z5z The NEW and COMPLETE was which he taught them ? In thefe queflions there was a great deal of art ; for as the crime laid to our Saviour's charge was, that he had fet up for the Me(Iìih, and deluded the people, they ex- pelled he would claim that dignity in their prefence, and fo would, on his own con- fellion, have condemned him, without any . further procefs. This was unfair, as it was artful and enfnaring : to oblige a priföner on his trial to confefs what might take away his life, was a very inequitable me. thod of proceeding, and Jesus expreffed his opinion thereof with very good reafon, and complained of it, bidding them prove what they had laid to his charge by wit- neffes : 7efus anfwered him, IBake openly to the world; Iever taught in thefynagogue, and in the temple, whither the yews always refort; and infecret have Ilaid nothing: Why afk4 thou me? Aft them which heard me, what I have faid unto them: behold they know what Ifaid. It was greatly to the honour of our bleffed Redeemer, that all his allions were done in public, under the eye even of his enemies ; becaufe, had he been carrying on any impofture, the lovers of goodnefs and truth had thus abundant opportunities of detefting him with propriety: he, therefore, in his de- fence,-appealed to that part of his charac- ter; yet his anfwer was conftrued difre fpelful: for, when he had thus fpoken, one of the officers which flood by, flruck .7efus with the palm of his hand, Paying, At f eere thou the high--irisfo :? To which he meekly repliedwith the greateft ferenity, If I have fpoken evil, bear witnefs of the evil: but ifwell, whyfmitell Mourne? Shew me, prove before this court, wherein my crime confifts, or record it in the evidence on the face of my trial ; which if thou can- not, how can thou anfwer this inhuman treatment to a defencelefs prifoner, (land- ing on his trial before the world, and in open court, and ftrike me undefervedly? In this inflance, Jesus became an ex- ample of his own precept: and if a man finite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him 2 L IF E of our BLESSED LORD the other it/f5, Matt. v. 39. bearing the greateft injuries with an unprovoked pa- tience, worthy of the meek Lamb of God. Jesus - having declined anfwering the quellions, whereby the council expelled to have drawn from him an acknowledgment of Isis being the Melliah, they proceeded to examine many witneffes to prove his having affumed that charaéler; as they confidered fuch a pretenfion as blafphemy in his mouth, who being only a, man, ac- cording to their opinion, could not, with- out the higheft affront to the Divine Majefty, pretend to the title of the Son of God, as it belonged only to the Melliah. But in this examination they ailed like interefled and enraged perfecutors, rather than impartial judges, forming their quell Lions in the molt artful manner, in order, if poflible, to draw exprellions from them which they might pervert into fufpicions of guilt, as fome foundation for condemn- ing Jesus, who had fo long and faithfully laboured for their falvation. Their wit- neffes, however, difappointed them, fome of them difagreeing in their ¡tory, and others mentioning things of no manner of importance. At 1aí1, two perlons agreed in their de- pofitions, namely, in hearing him fay, that he was able to deftroy the temple ofGod, and to raife it in three days. But this teftimony was abfolutely falfe ; for our great Redeemer never faid he could de- ¡troy and build the temple of Jerufalem in three days, as they affirmed. It is true, that after banifhing the traders from the temple, when the Jews defired to know by what authority he undertook to make fuch a reformation, he referred them to the miracle of his refurreflion ; laying, Deroy this temple (pointing probably to his body) and in three days I will raife it up. The witneffes, therefore, ei- ther throughmalice or ignorance, perverted his anfwer into an affirmation, that he was able to deftroy, and build the magnificent temple of Jerufalem in three days: and the judges confdering that filch an all could
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