Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

The priests, knowing that our blessed Saviour had never sat as a disciple at the feet of the doctors, nor been educated in their schools, were naturally astonished at the great knowledge of their law which he discovered when he taught in the Temple, and which, had they not been wilfully blind, must have excited their attention and respect to so extraordinary a character.

66

"16. Jefus answered them and faid, My doctrine is not mine, but his that " fent me..

66 17. If any man will do his will, he "fhall know of the doctrine, whether it “be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

66

18. He that speaketh of himself, seek

“eth his own glory: but he that seeketh

66

his glory that fent him, the fame is true, "and no unrighteoufnefs is in him."

Those who really believed that Jefus was the Son of God, could not suppose he stood in need of earthly knowledge, as

that

that faith would teach them that he knew every thing both in Heaven and earth. A portion of this heavenly knowledge he afterwards condefcended to beftow on the apostles, for the propagation of his gofpel; particularly in the gift of tongues: a very wonderful, but neceffary gift to those who were to teach all nations. By this they were not only enabled to spread the Chriftian religion throughout the world, but, being publicly and miraculously conferred upon them, it produced fo great an effect, that no less than three thousand fouls were converted by St. Peter's first fermon.

66

[ocr errors]

19. Did not Mofes give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?

20. The people answered and said, "Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to "kill thee?

[ocr errors]

21. Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, I have done one work, and ye all "marvel.

[ocr errors]

56 22. Mofes,

66

22. Mofes, therefore, gave unto you "circumcifion, (not because it is of Mofes, "but of the fathers,) and ye on the fabbath-day circumcise a man:

66

[ocr errors]

66

23. If a man on the fabbath-day re"ceive circumcifion, that the law of Mofes fhould not be broken, are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every "whit whole on the fabbath-day?

66

66

66

24. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judge

"ment."

Had the healing a man on the fabbathday been, in reality, a violation of the law, could it be deemed a crime worthy of death? If this had been the punishment attached to the breach of the Mofaic law, miferable indeed would have been the state of the Jews, at that period; they being all negligent of their duty, in fome points or other.

By a perfon's having a devil, or being poffeffed with a devil, was fometimes meant that he was mad, or deprived of reason;

and

and in this sense it seems to be here used. As the people were ignorant of the defign of the priests to put our Lord to death, they must have thought him beside himself, when he accufed them of entertaining so horrid a crime. As the rite of circumcifion was performed on the eighth day, without regard to the fabbath, why should the Jews have marvelled or been displeased that our Lord took the fame liberty with that day for the purpose of relieving a poor, fuffering fellow-creature! an act which every unprejudiced perfon must have applauded: mercy being ever an attendant on true piety. But the fact was, our blessed Saviour had offended against their traditions; which they pretended to be of equal force with the law itself, and to be observed with equal veneration.

[ocr errors][merged small]

66 25. Then faid some of them of Jerufalem, Is not this he whom they seek to kill?

26. But lo, he speaketh boldly, and they fay nothing unto him. Do the " rulers

[ocr errors]

"rulers know indeed that this is the very 66 Chrift?

66

27. Howbeit, we know this man "whence he is but when Christ cometh, "no man knoweth whence he is."

The inhabitants of Jerufalem, though better informed of the defigns of our Lord's enemies than those of other parts, yet, seeing that he was permitted uninterruptedly to teach in the Temple, began to conceive that the priests had become converts, and allowed him to be the very christ: they, however, declare themselves of a different opinion; and, probably, grounded their difbelief on the prophecy of Isaiah, (chapter liii. verse 8.) "Who "fhall declare his generation." This I conceive fhould be understood, of our bleffed Lord's eternal generation: and if fo, it will be readily allowed, that no one can declare it. Had not the Jews, either through wilful ignorance, or to answer their own purposes, wrefted the obvious meaning of many of the prophecies in the

Old

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »