Matt. xxii. 41, 42. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saijing, What think ye of Christ^?
THEY who are prejudiced against the Gospel, are ever studious to ensnare the preachers of it with
a Before a congregation where less critical accuracy is required, this subject may be treated thus :
1. Propose the question —
What think ye — 1 . Of his person (he is God, as well as man).
2. Of his sufferings (they were altogether vicarious and expiatory).
captious, or, as they think, unanswerable questions. To such cavillers we should answer warily, and with meekness of wisdom : nor will it be unuseful, on some occasions, to propose to them in return some question, which shall lead their thoughts into a better channel. Our blessed Lord adopted this method after he had been successively interrogated by Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes \ He returned to each a satisfactory answer, and silenced them at last by pro- posing to them a difficulty, which, with all their boasted wisdom, they were unable to solve.
Certainly the difficulty of reconciling these two characters of the Messiah was great : yet, if the Pharisees had been duly attentive to all the prophetic representations of the Messiah, they would have known, that there was to be in him an union of the most opposite states, of life and death, of sufferings and glory ; and that, consequently, the humble state of Christ, at which they took offence, was no reason at all for their disbelieving his divine mission. To shew them this, was the precise object of our blessed Lord in the question he put to them ; and, in accord- ance w^th that design, I will shew,
1. That the discordancies of Scripture are no bar to
our believing in Christ — There are, no doubt, in Scripture, very discordant representations of the Messiah —
[Of his person : he was to be the root, and yet the oflP- spring of David, a little child, and yet the mighty God •=
3. Of his glory (he is in heaven as a public person, our Advocate, our
Head, our Forerunner).
II. Shew the importance of it —
On our thoughts of him must depend — 1. Our devotion to him (which will be proportioned to our admiration of his character).
2. Our interest in him (which can arise only from our knowledge of him, and our faith in him). 3. Our acceptance with him in the last day (if we have low thoughts of him now, he will have low thoughts of us then. Mark viii. 38.).
^ Master, what thinkest thou of paying tribute to C^sar ? ver. 15, 17 ; of the resuiTection of the body ? ver. 23 — 28 ; of the command- ments ? ver. 35, 36.
c Isai. ix. 6. Matt. xxii. 43 — 45. Rev. xxii. 16.