thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not:" beautifully alluding to the circumstance that Peter, when he received an intimation that Jesus was standing on the shore, "girt his fisher's coat unto him, and cast himself into the sea TM.' m" The following quotation from Macknight" will show that our Lord's images were taken, if not from present objects, yet from obvious ones: "The sower going forth to sow, the growth of the corn, the trees putting forth their branches and leaves, the dressing of vineyards, the grass of the fields, the fowls of the air, the foxes' holes, the gathering of chickens under the wings of their dam, the affections of a father, the putting of the hand to the plough, the building of houses, the making of war, the robbing of a traveller, the breaking of houses by thieves, and many such similitudes, are introduced by him, to convey striking impressions of the truths which he was delivering." Mr. Townson's instances are", "his comparing the perverseness of the Jews to the froward and sullen humour of children; and the solicitude of Heaven for the conversion of sinners, and the joy of angels on their repentance, to a woman lighting a candle and sweeping her house in search after her lost piece of silver, and when she had found it, calling her neighbours about her to rejoice with her.” Other examples are, the burning of tares and the storing of wheat, the separation of good fishes from m John xxi. 7. See Macknight's Harmony, p. 661, 2nd edit. n Gospel History, p. 80, 81. • See an ingenious visitation sermon preached at Chester, 1778. bad, the dunging of a fig tree, the quality of leaven, the importunity of petitioners, the seeking of a lost sheep on the mountains, the dividing of sheep from goats, the customs of nuptial and other feasts, the conduct of stewards, labourers, and domestic servants. But it is unnecessary to make an attempt towards a complete induction of particulars. By so strongly marking our Lord's peculiar mode of instructing, and, instead of repeated general lessons on religious and moral topics, introducing so many references to time and place, to occasional occurrences and present objects, the evangelists furnish a presumption that his discourses are not artfully and cautiously invented by them, but are always the substance of what he said, and often his very expressions. And as our Lord's conversation so constantly took this turn, it may be collected that his grand purpose was to be useful and instructive 9. It has been further observed, that his excellent lessons were likely to be better retained this way; as every object and event to which he had alluded served for a monitor and remembrancer. It may be added, that this manner of teaching must sometimes have given a peculiar animation to his discourses that a proud display of knowledge and wis P This is among the many very masterly observations made by Dr. Jortin. See Discourses on the Christian Religion, p. 229, 245, 246. 9 Bishop Law's Observations, &c. p. 322. See an instance of his private instructions, John xi. 24. r I have often admired, says an elegant writer, the spirited theatrical manner of the Italian and eastern poets when they re cite in the open air, pointing out each object of description in an imaginary scene of their own extemporaneous creation; but availing themselves at the same time of every real appearance of nature within view of their audience, that is applicable to their subject, and connected in some degree with the spot where the recital is made. Wood's Genius of Homer, p. 22, 4o. dom is best avoided by pursuing this method: that it proves how full our Lord's mind always was of the best thoughts, his mouth speaking out of the abundance of his heart and that it may teach good men distantly to copy his admirable manner, by making a right use of common incidents on fit occasions. And again: Our Lord's familiar way of instructing 18-24. is strongly contrasted to the terrors which accompanied the giving of the law. "We are not come to the moun- Heb. xii. tain that might be toucheds, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (for they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake :") but we Deut. xviii. are come to a prophet from among our brethren, to the 18. Mat.xi. meek and lowly Jesus, who was touched with the feel- 15. ing of our infirmities, and graciously adapted himself to them. SECT. VII. That our Lord showed a knowledge of men's secret words and actions, and even of their thoughts. 29. Heb. iv. A WONDERFUL circumstance appeared in our Lord's conduct and discourse, that all things, even the inmost recesses of the human mind, were "naked and open" Heb. iv. 13. to his view. The position which we are illustrating is thus laid down by St.John: "Now when Jesus was in Jerusalem Jo. ii. 23– s It is ingenious to supply un or où with Junius and Wall. But the mountain capable of being touched may be opposed to the 25. at the passover, at the feast, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify Jo. xvi. 30. of man: for he knew what was in man." And we find xxi. 17. See also Jo. xiii. the disciples in one place, and Peter in another, declaring that our Lord knew all things. II. 16. It will be useful to pursue this subject throughout our Lord's history: and here, as in the preceding section, I shall compile the observations of others ", and distinguish my own additions. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he thus Jo. i. 47,&c. characterised him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom Act. xxiv. is no guile." Nathanael, who really had "a conscience void of offence," was astonished that a stranger should thus address him, and therefore asked, "Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee:" alluding, it is most probable, to private acts of devotion which he had been there performing. Nathanael, struck with this instance of supernatural knowJo. i. 36. ledge in addition to the Baptist's testimony, thus expressed his belief in Jesus as the Messiah, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the king of Israel.” Jo. iii. 1, 2. St. John also relates that "there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher sent from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, unless God be with him." The answer of Jesus does not seem to be direct; and therefore Le Clerc thus t i. e. during the eight days of its continuance: not on the feast day, as we injudiciously render it here and Matt. xxvi. 5. and p. p. u See Benson's Life of Christ, ch. v; Bp. Law's Considerations, P. 330. explains it: "Having premised this, Nicodemus was about to ask Jesus what he ought to do that he might be admitted into the kingdom of heaven, which was at hand; and this is the concealed part, which Jesus's reply has regard to." The passage thus understood will furnish an instance of what lord Bacon mentions, though in too general terms: "It is an excellent observation, which hath been made upon the answers of our Saviour Christ to many of the questions which were propounded to him, how that they are impertinent to the state of the question demanded; the reason whereof is, because not being like man, which knows man's thoughts by his words, but knowing man's thoughts immediately, he never answered their words, but their thoughts." This great writer should rather have said, "he sometimes answered, not their words but their thoughts." Read our Lord's reply with this clue, and nothing can be more pertinent: "Verily, Jo. iii. 3. verily, I say unto thee, Unless a man be born again by a spiritual birth, and by baptism receive the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit," he cannot see the kingdom of God;" he cannot become a subject of my present or future kingdom. Nor is there any other way of explaining such texts but what is suggested; or recurring to the supposition that more was said on both sides than the evangelists record, and that rather the heads of the discourses See Luk. xvi. 15-18. than the particulars are delivered down to us. We have another instance of our Lord's divine knowledge in his conversation with the woman of Samaria. Proposing to discover his high prophetic character x Harm. p. 520. fol. y Works, vol. ii. Lond. 1740. fol. z The word ἄνωθεν may be translated again, or, from above. See Gal. iv. 9. for the former |