of never being used of him, or towards him, by any other person. It occurs feventeen times in Matthew's gofpel, twelve times in Mark's, twenty-one times in Luke's, and eleven times in John's, and always with this restriction.

IV. A point of agreement in the conduct of Chrift, as represented by his different hiftorians, is that of his withdrawing himfelf out of the way, whenever the behaviour of the multitude indicated a difpofition to tumult.

Mat. xiv. 22. "And straightway Jefus conftrained his difciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other fide, while he fent the multitude away. And when he had fent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray."

Luke v. 15, 16. "But fo much the more went there a fame abroad of him, and great multitudes came together to hear, and

to

to be healed by him of their infirmities: and he withdrew himself into the wildernefs and prayed."

With these quotations, compare the following from St. John:

Chap. v. 13.

"And he that was healed

wift not who it was, for Jefus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place."

Chap. vi. 15. "When Jefus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain by himself alone."

In this laft inftance St. John gives the motive of Chrift's conduct, which is left unexplained by the other evangelifts, who have related the conduct itself.

V. Another, and a more fingular circumtance in Christ's miniftry, was the reserve, which,

14

which, for fome time, and

upon fome occafions at leaft, he used in declaring his own character, and his leaving it to be collected from his works rather than his profeffions. Juft reafons for this referve have been asfigned. But it is not what one would have expected. We meet with it in Matthew's gospel (xvi. 20)," Then charged he his difciples that they fhould tell no man that he was Jefus the Chrift." Again, and upon a different occafion, in Mark's (iii. 11), "And unclean fpirits, when they faw him, fell down before him, and cried, faying, Thou art the Son of God; and he ftraitly charged them that they fhould not make him known." Another inftance fimilar to this laft is recorded by St. Luke (iv. 41). What we thus find in the three evangelists, appears alfo in a paffage of St. John (x. 24. 35). "Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long doft thou 'make us to doubt? If thou be the Chrift,

tell us plainly." The occafion here was dif

*See Locke's Reasonableness of Christianity.

ferent

ferent from any of the reft; and it was indirect. We only discover Christ's conduct through the upbraidings of his adverfaries. But all this ftrengthens the argument. I had rather at any time furprise a coincidence in fome oblique allufion, than read it in broad affertions.

VI. In our Lord's commerce with his difciples, one very obfervable particular is the difficulty which they found in underftanding him, when he fpoke to them of the future part of his hiftory, especially of what related to his paffion or refurrection. This difficulty produced, as was natural, a wish in them to afk for further explanation; from which, however, they appear to have been fometimes kept back, by the fear of giving offence. All these circumstances are diftinctly noticed by Mark and Luke, upon the occafion of his informing them (probably for the first time) that the fon of man fhould be delivered into the hands of men. They understood not," the evangelists tell "this faying, and it was hid from them,

us,

that

that they perceived it not; and they feared to ask him of that faying." Luke ix. 45Mark ix. 32. In St. John's gospel we have, upon a different occafion, and in a different inftance, the fame difficulty of apprehenfion, the fame curiofity, and the fame restraint :-" A little while and ye shall not fee me, and again a little while and ye fhall fee me, because I go to the Father. Then faid fome of his difciples among themfelves, What is this that he faith unto us? A little while and ye fhall not fee me, and again a little while and ye shall see me, and because I go to the Father? They faid, therefore, What is this that he faith, a little while? We cannot tell what he faith. Jefus knew that they were defirous to ask him, and said unto them," &c. John xvi. 16 et feq.

Now

VII. The meekness of Chrift during his laft fufferings, which is confpicuous in the narratives of the three firft evangelifts, is preferved in that of St. John under separate examples. The anfwer given by him, in

St.