Whether this scribe took the hint, and made farther inquiries into the doctrines of Christianity, by which the moral law is greatly improved, we are not informed. But as we, my Brethren, are to derive improvement from this, as well as from every other occurrence recorded in the Gospel, "Let us remember," says the venerable Bishop of London, in his lately published Lectures, "that, great and important as these two precepts confessedly are, they do by no means constitute the whole of the Christian system."

"In that" (for I will give you at length the concluding observations which that celebrated writer makes on the passage now under consideration) "In that, meaning the Christian System, we find many essential improvements of the moral law, which was carried by our Saviour to a much higher degree of perfection than in the Jewish dispensation, as may be seen more particularly in his Sermon on the Mount. We find also in the New Testament all those important evangelical doctrines which distinguish the Christiam revelation, more particularly those of a resurrection-of a future day of retribution of the expiation of our sins, original and personal, by the sacrifice of CHRIST of sanctification by the Holy

-

If

Spirit--of justification by a true and lively faith in the merits of our Redeemer. therefore we wish to form a just and correct idea of the whole Christian dispensation, and if we wish to be considered as genuine disciples of our Divine Master, we must not content ourselves with observing only the two leading commandments of love to GoD and love to man, but we must look to the whole of our religion, as it lies in the Gospel; we must endeavour to stand perfect in all the will of GOD, and in all the doctrines of his Son, as declared in the Christian revelation, and after doing our utmost to fulfil all righteousness, and to attend to every branch of our duty, both with respect to GOD, our neighbour, and ourselves, we must finally repose all our hopes of salvation on the merits of our Redeemer, and on our belief in him as the way, the truth, and the life*."

Here then I shall conclude this lecture, hoping, after no long interval, to resume our meditations on the awful and momentous transactions of the days which remain to be brought under our consideration; and GOD grant, that what has already been delivered may never rise up

* Bishop of London's Lecture xviii.

to condemn, either you as unprofitable hearers, or me as one who says and does not. If we know these things, my Brethren, happy are we, if we do them*.

* John xiii. 17.

LECTURE V.

Matt. xxii. 1.

AND JESUS SPAKE UNTO THEM AGAIN BY PARABLES.

Matt. xxvi. 1, 2.

AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN JESUS HAD FINISHED ALL THESE SAYINGS, HE SAID UNTO HIS DISCIPLES,

YE KNOW THAT AFTER TWO DAYS IS THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER, AND THE SON OF MAN IS BETRAYED TO BE CRUCIFIED.

IN

N contemplating the occurrences of this important week, we have seen the Saviour of the world exposed to the envy of the chief priests and the rulers, attacked by the malice of the scribes and Pharisees, and tempted by the artifice and flattery of the Sadducees; but yet answering all their questions with such caution, and at the same time so resolving them, that their own consciences, had they had honesty enough to own it, would have convinced them of the truth and justness of his decisions.

When he had ended the foregoing conference with the scribe, with which I concluded my last lecture, relative to the first and great commandment, at which the Pharisees were present, watching an opportunity to take hold of his words, our LORD thought proper in his turn to put a question to them, by asking them what their opinion was of the Messiah, and whose Son he was? To which they readily answered, The Son of David. JESUS answered and said unto them, How then doth David, speaking by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, call him, Lord; saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Mark now the success of this gentle trial which CHRIST made of the Pharisees knowledge: they were confounded: no man was able to answer him a word: either through ignorance they did not know, or through impiety they would not own the Messiah to be GoD. They were also put to silence; for from that day forth no man durst ask him any more such captious, tempting, and ensnaring questions.

But, my Brethren, what those Rabbies could not then answer, blessed be GOD, the plainest Christian who is led into the