he says, "As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." But neither here, nor any where else, does he, even in these four or five last days of his life, (though he knew his hour was come, and was prepared for his death, and scrupled not to manifest himself to the rulers of the Jews to be the Messiah, by doing miracles before them in the temple,) ever once in direct words own himself to the Jews to be the Messiah; though by miracles, and other ways, he did every where make it known to them, so that it might be understood. This could not be without some reason; and the preservation of his life, which he came now to Jerusalem on purpose to lay down, could not be it. What other reason could it then be, but the same which had made him use caution in the former part of his ministry, so to conduct himself that he might do the work which he came for, and in all parts answer the character given of the Messiah in the law and the prophets? He had fulfilled the time of his ministry, and now taught and did miracles openly in the temple, before the rulers and the people, not fearing to be seized: but he would not be seized for any thing that might make him a criminal to the government; and therefore he avoided giving those, who in the division that was about him inclined towards him, occasion of tumult for his sake; or to the Jews, his enemies, matter of just accusation against him out of his own mouth, by professing himself to be the Messiah, the king of Israel, in direct words. It was enough, that by words and deeds he declared it so to them, that they could not but understand him; which it is plain they did, Luke xx. 16, 19; Matt. xxi. 45. But yet neither his actions, which were only doing of good, nor words, which were mystical and parabolical, (as we may see, Matt. xxi. and xxii., and the parallel places of Matthew and Luke,) nor any of his ways of making himself known to be the Messiah, could be brought in testimony, or urged against him as opposite or dangerous to the government. This preserved him from being condemned as a malefactor, and procured him a testimony from the Roman governor, his judge, that he was an innocent man, sacrificed to the envy of the Jewish nation. So that he avoided saying that he was the Messiah, that to those who could call to mind his life and death after his resurrection, he might the more clearly appear to be so. It is further to be remarked, that though he often appeals to the testimony of his miracles who he is, yet he never tells the Jews that he was born at Bethlehem, to remove the prejudice that lay against him, while he passed for a Galilean, and which was urged as a proof that he was not the Messiah, John vii. 41, 42. The healing of the sick, and doing of good miraculously, could be no crime in him, nor accusation against him: but the naming of Bethlehem for his birth-place, might have wrought as much upon the mind of Pilate as it did on Herod's; and have raised a suspicion in Pilate as prejudicial to our Saviour's innocence as Herod's was to the children born there. His pretending to be born at Bethlehem, as it was liable to be explained by the Jews, could not have failed to have met with a sinister interpretation in the Roman governor, and have rendered Jesus suspected of some criminal design against the government. And hence we see, that when Pilate asked him, "Whence art thou? Jesus gave him no answer." 99. Whether our Saviour had not an eye to this straitness, this narrow room that was left to his conduct, between the new converts and the captious Jews, when he says, "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and nus ouviexopar, how am I straitened till it be accomplished," I leave to be considered. "I am come to send fire on the earth," says our Saviour; "and what if it be already kindled?" that is, there begin already to be divisions about me,* and I have not the freedom, the latitude, to declare myself openly to be the Messiah; though I am he, that must not be spo ken out till after my death. My way to my throne is closely hedged in on every side, and much straitened, within which I must keep, till it bring me to my cross, in its due time and manner, so that it do not cut short the time, nor cross the end of my ministry. 100. And therefore to keep up this inoffensive character, and not to let it come within the reach of accident or calumny, he withdrew with his apostles out of the town every evening, and kept himself retired out of the way. "And in the day time he was teaching in the temple, and every night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives;" that he might avoid all concourse to him in the night, and give no occasion of disturbance or suspicion of himself in that great conflux of the whole nation of the Jews, now assembled in Jerusalem at the passover. 101. But to return to his preaching in the temple. He bids them "to believe in the light whilst they have it :"+ and he tells them, "I am the light come into the world, that every one who believes in me should not remain in darkness." Which believing in him, was the believing him to be the Messiah, as I have elsewhere showed. The next day, he rebukes them for not having believed John the Baptist, who had testified that he was the Messiah: and then, in a parable, declares himself to be the Son of God, whom they should destroy; and that for it God would take away the kingdom of the Messiah from them, and give it to the Gentiles. That they understood him thus is plain from Luke xx. 16: "And when they heard it, they said, God forbid ;" and verse 19, "For they knew that he had spoken this parable against them." 102. Much to the same purpose was his next parable, concerning the kingdom of heaven, Matt. xxii., that the Jews not accepting of the kingdom of the Messiah, to whom it was first offered, others should be brought in. The Scribes and Pharisees and chief priests, not able to bear the declaration he made of himself to be the Messiah, (by his discourses and miracles before them, uxor åvrüv, John xii. 37, which he had never done before,) impatient of his preaching and miracles, and being not able otherwise to stop the increase of his followers, (for, "said the Pharisees among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him." So that the "chief priests, and the Scribes, and the chief of the * Vide John vii. 12, 43, and ix. 16, and x. 19. † John xii. 36. ↑ Matt. xxi. people,) sought to destroy him," the first day of his entrance into Jerusalem. The next day, again they were intent upon the same thing. And he taught in the temple; "and the Scribes and the chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him; for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine." ed to aim at, the opinion that was spread amongst the people, that he was the Messiah. This would have quashed the hopes, and destroyed the faith of those who believed on him, and have turned the ears and hearts of the people from him. If, on the other side, he answered No, it is not lawful to pay tribute to Cæsar, they had had out of his own mouth wherewithal to condemn him before Pontius Pilate. But St. Luke tells us, "He per tempt ye me?" that is, why do ye lay snares for me? "Ye hypocrites, show me the tribute-money." So it is, Matt. xxii. 19. "Whose image and inscription has it? They said, Cæsar's. He said unto them, Render, therefore, to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's." By the wisdom and caution of which unexpected answer, he defeated their whole design. "And they could not take hold of his words before the people; and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace," Luke xx. 26: "and leaving him, they departed," Matt. xxii. 22. the Messiah; something from his own mouth, that might offend the Roman power, and render him criminal to Pilate. They asked him, saying, master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly; neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cæsar, or no?" By 103. The next day but one, upon his telling this captious question they hoped to catch him, them the kingdom of the Messiah should be taken which way soever he answered; for if he had from them, "the chief priests and Scribes sought said, they ought to pay tribute to Cæsar, it would to lay hands on him the same hour; and they be plain he allowed their subjection to the Rofeared the people," Luke xx. If they had so great mans, and so in effect disowned himself to be a desire to lay hold on him, why did they not?-their king and deliverer; whereby he would have They were the chief priests and the rulers, the contradicted what his carriage and doctrine seemmen of power. The reason St. Luke plainly tells us in the next verse: "And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him into the power and authority of the governor." They wanted matter of accusation against him to the power they were under: that they watched for, and that they would have been glad of, if they could have entangled him in his talk, as St. Mat-ceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why thew expresses it.* If they could have laid hold on any word that had dropped from him, that might have rendered him guilty or suspected to the Roman governor, that would have served their turn, to have laid hold upon him, with hopes to destroy him: for their power not answering their malice, they could not put him to death by their own authority, without the permission and assistance of the governor, as they confess, John xviii. 31: "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." This made them so earnest for a declaration in direct words from his own mouth, that he was the Messiah. It was not that they would 105. He having, by this reply, (and what he more have believed in him for such a declaration answered to the Sadducees concerning the resurof himself, than they did for his miracles, or other rection, and to the lawyer about the first comways of making himself known, which it appears mandment, Mark xii.,) answered so little to their they understood well enough; but they wanted satisfaction or advantage, they durst ask him no plain direct words, such as might support an ac- more questions any of them. And now their cusation, and be of weight before an heathen mouths being stopped, he himself begins to quesjudge. This was the reason why they pressed tion them about the Messiah, asking the Pharihim to speak out: "Then came the Jews round sees, Matt. xxii. "What think ye of the Messiah, about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou whose Son is he? They say unto him the son of hold us in suspense? If thou be the Messiah, David:" wherein, though they answered right, tell us plainly," maßßnoia; that is, in direct words; yet he shows them, in the following words, that for that St. John uses it in that sense, we may see however they pretended to be studiers and teachchap. xi. 11-14: "Jesus saith to them, Lazarus ers of the law, yet they understood not clearly sleepeth." His disciples said, "If he sleeps, he the Scriptures concerning the Messiah; and shall do well. Howbeit, Jesus spake of his death; thereupon he sharply rebukes their hypocrisy, but they thought he had spoken of taking of rest vanity, pride, malice, covetousness, and ignorance in sleep. Then said Jesus to them plainly, appŋria,—and particularly tells them, "Ye shut up the Lazarus is dead." Here we see what is meant kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither by appela, plain direct words, such as express the thing without a figure; and so they would have had Jesus pronounce himself to be the Messiah. And the same thing they press again, Matt. xvi. the high-priest adjuring him by the living God, to tell them whether he were the Messiah, the Son of God, as we shall have occasion to take notice by-and-by. 104. This we may observe in the whole management of their design against his life. It turned upon this; that they wanted and wished for a declaration from him, in direct words, that he was go in yourselves, nor suffer ye them that are entering, to go in." Whereby he plainly declares to them, that the Messiah was come, and his kingdom began; but that they refused to believe in him themselves, and did all they could to hinder others from believing in him, as is manifest throughout the New Testament; the history whereof sufficiently explains what is meant here by the "kingdom of heaven," which the Scribes and Pharisees would neither go into themselves, nor suffer others to enter into. And they could not choose but understand him, though he named not himself in the case. 106 Provoked anew by his rebukes, they get 66 presently to council: "Then assembled together though Matthew and Mark, contracting the story, the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders set them down together, as if making but one of the people, unto the palace of the high-priest, question, omitting all the intervening discourse; who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they whereas it is plain, out of St. Luke, that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But were two distinct questions, to which Jesus gave they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an two distinct answers: in the first whereof he, acuproar among the people. For they feared the cording to his usual caution, declined saying in people," says St. Luke, chap. xxii. Having in plain express words that he was the Messiah; the night got Jesus into their hands, by the treach- though in the latter he owned himself to be the ery of Judas, they presently led him away, bound, Son of God: which, though they, being Jews to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high- understood to signify the Messiah, yet he knew priest, who probably having examined him, and could be no legal or weighty accusation against getting nothing out of him for his purpose, sends him before a heathen; and so it proved: for upon him away to Caiaphas, where the chief priests, the his answering to their question, "Art thou then Scribes, and the elders were assembled, John xviii. the Son of God? Ye say that I am;" they cry 19, 20: "The high-priest then asked Jesus of his out, "What need we any further witnesses? For disciples and of his doctrine. Jesus answered we ourselves have heard out of his own mouth :" him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught and so thinking they had enough against him, in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the they hurry him away to Pilate. Pilate asking Jews always resort; and in secret have I said no-them, "What accusation bring you against this thing." A proof that he had not in private to his disciples declared himself in express words to be the Messiah, the Prince. But he goes on. Why askest thou me?" Ask Judas, who has been always with me. "Ask them who heard me what I have said unto them; behold, they know what I said." Our Saviour, we see, here warily declines, for the reasons above mentioned, all discourse of his doctrine. The sanhedrim, Matt. xxvi. "sought false witness against him;" but when they found none that were sufficient, or came up to the point they desired, which was to have something against him to take away his life; (for so I think the words loat and ton mean, Mark xiv. 56, 59;) they try again what they can get out of him himself, concerning his being the Messiah; which if he owned in express words, they thought they should have enough against him at the tribunal of the Roman governor, to make him lasa majestatis reum, and so to take away his life. They therefore say to him, Luke xxii. 67: "If thou be the Messiah, tell us:" nay, as St. Matthew hath it, the highpriest adjures him by the living God to tell them whether he were the Messiah. To which our Saviour replies: "If I tell you, ye will not believe; and if I ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.' If I tell you, and prove to you, by the testimony given of me from heaven, and by the works that I have done among you, you will not believe in me, that I am the Messiah: or, if I should ask you where the Messiah is to be born, and what state he should come in, how he should appear, and other things that you think in me not reconcilable with the Messiah; you will not answer me, and let me go, as one that has no pretence to be the Messiah, and you are not afraid should be received for such. But yet I tell you, "hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God," verse 70. Then said they all, "Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am." By which discourse with them, related at large here by St. Luke, it is plain, that the answer of our Saviour, set down by St. Matthew, chap. xxvi. 64, in these words, "Thou hast said ;" and by St. Mark, chap. xvi. 62, in these, "I am;" is an answer only to this question, "Art thou then the Son of God?" and not to that other, "Art thou the Messiah?" which preceded, and he had answered to before; man? they answered and said, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee." Then said Pilate unto them, "Take ye him, and judge him according to your law."* But this would not serve their turn, who aimed at his life, and would be satisfied with nothing else. The Jews, therefore, said unto him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." And this was also, "that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spake, signifying what death he should die." Pursuing, therefore, their design, of making him appear to Pontius Pilate guilty of treason against Cæsar, "they began to accuse him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar; saying, that he himself is the Messiah, the king:" all which were inferences of theirs from his saying, he was the "Son of God;" which Pontius Pilate finding, (for it is consonant that he examined them to the precise words he had said,) their accusation had no weight with him. However, the name of king being suggested against Jesus, he thought himself concerned to search it to the bottom. "Then Pilate entered again into the judgment-hall, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews? But my kingdom is not from hence. Pilate, therefore, said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king: for this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth: every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." 107. In this dialogue between our Saviour and Pilate we may observe, 1. That being asked, whether he were the king of the Jews, he answers so, that though he deny it not, yet he avoided giving the least umbrage, that he had any design upon the government; for, though he allows himself to be a king, yet, to obviate any suspicion, he * John xviii. tells Pilate, "his kingdom is not of this world;"hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent and evidences it by this, that if he had pretended of the blood of this just man; see you to it."to any title to that country, his followers, which Which gives us a clear reason of the cautious and were not a few, and were forward enough to be- wary conduct of our Saviour, in not declaring lieve him their king, would have fought for him, himself, in the whole course of his ministry, so if he had had a mind to set himself up by force, much as to his disciples, much less to the multior his kingdom were so to be erected. "But my tude or the rulers of the Jews, in express words, kingdom," says he, "is not from hence;" is not to be the Messiah, the king; and why he kept of this fashion, or of this place. 2. Pilate, being himself always in prophetical or parabolical terms, by his words and circumstances satisfied that he (he and his disciples preaching only the kingdom laid no claim to his province, or meant any dis- of God, that is, of the Messiah, to be come,) and turbance of the government, was yet a little sur-left to his miracles to declare who he was; though prised to hear a man, in that poor garb, without retinue, or so much as a servant or a friend, own himself to be a king; and therefore asks him, with some kind of wonder, "Art thou a king, then?" 3. That our Saviour declares, that his great business into the world was, to testify and make good this great truth, that he was a king; that is, in other words, that he was the Messiah. 4. That whoever were followers of the truth, and got into the way of truth and happiness, received this doctrine concerning him, viz. that he was Messiah, their king. 108. Pilate being thus satisfied that he neither meant, nor could there arise any harm from his pretence, whatever it was, to be a king, tells the Jews, "I find no fault in this man :" but the Jews were the more fierce, saying, "He stirreth up the people to sedition, by his preaching through all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place:" and then Pilate, learning that he was of Galilee, Herod's jurisdiction, sent him to Herod; to whom also "the chief priests and Scribes vehemently accused him." Herod finding all their accusations either false or frivolous, thought our Saviour a bare object of contempt; and so turning him only into ridicule, sent him back to Pilate; who calling unto him the chief priests, and the rulers, and the people, said unto them, "Ye have brought this man unto me as one that perverteth the people; and behold, I have examined him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching these things whereof ye accuse him; no, nor yet Herod; for I sent you to him; and so nothing worthy of death is done by him :" and therefore he would have released him; "for he knew the chief priests had delivered him through envy." And when they demanded Barabbas to be released; but as for Jesus, cried, Crucify him, "Pilate said unto them the third time, Why? What evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go." 109. We may observe in all this whole prosecution of the Jews, that they would fain have got it out of Jesus's own mouth, in express words, that he was the Messiah; which not being able to do with all their art and endeavor, all the rest that they could allege against him not amounting to a proof before Pilate, that he claimed to be king of the Jews, or that he had caused or done any thing towards a mutiny or insurrection among the people, (for upon these two, as we see, their whole charge turned,) Pilate again and again pronounced him innocent; for so he did a fourth and a fifth time, bringing him out to them after he had whipped him. And after all," When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his this was the truth which he came into the world, as he says himself, to testify, and which his disciples were to believe. 110. When Pilate, satisfied of his innocence, would have released him; and the Jews persisted to cry out, "Crucify him, crucify him, Pilate says to them, take ye him yourselves, and crucify him; for I do not find any fault in him." The Jews then, since they could not make him a statecriminal, by alleging his saying that he was the Son of God; say, by their law, it was a capital crime. The Jews answered to Pilate, "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God;" that is, because, by saying he is the Son of God, he has made himself the Messiah, the prophet which was to come: for we find no other law but that against false prophets, Deut. xviii. 20, whereby "making himself the Son of God" deserved death. After this Pilate was the more desirous to release him, “But the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend; whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar."Here we see the stress of their charge against Jesus, whereby they hoped to take away his life, viz. that he "made himself king." We see also upon what they grounded this accusation, viz., because he had owned himself to be "the Son of God:" for he had, in their hearing, never made or professed himself to be a king. We see here likewise the reason why they were so desirous to draw, from his own mouth, a confession, in express words, that he was the Messiah, viz., that they might have what might be a clear proof that he did so. And last of all, we see the reason why, though in expressions which they understood, he owned himself to them to be the Messiah, yet he avoided declaring it to them in such words as might look criminal at Pilate's tribunal. He owned himself to be the Messiah plainly to the understanding of the Jews; but in ways that could not, to the understanding of Pilate, make it appear that he had laid claim to the kingdom of Judea, or went about to make himself king of that cauntry. But whether his saying that he was "the Son of God," was criminal by their law, that Pilate troubled not himself about. 111. He that considers what Tacitus, Suetonius, Seneca, de Benef. lib. iii. c. 26, say of Tiberius and his reign, will find how necessary it was for our Saviour, if he would not die as a criminal and a traitor, to take great heed to his words and actions, that he did or said not any thing that might be offensive, or give the least umbrage to the Roman government. It behoved an innocent man, who was taken notice of for something extraordinary in him, to be very wary, under a jealous and cruel prince, who encouraged informations, and filled his reign with executions for treason; under whom words spoken innocently, or in jest, if they could be misconstrued, were made treason, and prosecuted with a rigor that made it always the same thing to be accused and condemned. And therefore we see, that when the Jews told Pilate, that he should not be a friend to Cæsar if he let Jesus go, (for that whoever made himself king, was a rebel against Cæsar,) he asks them no more whether they would take Barabbas, and spare Jesus, but (though against his conscience) gives him up to death, to secure his own head. and he tells them of the kingdom of God, sometimes that it is at hand, and upon some occasions, that it is come; but says, in his public preaching, little or nothing of himself. Then come the apostles and evangelists after his death, and they in express words teach what his birth, life, and doctrine had done before, and had prepared the well-disposed to receive; viz. that Jesus is the Messiah. 114. To this design and method of publishing the gospel, was the choice of the apostles exactly adjusted; a company of poor, ignorant, illiterate men, who, as Christ himself tells us, were not of 112. One thing more there is, that gives us light the wise and prudent men of the world; they were into this wise* and necessarily cautious manage-in that respect but mere children. These, conment of himself, which manifestly agrees with it, vinced by the miracles they saw him daily do, and and makes a part of it; and that is, the choice of the unblamable life he led, might be disposed to his apostles, exactly suited to the design and fore- believe him to be the Messiah; and though they sight of the necessity of keeping the declaration of with others expected a temporal kingdom on earth, the kingdom of the Messiah, which was now ex-might yet rest satisfied in the truth of their master pected, within certain general terms during his (who had honored them with being near his perministry it was not fit to open himself too plainly son) that it would come, without being too inquior forwardly to the heady Jews, that he himself sitive after the time, manner, or seat of his kingwas the Messiah; that was to be left to be found dom; as men of letters,* more studied in their out by the observation of those who would attend rabbins, or men of business, more versed in the to the purity of his life, the testimony of his mira-world, would have been forward to have been.cles, and the conformity of all with the predictions Men great or wise in knowledge or ways of the concerning him; by these marks, those he lived amongst were to find it out, without an express promulgation that he was the Messiah, till after his death: His kingdom was to be opened to them by degrees, as well to prepare them to receive it, as to enable him to be long enough amongst them, to perform what was the work of the Messiah to be done, and fulfil all those several parts of what was foretold of him in the Old Testament, and we see applied to him in the New. Abler world, would hardly have been kept from prying 113. The Jews had no other thoughts of their Messiah, but of a mighty temporal prince, that should raise their nation into a higher degree of power, dominion, and prosperity than ever it had * Had God disposed things differently, and made enjoyed. They were filled with the expectation choice of men of letters, I hope our piety would have of a glorious earthly kingdom. It was not there-aught us sufficient meekness to discover equal wisfore for a poor man, the son of a carpenter, and dom in the selection. For what, after all, is the knowledge of the most profound philosopher, when (as they thought) born in Galilee, to pretend to it. he comes to consider the counsels and actions of the None of the Jews, no not his disciples, could have Almighty? In these attempts to explain the mo borne this, if he had expressly avowed this at first, tives of our Saviour, further than they appear in and began his preaching, and the opening of his Scripture,-which, however, is common to Locke kingdom this way; especially if he had added to it, with the most distinguished divines,-I discover a that in a year or two he should die an ignominious want of that humility which should be the guiding death upon the cross. They are therefore pre-spirit in all religious investigations.-ED. pared for the truth by degrees. First, John the Baptist tells them, "The kingdom of God (a name by which the Jews called the kingdom of the Messiah) is at hand." Then our Saviour comes, * On questions of this kind there is always some inconsistency in the language of the best of men. Considering Christ to be the Messiah it is exceedingly unnecessary, to say no more of it, to speak of the wisdom of his conduct; for, who can doubt it? To be the Christ, the Sent, the Anointed of God, implies wisdom, and goodness, and every excellent attribute; and we seem as if desirous to prove to ourselves that he was the Christ, when we praise him as we would a Socrates, a Plato, or a Milton. There is a want of wisdom in attempting to assign the why and the wherefore in speaking of divine things. Whatever God does, we may, for that very reason, be satisfied is wisest and best; but why it should be so, we neither know nor can know.-ED. This appears but very poor reasoning to me. Men of high thoughts, which not always accompany high birth, would doubtless have learned of their thoughts mean, as I suppose they do, confused, obDivine Master the necessity of obedience. If low scure, and incorrect thoughts, high thoughts" must be such as approach nearer to truth and virtue; and the possessor of such thoughts would be so much the further from any unwise action. But the truth appears to be, that our Saviour chose his apostles because their thoughts were high; that is, pure, and nearer heaven, than those occupying the heads of ordinary men of business, or even of statesmen.Like the patriarch of old, they were, perhaps, accustomed to meditate in the fields at even-tide; and He who searches all hearts knew to what heights their contemplations soared. Poor they were-but the absence of gold and silver makes a man neither high nor low; but the thoughts upon which his soul habitually feeds.-ED. |