Vanity, pride, or vice, reject the Chriftian revelation; or who, profeffing to receive it, live in direct oppofition to its doctrines and its precepts. The fame future punishment which is denounced against the unbelieving or hypocritical Jews, will be with equal severity inflicted on them.

After Jefus had delivered this parable, the Pharisees perceiving plainly that it was directed against them principally, were highly incenfed, and determined to take their revenge, and endeavor to bring him into difficulty and danger by enfnaring questions. "Then went the Pharifees and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they fent out unto him their difciples, with the Herodians, faying, Mafter, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth; neither careft thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæfar, or not? But Jefus perceived their wickednefs, and faid, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute-money; and they brought unto him a penny. And he faith unto them, whofe is this image and fuperfcription? They fay unto him, Cæfar's. Then faith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæfar the things that are Cæfar's, and unto God the things that are God's. When they heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way." In order to understand the infidious nature of the question here propofed to Jefus, it must be obferved, that the Jews were at this time, as they had been for many years, under the dominion of the Romans; and as an acknowledgment of their fubjection, paid them an annual tribute in money. The Pharifees however were adverfe to the payment of this tribute; and contended, that being the peculiar people of God, and he their only rightful fovereign, they ought not to pay tribute to any foreign prince whatever : they confidered themselves as fubjects of the Almighty, and released from all obedience to any foreign power. There were many others who maintained a contrary opinion, and it was a question much agitated among different parties. Who the Herodians were that accompanied the Pharifees, and what their fentiments were on this subject, very doubtful: : nor is it a matter of any moment.

is

It

is plain from their name that they were in fome way or other attached to Herod; and as he was a friend to the Roman government, they probably maintained the pro priety of paying the tribute..

1

In this state of things both the Pharifees and Herodians came to Jefus, and after fome flattering and hypocritical: compliments to his love of truth, his intrepidity, impar tiality, and difregard to power and greatnefs (calculated evidently to fpirit him up to fome bold and offenfive decla ration of his opinion) they put this question to him: "Is it lawful to give tribute to Cæfar, or not?" They were perfuaded, that in anfwering this question, he must either render himself odious to the Jewish people, by oppofing their popular notions of liberty, and appearing to pay. court to the emperor; or, on the other hand, give offence to that prince, and expofe himself to the charge of fedition and difaffection to the Roman government, by deny ing their right to the tribute they had impofed. They conceived it impoffible for him to extricate himself from this dilemma, or to escape danger on one fide or the other; and perhaps no other perfon but himself could have elu-, ded the fnare that was laid for him. But he did it completely and fhowed on this occafion, as he had done on many others, that prefence of mind and readinefs of reply to difficult and unexpected questions, which is one of the ftrongeft proofs of fuperior wifdom, of a quick dif-: cernment, and a prompt decision. He purfued, in fhort, the method which he had adopted in fimilar instances; he compelled the Jews in effect to answer the question themfelves, and to take from him all the odium attending the determination of it. He perceived their wickedness, and faid, "Why tempt ye me? Why do you try to enfnare me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute-money. And they brought unto him a penny (a fmall filver coin of the Romans, called a denarius.) And he faid unto them, whofe is this image and fuperfcription? And they fay un-: to him, Cæfar's.". By admitting that this was Cæfar's

* Those whom St. Mark calls the Leaven of Herod, c. viii. 15. St. Matthew in the parallel paffage, xvi. 5. calls Sadducees. Hence, perhaps, we may infer; that the Herodians and the Sadducees were the fame perfons,

coin, and by confenting to receive it as the current coin of their country, they in fact acknowledged their fubjection to his government. For the right of coinage, and of if fuing the coin, and giving value and currency to it, is one of the highest prerogatives, and moft decifive marks of fovereignty; and it was a tradition of their own rabbins, that to admit the impreffion and the infcription of any prince on their current coin, was an acknowledgment of their fubjection to him. And it was more particularly fo in the present instance, because we are told that the denarius paid by the Jews as tribute-money had an inscription round the head of Cæfar, to this effect; Cafar Auguftus, Judea being fubdued. To pay this coin with this infcription, was the completeft acknowledgment of fubjection, and of course of their obligation to pay the tribute demanded of them, that could be imagined. Our Lord's decifion therefore was a neceffary confequence of their own conceffion. "Render therefore unto Cæfar the things which are Cæfar's, (which you yourselves acknowledge to be Cæfar's,) and unto God the things that are God's." And when they heard these words, they marvelled; they were astonished at his prudence and address; and left him, and went their way.

But in this anfwer of our Saviour is contained a much ftronger proof of his confummate wisdom and difcretion than has yet been mentioned. He not only difengaged himself from the difficulties in which the question was meant to involve him, but without entering into any political difcuffions, he laid down two doctrines of the very laft importance to the peace and happiness of mankind, and the stability of civil government. He made a clear diftinction between the duties we owe to God and the duties we owe to our earthly rulers. He fhowed that they did not, in the fmalleft degree, interfere or clafh with each other; and that we ought never to refuse what is justly due to Cæfar, under pretence of its being inconfiftent with what we owe to our Maker

On the contrary, he lays down this as a general fundamental rule of his religion, that we ought to pay obedi* See Hammond in loc. W

`ence to LAWFUL AUTHORITY, and fubmit to that acknowl edged and established government under which we live. The Jews had for a hundred years acknowledged their fubjection, and paid their tribute to the Roman government; and our Lord's decifion therefore was, "Render unto Cæfar the things that are Cæfar's." It is true that the tyrant Tiberius was then emperor of Rome, but the Jews alledged no particular grievance or act of oppreffion to justify their refusal of tribute; and our Lord had no concern with any peculiar form of government. His decifion would have been the fame, had the Roman repub lic then exifted. His doctrine was obedience to lawful authority, in whatever fhape that authority might be ex ercifed. If it be contented that there may be extraordi nary cafes of extreme and intolerable tyranny, which burft afunder at once the bonds of civil fubordination, and juftify refiftance; the answer is, that these were confider ations into which the divine founder of our religion did not think it wife or expedient to enter. He left them to be decided (as they always muft be) at the moment, by the prefling exigencies and peculiar circumftances of the cafe, operating on the common feelings and common sense of mankind. His great object was to lay down one broad fundamental rule, which, confidered as a general and leading principle, would be moft conducive to the peace, the comfort, and the fecurity of mankind; and that rule moft indifputably is the very doctrine which he inculcated;

OBEDIENCE TO LAWFUL AUTHORITY AND ESTABLISHED

GOVERNMENT. In perfect conformity to his fentiments, the apostles held the fame language after his death, "Submit yourfelves, fays St. Peter, to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's fake; whether it be unto the king as fupreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are fent by him, for the punishment of evil doers, and the praise of them that do well* " "Be fubject to principalities and powers, fays St. Paul, and obey magiftratest. Ye must needs be fubject not only for wrath, but also for confcience faket. Render therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, cuftom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor]]."

Here then we see the whole weight of the Gospel, and of its divine Author, thrown into the scale of lawful authority. Here we fee that the Chriftian religion comes in as a moft powerful auxiliary to the civil magiftrate, and lends the entire force of its fanctions to the established government of every country; an advantage of infinite importance to the peace and welfare of fociety. And happy had it been for mankind, if in this, as in every other inftance, they had conformed to the directions of the Gospel, instead of indulging their own wild projects and deftructive theories of refiftance to civil government, and the fubverfion of the most ancient and venerable inftitutions. Happy had it been for the Jews in particular, if they had adopted our Saviour's advice; for by acting contrary to it, by breaking out as they did foon after into open rebellion against the Romans, they plunged themfelves into a most cruel and fanguinary war, which ended in the entire overthrow of their city, their temple, and their government, and the destruction of vast multitudes of the people themselves. Similar calamities, have, we know, in other countries, arifen from fimilar caufes; from a contempt of all legitimate authority, and a direct oppofition to thofe fage and falutary precepts of the Gospel, which are no lefs calculated to preferve the peace, tranquility, fecurity, and good order of civil fociety, than to promote the individual happiness of every human being, here and for ever.

The Pharifees having been thus completely foiled in their attempt to enfnare and entangle our Saviour in his talk, the next attempt made upon him was by a different fet of men, the Sadducees, who disbelieved a refurrection, a future state, and the existence of the foul after death. And their object was to fhew the abfurdity and the falfehood of thefe doctrines, by ftating a difficulty refpecting them, which they conceived to be infuperable. The difficulty was this: "The fame day came to him the Sadducees, which fay that there is no refurrection, and asked him, faying, Master, Mofes faid, if a man die having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up feed unto his brother. Now there were with us feven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, de