He proposed to his disciples the example of faithful and wise stewards and servants.

He instructed them to be as provident in their spiritual affairs as bad men were in their secular. He inculcated a watchful expectation of his coming by the parable of the wise virgins, who took oil in their vessels when they went forth to meet the bridegroom.

But let us observe the prudence of his own conduct. We have seen with what wisdom, and discrimination of circumstances, he concealed or declared his high office of Messiah; and enjoined silence on his miracles, or permitted them to be published. It has been shewn how i superior he was to every difficult situation, and to every snare which the subtle malice of his enemies spread for him. It has also been observed with what remarkable fitness he sometimes prophesied under the veil of parables; and that he predicted events to his disciples in proper and perspicuous terms, and to his enemies in figurative and obscure ones. I have further enumerated instances where he declined " a proud display of his boundless knowledge.

m

Many other similar examples of prudence will suggest themselves to such as attentively consider his conduct.

He did not tempt God by exposing himself to needless danger at any time. He absented himself. from many of the national feasts at Jerusalem; partly that he might prolong his ministry to its due period

without being constantly compelled to preserve his life by miracle.

The general course of his ministry is a strong illustration of the most perfect prudence. After his baptism and the heavenly testimony which he received at it, he retired into the desert to prayer and fasting. He then departed to Bethabara where John was baptizing, received illustrious attestations from the Baptist, called Philip to follow him into Galilee, converted Nathanael by shewing a knowledge of his most secret actions, and made other" disciples in a manner not related: but he wrought no miracle till he came to Cana in Galilee, and there a single miracle, performed at the request of his mother, sufficed him; so distant was his manner from a forward and unseasonable display of his miraculous power. At the first passover, which he attended soon afterwards, he exercised an act of high prophetic authority, indirectly called himself the Son of God, and converted many by public miracles: all which may be deemed a promulgation, as it were, of the evangelical law to the whole Jewish people. After this he P tarried for some time in Judea, and used another method of raising attention to himself as a prophet, by baptizing great numbers: a circumstance which, from the prevailing ideas of the Jews, could not fail to attract their notice. When he knew that the Pharisees were acquainted with this part of his conduct, and had heard that he made and baptized more disciples than John; he retired again into Galilee,

* John ii. 2.

r

u

either because he chose not to inflame their jealousy, or because he had sufficiently declared to them his sacred character. This remote province he chose for the scene of his more solemn and public preaching, accompanied with a series of astonishing miracles. Having called five of those whom he afterwards named Apostles to attend him statedly, he resorted to the second passover at Jerusalem. Having there exposed his life to danger by calling God his Father, and by healing on the sabbath, he returned to Gali.. lee where, designing to absent himself from Jerusalem during eighteen months, he taught largely and extensively; wrought the most signal miracles, such as raising persons from the dead, and the most public ones, such as repeatedly feeding many thousands with a few loaves and fishes; not only appointed twelve apostles to attend him, but sent them forth to proclaim the approach of God's kingdom, and to work miracles; and, towards the feast of tabernacles about six months before his death, commissioned no less than seventy for the same great purposes. Having attended the feast of tabernacles, he revisited Galilee for the last time before his crucifixion: for, after keeping the feast of dedication about three months before he suffered, he remained in the confines of Judea, and raised Lazarus from the dead in the very neighbourhood of Jerusalem; as a kind of last effort to work conviction in the minds of the Jews.

X

W

It is very observable that, though he himself performed many wonderful works in Jerusalem, and

taught and reasoned publicly with the Jewish rulers, he delegated not this arduous part to any of his disciples till after the full effusion of the Spirit.

His conduct during the last paschal week, when he was ready to be offered, was marked by a peculiar freedom and fortitude. He entered Jerusalem in a kind of public triumph: at the first passover he had cleansed the temple, as one way of proclaiming his exalted character, while the Jews were yet in suspense whether he was their expected temporal Prince or not; he omitted this pious office during the intermediate festivals which he attended, because of the declared malignity of the Jews against him; but now, when his time was fulfilled, we find him resuming this extraordinary act of authority: and, when he took his final leave of the temple and of publicly instructing the people, he pronounced a copious and keen reprehension of the Scribes and Pharisees in the audi. ence of his disciples and of the multitude.

I am persuaded that his mighty works were frequently timed with a peculiar fitness. To give an instance. After he had sat at meat in Matthew's house with many publicans and sinners, he immediately healed a woman with an issue of blood, raised from the dead Jairus's daughter, gave sight to two blind men, and cast out a dumb spirit: as if to justify Matthew in the sight of his former companions and friends for leaving all to follow such a Master.

The two distinguishing rites of his religion derived additional weight from the time of their institution. 2 See another instance, Mark vi. 51, 2.

y Matt. ix. 18, &c. and p. p. part i. c. iii. sect. 2, p. 307.

.

The perpetual commemoration of his death was an appointment which had the nature of a dying injunction and the mode of admission into his church was not commanded till he had been vested with the highest degree of authority by his resurrection from

the dead.

а

He himself observes that he did not disclose many things to his disciples, because they were not able to a bear them. I have been often struck with admiration at his conduct with respect to some particular points.

The excision of his countrymen was a topic of great delicacy and therefore in the course of his ministry he foretold it to the unbelieving Jews by parables; or, if he employed direct terms, they were very concise and general. Even as he was led out be crucified, he used the same generality of expression on this subject. An explicit and full prophecy of this event to the ruling Jews, like what hed delivered to his disciples, would have exasperated them beyond measure as a most flagrant instance of blasphemy and impiety: they could not have borne a perdiction that they should fall by the hands of the heathen, instead of having dominion over them.

Another point, to be treated with much nicety, was the abolition of the Mosaic ritual. Accordingly our Lord says that the great moral maxim, of acting

a

• John xvi. 12.

b Luke xiii. 35. Matt. xxiii. 38.

< ib. xxiii. 28-31. It may well be supposed that the words, Luke xix. 42—4. were spoken in the hearing of Jesus's disciples only. and Matt. xxiv. 4, &c. and p. p. Acts vi. 13, 14.

e

dib. xvii. 22.