LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. 155 vengeance, as if they had fhed all the in- nocent bloodwhich ever had been fpilt in the world. Our great Redeemer, after pronouncing thefe woes, turned his difcourfe again£ the lawyers, and condemned them for fil- ling the minds of the people with wrong notions, arifing from forced interpretations of the Scriptures ; by which means the minds of the peoplewere prejudiced againit the gofpel, arid prevented from receiving the truth : Vló unto you, lawyers l faidhe, forye have taken away the key ofknowledge : ye enter not in yoerfèlves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. However jult and reafonable thefe dif courfes were, the feverity of the rebukes contained in them was highly provoking to thofe Scribes and Pharifees; they were confcious ofbeing guilty of the crimes laid to their charge, but their "pride could not bear the thoughts of being funk in the opi- nionof the people whoheard thefe remarks ; their minds were agitated with conflibting paffions, but pride and envy urged them to the molt bafe and defpicable anions ; their riling refentment fludied revenge, and they were fo mean as to utge our exalted Redeemer to difcourfe on various fubjebis, with no other view than to enfnare him, rind by that means render him obnoxious, either to the Roman government, or to the common people amongst the Jews. Theevangeleft informs us, that, as hefaid thefe things unto them, the Scribes and Pha- rifees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to(peak ofmany things, laying in wait for him, andPeeking to catchfome- thing out of his mouth, that they might ae- eulè him. Our great Redeemer baffled all their at- tempts, and leaving the houfe of the Pha= tifee, he went amongft the multitude, which was waiting at the door ; fo great were the numbers, and fo hard did they prefs to get near the exalted perfon of our Saviour, that they trod one upon another. The firit difcourfe he heldwith the multitude, after he had left the Pharifee's houfe, was to 3 warn them againit the pernicious poifon of the Pharifees example, who 'appeared in difguife, and pretended to be the moll aria in the obfervance of the law, the moil Pimple in their manners, and pure and fpotlefs in their converfation, when, at the fame time, they were privately guilty of the molt grofs and fcandalous vices : our Lord, therefore, exhorted the multitude to be very careful not to do any thing which would not bear the light, but let the whole of their behaviour be honeít, open, and upright; for the time would come, when all fecrets will be revealed, and all the works ofdarknefs brought to light: Beware ye, faid he, of the leaven of the Pharifees, which is hypocrfy. For there is nothing covered, that (hall not be revealed; neither hid, that,fhall not be known. Therefore, whatever ye have fpoken in darkneef, £hall be heard in the light, and that which ye have fpoken in the ear in clofets; fhall be proclaimed upon the houfe toffs. Our Redeemer proceeded to obferve, that an open, honeft courfe of conduit, above hypocrify, and difdaining all difguife, would enable them to put their trufl in their Maker; while the contrary conduit tended to fill the mind with that fear of man, which is fo prejudicial to the welfare of the,foul,: he therefore exhorted them, not to fear the malice or power of any of the'fons of men; thefe can extend no fur- ther than the death of the body, but can- not touch the immortal foul, which may bid defiance to the impotent rage off the gloomy tyrant, and never tremble at the fury of the oppreflor : fuchweak and feeble creatures as man are not to be feared, but the wrath of the Eternal God ought rather to be dreaded; he is able, after he hath deflroyed the body, to confine the foul in eternal torments. How happy are the perfons who are under his holy protection: all things are in his power, nothing can efcape his notice, nor any thing happen without his permiffion: And I fay unto you, my friends, faid our great Redeemer, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after
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