And furely it is very far from impoffible, it may be faid, for impoftors to betray themselves, by their quarrels with each other.

BUT had John been at length defirous to obtain his own enlargement, and what other advantages he could, by betraying fo iniquitous an imposture; inftead of taking fuch a method as this, to open the eyes of the people; he would certainly have difcovered the whole plot, at once, to Herod himself ; from whom every favour, he could hope for, muft be immediately derived.

FROM the beginning He had borne witness to Jefus, as the true Meffiah, in fo remarkable a manner, that by what means foever Jefus fhould be convicted of impofture; John could not poffibly escape the fame condemnation. It was therefore impoffible for Him, to be defirous of leading the people themfelves to convict Jefus, without his appearing at all voluntarily concerned in betraying him; for this evident reafon, that He could then have no merit to plead in the difcovery; nor any thing to expect from it, but that condign punishment, which was due to him for his own fhare in the plot. Had John therefore been defirous of betraying Jefus, Herod himself was the only perfon to whom he would have applied; and to whom he would have plainly confeffed the whole plan of their imposture; in hopes

of

of obatining his own pardon, at least, if not fome reward.

AND thus, this remarkable message from the Baptift to Jefus; which, because the motive, that really occafioned it, does not appear; may at first, perhaps, be conceived as fome finall objection to their credit; approves itself, upon a clofer inspection, in every light it can be viewed, one of the most fatisfactory, circumftantial proofs, of the integrity and divine character of them Both, which the gofpels afford. And whether we can point out those particular motives*, which actually induced the true Elias, to fend his difciples, with fuch an enquiry, to the true Meffiah, is an enquiry of no real importance at all; however it might gratify our curiofity to be able to folve the question. Since, in the mean time, it appears abundantly plain, that no fuch meffage could on any account have been fent from John to Jefus, had they in reality been no better than impoftors.

* The chief caufes which have been affigned, as what might probably induce the Baptift to fend his difciples to Jefus with this enquiry, may be feen, in Jortin's Difcourfes concerning the Ch. Rel. ch. 5. on John the Baptift.-Macknight's Comm. to his Harmony, fect. 42.-Whitby, and Lightfoot, on Mate thew xi. 3.-And Dr. Horne's Confiderations on the Life and Death of St. John the Baptift, fection 7.

SECTION IX.

The conduct of Jefus in confequence of his having purified the temple.

NOT long before Jesus's public ministry, and his life, were put an end to together, he made a folemn entry into Jerufalem, attended by great multitudes, and amidst the general acclamations of the people *; in fo much that "all the city was "moved, faying, who is this?" And going the next day into the temple, he took upon him, "to caft them out that fold and bought in the "temple; and overthrew the tables of the mo"ney-changers, and the feats of them that fold "doves; and faid unto them, It is written, my "houfe fhall be called the house of prayer, but

ye have made it a den of thievest." It would have been wonderful indeed if the rulers had not taken umbrage at his prefuming to do this." And "it came to pass, that on one of those days, as "he taught the people in the temple, and preached "the gofpel; the chief priefts, and scribes, came

Matthew, ch. xxi. Mark xi. Luke xxi. John xi.

upon him, with the elders, and spake unto him, faying; Tell us by what authority doeft thou "these things? Or who is he that gave thee this "authority? And he anfwered, and faid unto them, "I will also afk you one thing, and anfwer me;

and I will tell you by what authority I do these "things: The baptifm of JOHN, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, faying, If we fhall say from heaven, " he will fay, why then believed ye him not? But, "and if we fay, of men; all the people will stone us; for they be perfuaded that John was a "prophet. And they answered, that they could "not tell whence it was. And Jefus faid unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do thefe things f."

THE remarkable tranfaction now before us will ferve greatly to illuftrate the integrity both of John and Jefus; by furnithing us with another strong argument to fhew, that the various teftimonies of the Former, to the divine character of the Latter, could not have arifen from any fecret impofture concerted between, them; and confequently, that no fuch impofture could exist.

WHEN Jefus took upon him to prohibit all that trafficking in the courts of the temple, which lo tein sit Fr..

Mark xi. 29. mi

+ Luke xx, 1-8,

Y 3

the

the priests and rulers had long permitted to be car ried on there; the leaft he could expect was, that they would foon come to enquire of him, by what authority he pretended to do this, and from whom he derived it? For this was affuming a power, which none, who were not commiffioned from God himfelf, or authorized by Them, had any right to exercife. It was openly invading their particular province, and striking at their whole authority, even in the face of the people. Whatever then might be the chief defign of Jefus in driving the traders out of the temple, in this authoritative method; fince it was, in a manner, certain, that the Sanhedrim would at leaft fend him a deputation to make this enquiry, in confequence of it; Jefus, if he was an impoftor, muft have determined what answer to give them, before he put his defign in exe-. cution.

THE nature of the cafe will likewife inform us, in what manner an impoftor in Jefus's fituation muft have determined to answer them. He had now been a long time trying to gain credit to his divine pretenfions, and had at length made a kind of public entry into the city, amidst the general

acclamations of the people.

And with them he

was now in fo high esteem, that "though the chief priefts, and the fcribes, and the chief of the " people, fought to deftroy him; they could not