what entitled him to a recompence, at the refurrection of the just. Hence it was that our Lord does, in fo friendly a way, give him inftruction:: fhewing him his mistake, and pointing out to him, the method of attaining the end he would aim at. When thou makeft a dinner, or a fupper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinfmen, nor rich relations; left they alfo bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thoumakeft a feast, call the poor, the maimed, &c. and thou shalt be recompenfed at the refurrection of the just.

Charity would not be fo properly expreffed, in: giving bread where the duties of affinity and blood; demand relief, as a piece of natural juftice, more properly than of mercy: and where the compliment could, or would be returned, there was nothing like charity or mercy in it. But there is fomething so very amiable in this piece of conduct, that one might have expected the highest encomiums upon the good-nature, the generous, open friendship which it does exprefs. No other motive, but that of difinterested goodness, could have inclined the heart of Jefus, in fuch circumstances, to have delivered this inftruction. And his wif dom and prudence are very illuftrious!

What must we think of Mr. C.'s treatment of this inftruction? Was not his penetration fuch, as could difcover connections and relations where there are none ! nature; and his abilities fuch, that he could conftitute or diffolve connections and rela-, tions at pleafure, and that merely to exhibit an illnatured reflection, or for the fake of a gibe? We fhall prefently find him yet more liable to this very cenfure, that he has paffed upon others, And wherever the charge does fix, there is a very great degree of immorality.

A

A very flagrant inftance of Mr. C.'s not reading with any care, we have in his mistaking our Lord's inveterate enemies for his difciples; even at the time of their enmity, viz. the Scribes and Pharifees, upon whom he is pronouncing a repeated woe, fee Matt. xxiii. and Luke xith chapters. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites for ye pay tithe of mint, anife, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Sec. VIII. Upon no other authority, Mr. C. fays, And Chrift is Jefus Chrift not only paid obedience to Mofes's law faid to enin his own perfon, but likewife required his dif-join an ciples to yield obedience to the most infignificant ance of branches of it, fuch as paying tithes of mint, anife, Mofaic riand cummin. Vol. II. p. 169.

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I afk, were these Chrift's difciples? or did he enjoin fuch tithes upon thefe his enemies? or does it appear, that fuch tithes being paid, could be in obedience to Mofes's law?

To the firft queftion, the answer is undeniably plain, they were not our Lord's difciples. To the fecond, it seems as plain, that he gave them no precept to obferve fuch cuftom. For though our Lord faid, Thefe things ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone; as in our tranflation: yet, by the whole conftruction of his addrefs, it appears, that he is reproving them for, and reproaching them with their bypocrify. Hepoints out the abfurdity of their conduct, in laying a mighty ftrefs on a trifle; and neglecting things of everlasting importance. It can only intend, at the moft, that they, the hypocritical Scribes and Pharifees, were under obligation not to omit, what they fo religiously enjoined others to observe. Altho' nothing was more common for them, than to lay burdens upon others, e

obferv

tuals.

nough to load their fhoulders, which they would not themfelves take fo much of, as would require the ftrength of a fingle finger, v. 4th of Matt. xxiii. compared with the 46th verfe of Luke the xith.

But the Greek runs thus, ταυτας δει ποιησαι, και eva un aisial and a Critic has obferved, that the verb, activat, here rendered, left undone, properly fignifies, the removal of a thing from its place. Propriè & primigenio fignificatu eft, à fe amovere, Leigh's Crit. Sac. And frequently the word stands for suffering, or permitting of a thing: fo the Lexicographers. The fentences then would have been better tranflated, these things ought ye to have done, and not to have removed the other from their place; q. d. you ought not to have permitted any religious fenfe to have been given them: but fuch blind guides are you, as to take great pains to filter for a gnat, when your throats are wide enough to fwallow a camel.

So it is that we have an anfwer to the third queftion, viz. whether fuch tithes being paid, did exprefs obedience to the Mofaic law? and we fee it did not. There is no fuch law in all the Pentateuch, but the custom had its rife from Pharifaical fuperftition, which carried the laws of tythes much beyond their proper limits; and made them extend even to the Kitchen-garden.

Which way foever, we view the text, there is an egregious mistake committed by a writer, who has affirmed, that common fenfe, and common bonefty best qualify a man for judging of all pretences, and all pretenders to religion and divine reSec. IX. velation. Vol. II, p. 132.

St. John Upon the 1 John ii. 1, 2. Mr. C. fays, It is is faid, to but for a man to apply to himself the words of St. encourage John, and the practice of vice is made easy to him. Chriftians His paraphrafe is as follows, My little children,

to fin.

fin, or difobedience to God's laws, is difreputable, and justly blameable, I, therefore write these things unto you, that ye fin not; nevertheless, if any of you fin, let him not be troubled, let him not be affected; for, we Chriftians have an advocate with the father, &c. Vol. I. p. 37.

I will propose a more juft and natural paraphrafe; "My little children, I write unto you, that ye fin not. This is the end of my writing to you, and the rules I lay down will prevent your finning, if you will behave upon them. But if any man fin, any man who has not embraced the Gospel, and you fee bim fenfible of it, tell him, that we Chriftians bave an advocate with the father, Jefus Chrift the righteous; whofe doctrine, and perfonal miniftration, [be being appointed of God, the refurrection and the life,] is not only propitious to us; but will be fo to the whole world, that shall embrace his Gofpel." There is a manifeft change of perfons in the expreffions, my little children, and any man. So that it cannot, by any means, be applicable to Chriftians, if any man fin: because St. John writes to Chriftians, that they fin not. And the whole drift of his Epistle, is to prove their indispensable obligation to keep God's word, or to do his will. The intention is to fhew them the evil of fin. And the whole inculcates a love of God, and a love of man, the only principles that can fecure an uniform virtue.

The calumny caft on St. John's inftruction, is very glaring.

Sec. X.

Óne would be aftonished to find a modeft man, fuch as Mr. Chubb is faid to have been, lofing himself so far, as to affirm confidently, and with a fneer too, feveral things, for which he has no Luke's manner of foundation. For example, Luke men- account of tions the feventy fent out by our Lord, befides the Seventhe twelve. This Mr. Chubb fays, is exprefsly re

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contradicted by St. Matthew, ch. x. and by St. Mark, ch. vi. both of which fay, that it was the twelve difciples, which Chrift fent forth to preach as aforefaid; and that these three hiftorians refer to the fame thing is most obvious from the relations themselves. Vol. I. pag. 377.

This cannot be true; unless it will neceffarily follow, that because Matthew, Mark, and Luke harmonizing in their accounts of the twelve, therefore Jefus did not also send out seventy upon a like commiffion. If indeed it could be made appear, from their hiftories, that our Lord had no more difciples than twelve, the thing would be obvious. But this is not proveable; for the contrary is evident fee John ii. 23. Toxo, many, at the paffover, believed on him, when they faw the miracles that he did. And it is probable, that he made many difciples, whereever he continued to work miracles; for St. Matthew tells us, that he did not many mighty works in his own country, because of their unbelief, Matt. xiii. 58. which is a ftrong intimation, that where he did many mighty works, he had more fuccefs. And that he did many, thro' the whole of his ministry, is evident from his history. There is then no objection can arife to the credit of Luke's account, from his not having many more disciples than the twelve apoftles. And it is no more incredible, or improbable from it's being only mentioned by St. Luke, than any other fact is, mentioned only by one hiftorian, of good reputation, and no way in itself improbable, tho' others may have omitted it. Befides, St. Luke's hiftory has nothing in it, as we fhall hereafter notice, that has the least tendency to leffen his credit, as an intelligible, capable, faithful hiftorian. It is not improbable, what fome have conjectured, that he himself was one

of