hey would have an opportunity or
pretense of delating and delivering him to the _Roman_ governor, as an
enemy to _Caesar_. They seem, however, to have been confident, that he
who taught the way of God in truth, without regard to any, would never
inculcate it as a duty for them to give tribute to _Caesar_, subjection
to whom, as their lawful governor, for conscience sake, was so contrary
to the divine law given to the _Jews_, respecting their magistrates; and
if so, they would not miss of sufficient accusation against him. But
here infinite wisdom shone forth, in giving such an answer as declared
their wisdom to be but folly, and at once disappointed all their
malicious hopes; an answer which left _Caesar's_ claim unresolved, as to
any positive determination whether it belonged to him or not. The
question is in direct terms. Our Lord does not directly answer to the
question, in the terms proposed by the wicked spies. He neither
expressly says it is lawful or unlawful to pay it, but gave his answer
in such terms as they could not from it form an accusation against him,
either to the people or to the governor. He, in general, teaches to give
_Caesar_ all things that, by the law of God, were due to him; at the
same time enjoining them that, under pretense of giving to men their
demands, they rob not God of what was his due, namely, a conscientious
regard to all the laws he had given them, and universal obedience to all
his commands, without regard to persons of any station. And it is
certain, that _Caesar_ was a proud, aspiring, idolatrous and bloody
usurper (like the king of _Babylon_, Hab. ii, 5, for which causes the
Lord denounces fearful wrath and judgments against him, Hab. ii, 7-14),
having no other right to the most part of his dominions, than the Lord's
providential disposal, which sometimes makes "the tabernacles of robbers
prosper; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly;" Job xii, 6. "And for
their sins gives _Jacob_ to the spoil, and _Israel_ to the robbers;"
Isa. xiii, 24. "And giveth power to the beast, to continue forty and two
months, and to have power over all nations;" Rev. xiii, 5, 7. So that,
by looking into the divine law, which determines every one's due,
according to their just character, and of which they could not be
ignorant, they might see that he had a just title to all that was due to
an usurper, idolater and murderer. That the _Jewish_ coin did bear
_Caesar's_ image, could be no evidence of his b