immediate direction ?-Whether conqueft, which is but unjust, though fuccessful violence, can give a juft right to govern?— Whether one nation can have a right to rule over, and confequently to impose tribute on another?-And, Whether any fovereign can lawfully compel fubjects to pay taxes, without their own confent? If Chrift had thought it ever proper for him to give directions on political topics, he certainly would not have neglected this opportunity; but he now, and at all times, industriously avoided it, and faid, "Shew CE me the tribute money:" then replies to their queftion, by afking them another, "Whofe is this image and fuperfcription ?" They answered, " Cæfar's." Then faid he unto them," Render, therefore, unto Cæfar, "the things which are Cæfar's; and unto "God, the things which are God's."

Many opinions, by the ingenuity of commentators, have been extracted from these few words of Chrift. Some have thought, that, by them, he intended to explode that favorite

favorite notion, that they could not be lawfully governed by any except God. Some have afferted, that, by here acknowledging the title of Cæfar, he had established the right of all conquerors to rule over the people whom they had fubdued. Others would perfuade us, that, by the things which are Cæfar's, are to be understood, taxes impofed by the state; and, by the things which are God's, the revenues of the church and it is surprising, that no courtly divine has undertaken to prove, from this fhort decision, that every fovereign has a right to feize on all the money which bears his image and fuperfcription. But certainly none of these fanciful conjectures have any foundation in thefe words of Chrift; which are no more than an evafive answer to an infidious queftion, and a declaration of what he takes every opportunity of declaring, That he did not come to decide political controverfies, to fettle the rights of conquerors and the conquered, or of fovereigns and fubjects; and that the only inftructions which

he

he could give on that head were, to pay quietly tribute and fubmiffion to whatever government they lived under, without unneceffary inquiries into the lawfulness of their claims; but to inquire diligently after the will of God, and pay the stricteft obedience to it on every occasion.

MATT.

MATT. XXVI. 39.

Και προελθων μικρον, έπεσεν ἐπι προσωπον

αυτε, προσευχομεν, και λείων, Πατερ με, δυνατον ἐςι, παρελθετω ἀπ' ἐμε το ποτηριον

T8T0.

And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, faying, O my Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pass from me.

HE hypothetical words, inferted in

THE

this fervent addrefs of Chrift to his heavenly Father, feem to eftablish the truth of two important propofitions: First, That there may be, and actually are, evils inherent in the nature of things, which even Omnipotence cannot prevent; and, that we have reafon to conclude, that all which we fuffer in this life, except fuch as we bring upon ourselves by our misconduct or mutual injuries, are of this kind; that is, fuch as cannot be prevented without the admiffion of greater evils, or the lofs of good more than equi

valent;

valent; because we cannot fuppofe that a Creator of infinite power and goodness, would admit any others into any part of his works.

The fecond propofition is, That the sufferings and death of Chrift are likewife of this kind, abfolutely neceffary as an atonement for the fins of mankind, and therefore unpreventable by any power, without defeating the great defign of the benevolent but dreadful tafk which he had undertaken. As fuch they are reprefented, by himself and his Apostles, throughout every part of the New Teftament; not as contingencies, like thofe of other martyrs in the cause of religion, but as an effential part of the original plan of his miffion. From whence this neceffity arifes, we have not faculties to conceive but it must be certainly from fome connections between fuffering and fin, that is, between natural and moral evil, totally beyond the reach of our comprehenfions.

Chrift, under the moft terrible apprehenfions