SECTION VII

WHAT HE TEACHES OF PARTICULAR DUTIES.

a

WHEN Jesus had astonished the people by an answer and reproof which put the Sadducees to silence, a Scribe, or teacher of the Law, among the Pharisees tried his wisdom by further asking him which was the first and great commandment of all in the law of Moses. Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; Jehovah our God is one Jehovah and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is

b

с

d like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other greater commandment than these."

It is observable that both these eminent precepts were before referred to by a Jewish teacher, who ask

Matt. xxii. 33--39. and p. p. Some think that the Hebrew should be rendered, "Jehovah our God, even Jehovah, is one. Deut. vi. 5. the Vat. ms. of the Greek version has diavola for heart, and the Alex. and Ald. mss. have xxgdia. Kircher in his Concordance shews that ab or ab, heart, is translated diavola twenty eight times by the Greek interpreters: see particularly Lev. xix. 17. Deut. vii. 17; whereas wp, soul, is never thus rendered. I think that dia'vosa, Matt. xxii. 37. Mark xii. 30. Luke x. 27. and ouverts Mark xii. 53. are only different renderings of ab, probably made part of the text by being first noted in the margin: and that, Matt. xxii. 37. we should add, with two mss. and vers. Syr. Æth. zaliv öny ty l'oxúi or. d We should read quoía 2ury Mark xii. 31 as Matt. xxii. 39.

ed our Lord what he should do to inherit everlasting life, and was himself asked how he read in the law. The Scribe might have known the tenour of Jesus's doctrine in an advanced period of his ministry, with respect to that very point about which he inquired: but St. Luke, not intent on extolling our Lord's character by excluding others from the praise of religious wisdom, attributes this most admirable reply to the Jewish instructor himself. However, we may infer from the gospel history that the Jews formed different opinions about the comparative excellence of real or supposed duties. The Pharisees distinguished themselves by magnifying the tradition of the elders, by frequent ablutions, by avoiding legal defilement, by stated fastings, and by a minute tithing of all their substance. We learn also that,

in our Lord's time, the Jews were scrupulous' observers of the sabbath and of other solemn festivals: and, when the Scribe applauds our Lord for prefering the love of God, and remarks that it was more than all whole m burnt offerings and sacrifice, he teaches us that religious acts of that particular class were held in very high estimation.

n

In this state of things our Lord teaches his disciples that their worship of God should be humble, ° simple, and spiritual. He speaks thus with a decisive and commanding authority. "There is none other greater commandment than to love God and our

neighbour. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. This do, and thou* shalt live."

t

With a like superiority to Jewish prejudices, our Lord extends the signification of the term neighbour beyond local and religious considerations, to every fellow creature capable of receiving from us offices of humanity commanding us to imitate the Samaritan, whose character represents that of a truly merciful man; and who acted the part of a neighbour to a wounded Jew, though the Jews had no " dealings with the Samaritans, and though the Samaritans, fired by the same political and religious enmity, withheld from the Jews every act of hospitality, even to a cup of cold water.

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d

e

The sublime morality of our heavenly Teacher regulates not only our actions, but our words and thoughts. To give a general and imperfect view of it. He enjoins a moderation of desire, purity of heart, meekness, humility, self denial, temperance, liberality, h gratitude, prudence, a fearless discharge of our duty, secrecy in almsgiving, in prayer and in fasting, a studious cultivation of "peace, "exemplariness of conduct, the recommending of our pious acts by being reconciled to our brother, the sincere, harmless, lowly and placable disposition of

1

b Matt: v. 8. e Matt. xvi. 24. f Matt. xxiv. 49. xvii. 17, 18. i Matt. vii. 6. x. 16. 9. ☐ ib. 16. • Matt. v. 24.

in ib. v.

■ John iv. 9.

Matt xv. 19.

d Matt. xxiii. 12.

8 Luke vi. 38. hib. vi. 35. kib. 28. I Matt. vi. 3, 6, 18.

t

W

children, repeated forgiveness of offences, and such a love of our enemies as to return blessings, prayers and acts of goodness for their execrations, hatred and injuries. He thus begins his public preaching : 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel. He declares that, 'acting towards others as we might reasonably expect, in like circumstances, that they should act towards us, was the substance and end of the law and the prophets. He teaches us to judge of actions by the goodness of the intention: and by the "ability and opportunities of those who perform them. The weightier matters of his law are the love of God, justice, mercy, and fidelity: he will have mercy rather than sacrifice: and the moral precepts of the Mosaic law are as carefully extended by him as its numerous positive ones are reduced. He strongly cautions againts hypocrisy, censoriousness, and covetousness. He allows of oaths on solemn occasions only, and not in common discourse: he condemns polygamy, and restrains divorce to the case of adultery. He forbids not only murder, but hatred, reviling, and causeless anger; not only fadultery, but the unrestrained eye and desire. He teaches that his disciples are not & defiled by eating with unwashen hands; but by evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, theft, false witness, covetous

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9 Matt. v. 44. vi. 14. xviii. 22. Mark xii. 41--44. " Luke

Matt. xxiii. 23.

Matt. vii. 1, 2.
Matt. xxvi. 63, 4.

* Matt. ix. 13.

a Luke xii. 15.

xix. 9. • Matt. v. 21, 2.

& Mark vii. 21, 22. and p. p.

c Matt. xix.

ness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye [of envy and malignity,] blasphemy, pride, [and the] foolishness [of mad and ungoverned passions.] He imposes no burdensome and 'enslaving yoke on his disciples. His positive precepts and ordinances are few, simple, significant, and of great practical influence. Believe in God: BELIEVE ALSO IN ME. Whatsoever you ask the Father IN MY NAME, he will give it you. He that believeth, AND IS "BAPTIZED, shall be in a state of salvation. PARTAKE OF BREAD AND WINE solemnly and jointly, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME, your lawgiver, your redeemer from the guilt of sin and the power of death, and your benefactor even to dying for you on the cross, and to bestowing on you the gift of everlasting life.

* John xiv. 1. 'John xiv. 13, 14. Luke xxii. 19, 20. and p. p.

Lord Bolingbroke speaks thus of baptism and the Lord's supper. "No institutions can be imagined more simple, nor more void of all those pompous rites and theatrical representations that abounded in the religious worship of the heathen and the Jews, than these two were in their origin. They were not only innocent but profitable ceremonies, because they were extremely proper to keep up the spirit of true natural religion, by keeping up that of Christianity, and to promote the observation of moral duties, by maintaining a respect for the revelation that confirmed them. Works, 4to. v. iv. 302.