Darkness; there fhall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth. Matt. viii. 11, 12. And he repeats the fame Thing on another Occa. fion, Luke xiii. 28, 29, 30. With the like View he faith, Other Sheep I have, which are not of this Fold; them alfo I muft bring, and they shall hear my Voice; and there fhall be one Fold and one Shepherd. John x. 16. And, a little before his laft Sufferings, after having propofed a very affecting Parable to the Jews, he concludes with telling them, I fay unto you the Kingdom of God fhall be taken from you, and given to a Nation bringing forth the Fruits thereof. Matt. xxi. 43. His Pafiion was then near,, and therefore he expreffed himfelf more plainly and diftinctly on this Head than he had done before.

His eminent Prudence in Teaching farther appeareth from the excellent Answers he made to his Adverfaries, when they propofed captious Queftions, with a Defign to infnare him. A remarkable Inftance of this we have in his Answer to the Question that was put to him concerning paying Tribute to Cæfar: We are told, that the Pharifees took Counfel how they might intangle him. And they fent out to him their Difciples, with the Herodians, who addreffed him in the moft artful infinuating Manner: Mafter, we know that thou art

true,

true, and teacheft the Way of God in Truth, neither careft thou for any Man. Tell us therefore, What thinkeft thou? Is it lawful to give Tribute unto Cæfar, or not? They thought they had him fure, whatsoever Answer he returned. If he answered in the Affirmative, that it was lawful to give Tribute unto Cæfar, this would have provoked the Body of the People, and would have been improved by his Adverfaries against him, as if he was for betraying their Liberties and fubjecting them to a foreign Yoke: And, if he had faid, that it was not lawful to pay Tribute unto Cæfar, they, especially the Herodians, who were of Herod's Party, would not have failed to expose him to the Roman Governor as a seditious Perfon, that was for ftirring up the People to an Infurrection against the Government. But the Prudence and Wisdom of his Anfwer cannot be fufficiently admired: We are told that Jefus perceived their Wickedness, and faid, Why tempt ye me, ye Hypocrites. Shew me the TributeMoney. And they brought him a Penny. And he faith unto them, Whofe is this Image. and Superfcription? They Say unto him, Cæfar's. Then faith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæfar the Things which are Cæfar's and unto God the Things which are God's. Thus, without directly and in far

mal Terms anfwering the Question they propofed to him, he fatisfied it in a convincing Manner, and yet effectually difappointed their Malice; fo that they could not lay hold of his Words before the People, and they marvelled at his Answer, and held their Peace, and went away. Matt. xxii. 15-21. compared with Luke xx,

20-26.

Another Inftance of his great Prudence we have, Matt. xxi. 23, &c. Where we are told, that the chief Priests and Elders of the People came unto him, as he was teaching in the Temple, and faid, By what Authority doeft thou thefe Things? And who gave thee this Authority? They were the Members of the Jewish Sanhedrim, or great Council, that propofed this Queftion, who claimed it as their proper Province to judge of the Miffion of Prophets: And they hoped from his Anfwer, whatever it was, to find fomething which they might turn to his Prejudice; but he with an admirable Sagacity difappointed them: Jefus answered and faid unto them, I also will ask you one Thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewife will tell you by what Authority I do thefe Things? The Baptifm of John, whence was it? From Heaven, or of Men? And they reafoned with themselves, faying, If we shall fay from Heaven, he will fay unto us, Why did ye

not

not then believe him? And, if we shall say from Men, we fear the People; for all bold John as a Prophet. And they answered him, and faid, We cannot tell. And be faid unto them, Neither tell I you by what. Authority I do thefe Things. By this wife Queftion he laid them under a Neceffity either of acknowledging the Divine Miffion of John the Baptift, which was in Effect acknowledging his own, fince John the Baptift had given Teftimony to him; or of expofing themfelves to the Refentments of the People; and thus brought them under the Difficulty in which they thought to have involved him.

The last Instance I shall mention of his great Wisdom and Prudence, as a Teacher, is this, that, when Questions were propofed to him that were rather curious than ufeful, or were improper to be answered, he was wont, without directly answering them, to take Occafion from thence to give fome excellent Inftruction which had fome Relation to what was propofed, and what was more useful than a direct Answer to that Question would have been. Thus, when one faid unto him, Lord, are there few that be faved? Inftead of giving him a direct Anfwer, be faid unto them, i. e. to the People, Strive to enter in at the ftrait Gate; for many, I fay unto you, will feek to 04

enter

enter in, and shall not be able. Luke xiii. 23, 24. q. d. It doth not belong to you to inquire, how many, or how few, fhall be faved: But it highly concerneth you all to ftrive, with the utmoft Earneftness, to fecure your own Salvation, whatever Difficulties may, attend it; fince many fhall fall fhort of the heavenly Felicity, for Want of ufing a proper earnest Diligence, or for not applying themfelves to it, till it is too late; which he farther illuftrates in what follows, concerning their Coming and Knocking, when the Door was shut.

Again when Judas, one of his Difciples, not Iscariot, faid unto him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifeft thyself unto us, and not unto the World? Jefus anfwered and faid unto him, If a Man love me, he will keep my Words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our Abode with him. John xiv. 22, 23, i. e. I will manifeft myself to thofe that really love me, and who give the best Proof of it by keeping my Commandments. This therefore is what it principally concerns you to endeavour after, rather than to inquire, wherefore and how far, I will manifeft myself to you, rather than to the World..

It appeareth from the feveral Inftances that have been produced, to which more might have been added, that the Lord

Jefus