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Upon the whole there was no ' guile in our Lord's words or actions. There is no vice more frequently condemned by him than hypocrisy, by which the outward appearance of men belies their inward sentiments; and he observed of the evil spirit that, when he spake a lie, he spake of his own; for he was a liar, and the father, or first forger, of this abject and hateful crime; the introducer of evil and falsehood into God's creation, which before was all goodness and truth.

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SECTION X

OF OUR LORD'S NATURAL AFFECTION.

THE ends of society and the good of mankind require that, in the nearest human relations, nature should strongly incite to the performance of beneficent offices. St. Paul condemns the heathens for being a without natural affection; which particularly appeared in the cruel practice of exposing their children and, in prophetically describing the corrupt ages of Christianity, he represents men as disobedient to parents, and without natural affection. On each of these occasions it is observable that he enumerates the blackest crimes which disgrace hu

man nature.

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me posse, utut maxime interroger, quæ ut ex me sciat alter jus non habet, neque ad id aliqua obligatione ego teneor. ' 1 Pet. ii. 22.

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John viii. 44.

a Rom. i. 31. 62 Tim. iii. 2, 3.

ON THE EXCELLENCE OF

The amiable and useful principle of natural affection is supposed in many parts of our Lord's discourses: "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ?" To "leave brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, for his sake and the gospel's," Christ pronounced to be greatly rewardable in this life and the next; though we see, by the restraining clause, that he required this desertion of them only when higher duties would else be violated. He also foretold, as a wonderful and horrid effect of religious hatred, that in times of persecution "the brother should deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and that the children should rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death."

The Jews made void many of God's commandments by their traditions. The instance which our Lord selected was this: "God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him surely die. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherein thou mightest be profited by me is a gift; [actually or intentionally devoted to the service of God ;] and shall not honour his father or his mother, well." The selection of the example shews the stress which he laid on the precept.

Let us now observe our Lord's own conduct. The gospels record only one circumstance in his behaviour during his childhood: which some of the

Luke xi. 11, &c. f Matt. xv. 4, 5, 6.

Mark x. 29.

• Matt. x. 21, 22. and p. p

ancients thought a deficiency, and therefore supplied it by many idle relations; as if on purpose to contrast the dignity of scripture, and of Christ's real character, with their own unbecoming and wild conceits. When he was twelve years of age, a time when the mind becomes sensible of religious impressions, he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem for the purpose of celebrating the most solemn Jewish festival. On their return, "he tarried behind, and after three day's was found in the temple, sitting among the teachers of the law, both hearing them and asking them questions. And his mother said unto him; Son, why hast thoù thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." He replied, "How is it that ye soUGHT me? knew ye not that I MUST NEEDS be in my Father's house?” The wonders, and the prophetic declarations, at his birth, might have lead his parents to conclude that he was sent into the world for great religious purposes: and his early piety and wisdom might have confirmed them in this conclusion. The reply made by him on this occasion intimated circumstances in his character which made his case a peculiar one. After this Jesus went down to Nazareth with his parents, "and was subject unto them." It has been generally thought that he set an example of industry and humility, by working with his hands at his father's i occupation.

h V. . 31.

8 Luke ii. 49. Apud Marcum vi. 3. ipsc Christus faber appellatur: ut consentaneum sit eum aliquandiu manibus laborasse. Erasmus on Matt. xiii. 55. who observes from Suidas, that rexler signifies faber lapidarius vel lignarius: acfóos, A, à rãy Eúxæv

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When our Lord after his baptism returned into Galilee, and was called, together with his disciples, to a marriage feast; the wine prepared on that occasion failing, his mother said to him, "They have no wine." Some think that she had before seen miracles wrought by him; an opinion inconsistent with the words, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee :" which exclude private as well as public miracles, and confute the accounts of supernatural works imputed to him in the spurious gospel of his infancy; and indeed these are sufficiently extravagant to confute themselves. Why then is Jesus's miraculous power implied in this address? At his baptism he had received recent attestations from God and man; he had intimated to Philip and Nathanael his future intercourse with heaven; and his mother 1 kept in her heart every extraordinary circumstance relating to him: nay, he himself might have informed her that, as he had now begun his public ministry, he should soon prove his divine mission by wonderful works. Our Lord's answer is remarkable: "m Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." That the appellation was a respectful and honourable one, none can doubt who observes that our Lord used the same form of address on the cross, "Woman, behold thy son:" and that, in ° ancient

idur. That Jews, even of some substance and education, learnt manual arts, see Grot. on Matt. xiii. 55. Acts xviii. 3. * John i. 51. Luke ii. 51. m John ii 4. Tí quoì xai ocì sc. xowiv 151; Bos Ellips. Tí oci nai sigura; 2 Kings ix. 19. Τί Πλειάδεσσι καμοί; Anacr. xvii. " John xix. 26. Il. iii. 204. Odyss. xix. 221, 555. Soph. Trachin. 233 and numberless other places, particularly in Xen. Cyrop.

OUR LORD'S MORAL CHARACTER.

writers, persons of rank are frequently thus addressed by their equals or inferiors.

The remaining words contain a mild admonition; for which a reason is assigned. "Why dost thou interfere in my conduct as a prophet? What attention do I owe thee in that respect? The Spirit of God is my guide in matters of this nature. And my time of attracting the notice of the Jews by a series of public miracles is not yet come." It is possible that our Lord's mother might be induced by curiosity, or a vanity, to insinuate a wish that he would work a miracle on that occasion: and his knowledge of the heart enabled him to penetrate any oblique motive. But when he had given this gentle reproof with the authority of a prophet sent from God, and with a design to prevent a like interference for the future, he suffered her request to sway with him; and, I think, made the first display of his glorious power partly in deference to her.

When our Lord had refuted and reproved the Scribes and Pharisees, with irresistible weight of argument and the most commanding authority, a certain woman thus naturally expressed her admiration of his character, "Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The mother of Jesus was justly hailed by the angel Gabriel as highly favoured, or gratuitously accepted, of God; and as blessed

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Luke xi. 27, 8.

P 2 Sam. xvi. 10. xix. 22. 2 Kings iii. 13. 2 Chron. xxxv. 21. ib. i. 28. Bishop Pearce's Vindication. Vult, Deum pro sua gratuita bonitate gratam illam et acceptam habuisse. H. Steph. in voc.

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