property, than give the rulers of the state any reason to complain. It may farther be observed, that this miracle is a manifest proof of the omnipresence of the Son of God; no less a person than he, who knows all things and is present in all places, could know that the fish had the piece of money in it's mouth, while it was covered with the rolling surges of the sea and that this same fish, still holding the piece of money, would come to Peter's hook. These are most surprising events, and with the rest of the miracles wrought by our great Redeemer, blaze out like a bright constellation, adorn his royal crown, and proclaim him the great King of the universe, the supreme Lord of heaven and earth.

CHAPTER XX.

CHRIST reproves his Disciples for their foolish Contention about Superiority: He answered the Petition of the Mother of Zebudee's Chil dren, and checketh the Indignation of the other Disciples thereat: He teacheth how to treat an offending Brother, and how oft to forgive him, by the Parable of a King, who punished one of his Servants for refusing that Mercy to his Fellow, which he had experienced from his Lord in a larger Degree: He then goeth to Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, where he teacheth in the Temple: The Rulers send Officers to apprehend him, who being struck with his Discourse, return without him, and are rebuked by the Pharisees, who chide Nicodemus for taking his Part. CHRIST afterwards letteth go, uncondemned, the Woman taken in Adultry.

THOUGH our blessed Saviour had lately given his disciples an affecting account of his sufferings and death, and though their minds seemed to be very much cast down and dispirited at the expectation of events, so mournfal & distressing in themselves, & so contrary to their expectations; yet their grief seems to be of no long continuance, nor had they yet given up their favourite notion of the Messiah's temporal kingdom; for, not many days after, they had so far forgot the predictions of their Master, that they were engaged in a warm dispute concerning the posts of honour in that kingdom. On what ground several of the disciples advanced their pretensions to be greatest, is not related by the evangelists; but it is very plain, that those claims did not originate from any intimations given them by their Master, of his designs to advance any of them above the rest; for he very severely rebuked them for their pride and folly, and they were fearful of letting him know what subject they had been disputing about. Our Lord did not directly proceed to reprimand his disciples on account of the above conversation, but first asked them, what they were disputing about by the way? They were confounded at the question, and, as they knew it would be in vain to attempt, either to evade a discovery, or to conceal the truth, they feared to return an answer. JESUS, perceiving their confusion, soon gave them to understand, that he well knew the subject of their debate, and that he highly disapproved it; having commanded their particular and earnest attention to what he was going to advance, he said, if any man desires to be first, the same shall be last, and servant of all." And then, to teach them the useful lesson of humility, he took a little child and set him in the midst of them: "Verily I say unto you," said he, 66 except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

-As our Lord, at this time, thought proper to discountenance all pretens sions to superiority amongst his disciples, it is evident, that he had given no supremacy to Peter, when he declares his approbation of his declaration of faith, as before related. Had he, when he told that disciple that he gave him "the keys of the kingdom of heaven," designed to exalt him above the rest of the disciples: or had they understood his words in that sense, they could not possibly have been at any loss to know who was to be greatest; nor is it likely they would have contended about an affair which had in the presence of them all, been finally settled by their Master: neither is it possible to suppose, that if our great Redeemer had given the pre eminence to Peter, he would have blamed his disciples for talking about it, and not on this occasion have confirmed his former grant.

The justice of this remark is further confirmed by the answer which our great Redeemer gave to the wife of Zebedee, when she presented a petition to him in behalf of her sons; she had strongly imbibed the national error of the Jews, respecting the Messiah's kingdom; & as she supposed that her sons, from their near relation to our Lord, might claim a peculiar share in his favour, she presented her request, that one might set on his right hand, and the other on his left, in his kingdom. To this petition, our Saviour replied," To sit on my right hand and on my left-hand, is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared."

The rest of the disciples having heard the request, and remarked our Redeemer's reply, were much offended at the pride and vanity of the brothers, and could not see any reason, why they should expect so peçuJiar & distinguished a mark of favour. To put an end to all contention on so weak and frivolous an account, our Lord called his disciples in such a manner, as to engage and fix their attention, and said unto them, "Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles, exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them: but so it shall not be amongst you, but whosoever will be great amongst you, shall be your minister; and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be the servant of all."

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Such is the language of our great Redeemer, who is sole King and lawgiver in his church; and may we not justly conclude that the pretences of the church of Rome to infallibility and supremacy, which she would have us believe have descended from the apostle Peter to the Pope,as his successor, have no foundation in Scripture or reason, but are unjust and arbitrary usurpation, designed to advance and enrich the priesthood, and impoverish, abuse, and enslave mankind.

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The exalted Saviour of mankind, having thus gently rebuked his disci ples for their eager and unabating desires after worldly grandeur, John, one of the sons of Zebedee, perhaps to give a turn to the conversation, informed his Master, that they had seen one casting out the devils in his name, and had forbidden him because he had not joined himself to their company. To which our Lord replied, that they ought not to have forbidden him, because no person would attempt to work miracles in_his name, who did not entertain a very just conception of his divinity. "For

bid him not," said he, for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.”a "

By this language our Redeemer exorted them to consider, that whoso ever did not oppose him, may be considered as his friends; and the casting out devils in his name, would advance his reputation; and promote his interst, though the devils themselves, and the persons who rejected them, might design the contrary: he further informed them that the least degree of friendship and respect shown to his cause, though it was no more than a cup of cold water given to his disciples, when they stand in need of such afavor, was acceptable to him, and would certainly find it's full reward 'hereafter. “Whosoever,” said he, “shall give you a cup of cold water in

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my name, because you belong to Christ; verily, I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." At the same time, our Lord gave them to understand, that the least discouragement to his servants in their duty, would be remarked, and punished with the greatest severity: “ And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that milstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." From hence our great Redeemer took occasion to remark, that it was better and more advantageous to us, to deny ourselves the enjoyment of those things which are most pleasing to our sense, and which our corrupt affections might be as loth to part with, as with an hand, or a foot, or an eye, than by any indulgence or sensual gratification, to give offence to the disciples of CHRIST, or prevent the success of his gospel: and. as the disciples of CHRIST were appointed to preach the glorious gospel to a wicked world, to shew all nations the stupidity and folly of their idolatry, to teach the uncorrupted worship of the true God, and the practice of every virtue, Jesus exorted them to be particularly careful of their conduct and behaviour; for, if their lives were dishonourable to the cause of the gospel, they would be useless and despised, like salt which had lost it's savour. But amongst all the vices which prevail in the hearts of mankind. there is none more contrary to the nature and genius of the religion of Jesus, or more likely to prevent the usefulness of the preachers of his gospel, than spirit of pride; of this, therefore, our Lord particularly cautioned his disciples to beware; for, he assured them, that the meanest person is an object of the paternal care of the great Creator, & is supported & defended by his particular providence; such, therefore, are not to be despised; for our Lord declared, that the angels do always behold the face of his heavenly Father.

And to shew the particular notice and care which his Eternal Father takes of his people, and with what tender regard he always beholds the believers in his Son, our great Redeemer proceeded in this manner, How think ye; said he, if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray ? And if it be, that he finds it, verily, I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray, Even so, it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Our Lord having declared the heavy vengeance which would certainly fall on all who injured his disciples, and opposed the propagation of his gospel; and observed the tender care with which his Almighty Father beholds his people, and their certainty of protection and defence; he proceeds to warn them of taking their cause into their own hands, and pursuing, with hasty and unreasonable resentment any who had offended them. If thy brother," said he, shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear thee, tell it unto the church : but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a publican."

Our Saviour then proceeds to inform them, that the Supreme Judge of heaven and earth will interest himself in their behalf, when they are justly offended, and the sentence which they pass on such offenders will be ratified in heaven: Verily, I say unto you," proceeded he, "whatsoever ye shall bind on earth. shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." The meaning of this is, that if the method you take with an offending brother is blessed to the end you designed, & he is brought to a real repentance, he is loosed from the guilt of bis sin, and stands acquitted at the bar of supreme Justice: but, on the other hand, if all methods are used in vain, and the offender still continues

impenitent, and persists in his evil ways, he is bound by the chains of his guit, and cannot escape deserved punishment.

Our blessed Saviour then proceeded to lay down some considerations, which ought to encourage good men to use their utmost endeavours to convince sinners of the error of their ways, and bring them to sincera repentance, and to offer up their earnest and perservering prayers to the God of all grace, for his divine assistance in so great a work, by which only it can be effected: for the Lord informs them, that his heavenly Father would always hear their prayers, and grant their petitions, if consistent with the designs of his providence, and the methods of his grace. “Again

say unto you," said he, "that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven: for where two or three are gathered together in my game, there am I in the midst of them."

Peter had carefully attended to the doctrine of forgiveness of injuries, as inculcated by his Master; doubtless, he saw the beauty and dignity of such a rule of conduct, and desired it to be further explained: "Lord," said he, "how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? till seven times?" It seems by this question, that, however great and noble he apprehended this rule of conduct to be, he thought it was necessary to observe some restrictions in the practice of it; but his Master informed him, that it must not be limited to seven times, but carried on to seventy times seven, if the case required it.

In order to shew the beauty and dignity of this excellent moral precept, and the necessity of forgiving the greatest injuries in every case, where ther offending person is sensible of his fault, and promises amendment; our Lord, by way of illustration, proposed the parable of two servants, debtors to one lord: " Therefore," said he, "is the kingdom of heaven likened unte a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant, therefore, fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have pa tience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt."

So when his fellow-servants saw what was done they were sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord after that he had called him said unto him, "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him unto the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him."

By this affecting narrative, our Lord beautifully displays the extent of divine forgiveness, and the obligations which the sons of men, to whom God hath forgiven so much, are under to forgive one another. God is the great king and sovereign of all creatures, to him all are accountable, as servants are to a master; he keeps a register of their actions, as a tradesman keeps an account of his debts, and a day will surely come when they will be called to a reckoning. The servant who owed ten thousand talents, represents every man that lives in the world; the enormous debt which men owe to their Creator, is but faintly described by that prodigious sum

for their sins of thought, word, and deed, which the most correct and regular of mankind commit, exceed all conception, and may justly be com pared to the stars of heaven for multitude, or sand on the sea shore. The plea of the insolvent debtor" Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all," is an elegant description of the expectations of men in general, to obtain, the divine forgiveness, by their future good behaviour, and thinking to perform such good deeds as may make amends for their former guilt: but the Lord knowing how impossible it was for this servant to pay this enormous sum, had compassion on him, & freely forgave the debt. Hence we learn the freeness of divine forgiveness; it is not on account of any thing which has been done, or can be done by the sons of men that the great Jehovah is induced to pardon their iniquities; but his forgiveness flows freely from the rich fountain of his own infinite mercy, that mercy which he hath magnified, and fully manifested to the world in the gospel of his son: and whoever is made partaker of the rich blessings of divine forgiveness, is laid under the highest obligations to forgive his fellow creas tures, and to extend that forgiveness if required, beyond the limits pre scribed by our Lord, even beyond the number of seventy times seven: but such is the corruption of the human heart, that we are too prone to forget, or carelessly overlook the mercies received, and consider not how justly the great Judge of heaven and earth might call us to a strict account for our numerous offences, while we are pursuing our fellow-creatures with implacable resentment; nor do we consider how much we are indebted to the Supreme Lord of univerval nature, while like the unmerciful servant, we take our fellow creature by the throat, with, "Pay me what thou owest." But whosoever duly considers the vast debt they owe to God, and are enabled to rely on his infinite mercy for forgiveness, if they have a just view of their unworthiness and insolvency, and are enabled to seek forgiveness in the way which God hath appointed, will in a greater or less degree, be careful to cultivate a placable forgiving frame of mind; especially when they consider those remarkable words with which our Lord coucludes this narrative: for having declared, that the lord delivers the cruel servant “to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him," he adds," so likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not one another your trespasses."

Having delivered these precepts, our great Rebeemer departed into Gass ilee, 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 have ing taken a tour through those distant part, 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 sojourn→ ing in the wilderness. Some 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 pretensions: 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 resurt, 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