eaves us only the choice between absolute moral purity, and
absolute hypocrisy; such hypocrisy would, indeed, be both the greatest
miracle and the greatest moral monstrosity on record.

The very fact that Christ came for the express purpose of saving
sinners, implies his own consciousness of personal freedom from guilt
and from all need of salvation. And this is the unmistakable impression
made upon us by his whole public life and conduct. He nowhere shows the
least concern for his own salvation, but knows himself in undisturbed
harmony with his Heavenly Father. While calling most earnestly upon all
others to repent, he stood in no need of conversion and regeneration,
but simply of the regular harmonious unfolding of his moral powers.
While directing all his followers, in the fourth petition of his model
prayer, to ask daily for the forgiveness of their sins as well as their
daily bread, he himself never asked God for pardon and forgiveness,
except in behalf of others. While freely conversing with sinners, he
always does so with the love and interest of a Saviour of sinners. This
is an undeniable historical fact, no matter how you may explain it. And
to remove every doubt, we have his open and fearless challenge to his
bitter enemies: 'Which of you convinceth me of sin?' In this question he
clearly exempts himself from the common fault and guilt of the race. In
the mouth of any other man, this question would at once betray either
the height of hypocrisy, or a degree of self-deception bordering on
madness itself, and would overthrow the very foundation of all human
goodness; while from the mouth of Jesus we instinctively receive it as
the triumphant self-vindication of one who stood far above the
possibility of successful impeachment or founded suspicion.

The assumption that Christ was a sinner, and knew himself such, although
he professed the contrary and made upon friends and enemies the
impression of spotless innocency, is the most monstrous deception that
can well be imagined. 'If Jesus was a sinner, he was conscious of sin,
as all sinners are, and therefore was a hypocrite in the whole fabric of
his character; realizing so much of divine beauty in it, maintaining the
show of such unfaltering harmony and celestial grace, and doing all this
with a mind confused and fouled by the affectations acted for true
virtues! Such an example of successful hypocrisy would be itself the
greatest miracle ever heard of in the world