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The rise of the Pharisees is unknown. They claim, indeed, the celebrated Hillel for their founder, as he is by some supposed to have lived during the pontificate of Jonathan, about a hundred and fifty years before the birth of Christ: but others, with more reason, suppose that he was contemporary with the famous Someas, who lived about the time of Herod, long before whom the sect of the Pharisees was in high repute. It is therefore probable, that they claim Hillel rather as an ornament, than as the author of their sect.

No. 9.

One of the most famous tenets of the Pharisees was that of an oral tradition handed down from Moses, and to which they attributed the same divine authority as to the sacred books. This being strenuously opposed by the Sadducees and Samaritans, rendered these equally detested by them. But none more incurred their hatred than the blessed Jesus, who embraced every occasion of reproving them, for the unjustifiable preference they gave this pretended tradition to the written word of God, and for condemning those as apostates worthy of death who did not pay the same, or even a greater regard to the former than to the latter.

Another tenet they embrace, in opposition to the Sadducees, was, that of the existence of angels, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead, and future rewards. But with regard to the last, they excluded all who were notoriously wicked from having any share in the pleasures of eternity; supposing, that as soon as death had put a period to their existence, their souls were conveyed into everlasting punishments.

A third tenet was, that all things were subject to fate, or, as some expressed it, to the heavens, except the fear of God. It is not easy to conceive what they meant by this; Josephus, indeed, will have it, That they designed to reconcile the fatality or predestination of the Essenians, with the free-will of the Sadducees.

If so, this is not the only absurdity, or even contradiction, which they held ; but a certain learned prelate seems to have proved, that they attributed all to fate, or to that chain of causes to which the Creator had subjected all things from the beginning; among which the influence of the heavenly bodies was considered as the principal. This seems to be hinted at by St. James, in the beginning of his epistle to the new converts, where he explodes that pharisaical lea

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ven by the most beautiful opposition of the immutability of God, the giver of all good, to the mutability of the planets, which, according to that notion, must necessarily vary their aspects from a malign to a benevolent one, and the contrary, even by their natural motions and change of position. This tenet of the Pharisees was, therefore, a new source of dislike to the doctrines delivered by the blessed Jesus, as these affirm that men are the authors of their own unbelief, disobedience, and obstinacy; and consequently; answerable for that, and all the train of evils these vices draw after them.

But the most distinguished character of the Pharisees, and that which rendered them most obnoxious to the just censures of our blessed Saviour, was, their supererogatory attachment to the ceremonial law, their frequent washings, fastings, and prayings, their giving alms publicly, seeking for proselytes, scrupulous tythings, affected gravity of dress, gesture, and mortified looks: their building the tombs of the prophets, to tell the world that they were more righteous than their ancestors, who murdered them, though they were themselves plotting the death of one greater than all the prophets; their over scrupulous observance of the sabbath, to the exclusion of the works of the greatest charity, and many others of the like nature; while they were wholly negligent of the moral and eternal law of mercy and justice; of charity, humility, and the like indispensible virtues.

The very best of them contented themselves with abstaining from the actual committing any enormous act, while they indulged themselves in the most wicked thoughts and desires. Nay, some, more hardened in their vices, made no scruple not only of covering but destroying poor widows' houses; of committing the vilest oppressions, injustices, and cruelties, and of encouraging these enormities in their followers, under the specious cloke of religion and

sanctity. Well, therefore, might the great Redeemer of mankind compare them to whited sepulchres, beautiful indeed without, but within full of rottenness and corruption.

The last erroneous opinion we shall mention of the Pharisees, common indeed to all the other sects, but more exactly conformable to their haughty, rapacious and cruel temper, was their expectation of a glorious, a conquering Messiah, who was to bring the whole world under the Jewish yoke; so that there was scarce an inhabitant of Jerusalem, however mean, that did not expect to be made a governor of some opulent province under that wonderful prince. How unlikely was it, then, that the preaching of the meek, the humble Jesus, whose doctrine breathed nothing but humility, peace, sincerity, contempt of the world, and universal love and beneficence, should ever be relished by that proud, that covetous, that hypocritical sect, or even by the rest of the people, while these, their teachers, so strenuously opposed it?

The sect of the Sadducees is said to have been founded by one Saddoc, a disciple of Antigonus of Socho. Their chief tenet was, that our serving God ought to be free either from slavish fear of punishment, or from selfish hope of reward; that it should be disinterested, and flow only from the pure love and fear of the Supreme Being. They added, that God was the only immaterial Being; in consequence of which they denied the existence of the angels, or any spiritual substances, except the Almighty himself. It is therefore no womder, that the Sadducees should take every opportunity of opposing and ridiculing the doctrine of the resur

rection.

Another of their tenets, equally opposite to the Pharisees, and to the doctrine of Christ, was, that man was constituted absolute master of all his actions, and stood in no need of any assistance, to choose or act :

for this reason they were always very severe in their sentences, when they sat as judges. They rejected all the pretended oral traditions of the Pharisees, admitting only the texts of the sacred books, and preferred those of Moses to all the rest of the inspired writings.

They are charged with some other erroneous tenets, by Josephus and the Talmudists; but those already mentioned are abundantly sufficient for the purpose. The notion of a future life, universal judgment, eternal rewards and punishments to men, to whom a contrary doctrine, had long soothed into luxury, and an overgrown fondness for temporal happiness, which they considered as the only reward for their obedience, must, of necessity, appear strange and frightful; and as such could not fail of meeting with the strongest opposition from them; especially if we add what Josephus observes, that they were in general men of the greatest quality and opulence, and consequently too apt to prefer the pleasure and grandeur of this life to those of another.

This sect of the Galileans, or Gaulonites, so called from Judas the Gaulonites, or Gaulonite, appeared soon after the banishment of Archelaus, when his territories were made a Roman province, and the government given to Coponius. For the Jews, considering this as an open attempt to reduce them to slavery, Judas took advantage of their discontent; and to ripen them for an insurrection, Augustus furnished them with a plausible pretence, by issuing about this time, an edict for surveying the whole province of Syria, and laying on it a proportionable tax. Judas, therefore, who was a man of uncommon ambition, took occasion from this incident to display all his eloquence, in order to convince the Jews that such a submission was nothing less than base idolatry, and placing men on a level with the God of Jacob, who was the only Lord and Sovereign that could challenge their obedience and subjection. The party which he

drew after him became in a short time so considerable that they threw every thing into confusion, laid the foundation for those frightful consequences that ensued, and which did not end but with the destruction of Jerusalem.

The Essenians, though not mentioned by the Evangelists, made a very considerable sect among the Jews; and are highly celebrated by Josephus, Philo, Pliny, and several Christian writers, both ancient and modern.

It is impossible to trace their origin, or even the etymology of their name. This, however, is certain, that they were settled in Judea in the time of Jonathan, the brother and successor of Judas Maccabeus, about an hundred and fifty years before Christ.

The Essenians distinguished themselves by their rules and manner of life in two classes; the laborious, and the contemplative. The former divided their time between prayer and labour: such as the exercise of some handicraft, or the cultivation of some particular spot of ground, where they planted and sowed such roots, corn, &c. as served for their food; and the latter, between prayer, contemplation, and study. In this last they confined themselves to the sacred books, and morality, without troubling themselves with any other branch of philosophy.

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to the five books of Moses, and considered that law-giver as the head of all the inspired pen-men: they even condemned to immediate death whoever spoke disrespectfully either of him or his writings. Upon this account they studied, read, and expounded him more than all the rest, and seem to have drawn their religion chiefly from the Pentateuch. The doctrines and expositions of the elders were received with implicit faith, and in their practice they conformed with an entire submission to all their

sect.

With respect to their faith they believed the existence of angels, the immortality of the soul, and a future state of rewards and punishments, like the Pharisees; but seem to have had no notion of the resurrection. They considered the souls of men as composed of the most subtle æther, which immediately after the separation from the body, or from the cage or prison, as they affected to call it, were adjudged to a place of endless happiness or misery: that the good took their flight over the ocean, into some warm or delightful regions prepared for them, while the wicked were conveyed to some cold and intemperate climates, where they were left to groan under an inexpressible weight of misery. They were likewise entirely averse to the Sadduces doctrine of free-will, attributing all to an eternal fatality or chain of causes, little different from that of Spinosa. They were averse to all kinds of oaths; affirming, that a man's life ought to be such, that he may be credited without them. The contemplative sort placed the excellency of their meditative life in raising minds so far above the earth, as to be able to see from thence what was done in heaven: when they had attained this degree of excellency, they acquired the character of prophets.

In their practice they excelled all other sects in austerity. If we may credit Philo, it was a fundamental maxim with them, upon their entrance into the contemplative life, to renounce the world, and to divide

among their friends and relations, their properties and estates. They never eat till after sun set, and the best of their food was coarse bread, a little salt, and a few stomachic herbs. Their cloathing was made of coarse wool, plain but white: they condemned all sorts of unctions and perfumes as luxurious and effeminate. Their beds were hard, and their sleep short. Their heads or superiors were generally chosen according to seniority, unless there started up among the brotherhood some more conspicuous for learning, piety, or prophetic spirit. Some of them, indeed, were so contemplative, that they never stirred out of their cell, or even looked out of their window during the who week, spending their time in reading the sacred books, and writing comments upon them. On the sabbath-day they repaired to their synagogues early in the morning, and continued there the whole day in prayer, singing of psalms, or expounding the sacred books.

Having endeavoured to explain the origin and tenets of the several sects among the Jews, we now return to the history of our blessed Saviour, whom we left preaching in the country beyond Jordan, where he was surrounded by an innumerable multitude of people.

In the audience of this vast assembly, he gave his disciples, in general, a charge to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, namely, hypocrisy; because all their actions whould be brought to light, either in this world, or in that which is to come; and therefore exhorted them to be careful never to do any thing which could not bear the light, but to let the whole of their behaviour be honest, just, and good. "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed, neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore, whatsoeverye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the

ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops. Luke xii. 1, 2, 3.

This argument against hypocrisy, he improved as a reason for their acquiring another quality, which would much better serve all the ends they could propose; namely, an undaunted resolution in the performance of their duty, founded on a firm confideuce in God, who would bring to light the most secret word and thought, publicly condemn the wicked, and justify his faithful servants and children.

Fear not, said he, the malice of the human race it can extend no farther than the destruction of the body; your soul may bid defiance to their impotent race. But dread the displeasure of that Almighty Being, who after he has destroyed the body, is able to confine the soul in eternal torments. Remember all things are in his power, and that nothing happens without his permission; he provides for the meanest of his creatures, and surely you may think yourselves under his protection, who numbers the very hairs of your head, nor can your enemies touch one of them without his permission. "And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more than they can do: But I will forewarn you, whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows." Luke xii. 4, &c.

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ed of him, and his doctrine, before the sons . of men, he would disown them before the celestial host. And that those who reviled the Spirit by whom they performed their miracles, should be punished by the Almighty, in proportion to the malignity of their crime, which is greater than that of reviling the Son of God himself; because it will be impossible for them to repent. "Also, I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. But he that denieth me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven." Luke xii. 8, &c.

He also cautioned his disciples not to be perplexed with regard to an answer, when they should be brought before the rulers of the people, because they should be inspired by the spirit of God. "And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. Luke xii. 11, 12.

While our blessed Saviour was delivering these exhortations to his disciples, a certain person among the multitude begged him, that he would interpose his authority with his brother, in order to oblige him to divide their paternal inheritance between them: but as this decision properly belonged to the magistrates, our Saviour, who came into the world to redeem the souls of mankind, and to purchase for them an eternal, not a temporal, inheritance, declined the office. He however embraced the opportunity of giving his hearers the most solemn caution against covetousness: declaring, that neither the length nor happiness of human life had any dependance on the largeness of passessions. "Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man's life consisteth not

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