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A47328
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A demonstration of the Messias. Part I in which the truth of the Christian religion is proved, especially against the Jews / by Richard Kidder.
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Kidder, Richard, 1633-1703.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing K402; ESTC R19346
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212,427
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527
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chains and death it self cannot stop its course It must needs be a good cause that bears up against all the malice the meanaces the punishments that a wicked world could devise or inflict Aye and that persons of all sorts and degrees should seal this Doctrine with their Bloud too young as well as old rich as well as poor people as well as their Teachers women as well as men those that were remote and far distant from one another Nemo gratis malus It cannot be imagined that so many persons of all sorts and so remote from one another should conspire and consent together to bear witness to a lye That they should venture their lives and all that which the world calls good upon an untruth Certainly no man can be so fond as to believe this This Martyrdom of Christians and the growth of Christianity under it is a good proof that Jesus is the Christ and that the Religion of Jesus came from God For certainly had it not been from God it could never have born up from so small a beginning against so mighty an opposition And therefore it was a wise speech of Gamaliel to the men of Israel who were so forward to persecute the first preachers of the Gospel I say unto you says he refrain from these men and let them alone for it this counsel or this work be of men it will come to nought But if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest happily ye be found to fight against God Act. 5.38 39. And this he well perswades from the destruction of Theudas and his Complices and also of Judas the Galilean and those that obeyed him To which may also well be added this that whoever since hath pretended himself to be the Messias or his forerunner hath been so far from perswading it that he hath indeed come to nought and miserably cheated and abused his credulous followers Thus we know that about two and fifty years after the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans Buxtorf Lexicon Rabbime in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there did arise a certain man that pretended himself to be the Messias and was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Son of a Star alluding 'tis like to the prophecy Num. 24.17 but this man was destroyed by Adrianus with many thousands of the Jews besides So that now the Jews are not ashamed to call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Son of a Lye Maimon Epistol ad Judaeos Massilienses Maimon tells us of another who deceived the poor Jews under a pretence that he was the forerunner of the Messias who having boasted vainly that he should rise again after his death in token that he came from God was beheaded by a certain Arabian King and so perished and left the Jews that gave him credit in great calamity and distress It were a very easie thing to give in an account of the cheats and impostors who have arisen in the several ages of the world Euseb Eccl. Hist l. 4. c. 6. Hieron Catal. Scrip. Eccl in Agrippa Origen contra Cels p. 44. Vorstii observat ad Gantz p. 292. Juchasin fol. 38. Zemah David p. 150. under a pretence of being the Messias or his forerunner by whom the Jews have been miserably imposed upon and deluded from time to time This is reported not onely by the Christian writers but by the Jewish also The Jews have often been frustrated in their expectations and the cheat hath quickly been discovered And they have for many Generations expected their Messias in vain There hath appeared no man under pretence of the Messias or his forerunner but he hath soon come to nought And no wonder for a lye though it may prevail for a while will not obtain long The heat of persecution will fetch off its paint and false colours 'T is truth alone that can endure a Trial. Facile res in suam naturam recidunt ubi veritas non subest A lye may for a little while out-face the truth and prevail upon the easie and credulous part of mankind especially where it meets with no severe and potent opposition but when once the Authours of a forgery are discovered when they are brought to punishment who contrived the cheat and were the abettors of it then it falls to the ground and spreads no farther It hath not power enough to stand up against so great a violence But Christianity prevailed in spight of all the malice and force and combined endeavours of the Devil and all his instruments to root it out CHAP. X. The CONTENTS What was predicted of the Messias was fulfilled in our Jesus This appeared in the birth of Jesus in his Office and Character in his Works in his Sufferings and Resurrection and the spreading of his doctrine The adoreable providence of God in bringing Events to pass This shewed in very many particulars This is a farther proof that Jesus is the Christ IF what hath been said before be duly considered we shall upon sufficient evidence conclude that our Jesus is the Christ and that the Christian Religion came from God Not that I have said all which might have been said in so weighty an argument but that which hath before been insisted upon is sufficient to convince a lover of truth That there was a Messias promised and described in the old Teslament is not contested between the Christians and the Jews nor do the Jews deny that Jesus lived and that he suffered by the hands of their forefathers as we say he did We believe the writings of the old Testament which the Jews themselves acknowledge to be Divine Neither they nor any man living hath any just cause to call in question the authority of the books of the New Testament which give us an account of the birth and life of the miracles and doctrine of the death and Resurrection of the Ascension and intercession of Jesus Here 's nothing reported in these books in it self incredible nothing that is light and trifling nothing unbecoming God nothing against good manners but we have the same reasons to believe the truth of these things which we have for any other History which we do believe without doubting The same we have and much more Allowing then but the truth of the matter of fact which we have no shadow of reason to call in question it will abundantly appear from what hath been said that Jesus is the Christ For there was not a word that fell to the ground which was predicted of the Messias but it was fulfilled in our Jesus There was nothing so minute or small but it was accomplished and fulfilled Let us to this purpose recollect those particulars mentioned before and consider their exact accomplishment in our Jesus I will begin with his birth We find that the first promise which was made of the Messias was under the Character of the seed of the Woman Gen. 3.15 And this Woman was to be a Virgin also according to
much and more as we have for other things of the truth of which we neither do nor can reasonably make any manner of doubt as much as we can reasonably desire or expect And what that is we may learn from the following particulars 1. We have the most unexceptionable humane Testimony that can be desired that Jesus did rise from the dead For we have it from them who saw him and conversed with him to whom he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them forty days From them who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead That there was such a persons as Jesus and that he died the Jews themselves do not deny That this Jesus did rise again we have the greatest assurance from those who saw him Act. 1.3 and ch 10.41 First he appeared to Mary Magdalen and to other Women And this appearance to Mary Magdalen was his first appearance Mark 16.9 Joh. 20.14 Matt. 28.9 Secondly he appeared to two of his Disciples going to Emmaus And they were Peter and Cleophas That Cleophas was the same with Alpheus as may be collected from Joh. 19.25 compared with Matt. 27.56 and Mark 15.40 and this appearance seems to be that which the Apostle mentions when he saith that he was seen of Cephas Luk. 24.13 18 34. 1. Cor. 15.5 Thirdly he appeared to the Eleven so indeed they are called though it is certain that there were but ten of them present at that time For Thomas was absent And yet St. Paul saith he was seen of the twelve And Thomas is called one of the twelve when yet the whole number was at that time but eleven Luk. 24.33 36. Joh. 20.19 Maâ—k 16.14 Joh. 20.24 1 Cor. 15.5 There is no cause that any man should upon this account Scoff at the Scriptures or call in question their divine authority Had the Writers of these books been evil and crafty men had they combined together to put a cheat upon the World they might easily have avoided such occasions of offence And it is to me no little argument of the truth of what they affirm that they all agree in the main and differ at the same time in some circumstances of delivering it down to us The difficulty before us is very small They are called the twelve because that was the full number of the Apostles of Christ before the defection and death of Judas as well as after the election of Matthias And nothing is more common than to call a society of men by that number of which they consist and by which they are generally called even when the intire number is not made up But then they are by the Evangelists called eleven that being the full number when Judas was gone off And Thomas may well be said to be one of the twelve with respect to the full number which was at first The Jews of all men have no reason upon this account to disparage the Evangelists because they do in this matter speak after the manner of those writings which the Jews allow to be divine The Sons of Jacob tell Joseph when they supposed him to be dead that they were twelve brethren when they acknowledge that one was dead The youngest this day is with our Father and one is not And though they were eleven as they verily beleived yet they call themselves the twelve brethren as they were at first And when the twelve Sons of Jacob are reckoned up it is said these are the Sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-Aram And yet it is evident that eleven onely of the twelve were born there This may seem too great a digression and therefore I return and shall under this head onely add that all these appearances of our Lord happened upon the same day that he rose from the dead Gen. 42.13 and ch 35.26 Joh. 20.24 Fourthly he appeared to the disciples when Thomas was with them and this was as it is very probable the week after his Resurrection and upon the first day of the week Those words in St. John after eight days will very well bear this sense Joh. 20.26 Fifthly he appears again to seven of his disciples at the Sea of Tyberias The occasion of their being there seems to be this It is well known that our Saviour had told his disciples that after his Resurrection he would go before them into Galilee After Christ was risen the Angel bad the women go and tell his disciples and Peter that they should see him in Galilee as he had said unto them Accordingly the disciples go down thither to meet their Lord while they were there and waited for the appearance of Jesus Peter and six more go a fishing and then Jesus appeared to them of which we have a more particular account Joh. ch 21. With respect to this appearance St. John says This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead And so indeed it was the third time of his appearing to the greater number of his disciples though he had appeared before to Mary Magdalen at first and to two of his disciples Peter and Cleophas at another time So that though I reckon this the fifth appearance of Christ yet it is still but the third time which he shewed himself to the greater number of his disciples Joh. 2.1 1. Matt. 28.16 Matt. 26.32 Mark 16.7 Joh. 21.14 Sixthly our Saviour appeared again to the eleven disciples at the mountain in Galilee This Galilee was the Countrey in which he had lived where he was well known where he had done many miracles and whence he had chosen several if not most of his disciples This was a more solemn appearing of our Lord It was by appointment and it was foretold before his death and his followers are reminded of it after his Resurrection and it is very probable that at this time it was that he appeared to five hundred at once which will still speak this appearance the more conspicuous and remarkable Matt. 28.16 17.1 Cor. 15.6 Seventhly He appeared to James and to all the Apostles We have an account of his appearing to all the Apostles upon his ascending up to Heaven 1. Cor. 15.7 Act. 1.1 Here are a great number of very unexceptionable witnesses They were those who knew him before those who saw him and conversed with him They saw him often and a great number they were that did so It is not onely reported by a few terrified Women or a Melancholick follower or two but all his Apostles who had conversed with him for a considerable time and many others who knew him well bear witness to this truth 2. We have also the Testimony of an Angel who told the Women that sought the body of Jesus He is not here for he is risen Nor is it one Angel onely but two as appears from the other Evangelists These Angels who are not sent upon mean and