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SERMON XXV.

JOHN, vii. 46.

NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN.

THE chief priests and Pharisees being determined, if possible, to destroy our blessed Saviour; and having gotten, as they supposed, some handle against him, sent their officers to apprehend him. The officers were so struck with what Jesus said to them, that they returned without him. "Never man," said they, "spake like this man." What our Saviour said to these officers does not appear; but we may be sure, from his answering on other occasions, it was something which they thought extremely uncommon and affecting.

As we are often apt to pass over things slightly which deserve great attention, many of us, in the

present

present case, may not consider in so strong a light as we ought, the extraordinary power with which our Saviour always spoke. In the following discourse, therefore, I shall endeavour to explain the text, by showing you, first, the great wisdom with which he opposed his adversaries-secondly, the divine precepts he gave his disciples—and, thirdly, the grand scheme of redemption which he opened; in all which he spake as never man spake.

We first admire the great wisdom with which he opposed his adversaries. Thus when they asked him, whether it were lawful to give tribute to Cæsar? they wanted only a handle against him.

If he had said, it was lawful, he would have offended the Jews, who thought themselves naturally free from all tribute. If he had said, it was not lawful, he would have offended the Romans, who had imposed the tribute. An ordinary man might have held his peace; or have answered, he was no judge of the case: the wisdom of Jesus meant to confound these malicious enquirers. He asked for a piece of money with which the tribute was paid. Whose image, said he, does this coin bear? On their answering Cæsar's,

T 3

Cæsar's, he bade them give it then to Cæsar, if it was Cæsar's. But, as his manner was, always to introduce some moral instruction, he bade them remember, they had a heavenly power to serve, still superior to Cæsar. His enemies, astonished at his wisdom, left him in confusion.

The same snare was laid for him, when the woman taken in adultery was brought before him. If he had said, they ought not to put her to death, he opposed the law of Moses; and if he had advised the contrary, he laid himself open to the Romans, who forbade the Jews the power of life and death.* Here again he might have avoided the difficulty by silence; but he chose rather to confound his wicked adversaries, by setting their consciences and their practice at variance. Let him, said he, among you, who hath never been guilty of this crime himselft, throw the first stone. This roused the conscience of each, especially as they were probably conscious of each other's guilt, and they retired in confusion. He then told the woman, it was

*See John, xviii. 31.

+ This appears rather to be the meaning of our Saviour's expression, than our translation of it; for sin of some kind they had all undoubtedly committed.

not

not his part to pass any judicial sentence

but only exhorted her to sin no more.

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Among other instances of the wisdom with which he reproved his adversaries, we may remark some of his parables. Such was that of the man, who had two sons whom he ordered to work in his vineyard. The elder pretended to go, but afterwards refused. The younger at first refused, but afterwards went. In the elder was held out the perverseness of the Jews in rejecting the Gospel in the younger thepenitence of the Gentiles, who should now be received. But though the parable was very severe, the chief priests could not take hold of Jesus, because the wisdom, as well as the severity of it, lay in their own application.

Of the same kind was the parable of the guests invited to the marriage. As they who had been invited would not come, the master of the feast sought for such as could be found. The chief priests had sense enough to understand the feast meant the Gospel- the guests who refused to come, the Jews; and those invited from abroad, the Gentiles. If Jesus had said all this plainly, his enemies would soon have raised an accusation

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against him but as he told them only a fable, the application was their own.

Of the same kind also was the parable of the householder, who let out his vineyard to husbandmen. On their using his servants ill whom he had sent to gather the fruits of it, he at length sent his son, but him they put to death. In the preceding parable, Jesus had shown the chief priests what they had done; in this he showed them what they intended to do. But still each parable was wrapped up in so much prudent caution, that his enemies were their own accusers.

Having given you a few instances of our blessed Saviour's wisdom in reproving his adversaries, I shall now show you, that in giving instruction also, no man spake like this man. In the first place, he laid a stress on many virtues, which other lawgivers did not value-on humility, for instance, gentleness, meekness of spirit, the forgiveness of enemies, contempt of the world, and universal charity. It was his design to draw men from this world, to which they are always too much attached. Other lawgivers wish to fit men for it, and there

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