and  to  that  spot  the  enemy  came  to  seize  him. 
The  lamb  was  there  found,  bound  to  the  horns  of  the  altar,  by 
the  cords  of  faithful  devotion  to  the  divine  honour  and  the 
salvation  of  the  church. 

A  garden,  indeed,  enclosed  with  a  wall  or  a  large  hedge, 
would  have  been  the  worst  place  for  escape,  except  to  Jesus, 


332  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

to  whom  all  places  were  equally  open  to  the  exercise  of  his 
miraculous  power.  But  it  was  the  best  place  for  that  de- 
votion which  was  the  delight  of  Christ's  heart,  and  by  which 
he  sanctified  the  offering  he  was  now  about  to  make  of  him- 
self to  expiate  our  guilt.  There,  under  the  canopy  of  heaven, 
we  may  converse  with  that  God  who  shines  so  gloriously 
amidst  his  works ;  and  who,  while  he  is  seen  presiding  over 
starry  worlds,  stoops  to  listen  to  the  sigh  of  the  lowly  spirit, 
which  is  scarcely  heard  to  break  the  silence  of  the  night. 

Beholding  our  Lord  retire  to  this  garden,  on  this  solemn 
night,  the  last  he  spent  on  earth,  our  minds  are  filled  with 
the  solemnity  of  the  scene.  The  brook  Kedron,  over  which 
he  passed,  is  supposed  by  some  to  derive  its  name  from  the 
cedars  that  overshadowed  it;  though  others,  with  more  pro- 
bability, derive  it  from  the  darkness  of  the  shade  created  there 
by  the  luxuriance  of  the  surrounding  vegetation.  It  has  been 
said,  and  its  situation  with  regard  to  the  temple  confirms  the 
assertion,  that  the  blood  of  the  victims  slaughtered  at  the  foot 
of  God's  altar  flowed  into  that  brook  ;  so  that,  in  passing  it, 
Jesus  might  see  the  moon  beams  reflected  from  the  crimson 
stream,  which,  as  it  murmured  along  the  valley,  called  to  the 
Saviour's  mind  the  blood  that  would  shortly  burst  from  his 
heart,  which  should  be  offered  up  a  sacrifice  for  our  sins. 

The  name  of  the  garden,  Gethsemane,  signifies  either  the 
valley  of  fatness,  from  its  abounding  in  olive  trees,  or  the 
olive  press,  from  one  of  those  instruments  having  been  placed 
there.  The  ancients  here  comment  upon  the  Saviour's  "  treads 
ing  the  wine-press  alone."  But  who  can  wonder  at  their  ge- 
neral tendency  to  run  the  parallel  between  the  first  Adam  sin- 
ning in  a  garden,  and  the  second  there  suffering  for  sin  i  In 
a  o-arden,  they  say,  man  fell,  and  in  a  garden  he  was  recover- 
ed. There  the  first  Adam,  aspiring  to  deity,  became  allied  to 
apostate  demons;  and  there  the  second,  humbling  himself  to 
the  dust,  raised  us  to  God  and  heaven  again.  Where  our 
first  father  indulged  his  own  will,  in  defiance  of  God's  pro- 
hibition, and,  instead  of  the  sweetness  of  forbidden  fruit, 
tasted  the  bitterness  of  sin  and  death  ;  there  the  second  head 
of  our  familv,  sacrificing  his  own  will  to  his  Father's,  gave  us 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSRMANE.  333 

for  that  bitter  cup  which  he  drank,  the  cup  of  salvation  and 
eterual  joy.  It  was  fit  that  the  physician  should  pour  out  the 
healing  balm  of  his  blood  where  the  patient  infected  himself 
and  posterity  with  the  otherwise  fatal  disease.  Adam,  by  his 
sin,  profaned  and  blasted  our  gardens  of  pleasure ;  Christ,  by 
his  obedience  unto  death,  sanctified  our  paradise  restored. 
There,  where  the  serpent  bit  us  with  his  envenomed  tooth, 
the  seed  of  the  woman  bruised  the  serpent's  head  ;  though 
there,  alas  !  the  serpent  bruised  his  heel. 

2.  The  company  claims  notice. 

All  the  Apostles  went  out  with  Christ,  except  Judas,  who 
had  gone  to  perpetrate  his  horrid  crime.  But  when  Jesus 
came  to  the  garden,  he  ordered  eight  to  stop  at  the  entrance, 
probably  in  some  vestibule,  or  gateway,  where  they  might  sit 
down;  for  he  says  to  them,  "  sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  and  pray 
yonder,"  pointing  to  the  interior  of  the  garden.  But,  lest 
they  should  fall  asleep,  while  sitting  there,  in  the  stillness  of 
the  night,  he  said  to  them,  "  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into 
temptation."  This  was,  indeed,  a  critical  hour,  and  they  had 
been  warned  of  great  danger  ;  and  they  saw  their  Master 
deeply  affected,  which  should  have  conspired  to  rouse  their 
solicitudes,  and  dispose  them  to  spend  the  night  in  watchful- 
ness and  prayer.  For  this  purpose  they  were  brought  here, 
to  witness  their  Lord's  devotions,  and  thus  be  stimidated  to 
offer  their  own.  For,  though  we  are  charged  to  present  our 
own  personal  prayers  with  great  secresy,  if  we  would  hope 
that  our  heavenly  Father  will  reward  us  openly,  this  should 
not  prevent  our  dearest  Christian  friends  from  knowing  that 
we  thus  practise  secret  prayer. 

Yet  he  that  had  conducted  eleven  with  him  to  this  awfully- 
delightful  spot,  took  three  only  into  the  interior  of  the  garden ; 
and  these  were  Peter,  James,  and  John.  These  three  wit- 
nesses of  the  transfiguration,  while  they  contrasted  that  glori- 
ous scene  with  this  dismal  tragedy,  were  saved  from  suspecting 
that  he,  who  suffered  thus  from  the  hands  of  the  Father,  could 
not  be  his  beloved  Son  ;  for  they  had  heard  the  divine  voice 
from  the  holy  mount  proclaim,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son  ; 
hear  him."     The  Lord  Jesus  may  be  supposed  to  have  taken 


834  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

no  more  than  three,  that  he  might  be  the  more  quiet ;  and  he 
took  as  many,  that  there  might  be  sufficient  witnesses  of  the 
event  to  the  church,  which  has  ever  taken  in  it  the  liveliest 
interest. 

From  these  three,  hoAvever,  he  was  again  separated,  pro- 
bably not  so  much  in  accommodation  to  himself,  that  his  mind 
might  not  be  disturbed  by  their  sleepiness  or  their  terrors,  as 
in  tenderness  to  them  who,  perhaps,  could  not  endure  even  to 
see  the  full  indications  of  what  he  dAone  felt.  In  this  way,  we 
put  children  aside,  when  we  are  about  to  conflict  with  scenes 
too  trying  for  their  immature  years.  To  bear  the  cross  after 
our  Lord  is,  indeed,  a  great  honour,  and  to  follow  him  to 
Gethsemane  is  the  privilege  of  none  but  a  sincere  Apostle,  as 
it  is  the  especial  honour  of  the  favoured  three  to  go  with  him 
near  to  the  spot  he  bedewed  with  the  bloody  sweat.  But  to 
stand  close  to  him  in  the  hour  of  the  dreadful  agony  was  too 
much  even  for  Peter,  James,  or  John;  for  there  was  no  one  on 
earth  found  equal  to  the  task.  It  was  long  ago  predicted, 
that  he  should  say  "  of  the  people,  there  was  none  with  me ;" 
and  as  that  prophecy  of  victory  was  founded  on  this  bitter 
agony,  we  find  him  here  at  last  alone.  For  he  withdrew  from 
the  only  three  that  were  now  near,  about  a  stone's  cast ;  and 
the  distance  that  one  could  throw  a  stone  was,  in  the  night,  in 
a  garden,  amidst  thick  foliage,  a  complete  separation ;  so  that 
the  two  parties  probably  could  not  see  each  other. 

3.  The  agony  now  came  on  our  Lord. 

"  He  began  to  be  sorrowful,  astonished,  agonized,  and  to 
say  to  them.  My  soul  is  all  full  of  grief,  even  unto  death: 
stay  here  and  watch  with  me."  And  he  was  torn  from  them, 
going  away  about  a  stone's  cast,  and  first  kneeling  down  upon 
the  ground,  then  falling  prostrate  upon  his  face,  he  prayed. 
I  trust  I  may  say  that  I  have  that  fellowship  with  my  Lord  in 
his  sufferings,  that  grieves,  confounds,  unmans  me,  and  pre- 
vents me  from  knowing  how  to  speak  on  such  a  theme.  I 
question  even,  whether  the  angel  that  attended  on  this  occasion 
knew  what  to  make  of  it,  or  could  tell  us  now  what  he  then 
saw,  and  heard,  and  felt.  The  distant  anticipations  of  this 
hour  had,  indeed,  often  thrown  the  Saviour  into  an  agony;  so 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  335 

that,  even  in  the  midst  of  a  public  procession,  we  have  seen 
him  burst  into  tears.  Now  tears  seem  too  feeble  to  express 
his  anguish,  and  his  mighty  sorrows  choke  up  the  ordinary 
channels  of  grief.  He  began  to  be  in  such  a  state  of  deep 
depression,  that  he  seemed  to  be  in  horror,  and  his  whole 
frame  shuddered  at  what  was  coming  on  him,  and  writhed 
with  anguish.  Now,  as  if  he  could  stand  here  no  longer,  the 
presence  of  his  nearest  friends  being  intolerable,  he  rends 
himself  from  them,  telling  them  why  he  could  not  stay,  "  my 
soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  afflicted  with  grief,  even  unto 
death."  This  has  been  explained  in  technical  language,  as 
signifying  the  degree  of  Christ's  suffering,  both  intensively 
and  extensively;  so  that  his  anguish  was  intensely  bitter,  as 
the  pains  of  death,  or  enough  to  put  him  to  death,  and,  com- 
mencing now,  extended  to  the  very  hour  of  death. 

Torn  from  the  presence  of  his  friends,  he  first  kneels  down 
upon  the  cold  ground,  and  then,  in  an  agony  of  earnestness, 
falls  all  along  upon  his  face,  and  thus  lies  prostrate  upon  the 
earth,  before  the  Divine  Majesty.  Often  we  read  of  his  of- 
fering prayers  standing,  and  with  hands  and  eyes  lifted  up  to 
heaven,  in  strong  confidence  and  affectionate  intercourse, 
saying,  "  Father,  I  know  that  thou  hearest  me  always."  But 
now,  see  him  lying  all  along  on  the  cold  ground,  and  wrestling 
in  an  agony,  or  conflict,  as  the  original  word  signifies.  But 
why  ?  There  was  no  enemy  to  be  seen  near ;  for  his  best- 
beloved  bosom  friends  were  the  nearest  persons:  there  was 
now  no  Judas  among  them ;  no  soldiers  had  laid  violent  hands 
upon  him  ;  no  scourges  had  torn  his  flesh  ;  nor  curses,  and 
taunts,  and  blasphemies  pierced  his  ears,  or  wounded  his 
spirit.  Yet  he  holds  a  mighty  conflict,  and  seems  to  struggle 
and  exert  all  his  powers,  as  if  wrestling  with  a  giant,  until  the 
inward  agony  produces  an  effect  upon  his  body  which  we 
shudder  to  behold.  Though  the  night  was  cold,  and  he  was 
stretched  upon  the  ground,  which  would  at  any  time  chill  our 
frame ;  we  see  our  Saviour  perspire  profusely,  and,  lo  !  his 
sweat  is,  as  it  were,  great  drops,  or  rather,  we  might  render 
it,  globules  of  blood,  which  thicken  as  they  are  presented  to 
the  cold  atmosphere,  and  then  drop  upon  the  ground. 


336  LECTURE    LXXTX. 

Persons  struggling-  witli  inward  anguish  liave  often  been 
seen,  in  the  coldest  weather,  with  the  big-  drops  standing-  on 
the  forehead,  or  trickling  down  the  cheeks  ;  and  instances  are 
mentioned  by  medical  writers  of  a  sweat  mingled  with  blood. 
But  the  language  of  the  Evangelists  evidently  expresses  affec- 
tions more  than  natural ;  and  even  supernatural  seems  too 
faint  a  term  to  characterize  these  effects  of  the  Saviour's  an- 
guish. Now  all  the  numbers  and  aggravations  of  our  sins 
open  upon  his  view,  and  his  holy  soul  shudders  to  think  what 
we  had  done.  All  the  extent  and  severity  of  the  divine  ab- 
horrence of  our  sins  comes  fortli  to  demand  satisfaction ;  and 
the  sword  of  justice  wakes  up,  saying,  "  pay  me  that  thou 
owest."  Christ  is  summoned  to  meet  the  rigid  demand,  armed 
with  fortitude  to  suffer  unto  death.  The  powers  of  darkness, 
the  executioners  of  vengeance  upon  transgressors,  exert  all 
their  horrid  ingenuity  and  force  to  ruin  our  surety,  and  destroy 
all  in  one.  He  said,  before  this  hour,  "  the  Prince  of  this 
world  Cometh;"  and  in  this  garden,  "this  is  the  power  of 
darkness."  All  that  is  hateful  in  sin,  combined  with  all  that 
is  awful  in  avenging  justice,  and  all  that  is  horrible  in  satanic 
malice,  to  put  to  the  test  the  Saviour's  utmost  power  of  en- 
durance. Nor  must  it  be  forgotten,  that  all  the  force  of  sanc- 
tity and  benevolence  urged  him  forward  to  the  conflict  with 
that  from  which  his  innocent  humanity  shrunk  and  shuddered. 
He  loved  his  Father,  as  the  advocate  and  patron  of  the  justice 
which  doomed  sin  to  suffering,  and  secured  to  the  law  its 
honours ;  and  having  loved  his  church  too,  Christ  would 
struggle  through  whatever  was  necessary  to  ransom  it  from 
woes  which  threw  him  to  the  earth,  but  would  have  plunged 
us  to  the  lowest  hell. 

These  were  the  causes  of  an  agony  so  strange,  that  the 
orator's  strong  figure  of  weeping  blood  is  feeble,  when  em- 
ployed to  express  the  state  the  Saviour  is  in;  for  he  weeps 
blood  at  every  pore.  And  to  suppose  that  all  this  was  the 
effect  of  the  mere  prospect  of  approaching  death,  is  an  insult 
to  the  Saviour.  He  kept  his  death  constantly  in  view,  and 
taught  his  Apostles  to  die  daily,  exulting  in  the  anticipation. 
What!  say,  that  Christ  was  merely  shuddering  at  the  approach 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  ^^7 

of  bodily  suffering !  Many  of  the  martyrs  have  suffered 
more.  For  though  crucifixion  was  a  painful  death,  its  sting 
lay  either  in  its  infamy  (for  it  does  not  seem  so  painful  as 
burning  alive,  and  Jesus  despised  the  shame)  or  in  its  pro- 
tracting the  dying  agony,  and  Jesus  knew  that  he  was  not  to 
hang  long  on  the  cross,  but  should  rise  to  glory,  on  the  third 
day. 

There  could  be  with  him  no  dread  of  the  after  consequences 
of  death,  which  are  so  terrific  to  doubting  Christians ;  for  he 
said,  "therefore,  my  Father  loveth  me,  because  I  lay  down 
my  life,  that  I  might  take  it  up  again."  There  is  no  rational 
account  to  be  given  for  this  horror  and  agony  of  the  Saviour 
in  Gethsemane ;  but  upon  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of 
atonement,  which  shows  him  suffering  the  sense  of  that  in- 
effable displeasure  which  the  essential  justice  of  the  divine 
government  bears  against  our  sins.  This,  indeed,  can  well 
account  for  all  that  Jesus  endured,  and  this  alone  can.  Such 
is  the  solution  of  the  difficulty  which  the  Scriptures  supply, 
when  they  introduce  the  Messiah,  saying,  "  Save  me,  O  God, 
for  the  waters  are  come  in  unto  my  soul.  I  sink  in  deep 
mire,  where  there  is  no  standing.  I  am  come  into  deep 
waters,  where  the  floods  overflow  me.  Then  I  restored  that 
which  I  took  not  away ;"  which  accounts  for  the  following 
words  :  "  O  God,  thou  knowest  my  foolishness,  and  my  sins 
are  not  hidden  from  thee  :  for  thy  sake  I  have  borne  reproach ; 
shame  hath  covered  my  face.  The  zeal  of  thy  house  hath 
eaten  me  up ;  the  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  thee 
have  fallen  upon  me."*  For  though  we  "  did  esteem  him 
stricken,  smitten  of  God  and  afflicted,  surely  he  hath  borne 
our  sins  and  carried  our  sorrows  :  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  is  laid  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed." 

4.  The  prayers  of  our  Redeemer  now  call  for  devout  at- 
tention. 

He  seems  to  have  been  engaged  in  this  conflict,  at  least 

an  hour;   and  to  have   gone  backwards  and  forwards  three 

times,  between  the  spot  where  he  prayed  and  where  the  three 

were  waiting  for  him  ;  and  to  have  prostrated  himself  three 

*  Psalm  Ixix.  1 — 9. 

VOL.    II.  Z 


338  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

times,  and  offered  up  so  many  distinct  petitions.  To  show 
tliat  with  all  the  anguish  of  spirit  which  preyed  upon  him, 
he  was  confident  of  his  Father's  love,  he  says,  "  O  my 
Father,  if  it  is  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me."  Jesus 
could  call  God  Father,  in  a  sense  in  which  no  creature 
could. 

Both  sweets  and  bitters  are,  in  Scripture,  called  a  cup  ; 
but  here  grief  is  intended ;  as  when  it  is  said,  "  in  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  is  a  cup,  and  all  the  wicked  shall  drink  the 
dregs."  His  agony  unto  death,  therefore,  is  the  cup  of  which 
our  Lord  speaks ;  and  he  asks  that,  if  it  were  possible,  it 
might  pass  from  him.  This  was  to  convince  us,  that  his  suf- 
ferings were  real ;  that  his  sense  of  pain  was  exquisite  ;  that 
he  had  all  the  natural  aversion  to  suffering ;  that  it  is  innocent 
to  wish  exemption  from  pain  ;  that  there  was  an  impossibility 
of  our  being  saved  without  the  Redeemer's  sufferings ;  and 
that  this  cup  was,  therefore,  administered  to  him  by  the 
Father's  hand. 

In  the  second  instance,  he  says,  "  Abba,  Father,  all  things 
are  possible  to  thee,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me ;  nevertheless, 
not  what  I  will,  but  what  thou  wilt."  The  first  word,  Abba, 
is  Syriac,  the  language  which  our  Lord  spake,  as  it  was  that 
of  his  nation,  in  his  day  ;  the  second  is  the  mere  translation 
into  the  language  in  which  the  New  Testament  is  written. 
Abba  was  the  word  by  which  children  addressed  their  father  ; 
and  it  is  said  to  have  been  forbidden  to  slaves  to  employ  it ; 
but  by  his  use  of  it,  our  Saviour  showed  that  all  the  horrors  of 
his  soul  shook  not  his  filial  confidence  in  him  who  now  was 
"  pleased  to  bruise  him,  and  put  him  to  grief."  He  knew 
that  he  was  not  less  dear  to  his  Father,  when  an  afflicted 
man,  laid  prostrate  on  the  ground,  covered  with  a  bloody 
sweat,  than  when  he  was  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  before 
the  world  was  ;  but,  loved  for  this  sacrifice  of  obedience 
and  suffering,  he  was  accepted  of  the  Father  as  "  a  lamb 
■without  blemish  and  without  spot,  an  offering  of  a  sweet- 
smelling  savour." 

Then,  to  express  that  absolute  dominion  over  all  events 
•which  Jehovah   possesses,    and  which    could   instantly   have 


CHRIST   GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  339 

changed  the  whole  scene,  and,  from  agonies  of  mind  and 
body,  and  from  the  approach  of  an  ignominious  death,  could 
have  placed  the  Saviour  in  calmness,  and  ease,  and  security, 
and  bliss ;  Jesus  says,  "  all  things  are  possible  to  thee ;"  so 
that  it  would  not  be  vain  to  say,  even  now,  "  let  this  cup  pass 
from  me,  and  this  is  what  my  agonizing  humanity  would  ask 
at  thy  hand.  Yet,  as  it  is  thy  will  that  I  should  '  make  my 
soul  an  offering  for  sin,'  and  that  sin  should  thus  be  marked 
with  infamy  and  abhorrence,  by  what  thou  inflictest  even  on 
me,  thy  beloved  Son ;  let  it  be  according  to  thy  holy  will,  and 
not  according  to  my  natural  inclination  to  shun  this  horrid 
sense  of  thy  wrath,  due  to  my  people's  sins.  This  is  my 
ultimate  wish,  to  drink  a  cup  abhorrent  to  nature,  but  ac- 
cordant to  the  decree  of  avenging  justice  and  redeeming 
grace." 

A  third  time,  our  Lord  kneeled  or  prostrated,  and  said  the 
same  words,  though  we  are  not  to  suppose  that  he  uttered  no 
other.  It  is  most  probable  that,  in  the  course  of  the  time 
spent  in  prayer,  he  pleaded  largely  with  his  Father,  but  with 
that  recurrence  to  one  theme,  which  extreme  anguish  on  that 
point  naturally  produces.  The  historian,  therefore,  relates 
only  this  which  forms  the  substance  of  what  the  Apostle  thus 
expresses,  "  In  the  days  of  his  flesh,  Jesus  poured  out  his 
supplication  with  strong  crying  and  tears  to  him  that  was  able 
to  save  him  from  death,  and  was  heard  in  that  he  feared." 
This  was  the  essence  of  all  his  expiatory  sufferings,  a  sacrifice 
of  his  own  will  and  pleasure  to  the  divine  will  and  glory ;  for 
the  essence  of  all  those  sins  for  which  he  suffered,  is  a  pre- 
ference of  our  own  will  and  gratification  to  the  pleasure  and 
honour  of  God. 

5.  His  expostulations  with  the  disciples. 

Our  Lord  had  charged  them  to  tarry  and  watch  with  him. 
And  had  he  not  a  right  to  expect  to  find  them  all  awake, 
tremblingly  alive  to  his  grief,  sympathizing  with  him  in  every 
pang,  and  echoing  every  prayer  and  groan  ?  But,  alas !  in- 
stead of  this  small  alleviation  that  might  have  been  furnished 
by  their  sympathetic  interest,  when  he  came  up  to  them,  no 
one  stirred  to  receive  him,  none  expressed  a  kind  consoling 

z  2 


-340  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

Avord  ;  their  eyes  were  closed,  and  the  sound  of  their  breatir 
told  the  disgraceful  truth,  that  they  were  all  asleep.  "What 
a  sight  to  be  presented  to  the  suffering  Saviour !  How  would 
it  have  chilled  our  love  !  What !  while  the  Saviour  spends 
the  watches  of  the  night  in  agonizing  and  prayer  for  us ;  while 
the  world  is  locked  in  sleep,  is  he  tossed  with  mental  anguish, 
and,  struggling  on  the  ground  with  our  burden?  is  no  voice 
heard  to  disturb  the  silence  of  the  night,  save  that  of  his  sighs^ 
his  groans,  his  cries  to  heaven  for  relief,  or  his  meek  expres- 
sion of  acquiescence?  and  when  he  comes  to  his  friends  who 
were  brought  here  to  watch  with  him,  must  he  be  grieved  by 
their  indifference  too,  and  find  them  so  little  interested  in  the 
scene  as  to  be  fast  asleep?  One  would  have  thought  that  the 
agony  which  seized  the  Saviour,  before  he  tore  himself  from 
them,  to  cast  himself  on  the  ground  and  pray,  would  have 
roused  them,  and,  like  our  own  bodily  pains,  have  banished 
sleep  from  their  eyes.  And  when  they  heard  bis  groans  and 
cries,  and  prayers,  how  could  they  go  to  sleep  with  such 
sounds  in  their  ears  ? 

But  now,  hear  his  meek  reproof  and  expostulation,  mingled 
with  affectionate  apology.  When  he  came  to  his  disciples,  he 
found  them  asleep,  and  said  to  Peter,  "  Simon,  sleepest  thou? 
-Couldst  thou  not  watch  with  me  one  hour?  Watch  and 
pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation."  The  expostulation 
addressed  to  Peter  was,  doubtless,  designed  to  remind  him  of 
his  peculiar  professions  and  his  danger.  What !  Peter,  is  this 
the  man  that  could  die  with  me,  and  now  cannot  watch  with 
me?  Is  this  he  that  has  just  been  told  that  he  will,  to-night, 
thrice  deny  me  ? 

But  even  after  this  reproof,  which  we  might  have  supposed 
would  rouse  them  all,  especially  Peter,  they  sunk  off  to  sleep 
again ;  and  when  he  returned  and  found  them  asleep,  they 
knew  not  what  to  say  to  him,  for  their  eyes  were  heavy.  This 
was  the  case,  even  a  third  time.  We  are  astonished  at  it,  and 
could  as  soon  conceive  of  a  person's  sleeping,  while  his  dearest 
relative  was  dying.  We  are  almost  ready  to  adopt  the  opinion 
of  those  who  suppose  that  there  was  some  satanic  influence 
exerted  to  lull  them  to  sleep.     But  their  gracious  Lord  and 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    GETHSEMANE.  341 

ours  has  suggested  an  apology:  "  the  spirit  was  willing,  but 
the  flesh  was  weak."  It  was  now  late,  probably  near  mid- 
night ;  they  seem  to  have  had  a  long  day  of  exertion,  both 
bodily  and  mental ;  Peter  and  John  had  three  times  travelled 
the  road  between  Bethany  and  Jerusalem  ;  they  had  all  been 
much  affected  by  what  they  had  seen  and  heard ;  they  had 
listened  to  the  most  interesting  discourses  and  prayers  ;  and 
nature,  after  such  excitement,  sinks,  so  that  we  are  told  they 
were  sleeping  for  sorrow,  which  powerfully  disposes  to  rest 
the  eyes  that  have  long  been  suffused  with  tears.  This  our 
Lord  knew,  and  therefore,  instead  of  being  angry,  as  we  should 
have  been  with  such  neglect  and  want  of  sympathy  with  our 
sufferings,  he  kindly  made  their  apology,  "  the  spirit  is  will- 
ing." He  knew  that  their  souls  loved  him,  felt  for  him,  and 
would  gladly  have  watched  and  prayed  with  him.  In  most 
cases  the  willing  mind  will  wake  up  the  physical  powers,  and 
overcome  resistance ;  but  this,  like  all  such  maxims,  is  true 
only  to  a  definite  extent.  The  certainty  of  impending  death 
will  not  prevent  persons,  who  are  near  being  frozen,  from 
giving  way  to  sleep  !  Lady  Lisle,  overcome  with  age  and  af- 
fliction, slept  when  tried  for  her  life,  before  the  infamous  Judge 
JeflPeries. 

Our  Lord,  therefore,  said  of  his  disciples,  the  flesh  is  weak. 
But  O,  how  lovely  he  appears,  when  the  big  drops  of  the 
bloody  sweat  stood  thick  on  his  brow,  and  sorrow  pressed 
down  his  spirit ;  and  yet  he  felt  for  their  infirmities,  and 
pleaded  their  cause  who  should  have  felt  and  pleaded  for  him  ! 
What  a  privilege  to  have  such  a  friend  as  Jesus  !  But  thus 
it  came  to  pass  that  all  the  weight  of  our  sorrows  was  borne 
by  him  alone,  and  he  wrestled  with  the  powers  of  darkness 
single  handed,  as  far  as  w^e  were  concerned !  Yet,  now  that 
we  have  seen  the  indifference  of  earth,  we  must  turn  to  con- 
sider the  interest  which  heaven  took  in  the  event.     Behold, 

6.  His  consolations  from  an  angel. 

There  appeared  to  him  an  angel  from  heaven  strengthening 
him.  Among  the  mysteries  of  godliness  which  the  Apostle 
mentions,  connected  with  the  manifestation  of  God  in  the  flesh, 
was  his  being  "  seen  of  angels."     These  were  made  visible  at 


342  LECTURE    LXXIX. 

his  birtli,  and  at  his  temptation  in  the  wilderness.  It  was 
deemed  fit  that  one  should  now  appear  to  our  Lord  ;  for  it  is 
not  said  that  any  one  else  saw  the  heavenly  visitant,  and  our 
knowledge  of  the  fact  is  derived  from  divine  communication. 
In  what  way  this  angel  strengthened  our  Lord  we  know  not. 
We  naturally  think  of  the  angel  as  standing  by  the  Saviour, 
stretching  out  an  arm  to  raise  him  from  the  ground,  present- 
ing a  sympathizing  bosom  on  which  the  aching  head  or  throb- 
bing bosom  of  Jesus  might  lean,  and  supporting  his  staggering 
steps,  when  going  again  and  again  to  his  disciples.  If  it  be 
said,  this  supposes  the  angel  to  have  some  material  frame  ;  so 
does  the  scriptural  assurance,  that  angels  shall  "  bear  us  up 
in  their  hands."  This,  perhaps,  is  even  literally  true,  concern- 
ing angels.  Yet  the  mere  appearance  of  the  angel  may  have 
afforded  all  the  invigoration  Christ  received ;  for  it  was  a  tes- 
timony of  his  Father's  approbation,  of  the  lively  interest  that 
the  holy  part  of  the  intelligent  creation  took  in  Christ's  agony, 
and  a  foretaste  of  that  celestial  welcome  and  triumph  that 
would  reward  his  obedience  unto  death.  Oh,  how  was  that 
angel  honoured  that  was  sent  down  on  this  errand  !  It  has 
been  conjectured  that  it  was  Gabriel  who  stands  in  the  spe- 
cial presence  of  God,  whose  name  signifies  the  mighty  one 
or  hero  of  God,  and  who,  having  appeared  to  announce 
Christ's  birth,  now  came  to  indicate  that  all  the  celestial  intel- 
ligences took  part  with  Jesus  who  was  fighting  the  battles  of 
heaven  against  sin  and  hell !  Yet  how  low  was  the  Saviour 
sunk,  when  even  one  of  his  own  angels  comes  down  and  raises 
him  from  the  ground,  and  is  said  to  strengthen  him!  But  "  he 
that  was  made  for  a  little  while  lower  than  the  angels  is  now 
crowned  with  glory  and  honour,  after  that  he,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  had  tasted  death  for  us  all." 

The  close  of  this  scene  was  announced  by  our  Lord,  when 
he  came,  the  third  time,  to  the  disciples  and  said,  "  do  you 
sleep  on  still,  and  take  your  rest?  The  hour  is  come,  and  the 
Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinful  men."  But  the 
apprehension  of  our  Lord  we  reserve  for  the  next  Lecture. 


343 


LECTURE  LXXX. 

THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED  AND  DESERTED. 

Matt.  xxvi.  47 — 56. 
Mark  xiv.  43 — 52. 
Luke  xxii.  47 — 53. 
*  John  xviii.  3 — 14. 

*  Judas  then,  having  received  a  band  of  inert  and  officers  from  the  chief 
priests  and  Pliarisees,  cometh  thither  with  lanterns,  and  torches,  and 
weapons. 

Were  you,  my  friends,  never  surprised,  grieved,  and 
ashamed  for  human  nature,  at  hearing  the  Apostle  Paul  say, 
"  At  ray  first  answer,  before  Caesar,  no  man  stood  by  me,  but 
all  men  forsook  me  ? " 

What!  must  the  Apostle,  in  that  trying  hour,  when  he 
most  needs  the  countenance,  the  counsel,  the  converse  of  his 
friends,  endure,  in  addition  to  the  hostility  of  the  common  foe, 
the  treachery,  or  coldness,  which  inflicts  the  severest  wound 
on  a  tender  and  generous  heart  1  But  that  such  was  the  lot  of 
the  servant  we  cannot  wonder  ;  for  to-day  we  are  to  see  that 
the  Master  fared  no  better.  Let  us,  then,  hasten  to  behold  the 
author  of  our  liberty  made  a  prisoner,  and  the  source  of  our 
consolations  bereft  of  all  the  comfort  derived  from  the  com- 
pany of  friends,  but,  in  all  circumstances,  lovely  and  glorious, 
and  sufficient  to  himself. 

I.  Christ  wickedly  seized  by  his  foes. 

While  our  Lord  was  coming  out  of  the  field  of  bloody  con- 
flict, and  rousing  his  Apostles,  who  were  yet  scarcely  half 
awake,  a  blaze  was  seen  at  a  distance,  and  smoking  torches 
were  waving  in  the  air,  and  the  sound  of  the  iootsteps  of  a 


844  LECTURE    LXXX. 

crowd  is  heard,  and  numerous  voices  disturb  the  silence  of  the 
night.  At  this,  the  slumbering-  disciples  start  up,,  and  the 
eight  who  were  left  at  the  entrance,  probably  now  come  to 
join  the  others,  and  tell  what  they  saw  approaching. 

1.  View  the  armed  band. 

It  was  led  on  by  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve.  This  was  an 
aggravation  of  the  affliction,  not  only  to  Christ,  but  to  all  his 
church.  For  we  naturally  exclaim,  "  what  a  disgrace,  that, 
out  of  twelve  whom  Christ  chose  as  the  chief  ministers  of  his 
kingdom,  there  should  be  found  one  who  could  betray  such  a 
Master,  and  be,  as  Peter  says,  '  guide  to  them  that  took  Je- 
sus!'" This,  however,  only  proved  Christ's  omniscience;  for 
he  was,  just  before,  rousing  up  the  slumbering  Apostles,  say- 
ing, '*  Rise,  he  is  at  hand  that  betrays  me."  But  let  us  learn 
here  that,  being  of  a  certain  society  on  earth,  however  select, 
even  though  it  were  of  the  twelve  Apostles,  could  not  prove 
us  sincere  Christians.  We  see,  also,  the  truth  of  the  Apostle's 
remark,  that  covetousness  brings  a  man  into  a  snare.  One  of 
the  ancients  says,  "There  is  no  vestige  of  righteousness  in  that 
heart  in  which  avarice  has  fixed  its  dwelling;  for,  intoxicated 
with  this  passion,  Judas  thirsted  for  gain,  and  rushed  into  a 
halter." 

The  traitor  came  with  a  band,  the  number  of  which  has 
been  variously  computed,  from  a  hundred  to  a  thousand.  This 
force  was  received  "from  the  chief  priests;"  for  as  these 
were  the  rulers  of  the  nation,  under  the  Roman  governor,  they 
obtained  from  him  the  use  of  the  military  ;  and  while  they 
pretended  that  it  was  the  act  of  the  civil  power,  the  Spirit  of 
God  brands  them  with  the  infamy  of  the  deed.  Eager  to  see 
the  work  well  done,  some  of  these  ecclesiastics  come  them- 
selves, and  bring  their  own  servants  with  them.  All  sorts  of 
men  conspired  to  seize  him  who  suffered  for  all. 

"  The  troop  came  with  lanterns,  and  torches,  and  weapons." 
The  blazing  torches  gave  most  light,  but  lest  they  should  be 
blown  out  by  the  wind,  lanterns  were  provided,  that  search 
might  be  made  for  Jesus,  if  he  should  hide  himself  in  the 
crowd,  or  in  the  shady  walks  of  the  garden.  But  they  bring 
swords  and  clubs  too,  for  fear  Jesus  and  his  disciples  should 


THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED  AND  DESERTED.       345 

defend  themselves.  They  had  never  seen  our  Lord  strive,  or 
even  break  a  bruised  reed  ;  and  if  they  had  in  view  the  various 
escapes  he  had  made,  when  they  sought  to  take  him,  these 
were  by  an  exertion  of  miraculous  power,  against  which  their 
swords  and  clubs  would  be  of  no  more  use  than  against  the 
flash  of  lightning  or  the  thunderbolt. 

But  this  band  has  its  signal,  a  sort  of  military  sign,  by 
which  they  might  know  whom  and  when  to  strike;  for  he  that 
led  them  gave  them  an  indication;  and  what  was  it?  It  seems 
to  have  been  devised  to  seal  the  infamy  of  him  that  gave  it. 
•'  Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  the  same  is  he;  seize  him,  and 
lead  him  away  safely."  The  person  of  Jesus  was  well  known 
to  the  priests  and  their  servants,  though  probably  not  to  the 
Roman  soldiers  ;  and  the  enemy  had  provided  lights,  even  at 
the  full  moon.  But  the  signal  was  fixed  upon,  at  once  to 
mark  out  Jesus,  and  entangle  him  in  the  embraces  of  a  false 
friend  ;  that,  while  Judas  was  kissing  him,  the  soldiers  might 
be  seizing  him.  They  were  so  much  afraid  that  he  might 
escape,  that  Judas  said,  "  The  one  I  shall  kiss,  that  same  is 
he  ;  seize  him,  hold  him  fast,  for  he  has  often  proved  slippery, 
and  if  you  are  not  upon  the  alert  he  will  escape  you  again." 
What  is  man  i  A  wretch  capable  of  betraying  "  the  Lord  that 
bought  him,"  and,  with  a  kiss  of  pretended  affection,  deliver- 
ing up  to  those  who  were  thirsting  for  his  blood,  the  very  per- 
son for  whom  we  ought  to  be  eager  to  shed  our  own.  Lord, 
may  we  ever  shudder  at  the  thought  of  giving  thee  an  hypocri- 
tical kiss. 

2.  See  how  Jesus  met  them,  though  unarmed. 

"  He,  knowing  all  things  that  were  coming  upon  him,  went 
forth,  and  said  to  them.  Whom  seek  ye?"  The  first  Adam, 
hearing  the  voice  of  his  judge,  fled  to  hide  himself  amidst  the 
trees  of  the  garden,  and  was  drawn  forth,  only  by  a  power  he 
could  not  withstand.  But  the  second  came  voluntarily  and 
asked,  "Whom  seek  ye?"  The  first  trembled  with  the  weak- 
ness of  conscious  guilt,  while  the  last  was  strong  in  innocence. 
Though  he  knew  all  that  would  come  upon  him,  the  bonds, 
the  buffeting,  the  insults,  the  scourging,  the  mock  trial,  the 
fatal  sentence,  the  ignominious  cross ;  he  offered  himself  to 


346  LECTURE    LXXX. 

his  foes,  presented  his  naked  breast;  and  when  they  said  they 
were  in  quest  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  he  answered,  "  I  am  he." 
This  was  true  heroism.  But  why  did  they  wait  for  his  answer  J 
Wiiy  not  seize  him  at  once  ?  They  not  only  had  light  enough 
to  see  him  ;  but  now  his  known  voice,  asking  whom  they  were 
seeking,  marked  him  out  as  their  man.  But  they  seem  to 
have  been  infatuated  and  confounded,  and  thus  tell  whom 
they  were  looking  for,  so  as  to  give  him  warning  that  he 
might  slip  away. 

But  see,  as  Jesus  boldly  answers,  "  I  am  he,"  they,  instead 
of  advancing  to  seize  him,  recede,  stagger,  and  reel,  and  fall 
upon  their  backs  on  the  ground.  What  has  he  done  to  them  ? 
He  has  not  touched  them.  He  only  answered  their  own 
question,  and  gave  them  the  information  they  so  much  desired. 
But  if  they  had  known  before,  they  surely  understand  now 
better  than  they  wished,  who  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was.  Awed 
by  power  divine,  their  courage  is  withered,  their  swords  are 
as  straw,  or  rotten  wood,  and  these  Roman  soldiers  lie  upon 
the  ground,  as  if  they  would  remind  us  of  the  Scripture, 
"The  stout-hearted  are  spoiled;  they  have  slept  their  sleep, 
and  none  of  the  men  of  might  have  found  their  hands.  At 
thy  rebuke,  O  God  of  Jacob,  both  the  chariot  and  horse  have 
fallen  into  a  dead  sleep." 

But,  how  admirably  this  exertion  of  Divine  power,  at  the 
present  moment,  proved  that,  if  Christ  gave  himself  as  a  lamb 
to  be  slain,  he  was  not  the  less  "mighty  to  save"  or  to  de- 
stroy. And  if,  when  about  to  be  judged,  he  was  thus  terrible, 
who  shall  stand  before  him  when  he  comes  to  judge  the  world? 
If  saying  to  an  enemy,  "  I  am  he,"  is  so  confounding  ;  who 
will  be  able  to  bear  the  thunder  of  his  voice,  when  it  shall  say, 
"  depart,  ye  cursed  I"  But  that  voice  uttered  the  words,  "  it 
is  I,"  and  with  them  cheered  the  soul  of  the  disciples,  when 
they  saw  him  walking  on  the  water  at  night,  or  suddenly  enter 
the  room  after  his  resurrection.  For  that  word,  which  is  so 
dreadful  to  his  foes,  is  consoling  to  his  friends;  and  when 
these  are  smitten  with  awe,  they  fall  prostrate  on  their  faces 
towards  their  Lord,  while  the  wicked  fall  backward,  farther 
from  Christ,  from  duty,  bliss,  and  hope.    Let  us  not,  however, 


THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED    AND  DESERTED.      347 

forget,  that  the  same  powerful  word  which  smote  this  wicked 
band  to  the  ground,  could  have  struck  them  to  the  lowest  hell ; 
and,  unless  they  repented,  this  was  but  a  prelude  to  that  lower 
fall  from  which  there  is  no  recovery. 

But  now,  see,  they  struggle  ;  they  rise  and  come  forward 
again.  Yet,  blind  and  infatuated,  they  persist  in  their  attempt, 
instead  of  fearing  his  power,  reverencing  his  person,  and  asking 
his  pardon  for  their  rash  attempt  to  lay  violent  hands  upon 
him.  He  again  asks  them,  "  whom  are  ye  seeking?"  and 
they  still  reply,  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  as  if  they  had  not  heard 
him  say,  "  I  am  he,"  or  had  not  felt  how  true  and  how  terrible 
was  that  reply.  Ah  !  it  had  been  well  for  them,  if  they  had 
duly  sought  him  ;  for  then  an  angel  might  have  said  to  them, 
as  to  the  affrighted  women  at  the  tomb,  "  Fear  not  ye,  for 
I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus."  He  now  answered,  "  I  have  told 
you  that  I  am  he ;  if,  therefore,  ye  seek  me,  let  these  go  their 
way,"  pointing  to  his  Apostles.  The  enemy  was  in  sufficient 
force  to  seize  them  all ;  and,  from  the  mistaken  conduct  of 
the  disciples,  it  is  probable  that  not  one  of  them  would  have 
escaped,  if  Christ  had  not  interposed  his  powerful  word  in  their 
behalf.  But  he  thus  spoke,  that  the  word  he  had  before  ut- 
tered might  be  fulfilled,  "  of  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me, 
I  have  lost  none."  As,  therefore,  the  disciples  were  not  yet 
mature  for  sufferings  and  death,  Jesus  would  not  expose  them 
to  a  trial  too  severe  for  their  religion,  but  threw  around  them 
his  protection,  which  was  as  a  wall  of  fire.     Now  mark, 

3.  The  conduct  of  the  traitor. 

Judas,  though  probably  struck  backward,  along  with  the  rest, 
was  not  brought  down  to  the  dust  of  repentant  humiliation  ; 
but,  rising  and  coming  forward  together  with  the  others,  per- 
sisted in  his  crime  and  attempted  to  execute  it,  by  the  vile, 
hypocritical  sign,  saying,  "  Hail,  Master!"  and  kissing  him. 
What  a  display  of  the  hardening  nature  of  apostasy  !  That 
he  could  after  all  that  had  happened  hear  and  dare  to  kiss  the 
Saviour's  lips  with  such  intentions  !  The  unhappy  man  might 
have  excused  himself ;  for  the  sign  could  not  have  been  ne- 
cessary after  Jesus  had  shown  himself  so  plainly.  But  then, 
what  will   become   of  my  thirty  pieces  i     Ah,  there  is  the 


348  LECTURE    LXXX. 

stumbling  block,  over  which  the  covetous  man  falls  into  per- 
dition. 

But  these  words  of  Judas,  "  Master,  Master,  hail  !"  which 
accompanied  the  kiss,  are  usually  taken  as  a  salutation  ;  though, 
as  Judas  had,  not  long  before,  been  with  Jesus,  and  had  now 
been  seen  by  him,  from  the  first  approach  of  the  band,  of  which 
he  was  the  leader,  we  should  rather  take  the  original  word  in 
the  other  sense  which  it  bears,  and  translate  it,  not  hail,  but 
*'  farewell."  The  hypocrite  affects  sorrow,  and  fear,  at  seeing 
his  Master  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  keeps  up  his  deceit 
to  the  last ;  pretends  to  give  a  parting  kiss,  and  set  off.  O, 
horrid  !  to  kiss  those  lips  that  never  spake  aught  but  sincerity, 
kindness,  and  wisdom,  with  a  kiss  of  feigned  affection,  but 
real  treason,  avarice,  and  blood  !  But  O,  the  forbearance  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  endure  to  be  kissed  by  such  a  mouth, 
with  such  a  heart ! 

Hear  now,  how  meekly  the  Saviour  addressed  the  traitor ! 
"  Friend,  wherefore  art  thou  come?"  It  may  surprise  some 
that  Jesus  should  call  Judas  "  friend."  But  as  it  has  been 
observed,  that  the  Scriptures  often  call  men  by  the  name  which 
they  assume,  so  the  original  term  was  employed  in  a  wide  and 
vague  sense,  equivalent  to  our  modern  term  of  salutation, 
Mister ;  and  Christ  chose  still  to  use  the  same  word  by  which 
he  was  accustomed  to  address  Judas,  as  he  still  persisted  in 
saying  Rabbi.  Yet,  to  show  that  Jesus  was  not  deceived  by 
the  hypocrisy,  he  asked  him,  "  why  art  thou  come?"  Ah, 
think  for  what  thou  art  here,  to  hail  and  to  kiss !  This  should 
have  stung  the  perfidious  man  to  the  heart.  For,  indeed,  it 
served  to  recall  a  prophecy  of  the  very  act,  "  mine  own  fami- 
liar friend,  who  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  lifted  up  the  heel 
against  me."  An  hour  or  two  since,  he  was  sitting  at  the  same 
table  and  eating  out  of  the  same  dish  with  Jesus,  and  now  is 
seen  at  the  head  of  an  armed  band,  that  is  seizing  Christ  as  a 
criminal.  Has  the  world  ever  seen  any  other  such  instance  of 
sudden  change,  from  the  best  to  the  worst  forms  of  character 
and  conduct  ?  To  go  from  celebrating  the  public  feasts  of 
religion  with  a  person,  to  rush  into  his  closet,  and  intrude  upon 
his  secret  devotions,  in  order  to  drag  him  away  to  the  scaffold ! 


THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED  AND  DESERTED.   349 

Obdurate  wretch  !  to  choose  Gethsemane  for  his  act  of  trea- 
son !  "What  a  place  for  such  a  purpose  !  To  rush  into  retire- 
ment so  sacred,  in  order  to  shed  blood  so  holy  and  precious ! 

When  again,  Christ  adds,  as  the  traitor  kissed  him,  "  Judas, 
betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss?"  he  gives  addi- 
tional point  to  the  sting.  What,  Judas  !  an  Apostle,  whose 
name  signifies  a  confessor ;  betrayest  thou  ?  Frailty  and 
cowardice  Peter  may  show,  but  dost  thou  betray  ?  And  the 
Son  of  man  too  ?  Him  who,  from  love  to  man,  became  the 
Son  of  man  !  Was  it  not  enough  that  he  must  suffer  from 
enemies,  but  must  it  be  by  an  act  of  false  friendship,  and  most 
consummate  treachery  from  a  disciple  ?  And  Avith  a  kiss ! 
Make  the  symbol  of  love  the  signal  for  the  stroke  of  death ! 
Put  poison  into  the  lips  that  kissed  in  token  of  peace  and  sub- 
mission, and  to  him  of  whom  the  Father  has  said,  "  kiss  the 
Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye  perish,"  approach  to  give  the 
signal  of  treachery,  apostasy,  and  everlasting  farewell !  But 
what  an  example  is  here  set  us  of  gentle  dealing  to  the  last, 
even  towards  the  bitterest  foes,  and  though  it  produce  no  good 
effect  ?  For  surely  a  kiss  from  these  wicked  lips,  breathing 
treachery,  ingratitude,  and  murder,  was  more  horrible  and 
revolting  to  the  holy  soul  of  Jesus,  than  the  wounds,  insults, 
and  blasphemies  of  open  foes.  Then  followed, 
4.  The  seizing  of  the  Saviour. 

When  the  signal  had  been  given  by  Judas,  probably  while 
he  yet  had  his  foul  hands  upon  the  Saviour,  the  leaders  of  the 
armed  band  came  up,  and  stretched  out  tJieir  hands  to  lay  hold 
of  his  sacred  person.  But  were  they  not  afraid  ?  Perhaps 
they  were  ;  for,  just  risen  from  the  ground,  where  a  word  from 
his  lips,  a  very  harmless  word,  had  prostrated  them,  it  is  hardly 
possible  they  should  not  tremble  to  approach  him  with  hostile 
designs.  But  then  many  of  them  had  long  hardened  themselves 
against  the  signs  and  wonders  which  Jesus  had  wrought ;  and 
the  Roman  soldiers  were  accustomed  to  hear  of  prodigies,  and 
to  surmount  the  consequent  panic,  by  the  bravado  of  a  soldier, 
and  the  question, — "  Shall  I  be  laughed  at  as  a  cowai*d  ? "  They 
all  come  forward  and  screw  up  their  courage  to  the  requisite 
pitch.     Nor  is  it  doubtful,  but  they  grasp  the  Saviour  more 


350  LECTURE    LXXX. 

fiercely  when  they  venture  to  do  it  at  all,  lest  they  should  lose 
their  hold  again.  And  did  he  suffer  it?  Yes  ;  for  though  he 
could  have  withered  the  hand  that  durst  touch  him  with  mur- 
derous design,  he  yielded  quietly,  and  gave  himself  up  a  pri- 
soner to  set  us  free.  Here,  then,  we  have  to  behold  the  last 
moment  of  the  liberty  of  that  life  of  laborious  beneficence  and 
sufi'ering  which  Jesus  Christ  spent  among  us.  He  that  went 
about  doing  good,  must  do  so  no  longer  :  the  enemy  says,  "  you 
are  my  prisoner." 

II.  Christ  variously  defended,  by  himself  and  his  friends. 

Here  is  a  train  of  wonders,  all  characteristic  of  the  parties 
from  whom  they  came.  The  disciples  surprise  us  by  their 
momentary  courage,  the  Master  by  his  unceasing  display  of 
kindness  and  truth,  and  the  servants  again,  at  last,  by  their 
unfaithful  cowardice. 

1.  The  disciples'  momentary  courage,  in  their  Master's  de- 
fence. 

*'  When  they  that  were  about  Jesus  saw  what  was  coming, 
they  said.  Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword?"  They  had, 
that  evening,  heard  their  Lord  say,  "  now  he  that  hath  no 
sword,  let  him  sell  his  coat  and  buy  one."  Though,  when  they 
said,  '*  here  are  two  swords,"  he  had  told  them,  it  is  enough ; 
regardless  of  this,  they  think  only  of  smiting  with  the  sword. 
They  were  willing  to  show  that  though  they  could  not  watch 
for  their  Lord,  now  they  were  awake  they  could  fight  for  him  ; 
and  stand  to  their  word  :  "  Lord,  we  will  lay  down  our  lives 
for  thy  sake."  But  it  was  a  bold  attempt.  Eleven  men  with 
two  swords,  probably  rusty  ones,  and,  in  their  hands,  awkward 
weapons,  to  attempt  to  defend  Christ  against  a  whole  band 
of  Roman  soldiers,  well  armed,  trained  to  battle,  and  accus- 
tomed to  victory.  But  these  fishermen  had  just  seen  that  their 
Master  was  himself  a  host,  and  could  with  a  word  bring  an 
army  to  the  ground :  and  who  would  not  be  courageous  under 
such  a  captain  ? 

It  was  well,  however,  that  they  asked  his  counsel  and  per- 
mission. "  Wilt  thou  that  we  smite  with  the  sword?"  What- 
ever our  courage  or  promptitude  for  action  may  be,  we  shall 
receive  no  thanks  for  fighting  without  orders.     And  yet,  what 


THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED  AND  DESERTED.   351 

avails  it  to  ask  counsel  of  the  oracle,  and  never  wait  for  the 
response  ?  But  as  such  is  often  our  conduct,  so  Peter,  still 
true  to  his  ovt^n  character,  could  not  wait  for  his  Lord's  reply, 
but  "  drew  his  sword,  and  smote  the  high  priest's  servant,  and 
cut  off  his  right  ear.  The  servant's  name  was  Malchus."  This 
person  seems  to  have  been  more  forward  than  the  rest  of  the 
band ;  for,  being  the  servant  of  the  high  priest,  he  had  caught 
the  spirit  of  his  master.  For  this,  during  a  short  time,  he  was 
made  to  suffer  by  the  loss  of  his  ear. 

This  act  of  Peter,  however,  for  a  while,  disgraced  the  cause 
he  attempted  to  defend.  For  who  would  have  expected  to  see 
a  disciple  and  minister  of  Christ,  with  a  drawn  sword,  dropping 
with  the  blood  of  an  enemy  ?  Or  what  should  we  have  thought, 
if  we  had  seen  Malchus  with  the  blood  trickling  down  his  face, 
and  his  hand  up  to  his  ear,  reproaching  our  meek  and  benevo- 
lent Lord,  and  saying,  "  this  is  what  thy  disciple  has  done?" 
Alas,  Peter,  if  thy  Master  had  not,  by  a  miracle  of  power  and 
goodness,  undone  what  thou  hadst  done,  how  lasting  had  been 
the  disgrace  and  the  mischief!  Yet  Peter  meant  well.  But 
good  intentions  are  not  enough  to  constitute  worthy  actions. 
Peter's  excessive  warmth  may  have  arisen  from  a  recollection 
of  his  great  professions  and  rash  promises  :  thus  one  sin  draws 
another  in  its  train,  for  the  man  must  now  do  something  to 
support  his  credit.  But  it  had  been  far  better  to  have  watched 
and  prayed  more,  and  promised  and  fought  less.  The  sword 
of  the  Spirit  is  the  true  weapon  of  an  Apostle  ;  all  other  swords 
he  should  have  left  to  those  who  came  to  seize  Jesus. 

This  our  Lord  taught  him,  by  saying  to  them  all,  "  Suffer 
ye  thus  far."  These  words,  however,  are  variously  interpreted. 
Some,  supposing  them  to  be  addressed  to  the  enemies,  imagine 
them  to  contain  a  request  to  bear  with  what  Peter  had  done. 
Doddridge  supposes  that  they  were  designed  to  ask  liberty  to 
have  the  hands  loose,  so  far  as  to  touch  the  servant  of  the  high 
,  priest,  and  heal  him.  But  it  appears,  from  Luke,  that  the 
words  were  addressed  to  the  disciples,  and  were  an  answer  to 
the  question,  "  Shall  we  smite  with  the  sword?"  to  which 
Christ  says,  "  No ;  suffer  ye  the  enemy  to  proceed  even  so  far 
as  to  seize  me." 


352  LECTURE    LXXX. 

Then,  to  Peter,  Jesus  said,  "  Put  up  thy  sword  into  his 
sheath ;  for  all  they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the 
sword."  Leaving-  untouched  the  lawfulness  of  defending  civil 
rights  by  the  sword ;  we  are  here  taught  the  truth  of  Lanc- 
tantius's  words,  "  that  religion  is  better  defended  by  dying 
than  by  killing,  by  patience  than  by  rashness,  by  the  arms 
which  only  the  good  can  handle  than  by  the  weapons  which 
the  wicked  can  use  as  well  as  we.  For,  if,  by  blood  and  blows 
we  wish  to  defend  religion,  it  is  not  defended  but  violated." 
Though  it  was  Christ's  glory  that  he  was  a  captain  and  a 
conqueror  too,  he  shed  no  blood  but  his  own;  and  it  had 
been  well  for  Peter  to  follow  the  example  of  his  Lord.  But 
as  the  Jews  now  had  recourse  to  the  Roman  sword  to  destroy 
Christ,  so  they  were  shortly  destroyed  by  that  sword.  How  many 
that  have  imitated  their  sin  have  shared  in  their  punishment! 

To  show  how  unnecessary  was  this  attempt  to  defend  Christ 
by  the  sword,  he  says,  "  Thinkest  thou  not  that  I  could  now 
pray  to  my  Father,  and  he  would  send  me  more  than  twelve 
legions  of  angels?"  These  heavenly  messengers  are  said  to 
"  excel  in  power,"  and  one  of  them,  we  are  told,  "  slew,  in 
one  night,  a  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand  in  the  camp  of 
the  Assyrians."  Then  what  would  twelve  legions,  who  are 
said  to  amount  to  seventy  or  eighty  thousand,  be  able  to  ac- 
complish !  "  Think  not,  Peter,"  says  our  Lord,  "  that  I  can 
need  thy  puny  arm,  or  all  my  twelve  Apostles,  when  I  have 
more  than  twelve  legions  at  command.  But  the  cup  that  my 
Father  giveth  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it?"  Peter,  thinking 
only  of  the  wicked  attempts  of  men,  was  for  repelling  force  by 
force ;  but  Jesus  still  felt  as  when  prostrate  on  the  ground  in 
prayer,  and  therefore  presented  himself  as  a  sacrifice  of  obe- 
dience to  his  Father's  will,  saying,  "  if  this  cup  may  not  pass 
from  me  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done."  Peter,  shall 
not  thy  Lord  drink  this  cup,  with  all  the  bitterness  of  death 
and  wrath  due  to  sin?  What,  then,  must  it  remain  for  us  to 
drink,  even  to  the  dregs  ?  Let  us  rejoice,  that  Jesus  was  not 
of  Peter's  mind,  and  never  forget,  when  the  hour  of  suffering 
comes,  this  touching  question,  "  the  cup  that  my  Father  giveth 
me  shall  I  not  drink  it? " 


THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED   AND  DESERTED.     353 

Christ  closes  his  admonitory  appeal  to  the  rash  disciples, 
*'  But  how  then  shall  the  Scriptures  be  fulfilled  that  thus  it 
must  he  I"  The  Scriptures  had  said  of  the  Messiah,  "  he  was 
led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,"  and  therefore  the  lamb  now 
goes  away  without  struggling.  Such  honour  he  stamps  upon 
the  Scriptures,  that  he  will  do  or  suffer  any  thing  that  they 
may  be  fulfilled.  Can  we  then  question,  for  a  moment, 
whether  he  will  honour,  in  the  salvation  of  those  who  believe, 
that  word  which  he  has  thus  glorified  in  his  own  submission  to 
rudeness,  insult,  imprisonment,  torment,  and  death  ? 

2.  The  Saviour  defending  himself  by  unconquerable  kind- 
ness and  truth. 

For,  by  the  folly  of  Peter,  our  Lord  had  to   accomplish  a 
new  task,  which  often  proves  a  most  difficult  one,  to  defend 
himself  against  the  injury  done  to  his  cause  by  his  friends. 
*'  Save  me  from  my  friends,"  saj's  the  Spanish  proverb,  "  and 
I  will  defend  myself  against  my  foes."     But  to  this  new  diffi- 
culty Jesus  was  equal.     "  He  touched  the  ear  of  the  servant 
and    healed  him."      In    a   moment    the    flowing    blood    was 
staunched ;  and  as  it  is  not  said  that  Christ  picked  up  the 
amputated  ear  and  replaced  it;  but  that  he  simply  touched 
and  healed  ;  we  are  induced  to  think  of  something  more  than 
instantaneously  causing  the  divided   parts  to  unite  ;  that  he 
created  a  new  ear,  or  caused  one  to  grow  in  a  moment.     But 
while  we  admire,  not  only  the  power,  but  the  benevolence  of 
Christ ;  his  perfect  freedom  from  all  malice  ;  his  readiness  to 
do  good  to  those  who  are  seeking  his  life ;  we  cannot  help  ex- 
claiming, "  and  did  not  this  touch  the  heart  of  his  enemies? 
Was  there  none  among  them  that  exclaimed,   *  how  can  we 
lay  violent  hands  on  him  that  is  so  evidently  endowed  with  the 
power  and  the  grace  of  God  ?     He  now  shows  us,  that  if  he 
fall  into  our  hands,  it  is  by  his  mere  sufferance,  and  we  shall 
surely  at  last  be  found  guilty  of  '  fighting  against  God.' "    Yet 
we  hear  of  no  such  reflections.     They  coolly  accept  the  mira- 
cle, and  seize  its  author.     Let  us,  however,  reflect  that,  while 
Peter  is  rebuked  for   his   rash  attempt,   Malchus  is  healed, 
without  one  word  of  blame  for  his  more  guilty  essay  to  seize 
Jesus.     Thus  our  Lord  corrects  the  minor  faults  of  his  dis- 
VOL.    II.  2  a 


364  LECTURE    LXXX. 

ciples,  while  greater  sins  are  passed  by  in  the  prosperous 
sinner  ;  for  this  is  our  only  state  of  suffering,  who  are 
saved  from  the  hell  which  awaits  the  wicked.  "  We  are 
chastened  of  the  Lord,  that  we  may  not  be  condemned  with 
the  world." 

Jesus,  having  thus  proved  to  his  enemies  his  power  and 
grace,  proceeds  to  address  them  with  the  expostulations  of 
truth  and  righteousness.  "  Are  ye  come  out  as  against  a 
robber,  Avith  swords  and  staves  to  take  me  ?  I  was  daily  with 
you  in  the  temple,  sitting  and  teaching,  and  ye  laid  no  hands 
upon  me."  By  this  bold,  yet  mild  appeal,  our  Lord  showed, 
that,  though  he  was  a  prisoner,  he  was  neither  daunted,  nor 
exasperated ;  but  that,  as  he  had  benevolence  enough  to  heal 
the  wounded  servant,  he  had  sufficient  courage  to  reprove  the 
masters.  For  those  who  are,  like  Moses,  the  meekest  men, 
are,  like  him,  the  boldest,  "  not  fearing  the  wrath  of  a  king;" 
gentle  as  lambs  towards  their  own  enemies,  and  courageous 
as  lions  to  face  the  foes  of  God  and  truth.  "  One  would 
think,"  says  our  Lord,  "  to  behold  the  armed  force  you  have 
brought,  that  you  were  come  to  seize  a  robber,  who,  plunder- 
ing under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  the  night,  was  to  be  hunted 
out  and  seized  by  force  of  arms.  Yet  it  was  but  yesterday 
that  I  was  with  you,  in  open  day,  in  the  most  public  place, 
sitting  in  the  temple,  without  tumult,  teaching,  and  ye  laid  no 
hands  on  me."  Our  Lord  makes  no  mention  of  his  miracles; 
for  he  was  not  now  proving  his  divine  mission,  but  defending 
his  innocence  as  a  member  of  civil  society,  against  which  they 
treated  him  as  an  offender. 

But  he  now  tacitly  reminds  them  that  the  midnight  hour, 
which  they  had  chosen,  in  order  to  disturb  him  in  his  secret 
devotions,  suited  their  deed ;  and  that  their  success  was  no 
triumph,  for  it  arose  solely  from  the  momentary  power  which 
the  empire  of  darkness  was  permitted  to  obtain.  "  This  is 
your  hour  and  the  power  of  darkness."  "  For  an  hour,  I  am 
given  up  to  your  hands :  short  will  be  your  dominion  over  my 
person ;  and  that  power,  which  you  call  your  own,  is  in  reality 
the  force  of  hell,  which  is  suffered  to  obtain  an  evanescent  and 
apparent  victory,  that  it  may  suffer  a  real  and  eternal  defeat." 


THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED  AND  DESERTED,     355 

"  All  this,"  says  Matthew,  "  happened  that  the  Scriptures 
might  be  fulfilled  ;"  for  the  references  to  the  accomplishment 
of  the  divine  word  crowd  upon  us,  as  we  advance  in  this  tra- 
gical history,  that  we  may  not  only  not  be  offended  at  the 
cross  of  Christ,  but  may  see  in  him  the  promised  seed,  who 
should  **  bruise  the  serpent's  head,"  while  his  own  heel  is 
crushed. 

3.  The  cowardly  desertion  of  our  Lord  by  his  friends  is  next 
to  be  noticed. 

This  terminates  their  defence  :  "  they  all  forsook  him  and 
fled."  Ai-e  these  the  warriors,  the  heroes,  who  could  draw 
their  swords  and  fight  an  armed  host,  and  smite  and  cut  off 
limbs,  when  they  saw  their  Master  strike  his  foes  to  the  ground 
by  a  look  or  a  word  ?  Now  -they  see  him  submit  to  be  seized, 
are  they  all  transformed  into  cowards?  These  lions,  when 
danger  was  far  off,  are,  now  it  is  near,  timid  hares,  that  trust 
only  to  their  swiftness  of  foot.  Where  are  their  promises, 
their  vows  of  sharing  their  Master's  fortune,  to  go  any  where, 
and  suffer  any  thing  with  Jesus  t  Is  there  not  one  to  remem- 
ber all  this  and  act  accordingly?  No,  not  one.  Peter,  with 
all  his  resolutions  not  to  forsake  Jesus,  though  he  should  die 
with  him,  now  sees  his  Master  going  away  to  prison  and  death, 
and  thinks  of  nothing  but  his  own  safety.  Even  beloved  John, 
with  all  his  affection,  shows  none  of  that  "  perfect  love  that 
casteth  out  fear ;"  but  leaves  Jesus  to  say,  "  Is  this  thy  kind- 
ness to  thy  friend?"  Thomas,  too,  who  had  said,  "  let  us  go, 
that  we  may  die  with  him,"  now  virtually  says,  "  Let  us  flee, 
lest  we  also  should  die  with  him."  So  fully  were  the  Scrip- 
tures verified,  "  I  will  smite  the  Shepherd  and  the  sheep  shall 
be  scattered,"  and  so  soon  was  Christ's  prediction  proved  true 
— "  All  ye  shall  be  scattered,  every  one  to  his  own."  For 
each  disciple  seems  to  have  taken  a  different  direction,  to  find 
a  separate  lurking  place,  so  that  no  couple  of  them  was  found 
together. 

There  goes  Jesus  by  himself,  with  not  a  single  human 
friend,  to  give  him  even  a  look  of  kindness  and  condolence,  or 
utter  a  word  of  pious  encouragement,  to  divert  his  mind  from 
the  insults  and  blasphemies  of  the  foe.    He  may  now  utter  the 

2a2 


356  LECTURE    LXXX. 

words  so  long  ago  provided  for  him,  "  I  looked  for  comforters, 
but  there  was  none."  It  was,  however,  a  great  sin,  and  so 
foul  a  blot  on  the  character  of  the  Apostles,  that  we  should 
not  previously  have  thought  that  it  could  happen.  It  is  highly 
improbable,  that  if  a  person,  of  worth  infinitely  inferior  to 
Jesus,  were  to  be  seized  and  imprisoned  for  righteousness' 
sake,  no  one  of  his  Christian  friends  would  stand  by  him ;  but 
that  all  should  refuse  to  accompany  him  to  the  bar,  and  to  the 
gaol,  and  even  to  the  gibbet.  A  real  criminal  has  usually 
some  companion  and  friend,  and  a  persecuted  Christian  wakes 
up  a  host  of  defenders,  who  are  absolutely  proud  of  the  honour 
of  standing  by  a  martyr.  Yet  Jesus,  the  King  of  the  martyrs, 
is  deserted  by  every  one  of  the  twelve  Apostles.  They  were 
the  more  guilty,  because  their  Master  had  already  interposed 
his  powerful  word  for  them,  and  made  himself  the  scape-goat, 
saying,  "  If  ye  seek  me,  let  these  go  their  way."  This  word 
had  produced  its  effect.  But,  now  he  is  a  prisoner,  they  can 
trust  it  no  longer,  though  "  the  word  of  God  is  not  bound." 

O  how  consoling  it  is  to  hear  the  Saviour  say,  "  Yet  I  am 
not  alone,  for  the  Father  is  with  me ! "  For  while  he  goes 
away,  without  one  disciple  to  whom  he  may  speak,  his  ene- 
mies, perhaps,  taunting  him  with  it,  and  saying,  "  see  where 
your  followers  and  friends  are !  there  is  not  one  of  them 
cares  enough  for  you  to  risk  any  thing  on  your  behalf;" 
the  Father  was  looking  down,  with  infinite  delight,  on  the 
Lamb  without  spot  or  blemish,  that  was  now  approaching  his 
altar. 

At  the  close  of  this  scene,  one  event  occurred  of  a  singular 
kind,  which  it  is  difficult  to  class  or  define.  "  And  there  fol- 
lowed 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." 
Much  has  been  said  to  show  who  this  young  man  was,  but  it 
is  a  vain  attempt  to  search  into  wiiat  God  has  not  designed  to 
reveal.  It  seems,  however,  that  the  young  man  lived  in  tiie 
neighbourhood  of  Gethsemane,  and  having  retired  to  rest,  the 
light  of  the  torches,  and  the  noises  of  the  multitude  had  roused 
him  up  to  go  to  see  what  was  the  matter.     Unable  to  discover 


THE  SAVIOUR  APPREHENDED  AND  DESERTED.  357 

from  his  chamber  window  what  could  satisfy  his  curiosity,  he 
had  thrown  a  loose  night-gown  over  him,  and  gone  out  to  the 
spot  from  whence  the  noise  proceeded.  Just  at  that  time, 
Peter,  having  committed  his  rash  act,  and  Jesus  having  given 
himself  up  to  the  enemies,  they,  sure  of  their  principal  object, 
began  to  look  about  for  the  rest  of  Christ's  company.  But 
the  Apostles  had  just  fled,  and  there  was  none  to  be  seen  who 
could  be  supposed  to  belong  to  Jesus,  except  this  young  man, 
whose  night-dress  probably  attracted  attention.  They  laid 
hold  of  him  therefore,  intending  to  make  him  a  prisoner.  But 
he,  slipping  off  his  loose  gown,  left  it  in  their  hands,  and 
made  his  escape.  This  is  recorded  to  show  that  the  armed 
band  intended  to  seize  not  Jesus  only,  but  his  disciples  too, 
which  at  once  accounts  for  the  Apostles'  fear,  and  shows  the 
force  of  Christ's  word  and  providence,  which  prevented  the 
enemy  from  doing  more  than  seize  the  Shepherd,  who  gave 
his  own  life  for  the  sheep. 


3ft8 


LECTURE    LXXXI. 

CHRIST    CONDEMNED    BEFORE   THE    ECCLESIASTICAL 
COUNCIL. 

Matt.  xxvi.  59 — 68. 
*  Mark  xiv.  53—65. 
Luke  xxii.  63 — 7L 
John  xviii.  19 — 24. 

*  And  they  led  Jesus  away  to  the  high  priest. 

It  falls  to  the  lot  of  comparatively  few  persons  to  be  tried  for 
their  lives.  For,  with  all  the  depravity  of  man,  and  the  con- 
sequent perversion  of  that  valuable  ordinance  of  God,  civil 
government,  few,  except  real  criminals,  are  arraigned  at  the 
bar  on  a  capital  charge  ;  and  real  criminals  are  few,  when 
compared  with  the  mass  of  mankind.  There  have,  however, 
been  evil  hours,  when  the  best  persons  in  the  world  have  been 
cited  to  that  which  ought  to  have  been  the  tribunal  of  justice, 
to  answer,  with  their  lives,  for  that  which  was  their  highest 
glory.  But,  ah  !  how  little  can  we,  who  have  never  passed 
through  the  trying  process,  imagine  what  fortitude  is  required 
to  meet  the  gaze  of  the  court,  when  standing  as  a  criminal  at 
the  bar  !  What  self-possession  is  demanded,  to  conduct  our- 
selves with  propriety  in  so  novel  and  embarrassing  circum- 
stances !  What  patience  and  forbearance  should  he  have 
who,  after  being  falsely  accused,  is  unjustly  condemned ! 
What  dignified  triumph  over  death  he  should  acquire,  who 
is  dragged  away  from  an  unjust  tribunal  to  a  horrible  ex- 
ecution ! 

But  though  we  may  never  be  called  into  this  mighty  con- 
flict, where  all  is   thus  tremendously  at  stake,  there  is  one 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED.  359 

tribunal  before  which  we  must  all  stand ;  one  judicial  process 
through  which  we  must  all  pass ;  to  be  tried,  not  merely  for 
the  life  of  the  body,  which  we  must  shortly  resign,  whether 
to  human  or  divine  power  ;  but  for  the  endless  and  happy  life 
of  the  sensitive  spirit,  and  the  risen  immortal  frame.  How 
should  these  words  thrill  through  our  souls,  "  We  must  all 
stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  that  we  may  give 
account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body  ! "  Happily  for  us,  "we 
have  not  a  high  priest  that  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling 
of  our  infirmities,"  but  one  who,  having  passed  through  a  trial 
for  life,  can  feel  for  us  in  that  dread  hour.  Let  us  so  medi- 
tate on  Christ's  trial,  that  it  may  prepare  us  for  our  own. 

I.  Attentively  mark  the  degrading  precursors. 

These  were  Christ's  bonds,  his  being  led  about  to  Annas 
and  Caiaphas,  and  the  distant  conduct  of  Peter. 

1.  The  Saviour's  bonds. 

As  soon  as  the  traitor's  signal  gave  the  fair  opportunity,  the 
whole  band  gathered  round  our  Lord,  and  the  most  forward 
of  them  having  seized  the  Saviour's  person,  others  proceeded 
to  fasten  his  hands,  and  perhaps  his  legs  too,  so  far  as  to  pre- 
vent, not  his  walking,  but  running  away.  This  was  a  natural, 
and,  therefore,  a  common  circumstance,  attendant  on  the  ap- 
prehension of  a  person  as  a  criminal.  Among  us  it  is  done 
by  what  is  called  handcuffing,  and  putting  a  chain  to  fasten 
the  feet  too  near  together  to  admit  of  running  fast.  Whether 
Christ's  limbs  were  fastened  by  chains,  or  only  with  cords,  we 
know  not.  Some  have  described  the  process  thus  minutely  : 
"  They  threw  him  down,  and  beat  him,  and  tore  off  his  hair, 
and  tied  his  limbs  so  tightly  with  cords  that  the  blood  burst 
from  the  veins."  When  we  see  prisoners  in  chains,  we  gene- 
rally feel  a  strong  presumption  that  they  have  abused  their 
liberty  to  other  men's  injury ;  and,  therefore,  we  are  satisfied 
that  such  freedom  should  be  exchanged  for  bonds.  But,  ah ! 
what  evil  had  those  hands  done  which  they  are  now  binding  ? 
The  last  thing  they  did  was,  to  heal  the  wound  of  one  of  those 
who  are  now  tying  up  the  hands  of  Jesus,  that  they  may  no 
more  be  stretched  forth  to  heal.  Whither  had  those  feet 
wandered,    that    they  must  now    be   fastened    with  fetters? 


360  LECTURE   LXXXI. 

They  had  carried  him  about  doing  good,  and  the  last  place) 
to  which  they  bore  him  was  the  spot  sacred  to  secret  prayer 
and  agonies  for  others'  crimes.  Son  of  God  !  we  adore  thy 
bonds ;  for  they  are  the  price  of  ransom  for  our  forfeited 
liberty  !  Thy  hands  were  fettered,  that  the  crimes  we  had 
committed  with  ours  might  be  expiated.  For,  alas !  thy 
word  truly  testifies  against  us,  that  we  had  "  done  evil  with 
both  hands  greedily."  The  fetters  on  thy  sacred  feet  atone 
for  our  guilt,  whose  "  feet  are  said  to  be  swift  to  shed  blood, 
who  have  destruction  and  misery  in  our  ways ;  and  the  way 
of  peace  our  wandering  feet  have  not  known."  While  we 
know  thy  power  to  snap  thy  bonds,  more  easily  than  Samson 
burst  the  green  withs  with  which  the  Philistines  bound  him, 
we  adore  thy  love  that  bound  thee  faster  than  death.  Then 
followed, 

2.  The  dragging  of  the  Saviour  about,  to  Annas  and 
Caiaphas. 

From  Gethsemane,  they  led  our  Lord  across  the  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat,  as  it  was  called,  and  over  the  brook  Kedron, 
into  Jerusalem,  by  the  sheep-gate,  and  up  to  the  house  of  An- 
nas, who  was  father-in-law  to  Caiaphas  the  high  priest.  He 
had  been  himself  high  priest ;  and  it  is  said  that  he  had  had 
two  sons,  as  well  as  a  son-in-law,  in  that  office,  which  was 
now  become  venal,  and  nearly  annual ;  though  God  ordained 
that  it  should  be  for  life,  and  descend  in  a  regular  succession. 
It  is  not,  therefore,  surprising  that  Annas  should  be  'much 
consulted  ;  and  it  is  thought  that  his  house  lay  in  the  way. 

It  was,  however,  a  part  of  our  Saviour's  humiliation  to  be 
brought  before  a  person  who  had  no  official  authority,  but 
assumed  a  right  to  dispose  of  the  "  Lord  of  glory,"  as  he 
pleased.  By  Annas,  the  Saviour  was  sent  away  bound. 
This  is  particularly  recorded  by  the  Evangelist;  either  be- 
cause Jesus  was  set  at  liberty  as  soon  as  he  came  into  the 
house,  and  was  then  fettered,  before  he  was  sent  away  to 
Caiaphas  ;  or,  because  Annas,  not  satisfied  with  the  hasty 
fetters  put  upon  Jesus  in  the  garden,  had  increased  their 
weight,  or  severity,  to  make  him  more  secure. 

See  the  Saviour  sent  from  one  to  another,  paraded  through 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED.  361 

the  streets,  as  a  gazing-stock  to  the  rude  multitude.  For 
Annas  sends  him  to  the  high  priest,  whose  palace  was  on 
mount  Zion,  in  the  city  of  David.  Behold  the  Son  of  God, 
with  his  hands  tied  behind  him,  and  his  feet  fettered,  so  that 
he  moved  slowly,  and  with  pain,  while  a  guard  of  soldiers, 
and  a  posse  of  constables,  with  staves  and  clubs,  surround 
him.  Their  torches  blaze  around,  and  the  midnight  rabble 
that  attends  such  seizures,  follow,  hooting  and  insulting  his 
sacred  majesty,  his  divine  dignity,  and  vinrivalled  worth. 
Who  of  us,  if  we  were  taken  up  by  the  officers  of  power,  for 
the  cause  of  religion,  and  dragged  away,  would  not  feel  this 
parading  through  the  streets  most  keenly  ?  Alas !  how  should 
we  bear  to  suffer  for  Christ,  the  half  of  this  insult  which  he 
endured  for  us  ? 

3.  The  distant  conduct  of  Peter. 

It  is  emphatically  related,  that  "  Peter  followed  afar  off." 
For  though  he  fled,  like  the  rest;  it  is  likely  that  he  did  not 
flee  so  far;  or  if  he  did,  he  rallied  sooner  than  the  others,  and 
came  out  of  his  lurking  hole,  to  see  the  event.  When  the 
crowd  had  left  the  garden,  and  were  at  such  a  distance  that 
he  could  not  be  seen  by  them,  Peter  moved  slowly  after  ; 
remembering  his  own  confident  assertion,  and  ashamed  of  the 
cowardly  flight  which  had  overthrown  all  his  credit.  How 
cautiously  he  treads,  and  how  carefully  he  keeps  in  the  rear, 
that  the  guards  of  Jesus  may  not  know  who  is  behind  ! 

Alas,  Peter,  of  what  use  is  this  mode  of  following  thy  Mas- 
ter I  It  may  gratify  thy  curiosity,  but  affords  him  none  of  the 
advantages  of  friendly  and  pious  society.  Is  he  not  still,  as 
a  solitary  lamb  among  wolves  ?  David  said,  in  the  person  of 
the  Messiah,  "  Be  not  thou  far  from  me,  O  God,  for  trouble 
is  near ; "  and  well  may  thy  Lord  now  reproach  thee,  Peter, 
saying,  "  Thou,  a  professed  friend,  art  far,  when  troubles  and 
foes  are  near." 

It  was,  however,  no  doubt,  a  lurking  affection  for  Christ, 
that  drew  Peter  out  of  his  hiding  place;  though  self-love  kept 
him  from  going  near  enough  to  do  his  Master  any  good. 
That  he  followed  at  all,  was  a  sign  of  holy  love  ;  but  that  he 
followed  afar  off,   was   a  proof  of  sinful  fear.     While  piety 


362  LECTURE    LXXXI. 

drew  him  forward,  unbelief  kept  him  backward.  But  this 
"  far  off"  is  an  ill  omen.  Oh !  it  is  a  sad  prelude  to  a  fall. 
Peter  is  now  on  the  road  to  denying-  his  Master;  as  we  all  are, 
when  we  keep  at  such  a  distance  as  to  give  him  no  glory,  and 
to  hold  no  pleasant  or  profitable  communion  with  our  Lord. 
We  advance  to, 

II.  The  mock  trial. 

I  give  it  this  name,  for  it  deserves  no  better.  Though 
nothing  demands  more  veneration  than  a  court  of  justice  and 
a  legal  process,  conducted  according  to  the  eternal  principles 
of  equity ;  nothing  deserves  more  abhorrence,  than  a  perver- 
sion of  the  forms  of  justice,  to  commit  a  legal  murder.  Such 
was  the  iniquitous  scene  exhibited  in  the  palace  of  Caiaphas, 
where  a  council  of  priests  and  elders  were  assembled,  waiting 
for  the  arrival  of  Jesus,  though  it  was  in  the  dead  of  the 
night. 

They  begin  with, 

1.  The  attempt  to  ensnare  Christ  with  questions. 

"  The  high  priest  asked  him  of  his  disciples  and  his  doc- 
trine." As  they  intended  to  accuse  him  of  sedition  before 
Pilate,  the  Roman  governor,  they  inquire  about  the  multitude 
of  disciples  which  followed  Jesus,  as  if  they  assembled  for 
seditious  or  treasonable  purposes.  Designing  to  accuse  him 
of  heresy,  the  enemies  endeavour  to  draw  from  him  a  con- 
fession of  faith  ;  that  they  may  make  him  an  offender,  for 
some  word  which  they  may  misconstrue  and  pervert.  The 
accusations  of  heresy  and  sedition  have  been,  from  that  day  to 
this,  brought  against  the  disciples  of  Christ,  to  make  them 
share  with  their  Master  in  the  cross. 

But  Christ's  reply  defeated  their  scheme.  He  only  said, 
"  Why  ask  me?  Ask  them  that  heard  me;  for  I  always  spoke 
openly."  If  a  public  preacher  be  arrested  for  crimes  supposed 
to  be  committed  in  the  open  exercise  of  his  ministry,  nothing 
can  be  more  unjust  than  to  question  him  concerning  what  he 
preached,  and  who  heard  him.  The  charges  should  have 
been  prepared.  For  this  reason,  our  Lord  made  a  noble 
stand  for  the  liberties  of  man,  the  security  of  the  public  mi- 
nistry, and  those  essential  forms  of  justice,  which  cannot  be 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED.  363 

resigned,  without  leaving  the  innocent  at  the  mercy  of  the  de- 
signing and  cruel.  Truth  dreads  nothing  but  concealment ; 
error  fears  the  light.  An  answer  so  just  and  convincing, 
foiled  them  so  completely  as  to  provoke  them.  **  When  he 
had  thus  spoken,  one  of  the  officers  which  stood  by,  struck 
Jesus  with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  saying,  Answerest  thou  the 
high  priest  so  I  Jesus  said.  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness 
of  the  evil:  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me?"* 

It  was  predicted  by  the  prophet  Micah,  "  They  shall  smite 
the  Judge  of  Israel  with  a  rod  upon  the  cheek  ."f  Some  have 
supposed,  that  this  man  that  smote  our  Lord  was  Malchus, 
who,  afraid  of  being  suspected  of  some  leaning  towards  the 
kind  friend  that  healed  him,  took  this  method  of  purging  him- 
self from  such  a  suspicion.  Others,  however,  with  more  pro- 
bability, imagine  that  our  Lord,  when  he  said,  "  Ask  them 
that  heard  me,"  looked  towards  some  one  whom  he  had  seen 
among  his  hearers,  it  may  be  one  of  the  very  officers  who  had 
been  sent  to  seize  him,  and  returned,  saying,  **  Never  man 
spake  like  this  man,"  but  who  now  wiped  away  all  suspicion  of 
any  lurking  fondness  for  Jesus,  by  this  guilty  act.  The  origi- 
nal word  by  which  this  blow  is  expressed  has  been,  from  its 
etymology,  supposed  to  mean  a  blow  with  a  stick  like  a  con- 
stable's staff,  but  is  also  used  for  what  we  should  call  a  slap  in 
the  face.  The  Scriptures  are  silent  concerning  the  blood, 
which  has  been  said  to  have  started  from  the  Saviour's  mouth 
and  nose,  by  this  blow ;  and  they  give  no  countenance  to  such 
stories  as  that  of  the  wandering  Jew,  who  has  been  supposed 
to  have  been  doomed  to  perpetual  roving  over  the  face  of  the 
earth,  for  this  insult  given  to  our  Lord. 

But,  with  great  delicacy  and  equal  force,  the  Evangelist 
observes,  that  "  Annas  had  sent  Jesus  bound  to  the  high 
priest;"  so  that  it  was  the  more  cruel  and  cowardly  thus  to 
smite  him,  when  his  hands  were  tied.  To  confine  criminals 
sufficiently  to  secure  them,  is  necessary ;  but  to  avail  ourselves 
of  that  opportunity  to  insult  and  injure  them,  is  vile.  But  this 
our  Lord  suffered,  for  our  sake;  for,  "if  a  ruler  hearken  to 
lies,"  says  the  Scripture,  "  all  his  servants  are  wicked ;"  and 
*  John  xviii.  22,  23.  t  Micah  v.  1. 


364  LECTURE    LXXXI. 

our  Lord  wished  to  set  an  example  of  patient  endurance  of  all 
sorts  of  injuries. 

Yet,  when  this  striker  attempted  to  put  a  colour  of  respect 
for  God's  high  priest,  upon  his  own  base  action,  by  saying, 
"  Answerest  thou  the  high  priest  so?"  Jesus  gave  him  no 
other  answer  than,  "  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of 
the  evil ;  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me?"*  "  If,  either  in 
my  whole  life  and  ministry,  or  in  this  answer,  I  have  com- 
mitted a  fault ;  here  I  am  to  answ  er  for  it,  and  witnesses 
should  be  brought  against  me ;  but,  without  doing  this,  thou 
art  striking  me,  on  my  trial,  as  if  sentence  had  been  passed, 
and  execution  commenced."  What  wisdom  !  what  dignity  ! 
what  meekness  !  what  force  of  reason  !  what  freedom  from 
passion  ! 

It  has,  however,  been  asked,  why  Christ  did  not  turn  the 
other  cheek,  according  to  his  own  command  to  us,when  smitten 
on  one  cheek.  He  did  practise  his  own  doctrine,  as  he  meant  it 
to  be  understood.  His  design,  in  this  strongly  figurative  pre- 
cept, was,  to  teach  us  to  submit  to  be  smitten  again,  rather  than 
smite  him  who  has  first  stricken  us.  And  did  not  Christ  prac- 
tise this  duty,  far  more  effectually  by  a  mild,  argumentative 
expostulation,  than  if  he  had  turned  the  other  cheek,  which 
would  frequently  serve  only  to  provoke  another  insult?  Christ 
could,  though  his  hands  were  bound,  have  struck  the  man  to 
death ;  as  he,  with  a  word  or  a  look,  lately  brought  a  host  to 
the  dust.  But  he  inflicted  no  harm  on  this  guilty  man  ;  and, 
shortly  after,  pleaded  for  all  such :  "  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

2.  An  attempt  to  procure  witnesses  against  Christ  is  the 
next  step  in  this  mock  trial. 

"  Now  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  and  all  the  council, 
sought  false  witness  against  Jesus  to  put  him  to  death ;  but 
found  none :  yea,  though  many  false  witnesses  came,  yet  found 
they  none.  At  the  last  came  two  false  witnesses,  and  said, 
This  fellow  said,  I  am  able  to  destroy  the  temple  of  God,  and 
to  build  it  in  three  days."  f- 

There  were  several  breaks  in  our  Lord's  trial.  For  though 
*  Jolin  xviii.  23.  f  ^i'M.  xxvi.  59 — 6 1 . 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED,  365 

!iis  enemies  had  so  far  succeeded,  by  the  treachery  of  Judas, 
or  rather  by  Christ's  own  sufferance,  as  to  have  him  a  prisoner 
in  their  hands  ;  they  found  it  not  afterwards  so  straight  for- 
ward work  as  they  wished  and  expected.  Confounded  by  our 
Lord's  defence,  and  his  demand  of  witnesses,  they  seek  for 
some;  but  to  have  to  do  this,  in  the  present  stage  of  the  trial, 
was  a  proof  of  a  bad  cause.  They  probably  sent  to  huy  wit- 
nesses ;  for  money  had  succeeded  so  well,  with  Judas,  that 
they  were  encouraged  to  go  to  market  again.  Nor  was  their 
search  vain  ;  for  they  found  such  as  might  be  had  for  money ; 
that  is,  such  as  were  good  for  nothing.  They  found  many 
false  witnesses,  but  either  so  infamous  in  character,  or  so  fri- 
volous and  contradictory  in  their  testimony,  that  even  these 
judges  were  ashamed  to  receive  their  evidence.  What  a  tes- 
timony to  our  Lord's  innocence,  that,  after  three  years  and  a 
half  of  the  greatest  activity  and  publicity,  there  could  be  found 
among  all  those  who  had  heard  and  seen  him,  none  to  bear 
witness  against  him  !  What  a  proof  that  there  was  no  evil 
scheme  concerted  between  Jesus  and  his  disciples !  One  of 
them  had  indeed  proved  traitor,  but  where  is  he  now  ?  Why 
do  they  not  bring  him  forward  as  a  witness  ?  What!  durst  he 
not  speak  a  word  against  him  whose  blood  he  sold  ?  Or,  are 
they  afraid  that  they  will  themselves  be  convicted  of  having 
bought  that  blood  ?  As  to  the  other  disciples,  though  fright- 
ened and  driven  from  their  Master,  they  have  no  disclosures  to 
make ;  and,  though  it  might  save  their  lives,  none  come  for- 
ward to  speak  a  word  against  their  Lord.  What,  then,  shall 
the  enemy  do?  Abandon  the  whole  affair  as  hopeless,  and 
leave  Jesus  to  go  on  and  establish  his  empire  ?  No  ;  they,  at 
last,  find  two  false  witnesses.  It  has  been  conjectured,  that 
these  were  some  of  the  priests  themselves  ;  for,  it  is  said, 
"  they  rose  up,"  as  if  they  had  been  sitting  there  before.  But, 
without  laying  much  stress  on  this  proof,  it  is  not  improbable 
that  such  was  the  fact.  If  so,  the  same  persons  were  judges, 
jurors,  and  witnesses,  as  well  as  parties. 

They  went  back  to  the  commencement  of  his  ministry,  and 
appealed  to  an  expression  they  drew  from  him,  when  asking, 
"  What  sign  showest  thou  that  thou  hast  authority  to  cleanse 


36(5  LECTURE    LXXXI. 

the  temple  ? "  Because  he  said,  "  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in 
three  days,  I  will  raise  it  up,"  they  accuse  him  of  an  intention 
to  destroy  the  temple.  But  neither  did  these  witnesses  agree. 
Matthew  gives  one  form  of  the  testimony,  and  Mark  the  other. 
According  to  the  former  witness,  Christ  said,  "  I  am  ahle  to 
destroy  the  temple  of  God,  and  build  it  up  in  three  days ; " 
while  the  latter  charges  him  with  saying,  "  1  will  destroy  this 
temple  made  with  hands,  and  in  three  days  I  will  build  an- 
other, made  without  hands."  Now,  since  this  sentence  was 
short,  and  struck  them  as  impious,  they  ought  to  have  remem- 
bered the  exact  words.  The  slightest  alteration  in  such  a 
speech,  would  make  all  the  difference  between  innocence  and 
guilt.  As  Christ  had  uttered  the  words,  they  were  a  glorious 
truth.  His  holy  humanity,  the  true  temple  of  Deity,  they  at- 
tempted to  destroy,  by  putting  him  to  death ;  and  as  they  were 
fulfilling  their  part,  in  three  days  he  would  fulfil  his. 

But  his  enemies,  having  obtained  this  evidence,  which, 
being  the  best,  shows  how  bad  the  rest  was,  called  upon  Jesus 
to  defend  himself.  He,  however,  gave  no  answer  ;  for  it  de- 
served none.  At  this,  they  exclaimed,  "  Answerest  thou 
nothing?"  He  was  still  silent;  for  the  judge  ought  to  have 
noticed  the  discrepancy  and  inanity  of  the  testimony,  and  to 
have  pleaded  in  the  prisoner's  behalf. 

III.  The  condemnation  of  the  Saviour  followed. 

The  two  former  attempts  to  draw  Christ  into  a  confession  of 
guilt,  and  t  o  procure  witnesses  to  prove  something  against 
him,  having  failed ;  his  enemies  determine  now  to  try  another 
course,  which  brings  us  to  notice — the  solemn  adjuration, — 
Christ's  bold  reply, — the  sentence  passed  against  him, — and 
the  consequent  insults  heaped  upon  him. 

1.  The  solemn  adjuration. 

•'And  the  high  priest  said  unto  him,  I  adjure  thee,  by  the 
living  God,  that  thou  tell  us,  whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God."* 

In  the  law,  God  had  ordained  that,  where  it  was  difficult 
to  come  at  the  truth,  an  "  oath  of  the  Lord"  should  be  upon 
the  two  parties  in  litigation,  and  the  greatest  guilt  should  be 
*  MaU.  xxvi.  63. 


CHRIST   CONDEMNED.  367 

contracted  by  those  who  did  not  answer  truly  to  this  solemn 
appeal.*  To  this,  therefore,  Christ,  who  was  inflexible  before, 
chose  to  give  an  explicit  answer.  But  what  was  the  question, 
which  he  was  thus  solemnly  called  upon  to  answer?  Some 
reply,  "  merely  whether  he  was  the  Messiah  or  not."  But 
this  is  true,  only  when  you  take  the  word  Messiah  in  its  most 
complete  sense,  as  including  a  divine  person  in  human  nature. 
This  the  crafty  enemies  evidently  knew,  and,  therefore,  they 
thus  framed  the  question,  "  Art  thou  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God  ?"  Merely  to  profess  to  be  the  Messiah,  supposing  him 
to  be  a  mere  man,  could  not  be  said  to  be  blasphemy.  As, 
whenever  the  Messiah  came,  he  must  profess  himself  to  be  that 
personage,  the  priests  could  not  be  supposed  to  pronounce  it 
blasphemy  for  any  one  to  profess  himself  the  Christ.  They, 
therefore,  add  to  the  question,  "  Art  thou  the  Christ?"  this 
explanation  of  it,  "  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  or  the  Blessed." 
Here,  however,  it  is  disputed,  whether  the  Jews,  at  that 
time,  expected  the  Messiah  to  be  a  divine  person ;  and 
whether  they  understood  the  phrase,  "  Son  of  God,"  to  imply 
Deity.  It  is  plain,  from  the  Targums,  the  ancient  commen- 
taries of  the  Jews,  that  they  originally  expected  a  divine  Mes- 
siah ;  but  we  have  many  reasons  for  thinking  that  they  were 
beginning,  in  Christ's  time,  to  depart  from  the  ancient  faith, 
and  were  vacillating  between  it  and  that  expectation  of  a  mere 
human  deliverer  and  a  carnal  salvation,  for  which  they  are  dis- 
tinguished at  this  day.  There  is  reason  to  fear  that,  in  this,  as 
in  most  instances,  the  priests  led  the  defection  from  the  truth. 
But,  as  they  now  courted  the  people,  whose  attachment  to  Je- 
sus they  dreaded,  they  take  the  popular  side,  and  call  up  the 
grand  idea  of  the  Messiah  as  a  divine  person,  that  they  might 
shock  the  people  at  the  idea  of  a  prisoner  in  chains  assuming 
that  character.  The  priests,  therefore,  manifestly  employ  the 
term,  Son  of  God,  as  a  divine  title,  to  which  it  would  be  blas- 
phemy for  any  mere  man  to  lay  claim.  Their  object  was,  to 
draw  Christ  into  a  declaration  which  they  might  pronounce 
blasphemy.  The  Apostle  Paul,  who  was  brought  up  at  the 
feet  of  Gamaliel,  the  most  celebrated  rabbi,  and  well  knew  the 
*  Exod.  xxii.  11.;  Lev.  v.  1. 


368  LECTURE    LXXXl. 

creed  of  the  Jewish  church,  iu  his  letter  to  the  Hebrew  Chris- 
tians, evidently  considered  the  phrase,  the  Son  of  God,  as  one 
that  was  so  far  from  being  applicable  to  a  mere  man,  that 
it  was  even  beyond  the  dignity  of  angels.  Thus  he  argues, 
"  to  which  of  the  angels  said  he,  at  any  time.  Thou  art  my 
Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee?"  When  Christ,  on  a 
former  occasion,  called  himself  the  Son  of  God,  the  Jews  took 
up  stones  to  stone  him,  for  making  himself  equal  with  God. 
The  Jewish  sanhedrim,  therefore,  solemnly  adjured  Jesus  by 
God,  to  tell  whether  he  was  the  Son  of  God.     Hear  now, 

2.  Christ's  bold  reply. 

"  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thou  hast  said  :  nevertheless  I  say 
unto  you.  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  on  the 
right  hand  of  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven."* 

The  answer,  as  given  by  Matthew  and  Luke,  may  appear 
vague  ;  but  Mark  gives  it  thus  :  "  I  am."  There  is  no  doubt 
but  this  is  the  import  of  the  phrase,  "  thou  sayest,"  that  is, 
"  you  have  said  the  very  thing,  the  truth.''  But,  to  make 
this  assertion  more  striking,  he  adds,  "  hereafter,  or  from  this 
time,  ye  shall  see  me,  no  more  as  a  criminal  at  the  bar,  but  as 
the  J  udge  of  the  universe,  on  the  throne,  or  at  the  right  hand 
of  power,  the  principal  place  or  seat  of  power,  determining  the 
everlasting  states  of  men." 

"  Then  said  they  all.  Art  thou,  then,  the  Son  of  God?  And 
he  said,  Ye  say  the  very  thing ;  for  I  am."  "  Though  ye 
seem  shocked  at  this  assertion,  that  I,  a  poor  despised  son  of 
man,  should  call  myself  the  Son  of  God,  ye  shall  see  me,  one 
day,  in  a  station  that  shall  convince  you  that  I  am  all  I  profess 
to  be.  For  your  Scriptures  say,  the  Lord,  the  mighty  God, 
hath  called  the  earth  to  his  bar  ;  for  God  is  judge  himself.f 
But  they  also  say,  that  one  like  the  Son  of  man  came  with  the 
clouds  of  heaven."  J  Thus  our  Lord  Jesus  cited  them  to  his 
bar  who  were  now  arraigning  him  at  theirs. 

For  this  we  have  to  hear, 

3.  The  sentence  passed  upon  him. 

The  high  priest  rent  his  garments,  pretending  to  be  horror 
stricken  at  this  assertion  of  Christ,  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God, 
*  Matt.  xxvi.  04.  f  Psalm  1.  1.  t  Dan.  vii.  13. 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED.  369 

aad  that  Son  of  man  who  should  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
to  judge  the  world.  But  we  read  in  the  law,  "  And  he  thai 
is  the  high  priest  among  his  brethren,  upon  whose  head  the 
anointing  oil  was  poured,  and  that  is  consecrated  to  put  on  the 
garments,  shall  not  uncover  his  head,  nor  rend  his  clothes."* 
By  this  action,  therefore,  the  high  priest  declared  his  priest- 
hood null  and  void  ;  while  Jesus,  whose  garments  were  re- 
.spected  even  by  the  soldiers  themselves,  who  said,  "  let  us  not 
rend  them,"  proved  that  his  priesthood  remained  in  all  its  force, 
and  efficacy,  and  worth.  From  the  moment  that  this  Lamb  of 
God,  the  true  propitiation,  presented  himself  before  the  Levi- 
tical  high  priest,  his  priesthood  was  rent  from  him,  and  that 
whole  dispensation  of  shadows  and  types  gave  way,  before  the 
great  reality. 

The  high  priest,  affecting  to  be  shocked  at  the  impiety  of 
Jesus,  in  claiming  the  title  of  the  Son  of  God,  without  once 
inquiring  into  the  evidence  of  its  truth,  or  taking  the  slightest 
notice  of  that  world  of  wonders  that  had  proved  Jesus  divine, 
turned  to  the  rest  of  the  council,  and  said,  "  What  need  we 
further  witnesses?  Behold,  ye  have  heard  the  blasphemy. 
What  think  ye  ?     They  all  pronounced  him  worthy  of  death." 

Christ,  therefore,  was  condemned  as  guilty  of  blasphemy, 
for  declaring  himself  the  Son  of  God,  who  should  come,  at  the 
last  day,  to  judge  the  world.  If,  therefore,  he  was  a  mere 
man,  was  he  not  justly  condemned  ?  The  Jews  certainly  had 
reason  to  think,  that  the  term  "  Son  of  God,"  was  employed 
in  their  Scriptures,  to  express  a  divine  person.  Whatever 
mystery  or  difficulty  there  may  be  about  it,  the  manner  in  which 
the  title  "  Son  of  God"  is  employed  in  the  Old  Testament, 
gave  them  the  idea  of  a  person  who  was  of  the  same  nature 
with  the  Father,  as  the  son  of  a  man  partakes  of  the  human 
nature  of  his  father.  In  the  second  Psalm,  where  it  is  first 
employed,  the  Father  not  only  says,  "  Thou  art  my  Son,  this 
day  have  I  begotten  thee,"  but  calls  upon  all  the  world  to  bow 
and  kiss  this  Son,  "  lest  he  be  angry,  and  they  perish  from  the 
way,  when  his  wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little."  Those  who  oppose 
him  shall  be  dashed  to  pieces  by  his  iron  sceptre,  and  those 
*  Lev.  xxi.  10. 

^  OL.    II.  2  B 


370  LECTURE    LXXXl. 

only  are  blessed  who  put  their  trust  in  him.  To  this  day,  the 
Jews  have  the  same  idea  of  the  import  of  the  term  Son  of  God, 
and  charge  it  upon  Christians,  as  a  crime,  that  they  say  God 
has  a  son.  A  learned  Jew,  with  whom  I  travelled  lately,  said 
to  me,  "  by- and- by  you  will  say  God  has  a  daughter."  But 
when  I  told  him  to  beware  of  talking  in  that  strain,  for  he  was 
ridiculing  the  language  of  his  own  Scriptures,  he  positively 
denied  that  the  Old  Testament  contained  any  such  expression 
as  **  the  Son  of  God."  I  appealed  to  the  second  Psalm,  and 
he  began  to  repeat  it  in  the  Hebrew,  as  one  who  had  the  ori- 
ginal of  the  Old  Testament  by  heart.  But  when  I  took  out 
of  my  pocket  a  Hebrew  bible,  and  showed  him  the  text, 
**  I  will  declare  the  decree  ;  Jehovah  hath  said  to  me,  Thou 
art  my  Son  ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee,"  he  was  con- 
founded. He  had  committed  the  original  to  memory,  and  yet 
had  never  adverted  to  the  expression  which  he  was  condemning 
as  blasphemous,  and  derogatory  to  the  honour  of  God. 

Not  to  plead  now,  the  use  which  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  was 
a  well-instructed  Jew,  makes  of  the  term  Son  of  God,  as  ex- 
pressive of  one  who  is  at  the  right  hand  of  power,  who  is,  by 
the  Father,  called  God,  and  whom  all  the  angels  of  God  are 
commanded  to  worship  ;  may  we  not  say,  at  least,  that  these 
texts  gave  the  Jews  so  much  reason  for  thinking,  that  the  as- 
sertion, "  I  am  the  Son  of  God,"  was  a  claim  to  divinity,  that 
they  were  excusable  in  thinking  it  blasphemy  for  any  mere 
man  to  make  this  claim  ? 

If  Jesus  Christ  had  even  thought  otherwise,  and  supposed, 
with  some,  that  the  term  Son  of  God  expressed  no  more  than 
what  a  mere  man  might  claim,  he  was  bound  in  all  reason  and 
candour  to  say  so,  and  explain  himself  on  this  solemn  occasion. 
Instead  of  this,  our  Lord  was  so  far  from  saying,  that  he  used 
the  term  Son  of  God  in  an  inferior  sense,  which  would  expose 
no  man  to  the  charge  of  blasphemy  for  claiming  it,  that  he 
actually  added  such  a  declaration  as  must  have  confirmed  them 
in  their  impression,  that,  by  calling  himself  Son  of  God,  he 
intended  to  claim  divine  honours.  For  he  said,  "  Ye  shall 
see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  seated 
on  the  right  hand  of  power."     There  is,  then,  no  rational  me- 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED.  371 

dium  between  believing  Jesus  a  divine  person,  the  ruler  and 
judge  of  the  world,  who  was  unjustly  condemned  as  a  blas- 
phemer for  claiming  these  honours,  and — what  I  shudder  to 
state — pronouncing  him  a  mere  man,  who  was  justly  crucified 
for  blasphemy.     We  must  now  witness, 

4.  The  insults  and  injuries  heaped  upon  the  Saviour. 

"  Then  they  began  to  spit  on  him,  and  to  cover  his  face,  and 
to  buffet  him,  and  to  say  unto  him.  Prophesy  :  and  the  servants 
did  strike  him  with  the  palms  of  their  hands."  * 

Nothing  contributes  more  to  the  dignity  of  justice  and  the 
authority  of  government  than  calmness.  Even  when  sentence 
is  passed  upon  a  criminal,  he  should  not  be  instantly  seized 
and  dragged  away  to  death,  much  less  given  up  to  the  unau- 
thorized insults  of  an  infuriate  mob.  By  leading  the  culprit 
quietly  away,  to  wait  the  time  appointed  for  the  execution  of 
the  sentence,  it  should  be  shown  that  the  law  has  no  passions. 
Here  the  iniquity  of  the  sentence  is  loudly  proclaimed,  by  the 
conduct  of  the  judges  in  letting  loose  the  crowd  upon  our 
Lord. 

Having  already  excommunicated  him,  and  pronounced  him 
worthy  of  death,  they  spat  upon  him  as  vile,  and,  to  the  last 
degree,  degraded.  This  action  of  spitting  in  a  person's  face, 
is  mentioned  in  the  Jewish  law,  as  an  insult  that  excludes  from 
society  one  so  treated.  It  is  still  so  considered  in  the  east ; 
and,  indeed,  the  common  sense  of  mankind  must  ever  regard 
this  act,  as  an  expression  of  the  utmost  abhorrence  and  con- 
tempt. But  though  our  Lord's  submitting  to  this  insult  may 
well  astonish  and  afflict  us,  it  should  by  no  means  shake  our 
faith  in  his  divine  dignity  and  mission.  This  was  all  foretold, 
and  if  he  had  not  submitted  to  it,  he  could  not  have  been  the 
Messiah  promised  and  described  in  the  Scriptures.  There  we 
read,  "  I  gave  my  back  to  the  smiters,  and  my  cheeks  to  them 
that  plucked  off  the  hair :  I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame  and 
spitting.  For  the  Lord  God  will  help  me  ;  therefore  shall 
I  not  be  confounded  :  therefore  have  I  set  my  face  like  a  flint, 
and  I  know  that  I  shall  not  be  ashamed."  f 

All  this,  therefore,  the  Evangelists  relate  with  artless  sim- 
*  Mark  xiv.  65.  f  I«aiah  1.  5 — 7. 

2b2 


372  LECTURE    LXXXI. 

plicity,  and  unhesitating  fidelity  ;  never  hinting  a  fear,  lest 
the  world  should  not  bow  and  pay  that  obedience,  which  they 
demand  to  one  who  had  suffered  himself  to  be  spit  upon. 
But,  ah,  how  often  have  the  guilty  people  that  committed  this 
insult  paid  the  penalty,  when  their  posterity  have  been  spit 
upon,  as  if  any  treatment  were  good  enough  for  a  Jew  ! 

The  enemies  of  Christ  added  to  this  insult  blows,  slapping 
him  in  the  face,  and  beating  him  about  the  room  with  their 
fists.  But  I  forbear ;  for  I  am  not  able  to  think,  much  less 
to  speak  of  this  scene,  without  a  mixture  of  horror  and  anguish, 
too  agonizing  to  my  own  soul  to  allow  me  to  think  that  you 
can  have  any  pleasure,  in  dwelling  upon  such  crimes  com- 
mitted by  our  fellow  men  against  our  common  Lord. 

This,  however,  the  faithful  historian  must  record,  that  they 
blind-folded  him,  and  then  smote  him,  that  they  might  mock 
him  by  saying,  "  Prophesy  to  us,  thou  Christ,  who  is  he  that 
smote  thee?"  He  had  proved  to  them  already,  that  he  did 
not  judge  by  the  sight  of  the  eyes,  but  could  detect  thoughts, 
which  eyes  cannot  see  and  know,  and  he  could  have  proved  it 
again  by  smiting  dead  him  who  had  smitten  the  Prince  of  life. 
But  this  was  the  hour  of  suffering  and  forbearance,  and  nothing 
could  now  provoke  him  to  vengeance. 

"  Many  other  things  they,  blaspheming,  spoke  against 
Christ ; "  some,  perhaps,  too  bad  to  be  recorded.  But  by 
this  stroke  the  charge  of  blasphemy,  for  which  they  condemned 
and  executed  Christ,  is  thrown  back  upon  his  judges  and 
executioners. 


373 


LECTURE  LXXXII. 

PETER'S      FALL. 

Matt.  xxvi.  69 — 75. 
*  Mark  xiv.  66—72. 
Luke  xxii.  54 — 62. 
John  xviii.  18 — 27. 

*  And  Peter  called  to  mind  the  word  that  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Before  the 
cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.  And  when  he  thought  thereon, 
he  wept. 

Unwilling  to  break  the  thread  of  that  most  awfully  in- 
teresting story  of  our  Lord's  cruel  mockery  of  a  trial,  I  have 
not  introduced  the  history  of  Peter's  fall,  at  the  exact  point  of 
time  at  which  it  happened.  But  having-  followed  the  Lamb, 
until  he  had  been  condemned  to  the  altar,  let  us  now  stop  and 
see  how  the  most  bold  and  forward  of  his  disciples,  and  indeed 
one  of  the  best  of  men,  acted  on  that  solemn  occasion.  And 
here  you  will  perceive,  that  though  sorrows  and  indignities, 
such  as  harrow  up  our  souls,  could  not  shake  the  sanctity,  and 
meekness,  and  benevolence  of  our  Lord,  but  the  glory  of  the 
victim  astonished  us  even  more  than  the  infamy  of  the  tor- 
mentors ;  when  we  turn  to  his  disciples,  even  to  the  best  of 
them,  we  behold  the  whole  scene  reversed.  Feebleness  and 
cowardice,  and  ingratitude,  and  rashness,  and  even  profaneness, 
fill  us  with  grief  a«d  shame.  At  this  most  awful  moment  is 
presented  an  everlasting  example  of  the  contrast  between  an 
incarnate  God,  where  sanctity  dwells  in  its  source,  and  the 
virtues  of  the  best  of  mere  men,  who  have  only  drunk  of  the 
streams.  Come,  then,  to  a  sight  scarcely  less  afflicting  than 
that  which  vou  have  lately  beheld,  though  of  so  different  a  kind. 


374  LECTURE    LXXXIl. 

and  not  attended  with  such  glories  to  gild  the  gloomy  scene. 
It  is,  however,  not  without  its  advantages.  For,  if,  in  the 
former  pictures,  we  gazed  on  him  whom  we  love  to  call  by 
the  name  of  Saviour,  now  we  are  called  to  behold,  in  Peter, 
the  mirror  that  reflects  our  own  image. 

Observe  the  steps  that  led  to  this  fall,  its  several  stages  or 
degrees,  and  the  recovery  of  Peter  from  this  unhappy  state. 

I.  Mark  the  several  steps  which  led  to  Peter's  fall. 

These  we  should  carefully  notice,  that  we  may  avoid  the 
rock  on  which  Peter  split. 

First ;    Slighting  Christ's  warning,    through  a  vain  con- 
fidence in  himself. 

For  now  we  come  to  see  the  fulfilment  of  the  Scripture, 
"  pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit  before 
a  fall."  Jesus  had  said,  "  all  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of 
me;"  and  Peter  had  replied,  "though  all  shall  be  offended, 
yet  will  not  I."  Now  we  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  one 
Peter  against  a  world.  He  seemed  almost  to  court  such  a 
test  of  his  decision  of  character,  to  prove  that  he  was  not  fol- 
lowing Christ,  merely  because  others  did ;  for  if  all  the  world 
forsook  Jesus,  Peter  would  not.  Now  we  behold  all  for- 
saking him,  and  Peter  left  alone.  We  shall  see  whether  he 
is  a  counterpoise  for  a  world.  O  let  us  learn  to  say  of  the 
words  of  Christ,  "  moreover  also,  by  them  is  thy  servant 
warned,  and  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward."  How 
much  better  is  it  to  learn  our  weakness  from  the  testimony  of 
him  who  knows  us  better  than  we  know  ourselves,  than  to 
gain  that  knowledge  by  dearly  bought  experience  ! 

The  second  step  to  a  fall,  is,  following  Christ  afar  off. 

This  has  come  before  us  in  the  narrative  of  Christ's  suffer- 
ings; but  it  forms  so  important  a  part  of  the  history  of  Peter's 
fall,  that  we  must  glance  at  it  again.  We  are  informed  that 
there  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  who,  known  to  the  high  priest, 
availed  himself  of  that  acquaintance,  to  be  present  at  the  trial 
of  our  Lord.  This  person  has  been  supposed  to  be  John,  and 
some  reasons  are  assigned  for  John's  being  known  to  the  high 
priest.  But,  after  all,  it  is  utterly  uncertain  who  the  person 
was,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no  early  tradition  that  it 


PETER'S    FALL.  376 

Mas  John ;  for  the  ancients  say,  we  should  leave  it  uncertain 
as  we  find  it.  The  probability  is,  that  this  was  some  secret 
disciple,  by  no  means  so  well  known  to  favour  Jesus,  as  the 
Apostles  were.  This  person,  however,  having  gone  in  with 
the  cavalcade,  perhaps  among  the  last,  saw  Peter  in  the  rear, 
and  knew  him,  and  was  aware  with  what  anxious  curiosity  he 
was  following.  After  going  into  the  hall,  therefore,  this  un- 
known disciple  came  out  again,  and  spake  to  the  female  door- 
keeper, to  induce  her  to  let  in  Peter.  She  complied,  and  all 
parties  thought  they  had  done  a  good  thing.  The  unknown 
disciple  intended  to  befriend  poor,  anxious,  solitary  Peter. 
Peter  thought  he  had  gained  a  prize,  in  finding  such  a  friend 
to  speak  a  word  for  him,  to  enable  him  to  see  and  hear  all ; 
and  the  porteress  conceived  herself  kind  in  gratifying  a  friend 
of  the  prisoner.  But  ah,  it  ended  ill,  for  it  led  to  another 
step  towards  Peter's  fall. 

Third  ;    His  mingling  with  the  enemies  of  Jesus. 

"  Peter  now  went  in  and  sat  down  in  the  hall,  to  see  what 
the  end  would  be."  To  see  what  it  would  be  !  What !  whe- 
ther Jesus  would  confound  the  court  by  his  reasonings,  and 
compel  them  to  acquit  him  ?  or  whether  he  would  awe  them 
by  his  power,  and  burst  from  their  hands  ?  or  whether  they 
would  yield  to  the  force  of  evidence,  and  own  him  the  Mes- 
siah, and  honour  Peter  as  the  first  minister  of  his  kingdom? 
Alas,  he  might  have  known  what  the  end  would  be,  before  it 
happened.  For  Jesus  had  told,  that  it  would  end  in  his  being 
rejected,  mocked,  spit  upon,  and  crucified  ;  and  the  word  of 
Christ  is  as  sure  as  if  the  event  had  already  occurred. 

But  in  this  hall,  to  which  Peter  went,  to  sit  down  and  await 
the  end,  the  servants  had  kindled  a  fire ;  for  it  was  cold.  It 
was,  indeed,  at  the  vernal  equinox,  when  the  days  in  Pales- 
tine are  very  warm  ;  but  the  nights,  especially  after  rain,  are 
cold,  and  the  cold  is  exquisitely  felt.  There  were  gathered 
round  that  fire  a  promiscuous  multitude,  officers  of  the  priest- 
hood, domestic  servants  of  the  high  priest,  Roman  soldiers, 
and  ofticious  Jews,  offering  their  services;  but  all  enemies  of 
Jesus,  and,  among  them,  Peter,  though  much  out  of  place. 
Better  had  he  been  in  some  secret  place  bewailing  his  sins. 


376  LECTURE    LXXXII. 

and  asking  pardon,  first  for  his  presumptuous  professions,  and 
then  for  his  cowardly  flight.  But,  alas  !  he  was  tumbling, 
even  when  he  was  on  that  glorious  height  from  which  he 
looked  down  so  disdainfully  on  all  the  world  that  should  deny 
the  Saviour.  Now  his  head  was  too  giddy  by  the  fall,  to  re- 
cover himself  again. 

Peter,  therefore,  came,  and  strangely  aimed  to  throw  off 
the  appearance  of  a  disciple  of  Christ,  and  to  be  thought  a 
stranger,  or  a  foe,  by  taking  his  seat  among  such  persons. 
This  was,  indeed,  virtually  doing  already,  before  the  tempta- 
tion attacked  him,  all  that  his  Lord  predicted.  So  our  first 
parents  had  virtually  fallen,  when  they  had  made  up  their 
minds  to  eat  the  forbidden  fruit,  even  before  they  tried  its 
fatal  taste. 

Peter  now  sat  down  to  warm  himself. 

Cold  enough  indeed  he  was  towards  Christ,  or  he  could 
not  have  thought  of  his  own  feelings,  and  cared  for  his  own 
comforts,  while  his  Lord  was  suffering  within,  all  the  in- 
sults of  the  enraged  foe.  If,  then,  we  are  in  the  hall  of  the 
high  priest,  in  the  company  of  the  enemies  of  Christ,  seeking 
only  our  own  ease  and  pleasure,  let  us  tremble  for  ourselves. 
Still  more :  if  we  affect  to  be  among  the  men  of  the  world, 
or  one  of  their  own  number,  for  we  are  then  acting  a  part  so 
base,  disingenuous,  and  disgraceful,  that  I  will  not  say  we 
may  tremble  at  the  prospect  of  a  fall ;  we  are  already  fallen. 

II.  The  several  steps  or  degrees  of  the  fall  now  occur  to 
notice. 

These  were  all  foretold ;  and  not  only  that  they  should  be 
three  in  number,  but  also  with  certain  interposing  circum- 
stances, which  should  mark  the  several  steps.  "  The  cock 
shall  not  crow  twice,  till  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice."  We 
might,  therefore,  have  traced  the  fall  of  the  disciple,  and  seen 
him  tumbling  from  precipice  to  precipice,  three  times,  even 
before  the  event.  Now,  however,  we  must  no  more  consider 
it,  as  a  prophecy  uttered  by  the  lips  of  the  Master,  but  as  a 
part  of  the  history  of  the  disciple's  life. 

What  then  was  the  first  step  of  the  fall,  or  Peter's  first 
denial  i 


Peter's  fall.  377 

While  Peter  sat  by  the  fire  he  could  not  help  betraying  an 
uneasy  mind.  It  is  vain  for  the  real  disciples  of  Christ  to 
pretend  to  be  like  other  men.  The  difference  of  their  cha- 
racter and  state  will  infallibly  betray  itself  and  them.  Peter's 
consciousness  of  guilt,  his  uneasiness  at  his  conduct,  his  anx- 
iety about  his  Master,  his  horror  at  the  abuse  poured  upon  the 
Saviour,  all  marked  his  countenance.  The  colour  coming  and 
going,  and  the  deep  lines  which  care  had  furrowed  on  his  face, 
were  seen  by  the  light  of  the  fire  near  which  he  sat.  From 
the  different  accounts  of  the  Evangelists,  we  conclude  that  he 
was,  if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression,  fidgetty,  now  sitting, 
now  standing,  not  knowing  what  to  do,  or  how  to  behave. 
Thus  he  drew  upon  himself  the  attention  of  the  servants  in 
the  hall,  and  especially  of  that  female  who  kept  the  door,  and 
had  been  induced,  by  the  unknown  disciple,  to  let  Peter  in. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  she  was  told  it  as  a  kind  of  secret, 
that  this  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus  that  wished  to  come  in  and 
see  the  trial.  Now,  hearing  the  abuse  that  was  poured  upon 
Jesus,  she  gave  the  rest  a  hint,  that  they  had  one  of  his  friends 
among  them ;  for  she  said  at  first  to  others,  "  this  is  one  that 
used  to  be  with  him."  Then  Peter,  perhaps,  looking  up 
anxiously,  at  the  sound  of  these  words,  was  personally  ad- 
dressed by  her,  "  Art  not  thou  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples? 
yes,  certainly,  thou  wast  with  Jesus,  the  Nazarene  of  Galilee." 
Now,  though  it  is  not  certain  that  she  said  this,  with  any  hos- 
tile intention,  for  it  is  rather  probable  that  she  was  only  in- 
dulging a  gossiping  habit  of  saying  any  thing  that  came  upper- 
most ;  it  was  still  too  much  for  Peter's  courage,  and  he  de- 
nied his  Lord  before  them  all,  saying,  "  Woman,  I  am  not." 
Then,  to  add,  as  he  thought,  to  his  security,  he  said,  "  I  do 
not  know  him  of  whom  thou  art  speaking,  so  as  to  understand 
what  thou  sayest."  This,  like  most  lies,  overstepped  the  oc- 
casion, and  furnished  its  own  confutation.  For  there  was 
scarcely  any  one  in  Jerusalem,  and  especially  there  was  no 
one  in  that  hall,  who  did  not  know  enough  to  make  it  per- 
fectly intelligible  what  she  meant,  when  she  charged  any  one 
with  being  a  disciple  of  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  But  thus, 
by  a  mere  servant  girl,  was  this  mighty  Apostle,  the  leader 


378  LECTURE    LXXXII. 

of  the  Lord's  host,  vanquished;  and,  by  her  feeble  breath,  was 
thrown  down  this  pillar,  that  was  to  have  stood  erect,  if  the 
whole  world  had  fallen. 

His  seat  is  now  made  more  uneasy  than  before.  He  sits 
upon  thorns.  The  fire  is  too  hot,  the  company  too  numerous. 
He  must  rise,  and  go  out  into  the  porch,  or  outer  hall,  and 
cool  himself  by  the  night  air.  But  while  he  looks  around  on 
the  serene  sky,  and  relieves  himself  from  the  obtrusive  ques- 
tioning of  this  girl,  and  the  offensive  noise  of  the  crowded 
hall,  lo  !  the  silence  of  the  night  is  broken  by  the  sound  of  the 
cock's  shrill  clarion,  which  Peter  was  not  likely  to  hear,  while 
he  sat  in  the  crowded  hall.  But  did  he  not  startle  and  trem- 
ble at  the  sound  ?  One  would  have  thought  that  it  w  ould 
have  pierced  him  to  the  heart,  by  recalling  the  words  of  his 
Lord.     But,  no  :  we  must  go  on  to 

The  second  degree  of  the  fall. 

To  this  he  was  the  more  disposed  by  the  guilt  of  the  former 
lying  on  his  conscience,  unrepented  of.  For  though  we  may 
be  improved  by  a  fall,  unless  the  fall  itself  is  improved,  we 
shall  be  much  injured.  A  former  sin  left  upon  the  conscience 
unrepented  of,  unpardoned,  will  drag  us  down  by  its  own 
weight,  to  the  commission  of  another.  Peter,  therefore,  re- 
turns into  the  hall.  Why  I  "Was  he  frightened  at  the  crow- 
ing of  a  cock,  as  he  had  been  at  the  prattle  of  a  girl  i  Was 
the  silent  porch  made  uneasy,  because  he  found  that  he  could 
there  hear  every  sound ;  and  in  addition  to  the  voice  of  the 
bird,  was  he  made  uneasy  by  the  small  still  voice  of  conscience, 
which  made  solitude,  silence,  and  night,  so  uneasy,  that  he 
must  flee  back  to  the  hall,  to  the  fire,  to  the  crowd  again  ? 

Yes,  yes,  my  friends :  every  place  is  uneasy  to  a  conscience 
that  is  not  at  ease ;  and  a  Christian's  conscience  can  never  be 
quiet,  under  the  guilt  of  sin,  far  from  the  presence  of  Christ, 
amid  the  company  of  the  guilty ;  or  in  the  silence  that  is  not 
improved,  to  the  pouring  out  of  the  soul  in  prayer  for  pardon 
and  restoring  grace.  Peter,  before,  found  the  fire  too  hot, 
and  now  the  night  air  is  too  cold ;  the  hall  was  too  crowded,  and 
the  porch  is  too  solitary;  the  girl  talked  too  much,  and  now 
there  is  so  profound  silence  that  it  chills  and  frightens  him. 


PETER'S    PALL.  379 

But  he  that  flee§  back  to  the  spot  where  sin  vanquished 
him  before,  is  likely  to  go  to  a  second  defeat.  How  much 
wiser  the  conduct  of  the  man,  who,  having  been  recovered  by 
religion  from  a  habit  of  drunkenness,  went  some  miles  round 
to  and  from  his  daily  work,  that  he  might  avoid  an  ensnaring 
ale-house,  than  that  of  Peter,  who  returned  to  the  hall  to 
brave  it  out  again  ! 

Now  another  maid,  observing,  perhaps,  his  restlessness  and 
wretchedness,  said  to  those  who  stood  by,  "  This  man  also  was 
with  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  Thus  drawing  upon  Peter  the  at- 
tention of  the  company  around  the  fire,  to  which  Peter  had 
gone  again  to  warm  himself,  she  said  to  them,  "  Surely  this 
was  one  of  them."  Then  one  of  the  company  said  to  him, 
"  Thou  art  one  of  them,  for  thou  art  only  mingling  thyself 
with  us  as  a  spy,  to  hear  what  we  say  of  him."  Still  more 
frightened  than  before,  Peter  denied  again,  and  even  with 
an  oath,  calling  his  Maker  to  witness,  and  swearing,  by  God, 
that  he  was  not,  and  adding,  "  I  know  not  the  man." 

Again  he  went  farther  than  there  was  any  occasion  for; 
since  there  were  many  there,  who,  though  enemies,  would  not 
have  scrupled  to  own  that  they  knew  Jesus.  See  how  guilt 
drags  a  man  to  the  utmost  depths,  as  if  it  exulted  in  showing 
its  power,  and  proving  to  what  gratuitous  wickedness  it  could 
bring  the  soul.  This,  indeed,  is  always  the  case  with  swearing. 
Other  sinners  have  a  supposed  profit,  to  stimulate  and  reward 
their  services  done  for  Satan.  The  drunkard  satisfies  his 
thirst,  the  thief  gains  property,  the  covetous  man  lays  up 
wealth ;  but  the  swearer  gains  nothing.  He  is  a  volunteer 
sinner,  serving  without  pay  ;  for  the  mere  glory  of  damning 
his  own  soul,  and  that  of  others.  If  I  could  suppose  that  any 
one  within  the  sound  of  my  voice  could  need  it,  I  would 
recommend  to  him  that  most  useful  Tract,  "  The  Swearer's 
Prayer."  Peter  went  on  to 
The  third  and  last  denial. 

This  finishing  stroke  was,  about  an  hour  after  the  former. 
There  was  space  for  reflection  and  repentance,  which  made  the 
guilt  at  last  more  aggravated.  But  the  whole  effect  of  the 
delay  seems  to  have  been  to  lull  the  fallen  creature  to  security, 


380  LECTURE    LXXXII. 

and  to  make  him  think  that  the  clanger  was  now  over.  He 
fancied  he  had,  by  a  bold  stroke,  parried  the  thrust  of  the 
enemy,  and  prevented  any  one  from  suspecting",  that  the  man 
who  could  heartily  swear  them  down  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus. 
This  fatal  conceit  emboldening  him,  he  joined  the  conversation 
that  was  going  on,  and  thus  he  was  again  detected.  For,  in 
reply  to  something  that  he  said,  one  of  them  that  stood  by 
came  up  close  to  Peter,  and,  looking  him  fully  in  the  face, 
said,  "  Thou  art  one  of  them  ;  for  thou  art  a  Galilean,  and  thy 
speech  betrayeth  thee." 

Many  important  purposes  are  answered  by  the  peculiarities 
of  speech,  which  betray  secrets,  in  spite  of  all  eflbrts  at  con- 
cealment. And  though  the  diversity  of  tongues  was  inflicted 
in  judgment,  it  has  often  been  overruled  for  the  benefit  of 
man.  What  is  usually  called  Hebrew,  in  the  New  Testament, 
received  that  name  by  the  vanity  of  the  Jews,  who  wished  to 
conceal  their  departure  from  the  sacred  tongue  of  their  fore- 
fathers. It  is,  in  fact,  what  should  be  called  Aramean,  or  the 
language  of  Aram,  which  country  extended  from  the  Tigris, 
or  the  land  of  Chaldea,  to  the  Orontes,  or  Syria.  This  tongue 
was  divided  into  dialects,  differing,  not  so  much  as  English 
and  Scotch.  For  that  which  we  call  Chaldee  was  eastern 
Aramean,  and  what  we  term  Syriac  was  the  western.  The 
former,  with  certain  peculiarities,  was  spoken  in  Jerusalem,  and 
Judea  in  general.      The  latter  was  the  language  of  Galilee. 

When,  therefore,  the  servants  in  the  hall  said  Peter  was  a 
Galilean,  for  he  spoke  like  one,  they  brought  the  charge  closer 
home.  But  this  was  not  all.  There  was  a  person  standing  by 
who  was  a  servant  of  the  high  priest,  and  a  relation  of  him 
whose  ear  Peter  cut  off,  who  immediately  recognising  him, 
said,  "  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him?"  Then 
Peter  was  thrown  into  alarm,  lest  he  should  be  accused  of 
drawing  the  sword  in  defence  of  Jesus,  and  should  be  cited  to 
answer  to  the  charge,  not  only  of  wounding  Malchus,  but  of 
high  treason  against  the  state.  This  frightened  him  into  a 
third  denial.  To  confirm  the  lie,  he  began  to  curse  and  swear, 
and  wish  himself  anathema,  or  accursed,  if  he  knew  the  man, 
or  could  loll  what  they  meant  by  charging  him  thus. 


PETER'S    FALL.  381 

But  I  forbear,  for  it  is  too  shocking'  to  go  any  further.  To 
think  of  a  disciple  of  Christ,  an  Apostle  of  the  church,  who 
was  afterwards  retored,  who  is  now  among  the  blessed,  whose 
ministry  was  the  means  of  the  conversion  of  a  world,  whose 
writings  we  read  with  veneration  and  delight,  as  the  oracles  of 
God,  acting  in  a  way  so  false  and  so  profane,  is  so  afflicting, 
that  we  cannot  enlarge  upon  the  melancholy  tale. 

Turn,  then,  your  attention  to  that  sound  which  comes  from 
without,  and  echoes  through  the  hall.  For  though  you  would 
stop  your  ears  at  the  horrid  sounds  of  Peter's  voice,  you  must 
open  them  to  listen  to  that  shrill  note  of  the  bird  of  morning. 
While  Peter  was  yet  speaking,  the  cock  crowed,  a  second 
time,  and  fulfilled  the  word  of  Jesus,  "  The  cock  shall  not 
crow  twice  till  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice."  "  Heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,"  says  Jesus,  "  but  my  word  shall  not 
pass  away." 

To  oppose  this  narrative,  the  Jews  have  asserted,  that  all 
the  cocks  were  removed  from  Jerusalem  at  the  passover.  But 
as  there  is  no  evidence  for  this  assertion,  which  is  founded  on 
nothing  in  the  law  or  history  of  the  nation  ;  so,  if  they  really 
were  in  the  habit  of  attempting  to  remove  the  fowls  at  this 
season,  it  would  furnish  no  evidence  against  this  history  of 
Peter's  fall.  For  let  any  one  think  seriously  of  the  difficulty 
of  removing  all  these  birds  from  a  city,  so  large  as  Jerusalem. 
Let  him  remember,  that  it  was  not  then  under  the  power  of 
the  Jews,  but  of  the  Romans,  who  would  not  suffer  their  pro- 
perty to  be  touched  for  the  sake  of  a  religion  which  they 
despised  ;  and  then  let  him  say,  whether  there  could  be  any 
certainty  that  all  the  cocks  should  be  removed,  or  that  none 
should  have  returned.  If  there  were  but  one  in  the  city,  it 
would  be  sufficient  for  the  history  under  consideration,  and 
would  the  more  display  the  foresight  of  the  Redeemer,  and 
the  infallibility  of  his  word. 

With  eager  delight,  I  turn  your  attention  to, 

III.  The  recovery  of  Peter  from  his  fall. 

This  was  not  by  hearing  the  cock  crow  the  second  time,  for 
that  seems  to  have  produced  no  more  effect  than  the  first ; 
strange  as  it  may  seem.     But  the  honour  of  the  recovery  was 


382  LECTURE    LXXXII. 

reserved  for  hiin  against  whom  the  disciple  had  sinned.  Our 
attention,  then,  must  be  divided  between  the  Saviour  and  the 
sinner. 

1.  The  Saviour  turned  and  looked  upon  Peter. 

This  is  given  by  the  Evangelists,  as  the  commencement  of 
the  happy  change  in  the  scene.  It  has  been  supposed,  by 
some,  that  this  intends  only  mental  looking;  that  Jesus  looked 
upon  the  soul  of  Peter,  and  awakened  his  religion  and  repent- 
ance by  the  influence  of  divine  grace.  But  though  there  is 
no  doubt  that  this  is  true,  it  is  not  the  truth.  When,  there- 
fore, it  is  asked,  how  could  Jesus  look  with  the  eye  of  the 
body  on  Peter,  when  he  was  in  the  outer  hall,  while  Christ 
was  in  the  inner  court  ?  it  is  replied,  that  in  these  courts, 
apartments  might  open  into  each  other,  so  as  to  allow  of  see- 
ing and  hearing  from  one  to  the  other.  It  may,  however,  be 
supposed,  that,  just  as  Peter  had  uttered  his  third  denial,  and 
confirmed  it  with  words  too  shocking  to  hear  from  any  lips, 
and  especially  from  such  lips,  the  council,  having  condemned 
Jesus  to  death,  broke  up  the  midnight  sitting,  and  sent  Jesus 
into  the  hall,  where  he  was  mocked  and  abused. 

The  Saviour,  therefore,  now  came  from  the  sentence  of 
death,  just  at  this  moment,  to  hear  what  was  more  piercing  to 
him — the  curses,  the  lies,  of  his  own  unfaithful  friend.  Turn- 
ing round,  therefore,  he  looked  upon  Peter.  Ah,  that  look  ! 
Who  can  describe  it?  For  who  can  conceive  it  ?  With  what- 
ever glance  of  the  eye,  or  expression  of  countenance,  it  was 
accompanied,  it  spoke  daggers  to  the  heart.  What !  Peter, 
not  know  me  now  .'  Where  then  is  thy  vow  ?  Thou  hast  not 
yet  resisted  unto  blood  for  owning  my  name  !  And  shall  I  take 
thee  at  thy  word,  confirm  the  anathema,  and  say,  "  No ;  this 
is  not  one  of  my  disciples ;  for  they  do  not  curse  and  swear, 
and  say  they  know  me  not  I " 

But  it  was  the  love  that  was  in  that  look,  that  broke  the 
fallen  creature's  heart,  and  made  him  say,  "  What,  and  does 
he  love  me  still  ?  Yes  ;  I  see  it ;  he  mourns  over  me  ;  he  in- 
vites me  to  think  better  of  it,  and  not  persist  in  that  fatal  vow, 
that  I  renounce  all  knowledge  of  him.  And  can  he  love  me 
after  all  I  Yes;  it  is  that  melting  compassion  that  is  in  his  eye 


PETER'S    FALL.  383 

that  I  cannot  stand  ;  for  it  says,  '  Peter,  I  am  cut  to  the 
heart,  to  hear  thee  say,  "  I  know  him  not."  For  I  still  know 
thee ;  thou  art  he  to  whom  I  said,  "  the  cock  shall  not  crow 
twice,  till  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice;"  and  the  cock  has  just 
crowed.'"     Behold, 

2.  The  sinner  turned,  repentant,  at  this  look. 

For  Peter  felt  this  look,  so  as  to  "  remember  the  words  of 
Jesus,  and  when  he  thought  thereon,  he  wept :  he  went  forth 
and  wept  bitterly."  During  all  the  time  that  he  was  falling, 
though  the  cock  crew,  and  many  tl^'"gs  occurred  that  should 
have  awakened  him,  nothing  had  any  influence,  till  Christ's 
look  touched  him  to  the  quick.  External  things  act  upon  us 
according  to  ourown  state  of  mind,  and  that  is  rectified  only 
by  the  grace  of  Christ.  Now,  Peter  can  remember  the  words 
of  Jesus ;  though  it  is  strange  that  he  should  have  forgotten 
them  all  this  while.  Now,  he  recollects  that  he  has  twice  heard 
the  cock  ;  though  it  is  equallj'  strange  that  he  did  not  notice 
it  at  the  time.  Now,  perhaps,  some  other  words  of  Jesus 
rush  into  his  mind,  with  all  the  terrors  of  an  armed  host,  more 
dreadful  than  that  which  made  Peter  fear  to  own  Christ.  He 
had  said,  "  Him  that  denieth  me  before  men,  will  I  also  deny 
before  ray  Father,  who  is  in  heaven."  "  Alas!"  Peter  cries, 
"  I  have  done  this ;  I  have,  before  all  these  persons,  denied 
my  Lord ;  I  have  committed  perjury,  and  devoted  myself  to 
perdition,  and  deserve  to  be  banished  from  the  presence  of 
this  gracious  Master  for  ever.  O,  if  he  deal  with  me  accord- 
ing to  my  sins,  whither  shall  I  sink?  But  he  looked  kindly  at 
me !  Ah,  the  very  kindness^  of  that  look  stings  me  to  the 
heart :  that  he  can  yet  love  me,  makes  me  hate  myself,  that 
ever  I  could  deny  him." 

Such  emotions  cannot  bear  company,  much  less  that  of  the 
wicked  ;  and  Peter  is  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  high  priest's 
hall.  He  went  forth.  Of  this  there  can  be  no  doubt,  though 
the  original  words  which  are  thus  translated,  are  also,  by 
others,  rendered,  "  when  he  thought  thereon,"  or  "  covering 
his  face,"  he  wept.  He  wept  bitterly,  for  sin  will  be  bitter- 
ness in  the  end.  However  men  may  roll  it  as  a  sweet  morsel 
under  their  tongue,  they  will,  sooner  or  later,  pay  bitterly  for 


384  LECTURE    LXXXII. 

such  sweets.  It  has  been  asserted,  that  whenever  Peter  heard 
a  cock  crow,  he  thought  of  his  fall,  and  burst  into  tears.  Let 
us,  then,  join  in  the  pious  prayer  of  the  ancients,  "  Gracious 
Jesus,  look  on  me  with  those  eyes  of  mercy  with  which  thou 
didst  look  on  Peter,  in  the  hall ;  on  the  sinful  woman  at  the 
feast ;  on  the  thief  upon  the  cross  ;  and  grant  me  to  weep 
with  Peter,  to  love  thee  with  the  woman  that  was  a  sinner ; 
and,  with  the  penitent  thief,  to  see  thee  in  Paradise." 

"  If  e'er  from  wisdom's  ways  I  start, 
Recall  me  with  that  pitying  look, 
That  kind,  upbraiding  glance  that  broke 
Unfaithful  Peter's  heart." 


385 


LECTURE  LXXXIII. 

THE    saviour's    TRIAL    BEFORE    PILATE. 

Matt,  xxvii.  1,  2,  11 — 14. 
Mark  xv.  1 — 5. 
*  Luke  xxiii.  1 — 5. 
John  xviii.  28 — 38. 

*  And  the  whole  multitude  of  them  arose,  and  led  him  unto  Pilate. 

W  HEN  the  Saviour  says  to  his  disciples,  "  ye  shall  be  brought 
before  governors  and  kings,  for  my  sake,"  he,  with  all  his 
characteristic  sympathy  and  kindness  enters  into  their  feel- 
ings, when  such  prospects  are  brought  to  their  view  by  him 
who  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning.  For  those  who  are  not 
accustomed  to  the  presence  of  great  personages  naturally  ex- 
claim, "  How  shall  we  behave  before  them  I  Their  greatness 
may  destroy  our  self-possession.  If  we  are  struck  dumb  and 
remain  silent,  they  may  take  it  for  a  confession  of  guilt.  But, 
if  we  speak,  we  may  betray  our  ignorance  and  timidity,  and 
injure  the  cause  we  wish  to  defend." 

Against  such  solicitudes,  our  Lord  kindly  arms  us,  by  say- 
ing, "  take  no  thought  what  ye  shall  speak,  or  how  ye  shall 
answer,  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  the  same  hour  what  ye 
shall  utter.  It  is  not  you  that  speak,  but  the  spirit  of  your 
Father  that  speaks  in  you."  In  addition  to  these  cheering 
words,  our  Saviour  has  given  us  his  own  instructive  example, 
teaching  us  both  how  to  be  silent,  and  how  to  speak,  in  the 
presence  of  governors  and  kings.  The  day  that  is  now  dawn- 
ing, the  last  of  Christ's  life  upon  earth,  presents  many  instruc- 
tive and  affecting  scenes,  which  we  should  study  with  great 
care,  and  deposit  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  our  memory  and 

VOL.  n.  2  c 


386  '    LECTURE  J.XXXIII. 

heart.  That  to  which  we  now  advance,  the  trial  before  Pi- 
late, is  important,  on  account  of — what  passed  between  the 
accusers  and  the  judge — and  between  the  accused  and  the 
judge. 

I.  What  passed  between  the  accusers  and  the  judge. 

But  as  another  process  preceded  their  appearance  in  the 
presence  of  the  Roman  governor,  we  must  first  consider, 

] .  A  second  preparatory  attempt  of  the  accusers. 

"  Very  early  in  the  morning,"  say  Matthew  and  Mark, 
"  all  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of  the  people,  with  the  scribes 
and  the  whole  council,  held  an  assembly,  to  consult  how  they 
might  put  Jesus  to  death."  But  what  occasion  for  all  this  I 
Had  they  not  already  condemned  him  to  death?  They  had; 
but  this  was  at  midnight,  and  it  was  scarcely  decent  to  transact 
such  a  business  at  such  a  season.  It  might  look  like  the  dark 
counsels  of  murderers.  To  give  it,  therefore,  more  of  the  air 
of  a  righteous  transaction,  respectable  in  the  eyes  of  the  na- 
tion, they  resolve  to  hold  another  meeting  of  the  court  very 
early  in  the  mornii)g.  Perhaps,  also,  the  meeting  at  night 
was  not  very  numerous,  at  least  not  full ;  for  they  could  not 
feel  quite  sure,  after  their  numerous  failures,  that  they  should 
have  Jesus  delivered  up  into  their  hands.  Those  who  were 
aged,  or  invalids,  or  not  very  hearty  in  the  scheme,  might  not 
have  been  present  at  that  unseasonable  meeting.  They  wished, 
therefore,  for  a  fuller  session  of  the  Sanhedrim,  which  they 
seem  to  have  obtained ;  for  the  Evangelists  make  a  studied 
enumeration  of  the  parties  that  formed  the  council. 

Besides,  the  meeting  at  night  was  cautious,  not  knowing 
how  the  multitude  would  take  it.  But  now  their  pulse  had 
been  felt,  and  they  had  taken  it  well,  showing  no  disposition 
to  rise  in  the  Saviour's  defence.  It  was,  therefore,  desirable 
to  give  more  publicity  to  the  proceedings,  that  the  chief  actors 
might  make  the  people  partners  in  the  responsibility.  As  yet 
they  had  only  passed  sentence :  how  they  should  carry  it  into 
execution  they  had  not  considered.  This  was  the  grand  ques- 
tion now  to  be  determined.  Nor  could  they  tell  what  effect 
the  vile  treatment  of  Christ  in  the  hall  might  have  had ;  how 
it  might  have  broken  down  his  firm  spirit,  and  induced  him 


THE    saviour's    TRIAL    BEFORE    PILATE,  387 

to  make  terras  with  the  priests.  "  They  bring  up  Christ 
therefore,"  as  the  Syriac  version  of  Luke  expresses  it,  *'  to  the 
place  of  their  assembly."  He,  coming  up,  defiled  (if  aught 
could  defile  infinite  purity  and  dignity)  with  the  vile  treatment 
of  the  preceding  night,  and,  black  with  bruises,  stood  before 
them  to  undergo  a  second  trial,  after  sentence  had  been 
passed. 

They  question  him  again,  saying,  "Art  thou  the  Christ?" 
This  they  press,  partly  with  a  view  to  the  old  charge  of  blas- 
phemy, and  partly  with  an  eye  to  the  accusation  before  Pilate, 
who  was  to  be  induced  to  pass  sentence  of  death,  not  by  a 
charge  of  theological  crime,  for  which  he  cared  nothing,  but 
by  a  fear  of  some  one  setting  up  for  a  king,  a  rival  to  Cfesar. 
Christ  deemed  it  fit  to  answer,  "  If  I  tell  you,  ye  will  not  be- 
lieve."    This  they  had  sufficiently  proved.     But  the  Saviour 
added,  "  If  I  ask  you  questions,  ye  will  not  answer,  nor  let 
me  go.     If  I  put  it  to  your  own  conscience,  what  sort  of  per- 
son you  expect  the  Messiah  to  be,  or  what  evidence  you  are 
authorized  from  your  Scriptures  to  demand  of  any  one  pro- 
fessing to  be  the  Christ,  ye  will  give  me  no  candid  answer." 
For  on  some  recent  and  solemn  occasions,  they  had  only  said, 
"  we   cannot   tell."      Whatever  answer,   then,  Jesus   might 
give,  or  whatever  unanswerable  appeals  he  might  make  to 
their  consciences,  they  were  determined  they  would  not  let 
him  go  as  innocent.     Then  what  claim  to  an  answer  had  they 
who  were  only  seeking  something  to  sanction  their  conduct, 
and  were  resolved  not  to  give  the  prisoner  the  benefit  of  any 
thing  that  might  occur  ?     Christ  again  made  the   good  con- 
fession, "  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  on 
the  right  hand  of  power.     Hitherto  ye  have  seen  me  as  a  ser- 
vant, and  this  has  offended  your  pride ;  but  from  the  time  that 
I  am  condemned  and  executed  by  you,  I  shall  rise  to  supreme 
power  and  glory." 

To  which  all  the  council  replied,  "  Art  thou,  then,  the  Son 
of  God  ? "  Evidently  understanding  by  that  title,  one  of  di- 
vine glory  and  power.  "  For  to  which  of  the  angels,"  asks 
the  Apostle,  "  said  he,  at  any  time.  Sit  thou  at  my  right 
hand?"    The  priests  exclaim,  "  What  need  have  we  of  further 

2c  2 


388  LECTURE    LXXXIH. 

witnesses?  for  we  have  heard  out  of  his  own  mouth."  Again 
they  condemn  him  for  bhisphemy,  and  thus  finish  their  morn- 
ing's consultation.  But  that  they  were  so  early  at  the  guilty 
work  puts  to  shame  us,  who  are  slow  and  slothful  to  worship 
and  serve  him,  whose  blood  their  feet  were  swift  to  shed.  Then 
followed, 

2.  An  appeal  to  the  civil  governor. 

They  led  Jesus  away  bound ;  and  from  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  mentioned,  we  should  conclude  he  was  fettered  with  ad- 
ditional bonds,  no  doubt  with  the  insidious  design  of  making 
him  appear  a  very  criminal,  dangerous  person  ;  for  such  is  the 
idea  naturally  suggested  by  the  sight  of  a  person  heavily 
ironed.  It  may  be  asked,  however,  why  they  led  Jesus  away 
to  another  judge  ?  Why  did  not  they  execute,  as  well  as  try 
and  condemn  him  themselves  ?  Why  suffer  their  whole  scheme 
to  be  thrown  into  hazard  by  the  chance  of  Pilate's  acquitting 
and  setting  him  at  liberty?  The  answer  we  shall  soon  hear 
from  their  own  lips. 

But,  when  they  arrived  with  their  much  injured  prisoner  at 
the  Prsetorium,  as  the  palace  of  the  Roman  prsetor,  or  procu- 
rator, was  called,  they  stood  at  the  door,  though  there  were 
among  them  some  of  the  first  personages  in  the  Jewish  state. 
They  would  not  go  into  the  house  of  a  gentile,  lest  they  should 
be  defiled  and  rendered  unfit  to  eat  the  passover,  which  they 
had  deferred  to  this,  the  day  of  their  Sabbath  ;  though  Christ 
had  eaten  it  the  day  before,  preferring  the  appointment  of  the 
divine  law,  to  their  traditions.  So  scrupulous  were  these 
hypocrites,  in  some  points,  Avhile,  in  others,  they  openly  vio- 
lated both  the  ceremonial  and  the  moral  law  !  They  would  not 
touch  a  gentile,  saying,  "  Stand  by  ;  I  am  more  holy  than 
thou ;"  but  they  were  imbruing  their  hands  in  the  most  inno- 
cent blood,  which  that  gentile  struggled  to  spare.  Had  they 
possessed  any  true  religion,  they  would  have  said,  "  Let  us 
not  hurry  this  trial  and  execution  to-day,  lest  our  minds  be 
ruffled,  and  thrown  out  of  the  devotional  frame,  which  the 
feast  requires.  Let  him  live  to  enjoy  the  benefit  of  this  ordi- 
nance, to  bring  him  to  repentance,  or  fit  him  for  an  exchange 
of  worlds." 


THE    SAXIOUR'S    TRIAL    BEFORE    PILATE.  389 

Pilate  might  have  taken  their  scruples  as  an  insult  upon  his 
dignity,  and,  spurning-  them  who  treated  him  as  polluted,  have 
refused  to  go  to  them,  if  they  would  not  come  in  to  him.  But, 
with  commendable  condescension  he  comes  out,  to  that  paved 
court  that  was  before  the  praetorium,  and  asks,  "  What  accu- 
sation bring  you  against  this  man?"  As  however  they  came 
not  to  ask  justice,  but  vengeance;  and  not  to  seek  a  new  trial 
that  might  elicit  truth,  but  to  obtain  the  execution  of  their 
own  iniquitous  sentence  ;  they  evade  the  question,  and  say, 
"  If  he  were  not  a  malefactor,  we  would  not  have  delivered 
him  up  to  thee."  They  were  affronted  that  they  should  be 
asked  for  an  accusation,  as  if  they  could  be  suspected  of  re- 
questing the  death  of  an  innocent  man. 

Pilate,  however,  knew  them  too  well  to  be  deceived  by  this 
haughty  affectation  of  immaculate  character,  and,  therefore, 
answered  them  with  ironical  concession,  saying,  "  Take  ye 
him,  and  judge  him  according  to  your  law."  Now  they  let 
out  the  reason  why  they  brought  him  to  Pilate  at  all :  "  It  is 
not  lawful  for  us  to  put  any  man  to  death,"  This  power  over 
life  was  taken  away  from  the  Jews  by  their  Roman  masters, 
two  years  before  Christ's  death ;  and  this  confession  of  the 
priests  publishes  aloud,  that  the  time  for  Messiah's  coming 
has  arrived.  Jacob  prophesied,  "  the  sceptre  shall  not  depart 
from  Judah  till  Shiloh  come."  But,  by  declining  to  accept 
the  permission  which  they  saw  was  granted  ironically,  the 
Jews  contributed  to  fulfil  Christ's  prediction  of  the  kind  of 
death  he  should  die,  which  was  not  by  being  stoned,  as  a 
blasphemer,  but  by  suspension  on  a  cross,  which  was  the 
Roman  mode  of  punishment. 

Compelled  to  produce  some  charge,  the  Jews  abandon  that 
for  which  theij  had  condemned  Jesus,  and,  thinking  that 
Pilate  would  neither  deem  it  a  sufficient  ground  for  a  capital 
conviction,  nor  be  satisfied  Avith  the  proof  which  had  so  easily 
contented  them,  they  think  of  something  else.  Nothing  can 
be  a  greater  perversion  of  justice  than  shifting  the  grounds  of 
accusation,  which  prevents  the  prisoner  from  preparing  his 
defence.  Had  these  accusers  been  upright  men,  they  would 
at  once  have  declared  honestly  the  reason  for  which  they  con-^ 


390  LECTURE    LXXXIII. 

demned  Jesus,  and  have  asked  for  the  confirmation  and  exe- 
cution of  the  original  sentence.  But  as  they  changed  their 
ground,  we  have  to  witness  a  new  trial,  before  the  civil  tri- 
bunal. 

They  say,  while  Christ  stands  bound  before  the  governor, 
"  we  found  him  perverting  the  nation,  and  forbidding  to  give 
tribute  to  Csesar,  saying,  that  he  himself  is  Christ,  a  king." 
What  a  solemn  lie  !  They  found  him  perverting  and  stirring 
up  the  people !  In  truth,  they  found  him,  as  the  Persians 
found  Daniel,  in  secret  retirement,  pouring  out  his  soul  to  God. 
•*  Stirring  up  the  people!"  Never  was  one  more  quiet  and 
peaceable  ;  for  in  him  was  fulfilled  the  prophecy,  "  he  shall 
not  strive,  nor  cry,  nor  lift  up  his  voice  in  the  streets." 

"  Forbidding  to  give  tribute  ! "  They  themselves  first  mooted 
this  question,  when  he  had  never  hinted  any  doubt  upon  the 
subject.  And  when  they  asked  for  his  opinion,  as  if  they  were 
dissatisfied,  and  wished  for  some  one  to  sanction  their  scruples ; 
they  received  an  answer  which  confounded  them,  because  it 
did  not  accomplish  that  object,  but  showed  them  the  propriety 
of  rendering  to  Csesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's. 

"  Saying  that  he  is  Christ,  a  king  ! "  What  insidious  craft ! 
On  their  tribunal  they  ask,  "  Art  thou  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God  l "  that  they  may  condemn  him  for  blasphemy :  before 
Pilate,  they  say,  "  Christ  a  king ;"  that  they  may  induce  the 
Roman  governor  to  condemn  Jesus  as  a  rival  to  Csesar. 

II.  What  passed  between  the  accused  and  the  judge  now 
invites  our  attention. 

For,  the  accusation  having  assumed  this  shape,  it  becomes 
necessary  for  Pilate,  who  was  the  mere  dependent  of  Tiberius, 
a  most  jealous  tyrant,  to  enter  upon  a  solemn  investigation. 

Listen  again  to  the  examination  of  the  Saviour. 

Pilate  now  entered  into  the  inner  court,  the  usual  seat  of 
justice,  and  called  Jesus  to  him,  and  said,  "  Art  thou  that 
King  of  the  Jews  I "  It  could  not  but  be  known  to  Pilate, 
that  the  Jews  expected  a  great  deliverer  to  arise,  from  the 
family  of  David,  their  ancient  king  and  hero.  As,  therefore, 
the  governor  was  aware  that  this  family  was  now  fallen  into 
poverty  and  obscurity  ;  the  mean  appearance  of  Jesus  would 


THE    saviour's    TRIAL    BEFORE    PIliATE.  391 

not  prevent  the  supposition,  that  such  a  person  might  claim 
the  ancient  inheritance  of  his  fathers,  and  inflame  the  minds 
of  the  people,  with  an  expectation  of  the  fulfilment  of  prophe- 
cies on  which  they  doated.  It  is,  also,  probable,  that  Pilate, 
who  saw  through  the  Jews,  discerned  in  the  countenance  and 
manner  of  Jesus  proofs  of  sincerity,  which  made  the  governor 
think  that  it  might  be  a  fact  that  Jesus  was,  by  descent,  en- 
titled to  the  throne,  and  that  he  would  not  dissemble,  but 
frankly  own  the  true  state  of  the  case. 

But  Jesus  replied,  "  sayest  thou  this  of  thyself,  or  did  others 
tell  it  thee  of  me  ?  Let  me  appeal  to  thyself,  whether  thou 
wouldest  ever  have  entertained  a  suspicion  of  me,  as  setting 
up  for  a  king,  by  any  thing  thou  hadst  ever  known  of  me ; 
or  whether  this  question  has  not  arisen  entirely  from  the  accu- 
sation of  others  ? "  This,  in  fact,  was  a  hint  to  Pilate,  that  he 
was  pursuing  a  wrong  course  in  examining  Jesus  ;  for  he  should 
have  demanded  of  the  accusers  what  evidence  they  had  to 
adduce  in  support  of  their  charge.  Pilate  appears  to  have 
felt  the  reproof,  and,  being  nettled,  said,  with  some  disdain, 
"  Am  I  a  Jew  I  Do  I  know  any  thing  of  the  promised  deli- 
verer of  this  nation  I  You  may  be  sure,  I  should  not  have 
instituted  this  inquiry.  Your  own  nation  and  the  chief  priests 
have  delivered  you  to  me.  What  have  you  done  ?  If  they 
who  so  eagerly  look  for  this  promised  king  have  delivered  you 
up  to  me,  you  must  have  done  something  very  provoking  to 
them.  Tell  me  what  it  is."  Thus  Pilate,  in  fact,  wishes  to 
put  off  the  inquiry  into  Christ's  claims  to  royalty,  a  subject  at 
once  insidious  and  difficult,  and  to  turn  the  investigation  upon 
the  facts  of  Christ's  overt  acts,  of  which  a  judge  could  take 
safer  cognizance. 

To  this,  Christ  returns  a  more  direct  answer  than  is  generally 
here  discerned.  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world."  This 
was  owning  that  he  was  a  king,  that  he  was  Christ  the  King ; 
and  that  what  he  had  done  to  provoke  the  Jews  was,  not  so 
much  affecting  to  be  a  king,  as  setting  up  a  spiritual  kingdom, 
which  was  not  of  this  world,  and  therefore  not  suited  to  their 
worldly  tastes,  but  a  cruel  disappointment  to  their  carnal 
hopes. 


392  LECTURE    LXXXIII. 

But,  as  Pilate  could  not  well  understand  what  sort  of  king- 
dom this  could  be,  our  Lord  proceeds  to  give  that  explanation 
which  might  satisfy  the  deputy  of  Ceestir,  and  serve  as  a  suffi- 
cient defence  of  the  Son  of  David.     "  If  my  kingdom  were 
of  this  world,  then  would  my  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not 
be  delivered  up  to  the  Jews.     But  now  is  my  kingdom  not 
from  hence."     Here  our  Lord  alludes  to  his  prohibiting  his 
servants    from  fighting,  to    repel   force    by  force,  saying  to 
Peter,  "  put  up  thy  sword."     At  the  same  time,  the  Saviour 
sets  Pilate  on  comparing  all  the  conduct  of  the  accused,  with 
the  accusation  of  his  foes.     But  when  our  Lord  uttered  this, 
before  Pilate,  it  was  intended,  as  Paul  informs  us,   for  that 
*'  good  confession'  which  should  attract  the  attention  of  Chris- 
tians, and  inform  them  of  the  nature  of  their  Lord's  kingdom. 
It  is,  then,  to  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance,  that  Christ's 
kingdom  is  so  foreign  from   all  worldly  empire,  is  so  entirely 
a  dominion  over  the  judgment,  the  conscience,  the  heart,  that 
whoever   employs  force,   and  fights,  to  propagate   or  support 
religion,  convicts  himself  of  being  ignorant  of  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

This,  however,  drew  from  Pilate  the  question,  "Art  thou  then 
a  king  I "  He  that  used  the  expression,  "  piy  kingdom,"  which 
•we  have  just  heard  from  Christ's  lips,  naturally  exposed  him- 
self to  the  inquiry  now  made.  Jesus  replied,  "  Thou  sayest  it, 
the  very  thing ;  for  I  am  a  King."  No  fear  of  Pilate's  sword, 
no  dread  of  the  well  known  jealousy  of  Tiberius,  prevented 
Jesus  from  uttering  words  so  hazardous  before  a  Roman  tri- 
bunal, "  I  am  a  King." 

'•'  For  to  this  end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into 
the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  to  the  truth.  Every  one 
who  is  of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice."  This  part  of  Christ's 
good  confession  contains  a  positive,  as  the  former  had  given 
a  negative  description,  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  It  is  the 
dominion  of  truth  over  the  judgment,  the  conscience,  and 
heart,  and  life.  Christ  was  born  to  be  its  great  witness,  to 
attest  the  love  of  God  to  fallen  man,  which  is  the  truth  by  em- 
phasis. He  came  into  the  world  to  publish  it  with  his  lips., 
and  seal  it  with  his  blood.     "Whoever,  therefore,  is  a  disciple 


THE    saviour's    TRIAL    BEFORE    PILATE,  393 

of  truth,  a  subject  of  that  spiritual  dominion  which  it  holds 
over  every  sincerely  good  man,  hearkens  to  Christ's  voice,  as 
to  that  of  a  king,  and  virtually  says,  "  speak.  Lord,  for  thy 
servant  heareth." 

But  Pilate,  who  was  a  wicked  man,  seems  to  have  felt  uneasy 
at  this  description  of  a  sincere  disciple  of  truth,  and,  affecting' 
to  despise  the  subject,  hastily  said,  "  what  is  truth?"  without 
waiting  for  an  answer.  Scepticism  was  at  that  time  becoming 
fashionable  among  the  Romans.  Those  of  them,  however,  who 
lived  among  the  Jews,  could  scarcely  have  resisted  the  supe- 
rior evidence  of  their  religion.  But,  under  the  influence  of 
that  paganism,  which  treated  the  whole  subject  of  religion  with 
contemptuous  indifference,  Pilate  seems  to  have  said,  "  what 
is  truth  I  Who  knows  I  Or,  in  fact,  what  man  of  sense,  or 
spirit,  or  fashion  cares?"  Now  follows,  the  civil  governor's 
acquittal  of  the  Saviour. 

For  Pilate,  having  asked  this  question,  went  immediately 
out  to  the  Jews,  who  were  waiting  in  anxious  expectation  of 
their  prey,  and  said  to  them,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  this  man." 
What  a  blow  must  this  have  been  to  their  hopes  !  What ! 
shall  we,  after  all,  lose  our  labour  ?  Must  the  money  we  paid 
to  Judas  for  his  blood,  the  expense  we  have  lavished  on  pro- 
curing witnesses,  and  our  toil,  early  and  late,  in  bringing  Jesus 
to  condemnation,  all  terminate  in  his  acquittal  ?  Thus,  heaven 
bore  witness  to  the  personal  innocence  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that, 
if  he  died  for  crimes,  they  were  not  his  own.  The  judge  before 
whom  he  was  arraigned  publicly  declared,  he  found  no  fault 
in  him.  This  acquittal,  however,  was  not  so  easily  taken  as 
Pilate  wished.  For  "  the  chief  priests  and  elders  began  to 
accuse  Jesus  of  many  things."  They  had  already  been  called 
upon  for  their  indictment  against  Christ ;  and  it  was  the  height 
of  injustice,  now  that  he  had  been  declared  innocent  of  the 
charge  adduced,  to  come  forward  with  fresh  allegations.  But 
they  urged  these  new  charges,  with  so  much  vehemence  that 
Pilate  said  to  Jesus,  "  Hearest  thou  what  these  say  against 
thee  l  I  called  upon  thee,  to  tell  me  what  thou  hadst  done  to 
provoke  them,  and  thou  didst  not  answer ;  but  now  dost  thou 
hear  what  they  are  saying  '. " 


394  LECTURE    LXXXIII. 

To  this  question,  however,  and  to  a  tempest  of  clamorous 
accusations,  "  Jesus  answered  not  one  word."  "  The  governor 
marvelled  greatly."  He  saw  that  Jesus  knew  how  to  speak 
with  perfect  self-possession,  even  before  rulers,  and  with  so 
superior  sense  and  reason,  that  the  governor  had  been  com- 
pelled to  pronounce  his  acquittal.  That  such  a  person,  there- 
fore, should  remain  dumb,  when  accused  of  various  crimes,  for 
which  his  life  was  at  stake,  seemed  inexplicable.  Pilate  had 
been  accustomed  to  see  the  accused  eager  enough  in  their  own 
defence  ;  so  loud,  indeed,  as  scarcely  to  allow  witnesses,  or 
reason,  or  justice  to  be  heard  :  but  now  he  has  to  ask  with  sur- 
prise, whether  the  arraigned  person  was  deaf,  and  could  not 
hear  all  that  was  said  against  him.  But,  when  even  this  appeal 
could  not  rouse  the  Saviour  to  self  defence,  nor  draw  forth 
a  word  from  him,  Pilate  wonders  what  could  be  the  reason  ; 
being  convinced,  from  what  he  had  already  seen  of  Christ,  that 
there  must  be  some  important  reason. 

The  true  cause  of  this  mysterious  silence  the  heathen  judge 
knew  not.  But  we  should  know  well ;  for  we  have  been  taught 
by  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "  he  was  oppressed,  and  he  was  afflicted, 
yet  he  opened  not  his  mouth  ;  he  is  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he 
openeth  not  his  mouth."* 

But,  when  the  Jews  cried,  "  He  stirreth  up  the  people, 
teaching  throughout  all  Jewry,  beginning  from  Galilee  to  this 
place,"  f  Pilate  caught  at  the  sound  of  Galilee,  as  aflbrding 
him  a  hope  of  extricating  himself  from  a  difficulty.  "  He 
asked  whether  the  man  were  a  Galilean.  And,  as  soon  as  he 
knew  that  he  belonged  unto  Herod's  jurisdiction,  he  sent  him 
to  Herod,  who  himself  also  was  at  Jerusalem  at  that  time."  J 

*  Isaiah  liii.  7.  f  Luke  xxiii.  5.  I  lb.  C,  7. 


3.95 


LECTURE  LXXXIV. 

HEROD    INSULTING    OUR    LORD. 

Luke  xxiii.  5 — 12. 

And  as  soon  as  he  knew  that  he  belonged  unto  Herod's  jurisdiction,  he  sent 
him  to  Herod,  who  himself  also  was  at  Jerusalem  at  that  time. 

We  all  feel  a  certain  indefinable  impression  of  the  importance, 
and,  I  might  say,  value,  of  greatness.  Under  its  influence, 
we  are  tempted  to  regret  that  the  Son  of  God  moved  in  the 
humbler  walks  of  life.  We  wish  to  see  how  such  a  person 
would  appear  at  court,  what  figure  he  would  make  in  the  pre- 
sence of  kings,  how  the  earthly  majesty  and  the  heavenly  would 
behave  towards  each  other,  and  what  moral  lessons  would  be 
elicited  by  the  interview.  We  may,  to-day,  gratify  our  cu-. 
riosity  on  this  point.  May  we  have  grace  to  learn  from  it 
heavenly  wisdom ! 

I.  Behold  the  Saviour's  appearance  before  the  king. 

This  portion  of  our  Lord's  history  and  sufferings,  though 
very  humiliating,  was  not  the  effect  of  design  on  the  part  of 
his  enemies ;  but,  while  it  fulfilled  the  counsels  of  heaven, 
seems,  as  far  as  man  was  concerned,  purely  accidental.  We 
are  then  to  see, 

1.  The  wise  taken  in  their  own  craftiness. 

For  the  chief  priests,  persisting  in  their  accusations,  said, 
"  he  stirreth  up  the  people,  beginning  from  Galilee."  This  place 
may  have  been  mentioned  by  mere  accident ;  because  it  came 
up,  amidst  the  heat  and  multitude  of  their  charges  ;  or  it  may 
have  been  designed,  to  remind  Pilate  how  often  seditions  had 
risen  in  Galilee  ;  how  difficult  it  was  to  bring  proofs  of  crimes 


396  LECTURE    LXXXIV. 

committed  in  another  district ;  and  how'gratifying  it  would  be 
to  execute  a  person  who  was  a  subject  of  the  king-  of  Galilee, 
with  whom  the  Roman  was  at  variance.  But  the  effect  was 
directly  contrary  to  their  expectation  and  design.  No  sooner 
•was  the  word  Galilee  uttered,  than  Pilate  viewed  it  as  pre- 
senting a  fine  opportunity  of  escaping  from  a  troublesome 
business,  from  which  his  penetration  augured  no  good.  "  Gali- 
lee !  that  is  Herod's  territory  !  Then  Herod  shall  have  him  ! 
The  king  of  Galilee  shall  take  this  bloody  business  off  my 
hands.  He  is  at  Jerusalem,  at  this  moment,  keeping  his  Jew- 
ish feast.  I  will  make  Jesus  a  peace  offering,  and  compliment 
the  king,  by  sending  him  one  of  his  own  subjects,  to  be  tried 
at  his  bar." 

Inquiring  whether  Jesus  were  a  Galilean,  and  being  in- 
formed that  he  was,  (though  this  was  not  strictly  true ;  for 
Christ  was  born  in  Pilate's  jurisdiction,)  he  sent  him  to  Herod 
to  be  judged.  That  Roman  governor,  who  had  before  fallen 
upon  the  Galileans,  and  mingled  their  blood  with  their  sacri- 
fices, now  seems  most  tender  of  the  life  of  a  Galilean  ;  and 
that  word  which  it  was  hoped  would  fall  like  a  spark  upon 
gunpowder,  and  produce  an  explosion  of  jealousy,  acts  like 
cold  water,  poured  upon  the  train  which  the  Jews  had  laid  for 
the  life  of  Jesus.  How  often  a  wise  and  mighty  providence 
frustrates  all  the  schemes  of  the  most  politic  and  sagacious  ! 

That  Herod,  called  the  great,  who  reigned  over  all  Judea, 
when  Christ  was  born,  and  who  killed  the  children  in  hope  of 
cutting  off  a  rival,  dying,  left  his  children  to  quarrel  for  the 
inheritance.  Augustus,  before  whom  the  appeal  was  brought, 
gave  the  half  of  the  kingdom  to  Archelaus,  who  being  after- 
wards expelled  for  his  tyranny,  the  Roman  emperor  sent  his 
procurators,  of  whom  Pilate  was  one,  to  govern  that  part  which 
contained  Judea  proper,  and  Samaria.  The  other  half  of  the 
kingdom  was  again  divided  into  two  parts  ;  and  one  being- 
given  to  Philip,  the  other  was  assigned  to  Herod  Antipas,  who 
was  now  at  Jerusalem,  to  keep  the  passover.  It  was  natural, 
that  a  son  of  Herod  the  Great  should  be  jealous  of  a  foreigner, 
like  Pilate,  who  was  reigning  as  king  in  the  very  capital  of 
Herod's  kingdom ;    and  Pilate,  despising  the  tributary  king. 


HEROD    INSULTING    OUR    LORD.  397 

made  no  scruple  of  punishing  the  Galileans  who  came  to  wor- 
ship in  the  temple.  Thus  a  deadly  feud  was  created.  But, 
perhaps,  the  chief  priests  were  not  very  sorry  that  Jesus 
should  be  brought  before  Herod,  the  son  of  the  murderer  of 
Bethlehem's  babes,  himself  the  murderer  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist ;  as  Agrippa,  the  nephew  of  Herod,  was  of  James.  In- 
deed our  Lord  predicted  no  good  of  this  king  of  Galilee  ;  for, 
coming  down  from  the  mount  of  transfiguration,  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples,  "  Elias  (that  is,  John  the  Baptist)  is  already 
come,  and  they  did  to  him  whatever  they  pleased  :  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  man  suffer  of  them."     See  again, 

2.  The  sinner  gratified  with  his  own  wishes. 

But  Herod,  seeing  Jesus,  "  was  exceeding  glad  :  for  he 
was  desirous  to  see  him  of  a  long  season,  because  he  had 
heard  many  things  of  him;  and  he  hoped  to  have  seen  some 
miracle  done  by  him."* 

You  remember  that  it  is  said,  "  Now  Herod  the  tetrarch 
heard  of  all  that  was  done  by  him  :  and  he  was  perplexed,  be- 
cause that  it  was  said  of  some,  that  John  was  risen  from  the 
dead  ;  and  of  some,  that  Elias  had  appeared ;  and  of  others, 
that  one  of  the  old  prophets  was  risen  again.  And  Herod 
said,  John  have  I  beheaded  :  but  who  is  this  of  whom  I  hear 
such  things?     And  he  desired  to  see  him."  f- 

It  has  also  occurred  to  our  notice,  that  the  same  historian 
said,  "  The  same  day,  there  came  certain  of  the  Pharisees, 
saying  unto  him.  Get  thee  out,  and  depart  hence :  for  Herod 
will  kill  thee.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Go  ye  and  tell  that  fox, 
Behold,  I  cast  out  devils,  and  I  do  cures  to-day  and  to-mor- 
row, and  the  third  day  I  shall  be  perfected."! 

Now,  these  passages  should  be  compared  with  Christ's  ap- 
pearance before  Herod,  which  Luke  alone  records.  It  is  an 
advantage  that  Christ  and  his  salvation  should  be  brought  into 
notice,  if  it  is  even  by  persecution ;  that  it  may  be  said  of  the 
utmost  extremes  of  society,  and  of  men  of  all  ranks  and  cha- 
racters, as  was  here  said  of  Herod,  that  "  he  had  heard  much 
of  Jesus."  For,  then,  the  desirable  consequence  may  follow, 
that  they  may  much  wish  to  see  him.  This  may,  indeed,  often 
*  Luke  xxiii.  8.  f  Ibid.  ix.  7 — 9.  I  Ibid.  xii.  31,  32. 


398  LECTURE    LXXXIV. 

end  in  the  gratification  of  an  idle  curiosity,  and  the  aggrava- 
tion of  a  man's  guilt.  Yet,  as  truth  dreads  nothing  but  con- 
cealment, we  should  always  exult  in  the  publicity  of  that  re- 
ligion which  deserves  to  be  known  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  as 
the  only  remedy  for  the  ills  of  man. 

Ambitious  as  men  in  general  are  to  see  the  great,  or  rather 
to  be  seen  by  them,  our  Lord,  knowing  Herod's  eager  desire, 
never  gratified  his  curiosity,  but  kept  himself  far  from  court, 
till  he  was  brought  there  as  a  prisoner. 

See  the  cavalcade  parade  the  streets,  and  the  Son  of  David 
brought  in  chains,  to  appear  before  the  son  of  Herod.  The 
eye  of  Christ  beholds  on  this  murderer  of  his  forerunner  the 
stains  of  the  best  blood  that  ever  flowed  in  the  veins  of  mere 
man.  Yet,  see,  instead  of  frowning  with  the  savage  air  of  the 
tyrant,  Herod  looks  complacently  on  Jesus,  glad  to  catch  a 
sight  of  the  man  of  whom  he  had  so  often  heard.  But  Jesus 
sees  through  all  these  fair  appearances,  and  views  them  but  as 
the  cunning  wiles  of  a  crafty  fox.  Yet  why  does  the  king  eye 
this  prisoner  so  curiously,  surveying  him  from  head  to  foot? 
Does  he  think  he  has  ever  seen  him  before  ?  Or  that  he  is 
exactly  like  some  one  that  he  has  seen  ?  Ah,  you  may  see  in 
Herod's  eyes  the  question,  "  Is  it  he?  There  is  certainly  the 
Baptist's  calm,  dignified  fearlessness  !  He  is  no  more  afraid  of 
me  than  John  was !  Nor  is  there  less  than  John's  severe  sanc- 
tity and  determined  opposition  to  evil.  Yet  there  is  some 
difference  :  this  surpasses  the  other.  Here  is  something  be- 
yond the  former  in  mystei'ious  reserve  and  awful  conscious- 
ness of  greatness.  Is  it  the  pride  of  ancient  blood,  the  remem- 
brance of  the  fallen  royalty  of  David  ? " 

The  first  surprise  and  curiosity  being  abated,  Herod  pro- 
ceeds to  question  Jesus  ;  not,  indeed,  about  great,  important 
truths,  tending  to  salvation  ;  but  on  vain  and  curious  points, 
interesting  only  to  the  sceptical  and  superstitious.  As  he  had 
pronounced  Jesus  to  be  John  risen  from  the  dead,  the  king 
may  have  said,  "  What  is  the  abode  of  man  after  death  ?  Does 
he  ever  return  to  this  world  again,  in  another  form,  and  under 
another  name  ?  Are  there  several  probations  for  man,  before 
he  is  fixed  in  his  final  state  ?     Art  thou  the  person  at  whose 


HEROD    INSULTING    OUR    LORD.  399 

birth  a  star  appeared  in  the  east  ?  Aud  who  were  those  ma- 
gians  that  behaved  so  ill  to  my  father  ?  By  what  secret  hast 
thou  wrought  these  wonders  that  I  have  heard  so  much  of? 
Canst  thou  communicate  that  art  to  others  t  Could  I  learn 
to  do  the  same  ? " 

But  "  he  hoped  to  see  some  miracle  done  by  Jesus,"  and 
therefore,  doubtless,  said  to  him,  "  Work  some  of  thy  wonders 
here.  Here  is  one  of  my  soldiers  that  has  been  wounded  in 
war,  restore  his  amputated  limb  ;  or  give  sight  to  that  blind 
man." 

It  is  pleasant  to  see  men  eagerly  inquiring  after  the  senti- 
ments and  doctrines  of  Christ.  Nor  is  it  less  interesting,  or 
delightful,  to  behold  them  pressing  to  witness  the  works  of 
Christ,  that  they  may  know  the  wonders  he  has  wrought. 
But  how  much  depends  on  motive  !  All  this  eager  inquiry  of 
Herod  terminated  only  in  disappointment. 

3.  The  Saviour  concealing  his  glory  from  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  is  the  next  object  of  notice. 

Jesus  gave  Herod  no  answer,  and  wrought  for  him  no 
miracle.  It  is  diflScult  to  speak  aright,  but  often  more  diffi- 
cult to  be  silent.  The  wise  man  is  frequently  known,  not  so 
much  by  what  he  says,  as  by  what  he  does  not  say.  With  the 
living  voice,  or  with  the  written  word,  Christ  gratifies  no  vain 
curiosity.  When  men  come  to  the  Bible,  with  what  the 
Scripture  emphatically  calls  "  itching  ears,"  they  find  it  dumb. 
And  how  often  do  they  throw  the  book  down  in  disgust,  be- 
cause it  will  not  tell  them  what  they  have  no  need  to  know  ; 
while  they  pass  over,  with  indifference,  the  abundant  informa- 
tion which  it  supplies,  "  to  make  them  wise  to  salvation  !" 

Yet,  what  dignified  superiority  to  all  the  grandeur  of  this 
world  our  Lord  displayed,  in  refusing  to  gratify  the  idle  curi- 
osity of  a  king  !  For,  how  few  are  there,  even  among  wise 
and  pious  ministers,  who  could  have  resisted  the  temptation  to 
show  their  knowledge,  or  their  learning,  or  their  eloquence, 
on  such  an  occasion,  vain  of  the  honour  of  preaching  before 
royalty !  God  had  already  sent  John  to  Herod,  who,  instead 
of  benefiting  by  the  greatest  prophet  ever  born  of  woman,  had 
killed  the  faithful  reprover ;  and,  therefore,  Jesus,  instead  of 


400  LECTURE    LXXXIV. 

the  little  vanity  and  selfishness  which  makes  ns  fond  of  out- 
shining- each  other,  displays  a  high  regard  for  this  faithful 
minister,  by  refusing  to  speak  one  word  to  his  murderer. 

For  a  similar  reason,  perhaps,  Christ  refused  to  work  any 
miracle  before  Herod.  Of  John  it  was  said,  "  he  did  no 
miracle."  Herod,  perhaps,  excused  himself  for  his  treatment 
of  the  holy  man,  by  saying,  as  some  now  do  ;  that  no  man 
ought  to  set  up  for  a  reformer  in  religion  and  reprove  his  su- 
periors, except  he  can  work  miracles  that  may  show  his  mis- 
sion to  be  divine:  as  if  the  word  of  God  were  not  a  sufficient 
guide  in  every  thing  that  concerns  religion.  But  to  all  the 
wishes  and  requests  of  Herod,  that  Christ  would  do  some 
wonders,  that  the  king  might  see  and  believe,  as  he  would 
say ;  but,  as  Christ  knew,  that  the  king  might  see,  and  stare, 
and  talk  about  them,  to  relieve  him  from  the  ennui  of  a  court; 
Jesus  refused  to  pay  the  slightest  regard.  He  had  already 
said  to  his  disciples,  "  Give  not  that  which  is  holy  to  dogs, 
neither  cast  your  pearls  before  swine."  Herod  had  shown 
himself  a  mere  blood-hound,  and  a  swine  that  wallowed  in  the 
mire  of  sin.  It  was,  therefore,  due  to  the  holy  dignity  of 
Christ's  doctrine,  that  it  should  not  be  uttered  to  amuse  such 
ears  ;  and  to  the  glory  of  his  miracles,  that  they  should  not  be 
made  a  gaze  to  such  eyes.  So  ends  the  expectation  of  Herod, 
in  fulfilling  the  words  of  Jesus,  "  Thou,  O  Father,  hast  hid- 
den these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed 
them  unto  babes.  None  of  the  princes  of  this  world  knew 
him,  for  had  they  known  him,  they  would  not  have  crucified 
the  Lord  of  glory."     Behold  at  length, 

II.  The  king's  treatment  of  the  Saviour. 

While  the  Saviour  stood  silent  and  inactive,  as  if  he  could 
neither  say  nor  do  any  thing ;  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  of 
the  Jewish  nation,  who  had  so  far  stooped  from  their  dignity, 
as  to  follow  him  in  the  capacity  of  informers,  seizing  the  op- 
portunity to  let  their  voices  be  heard,  "  stood,  and  vehemently 
accused  him."  Their  accusations  had  been  found  so  destitute 
of  proof,  that  Pilate  declared  he  saw  no  cause  of  death  in  the 
prisoner.  But  now,  instead  of  adducing  stronger  proofs,  they 
only  raised  louder  clamours.     Herod,  however,  seems  to  have 


HEROD    IMSULTING    OUR    LORD.  401 

seen  so  well  through  them,  as  to  be  but  little  moved  by  their 
outcries.  Yet,  conceiving  himself  despised  by  Jesus,  the  king 
so  far  gratified  them,  as  to  treat  with  contempt  the  fountain 
of  all  honour;  to  pour  ridicule  and  mockery  on  the  most  vene- 
rable head ;  and  dismiss  with  indifference  the  most  important 
personage  that  had  ever  come  before  him. 

Let  us  consider  the  contempt,  the  mockery,  the  dismissal. 

1.  The  contempt  poured  upon  the  Saviour. 

"  Herod,  with  his  men  of  war,  set  him  at  nought." 

Our  translators  have  happily  expressed  the  idea  of  the 
original  word,  which  signifies,  "  made  nothing  of  him,"  treated 
him  as  a  mere  nobody,  unworthy  of  any  consideration.  Be- 
cause Jesus  had  not  deigned  to  speak  one  word,  in  answer  to 
the  many  hard  questions  with  which  he  was  tried ;  nor  con- 
descended to  work  one  miracle  for  a  king,  after  having  la- 
vished thousands  upon  beggars ;  the  monarch,  incapable  of 
penetrating  the  true  reason,  foolishly  supposed  that  Christ 
knew  nothing,  and  could  do  nothing. 

"  Herod's  men  of  war,"  also,  are  mentioned,  as  active  agents, 
in  the  insults  poured  upon  the  Saviour's  head.  These  were 
not  only  the  soldiers,  who  usually  attended  the  king  as  his 
body  guard,  and  now  accompanied  him  under  the  pretence  of 
being  a  guard  of  honour ;  though  in  reality,  perhaps,  to  de- 
fend him  against  the  secret  schemes  of  Pilate,  whom  he  hated 
and  feared ;  but  the  courtiers  also,  and  chief  officers  of  the 
government.  A  military  attendance,  and  the  presence  of  his 
great  functionaries,  would,  no  doubt,  increase  the  pride  of  the 
king,  make  him  more  exquisitely  sensible  of  any  insult  which 
be  might  suspect  Jesus  of  intending  to  show  him,  and  inflame 
his  disposition  to  repay  contempt  with  contempt. 

This,  indeed,  is  one  among  the  many  dreadful  evils  that 
attend  the  military  spirit,  and  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of 
war ;  that  the  meekness,  and  gentleness,  and  forbearance  of 
our  religion,  are  trampled  under  feet  by  those  who  follow  the 
proud  chariots  of  Bellona  or  Mars.  An  air  of  haughty  de- 
fiance is  the  characteristic  mark  of  the  soldier ;  and  he  that 
has  arms  in  his  hands  is  ever  likely  to  judge  and  rule,  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  the  strongest  arm,  and  longest  sword.  For 
VOL.   II.  2   D 


402  LECTURE    LXXXIV. 

this  reason,  a  standing  army  is  so  far  from  preserving  a  state, 
that  it  exposes  it  to  far  more  danger  than  it  prevents ;  by  en- 
couraging that  spirit  of  encroachment,  and  injury,  and  insult, 
which  is  the  fruitful  source  of  the  wars  and  revolutions  that 
have  crushed  the  empires  of  the  earth.  They  that  live  by  the 
sword  are  always  in  danger  of  taking  to  the  sword,  and  they 
that  take  to  the  sword,  our  Lord  has  declared,  "  shall  perish 
by  the  sword." 

Can  we  wonder  that  these  men  of  war  should  despise  him 
who  was  "  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  who  would  not  break  a 
bruised  reed?"  To  a  haughty  king,  and  his  attendant  guards 
and  officers,  meekness  appeared  meanness;  patience,  weak- 
ness; silence,  foolishness;  and  inaction  on  a  splendid  occasion, 
proof  positive  of  incapacity  to  do  any  thing  that  should  make 
a  figure.  Yet  never  was  there  a  greater  display  of  power. 
This  forbearance  proved  a  control  over  omnipotence,  an 
ability  to  lay  restraint  on  that  arm  which  could  crush  a  world. 
This,  Moses  knew,  when  he  entreated  the  Almighty  to  show 
that  his  power  was  great,  by  pardoning  a  provoking  people 
that  lay  at  his  mei'cy.    We  must  now  endure  to  see, 

2.  The  mocker}'  thrown  upon  the  Saviour. 

"  They  mocked  him  and  arrayed  him  in  a  gorgeous  robe." 

The  particular  mockery  that  preceded  dressing  him  up  is 
not  specified  ;  but  we  may  conclude  that  the  pointing  finger, 
the  biting  sarcasm,  the  insulting  joke,  the  coarse  loud  laugh, 
pretending  to  ask  for  his  majesty's  commands,  jostling  Christ, 
hustling  him  about,  were  all  employed  to  degrade  the  "  Lord 
of  glory."  But  to  crown  all,  they  arrayed  or  dressed  him  up, 
in  what  we  call  a  "  gorgeous  robe."  What  that  robe  was  has 
been  disputed.  Some  have  thought  that  it  was  a  white  robe, 
a  species  of  muslin  dress,  m  hich  strongly  reflecting  the  light  is 
called  shining,  or  splendid  ;  while  others  think  it  was  scarlet, 
supposing  that  this  colour  is  most  brilliant,  and  would  be 
most  likely  to  be  called  splendid.  But  these  things  are  de- 
termined by  the  fashions  of  particular  countries.  In  China, 
yellow  is  the  imperial  colour  ;  in  Rome,  the  impei'ial  p\jr])Ie 
was  held  in  veneration ;  with  us,  scarlet  is  the  royal  colour  ; 
but,  in  the  countries  bordering  on  Palestine,  white  robes  were 


HEROD    INSULTING    OUR    LORD.  403 

worn  by  kings,  as  most  magnificent.  It  is,  therefore,  probable 
that  this  was  the  kind  of  garment  thrown  over  Jesus,  as  the 
mock  insignia  of  royalty,  intended  to  ridicule  his  supposed 
ambition  in  aspiring  to  the  throne  of  David.  Nothing  can 
be  a  greater  insult  to  a  person  than  to  dress  him  in  the  style 
of  a  character,  to  which  he  is  supposed  to  have  made  con- 
temptible pretensions.  It  was  to  express  the  last  contempt, 
that  the  boys  in  London,  on  the  fifth  of  November,  were  taught 
to  dress  up  a  figure  in  the  robes  and  tiara  of  the  Pope,  and 
then  burn  it,  in  token  of  his  practice  of  burning  supposed 
heretics. 

And  must  this  insult  be  put  upon  "  the  Lord  of  glory,  the 
King  of  kings,  the  blessed  and  only  potentate,  who  only  has 
immortality,"  who  shall  at  last  judge  the  rulers  of  the  world, 
and  send  them  away  to  their  eternal  doom?  Must  he  be 
dressed  up  in  an  old  gown,  once  indeed  a  royal  robe,  but  now 
worn  out,  tattered,  and  dirty;  as  if  such  was  the  royalty  of 
Jesus  ?  Yet  all  this  mockery  served  only  to  exalt  the  Sa- 
viour's glory,  to  magnify  that  love  to  us,  which  induced  him 
to  lay  aside  the  royalties  of  heaven,  and  be  treated  as  a  mock 
king;  though  at  his  feet  the  principalities  above  bow,  adoring. 
Here  triumphed  the  might  of  meekness;  for  he  that  is  master 
of  his  own  spirit  is  greater  than  he  that  taketh  a  strong  city ; 
and,  when  need  we  more  dominion  over  ourselves,  than  when 
our  true  rights  and  honours  are  turned  into  ridicule,  and  we 
are  made  the  sport  of  ignorant  and  wicked  men  ? 

3.  The  dismissal  of  the  Saviour. 

"  Herod  sent  Jesus  back  to  Pilate,  and  the  same  day  Herod 
and  Pilate  were  made  friends." 

The  pangs  and  alarms  that  Herod  had  felt  on  account  of  the 
death  of  John  the  Baptist,  had,  it  seems,  made  him  cautious 
of  imbruing  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  Jesus.  Doing  nothing, 
therefore,  that  intimated  a  wish  to  have  Jesus  put  out  of  the 
way,  lest  he  should  prove  a  dangerous  rival  to  the  house 
of  Herod,  and  restore  to  the  family  of  David  its  ancient 
sovereignty  over  Israel,  the  king  contented  himself  with  mere 
ridicule  and  scorn.  He  sent  Jesus  back,  all  the  way  through 
the  city,  in  a  mock  dress,  as  an  object  of  public  diversion. 

2  D  2 


404  LECTURE    LXXXIV. 

Ah  !  see  the  thoughtless,  guilty  multitude  run  to  their  doors,  or 
gaze  out  at  their  windows,  as  the  cavalcade  returns.  "  Here 
he  comes  !  here  he  comes  !"  they  cry.  "  Herod  has  sent  him 
back.  I  wonder  what  they  will  do  with  him  now  !"  While 
the  very  boys  and  girls  laugh  and  hoot,  and  the  words  of  the 
prophet  are  fulfilled  :  "  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men, 
a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief."  So  he  taught 
us  to  endure,  for  his  sake,  what  the  Apostle  most  significantly 
calls,  "  the  trial  of  cruel  mockings."  But  at  every  new  trial, 
the  innocence  of  Jesus  receives  fresh  proofs. 


405 


LECTURE    LXXXV. 

CHRIST    REJECTED,    SCOURGED,    AND    CONDEMNED   TO 
BE   CRUCIFIED. 

Matt,  xxvii.  15 — 30. 
Mark  xv,  6 — 19. 
*  Luke  xxiii.  13 — 25. 
John  xviii.  xix.  16. 

*  And  Pilate  gave  sentence,  that  it  should  be  as  they  required. 

Pain  and  shame  are  the  twin  daughters  of  siu.  For  as  sin  is 
committed  against  that  God  who  is  the  fountain  of  all  honour, 
and  the  source  of  all  bliss;  by  the  forfeiture  of  the  divine 
favour  our  honour  is  turned  into  the  shame  of  his  rejection, 
and  our  felicity  exchanged  for  the  misery  of  his  frown.  But 
on  that  Saviour  who  came  to  take  our  burden  and  bear  it 
away  in  his  own  body,  both  these  consequences  fell  with 
dreadful  force.  We  have,  therefore,  this  morning,  to  sum- 
mon, at  once  our  sympathy  and  our  fortitude;  to  see  our 
Saviour  inhumanly  disparaged  and  rejected,  cruelly  scourged 
and  mocked,  and  unjustly  condemned  to  the  gibbet. 

I.  Christ  disparaged  and  rejected. 

It  is  manifest,  that  Pilate  hoped  to  rid  himself  of  Jesus, 
by  sending  him  to  Herod.  When,  however,  that  prince  sent 
back  the  prisoner,  without  any  marks  of  vengeance,  treating 
him  rather  with  ridicule  than  seriousness;  it  became  necessary 
to  think  what  was  next  to  be  done.  Scourging  and  dismissing 
the  Saviour  were  then  thought  of.  While  proposing  this,  a 
theme  was  started  which  opened  a  new  way  of  escaping  from 
the  difficulty,  by  making  Jesus  the  person  to  be,  this  year, 
given  up  by  the  government,  in  compliment  to  the  people. 


406  LECTURE    LXXXA. 

Here,  then,  we  have  to  notice  the  efforts  of  the  governor,  of 
the  Jews,  and  of  the  governor's  wife. 

1.  The  efforts  of  Pilate  the  governor. 

When  Jesus  returned,  Pilate  summoned  the  chief  priests, 
and  rulers,  and  people ;  for  though  some  of  the  priests  came 
back  with  the  prisoner,  others  might  be  dispersed  to  their 
own  homes,  and  Pilate,  knowing  that  the  people  had  once  ad- 
mired Jesus,  chose  to  have  them  called  to  favour  the  design  of 
dismissing  him.  To  the  assembly  Pilate  may  be  said  to  have 
made  the  following  speech. 

"  Ye  have  brought  this  man  to  me,  as  one  that  perverts  the 
people,  on  whom  it  becomes  me,  as  the  guardian  of  the  public 
peace,  to  take  vengeance.  Yet,  when  I  examined  him  before 
you,  in  open  court,  though  your  scruples  prevented  your 
coming  into  it,  I  found  no  such  crimes  upon  the  man's  soul  as 
you  had  laid  to  his  charge.  Nor  was  this  my  opinion  alone ; 
for,  when  I  discovered  by  your  accusations  that  the  man  was 
a  Galilean,  and  had  commenced  in  Galilee  what  you  deem 
his  dangerous  practices,  I  embraced  the  opportunity  of  sending 
him  before  Herod,  his  own  king,  of  his  and  your  religion,  and 
now  see  the  result;  he  is  come  back,  and  not  only  is  not  put 
to  death,  but  nothing  that  can  be  interpreted  to  say,  '  worthy 
of  death,'  is  done  to  him.  He  comes  not  with  the  gibbet  or 
cross  upon  his  shoulder,  nor  with  the  halter  or  a  stone  about 
his  neck,  to  say,  that  he  deserves  to  be  executed;  but  with  a 
mock  robe,  as  if  it  were  ridiculous  to  think  that  this  could  be 
a  dangerous  rival  to  Csesar,  or  to  Herod.  Yet,  Herod,  being 
a  Jew,  must  be  best  acquainted  with  the  religious  charges  you 
may  bring  against  Jesus;  and,  being  a  king,  of  a  new  and 
rival  family,  must  be  supposed  sufficiently  awake  to  any  dan- 
ger, that  might  arise  from  the  promised  heir  to  the  throne  of 
David." 

Behold,  how  the  wrath  of  man  is  compelled  to  praise  God; 
and  how  the  contempt  thrown  upon  Christ,  by  sending  him 
backward  and  forward,  from  one  to  another,  contributed  to 
render  illustrious  his  innocence.  Tried  at  various  tribunals, 
by  men  of  all  various  characters,  the  only  result  was,  that 
those  who  might  have  been  expected  to  be  most  ready  to 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED    TO    BE    CRUCIFIED.  407 

condemn  him,  struggled  to  transfer  the  responsibility  from 
themselves  to  others,  neither  of  them  being  willing  to  contract 
the  guilt  of  his  blood. 

Pilate,  therefore,  now  avows  his  purpose  ;  "  I  will  chastise, 
or  scourge  Jesus,  and  release  him."  The  Romans  were  accus- 
tomed to  divide  their  punishments  between  flogging  and  be- 
heading. The  executioners  carried  before  the  consuls  the 
fasces  and  secures,  a  bundle  of  rods,  with  a  hatchet  in  the 
midst ;  to  intimate  that,  with  the  rods,  they  chastised  minor 
offences,  and,  with  the  hatchet,  decapitated  the  greater  delin- 
quents. Pilate,  therefore,  determined  to  acquit  Jesus  of  the 
capital  charge,  but  to  gratify  the  Jews,  by  scourging  the  object 
of  their  malice. 

But  why,  Pilate,  talk  of  chastising  him,  in  whom  thou  hast 
declared  there  is  no  fault  ?     Is  this  stern  Roman  virtue,  and 
even-handed  justice  ?     Pilate  would  apologize  to  his  own  con- 
science by  saying,  "  this  may  teach  Jesus  to  be  more  cautious 
in  future.    He  will  learn  to  avoid  those  actions,  and  discourses, 
which  have  drawn  upon  him  the  odium  of  a  reformer.     For, 
if  his  doctrines  should  be  true,  truth  is  not  to  be  spoken  at  all 
times  ;  and  if  people  will  not  receive  our  corrections  of  their 
errors  and  their  vices,  it  is  better  to  be  silent  than  to  make 
ourselves  the  scape-goat  for  the  public.     At  any  rate,  what 
I  propose  will  save  Jesus  from  something  worse  ;  and  he  had 
better  be  scourged  unjustly  than  be  unjustly  crucified."     The 
morality  and  policy  of  this  world  is  often  a  mere  compromise 
between  virtue  and  vice.     To  oppose  Pilate  were  roused, 
2.  The  efforts  of  the  Jews. 

"  Now  at  that  feast  he  released  unto  them  one  prisoner, 
whomsoever  they  desired.  And  there  was  one  named  Barab- 
bas,  which  lay  bound  with  them  that  had  made  insurrection 
with  him,  who  had  committed  murder  in  the  insurrection. 
And  the  multitude,  crying  aloud,  began  to  desire  Imn  to  do  as 
he  had  ever  done  unto  them.  But  Pilate  answered  them, 
saying.  Will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  the  King  of  the  Jews  ? 
(For  he  knew  that  the  chief  priests  had  delivered  him  for  envy.) 
But  the  chief  priests  moved  the  people  to  desire  that  he  should 
rather  release  Barabbas  unto  them.     And  Pilate  answered, 


408 


LECTURE    LXXXV. 


and  said  again  unto  them.  What  will  ye  then  that  I  shall  do 
unto  him  whom  ye  call  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  And  they  cried 
out  again,  Crucify  him.  Then  Pilate  said  unto  them,  Why, 
what  evil  hath  he  done  ?  And  they  cried  out  the  more  ex- 
ceedingly. Crucify  him.  And  so  Pilate,  willing  to  content  the 
people,  released  Barabbas  unto  them,anddelivered  Jesus,  when 
he  had  scourged  1dm,  to  be  crucified."* 

The  Romans  were  celebrated  for  the  policy,  and  of  course 
the  humanity,  with  which  they  ruled  the  conquered  countries. 
The  governors  deputed  by  them  were  charged  to  respect  the 
customs  of  each  state,  and  especially  to  respect  the  national 
religion.  The  Jewish  custom  here  mentioned  is  said  to  have 
been  introduced,  long  before  the  Roman  conquest  of  Judea, 
and  to  have  been  designed  to  celebrate  the  deliverance  of 
Israel  from  Pharaoh's  prison.  But  as  it  was  no  part  of  the 
original  institution  of  the  passover,  it  was,  like  most  other  ad- 
ditions to  God's  ordinances,  in  direct  violation  of  the  spirit  of 
their  religion,  which  forbade  them  to  acquit  the  guilty,  as  well 
as  to  condemn  the  innocent.  "  Thou  shalt  not  suffer  a  mur- 
derer to  live,"  was  God's  express  declaration.  One  stained 
with  blood  was  to  be  dragged  even  from  God's  altar,  whither 
he  might  have  fled  for  asylum,  and  to  be  put  to  death ;  "  that 
the  land  be  not  defiled  with  blood." 

There  are  two  views  of  the  affair  now  before  us.  One  sup- 
poses, that  Pilate  originated  the  proposal,  in  order  by  this 
means  to  dismiss  Jesus.  The  other  conceives  the  Jews  to  have 
been  first,  and  to  have  pleaded — that  the  altering  of  the  course 
of  justice  was  an  annual  favour  granted  to  the  people,  not  an 
indulgence  to  a  criminal — and  that,  as  Pilate  refused  to  exe- 
cute Jesus  for  a  criminal,  he  should,  at  any  rate,  do  as  he  had 
ever  done  at  the  feast,  gratify  the  people  with  their  request, 
which,  this  year,  was,  that  Jesus,  whether  guilty  or  innocent, 
should  be  executed.  This  view  of  the  subject  bears  dreadfully 
hard  upon  the  character  of  the  Jews ;  but  I  fear  that  it  is  the 
only  one  which  will  be  found  to  accord  with  the  inspired 
history. 

Pilate,  however,  chose  to  give  it  a  different  turn  ;  and  as 

*  Mark  XV.  (j— k». 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED    TO    BE    CRUCIFIED.  409 

they  asked  for  the  annual  indulgence,  he,  knowing  that  the 
envious  priests  were  the  prime  movers  in  this  affair,  offers  to 
the  people  Jesus  as  the  liberated  prisoner.  To  induce  them 
to  accept  this  offer,  he  gives  them  no  other  alternative,  than 
Barabbas,  a  vile  robber  and  cut- throat,  thinking  it  impossible 
they  should  wish  to  have  him,  instead  of  such  a  person  as 
Jesus.  It  might  naturally  have  been  expected,  that  the  terror 
of  a  notorious  robber,  and  the  horror  of  his  murders,  would 
create  such  alarm  at  the  thought  of  his  being  turned  loose  upon 
society  again,  that  they  would  be  glad  to  have  Jesus  at  liberty, 
rather  than  Barabbas.  But  Pilate  was  again  frustrated  in  his 
scheme.  For  the  chief  priests  mingled  among  the  crowd, 
whispering  in  their  ears,  "  ask  for  Barabbas ;"  and  they  voci- 
ferated, "  not  this  man,  but  Barabbas." 

The  governor,  now  vexed  and  embarrassed,  asked,  "  What 
then  shall  I  do  to  him,  whom  ye  call  the  King  of  the  Jews  1 " 
This  title  was  employed,  no  doubt,  to  sting  the  national  pride, 
and  pique  the  Jews  into  some  relaxation  of  their  malice.     But 
they  were  proof  against  every  thing,  and  therefore  exclaimed, 
"  Crucify  him,  crucify  him."     This  was  the  first  time  that  the 
exact  doom  of  Jesus  was  mentioned  ;  and  it  should  be  observed, 
that  though  crucifixion  was  not  a  Jewish,  but  a  Roman  punish- 
ment, the  proposal  to  sentence  Jesus  to  it  came  not  from  the 
Roman  governor,  but  from  the  Jewish  people.     By  the  most 
unlikely  means,  therefore,  the  prediction  of  Jesus,  concerning 
the  exact  kind  of  death  he  should  suffer,  was  fulfilled.     It  was 
also  by  a  most  remarkable  providence,  that  this  choice  should 
ever  have  been  proposed  to  the  world — that  the  best  and  the 
worst,  the  holiest  and  the  vilest  of  men,  should  have  been 
placed  in  the  balances  against  each  other ;  that  the  Saviour  of 
men  should  have  been  matched  against  a  murderer  of  men,  in 
a  grand,  solemn,  national  assembly;  and  that  the  world's  choice 
should  thus  have  been  put  upon  record,  *'  ye  desired  a  mur- 
derer to  be  granted  to  you,  and  killed  the  Prince  of  life." 

But  we  still  have  another  attempt  to  save  Christ's  life  wait- 
ing our  notice.     This  was 

3.  The  effort  of  the  governor's  wife. 

"  When  he  was  set  down  on  the  judgment  scat,  his  wife 


410  LECTURE    LXXXV. 

sent  unto  him,  saying.  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just 
man  ;  for  I  have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in  a  dream 
because  of  him."  * 

The  Saviour  being  apprehended  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
Pilate  was  called  up,  very  early  in  the  morning,  to  confirm  and 
execute  their  sentence,  leaving  his  wife  in  bed.  She  is  said 
to  have  "  suffered  many  things,"  not  last  night,  but  "  this  day," 
since  morning,  "  in  a  dream,  on  account  of  hiin,"  Divine 
Providence  seems  to  have  caused  the  future  consequences  of 
this  act  of  Pilate  to  pass  before  the  mind  of  his  wife ;  so  that 
we  may  know  the  dream  by  the  history  of  the  event.  She  saw 
her  husband,  after  unjustly  giving  up  to  death  one  whom  he 
had  pronounced  innocent,  degraded  to  a  private  station  ;  driven 
into  Gaul,  a  foreign  land ;  reduced  to  extreme  want,  and 
in  despair  draw  his  sword  to  stab  himself.  Knowing  that 
Pilate  was,  at  that  moment,  sitting  in  judgment  on  this  just 
man,  she  considered  this,  according  to  the  ideas  of  the  Komans, 
a  warning  from  the  gods,  to  avert  what  would  otherwise  be 
the  sad  reverse  of  the  fortunes  of  their  family.  She,  therefore, 
sent  a  message  to  her  husband,  which  was  heard  in  open  court; 
for  the  Evangelists  are  not  accustomed  to  record  any  thing 
but  the  known  history  of  the  affairs  of  which  they  take  cog- 
nizance. 

We  have  now  seen  Christ  infamously  disparaged  and  re- 
jected in  comparison  with  a  murderer.  The  next  object  of 
attention  is, 

II.  The  Saviour  scourged  and  mocked. 

For  Pilate,  vexed  to  find  that  he  could  not  prevail  on  the 
Jews  to  accept  of  the  liberation  of  Jesus,  now  determined  to 
give  him  up  to  be  scourged.  This  frequently  preceded  the 
capital  execution,  and  therefore  would  be  thought  preparatory 
to  it.  But  the  governor  still  hoped  it  might  be  the  means  of 
avoiding  the  cross,  by  working  upon  the  feelings  of  the  Jews. 
Here  two  things  occur  to  notice. 

1.  The  scourging. 

Though  it  was  common  to  scourge  criminals  at  the  foot  of 
die  cross,  or  at  least  on  the  way  to  it ;  as  Pilate's  design  was 
*  Matthew  xxvii.  19. 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED    TO    BE    CRUCIFIED.  411 

to  escape  the  necessity  of  proceeding  to  that  last  extremity,  he 
ordered  it  to  be  done  in  what  is  called  the  Prsetorium,  a  hall 
at  the  governor's  head  quarters,  equivalent  to  what  we  call  the 
guard-house.  There,  where  shields  were  hungup,  and  swords 
and  spears  were  piled  in  rows,  the  corps  on  duty  were  collected 
together,  about  a  hundred  in  number,  and,  according  to  the 
practice  of  that  day,  composed  of  various  nations.  The  four 
lictors,  having  received  Jesus  from  the  hands  of  Pilate,  push 
the  sacred  person  before  them,  after  their  rude  custom,  and 
enjoy  what  they  would  call  the  sport  of  flogging  the  King  of 
the  Jews.  Now,  see  them  running  together  from  the  barracks, 
pointing  with  the  finger  of  scorn  to  the  holy  sufferer,  and  ful- 
filling, unconsciously,  the  prediction  of  the  Psalmist,  "  dogs 
have  compassed  me  ;  the  assembly  of  the  wicked  have  enclosed 
me  !"  The  sons  of  violence,  accustomed  to  rule  by  the  sword, 
bring  to  the  place  of  arms,  where  instruments  of  death  glitter 
on  every  side,  the  Prince  of  peace,  who  brandished  no  sword 
but  that  of  the  Spirit,  and  fought  with  no  weapons  but  those 
of  truth  and  love.     An  army  against  an  unarmed  man  ! 

But,  while  the  Romans  collect  all  their  band,  the  Jews,  with 
superstitious  care,  keep  out  of  the  hall,  lest  they  should  con- 
tract defilement  and  be  unfit  to  keep  the  paschal  feast.  Yet 
who  can  doubt,  that  they  looked  in,  to  feast  their  eyes  with 
the  bloody  scene  of  the  retribution  given  to  Jesus,  for  all  the 
gracious  works  which  he  had  wrought  in  behalf  of  their  nation? 
Let  us  go  and  gaze,  like  Moses  at  "  the  bush  burning  with 
fire,  but  not  consumed :"  and  let  us  remember,  that  these  are 
the  stripes  by  which,  as  the  prophet  foretold,  we  should  be 
healed. 

They  first  stripped  the  Saviour,  which  they  were  accustomed 
to  do,  completely ;  though,  to  that  decency  and  humanity  which 
Christianity  has  introduced,  such  a  custom  seems  too  revolting 
to  be  true.  We  have,  however,  no  reason  to  conclude,  that 
they  would  abate  an  atom  of  their  usual  practice  in  order  to 
spare  Jesus.  When  our  first  parents  sinned,  their  eyes  were 
opened,  and  knowing  that  they  were  naked,  they  made  vain 
attempts  to  hide  their  shame.  Innocence  was  before,  their 
robe  of  glory,  so  that  they  were  not  ashamed  of  being  naked. 


412  LECTURE    LXXXV. 

With  sin  comes  sense  of  nakedness,  and  its  attendant  confu- 
sion of  face.  Christ,  though  "  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and 
separate  from  sinners,  was  made,  in  the  likeness  of  sinful 
flesh,"  to  suffer  the  shame  as  well  as  the  pain  that  sin  had 
brought  on  us  ;  and  no  mind  can  conceive  what  he  endured, 
when  the  fierce  troop  tore  off  his  garments,  and  exposed  his 
sacred  body,  not  only  to  their  cruel  whips,  but  to  that  which 
is  more  trying  to  a  modest,  delicate,  virtuous,  dignified  mind, 
the  insults  and  mockery  of  obscene  men.  But  he  came  to  re- 
store to  us  the  robe  of  righteousness,  of  which  our  infernal  foe 
had  stripped  us,  and  to  expiate  the  guilt,  both  of  fleshly  lust, 
and  of  pride  and  indecency  of  dress ;  and  to  accomplish  these 
objects,  there  was  nothing  he  would  refuse  to  suffer. 

But,  before  they  employed  the  whip,  the  Romans  were  ac- 
customed to  fasten  their  criminals  to  a  post ;  that  they  might 
not  escape,  or  move  about,  to  avoid  the  blows.  By  some 
writers,  a  particular  account  is  given  of  the  immense  size  of 
the  pillar  to  which  Jesus  was  bound ;  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  was  first  tied  with  his  face  to  the  pillar,  that  his  back 
might  be  scourged  ;  and  then,  with  his  back,  that  the  rest 
of  his  frame  might  be  covered  with  stripes.  Of  this,  how- 
ever, we  have  no  proof ;  and  we  know  that  Jesus  was  bound 
with  firmer  cords  than  theirs,  with  **  love,  which  is  stronger 
than  death." 

The  scourging  was  performed  in  two  different  ways ;  the 
one  milder,  the  other  more  severe.  But  as  this  was  designed 
to  glut  the  malice  of  the  Jews  ;  as  the  whole  band  of  soldiers 
was  collected  for  the  purpose ;  and  as  the  original  uses  the 
terms  that  signify  the  severer  instruments  ;  we  must  conclude 
that  Jesus  was  scourged  with  whips,  in  the  most  cruel  mode. 
Public  whipping  being  considered  so  degrading,  that  none  but 
persons  of  the  lowest  class  and  most  depraved  habits  are  ever 
exposed  to  it ;  is  it  not  agonizing  to  think  of  the  Lord  of  glory 
being  thus  put  to  open  shame  i  In  a  work  celebrated  among 
Roman  Catholics,  it  is  said,  that  the  body  of  Christ  was 
scourged  until  his  ribs  were  seen;  for  the  whips  brought  away 
pieces  of  flesh.  But,  without  recurring  to  any  such  pretended 
revelations,  we  may  reflect  that  this  punishment  was  not  in- 


CHRIST    CONDEMNKD    TO    RF.    CRUCIFIED.  413 

flicted  by  Jews,  who  were  forbidden  by  their  law  to  give  more 
than  forty  stripes,  or  to  do  it  so  severely  as  to  render  their 
brother  vile ;  but  by  Romans,  who  regeirded  this  as  a  species 
of  rack  or  torture,  to  extort  confession,  and  who  are  said,  by 
Ulpian,  one  of  their  writers  on  law,  to  have  sometimes  carried 
it  to  such  extremity,  that  the  person  scourged  sunk  under  the 
anguish.  They  used  to  fasten  pieces  of  iron  on  the  thongs  of 
the  whips,  which  tore  away  the  flesh  of  the  prisoner,  till  the 
spectators  were  horror  stricken,  to  see  the  very  entrails  and 
bones  laid  bare.  Pilate  allowed  them,  says  Augustine,  to 
drink  the  blood  of  Jesus  thus  fur  ;  that  they  might  thirst  for  it 
no  farther !  Jerom  remarks,  "  that  the  most  sacred  body  of 
our  God,  the  breast  that  contained  the  indwelling  Deity,  their 
scourges  tore.  He  who  loosed  the  bands  of  others  was  him- 
self bound  to  the  whipping-post,  that  he  who  healed  the 
wounds  of  others  might  be  made  all  one  wound  himself." 

Yet,  with  all  our  sense  of  indignity  put  upon  our  Lord,  he 
must  not  be  degraded,  or,  as  the  Jewish  language  expresses 
it,  "  made  vile  in  our  eyes,"  by  such  treatment.  "  Thus  it 
behoved  him  to  suffer,  that  the  Scriptures  might  be  fulfilled." 
"  The  plowers  plowed  upon  my  back  :  they  made  long  their 
furrows."*  "  The  Lord  God  hath  opened  my  ear,  and  I  was 
not  rebellious,  neither  turned  away  back.  I  gave  my  back  to 
the  smiters,  and  my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair : 
I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame  and  spitting."  "  The  chastise- 
ment of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes  we  are 
healed."  All  this  Jesus  foresaw,  foretold,  and  pressed  forward 
to  endure. -f- 

2.  The  mocking  of  the  Saviour  followed  the  scourging. 
This  is  the  third  time  we  have  been  called  to  endure  the  sight 
of  our  Lord  made  a  mockery.  To  do  this,  as  they  would  say, 
in  high  style,  they  dressed  up  Jesus  as  a  king ;  and  then  gave 
him  such  treatment  as  they  deemed  most  fit  to  ridicule  his 
pretensions. 

A  robe  was  thrown  over  him.  John  says,  that  they  threw 
around  him  a  purple  robe,  or  cloak ;  Matthew,  that  they  put 

*  Psalm  cxxix.  3.     Isaiah  I,  5,6;  liii.  5. 
t  Mark  x.  34.     Matt.  xx.  19.     Luke  xvi.  32,  33. 


414  LECTURE    LXXXV. 

on  him  a  scarlet  robe;  and  Mark,  that  they  clothed  him  with 
purple.  The  ancients  describe  colours  very  vaguely ;  and  all 
shades  of  red  are  expressed  by  the  same  term.  By  one  ex- 
pression we  are  led  to  think,  that  this  was  an  old  military  red 
cloak,  which  the  soldiers  employed  as  the  imperial  purple,  to 
mock  the  supposed  ambition  of  the  King  of  the  Jews.  This, 
perhaps,  served  at  once  to  relieve  their  eyes  of  the  sight  of 
the  bloody  body,  which,  in  some  measure,  spoiled  their  spnrt ; 
and  to  add  to  his  torture  by  a  woollen  garment  sticking  to  his 
flesh,  which  was  made  raw  with  scourging.  He  who  for  us 
had  laid  aside  his  robe  of  royalty  and  took  our  flesh,  was,  by 
us,  stripped  even  of  his  skin,  and  mocked  with  the  semblance 
of  a  royal  robe. 

A  crown  was  put  upon  him  too,  but  it  was  made  of  thorns. 
From  the  Greek  word,  acanthus,  employed  by  John,  it  has 
been  supposed  that  this  crown  was  made  of  the  slender 
branches  of  a  tree  of  that  name.*  But  Reland  thinks  that 
something  more  like  our  furze  was  intended.  The  design  was 
not  merely  to  mock  Jesus  ;  for  then  a  crown  of  straws  would 
have  suited ;  but  to  torment  him  by  piercing  his  brows  with 
prickles  ;  and  for  this  purpose  they  formed  either  a  wreath, 
or,  as  others  think,  a  kind  of  cap,  in  the  form  of  the  eastern 
diadem.  This  they,  no  doubt,  fastened  upon  the  Saviour's 
head,  in  a  rude  and  violent  way,  so  as  to  make  the  blood 
run  down  from  his  temples,  as  it  already  flowed  from  the  rest 
of  his  frame.  The  face  of  the  blessed  Redeemer  would  thus 
be,  in  their  view,  disfigured  and  rendered  ridiculous.  The 
Roman  emperors,  affecting  divinity,  caused  themselves  to  be 
represented  with  rays  of  glory  round  their  heads ;  but  these 
thorns  were  the  only  rays  they  gave  to  him,  who,  for  our 
sakes,  put  off"  the  crown  of  celestial  glory  and  bowed  his  head 
in  death.  Earth  had  been  cursed  with  thorns  and  briers,  for 
the  sin  of  him  that  dwelt  upon  it ;  but  now  he  that  came  to 
take  away  our  sins  wore  our  thorns.  This  should  remind  us 
of  the  sacred  song,  "  As  the  lily  among  thorns,  so  is  my  be- 
loved among  the  sons;"  and  never  should  his  brow  appear 
more  lovely  than  when  bleeding  with  these  thorns. 
*  Reland's  Palestine,  522,  3. 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED    TO    BE    CRUCIFIED.  415 

"  See  from  his  head,  his  hands,  his  feet, 
Sorrow  and  love  flow  mingled  down, 
Did  e'er  such  love  and  sorrow  meet? 
Or  thorns  compose  so  rich  a  crown?" 

A  sceptre  was  put  into  Christ's  hand,  but  that  sceptre  was 
a  reed.  Many  curious  things  are  said  by  the  ancient  classical 
writers  of  the  rod  or  staff  called  a  sceptre,  which  kings  used 
to  make  the  badge  of  their  royal  authority.  The  sceptre  was 
usually  of  lasting  materials,  ivory  or  gold,  and  studded  with 
gems ;  to  intimate  the  firmness  of  the  royal  power,  the  value 
of  the  government,  and  the  equity  of  its  rule.  The  Father 
says  to  Christ,  "  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever  and  ever; 
the  sceptre  of  thy  kingdom  is  a  right  or  straight  sceptre,"  to 
indicate  the  rectitude  of  his  administration.  Here,  however, 
they  put  a  reed  into  his  hand,  to  deride  the  frailty  of  his  em- 
pire ;  and  as  he  could  not  be  active  in  his  own  disgrace, 
though  he  was  utterly  passive  in  all  they  did  to  him  ;  he  suf- 
fered the  reed  to  drop  from  his  hands ;  and  they,  offended, 
took  it  up  and  smote  him  on  the  head  with  it.  This,  no  doubt, 
drove  the  thorns  into  his  temples,  and  raised  the  hideous  roar 
of  laughter  at  the  mock  king  of  the  Jews. 

Royal  homage  was  paid  to  Christ  in  derision.  "  They  bowed 
the  knee,  and  cried,  Hail,  king  of  the  Jews."  The  civil 
adoration,  as  it  is  called,  which,  among  the  Asiatics,  was  car- 
ried to  lengths  almost  amounting  to  divine  worship,  consisted 
of  bowing  the  head  to  the  ground,  and  crying,  "  Hail,  king, 
live  for  ever,"  which  was  equivalent  to  our  "  God  save  the 
king."  Our  first  parents  had  aspired  to  sovereignty  and 
deity,  to  be  as  gods  ;  and  Christ  now  expiated  that  sin,  by 
suffering  his  royalty  and  deity  to  be,  as  it  were,  torn  from 
him.  Though  he  has  a  "  name  above  every  name,  that  at  the 
name  of  Jesus  every  knee  must  bow,"  and  though  angels 
worship  him  at  heaven's  command ;  he  saw  the  rude  multi- 
tude kneeling  before  him,   only  to  make  sport  of  his  claim 

to  rule  : 

"  He  whom  adoring  angels  blest 
Is  made  the  impious  rebels'  jest." 

Yet,  after  all  this  scorn,  every  crowned  brow  that  ever  lifted 


416  LECTURE    LXXXV. 

itself  up  on  earth,  all  that  ever  wore  imperial  purple,  must 
pay  homage  before  this  thorn-crowned  head,  and  bow  to  his 
purple ! 

To  complete  the  insult  and  mockery,  they  spit  in  his  face. 
I  may  spare  your  feelings,  and  dismiss  you  from  attendance 
on  a  spectacle  too  distressing,  by  reminding  you,  that  nothing 
but  devotion  to  truth  could  have  induced  the  sacred  writers 
to  present  in  such  a  position  a  person  for  whom  they  claim  the 
homage  of  your  faith,  your  obedience,  and  your  life. 

We  are  arrived  at  last  to  behold, 

III.  The  Saviour  condemned  to  be  crucified.  For  when 
you  see  any  one  parleying  with  temptation,  you  may  expect 
him  to  close  with  the  commission  of  sin.  Pilate  had  main- 
tained a  long  struggle,  on  a  point  which  he  should  have  cut 
very  short.  Attempting  to  escape  by  political  manoeuvres, 
when  he  should  have  extricated  himself  by  a  bold  appeal  to 
eternal  justice,  we  have  to  behold  him  contracting  the  guilt 
of  Christ's  death,  though  vainly  attempting  to  assume  the  air 
of  innocence. 

1 .  The  Saviour  is  again  displayed  and  rejected. 

Then  went  out  Pilate  to  the  Jews,  saying,  "  Behold  I  bring 
him  forth  to  you,  that  you  may  know  that  I  find  no  fault  in 
him."  Even  after  the  scourging,  which  was  a  species  of  ex- 
amination to  extort  confession,  the  same  declaration  of  inno- 
cence is  made  by  the  judge.  Jesus  now  comes  forth,  wearing 
the  crown  of  thorns,  and  the  purple  robe,  which  Pilate  would 
doubtless  have  taken  off*,  but  that  he  hoped  they  would  mortify 
the  Jews,  and  induce  them  to  abandon  their  charges,  as  too 
ridiculous  to  be  maintained.  Pointing  to  him,  therefore,  as 
in  a  plight  ridiculous  and  wretched,  Pilate  said  to  them,  "  See 
the  man."  Look  what  a  miserable  object !  His  face  defiled 
with  spittle  which  he  was  not  allowed  to  wipe  off,  because  his 
hands  were  tied  ;  his  head  and  cheeks  swollen  with  the  blows 
the  soldiers  had  given  him ;  the  blood  flowing  down  his  face 
from  the  punctures  which  the  thorns  made  in  his  temples ;  his 
body  all  one  vast  wound  from  the  scourging ;  and  the  purple 
robe  sticking  to  his  flesh,  he  came  forth  to  face  a  whole  people, 
where  the  great  and  the  noble  joined  the  rude  mob. 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED    TO    BE    CRUCIFIED.  417 

But  as  soon  as  they  saw  him,  the  chief  priests  cried,  "  Cru- 
cify him,  crucify  him ;"  lest  the  people,  whom  they  ought  to 
have  taught  compassion,  should  be  melted  by  the  distressing 
sight,  and  induced  to  cry,  "It  is  enough,  now  spare  him.' 
Pilate  seems  to  have  been  disappointed  and  enraged,  at  their 
hardness  of  heart,  and  his  own  failure ;  and  therefore  says  to 
them,  in  a  pique,  "  Take  ye  him  and  crucify  him ;  for  I  find 
no  fault  in  him."  This,  however,  proclaims  not  only  Christ's 
innocence,  but  Pilate's  guilt.  What !  treat  thus  an  innocent 
man,  and  exhibit  him  in  a  state  which  might  move  a  heart 
of  stone ! 

2.  A  new  accusation  adduced  and  examined. 

Finding,  from  Pilate's  tone  and  manner,  that  he  was  deter- 
mined to  dismiss  their  first  charge  as  unsubstantiated,  the  Jews 
shift  their  ground,  abandon  the  accusation  of  sedition  or  trea- 
son, and  fly  to  that  of  blasphemy,  on  which  they  had  con 
demned  him  before  their  ecclesiastical  tribunal.  They  say, 
"  We  have  a  law,  (proud  of  that  given  on  Sinai,  which  they 
had  never  kept;)  by  this  law  he  ought  to  die,  because  he  made 
himself  the  Son  of  God."  There  was  a  general  law  against 
blasphemy.  This  they  charged  Christ  with  violating,  because 
he  made  himself  the  Son  of  God.* 

We  cannot  wonder,  that  when  Pilate  heard  this,  "  he  was 
the  more  afraid."  The  Romans  believed  that  there  often  ap- 
peared among  men  demi-gods,  who  were  the  ofi'spring  of 
parents,  the  one  human,  the  other  divine.  Pilate,  now,  per- 
haps, recollecting  his  wife's  dream,  was  afraid  of  incurring 
the  wrath  of  some  deity,  by  condemning  Jesus.  Again,  there- 
fore, the  governor  took  Jesus  into  the  hall  of  judgment,  and 
said  to  him,  "  Whence  art  thou?"  When  Paul  and  Barnabas 
wrought  a  miracle,  the  heathen  exclaimed,  "  The  gods  have 
come  down  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  men;"  and  Pilate  seems  to 
have  suspected  that  Jesus,  of  whose  miracles  he  must  have 
heard,  might  have  come  down  from  the  skies.  Jesus,  far 
from  being  flattered  with  this  question,  gave  no  answer.  He 
had  already  treated  Pilate  with  great  frankness,  and  given 
more  information  to  him  than  to  any  other  of  the  judges. 
'"  Lev.  xxiv.  IG. 

VOL.  II.  2  E 


418  LECTURE    LXXXV. 

Pilate  had  requited  it  with  such  treatment  as  rendered  him 
unworthy  of  any  further  consideration.  He  was  nettled  by 
this  silence,  and  feeling  himself  sunken  in  Christ's  esteem, 
began  to  bluster  and  to  make  a  boast  of  his  authority. 
*'  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me?  knowest  thou  not  that  I  have 
authority  to  crucify  thee  or  release  thee  ? "  Vain  boast  of 
authority !  which  an  upright  man  would  not  consider  as  af- 
fording right  to  do  any  thing  but  what  justice  demands ! 
Little  did  this  vapouring  judge  know  how  much  more  au- 
thority resided  in  the  prisoner,  and  how  far  he  was  from  being 
anxious  for  release.  But  of  this  Jesus  deemed  it  right  to 
give  Pilate  some  hint.  "  Thou  couldst  have  no  authority  at 
all  over  me,  by  any  thing  I  have  done,  to  forfeit  either  life  or 
liberty.  It  is  indeed  permitted  to  thee  from  above,  to  treat 
me  as  thou  pleasest ;  but  as  God's  suffering  crimes  to  be  per- 
petrated diminishes  not  the  guilt  of  the  perpetrator,  so  he 
that  delivered  me  up  to  thee,  when  I  had  committed  no  crime 
to  deserve  it,  has  greater  guilt  than  thou  hast,  who  yet  art 
not  innocent  in  treating  me  thus."     See, 

3.  A  fresh  attempt  to  release  Christ  frustrated. 

Pilate  was  now  more  determined  than  ever  to  let  Jesus  go. 
But  the  Jews,  seeing  that  their  new  charge  of  blasphemy 
operated  in  a  way  contrary  to  their  design,  fled  to  another 
artifice  and  sought  to  intimidate  the  governor,  by  saying,  "  If 
thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend.  Whosoever 
makes  himself  a  king,  speaks  against  Caesar."  This  finally 
turned  the  scale  against  Jesus  and  justice,  and  in  favour  of 
malice  and  blood.  Pilate  had  already  put  himself  in  the 
power  of  the  Jews,  by  committing  crimes,  for  which  they 
might  accuse  him  to  Tiberius,  the  Roman  emperor,  whom 
Suetonius  has  described  as  a  dark,  suspicious  tyrant.  The 
governor,  therefore,  dreading  an  appeal  to  Caesar,  gave  Christ 
up  to  the  Jews,  bound  hand  and  foot.  All  that  followed  was 
a  mere  appearance  of  resistance  to  their  will,  the  struggles  of 
a  giant,  who  wished  to  appear  to  die  stoutly.  He  came,  there- 
fore, and  placed  his  tribunal  on  the  beautifully  tesselated  court 
called  the  pavement,  in  the  view  of  the  whole  multitude,  and 
pointing  to  Jesus,  who  stood   in  mock  royalty,  said,  "  Behold 


CHRIST    CONDEMNED    TO    BE    CRUCIFIED.  419 

your  King."  To  which  they  replied,  "  Away  with  him,  cru- 
cify him."  To  mortify  them  farther,  Pilate  asked,  "  What ! 
shall  I  crucify  your  King?"  They,  driven  to  fury,  exclaimed, 
"  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar."  Nothing  was  farther  from 
their  hearts  than  to  prefer  the  rule  of  Csesar  to  any  other 
government.  They  were  prone  to  sedition,  and  by  their  mad 
attempts  to  shake  off  the  Roman  yoke,  they  brought  their 
nation  to  ruin.  But  the  true  meaning  of  this  cry,  was,  "  any 
king  but  Jesus."  To  Csesar,  therefore,  they  were  left,  and 
oh  !  if  you  could  know  what  they  suffered  from  him,  how 
strongly  would  you  feel  the  truth  of  Jehovah's  words  :  "  Ne- 
vertheless they  shall  be  his  servants ;  that  they  may  know  my 
service,  and  the  service  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  countries."  * 
Behold  at  last, 

4.  A  vain  attempt  of  the  judge  who  condemned  Christ,  to 
prove  himself  innocent. 

When  a  murder  was  committed  in  Israel,  and  the  guilty 
person  could  not  be  detected,  God  ordained,  that  "  the  elders 
of  that  city,  that  are  next  unto  the  slain  man,  shall  wash  their 
hands  over  a  heifer  that  is  beheaded  in  the  valley ;  and  they 
shall  answer  and  say,  our  hands  have  not  shed  this  blood, 
neither  have  our  eyes  seen  it.  Be  merciful,  O  Lord,  unto 
thy  people  Israel,  whom  thou  hast  redeemed,  and  lay  not  in- 
nocent blood  unto  thy  people  of  Israel's  charge.  And  the 
blood  shall  be  forgiven  them."t 

It  is  not  certain,  that  Pilate  knew  of  this  rite,  but  as  it 
was  very  natural  and  significant,  he  seems  to  have  imitated  it. 
For  he  called  for  water,  and  washed  his  hands,  before  them 
all,  saying,  "  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  just  person; 
see  ye  to  it."  At  once,  he  condemns  Christ,  and  acquits  him : 
he  acquits  him  verbally,  and  condemns  him  actually ;  giving 
sentence  that  it  should  be  as  the  enemies  demanded,  and  in- 
timating that  his  blood  should  be  shed ;  though  it  is  owned  that 
he  is  just,  and  that  his  blood  would  defile  the  hands  that 
shed  it. 

But  see  how  all  concerned  struggle,  first  or  last,  to  rid 
themselves  of  the  guilt  of  this  blood.  Pilate  washes  his  hands 
*  2  Chron.  xii.  8.  f  Deut.  xxi.  6—8. 

2  F,  2 


420  LECTURE    LXXXV. 

of  it ;  Judas  says,  "  I  have  sinned,  in  that  I  have  betrayed 
innocent  blood;"  and  the  very  priests  said,  shortly  after,  to  the 
Apostles,  "  ye  seek  to  bring  this  man's  blood  upon  us."  The 
priests,  the  ministers  of  religion,  however,  less  scrupulous 
about  blood  than  the  Roman  soldier,  now  gratuitously  take 
all  the  guilt  of  it  upon  themselves,   saying,  "  his  blood  be 

upon  us  and  our  children."     Heaven  heard  it,  and but  I 

will  not  seem  to  insult  over  an  ancient,  sacred,  long  fallen, 
widely  scattered  people,  which  for  many  reasons  I  venerate, 
but  chiefly,  because  "of  them,  as  concerning  the  flesh,  Christ 
came,  who  is  over  all,  God  blessed  for  ever." 

Then  Pilate  released  Barabbas  to  them,  but  delivered  up 
Jesus  to  their  will,  to  be  crucified.  See  the  fierce  murderer 
exult  in  his  escape,  and  still  more  in  being  preferred  to  Jesus; 
and  see  the  multitude  triumph  in  having  obtained  their  will, 
having  rid  themselves  of  Jesus,  and  gained,  oh  !  precious 
acquisition,  Barabbas  !  Ah,  miserable  men  !  henceforth  you 
will  have  enough  of  robbers  and  murderers ;  but  no  more 
Jesus  ! 


421 


LECTURE  LXXXVI. 

THE    SUICIDE    OF    JUDAS. 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  3 — 10. 
Acts  i.  18 — 20. 

*  Then  Judas,  which  had  betrayed  him,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  condemned, 
repented  himself,  and  brought  again  tlie  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 

As  the  cross  of  Christ  is  the  grand  centre  of  all  the  works 
of  the  moral  governor  of  the  world,  he  has  made  to  meet 
there  every  moral  lesson  that  can  instruct  the  understanding, 
awaken  the  conscience,  or  affect  the  heart. 

The  Saviour  himself  supplies  the  lessons  of  holiness  and 
benevolence,  displaying  all  the  glory  of  devotion  to  the  rights 
of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  man. 

The  beloved  disciple,  John,  standing  by  the  cross,  exhibits 
the  force  of  tender,  humble,  ardent  attachment  to  him  that 
made  himself  a  sacrifice  of  love  to  us. 

Peter  has  shown  us  how  frail  and  fallible  is  even  a  sincere 
affection  for  the  Saviour,  when  left  to  itself;  though  exposed 
to  trials,  far  inferior  to  those  which  that  Saviour  bore  for  us, 
who  are  so  much  less  worthy  to  be  loved. 

The  Jews  have  betrayed  all  the  odiousness  and  horrors  of 
a  wilful  opposition  to  the  cross,  which  is  Israel's  only  hope. 
They  are  now  displaying  the  long  and  dreary  consequences  of 
rejecting  a  well  attested  Redeemer. 

In  Judas,  we  have,  this  day,  to  see  the  guilt  and  wretched- 
ness of  an  hypocritical  pretence  to  attachment  for  Christ,  and 
the  awful  end  of  apostasy  from  that  cause,  which  we  cannot 
betray  but  at  the  price  of  our  own  blood. 

The  Evangelists  describe  the  change  and  the  end. 


422  LECTURE    LXXXVI. 

I.  The  change  in  Judas. 

Of  this  change  we  should  carefully  inquire  into  the  means, 
the  nature,  the  evidence,  and  the  effects. 

1.  What  were  the  means  ? 

The  condemnation  of  Christ.  "Then  Judas,  who  had  be- 
trayed him,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  condemned,  repented 
himself."  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  introduce  the  narrative, 
after  Christ's  complete  condemnation ;  though  some  suppose, 
from  the  order  in  which  Matthew  brings  forward  this  affair, 
that  the  repentance  of  Judas  followed  immediately  upon  the 
sentence  of  death  passed  by  the  ecclesiastical  tribunal.  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  order  of  the  events,  we  have,  by  the 
method  I  have  adopted,  been  permitted  to  trace,  without  in- 
terruption, the  history  of  our  Lord's  trial;  if  that  name  ought 
to  be  conceded  to  a  process,  where  not  investigation,  but 
condemnation,  was,  from  the  first,  intended. 

As  Judas  is  said  to  repent,  as  soon  as  he  saw  Christ  con- 
demned, it  has  been  inferred  that  the  traitor  never  anticipated 
such  a  termination  of  the  affair,  but  hoped  that  Christ  would 
exert  his  miraculous  power,  as  before,  and  escape;  so  that 
Judas  would  gain  the  money,  and  Jesus  would  save  his  life. 
Such  double  dealing  was,  indeed,  worthy  of  the  traitor ;  but 
small  is  the  proof  of  the  fact,  from  the  mere  circumstance, 
that  he  began  to  repent  as  soon  as  he  saw  Christ  condemned. 
It  is  not  uncommon  for  the  sinner  to  be  seized  with  sudden 
pangs,  and  turned  about,  in  the  midst  of  his  guilty  course, 
even  though  all  things  have  succeeded  exactly  according  to 
his  expectation.  For,  as  distant  objects  look  fair;  it  is  one 
thing  to  contemplate  crime  at  a  distance,  and  quite  another 
to  see  it  bearding  us  in  all  its  naked  horrors,  reeking  hot  from 
the  foul  commission. 

If  Judas  had  buoyed  himself  up,  with  the  hope  that  Jesus 
would  deliver  himself  from  death,  after  he  was  betrayed  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy,  the  traitor  might  still  have  swum  on 
the  same  surface,  upheld  by  the  same  floats.  He  had  seen 
enough  to  convince  him,  that,  even  after  the  condemnation, 
not  only  by  the  ecclesiastical  tribunal,  but  also  by  Pilate,  who 


THE    SUICIDE    OF    JUDAS.  423 

had  exhibited  Jesus  covered  with  blood,  and  with  scorn,  he 
could  have  delivered  himself. 

But,  however,  unsupported  is  the  inference,  the  fact  must 
not  be  forgotten,  that  as  soon  as  Judas  saw  the  condemnation, 
he  repented.     Just  so,  the  murderer,  who  has  most  delibe- 
rately planned  the  death  of  his  victim,  no  sooner  has  accom- 
plished  the  deed,  exactly  according  to  his  own  scheme,  and 
sees  the  bloody  corpse  lying  before  him,  than  he  feels  all  his 
mind  altered ;  and  would  give  the  world  to  restore  that  life 
which  he  has  irretrievably  taken  away.     He  never  thought 
murder  could   be  such  a  thing  as  he  now  sees  it  to  be.     Just 
so,  Amnon  had  scarcely  perpetrated  the  incest  which  he  cool- 
ly contrived,  ere  he  felt  such  a  detestation  of  the  object,  that 
he  could  keep  no  terms  with  the  innocent  and  much-injured 
sister,  but  must  expose  her  to  public  infamy,  and  himself  to  an 
ignominious  death.     He  knew  not  the  horrors  of  incest,  till  he 
had  committed  the  crime.     Judas,  therefore,  as  soon  as  he 
saw  his  treason  complete,  and  his  victim  condemned,  started 
with  horror  at  the  work  of  his  own  hands. 
2.  What  was  the  nature  of  his  repentance  ? 
There  are  two  different  words  in  the  original,  which  are 
both  rendered  repentance  by  our  translation  ;  though  one  of 
them  rather  signifies  a  change  of  views,  as  to  the  evil  of  sin ; 
and  the  other  a  change   of  feeling,  or  vexation,  at  the  con- 
sequence of  sin.     It  is  the  latter  term  which  is  employed  by 
the   Evangelist   in   the  present  case;    though  upon  this  we 
should  not  lay  great  stress,  since  the  distinction  between  the 
terms  is  not  always  maintained  with  the  utmost  exactness. 
There  was,  indeed,  a  change  of  mind  in  Judas ;  as  there  must 
be  in  every  one  who   feels  anguish  at  having  committed  the 
very  crime,  which  he  just  now  tried  hard  to  perpetrate.     In 
this  respect,  the  worst  species  of  repentance  which  an  un- 
regenerate  sinner  ever  felt ;  and  even  that  which  devils  and 
lost   souls  feel  in  hell,  will  have  some  resemblance  to    that 
which  true  penitents  experience,  when  most  entirely  under 
the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  grace.    Yet,  that  there  is  a  grand 
and  essential  difference  between  the  repentance  of  some  men, 
and  that  of  others,  cannot  be  denied.     The  Scriptures  speak 


424  LECTURE    LXXXVI. 

of  "a  repentance  unto  life,  not  to  be  repented  of;"  of  "  a 
godly  sorrow,  that  worketh  such  repentance ;"  and  of  "  a  sorrow 
of  the  world  that  worketh  death." 

The  repentance  of  Judas  was,  unhappily,  of  the  latter  sort. 
It  manifestly  produced  death  in  one  sense ;  and  it  is  too  plain 
to  admit  of  a  reasonable  doubt,  that  it  ended  in  eternal  death. 
"  Judas  by  transgression  fell,  that  he  might  go  to  his  own 
place."  "  It  had  been  good  for  that  man,"  said  his  much  injured 
Lord,  "  if  he  had  never  been  born."  "  Let  his  days  be  few, 
and  let  another  take  his  office,"  says  one  Psalm  ;  "  Let  death 
seize  upon  them,  and  let  them  go  down  quick  into  hell,"*  says 
a  second.  In  this  unhappy  man,  we  see  the  full  import  of  the 
terribly  graphic  description  given  long  before. 

"  That  the  triumphing  of  the  wicked  is  short,  and  the  joy 
of  the  hypocrite  but  for  a  moment.  Though  his  excellency 
mount  up  to  the  heavens,  and  his  head  reach  unto  the  clouds ; 
yet  he  shall  perish  for  ever  like  his  own  dung :  they  which 
have  seen  him  shall  say,  Where  is  he  ?  He  shall  fly  away  as 
a  dream,  and  shall  not  be  found  :  yea,  he  shall  be  chased  away 
as  a  vision  of  the  night.  The  eye  also  which  saw  him  shall 
see  him  no  more ;  neither  shall  his  place  any  more  behold  him. 
His  children  shall  seek  to  please  the  poor,  and  his  hands  shall 
restore  their  goods.  His  bones  are  full  of  the  sin  of  his  youth, 
which  shall  lie  down  with  him  in" the  dust.  Though  wicked- 
ness be  sweet  in  his  mouth,  though  he  hide  it  under  his  tongue; 
though  he  spare  it,  and  forsake  it  not ;  but  keep  it  still  within 
his  mouth  :  yet  his  meat  in  his  bowels  is  turned,  it  is  the  gall 
of  asps  within  him.  He  hath  swallowed  down  riches,  and  he 
shall  vomit  them  up  again  :  God  shall  cast  them  out  of  his 
belly.  He  shall  suck  the  poison  of  asps :  the  viper's  tongue 
shall  slay  him.  He  shall  not  see  the  rivers,  the  floods,  the 
brooks  of  honey  and  butter.  That  which  he  laboured  for  shall 
he  restore,  and  shall  not  swallow  it  down :  according  to  his 
substance  shall  the  restitution  be,  and  he  shall  not  rejoice 
therein.  Because  he  hath  oppressed,  and  hath  forsaken  the 
poor  ;  because  he  hath  violently  taken  away  an  house  which  he 
biiildod  not ;  surely  he  shall  not  feel  quietness  in  his  belly,  he 

*  Psalm  Iv.  12—15. 


THE    SUICIDE    OF    JUDAS.  425 

shall  not  save  of  that  which  he  desired.  There  shall  none  of 
his  meat  be  left ;  therefore  shall  no  man  look  for  his  goods. 
In  the  fulness  of  his  sufficiency  he  shall  be  in  straits  :  every 
hand  of  the  wicked  shall  come  upon  him.  When  he  is  about 
to  fill  his  belly,  God  shall  cast  the  fury  of  his  wrath  upon  him, 
and  shall  rain  it  upon  him  while  he  is  eating.  He  shall  flee 
from  the  iron  weapon,  and  the  bow  of  steel  shall  strike  him 
through.  It  is  drawn,  and  cometh  out  of  the  body ;  yea,  the 
glittering  sword  cometh  out  of  his  gall :  terrors  are  upon  him. 
All  darkness  shall  be  hid  in  his  secret  places  :  a  fire  not  blown 
shall  consume  him ;  it  shall  go  ill  with  him  that  is  left  in  his 
tabernacle.  The  heaven  shall  reveal  his  iniquity  ;  and  the 
earth  shall  rise  up  against  him.  The  increase  of  his  house 
shall  depart,  and  his  goods  shall  flow  away  in  the  day  of  his 
wrath.  This  is  the  portion  of  a  wicked  man  from  God,  and 
the  heritage  appointed  unto  him  by  God."* 

3.  What  were  the  evidences  of  this  repentance  ? 
They  were  such  as  seem  designed  to  show,  how  far  that 
which  is  fearfully  wrong,  may  wear  the  external  appearance 
of  what  is  divinely  right.  In  his  fair  profession,  he  was  ap- 
parently unsuspected  ;  and,  in  his  last  anguish,  he  seems  almost 
to  have  obeyed  the  divine  command,  "  Bring  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance."  For  what  are  those  fruits  ?  Two  of 
the  most  considerable  are  restitution  and  confession,  and  both 
these  Judas  produced. 
Restitution. 

"  Judas  brought  again  the  thirty  pieces  to  the  chief  priests 
and  elders."  When  Zaccheus  appealed  to  the  Lord,  as  witness 
of  his  sincere  repentance,  he  said,  "  If  I  have  wronged  any 
man,  I  restore  him  four-fold."  Now  we  behold  Judas  bring- 
ing back  the  money  which  he  received  for  betraying  our  Lord ; 
though,  from  indubitable  evidence,  we  have  learned,  that  the 
love  of  money  was,  with  him,  the  "  root  of  all  evil."  But, 
when  he  began  to  open  his  eyes  to  the  horrors  of  his  crime, 
his  first  step  was  to  carry  that  back  which  had  urged  him  for- 
ward. 

We  are  not  particularly  informed  when,  or  where,  or  how, 

*  Job  XX.  5—29. 


^6  LECTURE    LXXXVl. 

he  received  the  money  for  which  he  had  agreed.  It  is  now 
put  out  of  doubt,  that  it  had  been  paid  him.  He  that  had 
said,  *'  What  will  you  give  me?"  no  sooner  saw  the  victim  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy,  than  he  cried,  "  Now  pay  me  !"  It 
is,  indeed,  most  shocking  to  think,  that  the  mere  hope  of  money, 
should  have  induced  the  imhappy  man  to  deal  treacherously 
with  such  a  friend  as  Jesus.  But  he  who  could  find  fault  with 
the  affection  shown  to  Jesus  by  a  pious  woman,  and  pretend 
solicitude  for  the  poor,  only  that  he  might  handle  the  alms, 
was  a  fit  instrument  for  the  foulest  deeds.  Nor  is  this  so  out 
of  the  way  of  ordinary  affairs  as  to  become  improbable  ;  for 
the  history  of  the  world  shows,  that  there  is  nothing  too  foul 
and  base  for  the  hope  of  getting  at  money  to  instigate.  Yet, 
scarcely  was  the  silver  warm  in  his  hands,  ere  it  began  to  burn 
them,  to  sting  like  a  viper,  and  compel  him  to  hasten  away,  to 
get  rid  of  that  which  was  pouring  its  fiery  venom  into  his  blood. 
He  hastened  to  the  temple,  to  the  priests,  and  threw  down  the 
thirty  pieces  of  silver,  as  Paul  shook  off  the  viper  from  his 
hand. 

Confession  was  another  effect  of  the  repentance  of  Judas. 

He  said,  "  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the  inno- 
cent blood."  I  have  sinned,  is  a  short  speech,  soon  uttered ; 
but  it  implies  tremendous  consequences,  of  which  eternity  may 
never  see  the  end.  For  what  is  it  to  have  sinned  i  To  have 
transgressed  the  most  holy  law  of  God  ;  wounded  our  own 
souls  with  a  deadly  stab  ;  provoked  that  wrath  of  heaven  that 
burns  more  fiercely  than  the  fire  of  hell ;  dragged  down  upon 
our  heads  present  and  eternal  penalties ;  sold  ourselves  into 
the  hands  of  our  destroyer  ;  and  flung  away  from  us  spiritual 
and  eternal  bliss.  Somewhat  of  this  Judas  felt  when  he  con- 
fessed, "  I  have  sinned."  He  knew  that  the  life  of  Jesus, 
which  is  emphatically  called  his  blood,  was  the  object  at  which 
his  enemies  aimed  ;  and,  stung  with  remorse  at  having  given 
up  that  precious  life,  for  the  vile  recompense  of  filthy  lucre, 
he  brought  back  the  money,  owning  that  the  blood  was  inno- 
cent, and  deserved  not  to  be  shed. 

Here,  again,  Providence  took  care  of  the  reputation  of 
Jesus ;  that,  though  treated  as  the  vilest  criminal,  he  should 


THE    SUICIDE    OF    JUDAS.  ^SSl 

be  owned  absolutely  innocent.  Even  the  traitor,  who  might 
be  expected  to  calumniate  the  victim,  in  order  to  justify  the 
treason,  became  himself  the  herald,  who  proclaimed  that  Jesus 
died,  for  crimes  not  his  own. 

This  witness,  added  to  those  who  had  already  declared  Jesus 
innocent,  was  very  remarkable.  We  here  see  that,  though 
conscience  may,  by  false  reasonings,  or  depraved  passions,  be 
for  a  time  silenced,  or  even  stunned  ;  it  will  again,  sooner  or 
later,  wake  up,  and  be  like  a  giant,  fresher  for  repose.  Before, 
the  covetous  heart  said,  "  Thirty  pieces  of  silver  !  thirty  pieces ! 
it  will  be  a  very  pretty  thing !  Pity  to  lose  it ! "  But  now, 
conscience  wakes  up,  and  will  not  let  him  keep  it.  At  first, 
he  said,  "  Nobody  needs  know  it."  At  last,  he  tells  all  the 
world  of  it,  and  cries,  "  I  have  sinned ;  here,  take  back  your 
money.  I  dare  not  have  it."  The  object,  once  so  fair,  now 
looks  as  ugly  as  sin.  What  formerly  warmed  his  imagination, 
at  last  disturbs  his  conscience,  and  makes  him  start  to  hear, 
from  within,  from  his  own  bosom,  the  tremendous  sound — 
blood  !  innocent  blood  ! 

Previously  to  this  confession  of  Judas,  the  high  priest  might 
have  pretended  to  think  Jesus  guilty,  since  his  own  disciple, 
who  must  have  known  him  best,  bad  given  him  up.  But,  now 
that  this  same  disciple  comes,  and  owns,  that  it  was  he  who 
was  guilty,  in  betraying  the  blood  that  was  innocent ;  and  when 
the  sincerity  of  tbat  confession  was  proved,  by  the  covetous 
man  saying,  "  Take  your  money  back,  and  give  me  my  Master 
back  ;"  what  can  the  enemies  do  but  own  themselves  mistaken, 
like  Judas,  and  like  him  retrace  their  steps  ?  But  did  they  I 
Let  us  inquire, 

4.    What   were   the   consequences   of  the  repentance   of 

Judas  ? 

The  priests  receive  his  confession  with  scorn. 

"  What  is  that  to  us  ?  see  thou  to  that."  What  is 
that  to  us,  reverend  ministers  of  the  altar !  Did  you  not 
give  the  money  to  buy  the  blood?  Are  you  not  the  per- 
sons who  have  condemned  it  to  be  shed?  Are  not  you 
the  only  men  who  can  now  rescue  it  from  the  executioner's 


428  LECTURE    LXXXVI. 

hands  i  How  can  Judas  see  to  it  now  ?  He  has  done  all 
he  can,  by  owning  his  crime,  the  victim's  innocence,  and 
the  horror  he  has  of  the  blood-money.  It  is  you  that  must 
now  see  to  it,  that  the  victim  so  unjustly  condemned  shall 
not  die. 

Such,  however,  is  the  power  of  sin  to  harden  the  heart  and 
**  sear  the  conscience,  as  with  a  hot  iron,"  that  these  men 
pretend,  that  they  have  nothing  to  do  in  a  business,  in  which 
they  were  the  only  real  actors.  If  a  traitor  sold  Jesus,  it  was 
because  a  high  priest  was  found  to  buy  him.  If  Judas  sinned, 
he  repented,  and  came  in  time,  and  brought  back  the  money, 
that  the  goods  might  be  given  back.  But  they  still  go  im- 
penitently  on  ;  they  take  the  money  back,  indeed,  but  keep 
the  property ;  pressing  to  the  execution,  with  the  confession 
of  Judas  ringing  in  their  ears. 

The  Syriac  renders  the  answer  of  the  priests  thus ;  "  you 
know,"  i.  e.,  you  know  best,  whether  you  have  sinned  be- 
cause he  was  innocent.  But  if  he  must  have  the  best  in- 
formation, they  ought  to  take  his  confession,  and  dismiss 
the  innocent  prisoner.  But  no  ;  they  send  away  the  un- 
happy traitor,  without  consolation  and  without  hope  of  being 
able,  though  Jesus  was  not  yet  executed,  to  undo  the  dread- 
ful deed,  or  save  the  innocent  blood.  They  had  loved  the 
treason,  but  they  hate  the  traitor,  and  perhaps  the  more 
for  repenting  of  the  treachery.  Though  the  priests  of  God, 
the  ministers  of  religion,  who  ought  first  to  have  spurned 
at  his  guilty  offer,  and  afterwards  to  have  aided  him  in 
seeking  pardon  and  peace  ;  they  now  leave  him,  with  cold, 
insulting  indifference,  to  go  and  seek  relief  where  he  may. 
Woe  to  the  professed  church  of  God,  when  its  ministers  are 
given  up  to  a  reprobate  mind ;  for  then,  no  depravity  like 
theirs !  Alas,  for  the  mistaken  sinnei',  who  pours  his  con- 
fessions into  their  bosoms,  and  seeks  from  them  alleviations 
of  the  torment  of  guilt ! 

It  seems  that  Judas,  going  back,  with  the  accursed  price  in 
his  hands,  offered  to  give  it  to  the  priests,  making  his  con- 
fession of  the  cause.     But  they  coldly  refusing  to  take  it,  he 


THE    SUICIDE    OF    JUDAS.  429 

flung  it  down  in  the  temple,  and  went  out  in  despair.  What 
a  disappointment  of  all  his  hopes !  He  that  had  run  after  the 
money  as  a  heaven,  now  ran  away  from  it  aS  a  hell.  So  com- 
pletely sin  deceives  and  disappoints  men ;  for  if,  in  the  com- 
mencement, it  fawns  and  flatters,  "  it  will  be  bitterness  in 
the  end,"  saith  the  Scripture ;  for  "  it  bites  like  a  serpent, 
and  stings  like  an  adder." 

II.  The  end  of  the  traitor. 

This  is  exactly  such  as  to  exemplify  the  truth  of  those  awful 
sentences,  "  The  wages  of  sin  is  death."  "  What  fruit  had 
ye  in  those  things  whereof  ye  are  now  ashamed  ?  for  the  end 
of  those  things  is  death."  Here  then,  let  us  turn,  and  see  the 
death  and  the  monument  of  Judas. 

1.  His  death. 

"  He  went  away  and  hanged  himself;"  for  this,  after  all 
the  labours  of  criticism,  which  have  tortured  the  thing  a  thou- 
sand ways,  is  the  plain,  unsophisticated  meaning  of  the  words. 
Despised  and  spurned  by  the  priests,  the  fomentors  of  his 
crime,  and  unable  to  endure  the  sight  of  his  fellow  men,  as 
well  as  of  his  former  Master  and  fellow  Apostles,  he  went  away 
from  the  temple  into  solitude.  There  the  anguish  of  his  heart 
became  more  intolerable ;  and,  like  the  wicked  in  general, 
when  tormented  with  a  sense  of  their  own  sin,  and  left  to 
their  own  company,  he  could  not  bear  himself.  His  very  life 
was  a  burden,  and  he  determined,  at  any  risk  of  future  con- 
sequences, to  rid  himself  of  the  present  load.  He,  therefore, 
committed  suicide  by  hanging  himself. 

This,  however,  has  been  disputed ;  because  the  original 
word  signifies,  he  was  choked  or  suffocated.  But  this  is  the 
way  in  which  hanging  produces  death  :  the  weight  of  the  body 
presses  the  rope  against  the  wind-pipe,  until  the  person  is  suf- 
focated. Thucydides,  the  Greek  historian,  uses  the  same 
word,  where  he  says,  "  some  were  hanged  from  trees;"  and 
the  Septuagint,  the  best  interpreter  of  the  New  Testament, 
employs  the  same  term  to  record,  that  Ahithophel  went  and 
hanged  himself.  The  ancient  translations  all  confirm  this 
rendering. 


LECTURE    LXXXVI. 

The  great  difficulty  is  to  reconcile  this,  with  the  words  of 
Luke  in  the  Acts,  where  we  hear  Peter  say,  "  Now  this  man 
purchased  a  field  with  the  reward  of  iniquity;  and  falling- 
headlong,  he  burst  asunder  in  the  midst,  and  all  his  bowels 
gushed  out."  *  But  a  very  natural  solution  of  this  difficulty 
has  commended  itself  to  almost  universal  adoption.  Judas, 
attempting  to  hang  himself,  the  rope  by  which,  or  the  beam,  or 
branch  of  a  tree,  on  which  he  suspended  himself,  giving  way, 
he  fell  down,  from  a  great  height,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces. 
If  he  committed  the  fatal  act  in  a  hasty,  violent  manner,  in  a 
paroxysm  of  passion,  so  that  the  instant  he  launched  himself 
off  he  was  precipitated  to  the  ground,  the  two  different  ac- 
counts were  designed  to  give  a  full  view  of  the  whole  fact. 
Matthew  relates  the  design  and  commencement,  and  Luke 
records  the  event,  or  termination.  In  this  most  horrible  state, 
he  was  found  with  the  rope  about  his  neck,  and  his  whole 
frame  burst  asunder,  and  his  bowels  fallen  out ;  a  terrible 
monument  of  the  guilt  and  punishment  of  apostasy,  especially 
after  great  privileges  and  professions. 

2.  The  monument  of  Judas  was  in  character  with  his 
end. 

"  And  the  chief  priests  took  the  silver  pieces,  and  said.  It 
is  not  lawful  for  to  put  them  into  the  treasury,  because  it  is 
the  price  of  blood.  And  they  took  counsel,  and  bought  with 
them  the  potter's  field,  to  bury  strangers  in.  Wherefore  that 
field  was  called.  The  field  of  blood,  unto  this  day.  Then  was 
fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  by  Jeremy  the  prophet,  saying, 
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  ap- 
pointed rae.'-f- 

The  priests,  who  had  taken  this  money  from  the  treasury 
of  the  temple,  to  bribe  a  man  to  betray  his  Master,  now  pre- 
tended great  tenderness  of  conscience  about  the  application 
of  it,  when  it  came  back  to  their  hands.  They,  doubtless, 
wished  it  had  never  returned ;  but  as  it  had,  and  was  a  part 
*  Acts  i.   18.  t  Matt,  xxvii.  6—10. 


THK    SUICIDE    OF    JUDAS.  431 

of  the  Corban,  or  sacred  offerings  to  the  temple,  they  scrupled 
to  put  it  into  a  private  purse.  But  why  not  as  well  put  it 
back  into  the  treasury,  after  it  had  been  thus  employed,  as  at 
first  take  it  out  for  such  a  purpose  ?  But  if  it  was  blood- 
money,  and  therefore  detestable,  what  else  should  they  do 
with  it  ?  For,  when  God  forbade  that  the  hire  of  a  harlot 
should  come  into  his  treasury,  it  was  to  inculcate  abhorrence 
of  all  wages  of  iniquity. 

But  their  hypocritical  scruples,  and  superstitious  distinc- 
tions, were  overruled  by  Divine  Providence,  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment of  their  shame,  of  Judas's  sin,  and  of  Christ's  innocence. 
They  thought  that  charity  would  cover  their  multitude  of  sins, 
and  therefore  bought,  with  the  thirty  pieces,  the  potter's  field, 
as  a  burying-ground  for  poor  strangers,  with  whom  the  proud 
Jews  would  not  mingle,  living  or  dead.  It  may  be  thought, 
that  the  thirty  pieces  were  not  a  sufficient  price  for  a  field 
near  Jerusalem.  But  it  might  have  been  small,  not  very  near 
the  capital,  and  spoiled  for  other  purposes,  by  having  been 
dug  up  to  procure  the  potter's  clay.  Or  the  potter  himself 
might  have  been  a  stranger,  who,  wishing  to  favour  the  hos- 
pitable design,  sold  it  below  what  would  otherwise  have  been 
its  value.  By  this  means,  however,  the  field  received  a  name 
which  it  bore  long  afterwards,  Hakel-dama,  |jS3j  "'^.Aa/,  which 
is  the  Syriac  phrase  for  a  field  of  blood. 

But,  while  this  perpetuated  the  traitor's  shame,  it  fulfilled 
an  ancient  prophecy  concerning  Christ.  Our  copies  of  the 
Greek  ascribe  this  to  Jeremiah;  but  it  is  found  in  the  book 
of  Zechariah,  and  the  oldest  version,  the  Syriac,  says  only 
"  the  prophet;"  which  has  led  to  the  supposition  that  the 
name  was  at  first  inserted  in  the  margin,  as  a  mere  gloss  or 
interpretation,  and  Jeremiah  given  by  mistake  for  Zechariah. 
Not  to  trouble  you  with  other  solutions,  our  business  should 
be  to  understand  the  prediction,  which  is  not  without  its  diffi- 
culties. It  appears,  then,  that  the  Messiah  was  announced  by 
the  prophet,  as  a  good  shepherd,  ill  treated,  rejected,  and  in 
his  turn  rejecting.  But,  before  he  gives  up  the  flock  he  had 
long  fed,  he  asks  them  what  they  were  willing  to  give  him  for 


432  LECTURE    LXXXVI. 

his  pastoral  wages  ?  They  offer  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the 
price  of  a  slave,  and  he  justly  rejects  it,  as  an  insult  to  him; 
and  bids  them  go  and  cast  it  for  the  potter  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  "  the  fine  price  at  which,"  says  the  shepherd,  "  I  was 
valued  by  them  ! " 

In  this  potter's  field,  you  see  the  price  which  the  prophet, 
so  long  before,  declared  would  be  given  for  Jesus,  the  good 
shepherd,  "who  laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep."  On  this 
monument  to  the  traitor's  memory,  stands  the  appropriate  in- 
scription, "  The  field  of  blood." 


433 


LECTURE  LXXXVII. 

CHRIST    CRUCIFIED, 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  31—37. 
Mark  xv.  20 — 26. 
Luke  xxiii.  26 — 38. 
John  xix.   16 — 19. 

*  And  after  that  they  had  mocked  him,  they  took  the  robe  off  from  him,  and 
put  his  own  raiment  on  him,  and  led  him  away  to  cmcify  him. 

Though  it  is  an  obvious  dictate  of  common  prudence,  not 
to  be  hasty  to  execute  a  capital  sentence,  and  take  away  life 
which  we  cannot  give;  and,  though  the  Roman  government, 
in  this,  as  in  many  other  in.stances,  was  very  equitable ; 
and  Tiberius  had  commanded,  that  ten  days  should  elapse 
between  the  sentence  and  its  execution ;  we  have  now  to  be- 
hold Christ  hurried  to  death,  immediately  after  the  clamorous 
cry,  "Crucify  him!"  had  obtained  its  wretched  triumph. 
Behold  then  a  funeral  procession,  and  a  public  execution. 

I.  A  funeral  procession. 

They  went  forth  to  Calvary.  It  is  pleasant  to  reflect  that 
Christ  has  only  this  one  journey  to  take  on  earth ;  and,  that 
from  the  cross  he  will  ascend  to  paradise.  In  this  procession 
our  attention  will  be  directed  to  the  Saviour ;  to  the  guilty 
companions  of  his  death ;  to  Simon,  the  Cyrenian ;  and  to  the 
mourning  women. 

1.  The  Saviour  demands  our  first  regards. 

They  stripped  our  blessed  Lord  of  the  mock  robe,  either 
because  it  belonged  to  one  of  the  soldiers,  or  because  they 
wished  him  to  be  known  by  his  own  clothes,  which  were  to  be 
the  perquisite  of  the  executioners.     Again,  the  enemies  un- 

VOL.    II.  2   F 


434  LECTURE    LXXXVII. 

intentionally,  contribute  to  fulfil  the  predictions  concerning 
the  Messiah's  garments.  As  Jesus  was  to  die,  king  of  the 
martyrs,  they  leave  the  crown  of  thorns  upon  his  head. 

The  cross  on  which  he  was  to  be  hanged  was  now  laid  upon 
him.  From  the  rude  construction  of  this  instrument  of  death, 
as  it  consisted  merely  of  two  beams  of  timber,  they  seem  to 
have  had  it  immediately  at  hand.  The  Latin  word  for  a  villain, 
furcifer,  which  strictly  means  cross-bearer,  was  derived  from 
the  custom  of  compelling  criminals  to  carry  their  cross  to  the 
place  of  execution.  Such  was  the  indignity  put  upon  the 
Holy  One,  and  thus  was  he  led,  "  as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter." 

Exposed  to  the  gazing  mob,  and  pointed  at  by  the  finger 
of  scorn,  he  was  led  out  of  the  gate  of  Jerusalem,  because  he 
was  deemed  accursed,  and  unworthy  to  die  in  the  holy  city. 
On  this,  you  remember  the  Apostle's  comment.  "  The  bodies 
of  those  beasts,  whose  blood  is  brought  into  the  sanctuary  by 
the  high  priest  for  sin,  are  burned  without  the  camp.  Where- 
fore Jesus  also,  that  he  might  sanctify  the  people  with  his 
own  blood,  suffered  without  the  gate.  Let  us  go  forth 
therefore  unto  him,  without  the  camp,  bearing  his  reproach. 
For  here  have  we  no  continuing  city,  but  we  seek  one  to 
come."  * 

2.  The  guilty  companions  of  Christ's  death  now  occur  to 
notice. 

"  There  were  led  forth  two  others,  malefactors,  with  him 
to  be  crucified."  Judea  was  beginning  to  be  infested  with 
robbers;  and  the  people  who  had  asked,  that  one  of  them, 
Barabbas,  might  be  released,  rather  than  Jesus,  now  con- 
trived that  two  others  should  be  executed  at  the  same  time ; 
to  throw  an  odium  on  him,  by  representing  him  as  one  of  them 
who  had  kept  the  country  in  alarm.  Robbers  and  murderers 
are  made  companions  for  the  Son  of  God.  If  we  must  suffer, 
we  should  wish  it  to  be  in  the  company  of  the  wise  and  vir- 
tuous. But  such  was  not  the  lot  of  Him  who  died  for  us. 
He  heard  nothing,  but  what  was  defiling,  or  distressing,  from 
the  lips  of  those  who  carried  their  crosses  along  with  him,  on 
the  right  hand  and  on  the  left. 

*  Heb.  xiii.  11—14. 


CHRIST    CRUCIFIRU.  435 

Little,  however,  did  the  malicious  priests  know,  that,  in  as- 
sociating Jesus  with  the  most  infamous  of  mankind,  they  were 
laying  in  his  way  an  occasion  of  victory.  We  shall  soon  he 
called  to  behold,  in  one  of  these  malefactors,  a  most  brilliant 
trophy  of  the  Saviour's  grace.  Nor  is  it  improbable  that  on 
the  road  were  taken  the  first  steps  to  that  triumph  which  he 
gained  on  the  cross. 

3.  Simon  the  Cyrenian  is  the  next  object  of  attention. 

"  As  they  came  out,  they  found  a  man  of  Cyrene,  Simon 
by  name :  him  they  compelled  to  bear  his  cross."  * 

It  seems  that  Jesus,  as  he  came  out  of  the  gate  of  the  city, 
moved  so  slowly,  or  so  tottered,  with  loss  of  blood  and  severe 
sufferings  and  long  watching,  that  he  appeared  ready  to  faint 
and  expire.  His  enemies,  therefore,  were  alarmed,  lest  they 
should  lose  their  last  triumph,  by  his  dying  on  the  road.  Just 
at  this  moment,  meeting  Simon  on  his  way  to  town,  they  as- 
sume the  right  to  put  him  in  requisition  ;  for  this  would  be  an 
exact  translation  of  the  original  word.  But,  whether  they 
compelled  Simon  to  bear  the  whole  cross,  or  whether  they 
only  laid  one  end  of  it  on  him,  while  Jesus  still  bore  the  other, 
we  cannot  ascertain.  The  latter,  however,  is  the  more  proba- 
ble, from  the  malice  of  the  enemy,  and  the  way  in  which  John 
speaks  of  Christ's  bearing  the  cross  to  Calvary. 

The  person  who  bore  a  part  of  the  burden  of  the  cross  is 
called  a  Cyrenian.  Cyrene  was  on  the  north  coast  of  Africa, 
opposite  the  most  southern  point  of  Europe.  Simon,  then, 
was  most  probably  a  black,  who  had  been  converted  from  the 
idolatry  of  his  own  country,  and  had  come  to  worship  the  true 
God,  at  Jerusalem.  Did  the  enemies  lay  hold  of  a  black,  to 
bear  the  cross  after  Jesus,  that  they  might  add  to  the  ignominy 
of  the  procession  ? 

It  has  been  supposed,  that  Simon  was  suspected  of  favour- 
ing Jesus ;  because  he  is  called  the  father  of  Alexander  and 
Rufus,  who  are  mentioned  as  if  they  were  of  note  among  Chris- 
tians. But  the  children,  and  indeed  the  father  too,  may  after- 
wards have  become  disciples  of  Christ,  though  at  this  time 
Simon  may  have  known  nothing  of  Jesus.    This  sincere  black; 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  32. 

2  f2 


436  LECTURE    LXXXVII. 

who  had  come  across  the  seas  to  worship  Jehovah,  stopped,  on 
his  approach  to  the  city,  and  compelled  to  go  back  to  Calvary, 
may  there  have  beheld,  by  faith,  "  the  Lamb  of  God  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  This  first  fruits  of  the  gen- 
tiles, and  of  the  much-injured  blacks,  afterwards  may  have 
been  exalted  to  take  up  his  own  cross,  as  a  martyr,  and  bear 
it  after  his  Lord. 

Now  it  is  remarkable  that  the  law  of  God  ordained,  that  on 
the  great  day  of  expiation,  the  scape-goat,  that  was  to  bear 
away  the  sins  of  Israel,  should  be  led  out  into  the  wilderness, 
by  the  hand  of  any  man  they  might  happen  to  meet  with  at 
the  time;  so  the  Jews  say,  it  was  generally  a  foreigner. 
Here  a  foreigner,  an  African,  met  with  at  the  moment,  was 
compelled  to  bear  the  cross,  after  him  who  "  bore  our  sins  on 
bis  own  body  on  the  tree."     Let  us,  however,  not  forget  to 

say, 

"  Shall  Simon  bear  the  cross  alone, 
And  all  the  rest  go  free  ? 
No ;  Christ  has  a  cross  for  every  one, 
He  has  a  cross  for  me." 

4.  The  mourning  women  are  the  last  objects  of  considera- 
tion, in  this  procession. 

"  There  followed,  as  is  usual  at  a  public  execution,  a  great 
crowd  ;  and  among  them,  were  some  women  who  bewailed 
and  lamented  him." 

Those  men  who  loved  the  Saviour,  either  kept  aloof  from 
the  scene,  or  stifled  their  griefs,  afraid  to  appear  to  favour  the 
holy  sufferer.  But  females  have  an  exquisite  moral  sense, 
and  a  strong  perception  of  moral  worth,  which  qualities  under 
the  direction  of  religion  produce  heroic  effects.  While,  there- 
fore, the  mob  mocked  and  hooted,  these  holy  women  who  had 
come  up  from  Galilee,  or  the  pious  daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
gave  vent  to  their  grief  at  the  treatment  Christ  received. 

Jesus,  beholding  them,  turned  and  said,  "  Daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves  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  ^ave  suck.     Then  shall 


CHRIST    CRUCIFIED.  437 

they  begin  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  done  in  the  dry  T'* 

Jesus  did  not  wish  to  be  deemed  an  involuntary  sufferer,  in 
a  doleful  tragedy;  and  he  foresaw  the  terrible  retribution 
which  Jehovah  would  give  for  this  treatment  of  his  Son,  at  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  As  that  event  was  to  happen, 
within  thirty-seven  years,  many  of  the  women  who  bewailed 
him  might  see  it,  and  their  children  would  form  the  active 
generation  at  that  time.  It  would  then  be  deemed  a  misfor- 
tune to  have  had  children. 

But  when  Christ  says,  "  If  these  things  be  done  in  me,  the 
green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ?"  does  he  not  say, 
that  the  sufferings  of  sinners  will  be  more  severe  than  those  of 
the  Saviour  ?  And  will  not  the  tempers  of  sinners  make  them 
as  dry  wood  ?  Will  not  a  consciousness  of  guilt  be  as  a  worm 
in  their  hearts?  Will  not  their  fierce  enmity  against  God 
blow  up  their  flames  to  fury  ?  Will  not  their  despair  of  all 
escape  make  their  misery  without  alleviation,  as  well  as  with- 
out end  ? 

In  this  sad  procession  we  have  arrived  at, 

II.  The  public  execution. 

"  When  they  were  come  to  the  place  called  Calvary,  there 
they  crucified  him."  It  is  generally  called  a  mount.  This, 
however,  is  not  correct,  if  we  compare  it  with  the  ground  im- 
mediately adjoining  ;  though  it  is,  if  the  country  around  Jeru- 
salem be  considered.  It  was  on  the  north  west  of  Jerusalem, 
close  to  the  walls.  Its  Latin  name.  Calvary,  signifying  a  bare 
skull,  we  have  retained  ;  though  the  Jews  called  it  Golgotha, 
from  the  Hebrew  word  for  a  skull ;  because  the  skulls  of  cri- 
minals executed  there  lay  about. 

Before  the  criminals  suffered,  a  potion  was  given  to  them; 
On  this  subject  there  are  two  opinions,  as  the  Evangelists 
seem  to  speak  of  two  different  potions  offered  to  Christ.  Mat- 
thew records  how  the  enemies,  instead  of  the  soothing,  stupi- 
fying  potion  usually  given  to  dying  criminals,  offered  to  Christ 
sour  wine,  with  gall,  in  the  place  of  spices  or  opium.  The 
*  Luke  xxiii.  28—31. 


438  LECTURE    LXXXVil. 

women  who  followed  Christ  interposed,  therefore,  and  offered 
him  what  Mark  calls  wine  mingled  with  myrrh,  to  cheer  him 
and  render  him  less  susceptible  of  pain.  The  first,  Christ, 
having  tasted,  Avould  not  drink  ;  for  he  could  not  be  active  in 
tormenting  himself.  The  second  he  would  not  touch,  because 
he  designed  to  give  his  whole  soul,  with  all  its  powers  in  full 
exercise,  to  bear  the  penalty  of  our  sin.  Once  more,  the  ene- 
mies prove  Jesus  the  Messiah,  of  whom  David  prophesied, 
"  They  gave  me  also  gall  for  my  meat  ;  and  in  my  thirst  they 
gave  me  vinegar  to  drink."* 

The  objects  we  have  now  to  notice  are, 

1.  The  conduct  of  the  executioners. 

The  cross,  taken  from  the  shoulders  of  Jesus,  is  laid  all 
along  on  the  ground,  that  the  holy  victim  may  be  fastened  to 
jt.  They  first,  however,  stripped  off  all  his  clothes  ;  for  the 
Romans  executed  their  criminals  quite  naked.  The  Saviour's 
garments  having  been  put  on  while  his  blood  was  flowing,  in 
consequence  of  his  being  scourged,  the  rude  manner  in  which 
they  were  now  torn  off  must  have  set  his  whole  body  bleeding 
again. 

In  this  state,  the  sufferer  was  thrown  down  on  his  back, 
upon  the  cross,  and  his  limbs  were  stretched  to  the  utmost, 
before  they  were  fastened  to  the  wood.  For  the  cross  was  de- 
signed to  be  a  species  of  rack  ;  and  Messiah  complains  by  the 
mouth  of  the  Psalmist,  "  all  my  bones  are  out  of  joint."t 
Beholding  the  Saviour  thus  laid  upon  the  wood,  you  think  of 
Isaac  in  a  similar  position,  when  his  father  raised  the  knife  to 
slay  his  son.  But,  ah !  no  voice  from  heaven  now  cries.  For- 
bear. No  substitute  can  be  offered  for  him,  since  he  is  the 
only  substitute  for  us.     "  God  spared  not  his  own  Son." 

The  executioners  proceed  to  nail  Jesus  to  the  wood.  This 
tvas  a  cruel  operation.  Iron  spikes,  large  enough  to  bear  the 
weight  of  a  man's  body,  were  driven  through  the  hands,  where 
so  many  nerves  and  so  much  sensibility  reside.  Whether  the 
feet  also  were  nailed,  and  if  they  were,  whether  each  sepa- 
rately, or  whether  they  were  crossed,  and  one  nail  driven 
through  both,  has  been  disputed.  From  the  manner  in  which 
*  Psalm  Ixix.  21.  f  rsaliu  xxii.  14. 


CHRIST    CRUCIFIED.  439 

Jesus,  after  the  resurrection,  speaks  of  putting  the  finger  into 
the  print  of  the  nails  in  the  hands,  and  only  of  looking  at  the 
feet,  I  conclude  they  were  not  nailed,  but  fastened  by  a  rope, 
so  tight  as  to  produce  a  lasting  scar.  But,  while  we  shudder 
at  the  horrid  sound  of  the  hammer,  driving  the  nails  through 
whatever  they  might  meet,  flesh,  or  nerves,  or  bones,  we  recall 
the  Apostle's  words,  "  Blotting  out  the  hand-writing  of  ordi- 
nances that  was  against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us,  he  took 
it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  his  cross.  And  having  spoiled 
principalities  and  powers,  he  made  a  show  of  them  openly, 
triumphing  over  them  in  it."* 

Bonds  are  said  to  have  been  cancelled  by  driving  a  nail  into 
them.  Blessed  victim !  we  adore  thee  for  thy  wounds,  by 
which  we  are  healed,  and  saved  from  being  nailed  by  justice 
to  the  stake,  as  eternal  victims  to  the  honour  of  that  law 
which  decrees,  that  whoever  breaks  the  bond  of  his  allegiance 
to  God  deserves  to  die  for  ever! 

A  hole  was  then  dug,  near  the  lower  end  of  the  upright 
beam,  and  ropes  being  applied  to  the  other  end  to  raise  it,  the 
cross  was  made  to  slip  into  the  hole  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  in- 
strument of  death  stood  upright,  the  body  was  made  to  bear 
and  drag  upon  the  nails.  The  most  exquisite  anguish  was 
created  in  the  parts  through  which  they  were  driven,  and  the 
whole  frame  was  put  upon  the  rack.  Now,  we  see  the  mean- 
ing and  truth  of  the  Saviour's  words  to  the  Jews,  ''  When 
you  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  man." 

It  is  said,  that  they  turned  his  face  away  from  Jerusalem 
and  the  temple,  as  unworthy  to  look  upon  either.  Then  they 
turned  away  the  only  countenance  that  could  smile  upon  their 
worship  and  render  it  acceptable ;  and  when  that  face  was 
averted  from  their  city,  it  was  doomed  to  such  destruction  as 
the  sun  never  before  saw.  But  they  turned  his  face  towards 
us  gentiles.     Saviour,  we  gratefully  accept  the  omen  ! 

The  same  process  was  adopted,  with  regard  to  the  other 

two,  who  were  crucified  on  each  side  of  the  Redeemer ;  that 

it  might  be  said,  "  three  criminals  were  crucified  to-day,"  and 

that  Jesus  might  be  thought  the  worst.     But  they  only  ful- 

*  Col.  ii.  14,15. 


440  LECTURE    LXXXVU. 

filled  the  prophecy,  which  Jesus  had  before  brought  to  his 
disciples'  recollection,  "  he  was  numbered  with  the  transgres- 
sors."* How  different  the  character  and  the  destination  of 
these  three,  the  Lamb  of  God  and  two  fierce  tigers,  each 
suffering  for  sin,  but  in  how  different  senses ! 

2.  The  language  of  the  Saviour  on  the  cross  at  this  moment 
breaks  upon  our  ear. 

While  he  was  lying  on  the  ground,  and  they  were  driving 
the  nails  through  his  body,  he  cried,  "  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do."|-  While  apparently  in 
their  power,  he  triumphs  over  the  enemy,  by  his  undisturbed 
calmness,  his  dignified  meekness,  his  superior  wisdom,  his  un- 
conquerable benevolence.  He  shows  himself  above  them,  by 
acting  as  their  intercessor  with  his  offended  Father,  and  ful- 
filling the  prediction  concerning  himself,  "  when  his  soul  shall 
make  an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall  make  intercession  for  the 
transgressors." 

The  best  of  men  have  asked  pardon  for  their  own  sins,  in 
their  dying  moments.  But  Jesus,  while  treated  as  the  vilest 
criminal,  prays  indeed,  and  for  pardon  too,  but  it  is  of  the  sin 
of  putting  him  to  death,  which  he  had  never  deserved,  since 
*'  he  knew  no  sin."  When  he  pleads  that,  '*  they  know  not 
what  they  do,"  he  teaches  us  that  ignorance  may  prevent  the 
worst  aggravations  of  sin,  which  would  have  made  it  un- 
pardonable, but  cannot  take  away  its  whole  guilt ;  for  where 
knowledge  is  attainable,  it  becomes  a  duty,  and  ignorance  a 
I     crime. 

This  honour  is  put  upon  Christ  crucified,  that  it  is  only  when 

he  says,  "  Father,  forgive,"  that  the  seal  of  heaven  is  set  upon 

the  act  of  oblivion  ;  and  when  he  speaks  the  word,  even  those 

who  crucified  him  may  be  forgiven  for  his   sake.     Glorious 

\  distinction  of  him  who  was  cast  out  of  this  world !  that  the 

j   whole  world  should  be  at  his  discretion,  and  Mercy  should 

speak   only  through  his   lips,   and  seal  her  pardons  with  his 

blood  !     Jehovah,  intending  favour  to  man,  makes  him  whom 

they  murdered,  their  intercessor  ;  for  he  has  grace  enough, 

after  all,  to  plead  tenderly  for  them.     But  the  hour  was  not 

*  Luke  xxii.  37.  f  Ibid.xxiii.  34. 


CHRIST    CRUCIFIED.  441 

yet  come,  to  exhibit  the  full  effects  of  his  intercession,  which 
owes  its  efficacy  to  the  atonement  which  was  not  yet  offered. 
We  hear,  therefore,  of  no  such  consequences  as  one  might 
have  expected  from  this  prayer,  even  upon  a  heart  of  stone. 

3.  The  accusation  affixed  to  the  cross  now  attracts  our  eye. 

The  Romans  wisely  proclaimed  the  crime  for  which  they 
executed  a  criminal,  affixing  on  a  board  over  his  head,  "  This 
is  a  thief,  or  murderer,  or  traitor."  But  what  crime  shall 
Pilate  ascribe  to  Jesus,  after  saying,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  him  ?" 
"  THIS  IS  JESUS  OF  NAZARETH,  THE  KING  OF 
THE  JEWS."  Intending,  at  once  to  gratify  the  jealous 
Tiberius,  and  mortify  the  proud  Jews  ;  Pilate  became  the  un- 
conscious herald  of  Christ's  glory,  proclaiming  the  confession, 
"  I  and  even  my  emperor  are  but  delegates,  for  here  is  the 
true  King  of  the  Jews." 

But  is  not  this  the  prerogative  of  Jehovah  ?  He  that  proves 
any  one  the  king  of  Israel,  by  emphasis,  proves  him  divine, 
for  their  government  was  a  theocracy.  On  that  cross.  King 
of  Israel,  thou  reignest,  as  the  great  supreme,  over  our  hearts. 
No  diadem  shines  half  so  brilliantly  as  the  crown  of  thorns  on 
thy  brow.  Happy  art  thou,  O  Israel,  who  is  like  unto  thee, 
O  people  saved  of  the  Lord  ?  Who  can  boast  that  their  king 
has  died  for  them,  but  the  church  of  the  living  God  ? 

Writing  the  name,  JESUS,  which  was  given  to  the  Saviour 
by  an  angel,  before  the  incarnation,  Pilate  proclaimed  to  the 
world  that  Christ  hung  there  to  save  his  people  from  their  sins. 
But'  when  the  title  expressed  that  Jesus  was  of  Nazareth, 
thoiigh  he  was  in  reality  of  Bethlehem,  it  only  reminds  us  that 
**  none  of  the  princes  of  this  world  knew  him  ;  for,  had  they 
known  him,  they  would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory." 

This  title  was  written  in  Hebrew,  and  Greek,  and  Latin  ; 
the  first,  the  language  of  God's  people ;  the  second,  the  most 
common  tongue  of  that  age  ;  and  the  last,  that  of  the  masters 
of  the  country,  and  almost  of  the  world.  To  you,  my  young- 
friends,  who  are  students  for  the  ministry  in  the  adjoining  in- 
stitution, these  three  languages,  written  on  the  cross,  are  com- 
mended as  objects  of  diligent  and  delightful  pursuit :  study 
them  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  consecrate  all  your  attain- 


442  LECTURE    LXXXVII. 

ments  in  them  to  him  who  died  there.  Let  the  Hebrew  be 
dear  to  you,  as  the  original  language  of  divine  revelation,  in 
which  God  first  discovered  his  will  and  his  mercy  to  man.  It 
is  a  tongue  so  sacred,  that  it  contains  nothing  but  inspired 
literature ;  so  singular,  that  to  know  it  opens  a  new  world  to 
the  mind ;  of  a  structure  so  philosophical,  that  it  speaks  the 
wisdom  of  him  that  gave  speech  to  man ;  so  bold,  vigorous, 
and  comprehensive,  that  it  never  ceases  to  charm  and  surprise; 
and  so  important  to  a  Christian  student,  that  he  who  knows  it 
not,  must  be  but  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  Greek  Tes- 
tament. In  that  dialect  of  it  which  was  here  employed  you 
have  the  oldest  and  most  valuable  version  of  the  Christian 
Scriptures.  Give  your  hours  to  the  Greek  ;  for  in  it  you  have 
the  history  of  Him  who  hung  upon  that  cross,  and  the  revela- 
tion of  his  will,  and  the  most  ancient  translation  of  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures.  Cultivate  the  Latin,  as  it  is  the  language  of  the 
lexicons  which  form  the  key  to  the  other  two ;  and  has  been 
made,  through  many  ages,  the  medium  by  which  divines  and 
expositors  have  communicated  to  the  world  the  result  of  their 
deepest  researches. 

The  place  where  Christ  was  crucified  being  near  to  the  city, 
the  chief  priests  read  the  inscription,  and  were  so  mortified, 
as  to  appeal  to  Pilate,  for  an  alteration,  saying,  "  Write  not. 
The  King  of  the  Jews ;  but  that  he  said,  I  am  King  of  the 
Jews."*  Pilate  had  already  gratified  them  to  his  cost;  and 
as  he  thought  he  was  now  free  from  all  danger  of  being  accused 
to  Caesar,  he  spurned  their  request,  saying,  "  What  I  have 
written  I  have  written."  I  will  not  alter  a  letter  to  please 
you.  Now  that  the  enemy  had  triumphed,  all  was  defeat ; 
the  pleasure  they  hoped  to  enjoy  is  turned  into  pain  ;  the  dis- 
grace they  would  have  thrown  on  Christ  is  hurled  back  upon 
their  own  heads ;  and  the  infamous  cross  is  made  the  trophy 
on  which  is  inscribed  Christ's  innocence,  his  empire,  and  his 
conquest." 

4.  The  parting  of  Christ's  garments  is  the  last  scene  in  his 
execution. 

The  clothes  seem  to  have  been  considered  as  perquisites  to 
*  John  xix.  2 1 . 


CHRIST    CRUCIFIED.  44tii 

the  executioners,  who  were  soldiers.  Of  these  there  was  what 
is  called  a  quaternion,  or  four  men,  with  an  officer,  who  is  here 
called  a  centurion,  from  his  having  the  constant  command  of 
a  hundred.  There  were,  probably,  as  many  of  the  Saviour's 
garments,  as  would  give  every  soldier  one,  independently  of 
the  robe  ;  for,  though  each  of  the  other  garments  may  not  have 
been  of  equal  value,  the  soldiers  might  take  their  choice,  ac- 
cording to  age,  or  standing  in  the  army. 

But  they  observed  that  one  garment  was  rather  curiously 
made,  being  woven  in  a  single  piece.  This  was,  probably,  the 
tunic,  corresponding  to  the  linen  which  we  wear  next  the  skin. 
Tradition  says,  it  was  the  work  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  It  may 
have  been  a  present  from  seme  of  those  pious  women  who 
ministered  to  Jesus  of  their  substance,  and  who,  being  skilled, 
according  to  the  fashion  of  those  times,  in  weaving,  employed 
their  utmost  address  to  make  a  garment  for  him  whom  they 
esteemed  as  a  visitor  from  heaven. 

The  soldiers  then,  not  willing  to  give  up  this  to  any  one,  as 
his  perquisite,  nor  to  tear  it  into  four  pieces,  which  would  de- 
stroy all  its  peculiar  worth,  said,  "  Let  us  cast  lots  for  it,  whose 
it  shall  be."  For  Jesus  had,  a  thousand  years  before,  said  by 
the  mouth  of  David,  "  They  part  my  garments  among  them, 
and  cast  lots  upon  my  vesture.""^ 

"  These  things,  therefore,  the  soldiers  did,"  says  the  Evan- 
gelist, "  that  the  Scriptures  might  be  fulfilled."  Not  that  the 
soldiers  knew  the  Scriptures,  or  intended  to  fulfil  them  ;  but 
they  were  led,  by  a  mysterious  concurrence  of  circumstances, 
to  act  so  that  every  tittle  of  the  word  of  God  should  be  ful- 
filled. This  prophecy,  at  first,  seemed  contradictory  ;  for,  if 
they  part  the  garments,  why  cast  lots  ?  But  when  the  time 
came  for  the  fulfilment,  we  see  why.  Jesus,  who  was  not 
particular  or  splendid  in  his  dress,  has  one  garment  of  which 
the  destination  can  be  decided  by  lot  only,  though  the  soldiers 
can  agree  to  part  all  the  rest. 

This  day,  we  remember  the  words  of  the  Apostle.     "  Ye 
know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he  was 
rich,  yet  for  your  ^akes  he  became  poor,  that  ye  through  his 
*  Psalm  xxii.  18. 


444  LECTURE    LXXXVII. 

poverty  might  be  rich."*  The  clothes  on  his  back  are  all 
that  is  left  to  him  of  earthly  property.  But  even  these 
are  plundered  and  shared  away  among  his  executioners, 
before  his  eyes,  and  while  he  was  yet  dying.  Still,  while  he 
was  thus  stripped,  and  sent  out  of  the  world  without  a  rag  to 
cover  him,  he  was  Lord  of  all ;  and  we  shall  shortly  see  him 
give  away  a  kingdom.  This  was  the  glory  of  Christ,  not  the 
pomp  of  dress,  the  badge  of  our  shame  ;  not  the  splendid  in- 
cumbrance of  uncertain  riches  ;  but  the  holiness  of  his  cha- 
racter, of  which  none  could  strip  him ;  the  benevolence  of  his 
heart  which  prompted  him  to  strip  himself  of  every  thing,  to 
clothe  others  with  his  garments,  and  present  us  at  the  tribunal 
of  heaven  with  his  "  righteousness,  which  is  unto  all,  and  upon 
all  them  that  believe,  for  there  is  no  difference." 

*  2  Cor.  viii.  9. 


445 


LECTURE  LXXXVIII. 

THE  CONVERSION  OF  THE  THIEF  ON  THE  CROSS. 

Matt,  xxvii.  39 — 44. 
Mark  xv.  29 — 32. 
*  Luke  xxiii.  35 — 43. 

*  And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy 
kingdom.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  paradise. 

Arrived  at  Calvary,  where  the  purchase  of  redemption  was 
effected,  we  are  now  called  to  behold  the  application  of  it,  in 
the  salvation  of  one  of  the  chief  of  sinners.  With  what  ad- 
miration should  we  behold  infinite  wisdom  securing  to  Christ, 
at  the  moment  that  he  was  making  atonement  for  sin,  the 
honour  and  delight  of  giving  a  grand  display  of  its  efficacy 
'*  to  save  to  the  uttermost ! "  If  our  proud  and  worldly  hearts 
would  have  wished,  that  one  of  the  priests,  or  rulers,  by  whom 
he  was  tried,  should  have  laid  aside  his  robes  and  bowed  at 
the  Redeemer's  feet ;  if  we  are  disposed  to  say  of  this  convert, 
"  It  is  only  a  thief;"  let  us  observe,  how  the  disgrace  that 
was  intended  to  be  thrown  upon  Christ,  by  crucifying  him  be- 
tween thieves,  was  thus  turned  into  glory,  by  the  virtue  of  the 
cross,  snatching  one  of  them  from  guilt  and  ruin,  and  bearing 
him  in  triumph  to  the  paradise  of  innocence  and  bliss.  Nor 
should  the  diligent  student  of  Scripture  neglect  to  compare 
the  prophecy  of  this  event  with  the  history ;  for  it  was  said, 
"  when  his  soul  shall  make  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."  But,  before  entering  into  this 
event,  which  so  delightfully  relieves  the  awful  gloom  of  the 


446  LECTURE    LXXXVin, 

crucifixion,  let  us  consider  that  mockery  flung  on  Christ,  which 
gave  rise  to  this  triumph. 

1.  The  mockery  thrown  on  the  dying  Saviour. 

The  soldiers,  who  had  acted  as  executioners,  sitting  down, 
watched  Jesus  on  the  cross ;  for  as  the  mere  act  of  nailing  a 
person  to  it  was  not  instantly  fatal,  it  was  necessary  to  see 
that  the  friends  did  not  assist  him  to  descend  from  the  cross, 
and  escape.  Ah !  little  did  they  know,  by  what  stronger  guard 
of  his  own  determined  love  for  us,  Jesus  was  detained  upon 
the  cross  till  death !  But  the  enemies,  by  watching  that  no 
disciple  should  assist  Jesus  to  escape,  were  made  the  unwil- 
ling, and  therefore  the  more  convincing  witnesses,  of  the  reality 
of  Christ's  death,  which  is  essential  to  the  Christian's  hope  of 
eternal  life.  Gazing,  with  thoughtless  stare,  at  the  suffering, 
expiring  Saviour,  the  enemies  fulfilled  the  prophecy,  "  They 
gaped  upon  me  with  their  mouths." 

During  the  several  hours  that  elapsed  before  Christ  drew 
his  expiring  breath,  many  persons  would  be  spectators,  and 
many  mockeries  would  be  uttered.     Let  us  notice  both. 

1,  The  persons. 

He  that  suffered  for  all,  suffered  from  all.  Rulers  and 
subjects ;  men  in  civil,  military,  and  ecclesiastical  callings, 
from  the  mob  to  the  priest  and  the  soldier ;  those  who  were 
deemed  most  holy,  and  the  avowedly  profane,  all  conspire  to 
insult  the  Lord  of  all.  The  thoughtless  multitude  that  was 
drawn  together  to  that  sight,  behaved,  as  we  see  them  do 
among  us,  with  hardened  indifference  and  cruel  levity,  that 
leave  little  hope  of  a  beneficial  effect  from  the  public  exhibi- 
tion of  that  most  awful  scene,  an  ignominious  death. 

The  passing  traveller,  too,  gazed  on  this  object.  Near  so 
large  a  city  as  Jerusalem,  the  capital  of  a  kingdom  with  a 
dense  population,  there  must  always  be  many  passing.  On 
this  occasion,  especially,  the  feast  of  passover  drew  crowds  to 
the  spot,  on  their  way  to  the  temple.  These  are  said  to  have 
shaken  their  heads  at  Jesus,  as  they  passed  by  the  cross, 
reviling  and  railing  at  him. 

But  to  these  passengers  the  church  cries, 


CONVERSION  OF  TIIF.  TIIIliF  ON  THli;  CROSS,         447 

i'  All  ye  that  pass  by, 

To  Jesus  draw  nigh  ; 
To  you  is  it  notiiing  that  Jesus  should  die  ? 

Our  ransom  and  peace, 

Our  surety  he  is. 
Come  see  if  there  ever  was  sorrow  like  his." 

The  chief  priests,  too,  joined  in  gazing  and  mocking. 
Tliough  their  dignity  seemed  to  be  compromised  by  mingling 
with  the  crowd,  at  the  foot  of  the  gibbet,  and  their  ecclesias- 
tical duties  called  them  to  the  temple,  on  this  occasion,  they 
came  here  to  mock  and  teach  others  to  mock.  Ministers  of 
religion,  who  ought  to  be  angels  of  mercy,  come  to  insult  one, 
whom  they  professed  to  think  a  blasphemer,  dying  for  his  sins ! 
But,  as  with  females  who  have  shaken  off  the  modesty  of  their 
sex ;  so  it  is  with  ministers  of  religion  who  are  destitute  of 
love  to  immortal  souls, — they  seem  to  delight  in  outraging 
their  own  proper  character. 

The  soldiers  who  were  engaged  ofRcially  in  the  execution, 
and  who  would  as  willingly  have  crucified  the  priests,  joined 
in  mocking  Jesus.  Familiarized  with  scenes  of  blood,  they 
felt  no  compunctious  visitings  of  nature,  but,  taught  by  the 
priests,  who  should  have  taught  them  mercy  and  piety,  they 
aided  to  insult  the  last  moments  of  Jesus.  The  Jews  reviled 
him  for  calling  himself,  the  Son  of  God ;  but  the  soldiers, 
caring  nothing  for  this,  fastened  upon  what  they  thought  an 
insult  upon  their  emperor,  and  mock  Jesus  with  compliments 
as  king  of  the  Jews.  To  make  the  toi-ment  more  bitter,  they 
ask  him  to  drink  with  them  of  their  beverage,  which  one  of 
the  historians  calls  vinegar,  but  which  probably  was  a  weak 
and  acid  wine. 

To  crown  all,  the  malefactors  reviled  him.  So  that  even 
his  companions  in  death  have  no  sympathy  with  the  glorious 
sufferer. 

2.  The  insults  they  utter  are  instructive. 

There  was  a  diversity  in  their  language,  and  different  Evan- 
gelists record  different  speeches.  Matthew  and  Mark  give 
these  words,  "  Thou  that  destroyest  the  temple  and  buildest 
it  in  three  days,  save  thyself.     If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 


448  LECTURE    LXXXVIII. 

come  down  from  the  cross.  Also  the  chief  priests,  mocking 
him,  with  the  scribes  and  elders,  said,  He  saved  others ;  him- 
self he  cannot  save.  If  he  be  the  King  of  Israel,  let  him 
now  come  down  from  the  cross,  and  we  will  believe  him.  He 
trusted  in  God ;  let  him  deliver  him  now,  if  he  will  save  him : 
for  he  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God."*  Luke  adds,  "  If  he  be 
Christ,  the  elect  of  God ;"  as  if  they  vented  their  spite,  at  the 
idea  of  God's  passing  by  others  to  make  him  the  Messiah. 
Yet,  the  prophet  had,  long  before,  said  of  him,  "  Behold  my 
elect,  in  whom  my  soul  delights."  Some  are  said  to  shout,  or 
hoot,  others  to  have  turned  up  their  noses  at  him,  and  others 
to  have  distorted  their  faces  in  derision.  All  this  was  most 
unnatural ;  for  even  Seneca,  a  heathen,  says,  "  It  is  beastly 
rather  than  human,  to  have  no  compassion  on  the  dying." 
Perhaps,  there  never  was  an  execution  among  civilized  people 
attended  with  such  insults.  But,  when  we  reflect  that  Jesus 
was  a  public  benefactor,  most  deservedly  popular,  three  days 
ago,  and  that  he  had  done  nothing  to  forfeit  his  popularity,  or 
their  esteem,  nothing  could  be  more  unlikely,  than  that  such 
treatment  should  be  given  to  him  to  embitter  his  last  mo- 
ments. Yet  it  was  foretold,  that  so  it  would  be ;  and  so  it 
happened,  in  spite  of  all  probability,  reason,  humanity  or 
decency. 

The  substance  of  all  these  taunts  and  reproaches  was,  "  He 
saved  others,  himself  he  cannot  save."  But  Jesus  was  a  Sa- 
viour ;  not  by  saving  himself,  who  needed  no  salvation,  but 
lost  sinners,  who  must  otherwise  have  sunken  into  eternal 
perdition.  Just  as  a  physician  deserves  that  title,  not  by 
taking  care  of  his  own  health,  but  by  healing  others  of  their 
diseases. 

"  He  saved  others!"  Did  they  utter  this  with  a  sceptical 
sneer,  as  if  it  were  now  doubtful,  whether  he  ever  had  wrought 
the  wonderful  deliverances  of  which  so  much  had  been  said  ? 
Why  should  it  be  doubted,  because  he  now  did  not  save  him- 
self? If  the  facts  had  been  sufficiently  proved  before,  could 
any  subsequent  events  annihilate  former  events  ?  Had  he 
not  before  saved  others  by  labour,  and  fatigue,  and  condescen- 
*  Matt,  xxvii.  40—43. 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  TIIIEP  ON  THE  CROSS.         449 

sions,  perfectly  harmonious  with  the  sacrifice  of  himself  to 
bring-  salvation  to  others? 

But  if  this  was  not  doubt,  but  praise  reluctantly  accorded, 
extorted  from  the  unwilling;  it  was  supposed  to  be  sufficiently 
neutralized  by  the  assumed  fact,  "  Himself  he  cannot  save." 
His  power  they  suppose  is  now  exchanged  for  weakness.  "  Is 
this  he  that  saved  others  ?  What !  and  now  not  able  to  save 
himself  ?  How  fallen  from  his  glory  ! "  Suppose  he  were, 
he  had  used  his  power,  when  he  had  it,  to  save  others ;  and 
who  would  insult  over  such  a  one,  even  if  unable  to  save 
himself  ? 

But,  indeed,  he  could  not  save  himself,  only  because  he 
could  not  bear  to  abandon  us  to  ruin.  This  was  the  triumph 
of  power,  power  over  his  own  omnipotence,  power  to  hold 
back  his  own  arm,  to  abstain  from  tearing  out  the  nails  that 
fasten  him,  and  annihilating  the  foes  that  insult  him.  This  is 
a  power  in  which  we,  alas  !  are  miserably  deficient.  Here  we 
show  our  weakness ;  that,  when  pain  or  death  are  in  prospect, 
we  cannot  help  saving  ourselves,  if  the  opportunity  be  offered ; 
though  at  the  expense  of  justice,  or  benevolence,  or  the  wel- 
fare of  all  others.  These  priests  knew,  that,  if  their  arms  had 
been  stretched  upon  the  cross,  they  could  not,  if  they  had  pos- 
sessed the  power,  have  refrained  from  using  it,  by  tearing  out 
the  nails,  and  coming  down  from  the  cross. 

Himself  he  cannot  save !  Just  as  God  "  cannot  lie,  and 
cannot  deny  himself."  Jesus  had  promised  to  sacrifice  himself 
to  save  others.  They  assign  the  reason  (without  knowing  it) 
why  he  cannot  save  himself,  because  he  will  save  others.  Now 
go,  Hell,  and  bid  thy  hosts  insult  the  cross,  and  say,  "  He 
saved  others,  himself  he  cannot  save." 

But  let  us  turn  to  see  him  save  others,  for  this  is  the  second 
head  of  the  Lecture. 

II.  The  triumph  of  the  dying  Saviour. 

We  have  observed,  that  the  malefactors  who  were  hanged 
with  him  reviled  him  ;  and  one  of  them,  afterwards  repenting, 
said,  "  Dost  not  thou  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same 
condemnation  I  and  we  indeed  justly,  for  we  receive  the  due 
reward  of  our  deeds,  but  this  man  has  done  nothing  amiss, 

VOL.    II.  2  G 


450  LECTURE    LXXXVIII. 

And  he  said  to  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me,  when  thou  comest 
into  thy  kingdom.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  This  day  shalt  thou 
be  with  me  in  paradise."  Here  we  behold  the  sovereignty, 
the  efficacy,  and  the  riches  of  divine  grace. 

1.  The  sovereignty  of  divine  grace  is  here  seen. 

From  the  midst  of  his  sins  he  was  taken.  Both  these  per- 
sons, who  were  crucified  along  with  Christ,  were  thieves,  or 
rather  robbers,  who  plundered  with  open  violence,  and  scrupled 
not  to  add  murder,  when  it  seemed  necessary,  in  order  to  se- 
cure their  plunder,  or  their  own  safety.  After  Barabbas,  who 
was  one  of  these  banditti,  was  given  to  the  wishes  of  the  Jews, 
rather  than  Jesus,  Judea  was  ruined  by  such  men ;  in  righteous 
judgment,  for  preferring  a  robber  to  a  Saviour.  Up  to  the 
very  hour  that  grace  abounded  towards  this  chief  of  sinners, 
he  seemed  to  have  been  a  companion  of  the  other,  in  his  im- 
penitence and  blasphemy,  as  he  formerly  had  been  in  his 
crimes.  For  one  of  the  Evangelists  says,  "  The  thieves  threw 
the  same  reproaches  in  his  teeth." 

But  here,  some  fly  to  figure,  and  say,  "  the  thieves'  are  put 
for  one  of  them.  Why?  Because  Luke,  who  wrote  later,  and 
records  this  event  so  circumstantially,  mentions  only  the  one 
as  reviling,  and  the  other  as  reproving  his  companion.  But 
this  might  be,  because  Luke  designed  to  record,  only  the  con- 
version of  the  man  ;  and  therefore  took  up  the  affair,  just 
where  grace  began  to  make  him  to  differ  from  the  other.  For, 
as  we  are  told  of  no  diff"erence,  till  the  narrative  of  the  con- 
version commences,  why  should  we  approach  so  near  to  an 
open  contradiction  of  the  Evangelist  Matthew ;  when  we 
might  take  all  things  exactly  as  they  stand  recorded,  by  sup- 
posing this  monument  of  divine  grace  to  have  joined  with  the 
rest,  in  deriding  Christ,  till  the  very  moment  that  grace  inter- 
posed, and  turned  his  blasphemies  into  prayers  ? 

But  what  a  horrid  picture  of  depravity  and  guilt  this  pre- 
sents !  A  poor  dying  wretch,  racked  with  the  agonies  of  the 
cross,  not  melting  into  contrition,  but  raving  with  malice,  and 
reproaching  the  holy  sufferer  at  his  side ;  as  if  he  would  say, 
with  an  oath,  "  Why  dost  not  thou,  that  pretendest  to  be  some 
great  and  holy  personage,  far  better  than  we,  show  thyself 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  THIEF  ON  THE  CROSS.         451 

such,  by  tearing  out  the  nails,  descending  first  from  the  cross 
thyself,  and  then  helping  us  down?"  Alas!  death,  to  which 
some  trust,  as  if  it  were  regeneration,  often,  instead  of  melt- 
ing and  awing  men,  only  inflames  their  passions,  and  aggra- 
vates their  sins.  Thus  a  French  officer  tells,  how  he  saw  a 
wounded  s,oldier,  in  Egypt,  trying  to  strangle  a  Turk,  who  lay 
along  with  him  on  the  ground.  The  poor  infuriate  wretch, 
when  reproached  for  his  cruelty,  replied,  "It  is  very  well  for 
you,  who  are  at  your  ease,  to  talk  so,  but  I,  who  have  but  a 
few  moments  to  live,  must  have  enjoyment  while  I  can." 

Let  not  any  say,  "  It  is  too  much,  for  grace  to  change  a 
man  who  employs  his  last  breath  in  reviling  the  Son  of  God ;" 
for,  up  to  the  very  moment  when  our  hearts  are  changed,  we 
are  all  at  enmity  with  God,  and  are  prevented  by  his  re- 
straints alone  from  displaying  the  same  depravity  and  guilt. 
We  are  not  converted  because  we  have  begun  to  amend ;  for 
we  begin  truly  to  amend,  only  when  we  are  converted. 

On  the  borders  of  eternity,  this  sinner  was  saved.  For  the 
cross  was  intended  to  be  not  merely  his  torment,  his  rack,  but 
his  death.  This  is,  therefore,  usually  quoted  as  an  instance 
of  a  death-bed  repentance ;  though,  alas,  this  poor  man  had 
no  bed  but  the  cross,  from  which  he  was  taken  down  to  be 
thrown  into  the  common  grave  of  criminals,  whose  bones  gave 
to  that  spot  the  name  of  Golgotha,  the  place  of  a  skull.  As, 
therefore,  we  have  seen  that  the  robber  obtained  not  favour 
for  the  merit  of  any  previous  work;  so  we  may  now  learn  that 
it  was  not  for  the  prospect  of  future  services  ;  for  he  was  just 
about  to  die.  That  God  should  pardon,  at  the  last  hour,  one 
who  had  spent  all  his  life  in  rebellion  is,  indeed,  so  much  more 
than  we  had  any  right  to  expect,  that  it  seems  too  good  to  be 
true.  But  what  can  be  too  good  for  God  ?  Is  he  not  always 
"  doing  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  we  could  ask  or 
think?"  And  there  is  one  part  of  his  conduct,  that  even  sur- 
passes this  of  showing  mercy  at  the  last  hour,  and  that  is,  that 
he  sometimes  grants  such  mercy  to  one  who  has  so  abused  the 
hope  of  it,  as  to  take  encouragement  to  go  on  in  sin  ;  because 
he  expected  God  to  be,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  so  enor- 
mously good,  as  to  pardon  him,  after  all.     Yet,  if  God  were 

2g2 


452  LECTURE    LXXXVIII. 

not  thus  gracious,  how  few  would  taste  his  mercy  !  For  how 
large  a  proportion  of  those  who  are  at  last  forgiven  have  de- 
layed their  return  to  God,  by  the  reasoning,  most  unreason- 
able and  vile  indeed,  that  God  is  very  good,  and  will  forgive 
us  at  last ! 

If  any  fear,  that  such  remarks  on  a  death-bed  repentance 
hold  out  encouragements  to  continue  in  sin ;  I  answer,  such 
encouragements  to  returning  sinners  we  must  hold  out,  or  close 
the  door  of  hope  upon  the  greater  part  of  the  world.  And  do 
not  those  who  are  disposed  to  abuse  these  encouragements 
hear  them  from  the  Bible,  as  well  as  the  pulpit  ?  If  we  would 
furnish  an  antidote  to  the  abuse,  we  must  turn  to  those  who 
are  repenting  in  their  last  moments.  Let  their  pangs  unutter- 
able, their  self-condemnation,  their  confutation  of  their  own 
former  pretences,  answer  their  former  companions.  The  peni- 
tent on  the  cross  acknowledges  that  he  suffered  justly  the  due 
reward  of  his  deeds ;  and  all  such  will  own,  that  the  hope  of 
God's  mercy  was  but  the  pretext  for  going  on  securely  in  sin ; 
the  true  reason  was,  a  desperate  love  of  sin  and  hatred  to  God 
and  piety,  a  recklessness  of  future  consequences.  Nor  does 
the  late  penitent  hate  himself  the  less,  but  the  more,  because 
he  sees  that  when  he  had  rushed  fearlessly  on  in  the  path  of 
sin,  till  it  had  brought  him  to  the  very  gates  of  hell,  mercy  in- 
terposed, snatched  him  from  merited  perdition,  and  transported 
him  to  undeserved  bliss. 

From  the  side  of  a  fellow  sinner  the  sovereignty  of  divine 
grace  snatched  this  man. 

The  sovereign  application  of  the  ^itonement  is  taught,  at  the 
very  moment  in  which  it  was  offered.  For  while  the  infinite 
value,  or  sufficiency,  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  arises  from  the 
divinity  of  the  victim,  the  question  still  remains,  Who  brings 
it  home  to  the  heart  ?  If  justice  might  have  left  both  these 
thieves  to  perish  ;  and  mercy  must  be  at  liberty,  or  it  is  no 
more  mercy  but  justice ;  shall  mercy  be  arraigned  for  using 
her  liberty  and  saving  whom  she  pleases ;  or  shall  justice  be 
accused  for  doing  that  on  one,  which  it  might  have  done  on 
both  ?  "  May  I  not  do  what  I  will  with  my  own? "  says  Jeho- 
vah ;  and  what  is  more  his  own  than  his  mercy,   or  llio  fate 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  THIEF  ON  THE  CROSS.         453 

of  bis  creatures,  who  by  tbeir  sins  lie  at  bis  mercy  f  Is  mercy 
become  a  crime  ;  or  bas  its  exercise  upon  one  destroyed  tbe 
justice,  tbat  would  otherwise  bave  been  acknowledged  in  tbe 
destruction  of  tbe  otber  ? 

But  wbile  tbis  distinguished  convert  would  own,  tbat,  "  By 
tbe  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am  ;  and  it  is  this  which  bas 
made  me  to  differ  from  tbe  companion  of  my  crimes,"  grace 
employs  means  to  develope  its  effects.  By  what  means,  then, 
v/as  tbis  man  brought  to  know  and  glorify  Christ  in  death  ? 
By  the  darkness,  or  tbe  earthquake,  tbat  attended  tbe  cruci- 
fixion of  Christ  ?  It  does  not  appear  tbat  either  of  these  had 
yet  happened.  But  the  man  bad  seen  all  the  holy  dignity  of 
Christ,  when  moving  in  the  sad  funeral  procession  to  Calvary  ; 
bad  heard  bis  reply  to  the  lamentations  of  the  daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  and  his  prayer  for  his  murderers,  "  Father,  forgive 
them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do ;"  and  now  tbat  divine 
influence  had  given  the  man  a  new  nature,  ail  these  evidences 
of  Christ's  glory  and  grace  rushed  into  bis  mind,  and  produced 
tbe  effects  which  we  are  contemplating. 

2.  The  sanctity  of  divine  grace  appears  in  tbis  converted 
robber. 

It  has  been  asserted,  by  those  who  deny  divine  influence, 
that  it  requires  the  long  and  painful  discipline  of  virtue  to  fit 
a  man  for  heaven.  But  is  any  thing  too  hard  for  the  Lord  I 
In  an  ordinary  way,  it  is  long  before  tbe  troubled  ocean  rocks 
itself  to  rest ;  but  Jesus  in  a  moment  made  the  storm  a  calm. 
In  a  few  moments  the  man  before  us  produced  all  tbe  fruits 
of  holiness. 

Self-condemnation  for  sin.  "  We,  indeed,  suffer  justly  tbe 
due  reward  of  our  deeds."  How  far  tbis  was  from  the  natu- 
ral temper  of  a  robber,  or  the  mere  effects  of  his  sufferings, 
we  see  from  tbe  speech  of  the  otber,  in  which  the  penitent  bad 
at  first  joined,  reproaching  Christ,  by  saying,  "  Save  thyself 
and  us."  But  now  tbe  penitent  asks  the  hardened  man,  "  Dost 
not  thou  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  tbe  same  condemnation, 
and  justly  too?"  For  to  one  who  is  himself  become  a  new 
creature,  even  bis  own  former  sentiments  and  expressions, 
that  were  scarcely  out  of  bis  lips,  sound  new,  and  strange,  and 


454  LECTURE    LXXXVIII. 

horrible.  But  he  puts  on  no  airs,  nor  arrogantly  claims  ex- 
emption from  punishment,  on  account  of  his  change.  To  feel 
that  we  have  forfeited  our  life  by  sin,  and  might  justly  be 
doomed  to  the  bitterest  penalty,  is  the  characteristic  of  true 
repentance.  Thus  Watts  has  finely  expressed  the  penitential 
confession  of  David  : 

'*  Should  sudden  vengeance  seize  my  breath, 
I  must  pronounce  thee  just  in  death ; 
And  if  my  soul  were  sent  to  hell. 
Thy  righteous  law  approves  it  well." 

Jealousy  for  the  honour  of  Christ,  is  another  holy  effect  of 
the  grace  that  renewed  the  dying  robber. 

"  This  man,  Jesus  has  done  nothing  amiss,"  cries  the  penitent, 
when  he  heard  all  around  reviling  the  Saviour.  For  now  the 
very  meekness  of  Jesus,  his  silent  endurance  of  scorn,  without 
rendering  railing  for  railing,  appeared  glorious  in  the  eyes  of 
the  once  fierce  and  cruel  robber.  But,  if  Christ  "  was  as  a 
deaf  man  that  heard  not,  or  as  the  dumb  in  whose  lips  were  no 
reproofs,"  according  to  the  inspired  prediction  ;  this  new  con- 
vert could  neither  be  deaf  nor  dumb,  when  Christ  was  re- 
proached ;  but  must  assert,  in  the  face  of  the  whole  world,  that 
Jesus  had  done  nothing  at  all  improper  ;  but  was  immaculate, 
though  treated  as  the  vilest  of  the  vile.  And  this  plea  for 
Christ's  honour  was  introduced,  in  the  most  benevolent  and 
lovely  manner,  as  an  effort  to  save  the  former  companion  of 
crime  from  persisting  to  revile  one  who  was  "  holy,  harmless, 
undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners."  Here  we  are  taught, 
that  whoever  is  made  to  differ  from  others,  and  from  his  for- 
mer self,  will  endeavour  to  render  others  like  his  present  cha- 
racter, saying  with  the  Apostle,  "  Be  ye  as  I  am,  for  I  was  as 
ye  are." 

Faith  in  the  Saviour's  dominion  over  the  world  of  spirits, 
shines  in  this  penitent  criminal.  "  Lord,  remember  me,  when 
thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom ! "  The  word  Lord,  in  its  high- 
est sense,  signifies  Jehovah ;  for  it  is  used,  by  the  Greek 
translators,  to  render  that  Hebrew  name  of  the  Supreme 
Being ;  and  wc  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this  man  was  a 


CONVERSION   OF  THE  THIEF  ON   THE  CROSS.  455 

Jew,  and  used  the  word  in  the  highest  sense ;  for  he  speaks 
of  Christ  coming  into  a  kingdom,  which  could  not  be  an 
earthly  one  ;  and  the  Jews  had  no  notion  of  any  other  Lord, 
or  ruler,  in  the  invisible  world,  but  Jehovah.  But  this  man 
rose,  all  at  once,  to  that  elevation  of  faith,  that  owned  Christ, 
not  only  Lord  of  the  world  of  souls  to  which  he  was  going, 
but  also  of  the  spirits  that  were  yet  dwelling  in  flesh ;  so  that 
for  the  Saviour,  only  to  think  of  any  one,  seemed  an  object 
worthy  of  the  last  prayer,  that  was  poured  out  in  the  agonies 
of  death.  Yet,  whence  was  this  knowledge  of  Christ's  king- 
dom gained?  "Where,"  says  Augustine,  "  had  the  man  seen 
Christ's  sapphire  throne  ?  or  the  cherubim  and  armies  of 
heaven  around  him?  or  the  crown,  the  sceptre,  the  purple 
that  showed  him  king?  No  other  crown  was  seen  than  that 
made  of  thorns,  no  other  sceptre  in  his  hands  than  the  nails 
that  pierced  them  through,  no  other  purple  than  that  of  his 
own  blood,  no  other  throne  than  the  cross,  no  other  ministers 
than  the  executioners.  What  then  made  the  Saviour  look  so 
royally  ?  A  spiritual  empire,  the  royalty  of  mercy,  the  kingly 
prerogative  of  grace  and  pardon."  Under  the  garb  of  a  poor 
man,  was  seen  more  than  royal  wealth ;  and  as  another  of  the 
ancients  says,  "  this  violent  robber,  attacked  and  seized  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  by  force."  O  happy  thief,  thou  hast  stolen 
a  crown  ! 

But  this  was  by  force  of  an  humble,  spiritual  prayer  for  the 
divine  favour,  which  was  another  of  the  holy  effects  of  his 
conversion.  To  have  prayed  at  all  to  one  condemned  for  blas- 
phemy, gibbeted,  crowned  with  thorns,  and  covered  with 
blood,  would  have  been  extraordinary  ;  but  to  ask  for  the 
highest  blessings  which  God  alone  can  give,  was  most  asto- 
nishing! The  impenitent  robber  said,  "  Save  thyself  and  us, 
if  thou  art  the  Christ ;  tear  out  the  nails  from  thine  own  hands, 
and  come  down  thyself,  and  then  help  us  down  from  the 
cross."  But  this  penitent  virtually  replied,  "  Lord,  thou  art 
the  Christ ;  then  save  not  thyself,  but  enter  thy  kingdom  ;  and 
there  save  me,  by  thinking  of  me ;  for  a  thought  from  thee 
there,  will  be  salvation  to  me  here ;  and  if  thou  save  my  soul, 


456  LECTURE    LXXXVIII. 

I  willingly  leave  my  body  to  the  cross."  It  is  not  enough  to 
hear  men  cry  out  upon  their  death- bed,  unless  we  know  for 
what  they  pray.  Grace  taught  this  man,  to  turn  away  his 
thoughts  fi'om  the  agonies  of  the  cross  and  all  temporal  deli- 
verance, to  set  his  heart  only  upon  being  favourably  thought 
of  by  the  Redeemer. 

But  with  what  modesty  is  his  triumphant  faith  accompanied ! 
He  wishes  not  to  prescribe  any  thing  to  Christ,  but  only  asks 
for  a  thought.  "  Lord,  when  thou  hast  marched  in  triumph 
from  this  cross  to  a  throne,  and  there  art  owned  and  honoured, 
obeyed  and  adored  by  myriads  of  happy  spirits,  who  owe  their 
blessed  life  to  these  thy  dying  agonies  ;  and  when  all  the 
honour  and  the  bliss  of  saving  them  shall  fill  thy  heart  and 
crown  thy  head,  O  do  not  forget  that  there  is  a  poor  robber, 
that  once  hung  bleeding  at  thy  side,  and  that  still  needs  thy 
grace  and  power,  to  save  him  from  the  agonies  of  an  accursed 
death,  and  a  too-well  deserved  perdition.  Only  think  of  this, 
and  I  ask  no  more,  but  all  the  rest  leave  cheerfully  to  thee." 

Never  prayer  so  short,  and  yet  so  full.  It  contains,  in  two 
words,  "  Remember  me,"  a  confession  of  faith  that  surpassed 
that  of  the  Apostles,  who  could  not  see  how  Christ  could  suf- 
fer and  yet  reign  ;  an  expression  of  a  spiritual  mind,  that 
looked  not  at  the  things  that  are  seen,  but  at  those  which  are 
not  seen  and  are  eternal ;  and  the  sigh  of  a  broken  heart,  the 
humility  of  a  contrite  spirit.  Never  was  so  much  included  in 
one  case.  While  all  the  world  rejects  Christ,  a  man  hanging 
along  with  him  trusts  him ;  when  priests  were  mocking,  a  rob- 
ber was  praying ;  when  Apostles  were  covered  with  a  cloud 
of  doubts,  a  new  convert  sees  a  glory  in  Christ,  that  opens  a 
door  of  hope  in  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  When 
all  had  been  stripped  and  torn  from  Christ,  his  friends,  his 
character,  his  clothes,  his  skin,  his  blood,  here  is  one  that  seeks 
all  from  him,  and  ascribes  all  to  him.  Turning  the  head  to- 
wards him,  the  robber  reasons  in  his  favour.  The  tongue  that 
lately  reviled  Christ  argues  for  him,  and  prays  to  him,  and 
gives  him  the  last  honour  that  a  creature  can  yield  to  Deity 
itself,  by  seeking  from  him  the  eternal  salvation  of  the  soul. 


CONVERSION   OF  THE  THIEF  ON  THE  CROSS.        457 

3.  The  riches  of  divine  grace  are  displayed  in  tlie  Saviour's 
answer.  "  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  this  day  shalt  thou  be  with 
me  in  paradise." 

Instant  acceptance  is  granted  to  the  robber's  prayer.  He 
that  was  deaf  and  dumb  to  his  revilers,  who  had  no  ear  to  re- 
gard their  blasphemies,  and  no  tongue  to  return  their  curses, 
is  all  ear  and  all  tongue,  to  hear  a  dying  sinner's  prayer,  and 
give  the  answer  of  peace.  All  that  this  man  saw  in  Christ,  he 
felt  conscious  of  himself, — authority  over  the  invisible  eternal 
state,  into  which  he  was  going,  to  be  owned  and  adored  king — 
dominion  over  the  souls  of  men,  living  or  dying  on  earth — and 
power  to  change  the  state  of  the  condemned  sinner,  by  turning 
towards  him  one  gracious  thought. 

Answering  this  prayer,  as  soon  as  it  was  uttered,  the  Saviour 
gave  the  dying  man  an  assurance  of  j^a^ctdise.  "  Thou  shalt 
be  with  me  in  paradise."  This  name  is  generally  given  to  the 
garden  of  Eden,  in  which  our  first  parents  were  placed  in  in- 
nocence, though  the  Scriptures  never  give  this  appellation  to 
the  happy  abode.  The  three  times  in  which  this  word  is  found 
in  the  Old  Testament,  lead  us  to  think,  either  of  a  pleasure 
ground  in  general,  or  of  the  park  of  the  king  of  Persia,  in 
whose  language  this  word  is  most  used.  The  Apostle,  how- 
ever, applies  the  appellation  to  the  abode  of  blessed  souls,  when 
he  speaks  of  being  "  caught  up  into  paradise;"  and  when  the 
Jews  wished  any  one  the  bliss  of  heaven,  they  said  "  let  his 
soul  be  in  the  garden  of  Eden."  Christ,  knowing  this  common 
phrase,  and  intending  to  be  understood  by  this  man,  employed 
this  word  to  convey  to  him  a  promise  of  the  immediate  felicity 
of  his  departing  spirit.  This  view  of  the  place  of  the  blessed 
was  peculiarly  soothing  to  a  man  in  the  agonies  of  the  cross, 
which  he  was  taught  to  expect  would  be  exchanged  for  the 
bowers  of  Eden  ;  when,  from  all  the  mental  and  physical  an- 
guish which  sin  had  produced,  he  should  be  translated  to  the 
peaceful  abodes  of  spotless  innocence.  The  second  Adam 
promises  to  his  seed,  that  he  shall  be  restored  to  the  paradise 
which,  through  the  first  Adam,  we  had  lost. 

Yet  to  one  who  had  so  lately  seen  the  Saviour's  glory, 
paradise  would,  without  Jesus,  be  a  hell.     "  What!  just  open 


458  LECTURE    LXXXVlll. 

my  eyes  to  see  who  was  bleeding  by  my  side,  and  then  be 
snatched  from  the  beatific  vision  !  What  is  paradise  ?  Where- 
ever  Jesus  is."  To  meet  this  affection,  the  Saviour  says, 
"  Thou  shalt  be  ivith  me  in  paradise." 

O  glorious  hope  I  To  be  in  such  a  place  with  such  com- 
pany !  And  to  be  assured  of  this  !  To  know  it  in  a  dying 
hour  !  To  hear  it  from  the  lips  of  Jesus,  that  shall  pronounce 
our  eternal  doom !  Such  was  the  favour  granted  freely,  by 
grace  without  works,  to  him  that  believed  in  Christ  for  righ- 
teousness. For,  "  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  rejoice  in  hope 
of  the  glory  of  God." 

Immediate  possession  is  granted  this  man,  by  the  riches  of 
divine  grace.  For  Christ,  though  apparently  under  the  power 
of  death,  and  with  his  hands  nailed  to  the  cross,  shows  his 
conscious  dominion  over  death,  by  turning  its  keys  to  give  a 
departing  soul  dismission,  through  the  gates  of  death,  into  the 
happy  part  of  hades,  or  the  unseen  world.  To  bind  or  loose 
souls  dwelling  in  flesh,  to  open  or  shut  the  dread  gates  of 
death,  to  fix  the  time  for  departure,  and  determine  the  abode 
into  which  the  soul  shall  be  gathered,  are  acts  of  the  Supreme 
Ruler  of  the  universe  ;  but  Jesus  exercises  them  in  his  lowest 
state  of  humiliation,  when  himself  crucified  in  weakness. 

But  those  who  hold,  what  is  termed  the  soul-sleeping  system, 
endeavour  to  escape  the  force  of  this  passage,  by  altering  the 
stops,  which  certainly  are  not  of  divine  authority.  Thus  they 
represent  Christ  to  say,  "  I  tell  thee,  to-day,  that  thou  shalt 
be  with  me  in  paradise,"  i.  e.  hundreds,  or  thousands,  of  years 
hence,  when  the  dead  shall  rise.  This  is  scarcely  worthy  of  a 
refutation.  The  oldest  version,  the  Syriac,  renders  the  passage 
in  a  way  that  shows  it  was  understood  according  to  the  ordinary 
punctuation,  "  I  say  to  thee,  that  to-day  thou  shalt  be  with 
me  ;"  and  one  of  the  Greek  manuscripts  has  a  reading  which 
expresses  the  same  sense.  But  it  will  be  more  conclusive 
with  many,  that  the  word  paradise  is  not  applied  to  the  con- 
summate state  of  bliss,  after  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  but 
to  the  intermediate  felicity  of  the  soul.  To  most  also,  there 
will  be  still  more  conviction  in  the  remark,  that  our  Lord  could 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  THIEF  ON  THE  CROSS.         459 

not  mean  gravely  to  inform  this  man  of  what  he  knew  without 
any  information,  that  the  Saviour  was  speaking  to  him  that 
day  ;  while,  on  the  ordinary  view  of  the  Saviour's  words,  they 
express  an  important  answer  to  the  exact  request  presented. 
The  robber  had  prayed  for  a  certain  favour,  to  be  granted  at 
a  certain  time ;  that  Christ  would  remember  him,  when  Christ 
was  come  into  his  kingdom  ;  and  the  Saviour  answers  both 
parts  of  the  request  by  assuring  the  suppliant  that  he  should 
be  with  Christ  and  that  very  day  ;  in  paradise,  his  kingdom. 
Indeed,  this  subterfuge  concerning  the  stops  has  been  aban- 
doned by  one,  who  still  denies  the  separate  state  of  the  soul, 
and  who  says,  our  Lord  intended  to  promise  the  dying  robber 
a  quiet  repose  in  the  dust,  along  with  Jesus  and  departed 
saints.  But  this  was  language  which  could  not  have  been 
understood,  by  him  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  to  convey  any 
such  meaning.  No  evidence  has  been  adduced,  to  prove, 
that,  to  be  a  mere  dead  body,  without  sense  or  consciousness, 
even  though  destined  to  a  happy  resurrection,  was  ever  called 
by  the  Jews  paradise  ;  while  we  know,  not  only  from  the  usage 
of  the  Jews,  but  by  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures,  that  they 
who  are  in  paradise  are  supposed  to  "  hear  unutterable  words," 
and  *'  eat  of  the  tree  of  life." 


460 


LECTURE  LXXXIX. 


CHRIST    COMMENDING    HIS    MOTHER    TO    JOHN. 

John  xix.  23 — 28. 

When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and  the  disciple  standing  by,  whom 
he  loved,  he  saith  unto  his  mother.  Woman,  beliold  thy  son  !  Then  saith 
he  to  the  disciple,  Behold  thy  mother  ! 

As  I  read  these  words,  I  thought  I  heard  my  audience  exclaim, 
"  What  then,  amidst  the  agonies  of  the  cross,  is  the  Saviour 
occupied  with  the  sorrows  of  others,  rather  than  his  own  i  Is 
he,  instead  of  receiving  consolations,  administering  them?" 
In  our  last  moments,  we  expect  to  engage  all  the  attentions  of 
friends,  and  to  need  them,  in  order  to  smooth  our  passage  into 
the  eternal  world.  But  the  prophet  had  foretold,  that  "  Mes- 
siah, the  Prince,  should  be  cut  oflF,  not  for  himself;"  and  here 
Christ  shows,  that  he  is  the  Prince  of  life,  who  dies  for  others, 
not  on  his  own  account.  Our  last  theme  of  meditation,  was 
the  grace  of  the  dying  Saviour,  displayed  in  the  salvation  of 
the  chief  of  sinners  ;  and  now,  we  are  to  behold  him  engaged 
in  providing  for  the  consolation  and  support  of  the  most  emi- 
nent of  saints.  Let  us  then,  press  around  the  cross,  that  we 
mav  share  in  the  blessings  we  behold  him  bestowing  on  those 
who  took  their  station  at  that  awfully  delightful  spot. 

This  care,  which  Christ  showed  towards  his  mother,  was 
occasioned  by  his  seeing  her,  and  John,  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross ;  which  proves,  that  it  should  be  introduced  in  this  order, 
just  before  the  portentous  darkness.  For  when  that  came  on, 
it  prevented  any  one  from  being  seen ;  and  when  it  passed 


CHRIST  COMMENDING  HIS  MOTHER  TO  JOHN.         461 

away,  the  signal  was  given  for  the  departure  of  the  Redeemer's 
soul. 

I.  Behold,  then,  the  faithful  company  around  the  cross  ! 

We  are  not  to  suppose,  that  the  persons  mentioned  here 
were  alone,  in  their  attendance  at  the  crucifixion.  There  were 
other  disciples  and  friends,who  were  eye-witnesses  of  Christ's 
last  sufferings.  One  Evangelist  speaks  of  a  "  great  company 
of  women,  who  followed  Jesus  from  Galilee,  and  who  stood 
beholding"  his  death.  It  is  probable,  that  the  whole  of  the 
eleven  Apostles  were  there.  It  is  true,  that,  at  first,  "  they 
forsook  Christ  and  fled."  But,  then,  it  is  equally  true,  that 
John  had  joined  in  that  disgraceful  flight ;  and,  as  we  find  he 
had  rallied,  and  returned  to  stand  by  his  Master  in  death ; 
why  should  we  not  conclude  that  the  rest  did  so  too  ?  It  is, 
however,  probable,  that  John,  the  beloved  disciple,  showed 
the  triumphs  of  love  by  returning  more  nobly  than  the  rest, 
so  as  to  come  and  stand  close  to  the  cross,  while  the  other 
Apostles  only  mingled  with  the  gazing  crowd.  Peter  actually 
speaks  of  himself  as  an  "  eye-witness  of  Christ's  sufferings  ;" 
but  John,  by  being  nearer,  became  an  ear- witness  of  those 
gracious  words  which  dropped  from  the  lips  of  his  dying  Lord. 
From  the  wide  circle  that  gazed  at  a  distance,  though  some  of 
them  were  deeply  interested  in  the  event,  we  turn  our  attention 
to  that  smaller  and  more  select  party,  which  consisted  of  Mary 
the  mother  of  Jesus,  Mary  Cleophas,  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
John,  the  beloved  disciple. 

1.  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus. 

We  are  not  told,  that  she  was  accustomed  to  accompany 
Jesus  in  his  journeys,  as  some  other  females  were.  Her  calm, 
meek,  modest,  retiring  disposition,  and,  perhaps,  also,  her 
bodily  constitution,  rendered  her  unequal  to  the  labours  and 
trials  of  these  itinerant  expeditions.  It  is  not  unlikely,  that 
Providence  thus  removed  her  out  of  the  way  of  inquiries  con- 
cerning the  peculiarities  of  the  Saviour's  birth,  which  were, 
for  a  time,  unknown  to  the  world.  Nor  is  it  recorded,  that 
our  Lord's  mother  came  up  from  Galilee,  on  this  last  occasion, 
along  with  the  rest  of  his  company.  But,  when  the  passover 
was  to  be  celebrated,  she  was  called  by  piety  up  to  the  temple. 


462  LECTURE    LXXXIX. 

and  as  she  knew  that  Christ  had  said  some  unusually  solemn 
things  of  this  last  passover,  she,  who  was  accustomed  to  keep 
all  his  sayings  and  ponder  them  in  her  heart,  felt  herself  drawn 
by  peculiarly  powerful  attractions  to  the  feast,  at  which  the 
great  paschal  lamb  was  to  be  offered. 

Here  she  seems  to  have  silently  watched  the  process  of  the 
trial ;  unless  you  suppose  it  was  so  ordered,  that  she  should 
not  arrive  till  it  was  over,  having  come  up,  like  Simon,  the 
Cyrenian,  at  the  time  that  the  Jews  celebrated  the  feast ;  while 
Christ  kept  it  at  the  divinely  appointed  time,  which  was  the 
day  before.  Perhaps,  it  was  deemed  too  much  for  a  mother, 
to  behold  the  cruel  mockery  of  a  trial,  the  buffeting  and 
scourging  of  her  son  ;  perhaps  it  was  so  ordered,  that,  when 
she  arrived  at  Jerusalem,  he  was  going  away  to  Calvary.  But 
we  cannot  see  her  standing  by  the  cross,  without  exclaiming, 
"What  a  sight  for  a  mother,  and  such  a  mother!"  For 
what  a  spectacle  the  Saviour  now  presented  to  view  !  IVe 
can  scarcely  endure  a  vivid  representation  of  his  appearance, 
at  this  moment ;  how  then  could  the  mother  of  our  Lord  bear 
the  sight  of  his  naked  frame,  wounded  and  bloody,  racked  in 
every  limb,  strained  in  every  muscle,  crowned  with  piercing 
thorns ;  and  yet  mocked  and  execrated  by  an  ungrateful 
world  ? 

But,  obscured  as  was  his  worth  from  the  eyes  of  men,  she 
was  a  sufficient  witness  to  herself  that  he  was  more  than  man. 
His  very  sufferings  increased  her  conviction  of  his  divine 
glory.  For  as  the  angel  had  said  to  her,  "  The  Holy  Ghost 
shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall 
overshadow  thee  :  therefore  also  that  holy  thing  which  shall 
be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God;"*  so  had 
Simeon  said,  "  This  child  is  set  for  the  fall  and  rising  again 
of  many  in  Israel ;  and  for  a  sign  which  shall  be  spoken  against, 
(yea,  a  sword  shall  pierce  through  thy  own  soul  also,)  that  the 
thoughts  of  many  hearts  may  be  revealed."']- 

The  recollection  of  so  many  prophecies  fulfilled,  in  this  her 
dying  son,  gave  her  fortitude  to  endure,  where  there  was  no 
couch  to  throw  herself  upon,  nothing  but  the  cross  to  lean 
*  Luke  i.  35.  t  lb-  ii.  34,  S.^. 


CHRIST  COMMENDING  HIS  MOTHER  TO  JOHN.       463 

against,  or  the  arm  of  a  friend  of  Jesus  to  uphold  her ;  though 
that  friend  needed  support  as  well  as  herself.  There  she 
stands,  all  exposed  to  public  gaze ;  the  gaze  of  that  public 
which  was  so  lost,  not  merely  to  tenderness  or  compassion, 
but  to  common  humanity  and  decency,  as  to  make  sport  of 
the  agonies  of  death.  When  the  ark  of  God  was  taken,  the 
wife  of  Phineas  heard  and  expired;  and  Eli  fell  backward, 
and  his  neck  brake !  But  Mary  saw  the  true  ark  seized  by 
the  infuriate  foe,  and  bowed  and  said,  as  when  Jesus  was 
born,  "  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord ;  be  it  unto  me 
according  to  thy  word."  We  must  now  attend  to  another 
female  near  the  cross. 

2.  Mary  Cleophas. 

It  is  not  quite  clear,  from  the  original,  whether  this  was 
the  wife,  or  the  daughter,  or  the  sister  of  Cleophas ;  for  all 
that  a  strictly  literal  translation  could  give,  would  be  equi- 
valent to  "  the  Mary  of  Cleophas."  The  more  general,  per- 
haps the  more  probable,  opinion  is,  that  she  was  the  wife. 
She  is  called  the  sister  of  our  Lord's  mother  ;  but  here  again 
it  is  not  easy  to  determine,  whether  she  was  so  strictly,  or 
only  by  that  latitude  of  interpretation,  which  must  be  employ- 
ed, when  considering  the  Jewish  application  of  the  terms  ex- 
pressive of  relationship.  It  is,  however,  improbable,  that  the 
same  parents  would  call  two  daughters  by  the  name  of  Mary. 
I,  therefore,  conclude  that  this  person  was  sister-in-law  to  the 
Virgin  Mary,  having  married  Cleophas,  who  may  have  been 
the  brother  of  Joseph.  The  children  of  this  Mary  Cleophas, 
James,  Joses,  and  Jude,  are  called  the  brethren  of  Christ ; 
though  we  should  call  them  cousins. 

The  uncertainty  which  attends  the  question  of  these  persons' 
relationship  to  our  Lord  was,  doubtless,  designed  to  guard 
against  those  carnal  notions  on  the  subject,  to  which  we  are 
so  prone,  and  against  which  the  Saviour  so  frequently  warned 
his  disciples ;  for  he  knew  how  much  mischief  this  error  would 
produce.  The  history  of  the  patriarchs  informs  us,  of  the  ex- 
travaarant  ambition  of  the  Israelitish  women  to  become  the 
mother  of  the  Messiah.     But  the  envy  which  females  felt 


464  LECTURE    LXXXIX. 

towards  each  other,  on  this  grand  question,  seems  to  have 
expired  at  the  cross  ;  for  here  we  behold  the  relative  of  Mary, 
standing  with  her  as  a  companion  and  friend,  sympathizing 
with  her  in  the  agonies  she  endured,  while  the  sword  that 
pierced  though  her  son  reached  her  heart.  Mary  Cleophas 
saw,  indeed,  how  little  the  ambitious  women,  who  aspired  to 
the  honour  of  being  the  Messiah's  mother,  knew  what  it  would 
cost  her,  who  should  enjoy  the  high  distinction  of  bringing 
into  the  world  its  promised  Saviour.  They  who  truly  under- 
stand the  nature  of  that  promotion,  to  which  heaven  exalts 
its  most  favoured  children,  are  far  from  envying  them  their 
honours,  aware  that  only  they  whom  God  calls  to  such  dis- 
tinctions can  bear  the  cross,  by  which  we  must  reach  those 
more  exalted  crowns.  Another  female  is  now  presented  to 
our  view. 

3.  Mary  Magdalene. 

For  of  the  four  persons,  who  are  mentioned  as  standing  by 
the  cross,  three  were  women. 

All  that  we  know  of  the  one  now  presented  to  our  notice  is, 
that  she  was  of  the  town  of  Magdala,  and  that  she  had  been  a 
great  sufferer  from  demoniac  possession;  for  "  out  of  her,"  it 
is  said,  "  Jesus  cast  seven  demons."  She,  doubtless,  remem- 
bered the  hour,  when  her  body  was  the  hold  of  foul  spirits, 
the  den  of  demons,  which  tore  her  frame  with  horrible  dis- 
tractions, making  her  emit  dismal  yells,  and  perhaps  blasphe- 
mous words,  at  which  her  dearest  friends  shuddered.  But  she 
remembered  too,  the  voice  of  Jesus,  at  which  the  demons, 
though  reluctantly,  quitted  their  hold,  and  left  her  calm  and 
well.  But  to  see  such  a  friend  crucified,  such  a  deliverer  in 
the  hands  of  his  enemies,  such  a  benefactor  made  a  universal 
execration,  must  have  pierced  the  heart  of  this  grateful  dis- 
ciple with  unutterable  anguish.  Yet  there  she  saw  those  evil 
spirits,  which  had  distressed  and  torn  her,  robbed  of  their 
dominion  over  men.  "  Now,"  says  Jesus,  "  is  the  prince  of 
this  world  cast  out."  "  He  spoiled  principalities  and  powers," 
said  the  Apostle,  "  and  made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumph- 
ing over  them  in  the  cross." 


CHRIST  COMMENDING    HIS   MOTHER    I'O  JOHN.        465 

O  ye,  that,  with  Mary  Magdalene,  have  obtained  deliver- 
ance from  the  power  of  Satan,  by  the  grace  of  him  that  was 
crucified,  go,  take  your  station  with  her  near  the  cross ;  and 
say, 

*'  Sweet  the  moments,  rich  in  blessing, 

Which  before  the  cross  I  spend ; 
Life,  and  health,  and  peace  possessing 

From  the  sinner's  dying  friend. 
Here  I'll  sit,  for  ever  viewing 

Mercy's  streams  in  streams  of  blood  ; 
Precious  drops,  my  soul  bedewing, 

Plead  and  claim  my  peace  with  God." 

4.  The  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  was  the  only  man,  who 
stood  close  by  the  cross,  while  Jesus  hung  upon  it.  This  per- 
son is  not  said  to  be  the  disciple  who  loved  Jesus ;  though, 
standing  by  the  cross,  he  shewed  this  to  be  true.  But  ail  who 
truly  love  Christ  know,  that  this  is  because  he  first  loved 
them;  and  that  their  love  is  but  an  humble  imitation,  not 
worthy  to  be  mentioned  in  comparison  with  his.  If,  however, 
we  had  been  left  to  inquire,  who  was  that  disciple  who  stood 
by  the  cross,  when  all  others  stood  aloof,  should  we  not  have 
concluded  that  it  must  be  Peter?  He  said,  "Though  all 
men  forsake  thee,  yet  will  not  I."  And  now  that  his  Lord's 
look  has  recovered  him  from  his  shameful  fall,  will  he  not 
cling  closely  to  his  side  ?  No ;  he  is  among  the  other  ten 
Apostles,  at  some  distance;  afraid,  perhaps,  to  pretend  to  love 
Christ  more  than  the  others.  But  love  did  more  for  John 
than  zeal  for  Peter.  All  true  zeal  is,  indeed,  only  the  fervour 
of  love,  and  of  the  other  graces  of  religion.  Every  thing  else 
which  is  called  zeal,  is  but  natural  forwardness  and  impetu- 
osity of  temper,  which  go  but  little  way  in  religion,  and  do 
as  much  mischief  as  good.  Peter's  natural  temperament 
pushed  him,  before  the  other  disciples,  to  ask  to  walk  upon 
the  water,  to  go  to  Jesus,  and  then  left  him  to  sink  ;  made 
him  promise  to  own  Christ  though  all  should  deny,  and- 
then  left  him  to  deny  with  oaths  and  curses.  But  "  love  is 
stronger  than  death;"  and  love  made  John  cleave  to  Christ, 
when  dying,  amidst  the  scorn  and  execrations  of  an  enraged 

VOL.    II.  2  H 


466  LHCTURE    LXXXIX. 

world.  Then  follow  after  love;  for  "  now  abideth  faith,  hope, 
love ;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  love.  Love  beareth  all 
things." 

II.  Now  hear  the  gracious  words  that  dropped  from  the 
Saviour's  lips  on  the  cross. 

The  Evangelist  says,  "  Jesus  saw  these  persons  standing  by 
the  cross."  For  the  last  use  Christ  made  of  the  light  of  hea- 
ven, before  it  was  withdrawn  from  the  earth,  was  to  look  with 
tender  solicitude  on  the  friends  of  his  bosom,  and  commend 
them  to  each  other's  love.  It  appears  also,  that  all  was  silence 
during  the  hours  of  darkness ;  but,  ere  that  awful  stillness 
commenced,  the  last  use  which  Christ  made  of  his  voice  was 
to  speak  to  his  mother,  and  to  the  disciple  whom  he  loved. 

1.  To  his  mother  he  said,  "  Woman,  behold  thy  son !" 

We  have  seen  that  the  word,  woman,  implies  no  disrespect; 
and  it  is  observable  that  our  Lord  never  called  Mary  mother, 
after  he  came  forth  to  public  life.  On  this  occasion,  many 
reasons  may  have  induced  him  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  that 
word.  Tenderness  to  her  might  cause  him  to  avoid  an  ex- 
pression, which  would  wake  up  all  the  mother,  to  agonize  with 
her  dying  son,  and  would  also  point  her  out,  as  the  object  of 
enmity  to  the  insulting  crowd.  But  Christ's  chief  reason,  no 
doubt,  was,  to  teach  her,  that  she  must,  from  that  moment, 
learn  to  say,  with  the  Apostle,  "  Henceforth  know  we  no  man 
after  the  flesh;  though  we  have  known  Christ  after  the  flesh, 
now  know  we  him  so  no  more."  All  that  peculiar  relation- 
ship, which  had  brought  upon  her,  at  once  so  much  honour 
and  so  much  trial,  was  now  to  be  merged  in  the  more  general 
and  more  exalted  view  of  the  Saviour,  as  "  taking  on  him, 
not  the  nature  of  angels,  but  the  seed  of  Abraham,  that  he 
might,  in  all  things,  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren." 

Christ,  therefore,  now  tells  her,  that  he  was  departing,  and 
John  was  henceforth  to  be  her  son.  When  Jesus  said  to  her, 
"  Woman,  behold  thy  son,"  he  probably  accompanied  the 
speech  with  that  significant  look  which  superseded  the  neces- 
sity of  pointing  with  the  finger,  as  his  hands  were  nailed  to 
the  cross.  "  If,  Mary,  thou  art  no  more  to  consider  me  as 
thy  son,  but  as  thy  Lord ;  thou  shalt  henceforth  find  a  son,  in 


CHRIST  COMMENDING   HIS   MOTHER  TO  JOHN.        407 

every  disciple  whom  Jesus  loves.  All  generations  of  Chris- 
tians, beloved  of  God,  called  to  be  saints,  shall  call  thee 
blessed."  As  long  as  Christ  has  an  affectionate  disciple,  on 
earth,  Mary  has  a  son,  on  whom  she  may  rely  for  support,  as 
a  mother  leans  upon  the  arm  of  her  child.  Thus  tenderly 
Christ  hands  his  mother  down,  to  her  true  rank  in  the  church. 
Mary  seems  to  have  understood  this,  though  the  church  of 
Rome  does  not ;  for  we  never  hear  of  any  distinction  claimed 
by  the  Virgin  Mary ;  nor  indeed  is  any  thing  more  said  of  this 
most  highly-favoured  woman,  after  the  slight  mention  of  her 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  as  meeting  with  the  hundred  and 
twenty,  in  an  upper  room,  for  prayer. 

2.  To  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  he  said,  "  Behold  tl^y 
mother ! " 

Not  7iiy  mother,  as  we  should  naturally  have  expected 
Christ  to  say,  but  thy  mother ;  for  now  John  stands  in  the 
place  of  Jesus,  in  relation  to  Mary.  Such  honour  have  not 
all  the  saints;  but  the  one  whom  Jesus  peculiarly  loved,  was 
taken  into  a  new  and  more  endearing  relation,  as  a  brother, 
and  "  a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother."  Jesus 
transfers  to  him  the  woman,  in  whose  womb  the  Saviour  had 
taken  human  flesh,  and  engages  John  to  regard  her  as  his 
own  mother.  As  an  elder  brother,  on  his  death-bed,  would 
say  to  the  next  son,  who  stood  near,  "  Remember  your  mother. 
I  have  been  the  prop  of  her  widowhood  hitherto;  but  I  am 
dying,  and  now  do  you  stand  in  my  place;"  so  is  this  best- 
beloved  disciple  addressed  by  his  dying  Lord,  and  exalted  to 
the  honour  of  having  for  a  mother  this  most  distinguished 
female,  of  whom  even  Elizabeth  said,  "  Whence  is  this,  that 
the  mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to  me  ? " 

This  is  Christ's  way  of  honouring  those  whom  he  loves. 
He  gives  them  something  to  do  for  him ;  he  calls  upon  them  to 
give  something  to  his  friends  ;  he  intrusts  them  with  the  care 
of  that  which  is  dearest  to  him  on  earth.  Well  he  knows  their 
hearts.  Far  from  repining  at  it,  as  a  tax  laid  upon  them,  to 
have  to  keep  the  mother  or  the  friend  of  Jesus ;  all  his  true 
disciples  account  it  their  honour  and  their  bliss  to  be  able  thus 
to  prove  their  love  to  their  Lord.     Jesus  loves  his  mother  top 

2h2     . 


468  LECTURE    LXXXIX. 

well  to  commit  her  to  one,  who  would  regard  her,  as  a  parish 
views  its  paupers,  who  are  blamed  for  not  dying  sooner,  to 
be  out  of  the  way.  In  trusting  his  poor  to  the  care  of  his 
churches,  our  Lord  shows  his  love  to  both  parties;  for  he 
knew  that  his  grace  would  cause  us  to  consider  it  the  con- 
summation of  our  bliss,  to  hear  him  say,  at  the  day  of  doom, 
"  I  was  hungry,  and  ye  gave  me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye 
gave  me  drink ;  for  in  as  much  as  ye  did  it  to  the  least  of  these 
my  brethren,  ye  did  it  to  me." 

The  result  was,  that,  from  this  hour,  the  beloved  disciple 
took  the  virgin  mother,  to  his  own  home.  John  was  but  a 
plain  fisherman ;  for  though  he  is  thought  to  have  been  in  rather 
better  circumstances  than  the  other  Apostles,  we  have  no  rea- 
son to  think  he  was  rich.  We  shall  soon  see  him  toiling,  all 
night  on  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  to  support  this  very  mother  of 
Jesus.  *  Yet  we  are  here  told,  that  John  had  a  house,  or 
home,  of  his  own.  Some  have  affirmed,  that  this  son  of  Ze- 
bedee  had  a  residence  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Zion,  where  Mary 
died,  seven  years  after.  Others,  however,  have  said,  that  she 
went  and  lived  with  the  beloved  disciple,  at  Ephesus,  where 
she  did  not  expire,  till  she  had  attained  the  advanced  age  of 
one  hundred.  It  is  more  probable,  that  the  house  of  John 
was  in  Galilee,  where  he  carried  on  the  business  of  a  fisher- 
man ;  though  he  might  have  a  temporary  abode  in  Jerusalem, 
to  which  he  took  Mary,  from  this  hour. 

None  of  the  rich  or  great  would  have  received  her,  but  a 
poor  fisherman  gave  her  a  home.  Well  was  it  for  Mary,  that 
she  lodged  with  the  good  rather  than  the  great.  In  the  honest 
industry  of  this  labouring  man,  crowned  with  the  blessing  of 
him  that  has  power  over  all  flesh,  she  had  a  security  that  she 
should  want  no  good  thing;  and,  in  the  devout  conversation 
of  him  that  leaned  on  the  bosom  of  Jesus,  she  found  herself 
on  the  borders  of  heaven,  while  she  waited  for  the  angel  of 
death,  to  convey  her  to  the  presence  of  him  who  had  taken 
flesh  of  her,  and  who  now  reigns,  in  "  the  glory  which  he  had 
with  the  Father  before  the  world  was."  It  is,  indeed,  affect- 
ing to  us,  to  think  of  the  Saviour  dying  without  property, 
*  John  XX.  2. 


CHRIST  COMMENDING  HIS  MOTHER  TO  JOHN.       469 

having  not  even  his  clothes  to  leave  to  his  widowed  mother ; 
(for  they  were  shared  among  his  executioners ;)  and  making  no 
provision  for  her,  but  that  of  recommending  her  to  one  who 
took  her  to  his  fishing  hut.  Yet  the  day  is  coming,  when  the 
lords  of  the  most  splendid  mansions  that  earth  contains,  would 
give  the  world  to  have  had  the  honour  of  entertaining  her,  of 
whom  the  Sovereign  Judge  was  born  ;  and  when  even  queens 
will  say,  "  O  that  we  had  been  Mary,  to  have  taken  up  our 
lodging  with  the  poor  fi[sherman  of  Galilee  ! " 

Let  the  disciples  whom  Jesus  loves  repair  to  their  proper 
station,  near  the  cross.  There  you  are  in  the  post  of  honour 
and  of  bliss.  Like  John,  you  may  there  converse  with  your 
Lord  ;  and  if,  in  consequence  of  being  thus  near,  you  should, 
like  him,  be  intrusted  with  a  charge,  and  some  one  dear  to 
Christ  be  committed  to  your  care  for  life  ;  you  will  be  blessed 
in  your  trust,  and  abundantly  recompensed  for  it,  by  the 
clearer  views  you  will  enjoy  of  Christ's  glory,  when  you  are 
standing  by  his  cross. 


470 


LECTURE    XC. 

THE    MIRACULOUS    DARKNESS;    AND  THE  LAMENTATION 
OF    CHRIST. 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  45 — 47. 
Mark  xv.  33 — 35. 
Luke  xxiii.  44,  45. 

"*  Now  from  the  sixth  hour  there  was  darkness  over  all  the  land  unto  the 
ninth  hour.  And  about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  say- 
ing, Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani  ? 

We  have  been,  for  some  time,  occupied  with  observing  the 
treatment  Christ  received  from  man,  and  the  returns  he  gave, 
while  on  the  cross.  To-day,  we  are  called  to  notice  the  con- 
duct of  God  towards  the  glorious  sufferer,  and  the  language 
of  Jesus  to  his  heavenly  Father.  Amidst  all  that  mortals 
Could  do  fo  torment  Ms  body,  or  distress  his  mind,  we  have 
seen  the  Saviour  calm  and  unmoved  ;  so  far  from  bewail- 
ing his  own  sorrows,  that  he  was  occupied  in  administering 
relief  to  those  of  others  ;  either  praying  for  bis  murderers,  or 
bestowing  paradise  upon  the  dying  robber,  or  commending  his 
afflicted  mother  and  beloved  friend  to  each  other's  lore.  But 
now  that  Jehovah  covers  him  with  a  dark  cloud,  we  are  called 
to  listen  to  the  Saviour's  piercing  cry  ;  and  to  inquire  into 
the  cause  why  heaven  seems  to  concur  with  earth  and  hell,  in 
afflicting  the  most  meritorious  person,  and  putting  him  to 
grief. 

The  darkness  that  occurred,  while  Christ  was  on  the  cross ; 
and  the  lamentation  of  the  Saviour,  are  the  two  objects  worthy 
of  our  most  serious  regard. 

I.  Behold  the  awful  darkness  that  covered  our  dying  Lord. 


THE  DARKNESS  ;    AND  CHRIST'S  LAMENTATION.      47l 

Three  of  the  Evang-elists  record  this  event,  which  the  fourth 
omits ;  evidently  because  it  was  John's  design,  not  to  repeat 
what  the  others  have  mentioned,  but  to  supply  what  they  had 
omitted.  This  darkness  was,  however,  so  singular  and  myste- 
rious, that  it  has  occasioned  great  discussion.  I  will  not  waste 
your  time  in  disputation,  upon  a  theme  that  demands  the 
most  devout  improvement,  but  will  consider  this  event,  first 
as  a  fact,  and  then  as  a  lesson. 

1.  As  a  fact. 

From  the  manner  in  which  the  sacred  historians  mention 
this  darkness,  we  may  be  sure  that  it  was  not  a  mere  ordinary 
occurrence,  according  to  the  common  course  of  nature.  If  it 
had  been,  as  some  sceptically  insinuate,  a  mere  accumulation 
of  vapours,  or  a  dark  cloud,  producing  only  an  accidental  dim- 
ness; it  would  not  have  been  mentioned  by  three  of  the  Evan- 
gelists, along  with  the  tearing  of  the  vail  of  the  temple,  the 
rending  of  the  rocks,  and  the  earthquake.  For,  it  is  manifest, 
that  the  sacred  biographers  had  no  disposition  to  indulge  in 
the  marvellous,  under  the  influence  of  agitated  passions,  and 
an  inflamed  imagination.  On  the  contrary,  no  reflecting  per- 
son can  read  their  narratives  without  wondering  at  the  absence 
of  all  passion.  Events  fit  to  harrow  up  the  soul  with  indigna- 
tion and  horror  they  record  with  an  astonishing,  I  might  say, 
a  confounding  coolness  ;  and  speak  of  the  treatment  of  their 
dearest  friend  and  Lord,  not  merely  as  if  he  had  been  the 
greatest  stranger,  but  in  such  a  way,  as  no  man  who  had  sense 
enough  to  be  the  author  of  such  narratives,  could  describe 
such  treatment  towards  one  for  whom  he  cared  nothing.  Far 
from  filling  their  pages  with  exclamations,  designed  to  excite 
your  admiration  of  the  Saviour,  and  to  kindle  your  indignation 
against  his  foes ;  they  relate  things  of  the  most  affecting  na- 
ture, as  if  they  either  did  not  understand,  or  could  not  feel 
what  their  own  pen  records,  or  as  if  they  themselves  were  the 
mere  pen  moved  by  another  hand. 

Yet  they  inform  us,  not  merely  that  there  was  darkness  for 
three  hours,  at  mid-day ;  but  one  of  them  uses  the  expression, 
"  the  sun  was  darkened."  That  this  was  not  a  natural  event, 
commonly,  though  rather  erroneously,  called  an  eclipse  of  the 


^72  LECTURE   XC. 

sun,  we  know,  from  the  acknowledged  principles  of  chronology 
and  astronomy.     What  is  denominated  an  eclipse,  or  failure 
of  the  sun,  but  should  rather  be  termed  an  eclipse  of  the  earth 
(for  it  is  a  failure  of  our  light)  can  never  happen  but  at  the 
new  moon  ;  for  it  is  occasioned  by  that  body  coming  between 
us  and  the  sun,  so  as  to  place  us  in  her  shadow,  or,  in  other 
words,  intercept  the  sun's  rays.     Now,  whenever  the  moon  is 
thus  placed  between  us  and  the  sun,  her  dark  side  must,  of 
course,  be  towards  us  ;  her  illuminated   side  is  always  that 
which  is   turned  towards  the  sun.     This  constitutes   a  new 
moon,  such  a  position  of  that  secondary  as  excludes  all  her 
light  from  our  view.     But  the   opposite  position  must  have 
been  that  of  the  moon  at  the  time  of  Christ's  crucifixion ;  for 
it  happened   at   the  celebration  of  the  passover,  which  was 
always  kept  at  the  full  moon.     Every  one,  therefore,  knows, 
that  the  full  moon  would  not  be  in  the  meridian  at  noon,  so  as 
to  eclipse  the  sun ;  for  if  she  were  over  our  heads  the&,  she 
must  be  under  our  feet  at  midnight,  instead  of  giving  us  the 
clear  moonlight  nights  which  we  enjoy  when  the  moon  is  at 
the  full. 

This,  therefore,  which  Luke  calls  "  the  sun  being  dark- 
ened," wa5  not  a  natural  eclipse,  but  a  supernatural  interpo- 
sition of  the  Creator,  to  deprive  the  earth  at  that  time  of  the 
sun's  light.  Wliat  is  said  by  a  writer  called  Dionysius,  the 
Areopagite,  of  his  being  in  Egypt  at  that  time,  and  seeing  the 
moon  change  her  place  in  the  heavens,  so  as  to  interpose  her- 
self between  us  and  the  sun,  and  thus  reverse  her  course  to 
occasion  this  darkness,  I  leave  to  your  own  reflections.  The 
manner  in  which  this  darkness  was  produced  we  know  not;  as, 
in  fact,  we  cannot  tell  the  mode  in  which  light  is  produced, 
nor  what  it  is.  But  as  we  know  the  fact,  that  we  enjoy  the 
light,  we  are  certain  also  that,  on  this  occasion,  it  was  with- 
drawu>  for  three  hours.  It  was  easy  for  him  who  filled  the 
lamp  of  day  with  light,  to  quench  that  light,  totally  or  partially, 
to  a  whole,  or  a  part  of  the  earth,  as  he  pleased.  As  the  ex~ 
pression  in  the  original  may  be  translated,  either,  over  all  the 
earth,  or  all  the  land,  it  is  much  disputed  how  far  the  dark- 
ness extended.     To  me  it  appears  most  probable,  that  it  was 


THE  DARKNESS;    AMD  CHRIST'S  LAMENTATION.      473 

only  the  land  of  J  udea  that  was  enveloped  in  night,  for  three 
hours,  from  noon,  till  what  we  term  three  o'clock.  There  is 
not  sufficient  notice  taken  of  it  by  profane  writers,  to  lead  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  prevailed  over  the  whole  earth.  God 
does  nothing,  especially  nothing  miraculous,  in  vain ;  and  the 
utility  of  this  portentous  darkness  must  have  been  chiefly, 
if  not  entirely,  confined  to  Judea.  There,  only,  men  knew 
any  thing  about  Him  who  was  then  suffering;  and  there, 
only,  the  other  miracles  that  attested  Christ's  mission  were 
wrought. 

The  length  of  time  that  the  darkness  lasted  is  particularly 
recorded.  From  the  sixth  hour  to  the  ninth;  beginning  at 
noon,  when  the  sun  should  have  shone  most  powerfully,  and 
lasting  three  hours,  by  which  again  it  was  distinguished  from 
an  ordinary  eclipse  ;  which  cannot  be  total  for  more  than  a 
few  seconds,  as  the  continual  motion  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
makes  their  shadows  pass  quickly  off.  The  confirmation  of 
the  fact  will  be  aided  by  the  next  object  of  attention. 
2.  The  lesson  afforded  by  it. 

For  the  ancient  Christians  so  comment  upon  it,  as  to  show 
that,  from  the  earliest  times,  it  was  known  that  such  an  event 
had  happened.  They  considered  it  a  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy 
of  Amos.  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  that  I  will  cause  the  sun  to  go  down  at  noon,  and 
I  will  darken  the  earth  in  the  clear  day  :  and  I  will  turn  your 
feasts  into  mourning,  and  all  your  songs  into  lamentations  ; 
and  I  will  bring  up  sackcloth  upon  all  loins,  and  baldness  upon 
every  head  ;  and  I  will  make  it  as  the  mourning  of  an  only  son, 
and  the  end  thereof  as  a  bitter  day."* 

But  who  can  doubt  that  this  preternatural  darkness  was  de- 
signed to  express  the  divine  displeasure  against  sin  ?  Who- 
does  not  see,  by  this  darkness,  the  world  called  to  gaze  upon 
the  sufferer,  and  to  inquire  for  what  he  submitted  to  death  ? 
We  have,  by  sin,  forfeited  the  light  of  heaven  ;  one  of  the 
most  delicious  enjoyments  bestowed  by  divine  bounty,  and  that 
which  opens  to  us  all  the  glories  of  God's  works.  Who  that 
has  ever  been  shut  up  in  a  sick  chamber,  and  excluded  from. 
*  Amos  viii.  9,  10. 


474  LECTURE   XC. 

the  light  of  day  by  disease,  which  made  every  ray  tormenting; 
and  has  afterwards  come  forth  to  look  round  upon  the  blue 
sky,  and  the  green  fields  illuminated  by  the  splendour  of  a 
summer's  sun,  can  doubt,  that,  when  Adam  first  opened  his 
eyes  to  life,  he  was  transported  with  the  sight  of  the  sun,  and 
all  which  it  displayed ;  so  as  to  exclaim, 

"  These  are  thy  glorious  works.  Parent  of  good, 
Almighty,  thine  this  universal  frame  ! " 

But  when  he  sinned,  the  light  of  the  sun  reproached  him  ; 
he  could  not  bear  its  beams ;  but  fled  to  hide  himself  in  the 
darkness  of  the  forest's  shade.  I  have  known  a  person,  who, 
having  been,  one  evening,  struck  with  a  sense  of  his  sin, 
passed  the  following  night  in  gloom  deeper  than  midnight,  un- 
der the  reproaches  of  conscience,  and  the  terrors  of  the  wrath 
of  God ;  but,  when  the  morning  dawned,  though  the  sun  rose 
most  beautifully,  he  could  not  face  its  beams,  which  seemed  to 
reproach  him  with  having  lived,  hitherto,  at  enmity  with  Him 
who  had  given  us  this  glorious  light.  Casting  down  his  eyes 
upon  the  earth,  the  mourning  penitent  went  about  reproaching 
himself,  and  feeling  that  all  creation  reproached  him ;  and  to 
this  hour  he  cannot  think  of  that  morning,  though  the  finest 
he  ever  saw,  without  a  strange  mixture  of  gloom  and  delight ; 
gloom,  in  the  recollection  of  the  time  when  he  durst  not  face 
the  light  of  heaven,  which  seemed  to  frown  and  avenge  its 
Maker's  quarrel ;  and  delight,  in  reflecting  that,  from  that 
hour,  he  learned  to  seek  that  God  to  whom  David  says,  "  In 
thy  light  shall  we  see  light." 

But  while,  on  the  one  hand,  a  consciousness  of  being  un- 
worthy of  the  light  of  the  sun  makes  his  beams  tormenting  to 
{he  guilty;  on  the  other,  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  has  de- 
clared, that  to  the  finally  impenitent  "  is  reserved  the  black- 
ness of  darkness  for  ever."  "  Cast  ye  the  unprofitable  ser- 
vant," says  the  Saviour,  "  into  outer  darkness,  where  shall  be 
weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  A.n  eternity  spent  in  dark- 
ness is  a  dreary  prospect.  For  truly  light  is  sweet,  and  a 
pleasant  thing  it  is  for  a  man  to  see  the  sun.  But  to  be  shut 
out  from  every  ray  of  light,  and  hope,  and  joy ;  and  to  pass 


THE  DARKNESS;  AND  CHRIST'S  LAMENTATION.     475 

ages  upon  ages,  in  blackest  gloom,  is  the  fearful  doom  of  those 
who  die  in  their  sins. 

This  darkness,  which  is  the  desert  of  sin,  and  the  doom  of 
the  impenitent,  it  was  necessary  that  Christ,  while  expiating 
our  guilt,  should  suffer,  in  order  to  avert  from  us  everlasting 
gloom.  By  what  may  be  called  judicial  darkness,  the  eternal 
Father  expressed  his  anger  against  sin ;  and  at  the  same  time, 
his  displeasure  at  the  treatment  which  his  well  beloved  Son 
was  receiving  from  men.  While  "  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
bruise  his  Son  and  put  him  to  gi'ief,"  and  cover  him  with 
darkness,  in  his  most  trying  hours,  darkness  more  tremendous 
than  this  which  nature  felt  (for  it  was  a  cloud  that  oversha- 
dowed the  soul;)  he  glorified  his  Son,  by  showing  who  this 
sufferer  was.  The  very  enemies  were  struck  dumb  with  awe, 
by  this  prodigy;  for  we  read  not  of  one  word  spoken,  during 
all  these  three  hours  that  the  darkness  lasted.  If  no  palaces 
were  hung  with  mourning,  when  this  King  died ;  and  no  mutes 
at  the  gates  represented  the  silent  grief  of  those  within ;  hea- 
ven itself,  the  palace  of  the  eternal  King,  was  covered  with 
sackcloth ;  and  earth  was  mute  when  Jesus  suffered  ! 

Nor  can  any,  who  know  the  glory  of  the  dying  victim,  re- 
fuse to  join  in  the  reflections,  that  have  forced  themselves  on 
the  ancient  fathers.  Augustine  says,  "  The  sun  averted  his 
light ;  to  indicate  the  infamy  of  the  crime,  when  Christ  was 
crucified,  by  the  wickedness  and  cruelty  of  the  Jews.  That 
this  obscuration  of  the  sun  happened,  not  by  the  regular  laws 
of  nature,  we  know  sufficiently,  by  its  happening  at  the  Jewish 
passover,  which  was  kept  at  the  full  moon ;  for  a  regular 
eclipse  of  the  sun  can  only  happen  at  the  new  moon."^ 
"  Who,"  says  another,  "  but  God,  could  so  shut  the  eye  of 
the  sun,  without  any  natural  interposition  of  another  body,- 
that  it  should  not  shine  in  Judea  alone  ?  Who  but  God  could 
thus  separate  Judea  from  the  rest  of  the  world  1"  A  third  i& 
said  to  have  exclaimed,  at  the  place  where  he  observed  the 
miracle,  "  Either  the  God  of  nature  suffers,  or  sympathizes- 
with  the  sufferer,"  Origen  remarks,  "  As,  when  Moses- 
stretched  out  his  hand,  there  was  darkness  over  Egypt;  so^. 

*  Augustine  de  Civitate  Dei,  book  iii.  cap.  15. 


476  LECTURE    XC. 

when  Christ  was  stretching  out  his  hands  on  the  cross,  there 
was  darkness  over  the  Jews,  in  token  of  their  future  dark- 
ness." Hilary*  observes,  that  "  Christ  had  prayed,  Father, 
glorify  thy  Son.  But  how  was  he  glorified  ?  He  was  fixed 
to  the  cross.  But  what  then  followed  ?  The  sun  did  not  set, 
but  it  fled.  But  why  do  I  say  fled  ?  It  was  not  covered  with 
a  cloud,  but  it  failed  in  the  pursuit  of  its  course  ;  and  the 
other  elements  of  the  world  felt  with  him  their  own  failure." 
Chrysostomf  says,  "  The  creature  could  not  bear  the  injury 
done  to  the  Creator.  The  Jews  sought  a  sign  from  heaven : 
behold  now  the  heavens  covered  with  darkness !  This  was 
more  wonderful,  while  he  was  hanging  on  the  cross,  than  if  it 
had  been  done  by  him,  when  walking  about  the  earth." 

II.  Hear  now  the  Saviour's  mournful  cry. 

For  after  the  darkness  had  lasted,  nearly  three  hours,  that 
is,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  "  Jesus  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying,  Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani  ?  that  is  to  say, 
My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  J 

The  Saviour  thus  showed  that  he  was  yet  alive.  The 
profound  silence  had  probably  led  them  to  conclude,  that  Jesus 
had  expired,  and  the  suspicions  of  guilt  held  them  in  dread 
expectation  of  what  might  happen,  to  avenge  the  crime  they 
had  laboured  so  earnestly  to  commit.  But  now  that  the  dark- 
ness was  about  to  disperse,  our  Lord  showed  them  that,  during 
all  this  time,  he  was  silently  suffering,  and  roused  them  to 
prepare  for  his  death,  as  the  grand  event  yet  to  come. 

To  show  that  his  silence  was  not  the  effect  of  stupor,  he 
now  uttered  no  indistinct  moans,  but  words  perfectly  under- 
stood by  the  Jewish  auditors.  These  were  taken  from  the 
Scriptures,  which  proves  that  the  word  of  God  was  Christ's 
meditation,  in  life,  and  in  death  ;  though  the  Jews  pretended 
to  regard  him  as  a  wicked  man. 

By  uttering  aloud  these  words,  which  are  the  very  com- 
mencement of  the  twenty-second  Psalm,  the  Saviour  called 
upon  the  Jews  to  reflect,  that  there  his  sufferings  were  pre- 
dicted, and  that  they  had  fulfilled  this  striking  prophecy ;  so 
that  his  sufferings  were  an  argument  in  proof  of  his  claims 
'  De  Trinitate,  book  iii,        f  On  John  v.  17.        I  Matt,  xxvii.  46. 


THE  DARKNESS;  AND  CHRIST'S  LAMENTATION.     477 

and  their  sin.  Many  of  them,  doubtless/were  able^to  recall 
the  whole  of  the  psalm,  when  they  heard  Christ  deliver  the 
first  verse.  I  would  now  gladly  go  through  it,  and  show  how 
it  foretold  all  that  Christ  suffered  ;  but  I  had  rather  you 
should  do  this  for  yourselves. 

The  exact  words,  as  the  Evangelist  has  given  them,  are  not 
Hebrew,  but  are  nearer  to  a  Chaldee  Targum,  or  a  Syriac 
version;  for  the  language  of  Jerusalem,  at  this  time,  was  a 
mixture  of  Chaldee  and  Syriac.  Jesus  then,  spoke  in  the 
vulgar  tongue,  to  be  understood  by  all.  If  the  multitude  had 
gone,  as  they  should  have  done,  to  the  psalm,  they  would  have 
found  that  these  words,  which  seemed  at  first  to  prove  that 
Christ  was  forsaken  of  God,  were  a  proof  that  he  was^the  true 
Messiah,  in  whom  Jehovah  delighteth.  The  same  person 
who  commenced,  with  the  doleful  cry  which  Christ  had  just 
uttered,  closes  the  psalm,  with  exultation,  as  Lord  of  the 
world. 

The  mockery  which  the  Jews  poured  upon  Christ  would 
there  be  found  to  return  upon  themselves.  The  conduct  of 
the  Roman  soldiers,  in  parting  Christ's  garments,  and  casting 
lots  for  his  vestment,  should  have  struck  the  Jews,  who  could 
not  suppose  that  the  heathen,  who  knew  not  the  Scriptures, 
had  intentionally  fulfilled  the  prophecies  concerning  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  The  Jews  are,  to  this  day,  repeating  this  psalm  in 
their  synagogues.  But,  alas!  "  the  veil  is  upon  their  heart," 
that  they  cannot  see  the  force  of  this  testimony,  against  them- 
selves, and  in  behalf  of  Jesus. 

Let  us,  however,  reflect,  that  Christ  did  not  utter  these 
words,  merely  because  they  were  written,  but  that  they  were 
written  because  they  were  to  be  uttered,  to  express  the  feel- 
ings of  the  Saviour's  heart.  What  meaueth,  then,  this  doleful 
complaint  ?  I  will  not  detain  you  with  the  scholastic  subtilty, 
that  this  was  the  lamentation  of  the  body  of  Christ,  from  which 
the  divinity  was  about  to  depart,  to  remain  in  closer  union  with 
the  soul. 

Christ  designed,  by  this  cry,  to  express  real  sorrow.  That 
you  might  not  suppose  our  Lord's  silence  was  indicative  of  the 
absence  of  all  cause  of  complaint,  or  of  the  influence  of  stoical 


478  LECTURE    X(J. 

apathy,  or  the  overwhehiiing-  effect  of  divine  consolations, 
Christ  breaks  the  silence,  by  such  a  cry  as  would  be  like  a 
dagger  to  our  heart,  if  we  heard  it  uttered  by  the  lips  of  a 
friend,  whom  we  had  been  watching,  apprehensive  that  he 
had  expired. 

By  this  lamentation  our  Lord  showed  his  real  humanity. 
Some  early  heretics  maintained,  that  the  person  crucified  was 
not  the  Christ,  but  a  phantom  which  the  Jews  mistook  for 
him.  But  Christ  here  shows,  that  there  was,  on  the  cross,  a 
real  sufferer,  who  could  say,  "  My  God,  why  hast  thou  for- 
saken me?" 

By  this  cry,  Jesus  expressed  his  innocence.  He  asks, 
"  Why  hast  thou  forsaken  me'"  Those  on  the  two  other 
crosses  could  not.  That  one  who  was  brought  to  his  right 
mind  said,  "  We  suffer,  justly,  the  due  reward  of  our  deeds." 
Jesus  knew  that  he  was  crucified,  as  a  blasphemer,  for  saying 
that  he  was  a  divine  Messiah,  the  Son  of  God,  who  should 
come  to  judge  the  world.  When,  therefore,  Christ,  in  the 
agonies  of  death,  asks  God,  "  Why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?" 
he  appeals  to  him  for  the  truth  of  all  the  loftiest  pretensions, 
which  struck  others  as  blasphemy. 

The  ancients  observe,  that  Christ  spoke,  as  the  head  of  the 
church,  that  the  whole  body  might  ask,  why  he  was  thus  for- 
saken. Why?  Because  we  had  deserved,  and  that  we  might 
not  for  ever  be  compelled,  to  cry,  "  Why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me?"  He  calls  upon  his  Father,  to  consider  why  he  suffered; 
that,  for  the  sake  of  the  horrible  darkness  which  he  now  en- 
dured, we  might  be  blessed  with  the  light  of  God's  coun- 
ienance. 

The  words  of  the  psalm,  which  follow  these  quoted  by  our 
Lord,  serve  to  explain  his  meaning.  David  goes  on  to  show, 
that  afflicted  saints  were  so  comforted  by  God,  as  to  fill  his 
residence  with  praises.  Christ  here  bewails  the  bitterest  of 
his  griefs,  in  being  denied  the  consolations  which  cheered 
other  sufferers.  He  asks  not  his  disciples,  "  Why  did  you 
forsake  me?"  nor  Judas,  "Why  didst  thou  betray  me?"  nor 
the  soldiers,  "  Why  did  ye  scourge  me?"  nor  Pilate,  "  Why 
condemn  me?"  nor  the  Jews,  "  Why  say,  crucify  him?"  but 


THE  DARKNESS;  AND  CHRIST'S  LAMENTATION.     479 

of  this  alone  he  complains,  "  My  God,  why  hast  tliou  forsaken 
me?"  He  had  enjoyed  the  most  delightful  testimonies  of  his 
Father's  presence  and  approbation,  during  life ;  but  now  that 
he  was  come  to  the  hour  of  death,  when  the  pious  most  need, 
and  most  enjoy,  the  divine  presence,  he  was  deprived  of  it. 
Why,  but  because  he  was  now  arrived  at  the  hour,  when  he 
was  to  be  made  a  curse  for  us,  and  to  make  atonement  for  the 
guilt,  by  which  we  had  forfeited  the  cheering  light  of  God's 
countenance?  If,  therefore,  he  must  suffer  at  all,  this  was 
the  most  indispensable  part  of  his  agonies,  the  mental  distress 
he  now  endures,  from  the  sense  of  divine  desertion. 

It  is  the  soul  which  is  the  sinner,  and  which,  if  the  man  be 
lost,  must  be  the  sufferer.  The  essence  of  future  suffering 
lies,  in  the  loss  of  God's  presence,  in  the  frown  with  which  he 
says,  Depart !  Of  this  bitter  cup,  therefore,  he  who  suffered 
for  us  must  drink,  and  without  this  pang,  he  would  scarcely 
have  suffered  at  all. 

Reflect,  also,  that  this  part  of  Christ's  sufferings  could  not 
be  seen  by  the  eye  of  man.  We  must  learn  it  by  the  ear. 
When,  therefore,  the  gloomy  darkness,  and  dead  silence,  had 
produced  profound  and  awful  attention,  the  words  of  Christ 
burst  upon  us,  like  the  cry  of  lost  souls.  This  was  the  last 
thing  which  the  friends  of  Christ  would  have  expected  to  hear 
from  him.  Then,  he  must  utter  it,  that  they  might  be  con- 
vinced he  suffered,  not  merely  from  men  and  devils ;  but  that 
'*  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him  and  put  him  to  grief,  and 
to  lay  on  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all."  None  but  Christ  could 
unfold  this  awful  truth.  The  art  of  the  painter  could  repre- 
sent the  wounds  in  his  body,  but  not  those  in  his  spirit.  Men 
could  do  little  to  express  the  miraculous  darkness  that  over- 
shadowed the  dying  body  of  Christ,  but  nothing  at  all  could 
they  effect,  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  more  dismal  night  that 
overwhelmed  his  holy  soul.  The  voice  of  Jesus  alone  can  ex- 
press the  anguish  of  a  mind  forsaken  of  God.  Deep  from  the 
centre  of  his  wounded  heart,  issues  this  cry,  and  deep  to  the 
centre  of  the  contrite  spirit  it  sinks. 

By  this  cry,  Jesus  was  exposed  to  the  shame  of  being  sup- 
posed abandoned  of  God  in  death.     I  doubt  not,  but  the  Jews 


480  LECTURE   XC. 

were  now  relieved  of  the  horror  and  alarm,  which  the  porten- 
tous darkness  created,  and  induced  to  cry,  "  Now  we  know 
that  this  gloom  was  designed  to  show  that  God  had  forsaken 
Jesus  as  an  impostor."  Thus  the  very  Scriptures,  which  should 
have  been  for  their  welfare,  became  a  trap.  They  ought  to 
have  known  their  danger ;  for  their  prophet  had  said  of  the 
Messiah,  "  We  did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God,  and 
afflicted,  when  he  bore  our  sins,  and  carried  our  sorrows." 

Though,  to  a  good  man,  it  is  no  small  grief  to  be  thought 
abandoned  of  God  as  a  blasphemer;  the  shame,  as  well  as  the 
pain,  of  divine  desertion  was  to  be  borne  by  him  who  stood 
under  our  burden.  The  worst  thing,  therefore,  that  his  ene- 
mies could  have  said  of  him  seems  to  be  confessed  by  himself. 

Yet  these  words  express  no  real  disappointment  and  de- 
spondency. They  are  just  what  were  penned,  ages  before,  for 
that  glorious  person  who  was  to  bruise  the  serpent's  head  ;  and 
they  stand  at  the  head  of  a  Psalm  which  declares,  that  uni- 
versal triumph  shall  crown  his  obedience  unto  death.  If, 
then,  Christ  had  not  been  called  to  pour  out  these  sorrows, 
this  would  have  been  the  disappointment.  This  would  have 
rendered  it  doubtful,  whether  he  were  the  person,  of  whom 
David  in  the  Psalms,  and  all  the  prophets,  speak. 

Nor  is  this  cry  expressive  of  any  real  separation  from  the 
Deity.  Those  who  deny  the  Deity  of  Christ,  ask,  where  was 
it,  when  he  cried,  "  My  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?" 
But  as  most  of  these  persons  own  Jesus  to  be  a  good  man, 
and  even  sinless,  and  beloved  of  God  for  his  virtue,  we  ask 
them,  where  was  his  virtue  and  acceptance  with  the  Deity  ? 
The  only  answer  which  can  be  returned  is,  that  the  Saviour's 
cry  implies  no  real  abandonment,  but  only  that  sense  of  pri- 
vation of  the  divine  smiles,  which  cuts  a  good  man  to  the 
heart.  Aware  that  the  divinity  was  still  present,  supporting 
the  humanity  to  bear  and  to  merit ;  and  that  his  Father  loved 
him,  because  he  laid  down  his  life,  to  take  it  up  again,  with 
great  glory,  Christ  could  only  intend  to  express  the  anguish 
of  mind,  which  he  endured  from  the  suspension  of  that  delight- 
ful intercourse  with  his  Father,  which  had  hitherto  been  his 
solace. 


THE  DARKNESS;  AND  CHRIST'S  LAMENTATION.      481 

Finally,  the  Saviour  now  taug-ht  us  to  ask,  why  the  most 
holy  and  meritorious  person  submitted  to  death  at  all ;  and 
why  was  not  a  death  of  so  much  merit  accompanied,  with  a 
more  ecstatic  sense  of  the  divine  presence,  than  ever  turned 
the  martyrs'  flames  into  a  bed  of  roses  ? 

If  it  be  said,  though  death  is  the  wages  of  sin,  Jesus, 
the  most  virtuous  of  beings,  died,  to  set  an  example ;  we  ask, 
"  An  example,  of  what  ?  "  Of  the  indifference  of  the  moral 
governor  to  virtuous  worth,  and  his  disposition  to  treat  the 
most  holy  as  if  he  were  the  most  vicious  ?  Pain  is  the  due 
penalty  of  sin  ;  and  we  are  called  to  suffer  patiently  from  the 
hand  of  God,  because  we  have  sinned  against  him.  But  Jesus, 
being  without  sin,  furnishes  no  example  of  this  duty,  unless 
we  view  him,  as  "  bearing  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the 
tree." 

But  those  who  reject  the  atonement  of  Christ  say,  that  his 
death  was  only  necessary  to  his  resurrection,  as  the  pledge 
and  example  of  ours.  Then  why  are  we  said  to  be  saved  by 
his  laying  down  his  life,  when  it  is  rather  by  his  taking  it  up 
again  ?  And  why  choose  a  sinless  man  to  die,  in  order  to  show 
the  truth  of  the  resurrection  ?  This  seems  only  to  contradict 
the  scriptural  doctrine,  that,  death  is  the  wages  of  sin.  Nor 
can  it  answer  its  end ;  for  if  a  sinless  person  may  rise  to  life 
again,  can  this  prove  that  sinners  will  ? 

But  supposing  Jesus  to  die,  why  should  not  his  exalted 
virtue  be  acknowledged,  honoured,  and  rewarded,  by  peculiar 
consolations  ?  Why  must  he  die,  uttering  the  plaints  of  the 
lost  and  guilty,  and  crying,  "  Why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  1 " 
And  yet,  perhaps,  I  should  correct  myself;  for  Jesus  still  holds 
fast  the  language  of  the  righteous,  since  he  claims  God  as  his 
own,  saying,  "  My  God,  my  God !" 

Why,  then,  this  strange  compound  of  confidence  and  de- 
spondence ?  Why  this  combination  of  character,  the  just  and 
the  unjust,  the  beloved  of  God  and  the  abandoned  of  God  ? 
No  solution  of  the  mystery  is  to  be  found,  but  in  the  doctrine 
of  atonement,  which  shows  him  sinless  in  himself,  but  "  made 
sin  for  us ;"  a  "  lamb  without  spot,"  but  slain  "  to  take  away 
the  sin  of  the  world."     This  meets  all  the  demands   of  the 

VOL.    II.  2  I 


482  LECTllRR    XC. 

preiiiction.  "  He  is  despised  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  boi-ne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows  :  yet 
we  did  esteem  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  %oas  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  is  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep 
before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  openeth  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  transgressions  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  violence,  neither  was  any 
deceit  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,  a)id  shall  be  satisfied  :  by 
his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous  servant  justify  many ;  for 
he  shall  bear  their  iniquities.  Therefore  will  I  divide  him 
aportion  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  transgressors  ;  and  he  bare  the  sin 
of  many,  and  made  intercession  for  the  transgressors."  * 

*  Isaiah  liii.  3—12. 


483 


LECTURE  XCI. 

THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST. 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  47 — 34. 
Mark  xv.  35—41. 
Luke  xxiii.  46 — 49. 
John  xix.  28 — 30. 

*  Jesus,  when  he  had  cried  again  with  a  loud  voice,  yielded  up  the  ghost. 

My  dear  hearers,  were  you  called  to  be  spectators  of  one  of 
those  dreadful  conflicts,  in  which  myriads  of  the  human  race 
have  too  often  been  sacrificed,  to  decide  what  is  called  the 
fate  of  nations,  but  is,  in  reality,  seldom  more  than  the  triumph 
of  ambitious  despots  ;  if  you  could  choose  your  moment,  would 
you  not  say,  Let  it  not  be  the  onset,  which  is  usually  equivocal, 
and  can  determine  nothing ;  but  give  me  to  witness  the  crisis 
of  the  battle,  the  decisive  moment,  when  one  party  rouses  all 
its  forces,  and,  by  a  dreadful  rush,  turns  the  trembling  balance 
in  its  favour,  and  sends  the  shout  of  victory  through  its  ranks, 
while  rout,  and  ruin,  and  dismay,  and  death,  trample  on  the 
opposite  host  ? 

Yet  how  much  more  awful  interest  must  be  excited,  where 
the  conflict  is  not  between  empires,  but  worlds  ;  where  not  the 
predominance  of  heroes  or  nations,  but  the  eternal  fates  of 
souls  are  the  stake  !  Who  would  not  wait,  in  breathless  eager- 
ness of  expectation,  for  the  shout  which  shall  tell  whether 
heaven  or  hell,  redeeming  love  or  infernal  spite,  shall  vanquish, 
triumph,  and  reign  ?  To  witness  such  a  moment  you  are  called 
this  morning ;  and  happily,  also,  you  are  permitted  to  hear 
Him  who  is  your  champion,  the  hero  of  holiness,  against  sin 

2  I  2 


484  LECTURE    XCI. 

and  destruction,  make  his  last  push,  with  the  triumphant  shout, 
"  It  is  finished  !" 

We  must,  however,  now  meditate  on  what  immediately  pre- 
ceded the  Saviour's  death,  on  what  accompanied  the  very 
article  of  death,  and  what  followed  on  that  event. 

I.  Consider  what  immediately  preceded  the  Saviour's  death. 

There  is  some  difficulty  in  harmonizing  the  different  nar- 
ratives of  the  Evangelists,  on  this  part  of  the  history.  Matthew 
and  Mark  seem  to  say,  that  vinegar  was  offered  to  Christ,  by 
the  mere  spontaneous  malice  and  scorn  of  his  enemies.  From 
the  statement  of  John,  who  wrote  after  the  others,  we  are  in- 
duced to  conclude,  that  the  Saviour's  saying,  "  I  thirst,"  led 
the  enemies  to  mock  him  with  the  offer  of  vinegar,  which  again 
gave  rise  to  some  sneering  remarks  of  others,  concerning 
Christ's  last  complaint  of  being  forsaken  by  God.  Here,  then, 
we  have  to  notice — the  conduct  of  the  enemies,  on  Christ's 
last  complaint — and  the  language  of  the  Saviour,  on  receiving 
their  last  insult. 

1.  The  conduct  of  the  enemies  on  hearing  Christ's  last  com- 
plaint. 

Jesus,  having  vented  the  sorrows  which  our  souls  merited, 
into  the  bosom  of  his  Father,  by  asking,  "  Why  hast  thou  for- 
saken me  ? "  now  proceeds  to  express  that  burning,  feverish 
thirst  which  our  bodies  deserved,  under  the  fire  of  divine 
wrath,  saying,  "  I  thirst."  He,  who  had  hitherto  borne  all, 
without  one  word  of  complaint,  would  not  have  said  this,  but 
"  that  the  Scriptures  might  be  fulfilled."  Yet,  as  the  rich 
man  in  hell  cried  for  one  drop  of  water,  to  cool  his  burning 
tongue,  and  is  denied  ;  Jesus,  when  suffering,  to  save  us  from 
that  doom,  cries,  "  I  thirst;"  and  instead  of  giving  wine,  as 
the  wise  man  says,  "  to  him  that  is  ready  to  perish,"  that  he 
may  drink  and  forget  his  anguish  ;  they  insult  him  by  offering 
vinegar,  with  which  we  often  rouse  persons  who  are  fainting, 
that  we  may  restore  the  sensibility  which  seemed  lost. 

To  the  inquiries,  whence  this  vinegar  was  procured,  one  of 
the  Evangelists  replies,  "  there  was  set  a  vessel  of  vinegar 
there."  But  for  what  purpose  ?  it  is  asked.  Some  say  for 
the  officers  to  smell  to,  on  account  of  the  offensive  effluvia  of 


THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST.  485^ 

dead  bodies,  lying  about  in  that  place  of  skulls.  We  think  it 
was,  more  probably,  the  drink  of  the  common  soldiers,  who 
are  known  to  have  taken  vinegar,  to  refresh  them,  in  warm 
climates,  and  on  hard  service.  But  whatever  was  the  imme- 
diate occasion,  by  this  action  was  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  the 
Psalm,  "  In  my  thirst  they  gave  me  vinegar  to  drink."* 

Other  Evangelists  say,  that  the  vinegar  being  received  into 
a  spunge,  this  was  "  put  upon  a  reed  ;"  while  John  says,  "  it 
was  put  upon  hyssop."  But  these  accounts  may  be  reconciled, 
by  supposing — either  that  the  hollow  stalk  of  the  plant  hyssop 
was  called  a  reed — or  that  the  spunge  was  first  put  into  a  head, 
or  branch,  of  hyssop,  and  then  fastened  upon  a  reed,  that  it 
might  be  extended  high  enough  to  reach  the  Saviour's  mouth. 

Some,  however,  said,  "  Stop,  he  calls  for  Elias  ;  let  us  see 
if  Elias  will  come  and  take  him  down :"  alluding,  with  a  sneer, 
to  Christ's  cry,  "  Eli,  Eli,  my  God,  my  God."  It  has  been 
supposed  that  the  Roman  soldiers  made  this  mistake,  through 
ignorance  of  the  language  which  Christ  spoke  ;  but  they  would 
have  been  equally  ignorant  of  the  name  of  Elias.  It  seems,  there- 
fore, that  the  Jews  uttered  these  speeches  ;  either  not  hearing 
distinctly  what  Christ  said  ;  or  not  understanding  the  language, 
as  many  of  them  knew  Greek  only  ;  or  wilfully  perverting  the 
Saviour's  dying  words,  for  the  sake  of  a  cruel  joke.  As  these 
were  the  first  words  the  enemies  ventured  to  speak,  after  re- 
covering from  the  awe  which  the  darkness  pioduced  ;  they 
were  glad  to  insinuate  a  reason  in  behalf  of  their  own  rejection 
of  Christ,  which  they  did,  by  pretending  that  Elias  was  not 
yet  come,  though  the  prophets  declared  that  he  would  precede 
the  coming  of  Christ.  It  seems,  too,  as  if  they  intended  to 
exult  in  having  Christ  so  fast  nailed  to  the  cross,  that  they 
were  not  afraid  of  even  Elijah  himself  taking  him  down.  No, 
verily,  they  need  entertain  no  such  fears  ;  for  Moses  and  Elijah 
had  already  come  down,  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and 
conversed  with  Jesus  of  "  his  decease  which  he  should  accom- 
plish at  Jerusalem." 

2.  The  language  of  the  Redeemer,  on  receiving  their  last 
insult. 

*  Psalm  Ixix.  21. 


48(i  LECTURE    XCI. 

Jesus,  having  received  the  vinegar,  said,  "  It  is  finished." 
But  who  can  tell  how  much  is  included  in  this  one  word  ?  for 
it  is  but  one  in  the  original.  The  following  things  we  may  see 
in  it. 

*  Finished  all  the  prophecies  I  was  to  fulfil.'  For  John 
says,  "  Jesus,  knowing  that  all  things  were  now  accomplished; 
that  the  Scriptures  might  be  fulfilled,  said,  '  I  thirst ;'  and 
when  he  had  received  the  vinegar,  he  cried,  *  It  is  finished.' 
'  The  last  prediction  I  was  to  fulfil,  before  death,  is  now  ac- 
complished.' "  Many  were  "  the  prophecies  that  went  before," 
concerning  Jesus ;  but  a  host  crowded  round  the  cross,  to  be 
fulfilled,  when  he  died ;  and  this  last  one  waited  its  accom- 
plishment, so  that  Jesus  could  not  die,  till  it  was  verified.  His 
enemies  therefore,  hastened,  unconsciously,  to  fulfil  the  re- 
maining prediction  that  was  to  prove  him  the  Christ ;  and  when 
they  had  offered  him  the  mockery  of  the  vinegar,  he  said,  "  It 
is  done  ;  there  is  nothing  now  to  delay  ray  death." 

*  Finished  the  sufferings  I  was  to  endure.'  All  his  agonies 
were  before  our  Lord,  fully  in  view,  all  the  length  of  the  jour- 
ney of  life.  If  asked,  at  any  time.  Whither  he  was  going? 
he  could  have  replied,  to  the  cross.  And  had  you  inquired. 
What  to  suffer  there  ?  he  would  have  answered,  every  thing 
that  sin  deserved.  From  man,  for  whom  I  suffer,  I  must  en- 
dure every  thing  that  depravity,  in  its  most  odious  form,  can 
inflict ;  from  devils,  whose  kingdom  I  die  to  destroy,  every 
thing  that  infernal  malice  can  do  to  distress,  with  a  hope  of 
defiling  and  plunging  me  in  desperation  and  perdition  ;  from 
God,  all  that  inflexible  justice  has  resolved  to  inflict  on  sin,  in 
order  to  lay  open  the  hatred  of  his  heart  against  the  accursed 
thing,  even  when  he  pardons  it,  for  my  sake.  But  now  the 
cup  that  could  not  pass  from  him  is  exhausted,  he  is  just  come 
to  the  bitter  dregs,  and  cries,  *  It  is  finished,  the  dreadful 
work  is  done.'  Welcome  word  !  Jesus  has  no  more  to  suffer ! 

*  Finished  the  atonement  I  was  to  make  for  sin.'  Daniel 
predicted  that,  at  this  time,  "  Messiah  the  Prince  should  finish 
transgression,  make  an  end  of  sin,  and  bring  in  everlasting 
righteousness,  being  cut  off,  but  not  for  himself."  "  God  set 
forth  his  Son  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in  his  blood. 


THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST,  487 

to  declare,  at  this  time,  his  righteousness  in  the  remission  of 
sins  that  are  past,  during  the  time  of  the  forbearance  of  God  : 
that  he  might  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that  believeth 
in  Jesus."  Those  whose  sins  had  been  forgiven,  in  times  past, 
may  be  supposed  to  be  now  looking  down  upon  the  cross,  to 
see  the  offering  of  that  sacrifice,  in  the  faith  of  which  the}^  en- 
tered the  abodes  of  bliss.  To  heaven  the  sound  ascended,  and 
was  re-echoed  with  rapture.  "  It  is  finished,"  cried  Abel,  the 
first  soul  that  entered  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  "  It  is 
finished,"  was  the  shout  of  the  last  spirit,  that  departed  to 
glory  while  Jesus  died. 

*  Finished  the  law  of  ceremonies  and  types,  which  are  all 
fulfilled  in  me.'  The  worship  of  the  Old  Testament  dispen- 
sation was  a  kind  of  hieroglyphic  bible,  for  children  ;  for  the 
church  was  then  under  age.  But  now  we  have  attained  to 
our  majority,  and  are  no  more  taught  by  pictures ;  since  we 
have  the  originals  before  our  eyes.  "  For  the  law  was  a  shadow 
of  good  things  to  come,  but  the  body  was  of  Christ."  Yet,  as 
the  numerous  instructive  images  of  the  law,  were  a  kind  of 
prophecies  and  promises  of  better  things  to  come ;  they  must 
be  fulfilled  before  they  could  be  dismissed,  and  the  picture 
could  be  superseded  by  the  original  only.  Round  the  cross, 
therefore,  a  host  of  types  crowded,  and  demanded  their  ho- 
nourable dismission  from  further  service.  At  that  moment, 
when  the  Saviour  was  expiring,  the  Jews  were  slaying  their 
paschal  lamb,  and  Jesus  cries.  It  is  finished.  No  more  such 
blood  shall  now  be  shed  ;  for  "  the  Lamb  of  God  has  taken 
away  the  sin  of  the  world." 

'  Finished  the  love  I  was  to  show  to  man.'  "  For  greater 
love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for 
his  friend.  Hereby  perceive  we  the  love,  because  he  laid 
down  his  life  for  us.  God  coimnendeth  his  love  towards  us," 
sets  it  up  for  our  admiration,  on  the  cross  of  Christ.  To  feel 
the  slow  approach  of  the  last  agony,  to  taste  all  the  bitterness 
of  every  drop  of  the  cup  of  wrath,  with  full  power  over  himself, 
to  live  or  die,  as  he  pleased  ;  ("  for  no  man  taketh  my  life  from 
me,"  saith  Jesus,  "  I  lay  it  down  of  myself;")  and  yet,  from 
love,    to  persevere,  unshaken  to   the   last,    was   the  highest 


488  LECTURK    XCI. 

triumph  of  disinterested   affection.     Now   is   the  moment  of 
finished  love. 

'  Finished  the  obedience  I  was  to  pay  to  the  divine  law.' 
For  Jesus,  being-  made  under  the  law,  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  To  quarrel  with  the  law 
is  characteristic  of  the  temper  of  the  criminal.  If  God  were 
to  forgive  him ;  he  would,  in  that  state  of  mind,  return  no 
thanks,  but  say  in  his  heart,  '  It  was  only  because  the  law  was 
too  bad  to  be  executed.'  Jesus,  therefore,  gave  his  life,  to 
yield  the  obedience  due  to  the  law  ;  and  his  death,  to  bear  its 
penalty.  "  The  Lord  is  well  pleased  for  his  righteousness' 
sake,  because  he  has  magnified  the  law,  and  made  it  honour- 
able." This  last  honour  which  the  law  could  ask  or  receive 
Jesus  now  pays,  that  it  may  be  glorified,  even  in  the  justifica- 
tion of  the  sinner  who  has  broken  it,  but  believes  in  Jesus. 

'  Finished  the  triumph  over  the  powers  of  hell.'  "  For  this 
purpose  was  the  Son  of  God  manifested,  that  he  might  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil."  Upon  our  deliverer,  Satan  made  his 
most  desperate  attack,  immediately  upon  Christ's  entrance  into 
the  field.  We  have  witnessed  the  temptation  in  the  wilder- 
ness, at  the  commencement  of  Christ's  public  ministry.  Jesus 
came  off  more  than  conqueror,  but  was  still  followed  by  the 
defeated  foe,  who  never  failed  to  watch  his  opportunities,  and 
seemed  aware  that  Gethsemane  and  Calvary  presented  his  last. 
In  the  garden,  Jesus  said,  "  This  is  your  hour,  and  the  power 
of  darkness."  Now,  upon  the  cross,  when  darkness  covered 
all  nature,  and  the  eclipse  of  heaven's  light  and  comfort  wrings 
from  the  Saviour's  soul  the  doleful  cry,  "  My  God,  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  me?"  the  enemy  makes  his  last  rush.  But 
Jesus  lifts  his  heel,  to  be  wounded,  indeed,  unto  death ;  but 
that  wound  was  received  by  crushing  the  serpent's  head  ;  and 
now  the  conqueror  cries,  "  It  is  finished."  "  Spoiled  are 
principalities  and  powers ;  I  have  made  a  show  of  them  openlv, 
triumphing  over  them  in  the  cross." 

II.  Consider  what  attended  the  article  of  death.  "  Jesus 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend 
my  spirit ;  and  bowed  his  head  and  gave  up  the  ghost." 

Though  death  is  always  full  of  awful  interest ;  this  is  a  death 


THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST.  489 

that  leaves  all  others  far  behind.  Death  here  tears  asunder 
a  body,  and  a  spirit,  such  as  never  before  were  submitted  to 
bis  iron  grasp.  Even  that  eternity  which  ever  hang's  upon 
the  dying  hour  is  here  surpassed.  For  upon  this  death  de- 
pends ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  eternities  ;  the  ever- 
lasting all  of  the  myriads  that  shall  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
Jesus,  through  the  vale  of  death,  into  the  paradise  of  bliss. 

Mark,  then,  with  deep  and  devout  attention,  the  Saviour's 
dying  words  and  dying  acts. 

1.  Christ's  dying  words. 

The  last  expressions  of  a  creature  departing  into  eternity, 
are  often  supposed  to  be  fraught  with  the  mysterious  impor- 
tance of  that  world  into  which  he  is  entering.  But,  as  all 
Christ's  words  have  the  weight  and  value  of  eternity  in  them, 
with  what  intense  interest  should  we  listen  to  those  with  which 
he  breathes  out  his  soul,  that  is  now  making  an  offering  for 
sin.  Those  which  John  has  recorded,  "  It  is  finished,"  are 
often  called  the  Saviour's  last  words ;  though  this  cannot  be 
said  with  exact  truth ;  for  Luke  gives  us  these  as  the  last,  by 
emphasis,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 

This  is  the  language  of  a  beloved  son.  The  hour  of  death 
wakes  up  all  the  tender  charities  of  life.  Then  you  see,  in 
perfection,  all  the  parent  or  child,  all  the  husband  or  wife ;  all 
the  brother  or  friend.  Here,  on  the  cross,  in  the  article  of 
death,  you  behold  all  the  glory  of  the  Son  of  God.  On  his 
entrance  into  this  life,  on  his  coming  forth  into  public,  on  his 
transfiguration  on  the  mount,  the  Father  hailed  him  Son  of 
God,  most  beloved  ;  and  now  that  he  is  dying,  apparently 
aflSicted  and  deserted  of  God,  Jesus  hails  the  Father,  in  whom 
his  soul  confided.  This  soul,  the  one  precious  thing  that  re- 
mained to  him,  after  he  had  been  stripped  of  all,  he  commits 
into  his  beloved  Father's  hands. 

It  is  the  language  of  the  great  atoning  victim.  The  prophet 
who,  long  before  Christ  was  born  into  the  world,  showed  him 
dying,  said,  "  When  his  soul  shall  make  an  offering  for  sin, 
he  shall  see  his  seed  :  by  his  knowledge  shall  he  justify  many, 
because  he  hath  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death,  and  borne  the 
sin  of  many."     The  doctrine  taught  by  the  ceremonial  law 


490  LECTURE    XCI. 

was,  that  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices  contained  their  life,  was 
the  soul  of  the  beast,  and,  therefore,  was  to  be  poured  out,  at 
the  foot  of  the  altar  ;  for  it  was  given  to  make  an  atonement 
for  the  offerer's  soul.  Here,  then,  the  Lamb  of  God  pours 
out  his  soul  in  death,  to  make  atonement  for  our  souls. 

The  language  of  an  obedient  servant  is  uttered  by  Christ,  in 
this  solemn  moment.  Obedience  unto  death  is  the  utmost 
pitch  to  which  we  can  go ;  for  "  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he 
give  for  his  life."  Christ  had  already  given  up  all  his  time 
and  labour,  and  made  it  his  meat  and  drink,  to  do  his  Father's 
will.  At  last,  he  gave  up  his  liberty,  and  allowed  himself  to 
be  put  in  fetters — his  limbs,  and  suffered  them  to  be  racked 
and  tortured.  His  soul,  his  life,  is  all  that  now  remains,  and 
this  he  lays  at  his  Father's  feet. 

But,  as  a  mighty  conqueror  too,  Jesus  "  cries  aloitd.^^  That 
he  was  able  to  cry  with  such  force,  and  to  utter  distinctly  these 
words,  which  the  Psalmist  had  long  before  told  the  church 
should  be  the  Messiah's  dying  cry,  proves  that  he  died  not  from 
mere  exhaustion,  as  was  usual  with  those  who  expired  on  the 
cross.  This,  indeed,  might  have  been  expected,  from  all  that 
he  had  suffered  before,  through  the  night  of  Gethsemane,  and 
a  day  of  torture.  But  far  from  losing  his  voice,  as  the  dying 
usually  do,  so  that  he  who  attends  the  death-bed  should  be 
able  to  hear  whispers,  Jesus  cries  aloud,  as  if  challenging  death, 
or  bidding  him  approach  who  had  stood  far  ofl',  through  fear. 
'*  The  Lord  shall  go  forth  as  a  mighty  man,"  says  the  prophet; 
"  he  shall  stir  up  jealousy  like  a  man  of  war  ;  he  shall  cry,  yea 
roar  ;  he  shall  prevail  against  his  enemies." 

2.  The  dying  acts  of  Jesus  followed.  "  He  bowed  his  head, 
and  gave  up  his  spirit." 

Luke  and  Mark  say,  "he  expired:"  Matthew  says,  "  ho 
dismissed  his  spirit."  But  when  the  historian  says,  that  Jesus 
first  bowed  his  head,  and  then  dismissed  his  soul ;  we  ask, 
might  we  not  have  expected  to  find  the  order  reversed  i  It  is 
usually  in  consequence  of  a  person's  having  expired  that  the 
frame  becomes  flaccid  :  the  muscles,  having  lost  their  tension, 
leave  the  head  and  limbs  lo  drop.  We  seldom  see  the  dropr 
ping  of  the  head  in  death  ;  for  the  dying  are  usual Iv  in  bed, 


THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST.  491 

where  the  head  is  supported  by  a  pillow ;  but  hanging-  upon  a 
cross,  as  the  Saviour  was,  his  head  must  have  dropped,  imme- 
diately after  the  vital  principle  was  withdrawn.  Jesus,  how- 
ever, previously  put  himself  into  the  posture  of  death :  then, 
and  not  till  then,  he  gave  up  his  spirit.  For  he  voluntarily 
resigned  himself  to  death's  arms,  and  placed  himself  there, 
just  as  he  chose  to  lie.  If  his  head  dropped  on  one  side,  we 
cannot  help  thinking,  that  it  was  towards  the  penitent  robber, 
to  whom  he  gave  this  farewell  sign ;  saying,  "  Adieu,  till  we 
meet  to-day  in  paradise,"  But,  it  is  more  probable,  that  the 
head  of  the  Redeemer  bowed  forward,  and  dropped  upon  his 
bosom.  Thus,  at  once,  bowing  towards  his  Father's  throne, 
to  which  he  paid  his  dying  homage  ;  and  bending  towards 
earth,  in  token  of  good  will  to  man,  though  from  us  he  received 
his  death-blow. 

He  acted,  too,  like  one  laying  his  head  down  to  sleep,  in- 
tending to  wake  up  again  shortly.  And  with  the  same  volun- 
tary composure  with  which  he  adjusted  his  head  to  sleep  the 
sleep  of  death,  he  afterwards  awoke,  shook  himself  from  thp 
dust  of  death,  and  laid  aside  the  grave-clothes  in  exact  order. 
Such  was  the  end  of  him  who  had  no  place  where  to  lay  his 
head,  living  or  dying.  No  pillow  but  his  own  bosom  receives 
his  dying  head  ;  and  no  bed  gathers  his  corpse ;  but  on  the 
hard  and  ignominious  cross  it  is  stretched ;  and  no  kind 
friendly  hand  could  approach  to  shut  down  his  eye-lids,  and 
prevent  the  hideous  stare  of  death,  or  compose  his  limbs  in 
decent  order.  But  all  this  he  does  for  himself;  reposes  his 
head  upon  his  own  bosom,  where  alone  the  dying  can  find  a 
friendly  pillow  ;  closes  his  own  eyes  upon  this  world,  and 
turns  them  towards  his  Father's  gracious  presence ;  and,  like 
Isaac,  lays  himself  in  order  upon  the  altar,  where  he  presents 
a  most  lovely  grateful  sacrifice  to  eternal  justice. 

Now  he  dismissed  his  spirit.  Hitherto,  he  had  shown,  that 
though  no  mere  man  has  power  over  the  spirit,  as  the  Scrip- 
tures say,  to  retain  it  in  the  day  of  battle  with  the  king  of 
terrors,  Jesus  had ;  for  no  man  was  able  to  take  his  life  from 
him.  In  the  midst,  therefore,  of  such  a  conflict  of  mental 
and  corporeal  sufiering,  as  would  long  before  have  torn  to 


492  LECTURE    XCI. 

pieces  any  other  man,  Jesus  continued  alive  ;  probably  much 
to  the  annoyance  of  his  foes.  For  though  their  malice  would 
have  wished  to  protract  his  agonies,  their  policy  would  wish 
him  gone  ;  lest  the  public  mind  should  be  shaken  and  altered, 
by  the  prodigies  that  convulsed  the  world ;  and  lest  the  ene- 
mies should  be  disappointed  at  last,  by  some  new  display  of 
miraculous  power,  that  should  snatch  their  victim  from  their 
grasp.  But  Jesus,  who  had  so  long  held  death  at  bay,  now 
withdrew  the  exertion  of  the  power  that  had  baffled  the  king 
of  terrors,  and  laid  down  his  life  of  himself;  though  no  man 
could  have  taken  it  from  him.  "  I  have  power,"  said  Christ, 
"  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  up  again."  The 
centurion,  therefore,  perceiving  that  Jesus  cried  thus  aloud, 
with  full  force,  and  immediately  expired,  said,  "  Surely,  this 
was  the  Son  of  God,"  '  no  mere  mortal ;  but  one  who  dies  as 
an  immortal,  and  yields  to  death  only,  because  he  chooses.' 

And  why  should  he  not  choose  now  to  die,  since  he  has 
done  every  thing  for  which  he  came  into  this  life  ?  "  He  has," 
observes  one  of  the  ancients,  "  woven,  like  the  silk  worm,  a 
garment  for  us  out  of  his  own  bowels  of  affection,  and  as  soon 
as  he  could  say  '  It  is  finished,'  he  expired."  Now  he  will 
taste  death  itself.  Bitter  as  it  is,  he  takes  the  dread  cup,  and 
drinks  it ;  and  boldly  passes  through  the  dark  valley,  fearing 
no  evil,  but  triumphing  and  saying,  "  O  death,  I  will  be  thy 
plague  !  O  grave,  I  will  be  thy  destruction."  Yet,  who  is  able, 
even  to  sleep,  when  he  pleases,  as  Jesus  now  dies  when  he 
chooses  ?  Who  puts  off  his  clothes  more  voluntarily  than  Je- 
sus here  puts  off  his  body  I  He  dies  when  he  pleases,  as  he 
pleases,  because  he  pleases ;  choosing  his  own  time  and  man- 
ner ;  and  making  death  his  servant,  and  lording  it  over  him, 
who  glories  in  proudly  lording  it  over  the  proudest  kings. 

If  such,  then,  is  the  power  of  Jesus  when  dying,  and  going 
away  by  the  cross,  who  shall  be  able  to  withstand  him,  when  he 
returns,  on  the  great  white  throne,  raising  the  dead,  summon- 
ing them  to  his  bar,  and  assigning  them  their  eternal  doom  ? 

III.  What  followed,  immediately  after  the  Saviour's  death. 

For  look  around  you  now,  and  say,  where  can  you  behold 
an  object  that  is  not  affected  by  the  Saviour's  death  i     The 


THE    DKATH    OF    CHRIST.  493 

heavens?  they  were  shrouded  in  portentous  darkness.  The 
earth?  it  trembled  to  its  centre.  The  rocks?  they  were  rent 
by  an  invisible  almighty  hand.  The  graves  ?  they  threw  open 
their  doors  to  give  up  the  pious  dead.  The  children  of  men? 
a  notorious  robber  is  transformed  into  a  penitent  worshipper  : 
a  heathen  officer  owns  he  has  been  executing  the  Son  of  God ; 
and  the  spectators  smote  their  breasts  and  returned.  The 
temple  of  God  ?  Is  this  an  asylum  exempt  from  these  prodi- 
gies ?  There  new  wonders  affright  the  very  priests,  who  had 
cast  out  the  Saviour  from  his  own  temple. 

1.  The  vail  of  the  temple  was  rent. 

This  is  mentioned  by  Luke,  before  the  Saviour's  death ; 
but,  probably,  for  the  sake  of  introducing  together  all  the 
miracles  which  attended  the  event ;  and  the  darkness,  we 
know,  happened  before  Jesus  expired.  But  Matthew,  who 
was  an  eye-witness,  mentions  the  rending  of  the  vail  after  the 
departure  of  the  Saviour's  spirit.  There  were  two  vails  ;  the 
outer,  which  served  as  a  sort  of  gate,  or  door  of  entrance  to 
the  sanctuary,  in  which  the  priests  ministered  every  day;  and 
the  inner,  which  the  Apostle  calls  the  second  vail,  that  divided 
the  holy  place  from  the  most  holy.  This  latter,  was  the  vail 
by  emphasis,  as  it  most  completely  vailed  what  was  within  ; 
and  it  is  that  which  was  called  by  the  name  which  the  Evan- 
gelist here  employs.  The  rabbins  strangely  assert,  that  it  was 
of  the  thickness  of  a  palm  :  it  was,  doubtless,  remarkably 
stout,  as  it  was  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  embroidery  or  tapestry. 
It  was  therefore  the  more  remarkable,  that  it  should  have 
been  rent  in  two,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  ;  for  this  would 
not  be  the  natural  effect  of  the  earthquake,  which  might  have 
thrown  the  temple  into  ruins,  almost  as  soon  as  it  would  have 
torn  this  loose  hanging.  This  was  the  finger  of  God,  who 
himself  rent  the  vail  of  his  own  secret  chamber. 

The  time  when  this  happened  ensured  sufficient  notice.  It 
was  at  the  ninth  hour,  or  three  in  the  afternoon,  at  the  great 
paschal  feast,  when  the  priests  were  in  the  sanctuary,  offering 
public  worship.  See  the  very  men  who  condemned  Christ  for 
saying,  "  I  will  destroy  this  temple,"  starting  at  the  earth- 
quake, that  shakes  the  floor  of  the  sanctuary  beneath  their 


494  LECTURE    XCI. 

feet ;  and  when  they  look  around  them,  to  see  what  has  hap- 
pened, with  what  horror  they  behold  the  thick  vail  rent,  and 
leaving  exposed  to  vulgar  stare  what  the  high  priest  alone 
should  ever  have  seen !  Well  might  they  tremble,  lest  the 
whole  temple  should  fall  on  them,  and  crush  them  in  the 
mighty  ruin.  If  the  high  priest  himself  was  there,  choosing 
to  officiate  at  this  most  solemn  festival,  with  what  horror  must 
he  have  viewed  this  rent;  fearing  lest,  as  he  had  rent  his  gar- 
ments, contrary  to  God's  law,  God  should  thus  be  showing 
that  he  had  rent  his  priesthood  from  him,  and  was  tearing  the 
very  temple  to  pieces ;  because  he  had  abrogated  that  dispen- 
sation. Henceforth,  the  middle  wall  of  partition,  that  sepa- 
rated between  Jew  and  Gentile,  was  taken  away ;  for  Christ 
had,  by  his  death,  "  made  of  two,  one  new  man,  so  making 
peace."  The  Jews  have,  ever  since,  been  attempting  to  mend 
the  rent  vail,  and  raise  up  the  middle  wall  of  partition  ;  but 
Jesus  has  "  the  key  of  David,  he  opens  and  no  man  shuts." 

As  the  holy  of  holies,  so  the  heaven  of  heavens,  is  laid  open 
to  our  view  by  the  death  of  Christ.  Hear  the  voice  of  the 
Apostle,  "  Having  therefore,  brethren,  boldness  to  enter  into 
the  holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a  new  and  living  way 
which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us  through  the  vail,  that  is  to 
say  his  flesh;  and  having  a  high  priest  over  the  house  of  God, 
let  us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart  in  full  assurance  of  faith, 
having  our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience.  For 
Christ  is  not  entered  into  the  holy  places  made  with  hands, 
which  are  the  figures  of  the  true,  but  into  heaven  itself,  now 
to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us ;  nor  yet  that  he 
should  offer  himself  often,  for  then  must  he  often  have  suffered 
since  the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  but  now  once,  in  the  end 
of  the  world,  hath  he  appeared,  to  piit  away  sin,  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  himself."  * 

2.  The  earthquake  was  the  second  miracle  that  attended 
the  Saviour's  death. 

An  ancient  chronologer  is  said,  to  refer  to  this  period,  an 
earthquake,  which  happened  in  Bythynia,  and  levelled  with 
the  ground  a  great  part  of  the  city  of  Nice.    To  the  same  era 
*  Heb.  X.  19—22  ;  ix.  24—26. 


THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST.  495 

some  assign  that  account  which  Tacitus  gives  in  his  Annals. 
"  In  the  same  year,  twelve  celebrated  cities  of  Asia  were 
thrown  down  by  an  earthquake ;  nor  was  the  accustomed 
refuge  afforded  to  the  sufferers,  by  fleeing  to  the  open  country  ; 
for  the  earth  closing,  swallowed  them  up.  Immense  moun- 
tains sunk  ;  what  had  been  plains  were  seen  lifted  up  on  high, 
and  fire  burst  forth  amidst  the  ruin."  How  far  this  earth- 
quake extended,  we  are  not  told,  nor  does  it  seem  to  have 
been  so  destructive  at  Judea,  as  at  other  places. 

The  Jews  might  well,  indeed,  have  expected  the  earth  to 
open  and  swallow  them  up,  as  it  did  Korah,  and  his  rebel  host. 
"  The  earth,"  says  Hilary,  "  trembled  at  the  load  that  was 
hanging  on  the  tree,  testifying  that  it  could  not  take  him  in 
who  was  dying."  Augustine  exclaims,  '*  Universal  nature  is 
openly  seen  in  agitation,  as  if  it  wished  to  take  arms  to  avenge 
its  author.  The  earth  itself  is  shaken  to  the  foundation,  as  if 
it  could  scarcely  bear  the  weight  of  the  cross,  or  as  if  it  trem- 
bled at  its  own  crime.  For  as  Christ  '  upholdeth  all  things  by 
the  word  of  his  power,'  how  can  we  wonder,  that  the  earth 
shuddered  to  uphold  him,  when  bearing  our  sins  in  his  own 
body  on  the  tree  ?  When  the  earth  opened  to  receive  the 
blood  of  righteous  Abel,  the  first  blood  of  man,  of  saint,  of 
martyr,  that  was  poured  on  the  ground,  she  is  said  to  have 
cursed  the  murderer ;  and  she  here  shakes  herself,  as  if  rising- 
to  swallow  up  the  murderers  of  the  king  of  men,  of  saints,  and 
of  martyrs."  Happily,  however,  for  us,  the  blood  of  Christ 
"  speaks  better  things  than  that  of  Abel." 

3.  The  third  prodigy  is  the  rending  of  the  rocks. 

This  is  distinctly  mentioned  ;  because,  though  the  earth- 
quake occasioned  it,  as  not  every  such  event  produces  this 
effect,  it  serves  to  show  the  greatness  of  the  convulsion  which 
nature  felt.  Travellers  in  Judea  have  assured  us,  that  a  re- 
markable fissure  is  still  visible  in  the  rocks  near  Jerusalem. 
The  rending  of  the  rocks  is  mentioned  by  the  prophet,  as  the 
effect  of  the  divine  wrath.*  A  crime  was  now  committed 
that  might  well  make  rocks  rend,  though  the  more  impenetra- 
ble hearts  of  men  did  not ;  as  Christ  told  the  Jews  that,  if  his 
*  Nahvim  i.  6. 


496  LECTURE    XCI. 

disciples  should  be  silent  in  his  praise,  the  stones  of  the 
streets  would  cry  out.  But  God,  in  the  midst  of  wrath, 
remembered  mercy ;  for  though  he  made  the  earth  to  trem- 
ble, he  did  not  bid  her  swallow  up  the  wicked ;  he  rent 
the  rocks  asunder,  as  well  as  the  vail,  but  sinners  are  not 
torn  to  pieces,  or  crushed  beneath  falling  rocks.  But  the 
inanimate  creation  is  convulsed,  to  instruct  the  rational. 
Paul,  speaking  of  the  rock  that  was  smitten  by  the  rod  of 
Moses,  the  minister  of  the  law,  that  waters  might  flow  out 
to  the  thirsty  church,  says,  "  that  rock  was  Christ,"  Go, 
then,  and  "  drink  of  the  pure  river  of  the  water  of  life, 
that  flows  from  the  wounded  Lamb  ;"  that  you  may  never 
cry,  "  Rocks,  cover  us  ;  hills,  fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from 
the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the 
wrath  of  the  Lamb." 

4.  The  opening  of  the  sepulchres  was  another  miraculous 
attendant  on  Christ's  death. 

It  may  be  thought  that  the  convulsion  of  the  earth,  and  the 
splitting  of  the  rocks,  would  naturally  produce  this  next 
effect ;  for  the  sepulchres  of  the  Jews  were  frequently  cut 
in  rocks,  as  we  shall  see  was  the  case  with  that  of  Joseph  of 
Arimathea.  In  the  same  way,  we  learn  from  the  prophet 
Isaiah,  that  an  ancient  Jew  had  provided  himself  with  a 
tomb.  * 

Together  with  the  rending  of  the  rocks,  in  which  the  tombs 
were  cut,  the  stones  that  were  laid,  to  shut  up  the  entrances, 
were  rolled  or  heaved  away ;  so  that  the  gloomy  mansions  of 
the  dead  were  laid  open  to  view.  It  has  been  sometimes  as- 
serted, that  the  dead  were,  at  this  time,  raised ;  but  the  Evan- 
gelist rather  asserts,  that  the  tombs  were  merely  opened  at  this 
moment,  and  that  their  inhabitants  did  not  rise,  or  quit  them, 
till  after  Christ's  resurrection.  The  whole  of  the  Jewish  sab- 
bath, then,  they  stood  open,  to  the  great  alarm  and  annoyance 
of  the  Jews,  who  regarded  themselves  as  polluted  by  the  dead. 
They  seemed  to  intrude  upon  the  Jewish  sabbath,  which  was 
indeed  buried  in  the  grave  of  Christ,  and  destined  to  rise  with 
him  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  in  the  new  form  of  a  Chris- 

*  Isaiah  xxii.  15,  16. 


THli    DEATH    OF    CHRIST.  497 

tian  sabbath.  But  the  dead,  whose  tombs  were  opened,  are 
represented  as  waiting,  to  give  precedence  to  Christ,  who  was 
to  be  "  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept."  Let  us  exult,  that 
Christ's  death  has  opened  our  graves,  and  his  going  down  to 
the  tomb  has  secured  our  rising  from  it  in  triumph. 

5.  The  next  prodigy,  as  I  may  call  it,  is  the  confession  of 
the  centurion,  the  Roman  officer  who  superintended  the 
execution. 

This  man  was  struck  with  all  he  saw  and  heard  ;  the  eclipse 
of  heaven's  light ;  the  spirit  with  which  Christ  endured  every 
thing ;  the  style  in  which  he  gave  away  paradise  ;  the  mighty 
cry  with  which  he  dismissed  his  soul;  and  now  at  last  the 
earthquake,  and  the  rending  of  the  rocks.  According  to  one 
Evangelist,  the  centurion  said,  "Truly,  this  was  a  just  man." 
But  this  would  prove  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  as  there  is 
no  medium  between  owning  Christ's  Deity  and  condemning  him 
as  a  blasphemer.  The  centurion,  therefore,  rose  to  this  higher 
or  more  explicit  confession,  "  surely  this  was  the  Son  of  God." 
"He  feared  greatly,  and  glorified  God,"  says  Luke;  and  all 
the  fathers  seem  so  sure  that  the  Roman  soldier  became  a 
genuine  Christian  convert,  that  they  speak  of  him  as  after- 
wards obtaining  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  If  this  was  true, 
here  is  then  the  first  fruits  of  the  gentiles,  after  the  lost  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel  had  been  gathered,  in  the  person  of  the 
converted  robber. 

6.  The  last  miracle  was  the  deep  affliction  of  the  spectators. 
"  They  smote  their  breasts  and  returned." 

Though,  doubtless,  many  of  those  who  were  thus  affected 
were  such  as  might  naturally  be  expected  to  feel  deeply,  yet 
I  conceive  that  others  were  of  the  senseless  multitude.  For 
now  began  to  be  fulfilled  those  words  of  the  prophets,  "  Then 
will  I  pour  out  upon  the  house  of  David  and  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication,  and  they 
shall  look  upon  me  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  mourn,  as  one 
mourneth  for  an  only  son."  They  returned  home  ;  either  be- 
cause the  ground  was  cleared  by  the  soldiers,  lest  tumults 
should  arise  ;  or  because  they  expected  the  body  would,  as 
usual,  hang  a  long  time  on  the  cross ;  and  it  was  now  time  to 

VOL.    II.  2    K 


498  LECTURE    XCI. 

prepare  for  the  paschal  sabbath.  But  what  a  moment  was 
that,  when  they  turned  away  from  the  cross !  The  most 
sorrowful  step  we  take  on  earth,  is  that  by  which  we  turn 
from  the  grave  of  a  friend,  and  leave  the  beloved  frame  to 
slumber  in  the  cold  damps  of  death.  Yet  never  was  there 
such  a  friend  as  this,  whose  corpse  now  hangs  upon  the  cross ; 
and  sad  and  slow  must  have  been  the  steps  of  those,  who, 
smiting  on  their  breasts,  and  pouring  forth  their  tears,  re- 
turned from  Calvary,  to  their  own  homes !  Let  us  retire  to 
our  abodes,  to  mourn  that  we  have  crucified  our  Lord,  and 
rejoice  that  he  died  for  us. 


409 


LECTURE    XCII. 

CHRIST    AMONG    THE    DEAD. 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  57 — 66. 
Makk  XV,  42—47. 
Luke  xxiii.  50 — 56. 
John  xix.  38 — 42. 

*  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. 

On  every  day,  of  every  man's  life,  eternal  consequences  hang; 
and,  millions  of  ages  hence,  he  will  be  tasting  the  good  or  evil 
effects  of  each  day.  But  some  days  are  far  more  eventful  and 
important  than  others.  Our  birth-day,  the  day  of  our  rege- 
neration, or  of  our  death,  give  colour  to  all  the  subsequent 
days  of  our  existence. 

That  every  day  of  the  history  of  Jesus  Christ  is  big  with 
importance,  all  Christians  will  own ;  for  not  only  our  short 
sojourn  here,  but  all  our  duration  in  eternity,  will  be  affected 
by  the  time  Christ  passed  on  earth,  or  is  now  spending  in 
heaven  for  us.  But  there  was  one  day  that  the  Saviour  spent 
in  a  region,  in  which  he  passed  only  that  one  day,  though  we 
expect  to  spend  ages  in  that  state,  as  myriads  have  done 
before  us.  Christ  was  one  day  among  the  dead,  his  body  in 
the  grave,  his  soul  among  departed  spirits.  Jesus  had  lived 
eternal  ages  with  the  Father,  before  he  came  to  dwell  among 
us  ;  he  spent  here,  among  living  men,  more  than  thirty  years ; 
he  has  now  been  about  1800  years  among  glorified  beings ;  but 
he  spent  only  one  whole  day  among  the  pious  dead ;  having  the 
two  constituent  parts  of  his  being  in  two  different  worlds,  his 
body  on  this  earth,  though  shut  up  from  view,  and  his  soul  in 

2k2 


500  LKCTURE    XCll. 

hades,  among  disembodied  spirits  of  men.  To  view  the  Sa- 
viour in  this  state  we  now  advance,  considering, 

I.  The  last  indignities  done  to  the  body  of  Jesus. 

The  former  of  these  which  I  have  to  mention,  was  only  in- 
tended, not  inflicted ;  the  latter  was  inflicted,  though  not  pre- 
viously intended. 

1.  The  indignity  intended. 

John  says,  "  The  Jews  therefore,  because  it  v\-as  the  pre- 
paration, that  the  bodies  should  not  remain  upon  the  cross  on 
the  sabbath-day,  (for  that  sabbath-day  was  an  high  day)  be- 
sought Filate  that  their  legs  might  be  broken,  and  that  they 
might  be  taken  away.  Then  came  the  soldiers,  and  brake  the 
legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  which  was  crucified  viith 
him.  But  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was 
dead  already,  they  brake  not  his  legs."  * 

A  three-fold  sanctity  attended  this  day.  It  was  a  sabbath  ; 
and  the  second  day,  which  was  a  grand  day,  of  the  passover; 
and  the  day  on  which  the  new  sheaf  of  corn  was  presented  in 
the  temple.  The  Jews  were,  therefore,  very  anxious  that 
nothing  might  appear  to  diminish  the  sacredness  of  the  season 
and  vitiate  their  service.  The  law  of  God  decreed,  that  the 
bodies  of  criminals  hanged  should  not  remain  on  the  tree, 
beyond  the  day  of  execution,  j-  which  serves  to  discountenance 
our  practice  of  gibbeting  such  persons  in  chains,  for  years. 

Our  Lord  charged  the  Pharisees  with  that  inconsistency  of 
character,  which  "  would  strain  at  a  gnat,  but  would  swallow 
a  camel ;"  and  they  who  had  committed  a  most  flagitious 
murder,  now  scrupled  to  sutTer  the  murdered  body  to  hang 
upon  the  cross.  It  is,  however,  probable,  that  their  real 
reason  was  a  dread,  lest  new  prodigies  should  accompany  the 
Saviour's  crucifixion,  and  the  public  mind  be  turned  to  con- 
demn the  deed.  The  priests  wished  not  only  to  have  the  body 
put  out  of  the  way,  but  to  be  made  sure  of  Christ's  death,  by 
such  a  blow  as  would  dispatch  him,  if  he  were  not  already 
dead.  When  they  had  done  this,  they  hoped,  perhaps,  (o 
have  it  in  their  power  to  fling  the  body  into  the  next  ditch. 

The  soldiers  came,  then,  by  Pilate's  permission,  with  iron 
*  .Tolin  xix.  31 — 33.  f  Dent.  xxi.  22. 


CHRIST    AMONG    TflE    DEAD,  501 

maces,  or  clubs,  to  crush  the  limbs  of  the  crucified  persons, 
which  was  often  made  a  punishment  by  itself,  but  was  not  a 
usual  attendant  on  crucifixion.  Two  soldiers,  perhaps,  brought 
the  clubs,  and  happening  each  of  them  to  come  up  on  different 
sides,  they  each  dashed  to  pieces  the  legs  of  a  robber.  A 
third  soldier,  who  might  not  be  armed  with  the  iron  mace, 
came  up  in  the  middle  and  waited,  till  his  companions  should 
treat  the  body  of  Jesus  in  the  same  way.  But  while  we 
shudder  to  hear  the  bones  of  the  robbers  crushed  under  the 
blows  of  the  mace,  how  different  the  feelings  of  the  two  who 
endure  the  same  strokes  !  The  one  curses  his  tormentors, 
who  send  his  soul  into  the  presence  of  an  angry  judge ;  but 
the  other  is  borne  above  the  physical  agony,  by  his  meek  sub- 
mission to  the  punishment  of  his  sins,  and  his  triumphant  ex- 
pectation of  the  fulfilment  of  the  Saviour's  words,  "  This  day 
shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."  The  same  treatment  as 
is  now  inflicted  on  the  robbers,  to  hurry  them  at  once  out  of 
life,  is  intended  by  the  soldiers  to  be  given  to  the  sacred  body 
of  our  Lord.     But,  instead  of  this,  we  have  now  to  observe, 

2.   The  indignity  that  was  not  intended. 

For,  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  finding  him  dead  already, 
"  they  brake  not  his  legs ;  but  one  of  the  soldiers,  with  a  spear, 
pierced  his  side,  and  forthwith  came  thereout  blood  and  water." 
Those  who  were  armed  with  the  clubs,  refusing  to  employ 
them,  in  breaking  Christ's  bones,  because  they  saw  he  was 
already  dead ;  the  other  soldier,  who  had  a  Spear  only, 
stabbed  at  the  dead  body,  either  through  wantonness,  or  a 
determination  to  be  sure  that  Jesus  should  not  be  taken  from 
the  cross  alive. 

It  is  probable  that,  to  secure  the  latter  object,  the  spear  was 
thrust  into  the  left  side,  and  aimed  at  the  heart,  whence  burst 
forth  the  stream  of  blood  and  water.  This  has  been  pronounced 
by  some  natural,  by  others  supernatural.  It  appears  to  me 
nearly  certain,  that  the  occurrence  took  place,  not  immediately, 
but  two  or  three  hours  after  Christ's  death.  This  grand  event 
happened,  about  three  o'clock ;  and  it  was  not  necessary  to  take 
the  bodies  down,  to  avoid  profaning  the  sabbath,  till  towards 
six  o'clock.     By  this  time,  the  blood  would  be  coagulated,  so 


502  LECTURE    XCII. 

that  it  would  refuse  to  flow.  No  natural  circumstance  can  ac- 
count for  the  distinct  appearance  of  blood  and  water.  If  the 
blood  had  been  by  any  cause  so  changed,  that  the  cruor  or  red 
part  was  separated  from  the  serum  or  watery  part,  they  would 
yet  be  so  confounded,  or  mingled  again,  in  flowing  from  the 
wound,  that  no  one  could  distinguish  them  ;  nor  could  it  with 
any  propriety  be  said,  that  one  was  blood  and  the  other  water. 
It  is,  indeed,  true,  that  the  heart  moves  in  a  small  quantity  of 
water,  contained  in  the  pericardium,  or  bag  enclosing  the 
heart.  But,  according  to  nature,  the  quantity  being  small, 
and  the  blood  flowing  from  the  wound,  at  the  same  time,  would 
prevent  a  spectator  from  seeing  a  stream  of  water  distinct  from 
blood. 

But  the  manner  in  which  John,  the  eye-witness,  introduces 
his  testimony  to  the  fact,  indicates  that  he  regarded  it  as  a 
supernatural  event,  the  credibility  of  which  depends  on  the 
witness.  "  And  he  that  saw  it  bare  record,  and  his  record  is 
true  :  and  he  knoweth  that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  might  be- 
lieve."* In  a  similar  way,  he  introduces  into  his  epistle  a 
reference  to  this  event.  "  This  is  he  that  came  by  water  and 
blood,  even  Jesus  Christ ;  not  by  water  only,  but  by  water 
and  blood.  And  it  is  the  Spirit  that  beareth  witness,  because 
the  Spirit  is  truth."  f 

But  by  these  soldiers,  who  were  heathens,  two  remarkable 
prophecies  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  concerning  the  Messiah, 
were  fulfilled.  The  first  declared,  that  "  a  bone  of  him  should 
not  be  broken."  For  so  it  was  decreed  concerning  the  paschal 
lamb,  which  was  a  type  of  Christ,  as  the  Apostle  teaches, 
when  he  says,  "  Christ  our  passover  is  sacrificed  for  us," 
Moses  then  gave  this  order  from  God,  "  They  shall  eat  it  with 
unleavened  bread  and  bitter  herbs ;  they  shall  leave  none  of 
it  unto  the  morning,  nor  break  any  hone  of  it.'"X  Speaking 
of  the  righteous  one,  the  Messiah,  David  also  says,  "  Jehovah 
keepeth  all  his  bones,  not  one  of  them  is  broken."  §  Without 
knowing  these  Scriptures,  the  Roman  soldiers  fulfilled  them ; 
for  though  they  broke  the  legs  of  one  on  each  side  of  Jesus, 

*Johnxix.  35.  fl  John  v.  6.  J  Numbers  ix.  12 ;  Ex.  xii.  40. - 

§  Psalm  xxxiv.  20. 


CHRIST    AMONG    THE    DEAD,  503 

they  spared  his;  when  they  might  as  well  have  broken  the 
legs  of  the  dead,  as  stabbed  the  heart  of  a  corpse. 

The  next  Scripture,  however,  was  fulfilled  by  this  last 
action.  For  Zechariah  had  delivered  the  following  prophecy 
in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  "  They  shall  look  upon  me  whom  they 
pierced  and  mourn."*  For,  though  this  was  only  the  dead 
body  of  Jesus,  yet,  Jehovah  says,  "  They  shall  look  on  me 
whom  they  have  pierced ;"  for  the  whole  humanity,  being 
taken  into  personal  union  with  Deity,  when  the  soul  was  sepa- 
rated from  the  body,  the  Deity  was  still  united  to  both. 

Now  we  have  seen  the  last  indignities  done  to  the  Saviour, 
in  stabbing  at  his  dead  body,  let  us  hasten  to  gratify  ourselves, 
with  a  view  of 

II.  The  first  honours  paid  to  Christ's  body. 

The  care  which  Jews  and  Christians  have  taken  of  the  bodies 
of  the  departed,  is  the  result  of  their  belief  in  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead.  In  the  present  instance,  nothing  more  than  that 
general  belief  seems  to  have  operated  ;  except  we  should  add 
an  unconquerable  impression  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ's 
character ;  for  his  speedy  resurrection,  strange  to  tell,  was  not 
expected. 

The  first  mark  of  respect  was  the  resigning  of  Christ's  body 
to  his  friends. 

"After  this,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  being  a  disciple  of  Je- 
sus, but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  besought  Pilate  that  he 
might  take  away  the  body  of  Jesus :  and  Pilate  gave  him 
leave.     He  came,  therefore,  and  took  the  body  of  Jesus."  -f- 

Arimathea  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  same  town  that  in 
the  Old  Testament  is  called  Rama.  But,  as  this  signifies 
lofty,  the  name  is  equivalent  to  our  Hightown  or  Highfield, 
and  may  have  been  applied  to  many  places.  As  Joseph  was  a 
man  of  distinction,  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrim,  or  senate  of 
the  Jews,  which  was  equivalent  to  a  member  of  parliament 
among  us  ;  he  seems  to  have  had  a  house  in  Jerusalem.  The 
decree  of  the  Sanhedrim  which  condemned  Jesus  to  death  was 
not  unanimous  ;  for  Joseph,  who  waited  for  the  kingdom  of 
God,  or  was  on  the  look-out  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah, 
*  Zech.  xii.  10.  f  John  xix.  28. 


504  LECTURE    XCII. 

bad  not  consented.  He  was,  indeed,  a  secret  disciple  of  Je- 
sus. Fear  of  the  Jews,  who  had  pronounced  a  sentence  of 
excommunication  on  all  those  who  owned  Jesus  for  the  Mes- 
siah, had  kept  back  this  just  man  from  acting  fully  up  to  the 
conviction  of  his  judgment,  and  the  bias  of  his  heart. 

But  now  that  the  danger  was  greatest,  and  the  cause  of 
Christ  seemed  most  desperate,  this  timid,  secret  disciple,  came 
boldly  forward  in  public,  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  By 
this  expression  of  regard  for  a  person  whom  Pilate  had  given 
up  to  the  death  of  the  vilest  criminal,  Joseph  tacitly  con- 
demned the  governor  himself.  Nor  could  this  body  be  asked 
as  a  boon,  or  be  cherished  as  the  remains  of  the  pious  dead, 
without  condemning  the  whole  nation  of  the  Jews,  and  the 
ecclesiastical  council,  which  had  forced  Pilate  to  put  Jesus  to 
death.  Braving  all  these  consequences,  this  member  of  the 
senate  identified  himself  with  the  cause  of  the  crucified  Sa- 
viour, and  thus  prepared  the  way  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  most 
important  prophecy  concerning  Christ. 

But,  as  crucifixion  was  a  slow  death,  Pilate  wondered  if 
Jesus  were  dead  already,  and  called  the  centurion  to  inquire. 
This  may  at  first  appear  unaccountable,  since  Pilate  had  given 
orders  to  break  the  legs  of  the  crucified,  in  order  to  dispatch 
them,  that  their  bodies  might  be  taken  away.  But  the  appli- 
cation for  the  body  may  have  come  so  closely  upon  the  request 
of  the  Jews  to  have  the  legs  broken,  that  Pilate  may  have 
known  that  the  limbs  could  not  yet  have  been  crushed.  For 
Joseph,  being  a  member  of  the  council,  knew  all  its  determi- 
nations, and,  aware  of  its  request  to  Pilate,  hastened  with  his 
petition,  to  prevent  the  last  indignity  that  was  intended  to  be 
put  upon  the  Saviour's  corpse.  The  senator  seems  to  have 
stood  by  the  cross,  and  to  have  seen  the  manner  in  which  Je- 
sus gave  himself  to  death;  so  that,  confident  of  the  event, 
Joseph  entreated  Pilate  to  allow  him  to  take  away  the  body, 
without  suffering  its  limbs  to  be  broken.  Yet,  before  Joseph 
could  return  to  the  cross,  the  deed  would  have  been  done,  had 
not  Providence  overruled  the  actions  of  the  soldiers. 

The  centurion,  whom  Pilate  questioned  concerning  the  ac- 
tual death  of  Jesus,  had  already  been  so  affected  by  that  event. 


CHRIST    AMONG    THE    DEAD.  505 

as  to  be  induced  to  own  Christ's  name.  He  must,  therefore, 
have  gladly  concurred  with  Joseph,  in  the  design  to  save  the 
body  from  injury,  by  giving  the  most  decisive  testimony  to  the 
Saviour's  death.  Pilate,  therefore,  resigned  the  body  of  Jesus 
to  h;s  friends.  Now  had  been  fulfilled  his  own  prediction, 
"  The  Son  of  man  is  delivered  into  the  hands  of  sinful  men :" 
henceforth  he  is  delivered  out  of  such  hands,  and  given  up 
to  the  care  of  the  pious,  the  society  of  the  holy  and  the 
blessed. 

2.  The  second  honour  given  to  the  body  of  Jesus  was  the 
taking  of  it  down  from  the  cross. 

For,  said  the  Apostle,  "  When  they  had  fulfilled  all  that 
was  written  of  Him,  they  took  him  down  from  the  tree."* 
The  persons  who  performed  this  kind  and  honourable  office  to 
the  Redeemer  are  not  particularly  mentioned.  Joseph  of 
Arimathea  was  certainly  not  alone  in  the  labour  of  love.  It 
required  several  hands,  and  he  would  naturally  employ  his 
servants  to  help  him.  The  persons  who  stood  by  the  cross, 
John  and  the  three  Marys,  may  also  have  assisted. 

The  mode  which  they  adopted  we  cannot  ascertain.  Painters 
have  generally  represented  the  persons  who  performed  this 
office,  as  applying  a  ladder  to  the  cross,  and  ascending  to  draw 
out  the  nails,  and  thus  letting  down  the  body  into  a  cloth,  held 
below  to  receive  it.  But  another  mode  would  have  been  more 
likely  to  present  itself  to  their  minds,  that  of  reversing  the 
process  of  crucifixion.  By  lowering  the  cross  they  would  have 
easy  access  to  the  body,  and  might  quickly  remove  whatever 
fastened  it  to  the  cross,  and  then  wrap  the  body  in  the  cloth 
for  the  burial. 

But  in  what  mode  soever  they  performed  this  office,  it  must 
have  been  most  afflictive.  The  handling  of  a  cold  corpse  gives 
one  a  melancholy  chill.  But  if  a  person  has  been  hanged,  the 
gloom  of  death  is  aggravated  by  the  ignominy  of  the  gibbet. 
Crucifixion  was  then  regarded  as  even  more  infamous  than 
hanging  is  among  us.  But  to  see  and  to  feel  death,  in  all  the 
ignominy  of  a  criminal's  execution,  exhibited  in  that  person 
whom  they  had  regarded  as  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory,  who 
*  Acts  xiii.  29. 


506  LECTURB   XCH. 

had  given  life  to  others,  and  been  crowned  with  the  honours 
of  a  divine  benefactor,  must  have  been  most  confounding. 
They  could  scarcely  have  believed  their  eyes,  or  their  touch ; 
but  must  have  fancied  they  felt  the  glow  of  life,  and  saw  im- 
mortality larking  beneath  the  mask  of  death. 

The  third  honour,  given  to  the  Saviour's  body,  was  the 
embalming. 

The  mode  of  disposing  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  among  the 
ancient  nations,  was  as  various  as  their  tongues.  The  Romans 
burnt  the  bodies,  and  preserved  the  ashes  in  urns.  The 
Egyptians  were  celebrated  for  the  art  of  embalming  the  dead; 
and  some  of  the  mummies  which  we  possess  consist  of  the 
preserved  bodies  of  persons,  of  the  era  of  our  Lord.  The 
physicians,  to  whom  this  work  belonged,  embalmed  Jacob; 
and  the  body  of  Joseph,  thus  preserved,  was  kept  for  hundreds 
of  years  ;  till  it  was  carried  up  from  Egypt,  at  the  Exodus, 
and  buried  in  Canaan  by  Joshua.  But  this  Egyptian  embalm- 
ing included  the  taking  out  of  the  bowels  and  brains,  which 
the  Jews  did  not  practise. 

In  the  interment  of  the  body  of  our  Lord,  the  embalming, 
strictly  so  called,  was  only  intended.  Joseph  of  Arimathea, 
having  brought  fine  linen,  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  winding 
sheet ;  another  member  of  the  Sanhedrim,  Nicodemus,  who 
had  come  to  Jesus  by  night,  came  up  at  the  time,  bringing  with 
him  a  mixed  composition  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  antiseptic  spices, 
about  a  hundred  pounds  weight.  This  quantity  must  have 
required  assistance  to  bring  it ;  and  as  it  was  more  than  was 
requisite  for  preserving  the  body,  it  has  been  thought  that 
some  of  the  spices  were  intended  to  be  burnt  at  the  funeral. 
Thus  we  read  of  the  burial  of  Asa,  king  of  Judah.  "  They 
buried  him  in  his  own  sepulchre,  which  he  had  made  for  him- 
self in  the  city  of  David,  and  laid  him  in  the  bed  which  was 
filled  with  sweet  odours  and  divers  kinds  of  spices  prepared  by 
the  apothecaries'  art :  and  they  made  a  very  great  burning  for 
him."*  But,  as  it  is  not  probable,  that  the  friends  of  Jesus 
could  expect  to  be  allowed  to  make  a  public  funeral  for 
him,  I  conceive  that  the  design  of  this  vast  quantity  of 
*  2  Chron.  xvi.  14. 


CHRIST    AMONG    THE    DEAD.  507 

spices  was,  to  make  the  bed  of  spices  in  which  the  body 
should  lie. 

The  sabbath  of  the  grand  festival  was  approaching,  and  the 
touch  of  a  dead  body  was  a  legal  defilement  to  the  Jews. 
The  friends  of  Jesus  could  not,  therefore,  discharge  the  last 
sad  office  to  his  corpse,  nor  do  him  the  honour  of  embalming 
him,  without  unfitting  themselves  for  entering  into  the  temple, 
to  keep  the  feast.  They  hastily  then  wrapped  the  body,  along 
with  the  spices,  in  the  linen  cloth,  and  rolled,  or  bound  all  up 
together,  with  the  linen  rollers,  which  were  intended  to  swathe 
the  body,  in  the  manner  of  the  Egyptian  mummies. 

The  last  of  the  funeral  honours  now  given  to  the  dead  body 
of  Jesus  was  its  interment. 

The  sepulchre  in  which  our  Lord  rested  from  his  agonies 
was  in  the  garden  belonging  to  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  who 
sought  the  honour  of  depositing  this  sacred  body,  in  a  new 
tomb,  which  he  had  provided  for  himself.  A  tomb  in  a 
garden  was  calculated  to  bring  to  remembrance  death,  amidst 
the  sweetest  pleasures  of  life ;  and  to  smooth  the  rugged  face 
of  death,  by  associating  it  with  the  most  innocent  pleasures 
which  our  Creator  has  provided  for  us. 

The  site  of  Jerusalem,  like  Judea  in  general,  was  rocky. 
This  tomb,  therefore,  was  cut  in  a  rock.  The  rocks  were,  in 
many  places,  cut  into  terraces,  covered  with  rich  soil,  where 
grew  all  that  was  beautiful  among  flowers,  or  rich  among 
fruits ;  for  the  vines  and  the  olive  trees  struck  their  roots  into 
the  fissures  of  the  rocks,  and  grew  most  luxuriantly.  Joseph 
having  recently  cut  the  tomb  for  himself,  in  the  rocks  in  his 
garden,  no  member  of  his  family  had  ever  been  interred 
there.  So  Providence  watched,  that  Jesus  should  not  lie 
down  amidst  corruption,  nor  slumber  in  a  tomb  which  would 
render  it  doubtful  whose  body  it  was  that  rose  from  it,  on  the 
third  day. 

"  There  laid  they  Jesus  therefore,  because  the  sepulchre 
was  nigh  at  hand."  Such  is  the  simple  narrative  of  the  in- 
terment of  the  King  of  kings ;  while  the  glory  of  the  funeral 
of  one  of  the  kings  of  the  earth  would  often  make  a  volume. 
Having  rolled  up  the  body  with  the  aromatics,  and  covered 


508  LECTURE    XCII. 

the  face,  so  that  the  whole  seemed  like  one  mass  of  spices  ; 
they  stooped  down  and  drew  their  mysterious  load  through 
the  low  opening,  into  one  of  those  chambers  in  the  tomb,  of 
which  there  were  several  provided,  that  all  the  members  of 
the  family  might  be  buried  together.  The  body  of  Jesus, 
being  the  first  deposited,  was  probably  laid  in  the  innermost 
compartment ;  so  that  it  could  not  be  seen  by  a  person  on  the 
outside,  unless  by  stooping  down.  They  rolled  a  great  stone 
to  the  door,  to  prevent  enemies  from  entering  to  insult  the 
corpse,  or  to  keep  out  the  beasts  which  fed  on  carrion  from 
violating  the  remains  of  the  dead.  This  stone  became  an 
object  of  importance  and  solicitude  to  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
the  other  Mary,  who  were  now  sitting  over  against  the  se- 
pulchre, and  watching  to  see  what  was  done  to  their  Loi-d. 
All  this  being  hastily  performed,  because  it  was  now  the  time 
of  preparation  for  the  sabbath ;  the  friends  of  Jesus  went  away 
to  keep  the  day  of  rest,  according  to  the  commandment. 

To  that  day  let  us  now  turn  our  attention,  for  it  was 

III.  The  day  that  Christ  passed  among  the  dead. 

The  body  of  Jesus  was  now  resting  in  an  honourable  tomb. 
The  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  "  He  made  his  grave  with  the 
wicked;"  for  the  tomb  was  near  Golgotha,  the  place  of  the 
skulls  of  crucified  criminals ;  but  he  was  "  with  the  rich  in  his 
death,"  reposing  in  the  senator's  tomb.  Though  pale  and 
bloody,  and  covered  with  wounds  and  black  and  blue  marks 
of  blows,  the  head  no  longer  aches,  the  heart  no  more  throbs 
with  anguish,  the  eyes  pour  forth  no  more  tears  ;  but  the 
weary  flesh  lies  down  in  a  bed  of  spices. 

Now,  therefore,  we  have  to  consider  the  separate  soul  of 
the  Redeemer,  the  solicitudes  of  his  friends,  and  the  machi- 
nations of  his  foes. 

1.  The  separate  soul  of  our  Lord. 

The  Scriptures  call  the  abode  to  which  Christ's  soul  depart- 
ed from  the  cross.  Hades,  which  signifies  the  unseen  world, 
and  is  equivalent  to  the  Sheol  of  the  Old  Testament,  which 
means  the  abode  of  those  who  are  inquired  after.  For  man 
givcth  up  the  ghost,  and  where  is  he?  But  Hades  is,  in  the 
New  Testament,   translated   hell,  by  a  similar  mistake  with 


CHRIST    AMONG    THE    DEAD,  509 

that  which  gave  rise  to  the  expression  in  the  creed,  "  Christ 
descended  into  hell."  Hades,  however,  includes  all  departed 
spirits,  and  is  divided  into  the  abode  of  the  blessed,  and  of 
the  wretched  spirits.  As,  therefore,  Jesus  assured  the  peni- 
tent robber,  that  he  should  be  with  Christ  that  day  in  paradise, 
we  may  be  sure  that  Christ's  soul  went  to  the  happy  compart- 
ment of  hades,  or  the  paradise  of  holy  blessed  spirits. 

The  sublime  prophet  addresses  a  departed  king  of  Babylon 
thus,  "  The  dead  are  stirred  up  to  meet  thee,  saying,  Art  thou 
also  become  like  unto  us?"  But  when  the  King  of  glory 
entered  among  "  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,"  with 
what  wonder  and  joy  must  they  have  welcomed  the  new 
comer  !  For  his  arrival  there  made  known  the  fact  of  the 
incarnation  and  atonement.  It  was  in  "  making  his  soul  an 
offering  for  sin"  that  Christ  dismissed  it,  committing  it  into 
his  Father's  hands ;  and  it  was  in  accepting  that  sin-offering 
that  the  Father  assigned  it  a  place  among  happy  souls,  in  the 
paradise  of  the  just. 

Among  the  myriads  of  spirits  that  were  waiting  for  a  glo- 
rious resurrection,  the  news  "  He  is  come!  he  is  come  !"  flew 
swift  as  the  lightning's  flash,  and  grateful  as  the  morning-beam. 
"  Messiah's  soul  is  here!  The  great  atonement  has  been  made 
and  accepted !  Our  return  to  a  perfect  state,  by  a  resurrec- 
tion to  immortality,  is  sealed  to  us,  by  the  visit  of  this  master 
spirit ! " 

Not  long  after,  arrives  another  happy  soul,  that  of  the  con- 
verted robber;  for  his  body  is  dashed  to  pieces  by  the  soldiers, 
and  he  gladly  escapes,  to  experience  the  truth  of  the  Saviour's 
promise,  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."  But 
who  can  conceive  the  rapture  of  this  meeting  ?  The  delight  of 
heaven  must  have  been  immensely  heightened  to  him,  who 
recollected  how  recently  he  was  a  hardened  robber,  and  how 
wondrously  the  short  acquaintance  with  Jesus,  on  the  cross, 
terminated  in  bringing  the  chief  of  sinners,  to  spend  an  eternity 
of  bliss  among  the  spirits  of  the  just. 

Short  was  the  abode  of  Jesus  among  disembodied  souls, 
and  what  was  his  employment  there  we  dare  not  attempt  to 
say.    We  must  go  to  that  world  to  learn  these  secrets  of  souls. 


510  LECTURE    XCll. 

But,  as  the  lodging-  of  Jesus  in  the  grave  has  taken  off  its 
gloom,  and  made  us  long  to  lie  down  with  him  in  this  bed  of 
spices;  so  his  short  sojourning  in  hades  has  attracted  our 
spirits  thither,  and  taught  us  to  say,  "  We  are  willing  rather 
to  be  absent  from  the  body,  that  we  may  be  present  with  the 
Lord." 

2.  The  solicitudes  of  Christ's  friends  demand  our  next 
attention. 

That  day  which  Christ  spent  among  the  dead  must  have 
seemed  long  as  months  to  his  disciples.  To  go  home  and 
leave  a  friend  in  the  grave,  is  to  go  to  an  empty  house  ;  but 
the  whole  world  seems  void  when  our  dearest  friend  has  left 
it.  To  retire  to  bed,  after  such  a  scene  as  that  of  Calvary,  is 
not  to  go  to  rest ;  but  the  disciples  must  have  remembered 
the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "  I  water  my  couch  with  my  tears; 
for  lover  and  friend  hast  thou  put  away  from  me,  and  my  ac- 
quaintance into  darkness." 

The  morning  of  the  Jewish  sabbath  returns,  but  not  to 
them  returns  morn,  or  the  sabbath's  joys.  The  Jewish  sab- 
baths and  the  paschal  feast  are  to  them  buried  in  their  Master's 
grave;  for  now  the  Saviour's  words  are  fulfilled,  "Ye  shall 
weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  shall  rejoice." 

The  disciples  must  have  been  harassed  with  fears  for  their 
own  personal  safety.  The  enemies,  having  succeeded  in  ap- 
prehending the  Master,  had  given  alarming  intimations  of  their 
intention  to  seize  the  disciples.  Those  who  owned  Christ  for 
the  Messiah  were,  by  a  public  decree,  excommunicated,  which 
was  equivalent  to  outlawry.  While  Jesus  was  with  them,  he 
was  a  host ;  but  now  he  is  gone,  they  are  left  naked  of  their 
defence. 

Nor  were  they  without  solicitudes  about  the  body  of  their 
Lord.  If  they  had  no  such  intentions  as  the  Jews  insinuated, 
to  steal  it,  and  pretend  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  they  had 
other  cares.  They  wished  to  give  the  body  a  more  honourable 
embalming  than  the  hurry  of  the  approaching  sabbath  had 
allowed.  And  when  they  have  performed  this  last  service, 
what  shall  they  do?  Return  to  their  old  employment  of  catch- 
ing fish  on  the  lake  of  Ccnnesarct?     With  what  disappoint- 


CHRIST    AMONG    THE    DEAD.  511 

ment  and  shame,  and  bitter  regret,  must  they  abandon  their 
golden  hopes  of  telling  the  world  that  Messiah  is  come !  Ah, 
here  is  the  sting  of  their  sorrows,  "Is  Jesus  an  impostor? 
Can  such  evidences  of  truth  and  grace  be  associated  with  the 
most  cruel  deceit  ? " 

But  the  last  object  of  consideration  now  calls  us  away. 

3.  The  machinations  of  Christ's  foes. 

These  are  in  alarm  again.  You  ask,  for  what?  Have  they 
not  triumphed  ?  Surely  they  are  not  afraid  of  the  Saviour's 
corpse.  Yes,  they  are.  Or,  if  you  choose,  of  the  words  of 
his  living  lips.  These  words  seem  not  to  have  come  to  the 
minds  of  the  friends,  whom  the  prediction  would  have  com- 
forted ;  but  it  rushed  into  the  memory  of  those  who  started 
at  the  sound,  as  at  the  appearance  of  a  ghost.  The  priests, 
therefore,  hasten  to  the  governor,  and  say,  "  Sir,  we  remember 
that  that  deceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet  alive.  After  three 
days  I  will  rise  again.  Command  therefore  that  the  sepul- 
chre be  made  sure  until  the  third  day,  lest  his  disciples  come 
by  night  and  steal  him  away,  and  say  unto  the  people.  He  is 
risen  from  the  dead ;  so  the  last  error  shall  be  worse  than  the 
first.  Pilate  said  unto  them,  Ye  have  a  watch  :  go  your  way, 
make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can.  So  they  went  and  made  the  se- 
pulchre sure,  sealing  the  stone,  and  setting  a  watch."  * 

Pilate  probably  sneered  at  their  request,  and  said  in  his 
heart,  "  A  resurrection !  Guilty  consciences  and  weak  ima- 
ginations are  troublesome  companions  ! " 

The  Jews  seem  to  have  referred  to  that  sermon,  which 
Christ  delivered  in  the  presence  of  his  enemies,  as  related  by 
Matthew.  "  An  evil  and  adulterous  generation  seeketh  after 
a  sign ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  to  it,  but  the  sign  of 
the  prophet  Jonas  ;  for  as  Jonas  was  three  days  and  three 
nights  in  the  whale's  belly,  so  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth." -f- 

By  asking  that  a  guard  may  be  set  over  the  tomb  until  the 
third  day,  the  Jews  show  that  they  understood  Christ  to  mean, 
that  ivithin  three  days  he  would  rise. 

They  take  for  the  guard,  doubtless  those  soldiers  on  whom 
*  Matt,  xxvii.  63— G6.  t  Ibid.  xii.  3D,  40. 


612  LECTURE    XCII. 

they  could  depend  ;  and,  before  they  left  the  spot,  they  satis- 
fied themselves  that  the  body  was  there.  When  they  had 
taken  off  the  face  cloth,  and  feasted  their  cruelty  with  the 
sight  of  the  murdered  body,  what  could  they  wish  for  more  ? 
They  were  surely  not  obliged  to  set  a  guard  on  account  of 
the  dead.  No,  it  was  because  of  the  living;  lest  the  disciples 
should  steal  the  body  away.  But  what  could  they  do  with  it? 
They  would  not  set  up  a  corpse  for  a  Messiah. 

In  addition  to  the  setting  of  a  guard,  they  sealed  the  stone, 
which  shut  up  the  entrance,  or  kept  the  door  of  the  sepulchre 
from  being  opened. 

This  stone  has  been  said  to  have  been  fastened  to  the  rock 
by  iron  clamps  ;  and  these  may  have  been  fastened  at  one  end 
into  the  stone,  and  at  the  other  into  the  rock  by  melted  lead, 
upon  which,  while  warm,  the  public  seal  may  have  been  im- 
pressed. All  this  was  done,  it  seems,  on  the  sabbath,  by  men 
whose  grand  charge  against  Jesus  was,  that  he  healed  the 
sick  on  that  holy  day. 

But  with  what  reflections  on  the  wonderful  fulfilment  of 
prophecy,  and  the  grand  design  of  providence,  should  we  turn 
from  these  scenes,  and  leave  the  body  of  Jesus  to  the  silent 
grave,  and  his  soul  to  the  intercourse  of  happy  spirits  !  When 
our  bodies  return  to  the  dust,  may  our  flesh  rest  in  hope,  and 
our  spirits  join  the  happy  souls  that  welcomed  the  arrival  of 
Messiah's  soul  to  their  paradise  of  joy ! 


.)l:i 


LECTURE  XCITI. 

CHRIST'S    RESURRECTION. 

Matt,  xxviii.  1 — 18. 
Mark  xvi.  1—11. 
Luke  xxiv.  1 — 12. 
John  xx.  1 — 18. 

The  Lord  is  risen  indeed. 

The  resurrection  of  the  dead  is  a  doctrine  of  pure  revelation. 
Tlie  ancient  heathens  believed  that  the  soul  was  the  only  sub- 
ject of  a  future  existence,  with  its  rewards  and  punishments. 
When,  therefore,  Paul  preached  the  resurrection,  among  the 
philosophers  at  Athens,  they  mocked. 

But  as  Christ's  resurrection  is  the  cause,  so  it  is  the  proof 
of  ours.  "  As  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive.  For  Jesus  is  become  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept." 
To  his  resurrection,  therefore,  let  us  attend  with  the  more  in- 
tense interest,  as  it  is  the  pledge  and  specimen  of  our  own. 

I.  The  history  of  the  event  claims  our  earliest  regard. 
This  includes  the  earthquake ;  the  descent  of  an  angel ;  the 
effect  on  the  guards ;  our  Lord's  quitting  the  tomb  ;  and  the 
resurrection  of  the  saints,  who  returned  with  him  from  the 
dead. 

1.  The  earthquake. 

This  is  recorded  by  Matthew  alone.  When  the  spirit  of 
our  Lord  departed,  his  death  shook  the  earth,  split  the  rocks, 
and  burst  open  the  graves  ;  and  now,  that  his  soul  returns  to 
the  body,  earth  trembles  again  at  his  presence.  As  this  is 
called  a  great  earthquake,  it  is  probable,  that  it  shook  Jeru- 
salem ;  and,  waking  up  its  inhabitants,  called  them  to  reflect 
upon  the  promise  of  a  resurrection,  which  Jesus  had  publicly 

VOL.    II.  2    L 


514  l.ECTURE    XCIII, 

delivered,  and  which  they  ought  to  have  been  looking  out  to 
see  fulfilled. 

As  it  is  mentioned,  in  connection  with  the  visit  of  the  pious 
women  to  the  tomb,  it  seems  that  they  felt  it  as  they  were  on 
the  road.  How  must  this  have  added  to  the  awe  inspired  by 
a  visit  to  such  a  tomb!  While  it  was  yet  dark,  going  to 
handle  a  dead  body,  the  corpse  of  such  a  person,  whose  death 
had  convulsed  all  nature,  and  about  whom  hung  a  mystery 
which  no  mortal  could  solve;  these  heroic  females  feel  the 
earth  trembling  beneath  their  steps. 

But  what  must  have  been  the  terror  of  the  guards,  while 
performing  the  melancholy  service  of  watching  the  grave  by 
night !  The  convulsive  throes  of  the  earth  made  them  stagger 
like  a  drunken  man  ;  when,  looking  around  to  see  what  can 
be  the  cause,  they  behold, 
2.  The  descent  of  an  angel. 

"  For  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven,  and 
came  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door,  and  sat  upon 
it.  His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  his  raiment  white 
as  snow :  And  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and  be- 
came as  dead  men."  * 

This  angelic  visit  seems  to  have  been  intended  to  display 
the  majesty  and  glory  of  the  risen  Saviour.  The  same  power 
that  produced  the  earthquake  could  have  made  it  roll  away  the 
stone,  and  frighten  away  the  guards.  But  it  was  deemed  an 
honour  due  to  the  victor  over  death,  that  the  angelic  attendants 
of  the  divine  throne  should  be  dispatched,  to  throw  open  the 
doors  of  the  grave;  to  show  that  justice  dismissed  his  prisoner, 
because  full  satisfaction  for  our  sins  was  paid.  When  the 
magistrates  of  Philippi  sent  to  let  Paul  and  Silas  go  out  of 
prison,  the  holy  men  said,  "  They  have  beaten  us  openly,  un- 
condemned,  and  now  do  they  thrust  us  out  privily  I  Nay, 
verily,  let  them  come  themselves  and  fetch  us  out."  Nor 
would  Jesus  come  forth  from  the  grave,  as  a  criminal  break- 
ing prison  ;  but  the  officers  of  eternal  justice  were  sent,  to 
open  the  prison  doors,  and  say,  '  Come  forth,  honoured  spon- 
sor, who  hast  fully  paid  the  debt  of  the  guilty.' 

*  MaU.  xxviii.   2 — 4. 


CHRIST'S    RESURRECTION.  515 

As  Jesus  stood  in  the  place  of  us,  who  are  truly  guilty,  when 
he  was  condemued  as  worthy  of  death,  no  angel  appeared  to 
rescue  him,  and  men  esteemed  him  stricken  of  God  and  af- 
flicted. But,  now  that  he  has  paid  the  due  penalty,  and  rises 
again  for  our  justification,  he  must  not  go  forth  from  the  grave, 
without  a  public  testimony  of  approbation  from  the  moral  go- 
vernor of  the  world. 

The  appearance  of  the  angel  is  minutely  recorded.  **  His 
countenance  was  like  lightning."  This  refers  to  the  general 
appearance  of  the  whole  person,  which  was  like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning, for  its  dazzling,  fiery  splendour.  Its  shape,  however, 
was  human  ;  and  it  appeared  in  the  dress  of  a  man.  But  the 
garments  were  white  as  snow,  to  indicate  the  purity  of  the 
being,  and  of  the  world  whence  he  came.  Lightning  dressed 
in  snow,  is,  then,  the  best  account  which  human  language  can 
furnish,  when  describing  an  inhabitant  of  heaven.  How  dull 
must  this  world's  splendour  appear,  and  how  mean  its  finest 
dress,  before  the  lustre  of  the  angel  and  his  spotless  robe ! 

This  glorious  being  came,  however,  but  as  a  porter,  to  open 
the  door  of  the  grave  for  Jesus,  and  to  roll  away  the  stone 
which  blocked  up  the  entrance.  Having  performed  this  office, 
he  sat  down  upon  the  stone  as  a  servant  in  waiting.  By  seating 
himself  thus,  the  angel,  in  effect,  said  to  the  guard,  "  Ye  may 
as  well  flee  at  once ;  for  I  mean  to  sit  here  as  guard,  to  wait 
upon  Jesus,  and  fulfil  the  orders  of  his  throne."  One  angel 
may  sit  at  his  ease,  and  put  to  the  rout  a  troop  of  Roman 
soldiers. 

This  leads  to, 

3.  The  effect  on  the  guards. 

They,  "  for  fear  of  the  angel,  shook,  and  became  as  dead 
men."  If  good  men  have  never  been  able  to  see,  without 
trembling,  a  visitor  from  the  world  of  spirits  ;  can  we  wonder 
that  heathens,  near  a  sepulchre,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
while  an  earthquake  made  them  stagger,  were  struck  almost 
dead  with  fear,  at  the  sight  of  an  angel,  who  dazzled  like 
lightning,  and  whose  snow-white  garments  formed  such  a  con- 
trast to  the  darkness  of  the  surrounding  scene  ?  For  this 
heavenly  guard  came  down  swift  and  mighty  as  the  lightning, 

2  L  2 


516  LECTURE    XCIII. 

rolling-  away  the  stone,  which  the  women  were  conscious  they 
could  not  move  ;  and  which,  we  have  seen,  was,  probably,  fas- 
tened with  iron  to  the  rock  ;  and  which,  we  know,  was  sealed 
by  public  authority. 

When  the  angel  sat  down  upon  the  stone,  as  in  cool  defiance 
of  the  soldiers,  they,  though  not  accustomed  to  fear  the  face 
of  mortals,  fell  flat  upon  the  earth,  reminding  us  of  the  Psalm- 
ist's words ;  "  the  stout-hearted  are  spoiled,  they  have  slept 
their  sleep,  and  none  of  the  men  of  might  have  found  their 
hands."  It  was  not  till  it  pleased  God,  in  kindness  to  the 
women  who  were  approaching,  to  mitigate  the  soldiers'  terror, 
that  they  were  able  even  to  venture  to  rise,  and  run  ofl"  into 
the  city.  But,  if  such  is  the  fear  created  by  one  angelic  guard 
of  the  eternal  King,  when  waiting  at  the  tomb  of  another 
person,  what  will  be  the  dread  of  that  day  when  Jesus  shall 
come  with  all  his  holy  angels,  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand 
spotless  ones  ;  waking  up  us,  with  all  the  armies  of  the  dead, 
and  citing  us  to  hear  our  own  eternal  doom  ! 

4.  Our   Lord's   return   from  the   tomb   now  demands  our 
regard . 

This,  however,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  is  not  expressly 
related.  Some  have  supposed,  that  the  rolling  away  of  the 
stone  was,  not  that  Jesus  might  come  out  of  the  tomb,  but  that 
the  women  and  disciples  might  go  in.  They  conceive,  that 
our  Lord  left  the  tomb,  before  the  stone  was  rolled  away ;  and 
that  the  earthquake  happened  at  the  moment  that  he  rose  to 
life  and  passed  out  of  the  sepulchre,  in  spite  of  doors,  or  stones, 
or  guards.  There  is  no  question,  but  that  he  who  came  into 
the  room  with  the  disciples,  while  the  doors  were  shut ;  who 
came  and  vanished  at  pleasure,  and  rose  to  heaven  on  a  cloud, 
could  have  come  out  of  the  sepulchre,  without  waiting  for  any 
angel  to  roll  away  the  stone.  But  we  have  seen,  that  it  was 
suitable  to  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  and  the  character  of 
our  Lord,  that  he  should  not  come  forth  from  the  tomb  without 
such  attendance  and  preparation. 

However  this  case  may  be  decided,  we  may  conclude,  that 
no  mortal  saw  our  Lord  come  forth  from  the  tomb.  The 
guards  were  fallen  to  the  earth,  and  were  unable  to  see  what 


CHRIST'S    RESURRECTION.  517 

was  passing  at  the  sepulchre ;  though  it  was  for  this  very 
purpose  they  were  pUiced  there.  But  how  vain  are  all  human 
efforts,  against  eternal  counsels  and  almighty  power ! 

Yet,  we  know  that  the  event  happened.  The  spirit  of  the 
Redeemer  quitted  the  department  of  happy  souls  in  hades, 
accompanied  by  the  other  blessed  spirits  that  were  intended 
to  grace  his  resurrection.  Now,  reanimating  the  body  which 
had  lain  pale  and  bloody  in  the  tomb,  the  glow  of  life  returns ; 
the  heart  begins  to  beat ;  the  lungs  once  more  heave  ;  the  eyes 
open  and  flash  intelligence  ;  the  lips  prepare  to  speak  the  words 
of  truth  and  grace  ;  and  the  limbs,  strung  with  vigour,  raise 
the  body  from  the  cold  ground.  He  bursts  the  bonds  that 
swathed  the  cloth  which  Joseph  had  provided ;  shakes  off  the 
spices  ;  lays  aside  the  napkin  which  had  covered  his  face  ;  puts 
it  by  itself  in  one  place  ;  and  folding  up  the  winding-sheet, 
deposits  it  in  another.  He  passes  through  the  low  door  of  the 
sepulchre,  and  comes  forth  to  tread  this  ground,  on  which  he 
had  been  so  vilely  treated.  He  looks  up  to  those  heavens, 
which  had  mourned  in  darkness  over  his  dying  agonies ;  and, 
now,  the  sun,  which  had  withdrawn  his  beams  with  horror, 
just  begins  to  shoot  up  his  first  rays  that  are  caught  by  the 
mountain  tops.  But  I  check  myself;  for  never  shall  we 
be  able  to  form  an  adequate  conception  of  this  scene,  till  we 
ourselves  come  forth  from  our  graves,  to  see  the  Saviour, 
"  standing  in  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth." 

This  again,  leads  to  the  last  object  to  be  noticed. 

5.  The  resurrection  of  the  saints  which  accompanied  our 
Lord  in  his  resurrection. 

The  graves  af  these  persons  had  been  burst  open  by  the 
earthquake,  which  attended  our  Saviour's  expiring  groans. 
But  now  "  with  Christ's  dead  body,  these  dead  men  live." 
Finding  themselves  alive,  and  their  tombs  open,  they  go  away 
by  divine  direction,  into  the  holy  city,  Jerusalem. 

Some  have  supposed,  that  these  were  the  ancient  patriarchs 
who  accompanied  Christ  in  his  resurrection.  But  this  is  im- 
probable ;  for  David,  who  would  have  been  as  likely  as  any  to 
share  this  honour,  is  declared,  on  the  day  of  pentecost,  by 
Peter,  "  to  be  dead  and  buried,  and  his  sepulchre  to  be  with 


618  LECTURE    XCIII. 

them  to  that  day."  Were  they  not  persons,  who,  having  died 
more  recently,  might  be  known  by  their  relatives,  still  living 
in  Jerusalem  ;  who  could  thus  attest  the  truth  of  this  miracle, 
which  honoured  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord  i  Simeon  and 
Anna,  and  others  of  that  character  and  period,  Avho  just  opened 
their  eyes  to  the  day-star,  and  then  closed  them  in  the  shades 
of  death,  must  have  regretted,  that  they  were  caught  away 
from  earth,  as  soon  as  Christ  entered  upon  it ;  and  must,  now, 
have  peculiarly  enjoyed  the  honour  of  being  chosen  to  accom- 
pany our  Lord,  as  *•  the  first-fruits  of  them  that  slept." 

But,  whoever  were  the  persons,  there  was  an  evident  pro- 
priety and  beauty  in  the  event.  As  the  risen  saints  went  into 
the  holy  city,  and  appeared  unto  many,  who,  doubtless,  were 
their  former  kindred  and  friends  ;  these,  knowing  that  the 
persons  were  the  same  as  they  had  seen  dead  and  buried, 
would  compare  the  sight  with  what  they  afterwards  heard  of 
the  hour  of  Christ's  resurrection,  and  learn  and  believe  the 
glorious  truth.  Nor  could  they  refrain  from  saying,  "  now 
is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the  first-fruits  of 
them  that  slept.  For,  as  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall 
all  be  made  alive.  But  every  man  in  his  own  order.  Christ, 
the  first-fruits  ;  afterward,  they  that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming." 
I  turn  now  to 

II.  The  evidences  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 

It  is  remarkable  that  though  there  are  sufficient  evidences, 
there  are  no  eye-witnesses  of  Christ's  resurrection.  He  died 
in  open  day,  in  the  sight  of  all  the  world  ;  but  he  rose  in  the 
twilight,  hidden  from  the  eye  of  all  mortals.  We  should  have 
reversed  the  order ;  concealed  the  ignominy  of  his  death  from 
the  eye  of  scorn,  and  paraded  his  resurrection  with  proud  ex- 
ultation. 

We  may,  therefore,  be  assured,  that  the  narrative  of  his 
resurrection  is  not  a  mere  human  invention.  It  is  not  thus 
that  men  invent.  Here,  however,  the  wisdom  of  God  out- 
shines all  human  devices.  The  death  of  Jesus  being  placed 
out  of  the  reach  of  doubt,  it  was  not  necessary  for  any  one  to 
see  him  rise.  When  he  was  seen  alive,  it  was  certain  that  he 
must  have  risen. 


CHRIST'S    RESURRECTION.  519 

Nor  should  we  fail  to  reflect,  that  this  reserve  and  conceal- 
ment suited  the  new  state  of  being,  into  which  our  Lord  was 
then  entering.  He  is  now  in  a  state  of  glory,  which  is  hidden 
from  human  gaze,  to  be  penetrated  by  the  eye  of  faith  alone. 

But,  it  must  not  be  concealed,  that  the  narrative  of  the  re- 
surrection has  a  remarkable  appearance  of  confusion,  and 
almost  of  contradiction,  in  many  of  the  particulars  ;  though 
there  is  also  a  striking  similarity  in  the  story  of  all  the  four 
Evangelists,  This  again,  though  at  first  sight  staggering,  is, 
on  a  deeper  insight,  confirmatory  to  our  faith.  It  is  exactly 
what  we  ought  to  have  expected.  Let  a  person  mark  the 
manner  in  which  several  distinct  and  independent  witnesses 
relate  any  extraordinary  fact,  and  he  will  find  just  such  minute 
variations,  combined  with  a  general  coincidence. 

An  event  like  the  resurrection  of  Christ  must  have  given 
rise  to  many  visits  to  the  tomb.  Now  a  party  would  go  toge- 
ther ;  and  then  an  individual  would  determine  to  investigate 
the  case  alone.  Here  two  would  accompany  each  other  ;  and 
there  three,  and  yonder  four  or  five.  He  that  had  gone  once 
alone  would  afterwards  form  one  of  a  party.  All  the  day  they 
would  be  coming  and  going,  in  all  various  circumstances,  and 
with  all  various  motives.  The  different  narratives  of  these 
visits  would  inevitably  have  an  air  of  contradiction ;  and  if 
they  had  not,  it  would  be  most  suspicious,  to  the  view  of  a 
person  accustomed  to  the  process  of  cross-examination,  in  order 
to  sift  out  the  truth.  If  there  should  be  knots  in  the  affair 
which  we  could  not  untie,  it  would  no  more  render  the  fact 
doubtful,  than  the  contradictory  narratives  of  historians  make 
vis  doubt  that  a  revolution  was  effected  in  this  country,  by 
King  William  III. 

A  very  satisfactory  harmony  of  the  four  accounts  of  the  re- 
surrection may,  however,  be  given.  I  proceed  to  lay  it  before 
you. 

1.  The  earliest  visit  to  the  sepulchre  was  by  Mary  Magdalene, 
and  the  other  Mary,  the  wife  of  Cleophas. 

This  was  to  reconnoitre  ;  for  the  Evangelist  says  it  was  to 
see,  i.  e.  to  survey,  the  tomb.  The  women  had  agreed  to  go 
very  early  ;  or  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  embalm  the 


520  LECTURE   XCIII. 

body  more  carefully  than  they  had  been  able  to  do,  on  the 
eve  of  the  sabbath.  But  Mary  Magdalene  and  Mary  Cleo- 
phas,  being  anxious  about  the  affair,  set  out  while  it  was  yet 
dark,  to  survey  the  ground,  and  have  all  things  ready.  Yet, 
as  they  were  coming  up  to  the  spot,  they  began  to  reflect  that 
they  could  do  little  or  nothing,  unless  the  stone  that  blocked 
up  the  door  of  the  sepulchre  were  rolled  away ;  and  that  it 
was  so  large  that  they  could  not  move  it.  They,  therefore, 
said  to  each  other,  "  Who  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone?"  Now 
they  probably  reflected,  that,  though  it  was  proper  for  women 
alone  to  join  in  the  work  of  embalming,  they  should  have  en- 
gaged some  of  the  men  to  go  first  and  roll  away  the  stone. 
With  this  solicitude  on  her  mind,  Mary  Magdalene  pressed 
forward,  and  darting  an  eager  glance  towards  the  stone,  the 
object  of  her  anxiety,  she  saw  that  it  was  gone.  Knowing 
that  she  and  her  companion  were  the  first  of  Christ's  friends 
at  the  spot,  she  concluded  that  the  stone  had  been  removed 
by  some  enemy,  and  that  it  had  been  done,  in  order  to  carry 
off"  the  body.  For  it  is  probable,  that  Christ's  disciples  had 
not  known  that  a  guard  was  set  over  the  sepulchre ;  since  we 
hear  of  no  solicitude  on  that  account  expressed  by  any  of  the 
females,  who  might  naturally  have  been  afraid  to  encounter 
the  soldiers.  But  Mary  Magdalene,  alarmed  at  the  thought 
that  the  body  was  torn  from  their  friendship,  and  exposed  to 
the  insults  of  the  inveterate  foe,  ran  off  to  tell  the  men  ;  and 
thus  left  the  other  woman  behind  alone. 

2.  The  second  step  in  the  narrative,  and  in  the  chain  of 
evidence,  is  the  visit  of  Salome  and  Joanna,  and  other  women. 
These  having,  when  the  sabbath  ended,  brought  more  spices, 
naturally  divided  them  into  several  parcels,  that  they  might 
be  the  more  easily  carried.  Coming  up  to  the  garden,  they 
probably  found  Mary  Cleophas,  just  after  she  had  been  left 
by  Mary  Magdalene.  The  women  now  advanced  together, 
with  their  spices,  to  the  sepulchre,  and  found  the  stone  rolled 
away,  indeed,  from  the  door,  but  without  any  angel  sitting 
upon  it.  For,  having  accomplished  his  object  in  sitting  down 
there,  which  was  to  drive  away  the  guards,  the  heavenly  mes- 
senger had  removed  to  the  interior  of  the  sepulchre,  to  do 


CHRIST'S    RESURRECTION.  521 

more  honour  to  Christ's  body,  in  the  view  of  his  friends,  who, 
coming  up  to  embalm  his  body,  would  naturally  look  into  the 
open  sepulchre. 

Then  happened  what  Matthew  records,  "  And  the  angel 
answered  and  said  unto  the  women.  Fear  not  ye  :  for  I  know 
that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was  crucified.  He  is  not  here  :  for 
he  is  risen,  as  he  said.  Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord 
lay.  And  go  quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples  that  he  is  risen 
from  the  dead  :  and  behold,  he  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee ; 
there  shall  ye  see  him.  Lo,  I  have  told  you."*  Seeing  that 
his  appearance  had  the  same  effect  on  the  women  as  it  had 
produced  on  the  guards,  the  angel  kindly  said,  "  Do  not  you 
be  afraid  ;  for  I  know  that  you  seek  Jesus  who  was  crucified. 
But  you  will  not  find  him  here  to  embalm.  He  is  risen,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  promise  to  you.  But  do  not  be  afraid  to 
advance  farther.  Come  right  into  the  sepulchre,  and  see  the 
exact  spot  where  the  Lord  was  laid  ;  that  you  may  know  it  is 
now  vacant.  Then  go  quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples,  and  poor 
broken-hearted  Peter,  that  Jesus  is  going  before  you  into  Ga- 
lilee, according  to  his  promise.  There  you  shall  see  him.  Now 
remember  that  I  have  told  you  this." 

3.  The  second  visit  of  Mary  Magdalene,  with  the  first  of 
Peter  and  John,  form  the  next  link  in  the  chain  of  evidence. 

How  Magdalene  met  with  these  two  Apostles  we  are  not 
informed.  They  may  have  lodged  together,  and  in  a  part  of 
the  city  convenient  for  her,  as  she  fled  from  the  garden  ;  or 
she  may  have  met  them  coming  together  to  the  tomb.  She 
told  them  her  fears,  as  if  they  were  facts,  saying,  "  They  have 
taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not 
where  they  have  laid  him.  Peter  therefore  went  forth,  and 
that  other  disciple,  and  came  to  the  sepulchre.  So  they  ran 
both  together  :  and  the  other  disciple  did  outrun  Peter,  and 
came  first  to  the  sepulchre.  And  he,  stooping  down  and  look- 
ing in,  saw  the  linen  clothes  lying  ;  yet  went  he  not  in.  Then 
cometh  Simon  Peter  following  him,  and  went  into  the  sepul- 
chre, and  seeth  the  linen  clothes  lie :  and  the  napkin  that  was 
about  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen  clothes,  but  wrapped 
*  MaUhew  xxviii.  5 — 7. 


522  LECTURE    XCIII. 

together  in  a  place  by  itself.  Then  went  in  also  that  other 
disciple  which  came  first  to  the  sepulchre,  and  he  saw  and  be- 
lieved. For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  Scripture,  that  he  must 
rise  again  from  the  dead.  Then  the  disciples  went  away  again 
unto  their  own  home."* 

These  two  disciples  strangely  outstrip  each  other  again  and 
again.  For  both  starting  together,  to  run  to  see  the  truth  of 
Mary  Magdalene's  report,  John  outruns  Peter,  and  comes  first 
to  the  sepulchre.  But  when  Peter  had  arrived,  he  advanced 
beyond  John,  by  going  into  the  tomb.  Then  John,  being 
drawn  to  do  the  same,  was  brought  a  most  important  step  be- 
fore Peter,  by  believing  the  fact  of  the  resurrection ;  in  con- 
sequence of  seeing  the  grave-clothes  laid  in  that  order,  which 
proved  it  was  not  done  by  enemies  carrying  off  the  body,  who 
would  have  carried  clothes  and  all,  but  by  the  Saviour  him- 
self, who  laid  the  winding-sheet,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  dress 
of  death  aside,  as  having  no  farther  need  of  thera. 

4.  The  actual  appearance  of  Jesus  to  Mary  Magdalene  forms 
the  next  link  of  the  chain  of  evidence. 

The  two  disciples  having  satisfied  themselves  that  the  body 
was  gone,  went  away  again,  to  tell  others,  perhaps  ;  but  in 
that  hurry  of  mind  which  such  circumstances  must  naturally 
create,  Mary  Magdalene,  who  had  come  up  after  them,  was 
left  alone  at  the  sepulchre.  She,  weeping,  to  think  that  they 
had  lost  the  body,  which  she  feared  might  now  be  ignomini- 
ously  treated,  could  not  be  expected  to  stand  by  the  sepulchre, 
without  occasionally  stooping  down  to  look  in.  This  presented 
to  her  view,  not  merely  the  angel,  who,  from  sitting  on  the 
stone,  had  removed  into  the  interior,  but  another  also,  who  had 
joined  his  fellow-angel.  "  They  were  sitting,  the  one  at  the 
head,  the  other  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain." 
If  Peter  and  John  had  gone  off  again,  before  Mary  came  up, 
she  might  naturally  take  these  angels  for  the  two  disciples. 
When  asked  why  she  wept,  she  replied,  "  Because  they  have 
taken  away  my  Lord,  and  1  know  not  where  they  have  laid 
him."  Either  Mary's  eyes  being  suffused  with  tears,  and  her 
heart  torn  with  solicitude,  or  the  angels,  like  the  Saviour, 
*  John  XX.  2—10. 


I 


CHRIST'S    RESURRECTION.  523 

putting  on  the  appearance  of  ordinary  men,  prevented  her  from 
being  sensible  that  she  was  now  conversing  with  the  inhabitants 
of  another  world. 

But  when  the  angels  had  failed  to  excite  her  attention,  Je- 
sus himself  appeared.  She  turned  herself  round,  hearing  per- 
haps the  sound  of  footsteps  near  her,  and  sees  Jesus,  but  knows 
not  that  it  is  Jesus.  He  says  to  her,  **  Woman,  why  weepest 
thou?  Whom  seekest  thou?  She,  supposing  him  to  be  the 
gardener,  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  him  hence, 
tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away. 
Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary.  She  turned  herself,  and  saith 
unto  him,  Rabboni;  which  is  to  say.  Master.  Jesus  saith  unto 
her,  Touch  me  not ;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father ; 
but  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  unto  my 
Father,  and  your  Father;  and  to  my  God,  and  your  God."* 
"  I  am  not  yet  departed  into  that  state  of  being  which  will 
leave  you  no  hope  of  future  visits,  but  you  will  have  other  op- 
portunities of  embracing  my  feet,  and  ascertaining  the  reality 
of  my  resurrection." 

5.  A  second  appearance  of  Christ,  adds  another  proof  of 
the  resurrection. 

The  other  women,  who  had  come  to  bring  the  spices,  with 
Mary  Cleophas,  having  been  sent  by  the  angel  to  tell  the  dis- 
ciples that  Jesus  was  risen,  went  off  in  such  trepidation,  that 
they  said  nothing  to  any  man,  for  they  were  afraid.  They 
seem,  therefore,  to  have  met  Peter  and  John,  hastening  to  the 
sepulchre,  and  to  have  let  them  pass,  without  telling  them  the 
very  thing  which  the  angel  charged  the  women  to  go  and  pub- 
lish to  the  disciples.  Such  is  the  effect  of  fear,  and  the  haste 
which  it  creates. 

Jesus,  therefore,  having  soothed  the  sorrows  of  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, presented  himself  to  the  other  women.  He  said  to 
them,  "  All  hail!"  which  was  the  common  salutation,  and 
might  be  translated  "  How  do  you  do?"  or,  "  Good  morning 
to  you."  With  so  much  condescending  grace  and  friendly 
familiarity,  our  Lord,  even  after  he  rose  to  glory,  addressed 
his  poor  feeble  followers  on  earth.    They,  drawing  near,  fell 

*  John  XX.  15— ]  7. 


524  LECTURE    XCIII. 

down,  grasped  his  feet,  adored  and  rejoiced,  though  with 
trembling.  But  Jesus  encouraged  them,  by  saying,  "  Don't 
be  afraid ;  go  and  tell  my  disciples,  to  go  away  into  Galilee  ; 
there  shall  they  see  me." 

6.  The  second  visit  of  Peter  to  the  tomb  formed  another 
part  of  the  evidence  of  the  resurrection.  Mary  Magdalene, 
who  had,  at  first,  told  the  disciples  of  her  fears,  naturally  went 
afterwards  to  tell  them  of  her  joys.  But,  perhaps,  she  now 
found  Peter  detached  a  little  from  the  rest ;  or  his  fears  and 
anxieties  about  meeting  that  Lord,  whom  4ie  had  so  lately  de- 
nied, made  him  go  off,  without  saying  any  thing  to  the  rest, 
to  survey  the  sepulchre  secretly,  hoping  that  Jesus  might  ap- 
pear to  him  too.  This  was,  indeed,  a  kind  of  experiment;  for 
so  far  were  the  Apostles  from  being  over  credulous  on  the 
point  of  the  resurrection,  as  if  they  had  expected  it,  that 
though  Joanna  and  the  other  women  had  joined  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, in  assuring  the  Apostles  that  they  had  seen  Christ, 
their  words  seemed  as  idle  tales.  Peter,  however,  having  run 
off  to  the  sepulchre,  instead  of  seeing,  as  others  bad  done, 
angels  and  the  Saviour,  could  see  nothing  but  the  empty  tomb. 
He  seems,  indeed,  to  have  been  rewarded  for  his  visit,  by 
having  his  attention  drawn  to  the  careful  manner  in  which  the 
grave-clothes  were  wrapped  up,  and  laid  by,  which  had  con- 
vinced John  of  Christ's  resurrection. 

But  as  we  must  conclude,  that  Peter  was  alarmed  lest  his 
fall  should  exclude  him  from  the  privilege  of  seeing  his  risen 
Lord,  we  are  informed  that  he  was  encouraged  by  a  sight  of 
Christ  that  day.  This  appearance  of  Jesus  is  not  particularly 
recorded,  but  we  find  the  disciples  saying  to  those  who  re- 
turned from  Emmaus,  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  has 
appeared  to  Simon ;"  and  Paul,  in  his  celebrated  discourse  on 
the  resurrection,  says,  "  Christ  was  seen  of  Cephas,  then  of 
the  twelve."* 

But  this  apparently  fruitless  visit  of  Peter  to  the  tomb, 
shows  that  the  disciples  were  not  easily  satisfied,  on  the  ques- 
tion of  Christ's  resurrection,  but  went  again  and  again  to  ex- 
amine the  ground,  at  various  times,  and  in  different  circum- 

'  1  Cor.  XV.  5. 


CHRIST'S    RESURRECTION.  525 

stances.  When,  therefore,  they  came  to  the  conclusion,  '•  the 
Lord  is  risen  indeed,"  it  was  because  they  were  overcome  by 
the  force  of  evidence. 

7.  The  report  of  the  guards  forms  the  next  proof  of  the 
resurrection. 

Matthew  says,  "  Now,  when  they  were  going,  behold,  some 
of  the  watch  came  into  the  city,  and  showed  unto  the  chief 
priests  all  the  things  that  were  done.  And  when  they  were 
assembled  with  the  elders,  and  had  taken  counsel,  they  gave 
large  money  unto  the  soldiers,  saying.  Say  ye,  his  disciples 
came  by  night,  and  stole  him  away  while  we  slept.  And  if 
this  come  to  the  governor's  ears,  we  will  persuade  him,  and 
secure  you.  So  they  took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were 
taught :  and  this  saying  is  commonly  reported  among  the  Jews 
until  this  day."  * 

Though  Matthew  wrote  his  Gospel,  about  eight  years  after 
the  event,  when  the  nation  was  yet  existing,  and  many  of  the 
parties  interested  in  the  affair  were  living,  no  contradiction  of 
his  statement  ever  appeared. 

The  frightened  soldiers,  most  probably,  ran  in  different  di- 
rections. If  some  of  them  went  away  to  the  guard-house,  or 
the  barracks,  and  told  their  companions  in  arms  what  strange 
events  had  occurred,  others  went  to  the  chief  priests,  knowing 
that  it  was  at  their  instigation  that  the  guard  was  placed  over 
the  tomb.  Hearing  from  the  lips  of  their  own  guards  what 
should  have  brought  them  to  repentance,  the  priests  seem  to 
have  said,  "  We  have  committed  ourselves  now,  and  cannot 
retreat."  W  hat  then  do  they  ?  Forge  a  lie.  From  the  trea- 
sury of  the  temple  they  take  large  sums  of  money,  to  bribe  the 
soldiers  to  tell  the  lie.  Judas  had  sold  Christ  for  a  little. 
But  the  soldiers  were  either  unwilling  to  tell  a  tale  that  ex- 
posed their  military  character  to  danger,  or  pretended  to  be 
unwilling,  in  order  to  get  more  money.  "  As  to  the  governor," 
said  the  priests,  "  if  he  should  hear  of  this,  we  will  persuade 
him  that  you  have  done  your  duty,  so  that  no  harm  shall  come 
to  you." 

Matthew  says,  "  this  story  is  commonly  reported  among  the 
*  Matthew  xxviii.  11 — 15. 


526  LECTURE   xcin. 

Jews,  until  this  day."  Justin  Martyr,  in  his  dialogue  with 
Trypho  the  Jew,  says,  "  You  are  the  authors  of  the  prejudice 
against  us  ;  for  after  that  you  had  crucified  that  only  spotless 
and  just  one,  and  he  had  risen  from  the  dead,  and  ascended  up 
to  heaven,  as  the  prophets  foretold,  you  not  only  did  not  repent 
of  the  evils  you  had  committed,  but  you  sent  men  from  Jeru- 
salem into  all  the  earth,  to  say  those  things  against  us  which 
ignorant  persons  repeat."  * 

That  such  a  story  as  this  which  Matthew  mentions  could 
ever  have  been  told,  may  excite  surprise ;  for  it  carries  with 
it  its  own  confutation.  The  soldiers  gravely  inform  us  what 
was  done  while  they  were  asleep.  If  they  were  asleep,  they 
had  forfeited  their  lives,  according  to  the  Roman  law ;  so  that 
nothing  but  collusion  with  people  in  power  could  induce  them 
to  own  it.  If  they  were  asleep,  they  could  tell  no  more  than 
we,  what  happened  at  that  time.  But  if,  as  we  have  a  right 
to  presume,  Roman  soldiers  set  to  watch  on  a  grand  national 
business,  were  not  asleep,  then  why  did  they  not  preserve  the 
body?  for  they  were  set  there  to  prevent  its  being  taken  away. 
They  did  not  secure  the  body,  and  therefore  we  must  conclude 
they  could  not. 

The  Evangelists,  however,  assign  the  only  credible  reason 
for  this :  the  supernatural  events,  the  earthquake,  and  the 
angel,  against  which  Roman  troops  had  no  power.  Which- 
ever way  you  consider  the  resurrection,  you  are  compelled  to 
admit  its  truth.  But  to  him  who  has  conversed  with  the  Jews, 
on  their  reasons  for  rejecting  Jesus,  as  the  Messiah,  it  will  not 
appear  surprising,  that  even  such  a  story  as  this,  which  the 
soldiers  told,  should  be  "  commonly  reported  among  the  Jews 
unto  this  day." 

Then  let  us  joyfully  conclude,  "  the  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  become  the  first-fruits  of  them  that  slept ! " 

*  Justin  Martyr,  Dial.  235.  Thirlby's  Ed. 


527 


LECTURE  XCIV. 

CHRIST     SHOWING     HIMSELF     AT     EMMAUS     AND 
JERUSALEM. 

Mark  xvi.  14. 
*  Luke  xxiv.  13 — 49. 
John  xx.  19 — 23. 

*  And,  behold,  two  of  them  went  that  same  day  to  a  village  called  Emmaus. 

r  EW  things  are  more  exhilarating  than  an  agreeable  surprise. 
To  afford  a  friend  such  a  pleasure,  many  a  scheme  is  laid  in 
social  life.  But  it  requires  the  familiarity  that  prevails  among 
equals,  or  the  liberty  which  superiors  may  take  with  those  who 
are  below  them  in  rank.  History  records  some  instances  of 
kings  of  benevolent  character,  who  took  delight  in  such  arti- 
fices of  kindness,  which  have  done  more  to  make  their  names 
dear  than  the  most  heroic  deeds  of  blood,  or  the  most  profuse 
displays  of  magnificence. 

We  have,  this  morning,  to  contemplate  a  display  of  such 
kindness  shown  by  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  who 
has,  to  such  rank  as  makes  all  the  majesty  of  earth  dwindle 
into  meanness,  added  such  friendship  as  throws  all  human  love 
into  the  shade. 

This  event  affords  a  double  proof  of  the  resurrection,  in  the 
appearance  of  Christ  at  Emmaus,  and  at  Jerusalem. 

I.  The  appearance  at  Emmaus. 

The  journey  to  this  place  is  related  with  more  minuteness 
than  any  other  occurrence  of  this  most  eventful  period  ;  and 
it  must  be  placed  among  the  most  beautiful  and  touching  dis- 
plays of  the  benevolence  of  the  Redeemer's  soul. 


528  LECTURE    XCIV. 

Let  us  consider, 

1.  The  party  engaged  in  this  affair. 

Small  and  select  was  this  party  ;  but  it  displays  more  hap- 
piness than  is  to  be  found  among  the  most  splendid  crowds. 
There  were  but  two  disciples  indulged  with  the  interview  at 
Emmaus.  They  were  not  Apostles  ;  for  on  their  return  to 
Jerusalem,  these  two  found  the  eleven  Apostles  collected 
there.  But  it  is  probable  that  these  were  two  of  the  seventy. 
One  of  them  we  are  expressly  told  was  Cleopas,  or  Alpheus, 
who  has  been  thought  to  have  been  brother  to  Joseph,  the 
husband  of  Mary.  The  other  it  is  conjectured  was  Luke,  who 
so  beautifully  narrates  the  event.  They  were  going  to  Em- 
maus, which  was  threescore  furlongs  from  Jerusalem.  If  a 
furlong  is  reckoned  to  be  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  paces, 
and  the  eighth  part  of  an  Italian  mile,  these  sixty  would  make 
between  seven  and  eight  miles,  a  walk  of  two  or  three  hours. 
Jerome  says,  "  Cleopas  had  his  residence  in  Emmaus,"  and 
Luke  might  have  been  lodging  with  him,  during  the  paschal 
season. 

If  they  had  not  lodged  at  Jerusalem,  the  last  night,  in  ex- 
pectation of  what  might  happen  after  Christ's  death,  they  must 
have  been  there,  early  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrection. 
Yet  they  seem  to  have  been  in  haste  to  give  up  their  hopes  ; 
for  they  went  away  from  the  place  of  their  Lord's  sepulchre, 
before  they  had  heard  even  of  his  appearance  to  the  women. 
This  magnifies  the  grace  of  our  Saviour,  in  appearing  to  these 
wandering  sheep,  when  they  were  going  off"  from  the  flock,  and 
abandoning  their  Shepherd  for  lost. 

It  is,  indeed,  most  likely  that  the  flight  of  the  guards  from 
the  sepulchre,  the  convocation  of  the  priests,  and  the  story 
which  was  invented  to  account  for  the  loss  of  the  Saviour's 
body,  had  been  reported  through  the  city,  and  created  much 
discussion  and  alarm.  The  disciples,  finding  that  the  blame 
was  laid  upon  them,  must  have  felt  themselves  insecure  so 
near  to  the  seat  of  government.  They  had  also  an  excuse  for 
their  flight,  in  the  orders  which  the  angel  had  given,  to  go 
away  to  Galilee,  to  see  Jesus. 

To  comfort  and  encourage  these  two,  their  Lord  and  Master 


CHRIST    t;OING    T(J    EMMAUS.  529 

joined  them,  as  they  went  out  of  the  gates  of  Jerusalem.  He 
had  just  come  from  showing  himself  to  Mary  Magdalene  and 
the  other  women,  and  perhaps  also  to  Peter.  Mark  says, 
"  And  after  that,  he  appeared  in  another  form  unto  two  of 
them,  as  they  walked,  and  went  into  the  country."*  This 
probably  alludes  to  the  dress  and  air  of  the  Saviour,  rather 
than  to  any  change  in  his  body  or  countenance.  As  he  had 
appeared  to  Mary  Magdalene,  like  the  gardener  employed  by 
Joseph  of  Arimathea;  now  he  probably  assumed  the  dress  and 
manner  of  a  traveller,  going  on  a  journey  homeward  from 
Jerusalem,  after  having  there  celebrated  the  passover.  He 
chose  to  enter  into  conversation  with  them  in  this  form,  in 
order  to  preserve  their  minds  calm  ;  that  they  might  freely 
express  all  their  sentiments  concerning  him,  and  distinctly 
recollect  all  he  said. 

2.  The  conversation  we  must  now  hear. 

What  is  more  interesting  than  wise  and  pious  discourse  ? 
It  is,  alas  !  too  rare,  in  this  frivolous  world,  where  there  is 
talk  enough,  and  far  too  much  ;  for  "  in  the  multitude  of  words 
there  wanteth  not  sin  :"  but  that  which  the  Apostle  calls 
"  speech  seasoned  with  grace,  to  minister  grace  to  the 
hearers,"  is  not  often  to  be  heard. 

Here,  however,  there  is  much  to  admire,  when  we  listen  to 
that  which  passed  between  even  the  inferior  persons,  the  two 
disciples.  They  were  talking  of  the  things  that  had  happened ; 
that  is,  of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Jesus,  and  his  resur- 
rection from  the  dead.  Not  all  the  charms  of  the  prospect 
and  scenery  of  that  beautiful  country  could  divert  their  atten- 
tion from  this  immortal  theme.  They  had  not  retired  from 
Jerusalem,  to  get  rid  of  a  gloomy  subject ;  as  some  shift  their 
place  to  escape  religion,  or  adroitly  give  the  conversation  a 
turn  to  drag  it  down  from  heaven  to  earth,  from  spiritual  to 
temporal  things.  The  disciples  were  debating,  as  we  may 
translate  the  original,  or  discussing  the  question  with  each 
other,  how  it  was  possible  that  Jesus  should  be  the  Messiah 
and  yet  be  rejected  and  crucified  ;  or  how  they  ought  to  re- 
ceive the  report  concerning  the  disappearance  of  his  body,  and 
*  Mark  xvi.  12. 

VOL.  II.  2    M 


^Q  LECTURE    XCIV. 

the  vision  of  angels.  A  serious  and  humble  discussion  of  the 
difficulties  which  arise  in  the  course  of  providence,  or  in  the 
perusal  of  the  Scriptures,  may  often  throw  great  light  on  the 
works  or  word  of  God,  and  afford  permanent  relief  to  a  heart 
loaded  with  anxiety  and  doubt. 

But  with  the  Saviour  himself  the  most  interesting  part  of 
the  conversation  occurred.  As  if  he  had  come  from  Jerusalem, 
but  had  walked  quicker  than  they  ;  Jesus  came  up  so  close  to 
them  that  he  overheard  their  conversation.  They  were  too 
intensely  engaged,  to  perceive  his  approach,  or,  at  least,  to 
desist  on  account  of  his  presence.  He,  therefore,  asked  them 
"What  they  were  talking  about,  which  had  made  them  so  sad, 
or  caused  them  to  look  so  gloomy,  as  the  Greek  word  imports. 
The  best  of  men,  and,  which  is  indeed  the  same  thing,  the 
happiest  of  men,  may  occasionally  have  a  gloomy  look. 

To  Christ's  question,  the  disciples  replied,  by  proposing 
another,  **  Art  thou  only  a  stranger  in  Jerusalem,  and  knowest 
not  the  things  that  are  come  to  pass  (here,  in  these  days  ?  If 
thou  hast  but  just  come  up  to  the  city,  to  keep  the  passover, 
and  art  ignorant  of  what  we  are  talking  about,  thou  art  the 
only  stranger  that  is  unacquainted  with  these  things."  When 
he,  to  draw  them  out  still  further,  said,  "  What  things?"  they 
opened  all  their  hearts  concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  They 
still  own  him  a  prophet,  and  declare  him  mighty,  not  only  in 
deeds,  but  in  words,  which  sway  the  soul ;  not  merely  before 
men,  but  before  God,  who  sees  the  heart. 

But,  nov/  they  state  their  difficulty,  that  such  a  person  should 
have  such  a  fate.  Not  that  it  was  a  strange  thing  for  the 
Jewish  nation  to  reject  and  kill  a  prophet ;  "  but  we  trusted 
that  it  had  been  he  who  should  have  redeemed  Israel."  And 
their  ideas  of  redemption  were  too  carnal  to  allow  them  to 
understand,  how  He  that  was  crucified  could  redeem  ;  though 
we  now  see  this  crucifixion  and  our  redemption  identified. 

But  they  tell  the  stranger  of  an  additional  difficulty.  "  Yea, 
and  certain  women  also  of  our  company  made  us  astonished, 
which  were  early  at  the  sepulchre  ;  and  when  they  found  not 
his  body,  they  came,  saying,  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision 
of  angels,  which  said  that  he  was  alive.     And  certain  of  them 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    EMMAUS.  531 

which  were  with  us  went  to  the  sepulchre,  and  found  it  even 
so  as  the  women  had  said  :  hut  him  they  saw  not."*  It  is  not 
certain  that  they  told  the  traveller,  of  Christ's  having  promised 
to  rise,  on  the  third  day.  But  if  they  did  not,  it  seems  to  have 
arisen  from  a  lurking  shame,  and  a  fear  lest  he  should  say, 
"  If  he  told  you,  he  would  rise  on  a  certain  day,  he  in  effect 
told  you,  he  should  die.  Then  why  are  you  perplexed  at  that 
event,  which,  if  you  believed  him  a  prophet,  you  should  have 
expected.  And  as  you  own  that  this  is  the  third  day,  why  arc 
you  embarrassed  by  the  reports  concerning  his  resurrection  ? 
And  why  are  you  quitting  the  spot,  before  the  third  day  is 
over  ? " 

As  these  two  disciples  mention  only  the  vision  of  angels 
which  appeared  to  the  women,  and  say,  "  him,  that  is  Jesus, 
they  saw  not;"  it  appears  that  the  report  of  the  other  women, 
to  whom  Christ  appeared,  had  not  yet  reached  Cleopas  and 
his  companion.  Christ  now  proceeded  to  reprove  them,  in  an 
authoritative  manner,  as  if  he  intended  to  throw  off  his  dis- 
guise, and  show  himself  their  instructor  and  Lord.  But  we 
naturally  startle  to  hear  him  say,  "  O  fools  ;"  and  it  w'ould,  in- 
deed, be  better  rendered,  "  thoughtless  creatures,  slow  of  heart, 
to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken  ! "  Some  things 
they  believed,  or  they  would  not  have  expected  a  Messiah  at 
all ;  many  things  they  must  have  believed,  or  they  would  not 
have  looked  for  a  splendid,  conquering  Messiah  ;  but  all  things 
they  were  slow  of  heart  to  believe,  for  their  minds  revolted  at 
a  suffering  Messiah  ;  of  whom  the  prophets  had  spoken  so 
much.  When  Jesus  had  appealed  to  them,  whether  these  last 
predictions  ought  not  to  be  fulfilled,  that  Christ,  having  suf- 
fered, might  enter  into  his  glory,  he  proceeded  to  refer  dis- 
tinctly to  each  prophecy  of  his  sufferings  and  death. 

To  what  Scriptures  may  we  suppose  our  Lord  appealed  ? 
To  "  the  seed  of  the  woman  bruising  the  serpent's  head,"  and 
having  his  own  heel  bruised.  Perhaps  to  Isaac,  as  his  type, 
offered  up  as  a  burnt  sacrifice.  Justin  Martyr  appeals  to  the 
expression  of  dying  Jacob,  concerning  Messiah  coming  before 
the  sceptre  should  depart  from  Judah  ;  and  washing  his  clothes 
*  Luke  xxiv.  22 — 24. 

2  M  2 


532  LRCTLRE    XCIV. 

in  the  blood  of  the  grape,  that  is,  by  being  sprinkled  with  his 
own  blood,  appearing  as  if  he  had  trodden  the  wine  press.* 
From  Peter,  we  learn,  that  Christ  may  be  supposed  to  have 
said,  "  that  David,  being  a  prophet,  spoke  of  the  resurrection 
of  Christ,  that  his  soul  was  not  left  in  hades,  nor  his  dead  body 
suffered  to  be  long  enough  in  the  grave  to  see  corruption." -f- 
The  twenty-second  Psalm,  which  Christ  quoted  on  the  cross, 
he  doubtless  now  further  explained,  and  applied  to  himself; 
showing  how  David  spake  of  the  Messiah  as  "  brought  into 
the  dust  of  death."  In  the  fortieth  Psalm,  (6th  v.)  Messiah 
says,  "  that  in  the  sacrifices  of  beasts,  offered  for  sin,  thou 
hadst  no  pleasure,  but  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  me."  The 
sixty-ninth  Psalm  contains  the  dying  complaints  of  Messiah, 
on  being  called  to  "  restore  that  which  he  took  not  away." 
Isaiah,  doubtless,  was  appealed  to,  as  saying  of  Messiah,  "  I 
gave  my  back  to  the  smiters,  and  my  cheeks  to  them  that 
plucked  off  the  hair.  I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame  and 
spitting."!  The  fifty-third  of  Isaiah  must  have  been  quoted 
as  a  prediction  of  the  death  of  Christ.  Daniel  had  foretold, 
that  "  Messiah  the  Prince  should  be  cut  off,  but  not  for  him- 
self." Micah  said,  "  they  shall  smite  the  Judge  of  Israel  with 
a  rod  on  the  cheek  ;"  and  Zechariah,  "  they  shall  look  on  me 
whom  they  pierced."  As  to  the  types  of  Christ  in  the  Levi- 
tical  ceremonies,  so  many  of  them  may  have  been  shown  to 
announce  Christ's  death,  that  it  would  be  tedious  to  attempt 
to  enumerate  them  all. 

3.  The  discovery  which  followed  this  conversation  we  must 
now  consider. 

While  Joseph  held  his  brethren  in  suspense,  we  are  told  his 
bowels  yearned  to  make  himself  known  ;  and  Christ,  having 
made  the  hearts  of  the  two  disciples  to  burn,  with  his  con- 
versation and  exposition  of  the  Scriptures,  and  created  an 
unutterable  desire  to  know  who  he  was,  doubtless  yearned 
towards  them,  to  make  the  welcome  discovery.  He  managed 
the  discourse,  however,  so  as  to  make  it  hold  out,  till  they 
drew  near  Emmaus.  They  were,  perhaps,  half  sorry  that  they 
had  arrived  so  near,  and  afraid  lest  the  conversation  should  be 
*•  Gen.  xlix.  11.  t  Psalm  xvi.  0.  X  Isaiah  1.  6. 


('HRIST    GOING    TO    EMAIAUS.  533 

broken  off;  little  aware  how  much  more  delightful  disclosure 
was  yet  to  be  made.  But  when  they  showed  that  they  had 
arrived  at  their  destination,  he  gives  no  intimations  of  any 
design  to  stop  ;  and  they  concluded  that  he  intended  to  go 
farther.  If  this  should  appear  to  any,  to  savour  rather  of 
deceit  than  truth,  let  them  reflect  that,  if  the  disciples  had  not 
pressed  him  to  stay,  Jesus  might  have  gone  further. 

But,  as  Cleopas  is  said  to  have  had  a  house  there,  it  is  pro- 
bable that  it  was  he  who  said,  **  Abide  with  us,  for  the  day  is 
far  spent."  Jesus  complied,  as  he  ever  does  with  the  impor- 
tunate requests  of  his  faithful  disciples.  The  table  is  spread 
for  the  evening  meal ;  and  Jesus,  beginning  to  throw  off  the 
restraint  and  disguise  which  he  had  studiously  maintained,  in- 
stead of  seating  himself  as  a  guest,  assumed  the  rights  of  the 
master  of  the  family.  He  helped  himself  and  them.  The 
wise  and  authoritative  discourse,  which  he  had  delivered  on 
the  road,  prepared  them  to  give  way  to  any  thing  he  might 
choose  to  do.  But  their  attention  must  have  been  powerfully 
excited  by  this  conduct  in  a  stranger,  whom  they  accidentally 
met  with  on  the  road.  While  they  gazed  with  wonder,  to  see 
him  act  the  master  in  a  strange  house,  their  eyes  were  opened 
by  him,  and  they  knew  him.  "  It  is  the  Lord,"  they  exclaim 
to  each  other.  But,  ere  they  can  enjoy  the  sight  and  tell  of 
it,  he  vanished  from  their  view.  Before,  their  eyes  were 
holden  that  they  should  not  know  him  ;  but  now,  he  departed 
that  they  could  not  see  him.  It  is  probable,  indeed,  that,  after 
the  resurrection,  our  bodies  may  be  visible  or  invisible,  at 
pleasure ;  as  we  know,  that  a  slight  addition  of  water  or  of 
spirits  of  wine,  will,  in  a  moment,  render  an  opaque  substance, 
like  camphor,  visible  or  invisible.  But,  while  the  Saviour 
unquestionably  possessed  this  power  over  his  body,  it  appears 
to  me  that  Jesus  now  removed  himself  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye  from  the  room. 

Short,  however,  as  was  the  vision  and  stay  of  our  Lord,  it 
was  so  powerful,  that  when  he  was  gone,  the  disciples  could 
stay  at  Emmaus  no  longer,  but  rose  up  the  same  hour  and 
went  to  Jerusalem ;  which  leads  to, 

II.  The  appearance  at  Jerusalem. 


534  LKCTLRE  .\on . 

'*  Two  are  better  than  one,"  says  the  Scripture,  and  this 
appearance  of  Jesus  to  two  disciples  must  have  added  much 
to  the  conviction  of  both,  that  it  was  truly  their  Lord.  But 
now,  the  Saviour  proceeds  to  add  still  further  to  their  assu- 
rance, by  appearing-  to  all  the  Apostles  together. 

Though  it  was  towards  evening,  when  they  arrived  at  Em- 
maus,  and  some  time  may  have  been  spent  in  the  breaking  of 
bread,  the  two  disciples  determine  to  return  to  the  capital  that 
night,  notwithstanding  it  might  be  near  midnight,  before  they 
could  arrive  at  Jerusalem.  They  felt  for  the  other  disciples, 
who  might  still  be  in  the  same  distracting  suspense  as  they  had 
endured  ;  and  they  longed,  not  only  to  tell  the  fact  that  the 
Lord  was  risen  indeed,  but  also  to  communicate  the  interesting 
conversation  and  explanation  of  Scripture,  which  had  set  their 
own  hearts  on  fire,  while  Jesus  walked  with  them.  But  when 
they  reflected  on  that  delightful  interview,  and  told  each  other 
of  the  glow  of  gladness  they  had  felt,  it  is  probable  that  Jesus 
attended  their  steps,  though  unseen,  and  enjoyed  their  joy. 

As  they  enter  the  gates  of  Jerusalem,  we  cannot  help  re- 
flecting, that  this  was  the  first  time  our  Lord  visited  the  guilty 
city,  after  it  had  shed  his  blood.  Ah,  how  differently  he  last 
passed  through  those  streets  !  A  rude  rabble  followed,  hooting, 
then.  Now  all  is  silent,  and  he  is  unseen.  Then  he  bore  the 
cross,  the  instrument  of  death.  He  marches  now,  in  all  the 
majesty  of  the  Lord  of  the  resurrection  and  of  life.  Big 
sorrows  formerly  swelled  his  heart,  and  covered  his  cheek  with 
the  bloody  sweat,  and  with  many  tears.  At  present,  his  soul 
is  full  of  joy,  with  the  divine  smiles,  and  with  the  consciousness 
of  triumph.  Then,  he  was  looking  forward  to  the  bitter  cup 
of  death,  now  he  looks  back  exulting  that  it  is  finished. 

Consider  here, 

1.  The  mode  of  Christ's  appearance  to  his  disciples. 
"  He  appeared  in  the  midst  of  them."  We  are  not  told  in 
whose  house  they  were  met.  It  may  have  been  in  the  abode 
of  the  same  friend,  who  had  lent  his  room  for  the  last  supjier, 
or  in  that  of  Nicodemus,  or  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  made  bold 
by  the  power  and  grace  of  Christ,  But  the  disciples,  wluj 
must  have  passed  many  a  sleepless  night,  at  this  season,  were 


CHRIST    GOING    TO    KMMAUS.  S'SS 

stil!  holding-  a  meeting-,  conversing,  no  doubt,  on  the  things 
that  had  happened. 

When  the  two  from  Emmaus  arrived,  at  the  house  where 
they  expected  to  meet  with  the  rest,  they  found  the  eleven 
tog-ether,  and  other  disciples  with  them.  Cleopas  and  his 
companion,  however,  did  not  find  that  what  they  told  was 
such  news  as  they  expected.  For,  before  the  two  could 
speak,  the  eleven  exclaimed,  "The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and 
has  appeared  to  Simon."  Then  Cleopas  and  Luke  "  told  what 
things  were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was  known  of  them 
in  the  breaking  of  bread." 

While  they  thus  addressed  each  other,  "  Jesus  himself  stood 
in  the  midst  of  them."  To  allay  the  fears  which  so  sudden 
an  appearance  must  create,  he  said,  "  Peace  be  to  you."  He 
had  parted  with  them,  on  the  last  solemn  night,  saying, 
"  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you  ;  not 
as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid."*  Now,  the  same  Prince 
of  peace  meets  them  again,  speaking  peace  to  their  troubled 
breasts. 

Yet  we  have  to  mark, 

2.  The  terrific  effect  of  this  appearance. 

For  "  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and  supposed  they 
had  seen  a  spirit."  We  are  at  first  surprised  at  this ;  and  ask, 
"  Were  they  not,  that  very  moment  speaking  of  Jesus,  as 
having  risen  in  the  body,  and  appeared  to  many  of  them  ?" 
But,  on  farther  reflection,  we  say,  "  There  is  such  a  con- 
viction of  unalterableness  attendant  on  death,  that,  after  hav- 
ing seen  a  person  die,  beheld,  and  handled  his  cold  corpse,  and 
committed  it  to  the  grave,  we  should,  in  spite  of  ourselves, 
startle  at  beholding  him  suddenly  appearing  in  the  room."  To 
have  heard  that  he  was  risen,  and  even  to  have  believed  it, 
would  not  prevent  our  starting  with  alarm,  at  the  first,  nay, 
even  at  the  second  or  third  sight. 

That  it  was  a  spirit  was  their  first  conclusion  ;  and  this 
alarmed  them.  Why?  What  harm  would  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
do  them  J  But  Jesus  expostulated  with  them,  "  Why  are 
*  Jolm  xiv.  -27. 


336  LECTURE    XCiV. 

you  troubled,  and  why  do  thoughts  arise  iu  your  hearts  f" 
He  knew  their  thought  that  it  was  a  spirit.  Therefore,  he 
says,  "  Handle  me  and  see,  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and 
bones,  as  ye  see  me  have."  Then  he  showed  them  his 
hands  and  his  feet.  John  says,  "  Christ  showed  them  also 
his  side ;"  for  his  body  bore  marks,  not  only  of  the  violence 
by  which  he  was  fastened  to  the  cross,  but  also  of  the 
wound  given  him  after  death.  He  rose,  then,  with  these 
marks ;  and  did  he  not  ascend  with  them  ?  And  will  he 
not  for  ever  bear  them?  John  saw  him,  as  a  lamb  that  had 
been  slain.  And  will  it  not  be  to  his  eternal  honour  and 
to  our  eternal  J3y?  It  is  not  improbable  that  the  martyrs 
may  bear,  in  their  risen  glorified  bodies,  the  marks  of  the 
death  they  endured  for  the  Lord  Jesus.  But,  that  the 
King  of  the  martyrs  should  hear,  for  ever,  the  scars  of  the 
atoning  death  he  suffered  for  us,  seems  calculated  to  raise 
higher  the  song,  "  Thou  art  worthy  to  receive  power,  and 
riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory, 
and  blessing;"*  "for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed 
us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue, 
and  people,  and  nation  ;  and  hast  made  us  unto  our  God 
kings  and  priests  :  and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth  ."'|- 

By  the  Saviour's  offering  to  the  disciples  an  opportunity  of 
satisfying  themselves,  by  the  touch,  as  well  as  by  sight,  we 
learn  that  transubstantiation  wants  the  appropriate  evidence 
of  such  a  miracle  as  it  pretends  to  work  upon  the  bread  and 
wine ;  for  these  neither  look,  nor  taste,  nor  feel,  like  flesh  and 
blood,  after  they  are  supposed  to  be  transubstantiated. 

It  is  probable,  that  the  disciples  did  satisfy  themselves  by 
touching,  as  well  as  looking  at  the  Saviour's  body.  To  this, 
John  seems  to  allude,  when  he  says,  "  That  which  was  from 
the  beginning,  which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have  seen 
with  our  eyes,  which  we  have  looked  upon,  and  our  hands 
have  handled  of  the  w^ord  of  life  ;  (for  the  life  was  manifested, 
and  we  have  seen  it,  and  bear  witness  and  show  unto  you 
that  eternal  life  which  was  with  the  Father,  and  was  mani- 
fested unto  us.)  That  which  we  have  seen  and  heard,  declare 
*  Rev.  V.  12.  t  li)id.  0,  10. 


CHRIST    GOING     lO    EMMAUS.  537 

we  unto  you,  that  ye  also  may  have  fellowship  with  us  :  and 
truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  unci  with  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ."* 

At  this  time  also,  our  Lord  upbraided  the  disciples,  as  Mark 
says,  for  their  unbelief.  "  Afterwards  he  appeared  unto  the 
eleven,  as  they  sat  at  meat,  and  upbraided  them  with  their 
unbelief,  and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they  believed  not 
them  which  had  seen  him  after  he  was  risen."  f 

But  now  their  unbelief  was  vanquished,  and  "  the  disciples 
were  ghul,  Avhen  they  saw  the  Lord."  For  the  state  of  doubt, 
in  which  they  had  been  held,  must  have  been  most  painful  ; 
and  even  John,  who  had  believed  that  Christ  was  risen,  and 
those  to  whom  he  had  appeared,  Peter  and  the  women,  must 
have  been  delighted  with  this  additional  evidence.  Nor  was 
it  less  enjoyed  by  the  two,  who  had  just  returned  from  Em- 
maus,  who  must  have  regretted  that,  as  soon  as  they  recog'nised 
him,  he  vanished,  so  that  they  had  no  opportunity  of  express- 
ing their  gratitude  and  affection. 

But  let  us  now  advance  to  consider, 

3.  The  singular  action  by  which  our  Lord  confirmed  the 
disciples'  faith. 

"  While  they  yet  believed  not  for  joy,  and  wondered,  he 
said  unto  them,  Have  ye  here  any  meat  ?  And  they  gave  him 
a  piece  of  broiled  fish,  and  of  a  honeycomb.  And  he  took  it, 
and  did  eat  before  them."t 

It  is  probable,  that  the  disciples  had  been  supping  together, 
and  were  still  sitting  round  the  table,  from  which,  however, 
the  provisions  had  been  removed.  Jesus  asked  them,  if  they 
had  any  left;  and  when  they  produced  the  remains  of  what 
they  had  been  supping  on,  a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish,  and  of  a 
honeycomb,  he  took  it,  and  ate  while  they  were  all  looking 
on.  We  readily  perceive,  that  this  was  designed  to  satisfy 
the  disciples,  that  it  was  not  a  spirit,  but  the  body  of  their 
Lord,  which  they  saw ;  but  we  still  wonder  that  our  Saviour 
should  have  eaten  of  the  food  of  mortals,  after  his  resur- 
re<;tion  to  immortality.  We  are  accustomed  to  associate  the 
*  1  John  i.  1—3.  t  Mink  xvi.  14.  I  Luke  xxiv.  41—43. 


.038  LECTURE    XCIV. 

notion  of  mortality,  feebleness,  and  even  sinfulness,  Mith 
eating;  or  at  least  Avitli  the  necessity  of  eating.  For,  since 
the  fall,  the  want  of  food  is  one  of  the  ways  by  which  the 
sentence  of  death  is  executed,  on  sinful  man.  But  it  should 
be  remembered,  that,  even  in  paradise,  before  sin  or  morta- 
lity had  entered  into  the  world,  our  first  parent  was  told,  "  Of 
every  tree  of  the  garden  thou  mayest  freely  eat."  It  is,  there- 
fore, manifest,  that  there  is  no  such  association  between  eating 
and  sin,  or  death,  as  we  are  apt  to  imagine.  If  there  had 
been,  would  it  have  been  proper  for  the  heavenly  visitants, 
who  came  to  Abraham,  to  be  seen  to  eat  ?  Mortal  bodies  must 
eat,  immortal  ones  may  eat.  Our  Lord  Jesus,  therefore,  chose 
to  give  this  strong  proof  to  his  disciples,  that  he  was  risen  with 
his  own  body. 

4.  The  instruction  with  which  he  crowned  the  interview. 
He  reminded  them  of  former  instructions.  Were  we  called 
to  converse  with  one  returned  from  the  dead,  amidst  the 
doubts  and  difficulties  we  should  naturally  feel,  few  things 
would  be  more  convincing  than  to  be  reminded  by  the  person 
in  question  of  the  conversations  he  had  held  with  us;  espe- 
cially if  we  were  conscious,  that  no  third  party  was  privy  to 
that  which  was  called  to  our  recollection.  But  as  our  Lord 
said,  "  These  are  the  words  which  I  spake  unto  you,  while  I 
was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled  which  were 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  prophets,  and  in  the 
psalms,  concerning  me;"*  referring  probably  to  the  conversa- 
tions recorded  in  Matthew  xvi.  24 ;  Mark  viii.  31 ;  Luke 
ix.  22,  the  Saviour  opened  their  understanding,  that  they 
might  understand  the  Scriptures.  Having  shed  light  upon 
their  minds,  and  shown  himself  "  the  Lord  that  teacheth  to 
profit,"  by  giving  them,  as  the  Apostle  says,  "  an  understand- 
ing to  know  the  truth;"  he  said,  "  Thus  it  is  written,  and 
thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  on 
the  third  day."  This  is  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  Apostle's 
beautifid  sentence,  "  It  became  him,  for  whom  are  all  things, 
and  by  whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory, 
*  Luke  xxiv.  34. 


(JIlillST    COOING    TO    liMMALS.  530 

to  make  the  captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through  suf- 
ferings."* 

But  what  a  field  our  Lord  opens  to  their  view  !  The  poor 
fishermen,  who  had  never  gone  beyond  the  borders  of  their 
own  sacred  land,  are  now  constituted  heralds  to  all  nations  ; 
to  proclaim  through  the  world  their  Master's  name,  as  the  only 
means  by  which  men  can  be  melted  to  contrition  for  sin,  or 
inspired  with  hope  of  forgiveness. 

When  Jesus  says,  that  this  proclamation  of  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins,  which  was  to  be  borne  through  all  nations, 
was  to  begin  at  Jerusalem,  it  is  beautifully  remarked  by  Dr. 
Grosvenor,  "  One  would  rather  have  expected  the  Apostles 
should  have  received  another  kind  of  charge,  and  that  Christ 
should  have  said.  Let  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  be 
preached  ;  but  carry  it  not  to  Jerusalem,  that  wicked  city, 
that  has  been  the  slaughter-house  of  my  prophets,  whom  I 
have  often  sent.  After  them,  I  sent  John  the  baptist,  a  burn- 
ing and  a  shining  light :  him  they  killed  in  prison.  Last  of 
all,  I  myself,  the  Son,  came  also;  and  me,  with  wicked  hands, 
they  have  crucified  and  slain.  They  may  do  the  same  by  you ; 
the  disciple  is  not  likely  to  be  better  treated  than  his  Lord  : 
let  not  the  Gospel  enter  those  gates  through  which  they  led 
me,  its  author,  to  crucifixion. 

"  I  have  been  preaching  there  myself,  these  three  years ;  I 
have  mingled  my  tears  with  ray  sermons ;  1  have  supported 
my  pretensions  and  character  from  the  Scriptures  of  Moses 
and  the  prophets  ;  I  have  confirmed  them  by  divine  miracles  ; 
and  sealed  all  with  my  blood,  yet  they  would  not  give  ear  ! 
Oh,  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem!  all  that  I  have  left  for  thee  now 
is  what  I  have  before  dropped  over  thee,  viz.  a  compassionate 
tear  and  wish,  That  thou  hadst  known  in  this  thy  day  the 
things  that  belonged  to  thy  peace!  but  now  they  are  hid  from 
thine  eyes !  and  so  let  them  remain,  for  I  charge  you,  my 
Apostles,  to  preach  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  to  all 
other  nations,  but  come  not  near  that  wicked  city.  But 
God's  thoughts  are  not  as  ours,  neither  are  his  ways  as  our 
*  Ilcb.  ii.   10. 


540  LECTURE    XCIV. 

ways ;  but  as  far  as  the  heavens  are  above  the  earth,  so  are 
his  thoughts  and  ways  above  ours.  Our  way  is  to  make  the 
chief  offenders  examples  of  justice  ;  to  avenge  ourselves  upon 
those  who  have  done  us  personal  injury  and  wrong;  but  Christ 
chooses  out  these,  to  make  examples  of  mercy,  and  commands 
the  first  offer  of  eternal  life  to  be  made  to  them,  and  all  the 
world  are  to  wait,  till  they  have  had  the  first  refusal  of  the 
Gospel  salvation.  As  if  our  Lord  had  said.  It  is  true,  my 
sufferings  are  a  universal  remedy,  and  I  have  given  my  life  a 
ransom  for  many,  that  gentiles  afar  off  might  be  brought  nigh, 
and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  might  see  the  salvation  of  God. 
And,  therefore,  go  into  all  nations,  and  offer  this  salvation  as 
you  go ;  but,  lest  the  poor  house  of  Israel  should  think  them- 
selves abandoned  to  despair,  the  seed  of  Abraham,  mine  an- 
cient friend,  as  cruel  and  unkind  as  they  have  been.  Go,  make 
them  the  first  offer  of  grace.  Let  them  have  the  first  refusal 
of  Gospel  mercy ;  let  them  that  struck  the  rock  drink  first  of 
its  refreshing  streams,  and  them  that  drew  my  blood  be  wel- 
come to  its  healing  virtue.  Tell  them,  that  as  I  was  sent  to 
the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel ;  so  if  they  will  be 
gathered,  I  will  be  their  shepherd  still.  Though  they  despised 
my  tears  which  I  shed  over  them,  and  imprecated  my  blood  to 
be  upon  them ;  tell  them  it  was  for  their  sakes  I  shed  both, 
that,  by  my  tears,  I  might  reconcile  them  to  God.  Tell  them 
I  live ;  and,  because  I  am  alive  again,  my  death  shall  not  be 
their  damnation  ;  nor  is  my  murder  an  unpardonable  sin  ;  but 
that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin,  even  the  sin  by 
Avhich  that  blood  was  drawn. 

"  Tell  them,  you  have  seen  the  prints  of  the  nails  upon  my 
hands  and  feet,  and  the  wounds  of  the  spear  in  my  side  ;  and 
that  these  marks  of  their  cruelty  are  so  far  from  giving  me 
vindictive  thoughts,  if  they  will  but  repent,  that  every  wound 
they  have  given  me  speaks  in  their  behalf,  pleads  with  the 
Father  for  the  remission  of  their  sins,  and  enables  me  to  be- 
stow it ;  and  by  those  sufferings  which  they  may  be  ready 
to  think  have  exasperated  me  against  them,  by  those  very 
wounds,  court  and  persuade  them   to  receive  the  salvation 


CHRIST    UOING    TO    I'MMAUS.  541 

they  have  procured.  Say,  Repent  ye,  therefore,  and  be 
converted,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out,  when  the  times 
of  refreshing-  shall  come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.* 

"  Nay,  if  you  meet  that  poor  wretch  that  thrust  the  spear 
into  my  side,  tell  him  there  is  another,  a  better  way  of  coming 
at  my  heart ;  if  he  will  repent,  and  look  upon  Him  whom  he 
has  pierced,  and  mourn,  I  will  cherish  him  in  that  very  bosom 
he  has  wounded ;  he  shall  find  the  blood  he  shed  an  ample 
atonement  for  the  sin  of  shedding  it.     And  tell  him  from  me, 
he  will  put  me  to  more  pain  and  displeasure,  by  refusing  this 
offer  of  my  blood,  than  when  he   drew   it  forth.     In   short, 
though  they  have  gainsayed  my  doctrine,  blasphemed  my  di- 
vinity, and  abused  and  tormented  my  person,  taken  away  my 
life,  and,  what  is  next  valuable  to  every  honest  man,  endea- 
voured to  mui'der  my  reputation  too,  by  making  me  an  im- 
postor,   and    imputing   my    miracles   to   a   combination  with 
Beelzebub;    however,   go   to  Jerusalem,    and,   by   beginning 
there,  show  them  such  a  miracle  of  goodness  and  grace,  that 
they  themselves  must  confess  too  good  for  the  devil  to  have 
any  hand  in,  too  god-like  for  him  to  be  assisting ;  so  that  it 
may  convince  them  of  their  sin,  and  at  the  same  time,  that 
nothino-  can  be  greater  than  their  sin,  except  this  mercy  and 
grace  of  mine,  which,  where  their  sin  has  abounded,    does 
much  more  abound." 

*  Acts  iii.   19." 


542 


LECTURE  XCV. 

THE     saviour's     APPEARANCE     TO     THOMAS,     AND 
AT    THE    SEA    OF    TIBERIAS. 

John  xx.  24,  to  xxi.  23. 

And  Thomas  answered,  and  said  unto  liim.  My  Lord,  and  my  God.     Jesus 
saitli  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  tliou  hast  seen  me,  tliou  Iiast  believed. 

As  the  sun  rises  in  the  morning-,  to  set  again  in  the  evening- ; 
and  the  spring  and  summer  return  but  to  give  place  to  autumn 
and  winter  ;  so  the  social  world  presents  a  continued  succes- 
sion of  meeting  and  parting.  The  interviews  of  the  Saviour 
with  his  disciples  were,  indeed,  most  delightful  anticipations 
of  that  heaven,  where  we  shall  be  for  ever  with  the  Lord  ; 
but  if  the  disciples  exclaimed,  "  Sweet  the  day,"  they  must 
have  added,  "  Short  the  stay!"  We  are  now  about  to  con- 
sider two  visits ;  and  one  of  these  seems  to  have  been  longer 
than  any  of  the  former;  but  it  was  also  the  prelude  to  that 
parting  interview,  which  would  be  followed  by  no  other  than 
that  to  which  death  will  introduce  every  believer. 

The  last  of  these  appearances  of  our  Lord  contributes  to 
meet,  and  answer,  Julian's  insane  objection  to  Christ,  because 
he  falsified  his  word  by  (tremendous  crime !)  being  better  than 
his  word.  He  promised  to  meet  his  disciples  in  Galilee,  and 
his  love  could  not  delay  so  long,  but  met  them  at  Jerusalem, 
the  day  of  his  resurrection,  before  they  could  set  out  for  the 
site  of  the  promised  interview.  We  have  now,  however,  to 
see  him  as  good  as  his  word,  meeting  them  in  Galilee.  He 
had  wise  reasons  for  choosing  that  district  as  the  place,  where 
he  would  afford  the  most  public  and  decisive  proof  of  his  re- 


THE    saviour's    APPKARANCF.    TO    TFIOMAS,         543 

siHTectiou  ;  and  he  deems  it  fit  to  attract  them  more  generally, 
and  more  powerfully,  to  that  rendezvous,  by  an  appearance 
which  should  serve  as  an  introduction  to  the  oiie  so  long  pro- 
mised, and  so  much  expected.     Consider, 

I.  The  appearance  to  Thomas. 

For  it  seems  to  have  been  chiefly  on  his  account,  that  Christ 
showed  himself  at  this  time.     We  should  then  notice, 

1.  The  humbling  occasion. 

Thomas,  called  Didymus,  or  the  twin,  was  not  with  the  rest 
of  the  Apostles,  when  Jesus  appeared  to  them  on  the  preceding- 
Lord's  day.  Was  it  fear  which  kept  him  away  ?  or  was  he 
inclined  to  give  up  all  for  lost  ?  Had  he  not  rallied  again, 
after  the  general  rout  in  the  garden  ?  Or,  if  he  had  returned, 
and  inquired  after  Christ,  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection ; 
had  the  rumour  of  the  story  which  the  soldiers  told  frightened 
him  again  ?  He  had  formerly  said  to  his  fellow-disciples, 
"  Let  us  also  go  with  Jesus,  that  we  may  die  with  him,"  ex- 
pressing, at  once,  his  affection,  and  his  apprehensions.  The 
same  alarms  seem  to  have  induced  him  now,  to  abstain  from 
meeting  with  the  other  Apostles ;  but,  by  this,  his  unbelieving- 
fears  were  nourished.  Whoever  "  forsakes  the  assemblies  of 
the  saints,  as  the  manner  of  some  is,"  will  find,  that  the  flame 
of  religion  dwindles  and  expires,  for  want  of  the  fuel  which  is 
furnished  by  the  social  ordinances. 

The  peculiar  unbelief  of  Thomas  was  a  natural  consequence 
of  his  absence  from  the  place  where  Christ  met  his  disciples. 
Whether  these  kindly  sought  out  their  wandering  brother,  or 
he,  coming  to  himself,  sought  their  society  again,  we  know 
not.  But  we  know  that,  when  they  met,  he  was  told,  by  the 
rest,  of  the  bliss  which  he  had  missed  :  "  We  have  seen  the 
Lord  !"  He,  instead  of  saying,  "  Unhappy  man  !  that  I  was 
not  there ;"  poured  cold  water  on  their  flame  of  gladness ;  saying, 
"  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and 
put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my  hand 
into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe."*  He  fixes  upon  a  species 
of  evidence  for  himself;  and  determines,  if  Christ  will  not 
afford  him  this,  he  shall  not  have  Thomas  for  a  disciple.     And 

*  Jolin  XX.  25. 


544  LECTURR    XCV. 

if  Jesus  had  refused  to  be  dictated  to  thus,  who  would  have 
been  the  loser  ?     Thomas. 

It  is  probable,  that  he  was  induced  to  speak  in  this  strain, 
by  the  information  of  the  other  disciples,  that  Jesus  had  showed 
them  his  hands,  and  feet,  and  side.  To  make  himself  of  more 
importance,  Thomas  insists  upon  being  allowed  to  feel,  as  well 
as  see,  the  Saviour's  wounded  body- 
Mark,  now, 

2.  The  condescending  conduct  of  Christ. 
For  great  was  the  kindness  of  our  Lord,  to  come  again,  on 
that  day  %veek,  when  Thomas  was  present,  and  give  him  the 
very  evidence  which  he  had  presumptuously  demanded  !  When 
this  is  said  to  have  happened,  eight  days  after,  we  may  con- 
clude that  it  was  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  ;  but  as  it  was 
evening,  the  second  Christian  sabbath  is  included,  with  the 
first  and  the  intervening  days.  From  the  very  day  of  Christ's 
resurrection,  we  find  the  disciples  keeping  their  assemblies,  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week.  If  they  met  on  no  other  days,  they 
must  have  held  this  sacred  ;  and  if  they  did  meet,  and  Christ 
appeared  among  them  on  the  first  day  only,  that  must  have 
given  sanctity  to  the  day. 

Having  passed  such  a  week  as  we  cannot  easily  conceive  of, 
Thomas  took  care  not  to  be  absent,  the  next  time  the  disciples 
met.  The  doors  are  shut.  Again,  behold,  Jesus  suddenly 
appears,  in  the  midst  of  them.  He  addressed  himself  to  all, 
saying,  "  Peace  be  to  you,"  but  especially  to  Thomas,  "  Reach 
hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands  ;  and  reach  hither  thy 
hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side  :  and  be  not  faithless,  but  be- 
lieving."* Calling  Thomas  by  name,  or  looking  directly 
towards  him,  Jesus  said,  "  Hither,"  holding  out  his  hand,  that 
the  disciple  might  put  his  finger  to  the  scar  of  the  nail.  Then 
turning,  probably,  his  wounded  side,  Jesus  gave  Thomas  leave 
to  put  his  hand  upon  the  place  where  the  spear  entered.  As 
the  feet  are  not  mentioned,  it  may  be  questioned  whether  they 
were  fastened  by  nails :  if  not,  they,  doubtless,  were  scarred 
by  the  ropes  by  which  they  were  tied  to  the  cross. 

What  a  gentle  reproof  Jesus  gave  to  this  erring  disciple  ! 

*  John  XX.  27. 


THE    saviour's    APPEARANCK    TO    TflOMAS.        545 

■"  Be  not  faithless,  but  believing."  The  original  might,  more 
literally,  be  rendered,  "  be  not  unbelieving,  but  believing." 
Some  men,  unhappily,  gloi-y  in  the  name  of  an  unbeliever. 
But  the  Scriptures  declare,  that  the  fearful  and  unbelieving 
shall  have  their  part,  in  the  lake  that  burneth  with  fire  and 
brimstone.  Our  Lord,  therefore,  graciously,  warns  us  against 
a  state  of  mind  so  ruinous,  and  inculcates  the  opposite  temper. 
For,  is  it  any  thing  else  than  freedom  from  prejudice,  passion, 
conceit  and  obstinacy  1  What  is  it  but  to  follow  truth  wher- 
ever it  may  lead  ?  Was  not  Thomas  bound,  by  every  just 
and  mighty  consideration,  to  receive  the  testimony  of  his  fellow 
disciples  ;  even  before  this  last  appearance  of  our  Lord  i  For 
what  motive  could  they  have  to  deceive  ?  Did  he  not  know 
them  to  be  sincere  and  honest  ?  Had  they  not  eyes  and  ears, 
and  touch,  and  memory,  and  common  sense,  as  well  as  him- 
self? All  this,  Thomas  now  felt;  and,  therefore,  without 
accepting  Christ's  offer,  and  standing  to  his  own  vow,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  my  Lord,  and  my  God." 

This  decisive  confession  of  faith  in  the  divinity  of  Christ, 
has  left  the  adversaries  of  this  truth  no  opportunity  to  oppose 
it,  but  by  the  most  strange  objections.  Some  have  said,  that 
Thomas  broke  out  into  a  mere  exclamation  of  surprise.  "  O  my 
Lord,  and  my  God."  But,  as  every  pious  Jew  abhorred  this 
profane  use  of  the  name  of  God,  and  as  Jesus  would,  unques- 
tionably, have  reproved  it  ;  so  the  historian  puts  it  out  of  the 
question,  by  saying,  that  "  Thomas  answered  and  said  this  to 
Jesus."  The  words  are  in  the  nominative,  and  that  not  used 
for  the  vocative  ;  but  the  substantive  verb  is  left  to  be  supplied, 
according  to  the  idiom  of  the  language,  which  they  spake.  So 
that  the  whole  sentence  is,  "  Thou  art  my  Lord,  and  my  God." 
In  a  similar  way,  the  Syriac  version  of  the  thirty-first  Psalm 
gives  the  fifteenth  verse,  "  thou  art  my  God." 

For  the  question  here  was,  whether  this  was  a  mere  appa- 
rition that  deluded  the  senses,  or  the  real  person  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Thomas,  therefore,  being  convinced,  answered  Jesus, 
and  said  to  him,  "  Thou  art  my  Lord,  and  my  God." 

Others,  aware  of  this,  say,  that  the  language  of  the  Apostle 
only  proves,  that  Jesus  was  Thomas's  Lord  and   God.     But, 

VOL.    II.  2    N 


04G  LKCTl  RF.    XCV, 

except  we  suppose  Thomas  to  be  an  idolater,  his  Lord  and 
God  must  be  ours. 

It  may,  however,  be  inquired,  how  came  Thomas  now  to 
confess  Christ's  divinity  ?  We  reply,  Christ  was  crucified,  as 
a  blasphemer,  for  saying,  he  was  the  Son  of  God ;  but  now, 
his  resurrection  had  convinced  Thomas,  that  this  was,  instead 
of  a  blasphemous  assumption,  a  faithful  witness  to  the  truth. 
Christ  was  "  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  with  power, 
according  to  the  spirit  of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead." 

Aware  that  the  other  disciples  had  not  seen  Jesus,  since  the 
rash  declaration  of  Thomas's  unbelief,  this  disciple  heard  the 
Saviour  refer  to  it,  as  all  known  to  him  ;  and  was,  therefore, 
convinced,  that  Christ  was  the  searcher  of  hearts,  from  whom 
no  secret  is  hidden. 

But,  in  this  confession  of  Thomas's  faith,  we  see  the  truth 
of  Chrysostom's  remark  ;  "  As  the  Son  being  said  to  be  the 
one  Lord  does  not  prove  that  the  Father  is  not  Lord  ;  so  the 
Father  being  said  to  be  the  one  God  cannot  prove  that  the 
Son  is  not  God.  The  unity  of  the  divine  nature,  with  the 
trinity  of  the  persons,  makes  all  consistent." 

That  this  was  not  a  profane  exclamation  we  farther  learn, 
from  Christ's  concluding  address  to  Thomas,  which  recognises 
it  as  a  just  confession  of  faith.  "  Thomas,  because  thou  hast 
seen  me,  thou  hast  believed  :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not 
seen,  and  yet  have  believed."* 

Again,  we  observe  how  the  Apostles  own  their  own  faults, 
with  the  frankness  and  simplicity  of  truth  ;  and  how  their  very 
fault,  their  culpable  reluctance  to  yield  to  evidence,  serves  to 
confirm  our  faith. 

From  this  interview  with  Thomas  we  must  now  turn  to 
another. 

II.  The  appearance  of  our  Lord  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias. 

This  was  distinguished,  by  the  embarrassment  of  the  dis- 
ciples, the  kind  interposition  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  conver- 
sation with  Peter. 

1.  The  embarrassment  of  the  disciples. 

*  .Tohn  XX.  29. 


THE    SAVIOUR'S    APPKARANCE    AT    TIBERIAS.         54/ 

"  There  were  together  Smion  Peter,  and  Thomas  called 
Didynuis,  and  Nathaniel  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of 
Zebedee  ;  that  is,  James  and  John  ;  and  two  other  of  his  dis- 
ciples." They  were  seven  in  number,  but  two  of  them  are 
neither  mentioned  by  name,  nor  by  any  other  sign  which  can 
enable  us  to  ascertain  their  names  ;  so  that  the  conjecture,  that 
these  were  Andrew  and  Philip,  is  founded  only  on  their  resi- 
dence being  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  their  calling  being 
that  of  catching  fish  on  this  lake.  It  has  been  supposed,  that 
the  whole  seven  were  Apostles,  because  Nathaniel  is  the  only 
name  mentioned  that  is  not  found  among  the  twelve ;  and  he 
is  considered  to  have  been  the  Apostle  Bartholomew,  who 
might  have  two  names  ;  as  two  others  of  these  seven,  we  know, 
had.  But  there  might  be  many  reasons  why  our  Lord,  who 
loved  not  merely  the  Apostles,  but  all  his  disciples,  chose  to 
have  some  witnesses  of  this  appearance,  whose  names  were 
not  written  in  the  list  of  the  twelve  Apostles  of  the  Lamb. 

These  seven,  however,  were  all  together ;  and  the  delight 
they  enjoyed,  in  conversing  of  their  Lord,  and,  afterwards,  in 
beholding  him  together,  where  the  senses  of  one  served  to 
confirm  the  testimony  borne  by  those  of  another,  adds  one 
more,  to  the  numerous  proofs,  already  given,  of  the  benefits 
afforded  by  the  fellowship  of  the  saints.  Thomas  had  already 
smarted  too  severely,  for  being  absent  from  the  place  where 
Jesus  showed  himself  to  his  disciples,  to  be  wanting  on  this 
occasion.  There  were,  however,  some  of  the  Apostles  absent, 
but  from  what  cause  does  not  appear.  Whether  it  was  their 
fault,  or  only  their  affliction,  their  loss  was  severe  ;  for  no 
place  under  heaven  could,  at  this  time,  be  so  like  heaven  as 
the  banks  of  Gennesaret. 

To  this  place,  then,  let  us  turn. 

It  is  called  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  for  the  Jews  termed  every 
great  collection  of  waters  a  sea.  We  should  call  it  only  a 
lake  ;  for  it  was  not  above  sixteen  miles  long  and  four  broad. 
It  was,  formerly,  called  Cinnereth,*'  from  a  city  of  that  name 
which  stood  on  its  banks :  this  name  seems  to  have  been  cor- 
rupted into  Gennesaret,  by  which  the  lake  is  called  in  the 
f  Joshua  xix.  35. 

2n  2 


548  l.KCTURK    xcv. 

New  Testament.  But  Herod  having  built  a  city  on  the  site 
of  the  ancient  Cinnereth,  and  called  it  Tiberias,  in  honour  of 
the  Roman  emperor,  the  lake,  also,  was  called  by  the  same 
name.  So  numerous,  so  grand,  so  sacred,  and  so  delightful 
are  the  associations  created  by  this  lake,  that  we  love  to  linger 
on  its  banks ;  and  must  be  well  pleased  to  see  another  added 
to  the  miracles,  that  have  already  given  celebrity  to  this  sea 
of  wonders.  As  it  was  at  Capernaum,  which  stood  on  its 
banks,  that  Peter  had  a  house,  it  may  be  supposed,  from  the 
manner  in  which  he  is  introduced,  that  the  meeting  of  the 
seven  disciples  took  place,  under  his  roof ;  and  that,  from 
thence,  they  went  towards  the  lake. 

This  leads  us  to  consider  their  employment.  Simon  Peter, 
the  master  of  the  house,  made  the  proposal,  which,  however, 
was,  perhaps,  simply  information  given  to  his  guests,  that  he 
was  going  out,  on  business.  He,  probably,  needed,  not  merely 
provision,  to  entertain  his  company,  but  also,  to  support  his 
family.  They  had  been  a  long  time  detained  from  their 
worldly  calling ;  and  as  Christ  had  yet  wrought  no  miracle, 
to  provide  for  them  or  their  households,  the  Apostles  wisely 
judged,  that  it  was  the  will  of  their  Lord  that  they  should 
labour;  working  with  their  own  hands,  "that  they  might  have 
to  give  to  him  that  needeth.  For  if  any  provide  not  for  his 
own,  and,  especially,  for  those  of  his  own  household,  he  has 
denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel."  When,  there- 
fore, Peter  said,  "  I  go  a  fishing,"  the  rest  of  the  disciples, 
his  visitors,  said,  "  We  also  go  with  thee  ;"  desirous,  perhaps, 
of  repaying  his  hospitality,  by  assisting  him  to  provide  for 
them,  and  for  his  own  house. 

The  Apostles  had,  indeed,  been  ordained  bishops  of  the 
world  ;  if  that  term  can  be  with  any  propriety  applied  to  those 
who  were  not  to  preside  over  a  church,  but  had,  what  may  be 
called,  a  roving  commission  to  all  nations.  But  as  they  were, 
if  not  yet  prohibited,  at  least,  discouraged  from  preaching,  till 
endued  with  the  power  of  the  Spirit  from  on  high  ;  they  chose 
to  employ  the  interval  in  honest  labour,  to  provide  for  their 
families ;  for  they  knew  not  the  popish  notion  of  the  unlaw- 
fulness of  secular  labours   to  those  who  are  in  holy  orders. 


THE    saviour's    APPEARANCE   AT   TIBERIAS.         549 

Strange  that  any  should  think  that  a  disgrace  or  defilement  to 
Christian  ministers,  which  was  the  employment  and  the  honour 
of  Christ  and  his  Apostles.  The  only  reason  why  it  is  not 
desirable,  for  the  preachers  of  the  Gospel  to  be  employed  in 
worldly  business,  is,  that  it  occupies  that  time  which  they  should 
employ  in  their  spiritual  vocation.  The  only  disgrace  then, 
is,  that  which  attaches  to  the  minister  who  unnecessarily  de- 
secrates his  time,  by  trades,  or  sports,  or  magistracies  ;  or  that 
which  falls  upon  the  people,  who,  by  their  own  selfishness  and 
indifference,  reduce  their  pastor  to  the  necessity  of  labouring 
for  his  daily  bread. 

The  disappointment  of  the  disciples  is  recorded.  They  went 
on  board,  immediately  on  the  proposal  of  Peter,  which  seems 
to  have  been  made  in  the  evening,  when  industrious  fishermen 
generally  go  out ;  because  the  fish  are  more  likely  to  be  caught 
in  the  silence  and  darkness  of  the  night.  But,  that  night,  they 
caught  nothing. 

If  the  hope  of  reward  sweetens  labour,  few  things  are  more 
trying  than  labour  in  vain;  especially,  when  we  are  disap- 
pointed of  getting  the  bread  we  already  need  to  eat.  Shun, 
then,  my  young  friends,  that  improvidence  which  spends  to 
the  last  shilling,  and  even  lays  out  what  you  have  not  yet 
earned,  depending  upon  its  coming  at  a  certain  time,  which 
many  things  may  occur  to  prevent.  For  we  are  sent  to  the 
ant,  to  learn  provident  habits,  of  laying  up  against  winter, 
when  God  may  try  us,  by  long,  dark,  dreary  and  unprofitable 
nights.  The  disappointments  and  trials  of  the  disciples  of 
Christ,  however,  will  but  endear  to  them 

2.  The  kind  interposition  of  the  Saviour. 

As  it  is,  and  has  been,  ever  since  God's  interposition,  to 
save  Isaac  from  an  untimely  death  by  his  own  father's  hand, 
a  maxim  in  the  church,  that,  in  the  mount,  on  the  summit  of 
extremity,  "  the  Lord  shall  be  seen  ;"  when  the  disciples  had 
toiled  all  night,  and  the  dawn  of  the  morning  put  an  end  to  the 
time  for  fishing,  Jesus  appeared,  to  repay  his  disciples'  toils. 
But,  as  usual  with  our  Lord,  he  did  not,  at  first,  make  himself 
known. 

He  stood  on  the  shore,  and  the  disciples  saw  him,  but  with- 


out  knowing-  him.  As  it  was  but  just  day-break,  and  Jesus 
was  a  hundred  yards  oft",  he  might  not  have  been  known,  though 
he  had  not  employed  any  disguise.  Yet,  he  seems,  to  have 
used  the  language,  and,  therefore,  probably,  the  appearance, 
of  a  man  come  to  purchase  provisions,  which  they  might  have 
caught.  For  his  words  may  be  translated,  "  Have  you  any 
provisions,  my  lads  ?"  since  fish  Avas,  at  that  time  and  place, 
so  much  in  use,  as  to  be  called  by  the  general  name  of  food 
or  provisions  ;  just  as  we  call  flesh  by  the  name  of  meat.  They 
coldly  answered,  "  No ;"  not,  perhaps,  without  some  degree 
of  vexation  ;  for  we  are  often  vexed  at  being  asked  concerning 
our  success,  when  we  can  tell  of  none.  Yet,  the  very  ques- 
tion, which  we  answer  abruptly,  because  it  mortifies  us,  may 
be  designed  to  relieve  us.  "  For,  verily,  thou  art  a  God  that 
hidest  thyself,  O  God  of  Israel,  the  Saviour." 

Behold,  however,  the  discovery  that  Christ  made  of  himself. 
This  was  in  a  way  quite  characteristic  of  the  Saviour  ;  for  he 
made  himself  known  by  his  beneficence ;  as  the  heathens  said 
their  deities  discovered  themselves  by  their  celestial  fragrance, 
and  by  a  heavenly  light  thrown  after  them.  Jesus  advised  the 
disciples,  as  if  he  had  been  a  stranger,  to  cast  the  net  on  the 
right  side  of  the  ship ;  but,  commencing  the  disclosure,  he 
promised,  "Ye  shall  find."  Had  they  refused,  it  might  have 
been  but  the  natural  result  of  fatigue  and  fretfulness,  after  a 
long  night's  fruitless  toil,  and  of  disregard  to  the  advice  of  a 
supposed  stranger,  to  do  what  they  must  have  done,  many 
times,  in  the  course  of  the  night.  But  they  complied  ;  either 
because  it  was  a  last  venture  ;  or  because  they  perceived  some- 
thing peculiar  in  the  stranger  ;  or  because  their  Lord  swayed 
their  minds,  to  lead  to  the  developement  he  designed. 

For,  as  soon  as  they  cast  their  net,  on  the  right  side  of  the 
ship,  they  were  not  able  to  draw,  for  the  multitude  of  fishes. 
There  is  no  need  to  suppose,  with  some,  that  these  fishes  were 
created  by  our  Lord,  at  the  moment;  for  they  might  have 
been  drawn  by  his  power  to  that  spot  and  into  the  net.  We 
have,  before,  had  similar  calls  to  repeat  the  song  of  David  ; 
"  Whatsoever  piisscth  through  the  paths  of  the  sea  is  placed 
under  the  dominion  of  the  Son  of  man."     Whether  it  was  by 


THE    SAVIOURS    ArPliARANCE    AT    TIHERIA8.         551 

this  Psalm  recurring-  to  their  memory,  or  by  the  simihirity  be- 
tween this  and  other  miracles  of  Christ,  we  know  not ;  but  as 
soon  as  the  weight  of  this  miraculous  draught  of  fishes  was 
felt,  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  discovered  that  it  was  the 
Lord.  The  mention  of  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  natu- 
rally reminds  us  of  the  influence  of  love,  to  make  such  dis- 
coveries. The  heart  often  suggests  a  hint  to  the  head  ;  and 
affection  makes  us  shrewd  and  ingenious,  in  discovering  its 
object,  as  the  infant  scents  out  the  mother's  breast. 

But  those  who  love  Christ  have  no  wish  to  keep  their  dis- 
coveries to  themselves.  John,  who  thus  modestly  mentions 
himself,  by  a  periphrasis,  instantly  said  to  Peter,  "  It  is  the 
Lord."  We  read,  that  Peter  was  naked  ;  but  should  rather 
say,  "  stripped,"  meaning,  "  without  his  upper  garment."  He, 
therefore,  put  on  his  fisherman's  coat  or  jacket,  and,  fastening 
it  round  him,  threw  himself  into  the  water.  A  hundred  yards' 
distance  was  enough  to  expose  him  to  the  danger  of  drowning; 
but  it  is  probable  that  he  was  an  expert  swimmer,  and  the 
shore  might  be  very  shelving. 

But,  by  whatever  means  he  reached  the  shore,  here,  again, 
we  see  Peter  to  the  life.  The  other  disciples,  less  ardent, 
came  in  a  little  boat ;  which,  probably,  was  kept  for  the  pur- 
pose of  coming  on  shore  from  the  larger  vessel.  They  came, 
dragging  the  net,  which  they  were  unable  to  lift  out  of  the 
water,  so  heavy  was  it,  with  the  bounties  by  which  Christ  made 
himself  known. 

What  was  their  surprise,  when,  on  landing,  they  saw  on  the 
shore  a  fire  made,  and  fish  laid  on  it,  to  broil,  and  bread  laid 
by  it !  By  what  means  was  this  meal  provided  ?  Was  it 
created  by  the  hand  of  Christ,  or  brought  there  by  his  mira- 
culous power  ?  It  is  enough  for  us  to  know,  that  Christ,  by 
this  means,  taught  them,  that  he  was  not  dependent  even  upon 
the  miraculous  supply  he  had  just  sent  to  their  net.  Yet,  to 
prove  the  reality  of  the  miracle,  and  its  value,  he  bade  them 
go  and  bring  of  the  fish  which  they  had  caught.  They  went, 
and  dragging  the  net  to  shore,  counted  the  fishes,  one  hundred 
and  fifty-three  ;  which  were  all  so  large  as  to  fill  them  with 


552  LECTURE    X  C \  . 

surprise  that  the  net  was  not  broken,  as  it  was  on  another 
occasion,  to  which  John  seems  to  refer.* 

Wlien  the  Saviour  said,  "  Come  and  dine,"  not  go , 
speaking-,  as  if  he  were  nearer  to  the  table,  (if  so  I  may  call 
the  sea  shore,)  and  intimating  that  he  intended  to  join  in  the 
meal ;  we  cannot  help  viewing  the  disciples,  at  an  awful  dis- 
tance, gazing  with  wonder,  but  not  daring  to  say,  Who  are 
you  ?  For  they  felt  that  it  was  their  Lord.  The  observation 
of  the  Evangelist,  that  "  it  was  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus 
showed  himself  to  his  disciples,  must  mean,  either  the  third 
time  to  a  company  of  them  together,  or  the  third  day  of  dis- 
coveries of  this  kind  ;  for  Christ  bad  shown  himself  five  times 
before. 

3.  Now  hear  the  celebrated  conversation  at  this  interview. 

This  consisted  of  interrogations  and  predictions. 

1.  The  interrogations  were  three-fold. 

Peter,  having  throw  n  himself  into  the  water,  to  come  to 
Jesus,  before  all  the  other  disciples,  our  Lord  saw  fit  to  ad- 
vert to  a  former  occasion,  when  Simon  vowed  that  if  all  the 
other  disciples  forsook  Christ,  "  yet  Peter  w^ould  not." 

When  they  bad  dined,  (and  what  a  dinner  must  that  have 
been  !)  Jesus  said,  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonah."  Did  our  Lord 
refuse  to  call  him  Peter,  because  that  signifies  a  firm  rock  .' 
and  was  his  old  name,  Simon,  son  of  Jonah,  the  timid  dove, 
given  him  again,  because  of  his  late  cowardice  ?  It  is  of  more 
importance  to  us,  to  notice  that  Jesus  asks  him,  "  Lovest  thd'u 
me  ?"  Thou  hast  formerly  denied  all  knowledge  of  me,  and 
now  thou  hast  thrown  thyself  into  the  sea  to  come  to  me. 
Which  way  shall  I  take  thee  I  O  the  distracting  uncertainties 
which  our  own  inconsistencies  create !  For  external  actions 
derive  all  their  value  from  the  principles  and  affections  of  the 
heart,  by  which  they  are  prompted. 

But  the  question  was.  Whether  Peter,  who  had  outrun  all 
the  other  disciples  in  eagerness  to  go  to  Jesus,  loved  him 
more  than  they  all  ?  To  this,  however,  Peter  had  learned 
modestly  to  reply,  "  Yea,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  1  love  thee," 

*  Luke  V.  6. 


THE  saviour's  APPEARANCE  AT  TIBERIAS.         553 

leavino-  it  uudecided,  whether  he  loved  Christ  more  than  all 
those  around  did. 

But  now,  mark,  with  what  touching  grace  our  Lord 
teaches  us,  that  the  falls  which  promote  our  humility,  and 
make  us  think  more  highly  of  others  in  comparison  with 
ourselves,  do  not  extinguish  our  evidence  of  love  to  Christ ; 
for  he  practically  admits  the  truth  of  Peter's  appeal,  by  say- 
ing to  him,  "  Feed  my  lambs."  The  good  shepherd,  that 
gathers  the  lambs  into  his  own  tender  bosom,  would  not  com- 
mit them  to  a  breast  that  knew  not  the  vital  warmth  of  a 
Saviour's  love. 

Our  Lord,  however,  mingles  fidelity  with  tenderness;  and, 
as  Peter  had  repeated  his  denial,  Jesus  deems  it  fit  to  re- 
peat his  question.  Yet,  seeing  Peter's  grief  and  shame  for 
his  former  undue  exaltation  of  himself  over  his  fellow  dis- 
ciples, Jesus  would  not  ask  him  again,  if  he  loved  more 
than  others,  lest  envies  and  jealousies  should  be  sown  among 
them,  by  odious  comparisons.  As  Peter  persisted  in  his  ap- 
peal to  Christ's  knowledge  of  his  love,  our  Lord  virtually  rises 
higher  in  his  testimony  on  Peter's  behalf,  by  saying  to  him, 
"  Feed  my  sheep ;"  making  him  not  merely  a  "  teacher  of 
babes,"  but  committing  to  his  care  the  whole  flock  of  Christ. 
But,  to  show  that  Christ's  satisfaction  in  our  sincerity  pre- 
vents not  his  trying  us,  again  and  again,  Jesus  repeated 
his  question,  as  often  as  Peter  had  renewed  his  denial ;  and 
said  to  him,  the  third  time,  "  Lovest  thou  me?"  But  this 
tliird  time  awakened  so  many  painful  recollections,  that  Peter 
was  grieved  ;  and,  roused  by  old  wounds  that  were  made  to 
bleed  afresh,  he  exclaimed,  "  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things, 
thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee."  This  ascription  of  omnisci- 
ence to  Christ  was,  like  Thomas's  exclamation,  "  My  Lord, 
and  my  God !"  a  sufficient  proof  of  the  disciple's  belief  in  the 
Deity  of  his  Lord. 

To  know  all  things  is  the  exclusive  property  of  Deity ;  and 
if  it  be  said,  that  "  this,  like  other  expressions,  is  to  be 
limited  by  the  connection  and  occasion;"  we  reply,  "the 
subject  of  discourse  here,  is  the  secret  aftl-ctions  of  the  heart; 


554  LECTURE    XCV. 

and  to  know  all  these  things  is  declared  to  be  the  prerogative 
of  Deity."  "  Thou,  Lord,  only,"  says  Solomon,  "  knowest 
the  hearts  of  all  men." 

Christ,  again,  graciously  received  the  appeal  to  the  Searcher 
of  hearts,  and  committed  to  Peter  the  care  of  his  sheep.  In 
this  way,  and  on  this  occasion,  our  Saviour  restored  Peter  to 
the  full  honour  of  the  apostolate.  By  his  three-fold  confes- 
sion, and  Christ's  three-fold  acceptance,  he  blotted  out  the 
remembrance  of  the  three- fold  fall  and  denial,  and  healed  the 
wounded  heart  of  Peter.  If  he  had  said,  "  I  go  a  fishing," 
under  the  influence  of  some  doubt,  whether  he  was  ever  to  be 
again  honoured  by  being  a  fisher  of  men,  after  having  so  pub- 
licly dishonoured  Christ's  name  ;  he  found,  while  in  a  course 
of  honourable  industry,  the  truth  of  the  words,  "  Thus  saith 
the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name 
is  Holy;  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  jilace,  with  him  also 
that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit 
of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones."*' 

2.  The  predictions  delivered  on  this  occasion  were  two- 
fold. 

For  our  Lord,  having  given  Peter  a  charge  for  life,  closes 
with  a  prediction  of  his  death,  which,  by  a  peculiar  circum- 
stance, gave  rise  to  one  concerning  John. 

The  prediction  of  Peter's  death  was  this  : 

"Verily,  verily,  when  thou  wast  young,  thou  girdedst  thy- 
self, gathering  thy  loose  and  flowing  garments  about  thee,  and 
fastening  them  up  by  the  girdle  or  sash,  to  be  more  fit  for  ex- 
ertion ;"  for  Peter  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  much  active 
energy.  "  But  when  thou  shalt  be  old,"  thus  informing  Peter 
of  what  no  one  else  could  tell,  that  he  would  live  to  be  old  : 
"  then  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands,"  alluding,  as  some 
suppose,  to  Peter's  hands  being  stretched  on  the  cross.  "  They 
shall  lead  thee,  Peter,  whither  thou  wouldest  not,  having 
girded  thee  with  bonds."  It  is  said  that  he  was  crucified  at 
Rome,  with  his  head  downwards,  by  order  of  Nero.  This 
spake  Jesus,  "  signifying  by  what  death  Peter  should  glorify 

*  Isaiah  Ivii.  15. 


THL;  SA\  lOl  R  iS  APi'EAUANCK  AT  TlBliRlAS.  555 

God  ;"  that,  though  he  had  once  turned  coward,  and  dis- 
honoured his  Lord,  he  would  at  last  act  the  hero,  and  glorify 
God  by  dying.  How  consoling  must  this  have  been  to  him, 
who  had  now  learned  his  own  weakness,  and  had  become  afraid 
to  say,  "If  all  deny  thee,  yet  will  not  I." 

The  prediction  concerning  John,  arose  from  the  Saviour's 
getting-  up  to  go  away.  Jesus,  rising,  taught  by  actions,  as 
well  as  words,  saying  to  Peter,  "  Follow  me ;"  that  he  might 
impress  upon  him  more  deeply  the  necessity  of  following  his 
Lord,  even  "unto  death,  the  accursed  death  of  the  cross." 
But,  when  Peter  obeyed,  John  also  rose,  to  express  his  will- 
ingness to  follow  Jesus  unto  death.  His  footsteps,  therefore, 
were,  most  likely,  heard  behind,  and  caused  Peter  to  turn. 
Seeing  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  following,  Peter  said 
to  Jesus,  "  Lord,  what  shall  be  the  history  and  end  of  this  dis- 
ciple?" Our  Saviour  chose  to  check  the  presumption  of  this 
inquiry,  and  said,  "  If  I  v,ill  that  he  tarry,  till  I  come,  what  is 
that  to  thee?" 

This  has  been  supposed  to  refer  to  Christ's  coming  to  raise 
the  dead,  to  change  those  that  shall  then  be  alive,  and  call 
all  to  his  bar.  "  This  saying,  therefore,  went  abroad  among 
the  disciples  that  that  disciple  should  not  die."  Yet  John 
himself,  who  was  at  once  the  subject  and  the  hearer  of  this 
prediction,  remarks,  that  "  Jesus  said  not,  that  he  should 
not  die." 

This  passage  decides  a  most  important  question  between 
Protestants  and  the  church  of  Rome  ;  and  shows  that  the 
boasted  traditions  of  the  latter  are  not  worthy  of  reliance. 
For  here  we  find,  that  the  earliest  disciples  of  Christ  had  a 
tradition  among  them,  that  "  the  Apostle  John  should  not 
die."  And  yet  it  was  founded  on  a  mistaken  notion  of  what 
Jesus  said. 

But  what  <Z/f/ Christ  mean  by  this  saying?  Some  reply, 
"  That  John  should  live,  till  Jesus  came  for  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem."  But  John  lived  thirty  years  beyond  that  period, 
which  seems  to  have  had  no  particular  connection  with  the 
disciple's  death.  Others  say,  with  more  probability,  "  (hat 
John  should   live,  till  Christ  came  in  the  ordinary  course  ol" 


556  LECTURE    XCV. 

providence  to  remove  the  disciple  by  death  ;"  for  he  alone,  of 
the  Apostles,  veas  not  to  die  a  martyr.  But  it  is  most  likely 
that  Christ,  alluding  to  the  long  life  destined  for  John,  in- 
forms Peter,  that  if  it  had  been  the  Lord's  will  that  John 
should  live  for  ever,  as  we  say,  or  till  Christ  come  to  judg- 
ment, that  was  not  a  thing  to  be  pried  into  by  man.  Not  to 
trouble  you  with  the  foolish  traditions  that  have  been  current 
about  the  end  of  the  beloved  disciple,  I  close  with  sounding  in 
the  ears  of  the  church  the  charge  of  its  Lord  to  Peter,  "  Fol- 
low thou  me!" 


557 


LECTURE  XCVI. 

THE    GRAND    MEETING    IN    GALILEE. 

Matt,  xxviii.   16 — 20. 

Then  the  eleven  disciples  went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain  where 
Jesus  had  appointed  them. 

Ihe  Scriptures,  with  equal  truth,  simplicity,  and  force,  re- 
mind us,  that  "  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick,  but 
when  the  desire  cometh,  it  is  a  tree  of  life."  We  have  often 
seen  Christ  kindling  the  hopes  of  his  disciples,  by  assuring 
them  that,  when  he  should  be  taken  from  them,  he  would  see 
them  again,  and  their  hearts  should  rejoice,  and  their  joy  no 
man  should  take  from  them.  For,  when  he  was  going  with 
them  over  the  brook  Kedron,  on  the  last  sorrowful  night,  he 
said,  "  It  is  written,  I  will  smite  the  shepherd,  and  the  sheep 
of  the  flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad  :  but,  after  I  am  risen 
again,  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  The  same  hopes  he 
rekindled  by  his  angel,  who  said  to  the  women  at  the  sepulchre, 
"  Go  quickly  and  tell  his  disciples,  that  he  is  risen  from  the 
dead,  and  behold  he  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee ;  there  shall 
ye  see  him,  lo !  I  have  told  you." 

We  have  also  seen  him,  in  tender  consideration  of  their  in- 
firmities, anticipate  this  appointed  meeting  in  Galilee,  by 
showing  himself  alive,  after  his  passion,  at  Jerusalem,  and  at 
Emmaus,  on  the  very  day  of  his  resurrection,  and  about  once 
a  week  afterwards.  But,  as  all  these  appearances  were  only 
to  a  chosen  few  ;  the  great  mass  of  his  disciples  had  not  yet 
seen  their  risen  Lord  at  all ;  and,  therefore,  five  hundred  per- 
sons were  still  held  in  anxious  suspense  and  distracting  uncer- 


558  LECTURE    XCVI. 

tainty.  For,  if  no  testimony  of  others  who  liad  seen  the  Sa- 
viour could  satisfy  Thomas  ;  can  we  wonder  if  hundreds  more 
were,  in  their  iiearts,  adopting  his  resolution,  "  Except  I  see, 
I  will  not  believe  ? "  Nor  would  they  have  been  implicated 
in  the  blame,  which"]attached  to  him  for  not  being-  there,  when 
Jesus  appeared ;  for  our  risen  Lord's  visits  to  his  disciples 
hitherto  were  sudden,  unexpected,  and  unprotracted.  In  a 
moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  he  came  or  was  gone. 
In  the  most  unlikely  scenes,  he  presented  himself  to  view, 
where  only  two  or  three  were  present,  and  scarcely  ever  more 
than  the  twelve  ;  so  that  all  these  meetings  must  have  served 
to  make  the  general  body  of  the  disciples  more  anxious  for  that 
grand,  appointed  interview,  at  which  all  might  be  present  to 
behold  his  glory.  The  hour,  long  looked  for,  is,  at  length, 
arrived  ;  and  we  are  now  to  witness  the  interview,  and  listen 
to  the  Saviour's  discourse. 

I.  Let  us  witness  the  interview. 

That  this,  which  Matthew  relates  in  the  text,  is  the  solemnly 
appointed  meeting,  we  cannot  doubt ;  for,  otherwise,  it  would 
not  be  recorded  at  all,  which  is  incredible,  as  it  was  designed 
to  give  full  satisfaction  to  the  whole  church ;  and  several  in- 
ferior visits,  intended  only  for  the  comfort  of  a  few,  are  mi- 
nutely related.  It  is  true  that  the  Evangelist  mentions  none 
but  the  eleven  disciples,  meaning  the  Apostles,  as  if  they  alone 
were  present ;  but  this  may  be  accounted  for,  by  his  having 
been  previously  speaking  of  these,  and  by  the  brevity  with 
which  he  relates  the  whole  history,  subsequent  to  the  cruci- 
fixion of  our  Lord. 

Let  us,  therefore,  consider,  with  regard  to  this  grand 
meeting, 

1.  The  special  appointment. 

Something  more  must  have  been  determined,  both  with 
regard  to  time  and  place,  than  is  any  where  recorded.  For 
Galilee,  which  alone  is  mentioned  as  the  place  of  meeting,  was 
a  kingdom,  though  not  a  large  one ;  and  if  we  appointed  to 
meet  a  friend  in  Holland,  we  must  fix  also  the  exact  spot,  or 
both  parties  might  be  there  and  not  meet.  We  conclude, 
therefore,  that,  at  some  other  interview,  the  Saviour  pointed 


THK    GRAND    MEETING    IN    GALII.EE.  559 

out  a  certain  mountain,  or  hill,  on  which  he  would  appear  to 
his  friends.  For  Matthew  says,  "  The  eleven  went  away  to 
the  mountain,"  as  it  should  be  translated,  "  where  Jesus  had 
appointed  to  meet  them." 

Mount  Tabor  has  been  supposed,  not  without  reason,  to  have 
been  the  chosen  spot.  The  wisdom  of  our  Lord  determined 
to  give  his  disciples  this  meeting,  on  the  top  of  a  lofty  hill ; 
where  they  would  be  less  liable  to  the  intrusion  of  others  than 
in  the  vale,  where  the  crowded  cities  and  most  of  the  habita- 
tions of  men  were  fixed.  He  chose  a  spot  in  Galilee,  near  to 
Nazareth,  where  he  was  best  known  ;  as  he  had  spent  there 
the  greater  part  of  his  life,  both  public  and  private ;  and  there 
it  was  likely  that  the  majority  of  his  disciples  would  be  found, 
which  would  make  it  more  convenient  for  the  great  mass  of 
them  to  give  him  the  meeting.  Thus,  all  things  conspired  to 
make  this  grand  proof  of  his  resurrection  most  satisfactory,  by 
securing  the  presence  of  the  greatest  number  of  the  most  com- 
petent witnesses  to  the  identity  of  the  person  of  Christ. 

As  Galilee  was  under  the  government  of  Herod,  who  had 
not  shown  so  determined  enmity  to  Christ  as  the  rulers  of 
Judea  had  displayed  ;  the  disciples  of  Christ  would  feel  them- 
selves more  safe,  and  therefore  more  calm,  on  the  spot  he 
selected  ;  which  serves  to  call  forth  our  admiration  of  the  ten- 
derness he  manifested  to  their  infirmities,  and  our  confidence 
in  his  compassion  towards  our  own.  On  this  hallowed  mount, 
retired  from  the  notice  of  men,  Jesus  may  be  said  to  have 
given  a  most  gracious  practical  answer  to  the  question  of  Judas, 
not  Iscariot,  "  Lord,  how  is  it  that  thou  wilt  manifest  thyself 
to  us,  and  not  unto  the  world  ? " 

But  the  time  also  must  have  been  fixed ;  for  a  vast  crowd 
of  persons  ought  not  to  be  kept  waiting  on  the  top  of  a  moun- 
tain, for  several  days,  as  they  might  have  been,  if  the  Saviour 
had  not  previously  informed  them  on  what  day  he  would 
appear.  Nor  was  even  this  sufficient.  If  such  a  congregation 
as  assembled  here  had  appointed  to  meet  for  public  worship, 
they  would  have  found  it  necessary  to  fix  the  hour ;  lest  some 
should  go  in  the  morning  and  wait  there,  all  day,  for  others 
who  did  not  arrive,  till  evening. 


560  LFCTURE    XCVI. 

It  is  most  probable,  tbat  it  was  at  his  last  appearance,  near 
the  sea  of  Tiberias,  that  Christ  informed  them,  at  what  exact 
time  and  place  he  would  meet  them  next,  and  left  them,  to 
spread  the  news  of  this  long  expected  appointment  among  the 
whole  body  of  the  faithful ;  for  the  narrative  of  that  interview 
breaks  off  abruptly,  leaving  us  to  conclude  that  more  was  said 
than  was  deemed  necessary  to  be  put  on  record. 

2,  The  numerous  company. 

We  cannot  hesitate  to  apply  to  this  meeting  the  words  of 
Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  "  After  that,  he  was  seen  of  above 
five  hundred  brethren  at  once,"  not  reckoning  perhaps  the 
eleven  Apostles,  whom  alone  Matthew  mentions ;  for  the 
Apostles  are  sometimes  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  the  bre- 
thren. More  than  five  hundred  persons,  standing  together, 
would  cover  an  area  equal  to  that  of  this  chapel.*  They  were 
gathered  from  all  parts  of  Galilee,  and  many  of  them  from 
Judea,  and  wherever  else  Jesus  had  gone,  preaching  and 
making  disciples.  For  the  interval,  between  the  time  when 
Christ  made  the  more  special  appointment,  and  the  appointed 
hour,  would  naturally  be  employed  by  the  Apostles,  in  going, 
or  sending,  through  all  the  country,  to  summon  every  friend 
of  Jesus,  to  this  meeting  so  long  expected  and  so  much  desired. 
And  whoever  had  any  regard  for  the  Saviour  would  strain  the 
utmost  nerve,  to  be  on  the  spot  at  that  auspicious  hour ;  so 
that  none  would  be  missing,  but  those  who,  through  age  or 
affliction,  or  restraint,  were  unable  to  go.  Is  not  every  Chris- 
tian heart  in  this  assembly  secretly  throbbing  with  the  wish, 
^'  O  that  I  had  been  there  ?" 

See,  then,  the  messengers  moving  in  all  directions,  to  an- 
nounce to  every  one  who  was  known  to  believe  in  Jesus,  that 
he  had  now  said,  in  what  part  of  Galilee,  and  at  what  hour, 
he  would  meet  all  that  longed  to  see  him  alive  again.  Surely 
there  was  no  need  to  repeat  the  information,  which  would  be 
caught  at  with  rapturous  eagerness,  and  retained  while  memory 
held  her  seat.  How  beautiful  were  the  feet  of  those  that 
brought  the  good  news !  See  how  the  eyes  of  their  auditors 
glisten,  at  the  sound  of  the  long  desired  tidings!  How  they 
■    75  feet  by  .SO. 


THE    GRAND    MEETING    IN    GALILEE.  561 

exclaim,  "  Then  we  shall  see  him  again  !"     Fly  swiftly  rouiicl, 
ye  wheels  of  time,  and  bring  the  welcome  day  1 

And  now,  the  days  having  been  counted,  and  then  the  hours, 
the  appointed  season  arrived.  Some  who  lived  at  a  distance, 
having  gone  the  night  before  to  be  with  their  friends  near  the 
spot,  and  all  having  risen  early  to  be  there  in  time,  none  being 
in  any  danger  of  oversleeping  themselves,  on  this  sabbatic 
morn  ;  but  all,  unable  to  sleep  for  joy  and  hope  ;  baste  away  as 
on  the  wings  of  love.  See  them  move  in  little  companies, 
going  from  strength  to  strength  ;  two  or  three  coming  up  with, 
or  meeting,  eight  or  ten,  and  these  again  joining  larger  crowds; 
till  at  last  they  all  greet  each  other,  on  the  holy  mount,  five 
hundred  and  upwards  in  number. 

3.  The  appearance  of  our  Lord  followed. 

As  the  disciples  would  unquestionably  take  care  to  be  there 
in  time,  and  wait  for  him,  rather  than  be  guilty  of  the  irre- 
verence of  leaving  him  to  wait  for  them ;  we  cannot  help 
viewing  them,  in  little  knots,  conversing  together  concerning- 
him,  with  devout  anticipation  and  high  excitement,  "  looking 
for  the  blessed  hope  and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great 
God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  And  now  those  v^ho 
stood.,  in  that  quarter  where  he  first  appeared,  catch  the  earliest 
glimpse,  and  send  the  glad  shout  through  all  the  company, 
"Behold  he  cometh!"  Every  eye  is  turned  towards  that 
spot  from  which  the  sound  proceeds ;  and  as  they  see  him, 
they  re-echo  the  welcome  voice,  "  Behold  he  cometh,  he 
cometh  !"  till  at  length  every  eye  sees  him.. 

Yes,  it  is  he.  There  is  the  same  lovely  union  of  dignity 
with  grace.  The  majesty  of  the  Lord  of  glory,  and  the  mild- 
ness of  "  the  Word  made  flesh,  to  dwell  among  us,  full  of  grace 
and  truth."  See  the  scars  in  his  hands,  and  side,  and  feet. 
He  darts  his  eye  round  upon  the  company,  with  the  unparal- 
leled, indescribable  glance  of  Him  that  sees  those  for  whom  he 
has  shed  his  blood.  Advancing  towards  them  all,  he  affords 
them  increased  assurance  that  it  is  their  own  Lord,  who  has 
brought  back  with  him  the  same  heart  that  bled  for  them  on  the 
cross  and  descended  into  the  grave.     Observe, 

4.  The  reception  given  him  by  the  disciples. 
VOL,  XL  2  o 


562  LECTURE    XCVI. 

The  Evangelist  says,  that,  "  when  they  saw  him,  they  wor- 
shipped ;"  bowing  down  their  heads  to  the  earth  in  token  of 
adoration,  as  those  who  joined  with  believing  Thomas,  to  cry 
•*  My  Lord  and  my  God!"  For  now,  he  was  entering  into 
that  state  in  which,  for  his  boundless  condescension  and  meri- 
torious obedience  unto  death,  he  w  as  to  enjoy  "  a  name  above 
every  name ;  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow, 
and  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord, 
to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father." 

When  angels  appeared,  if  a  holy  man,  struck  with  awe, 
attempted  to  Avorship  them,  supposing  them  divine ;  they,  like 
truly  loyal  creatures,  jealous  for  their  Maker's  honour,  pro- 
tested against  it,  as  a  sin,  saying,  "  See  thou  do  it  not;"  and 
when  Satan  tempted  Jesus  to  worship  him,  the  Saviour  as- 
signed as  the  high  ground  of  his  refusal,  "  It  is  written,  Thou 
shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou  thus 
serve."  Yet  Jesus  did  not  now  refuse  the  worship  of  the 
whole  assembled  church  ;  though  there  was  far  more  need  of 
warning  us  against  it,  if  he  were  a  mere  creature ;  for  we  are 
far  more  in  danger  of  paying  the  honours  of  Deity  to  Him, 
who  is  called  by  all  the  names  of  Deity,  with  whom  we  have 
more  to  do,  from  whom  we  have  received  unexampled  kind- 
ness, and  of  whom  we  have  heard  it  proclaimed  from  heaven, 
"  Let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship  him." 

While,  however,  these  disciples  worshipped  him,  it  is  said, 
"  some  doubted."  This  seems  to  apply  to  those  who  were 
farthest  off  from  the  Saviour,  when  he  was  first  seen.  For, 
in  a  company  of  more  than  five  hundred  persons,  while  all 
would  press  towards  the  spot  where  Jesus  was,  some  would 
still  be  on  the  outside  of  the  circle,  and  thus,  at  the  greatest 
distance  from  that  most  satisfactory  view,  which  all  would 
seek.  Now,  some  of  these  most  distant  persons,  who  were 
most  unfavourably  situated,  might  be  among  those  who  had 
never  yet  seen  their  Lord,  since  his  resurrection  ;  and,  while 
they  still  saw  him  only  indistinctly,  could  not  ascertain  whether 
the  features  of  his  face  were  those  of  Jesus  or  not ;  while, 
therefore,  some  were  worshipping,  in  full  assurance,  these 
doubted  whether  it  was  our  Lord  or  not. 


THE    GRAND    MEETING    IN    GALILEE.  568 

This  view  of  the  subject  is  confirmed  by  what  follows ;  for 
the  Evangelist  says,  that  "  Jesus,  coming  up  to  them,  spake 
to  them."  This,  probably,  put  an  end  to  all  doubt ;  for  his 
nearer  approach  satisfied  them  concerning  his  features  ;  and, 
when  he  spake,  they  knew  his  voice,  and  were  convinced  it  was 
their  Lord. 

Others,  however,  would  translate  the  original  thus :  "  When 
they  saw  him  they  worshipped  ;  for  some  had  doubted  "  But, 
whichever  translation  we  adopt,  we  may  be  sure  that  this  was 
the  meeting  at  which  the  five  hundred  brethren  saw  Christ ;  for 
the  Apostles,  though  the  only  persons  mentioned  by  Matthew, 
having  seen  the  Lord  many  times,  after  his  resurrection,  had 
already  been  convinced  of  the  fact.  Even  Thomas,  with  all 
his  incredulity,  had  been  vanquished  by  the  evidence  ;  so  that 
the  persons  who  yet  remained  to  be  satisfied,  were  those  who 
had  not  enjoyed  the  interviews,  with  which  the  Apostles  had 
been  previously  indulged. 

We  must  not,  however,  omit  to  notice  again,  that  the  frank- 
ness with  which  the  sacred  writers  mention  the  doubts  of  the 
disciples  shows  their  sincerity ;  and  teaches  us  that  religion  is 
far  from  calling  upon  us  to  believe  without  examination  ;  while 
the  result  of  that  examination,  if  pursued  in  the  right  spirit,  is 
seen  to  be  a  rational  and  unshaken  faith. 

After  having  witnessed  the  interview,  let  us 

II.  Listen  to  the  discourse  of  our  Lord. 

There  was  a  time,  when  the  tempting  enemy,  from  an  ex- 
ceedingly high  mountain,  showed  Jesus  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world,  and  the  glory  of  them  ;  and  said,  "  All  these  will  I  give 
thee,  if,  falling  down,  thou  wilt  worship  me."  But  Jesus  said, 
*'  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan."  And  now,  from  this  lofty 
mountain,  he  surveyed,  not  only  all  the  kingdoms  of  this  world, 
but  of  all  worlds  ;  the  thrones,  dominions,  principalities  and 
powers  of  heaven,  as  well  as  of  earth,  and  said,  "  All  authority 
in  all  these  heavens,  and  this  earth,  is  given  to  me  ;"  and, 
while  all  fall  down  and  worship  him,  he  gives  his  orders  to  go 
forth  into  all  the  world,  and  subdue  the  nations  to  the  obe- 
dience of  faith. 

We  have,  therefore,  to  notice, 

2o2 


o64  LECTURE    XCVJ. 

1.  The  Saviour's  dominion.  "  All  power  is  given  unto  me 
in  heaven  and  in  earth." 

Power  !  what  a  fascinating  thing  while  in  prospect,  and  what 
an  intoxicating  draught  when  in  possession  !  What  crimes 
have  men  perpetrated  to  obtain  it !  How  often  have  they 
cursed  the  hour  that  placed  it  within  their  grasp  !  They  have 
waded  through  seas  of  blood,  to  what  has  only  made  them 
capable  of  more  intense  misery,  and  more  mighty  mischief. 

As  to  mere  brute  strength,  or  physical  force,  men  can  do 
little  to  increase  it ;  for  the  most  absolute  monarch,  over  the 
largest  empire,  has  frequently  less  bodily  power  than  the 
meanest  of  his  subjects  ;  and  is  compelled  to  say,  in  more  than 
one  sense,  "  Am  not  I,  this  day,  weak,  though  anointed  king?" 
But  power,  in  the  sense  of  authority,  is  the  grand  object  of 
ambition.  To  have  a  right  to  command  the  forces  of  others, 
to  move  ten  thousand  bodies  by  the  volition  of  his  single  mind, 
is  sweet  to  the  pride  of  man  !  That  this  is  in  itself  a  privilege, 
and,  when  virtuously  employed,  a  blessing,  we  learn,  from  our 
Lord's  saying  to  his  faithful  servant,  "  be  thou  ruler  over  ten 
cities." 

This  Christ  asserts  to  himself;  for  the  original  word  signi- 
fies authoritative  power.  The  physical  force,  or  strength  of 
the  Redeemer  is  to  be  learned  from  other  texts  ;  where  it  is 
said,  that "  He  upholdeth  all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power," 
preserving  the  worlds  that  roll  around  us,  from  rushing  into 
chaos,  or  falling  into  annihilation.  He  will  "  change  our  vile 
bodies,  and  fashion  them  that  they  may  be  like  unto  his  own 
glorious  body,  according  to  the  mighty  working  whereby  he  is 
able  to  subdue  all  things  to  himself."  But  here  Christ  informs 
us,  that  every  thing  in  heaven  and  earth  is  placed  under  the 
authority  and  control  of  this  power ;  that  he  is  the  rightful 
ruler  of  the  universe,  the  constituted  Lord  of  all  created 
beings. 

Heaven  and  earth  are  the  expressions  employed  in  Scrip- 
ture for  the  whole  creation  ;  as  the  narrative  of  the  creating 
work  of  the  almighty  architect,  begins  and  ends  with  these 
words:  "  In  the  beginning,  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  :"  "  Thus  the  heavens  and  the  earth  were  finished." 


THE    GRAND    MEETING    IN    GALILEE.  565 

"  When,  therefore,  I  behold  thy  heavens,  O  Lord,  the  work 
of  thy  fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which  thou  hast  or- 
dained ;  when  the  immense  multitude  of  these  worlds  of  light 
fills  me  with  amazement,  and  the  immeasurable  distances  of 
many  of  them  make  them  appear  like  a  faint  white  streak  of 
light  across  the  sky,  forming  the  milky  way  ;  when  I  reflect 
that  these  may  be  but  suns  to  other  worlds,  or  systems  of 
worlds  far  beyond  them  again  ;  I  exclaim.  What  is  man,  that 
thou  art  so  mindful  of  him,  that  thy  Son  should  become  a  son 
of  man  for  his  redemption,  and  that  in  this  nature,  all  these 
things  should  be  put  under  his  feet?"  Christ,  then,  rules  the 
heavenly  bodies,  and  makes  the  stars,  in  their  courses,  fight 
for  Israel. 

All  power  in  heaven,  includes  the  angels,  who  are  called 
the  hosts  of  heaven.  These  are  all  commanded  to  worship 
Christ.  They  sang  his  birth,  attended  his  steps,  and  now  obey 
his  orders ;  for,  says  Peter,  "  Jesus  Christ  has  gone  into 
heaven  ;  angels,  and  principalities,  and  powers  being  made 
subject  to  him." 

But  in  heaven  itself,  there  is  nothing  more  heavenly  than 
the  divine  influence  on  the  heart ;  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Sjiirit 
that  sets  up  the  kingdom  of  heaven  within,  consisting  of  "  righ- 
teousness and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  right 
to  grant  this,  is  especially  included  in  Christ's  rule  ;  for  thus 
the  Apostle  accounts  for  the  influence  that  swayed  thousands 
of  souls  at  Pentecost,  bowing  them  to  the  sceptre  of  Christ 
"  as  the  leaves  of  the  forest  wave  before  the  wind  :"  "  Jesus, 
being  at  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  having  received 
of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Spirit,  hath  shed  forth  this 
which  ye  now  see  and  hear."  The  most  obdurate  hearts  are 
now  pierced  with  keen  conviction  of  guilt,  and  the  proudest 
Pharisees  cry  out,  as  self-condemned  publicans,  "  What  shall 
we  do  1 "  It  is,  in  this  display  of  power,  that  Deity  exults 
and  triumphs  ;  for  the  Apostle  calls  it  "  the  exceeding  great- 
ness of  his  power,  which  is  wrought  on  us  who  believe." 

Once  more,  all  authority  in  heaven,  must  include  the  right 
to  open  it,  to  give  us  entrance  into  its  bliss;  or  shut  it,  to 
exclude  us  from  all  hope.     In  this  style  of  awfully  glorious 


566  LKCTURK    XCVI. 

majesty,  Jesus  shows  himself  as  holding  the  keys  of  death  and 
the  unseen  world  of  spirits,  saying,  "  I  have  the  key  of  David, 
that  opens  and  no  man  shuts,  that  shuts  and  no  man  opens. 
Be  wise,  now,  therefore,  O  ye  children  of  men,  serve  the  Lord 
with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembling.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he 
be  angry  and  ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is  kin- 
dled but  a  little."  For,  having  your  life  at  his  command,  and 
being  able  to  turn  the  keys  of  death  upon  you  whenever  he 
pleases,  he,  in 

"  A  point  of  time,  a  moment's  space. 
Removes  you  to  yon  heavenly  place, 
Or  shuts  you  up  in  hell." 

We  must  now  turn,  to  view  the  earthly  province  of  Christ's 
dominion.  All  power  on  earth,  includes  authority  over  the 
i:evolutions  of  the  globe  itself;  and  when  he  shall  please, 
Christ  will  descend  from  heaven,  and,  setting  his  foot  upon  this 
earth,  will  arrest  its  ancient  diurnal  and  annual  motion,  that  mea- 
sured out  our  time,  and  say  to  the  wheels  of  nature,  "  Stop!" 
"  Time  shall  be  no  longer!"  He  shall  fling  from  his  fiery 
throne,  the  flames  by  which  the  earth  and  the  works  that  are 
thereon  shall  be  burnt  up.  Then  all  her  glory  shall  go  up  in 
smoke. 

But  the  most  important  of  the  contents  of  earth  is  man,  who 
is  made  lord  of  this  lower  world  :  he  also  is  put  under  Christ's 
dominion;  for  Jesus  says  to  his  Father,  "  Thou  hast  given 
me  power  over  all  flesh,  that  I  should  give  eternal  life  to  as 
many  as  thou  hast  given  me."  By  his  power,  the  generations 
of  men  rise  to  fill  the  stage  of  life,  and  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses of  his  will ;  and  they,  when  he  chooses  to  employ  the 
keys  of  death,  which  are  in  his  hands,  die  and  return  to  their 
dust.  Each  pulse  that  beats,  every  breath  we  draw,  is  at  his 
sufferance. 

All  that  authority  which  men  acquire  and  exercise  over  each 
other,  is  under  the  paramount  control  of  Christ.  He  is  Prince 
of  the  kings  of  the  earth  :  "  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords." 
"The  pillars  of  the  earth  are  the  Lord's,  and  he  has  set  the  world 
upon  them.    He  putteth  down  one  and  setteth  n[)  another." 


THE    GRAND    MEETING    IN    GALILKE.  567 

The  most  important  authority  on  earth  is  that  which  rules 
in  the  church.  Dominion  over  the  bodies  of  men  is  mere 
vulgar  force ;  compared  with  that  which  sways  souls,  dictates 
sentiments,  prescribes  motives,  kindles  affections,  awes  con- 
science, inspires  worship,  and  creates  bliss.  This  is  in  a  pecu- 
liar manner  Christ's  empire.  He  rules,  as  a  lamb,  in  the 
midst  of  the  throne  of  Zion,  is  King  of  saints,  and  Lord  of 
souls.  The  word  of  Christ  is  the  sovereign  law  of  religion. 
All  the  genuine  members  of  the  church  hold  every  thing  they 
have,  even  to  life  itself,  subservient  to  his  pleasure.  If  they 
are  not  ready  to  part  with  all  that  is  dearest  to  them  in  the 
world,  and  even  to  lay  down  their  lives  at  his  command,  they 
are  rejected  as  unworthy  of  him. 

On  this  earth,  there  is  nothing  more  earthly  than  the  silver 
and  gold  that  are  dug  out  of  its  bowels,  and  are  called  the 
fine  dust  of  the  earth.  This,  also,  is  all  under  Christ's  control. 
But,  though  he  makes  considerable  use  of  it  in  carrying  on 
the  affairs  of  his  kingdom,  he  seems  to  have  but  little  of  it  at 
his  command  ;  because  he  exercises  his  power  over  mammon 
in  a  secret,  yet  most  effectual  way.  Ancient  kings  kept  vast 
sums  in  their  military  chests ;  yet  they  were  poor,  compared 
with  modern  rulers,  who  have  nothing  but  the  capital  and  m- 
dustry  of  their  people  to  depend  upon.  This  is  a  mine  of 
wealth,  inexhaustible,  while  the  treasury  of  Croesus  may  be 
drained  to  the  last  farthing.  If,  then,  Christ  is  asked  where 
is  his  silver  and  gold,  he  points  to  the  purses,  or  rather  to  the 
hearts  of  his  people  ;  for  they  shout  with  one  voice, 

"  Riches,  and  all  that  decks  the  great, 
From  worlds  unnumbered  hither  bring. 
The  tribute  pour  before  his  seat, 
And  hail  the  triumphs  of  our  King." 

That  this  is  not  mere  poetry,  is  proved  by  the  sums  now 
devoted  to  the  propagation  of  Christ's  religion  in  the 
world. 

This  leads  us  to  consider, 

2.  The  disciples'  duty.  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,"  says 
the  Saviour,  as  his  words  are  reported  by  Mark,  "  and  preach 


568  LECTURE  xcvr. 

the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  The  words  Matthew  gives  are, 
'*  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,"  which  would  be 
better  translated,  if  the  word  were  admissible,  "  disciple  all 
nations,"  i.  e.  bring  them  all  under  the  discipline  of  Christian 
instruction. 

Thus  our  Lord  commenced  the  exercise  of  his  authority. 
It  is  common,  and  natural,  for  kings  to  begin  their  reign,  by 
sending  heralds  through  all  parts  of  their  dominion,  to  announce 
their  accession  to  the  throne,  and,  by  proclamation,  demand 
the  loyalty  and  homage  of  their  subjects.  The  Lord  Jesus 
here  sends  his  Apostles,  to  announce  his  dominion,  and  call 
'.'  all  nations  to  the  obedience  of  faith."  They  bowed  to  the 
command  and  "  went  forth,  the  Lord  working  with  them,  and 
confirming  their  words  by  signs  following."  But,  alas  !  ere 
the  world  was  half  subdued  to  tlie  sceptre  of  Christ,  this  most 
desirable  Vf'ork  was  arrested,  and  made  little  farther  progress. 
The  Apostles  and  their  more  immediate  successors  were 
scarcely  cold  in  their  graves,  when  the  professed  heirs  to  their 
faith,  and  hope,  and  bliss,  forgot  tlieir  Saviour's  words ;  and 
here  we  are,  this  day,  almost  two  thousand,  years  since  that 
period,  in  a  world  where  the  far  larger  part  of  the  inhabitants 
have  not  yet  heard  the  name  of  Jesus,  its  only  Saviour  and 
sovereign  Lord  !  Surely  if  angels  in  their  flight  look  down 
upon  this  globe,  as  it  rolls  among  the  orbs  of  heaven,  they 
must  say  to  each  other,  "  There  revolves  the  planet  Ligrati- 
tude  ;  yonder  glimmers  the  star  Wormwood,  bitter  rebellion 
against  its  rightful  King."  It  is  high  time  that  all  who  believe 
in  his  dominion,  and  bow  to  his  sceptre,  should  consecrate 
their  property,  their  time,  their  affections,  their  prayers,  to 
obey  these  last  orders  of  Christ  their  King. 

Let  us  conclude  by  reflecting  on, 

1.  The  abundant  evidence  we  have  of  the  great  vital  truth, 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the  dead.  This  is  proved  out 
of  the  mouth,  not  of  two  or  three  witnesses,  but  of  more  than 
five  hundred,  who  all  saw  him  at  once.  To  these  Paul  appeals, 
several  years  after,  saying,  "  The  greater  part  remain  to  this 
present  time,  though  some  are  fallen  asleep."  Now,  let  any 
candid  man  say,  whether  it  was  ever  known,  that  an  imposture 


THE    GRAND    MKETINC    IN    GALILEE.  569 

designed  to  deceive  mankind,  for  the  profit  of  a  few,  was  in-  . 
trusted  to  hundreds  of  accomplices,  without  producing  a  de- 
tection of  the  lie.  Nor  can  we  suppose,  that  five  hundred 
persons  could  all  be  deceived  themselves,  in  fancying  that  they 
saw  and  conversed  with  a  certain  person  who  had  been  dead 
and  buried,  if  it  were  not  true.  These  hundreds  of  witnesses 
will  appear  again  at  the  great  judgment  day,  and  how  shall  we 
face  them  ;  if  we  have  lived  and  died  rejecting  their  testimony, 
in  which  they  persisted  till  death  ? 

2.  Let  us  reflect  on  the  next  grand  meeting  with  the  once 
crucified,  but  now  risen.  Saviour,  at  which  we  shall  all  be  pre- 
sent. "  For  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  livetb,  and  that  he 
shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth ;  and  though  after 
my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see 
God ;  whom  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and  not  another,  although 
my  reins  be  consumed  within  me."  "  For  behold  he  cometh 
with  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  him  ;  and  they  also  that 
pierced  him  ;  and  all  kindreds  shall  wail  because  of  him.  Even 
so.  Amen." 


570 


LECTURE  XCVII. 

CHRIST'S      ASCENSION. 

*  Luke  xxiv.  .50,  51. 
Mark  xvi.  19. 
Acts  i.  4 — 12, 

*  And  he  led  them  out  as  far  as  to  Bethany,  and  he  lifted  up  his  hands  and 
blessed  them.  And  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted 
from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven. 

Though  the  weary  traveller  is  usually  delighted  to  arrive  at 
his  last  stage,  the  close  of  a  journey  sometimes  creates  the 
most  poignant  regrets.  For  we  have  lately  observed,  with 
what  grief  the  disciples,  who  were  going  to  Emmaus,  must 
have  discovered  that  they  drew  nigh  to  the  village  whither 
they  went,  when  Jesus  seemed  as  if  he  were  going  farther. 
Those  hearts  which  had  burned  within  them,  while  he  talked 
with  them  by  the  way,  felt  as  if  cold  water  had  been  poured 
upon  the  sacred  flame  ;  when  the  end  of  the  journey  threat- 
ened to  separate  them  from  the  fellow  traveller,  whose  company 
and  discourse  had  afforded  them  so  much  instruction  and 
delight. 

We  have  now  been  four  years,  attending  the  footsteps  of 
our  Lord,  in  all  his  pilgrimage  across  this  vale  of  tears,  through 
the  regions  of  death,  and  back  again  by  the  path  of  life ;  and 
we  are  this  day  arrived  at  his  last  stage.  May  I  not  presume, 
that  you  participate  with  me  in  regret,  at  parting  with  a  sub- 
ject, so  calculated  to  give  to  the  mind  information  concerning 
the  most  interesting  person,  to  give  the  best  direction  to  our 
own  steps,  and  to  animate  our  hearts,  with  the  most  glorious 
hopes  ?     As,  however,  it  was  expedient  for  us,  that  he  should 


CHRIST'S    ASCENSION.  671 

go  away ;  so  may  we  find  it  profitable  for  us,  this  morning,  to 
see  him  go.  May  we  feel  that  he  draws  up  our  hearts  with 
him,  to  that  heaven  to  which  we  are  now  to  see  him  ascend ! 
The  narrative  of  the  Evangelists,  together  with  that  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  lead  us  to  meditate  on, 

I.  The  last  meeting  of  Christ  with  his  Apostles  at  Jerusalem. 

Only  one  of  the  sacred  writers  mentions  any  appearance  to 
the  disciples  between  that  grand  appointed  interview  on  the 
mountain  in  Galilee,  which  we  last  considered,  and  the  meeting 
from  which  our  Lord  ascended.  The  Apostle  Paul,  in  his 
letter  to  the  Corinthians,  says,  "  After  Christ's  appearance  to 
the  five  hundred  brethren,  he  ivas  seen  of  James,  and  then  of 
all  the  Apostles ;"  meaning,  no  doubt,  this  interview,  at  the  time 
of  the  ascension,  which  we  now  shall  consider ;  for  the  ap- 
pearance to  James  is  too  briefly  recorded  to  admit  of  any 
comment. 

Here,  then,  we  have  to  notice, 

1.  Our  Lord's  appearance. 

At  the  last  meeting  in  Galilee,  the  Saviour  seems  to  have 
fixed  the  time  and  place  for  this  parting  interview  ;  unless  he 
gave  the  intimation  to  James,  that  he  might  communicate  the 
notice  to  the  rest  of  the  Apostles.  But  as  Christ  had  before 
commanded  them  to  go  into  Galilee  ;  now,  having  aflbrded 
the  promised  meeting  to  the  whole  multitude  of  the  disciples,  he 
bids  the  eleven  return  to  Jerusalem,  where  the  apostolic  mi- 
nistry was  to  begin.  He  probably  promised  to  meet  them,  in 
the  house  where  he  had  before  appeared  to  the  same  persons, 
on  his  return  from  Emraaus. 

The  day  was  the  fortieth  from  the  resurrection.  The  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  expressly  says,  that  "  Christ  was  seen  of  the 
disciples,  after  his  passion,  forty  days."  The  same  length  of 
time  that  Moses  spent  in  audience  with  God,  remote  from  the 
ordinary  life  of  men,  and  that  Elijah  passed,  travelling  in  the 
strength  of  divine  food,  till  he  reached  the  mount  of  God,  Je- 
sus also  passed  on  earth,  though  removed  from  all  intercourse 
with  the  world ;  appearing  in  a  moment,  then  vanishing,  we 
know  not  whither,  to  do  we  know  not  what.  By  this  long 
interval  before  his  ascension,  he  gave  the  fullest  proof  of  bis 


672  LECTURE    XCVII. 

resurrection.  Men  were  not  permitted  ta  see  him  rise,  but 
were  to  have  sufficient  evidence  that  he  had  risen.  Had  they 
seen  him  ever  so  many  times  on  the  day  of  his  resurrection,  it 
might  have  been  said,  that  they  were  too  much  agitated  to 
judge  coolly  whether  it  was  a  phantom  or  not.  But,  during 
forty  days,  they  had  time  to  tranquillize  their  minds ;  and  the 
numerous  appearances  which  our  Lord  afforded  them  left  them 
without  a  remaining  doubt. 

Thus,  too,  our  Saviour  proved  that  he  was  not  in  haste  to 
leave  a  world,  where  he  had  been  despised,  rejected,  and  mur- 
dered. Forty  days,  he  lingered  among  men  whose  hands  were 
reeking  with  his  blood,  to  show  that  his  love  was  stronger  than 
death ;  that  he  had  returned  from  the  grave,  not  in  auger  or 
disgust,  but  that  "  his  delights  were  still  with  the  sons  of 
men."  It  was  not  fit,  however,  that  he  should  remain  longer 
here ;  for  he  would  not  encourage  the  expectation  of  a  worldly 
kingdom ;  this  polluted  earth  was  unfit  for  his  glorified  huma- 
nity ;  and  heaven  was  waiting  his  coming. 

When,  therefore,  the  appointed  day  arrived,  as  his  disciples 
were  assembled  and  were  conversing  together,  in  expectation 
of  his  appearance,  suddenly  they  find  him  in  the  midst  of 
them. 

Let  us  now  listen  to, 

2.  His  discourse  with  his  disciples. 

They  seem  to  have  had  some  expectation  of  events  at  this 
interview,  that  should  wind  up  the  long  history  of  wonders ; 
for  they  ask,  "  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  the  king- 
dom to  Israel  I "  The  Saviour's  intercourse  with  them  appears 
to  have  been,  at  this  time,  protracted  and  familiar ;  and  this 
was  probably  one  of  the  seasons  when  he  ate  and  drank  with 
them  ;  to  give  them  additional  proof  of  the  reality  of  his  body, 
just  before  it  ascended,  contrary  to  the  laws  that  govern  our 
mortal  bodies.  Something,  however,  which  they  saw  about 
him,  or  had  heard  from  him,  might  make  them  suspect  that 
this  was  a  farewell  meeting.  To  their  question,  which  betrayed 
a  mind  too  worldly,  their  Lord  replied,  by  checking  the  pre- 
sumption that  would  pry  into  the  counsels  of  the  Eternal,  "  It 
is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times,  or  the  seasons,  which  the 


CHRIST*^S    ASCENSION.  573 

Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power,  but  ye  shall  receive  power 
after," — what  ?  ye  shall  have  raised  an  army  ?  No :  after 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you.  "  But  tarry  ye  in  the  city 
of  Jerusalem  ;  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the 
word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  Tarry  ye,  therefore,  in  the 
city,  till  ye  be  endued  with  power,  not  to  avenge  my  blood  by 
human  force,  but  apply  it,  by  a  divine  influence,  for  the  sal- 
vation of  my  foes."  Thus,  our  Saviour  left  the  church,  with 
this  impression  on  their  minds,  from  his  last  converse,  that 
they  are  now  to  look  for  his  Spirit  to  supply  his  place,  and 
render  effectual  all  that  he  had  wrought  for  us  on  earth. 
Never  may  we  lose  that  impression,  but,  without  ceasing,  look, 
and  long,  and  pray  for  the  Spirit,  until  Christ  come  again  to 
judgment.     See 

3.  Christ  leading  out  his  Apostles  to  the  mount  of  ascension. 

When  our  Lord  had  finished  all  he  deemed  fit  to  say,  we 
are  told,  "  He  led  them  out  as  far  as  Bethany."  He  might 
not  inform  them,  at  first,  whither  he  was  conducting  them  ^ 
but,  as  on  a  former  occasion,  might  say,  "  Rise,  let  us  go 
hence ;"  and,  quitting  his  seat,  move  towards  the  door,  so  as 
to  induce  the  Apostles  to  follow.  They,  probably,  moved  with 
reluctance,  suspecting,  as  the  disciples  of  Elijah,  that  their 
Master  was  about  to  be  taken  from  their  head  ;  though,  like 
them,  afraid  to  ask.  ^ 

But  can  you  behold  this  company  going  into  the  streets  of  ' 
Jerusalem,  without  many  inquiries  I  Did  our  Lord  suffer 
himself  to  be  seen  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  ?  Certainly 
not :  he  never  showed  himself,  after  his  resurrection,  but  to 
his  friends.  How,  then,  did  he  conceal  himself?  Was  it  by 
holding  their  eyes,  as  he  did  those  of  the  two  going  to  Emmaus, 
that  they  should  not  know  him  ?  Or  did  he  keep  himself  in 
the  midst  of  the  eleven,  so  that  they  who  passed  by  should  not 
perceive  him  J  For,  though  the  expression,  "  he  led  them," 
seems  to  indicate  going  before  them,  as  the  shepherd  before 
his  flock,  it  may  mean  nothing  more  than  that  he  induced  them 
to  attend  him. 

In  whatever  way  our  Lord  conducted  this  walk,  from  the 
house  in  Jerusalem  to  Bethany,  it  was  a  scene  of  intense  in- 


574  LECTURE    XCVII. 

terest.  That  Saviour,  who  was  lately  led  through  the  streets 
of  this  city,  all  pale  and  bloody,  hooted  and  hissed  by  the  mul- 
titude, now  passed  through  the  crowd,  unnoticed  by  those  w  ho 
fille^d  the  streets.  If  the  man  who  struck  him  on  the  cheek, 
or  the  soldier  who  stuck  the  spear  into  Christ's  heart,  were 
passing,  they  knew  not,  in  what  style  of  secret  majesty,  the 
object  of  their  rude  insult  was  walking  through  the  city  agaiis. 
He  that  was  once,  for  our  sins,  led  forth  that  he  might  suffer 
without  the  gate,  now  passed  out  that  he  might  march  to  the 
gates  of  glory. 

As  he  goes  towards  the  mount  of  Olives,  he  passes  over  the 
brook  Kedron.  But,  ah!  how  changed  from  the  man  of  sor- 
rows that  crossed  that  brook  before  !  Then,  he  looked  like 
David  fleeing  over  Kedron  from  his  unnatural  son :  now,  he 
returns,  like  David,  victorious,  going  to  resume  his  throne. 

At  length,  he  gains  the  mount,  and  at  the  district  called 
Bethany,  not  the  town,  which  was  farther  on,  and  which  he 
chose  to  avoid,  not  intending  to  show  himself  to  its  inhabitants ; 
at  that  spot,  about  a  mile  from  Jerusalem,  and  where  the  hill 
turned  away  from  the  view  of  the  capital,  he  stops,  and  gathers 
the  disciples  round  him.  From  this  mount,  he  set  out,  on  his 
triumphant  entrance  into  Jerusalem,  and  from  the  same  he 
took  flight  for  the  Jerusalem  above.  Here  his  sufferings  com- 
menced, and  here  the  triumph  and  glory  that  were  to  follow. 
Often  have  travellers  been  shown  the  print  of  his  last  footstep 
on  the  rock  ;  and  wonders  are  told  of  the  way  in  which  all 
attempts  to  cover  with  a  roof  the  chapel  built  over  the  spot 
were  frustrated  ;  till,  at  last,  it  was  found  necessary  to  leave 
it  uncovered,  that  the  way  might  remain  open  in  which  Jesus 
ascended  to  the  skies.  From  such  tales  of  superstition  we 
turn  away,  admiring  the  superior  sincerity  and  majesty  of  the 
Scriptures.  Be  it  ours  to  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Sa- 
viour's holy  life,  and  to  follow  him  with  our  hearts  to  heaven ; 
thus  shall  we  do  him  more  exalted  and  appropriate  honour, 
than  by  kissing  the  supposed  impress  of  his  feet  upon  the 
■earth. 

II.  The  last  parting  at  Bethany. 

Arrived  at  the  destined  spot,  the  Saviour  recommenced  the 


CHRIST'S    ASCENSION.  375 

conversation,  which  had  been  broken  off  by  setting  out  for 
mount  Olivet ;  and  now  we  have  to  consider, 

1.  The  employment  of  Christ  at  the  moment  of  the  ascen- 
sion. 

This  we  are  told  was  "  teaching  and  blessing."     Fit  employ- 
ment for  the  last  hours  of  Him  who  said,  "  As  long  as  I  am 
in  the  world,  I  am  the  light  of  the  world  ;"  of  Him  who  came 
"  to  redeem  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  that  the  blessing  of    ^ 
Abraham  might   come  upon  us."     "  He  was,"  says  the  his-     j 
torian,  "  speaking  of  the  things  concerning  his  kingdom  ;"  that 
we  might  learn  to  occupy  our  minds  with  the  interests  of  his 
kingdom  on  earth,  till  we  rise  to  see  him  in  heaven.     When 
Calvin  drew  near  his  end,  and  his  friends  attempted  to  per- 
suade him  from  consuming  himself,  in  the  labours  of  his  mi- 
nistry, he  exclaimed,   "  What!  do  you  wish  that,  when  my 
Lord  comes,  he  should  find  me  idle  i "     Blessed  is  that  servant     . 
whom  his  Lord,  when  he  cometh,  shall  find  doing  his  work,      j 
The  Master  himself  has  set  us  the  example  of  working,  till  the      \ 
last  moment. 

His  wise  instructions  he  crowned  with  his  efficient  benedic- 
tion.    The  Old  Testament  closes  with  the  warning,   "  Re- 
member ye  the  law  of  Moses  my  servant,  lest  I  come  and  smite 
the  earth  with  a  curse."     But  when  Jesus,  the  mediator  of 
the  new  covenant,   came,   he  commenced   his  ministry  thus, 
"  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  ;"  and  though,  from  the  manner  in  which  he  had  been 
treated  here,  we  might  have  feared  that  he  would  leave  the 
earth  with  a  curse,  yet  he  departed,  leaving  a  blessing  behind. 
It  was  usual   and  natural  for  the  person  who  gave,  to  lay 
his  hands  on  the  head  of  the  one  who  received,  the  blessing, 
as  Jacob  did  on  Ephraim  and  Manasseh.     But  where  a  great 
number,  extending  over  a  large  space,  were  to  be  blessed,  for 
this  imposition  of  hands,  which  was  inconvenient  or  impracti-    f 
cable,  was  substituted  the  lifting  up  of  the  hands,  to  stretch     j 
them  over,  or  towards  the  whole  at  once.     In  this  way,  our    I 
Lord  "  lifted  up  his  hands  and  blessed  his  disciples."     O,  to    \ 
have  seen  and  heard  him,  and  caught  the  mighty  blessings,  as 


576  LECTURE    XCVII. 

they  dropped  from  bis  lips  !  To  have  been  pronounced  by  him 
blessed,  in  the  divine  favour  and  image  here,  and  in  the  assu- 
rance of  his  glory  hereafter !  Then  should  we  have  said, 
"  Whom  he  blesses  are  blessed  indeed  ! "  Let  us  possess  the 
character  which  he  has,  in  the  Scriptures,  pronounced  happy, 
and  our  bliss  is  as  sure,  as  if  he  had  spoken  us  blessed  with 
his  own  lips. 

While,  however,  the  disciples  were,  with  eager  eyes,  and 
ears,  and  hearts,  drinking  in  the  bliss,  Jesus  was  parted  from 
them.  He  leaves  them  to  exclaim,  "  Ah,  short-lived  bliss  !" 
Such  are  our  purest,  even  our  spiritual,  delights  on  earth ;  for 
heaven  alone  is  the  abode  of  uninterrupted,  eternal  joys. 
Dare  we  descend  from  the  mount  of  blessings,  to  the  vale  of 
tears  again,  and  without  our  Lord  ?     Mark, 

2.  The  mode  of  our  Saviour's  ascension  ! 

It  was  mild,  yet  majestic,  worthy  of  the  Lord  of  glory, 
"  who  was  made  flesh  to  dwell  among  us."  Moses  departed 
mysteriously,  no  one  knows  how,  "  nor  can  any  man  tell  where 
was  his  sepulchre,  unto  this  day."  But  Jesus  was  "  not  as 
Moses,  who  put  a  veil  over  his  face,  so  that  the  children  of 
Israel  could  not  steadfastly  look  to  the  end  of  that  dispensa- 
tion." Elijah  was  snatched  away  in  the  whirlwind,  in  a  cha- 
riot of  tire,  with  fiery  steeds :  a  departure  suited  to  that  stern 
reprover  of  an  apostate  race.  But  Jesus,  while  conversing 
familiarly  with  his  disciples,  and  kindly  shedding  his  benedic- 
tion on  their  heads,  gradually  rises  from  the  earth.  The  dis- 
ciples, seeing  him  appear  taller  than  before,  look  down  to  dis- 
cover the  reason ;  they  perceive  that  his  feet  no  longer  rest 
upon  the  ground,  and,  as  they  gaze  and  wonder,  he  rises  higher, 
till  his  feet  are  above  their  heads  ;  and,  still  ascending,  his 
features  grow  indistinct,  and  his  body  diminishes  in  the  dis- 
tance, until  he  enters  that  more  elevated  region,  where  a  cloud 
received  him  from  their  sight. 

Yet  that  very  cloud  displayed,  while  it  concealed,  his  glory. 
It  is  Jehovah  that  "  makes  the  clouds  his  chariot,  that  treadeth 
on  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  walketh  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind."     The  disciples  had   seen  their   Lord   walking  on  the 


CHRIST'S    ASCENSION.  577 

waves  of  the  sea,  bidding  the  winds  let  down  their  wings,  and 
hush  their  roar  ;  and  now  they  see  him  make  the  clouds  his 
chariot  of  ascent  to  the  skies. 

If  this  was  glorious  to  him,  it  was  to  them  most  gracious. 
Whenever  God  has  displayed  his  glory  before  the  eyes  of  his 
friends,  he  has  kindly  softened  it  by  a  cloud  ;  for  who  can  bear 
his  unveiled  splendour?  When  he  descended  on  Sinai,  a  cloud 
hovered  over  the  mount.  He  marched  before  Israel,  through 
the  desert,  in  a  cloud.  In  a  cloud,  he  took  possession  of  the 
temple.  When  Jesus  was  transfigured  on  Tabor,  a  cloud  co- 
vered the  holy  mount. 

The  cloud  served  to  show  the  reality  and  extent  of  Christ's 
ascension.  The  disciples  learned  that  he  had  gone  to  that 
height  above  the  earth,  at  which  the  clouds  are  suspended. 
When  those  who  ascend  in  balloons  reach  a  certain  elevation, 
they  usually  disappear  by  passing  into  a  cloud.  But  our  heads 
turn  giddy  at  the  thought  of  being  so  elevated  as  to  enter  into 
the  clouds,  or  to  see  those  floating  vapours  piled  up  in  moun- 
tains, beneath  our  feet.  To  be  seated  in  a  frail  car,  suspended 
by  cords  to  a  slender  globe  of  gas,  at  a  height  so  tremendous 
above  the  earth,  seems  presumptuous,  when  no  valuable  end  is 
to  be  gained.  What  awful  grandeur  then  attends  the  Saviour's 
state,  while  he  soars  aloft,  above  clouds,  or  moon,  or  stars, 
borne  in  no  vehicle,  and  sustained  by  no  force,  except  that  of 
the  Deity's  almighty  energy  within.  Now  we  may  say,  as  he 
did  to  the  Jews,  "  Does  the  greatness  of  his  words  offend  you? 
What  if  you  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  ascend  up  where  he  was 
before?" 

Those  who  saw  the  ascension  may  have  been  grieved  at  the 
interposition  of  the  cloud  ;  but  they  must,  without  this,  soon 
have  lost  sight  of  the  Saviour  ;  for  we  have  now  to  notice, 

3.  The  destination  of  our  ascending  Lord. 

He  ascended  into  heaven.  This  is  so  far  distant  from  earth 
that  our  eyes  cannot  reach  the  giddy  height.  When  the  birds 
ascend  boldly,  our  sight  is  often  conquered  by  their  meaner 
flight.  The  eyes  of  the  spectators  must,  therefore,  soon  have 
lost  the  view  of  the  ascending  Lord,  if  the  cloud,  had  not,  in 
a  moment,  snatched  him  from  their  sight. 

VOL.    II.  2   P 


57^  LECTURE    XCVII. 

Christ  is  said  to  have  ascended,  or  gone  up,  into  heaven ; 
because  the  most  distant  regions  appear  to  be  directly  over  our 
heads.  But  we  know,  that  what  is  upward,  or  over  our  heads, 
at  mid-day,  is  downward,  or  beneath  our  feet,  at  mid-night. 
If,  however,  there  is  no  absolute  tip  or  down,  there  is,  some- 
where, far  distant  from  this  earth,  a  part  of  the  universe,  where 
God  reveals  his  highest  glories  to  his  most  favoured  creatures, 
which  is  called  heaven,  the  "  highest  heavens,  or  the  heaven 
of  heavens."  Thither  our  Lord  ascended,  or  went.  "  Jesus 
Christ  is  gone  into  heaven ;  angels,  and  principalities,  and 
powers  being  made  subject  to  him."  Lest  we  should  imagine 
that  the  visible  heavens  bounded  his  flight,  we  are  assured 
that  he  "  ascended  far  above  all  heavens,  that  he  might  fill  all 
things." 

What  though  philosophy  informs  us,  that  the  starry  heavens 
are  so  distant  from  this  earth  that  the  light  of  some  of  the 
fixed  stars  may  not  have  reached  us  yet !  And  what  though 
a  professedly  philosophical  divine  denies  Christ's  proper  ascent 
to  heaven,  because  his  body  could  not  have  reached  those  more 
distant  visible  heavens  unto  this  day  !  What  is  motion  but 
the  creature  of  God  ?  And  could  not  he  that  has  given  to 
matter  various  degrees  of  celerity,  from  the  pace  of  the  snail, 
to  the  rapidity  of  light,  increase  the  motion  of  any  body,  to 
any  extent  he  pleased  ?  When,  therefore,  our  Lord  had 
passed  gradually  out  of  the  view  of  his  Apostles,  he  may  have 
altered  his  direction,  and  increased  his  rapidity,  till  he  left  the 
swift-winged  arrows  of  light  panting  far  behind. 

Many  passages  of  Scripture  speak  of  the  ascension,  as  of 
Christ's  own  act.  In  this  style  our  Lord  says  to  the  Jews, 
"  What  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  ascend  up  where  he 
was  before?"  and  to  the  disciples,  "  I  ascend  to  my  Father, 
and  your  Father.  I  came  forth  from  the  Father,  and  am  come 
into  the  world  ;  again  I  leave  the  world,  and  go  to  the  Father. 
When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive,  and 
gave  gifts  to  men." 

But  to  show  that  the  Father  received  him,  with  an  honour- 
able welcome,  to  heaven,  other  texts  speak  of  Christ  as  raised 
up  to  heaven,  by  the  Father.     "  He,  being  by  the  right  hand 


CHRIST'S    ASCENSION.  579 

of  God  exalted,  and  having  received  of  the  Father  the  promise 
of  the  Spirit,  has  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and  hear." 
This  the  text  of  the  present  lecture  expresses,  when  it  says, 
"  While  Christ  was  blessing  his  disciples,  he  was  parted  from 
them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven."  The  same  word  is  em- 
ployed which  expresses  a  father's  taking  up  his  child.  For 
God,  having  sent  his  Son  into  this  world,  and  lent  him  to  us 
for  a  time,  took  him  up  again,  after  his  thirty  years'  sojourn 
here. 

The  ascent  of  the  ark,  to  rest  on  mount  Zion,  after  all  its 
journeys  in  the  desert,  and  its  meaner  sojourn  in  Canaan,  is 
thought  a  type  of  this  ascension  of  our  Lord.  The  twenty- 
fourth  Psalm,  which  celebrated  the  typical  event,  is  sung  by 
us  in  honour  of  our  Lord's  ascent  to  mount  Zion  above. 
"  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates  ;  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  ever- 
lasting doors  ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in.  Who  is 
this  King  of  glory  ?  The  Lord  strong  and  mighty,  the  Lord 
mighty  in  battle.  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates  ;  even  lift 
them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors  ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall 
come  in.  Who  is  this  King  of  glory?  The  Lord  of  hosts, 
he  is  the  King  of  glory."* 

Of  the  region  whither  Christ  is  gone  we  can  form  no  ade- 
quate conception.  Nor  can  we  conceive  of  the  joys  with  which 
he  was  welcomed  there.  We  must  not  only  die,  and  enter 
into  his  presence,  to  know  these  secrets  of  state  ;  but  we  must 
rise  with  him,  in  our  glorified  bodies,  at  the  great  day  of  con- 
summation, to  know  the  joys  and  honours  which  there  crowned 
the  conqueror's  head.  As  the  Word  that  was  "  with  the  Father 
before  the  world  was,"  the  Saviour  knew  the  joys  of  heaven 
before  ;  but  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  born  at  Bethlehem, 
must  have  felt  that  all  the  triumphs  which  awaited  him  among 
the  blessed  were  heightened  by  the  charm  of  novelty.  Let  us 
now  view, 

4.  The  witnesses  of  the  ascension. 

As  our  Lord  ascended  in  open  day,  on  the  top  of  a  high  moun- 
tain, he  chose  that  all  the  college  of  Apostles  should  be  there 
as  spectators.     He  had  long  ago  promised,  "  Yon  shall  bear 
*  Psalm  xxiv.  7 — 10. 

2p2 


580  LECTURE    XCVII. 

witness,  because  you  have  been  with  me  from  the  beginning." 
He  rose  from  the  dead,  invisible  to  mortals,  because  they  were 
to  see  him  afterwards.  But,  as  he  was  not  to  be,  when  in 
heaven,  visible  from  earth,  he  was  seen  ascending  up  to  his 
high  abode.  Like  a  king,  on  his  coronation,  mounting  his 
throne  in  the  view  of  his  assembled  nobles,  our  heavenly  King 
soared  to  his  throne,  in  the  view  of  the  Apostles,  the  prime 
ministers  of  his  kingdom. 

Romulus,  as  it  was  pretended,  ascended  up  to  heaven  in  a 
thunder  storm,  though  no  one  professed  to  see  him  ;  for  it  was, 
probably,  a  mere  device,  to  conceal  his  murder.  But  Jesus 
was  seen  distinctly  to  ascend,  by  his  dearest  friends,  who  were 
not  afterwards  to  enjoy  the  view  of  him  :  without  this  sight, 
then,  how  could  they  tell  what  was  become  of  him  ? 

Whether  more  than  the  eleven  Apostles  were  witnesses  of 
the  ascension  we  cannot  tell.  Some  have  thought  that  the 
hundred  and  twenty,  who  are  mentioned  immediately  after 
the  return  of  the  Apostles,  were  spectators  ;  and  it  would  have 
been  peculiarly  grateful  to  the  mother  of  Jesus  to  see  what 
was  become  of  him  who  took  flesh  of  her  ;  but  other  counsels 
may  have  been  deemed  wiser  by  the  infinite  mind. 

Angels,  we  know,  were  witnesses  of  the  ascension  of  their 
Lord  and  ours.  While  the  Apostles  stood  gazing  up  into 
heaven,  and,  though  they  could  no  longer  see  their  Lord,  could 
not  help  looking  towards  the  quarter  where  they  last  saw  him ; 
"  while  they  looked  steadfastly  toward  heaven,  as  he  went  up, 
behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white  apparel :  which  also 
said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven? 
this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven, 
shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  he  have  seen  him  go  into 
heaven."  * 

It  would  seem,  as  if  our  Lord,  ascending  up  with  what 
the  Psalmist  calls  the  "  chariots  of  God,  even  thousands  of 
angels,"  and  seeing,  from  his  chariot  in  the  skies,  the  bereaved 
disciples  gazing,  with  aching  sight,  said  to  some  of  his  atten- 
dant guards,  **  Go  back,  and  tell  the  men  of  Galilee,  not  to 
stand  gazing  there ;  for  I  shall  not  return  till  the  last  day." 

*  Arts  i.  10,  11. 


I 


CHRIST'S    ASCENSION.  581 

"  But  why,"  say  some,  "  were  not  all  the  world  witnesses  of 
the  resurrection?"  Has  this  question  any  meaning  J  Could 
all  the  world  be  collected  on  any  one  spot,  that  might  have 
been  chosen  for  the  ascension  ?  If  all  the  world  were  brought 
together  as  closely  as  they  could  stand,  could  they  all  see  a 
human  body  ascend,  from  the  centre  of  that  assembly  which 
would  cover  hundreds  of  miles  t  If  all  that  generation  of 
men  that  was  upon  earth,  at  that  time,  had  been  able  to  see 
Jesus  ascend,  they  would  not  all  have  been  able  to  ascertain 
that  it  was  Jesus,  for  they  had  not  previously  known  his 
person.  Had  it  been  possible  for  all  the  world  to  see  and 
know  that  it  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ascending,  could  all  the 
other  generations  of  men  have  seen  and  known  it  too  ?  Every 
subsequent  age  must  have  received  the  knowledge  of  the  fact, 
as  we  do  now,  from  the  testimony  of  others.  We  are,  there- 
fore, reduced,  at  last,  to  the  method  which  God  has  adopted, 
that  of  choosing  a  sufficient  number  of  competent  witnesses, 
who,  having  themselves  seen  our  Lord  ascend  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven,  testify  the  fact  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 

These  witnesses  were  in  sufficient  number,  if  they  are  reduced 
to  the  eleven  Apostles.  It  is,  however,  not  certain  that  there 
were  not  upwards  of  a  hundred.  They  had  previously  known 
Jesus  most  intimately,  so  as  to  be  quite  sure  of  his  person. 
They  were  a  part  of  the  five  hundred,  who  had  seen  him  on 
the  mountain  in  Galilee,  and  they  had  conversed  with  him 
often,  during  the  forty  days  that  elapsed  between  the  resurrec- 
tion and  ascension.  They  spent  their  life  in  bearing  a  uni- 
form testimony  to  the  event,  and  died  in  expectation  of  going 
to  be  with  that  Jesus,  whom  they  had  seen  ascend  up  into 
heaven. 

Behold,  then,  the  honourable  testimony  borne,  by  heaven, 
to  the  person  and  works  of  Jesus. 

Earth  had  rejected  him,  but  heaven  openly  received  him. 
He  had  been  cast  out  of  this  world  by  a  death  of  infamy  ;  he 
was  welcomed  to  a  better  with  great  glory.  The  world  es- 
teemed him  smitten  of  God,  for  his  crimes  ;  but  "  They  shall 
be  convinced  of  my  righteousness,"  says  Jesus,  "  for  I  go  to 
my  Father,  and  ye  see  me  no  more."     Thus  the  Apostle  closes 


582  LECTURE    XCVII. 

the  catalogue  of  the  mysteries  of  godliness,  "  The  living  God, 
who  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in  the  Spirit,  and  seen, 
of  angels,  was  received  up  into  glory."  "  Return  to  my  bosom 
again,"  said  the  Father  to  his  Son,  now  wearing  our  nature ; 
and,  raising  up  that  body  many  millions  of  miles,  seated  it  "  at 
his  own  right  hand,  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every 
name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that 
which  is  to  come." 

Thus  the  happiest  impression  was  left  on  the  minds  of  the 
church.  The  power  of  first  impressions  we  all  know  from  our 
childhood.  But  last  impressions  have  their  advantages  too  ; 
for  they  retain  the  field,  and  keep  the  influence  they  have  ac- 
quired. The  last  scene  of  Christ's  history  leaves  a  most  de- 
lightful impression  on  the  church  ;  for  this  life  of  wonders 
ends  in  a  blaze  of  glory.  The  church,  therefore,  was  left  in 
the  posture  which  it  was  ever  to  maintain — gazing  and  admir- 
ing— adoring  its  ascending  Lord,  and  listening,  with  faith  and 
joy,  to  the  assurance  of  his  second  coming.  If  the  world  ask 
us,  "  Where  is  your  Lord?  when  did  you  see  him  last  ?"  the 
church  replies,  "  He  is  reigning  in  heaven ;  and  the  last  time 
we  saw  him  was,  when  he  was  ascending  in  his  cloudy  chariot, 
attended  by  angels,  to  the  skies." 

To  draw  up  our  hearts  to  heaven,  Christ  was  seen,  not  only 
of  angels,  but  of  men,  received  up  into  glory.  "Thither," 
says  the  Apostle,  "  has  Jesus  entered  within  the  vail,  as  our 
forerunner."  Thither  we  must  ascend  by  faith ;  for  no  wings 
but  these  will  bear  us  to  the  height  where  Jesus  now  reigns. 
Jesus  must  be  the  magnet  of  hearts ;  for  he  ascended  to  draw 
us  up  after  him.  Of  his  throne,  as  well  as  of  his  cross,  he  said, 
"  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto 
me."  The  church  of  God  must  not  resemble  Nebuchadnez- 
zar's image,  where  the  head  shone  in  burnished  gold,  and  the 
feet  were  iron  and  clay.  But  Christ  our  head,  being  in  heaven, 
says  to  all  his  members,  "  If  ye  then  be  risen  with  Christ, 
seek  those  things  which  are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the 
right  hand  of  God.  Set  your  affection  on  things  above,  not  on 
things  on  the  earth.     For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with 


J 


CHRIST'S    ASCENSION.  583 

Christ  in  God.     When  Christ,  wlio  is  your  life,  shall  appear, 
then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  him  in  glory."* 

By  the  ascension,  heaven  withdrew  our  Lord  from  a  world 
of  foes,  a  world  that  was  not  worthy  of  him.  We  might  have 
thought,  indeed,  that  Jesus  had  done  enough  to  gain  the  affec- 
tions of  men,  since  he  had  poured  out  his  blood  for  their  re- 
demption. But,  by  the  revelation  which  he  gave  to  his  ser- 
vant John,  we  learn  that  this  world  would,  for  a  long  time,  be 
in  arms  against  the  Lamb,  and,  when  it  could  shed  his  blood 
no  more,  it  would  pour  out  that  which  was  the  next  dearest 
thing  to  him,  the  blood  of  the  saints  and  martyrs  of  Jesus. 
The  dominant  power  on  earth  was,  therefore,  exhibited  by  the 
prophetic  vision  as  a  great  red  dragon,  drunk  with  the  best 
blood  that  ever  flowed  in  human  veins.  But  Jesus  had  been 
long  enough  exposed  to  such  scenes,  and  it  was,  therefore,  fit 
that  the  Father  should  say,  "  Rise  now,  and  sit  at  my  right 
hand,  till  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool."  ^. 

Let  us  ask  our  own  hearts,  Are  we  among  the  enemies  of 
Jesus  ?  I  am  afraid,  that  if  heaven  were  to  put  it  to  our  choice 
to  follow  the  Saviour  to  the  skies,  or  remain  on  earth,  though 
all  would  at  first  think  they  should  like  to  ascend  where  Jesus 
is,  many  would  afterwards  shrink  and  say,  "  Not  yet,  we  are 
not  ready."  In  fact,  many  could  not  possibly  ascend  whither 
Jesus  is  gone.  Do  you  ask  why  ?  I  answer,  because  you  are 
bound  hand  and  foot  to  this  world.  What  then,  can  we  never 
hope  to  see  him  ?  See  him  !  Yes,  "  Behold  he  cometh  with 
clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  him,  and  they  also  that  pierced 
him,  and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of  him." 
Yet  his  power  can  break  the  bonds  that  attach  you  to  the 
world,  and  raise  your  hearts  to  the  heaven  where  he  dwells. 
Then  may  you  lift  up  your  heads  with  joy  when  he  comes,  and 
welcome  your  descending  King,  saying,  **  This  is  the  Lord, 
we  have  waited  for  him  ;  this  is  our  God,  he  is  come  to  save 
us." 

Remember,  Christians,  that,  if  earth  is  poorer  than  it  was 
when  Jesus  was  here,  and  you  come  too  late  into  this  world 
to  see  Christ  in  the  flesh,  heaven  is  richer,  and  you  may  go 

*  Col.  iii.  1 — 4. 


584  LECTURE  xcvir. 

there  to  see  him.  While  heaven  exerts  its  more  mighty  attrac- 
tions, in  consequence  of  our  Lord's  residence  there,  we  should 
set  our  hearts  upon  his  second  coming  too.  For  it  is  "  to  those 
who  look  for  him,  hastening  to  the  coming  of  the  day  of  God," 
that  he  shall  come  the  second  time,  without  the  humiliation  or 
suffering  brought  on  him  by  sin,  to  eternal  salvation.  When- 
ever we  lift  up  our  eyes  to  heaven,  and  see  the  clouds  rolling 
above  our  heads,  we  should  say,  "  There  is  my  Lord's  chariot ; 
it  is  empty  ;  for  he  has  gone  into  heaven  ;  but  it  is  waiting  at 
his  gate,  to  bring  him  back  again.  Even  so  ;  come,  Lord  Jesus, 
come  quickly." 


I 


585 


LECTURE  XCVIII. 


RECAPITULATION. 


Heb.  viii.  i. 
Now  of  the  things  which  we  have  spoken  this  is  tlie  sum. 

That  a  frequent  review  of  the  history  of  our  Saviour  is  pro- 
fitable for  his  church  we  are  assured,  by  the  inspiring  Spirit 
of  the  Scriptures  having  given  us  that  history,  four  times  in 
the  New  Testament ;  and  that  a  short  summary  of  the  leading 
events  of  that  extraordinary  life  may  answer  important  and 
valuable  ends,  we  learn,  from  the  instances  in  which  the  apos- 
tolic preaching  furnishes  such  sketches.  I  have,  therefore, 
determined  to  attempt,  this  morning,  to  collect  into  a  focus  the 
scattered  rays  of  glory,  which  have  held  us  for  years  in  devout 
admiration.  I  shall  draw  too  largely  on  your  patience,  by  this 
summary,  to  be  able  to  do  more  at  present,  than  announce  my 
intention  and  my  plan.  I  design,  then,  to  consider,  first  the 
private,  and  afterwards  the  public  life  of  Christ,  and,  at  last, 
its  close,  with  his  departure  from  this  world. 

I.  The  private  life  of  Christ. 

This  again  will  be  divided  into  the  history  of  the  incarnation, 
the  childhood,  and  the  youth  of  our  Lord. 

1.  The  incarnation. 

The  Son  of  God,  or  "  the  Word  who  was  with  the  Father 
before  the  world  was,"  took  human  flesh,  in  Judea  or  Pales- 
tine, on  the  borders  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  of  the  nation 
of  tiie  Jews,  about  the  four  thousandth  year  of  the  world. 


586  LECTURE    XCVIII. 

which  is  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight  years 
ago. 

To  fulfil  the  prophecies,  John  the  Baptist  was  first  sent 
forth,  to  act  as  herald,  and  rouse  the  attention  of  the  nation 
to  the  approaching  Messiah.  The  birth  of  the  forerunner, 
which  was  distinguished  by  miracles,  was  announced  in  the 
middle  of  the  year,  and  happened  in  the  following  spring." 

About  six  months  after  the  annunciation  of  John's  birth,  the 
angel  Gabriel  was  sent  to  the  poor  town  of  Nazareth,  to  an- 
nounce to  the  Virgin  Mary  that  she  should,  by  the  power  of 
God,  become  the  mother  of  the  long  promised  Messiah.* 
Mary,  having  passed  three  months  with  her  cousin  Elisabeth, 
who  was  soon  to  become  the  mother  of  the  Baptist,  returned 
to  Nazareth.  Joseph,  to  whom  she  was  espoused,  having 
discovered  her  pregnancy,  was  encouraged  to  take  her  home, 
by  an  angel  who  revealed  the  miraculous  cause.  Mary's  ge- 
nealogy is  traced  doAvn  from  David,  in  the  gospel  of  Matthew; 
and  Joseph's  is  traced  up,  by  Luke,  to  David,  Abraham,  and 
Adam. 

Christ  was  born,  in  the  following  autumn,  at  Bethlehem, 
whither  Joseph  and  Mary  had  been  drawn,  by  a  decree  of 
Augustus,  the  Roman  emperor,  who  ruled  Judea.  Here  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  was  brought  forth,  at  night,  in  the  out- 
house of  an  inn.  Angels  announced  the  event,  to  shepherds 
who  were  watching  the  flocks,  and  who  went  to  see  the  newly- 
born  king. 

2.  The  childhood  and  youth  of  our  Saviour. 

When  eight  days  old,  our  Lord  was  circumcised/  and  called 
Jesus,  the  name  given  to  him  by  the  angel,  who  announced 
the  miraculous  conception.  Forty  days  after  his  birth,  he  was 
presented  in  the  temple,  where  Simeon,  who  had  been  divinely 
assured  that  he  should  not  die,  till  he  had  seen  the  Saviour, 
took  the  infant  in  his  arms  and  declared,  he  could  now  depart 
in  peace.  Anna,  a  prophetess,  came,  at  the  same  time,  into  the 
temple,  and  proclaimed  the  glory  of  the  Saviour. 

"  Lect.  1.     Luke  i.  1 — 25. 

''  Lect.  2.     Luko  i.  26;  John  i.  1—14;  Man.  i.  1—18;  Luke  Hi.  13— 38. 

■■  Lect.  3.     Luke  i.  21—28. 


RECAPITULATION.  587 

Sages  from  the  east  were  directed,  by  a  star,  to  come  and 
adore  him  who  was  born  King  of  the  Jews."  But  Herod's 
jealousy  was  roused,  to  kill  all  the  young  children  of  Bethle- 
hem. Jesus,  however,  escaped ;  for  Joseph  had  been  warned 
to  take  him  into  Egypt,  where  he  stayed  till  Herod  was  dead. 
By  divine  direction,  the  holy  family  then  returned  to  Pales- 
tine, and  settled  at  Nazareth,  a  town  of  Galilee. 

From  this  time,  nothing  is  recorded  concerning  Jesus,  till 
he  was  twelve  years  old;  when  he  went  up,  with  Joseph 
and  Mary,  to  keep  the  passover  at  Jerusalem ;  but,  tarrying 
behind  when  they  returned,  he  was,  after  three  days,  found 
in  the  temple,  as  his  Father's  house,  where  he  was  listening 
to  the  doctors,  and  asking  them  questions.  He  returned  to 
Nazareth,  and  was  subject,  not  only  to  Mary,  his  real  mother, 
but  to  Joseph,  his  reputed  father,  as  long  as  that  person  lived. 
Eighteen  years  more  were  passed  in  this  obscurity  and  subjec- 
tion, and,  as  Jesus  increased  in  stature,  he  grew  in  wisdom, 
and  in  favour  with  God  and  man ;  for  a  divine  gracefulness 
rested  on  him.* 

II.  The  public  life  of  Christ. 

When  John  the  Baptist  had  completed  his  thirtieth  year, 
he  came  out  to  preach  in  the  desert  of  Judea,  attracting  uni- 
versal attention  and  respect,  but  declaring  that  he  was  a  mere 
voice,  to  announce  the  approach  of  the  Messiah."  After  John 
had  preached  six  months,  Jesus  came  forth  to  that  public 
ministry,  which  we  shall  epitomise  in  the  order  of  the  years. 

The  first  year. 

This  commenced  with  Christ's  baptism,  by  John,  in  Jordan, 
when  Jesus  was  thirty  years  old  i''  immediately  after,  he  passed 
forty  days  in  the  desert,  in  fasting  and  prayer,  and  tempta- 
tion.* Returning  victorious  over  the  tempter,  Jesus  was 
pointed  out,  by  the  Baptist,  as  the  Lamb  of  God.  This  testi- 
mony drew  to  him  his  first  disciples ;  of  whom  one  was  An- 

"  Lect.  4.     Matt.  i.  1—20. 

*  Lect.  5.     Matt.  ii.  21—23  ;  Luke  ii.  39—52. 

"  Mark  i.  1—7. 

<i  Lect.  6.     Malt.  iii.  13—17 ;  Mark  iv.  9  ;  Luke  iii.  21. 

'  Lect.  7.     Matt.  iv.  1— 11 ;  Mark  i.  12,  13 ;  Luke  iv.  1—13. 


588  LECTURE    XCVIII. 

drew,  and  the  other,  probably,  the  beloved  disciple  John. 
Peter  was  next  called,  and  then,  Philip  and  Nathaniel  fol- 
lowed." With  these,  Jesus  went  down  to  Cana  of  Galilee, 
where  he  wrought  his  first  miracle,  by  turning  water  into  wine, 
at  a  marriage  feast.* 

A  few  days  after,  he  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  to  celebrate  his 
first  public  passover.  Here  he  cleansed  the  temple  from  pro- 
fanation, delivered  a  prediction  of  his  own  death  and  resur- 
rection, wrought  many  miracles,  ^nd  induced  many  to  believe 
on  his  name/  After  a  short  tour  around  the  city,  he  returned, 
and  delivered  a  celebrated  discourse,  at  a  private  interview 
with  Nicodemus. 

From  Jerusalem,  the  Saviour  went  southward,  into  the 
country  of  Judea,  and  preached  there,  where  John  had  pre- 
pared the  way.  The  Baptist  himself  had  removed  to  Enon, 
where  he  was  still  preaching  Christ.  Here  the  disciples  that 
remained  with  John  were  roused  to  jealousy  of  the  fame  of 
Jesus,  by  a  dispute  with  a  Jew ;  but,  coming  to  their  master, 
they  received  a  decisive  testimony  to  Christ's  honour.'' 

John  was,  soon  after,  cast  into  prison  by  Herod,  whom  he 
had  reproved  for  his  sins.  Jesus  now  came  forth  publicly  into 
Galilee.  On  his  way  thither,  he  passed  through  Samaria,  and 
held  a  discourse  with  a  woman  of  Sichar,  near  Jacob's  well 
and  spent  three  days  in  the  town,  where  many  believed  on 
him.*  Having  advanced  into  Galilee,  he  healed  the  sou  of  a 
nobleman  at  Capernaum,  which  terminates  the  first  year  of 
Christ's  public  ministry.-^ 

The  second  year. 

Jesus  commenced  this  with  an  itinerant  tour  through  Ga- 
lilee, preaching  in  their  synagogues  amidst  great  applause. 
But,  coming  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought  up,  he 
rejected  their  claim  to  preference ;  and  they,  in  revenge,  at- 
tempted to  hurl  him  down  a  precipice.     He  removed  his  resi- 

"  Lect.  8.      John  i.  37—51. 

*  Lect.  9.      John  ii.  1 — 11. 

'  Lect.  10.    John  ii.  13;  iii.  21. 
•*  Lect.  11.    John  iii.  22. 

*  Lect.  11.    John  iv. 

/  Lect.  t2.    Jolm  ir.  4o — 51. 


RECAPITULATION'.  58J) 

dence,  therefore,  to  Capernaum,  where  he  dift\ised  the  rays 
of  his  instruction  in  every  direction." 

To  call  Peter  and  Andrew,  James  and  John,  to  a  constant 
attendance  on  his  person  and  ministry,  he  went  down  to  the 
lake  of  Gennesaret,  where  they  had  been  toiling  in  a  vain  at- 
tempt at  fishing;  but  where  he  gave  them  a  miraculous  draught 
of  two  ship-loads  of  fish.*  He  afterwards  healed  a  fierce  de- 
moniac, in  the  synagogue  at  Capernaum ;  and,  on  coming 
out  of  the  place  of  worship,  he,  by  a  touch,  healed  Peter's 
mother-in-law  of  a  fever.  The  sick  gathering  round  his 
door,  in  the  evening,  he  wrought  a  host  of  miracles  upon 
them.'' 

Going  out,  early  in  the  morning,  to  prayer,*^  he  was  sought 
after  by  the  multitude  and  the  disciples ;  but,  instead  of  re- 
turning to  the  town,  set  out  on  an  itinerant  tour  through  all 
Galilee.  On  this  journey,  he  healed  a  leper,^  and  also  a  pa- 
ralytic man,  who  had  been  let  down,  before  him,  through  the 
roof  of  the  house,  where  he  was  sitting.-^  Passing  by  the 
custom-house,  he  called  Matthew  from  his  office  there,  to  be- 
come a  disciple  and  constant  attendant  on  the  Saviour.^ 

The  paschal  season  returning,  Jesus  went  up  to  the  temple, 
and  healed  a  man,  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda.''  The  odium 
which  this  drew  upon  him  occasioned  a  long  discourse  with 
the  Jews.'  On  his  way  from  Jerusalem  into  Galilee,  going- 
through  the  corn  fields,  Jesus  vindicated  his  disciples  from 
the  charge  of  sabbath-breaking,  for  plucking  some  ears  of 
corn.*  Having  healed  a  man  with  a  withered  hand,  on  the 
sabbath,  in  the  synagogue,  he  was  again  called  to  repel  the 

"  Lect.  13.  Luke  iv.  16—30. 

»  Lect.  14.  Matt.iv.  13—22;  Mark  ii.  16—20;  Luke  iv.  1—11. 

"  Lect.  15.  Matt.  viii.  14 ;  Mark  i. 

<*  Lect.  16.  Matt.  iv.  23;  Mark  i.  36  ;  Luke  iv.  44. 

*  Lect.  17.  Mark  i.  40—45  ;  Luke  v.  12 — 15. 

/  Lect.  18.     Matt.  ix.  2—9;  Mark  ii.  1—14;  Luke  v.  17—28. 
«■  Lect.  19.     Matt.  ix.  9  ;  Luke  v.  27—32. 

*  Lect.  20.     John  v.  1 — 9.  .  ; 
'  After  Lect.  20.     John  v.  10—47. 

*  Lect.  21.     Matt.  xii.  1—8;  Mark  ii.  23—28;  Luke  vi.  1—5.  ; 


590  LECTURE    XCVIII. 

charge  of  sabbath-breaking."  The  Pharisees  now  conspired 
with  the  Herodians  against  him  ;  and  he  retired  to  the  desert, 
where  he  was  followed  by  crowds,  whom  he  healed  and 
taught.* 

Returning  from  the  desert,  he  ascended  a  mountain,  to 
spend  a  night  in  prayer ;  and,  in  the  morning,  chose  his 
twelve  Apostles,  and  preached  to  them,  before  great  multi- 
tudes, his  celebrated  sermon  on  the  mount.'^  On  his  way 
from  this  mount,  he  cleansed  a  leper,*^  and  went  forward  to 
heal  the  paralytic  servant  of  the  Roman  centurion.* 

From  Capernaum,  our  Lord  went  to  Nain,  near  the  gates 
of  which,  he  raised  from  the  dead  the  son  of  a  widow. ^  Soon 
after,  John  the  Baptist  having  sent  two  of  his  disciples,  Jesus 
gave  them  miraculous  and  moral  proofs  of  his  Messiahship, 
and  delivered  a  high  eulogium  on  John,  as  before  all  pro- 
phets.^ 

In  the  house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  Christ  vindicates  his 
sanctity  and  his  mercy,  pronounces  the  forgiveness  of  a  peni- 
tent prostitute,  who  had  bathed  his  feet  with  her  tears.'' 

The  Saviour  then  went  on  another  tour,  through  the  towns 
and  villages  of  Galilee  ;  and,  on  his  return,  healed  a  blind 
and  dumb  demoniac,'  which  miracle  the  Pharisees  attributed 
to  a  compact  with  the  devil.  This  called  forth  our  Lord  to 
deliver  a  long  discourse. 

The  mother  and  brethren  of  our  Lord  coming  up,  while  he 
was  surrounded  with  hearers,  and  desiring  to  speak  with  him, 
he  declared  his  disciples  to  be  his  true  relations.*  On  the 
shore  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  he  then  delivered   a  sermon  of 

"  Lect.  22.  Matt.  xii.  9—15  ;  Mark  iii.  1—6  ;  Luke  vi.  6—11. 

''  Lect.  23.  Matt.  xii.  14—21;  Mark  iii.  6—12  ;  Luke  vi.  11. 

'  Lect.  24.  Matt,  v— vii;  Mark  iii.  13—19;  Luke  vi.  12—16. 

'i  Lect.  24.  Page  297. 

*  Lect.  25.  Matt.  viii.  5—13;  Luke  vii.  1—10. 
/  Lect.  26.  Luke  vii.  11—17. 

^  Lect.  27.     Matt,  xi;  Luke  vii. 

*  Lect.  28.     Luke  vii.  36. 

*  Lect.  29.     Matt.  xii.  22;  Mark  iii.  19. 

''  Lect.  30.     Matt.  xii.  46  ;  Mark  iii.  31 ;  Luke  viii.  19, 


RECAPITULATION.  591 

parables."  After  this,  to  a  scribe,  who  offered  to  follow  him, 
he  said,  "The  Son  of  man  has  not  where  to  lay  his  head  ;" 
and  to  another,  who  made  the  same  offer,  but  wished  first  to 
bury  his  father,  Jesus  said,  "  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead."* 
Crossing-  the  lake,  that  evening,  he  waked  up,  at  the  cry  of  the 
terrified  disciples,  and  stilled  a  storm;''  and  having  landed  at 
Gadara,  and  driven  demons,  from  a  man,  into  a  herd  of  swine, 
which  perished  in  the  sea,  Jesus  was  requested  to  depart/ 
On  his  return,  being  entertained  by  Matthew,  he  defended  his 
intercourse  with  sinners,  and  delivered  a  sermon  on  fasting/ 
Called  away  from  this  entertainment,  to  heal  Jairus's  daughter, 
whom  he  raised  from  the  dead,  he  confirmed  the  healing  which 
a  woman  had  obtained  by  stealth,  through  touching  his  gar- 
ment on  the  road/  Immediately  after,  he  gave  sight  to  two 
blind  men,^  and  delivered  one  person  from  demoniac  pos- 
session/' 

He  now  visited  Nazareth  once  more,  and  being  coldly  re- 
pulsed, as  the  carpenter's  son,  departed,  wondering  at  their  un- 
belief/    This  ends  the  second  year  of  Christ's  public  ministry. 

The  third  year  of  the  Saviour's  public  life. 

Our  Lord  now  sent  forth  his  twelve  Apostles,  on  their  first 
home-missionary  tour,  going  himself,  in  another  direction,  to 
preach.*  Herod  having  beheaded  John  the  Baptist,  his  dis- 
ciples betake  themselves  to  the  Saviour,  who  leads  them,  toge- 
ther with  the  Apostles,  who  had  just  returned,  into  the  desert, 
where  he  miraculously  fed  five  thousand.'  Herod,  roused  by 
Christ's  fame,  now  wishes  to  see  him ;  but  Jesus  refuses  to  go 

"  After  Lect.  30,  Lect.  31.     Matt.  viii.  18;  Mark  iv.  35. 

*  Lect.  31.     Matt.  viii.  23;  Mark  iv.  36;  Luke  viii.  22 — 25. 
'  Lect.  32. 

d  Lect.  32.     Matt.  viii.  28  ;  Mark  v.  1—20 ;  Luke  viii.  26. 

'  Matt.  ix.  10—18 ;  Mark  ii.  15  ;  Luke  v.  29—39. 

/  Lect.  33.     Matt.  ix.  18 — 36  ;  Mark  v.  22—43  ;  Luke  viii.  41. 

'  Lect.  34.     Matt.  ix.  27—30. 

A  Matt.  ix.  32. 

»  Lect.  13  and  35.     Matt.  xiii.  54 ;  Mark  vi.  1. 

*  Lect.  35.  Matt.  ix.  35—38 ;  Matt.  x.  1—15  ;  Matt.  xi.  1 ;  Mark  vi.  7; 
Luke  ix.  1 — 5. 

'  Lect.  36.     Matt.  xiv.  6—12;  Mark  vi.  21—29. 


592  LECTURE    XCVIH. 

to  court."  Christ,  having  sent  his  disciples  across  the  lake, 
comes  to  them,  next  morning,  walking  on  the  water,  which 
he  enables  Peter  also  to  do.*  The  multitude  which  had  been 
miraculously  fed  follow  Jesus  in  boats,  and  he  preaches  to 
them  a  sermon  on  the  bread  of  life, '^  and,  afterwards,  another 
against  pharisaic  traditions.'' 

Having  retired  to  the  gentile  territory,  he  healed  the  pos- 
sessed daughter  of  a  Syrophenician  woman.  ^  On  his  return, 
he  wrought  many  miracles,  and  gave  a  cure  to  one  who  was 
deaf  and  dumb,-^  and  fed  four  thousand.^  Near  Bethsaida, 
he  healed  a  blind  man;''  and,  near  to  Cesarea  Philippi,  he 
recompensed  Peter's  good  confession,  by  making  him  the 
first  stone  of  the  Christian  church,  and  giving  him  the  keys 
to  admit  others.'  Then  followed  the  transfiguration  of  Christ 
on  the  mount,  where  Moses  and  Elijah  came  to  converse 
with  him  on  his  death.*  Descending  from  the  mount  of 
transfiguration,  our  Lord  healed  the  demoniac  and  lunatic 
child,  whom  the  Apostles  had  not  been  able  to  relieve.' 
Called  upon  to  pay  tribute,  on  his  return  to  Capernaum, 
he  fetches,  by  means  of  Peter's  hook,  the  money  from  the  sea, 
in  the  mouth  of  a  fish;"'  after  which  he  teaches  humility,  by 
a  little  child."  Here  closes  the  third  year  of  our  Lord's  mi- 
nistry. 

The  last  half  year. 

Christ  went  up  privately  to  the  feast  of  tabernacles,"  and, 

"  Matt.  xiv.  1,  2 ;  Mark  vi.  14 ;   Luke  ix.  7. 

*  Lect.  37.     Matt.  xiv.  23  ;  Mark  vi.  47  ;  John  vi.  16. 
'  John  vi. 

'^  Matt.  XV. 

"  Matt.  XV.  21;  Mark  vii.  24. 

/  Lect.  39.     Matt.  xv.  29. 

«■  Lect.  40.     Matt.  xv.  32 ;  Mark  viii.  1 . 

A  Lect.  41.     Mark  viii.  22. 

i  Lect.  42.     Matt.  xvi.  13;  Mark  viii.  2;  Luke  ix.  10. 

*  Lect.  43 — 45.     Matt,  xvii ;  Mark  ix  ;  Luke  ix. 

'  Lect.  46.  Matt  xvii.  9;  Mark  ix.  14;  Luke  ix.  37. 

"*  Lect.  47.  Matt.  xvii.  24—27. 

"  Lect.  48.  Matt,  xviii.  1 — 20;  Mark  ix.  33 — 50;  Luke  ix.  46. 

"  Lect.  49.  John  vii.  2—9  ;    Luke  ix.  51 — 56. 


RECAPITULATION.  593 

on  the  roatl,  sent  out  the  seventy  Evangelists,"  While  Jesus 
was  preaching-,  in  the  midst  of  the  feast,  the  officers  that  were 
sent  to  seize  him  were  captivated  by  his  discourse.*  But  his 
hearers  afterwards  attempted  to  stone  him.*^ 

The  seventy  return  to  our  Lord  with  joy.  "^  A  young  law- 
yer, who  had  asked  the  way  to  obtain  eternal  life,  is  shown 
to  be  insincere,  and  gives  rise  to  the  parable  of  the  good  Sa- 
maritan.' At  Bethany,  our  Lord  was  entertained  by  Martha 
and  Mary.^  After  expelling  a  dumb  demon,  he  preaches  to 
the  Pharisees  and  his  disciples.^  On  the  sabbath,  he  pub- 
licly healed  a  woman  who  had  been  long  afflicted  with  a  dis- 
torted spine.'' 

In  a  circuit  which  he  now  made  towards  Jerusalem,  Jesus 
gave  sight  to  a  beggar  born  blind, '  which  gave  rise  to  a  dis- 
course on  spiritual  blindness,  and  on  the  good  Shepherd.* 
At  Jerusalem,  during  the  feast  of  dedication,  his  enemies  again 
attempt  to  stone  our  Lord,' 

Jesus  retired  from  their  rage  to  Perea,'"  beyond  the  Jordan, 
where  many  believed  on  him.  He  here  declined  satisfying 
the  curiosity  of  one  who  wished  to  know  whether  there  were 
few  to  be  saved,"  and  spurned  the  counsel  of  the  Pharisees, 
concerning  Herod's  design  to  kill  him.  In  the  house  of  a 
chief  Pharisee,  he  cured  a  person  of  the  dropsy,"  and  preach- 
ed on  humility,  on  the  rejection  of  the  Gospel,  and  on  the 

"  Lect.  50.     Luke  x.  1. 

*  Lect.  51.     John  vii.  11—36. 
''  Lect.  52.     John  viii.  12. 

''  Lect.  53.     Luke  x.  17. 
'  Lect.  54.     Luke  x.  25 — 37. 
/  Lect.  55.     Luke  x.  38 — 42. 

*  Luke  xi.  14. 

*  Lect.  56.     Luke  xiii.  10 — 17. 

^  Lect.  57.     Luke  xiii.  22;    John  ix.  1—38. 

*  John  X.  1. 

'  Lect.  57.     John.  X. 
"*  Lect.  58.     John  x.  40. 
"  Luke  xiii.  23. 
"  Lect.  59.     Luke  xiv.  1. 

VOL.    II.  2   Q 


594  LECTURE    XCVIH. 

necessity  of  counting  the  cost  of  religion."  On  his  way 
through  Samaria,  he  healed  ten  lepers,*  and  delivered  a 
sermon  with  many  parables/ 

He  graciously  received  the  little  children  whom  their  parents 
brought/ and  commanded  a  rich  youth  to  give  up  all,*  de- 
livering the  parable  of  the  labourers  in  the  vineyard/ 

Lazarus,  the  friend  of  Jesus,  being  dangerously  ill,  the 
sisters,  Martha  and  Mary,  send  to  inform  the  Saviour,  who 
remains  in  the  same  place,  till  the  death  of  his  friend,  when 
he  sets  out  to  raise  him  from  the  dead.  On  the  way,  Jesus 
foretels  his  own  death  ;^  but  the  sons  of  Zebedee  beg  for  the 
highest  posts  in  his  kingdom.''  Near  Jericho,  Jesus  restores 
two  blind  men  to  sight,'  and  calls  Zaccheus,  a  rich  publican.* 
Arrived  at  Bethany,  he  raised  Lazarus  from  the  grave,  in 
which  he  had  lain  four  days.'  As  this  made  the  Jews  de- 
termine immediately  to  kill  Jesus,  he  retired  to  a  solitary 
place  called  Ephraim."'     This  conducts  us  to 

III.  The  history  of  the  Redeemer's  death. 

Here  we  must  consider  the  events  of  the  last,  or  passion 
week ;  the  apprehension  and  arraignment  of  our  Lord ;  the 
crucifixion ;  the  burial  and  resurrection  ;  and  the  last  forty 
days  of  Christ  on  earth. 

1.  The  passion  week. 

Jesus  came  from  Ephraim,  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  to 
Bethany,  where  he  was  anointed  by  Mary,  in  the  house  of 
Simon   the   leper."     The    next   day,   Monday,   he  made  his 

"  Lect.  60.     Luke  xiv.  25. 

*  Luke  xvii.  11 — 19. 
'  Ibid.  xvii.  20— .37 

i  Lect.  61.  Matt.  xix.  13;  Mark  x.  13;  Luke  xviii.  1.5. 

"  Lect.  62.  Matt.  xix.  16;  Mark  x.  17;  Luke  xviii.  18. 

/  Matt.  xix.  27;  Mark  x.  28  ;  Luke  xviii.  28. 

^  Lect.  62.  Matt.  xx.  17  ;  Mark  x.  32  ;  Luke  xviii.  31 . 

''  Lect.  63.  Matt.  xx.  20 ;  Mark  x.  35. 

'  Lect.  64.  Luke  xviii.  35. 

*  Lect.  65.  Luke  xix.  1 — 10. 
'   Lect.  66.  John  xi. 

'"  Lect.  67.     .lohn  xi.  54. 

"  Lect.  68.     .Tohn  xii.  1  — 11  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  6;  Mark  xiv.  3. 


RECAPITULATION.  595 

public  entry"  into  Jerusalem,  riding  on  an  ass.  Finding  the 
court  of  the  temple  again  polluted,  he  once  more  vindicated 
the  honour  of  his  Father's  house.*  This  drew  to  him  some 
Greeks,  who  desired  to  see  him.*^ 

Having  gone  out,  at  night,  to  lodge  in  Bethany,  on  his 
return,  in  the  morning,  Tuesday,  he  pronounced  a  curse  on 
a  barren  fig-tree.''  After  preaching  all  day,  and  working 
miracles,  he  went  out  again  to  Bethany.  The  next  morning, 
Wednesday,  he  saw,  on  his  return,  the  accursed  fig-tree 
withered  away,  which  occasioned  a  discourse  to  his  disciples 
on  faith.  ^  This  day,  he  held  his  last  disputation  with  the 
Pharisees,-^  and  delivered  the  parables  of  the  wicked  husband- 
men and  the  marriage  supper.  A  contest  with  the  Herodians, 
on  paying  tribute  to  Csesar ;  with  the  Sadducees,  on  the  re- 
surrection;^ and  with  a  lawyer,  on  the  greatest  command, 
closes  the  day.  The  following  day,  Thursday,  he  predicted 
the  fate  of  Jerusalem;  and  Judas  having  betrayed''  him, 
Jesus  sent  two  disciples  to  prepare  the  paschal  supper,  which 
he  celebrated  in  the  evening.' 

After  this,  he  washed  his  disciples'  feet,*  and  instituted  the 
Lord's  supper.'  But  Judas,  having  been  unmasked,'"  went 
away  to  perpetrate  his  crime  ;  and  Jesus,  having  preached, 
and  prayed,  and  sung  a  hymn,  went  out  to  Gethsemane," 
where  he  endured  a  dreadful  agony.  * 

2.  The  Saviour's  apprehension  and  arraignment.     Conduct- 

"  Lect.  69.     Matt.  xxi.  1—9;  Mark  xi.  1—9;  Lukexxix;  John  xii. 

*  Lect.  70.     Matt.  xxi.  10;  Mark  xi.  11 ;  Luke  xix.  40. 
"  Lect.  71.     John  xii.  20. 

d  Lect.  72.     Matt.  xxi.  18,  19;  Mark  xi.  12—19;  John  xii.  44. 

'  Matt.  xxi.  20;  Mark  xi.  20. 

/  Lect.  73.     Matt.  xxi. ;  Mark  xi. ;  Luke  xx. 

*"  Matt.  xxii. ;  Mark  xii. ;  Luke  xx. 

*  Lect.  74.     Matt.  xxvi.  14;  Mark  xiv.  10;  Luke  xxii.  3. 

*  Lect.  75.     Matt,  xxvii.  17;  Mark  xiv.  12;  Luke  xxii.  7—18. 

*  Lect.  76.     John  xiii. 

'  Lect.  77.     Matt.  xxvi.  26;  Mark  xiv.  22;  Luke  xx.  19. 
"'  Lect.  78.     Matt.  xxvi.  21  ;  Mark  xiv.  18  ;  Luke  xxii.  21. 
"  Lect.  79.     Matt.  xxvi.  36  ;  Mark  xiv.  32  ;  Luke  xxii.  40. 

2q2 


59G  LECTURii  X(;\  iii. 

ed  by  Judas,  who  made  a  kiss  the  treacherous  signal,  the 
enemies  of  Jesus  seized  him  in  the  garden,"  and,  having 
bound  him,  led  him  away  to  Annas,  the  father-in-law  of  the 
high  priest.  Additionally  fettered,  the  Saviour  is  sent  to 
Caiaphas,  who  questions  him  concerning  his  disciples  and 
doctrine.  Peter,  having  three  times  denied  his  Lord,  is  re- 
covered by  a  look  from  Christ. 

Christ  being  condemned*  as  a  blasphemer,  is  buffeted  and 
spit  upon,  and  delivered  up  to  Pilate.  "^  He  sent  him  to  He- 
rod,'' who  mocked  him  and  sent  him  back.  Pilate  scourged 
him, "  and  proposed  to  liberate  him  ;  but  the  people  asked  for 
Barabbas  a  robber ;  and  Pilate,  notwithstanding  his  wife's 
warning,  gave  the  Saviour  up  to  be  crucified.  Judas  seeing 
this,  repented,  and  hanged  himself.-^ 

3.  The  crucifixion. 

Jesus,  bearing  his  cross  to  Calvary,  consoles  the  weeping 
daughters  of  Jerusalem  ;  and  Simon,  the  Cyrenian,  is  com- 
pelled to  bear  the  cross  after  our  Lord.  At  Golgotha,  he  re- 
fused the  wine  mingled  with  myn'h,  and  was  fastened  to  the 
cross  between  two  robbers,  while  praying  for  his  murderers. 
The  title  of  "  King  of  the  Jews,"  is  put  up  over  his  head, 
and  his  clothes  are  divided  among  his  executioners.^ 

Having  converted  one  of  the  robbers  crucified  with  him,* 
Jesus  commends  hi*  mother  to  the  beloved  disciple,  who  was 
standing  by  the  cross.*  After  miraculous  darkness  had  cover- 
ed the  earth,  three  hours,  Jesus  cried,  "  My  God,  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  me  ? "  *  and  when  they  had  mocked  him  with 
the  offer  of  vinegar,  he  said,  "  It  is  finished,"  and  expired, 

"  Lect.  80.     Matt.  xxvi.  47;  Markxliii;  Luke  xlvii. 

*  Lect.  81.     Matt.  xxvi.  59 ;  Mark  xiv.  .55  ;  liuke  xxii.  58;  John  xviii.  19. 
'  Lect.  82. 

'*  Matt.  Ixvii. ;  Mark  Ixv.;  Luke  Ixiii. 

'  Lect.  86.  Matt,  xxvii.  2;  Mark  xv.  1 ;  Luke  xxiii. ;  John  xviii.  29. 

f  Lect.  86.  Matt,  xxvii.  3 — 5  ;  M^x\  xxii. ;  Luke  xxiii.  33  ;  John  xix.  17. 

*■  Lect.  87.  John  xix.  19. 

*  Lect.  88.     Matt,  xxvii.  .3  ;  Mark  xv.  29 ;  Luke  xxiii.  39. 
'  Lect.  89.  John  xix.  25. 

*  T>ect.  90.     Matt,  xxvii.  45;  Mark  xv.  33  ;  Luke  xxv.  44. 


RECAPITULATION.  597 

commending  his  soul  to  his  Father's  hands."  The  vail  of  the 
temple  was  torn  in  two,  the  rocks  were  rent,  and  the  graves 
opened,  by  an  earthquake,  which  led  the  centurion  on  guard 
to  confess  Jesus  the  Son  of  God.  * 

4.  Christ's  burial  and  resurrection. 

Christ's  body  being  given  up  to  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  is 
interred  in  his  new  tomb,  Nicodemus  having  provided  spices 
to  embalm  it.  The  body  was  in  the  grave,  and  the  soul 
among  happy  spirits  in  paradise,  one  whole  day,  Saturday, 
and  part  of  two  others.  On  the  first  day  of  the  week,  the 
Lord's"  day,  commonly  called  Sunday,  an  earthquake "^  an- 
nounced the  Saviour's  rising  from  the  dead.  An  angel,  de- 
scending in  flaming  glory,  frightened  away  the  guards,  who 
went  and  told  the  priests,  who  bribed  them  to  spread  a  false 
tale.  The  women  coming  to  embalm  the  body,  are  informed 
by  the  angel  of  the  resurrection.  Jesus,  having  first  appeared 
to  Mary  Magdalene,  afterwai'ds  showed  himself  to  the  other 
women,  and  then  to  Peter.  The  same  evening,  he  appeared 
to  two  disciples  going  to  Emmaus, "  and  afterwards,  at  Jeru- 
salem, to  all  the  Apostles,  except  Thomas,  who  was  not  there. 

5.  The  last  forty  days  of  our  Lord  on  earth. 

On  the  next  Lord's  day  after  the  resurrection,  Jesus  showed 
himself  to  Thomas,  who  exclaimed,  '^Thou  art  my  Lord  and 
my  God."-^  The  next  appearance  was  to  several  disciples,  at 
the  sea  of  Tiberias,  where  a  miraculous  draught  of  fishes 
made  him  known,  and  where  he  questioned  Peter,  on  his 
love,  and  predicted  his  martyrdom.^  Jesus  then  gave  the 
grand  appointed  meeting  to  upwards  of  five  hundred  dis- 
ciples at  once,  on  a  mountain  in  Galilee. '' 

"  Lect.  91. 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  51 — 56;  Mark  xv.  38 — 41 ;  Luke  xxv.  45. 

*  Lect.  92.     Matt,  xxvii.  57 ;    Mark  xv.  42;    Luke  xxiii.  50 ;    John  xix. 

38—43. 
^  Lect.  93.     Matt,  xxviii.  1  ;    Mark  xvi.  1  ;    Luke  xxiv.  1 ;  .Fohn  xx.  1. 

*  Lect.  94.     Luke  xxiv.  13. 

/  Lect.  95.     John  xx.  26—31. 
»  John  xxi.  1 — 25. 

*  Lect.  96.     Matt,  xxviii.  16—20. 


598  LECTURE    XCVIII. 

Now,  for  the  last  time,  he  came  to  them,  at  Jerusalem, 
and,  after  some  discourse,  led  them  out  to  Mount  Olivet; 
where,  while  he  was  teaching  and  blessing  them,  he  was 
parted  from  them  and  carried  up  in  a  cloud  to  heaven;  while 
angels  became  visible,  and  informed  them,  that  he  should,  in 
like  manner,  return,  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  to  judge  the 
world,  at  the  last  day. " 

"  Lect.  97.     Luke  xxiv .  50—53. 


599 


LECTURE    XCIX. 

EVIDENCES    OF    THE   TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY. 

John  xx.  30,  31. 

And  many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  tlie  presence  of  his  disciples,  which 
are  not  written  in  this  book :  but  these  are  written,  that  ye  might  believe 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God :  and  that,  believing,  ye  might 
have  life  through  his  name. 

r  ORGIVE  me,  my  dear  hearers,  so  much  egotism  as  is  in- 
cluded in  saying,  that,  upon  a  review  of  the  course  I  have 
pursued,  I  tremble  ;  for,  be  assured,  it  is  not  merely  for  my- 
self, but  for  you  also.  When  I  think  of  the  life  and  death 
which  I  have  attempted  to  sketch,  and  the  character  that  I 
have  dared  to  pourtray,  I  tremble  for  myself;  lest  my  own 
unskilfulness  should  have  profaned  the  sacred  theme,  and 
should  so  far  have  obscured  the  glories  I  intended  to  display, 
as  to  afford  any  excuse  for  that  rejection,  to  which  my  Sa- 
viour is  too  often  exposed.  But,  with  all  my  consciousness 
of  failure,  deep  and  sincere  as  it  is ;  I  dare  not  conceal  from 
my  audience  that  I  have  a  right  to  tremble  for  you  also. 
For  I  know  that  enough  of  the  Saviour's  claims  upon  your 
faith  have  been  developed,  in  the  course  of  these  lectures,  to 
give  new  horrors  to  the  sin  of  unbelief.  If,  therefore,  the 
close  of  this  discourse  should  not  find  us  the  faithful  disciples 
of  Jesus  Christ ;  it  will  leave  us  exposed  to  so  much  more 
aggravated  condemnation,  as  to  make  it  desirable  for  us  never 
to  have  heard  so  much  about  a  theme,  which  must  either  be  a 
"  savour  of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto  death." 

Warned,  then,  by  the  concluding  remarks  of  the  historian 
of  our  Lord,  let  us  proceed  to  consider  the  evidences  of  the 


600  LECTURE     XUJX. 

truth  of  our  Saviour's  history,  which  demand  our  unfeigned 
faith.  These  are  so  numerous,  that  they  cannot  all  be  now 
displayed  ;  but  I  select  the  following. 

That  the  history  of  Christ  is  altogether  unique;  That  it  is 
an  exact  fulfilment  of  the  predictions  of  four  thousand  years ; 
That  it  is  crowded  with  minute  evidences  of  veracity  ;  That  it 
is  prodigal  of  opportunities  for  sifting  the  truth  to  the  utmost ; 
and.  That  it  supplies  to  man  a  grand  desideratum. 

I  observe, 

I.  That  it  is  altogether  unique. 

I  use  this  last  term,  though  French,  because  I  know  of  no 
English  word  which  so  exactly  expresses  the  idea  I  wish  to 
convey — that  the  history  of  Christ  is  so  unlike  all  other  histo- 
ries, or  biographies,  that  there  is  but  this  one  thing  of  the 
kind  in  the  world.  And  what  acute  observer  can  cast  a  com- 
prehensive glance  at  the  narrative  which  we  have  passed 
through,  without  exclaiming,  almost  involuntarily,  "  AVhat  a 
prodigy  is  the  very  history  !"  There  is  not  only  no  match  for 
it ;  but  there  is  nothing  with  which  it  can  be  compared,  even 
to  show  how  it  leaves  all  other  histories  in  the  distance.  The 
life  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ  stand  more  completely  apart 
from  all  other  narratives,  than  the  sun  in  the  heavens  from  all 
other  created  objects.  We  may  conceive  of  other  suns,  in 
other  systems ;  but  we  can  scarcely  even  conceive  of  another 
Jesus,  or  another  such  history.  We  become  acquainted  with 
this  narrative  so  early,  and  so  gradually,  that  we  can  scarcely 
think  how  it  would  strike  the  intelligent  stranger.  But  he  that 
has  never  yet  heard  this  tale  has  greater  additions  to  make  to 
his  knowledge  of  facts,  and  persons,  and  events,  and  charac- 
ters, and  morals ;  than  we  can  ever  expect  to  make  to  our 
knowledge  of  these  objects,  by  entering  into  the  eternal  state  ; 
even  though  we  should  there  rove  incessantly  through  new 
worlds,  and  these  should  be  multiplied  by  creative  power 
through  all  eternity.  Whoever  catches  the  true  idea  of  this 
divine  story  commences  a  career  of  discovery,  and  admiration, 
and  delight,  of  which  eternity  shall  not  see  the  end.  He  feels 
in  a  higher  degree  what  we  are  sometimes  conscious  of,  on 
surveying  a  grand  display  of  architecture,  which  grows  upon 


TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  601 

our  admiration,  the  longer  we^  view  it ;  till  we  can  scarcely 
refrain  from  thinking,  that  the  object  itself  swells,  and  ac- 
quires new  grandeur  and  new  beauties,  with  every  step  of  the 
march  of  time. 

The  birth  of  Jesus  is  well  known  to  have  been  unique.  The 
laws  of  nature  were  reversed  in  his  conception,  as  was  proved 
to  all  the  parties  most  deeply  interested,  by  such  evidence  as 
never  could  be  furnished  by  a  forgery  invented  to  cover  a 
crime.  After  the  revolutions  of  earth  had  been  overruled,  to 
prepare  his  way,  and  serve  his  intended  empire ;  all  heaven 
was  put  in  motion,  to  announce  his  entrance  into  this  world. 
The  poverty  which  mortals  would  never  have  thought  of  as- 
signing to  such  a  King,  was  clothed  with  glory  such  as  never 
surrounded  a  palace,  much  less  a  cottage  or  a  manger.  For 
the  sages,  who  studied  the  signs  of  the  heavens,  were  drawn, 
by  a  celestial  light,  to  pay  their  homage  to  one  brought  forth 
among  cattle ;  and  the  very  murders  perpetrated  on  account 
of  the  jealousy  which  a  king  felt  at  this  birth,  proclaimed  its 
importance,  more  loiidly  than  hecatombs  slain  in  honour  of  his 
natal  day.  Nor  is  it  less  strange,  that  this  child  of  wondrous 
birth,  instead  of  maintaining  a  regular  march  of  miracles  and 
grandeur,  is  suddenly  plunged  into  profound  obscurity,  and 
lost,  to  our  view,  for  nearly  thirty  years.  There  is  nothing- 
like  this  in  the  history  of  either  fact  or  fiction.  At  length,  the 
whole  scene  is  reversed  ;  and  he  that  seemed  to  spend  thirty 
years  in  doing  nothing,  bursts  forth  into  a  life  of  such  activity 
and  glory,  for  upwards  of  three  years,  that  all  the  splendours 
of  ages  are  lost  in  the  blaze  of  this  single  person  ;  and,  even 
one  of  his  days,  contains  more  prodigies  than  the  church  of 
God  had  seen,  from  the  creation.  Miracles  of  omnipotence 
and  benevolence  are  wrought  by  him  in  such  number,  that 
they  are  thrown  together  in  a  cloud,  like  the  stars  in  the  milky 
way ;  and  no  more  is  said,  than  that  all  the  varieties  of  dis- 
ease crowded  around  him,  "  and  he  healed  them  all."  Dis- 
courses are  uttered  that  astound  us,  like  the  profusion  of 
miraculous  power ;  though  they  are  often  only  hinted  at,  not- 
withstanding the  confession  they  extort,  from  the  lips  of  un- 
willing witnesses,  that  •'  Never  man  spake  like  this  man." 


602  LECTURE    XCIX. 

That  a  life  spent  in  doing  good  should  be  terminated  by  an 
ignominious  death,  among  criminals,  was  not  to  be  expected. 
But  if,  in  his  life,  Jesus  surpassed  others,  in  his  death  he 
seems  to  have  surpassed  himself;  so  that  even  the  splendours 
of  his  own  previous  history  appear  to  become  shaded,  beside 
the  glories  which  he  has  contrived  to  throw  over  the  most 
gloomy  of  all  deaths,  or  public  executions. 

The  cross,  which  was  reckoned  more  infamous  than  the 
gibbet,  has,  from  the  hour  that  he  expired  upon  it,  become 
the  most  attractive  and  glorious  of  objects  ;  for  his  death  was 
a  prodigy  even  among  prodigies.  Whether  you  view  the  phy- 
sical, or  moral,  part  of  the  scene;  the  numerous  actors  in  the 
tragedy,  or  the  great  sufferer;  the  crimes  committed  by  the 
former,  or  the  virtue  displayed  by  the  latter ;  the  triumphant 
manner  in  which  he  passed  through  it  all,  or  the  extent  and 
perpetuity  of  the  consequences  to  this  world  and  to  the  next ; 
the  light  in  which  it  places  every  party  concerned,  the  moral 
Governor  of  the  universe,  the  much  injured  Saviour,  his 
ruthless,  though  causeless,  foes,  the  great  enemy  of  God  and 
man,  the  two  parties  into  which  it  has  divided  the  world — 
the  sinner  that  hates  the  cross,  and  the  believer  who  clings  to 
it  with  unutterable  confidence  and  attachment ;  every  thing 
connected  with  this  affair  justifies  the  exclamation  of  the 
French  sceptic,  "  Talk  of  Socrates,  what  madness  !  If  the  life 
and  death  of  Socrates  were  those  of  a  sage,  the  life  and  death 
of  Jesus  are  those  of  a  God." 

This  is,  indeed,  the  thing  which  the  Gospel  intends  to  give 
— the  history  of  God  incarnate.  But  what  can  be  more  ar- 
duous ?  How  far  it  surpasses  human  invention  we  may  learn  ; 
not  only  from  the  monstrous  stories  of  the  Hindoo  incarna- 
tions, which  exhibit  gods  with  thirty  millions  of  wives,  and 
cutting  off  as  many  enemies'  heads  ;  but  even  from  the  more 
elegant  tales  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  poets,  whose  incarnate 
deities,  though  less  monstrous,  were  little  more  divine. 

Here,  however,  a  person  is  introduced  into  the  world  as 
Immanuel,  God  with  us.  The  story,  thus  commenced,  is 
adequately  sustained,  and  terminates  in  a  style  worthy  of  the 
commencement.     If  the  attempt  to  exhibit  deity  in  human 


TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  603 

flesh  is  singular,  the  execution  is  so  completely  unique,  that 
all  the  abortive  attempts  seem  to  have  been  suffered,  only  to 
show,  that  the  thing  cannot  approach  to  probability  but  when 
it  actually  possesses  truth. 

Another  singularity  in  the  Saviour's  history  is,  that  it  ex- 
hibits absolute  perfection  of  character.  It  is  not  often,  that 
men  dare  even  to  attempt  to  sketch  a  thing  so  unknown  to 
this  world.  "  A  fatiltless  monster"  has  become  a  current 
phrase  ;  because  men  were  aware,  that  there  is  something  un- 
natural in  the  picture  that  has  been  attempted  to  be  given  of 
a  perfect  human  being.  The  heroes  whom  Homer  and  Virgil 
have  exhibited  are  well  known  to  be  far  enough  from  a  virtu- 
ous perfection.  But  the  writers  of  the  Gospel  have  attempted 
the  delineation  of  incarnate  virtue,  or  holiness,  and  have  suc- 
ceeded. A  man,  born  in  an  obscure  town,  in  low  circum- 
stances, is  exhibited  to  the  public  gaze,  placed  in  the  most 
critical  positions  ;  he  is  painted  to  the  life,  as  spotless  in  inno- 
cence ;  and  that  innocence,  not  the  tame  insipid  thing  of 
which  most  would  conceive,  amounting  to  little  more  than 
inanity,  but  combined  with  an  energy  of  character  which 
braved  the  shock  of  earth  and  hell ;  yet  that  energy  is  shown 
to  be  connected  with  a  correctness  in  which  envy  herself  can 
detect  no  flaw,  and  a  loveliness  of  benevolence  which  should 
fascinate  the  heart,  even  more  than  it  astounds  the  intellect. 
How  came  the  fishermen  of  Galilee  to  conceive  of  such  a 
character  ?  How  was  it  possible  for  them  to  exhibit  it  to  the 
life,  so  that  no  man  can  read  it  without  thinking  and  feeling 
that  he  has  before  him  veritable  biography? 

Nor  should  it  be  forgotten,  that  the  memoirs  of  Jesus  Christ 
stand  alone,  in  consequence  of  their  exhibiting  a  person  who, 
being  about  to  be  born,  sent  another  person  into  the  world, 
six  months  before,  to  announce  his  approach,  and  prepare  the 
world  to  give  him  a  due  reception.  Sprung  from  venerable 
parents,  and  ushered  into  the  world  with  prodigies,  this  fore- 
runner has  no  other  business,  but  to  say  of  his  principal, 
"There  he  is:  earth  receive  your  King!"  and  then  retire; 
exclaiming,  "  he  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease." 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  how  the  history  of  Christ  may  be 


604  LECTURE    XCIX. 

proved  to  be  true,  by  its  being  unique?  The  persons  who 
wrote  this  story  were  incapable  of  inventing  it.  Except  upon 
the  supposition,  that  the  events  really  occurred,  and  that  the 
historians  have  done  nothing  more  than  relate  facts,  the  whole 
narrative  is  utterly  unaccountable.  The  writers  were  not 
literary  men,  accustomed  to  employ  a  commanding  pen,  in 
telling  to  the  utmost  advantage  what  a  cultivated  imagination 
had  conceived.  The  Jews  were  not  a  literary  people,  like  the 
Greeks,  and  the  Evangelists  were  not  even  Jewish  scribes. 
The  men  who  wrote  this  account  of  Jesus  and  his  religion 
have,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  written  nothing  else.  Is  it 
credible,  that  such  men  should  have  invented  a  story  that  sur- 
passes the  genius  of  all  the  literati,  of  all  nations  and  ages  ? 
Can  we  suppose,  that  they  conceived  the  idea  of  a  person  and 
history  which  leaves  all  invention,  infinite  leagues  behind  i 
Have  they  been  able  to  sustain  the  daring  conception  of  an 
incarnate  God,  and  make  him  exactly  what  he  ought  to  be  ? 
Could  such  deceivers  delineate  to  the  life  perfect  virtue  I 

That  four  persons  should  have  undertaken  to  write  the  same 
story,  and  should  have  executed  it  in  the  loose  way  of  me- 
moirs or  anecdotes,  rather  than  in  the  form  of  systematic 
biography,  renders  the  idea  of  an  invention  still  more  incredi- 
ble, and  throws  an  air  of  ridicule  over  the  suspicion.  A  single 
man  may  hatch  a  lovely  fiction,  if  not  such  a  one  as  the  deist 
ascribes  to  the  Evangelists ;  but  that  three  others  should  join 
in  the  fraud,  and,  without  any  more  preconcert  than  appears 
in  the  four  Gospels,  maintain  a  substantial  harmony,  is  out  of 
the  reach  of  all  rational  supposition.  To  convince  yourselves 
of  this,  my  hearers,  go  to  our  fishermen,  at  Scarborough,  or 
any  other  sea-port,  and  find,  if  you  can,  one  capable  of  writ- 
ing from  imagination  such  a  tale.  The  attempt  to  find  one 
will  satisfy  you,  that  there  never  were  four  such,  at  one  time, 
in  any  country  under  heaven. 

The  next  proof  of  the  truth  of  this  history  is,  that 

II.  It  had  been  all  predicted,  during  a  course  of  four  thou- 
sand years. 

The  New  Testament  is  a  second  volume  of  divine  revela- 
tion.    It  opens  with  a  reference  to  the  Old,  and  professes  to 


TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  605 

record  the  fulfilment  of  predictions  given  in  the  first  volume. 
To  this,   an  infidel  might  naturally  reply,  "  But  is  the  Old 
Testament  genuine  ?     May  they  not  both  be  forgeries  ?     Was 
not  the  former  invented  for  the  sake  of  the  latter ;  the  prophecy 
of  the  Old  Testament  forged,  to  give  credibility  to  the  history 
of  the  New  ? "     But  here,  the  very  enemies  of  Christianity  rise 
up  and  bear  witness  in  its  behalf.     The  Jews  hold  the  writings 
of  Moses  and  the  prophets  in  their  hands,  as  a  most  sacred 
deposit  from  heaven  ;  and  would  sooner*  die  than  admit  that 
their  Scriptures  were  forgeries.     They  would  rather  forge  a  lie 
against  Christianity,  than  invent  any  thing  in  its  favour.     The 
Greek  translation  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  called  the  Septua- 
gint,  is  known  to  have  existed  many  years  before  the  coming 
of  Christ ;  and  this,  like  Pope's  version  of  Homer,  speaks  the 
existence  of  an  original. 

The  prophecies  declare  the  exact  time  at  which  Christ  should 
appear.  If  it  had  been  a  mere  guess,  that  some  great  deliverer 
might  happen  to  arise,  they  would  have  left  it  at  large,  and 
taken  the  chance  of  all  ages  for  a  fulfilment.  But,  by  fixing 
it  to  the  period  before  the  Jewish  state  should  be  destroyed  ; 
and  to  the  seventy  weeks  of  years,  four  hundred  and  ninety, 
from  the  building  of  Jerusalem  ;  they  gave  as  many  chances 
against  the  accidental  fulfilment  as  there  were  other  periods 
of  time,  beside  that  fixed  upon  as  the  era  of  the  Saviour's  birth. 
Christ  came  at  the  appointed  time. 

The  prophets  announce  the  country,  nay,  the  very  town, 
in  which  Christ  should  be  born.  Judea  is  called  Immanuel's 
land,  in  which  a  child,  to  be  called  Immanuel,  should  be  born 
to  us  ;  and  Bethlehem,  was  to  be  the  town  of  his  birth.*  This, 
again,  swelled  the  chances  against  the  fulfilment,  in  any  other 
than  a  divinely  appointed  way  ;  by  all  the  other  countries  and 
towns  in  the  whole  world,  in  which  a  great  deliverer  might 

arise. 

But   all  these  countries  and  towns  must  be  multiplied  in 

a  peculiar  way,  by  all  the  periods,  beside  that  in  which  Christ 

was  to  appear  ;  in  order  to  give  any  approach  to  the  number 

of  chances  there  were  against  the  mere  accidental  fulfilment 

*  Isa.  ix.  6 ;  Micah  v.  2. 


60G  LECTURE    XCIX. 

of  this  prediction.  Indeed,  the  calculation  should  be  made  in 
the  same  way  as  we  reckon  the  number  of  changes  that  may 
be  rung  on  a  certain  number  of  bells.  How  many  ways,  then, 
are  there,  in  which  the  chances  might  turn  up  wrong,  to  that 
only  one  in  which  they  could  be  right ! 

The  Old  Testament  foretold,  not  merely  that  the  promised 
deliverer  should  descend  fi'om  the  pair  whom  God  created,  but 
through  Abraham.  This  increased  the  chances  against  the 
accidental  fulfilment,  by  all  the  other  men  in  the  world  at  that 
time,  from  whom  a  deliverer  might  happen  to  descend.  Again, 
it  was  limited  to  Isaac,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  sons  of 
Abraham ;  afterwards  to  Jacob  ;  then  to  Judah  alone,  out  of 
twelve  brethren ;  next  to  David  and  Solomon.  Now  the 
chances  were  swollen  by  all  the  other  descendants  of  Abraham, 
of  Jacob,  of  Judah,  and  of  David.  All  these  numbers,  not 
easily  calculable,  must  be  made  the  multipliers  to  the  pre- 
ceding amount ;  or  rather,  we  must  add  so  much  more  to  the 
progression  of  chances  against  accidental  fulfilment.* 

The  circumstances  in  life  in  which  Christ  should  appear 
were  foretold.  Though  descending  from  a  king,  it  was  to  be 
when  the  royal  stock  was  cut  down,  leaving  a  mere  stump  in 
the  ground  ;  so  that  he  should  be  "  despised  and  rejected  of 
men."-^}-  He  was  to  be  of  a  "  meek  and  gentle  spirit." :|;  He 
was  to  work  miracles,  such  as  giving  sight  to  the  blind  ;  "  then 
the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf 
shall  be  unstopped."  §  He  must,  however,  be  rejected  and 
put  to  death. II  The  exact  death  he  should  die  was  foretold, 
"  being  pierced,  but  not  having  his  bones  broken  ;'%  though 
dashing  the  person  to  pieces  with  great  stones,  was  the  mode 
in  which  the  Jews  executed  those  who  were  rejected,  as  blas- 
phemous pretenders  to  a  divine  commission.  Messiah  was  to  be 
"  numbered  with  transgressors."  Jesus  was  crucified  between 
two  thieves.**  His  enemies  were  to  part  his  garments  among 
them,  and  cast  lots  for  his  vesture.ff     They  were  to  utter  cer- 

*  Gen.  xii.  3;  xxvi.  4;  xxviii.  14;  xlix.  10  ;  Psal.  cxxxii. 

t  Isaiah  liii.  2,  3;  xi.  1.  |  Ibid.  xlii.  2,  3. 

§  Ibid.  XXXV.  5;  also  xlii.  7.  ||  Ibid.  liii.  12. 

H  Psalm  xxii.  16.  **  Isaiah  liii.  12.  ft  Psalm  xxii.  18. 


TRUTH    OP    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  6(>7 

tain  taunts  and  reproaches.*  They  were  to  mock  him  in  his 
tliirst,  by  giving  him  vinegar  to  drink.f  The  words  he  should 
utter  on  the  cross  were  predicted,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me?" J  The  manner  in  which  he  should 
be  buried  was  prescribed.  A.nd  he  made  his  grave  with  the 
wicked,  and  with  the  rich  in  his  death.§  The  success  which 
should  attend  his  cause,  after  it  seemed  desperate,  was  foretold. 
That  some  of  these  prophecies  seemed  contradictory  you 
should  observe ;  as,  that  he  should  be  of  the  royal  house  of 
David,  and  yet  be  despised  of  the  people,  esteemed  a  worm 
and  scarcely  a  man.  When  you  reflect  on  the  tendency  of 
man  to  idolize  royalty,  nothing  seemed  more  unlikely  than 
that  one  should  be  proved  to  be  the  promised  deliverer,  de- 
scended from  the  ancient  royal  family  of  David,  and  yet  should 
be  thus  treated.  When,  again,  you  consider  how  eager  this 
people  was  to  receive  any  pretender  to  Messiahship,  how  un- 
likely was  it,  that  one  who  could  work  miracles  should  be 
despised  by  them  !  Again,  that  he  should  make  his  grave  with 
the  wicked,  and  with  the  rich  in  his  death,  was  improbable  ; 
because  rich  men  seldom  choose  to  have  their  graves  near  those 
of  malefactors.  But  in  this  case  it  was  verified  ;  for  Joseph 
of  Arimathea  had  a  garden  near  Calvary,  where  Jesus,  with 
the  two  thieves,  was  crucified ;  and  in  this  garden  Joseph  had 
prepared  a  tomb  for  himself,  in  which  he  deposited  the  body 
of  Christ ;  because  it  was  near,  and  the  preparation  for  the 
sabbath  would  not  admit  of  carrying  the  body  farther. 

Once  more,  that  they  should  part  Christ's  garments  among 
the  soldiers  who  executed  him,  and  yet  that  lots  should  be 
cast,  seemed  improbable;  for  if  they  part  them  into  equal 
portions,  why  cast  lots  ?  and  if  they  cast  lots,  why  part  the 
clothes  ?  Then,  however,  it  was  found,  that  there  was  one 
garment  which  all  wished  to  have,  and  none  to  see  rent ;  they, 
therefore,  make  four  parts  of  the  other  vestments,  for  each 
soldier  a  part ;  and  cast  lots  who  should  have  the  whole  of  this 
one  more  precious  article  of  his  dress. 

Now  these  prophecies  are  all  contained  in  the  Scriptures, 

*  Psalm  xxii.  7,  8.  t  Psalm  Ixii.  21 . 

t  Psalm  xxii.  1.  §  Isaiah  liii.  9. 


608  LECTURE    XCIX. 

which  the  Jews  hold  in  their  hands,  as  writings  divinely  in- 
spired. The  inveterate  enemies  of  Christ  cannot  be  suspected 
of  inventing  these  predictions,  in  favour  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
whom  they  abhor ;  and  they  can  furnish  good  evidence  that 
the  prophecies  were  delivered,  ages  before  Jesus  Christ  was 
born.  Yet  any  person  may  calculate  how  incredible  it  is,  that 
chance  should  cause  so  many  predictions  to  find  their  fulfil- 
ment in  one  person  ;  and  how  impossible  it  was  for  human 
device  to  manage  matters  so  as  to  fit  the  history  of  any  one 
man,  to  secure  to  him  the  credit  which  arises  from  all  this  body 
of  predictions. 

These  prophecies  were  not  all  delivered  by  one  person,  at 
one  time,  in  one  place  ;  but  by  various  persons,  during  four 
thousand  years,  and  they  are  scattered  over  the  whole  Hebrew 
Scriptures.  From  the  earliest  days  of  the  world,  when  our 
great  progenitors  were  in  paradise,  Christ's  history  was  com- 
menced, in  the  promise  of  the  seed  of  the  woman  to  bruise  the 
serpent's  head,  though  at  the  price  of  bruising  his  own  heel. 
The  history  was  carried  on,  by  stroke  after  stroke,  for  thou- 
sands of  years,  till  the  person  came  who  was  to  fulfil  every 
prediction  in  his  single  story.  Sufier  your  minds  to  dwell 
upon  the  phenomenon  of  a  person  coming  into  the  world,  not 
to  have  his  history  written,  for  the  first  time,  but  to  verify 
what  had  been  written  of  him,  at  intervals,  during  four  thou- 
sand years.  But,  that  another  person  was  to  come,  just  before 
this  principal,  in  order  to  announce  his  approach,  multiplies 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  infidel's  supposition,  that  all 
was  either  forgery  or  accident. 

If  this  was  a  mere  invention  ;  what  has  been  done  may  be 
done  again.  Conceive,  then,  of  some  persons  devising  a  system 
of  predictions,  which,  commencing  now,  is  to  run  on,  with 
additions,  from  time  to  time,  for  some  thousands  of  years. 
How  can  the  men  of  this  day  insure  the  rise  of  others,  in  a 
distant  futurity,  to  add  prediction  to  prediction,  and  keep  up 
the  scheme,  for  many  ages  after  the  original  projectors  are 
dead  ?  And  who  would  venture  to  say,  that  six  months  before 
the  birth  of  the  most  extraordinary  person  that  ever  appeared, 
another  should  be  born,  to  tell  of  the  coming  of  the  principal  ? 


TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  609 

I  may  safely  leave  this  part  of  the  subject  to  youp  own  reflec- 
tions, and  advance  to  shovsr,  concerning-  the  history  of  Christ, 

III.  That  it  is  crowded  with  evidences  of  its  own  truth. 

No  reflecting  candid  man  can  read  the  evangelical  history, 
without  feeling  an  unconquerable  conviction,  that,  through  all 
the  gospels,  prevails  the  air  of  sincerity  and  veracity.  You  every 
where  see  the  plain,  straight-forward  manner  of  artless  wit- 
nesses to  the  truth.  The  history  of  Jesus  Christ  is  every  thing 
that  a  forgery  would  not  be.  There  are  four  different  histo- 
rians of  the  Saviour,  which  would  naturally  arise  out  of  the 
importance  of  the  facts,  and  the  number  of  persons  in  different 
parts  of  the  world  interested  in  the  events,  and  anxiously  de- 
sirous of  being  well  informed  of  the  truth.  The  different  his- 
torians evidently  write  from  some  common  original,  keeping 
it  constantly  in  view. 

But,  while  this  necessarily  gave  an  air  of  sameness  to  their 
gospels ;  there  is  such  a  variety  as  shows  that  they  have  not 
compared  notes,  nor  studied  appearances.  There  is,  on  the 
contrary,  so  much  of  the  spirit  of  independent  witnesses,  that 
we  are  frequently  startled  at  the  appearance  of  contradiction. 
But  this,  which  has  been  eagerly  caught  at  by  the  enemy,  as 
a  proof  of  falsehood,  is  seen,  on  closer  inspection,  to  be  just 
what  always  happens,  when  separate  witnesses  narrate  indu- 
bitable facts.  On  a  patient  consideration  of  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case,  all  the  appearance  of  contradiction 
vanishes. 

The  history  of  the  world,  at  the  time  of  our  Saviour's  ap- 
pearance, confirms  the  testimony  of  the  gospels.  Lardner 
has,  with  great  labour  and  accuracy,  collected  from  Jewish 
and  heathen  writers  such  concurrent  hints  or  details  of  facts, 
as  serve  to  produce  a  most  powerful  conviction  that  the  whole 
history  of  the  gospels  is  true. 

Through  all  the  other  parts  of  the  New  Testament,  there 
are  continual  references  to  the  history  of  Jesus  ;  and  many  of 
them  are  minutely  circumstantial,  intimating  a  confidence  in 
the  writers  that  they  are  referring  to  real  facts.  The  letters 
of  the  Apostles,  written  during  the  life  of  many  of  Christ's 
contemporaries,  make  such  appeals  as  show  the  same  convic- 

VOL.  II.  2  R 


610  LECTURE    XCIX, 

tion  that    all  which  the  gospels  record  is  true.     Paley  has 
finely  developed  this  in  his  Hora:  Paulin<B. 

During-  the  course  of  these  Lectures,  I  have  pointed  out 
so  many  proofs  of  veracity,  that  I  am  afraid  to  enlarge  upon 
this  head,  lest  I  should  appear  to  fall  into  mere  repetition. 
Many  of  these  evidences  of  truth  are  so  minute,  and  evidently 
arise  so  accidentally  out  of  the  circumstances  of  the  history, 
without  any  contrivance  on  the  part  of  the  narrators,  that,  in 
a  court  of  justice,  where  the  law  of  evidence  is  best  understood, 
they  would  produce  the  strongest  conviction  in  the  minds  of 
an  intelligent  jury. 

I  beg  your  best  attention,  now,  to  another  evidence  of  the 
truth  of  the  Saviour's  history. 

IV.  It  is  prodigal  of  opportunities  of  detection. 

Let  an  acute  inquirer  take  up  the  Koran  of  Mahomed,  and 
he  will  be  struck  with  the  loose  generality  of  the  whole  book. 
It  is  a  perpetual  rhapsody,  which  certainly  does  not  invite, 
and  scarcely  admits,  discussion.  But  the  gospel  of  Matthew 
opens  with  a  reference  to  dates  and  names,  which  reduces 
things  to  the  test  of  historic  truth.  The  time,  the  place,  the 
manner,  the  effects,  the  witnesses,  the  enemies  of  the  facts, 
are  all  stated  in  such  a  way,  as  must  have  struck  any  inventor 
to  be  hazardous,  or  rather  to  be  sure  of  leading  to  detection. 

The  whole  history  of  Christ  is  laid,  not  in  a  remote  age  of 
the  world,  which  is  called  the  fabulous,  to  which  history  never 
ascends  ;  but  in  a  time  when  some  of  the  best  historians  were 
living,  and  of  the  events  of  which  we  actually  have  the  fullest 
and  b  J  t  narratives. 

If  it  be  said,  Judea  was  an  obscure  country,  we  answer,  not 
in  its  geographic  position,  nor  at  the  period  when  our  Lord 
appeared  in  it.  It  had  then  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
most  powerful  empires.  The  two  mighty  rival  successors  of 
Alexander,  the  Seleucidse  of  Syria,  and  the  Ptolemies  of 
Egypt,  had  contended  for  Judea,  which  lay  between  them  ; 
and  the  Maccabees,  who  rose  to  defend  their  country  from  both 
those  powers,  had  roused  the  notice  of  the  world  to  their  heroic 
deeds  of  patriotism.  The  Romans,  under  Pompey,  had  inter- 
posed, and  seized  the  disputed  soil. 


TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  611 

The  gospels,  or  histories  of  Jesus  Christ,  were  published 
in  the  very  country,  where  the  events  are  said  to  have  hap- 
pened, and  so  soon  after,  that  the  subjects  and  witnesses 
were  still  alive.  The  country  was  then  under  the  rule  of  the 
enemies  of  Christ,  who  had  staked  their  credit  upon  contra- 
dicting- his  claim  to  the  faith  of  the  nation. 

The  Jews  have  been  left  in  unbelief  to  this  day,  to  afford 
to  all  ages  and  all  nations  an  opportunity  of  questioning  the 
witnesses  on  the  other  side.  But  the  most  rigorous  cross-ex- 
amination serves  only  to  prove  more  clearly  the  truth  of  the 
Saviour's  history.  Seize  every  opportunity  to  converse  with 
the  most  acute  and  intelligent  Jews,  on  the  Saviour's  history, 
miracles,  life,  and  death  ;  and  you  will  then  be  more  deeply 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  gospels. 

Paine,  who  has  the  art  of  giving  to  sophistical  jokes  the  air 
of  convincing  argument,  says,  "  The  Christians  appeal  to  the 
Jews  in  proof  of  the  truth  of  their  religion ;  and  the  Jews  say 
it  is  false.  This  is,  as  if  I  should  call  my  servant  to  prove 
what  I  say  ;  and,  when  he  comes,  he  says,  it  is  a  lie."  But 
now  let  us  analyze  this  sophism.  How  do  the  Christians 
appeal  to  the  Jews  ?  Certainly  not  to  give  their  opinion 
whether  Christianity  is  true  or  false  ;  for,  if  they  thought  it 
true,  they  would  be  Christians,  and  no  longer  Jews.  But  we 
appeal  to  the  existence  of  the  Jews,  as  a  separate  people, 
scattered  over  the  face  of  the  earth,  according  to  Christ's 
prediction.  To  institute  a  fair  comparison,  we  should  saj', 
"  You  deny  that  my  servant  is  alive,  I  call  him,  and  he  comes : 
if  he  say,  I  am  not  alive,  this  would  not  favour  your  asser- 
tion ;  for  it  is  manifest,  by  his  appearance,  and  his  being  able 
to  speak  at  all,  that  he  is  alive."  The  very  existence  of  the 
Jews  is  a  proof  of  the  Christian  history. 

In  spite  of  Volney,  or  the  whole  host  of  infidels,  the  Jews 
own  that  there  was  such  a  person  as  Jesus,  nor  do  they  deny 
that  he  wrought  miracles.  But  they  say,  he  effected  them  by 
the  magic  power  of  the  name  Jehovah.  Now,  we  know  what 
credit  is  due  to  the  tales  of  magic,  and  the  potent  charm  of 
the  mere  sound  of  a  w  ord. 

The  Jews  own  also,  that  their  fathers  crucified  Jesus,  and 


O     R     o 

/W       JX       'W 


h 


612  LECTURE    XCIX. 

declare  that,  in  similar  circumstances,  they  would  do  the  same 
again.  With  this  spirit,  which  prompts  them  now  to  turn 
in  every  direction,  to  find  an  argument  against  Christianity, 
they  were  foiled  when  the  gospels  were  published.  Soon 
after,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  dispersed  them  among 
all  nations,  and  sent  with  them  their  fatal  ambition  to  blast 
the  credit  of  the  Saviour's  name.  But  our  religion  spread 
most  rapidly,  in  the  very  countries  where  the  enemy  was 
most  busy  in  propagating  aspersions  on  the  evangelical  tes- 
timony. 

Christianity  made  its  first  converts  in  the  larger  cities  of 
the  world,  where  the  greatest  opportunities  were  afforded, 
by  commerce,  and  by  the  Jewish  merchants  who  travelled 
about,  to  investigate  its  claims.  In  the  cities  of  the  Greeks, 
a  people  intelligent  and  inquiring,  philosophical  and  literary; 
in  Corinth,  Athens,  Ephesus,  and  Alexandria,  the  Gospel 
opened  its  commission,  and  formed  its  first  churches.  Among 
the  Romans  too,  who  were  the  masters  of  the  world,  and 
could  procure  from  all  parts  evidences  of  facts,  and  call  upon 
their  governors  in  Palestine  to  give  an  account  of  every  thing 
that  happened  there,  the  Apostles  published  the  Saviour's 
name ;  and  called  for  a  belief  of  their  proclamation,  on  pain 
of  eternal  ruin. 

Persecution,  which  followed  the  earliest  Christians,  leads 
to  investigation.  But,  though  we  hear  enough  of  the  brute 
force  which  the  Jews  employed,  we  hear  nothing  of  their 
arguments.  When  the  Romans  became  persecutors  of  the 
Christians,  we  still  meet  with  no  confronting  testimony  or 
rational  arguments ;  so  that  we  are  restricted,  or,  if  I  may  be 
allowed  the  expression,  cramped  in  our  efforts  to  prove  Chris- 
tianity true,  by  the  total  absence  of  every  thing  in  the  shape 
of  reason  that  should  prove  it  false.  We  bring  our  forces  into 
a  field  in  which  we  can  find  no  tangible  foe. 

This  religion  which  has  given  every  advantage  for  inves- 
tigation, has  the  grand  peculiarity  of  appealing  to  matters 
of  fact,  which  best  admit  of  evidence.  If  it  has  what  some 
call  speculative  doctrines,  these  are  not  in  the  first  place 
proposed    to   our   belief.      The   mighty   signs   and    wonders 


TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  1)13 

which  attended  the  Saviour's  mission,  and  the  miracles  he 
wrought,  were  as  capable  of  being  proved  or  disproved  as 
any  other  events. 

No  impostor  would  have  ventured  to  mention  such  things 
as  are  recorded  concerning  the  Saviour's  death.  Every  in- 
habitant of  Jerusalem  must  have  known,  whether  darkness 
happened  at  mid-day,  when  Christ  hung  upon  the  cross,  and 
when  there  could  have  been  no  natural  eclipse  of  the  sun. 
They  must  all  have  known,  whether,  when  Christ  cried  out, 
"  It  is  finished  ;  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit," 
an  earthquake  split  the  rocks,  opened  the  graves,  and  rent 
the  veil  of  the  temple.  They  must  have  known  whether,  in 
spite  of  the  guards  at  the  sepulchre,  the  body  of  Jesus  was 
out  of  their  grasp,  on  the  third  day.  As  to  the  story  of  the 
guards,  the  Gospel  tells  that  for  them  ;  and  so  far  is  it  from 
being  a  serious  counter  statement,  that  it  only  needs  to  be 
told  in  order  to  be  despised.  The  whole  history  of  Jesus  is 
all  that  an  impostor  would  not  invent ;  for  it  is  such,  that 
if  it  were  not  true,  it  could  not  for  a  moment  escape  de- 
tection. 

Finally,  the  history  of  Jesus  has  this  evidence  of  truth, 

that, 

V.  It  supplies  men  with  their  grand  desideratum. 

If  I  say  that  Jesus  Christ  is  exhibited  to  us,  as  a  visitor 
from  another  world  ;  I  think  I  hear  you  exclaim,  "  The  very 
thing  we  want."  Now,  is  it  probable,  that  a  mere  lucky 
imposture  should  have  hit  on  the  very  thing  that  the  wisest 
philosophers,  and  the  simplest  inquirers  after  truth,  have 
longed  for— a  visitor  from  heaven,  to  tell  us  the  secrets  of 
our  Maker's  will? 

That  pattern  of  perfect  virtue,  which  was  so  unlikely  to  be 
derived  from  the  mere  invention  of  impostors,  in  the  fishing 
boats  of  Galilee,  was  the  identical  thing  we  needed.  It  is 
proverbial,  that,  in  morals,  example  is  more  forcible  than 
precepts.  Of  the  excellence  inculcated  by  words  we  often 
fail  to  catch  the  true  idea,  or  feel  the  genuine  charm.  But, 
when  reduced  to  practice,  it  speaks  effectually  to  the  under- 
standing and  the  heart. 


614  LKCTURE    XCIX. 

We  all  need  some  grand  example  of  holiness,  to  which  we 
may  look  up  as  a  common  standard.  Jesus  furnishes  such 
a  model,  in  the  person  of  one  in  whom  we  are  deeply  in- 
terested ;  so  that  we  cannot  say  of  any  thing  he  does,  What 
is  that  to  us  ?  If  the  great  are  the  makers  of  our  manners, 
and  the  arbiters  of  opinions;  in  Jesus  Christ  the  Christian 
beholds  virtue  exemplified  by  the  first  personage  that  ever 
visited  this  world. 

But  we  are  most  influenced  by  the  example  of  those  we 
love ;  and  we  are  under  such  obligations  to  Jesus  Christ, 
that  his  character  should  be  the  mould  into  which  our  hearts 
are  cast.  This  example  of  Christ  was  given  in  exactly  that 
class  of  life,  and  station  in  society,  which  rendered  it  of 
universal  use.  Jesus  spent  his  mortal  days  among  those 
classes  of  mankind  which  must  ever  be  most  numerous. 
Thus  he  showed  religion,  in  her  every-day's  dress,  perform- 
ing her  ordinary  duties,  and  exposed  to  the  trials  which  must 
be  the  common  lot  of  the  pious. 

But,  as  we  never  need  the  force  of  animating  examples 
more,  than  when  exposed  to  the  depressions  of  affliction, 
that  we  may  learn  the  difficult  art  of  pleasing  God,  when  his 
ways  are  most  displeasing  to  us,  Christ  has  exhibited  to  us 
all  the  charms  of  suffering  virtue. 

Thus,  also,  his  example  teaches  us  how  to  die  ;  and  not 
merely  to  die  in  raptures,  but,  if  God  please,  in  darkness 
and  clouds,  saying  with  Job,  "  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will 
I  trust  in  him." 

Is  it  rational  to  suppose,  that  all  this  was  the  accidentid 
effect  of  a  wicked  imposture  I 

We  all  feel  our  need  of  such  a  proof  of  the  future  state, 
as  will  be,  at  the  same  time,  a  specimen.  Men  might  na- 
turally say,  if  we  had  seen  one  who  had  risen  from  the 
dead,  we  could  believe  in  the  resurrection  ;  and  if,  toge- 
ther with  the  example  of  a  risen  glorious  body,  he  were  to 
exhibit  a  specimen  of  an  ascension  to  the  skies,  this  would 
set  the  important  question  of  future  blessedness  at  rest.  This 
is  what  the  history  of  Jesus  Christ  has  done.  Is  it,  then, 
to    be    believed,    that    an    imposture    should,    by    accident. 


TRUTH    OF    CHRIST'S    HISTORY.  015 

have  supplied    the  very  thing  which   we   all  feel  to  be  so 
desirable  ? 

I  might  urge,  too,  that  an  atoning  sacrifice  for  sin,  a 
medium  through  which  the  moral  Governor  of  the  world 
might  honourably  restore  sinners  to  favour,  is  the  grand 
desideratum  with  man  ;  and  that  Jesus  Christ,  as  exhibited 
in  the  Gospel,  professes  to  have  supplied  this  medium  of 
mercy ;  but  I  forbear,  for  this  will  be  touched  upon  in  my 
next  lecture,  which  is  to  display  the  practical  uses  to  be  made 
of  the  record  which  the  gospels  furnish,  concerning  the  life 
and  death  of  the  Son  of  God. 


G16 


LECTURE    C. 

the  practical  improvement  of  the 
saviour's  history. 

John  xiii.  17. 

If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them. 

The  Greek  moralist  closes  his  advice  to  his  disciples,  by  say- 
ing, "  As  the  sheep  do  not  bring  to  the  shepherds  the  grass 
they  have  eaten,  to  show  how  much  they  have  consumed  ; 
but,  having  inwardly  digested  the  pasture,  they  produce  out- 
wardly wool  and  milk,  so  do  thou;  show  not  to  every  one 
the  words  thou  hast  learned,  but  having  digested  these,  shew 
the  works  they  should  produce."  If  the  very  heathen  saw, 
so  clearly,  that  practice  is  the  end  of  all  moral  and  religious 
instruction ;  how  deeply  should  this  sentiment  be  fixed  in  the 
hearts  of  Christians,  who  have  heard  their  Lord  say,  "  If  ye 
know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them!"  Dare  we 
then  close  these  Lectures  on  the  History  of  Jesus  Christ, 
without  devoting  one  to  the  consideration  of  the  practical 
improvement  which  his  life  requires  ?  To  this  I  now  turn, 
and  entreat  you  to  give  to  the  Saviour's  history  the  attention 
which  it  demands  ;  give  to  the  subject  of  it  the  confidence 
of  your  soul ;  give  your  whole  heart  to  the  Saviour  of  men  ; 
bow  to  his  will,  as  to  your  sovereign  rule ;  study  to  be  like 
him,  who  is  your  model ;  and  set  your  heart  upon  living  for 
ever  with  him. 

I.  Give  to  the  Saviour's  history  the  attention  which  is  its 
due. 

The  appearance  of  a  comet  in  our  planetary  system  excites 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  THE  SAVIOUR'S  HISTORY.        G17 

universal  notice,  and  becomes,  for  a  time,  the  sole  theme 
of  the  most  interesting  conversation.  Nor  is  it  unworthy  of 
creatures,  placed  as  we  are,  amidst  the  works  of  God,  to  gaze 
upon  such  a  stranger  sent  athwart  our  sky.  The  rise  of  a 
new  conqueror,  or  destroyer,  in  the  earth,  absorbs  the  atten- 
tion of  half  the  inhabitants  of  the  globe.  But  shall  we  be 
roused  by  comets,  or  by  conquerors,  and  pass  by  with  stupid 
indifference  a  professed  messenger  from  the  skies,  a  revealer 
of  heaven's  secrets ;  a  legislator,  a  Saviour ;  a  God,  who  de- 
clares that  he  will  one  day  judge  the  world  ? 

As  the  Gospel  is  the  history  of  Him,  who  tells  us  that  "  for 
us  he  lived,  and  for  us  he  died  ;"  it  should  excite  more  lively 
and  intense  interest  than  the  memoirs  of  our  own  father. 
With  all  who  profess  to  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  took  our 
nature,  that  he  might  expiate  our  guilt ;  and  entered  into 
this  world,  that  he  might  lead  us  back  with  him,  to  that 
better,  which  is  his  native  place;  the  record  of  his  conduct 
and  treatment,  while  here,  should  excite  an  interest  most  in- 
tense, an  interest  unutterable,  eternal. 

Nor  should  we,  for  a  moment,  forget  that  this  is  the  his- 
tory of  the  person  on  whom  our  present  and  eternal  fortunes 
depend.  Were  we  continually  supported  by  one  whom  we 
had  never  seen,  we  should  feel  an  indescribable  curiosity 
concerning  his  character  and  temper ;  and  even  his  features, 
and  most  trifling  peculiarities,  would  be  to  us  important  af- 
fairs. We  never  could  see  a  person  who  had  come  from 
him,  without  pouring  out  a  torrent  of  queries  concerning  the 
unknown  friend.  If  there  were  extant  a  history  of  him  which 
delineated  him  to  the  life,  so  that  those  who  studied  that  book 
might  be  said  to  know  him  well,  we  should  pour  over  it,  till 
we  had  it  almost  by  heart.  Now,  our  present  peace  and 
safety,  and  our  eternal  happiness  depend  upon  Jesus  Christ, 
a  person  whom  we  have  never  seen ;  who  has  been  in  this 
world,  indeed,  but  in  a  remote  period ;  before  we  were  born, 
and  in  a  country  distant  from  our  own.  We  cannot  hope  to 
meet  with  a  person  who  has  ever  seen  him ;  but,  to  supply 
the  want  of  personal  knowledge,  or  hearsay  information,  we 
have  a  book,  containing  four  distinct  narratives,  which  tell 


618  LECTURK    C. 

all  we  need  to  know  here,  concerning  him  whom  we  expect, 
one  day,  to  behold. 

And  how  shall  we  behold  him?  As  our  judge,  seated  on 
the  tribunal  of  the  universe.  Were  our  whole  fortune  de- 
pendent on  a  suit  at  law,  we  should  be  anxious  to  know  by 
what  judge  the  issue  would  be  tried.  But,  still  more  intense 
would  be  our  curiosity,  if  the  question  were  not  property,  but 
life.  We  are  to  be  tried  for  our  life,  our  eternal  life,  by  that 
Jesus  whose  history  is  given  in  the  gospels.  Need  I  say 
more,  to  urge  you  to  study  to  know  him  ? 

Nor  should  it  be  forgotten,  that  we  profess  to  hope  for  the 
bliss  of  living  for  ever  with  him.  If  all  our  days,  from  this 
moment,  were  to  be  spent  in  the  abode  and  in  the  society  of  a 
person  whom  we  had  never  seen,  our  imagination  would  be  on 
the  stretch,  to  form  a  picture  of  him.  How  many  conjectures 
we  should  form,  concerning  his  person  and  manners,  his  tastes 
and  conversation !  We  are  to  pass,  not  merely  a  period  equi- 
valent to  this  narrow  space  of  life,  but  a  whole  eternity,  in  the 
presence  of  Jesus  Christ ;  unless  (which  I  shudder  even  to 
suppose)  we  miss  the  state  of  bliss.  Every  thing,  then, 
depends  on  our  conformity  to  the  character  and  tastes  of 
this  person.  Should  we  not,  therefore,  be  anxious  to  study 
those  records,  which  are  exactly  adapted  to  make  this  Jesus 
known? 

An  Apostle,  who  had  been  converted  by  such  a  sight  of 
that  Holy  One  as,  for  a  time,  struck  the  feeble  mortal  blind ; 
who  learned-  the  whole  history  and  doctrine  of  the  Gospel 
from  the  Saviour's  own  mouth;  who  had,  since  that  period, 
been  caught  up  to  the  third  heavens,  and  heard  what  was  not 
to  be  repeated  ;  yet  uttered  this,  as  the  fondest  wish  of  his 
soul,  "  That  I  may  know  him !" 

Shall  we,  then,  consume  our  time  on  other  objects,  and  be- 
come familiar  with  other  persons,  and  remain  ignorant  of 
Jesus  Christ,  to  know  whom  is  life  eternal  ?  Bend,  then,  all 
the  glory  of  your  mental  power  to  this  object.  Give  your  days 
and  nights  to  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  contained  in  the 
Scriptures.  Read  the  narrative  of  the  Gospel  with  your  whole 
soul.     Labour  to  realize  the  scenes  exhibited.     Place  vour- 


IMPROVEMKNT  OF  THE  SAVIOUR'S  HISTORY.         (519 

selves  on  the  spot,  and  conceive  that  you  see  and  hear  the 
Son  of  God,  in  human  flesh,  doing  wondrous  deeds,  and  utter- 
ing divine  words.  Form  your  estimate  of  the  Saviour,  from 
this  evidence  of  facts ;  and  live  like  men  who  have  been  smit- 
ten with  the  unutterable  grace,  and  grandeur,  and  wisdom, 
and  purity,  and  loveliness  of  this  unrivalled  person.  Entertain 
a  horror  of  the  thought  of  busying  yourselves  about  a  thou- 
sand inferior  things  and  persons  ;  and,  at  last,  standing  at  his 
tribunal,  to  be  judged  by  one  almost  unknown. 

II.  Give  to  the  Son  of  God  the  confidence  of  your  soul. 
The  whole  Gospel  is  addressed  to  our  faith,  and  every  line 
of  it  should  prove  a  link  of  that  chain  which  binds  conviction 
on  our  souls.  We  should  rise  from  the  reading  of  the  mira- 
cles of  Jesus  Christ,  as  we  think  we  should  have  gone  away 
from  seeing  them  ;  not  only  agitated  with  astonishment,  but 
exclaiming,  "  This  is  the  true  God,  and  eternal  life."  Sight 
has,  indeed,  some  advantages  over  report ;  but  these  are 
rather  felt  by  the  animal  man,  than  seen  by  the  intellectual. 
We  profess  not  to  doubt  that  the  miracles  were  wrought;  and, 
therefore,  we  are  bound,  in  all  reason  and  candour,  to  feel 
that  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ  are  divine  oracles,  and  his 
commands  the  statutes  of  heaven. 

As  this  life  of  prodigies  is  yet  no  romance,  but  a  sober  nar- 
rative of  truth;  so  we  cannot  say,  "It  is  a  tale  of  other 
worlds,  in  which  I  have  no  interest." 

This  person  came  into  the  world  to  visit  us,  when  in  a 
state  of  ruin ;  and  his  history  is  exhibited,  that  it  may  be 
believed ;  and  believed,  that  it  may  effect  its  purpose,  in  our 
salvation. 

Thouffh  Jesus  Christ  knows  that  men  exclaim,  "  We  can- 
not  command  our  faith  ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  believe  true 
what  appears  false,"  his  Gospel  comes  to  us  with  no  timid 
temporising  tone ;  but,  bearding  our  consciences,  and  sum- 
moning all  our  souls  to  meet  the  evidence,  challenges  us  to 
bow  and  believe,  on  peril  of  our  eternal  perdition.  For  our 
Maker  knows  our  frame,  is  aware  what  constitution  he  has 
imparted  to  our  minds ;  and  if  he  has  said,  "  He  that  believ- 


620  LECTURE    C. 

eth  not  shall  be  damned ;"  it  is  because  he  knows,  that  none 
can  reject  the  Gospel,  but  from  causes  which  deserve  condem- 
nation. 

The  superficial  acquaintance  with  the  subject  and  its  evi- 
dences, which  is  found  to  be  the  constant  attendant  on  infi- 
delity, is  itself  a  crime.  No  rightly-constituted  mind  could 
possibly  forbear  to  investigate  thoroughly  a  theme  so  grand, 
so  commanding,  and  so  suited  to  the  tastes  of  a  lover  of  truth, 
benevolence  and  virtue.  The  man  who  does  not  pay  so  much 
homage  to  the  very  idea  presented  to  us  in  the  Gospel,  as  to 
determine  to  know,  whether  it  has  a  genuine  existence,  or  is 
only  a  lovely  fiction,  will  be  convicted  by  the  searcher  of 
hearts,  before  an  assembled  world,  of  having  been  pre-occu- 
pied  by  vicious  affections,  which  rendered  him  dead  to  all  that 
is  desirable  in  character  or  events. 

But,  if  we  profess  to  believe,  and  yet  slight  the  whole 
affair;  let  us  not  flatter  ourselves  with  the  hope  that  Jesus 
Christ  will  feel  himself  flattered  by  the  compliment  of  an  ac- 
knowledgment, and  favour  us,  because  we  have  appeared  to 
favour  him.  On  the  contrary,  professed  believers  may  sink 
below  avowed  infidels.  A  deist  may  allow,  that  all  the  Gos- 
pel wants  is  verity.  He  may  say,  "  It  is  a  golden  dream,  too 
good  to  be  true  ;  but  if  we  could  believe  these  things,  they 
would  be  worthy  to  occupy  our  whole  souls."  But  many  pro- 
fessed Christians  say,  when  we  present  to  them  the  evangeli- 
cal history,  "  Well,  we  know  it;"  and  by  their  conduct,  they 
add,  "  and  what  of  that?"  They  turn  round  to  the  world  as 
coolly,  and  give  themselves  to  it  as  entirely,  as  if  they  had 
never  heard  of  such  a  person  as  Jesus  Christ,  or  had  not 
believed  one  word  that  is  said  about  him. 

But  that  belief  which  the  Gospel  demands,  and  which  alone 
accords  with  the  nature  of  the  things  credited,  is  such  as 
changes  all  the  man,  and  makes  him,  all  his  life  after,  and, 
indeed,  to  all  eternity,  a  different  creature  from  what  he  would 
have  been,  if  he  had  never  known  Jesus  Christ.  If  we  have 
not  this  faith,  we  may  be  convicted,  at  the  great  day  of  doom, 
of  the  grossest  inattention  to  all  that  ought  most  deeply  to 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  THE  SAVIOUR'S  HISTORY.       621 

interest  us,  of  the  most  obstinate  rejection  of  what  ought  to 
captivate  our  faith,  and  the  most  ungrateful  alienation  from 
all  that  should  sway  our  hearts. 

I  address  myself,  not  merely  to  the  bold  infidel,  or  the 
careless  child  of  the  world  ;  but  to  the  fearful,  who  dare  not 
embrace  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.  Nothing  can  excuse 
unbelief.  While  Jesus  produces  evidence  that  may  command 
the  mightiest  minds,  satisfy  the  acutcst  intellects,  and  awe  the 
stoutest  spirits,  he  accumulates  encouragements  that  should 
vanquish  timidity  itself.  When  we  feel  ourselves  pressed 
with  sins  and  sorrows,  and  think  how  many,  with  similar  woes, 
applied  to  Christ  while  on  earth,  and  ever  found  him  tender 
and  sympathizing,  prompt,  and  mighty  to  save,  we  almost  in- 
stinctively exclaim,  "  O  that  we  had  lived  in  his  days  !"  We 
stifle  this  wish,  indeed  ;  aware  that  it  is  vain.  But  should  we 
not  rise  above  it,  by  other  considerations?  Do  we  not  pro- 
fess to  believe,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  "  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  for  ever?"  Are  we  not  assured,  that  all  power 
in  heaven  and  earth  is  his,  and  that  he  is  so  far  from  being- 
enfeebled,  by  his  removal  from  earth  to  heaven,  that  he  is 
now  seated  on  the  throne  of  omnipotence,  and  exalted  by 
higher  exercise  of  his  attributes  than  was  suitable  in  the  days 
of  his  flesh? 

This  Saviour,  whose  beneficent  life  we  have  been  tracing, 
who  is  unchangeably  kind,  is  ever  near  to  us  ;  and  we  may 
apply  to  him  for  all  we  need  of  pardon,  purity,  and  bliss.  If 
the  present  state  of  his  church  forbids  the  hope  of  miraculous 
relief,  because  miracles  suit  only  a  new  dispensation  of  religion, 
when  the  Deity  interposes,  to  show  that  he  has  altered  a  course 
which  he  himself  had  established  ;  is  real  substantial  relief  to 
be  despised,  because  it  is  not  accompanied  with  the  glare  of 
prodigies?  Or  is  relief  to  be  supposed  less  real,  because  it  is 
given  in  the  ordinary  way  of  the  Saviour's  administration  ? 
Cannot  the  same  power  that  once  altered  the  course  of  nature 
now  bless  us  hij  that  course  ?  And  should  we  not  exult  to  see 
all  nature  in  his  hands  ?  Aware  that  his  heart  is  unchanged, 
should  we  not  go  to  him,  with  promptitude  and  confidence. 


(i22  LECTURE    C. 

feeling  ourselves  safe  and  blessed,  in  having  Christ  in  heaven, 
as  we  think  M^e  should,  if  we  had  him  upon  earth  ?  This  is 
what  Idemand  in  his  name. 

But  I  have  another  requisition  to  make. 

III.   Give  your  whole  heart  to  the  Saviour. 

For,  what  attachment  should  the  theme  of  such  a  biography 
inspire  !  Some  men  of  ardent  minds  become  fairly  in  love  with 
the  characters  of  which  they  read.  In  youth,  when  the  ima- 
gination is  active,  and  the  heart  susceptible,  the  student  of 
history  generally  becomes  attached  to  some  of  the  ancient 
philosophers,  heroes,  or  kings. 

The  objects  of  a  Christian's  admiration  are  of  a  cast  totally 
different  from  that  of  this  world's  heroes.  The  memoirs  and 
diaries  of  pious  persons,  which  have  lately  been  given  to  the 
church  in  such  numbers,  have  disclosed  so  much  of  the  image 
of  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  have  not  only  conceived  an  un- 
extinguishable  attachment  for  Christians  whom  we  never  saw, 
but  have  also  learned  to  love  the  Master  better,  by  the  re- 
flection of  his  image  from  the  soul  of  his  servant.  What, 
then,  should  be  the  effect  of  reading  Christ's  own  life, 
where  we  behold,  not  his  reflected  image,  or  something  like 
the  shadows  we  throw  upon  a  wall,  but  his  own  counte- 
nance, full  of  grace  and  truth  ?  What  veneration  should 
we  feel  for  his  name  !  What  admiration  for  his  character ! 
What  esteem  for  his  labours  !  What  gratitude  for  his  me- 
ritorious obedience  and  pains  !  We  should  never  rise  from 
the  perusal  of  his  history,  without  feeling  that  he  has  risen 
in  our  esteem. 

If  our  regard  for  those  with  whom  we  converse  depends 
greatly  upon  their  accordance  with  our  tastes,  it  is  equally 
true,  that  much  intercoui'se  with  a  person  assimilates  our  taste 
to  his.  Since,  therefore,  it  is  a  common,  and,  alas !  not  a 
groundless  complaint  among  Christians,  that  they  love  Christ 
so  little  ;  it  should  be  our  care  to  acquire  a  taste  for  his  pecu- 
liar excellencies,  by  dwelling  constantly  upon  them,  till  we 
find  that  our  hearts  are  cast  into  the  Saviour's  mould. 

If  this  is  not  the  effect  produced  by  the  perusal  of  the  gos- 


IMPROVKMENT  OF  THE  SAVIOUR'S  HISTORY.        &26 

pels,  it  is  a  proof  that  the  veil  is  upon  our  hearts ;  and  that  for 
us  the  prayer  of  the  Apostle  should  be  offered,  that  "  the 
Father  of  glory  may  give  unto  us  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and 
revelation  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ." 

IV.  Bow  to  Jesus  Christ  as  your  sovereign  Lord. 

No  one  can  read  this  history  without  feeling  convinced,  that 
it  is  the  story  of  a  King  who  visited  his  earthly  dominions 
incognito.  He  ever  felt,  and  spoke,  and  acted  as  a  sove- 
reign in  disguise.  However  the  veil  might  hide  him  from 
others,  he  was  never  for  one  moment  unmindful  of  his  own 
rank. 

In  his  childhood,  when  reproached  as  for  failure  in  duty,  he 
said,  "  Know  ye  not  that  I  must  be  at  my  Father's  house,  and 
that  the  temple  of  deity  is  my  home?"  When  he  came  to 
John,  to  be  baptized,  he  compelled  the  greatest  of  prophets 
to  that  obedience  which  humility  would  have  refused ;  and, 
immediately  after,  the  same  conscious  Lord  spurned  from  his 
presence  the  mighty  spirit,  that  boasted  of  having  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  world  at  his  command. 

As  a  sovereign  Lord,  Jesus  called  men  to  attend  him  as  his 
servants  ;  and  in  whatever  they  were  engaged,  or  by  whomso- 
ever accompanied,  he  said.  "  Quit  all,  and  follow  me,"  Nor 
did  he  speak  in  vain.  If,  however,  any  hesitated,  and  asked 
only  permission  to  stay  to  bury  a  father,  the  paramount  au- 
thority of  the  king  was  urged,  and  whoever  even  looked  back, 
was  pronounced  unworthy  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  When  he 
sent  out  his  ambassadors,  he  declared  that  it  would  be  more 
tolerable,  at  the  day  of  judgment,  for  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
which  slighted  the  warning  of  the  angels  of  God,  than  for 
those  who  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  summons  of  the  angels  of 
Jesus. 

He  made  his  very  humiliation  a  display  of  his  sovereign 
authority ;  for  he  paid  tax,  as  an  act  of  condescension  in  the 
Son  of  the  King  of  the  world  ;  and  levied  tribute  on  the  sea, 
that  he  might  pay  it  on  land.  What  he  wanted  he  demanded, 
and  told  the  messengers,  whom  he  sent  for  it,  to  say  to  the 
owners,  "  The  Lord  has  need  of  it."  He  rode  upon  an  ass 
and  a  colt,  which  were  obedient  to  him  as  creatures  to  their 


624  LECTURE   C. 

Creator.  When  riding,  in  this  style,  into  his  capital  city,  he 
spake  of  its  inhabitants  as  chickens  to  be  gathered,  for  their 
safety,  under  his  protection,  as  under  the  wing  of  a  parent 
bird.  If  he  washed  his  disciples'  feet,  kneeling  before  them 
as  a  slave;  he  sat  down  to  say,  "Ye  call  me  Master  and 
Lord,  and  ye  say  well,  for  so  I  am."  When  crucified  as 
a  criminal,  he  gave  away  to  a  robber  a  seat  in  the  para- 
dise of  the  blessed,  in  answer  to  a  prayer  which  owned 
Christ  Lord  of  the  eternal  kingdom.  Descending  to  his 
own  grave  (though  it  was  borrowed),  he  opens  the  graves  of 
others ;  and,  "  when  he  made  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,"  he 
tore  open  the  veil  that  hides  the  holy  of  holies,  and  showed 
himself  the  high  priest  that  appears  in  the  presence  of  God 
for  us.  There  he  is  on  a  throne,  as  a  priest,  after  the  order 
of  Melchizedec,  who  was  at  once  a  priest  and  a  king.  From 
this  throne,  he  sends  forth  ambassadors  into  all  the  earth, 
charging  them  never  to  stop,  till  they  had  measured  the  last 
foot  of  ground  with  their  steps ;  and  commanded  its  inhabi- 
tants to  own  Jesus,  Lord  of  all  in  heaven  and  earth,  and  to  do 
all  things  whatsoever  he  commands  them. 

Who,  then,  can  duly  read  the  history  we  are  now  closing, 
and  not  say,  "This  is  the  life  of  my  sovereign  Master?  At 
the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  must  bow,  of  things  in  heaven, 
and  things  in  earth,  and  every  tongue  confess  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father.  It  is  as 
much  as  my  soul  is  worth  to  disobey  his  will.  I  must  either 
make  myself  an  outlaw  in  the  universe,  or  bow  my  soul  to  the 
will  of  Him,  whom  every  creature  in  all  worlds,  and  especially 
every  rational  creature  in  this  world,  is  bound  to  please.  If 
he  call,  I  have  nothing  to  say,  but.  Speak,  Lord,  thy  servant 
heareth.  If  he  say.  Go!  though  it  should  be  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  I  have  but  one  reply  to  make.  Here  I  am,  send 
me.  If  he  demand  my  blood,  I  must,  without  hesitation, 
pour  it  out  at  his  feet,  accounting  it  honoured,  in  being  made 
a  libation  to  his  glory." 

Say  not  that  all  this  is  extravagance,  an  attempt  to  produce 
effect,  by  putting  a  strong  case.  "  I  protest,  by  our  rejoicing 
which  we  have  in  Christ,"  it  is  all  sober  reason  and  truth. 


IMPROX  EMENT  OF    TllK  SAMOUR's  lllsrORV.        625 

Nay,  if  I  should  say,  1  am  prepared  to  defend  all  1  have  said, 
I  should  rather  stifle  than  surpass  my  convictions  :  for  I  am 
conscious  that  my  feelings  have  fallen  far  below  the  subject, 
and  that  even  my  sentiments  have  not  been  able  to  clothe 
themselves  in  adequate  speech.  To  the  bed  of  death,  and  to 
the  judgment-seat,  I  will  carry  my  claim  upon  your  absolute, 
unlimited  obedience  to  Him  whose  history  I  now  bring  to  a 
close. 

V.  Study  to  be  like  Him  who  has  been  exhibited  to  your 
admiring  view. 

It  has  been  justly  questioned,  whether  the  world  is  not  the 
worse  for  Homer's  poem  on  the  wrath  of  Achilles.  Some, 
without  hesitation,  assert,  that  it  would  have  been  better  for 
the  author,  and  for  mankind,  if  that  splendid  work  had  been 
sunken  in  the  depths  of  the  sea,  before  a  page  of  it  had 
been  read.  Its  scenes  and  characters  have  flung  the  fire- 
brands of  war  over  half  the  globe.  The  Iliad  drove  Alex- 
ander, the  son  of  Philip,  to  the  verge  of  madness  ;  and 
Alexander  plunged  Charles  the  Xllth,  of  Sweden,  into  the 
vortex. 

But,  had  we  not  been  more  prone  to  imitate  what  we  should 
abhor  than  what  we  should  admire,  the  world  would  have 
been  full  of  imitations  of  Jesus  Christ.  For,  instead  of  spend- 
ing his  life  in  the  flames  of  destruction,  and  expiring  like  the 
smoke,  he  lived  only  to  do  good ;  and  his  history  terminates, 
not  properly  on  the  cross,  but  in  that  vision  of  glory  which 
dazzles  our  eyes,  as  we  gaze  on  a  body,  like  our  own,  mount- 
ing on  a  cloudy  chariot  to  the  heaven  of  heavens. 

In  his  milky  way,  the  glittering  track  which  he  left  behind 
him,  we  read,  in  letters  of  light,  "  This  is  the  road  to  the 
skies!"  Then,  let  us  start  for  that  goal,  exclaiming,  "  I  fol- 
low, I  follow,  though  not  with  equal  steps.  Religion,  which 
was  Jesus  Christ's  business  on  earth,  I  make  my  own.  Every 
thing  I  touch  I  will,  by  sacred  motives  and  uses,  turn  into  the 
gold  of  the  temple.  Prayer  shall  be  my  breath,  praise  my 
bliss,  benevolence  my  business,  and  heaven  my  home,  I  will 
aim,  not  to  please  myself,  but  will  live,  to  make  others  better 
and  more  blessed.      I  will,  like  Christ,   seek   not    my  own 

VOL.   II.  2  s 


626 


LECTURE    C. 


glory,  but  the  honour  of  Him  that  sent  me.  If  reviled  and 
injured  for  this,  let  the  meekness  and  patience  of  Jesus 
Christ  be  ever  before  my  eyes  ;  and  let  this  be  my  triumph, 
when,  like  my  Lord,  I  can  do  a  kindness  to  spiteful  foes, 
and  say,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do."  Never  let  me  fancy  I  have  understood  or  learned 
this  history,  till  I  have  got  it,  in  the  noblest  sense,  by  heart, 
and  have  been  transformed  from  that  melancholy  contrast 
I  once  presented,  and  become  entitled  to  say,  "  Beholding,  as 
in  a  glass,  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  I  am  changed  into  the  same 
image,  from  glory  to  glory,  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 

VI.  Set  your  heart  upon  living  for  ever  with  Him  whose 
life  you  have  nov/  brought  to  a  close. 

As  you  see  the  Saviour  ascend  to  the  skies,  you  feel  that 
earth  is  poorer,  and  exclaim,  "  What  has  it  left,  compared 
with  what  it  has  lost?"  But  if  earth  is  poorer,  heaven  is 
richer.  May  we  not  reasonably  be  expected  to  be  seen, 
standing  like  the  men  of  Galilee,  gazing  upon  that  heaven 
into  which  we  have  seen  Jesus  enter  ?  If,  from  him  we  could 
wish  never  to  be  parted,  we  must  long  to  follow  him,  whither 
he  is  gone. 

To  serve  Christ  is,  indeed,  worth  living  for,  and,  therefore, 
we  should  be  content  to  stay ;  but  to  see  Christ  is  worth  dying 
for,  and  for  this  we  should  be  ever  glad  to  go.  Nor  should 
we  be  allured  to  linger  on  earth,  by  any  of  its  tinsel  glories, 
when  once  we  have  seen,  in  this  history,  what  heaven  con- 
tains, and  what  it  will  show  to  us  when  we  enter  there. 
When  surveying  a  lily,  we  feel  all  the  truth  and  beauty  of 
Christ's  words ;  "  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  arrayed 
like  one  of  these."  But  all  the  Solomons,  and  all  the  lilies, 
and  all  the  gems,  and  all  the  suns  of  all  worlds,  have  no 
glories,  compared  with  those  of  Jesus  Christ.  One  who  was 
accustomed  to  repose  in  his  bosom,  when  he  was  on  earth, 
seeing  somewhat  of  the  glory  he  now  wears  in  heaven,  fell  at 
his  feet  as  dead.  "  But  he  laid  his  right  hand  upon  me," 
adds  the  beloved  disciple,  "  saying,  I  am  He,  that  living  one 
that  was  dead,  and  behold  I  am  alive  for  evermore,  and  have 
the  keys  of  death,  and  the  unseen  world." 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  THE  SAVIOUR'S  HISTORY.        627 

*'  When  we  shall  see  him,  we  shall  be  like  him."  Our 
affections  will  then  keep  pace  with  our  knowledge.  To  see 
Jesus  as  he  is,  to  love  him  supremely,  to  resemble  him  ex- 
actly, to  live  where  he  lives,  to  be  wholly  absorbed  in  his 
worship  and  service,  and  to  know  that  eternity  is  stamped 
upon  this  state,  will  be  the  heaven  of  heavens.  But  for  this 
we  must  die.  Then  let  me  die.  "  To  depart  and  to  be  with 
Christ  is  far  better." 


FINIS. 


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ERRATA. 

Vol.  I.  p.  177,  line  11  from  bottom,  Dele  Observe  its  splendour. 

295,  line  5         .         .  .for  they  read  theni. 

470,  line  13        .         .  .    (or  It  is  read  Is  it. 

Vol.11.     617,  line  9         .         .  .     for  pour  tesid  pore. 


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Date  Due 

Mr  ;i  r   ., 

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