ag$ The NEW and COMPLETE .LIFE of our BLESSED to confider whether that charailer did not belong to :themfelves: Verily; verily; Ifay unto you, faid he, whofoever committals fin, is thefervant offin. And, as a flave can- not be affured of the continuance of his matter's favour, nor of abiding in his house continually, fo our great- Redeemer ob- ferved, that his Father might juffly, for their fins, deprive them of the external privileges which they had fo grofsly abufed; as their fins had rendered them bond -(laves to Divine Jutlice, they might expeff to fall under the fevereft marks of his difpleafure, except they prevented the dreadful evils confequent on their wicked - nefs, by believing on his Son, and receiving him who alone was able to make them free indeed, and place them in the heavenly Je- rufalem. Our Lord then proceeded to in- form them, that though, in a natural fenfe, they were the feed of Abraham ; yet, in a moral fenfe, they were the offspring of Satan, which was fully manifefted by their unjuft and cruel defignto defiroy theirgreat Deliverer : I know, faid he, that ye. are Abraham'sfeed ; but ye Peek to kill me, be- caufe my wordhath noplace in you. -I(peak that which Ihavefees with my Father; and ye do that which you havefeen with your father. To this the Jews hallily and angrily replied, Abraham is our Father: but our Redeemer informed them, that it appeared from their conduét, that they were of another original : If, faid he, ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the worksofAbraham. But nowyefeek tokillme, a man that hath toldyou the truth, which Ihave heard of God : this did not Abraham. Our Lord having declared to the Jews, that it was manifeff from their deeds, and their wicked inclinations, whofe childrenthey were ; they, willing to juftify, themfelves, replied with force warmth : We be not born offornication; we have one Father, even God. By thefe expreffions, the Jews did not mean a natural, but a fpiritual lineage, and by their not being born of fornication, their being free from idolatry, which, in the language ofthe pro- phets, is ts,'i reprefented as fornication and adultery; they were, not idolaters them, (elves, nor born of idolatrous parents, and therefore, they ffyled themfelves the child- ren of God. But Jr:sus gave them to underfland, that if they *re the children of God, they would manifeff their relation by their love to his Son : If God were your Eather., laid he, ye would , lone me :.for I proceeded forth and came from God; nei- ther came I of myfelf, but hefent me; but ye, continued our great Redeemer, are of your, father the Devil ; ye appear in his likenefs, and continue to gratify the evil inclinations, and diabolical pallions which ye have learnt öf him, and derived from him; falfehood, pride, and cruelty, are the paffions which he conflantly infpires, and thefe are abundantly manifefledin your tem- per and conduél ; Ire delights in murder and blood, and you are plotting againff the life of the innocent falfehood and lies are naturaito him, and he never fpeaketh: the truth but to put off Tome lie which he hath joined to it: Ye are, laid the exalted: Saviour of tanners, ofyourfather the Devil, and the lulls ofyour Fatherye will do. He was a murderer front the beginning, and abode not in the truth, becaufe there is no truth in him. When he ffteaketh a lie, he fpeaketh ofhisown ; forhe is a liar, and the father of it. And becaufe I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Our Lord then publicly challenged all . his enemies, to prove him guilty of any falfehood: Which ofyou, faid he, convilbetk . me offin? Are any of you able to thew that I have done any thing which renders me unworthy of belief? Can you prove that I have taught falle doarine? Have I reproved you unjuffly for your a/lions? Have I charged you with crimes you were not guilty of ? And can any of you prove me guilty of any fistful a/lion, or prove any,part of my conduft to be inc,onfiffent with the chara/er I have af£umed? Ifnone of you can do this, but múft confers that . my doftrine and life are fuch as might be expelled from a meffenger lent fromGod;_ Why
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