falsehood and hated the truth. "In this the LECT. children of God are manifest, and the children XXXVIII. of the devild."

From this fearful description of the evil one, into which by His subject the Lord was led, and which He paused for a moment to draw,after this sad parenthesis, He returns to His stubborn audience. They listened to Satan's lies because they were pleasant to their soul'. They readily received the deceits of the devil. "The prophets prophesy falsely, and my people love to have it so." But Him who told them the truth they would not believe; yea, they would not believe Him because He told them the truth, the wholesome but unpalatable truth, but which, if only they would receive it, should make them free". It may remind us of St. Paul's question to the Galatians, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

And then He makes them the bold challenge, "Which of you convinceth me of sin?" How wondrous, how singular, how holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, must have been that life which could make such a challenge to those who would have been but too ready,

being singular, the pronoun is attracted into the singular also." We might strictly supply the noun, rendering the passage thus, He is a liar, and the father of the liar, i. e. of every liar, all liars.

Sic

"Videlicet Toû yeúdos. quod vel ex superiori membro potest intelligi,.... vel etiam ex ipsa voce evoτns. Nam id quoque novum non est. Num. 23. 20. Et benedixi, nec revocabo illam; benedictionem videlicet, quæ vox ex præcedenti voce benedixi facile intelligitur." Casaubon. d 1 John iii. 10.

v. 43, and all but the first clause of the next verse, should be read as parentheses.

{ν. 44. Τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν,

6 v. 32.

LECT. if possible to confute it! What conscious, what XXXVIII. undeniable innocence to be able to dare even

His enemies to find any fault in Him! How differently they came out of the trial, themselves being judges, when a like question was proposed to them h!

The conclusion, though not expressed, is obvious. They could find no fault in Him, they must acknowledge Him blameless; and the consequence is that they must admit that He spake the truth. And this is implied in the unanswerable question which the Lord proceeds to put thereupon, "And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?" You must admit that I speak the truth what reason then can you give for still refusing to believe me? It is somewhat like the sound reasoning of the man that was blind, in the next chapter, "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth.... If this man were not of God, he could do nothing."

And finally, again reverting to their claim to be of God, that God was their Father, He shews the falseness of the boast. He that is of God heareth God's words: ye hear them not: therefore ye are not of God. Yea more, ye hear them not because ye are not of God; because ye prefer to hear God's enemy.

The whole passage is a confutation of their twofold boast; first that they were true children

h see vv. 7.9.

ich. ix. 16. 24, 25. 31-33.

k v. 47. "gives the answer to the diari, and concludes the discourse with the final disproof of their assertion, ver. 41.-with, as it were, a 'quod erat demonstrandum.' The verse is cited 1 John iv. 6." Alford.

of Abraham, and then true children of God: that LECT. Abraham was indeed their father, and afterwards XXXVIII. God. It contains also a fearful picture of the evil one: the hater of mankind described by the lover of mankind; the father of lies by Him who is the truth itself. And on this picture, dark and dreadful as it is, we shall do well to look, to pause and consider. If men really thought and felt what the devil was, there would be an end for ever of all profane jesting about him. Certainly he is never better satisfied than when he can get men to doubt his existence, for then may they most readily be imposed upon by him. But here we have the solemn testimony of our Lord that he is, and that he is a murderer, and the father of all falsehood. And all who indulge those bad passions of hatred' and malice, all who lie and do not the truth", are his children, and, except they repent, must share his final doom.

Then when he tempts us let us consider, however attractive may be his bait; fair as the fruit wherewith he seduced our mother Eve, tempting as that prospect of god-like knowledge whereby, through her, he beguiled our first father Adam; still let us remember that he is only luring us to our destruction. He only seeks to murder our souls; and then will he mock at our calamity; dragging us down to dwell with him in that "prison of amazement and eternal horror"."

Hear our Evangelist afterwards in one of his Epistles; "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." But,

11 John iii. 15.

m 1 John i. 6. Jer. Taylor's Sermon, " Of growth in grace," part i.

XXXVIII.

LECT. "for this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." To Him then, the Lord of truth, let us listen, and not to that father of lies. Him, the lover of our souls, let us hear, and not him who fain would murder them. In Christ let us believe, to Him let us repair, Him let us ever follow and obey, and He will deliver us from that wicked "The God of peace shall bruise Satan

one.

under your feet shortly."

• 1 John iii. 8. See also Heb. ii. 14.

LECTURE XXXIX.

THE CONTRADICTION OF SINNERS.

JOHN viii. 48-59.

XXXIX.

WHEN wicked men are pressed with unanswer- LECT. able arguments, they sometimes have recourse to reviling. So these Jews, unable to disprove any of the Lord's solemn sayings, receive them with repeating what it appears was a current reproach against Him, "Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil"."

The former part of this reckless and insulting charge the Lord takes no notice of. When it served their turn, these same men who now call Him Samaritan had declared Him of Galilee". So consciously false, so manifestly inconsistent, is passionate prejudice. As this part then of their reproach, that He was a Samaritan, and so

a 66

Perhaps, as He had convicted them of not being the genuine children of Abraham, they cast back the charge with a senseless 'Tu quoque.' There may perhaps be a reference to the occurrence, ch. iv. 5. ff." Alford.

"Crescit paulatim eorum impietas. Convitia convitiis cumulant.... Quo major hæc erat protervia eo magis admiranda est Domini mansuetudo.... Tempestivum esse judicat, ut hæc comitia refellat, non tam sui, quam eorum caussa, qui adhuc inter Judæos aliquando convertendi erant." Lampe.

"It has been pointed out that the Good Samaritan,' in His reply, denies only the latter half of their accusation." A Plain Commentary. See Augustine in Jo. Tr. xliii. 2.

bch. vii. 41. 52. vi. 42.