Having delivered these precepts, our great Redeemer departed into Galilee, passing through the country beyond Jordan; by that means giving the Jews, which inhabited that country, an opportunity to hear his heavenly discourses, and to receive the benefit of his all-healing power and after having taken a tour through those distant parts, he returned to his own city Nazareth.

The feast of tabernacles now approached, when the males of the Jewish nation, capable of travelling, repaired to Jerusalem, and dwelt seven days in the tabernacles, or booths made of boughs of trees, in commemoration of their fathers having had no other habitation during their forty years sojourning in the wilderSome of the kinsmen of the blessed JESUS, being about to take a journey to the capital on this occasion, they desired him to accompany them thither, and openly shew himself to the whole nation of the Jews. They did not believe, that he was really the Messiah so long expected by their nation, and they condemned his conduct, as unnatural and absurd, from a person who made such pretentions: they could not conceive what induced him to spend so much of his time in deserts, and remote parts of the kingdom, while he assumed so public a character as that of the Redeemer of Israel. Jerusalem, the seat of power, the habitation of the great men of the nation, and the place of general resort, was, in their opinion, the properest place for him to publish his doctrines, and work his miracles in these, they thought, being exhibited in public, before the great and learned men of the nation, might have a better effect, than being performed in obscure retreats amongst the ignorant and illiterate. The decision of the doctors of the law, and the great men of the nation in his fayour, they thought would increase the number of his disciples, and be a means of inducing the whole nation to own him for the Messiah, whether he were really that great person or not: Depart hence, said they, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest: for there is no man that doeth any

thing in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.

But our Lord was no stranger to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and, therefore, he did not think proper to reside amongst them any longer than was absolutely necessary: he well knew their inveterate prejudices, their obstinacy and perverseness, and their prevailing unbelief; and was fully convinced, that they would not receive his doctrines, nor be induced by his miracles, to believe in him, but would be more likely to use all their power to destroy him, before he had finished the work, which he assumed our nature to perform: for which reasons he did not choose to accompany his relations to the feast, or go in a public manner to Jerusalem: My time, said our great Redeemer, to these unbelieving relations, is not yet come: but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you: but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come. This was, as though he had said, it is not expedient that I should go to to Jerusalem before the feast begins: you may advance to the city whenever you please, there is nothing to make you afraid; the Jews are your friends, you have never offended them, nor have you done any thing to displease them but the purity of the doctrine I have preached amongst them, and the plainness and freedom of speech with which I have opposed their foolish traditions, and reproved their hypocrisy, and other enormous vices, have raised their resentment, and provoked their malice to the utmost height; and, therefore, as the time of my suffering is not yet come, it is not proper for me to go so soon to Jerusalem.

Perhaps there might be another reason why our Redeemer did not choose to accompany his relations to the feast of tabernacles at this time: the vast concourse of people which annually attended this solemnity, would fill all the roads to the capital, and these gathering

around him, and attending him to Jerusalem, would have made a noise in the city, and have given fresh offence to his enemies, which might have exasperated them to that degree, that they might, as they had done before, have attempted his life, and their cruelty and rage might have prevented his doctrines and miracles having their proper effect: he, therefore, chose to continue in Galilee till the crowd were gone up to the feast, when he followed, as it were in secret, neither preaching nor working miracles by the way; so that no crowd followed him, nor was there any rejoicing at his approach.

As Jesus did not go publicly to Jerusalem, so neither did he, on his arrival, repair to the temple, and there preach openly to the people. This gave rise to several disputes amongst the Jews concerning his character and conduct; some affirmed that he was a true prophet, and his not coming to the feast could only arise from some accident, which had prevented him; others maintained that he was an impostor and deceiver, and though he assumed the sacred character of a prophet, he did not keep the law; nor regard the institutions which they had received from heaven.

But about the middle of the feast, JESUS appeared openly in the temple, and publicly taught the people, delivering his divine discourses with energy, force, and spirit, aad such strength of reasoning joined with such elegance of expression, that his enemies were astonished, as they knew he had not enjoyed the benefit of a learned education. Now, about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? To this the exalted Saviour of mankind replied: My doctrine was not produced by human wisdom; the learned men and sages of this world were not my instructors; but I received it from heaven, and it is the doctrine of the great supreme, eternal Father of the universe, whose messenger I am: My doc

And

trine, said he, is not mine, but his that sent me. our Lord further observed, that it might be gathered from the manner of his teaching, that his doctrine was really divine; he sought not the praise of man, he did not stand candidate for popular applause, he did not seek to advance his own interest, but the eternal interest of mankind, and the glory of the heavenly Father: He that speaketh of himself, said he, seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Some of the Jews presumed to call JESUS a false prophet, because, in the porches of the pool of Bethesda, he had healed an impotent man on the Sabbathday, which they pretended was a violation of the law of Moses, and what a good man would not be guilty of: in answer to which, our great Redeemer told them, that however they might pretend to reverence the authority of Moses and his law, they made no scruple to violate the most sacred and essential of his precepts; this was manifest in their conduct towards himself: contrary to all the principles of justice and humanity, and every law of God and man, they had resolved to put him to death; and, in order to execute their black, horrid and infernal scheme, they were now laying plots against his life.

To this charge the Jews replied, Thou hast a devil : who goeth about to kill thee? To which JESUS answered to this effect, I have performed a miracle, in favour of a distressed poor man, on the Sabbath-day this you think contrary to the character of a good and pious man, and wonder how I could undertake it ; but I can give you an example out of your own law, in the case of circumcision: Moses gave you that law, and you make no scruple of performing the institution. on the Sabbath-day: you think yourselves justified in this, because it is a precept both of Moses and the fathers. Since, therefore, ye think yourselves bound to dispense with the strict observance of the Sabbath,

in order to perform a ceremonial precept, can you be angry with me, because I, on the Sabbath-day, have fulfilled the most sacred and immutable part of the moral law, by curing a man who was infirm in all the members of his body, and have not exerted so much bodily labour as you do in the practice of the rite of circumcision: consider therefore, the nature of the thing, be not blinded by prejudice, be no longer attached to foolish traditions, or superstitious opinions; but make use of your reason, shew yourselves men, and judge impartially: Moses, said our great Redeemer, therefore gave unto you circumcision (because it is of Moses, but not of the fathers); and ye on the Sabbath-day circumcise a man. If a man on the Sabbath-day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath-day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Though the Jews could not answer this argument, they would not be convinced, but objected to JESUS'S being the Messiah, because they were acquainted with his parents and relations: they apprehended, that when the Messiah appeared, his pedigree and relationship would not be known; and they founded their opinion on a passage in the prophet Isaiah, Who shall declare his generation? They were full of resentment. and malice, and some of them were desirous that he should be apprehended; but Divine Providence would not permit them to accomplish their cruel purpose, because the time of his sufferings were not yet come. But though his enemies beheld him with rancour and contempt, yet many of the people, convinced by his miracles, affected by his divine discourses, and satisfied with the unanswerable reasons which he had advanced in support of his character, believed on him, and publicly in the temple affirmed that he was the Messiah. The Evangelist inform us, that many of the People believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh,