of the centurion, an illustrious example of eminen Christian virtues. He gave proof of his humanity, in the solicitude he evinced for the recovery of his servant's health. And this is the more remarkable, and honourable to the centurion, because the Roman servants experienced very different treatment from their masters. These servants were almost all of them slaves, and were too commonly used with extreme rigour and cruelty.

They

were often constrained to labour beyond their strength, confined in loathsome dungeons, loaded with chains, and tortured; they were often deserted in sickness and old age, and put to death for trivial faults and slight suspicions. Such conduct forms a striking contrast to the kindness and compassion of the good centurion.

The piety and generosity of the centurion were also displayed in his conduct toward the Jews, in building a synagogue for them at his own expense. Their country was a Roman province; and those who were acquainted with the Roman history know well, with what cruelty, rapacity, and oppression, the governors and commanding officers, in the conquered provinces, generally behaved towards the people whom they were sent to keep in awe. In the midst of this insolence of office, the centurion patronised a distressed and injured people; and it is as honourable to his memory as it is singular and almost unexampled, in his

circumstances, that he should "love the Jewish nation and build them a synagogue."

The centurion evinced his humility, in the manner in which he solicited our Saviour for the cure of his servant. He repeatedly sent messengers to our Lord, thinking himself unworthy to address him in his own person. This lowliness of mind is the more remarkable, because humility, in the gospel sense of the word, is a virtue with which the ancients, and more particularly the Romans, were totally unacquainted. Every thing that we call meek and humble, they considered as mean and contemptible. A haughty, imperious, and overbearing temper, a high opinion of their own virtue and wisdom, a contempt of all nations but their own, a quick sense and keen resentment, not only of injuries, but even of the slightest affronts, formed the favourite and predominant character of the Romans. Hence they considered humility as the mark of a tame and abject mind. When, therefore, we see this good centurion, differing so widely from his countrymen in this respect, we may conclude, that his notions of morality were conformed to a much higher standard than theirs; and that his disposition peculiarly fitted him for the reception of the Gospel.

The most remarkable part of the centurion's character, more particularly noticed by our Lord, is his faith. Our Saviour bestowed this high encomium upon the centurion, be

cause he believed in our Lord's power to work miracles; and because he, who had been educated as a heathen, did, notwithstanding, submit himself to sufficient evidence. He had

heard of Jesus, of his unblemished life, his his heavenly doctrine, his numerous and astonishing miracles; and had heard them confirmed by such testimony, as no ingenuous mind could resist. He immediately surrenders his belief to such convincing evidence of our Lord's divine power.

LETTER XIII.

Of our Lord's reproving the Pharisees for their Violation of the divine Law; and of the Pharisees and Sadducees' requiring a Sign from Heaven.

MY DEAR NIECES,

As I wish to give you some idea of the meaning of the passages in our Lord's discourses, which allude to the opinions of the Jews during his abode on earth, I will now call your attention to the following passages of scripture.

It appears from Matt. xv. 5. that the reports of Christ's miracles gave great uneasiness to the Scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem; and some of them had sought him in order to watch his conduct, and to obtain matter of

accusation against him. But finding, that neither he nor his disciples neglected any part of the Mosaic law, they objected to him his disciples' disregard to the traditions of the elders, in neglecting to wash their hands when they ate bread. Our Saviour replies to their censures on that subject, by charging them with their violations of the divine law by their traditions: "For," said he, "God commanded, saying, honour thy father and mother, and he that curseth father or mother let him die the death." Our Lord, by quoting both the commandment, and the denunciation against the opposite crime, had shown, that the Pharisees not only allowed the omission, but in certain cases prohibited the observance of the duty. According to their doctrine, if a man should say to his distressed father or mother, "I give or devote to the altar, whatsoever of mine might be appropriated to thy relief," he shall not afterwards be obliged to honour or relieve his parents, by giving to them any part of his property. Corban signifies any sacred offering, whether it consisted of a sacrifice or gift in money.

It was a custom among the Jews solemnly to devote to God, that is, to the use of the public treasury in the temple, what they might otherwise have given to their relations and friends, meaning, by this practice of binding themselves by a vow, to put it out of their power to assist their parents. It was frequent,

also, for the Jews to leave whole estates to the treasury, and thus deprive their descendants of any share in their property. This usage was encouraged by the Pharisees, because the priests, who were chiefly of this sect, abundantly shared in the gifts devoted to the altar. They had so much influence over the people, that it became a common practice with the latter not to give any thing to their parents, under pretence that they had devoted their property to religious uses.

The Mishna, which contains a code of the Jewish civil and canon law, gives an account of a Jew who had, by a vow, excluded his father from being benefitted by his property. Afterwards, upon the marriage of his son, he wished to have his father present at the nuptials. In this dilemma, what was to be done? He surrendered the court where the entertainment was to be made, and the feast itself, to a neighbour, on condition that he would invite the old gentleman to the wedding.

As an instance of Pharisaical strictness in observing their traditions, we are told, upon the authority of the Jewish Talmud, that when Rabbi Akiba was confined in prison with only a small allowance of water, he chose rather to die of thirst, than omit the custom of washing his hands.

The Jews had seen our Saviour perform many of the most beneficent miracles; such