the law commanded, that such should be *stoned; but what sayest thou?”

Thus far we see there was no difficulty. A crime had been committed, and might be proved; and their law had appointed the punishment. Why then do the Scribes and Pharisees apply to Jesus, for his judgment in the case? The text tells us; for it follows. immediately" This they said, tempting him, "that they might have to accuse him." They came to him then, not for any information about the nature of the crime, or of the punishment due to it; the crime had been distinctly specified in their law (the authority of which Jesus admitted, as well as they) and the sort of punishment had been distinctly specified, too: But they came with the insidious design of tempting him; that is, of drawing some: answer from him, which might give them an occasion to accuse him, either to the people, or to the rulers of the Jewish state.

In what then did their temptation consist? Or, what crime was it, of which, by thus tempting him, they supposed they might have to accuse him to the Jews? The answer to this question will lead us into a proper view of our Lord's conduct on this occasion, and will.

enable us to form a right judgment of the manner in which he disappointed the malice of his insidious tempters.

We find in the preceding chapter of St. John's Gospel, that the Jews sought to kill him, ver. 1. and that, being alarmed at the progress of this doctrine among the people, the Pharisees and chief priests had even sent their officers to take him by force, ver. 32. - But this project failing in the execution, by the growing favour of the people towards him, and by the strange impression which the doctrine of Jesus had made on those officers themselves, they found it expedient to try other and more indirect methods. Mitbet u. 9.

For this purpose, having taken a woman in adultery, they supposed they had now obtained a certain method of accomplishing their designs against him. They therefore bring her to him, and say, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now, Moses in the low commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thowing but I

They concluded, that his answer to this question must be such as would give them a sure hold of him. For either it would be, that

the law of Moses was too severe; and then, they doubted not but he would fall a sa+ erifiee to the zeal of the people themselves, from whose favour to him they had now the most dreadful apprehensions: or, if he justified this law of Moses, and encouraged the execu tion of it (and this conduct they had most reason to expect, from the known strictness of his life and doctrine, and from his professed reverence for the law), in that case, they would have to accuse him to the Jewish rulers, as taking to himself a civil and judicial character; or, rather to their Roman masters, as pre suming to condemn to death an offender by his own proper authority; whereas it was not lawful for the Sanhedrim itself, but by express leave of the Roman governour, to put any man to death b

In short, either the people themselves would kill him on the spot, as a disparager and blasphemer of the law: or, he would be convicted of that capital crime, which their rulers wanted to fasten upon him, of making himself a king, and so incur the punishment of rebellion tò the state:/

Such being the profound artifice, as well as malice, of this plot, the situation of our Lord was very critical, and nothing but that divine wisdom, by which he spake, and which attended him in all conjunctures, could deliver him from it.

Let us see, then, what that wisdom suggested to him in his present perilous condi tion.

Instead of replying directly to their ensnaring question," He stooped down, and with his sffinger wrote on the ground; as though he “heared them not." His enemies, His enemies, no doubt, considered this affected inattention as a poor subterfuge; or, rather, as an evident proof of his confusion, and inability to avoid the snare they had laid for him; and were ready to exult over him, as their certain prey, now fallen into their hands. They therefore repeat and press upon him their insulting question, urging him with much clamour to give them an immediate reply. So when they continued asking him, “ as the historian proceeds, he lift up himself, "and said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And, again he stooped down and wrote on "the ground."

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The divinity of this answer can never be enough admired. He eluded by it, at once, the two opposite snares they had laid for him: he disconcerted all their hopes and triumphant expectations; and carried, at the same time, by the weight of this remonstrance, and the power which he gave to it, trouble, confusion and dismay into their affrighted consciences. Without speaking a word against the law, or taking to himself an authority which he had never claimed, and which did not belong to. him, he turned their temptation on themselves; and instead of falling a victim to it, astonished them with the moral use he had made of it, and sent them away overwhelmed with shame, conviction, and self-contempt. For it follows, "They which heared [this re"ply] being convicted by their own conscience, "went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, ❝even to the last; and Jesus was left alone, and ❝ the woman standing in the midst.”

This was no time, we see, for declaring his sense of the law of Moses, or giving his assent to the execution of it; which, upon the least signification of his mind, had certainly followed from the people (such was their united zeal for the law, and reverence for his opinion). His