Thick as the disguise was, in which the crafty Pharisees had wrapt their malicious question, it was immediately seen through by the discerning eye of JESUS: for, knowing their hypocrisy, and perceiving their craftiness and wickedness, he said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? demanding at the same time a sight of the tribute-money. And when he was informed that the image and superscription of it was Cæsar's, he returned an answer, as marvellous to them, as it was unexpected: Render, said he, unto Cæsar the things, that are Cæsar's; and unto GOD, the things that are GoD's; thereby both cautioning the Pharisees against using religion, as a pretence to justify sedition; and warning the Herodians under pretence of duty to Cæsar, not to violate any of the commands of GOD. So much were they confounded by this unexpected reply, which was full of caution and wisdom, that they held their peace, left him, and went away disgraced and ashamed*.

But although JESUS had thus eluded the snare which had been laid for him by one sect, he did not long escape an attack from another. The Sadducees, who disbelieved a future state, started an ob

* Doddridge and Trimmer.

jection against the resurrection, and proposed to him a question, which they conceived unanswerable, and that their opinion therefore could not but be thoroughly established.

They put to him the case of seven Brethren, who had all married the same wife, one after the other, according to the law of Moses; which ordained, that if a man married a wife, and died, leaving no child by her, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. But as these seven brethren had all had the same wife one after the other in succession, and died, as did at last the woman without any children, the Sadducees demanded with an air of triumph, Whose wife of the seven she should be in the resurrection, for they all had her? The question was put in derision of the doctrine of the resurrection: the answer was given with that steady firmness and conviction, which will ever follow an unprejudiced study of the scriptures. Their mistake was owing to their ignorance of the scriptures, and a want of due attention to the power of GoD: Ye do err, said JESUS, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of GOD. Marriage will not be a necessary state in the world to come and as to the resurrection, had

you studied the writings of Moses, you would there have been informed, that GOD calls himself the GOD of Abraham, and the GOD of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob; not a GOD of those who are dead and annihilated, but the GOD of the living and if you had duly attended to that which is written in the scriptures, you would not have denied the resurrection, nor would you have endeavoured to invalidate it by such a frivolous argument, as the question which you have proposed to me contains. I tell you therefore that you do greatly

err.

Thus did our LORD vindicate and establish the doctrine of the resurrection; his prudent defence of which certain of the scribes who were present, could not but applaud; and they expressed their testimony of it by saying, Master, thou hast well said. Hence we are to learn not to raise any cavils against the certainty of the resurrection, either from prejudice, ignorance, or ridicule of the

scriptures.

The Pharisees, although they had been so lately baffled by CHRIST in the answer which he had returned to their question about the lawfulness of paying tribute to Cæsar, were not displeased at this con

futation of the Sadducees. The satisfaction, however, which they felt on hearing the defeat of the Sadducees, did not create in them the same admiration of JESUS, as it did in the multitude who were astonished at his doctrine, and heard him with delight. But when they heard that JESUS had put the Sadducees to silence, they were again gathered together, with a malicious design, no doubt, of bringing the LORD of life into difficulty and danger. And one of them in particular, who was also a lawyer, that is, an interpreter of the Mosaic law, tempting him, in order to make trial of his skill, if not with an insidious intention of bringing him thereby into disgrace with those, who differed in opinion about the question he meant to propose, said unto him, Master, which is the first and great commandment in the law? Many divisions have arisen among us on this important question; for some will have the law of circumcision to be the great commandment, others the law of the sabbath, and others the law of sacrifices but thou perhaps canst remove our doubts by enabling us to determine, whether we should give the preference to the moral or the ceremonial law.

This scribe most probably thought, that
G

CHRIST Would be unable to answer his question to the entire satisfaction of all parties; and little expected, that the answer would be such, as to draw from himself the strongest approbation of it. JESUS said unto him, Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment: and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Thus did JESUS refer him to the moral part of the law, and lay the great stress on love to GOD and man; to establish which great points, he observed that the ceremonies of the law and the writings of the prophets entirely tended*. The justness of which decision, the scribe himself who proposed the question, could not but acknowledge; and joined with him in preferring the great duties of piety to GoD and benevolence to man, to all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

JESUS was so pleased with the scribe for thus approving of his decision, that he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of GOD, that is, thou art not far from being a Christian.

* Gilpin. + Knowles.