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ness and composure, of magnanimity and conscious dignity, of filial love and pious resignation, in the midst of the most horrid tortures that human nature is capable of sustaining.

SECTION IX.

OF OUR LORD'S VERACITY.

WHEN Jesus is said to have "dwelt among us full of grace and truth," the evangelist may either mean to characterize him as sincere, faithful and true, or to oppose the solid and substantial truths of his doctrine to the types and shadows of the law.

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Most justly did our Lord say of himself that " he told the Jews the truth which he had heard from God;" and that, "because he told them the truth," however contradictory to their prejudices, "they did not believe him." He paid a constant regard to the virtue of veracity; it was a prevailing principle with him, and a constituent part of his character: and therefore, when he had fearlessly acknowledged his regal dignity to Pilate, he added, "For this cause was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the a truth." that in fit circumstances I should acknowledge my high office, and should preach and confirm the religion which I am sent to found, whatever danger I may incur by such a conduct.

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Suitably to this character, Jesus plainly reproved the faults of his friends and enemies; warned the f rich of their extreme danger; foretold the persecutions of his church in all ages; taught that taking up the cross was the consequence of becoming his disciple in the earliest age of the church; and proclaimed, not to a few but to multitudes which followed him, that, before they became his disciples in those days of fierce opposition to the gospel, they must count the cost, and forsake all that they had.

In like manner, when James and John, full of worldly ideas, preferred their ambitious request, that in our Lord's kingdom one might sit on his right hand, and the other on his left, the reply was an open and upright one; "To sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." And when our Lord was asked by four of the apostles at what time the destruction of the temple should happen, he premised a particular and descriptive prophecy, explained the preceding signs of the events foretold, and assured them that many who were then living should see the accomplishment of his predictions. This might have sufficed; and, no doubt, would have appeared satisfactory but the admirable rectitude and simplicity of his mind led him to add, that the spirit of prophecy afforded not an useless gratification to over curious men by exactly specifying this awful period : "Of that day and season

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none knoweth; neither the angels who are in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." And, again, in the garden of Gethsemane he began with declaring to the chosen witnesses of his agony that his "soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death :" and he then commanded them to "remain in that place, and watch with him." He might have drawn a veil over the whole scene: but he was at an infinite distance from dissimulation and disguise.

Nothing can more strongly illustrate our Lord's ingenuousness and sincerity in his intercourse with his disciples, than those striking words, "In m my Father's house are many mansions: IF IT WERE NOT SO, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU." My Father's heavenly residence may be compared to a glorious and spacious palace: it is indeed infinite in extent as well as glory if it had been incapable of admitting you, I would have "plainly told you so, as my manner is; I would not have fed you with vain expectations.

In regulating the common discourse of Christians our Lord's precept is, "Swear not at all but let "your communication be Yea, Yea; Nay, Nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Common swearing leads to perjury, and is highly irrev erent towards God. Every mode of vehement asseveration, in the usual intercourse of men with each other, proceeds from mutual distrust but plain affirmation and denial argue a sacred and habitual attention to truth.

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When our Lord commissioned the twelve apostles to preach the gospel, this was part of his instructions; "Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and simple as doves." He recommended to them a prudent simplicity and sincerity and taught that the mind of a Christian must have no foreign and base mixture of cunning, hypocrisy, or falsehood.

That false words must be ranked in the class of idle words condemned by our Lord, is what every judicious critic will allow and it is also plain that he brands falsehood when he says, "If I should say that I know not the Father, I should speak falsely, like you."

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There are some parts of our Lord's conduct, connected with the present subject, which have been usefully discussed by critics and moralists.

After Jesus had cleansed the temple at the first passover, the Jews said, "What sign shewest thou unto us, since thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." His hearers understood this literally but our Lord alluded to the temple of his body; and probably intimated his true meaning by the action of pointing to himself. Here the words would be explained by the event: and their intended obscurity subjected them to examination, and impressed them on the memory. Veracity and every

Matt. x. 16. Bochart thinks that our Lord had in view Gen. iii. 1. Hos. vii. 11. He observes a like opposition, Rom. xvi. 19. and that the Hebrew word 'no, simplex, is used in a good sense Psal. cxvi. 6. De animal. p. ii. 19, &c. 9 Matt. xii. 36. * John viii. 55. ἔσομαι ψέντες.

ib. ii. 18, 19.

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virtue must be governed by prudence. A plain reference to his death and speedy resurrection, would have been unwise and dangerous before malignant hearers. Had he directly asserted to them, as he afterwards did to his disciples, that he should be put to death and be raised again on the third day, we have reason to think that he must instantly have preserved his life by miracle.

There is no difficulty in the passage which Grotius next alleges: "Our " friend Lazarus sleepeth: but I go that I may awake him out of sleep." Our Lord used an easy, unostentatious figure; and, when his disciples misinterpreted his words, he said to them plainly, "Lazarus" is dead."

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Other instances, referred to by the same learned writer, are the following: When Jesus said to the apostles, "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel;" and when he said soon afterwards, "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom;" he seems to have sufficiently known that they would apply his words to some kingdom of this life, the hope of which they entertained to the very moment of his ascension.

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In the former of these places, our Lord certainly described heavenly pre-eminence under earthly ideas.

See Grotius in loc. and de jure belli et pacis 1. iii. c. 1, § x. 2. "John xi. 11. * Luke xxii. 29, 30. y Acts 1.6

w ib. v. 14.

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