Now these miracles proved to demonstration, that Jesus was sent by God himself: they were the broad seal of heaven attesting his Divine commission. What then was the advice, but a direct opposition to God himself? There was not so much as an attempt to cover the impiety : a fear of man's dis- pleasure was the avowed and only reason for the commission of it. To what a height of wickedness must that man have attained, who could offer such advice ; and that council who could adopt it!]
3. How absurd !
[The Jewish history might have shewn the council, that the Romans could not prevail against them any further than God authorized and empowered them to do so. Consequently, if they looked no further than to their temporal happiness, it was their wisdom rather to conciliate the favour of God by doing what was right, than to provoke him to anger by mur- dering his dear Son. Yet, so infatuated were they, as to fear " the axe, rather than him that heweth therewith ;" and to draw down the certain displeasure of the Almighty, rather than incur the danger of displeasing a worm like themselves. The event proved the folly of their choice : for the very means they used to avoid destruction, brought down destruction upon them, and that too from the very persons whose favour they had so impiously courted. In the space of forty years, God executed upon them the most signal vengeance : he inflicted upon them the judgment he had warned them of: and made use of the Roman armies " miserably to destroy those murderers, and to burn up their citye."]
But we are told that Caiaphas " spake this not of himself." He meant indeed what he said ; but his words bear a very different construction,
II. As dictated by God —
Since the Jews had been brought under the Roman yoke, the high priesthood, instead of being continued to the end of life, was changed as often as the in- terests of the Roman government appeared to require it. It now happened, that, notwithstanding Annas, the predecessor of Caiaphas, was yet alive, Caiaphas was high-priest. And, as God in former times had enabled the high-priests, by means of the Urim and Thummim, to declare his will, it pleased him now so to overrule the mind of Caiaphas, that he should utter a
e Matt. xxi. 38 -41. and xxii. 7.