against the like perverseness; for if we do not obey his laws, we equally reject him. 41. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not 42. "the love of God in you. 43. I am come in my Father's name, "and ye receive me not: if another fhall " come in his own name, him ye will re"ceive. 66 66 44. How can ye believe, which re ceive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God 'only ?" They pretended to love and honor God; but the Searcher of hearts here reproves them for their hypocrify, and for receiving honor from men of which they were totally unworthy. The man of real piety is truly humble, and rejoices in that honor which is paid to God alone, to whom he is ever ready to ascribe it. They honored each other for the purpose of imposing on the world: not that they they could have a regard for their companions in deceit; for there is no true friendship in vice: religion and virtue are its only foundations. Our bleffed Saviour taught doctrines which they did not choose to follow his divine gospel was of a nature too pure and refined to fuit their conduct; for which reason, they rejected both him and the Chriftian religion. An impoftor who should come in his own name, would be much more likely, as our Saviour obferves, to find credit with them: he would find it his intereft to indulge them in, or at leaft to wink at, many their favorite vices; and would, confequently, acquire numerous profelytes amongst them. We find this obfervation fully verified in the Jewish hiftory; where many pretenders to the character of the Meffiah are related to have started up, and to have been zealously followed by the people. 66 of 45. Do not think that I will accuse "you to the Father: there is one that "accuseth "accuseth you; even Moses, in whom ye truft. 66 46. For had ye believed Mofes, ye "would have believed me; for he wrote " of me. But if ye believe not his writeings, how fhall ye believe my words? 66 How does the clemency and benignity of our Lord here display itself! It was not from him, ill as they had used him, that they were to fear accufation; but from Moses; that prophet upon whom their whole faith and truft were built! His writings fo fully pointed to our bleffed Lord, that they were a conftant monument of the folly of the Jews in denying him, and clearly proved that their profeffions of belief in him were merely fuperficial; otherwise they would have attended to him, in a matter of the utmost importance to their falvation; and would then have found, that his predictions refpecting the Meffiah, were completely verified in the person of Jesus Christ: but they wanted that humility and meekG g nefs nefs for which Mofes was fo confpicuous, to be in reality his disciples. Thus we fee, that the Jews, by their pride and obftinacy, loft that inestimable privilege which, as the chofen people of God, they enjoyed above all other nations, in being the depofitaries of the revealed will of the Almighty, and fuffered the Gentile world to ftep before them in the race of faith in that bleffed Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth are to be bleffed. Let us endeavor to profit by their example, and fhun every fpecies of pride and arrogance: let us diligently fearch the Scriptures, for in them we know we have the words of eternal life; and let us petition the Father of Mercies, that the facred truths they contain, and which are the delight of a pious mind, may fink deep into our hearts; that each fucceffive perufal of them may be attended with additional fpiritual gifts, and bring forth in us the fruits of good-living, to his honor and glory, and to the falvation of our own fouls. |