John 3. 2. Mat. 11.45. fent; Go and fhew John again those things which ye do hear and fee: The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up. And as Jefus alledged the works which he wrought to be a fufficient teftimony that he was the Meffias; fo John 7. 31. did thofe Jews acknowledge it, who faid, When Chrift cometh, will be do more miracles than thefe which this man doth? And Nicodemus, a Ruler among them, confeffed little lefs: Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou doeft, except God be with him. Great and many were the miracles which Mofes and the reft of the Prophets wrought for the ratification of the Law, and the demonftration of God's conftant prefence with his people; and yet all thofe wrought by fo many feveral perfons, in the space of above three thousand years, are far fhort of those which this one fefus did perform within the compafs of three years. The ambitious diligence of the Jews hath reckoned up feventy fix miracles for Mofes, and feventy four for all the reft of the Prophets and fuppofing that they were fo many, (though indeed they were not) how few are they in refpect of those which are written of our Saviour! how inconfiderable, if compared with all which he wrought! when S. John teftifieth with John 21. 25. as great certainty of truth as height of Hyperbole, that there are many other things which Jefus did, the which if they fhould be written every one, he fuppofed that even the world it felf could not contain the books that should be written. Nor did our Saviour excel all others in the number of his miracles only, but in the power of working. Whatsoever miracle Mofes wrought, he either obtained by his Prayers, or elfe, confulting with God, received it by command from him; fo that the power of miracles cannot be conceived as immanent or inhering in him. Whereas this power muft of neceffity be in Jefus, in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and to whom the FaJohn 5. 26. ther had given to have life in himself. This he fufficiently fhewed by working with a word, by commanding the winds to be still, the Devils to fly, and the dead to rife: by working without a word or any intervenient fign; as when Mark 5.25, the woman which had an issue of blood twelve years touched his Garment, and ftraightway the fountain of her blood was dried up by the virtue which flowed out from the greater fountain of his power. And left this example Mat. 14. 34, fhould be fingle, we find that the Men of Genefaret, the people out of all Judea and Ferufalem, and from the Sea-coaft of Tyre and Sidon, even the whole multitude fought to touch him; for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. Once indeed Christ seemed to have prayed, before he John 11. 42. raised Lazarus from the grave, but even that was done because of the people which flood by: not that he had not power within himself to raise up Lazarus, who was afterward to raise himself; but that they might believe the Father had fent him. The immanency and inherency of this power in Jefus is evident in this, that he was able to communicate it to whom he pleased, and actuLuke 10..19. ally did confer it upon his Difciples: Behold I give unto you power to tread· on Serpents and Scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Upon the Mat. 10. 8. Apostles: heal the fick, cleanfe the lepers, raife the dead, caft out devils; Col. 2. 29. 36. 9. Luke 6.17,19. freely ye have received, freely give. Upon the first Believers: Thefe figns Mark 16. 17. Shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall caft out devils. He John 14.12. that believeth on me, the works that I do fhall be do alfo; and greater works than thefe fhall be do. He then which did more actions divine and powerful than Mofes and all the Prophets ever did, he which performed them in a manner far more divine than that by which they wrought, hath done all which can be expected the Meffias, foretold by them, fhould do. Nor hath our Jefus only done, but fuffered, all which the Meffias was to fuffer. For we must not with the Jews deny a fuffering Chrift, or fondly of our own invention make a double Meffias, one to fuffer, and another to reign. It is clear enough by the Prophet Ifaias what his condition was to be, whom *For firft, in words,Behold fhall deal pru dently, the Now the fufferings of Christ fpoken of by the Prophet may be reduced to lead of those two parts: one in refpect of contempt, by which he was defpifed of men; the my fervant other in refpect of his death, and all thofe indignities and pains which preceded and led unto it. For the first, the Prophet hath punctually described his condition, faying, b He hath no form or comeliness, and when we shall fee it plainly N him, there is no beauty that we should defire him. He is defpifed and rejected of men. He † feems to defcribe a perfonage no way amiable, an afpect indeed rather uncomely: and fo the moft + ancient Writers have interpreted Ifaias, and confeffed the fulfilling of it in the body of our Saviour. But what יצמח עברי משיחא Behold, my Son the Mef Tomon Jarchi on the place, un, Our Rabbins understand this of the Meffias. And the reason which he renders of their interpretation is very obfervable. For they fay, fays he, that the Meffias is ftricken, as it is written, He took our infirmities, and bare our griefs; which are the words of the 4. verfe of the 53. Chapter. From whence we may perceive how the ancient Jews did join the latter part of the 52. Chapter with the 53. and expound them of the fame person. Befide he cites a certain Midrash or Glofs, which attributes the fame verfe to the Meffias, and that is to be found in Bereshit Rabba upon Gen. 28. 10. where falling upon that place in Zach. 4. 7. What art thou, O great mountain, before Zerubbabel? he answers, that great mountain is the Meffias. Then asking again, Why doth he call the Becaufe he is שריא גדול מן האבות שנ" הנה ישכיל עברי זה משיח,Mefias a great mountain ? He gives this anfwer greater than the Fathers, as it is written, Behold, my fervant fhall understand, that is, the Meffias which are the words of the verfe before cited. And the fame Bereshit Rabba, upon Gen. 24. 67. faith, Meffias the King was in the generation of the wicked; that he gave himself to feek for mercies for Ifrael, and to fafting and humbling himself for them, as it is written; and fo produceth the words of Ifa. 53. 5. From whence it appears again, that the Author thereof interpreted both the Chapters of the fame Meffias. And farther it is obfervable, that the Midrash upon Ruth 2. 14. expounds the fame verfe in the fame manner. And Rabbi Mofes Alfhech Speaks yet more fully of the confent of the ancient -Behold our Doctors of hap הנה רו"ל עד אחר קיימו וקבלו כי על מלך המשיח ורבר Jewis Doctors upon this place py memory conclude with one mouth, as they have received from their ancestors, that this is spoken of the Meffias. be nify And well nify the external beauty of his body, and confined themselves to one kind of picture or portraiture, with a zealous pretence of a likeness not to be denied, which 800 years fince was known by none, every feveral Country having a several Image. Whence came that argument of the Iconoclaste by way of Quare, which of thofe Images was the true IlotengY τα Ρωμαίοις, ή Ιπερ Ινδοὶ γράφεσιν, ἢ ἡ πας' Ἕλλησιν, ἢ ἡ πας' Αἰ[υπτίοις; εχ όμοιαι ἀλλήλαις αυται. n might none of thefe be like another, when every nation painted our Saviour in the neareft fimilitude to the people of their own Country. Ελλίωες μὲ αὐτοῖς ὅμοιον ἐπὶ γῆς φανίώαι 7 Χρισὸν νομίζεσι, Ρωμαίοι ἢ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοῖς ἐοικότα· Ινδοι ἢ πάAi μogøñ tỷ aÚtāv, Aidiones diλor we clots. Photius Epift. 64. And the difference of opinions in this kind is fufficient-. ly apparent out of thole words in Suidas, Ἰσέον ἢ ὅτι φασὶν οἱ ἀκριβέςατοι 7 ισορικῶν, ὡς τὸ ὅλον καὶ ὀλιγότειχον οἰκειότερόν ἐτι γράφειν ἐπὶ τ εἰκόνα τῇ Χρισ. the afpect of his outward appearance was, because the Scriptures are filent, we cannot now know: and it is enough that we are affured, the state and condition of his life was in the eye of the Jews without honour and inglori Phil. 2. 6, 7. ous. For though, being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God: yet he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant. For thirty years he lived with his Mother Mary and Luke 2. 51. Joseph his reputed Father, of a mean profeffion, and was fubject to them. When he left his mother's house, and entred on his prophetical office, he paffed from place to place, fometimes received into a house, other times lodging Mat. 8. 20. in the fields: for while the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nefts, the fon of man had not where to lay his head. From this low estate of life and condition, feemingly inglorious, arofe in the Jews a neglect of Mat. 13.55. his Works, and contempt of his Doctrine. Is not this the Carpenter's fon? *Kai Tixlovo, nay farther, b Is not this* the Carpenter the fon of Mary? and they were v offended at him. Thus was it fulfilled in him, he was defpifed and rejected Tauta y Tú of men, and they esteemed him not. b Mar. 6. 2. ταῦτα τεκτονικὰ ἔρία Dial. cum a d yet more εργάζετο ε This contempt of his perfonage, condition, doctrine, and works, was by lewis av, degrees raised to hatred, deteftation and perfecution to a cruel and ignomiZvíá. Junious death. All which if we look upon in the grofs, we must acknowledge it fulfilled in him to the highest degree imaginable, that he was a man of Tryph. forrows and acquainted with Grief. But if we compare the particular preIfa. 53. 3. dictions with the historical paffages of his fufferings; if we join the Prophets and Evangelists together, it will moft manifeftly appear the Meffias was to * Zach.11.12. fuffer nothing which Chrift hath not fuffered. If Zachary fay they weighed for my price thirty pieces of filver; S. Matthew will fhew that Judas Mat. 26.15. fold Jefus at the fame rate; for the chief Priests covenanted with him for a. 53. 5. thirty pieces of filver. If Ifaiah say that he was wounded, if Zachary, they Zach. 12. 10. Jhall look upon me whom they have pierced, if the Prophet David Pfal. 22. 16. particularly, they pierced my hands and my feet; the Evangelifts wiil fhew John 20.25. how he was faftned to the Crofs, and Jesus himself the print of the nails. If Pfal. 22. 7,8. the Pfalmift tells us, they should laugh him to fcorn, and shake their head, faying, he trufted in the Lord that he would deliver him; let him deliver him, feeing he delighted in him; S. Matthew will defcribe the fame action, and the fame expreffion: For they that paffed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and faying, He trufted in God, let him deliver him now, if he will have him; for he faid I am the fon of God. Let David fay, My God, my God, why haft thou for faken me? and the Son of David will fhew in whofe Mat. 27. 46. perfon the Father fpake it, Eli, Eli, Lamafabaithani. Let Ifaiah foretel, he was numbred with the tranfgreffors; and you fhall find him crucified between two thieves, one on his right hand, the other on his left. Read in Pfal. 69.21. the Pfalmift, In my thirft they gave me vinegar to drink; and you shall find John 19. 28. in the Evangelift, Jefus, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, faid, I thirst: Mat. 27.48. And they took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, Pfal 22.18. and gave him to drink. Read farther yet, They part my garments among Mar. 27. 39, 43. Pfal. 22. 1. Ifa. 53. 12. Mar. 15. 27. 24. them, and caft lots upon my vesture; and, to fulfil the prediction, the SolJohn 19. 23, diers fhall make good the distinction, who took his garments, and made four parts, to every Soldier a part, and alfo his coat: now the coat was without feam, woven from the top throughout. They faid therefore among themfelves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whofe it fhall be. Lastly, let the Prophets teach us, that he shall be brought like a lamb to the flaugh- sa. 53. 7,8. ter, and be cut off out of the land of the living; all the Evangelifts will declare how like a Lamb he fuffered, and the very Jews will acknowledge that he was cut off: And now may we well conclude, Thus it is written, and Luke 24. 46: thus it behoveth the Christ to fuffer; and what it so behoved him to fuffer that he fuffered. * * Neither only in his Paffion, but after his death all things were fulfilled in Jefus which were prophefied concerning the Meffias. He made his grave Isa. 53. 9: with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, faith the Prophet of the Christ to come: and as the thieves were buried with whom he was crucified; fo was Jefus, but laid in the Tomb of Jofeph of Arimathea, an honourable Counfellor. After two days will be revive us, in the third day he will raife us up, faith Hofeah of the people of Ifrael: in whofe language they Hof. 6. 2. were the type of Christ; and the third day Jefus rofe from the dead, The Hof. i 1. 1. Lord faid unto my Lord, faith David, Sit thou at my right hand. Now Pfal. 110. 1. David is not afcended into the heavens, and confequently cannot be fer at Acts 2. 34. the right hand of God; but Jefus is already afcended and fet down at the right hand of God: and fo all the house of Ifrael might know affuredly, that Alts 2. 36: God hath made that fame Jefus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Chrift: For, he who taught whatfoever the Meffias, prómifed by God, foretold by the Prophets, expected by the people of God, was to teach; he who did all which that Meffias was by vertue of that office to do; he which fuffered all those pains and indignities which that Meffias was to fuffer; he to whom all things happened after his death, the period of his fufferings, which were according to the divine predictions to come to pass; he, I fay, muft infallibly be the true Meffias. But Jefus alone taught, did, fuffered and obtained all these things, as we have fhewed. Therefore we may again infallibly conclude that our Jefus is the Christ. Fourthly, if it were the proper note and character of the Meffias, that all Nations should come in to serve him; if the Doctrine of Jefus hath been preached and received in all parts of the World, according to that character fo long before delivered; if it were abfolutely impoffible that the Doctrine revealed by Jefus fhould have been fo propagated as it hath been, had it not been divine; then must this Jefus be the Meffias: and when we have ved these three particulars, we may fafely conclude he is the Chrift. pro That all Nations were to come in to the Meffias, and fo the diftinction between the Jew and Gentile to ceafe at his coming, is the most universal description in all the Prophefies. God fpeaks to him thus, as to his Son; Ask Pfal. 2. 8. of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion. It was one greater than Solomon of whom these words were fpoken, All kings fhall fall down before him, all na- Pfal. 72. 11. tions fhall ferve him. It shall come to pass in the last days, faith Isaiah, that Ifa. 2. 2. the mountain of the Lord's houfe fhall be established in the top of the mountains, and fhall be exalted above the hills, and all nations fhall flow unto it. And again, In that day there fhall be a root of Jeffe, which Jhall ftand for Ch. 11. 19. an enfign of the People; to it shall the Gentiles feek. And in general all the Prophets were but inftruments to deliver the fame meffage, which Malachy concludes from God: From the rifing of the Sun, even to the going down of Mal. 1. 11. the fame, my name fhall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incenfe Jhall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name fhall be great among the heathen, faith the Lord of hofts. Now being the bounds of Judaa were fettled, being the promife of God was to bring all nations in at the coming of the Meffias, being this was it which the Jews fo much oppofed, as loath to part from their ancient and peculiar privilege; he which actually wrought this work must certainly be the Meffias: and that Jefus did it, is most evident. N That d Mar. 28. 19. Luke 24. 49. d48ts 2. 41. eAffs 4.4. f Acts 5. 14. & Acts 9.31. Acts 21.20. words μverá δες. k Acts 2.5. 19. res digna con tantium nu ti enim omnis tiam, vocan que enim civitates tan C a That all nations did thus come in to the Doctrine preached by Jefus, canMar. 15.24 not be denied. For altho' he were not fent but to the loft sheep of the house of Ifrael; altho' of thofe many Ifraelites which believed on him while he lived, very few were left immediately after his death; yet when the Apostles had received their Commiffion from him to bgo teach all nations, and were endued with power from on high by the plentiful effufion of the Holy Ghoft; the first day there was an acceffion of three thousand fouls; immediately after we find the number of the men, befide women, was about five thoui John 12.20. fand; and ftill believers were more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. Upon the perfecution at Jerufalem, they went through the 1 Rom. 15. 18, & regions of Judæa, Galilee and Samaria, and fo the Gofpel fpread; infomuch m Coloff. 1.23. that S. James the Bishop of Jerufalem fpake thus unto S. Paul, ↳ Thou feeft, *Vifa eft mihi brother, how many thousands (or rather, how many myriads, that is, ten thoufultatione fands) of the Jews there are which believe. Befide, how great was the nummaximè pro- ber of the believing Jews ftrangers, scattered through Pontus, Galatia, Capprer pericli- padocia, Afia, Bithynia, and the reft of the Roman Provinces, will appear out merum. Mul- of the Epiftles of S. Peter, S. James and S. John. And yet all thefe are noætatis, omnis thing to the fulness of the Gentiles which came after. First, those which were ordinis, utri- before Gentile worshippers, acknowledging the fame God with the Jews, but ufque fexús e- not receiving the Law: who had before abandoned their old Idolatry, and altur in pericu- ready embraced the true Doctrine of one God, and did confefs the Deity which luin & voca- the Jews did worship to be that only true God; but yet refused to be cir bantur. Ne- cumcifed, and fo to oblige themselves to the keeping of the whole Law. Now the Apostles preaching the fame God with Mofes whom they all acknowledgtum, fed vicos ed, and teaching that Circumcifion and the rest of the legal Ceremonies were now abrogated, which thofe men would never admit, they were with the greatgros, fuperftitionis iftius eft facility converted to the Christian Faith. For being prefent at the Synacontagio per- gogues of the Jews, and understanding much of the Law, they were of all the Plin. Epift. ad Gentiles readieft to hear, and most capable of the Arguments which the ApoTrajanum. ftles produced out of the Scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Chrift. Thus num multitu- many of the Greeks which came up to worship at Jerufalem, devout men do, pars penè out of every nation under Heaven, not men of Ifrael, but yet fearing God, major civita- did firft embrace the Chriftian Faith. After them the rest of the Gentiles left tis cujufque, in filentio & the Idolatrous worship of their Heathen Gods, and in a fhort time in infinite modeftia agi- multitudes received the Gofpel. How much did Jefus work by one S. Paul the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed? how did he pafs from si hottes ex- Jerufalem round about through Phenice, Syria and Arabia, through Afia, Achaia, and Macedonia, even to Illyricum, fully preaching the Gospel of Christ? How far did others pafs befide S. Paul, that he should fpeak even of his time, that the Gospel was preached to every creature under heaven? Many were the nations, innumerable the people, which received the Faith in the Apoftles days: and in not many years after, notwithstanding millions were cut off in their bloody perfecutions, yet did their* numbers equalize half the Roman Empire: and little above two Ages after the death of the laft Apostle, the Emperors of the World gave in their names to Chrift, and fubmitted their manni, ipfi- Sceptres to his Laws, that the Gentiles might come to his light, and Kings to the brightness of his rifing; that Kings might become the nurfing facunque unius thers, and Queens the nursing mothers, of the Church. etiam atque a vagata eft. Tanta homi mus. Tertul. ad Scapul.c.3. ertos, non tantum vindi⚫ces occultos - agere vellemus, deeffet nobis vis nu merorum & copiarum ? plures nimirum Mauri & Marco que Parthi, vel quantæ tamen loci m k & fuorum finium gentes, quam totius orbis? Hefterni fumus, & veftra omnia implevimus, urbes, infulas, caftella, municipia, conciliabula, caftra ipfa, tribus, decurias, palatium, fenatum, forum. Id. Apolog. c. 36. Potuimus & inermes, nec rebelles, fed tantummodo difcordes, folius invidià adverfus vos dimicâffe. Si enim tanta vis hominum in aliquem orbis remoti finum abrupiffemus à vobis, fuffudiffet utique dominationem veftram tot qualiumcunque amiffio civium, imò etiam & ipfa deftitutione puniffet: proculdubio expaviffetis ad folitudinem veftram, ad filentium rerum, & ftuporem quendam quafi mortuæ urbis; quæfiffetis quibus in ea imperaffetis. Id. ibid. And Irenæus, who wrote before Tertullian, and is mentioned by him, speaks of the Chriftians in his time living in the Court of Rome: Quid autem & hi qui in regali aula funt fideles? nonne ex eis quæ Cæfaris funt habent utenfilia, & his qui non habent unufquifque fecundum fuam virtutem præftat? Ifa. 60. 3. Ifa. 49. 23. |