Šect. VII. myfteries of the Kingdom were defigned to be communicated to them. A careful attention, would have shewn, that Mark intends not to be fo understood; but by those verses, 11, 12, 13, the contrary is evident.-Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are with out, all things are done in parables: that seeing they may fee, and not perceive, and bearing they may bear, and not understand; left at any time they should be converted, and their fins fhould be forgiven them: q. d. they are thus left abfolutely. without any excufe, if they attend not unto, and receive my doctrine: It will prove, that they make no ufe of their underftandings: and that their obftinacy occafions this ftupidity. They would not be converted, nor have their fins pardoned by me. He speaks of those who treated his miniftrations with contempt! thofe without; men who came to enfnare him; the ill-defigning and captious, whom he always put to filence; the dupes of power! Has Mr. Chubb faid any thing in support of Mr. C's. this black character he has given of the New fupport of Teftament? He thought he had. Ay, and in hischarge, the branch too of the Chriftian morals. taken from Some of the most remarkable precepts he has Chrift's controverted, I will lay before my reader. precepts. Matt. v. 38. compared with Exod. xxi. 23, 24, 25. upon which Mr. Chubb obferves, that if fuch a retaliation of injuries, was proper to reftrain mens vitiated appetites under one difpenfation, it must be under all; whereas Jefus Chrift reverfed the aforefaid law of retaliation. V. I. P. 10. It will be proper, at once, to fhew the fallacy of his reafonings on this, and many other precepts, by obferving, that Mr. Chubb has grofsly : miftaken the very exprefs language of our Lord. He does not once refer to any one Mofaic law, in any of those rules of moral conduct, that he reverfes ; but to the traditionary sense of the Jew-elders. He fays not, it is written in your law, as he does, Mark ix. 13. Luke x. 26. John x. 34. He only fays, Ye have heard that it bath been faid: and, it hath been faid by then of old time. Befides, at ver.. 17. he bids them not think, that he came to destroy the law or the prophets, I came not to destroy, but to fulfil And he prefaceth his corrections of thofe vile maxims received among them, ver. 20. by tell ing them, that except their righteousness did exceed that of the Scribes and Pharifees, they should in no cafe enter the kingdom of Heaven. And with respect to the Mofaic law referred to, it was not, could not be literally understood; but intended a valuation fhould be made of the injury, and the injurious fhould be put under a mulet or penalty by the magiftrate. But then Mr. Chubb diflikes the moral injunction, ver. 39. of not refifting evil; and he concludes, that an univerfal non-refiftance of evil, is lefs for the benefit of mankind, than a proper nonrefiftance. Vol. I. p. 14. We will grant him the conclufion: but then we deny, that his premifes are juft, or that he has done juftice to the fenfe of our Lord. Jefus never intended to be understood, as giving directions in matters of civil, or of national rights, that might be controverted: but he is speaking to perfons, who, upon embracing his doctrine, would be expofed to the anger, hatred, malice, fury and rage of bigots, and worldly men. And he enjoyns patience, meeknefs, in the perfecuted; or non-refiftance to the perfecutor.-That this is his obvious fenfe, will appear to any impartial reader, reader, who compares the defign of his miffion and kingdom, and the nature of his apoftles commiffion, Luke xii. 14. John xviii. 36. xvii. 14. XV. 18, 19. To Matth. v. 33. Mr. Chubb objects; because our Lord fays, Swear not at all.—whereas religious fwearing, he fays, contributes more to the fupport of truth and mutual confidence, than nonfwearing; fo, in this inftance, Chriftian morals are lefs excellent and perfect, than those morals, that come in competition with them. Ib. p. 18. This happens to have as little foundation, as the other objection: for our Lord has no fuch meaning as to forbid religious, but only irreligious fwearing. This is manifeft from the very letter of the text, where he immediately explains himself, by various inftances; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne: nor by the earth, for it is bis footstool: neither by Jerufalem, for it is the city of the great King: neither fhalt thou fwear by thy bead, becaufe thou canst not make one hair white or black. Thefe inftances fhew, that by not fwearing at all, this divine teacher would be understood to mean, a prohibition of their abfurd, stupid, fuperftitious oaths: difhonourable to the great object of worship! and with which they larded their common converfation. He does not once fay, fwear not by God; but fwear not at all by things or beings below him. This is the very defign of those prohibitions, he gives against such impious oaths. And in the nature of an oath, there is an appeal made to a Being, that is the almighty patron of truth, who will punish perjury it likewife fuppofeth the object fworn by, to be a perfect judge of our fincerity. Befides, this fame Jefus, of whom Mr. Chubb expreffes an high opinion, did, in a great number of instances make open appeals to God, his father, Father, which were of the very nature of oaths. See Matthew xi. 25. xvii. 1. John viii. 18. and 25. So that when Mr. Chubb affirms, that religious fwearing was allowed, and appointed by Mofes's law: yet Chrift forbad it, Vol. I. p. 16, 17. he has not faid the truth. His remarks on Matthew v. 43. which would represent our Lord as reverfing the precept in part, ver. 44, 45. Ib. page 18, 19. are groundless. There is no fuch precept in the Mofaic law, as, thou shalt love thine neighbour, and hate thine enemy. Tho the Jew-elders had given this glofs in their traditions: which, probably, they had fupported upon their forefathers having been made the executioners of God's displeasure upon enormously wicked nations. Which meafures of providence do only appear to me vindicable, from the tendency they had to imprefs them the more strongly with the malignity that there is in vice and impiety. Those nations that they were to extirpate, were not to be confidered as devoted by God to deftruction, because of being peculiarly their enemies, but the enemies of God; and as fuch, the enemies of mankind in general: avowing principles and practices fubverfive of all order, and the peace of the world. Let any one read the xviiith chap. of Levit. and he must see, that the Jews were themselves obnoxious to the fame destruction, if they committed thofe abominable customs, which the devoted nations committed. There could not be any fuch precepts delivered by Mofes from God, as that thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy; when understood to respect the retributions due to the enemies of God: for vengeance and recompence belong to God only. He will render vengeance on on his enemies, and will reward them who bate him. He will avenge the blood of his fervants, and render vengeance to his adverfaries. See Deut. xxxii. 35, 41, 43. Hence it is plain, that the Jews were forbid, of themselves, undertaking to vindicate the rights of God's government, by a voluntary deftruction even of his adverfaries, unless under his express direction: and then, they were not to confider themselves as the avengers, but as the inftruments of his difpleasure. But when they had a commiffion from him to deftroy, they were not to express fuch reluctance as would discover pity, or lead them to fpare the devoted, Deut. vii. 16. no, not a fon, or daughter, or the wife of the bosom, if they enticed them fecretly to idolatry, Deut. xiii. 8, 9. which fhews, that the execution of God's dif pleasure, when fignified, muft be complied with, as well against one another, as against other nations. And in neither cafe did suppose an hatred of men, as men; but a religious regard to the orders of their fovereign. Nor did it fhew that the Ifraelites were a people void of humanity; for the reafon, that their pity and compaffion in fuch given cafes, were equally prohibited, and under fuch vindictive threatnings. And indeed the fundamental principles of the Mofaic conftitution, will not admit any fuch precept, as that, of thou shalt love thy neighbour and bate thine enemy; for they are no other than thefe, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c. and thy neighbour as thyself, Deut. vi. 15. Lev. xix. 18. on thefe two commandments, our Lord has obferved, hang all the law and the prophets. Benevolence is the only motive and principle that gives energy or force to all law: as it comports with the end of man's being, viz. happiness. There |