unprejudiced mind, that he was really the Messiah; yet the pride of that infatuated nation, could not stoop so low as to acknowledge him: nor could their teachers, who had filled their minds with such vast expectations of temporal greatness, condescend to confess themselves so much mistaken in the meaning of the prophets.

But to conclude this discourse, our Lord proceeded to observe that he himself should not be their only accuser to his Father, but they would be condemned for their infidelity by their great legislator, Moses, on whom they trusted as their invariable friend. Do not think, said he, that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust: for had ye believed Moses, ye would have believ ed me: for he wrote of me: but if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my word?

With such observations and arguments as these, the blessed JESUS combated the pride and prejudice of the Jewish nation, and proved himself to be the Son of God, the great Judge of the whole earth, and the Messiah promised by the ancient prophets; and so plain and convincing were the proofs and arguments he brought, that his adversaries could not reply; but though they were silenced by the wisdom of his words, their old prejudices remained; and their being baffled and overcome in every contest, filled them with a growing rancour and settled hatred to his person, which shewed itself on every occasion, and proceeded so far as to induce them to endeavour to take away his life.

Nor was it long before the proud and envious Scribes and Pharisees found a fresh opportunity to exclaim against our great Redeemer, and pursue him with their impertinent objections and cavils; for going with his train through the corn-fields on the Sabbath-day, his disciples plucked the ears of corn and e: the grain,

after rubbing it in their hands, and the Pharisees with the utmost severity and bitterness exclaimed against this as a prophanation of the Sabbath. Our Lord, in reply to this calumny reminded them of the conduct of David, who, in a case of necessity, when he fled from Saul, permitted his servants, and presumed himself, to eat of the shew-bread which was kept in the tabernacle, and was not lawful for any to eat but the priests; and further to convince them of the folly of their remarks, our Lord referred them to the conduct of their own priests, who constantly performed the necessary work of the temple on the Sabbath-day: from whence it appears, that works of necessity had been always permitted on the Sabbath-day, though it was contrary to the command of the law. Our Lord further observed, that it was necessary the Scribes and Pharisees should know that the Son of man was Lord of the Sabbath: for as the work which himself and his disciples constantly attended to was promoting the eternal interest of mankind, they had a greater right to claim an exemption from the strict observance of the Sabbath than the priests in the temple, who were only concerned in the practice of ritual observances, could pretend to. And in the conclusion of this discourse, our great Redeemer took notice, that acts of mercy should always be performed, though they were attended with the violation of some of the sacred institutions of the ceremonial law; for it would be inverting the order of nature, and reversing the immutable rules of reason, and the nature of things to suppose that man was made for the Sabbath, and not the Sabbath for the use and benefit of man.

Soon after this debate with the Scribes and Pharisees, our blessed Saviour, entered one of the synagogues of Jerusalem on the Sabbath-day, and in the assembly there was a man whose right hand was withered.

The Pharisees rightly concluded that such an object

of distress would excite the compassion of that divine physician, who had so often exerted the wonderful power he possessed in behalf of the helpless and miserable: and, observing that JESUS took particular notice of the infirm person, they watched him with all the keenness and rancour of the most inveterate. malice, concluding that they should now have an opportunity of accusing him to the people as a breaker of the Sabbath. So full of pride and self-sufficiency was this hypocritical generation, and so greatly they valued themselves on the exact performance of external ceremonies, that they could openly accuse our great Redeemer of a capital offence for healing the diseased on the Sabbath-day: but so blind and stupid were these doctors of the law, that they could not see that themselves were profaning and polluting that sacred day of rest, by indulging the most diabolical dispositions, and practising the most attrocious actions which could be committed. Such was their endeavouring to destroy a virtuous and innocent person, who had never injured them, whose conduct and character demanded the highest respect, and whose life was spent in promoting the best interest of mankind.

The Saviour of the world was not unacquainted with their deadly malice, nor their present intentions to take an advantage of his heavenly goodness; he knew the rancour of their hearts; he penetrated their deepest designs; and unmoved by their impotent rage he ordered the person to stand up in the full view of the whole congregation, and publicly avowed his de sign to heal him.

The hypocritical teachers of Israel exclaimed against the beneficent action he was about to perform, as an impious and unlawful profanation of the Sabbath. Is it, said they, lawful to heal on the sabbath-day? It is not to be supposed that, by this exclamation, they designed to prevent the performance of the miracle, but rather to draw from our great Redeemer such an an

swer as they might take advantage of, and which might give them an opportunity to accuse him with the greater success: but our Lord answered them in such a manner as let them know that he penetrated their deepest designs, and at the same time baffled and confounded their utmost rage. Is it, said he, lauful to do good on the Sabbath-day, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy it? Is it lawful for you, ye most detestable hypocrites, to harbour in your minds the most infernal rancour and hatred against me; and with the highest injustice and cruelty to plot against my life on the Sabbath-day? And is it not lawful for me to restore to his former strength, this poor distressed man who stands before you? The justice and severity of this rebuke struck them dumb; and, not being able to reply, they pretended not to understand his meaning: but to leave them without excuse, our Lord made use of an argument which stupidity itself could not mistake, and which all the sophistry of these hypocritical teachers was not able to evade. What man, said our exalted Saviour, shall there be amongst you, who shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbathday, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath-day.

This plain reference to their own practice was so clear and convincing, that they could not pretend to be ignorant of it; and so full that they were effectually silenced though they were determined not to be convinced. This wicked perverseness and unconquerable obstinacy, grieved the spirit of the meek and lowly, the kind and benevolent Son of God, who looking round on his enemies with a mixture of compassion and sorrow, kindly commanded the lame man to stretch out his hand: the man gladly obeyed, and instantly it was restored whole as the other.

This astonishing work, our great Redeemer performed in a large congregation in the full view of all

the people, in whom the foregoing dispute had raised a curiosity to behold the event; and as, no doubt, it was performed on a person that frequented the synagogue, most of the persons there present were acquainted with the man, while he laboured under this infirmity, and seeing JESUS in such a situation in the midst of his most inveterate enemies, it must certainly have a great effect on the minds of the beholders, especially as they saw that it had effectually silenced the Pharisees, who had nothing to offer, either against the miracle itself, the proofs and reasonings urged for the fitness and propriety of it, or the divine power of him who had performed it.

But though these proud, envious, and hypocritical teachers were astonished at the miracles, and silenced by the arguments of the Son of God, yet they were far from giving up their unjust and cruel institutions: for though they bore an inveterate hatred to the Sadducees and Herodians because they presumed to differ from them in their religious sentiments, yet they could join with these persons they so much despised and consult with them in order to take away his life.

For they well knew that if he continued the course of his ministry, and produced such incontestible evidences of divine power, the people would follow him; when their own weight and influence would quickly decline, and their preaching become contemptible.JESUS well knew their wicked designs, yet he did not think proper at this time, any further to oppose them, but retired into Galilee, to the borders of the lake of Chinnereth.

This retreat of our great Redeemer seems to have displeased some of his disciples, who had strongly imbibed the popular idea of the Messiah's temporal kingdom, and expected that he would have established his authority by force, and exerted his divine power to bear down all opposition; and they were extremely