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by one. The criminal remains alone, all her accusers are fled. The Apostles and the multitude, probably, remained; for St. John, who was one of them, records the transaction, "The woman was standing in the midst," and Jesus said unto her, "Go and sin no more 1." With respect to the Law He left all as it was. He neither condemned nor absolved the woman. But, as the publisher of the Gospel, and the author of salvation, He directed her how to obtain the pardon of heaven, namely, by so truly repenting of her sin, as never to return to it again3.

SECT. LXXVI.-Christ justifieth His Doctrine.—John viii. 12-59.

THE affair of the adulteress being over, Jesus returns to His first purpose of instructing the people. The Pharisees say to Him, that He brought no proof of what He affirmed, and that they were left to believe Him on His own single testimony". Jesus replied, that if in ordinary cases the witness of two persons were sufficient for any testimony, certainly the evidence adduced in part of what He asserted of Himself, must be allowed to be infinitely stronger and more decisive. God the Father bore constant witness of Him by the miracles which they had seen Him perform'. Then

1 Dr. Hales.
Dr. S. Clarke.

Bishop Horne.

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Bishop Mann.

said Jesus again, I could take occasion, from your many unreasonable questions, to charge you with several things which ye would not care to hear; but I pass them by at present, and desire you to remember this, which I say. He that sent me expects to be believed, and you will find it a terrible thing to gainsay His authority; mark this also, that in all those instructions which I have given to the world, I delivered nothing which He will not justify He then went on to foretell many things that were to happen to Himself, and to the nation of the Jews; and, in consequence, many that heard Him, being persuaded that He was a person sent from God, declared they would become His disciples.

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It must be supposed that our blessed Lord saw the hollowness and unsoundness of these wouldbe followers; for He proceeds to try their faith by addressing "to those Jews which believed on Him" His further discourse. Captious at every word, they first take offence at His assertion, that "the truth shall make you free." Although, at this very time, they were subject to the Roman power, they reply with much asperity, We are of the seed of Abraham, of a race attached to, and tenacious of, our liberty, "and were never in bondage to any man." This brings the discussion to the subject of Abra

* Dr. Clagett.

9 Dr. S. Clarke.

ham; Jesus says, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed;" would that ye were like him in obedience and virtue, as children resemble their natural parents in feature and disposition! Abraham was ever a great example of humility, and docility, and readiness to believe and obey all Divine revelations. But, He continues, the likeness of your manners and dispositions, and your obstinate inclination to fulfil the lusts of the devil, plainly show, that you are rather his children than children of the faith of Abraham'. They retort on Jesus that He was a Samaritan. In the ideas of a Jew the imputation of being a Samaritan was the most reproachful possible. The term implied that He was an idolater and schismatic, a separatist, an enemy to their religion, and as one possessed of a devil. He deigns to notice this last imputation, as tending to draw down scandal on His doctrine, and weaken the authority of His preaching; but, at the same time, He is contented simply to clear Himself from their wicked suggestions with all the mildness that became His character. He proceeds to say, I do not court honour, as false prophets do; that I should exalt Myself, were very vain and exceptionable; but my Father, even the God to whom you profess to belong, He honours Me by bearing testimony to My doctrine'; and that doctrine 2 Dean Stanhope.

1 Drs. Hammond and S. Clarke.

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is this, that if a man keep My saying He shall never die eternally, he shall not be subject to the pains of eternal death. The Jews could only understand His words as of temporal death. Now, they say, it is undeniably plain that Thou hast a devil, and art governed by a lying spirit; for Abraham kept the Word of God, as did the prophets, yet they are all dead. Jesus replied, Abraham saw by faith My coming into the world, and that prospect was great gladness to Him; for, before even Abraham, of whom you speak, was born, I had a real existence, by which I was capable of seeing him, in which I have continued till now 3. The existence of our Blessed Saviour was measured by no time; and He now clearly demonstrated Himself to be the great Jehovah, who declared Himself to Moses as the God from all eternity, the great I AM. In this sense, it would seem that His hearers received it; for immediately conceiving His words to be blasphemous, as they would doubtless have been on the supposition of His mere humanity, they prepared to stone Him; and He escaped from their fury, only by a miracle, concealing Himself from their observation, and withdrew from their assembly' unseen and untouched by His enemies'.

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SECT. LXXVII.-The Seventy sent forth and return.Luke x. 1-24.

ON His way to Jerusalem, or before He went up, Jesus is recorded by St. Luke, (but it is not named by the other three Evangelists,) to have sent out seventy disciples, other than the twelve whom He had before sent. These seventy appear to have been chosen with the same reference to the seventy elders of Israel as the number of the Apostles had borne to the patriarchs. The instructions they received from Christ appear to be nearly the same as those given to the twelve ".

Whilst Jesus was at Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, the seventy disciples returned, rejoicing that even the devils were subject to them through His name. We may remember, that when Christ was in the Mount, the Apostles could not cast out a devil from the deaf and dumb boy; and here we may presume the cause to have been, that they omitted to make the trial through the name of Christ; for, by the efficacy of that charm, the seventy were every where successful; and this was the constant and evident distinction between the miracles of Christ and those of His disciples, that our Lord wrought them by His own intrinsic power, the disciples "in the name," and

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