may without any difficulty give something to the poor and indigent : but if he has little more than bare necessaries, he feels little, if any, responsibility for the use of them, and is chiefly occupied in making them subservient to his own comfort. From this selfish disposition innumerable evils proceed : indeed, it lies at the root of almost all evil. Hence the Baptist set himself in the first place to counteract it ; and recommend in its stead the universal exercise of liberality and compassion.
That the Baptist's injunction should be taken according to the strict letter, we do not say : but, to give it any sense at all, it must imply far more then is commonly practised, or generally supposed to be our duty. The least it can mean is, that we should consider ourselves as stewards of all that we possess, and dispose of it conscientiously for the honour of God and the benefit of our fellow-creatures.]
2. The Publicans —
[The publicans were persons appointed under the autho- rity of the Roman government to collect the taxes ; and so odious was the office among the Jews, that few who had any regard for their own characters, would undertake it. Hence it was executed very generally in an unjust and oppressive manner ; insomuch that the office, which was at first hated only on account of its evincing the subjection of the Jews to a foreign yoke, became proverbially infamous on account of the conduct of those on whom it was conferred.
Among the candidates for baptism were some of these : and they likewise inquired, what they should do. Now it is worthy of observation, that John did not recommend them to give up their office, notwithstanding the difficulties and temptations that attended the execution of it; but only to guard against the evils that were commonly practised in the discharge of it. The greater the temptations to which they were exposed, the more desirable it was that the office should be filled by persons who were truly conscientious ; and the more honour such per- sons would do to religion, by maintaining an unblemished cha- racter in such a post. His advice therefore to them was, to exact nothing beyond what they were authorized to demand, but to regulate their whole conduct agreeably to the laws of justice and equity.
This injunction however need not to be confined to them : it is equally applicable to all persons possessed of official authority, and indeed to all persons, whose interest might lead them in a way of trade or business to impose on others for their own advantage a.]
a The duties of Custom-house officers might here be profitably in- sisted on, especially in places where several might be supposed to be present. But when pastoral fidelity leads us to make observations