Page images
PDF
EPUB

DISCOURSE II.

Of the Authority affumed by Jefus, and the Dignity and Propriety with which he spake

and acted.

PART I.

And they were aftonished at his doctrine. For he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the Scribes. MARK i. 22.

ONE of the most extraordinary circumstances in the history of Jesus is the great authority that he affumed, and the dignified manner with which he uniformly spake, and acted, exceeding even that of any prophet that had preceded him, accompanied with a perfect propriety in his whole conduct. And if his fituation in life be attended to, this alone will furnish a proof that he was no impoftor; but acted under a full perfuafion that he had a miffion from God. On this fuppofition his whole conduct was natural; but on any other the most unaccountable. His uniform manner of speaking and acting must have arisen from a consciousness

3

sciousness of his being fomething fuperior to other men. This naturally gives felf poffeffion, and a fufficient degree of courage, fo as not to be intimidated by the presence of those with whom a man converses, and prevents that embarrassment which all men feel in the presence of their fuperiors, or of great numbers.

Farther, that peculiar dignity with which Jefus always conducted himself was of fuch a kind, as must have arisen from not only juft, but also great principles, fuch as are not of common attainment; requiring more comprehenfion of mind, and extent of view, than the bulk of mankind, even in elevated stations, attain to; a greater command of the appetites and paffions, a greater freedom from pride and vanity, the greatest patience under reproach and injury, the most generous benevolence, extending even to enemies, and unfeigned piety, or an unreserved fubmiffion to whatever is apprehended to be the will of God. Mere impudence may, no doubt, affume authority, and the appearance of dignity; but with nothing but imposture to support it, it would not fail to

betray

betray a man on fome occafions into abfurdity or meannefs. Such an uniform dignity, joined with an uniform propriety of conduct, as we find in the history of Jesus, must have arifen from fome thing else than this. He must have had a full perfuafion that God was with him, and fpake and acted by him ; and as the organ of divinity, any other man would have acted as he did.

The great authority which Jefus always affumed will appear the more extraordinary, when we confider the meannefs of his birth, and want of liberal education. Such a perfon as he might not have been abashed on addreffing himself to perfons of the fame rank in life with himself, living in the fame obfcure part of the country; because he would feel himself equal to them; but without a consciousness of something more than nature or education had given him, his courage would have failed him on coming into the world, and acting in an higher sphere than any that he had ever been used to, efpecially in the prefence of the leading men of his country. No common carpenter, in his or any other country, could have left

his

his mean occupation, and have come at once Jefus did, into the most public life poffible, without expofing himself by fome abfurdity of conduct. But in these circumstances Jefus acted with uniform propriety and dignity, as feeling himself not only equal, but fuperior, to every person that he met with.

He also addreffed with equal ease the greatest multitudes and fmall companies, or fingle perfons, though before his appearance in the character of a public teacher, it is probable that he had never fpoken to any number of perfons of any condition whatever. It is, however, only perfons who have themselves been called to speak in public, without having been gradually trained to it, that can feel the full force of this argument. It is evident, from the history of Jesus, that he never felt any of that fear of his audience, and that perturbation arifing from it, which we see to be unavoidable even to persons of education, when they first speak in public. Mahomet, besides being of a higher rank in life, began with divulging his pretences to a divine miffion to his particular friends, and depend

dependants, and did not preach in public till

after three

years.

It feldom happens but that if any perfons in low life affume authority, they proceed to infolence, and do not treat their fuperiors in rank or fortune with proper refpect. But this was by no means the cafe with Jefus. He had intercourfe occafionally with perfons who, by birth, fortune, and education, were greatly his fuperiors, and among these were both friends and enemies; but he always behaved to them with uniform dignity and propriety. And though, for just cause, he inveighed against the Scribes and Pharifees, as bodies of men, in general infamous for their hypocrify, and other vices, he never infulted any individual of them. When he was on his trial before the high priest, and was treated with the greatest indignity, he never refented it. When he was urged with the most unjust and improbable accufations, he only preferved a dignified filence, allowing to his enemies all the advantage they chose to take of it, but fpeaking when it would have shown contempt not to speak,

and

« PreviousContinue »