Having unburthened my mind upon this subject, and frankly expressed my sentiments and feelings with regard to the character of Jesus; I hope I may now be allowed (without incurring the charge of maliciously exposing him, or the twelve apostles, to reproach) to state my opinions with regard to the merit of the moral maxims, ascribed to him and them, in the New Testament.  And I again caution the reader, that he is not obliged to lay to his, or their, charge, the mischievous consequences that originated from acting upon these maxims and principles, since it is by no means impossible that they may have been falsely ascribed to him and to them.

Now then, let us attend to the subject of the chapter, viz., the moral maxims ascribed to Jesus.  These moral maxims consist of 1st, Those which were adopted by him from the Old Testament. 2d, Those of which he himself is described as the author.  With the consideration of those of the first class I shall not trouble the reader, but shall devote this chapter to the examination of those which are supposed to have originated from him.  These are, 1st, ’ Do to others what you would that others should do to you.’ 2d, ’ Resist not the injurious person; but if a man smite thee on one cheek, turn to him the other also.’ 3d, If a man ask thy cloak, give him thy coat also.’ 4th, ’ If thou wouldest be perfect, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor; and come follow me.’ 5th, ’ Unless a man hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and possessions, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.’ 6th, ’ Take no thought for the morrow.’

With regard to the first of these maxims, it does not belong to Jesus, as the author.  It is found in the book of Tobit, chapter iv. 15, and it was a maxim well known to the Rabbins.  It is found in the Talmud verbatim.  “What thou wouldest not have done to thee, do not thou to another.” (Tal.  Bab.  Schabbat. fol. 31.) So also Hillel addressed a proselyte thus, “What is hateful to thee, do not thou to thy neighbour.”  Several other expressions of Jesus were, it appears from the Talmud, proverbial expressions in use among the Jews.  For instance, the original of that saying recorded Matthew vii. 2.  “With whatsoever measure ye mete,” &c., is found in the Talmud of Babylon (Sanhedrim fol. 100, Sotah, chapter 4, 7, 8,9.) “With whatsoever measure any one metes it shall be measured to him.  So also the original of that expression of “Cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye is to be found in the Talmud*.

What is called by Christians “the Lord’s Prayer,” is merely a few clauses taken from Jewish prayers, and put together.  Very many instances of a similar nature to these might be produced; but, as I must be brief, the reader is referred for further satisfaction to the works of Lightfoot, where he will learn, by extracts from Jewish writings, the source, and meaning of many more of the sayings of Jesus.