Matt. xxii. 42 — 46. What think ye of Christ ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, hoiv is he his son ? And no man was able to answer him a ivord ; neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more qziestions.
THAT there are difficulties in the Scriptures, is certain : but they are greatly augmented by men's negligence in comparing the different parts of Scrip- ture with each other, and their indisposition to receive truths which oppose their pre-conceived opinions. Had the character of the Messiah, as drawn in the writings of the prophets, been duly considered, the Jews would have seen that our blessed Lord corre- sponded with it in every particular ; and that, whether he spake of himself as God, or as man, as reigning or as suffering, he was the very person to whom all the prophecies referred, and in whom they were about to be accomplished. Amongst the many things at which they took offence in the discourses of our Lord, that which most inflamed their wrath was his claim to an equahty with God. For this they often took up stones to stone him^: and for this, at last, they put him to death''. But our blessed Lord had left them wholly without excuse. But a few days before they put him to death, whilst the Pharisees (who had laboured by all possible means " to entangle him in his talk," but whom, by all his answers, he had confounded) were yet present with him ; he, in his turn, put to them this question, " What think ye of Christ? whose son is he ?" They, without hesitation, replied, " The son of David." This was right : to this the prophets all bear witness : and it was agreeable to the senti- ments and expectations of the whole nation. Our Lord then asked them, why David, w^ien speaking by inspiration from God, called him Lord, saying, " The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy .footstool ? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son ?" Here was doubtless a difficulty : but it was a difficulty which, if they had understood the Scriptures, they might easily have solved. They, however, " were not able to answer him a word."
It is much to be regretted, that, even amongst persons calling themselves Christians, there are many
a John viii. 58, 59. and x. 30 — 33. ^ Mark xiv. 61 — 64. and John xix. 7. Ll2