This miracle, which was the first wrought by Jesus, confirmed the faith of his followers, and spread his renown throughout the adjacent country. The votaries of infidelity have not failed to arraign the truth of this event, as well as to vent their sarcastic humor upon it. Their mirth and ridicule seem chiefly founded on a supposition, that most of the company were intoxicated, and consequently more liable to delusion; but we desire them to suspend their opinion, or at least their judgment a little, while we remind them, that the governor's speech to the bridegroom, "Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse," does not imply even such a supposition; but an evident reference to the manner in which the entertainment was conducted, a manner much preferable to that customarily followed.

Nor can these wise people in their own conceit, rationally think, that Jesus ordered, or expected, that all the wine he had furnished should be expended at this entertainment; for, according to the Jewish custom on these occasions, it continued a week. Permit us likewise to observe, that there might be a very important reason assigned for our Lord's furnishing such abundance; because, if the quantity had been considerably less, the miracle would have been much less apparent, and the enemies of Christianity, ever ready to grasp at the shadow or the pretence, might have denied that a miracle was wrought at all, it having been easy to convey away a small quantity of water, and substitute the like quantity of wine in its place; whereas such a deception must be allowed impracticable, in so large a quantity, the transmutation being momentary.

The deists have likewise made much parade of argument concerning the size of these water-pots. In this we give them their utmost scope, persuaded, that all which they can say on that head will not, in the least, tend to invalidate the Christian

cause.

The blessed Jesus, having thus, by divers means, confirmed the faith of his disciples, and attested the truth and divinity of his mission, among those with whom he had been brought up, departed from Cana, and proceeded towards Jerusalem, in order to keep the approaching passover.

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, an cast out all thein that soid and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats, of the ha! sold doves."-Matt. xxi. 12.

CHAPTER V.

Expulsion of the profaners of the Temple.-Jesus visits and disputes with Nicodemus.-Baptizes in Judea.-Instructs a poor Samaritan.-Heals a sick person at Capernaum.-Retires again to Nazareth, and is expelled thence by his impious countrymen.

OUR blessed Lord, immediately on his arrival at Jerusalem. repaired to the temple, nor was a little shocked at beholding a place dedicated to the solemn service f Almighty God, so prostituted to purposes of fraud and avarice, and become the resort of traders of every kind.

Such abuse could not long escape his notice or correction, having an absolute right to chastise so flagrant a perversion of a place, that, strictly speaking, was his own. "The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple: even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts."

Accordingly the blessed Jesus, whose pious soul was vexed at their profanation of the sacred place, drove out the traders, and overset the tables of the money-changers, saying unto them that sold doves, "Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandize."

These mercenary wretches appear to have been struck at once with a consciousness of their guilt, and the severity of our Lord's reproof, as they immediately departed, without making the least resistance. But our Lord's conduct in this affair, carrying with it every token of zeal, for which the ancient prophets were so remarkable, the council assembled, and determined to inquire by what authority he attempted such a reformation, requiring, at the same time, a demonstrative proof of the divinity of his com. mission.

To gratify their curiosity, our blessed Lord referred them only to the miracle of his own resurrection; "Destroy," says he, laying his hand on his breast, "this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." The rulers, mistaking his meaning, imagined that he referred to the superb and lofty temple finished by Herod, and therefore told him such relation was highly improbable; nor had they the least reason to think he could possibly rebuild, in three days, that magnificent structure, which had been finished at immense expense, and was the labor of so many years.

Though the blessed Jesus declined compliance with the request of the mighty and noble amongst the inhabitants of Jerusalem, he wrought several miracles in the presence of the com

mon people, in order to confirm the doctrines he delivered, and prove the divinity of his mission.

As there had not been any miracles wrought amongst them for a considerable time, though many were recorded in their sacred books, they beheld our blessed Lord with amazement and veneration; and numbers were satisfied that he was the long promised Messiah, "the desire of all nations," so often foretold by the ancient prophets. For wise reasons, however, he did not publicly discover that he was the Great Prophet, as he knew that the faith of numbers was yet but weak, and that, consequently, many would desert his cause, when they found he was opposed by the Sanhedrim, or great council of the nation, and did not set up a worldly kingdom, as they thought the expected Messiah was to do. But the miracles wrought by the Holy Jesus did not excite the wonder and astonishment of the common and illiterate class of the people alone.

Nicodemus, a principal person among them, impartially reflecting on his wondrous works, so astonishing in their nature, so demonstrative in their proof, so salutary in their effect, so happily adapted to the confirmation of his doctrines, and so perfectly agreeable to the attributes of the Deity, as well as the predictions of the ancient prophets, concerning the Messiah, "the Sun of righteousness, who was to rise with healing in his wings," was perfectly assured that nothing less than Omnipotence itself could produce such wonders; and thence, like many others of his countrymen, concluded that Jesus was of a truth the Son, and sent of God, which last term is the meaning of the word Messiah. But scruples still arose in his mind, when, on the other hand, he considered the obscurity of his birth, and the meanness of his appearance, so different from the exalted notions the people of the Jews always entertained concerning this powerful prince, who was to erect his throne in the mighty city of Jerusalem, and subject to his dominion all the states and kingdoms of the earth. To obviate, therefore, these scruples, and solve these perplexing doubts, Nicodemus resolved on an interview with the blessed Jesus; but choosing to conceal his visit from the other members of the Sanhedrim, who were greatly averse to his person and doctrine, he chose the night as most convenient for that purpose.

His salutation of the mighty Redeemer of Israel was this: "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." John iii. 2.

Rabbi, I am sufficiently convinced that thou art immediately sent as a teacher from on high; for nothing less than power divine could enable thee to perform the miracles which thou hast wrought in the presence of multitudes.

But this salutation by