A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin FranklinFranklin, Benjamin
Religion
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
Franklin, Benjamin
Churches of Christ
There is not a more consoling sentiment on earth, to a righteous
man, than that there is a day appointed when impartial justice will
take place. The Lord Jesus will judge among the nations, and mete
out to them according to their works. The thought, that justice will
never take place, may be pleasing to rogues, and such a view might be
contended for with great zeal, on the part of those who know that a
righteous judgment must condemn them, and such as care not how deep
a stab they inflict upon the morals of the world; but to the man who
maintains a conscience void of offense toward God and man, and who
intends, to the best of his ability, to deport himself righteously,
nothing can be a higher satisfaction, than the doctrine, that all false
decisions will be reversed, and that a just and equitable sentence will
be passed upon all. Such a judgment we anticipate, and such judgment,
we are assured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, will
take place.
THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST.
One thing that has caused an apparent difficulty touching the genealogy
of Christ, is, that inquirers are not aware of the fact, that Matthew
traces the genealogy of Joseph, from Abraham down, and that Luke
traces the genealogy of Mary up to Adam. Matt. i.; Luke iii. This
will account, in some degree, for the disagreement in names. They are
evidently two distinct lines of genealogy, and the best authorities we
can appeal to at present, give Matthew’s to Joseph and the other to
Mary, and it is clear to any one, that one descends and that the other
ascends.
The best evidence we can command, sustains the idea that Matthew wrote
at an earlier date than Luke, and that he took his genealogy from the
Jewish records, from Abraham to Joseph, as the Jews would be willing
to believe their own records; and, that when Luke wrote, Joseph
had been adopted into the family of Heli, (Eli, the same) Joseph’s
father-in-law, some years, and, consequently, Luke copied the genealogy
of Joseph through Heli, which was properly Mary’s genealogy, up to Adam.
There are, however, difficulties in these genealogies, which, we
presume, no one can reconcile; but Matthew and Luke are not accountable
for them, as they simply give these as the commonly received
genealogies, which those in the day when they had the records to appeal
to, never disputed. Had the Jews been able to involve the Apostle and
Luke in a contradiction, they, no doubt, would willingly have done it,
but this they could not do, without disputing their own records.
ADHERING TO THE BIBLE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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