These verses relate a conversation between our Lord Jesus Christ and the Sadducees. The religion of these men, we know, was little better than infidelity. They said there was " no resurrection." They too, like the Pharisees, thought to entangle and perplex our Lord with hard questions. The Church of Christ must not expect to fare better than its Master. Formalism on one side and infidelity on another, are two enemies for whose attacks we must always be prepared.
We learn from this passage, how much unfairness may often be detected in the arguments of infidels.
The question propounded by the Sadducees is a strik- ing illustration of this. They tell him of a woman who married seven brothers in succession, had no children, and outlived her seven husbands. They ask, " whose wife" of all the seven the woman would be "in the res- urrection ?" It may well be surmised that the case was a supposed and not a real one. On the face of it there is the strongest appearance of improbability. The chances against such a case occurring in reality, any ac- tuary would tell us, are almost infinite. But that was nothing to the Sadducees. All they cared for was to raise a difficulty, and if possible to put our Lord to silence. The doctrine of the resurrection they had not the face manfully to deny. The possible consequences of the doctrine were the ground which they chose to take up.
There are three things which we shall do well to re- member, if unhappily we have at any time to argue with infidels. For one thing, let us remember that an infidel will always try to press us with the difficulties and ab- struse things of religion, and especially with those which
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are connected with the world to come. We must avoid this mode of argument as far as possible. It is leaving the open field to fight in a jungle. We must endeavor, as far as we can, to make our discussion turn on the great plain facts and evidences of Christianity. 'For another thing, let us remember, we must be on our guard against unfairness and dishonesty in argument. It may seem hard and uncharitable to say this. But experience proves that it is needful. Thousands of professed infidels have con- fessed in their latter days that they had never studied the Bible which they pretended to deny, and though well read in the works of unbelievers and sceptics, had never calmly examined the foundations of Christianity. Above all, let us remember that every infidel has a con- science. To this we may always appeal confidently. The very men who talk most loudly and disdainfully against religion, are often feeling conscious, even while they talk, that they are wrong. The very arguments which they have sneered at and ridiculed, will often prove at last not to have been thrown away.
We learn, in the second place, from this passage, how much of religious error may be traced to ignorance of the Bible. Our Lord's first words in reply to the Sadducees declare this plainly. He says, " Do ye not err, because ye know not the Scriptures ?"
The truth of the principle here laid down, is proved by facts in almost every age of church history. The re- formation in Josiah's day was closely connected with the discovery of the book of the law. The false doctrines of the Jews in our Lord's time were the result of neglecting the Scriptures. The dark ages of Christendom were