130 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE Of Our BLESSED and miracles having their proper effect: he, therefore, chofe to continue in Galilee till the crowd were gone up to the feaft, when he followed, as it were in fecret, neither preaching nor workingmiracles by the way ; fo that no crowd followed him, nor was there any rejoicing at his ap- proach. As Jesus did not go publicly to Jeru- falem, fo neither did he, on his arrival, repair to the temple, and there preach openly to the people. This, gave rife to feveral difputes amongft the Jews concern- ing his charaéter and condu&; fome af- firmed that he was a true prophet, and his not coming to the feaft could only arife from fome accident, which had prevented him; others maintained that he was an importer and deceiver, and though he af- fumed'the facred charaaer of a prophet, he did not keep the law, nor regard the inftitutions which they had received from heaven. But about the middle of the feaft, Jesus appeared openly in the temple, and pub- licly taught the people, delivering his di- vine difcourfes with energy, force, and fpirit, and fuch ftrength ofreafoning, joined with fugjs elegance of expreffìon, that his enemies wereaionifhed, asthey knewhehad not enjoyed the benefit of a learned educa- tion. Now, about the midit of thefealt, ,efus went up and taught. And the yews mar- velled,faying, How knoweth this man letters, havingnever learned? To this the exalted Saviour of mankind replied : My doarine was not produced by human wifdom ; the learned men and fages of this world were not my iniruaors ; but I received it from heaven, and it is the doétrineof the Great, Supreme, Eternal Father of the univerfe, whofe Meffenger I am: My doctrine, Paid he, is.notmine, but his that fent me. And our Lord further obferved, that it might be gathered from the manner ofhis teach- ing, that his doétrine was really divine ; he fought not the praife of;man, he did not land candidate for popular applaufe, he did not feek to advance his own in- Y tereff, but the eternal interni of mankind, and the glory of his heavenly Father : He thatfieaketh of himfelf, faid he, feeketh his own glory; but he that feeketh his glory that went him, the fame is true, and no un- righteoufnefs is in him. Some of the Jews prefumed to call Jesus a falfe prophet, becaufe, in the porches of the pool of Bethefda, he had healed an impotent man on the Sabbath- day, which, they pretend, was a violation of the law of Mofes, and what a good man wouldnot be guilty of. In anfwerto which, our great. Redeemer told them, that how - ever they might pretend to reverence the authority of Mofes and his,law, they made no fcruple to violate the moi facred and effential of his precepts; this was manifeft in their conduit towards himfelf: contrary toall the principles ofjuflice and humanity, and every law of God and man, they had refolved to put him to death ; and, in order to execute their black, horrid, and infernal fcheme, they were now laying plots againPe his life. To this charge the Jews replied, Thou ha/t a devil: Whogoeth about to kill thee? To which Jesus anfwered to this effea, I have performed a miracle, in favour of a diireffed poor man, on the Sabbath-day : this you think contrary to the charadter of a good and pious man, and wonder how I could undertake it; but I can give you an example out of your own law, in the cafeof circumcifion : Mofes gave you that . law, and you make no ftcruple of perform- ing the inllitutionon the Sabbath-day : you think yourfelves juiified in this, becaufe it is a precept both of Mofes and the fathers. Since therefore, ye think yourfelves bound to difpenfe with the aria obfervance of the Sabbath, in order to perform a cere- monial precept, can you be angry with me becaufe I, on the Sabbath -day, have ful- filled the molt facred and immutable part of the moral law, by curing a man who was infirm in all the members of his body, and have not exerted fomuch bodily labour as you do in the praelice of the rite of circumcifion:
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