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Judas, a native of Galilee, having inspired the people with a notion, that taxes to a foreign power were absolutely unlawful. A doctrine so pleasing to the worldly minded Jews, could not fail of friends, especially among the lower class; and therefore, must have many partizans amongst the multitude that then surrounded the Son of God. The priests, therefore imagined, that it was not in his power to decide the point, without rendering himself obnoxious to some of the parties: if he should say it was lawful to pay the taxes, they believed that the people in whose hearing the question was proposed, would be incensed against him, not only as a base pretender, who, on being attacked, publicly renounced the character of the Messiah, which he had assumed among his friends, but also as a flatterer of princes, and a betrayer of the liberties of his country; one who taught doctrines inconsistent with the known privileges of the people of God: but if he should affirm, that it was unlawful to pay tribute, they determined to inform the governor, who they hoped, would punish him as a fomenter of sedition. Highly elated with their project, they accordingly came; and, after passing an encomium on the truth of his mission, his courage, and his impartiality, they proposed this famous question; Master,' said they, we know that thou art true and carest for no man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth. Tell us therefore, what thinkest thou, is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar or not?

However, though they had artfully laid the scheme, they could not deceive our blessed Lord, who beheld the inmost recesses of their hearts: he saw their secret intentions; and accordingly called them hypocrites, to signify, that though they made conscience, and a regard for the divine will, their pretence for proposing this question, he saw their design, and knew that their intention was only to ensnare him.

Nevertheless, our blessed Saviour did not decline answering their question, but previously desired to

see a piece of the tribute money. The piece was accordingly produced and proved to be coined by the Romans. Upon which our dear Lord answered them, since this money bears the image of Cæsar, it is his; and by making use of it, you acknowledge his authority; if so, I leave it to yourselves, to judge whether tribute ought not to be paid towards the support of that government, which ye have acknowledged, which ye cannot shake off, and by which your tranquility is preserved: but, at the same time that you discharge your duty to the civil magistrate, you should never forget the duty you owe to your God; but remember, that as you bear the image of the great, the omnipotent King, you are his subjects, and ought to pay him the tribute of yourselves, serving him to the very utmost of your power.

Under a pretence of religion, the Pharisees and their followers often justified sedition; but the Herodians, in order to ingratiate themselves with the reigning powers, made them a compliment of their consciences, complying with whatever they enjoined, however opposite their commands might be to the divine law. Our Lord therefore adapted his answer to them both, exhorting them in their regards to God and the magistrate, to give each his due; as, when their rights only are insisted on, there can be no inconsistency between them.

JESUS, by so unexpected an answer, confuted them on their own principles, and shewed that the rights of God, and those of the magistrate, do not in the least interfere; because magistrates are God's deputies, and rule by his authority: this quite disconcerted and silenced these crafty enemies; they were astonished both at his having discovered their design, and his wisdom in avoiding the snare they had so artfully laid for him; When they heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way. Matt. xxii. 22.

But the miscarriage of this scheme did not intimi date others from renewing the attack; enemies came

against him from every quarter. The Sadducees, whe denied the doctrine of a future state, together with the existence of angels and spirits, first returned to the charge; proposing to him their strongest argument against the resurrection which they deduced from the law given by Moses, with regard to marriage: Master, said they, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore, seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also ; and they left no children and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.Luke xx. 28-33..

But the Sadducees, believing the soul to be nothing more than a refined matter, were persuaded, that if there was any future state, it must resemble the present; and the being in that state material and mortal, the human race could not be continued, nor the individuals rendered happy without the pleasures and conveniencies of marriage and hence considered that every man's wife should be restored to him, as a necessary consequence of the doctrine of the resurrection, or a future

state.

But our blessed Saviour soon confuted this argument, by telling the Pharisees they were ignorant of the power of God, who had created spirit as well as matter, and who can render man completely happy in the enjoyment of himself. He also observed, that the nature of the life obtained in a future state, made marriage altogether superfluous, because in the world to come, men being spiritual and immortal, like the an gels, there was no need of natural means to propagate or continue the kind: Ye do err, said our dear Lord, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For

any more; for they the children of God, tion. Luke xx. 36. men are called the

in the resurrection, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage. Matt. xxii. 29. Neither can they die are equal unto the angels, and are being the children of the resurrecHence we may observe, that good children of the Most High, from their inheritance at the resurrection, and particularly on account of their being adorned with immortality.

Having thus shewn their ignorance of the true nature of a future state, and the difference between corporeal and spiritual beings, our dear Lord proceeded to shew that they were also ignorant of the scriptures, and particularly of the writings of Moses, from whence they had drawn their objection: for he demonstrated, from the very law itself, the certainty of a resurrection, at least, that of just men, and consequently quite demolished the opinion of the Sadducees, who by believing the materiality of the soul, affirmed that men were annihilated at their death, and that their opinion was founded on the writings of Moses: Now, said our Saviour, that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. Luke xx. 37, 38. As if he had said, the Almighty cannot properly be called God unless he has his people, and be Lord of the living. Since, therefore, Moses called him the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, long after these venerable patriarchs were dead, the relation denoted by the word God, still subsisted between them: conscquently they were not annihilated as you pretend, but are still in being, and continue to be the servant of the Most High. This argument was conclusive; it effectually silenced the Sadducees, and agreeably surprised the people, to see the objection, hitherto thought impregnable, totally abolished, and the sect they had long abominated, fully confuted: And when the mul titude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine. Matt. xxii. 33.

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Though the Pharisees had joined with the Sadducces, in order to put our blessed Saviour to death, they could not fail of being pleased to see their inveterate enemies put to silence, the famous argument they had so often proposed with ostentations, as unanswerable, fully confuted. Nor could they refrain from giving the Saviour of mankind the praise due to his superlative wisdom; for one of the Scribes desired him to. give his opinion, on a question often debated among their teachers; namely, which was the great commandment of the law. The true reason for their proposing this question, was to try whether he was as well acquainted with the sacred law, and the debates that had arisen on different parts of it as he was in deriving arguments from the inspired writers to destroy the tenets of those who denied a future state.

In order to understand the question proposed to our blessed Saviour by the Scribe, it must be remembered, that some of the most learned Rabbins had declared, that the law of sacrifices was the great commandment; some, that it was the law of circumcision; and others, that the law of meats and washings had merited that title. Our blessed Saviour, however, shewed that they were all mistaken; and that the great commandment of the law is the duty of piety; and particularly mentioned that comprehensive summary of it, given by Moses, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first and great commandment. Mark xiii. 29, 30.

Here I cannot help observing, that this summary of piety begins with an emphatical assertion of there being only one God, the maker of heaven and earth, and the possessor of all perfection, in order to induce us to use the utmost diligence in obeying his precepts; the first and chief of which is, to give him our hearts. The Divine Being is so transcendently amiable in him

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