by repentance. And many others also have preached since he, as well as before, and to the poor as well as to the rich-it may be to the former sometimes hypocritically, and sometimes sincerely. For every good action is entitled to the credit of a good motive until evidence has been given to the contrary; if it may still happen by chance, as the apostle says, that "some indeed preach Christ of envy and strife" (Phil. i. 15). How then may we perceive in the preaching of the Subject that extraordinary evidence to which he once referred John's disciples? Why thus, as it may be reasoned on the authority of what we read, namely, 1 by his beloved disciple St. John, "God is love" (John I. iv. 8); 2 Jesus saith to Thomas, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John xiv. 6); and 3 comparing these two authorities may teach any one to ascribe all the success of a divine eloquence to the divine Author, and to "the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. viii. 39).

Hence the Subject's own, or immediate, success on the foresaid occasion, as well as mediate success on all occaisions by his genuine ministers. For without impugning the sincerity of any man's motives, as our Saviour observes, "He that is not against us is on our part" (Mark ix. 40), it may be questioned whether any man ever preached or did any thing else of a spiritual kind with that direct information, and with so pure benevolence towards its ostensible object, or even with the slightest mixture of either, that was not immediately derived from the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Eph. iii. 19).

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=3, That other property allied to eloquence, if it be not a part of the same, before enumerated by the title of Reply, being mentioned in Scripture by the phrase of understanding and answers, and there too as well as in heathen writings designated by the figure or comparison of salt (Col. iv. 6), is no contemptible power either for the ad

vocacy of truth and the propagation of wisdom and knowledge. For grains of this intellectual mass being scattered by sages of all sorts through the world in replies and observations, in axioms and remarks, in short sayings or apophthegms, their followers have been wont to collect for general use, and also as characteristic reminiscences of these eminent persons. With the same view partly, and a much fonder affection, did the mother of Jesus catch his early sayings and lay them up like spring flowers in her chaste bosom; while all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers (Luke ii. 47, 51). And with the same view likewise, or to give an idea of the Subject's just and salted expression, rather than the substance of his teaching which is more particularly detailed in the course of this discussion, may here be shewn a sample of the same from his maturer genius; when his ministry was in full career among the Jews, "and he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all, ... and all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth" (Ib. iv. 15, 22): this sample not being meant to include specimens of divine light and information like some here recited, but of just, salted, and pregnant sayings; which might be highly creditable to an human understanding, without requiring the supposition of higher authority. Such was the style and manner usually employed by him in conversation, but more remarkably in all that he said or did for the teaching and promoting of his sacred institution. Grave, decided, simple, and authoritative in his way, as well as gracious and just in his discourse, the manner of the Subject was not merely the manner of a sage or a prophet; it was more like that of a monarch, or an oracle: "For he taught as one having authority and not as the scribes" (Matt. vii. 29).

Perambulating the temple as it were a Lyceum, and the garden of Gethsemane as it were the shades of Academus, with discourse both exoteric and acroatic like theirs, he still differed essentially from the Peripatetic and Academic as

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well as from all other sect leaders that ever preceded him in one respect, namely that on earth, where their teaching ended, his only began. But the gifts that he subsequently shed upon his disciples from the Father is another part; we are now to consider his human preception only: wherein he exemplified the skill of a philosopher with the eloquence of an orator. The Socratic method particularly, which has been so celebrated in the schools was as much his, as it was that philosopher's; and more effectual in his mouth for stopping the mouths of sceptics; as for example, "What think ye of Christ, whose son is he?" (Matt. xxii. 42.)"The baptism of John; whence was it ?" (Ib. xxi. 25.) "Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute?" (Ib. xvii. 25.) "Which now of these three, thinkest thou was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?" (Luke x. 36). It is hard to make a distinction among his answers: as they generally contained so much excellence. How beautiful a one, for example, was that on the forementioned occasion of the Pharisees censuring his familiarity with publicans and sinners before cited from the Gospel! (Matt. ix. 12, 13.) A reply at once so venerable, just and benignant is not to be found in any other record.

But sometimes on occasion of these people's impertinent remarks or interrogatories, the Subject is found displaying rather a degree of rhetorical ingenuity in answer or defence. For example; it was not unusual with him on such occasions to substitute admonition for apology or confession, like one who was sent to teach, and not to be taxed or interrogated. Thus upon that curious, though not altogether irrelevant proposition of the people concerning what seemed to their minds an inconsistency in his doctrine, "We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth for ever; and how sayest thou the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? (They were getting rather familiar.) Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you: walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come

upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus and departed, and hid himself from them" (John xii. 34, &c.) : i. e. became more scarce, or retired, not meaning to bandy arguments and replies with the people, or to be catechized by them in this manner.

Another time we shall find him accompanying the chastisement of an offending party with a general admonition and prediction worthy the consideration of all parties, and more particularly of the more guilty or offending: as when the Pharisees and Sadducees, two very opposite parties in appearance, tempting him once and asking a sign which was familiar enough towards one only of his prophetic character, he answered in his own peculiar way, “and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say It will be fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites; ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them and departed" (Matt. xvi. 1, &c.). That was his way.

Galling enough his replies were sometimes indeed, as they had need, and as it was predicted of him by that very eircumstantial foreteller of his fate the prophet Isaiah : for example, "He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked" (Isai. xi. 4). And therefore this reproving of the malignant crew of Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees by whom he was pestered, would seem but a part of his duty as an universal Censor and Judge. What a very cutting declaration was that to some of the same sort as these Pharisees and Sadducees whom he rated so often for their hypocrisy and unbelief, namely to the Jewish priests and elders when he told them, "Verily, I say

unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you!" (Matt. xxi. 31.) This was "provoking them to anger" by an humbler contrast than that of the Samaritans (Luke x. 33, &c.), who were no people; as he decreed to do (Deut. xxxii. 21), or that of the Gentiles, as done in imitation of him by his apostles (Acts xiii. 46), according to their own confession (Rom. xi. 14; Cor. I. iv. 6). And now that the Gentile converts appear to be falling back again towards heathenism after having taken the lead in the church for more than sixteen centuries, one should not be sorry to have them also stirred up in their turn by an honest emulation with the first-born of Israel, and Abraham's natural descendants. But the most rational, satisfactory, and becoming way of stirring up the indolent, reclaiming loiterers, and generally procuring success, or attention at least, in speaking is,

=4, Elucidation, or literally shedding a light on the subject; another medium adopted by Messiah besides those above mentioned, and which consisted in laying open to his hearers the grounds of the truth, and the secret of their contrary prepossessions; as for example, when he told some of his gainsayers," He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God" (John viii. 47). NO MAN CAN COME TO ME, EXCEPT THE FATHER WHICH HATH SENT ME DRAW HIM: AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY" (Ib. vi. 44).

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It were not an easy task to continue a specification of the Subject's human sayings to any extent without overleaping the bounds of humanity, and confounding its perfections with those of divinity, to the flattering of one nature and defrauding of the other. For although it may seem arrogant in any mortal being, to pretend to discriminate in so high a case; one can hardly help fancying some particulars in the Subject's discourse that were more than human; nay, more than angelic. And one is not encouraged in such a conceit only by the substance of the word spoken, but also, if not equally, by its manner or