miracles, he sighs and groans at the unreasonableness of it; yet does not honestly and plainly renounce pretension to miracle, as Mr. Martineau would, but leaves room for credit to himself for as many miracles as the credulous are willing to impute to him.  It is possible that here the narrative is unjust to his memory.  So far from being the picture of perfection, it sometimes seems to me the picture of a conscious and wilful impostor.  His general character is too high for this; and I therefore make deductions from the account.  Still, I do not see how the present narrative could have grown up, if he had been really simple and straight-forward, and not perverted by his essentially false position.  Enigma and mist seem to be his element; and when I find his high satisfaction at all personal recognition and bowing before his individuality, I almost doubt whether, if one wished to draw the character of a vain and vacillating pretender, it would be possible to draw anything more to the purpose than this.  His general rule (before a certain date) is, to be cautious in public, but bold in private to the favoured few.  I cannot think that such a character, appearing now, would seem to my friend a perfect model of a man.

No precept bears on its face clearer marks of coming from the genuine Jesus, than that of selling all and following him.  This was his original call to his disciples.  It was enunciated authoritatively on various occasions.  It is incorporated with precepts of perpetual obligation, in such a way, that we cannot without the greatest violence pretend that he did not intend it as a precept[3] to all his disciples.  In Luke xii. 22-40, he addresses the disciples collectively against Avarice; and a part of the discourse is:  “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms:  provide yourselves bags that wax not old; a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, &c....  Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning,” &c.  To say that he was not intending to teach a universal morality,[4] is to admit that his precepts are a trap; for they then mix up and confound mere contingent duties with universal sacred obligations, enunciating all in the same breath, and with the same solemnity.  I cannot think that Jesus intended any separation.  In fact, when a rich young man asked of him what he should do, that he might inherit eternal life, and pleaded that he had kept the ten commandments, but felt that to be insufficient, Jesus said unto him:  “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:”  so that the duty was not contingent upon the peculiarity of a man possessing apostolic gifts, but was with Jesus the normal path for all who desired perfection.  When the young man went away sorrowing, Jesus moralized on it, saying:  “How hardly shall a rich man enter into the