If these exceptionable declarations made by Jesus, were not intended to be understood literally; why were they fpoken in a manner to be fo construed? That they were fo, even by the Apostles themselves, is certain. Two of them, James and John (whom, it seemis, he had not improperly named sons of thunder) profited fo much by this lecture, that some time after, when the Samaritans refused to receive Jefus and his disciples into one of their villages, because they were going to Jerusalem : asked permission of their master, to call down fire from Heaven, to confume them : and in the true fpirit of Judaism, quoted the example of the humane Elijah. St. John indeed does not record this circuinftance; we could not expect it : but St. Luke does, ch. ix. V. 52, 53, 54. as likewise the anfwer given by Jesus And he turned, and re

buked them, and said, ye know not what man• ner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is 6 not come to destroy mens lives, but to save ' them. And they went to another village."

This reply, breathes a spirit of humanity : and the subfequent act, is an example of forbearance. It is plain then, from these and many others of a fimilar kind; he meant not that scenes of so hor. rid a nature should be exhibited in his days, by his orders, or with his permission. But as they were to be: the questions are --When were they to commence ? And how long were they to con

tinue? The disciples had reason to expect them Chapter Verle as the immediate consequence of their preaching: but the duration, could not, in their apprehenfion, be extended beyond the duration of their own lives, or the lives of some of them. Within that period, they have been frequently told, this world would be changed, and the kingdom of Heaven established. After which, assuredly, fuch things could not be. Whatever their expectations were, certain to us it is; that time is not arrived : and yet the diabolical spirit of persecution for righteousness fake, is at an end. Humanity has regained her empire in the enlightened souls of men; and the Christian religion assumes the wildness of Paganism. Thus of the three questions-Why were these speeches made? How were they then 'understood? And how are we to understand them now? The scriptures do not enable me to answer either satisfactorily : the mind labours in vain here, as it does in many other parts of the gospel, for con

sistency.

We will now return to Matthew's account of the lecture to the twelve, &c.— He thať %. • loveth father or mother more than me, is not ' worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daugh

ter more than me, is not worthy of me. And " he that taketh not his cross, and followeth af.

38

Chapter Verte' ter me, is not worthy of me.' If this was faid

to the twelve, and a compliance was expected
from them only, it was well : but if it was said
to others, or the twelve coinmanded to teach it
to mankind as a general rule or duty, it produced
effects that were not well ; and we are not sure
prised to find such multitudes collected. The
poor, the idle, the profligate; having nothing
to lose, flocked to a standard where there was
something to be gained. But of the rich; men
of business or in power : Pagan or Jewish priests :
not a man do we read of: they had something to
lose : and with respect to gain, the former must
have gone upon a forlorn hope indeed - It is

easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
' needle, than for a rich man to enter into the

' kingdom of God.' Matt. ch. xix. v. 24. St. xi. 1 Matthew concludes this lecture~' And it came to

o pass when Jesus had made an end of command-
' ing his twelve disciples, he departed thence to

teach and to preach in their cities.' It doth
not appear by Matthew's account, that the twelve
separated themselves from their master to exe-
cute his commands. Mark, in his third chap-
ter, says-Jesus ordained twelve that they should
be with him, and that he might send them forth,
to preach, to heal sicknesses, and to cast out de-
vils : but does not send them forth till some time
after, in ch. vi. v. 7.--' And he called unto him
the twelve, and began to send them forth by

two

CI

' two and two, and gave them power,' &c. with some of the instructions, but not a word of the offensive matter mentioned by Matthew— And

they went out and preached, that men should

repent. And they cast out many devils, and Sanointed with oil many that were fick, and ' healed them. After giving an account of John's decollation, he tells us, the twelve (pos. fibly alarmed thereat) joined their master, gave him an account of what they had done, and what they had taught; and then withdrew with him privately into a desert place. But he does not inform us how Jesus employed himself during their absence. Luke in his gth chapter gives nearly the same account; and in his roth chapter he (and he only) informs us that Jesus gave the same instructions and the same powers to seventy others ; fent them out two and two, that they returned to him again, and with great joy told him the devils were, through his name, subject to them. Upon which he replied— I 'beheld Satan as lightning, fall from Heaven.' And added, ' Behold I give unto you power to • tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all

the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by

any means hurt you. His exultation here seems equal to that of the seventy. They had through his name cast out devils: the Jewish historians tell us, the name of Solomon had done as much. This was an art practised long be

fore,

Chapter Verre fore, indiscriminately by Pagans and Jews; but

the too frequent use of it in those and after times
by the Christians, brought it into discredit, and
in course it was gradually abandoned. What Je-
sus meant by saying, I beheld Satan as lightning,
fall from Heaven, is a question not easily resolved.
Did he really see this, in his pré-existent state :
or did he use this metaphor (borrowed per-
haps from Isaiah, ch. xiv. v. 12.) in exultation
when he found the power of Satan fo fallen as to
be controuléd by men, poor and ignorant as the
feventy were? Having examined the four re-
cords concerning the twelve disciples sent out to
teach, .&c. we will now return to St. Matthew's
11th chapter, wherein he informs us that John

the Baptist, from his prison, sent two of his difsio 3 ciples to Jesus, asking him— Art thou he that

should come, or do we look for another?' This appears a very extraordinary question from John, after what he had said and seen when he baptised Jesus, Matth. ch. iii. v. 13 to 17, or in stronger terms, John, ch. i. v. 32, 33, 34*.

In answer, Jesus orders them to report what they
5 had heard and seen . The blind receive their

• sight, and the lame walk : the lepers are
• cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised

' up, and the poor have the gospel preached to
6! thein. And blessed is he whosoever shall not

. Vide pages 12, 13.