modating Himself to the prejudices and traditions of Hia hearers, and that He spoke of Moses as a writer, though He knew in His heart that Moses never wrote at all? Such an idea is profane. It would make out our Lord to have been dishonest. — Can we suppose for a moment that our Lord was ignorant about Moses, and did not know the wonderful discoveries which learned men, falsely so called, have made in the nineteenth cen- tury ? Such an idea is ridiculous blasphemy. To imagine the Lord Jesus speaking ignorantly in such a chapter as the one before us, is to strike at the root of all Christianity. — There is but one conclusion about the matter. There was such a person as Moses. The writings commonly ascribed to him. were written by him. The facts recorded in them are worthy of all credit. Our Lord's testimony is an unanswerable argument. The sceptical writers against Moses and the Pentateuch have greatly erred.
Let us beware of handling the Old Testament irreve- rently, and allowing our minds to doubt the truth of any part of it, because of alleged difficulties. The simple fact that the writers of the New Testament continually refer to the Old Testament, and speak even of the most miraculous events recorded in it as undoubtedly true, should silence our doubts^ Is it at all likely, probable, or credible, that we of the nineteenth century are better informed about Moses than Jesus and His Apostles ? God forbid that we should think so ! Then let us stand fast, and not doubt that every word in the Old Testament, as well as in the New, was given by inspiration of God.
Notes. John Y. 40 — il.
40. — [And ye will not come to me..Jife.] The connection between this verse and the preceding one is not very clear. It is one of those abrupt elliptical transitions which occur frequently in St,