and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour Eph. 5.2 2. The death of Christ is to be considered as the death of a Testator for so is Christ to be considered also He himself calls his bloud the bloud of the New Testament or the New Testament in his bloud I very well know that the Greek word which we render Testament does signifie Covenant but yet it does not always do so in the New Testament For sometimes it signifies the last Will or Testament of a Testator And when it does so it does not exclude the notion of a Covenant neither but rather imply it For the right we have to the inheritance is one part of the Covenant but then the declaration of that right is peculiarly and properly the part of a Testament which signifies the last will of a man by which he disposeth of his goods Matt. 26.28 Mark 14.24 Luk. 22.20 Our Blessed Saviour is said to be the heir of all things And we are elsewhere told that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand And we are farther informed upon what account it is that the Father loveth the Son and consequently hath given all things into his hands in these words of our Saviour Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life From whence it is Evident that upon the account of the voluntary death of Christ this full power and authority is given to Christ as the great Mediator between God and man Christ was in the form of God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Heb. 1.2 Joh. 3.35 10 17. Phil. 2.6 Thus low did the Son of God stoop for our Salvation from being equal with God to the likeness of men and from the form of God to that of a servant from life to death from glory to shame and contempt If you would know the effects of all this the next words will inform us Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father Our Blessed Saviour a little before his death bequeaths a Kingdom to his followers as a Testator in these words and I appoint unto you a Kingdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as my Father hath appointed unto me Luk. 22.29 But then by his death he procured our right to this glorious inheritance For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator For a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the Testator liveth 'T is the death of the Testator that makes way to the Heir He hath no claim till the Testator dye But upon his death his title is unquestionable and it is not in any man's power to alter what is thus setled and confirmed Though it be but a man's Testament yet if it be confirmed no man disanulleth or addeth thereto Heb. 9.16 17. Gal. 3.15 Our Lord suffered the most shamefull and painfull death He did this voluntarily and not by Constraint He dyed not intestate nor yet like other Testators who when they have made their Testaments do avoid death with all their care and skill and are not willing to part with their lives for the benefit of their Heirs or Successours 'T was otherwise with our Saviour I lay down my life says he no man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and have power to take it again Joh. 10.17 18. Now after Christ had suffered death and risen from the dead he tells his Followers of the plenitude of his power and authority All power is given unto me says he in heaven and in earth And a while after his own ascension into heaven he sends the Holy Ghost which is the earnest of our inheritance Mat. 28.18 Eph. 1.14 3. The death of Christ is to be considered as the death of a Martyr or a Witness Our Blessed Saviour had professed himself to be the light of the World the Messias whom the Scriptures had foretold and that he came from heaven and that he was the Christ the Son of the Blessed It is of great moment that these truths should be sufficiently confirmed to us Upon these things depends the whole Religion that he taught If these things be sufficiently proved we can make no doubt of the truth of any part of the Doctrine which Jesus taught Joh. 8.12 c. 5.39 6 40. Mark 14.61 62. Now it will appear that the death of Christ does mightily confirm these truths and that Jesus gave up himself to death for the same end and purpose When Pilate asked Jesus whether he were a King or not Jesus answered thou sayest that I am a King that is Jesus answered in the affirmative To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the World that I should bear witness unto the truth With respect to the undaunted courage of Jesus before Pilate St. Paul saith that before Pontius Pilate he witnessed a good confession Joh. 18.37 1 Tim. 6.13 'T was upon this account that Jesus was put to death He was accused indeed of something else that was charged upon him But the Testimony was weak and incoherent that with which he was born down was that he professed himself to be Christ a King Or as it is in St. John because he made himself the Son of God Our Saviour was silent when the false witnesses accused him But when the High Priest asked him if he were the Christ the Son of the Blessed and he answered I am c. We find thereupon the High Priest renting his Cloaths and saying what need we any farther witnesses ye have heard the blasphemy what think ye and they all condemned him to be worthy of death Luk. 23.2 Joh. 19.7 Mark 14.61 Our Saviour dyed for his adhering to this great truth and that he did so must be acknowledged a great confirmation of it and of the Religion which he planted Life is too sweet a thing to be trifled away for nothing Much less will a man in his wits dye in confirmation of a lye Had Jesus been disposed he might have kept out of the way of his enemies or have saved himself by denying the truth He had now a great temptation before him either to renounce what he had professed or by some trick or mean art or other to escape the danger But he is far from taking any such course to deliver himself but instead thereof confirms
been perverted by some men and scoffed at by others In all that I have done I have sincerely pursued after truth if I have any where mistaken I shall most readily and thankfully hearken to him who shall shew me my Error I do intend a second part in which I design to examine the objections which we find in the Jewish writers against the truth which I have defended in this first and against the Religion which Jesus taught I shall in that particularly consider their pretenses for their unbelief And they are such as these viz. That their law is of perpetual obligation that the promise of the Messias was conditional and the time of his coming not fixed that there are some Prophecies relating to the Messias and his times not fulfilled in Jesus c. I do very well know that there are in the Church of England a great number of men who are better sitted for such an undertaking than I am I should be so far from esteeming it a disappointment if any of them would prevent me in what I design farther that it would be matter of rejoycing to me And if what I have done already may be but an occasion to excite some other person to doe better I shall think my time well spent and be very well content that what I have here offered should be laid aside or overlooked The Contents of the several Chapters contained in this Book CHAP. I. Of the name Jesus That this name by which our Saviour was called and distinguished from other men is no objection against the Prediction Isa 7.14 The importance of the name Jesus In what sense our Lord is said to be a Saviour His Salvation compared with the deliverances mentioned in the Old Testament Of the word Christ Of anointing things and persons and the design of it Of the anointing of Jesus Some account of the Jewish constitutions about anointing with their holy Oil. pag. 5 6. CHAP. II. It is agreed between Jews and Christians I. That there was a Messias promised and II. That there was such a person as our Jesus and III. That there was at that time when Jesus lived a general expectation of the Messias That hence it was that there appeared so many Impostours about that time An account of some of them from Josephus Of the promises of the Messias and the gradual revealing of them A Passage in Maimon concerning the Afternoon-Prayer misrepresented by a late learned writer Several particulars relating to the Messias predicted pag. 42. CHAP. III. Of the birth of Jesus Of his lineage and kindred Of the place of his birth The seeming difference in the account of Bethlehem by the Prophet Micah and St. Matthew reconciled Of his being born of a Virgin A particular explication of 1. Tim. 2.15 She shall be saved in Child-bearing The time of his birth agreed with the predictions and general expectation of some great Person Several testimonies to this purpose The miserable shifts and evasions of the Jews pag. 58. CHAP. IV. That the Messias was to be a Prophet Deut. 18. v. 18. considered That our Jesus was a Prophet like unto Moses shewed in sundry particulars That the Messias was to converse much in Galilee according to the prediction Isa 9.1 2 3. That place more particularly considered That our Jesus did so Several other Characters of the Messias belonged to Jesus That the Messias as was predicted was to doe stupendious works pag. 87. CHAP. V. The works of Jesus Mat. 11.4 5. considered Of the miracles which Jesus did The vanity of the Jews in attempting to disparage them The opinion of Maimonides that the Messias would not work miracles considered and the Authour of Tractatus Theolog Polit. What a Miracle imports That the Messias was to work miracles proved against Maimonides That they are a good argument of the truth of a Doctrine That Jesus did work true miracles This proved at large pag. 105 106. CHAP. VI. The Miracles which Jesus did compared with those which were really wrought by the hands of Moses with the pretended ones of the Church of Rome and with those storied of Apollonius Tyanaeus and some other Heathens Of the sufficient assurance which we have that Jesus did those works which are reoprted of him pag. 161. CHAP. VII That the Messias according to the predictions of him was to suffer This proved against the Jews Of the vanity of their twofold Messias the Son of Joseph and the Son of David The reason why the Jews make use of this pretence That Jesus did suffer That he suffered those things which the Messias was to suffer Luk. 24.26 46. and Act. 3.18 considered Zech. 9.9 to be understood of the Messias this proved against the Jews at large Of the kind of Christ's death Crucifixion was none of the Jewish capital punishments Of the Brazen Serpent Numb 21. St. John ch 3.14 considered The Jewish Writers acknowledge that the brazen Serpent was symbolical and spiritually to be understood Of the time when Jesus suffered that it did exactly agree with the type of the sufferings of the Messias A large digression concerning this matter Exod 12.6 considered Castalio justly censured for his ill rendring that place Of the two Evenings among the Jews The ground we have for it in the Scriptures The testimony of R. Solomon Of the practice of the Jewish Nation as to the time of offering their evening Sacrifice and the Passeover This shewed from their best Authours An objection from Deut. 16. v. 6. answered Jesus died at that time when the Paschal Lamb was to be slain Of the place and many other particulars relating to the sufferings of Jesus Of the great causes and reasons of the sufferings of Jesus Of the Burial of Jesus pag. 191 192. CHAP. VIII Of the Resurrection of Jesus That we have sufficient evidence that Jesus did rise from the dead That we have the most unexceptionable humane Testimony Why the same number of men are called the eleven and the twelve elsewhere when they were but Ten John 21.14 Explained This confirmed by the Testimony of an Angel and by Divine Testimony That Jesus removed all cause of doubting of the truth of his Resurrection That there were a select number of Men chosen to be witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus That these witnesses as also the Evangelists are worthy of belief That it was foretold that the Messias should rise from the dead The words Ps 11.5 This day have I begotten thee are justly applied to this matter This proved against the Jews at large That Jesus rose from the dead is an undeniable proof that he is the Messias and of the greatest importance to us Of the time when Jesus rose from the dead Why on the third day And how he could be said to rise on the third day who was but one whole day in the Sepulchre and how this agrees with Matt. 12.40 where Jesus said he should be three days and three nights in the heart of the
Earth The third day on which Jesus rose considered as the first day of the Week pag. 264 265. CHAP. IX Of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven That the Messias was to ascend thither This proved from Psalm 68.18 which is justly applied to this matter by St. Paul Eph. 4.8 Psalm 110.1 considered The Jews grant that Psalm to belong to the Messias An eminent type of Christ's ascension That Jesus did ascend into Heaven There were eye-witnesses of it Of the distance of forty days between his Resurrection and Ascension That Christ is not a Metaphorical Priest shewed against the followers of Socinus That this ascension into Heaven was typified by the High Priest's entring into the Holy of Holies That the Authour of the Epistle to the Hebrews does ch 9.24 and elsewhere infer this from the avowed principles of the Jewish Writers That the High Priest was an eminent type of the divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is acknowledged by Philo. Three remarkable places of that Authour to this purpose That the Sanctuary was a representation of the Vniverse and the Holy of Holies of the highest Heavens proved at large from the Modern Jewish Writers and from the more Ancient Of the Veil of the Temple which rent when our Saviour suffered Mat. 27.51 What Veil that was and what was imported by the renting of it Of the effects which followed upon the exaltation of Jesus Of the mirculous gift of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost That that gift was an argument that Jesus was a true Prophet and that he had that power which he had professed to be given to him Of the success of the Religion of Jesus in the world Success barely considered is no good argument of a good Cause and truth of a Religion yet the success of the Christian Doctrine is a good argument of it's truth if it be considered what the Authour and first Preachers of this doctrine were and what is the nature of the Doctrine it self and after what manner it did prevail pag. 305 306 307. CHAP. X. 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 pag. 376. CHAP. XI The Christian Religion more Excellent than that given by Moses and consequently the best in the World The Pagan Religion not worthy of regard The wiser Heathens guilty of great inconsistencies and evil Principles The Stoicks upon sundry accounts very blameable The Law given by Moses came from God in what sense it was a perfect Law It was not unalterable A general distribution of the Precepts of that Law The defects of it I As a rule of life Many of its Precepts not good in their own Nature They obliged the Jews onely and were annexed to their Land or some part of it Many of them Political II The reward annexed to the Obedience of that Law was but Temporal III It was not attended with the promise of Divine assistance IV Nor was there that hope of pardon which was afterward given in the Gospel The Sacrifices allowed to that purpose very defective This shewed at large For some sins no Sacrifice was allowed Sacrifices were not pleasing to God of their own Nature The Expiation did not depend upon the value of the oblation He that brought an Expiatory sacrifice was not allowed to eat any part of it The repetition of the Sacrifices another Argument of their weakness In some cases the Sacrifice was but one of those things required in order to pardon The Legal Sacrifices were not designed to continue for ever That the defects of the Law of Moses are supplied in the Christian Religion Of the excellent Precepts of the Christian Religion Of the promise of Eternal life therein clearly revealed and of the great moment of it Of the Divine assistance attending this Religion Of the assurance of pardon from the Christian Religion and the sure foundation which it lays for the quieting the Consciences of Men. The usefulness of the foregoing discourse A more particular inquiry into the great Ends or Causes for which the Law of Moses was given The Conclusion of this Discourse pag. 394 395. THE INTRODUCTION I Do intend with God's assistance in the ensuing Discourse to prove that our Jesus is the Christ And shall by way of introduction to this weighty Argument reflect something upon the words of St. Peter to the Jews Act. 2.36 And for the better understanding those words it is to be remembred that our Jesus before he left his Disciples promised them the presence and the aid of the Holy Ghost and a little before his Ascension into Heaven he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father which saith he ye have heard of me Act. 2.4 Nor did our Saviour fail to make good his promise but when the day of Pentecost was fully come they are filled with the Holy Ghost and spake with divers tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance This happened at Jerusalem at a great solemnity and at a time when the devout and religious of several Nations were together in the City who heard the Apostles speak in the language of their several Countries the wonderfull works of God And they were all amazed and were in a doubt saying one to another what meaneth this v. 12. And there were among the rest very evil men that were so malicious as to mock and say these men are full of new wine v. 13. This calumny St. Peter disproves and lets them know that they spake by the power of the Holy Ghost And then he preaches to them the resurrection and ascension of Jesus who was approved of God by miracles and wonders and signs And he gives them to understand that as this Jesus had received of the father the promise of the Holy Ghost so he had also now bestowed this Holy Ghost upon them the effect of which gift they saw and heard And thereupon concludes as well he might that he is the Messias that was promised Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Act. 11.36 Before I proceed I shall take notice of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath made that same Jesus That is says Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath ordained or appointed Jesus to be Lord and Christ And the Greek word will well bear this sense as well as the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus it is said of our Saviour Mar. 3.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. he made twelve or ordained twelve as we translate it well He chose twelve says the Syriac version Again Gen. 41.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
and bruises due to them fell upon him The chastisement and stripes were his the peace and healing thereby procured belong unto us In a word though we finned and were liable to suffer upon that account yet he suffered for us If this be not plain enough let us proceed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all v. 6. The plain and natural sense of which words is this that whereas we had sinned and had made our selves obnoxious to punishment yet God did not punish us as we deserved but the Messias in our room and stead To the same purpose we read afterward He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken v. 8. And after those words we read that his soul should be made an offering for sin v. 10. It is certain that a sin or trespass-offering under the law of Moses was expiatory and piacular and the beast was offered instead of the offender and God did accept the bloud of the sacrifice in the room of the life of the person who had sinned Let us now consider what we read in the New Testament to the same purpose Our Blessed Saviour in his solemn prayer a little before his passion hath these words For their sakes speaking of his Disciples I sanctifie my self that they also might be sanctified through the truth That is Christ did offer up himself as a victim or sacrifice for them as the Greek word is observed to signifie And that sacrifice also is to be looked upon as a piacular and expiatory one And to that purpose it is well observed that the prayer Joh. 17.1 2 c. by which Christ consecrated himself unto his death is like unto that which the Jewish High Priest used when he consecrated or offered up the victims of the day of expiation before the Altar Joh. 17.19 Agreeably to what hath been said St. Paul speaking of Christ tells us that God hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin Of which words I can give no other sense but this viz. that though Christ were innocent himself yet God thought fit to give him up to death as a piacular sacrifice for our sins And to the same purpose St. Peter tells us that Christ bare our sins in his own body on the tree 2 Cor. 5.22 1 Pet. 11.24 The divine Authour of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that Christ did by himself purge our sins And that he was once offered to bear the sins of many And that he offered one sacrifice for sins Heb. 1.3 c. 9.28.1.10.12 And we find that the expiation of our sins is imputed to the death of Christ in the Holy Scriptures We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle For the bodies of those beasts whose bloud is brought into the sanctuary by the High Priest for sin are burnt without the camp Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctifie the people with his own bloud suffered without the gate By sanctifying the people nothing less can be meant than the expiation of their sins and as this was done under the law of Moses by an expiatory sacrifice so was it done by the bloud of Jesus the anti-type of those sacrifices which he speaks of in that place who suffered without the gate St. John tells us that the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin Heb. 13.10 11 12. 1 John 1. v. 7. And this is farther confirmed to us from this that our Saviour's bloud is said to be a price paid for us by which we are bought and redeemed For this cause he is the Mediatour of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance To which I shall add those words of the Apostle to the Ephesians where speaking of Christ he saith In whom we have redemption through his bloud And to the Colossians In whom we have redemption through his bloud even the forgiveness of sins Heb. 9.15 Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 To what hath been said very much may be added to the same purpose viz. that our Lord himself hath said that he came to give his life a ransom for many Matt. 20.28 That of St. Paul to the same purpose 1 Tim. 2.6 And those words of our Lord This is my bloud of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Matt. 26.28 Again these words of the Apostle Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Gal. 3.13 Christ is elsewhere said to be the propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 4.10 I shall not need to add any more Testimonies to those already named For though there are many others yet these are sufficient And indeed they do so plainly acquaint us with the end of Christ's death that he must use great art that can strain them to another sense For what the Socinians object against this doctrine viz. that it renders God's kindness less which yet is greatly magnified in the Scripture in giving his Son This objection I say can be of no force at all For though God thought fit for the honour of his justice that sin should not altogether go unpunished and gave us his Son to make our peace and redeem us from misery with his pretious bloud yet is this no diminution to the free grace and mercy of God 'T was the infinite mercy of God which moved him to find out this way in which we can claim nothing 'T was intirely the mercy of God that provided us this remedy Our pardon is free to us whatever it cost our Lord to procure it We have great cause to adore the love of God and the unparallelled charity of our Blessed Saviour Our free pardon and Christ's redemption the infinite mercy of God and the satisfaction of his justice are not things that are inconsistent The Apostles words teach us this truth with which I shall conclude this particular Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God To declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Rom. 3. v. 24 25 26. And thus I have considered the death of Christ as a sacrifice for sin and consequently as a great instance of the love of Christ who was content to dye that we might live And therefore when we are exhorted to love one another we are pressed to it from this consideration Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for an offering
the truth with his own Bloud He was so far from disowning himself to be the Son of God that he continues in that profession to the last breath And when he hung upon the Cross he twice calls God his father when he prayed for his enemies and gave up the Ghost This did mightily confirm his Doctrine and was one great end of his sufferings Luk. 23.34.46 Hence it is that the bloud or the sufferings of Christ especially his death is reckoned among those who bear witness in earth And Jesus Christ is called the faithfull witness And we are then said to be partakers of Christ when we hold the beginning of our Confidence stedâ—ast unto the end 1. Joh. 5.8 Rev. 1.5 The bloud of Christ did not onely wash away our sins but did also clear the innocency of our Blessed Saviour And it was attended with so many rare circumstances and fulfilled so many prophecies and was born with such an admirable patience that it did convince men of the innocence of Jesus and consequently of the truth of his Doctrine The veil of the Temple was rent the earth did quake the rocks clave in sunder and graves were opened and the Sun drew in its light insomuch that the Centurion that beheld these things could not forbear to say Truly this was the Son of God Mat. 27.54 And no wonder after all this that those who renounced Christianity are said to count the bloud of the Covenant i. e. the bloud by which the new Covenant was ratified and confirmed wherewith he was sanctified that is Christ was consecrated or sanctified see Joh. 17.19 an unholy thing i. e. the bloud not of an innocent person but of a Criminal Heb. 10.29 Having considered the death of Christ as the death of a Victim or Sacrifice of a Testatour and of a Martyr or Witness 4. I shall now consider it as a Pattern and great example to us And thus the Scriptures represent it He suffered for us leâ—ving us an example that we should follow his steps Our Saviour gave us an example that we should follow his steps 1. Pet. 2.20 Our Saviour gave us a most excellent example in his whole life But then at his death he gave us also a very eminent example of the following vertues and graces 1. Of Patience and meekness under all his sufferings and reproaches And his example was without a parallel Never was there so great a mirrour of these graces He did no sin neither was there guile sound in his mouth Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously In this Jesus was so conspicuous that when we are exhorted to Patience we are directed to look upon him the authour and finisher of our faith And it will be a very usefull meditation for us under all our sufferings and all the reproaches which we meet withall He was guilty of no sin but yet was numbred among transgressours He had but few followers and by one of them he is Letrayed denied by another and in his greatest extremity forsaken by all the rest He is pronounced innocent and yet sentenced to death by the same breath absolved and condemned by one and the same Judge He is forced to bear his own Cross reviled and buffeted derided and scoffed at by an inhumane multitude whom he came to save and whom he had obliged by the greatest benefactions He was innocent and deserved not this usage Omnipotent and able to revenge it But instead of that he does not so much as threaten those whom he could easily have destroyed He bears all with an unparallelled meekness and patience and made it appear that these vertues were as invincible as his cause was just He is silent under the greatest clamours of his Enemies His persecutours have less patience than he that suffers And when the whole creation trembles when the Sun withdraws its light and the rocks rend in pieces and the graves give up their dead and the Veil of the Temple is torn in pieces then is Jesus quiet and still This example does most powerfully reprove our peevishness and discontent our anger and our heat under the obloquy and other sufferings which we endure and generally have deserved 1 Pet. 2.22 23. Heb. 12.1 2. II. Of forgiveness of Enemies They were our Lord's enemies to whom he was the greatest friend And of all Enemies 't is the hardest to forgive them He that did eat of his bread lift up his heel against him His own Disciple betrays him and his own People thirst after his bloud and his wounds he receives from those whom he came to seek and save A robber is preferred before him and he is numbred with transgressours He had fed their hungry healed their sick dispossessed their Daemoniacks restored sight to their blind given strength to their infirm life to their dead Many good turns he had done them and yet they treat him rudely and barbarously they cry to have him Crucified and insult over him in his sufferings what doth our Lord do all this while does he call for Fire from Heaven to devour his enemies Does he menace them with an approaching destruction Does he exclaim against their proceedings No he opens not his mouth unless it be to pray for these his Enemies Father forgive them c. can we remember these things and bear a grudge against our Brother Can it now be hard for us to forgive our enemies when Christ with his last breath prayed for his Christ forgave and he died for our forgiveness and is it now a possible thing for us not to forgive even then when we commemorate the death of Christ Let all bitterness and wrath and aâ—ger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice And be ye kind one to another tender hearted forgiving one another Even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you Luk. 23.34 Eph. 4.31 32. III. Of the profoundest humility and condescension The world never beheld a pattern of this grace which could compare with this of our Blessed Saviour's He stooped from Heaven to earth when he was born From the immensity and happiness the power and infinity of a God to the limits of a womb the miseries of a man the proportions and infirmities of a Child the weaknesses of a Mortal and the humble circumstances of a poor and mean condition If we look upon Jesus in the manger we shall see a glorious example of humility But if we turn our eyes upon him as he hung upon the Cross we shall see an example great enough to extinguish out of our minds every proud thought for ever Here we may see him who was found in the fashion of a man humbling himself lower still as he was obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Philip. 2.8 Methinks after this we should never be in danger of a proud thought of our selves we cannot sure after this example think any
that he should not onely die but be buried and not onely buried but honourably interred also And what was foretold of him was fulfilled in our Jesus though it were very unlikely to have come to pass That the Messias should be buried is foretold by the Psalmist Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell or in the grave neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see Corruption We have no dispute with the Jews about the burial of Jesus for they who grant that he died will not deny that he was buried it being the custome of the Jews to allow burial to all men even to the greatest malefactors whatsoever Psal 16.10 with Act. 2.31 and Chap. 13.35 But it was likewise foretold that the Messias though he were to suffer an ignominious death should be honorably buried This was foretold of the Messias and was eminently fulfilled in our Jesus Of the Messias it is said that he was cut off out of the land of the living And then it follows And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth That is his enemies designed him the burial of a malefactor and he who dies among such is likely to be buried with them also but the Messias having done no violence would be rescued by the providence of God and honourably buried Isai 53.9 We have another Eminent prophecy of the Messias which cannot be denyed to belong to him by the Jews themselves where among other things it is foretold that his rest shall be glorious which words may well be allowed to predict the honourable burial of the Messias Abravenel upon the 53. of Isaiah brings these words as a proof that what is said Isa 53.9 he made his grave with the Wicked cannot belong to the Messias because it is said that his rest shall be glorious In which he grants two things First that the 11th Chapter of Isaiah is to be understood of the Messias and we find him accordingly expound it of him Secondly that these words his rest shall be glorious may well be expounded of the honourable burial of the Messias For else what cause had he to say that these words are opposite to those if they do not belong to the same matter Isa 11.10 Abravenel on Isa 53.9 And as this Jew hath justified those Christians who understand this place of the burial of the Messias so it is very certain that the place hath been understood to belong to this matter by the Ancient Writers of the Church The Vulgar Latin renders these words his rest shall be glorious erit sepulchrum ejus gloriosum And we find the Greek interpreters elsewhere render the word rest to this sense Just Mart. pro Christian Apol 11. Erit in pace Sepultura ejus Cypr. adv Judaeos l. 2. v. Hieron Epist ad Marcell as signifying burial Thus he shall enter into peace they shall rest in their beds which words Justin Martyr understands of the Messias is by the Greek rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e his burial shall be in peace And this place we find was understood of the honourable burial of the Messias by the Ancients I shall now shew that these things were fulfilled in our Jesus Though he were crucified under the Roman power yet was he buried contrary to the custome of the Romans who left those that were crucified to the injuries of the air and Voracity of the fowls Again though Jesus died between two theives and died as a malefactor and though his enemies designed nothing more but an ignoble grave with the wicked yet it was brought to pass by the providence of God that his dead body was buried with the rich and that great honour was shewed him in his burial The body of Jesus was begged by a rich man named Joseph 't was lapped in clean linen and laid in his own new Tomb. Nicodemus a Ruler of the Jews and a Master of Israel brings a mixture of Myrrh and Aloes The good Womans pretious Ointment was poured out for the burial of Jesus And when the Sabbath was past several Women brought spices that they might anoint him In a word great care was taken about his burial by the rich by the honourable and the devout It was done with care and with cost and by Persons of the greatest rank and quality Not to say that in after times the place where his body had lain was visited frequently and greatly adorned But I shall not need to insist any farther upon this but shall proceed to consider the Resurrection of the Messias Matt. 27.57 Joh. 5.1 10. with ch 19.39 Matt. 26.12 Mark 16.1 CHAP. VIII The CONTENTS Of the Resurrection of Jesus That we have sufficient evidence that Jesus did rise from the dead That we have the most unexceptionable humane Testimony Why the same number of men are called the eleven and the twelve elsewhere when they were but Ten John 21.14 Explained This confirmed by the Testimony of an Angel and by Divine Testimony That Jesus removed all cause of doubting of the truth of his Resurrection That there were a select number of Men chosen to be witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus That these witnesses as also the Evangelists are worthy of belief That it was foretold that the Messias should rise from the dead The words Ps 11.5 This day have I begotten thee are justly applyed to this matter This proved against the Jews at large That Jesus rose from the dead is an undeniable proof that he is the Messias and of the greatest importance to us Of the time when Jesus rose from the dead Why on the third day And how he could be said to rise on the third day who was but one whole day in the Sepulchre and how this agrees with Matt. 12.40 where Jesus said he should be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth The third day on which Jesus rose considered as the first day of the Week IF the sufferings and death of Jesus will afford us any arguments to prove him to be the Messias the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead and his exaltation to God's right hand will much more afford us pregnant and unexceptionable proofs that he was the Christ the Son of God and that his Religion which he hath taught us came from God And for the better speaking to this matter I shall First shew that we have sufficient evidence that Jesus did rise from the dead Secondly that this is an unexceptionable proof that he is the Christ Thirdly I shall consider the time when Jesus rose from the dead viz. the third day I shall shew that we have sufficient evidence that Jesus did rise from the dead By sufficient evidence I mean such as is enough to satisfie any honest and inquisitive mind as much not to say much more as we have for any matter of fact which we were not the eye-witnesses of As
inconsiderable employments attend upon and publish the Resurrection of Jesus and do also secure the empty Sepulchre from the Jews that they are not able to place another body in the room of that of Jesus which was risen Matt. 28.6 Luk. 24.2 with Joh. 20.12 3. We have a divine Testimony and that a most irrefragable one a Testimony greater than that of men and Angels Our Lord had promised the Holy Spirit who should be with respect to his disciples a Comforter and with respect to our Lord himself an Advocate to plead his cause and defend his innocence Now this promise is fulfilled and this holy Ghost did bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus After Jesus was risen he breathed on his disciples and said receive ye the Holy Ghost and after his Ascension at the day of Pentecost we find the Holy Ghost more plentifully bestowed on his Disciples And from thence the Apostle argues against them who derided them as those who were full of new Wine that God had raised up Jesus who being exalted had shed forth this which they now saw and heard and afterwards concludes therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made the same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ The effusion of the Holy Ghost was a witness of the Resurrection of Jesus And this Testimony of the Holy Ghost was a divine one it was from Heaven St. Peter tells the Jews that God had raised up Jesus and exalted him at his right hand and says he we are witnesses of these things so is also the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him Joh. 14.16 ch 16.7 8 9 10 11. ch 20.22 Act. 2.4 36 ch 5.32 4. Jesus did after his resurrection take away all cause of doubt concerning the truth of his Resurrection He gave sufficient proof that the very same body which was fastened to the Cross dyed there and was buried was raised again to life The Disciples were at first affrighted and supposed that they had seen a Spirit But our Saviour put them out of all doubt Behold says he my hands and my feet Handle me and see for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have He shews his hands and his feet And whereas at his first appearing to his Disciples Thomas was absent and did not believe that he was risen from the dead and said moreover except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hard into his side I will not beleive our Lord convinced this doubting Disciple and gives him the utmost evidence and assurance of the truth of his Resurrection Reach hither thy finger says Jesus to Thomas and behold my hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithless but beleiving upon which Thomas was convinced and forced to cry out my Lord and my God Our Lord gave his followers insallible proofs of his Resurrection in the space of forty days He are and drank with them exposed his body to their view and touch behold says he my hâ—nds and feet that it is my self and when after this they believed not for joy and wondred he took broiled fish and honey comb and did eat before them Greater assurance they were not capable of Luk. 24.37 39 40 41 42. Joh. 20.25 27 28. Act. 1.3.10.41 Luk. 24.39 40. 5. That the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus was abundantly confirmed by those who were the witnesses of it So it was and it was highly fit it should be so that there were a select number of men who were to be the witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus these were men whom God had appointed and set apart for this purpose and such who upon the account of their knowledge of Jesus and their readiness to part with all for the sake of the truth were sitted and disposed for this purpose Thus St. Peter tells us Him God raised up the third day and shewed him openly not to all the people but to witnesses chosen before of God even unto us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead The Apostles were now the witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus this they preach and testifie upon all occasions and this is their Character and their Office Act. 10.41 chap. 1.22 and ch 3.15 and chap. 4.2 33. ch 5.30 32. ch 10.30 31. ch 13.31 chap. 17.18 Now these witnesses did abundantly confirm the truth of this Doctrine which they preached every where both by signs and wonders which God wrought by their hands and by an exemplary and holy life And at last by laying down their lives in confirmation of their Doctrine Upon which account they were witnesses beyond all exception For we cannot beleive that men would part with their lives in Confirmation of a lye or that God would assist them to do miracles for so vile and base an end and purpose and they must be very profligate wretches who would affirm a matter of fact of which they had not good assurance The Resurrection of Jesus was a truth of the greatest moment and consequence whatsoever upon the truth of this our hope and all our Religion does depend It was fit that this truth should be sufficiently attested by persons of undoubted credit The death of Christ was publick the whole multitude were witnesses of his Crucifixion But they were not vouchsafed the honour of being the witnesses of his Resurrection the truth of his Resurrection was too valuable to be concredited to an unconstant and malicious rabble And therefore God who raised up Jesus and shewed him openly or gave him to be made manifest as the Greek hath it did not do it to all the people but to certain select and chosen witnesses These men who conversed with him before his death and after his Resurrection who had known his life and heard his Sermons and been taught by him before that he must dye and rise again these men who had power to confirm this truth with Miracles and were prepared to confirm it with their bloud and did persist in it to their last breath were witnesses indeed beyond all manner of exception I say beyond all exception for there can be no reasonable exception brought against them And if we will give our selves the leisure to consider the thing before us with due application we shall find no cause to except For if there were any such thing it must be because of the thing it self or matter of fact which is attested or the persons who do report it For the thing it self viz. that God raised up Jesus there lies no shadow of reasonable exception against it For that a man should be raised from the dead implyes no contradiction either moral or natural He that beleives that God made the World cannot think it impossible to him to raise a dead man to life again Multò minus
est restituere quod fuerit quà m facerequod non fuit Hieron ad Pammachium It is not incredible that he should raise a dead man to life who made all things out of nothing Nor does it impeach any of the divine perfections to affirm that God raised Jesus to life No man can reasonably upon this account think meanly of the divine Being Upon the whole there is nothing in the thing reported repugnant to right reason nothing unbecoming the divine purity and perfections nothing incredible to them that are wise and good For the persons who report this if there lye any exception against them it must be upon the score of their weakness or wilfullness It may perhaps be pretended that they were weak men and imposed upon That they took up this beleif that Jesus rose from the dead upon light and insufficient grounds and though they did not contrive to deceive others yet they themselves were easily deceived But this cannot be pretended with any reason at all For they did not report that Jesus was raised to life upon hear-say or common fame they did not receive it as a tradition received from others But they were eye-witnesses of it They were men that knew Jesus before he died that conversed with him forty days after he rose from the dead that had sometimes doubted of the truth of his Resurrection themselves and had received the utmost satisfaction that it was that Jesus who died that was risen from the dead and when they were assured of it they taught this doctrine boldly and they taught no more than what they knew to be true what they had seen and handled that they taught Nor did this depend upon the Testimony of Women or Children or any incompetent witnesses or upon a bare and single Testimony But a number of men the most competent witnesses imaginable did upon all occasions affirm that Jesus was risen from the dead There were no less than twelve principal witnesses of his Resurrection besides the many others who saw Jesus after he was risen Act. 1.21 22. Nor can we think that these witnesses did wilfully go about to lye and put a cheat upon other men We cannot think them such vile persons or that they could have prevailed this way For besides that they taught other men to speak the truth and that they are not accused otherwise as flagitious persons to what purpose should they affirm that Jesus was risen from the dead if it were false Could they get any thing by such a lye Was it a step to any honour or preferment to say that Jesus was raised to life again Was this Doctrine pleasing to the Jews Would it procure them any favour from the Gentile World Nay is it not evident that for affirming this the Jews who put Jesus to death were enraged against them For they arraigned the Justice of their Nation and incensed their Countrey men to the highest degree whatsoever The Gentiles scoffed at them and derided them and their scoffs were the least Evils they suffered upon this account for they continued in this their Testimony under torments and even unto death Can any man imagine that this was a contrivance and Plot of crafty men That they combined to put a cheat upon mankind but to what end should they do this It is not likely they could engage a considerable number in such a combination It would be hard to find a great many men so weary of their lives as to be content to throw them away in confirmation of a lye Besides the fraud would have been discover'd quickly For these men did not forbear to tell when and where this happened which they were the witnesses of Did ever any men of credit prove these witnesses incompetent Did they ever deprehend them in a lye or speaking inconsistently Did it appear at any time that they were caught in a false story or that any one of them were forced to recant and retract what he had said How came this beleif to spread so quickly in the world if it had not been true Could it have any thing else to recommend it to the belief of mankind That it quickly gained an Universal belief in the world is undeniable but how could this be God attested to this truth by enabling these witnesses to work miracles in confirmation of it That so it was no man can doubt that gives any credit to the Testimony of others Had it not been so the spreading of this beleif without a miracle would have been the greatest miracle of all It is plain that we have no reason to doubt of the Resurrection of Jesus There is no History no matter of fact which yet we beleive firmly that we have that cause to beleive as we have this that Jesus was raised from the dead and therefore if we do not beleive that Jesus rose from the dead it is not from want of evidence and sufficient motives of credibility but from a faulty principle and a culpable neglect of seeking after the truth 6. That the Evangelists who report the matter of fact concerning the Resurrection of Jesus are worthy of all credit For their names are annexed to their writings they set down the time and place where those things happened which they write of they name the persons concerned in these things they write of things which happened in their own time and which they knew to be true They all agree in the main story and their different relating of some smaller circumstances does but confirm their credit as to the main relation What can we desire in any writing which is wanting here What have we to object against these writers Can we suppose they did conspire to put a cheat upon mankind But what reason have we for this suspicion Surely none but much to the contrary For they do not write like men who had combined together to cheat the world For they own their names they relate something with some seeming difference they mention the time and place where those things happened which they write they name many persons and of several Nations and ranks that were concerned they stick not to mention their own meanness and their own faults and infirmities and the shame and death of their great Lord and Master Nor could these or the other witnesses of the Resurrection be induced by any worldly Temptation to tell a lye They did beleive the Religion which they professed or they did not If they did beleive it they durst not tell a lye that being directly forbid in that Religion which they beleived to be true If they did not beleive it themselves what could perswade them to obtrude the belief of it upon other men They were so far from gaining by this course that they exposed themselves to the malice and rage of men to the loss of all things and the severest death Can we believe that they should be so fond of what they knew to be a lie that they would lose all they
I shall now shew Gen. 22.4 Hosea 6.2 Mat. 12.38 39. That Jesus did rise the third day after his death Where I shall clear this relation from the Cavils of the Jews It is certain that there could be but one whole day and two nights between the death of Jesus and his Resurrection and yet Jesus had foretold that the Son of man should be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth Again he said after three days I will rise again and destroy this Temple and after three days I will raise it up And elsewhere Jesus is said to have risen again the third day Mat. 12.40 ch 27.63 Joh. 2.19 1 Cor. 15.4 The day on which he dyed is to be reckoned for one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or natural day and that on which he rose for another And thus the Hebrew Writers commonly reckon in other cases The Hebrew Child was to be Circumcised the eighth day but then the day of it's birth and of it's Circumcision were both counted And the Pentecost was the fiftieth day from the day of the Wave-offering but then both the one and the other are reckoned in this account This is but the Phrase of the Old Testament We have a remarkable instance to this purpose It came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah which was the seventh year of Hoshea Son of Ela King of Israel that Shalmaneser King of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it And at the end of three years they took it even in the sixth year of Hezekiah that is the ninth year of Hoshea King of Israel Samaria was taken It is evident from hence that that is said to be done at the end of three years which from it's beginning could be but two whole years distant Again the Priests in their courses were to minister one Week as is well known And yet Josephus tells us they were obliged to minister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 11. i. e. eight days from one Sabbath to another This will justifie us when we say that the appearance of Christ mentioned Joh. 20.26 happened on the first day of the week or on that day seven-night after his first appearance on the day of his resurrection though it be thus expressed after eight days c. And this will help us with ease to reconcile St. Luke with St. Matthew and St. Mark when he says that happened about eight days after which the other express by after six days For supposing six days compleat St. Luke might well say about eight days after Luk. 1.59 ch 2.21 1 King 18.9 10. Joh. 20.26 Mat. 17.1 Mark 9.2 with Luk. 9.27 I shall consider this third day on which Jesus rose as the first day of the week Abravenel in Legem fol. 282. col 2. ad finem which was a day very famous among the Jewish writers upon twelve accounts which I do not think my self obliged to reckon up in this place It is plain that Jesus rose upon the first day of the Week The day of his death is called the Preparation because then the Jews provided what was needfull against the approaching Sabbath When the even was come because it was the Preparation that is the day before the Sabbath says Mark. St. Luke says that day was the Preparation and the Sabbath drew on It was a preparation to a remarkable Sabbath which fell within the solemn festivity of the Passeover The Jews therefore because it was the preparation that the bodies should not remain upon the Cross the Sabbath day for that Sabbath was an high day besought Pilate c. Mat. 27.62 Joh. 19.42 with Exod. 16.5 Mark 15.42 Luk. 23.54 Joh. 19.31 42. That Christ rose on the first day of the week is a particular which all the four Evangelists do relate and therefore the more carefully to be heeded by us Matt. 28.1 Mark 16.2 Luk. 24.1 Joh. 20.1 The Israelites were obliged when they reaped their harvest to bring a sheaf of their first fruits unto the Priest This sheaf was to be waved on the morrow after the Sabbath This sheaf hollowed all the rest and God's acceptance of this gave the Jews a title to the rest As that was waved the morrow after the Sabbath so was our Lord at that time raised to life as the first fruits of them that slept And his Resurrection infers ours and is the great reason why we instead of the Sabbath day which was buried with our Lord keep holy the first day of the Week in memory of his Resurrection Levit. 23.10 11 12. CHAP. IX The CONTENTS Of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven That the Messias was to ascend thither This proved from Psalm 68.18 which is justly applied to this matter by St. Paul Eph. 4.8 Psalm 110.1 considered The Jews grant that Psalm to belong to the Messias An eminent type of Christ's ascension That Jesus did ascend into Heaven There were eye-witnesses of it Of the distance of forty days between his Resurrection and Ascension That Christ is not a Metaphorical Priest shewed against the followers of Socinus That this ascension into Heaven was typified by the High Priest's entring into the Holy of Holies That the Authour of the Epistle to the Hebrews does ch 9.24 and elsewhere infer this from the avowed principles of the Jewish Writers That the High Priest was an eminent type of the divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is acknowledged by Philo. Three remarkable places of that Author to this purpose That the Sanctuary was a representation of the Vniverse and the Holy of Holies of the highest Heavens proved at large from the Modern Jewish Writers and from the more Ancient Of the Veil of the Temple which rent when our Saviour suffered Mat. 27.51 What Veil that was and what was imported by the renting of it Of the effects which followed upon the exaltation of Jesus Of the miraculous gift of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost That that gift was an argument that Jesus was a true Prophet and that he had that power which he had professed to be given to him Of the success of the Religion of Jesus in the world Success barely considered is no good argument of a good Cause and truth of a Religion yet the success of the Christian Doctrine is a good argument of it's truth if it be considered what the Authour and first Preachers of this doctrine were and what is the nature of the doctrine it self and after what manner it did prevail HAving proved that Jesus rose from the dead and shewed that his Resurrection is a great proof that he is also the Christ I shall now proceed to the consideration of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven and his being concerned there on our behalf and the mighty effects following from thence as a farther proof that Jesus is the Christ And in order hereunto I shall proceed in the following method First I shall shew that the Messias was to ascend
the Messias and to be taken into the Common-wealth of Israel which because it could not be unless they forsook their Idolatry we find the Prophets foretell also that they should put away their Idols Thus the Prophet assures us And the Idols he shall utterly abolish In that day a man shall cast his Idols of Silver and his Idols of Gold which they have made each one for himself to worship to the Moles and to the Bats Isa 2.18 20. And another Prophet tells us It shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord of Hosts that I will cut off the names of the Idols out of the Land and they shall be no more remembred Zech. 13.2 These are very plain words as can be So that it must be in the days of the Messias that the Gentiles should no longer be strangers and aliens from the covenant of grace This difference between Jew and Gentile is now to be removed God will not onely be known in Judah but among all the Families of the earth We find Philo the Jew speaking of God's governing the Universe discoursing to the same purpose Philo Jud. de Agricultura He tells that God rules his creatures according to right and law as a Shepherd and a King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. Setting over them his right Word his first begotten Son who as his Substitute or Vice-gerent of him the great King shall take upon him the care of this holy Flock For it is somewhere said behold I will send my Angel c. Exod. 23.20 That these prophecies were in great measure fulfilled in our Jesus I say in great measure For I cannot but hope that there are still many prophecies relating to the Kingdom of the Messias in this world in great measure to be fulfilled Now if these prophecies are already in great measure fulfilled then is this Jesus the Christ That they were in great measure fulfilled is very evident For though Jesus himself lived and died in Jewry yet did not his Doctrine stay there There he lived indeed but yet in Galilee of the Gentiles not far off from the poor Gentiles whom he came to save also He tells the Jews no less I saith he if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me Joh. 12.32 That is after his death his Doctrine should greatly prevail upon the world so that all men should come after him And thus we find after his death and Resurrection he gives his disciples commission to go and teach all nations Mat. 28.19 or as it is in St. Mark go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature Mark 16.15 And to that purpose they have the gift of tongues bestowed on them that so they might be able to teach all nations as their Lord had commanded them Act. 2. Now we shall soon find the Gospel preached to the Gentiles we read of the Ethyopian Treasurer and Cornelius the Centurion baptized into the Christian faith But what shall I need speak of them when St. Paul is made a preacher to the Gentiles who tells us of the fruit of his preaching also viz. the obedience of the Gentiles Rom. 15.18 In so much that he is able to say that the Gospel was preached to every creature which is under Heaven Col. 1.23 And his success is so great that the Idolatrous Gentiles turned from Idols to serve the living and true God 1 Thes 1.9 Tertullian tells us in his time Tertull. Apolog. c. 37. those early days of Christianty how far Christianity had prevailed Externisumus vestra omnia implevimus urbes insulas castella municipia conciliabula castra ipsa tribus decurias palatium senatum forum Sola vobis relinquimus templa Cui bello non idonei non prompti fuissemus etiam impares copiis qui tam libenter trucidamur Si non apud istam disciplinam magis occidi liceret quà m occidere Nay the mouths of the Oracles are now stopped which made so great a wonderment in the Gentile world The head of the Serpent that so long had deceived the nations is now broken by the seed of the Woman In a word those Cities and Provinces that lately were full of Idols and Superstition receive the Doctrine of Jesus and with it the worship of the onely true God Nay and 't is not long before we have Christian Kings also in the world So that the Religion of Jesus spreads it self over the world and rides triumphantly and in great conquest like the rider of the white Horse in the Apocalypse that went forth conquering and to conquer But I proceed to shew That this success of the Religion of Jesus is an unexceptionable proof that Jesus is the Christ Not that I would be thought to make success the measure of truth or affirm that the most prosperous cause is always the best For then the Religion of Mahomet would bid fair for the truth and the greatest outrages and rebellions would become innocent and good Success is no certain sign of a good cause and therefore not of the truth of a Religion unless it be such a success as all things considered must onely be imputed to the force of truth and a miraculous providence that makes it prosperous I shall shew then that the success of the Gospel was such as does necessarily infer that Jesus is the Christ and that the Religion which he preached and planted in the world did come from God where as we go along it will be easie for us to understand that Mahumetism can have no share in this argument now it will appear that Jesus is the Christ and also that the Gospel which he and his disciples preached comes from Heaven in a word that the Christian Religion is not onely true but the onely true Religion if we do but well consider its success and progress in the world Now this will appear 1. If we consider the first Authour and first preachers of this Religion and 2. The Doctrine it self and 3. The manner of its spreading in the World 1. For the first Authour or teacher of this Doctrine it was Jesus the Son of a Poor Virgin and the reputed Son of a Carpenter One would have thought him very unlikely to have done any great things He was one that was born in a stable at Bethlehem brought up in the obscure Countrey of Galilee set at nought by his Countrey-men and after many sufferings and calamities condemned to a Cross and hanged among thieves and malefactors where he gave up the Ghost after a short and painfull life He came into the world with no grandeur he made no noise in it and he left it by a death most ignominious and disgracefull And yet did his Doctrine spread and his Religion prevailed against all oppositions and threw down all superstitions and false Religions whatsoever This could not have been if Jesus had not been the Christ I will make use of the words of one of
judge another man as we would escape a severer Judgment our selves It forbids us to be busie-bodies or to intermeddle in other mens matters And is so far from allowing the tongue in lying or swearing that it may not be suffered in an idle word or an unbecoming jest It tells us we must be blameless and harmless and then if it be possible and as much as lieth in us we must live peaceably with all men Unto all this we may add that it will not allow any other Religion The Heathen world must abandon their Idols if they receive the Gospel of Christ They must forsake that Idolatry under which their Fathers prospered long and they were brought up in Diana of the Ephesians must be no longer adored and all her Priests and Silversmiths must be laid aside All Idols must be removed where Christ comes and all the ancient ceremonies and solemnities with which they were worshipped must for ever be disused That which was but now worshipped and had been so of old time must be cast to the moles and to the batts But who shall perswade and obtain this None can do it without the help of that God who made Heaven and earth For here is all the power and malice and cunning of men and Devils to be encountred with The Devil had gotten an old and long possession the Heathen world is strong and mighty cunning and prejudicate of a vast extent and a mighty force Who shall perswade the Greeks to leave off their Robberies and to live righteously Or the warlike Romans to put up their swords and revenge no injuries Who shall obtain of the world to throw away their Idols and receive a Crucified Christ Who can ever hope that those nations that grew to their greatness by bloud and violence should ever learn the way of peace and destroy no more Will they that boasted in doing injuries be taught to bear them Or they that were wont to kill without remorse be afraid of being angry without a cause Will they that were adulterers become afraid of an unchast thought or glance Will the wise and conceited Orators become fools that they may be wise who can expect that they that had as many Gods as territories and provinces should be perswaded to have but one Or that those men that were indulged their lusts by the example of their Gods or the permission of their laws should ever accept of a Religion that is so severe that it requires them all to be rooted out Certainly this will be too great a work for a few Galilileans to bring to pass They might as soon hope to remove mountains and shake all the pillars of the earth yet was this brought to pass and that by the foolishness of preaching also the fierce warriour becomes tame the persecutor becomes a preacher the nations that served many Idols now onely acknowledge the one true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ Now this could never have been done had not God almighty done it nor would he ever have done it had not Jesus been the Christ But it will be the more strange still that this doctrine should prevail if we do but duly consider 3. The Praemia the rewards or the promises of the Gospel to those that should receive it and obey it We shall find them such as were very unlikely to prevail with a wicked and unbeleiving world It promises them no prosperity in this world nor yet any sensual delights in that which is to come as the Religion of Mahomet does And yet these were the things which the Heathen world most admired who always lived by sense and not by saith It promises them no Kingdoms or Consulships no Victories or triumphs no wealth or honours nor yet the pleasures of Wine or Women in a word it is so far from offering to them these things that it teaches them aye and obliges them also to despise all these things to undervalue them to be dead to all these allurements and to mortifie and root out of their Souls all those irregular desires which transport them after any of these things The Gospel promises good things indeed but they are spiritual and so very unlike to obtain upon Carnal men They are good things but they are unseen and so not likely to prevail upon those that live by sense they are good indeed but yet they are removed and at a distance and who could expect the world should deny themselves of their present enjoyments out of the hopes of these spiritual and unseen reversions Who shall perswade the rich to abandon their wealth for the hopes of the Kingdom of Heaven Or who can prevail with the voluptuous to renounce their sensual pleasures out of the hopes of those joyes that are at God's right hand What Rhetorick shall perswade the ambitious man to prefer a future glory before the honours he derives from his Prince or acquires by his valour We find this a very hard matter now when these men profess the Gospel but how much harder must it needs be then when the Gospel was a stranger to the world when it had scarcely any friends and very many and great opposers What is there offered in the Gospel that could tempt an unbelieving world Had it offered riches there might well have been a crowd of covetous worldlings ready to embrace it Had it offered sensual pleasures it would have been welcome to the whole herd of Epicures could it have secured its professors of worldly honours nothing should have been more acceptable to all that were ambitious But here is none of those things to be had but it tells us of things to come and we must have faith to believe them as well as patience to wait for them Now then certainly this Religion which offered no other rewards could never have prevailed upon the world as we know it did had it not been from God and had not Jesus whom we preach been the Christ But this will be the more unlikely still that the Gospel should prevail if we consider 4. The Pericula the dangers and afflictions and many miseries that the embracing the Gospel would expose them to that should entertain it This rises higher and makes the success of the Gospel more improbable than before We saw before that it promises no worldly happiness but now we shall find that it exposes its professors to many miseries and afflictions and tells them sad stories of disgrace and contempt bonds and imprisonment and perhaps death it self It foretells that they which do live Godly shall suffer persecution and that we must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdom of Heaven What I named last brought no temptation to draw the world to this profession but this one would think should bring discouragement enough to affright them from it Instead of promising ease and pleasures it rather brings with it great afflictions and tribulations Jesus tells his Disciples what they must expect The time cometh that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God service Joh. 16.2 Here is little encouragement then for the world to receive the Gospel which is like to bring them into to such hazards and dangers We have a Proverb among us that men will not make any haste to that market where they are like to meet with nothing but blows A man would easily believe men would not be very forward to relinquish their prosperous Religion and entertain an afflicted and a persecuted Gospel to leave the gainfull worship of the great Diana and to embrace a profession that is every where spoken against to forsake the image that fell down from Jupiter and to worship Jesus that was hanged on a Cross A man might one would think assoon perswade an army to leave their direct and smoother way to their enemies and to march through dangerous woods and precipices quick-sands and lakes Or as soon obtain of a great Tyrant that he should destroy himself as to perswade the unbelieving world to venture all their pleasures wealth and honours aye and their bloud too in the profession of that Gospel that did not so much as promise them any recompence in the same kind Yet we know this was done the Religion of Jesus was gladly embraced upon these terms The rich were willing to become poor to part with their possessions here for the hopes of a future glory the honourable were glad to be laid low and stript of all their properties for the sake of Jesus Banishment or chains prisons or death are very welcome for the Gospel's sake No Wheels or Racks no Rods or Axes no bolts or chains hunger or thirst fire or sword shall be able to make them offer to an Idol or deny their Lord. Nay they were so resolute that they wearied their persecutors by their patience and constancy they could not find out torments exquisite and great enough for them They were not daunted at the cruelties of Nero or Domitian or any of the following Roman Emperours Nor were they onely the great preachers of the Gospel that were thus resolute and hardy but also the Laity aye Women and Children those of the weaker sex and more tender years Nor was the Religion impaired or weakned by these heavy burthens but it grows and prospers greatly This bloud of Martyrs proves a fruitfull seed and very strangely fructifies and brings forth Children unto God Even so much did it prosper that though it had been persecuted under Nero and Domitian yet in the days of Trajan those very early days of the Gospel the Christians were so numerous that Pliny one of his Governours over a certain province of his was forced to send to Trajan to know what he should do with them Plin. Epist l. 10. Ep. 97. and that propter periâ—litantium numerum because of the multitude of those that were in danger And he adds Multi enim omnis aetatis omnis ordinis utriusque sexus etiam vocantur in periculum vocabuntur That is There were great numbers of them of every age and many of all ranks and qualities aye and of both sexes also that durst profess themselves Christians So strangely did the Gospel thrive notwithstanding the cruelties that were inflicted upon the Professors of it And we are also told that afterwards in the days of Dioclesian when in the space of thirty days no less than seventeen thousand Christians were slain besides those that were condemned to Metalls and Quarries that yet then under that most cruel persecution the Christians rather increased than diminished Now this would never have been had not Jesus been the Christ and had not God who had promised him the Heathen for an inheritance by his overruling hand maugre all oppositions that were made brought it to pass But from the Doctrine it self let us proceed now 3. To the manner of it's spreading and propagation and we shall find that also very unlikely to have prevailed had it not been from God and had not Jesus been the Christ Nay do I say unlikely I may truly say it had been utterly impossible it should have got that ground it did had it not been from God and had not that God who made the world given it his Blessing Let us then well weigh these following severals 1. That the Gospel was not propagated in the world by humane Eloquence or excellence of Speech The first Preachers of it were men of great plainness and simplicity bred up not in the Schools of the Learned not in wisedom of the world not in any of the famous Accademies or under the teachings of the wise Philosophers but they were illiterate Galileans they were men of mean trades and occupations men that had not been used to speak in Senates and audiences of Princes men not used to defend causes not brought up in the cunning of Advocates and Proctors and mercenary pleaders Such men might have been thought to have done much by the strength of their parts and the quickness of their wit and might have been judged sufficient to have made a weak cause defensible They had none of the advantages of dignified persons which might commend them to Princes and great States so that they being poor and obscure their wisedom was like to be the less regarded it being a most certain truth that the poor man's wisedom is despised Upon these disadvantages did the first Preachers of the Gospel set forth into a cunning and wicked and potent world Indeed it is true St. Paul was a man of Learning bred up at the feet of Gamaliel and so doubtless well versed in the learning of the Jews and very fit to deal with them But then he was made the Doctour of the Gentiles And we hear what he tells his Corinthians I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified And my Speech and my Preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisedom 1 Cor. 2.2 4. He was a man much hated by the Jews and like to doe no great matters among the Romans one would think whose Prisoner he was when he came to Rome He was a man indeed of learning but of no authority a man of understanding but yet of mean presence and contemptible speech 2 Cor. 10.5.10 So that the progress of the Gospel may not be ascribed to any great eloquence or Rhetorick any skill or artifice of men but onely to the power of God 1 Cor. 2.5 For by the foolishness of Preaching God taught the world wisedom by weak things he overturned the strong and by things which are not he overcame things that are He that did destroy the walls of Jericho at the noise of a shout and overcome the Canaanites by the hands of a Woman and discomfited the Midianites great Army with Trumpets and the breaking of Pitchers and killed the great Goliah with a Stripling and his sling it was he and he alone that enabled the first Preachers of the Gospel and gave that success to very
weak and very unlikely means This He did and none but He could doe and and therefore this is a sufficient proof that the Gospel comes from God and that that Jesus whom we Preach is the very Christ 2. Nor yet was the Gospel propagated by force of Arms as the Religion of Mahomet hath been which has made its way in the world by the dint of Sword But Christianity was not thus planted it denounced no War to those that refused it it gave out no menaces to that purpose This it neither did nor would nor could it do The Senate of Rome shall not need fear the Galileans Sword Jesus sent abroad no fighting men there is no Horse prepared for this battel no Spears or Bows These are the Servants of the Prince of peace who are so far from War that they come to require the nations to learn War no more and to beat their Swords into Plough-shares and their Spears into Pruning hooks The Gospel had no potent Princes or States that favoured it that stood up for its defence and maintenance there were none of these powers that took upon them the Title of Defenders of the Faith Nay and they were so far from doing it that they were its avowed enemies and drew their Sword against it So that the first Preachers came naked and unarmed into a furious and potent and idolatrous world Preaching the Gospel of peace and the severe Religion of a crucified Jesus The armour they had was Spiritual and an Armour of light an armour which the victorious Romans had neither used nor yet feared They were girt about with truth that was all their military girdle They put on the breast-plate of righteousness the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God and had their feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace Eph. 6. These were the armour of the first Preachers of the Gospel and who could expect that they should with these overcome mighty Kingdoms and Provinces And yet with these preparations did they succeed and overcome the greatest nations and brought them into the obedience of the Gospel Let us hear what the Apostle says to this purpose We do not War says he after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down Imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.3 4 5. This is evident then that they did not force the Gospel upon the world they did not convey it by the Sword or Battel-bow they neither did nor could do this and yet for all this it succeeded and conquered aye and triumph't also over all the power the policy the strategems of the Devil and all his instruments And got that ground without blows and force which it had never gotten with it To what then must this victory be imputed Not to the Pike and Sword but to the energy and force of Truth and to the mighty blessing and miraculous providence of God It was God that brought this to pass which men could never have done And this is a sufficient Evidence that this Religion comes from God Had it been a lye it could never have had that success by these unlikely means had it been from the Devil or the World sure it would have made use of the instruments and strategems of War to have made room for it in the world But that which is from God needs none of these assistances and helps And this doubtless is a very good argument of the truth of the Christian Religion that it did not make its way by the power of the Sword nor was it preserved that way The Religion of Mahomet indeed spread far but it was by the help of these carnal weapons To the instruments of War and the dissensions and back-slidings of Christians under God's permission it own much if not most of its success Nay what was it else that did uphold Idolatry but the instruments of War and slaughter False Religions are forced to use this force and violence which the truth which comes from God and hath his blessing does not need The pure and undefiled and primitive doctrine of the Gospel did not use nor yet need these aids Indeed the Apostatized Church of Rome which hath falsely called her self the Catholick Church since she left the true Faith of the Gospel hath betaken her self to these carnal weapons And 't is easie to know the cause of it also For when she wanted the evidence of truth she then was fain to run to the power of the Sword By this Sword she cut asunder those knots she was not able to untie And whom she could not confute she would condemn to the fire and fagot The Secular Power must be called in to uphold her grandeur and power St. Peter's Keys are not sufficient unless she unsheath his Sword she is now bolstered up by the powers of this world and when she wants aid from the sword of the Spirit she will derive it from the Sword of Princes Her proceedings shall need to be no objection against what I have said Who though she call herself the Catholick Church is very far from deserving that name and hath rather shewed herself by these her actions the Synagogue of Satan than the Church of Christ she hath declared her cause to be bad which could not be maintained and upheld without the assistance of Secular force The first planters of the Gospel used none of these weapons We read of none they burned for Hereticks no Common-wealths interdicted for hindring their worldly greatness no Navies or Armies raised against those that would not acknowledge them as their Superiours These have been the pitifull arts of that unclean Church of Rome which is an argument that however she vainly boasts her self Catholick yet she does not shew her self in these things at all Christian For the Church of Christ never got its growth by these carnal weapons 3. It was propagated by sufferings by patient enduring of tribulations Prayers and Tears were the onely weapons of the Primitive and undefiled Church of Christ The Bloud of Martyrs was that fruitfull feed that did so strangely increase and multiply Which is an argument that Jesus was the Christ and this Religion came from God Had it been otherwise it had not been possible but those first persecutions had quite rooted it out of the world Had it not been of God it must needs have so fallen out We see in the greatest Rebellions how soon they are stopped when the chief Heads and Leaders are taken and punished This puts an end to any Insurrection or Confederacy And so would it have done by Christianity also had it not been from Heaven and been accompanied with truth and righteousness So that fire and sword cannot vanquish it prisons and
foretold of the Messias If we now proceed to the consideration of the Resurrection of Jesus we must be forced to acknowledge the overruling hand of God That he who dyed rose from the dead was an argument beyond exception of a Divine power man could contribute nothing toward so stupendious a work Nay there was all done that could be done by men both to hinder his Resurrection which Jesus had foretold and to hinder the spreading of it and the belief thereof in the world His enemies were prepared to do all they could and they did it by making his Sepulchre sure by sealing the stone and by setting a watch Mat. 27.66 This they did to prevent the Resurrection of Jesus But all this would not do They who had power to put Jesus to death have no power to hinder his Resurrection When this succeeded not the next course they had to take was to hinder the belief of the Resurrection of Jesus Though they could not hinder him from rising again yet they apply themselves vigorously to stifle the truth This was their next care To this purpose they give large money to the Souldiers that they might give out that his Disciples came and stole him away by night Mat. 28.13 But they labour in vain Jesus was risen there were so many witnesses of this truth that there is no stifling of it And after all this Jesus having sufficiently convinced that Generation of the truth of his Resurrection ascends up into Heaven and his Holy Religion is preached in the world It prevailed in spight of all the opposition it met withall It was embraced by men who were curious and inquisitive It approved it self to the consciences of all the lovers of truth And though it were opposed by power and craft and the combined force and malice of Jew and Gentile it prevailed against all by patience and meekness and the Divine blessing which did attend it These things duly considered do abundantly prove that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God Who would not says an excellent Person acknowledge the Divinity of this Person and the excellency of this institution that should see infants to weary the hands of hangmen for the Testimony of Jesus And wise men preach this Doctrine for no other visible reward but shame and death poverty and banishment And Hangmen converted by the bloud of Martyrs springing upon their faces which their impious hands and cords have strained through their flesh Who would not have confessed the honour of Jesus when he should see miracles done at the Tombs of Martyrs and Devils tremble at the mention of the name of Jesus And the World running to the honour of the Poor Nazaren and Kings and Queens kissing the feet of the Poor servants of Jesus could a Jew Fisher-man and a Publican effect all this for the Son of a poor Maiden of Judaea Can we suppose all the world or so great a part of mankind can consent by chance or suffer such changes for nothing Or for any thing less than this The Son of the poor Maiden was the Son of God and the Fishermen spake by a Divine spirit and they catched the World with holiness and miracles with wisedom and power bigger than the strength of all the Roman Legions In a word the things foretold of the Messias and fulfilled in Jesus were so many and so strangely fulfilled so much without any humane assistance and so centrary to all expectation and all the endeavours used to hinder the foretold event that he who considers these things with care must believe that Jesus is the Christ and that his Religion is true CHAP. XI The CONTENTS The Christian Religion more Excellent than that given by Moses and consequently the best in the World The Pagan Religion not worthy of regard The wiser Heathens guilty of great inconsistencies and evil Principles The Stoicks upon sundry accounts very blameable The Law given by Moses came from God in what sense it was a perfect Law It was not unalterable A general distribution of the Precepts of that Law The defects of it I As a rule of life Many of its Precepts not good in their own Nature They obliged the Jews onely and were annexed to their Land or some part of it Many of them Political II The reward annexed to the Obedience of that Law was but Temporal III It was not attended with the promise of Divine assistance IV Nor was there that hope of pardon which was afterward given in the Gospel The Sacrifices allowed to that purpose very defective This shewed at large For some sins no Sacrifice was allowed Sacrifices were not pleasing to God of their own Nature The Expiation did not depend upon the value of the oblation He that brought an Expiatory sacrifice was not allowed to eat any part of it The repetition of the Sacrifices another Argument of their weakness In some cases the Sacrifice was but one of those things required in order to pardon The Legal Sacrifices were not designed to continue for ever That the defects of the Law of Moses are supplied in the Christian Religion Of the excellent Precepts of the Christian Religion Of the promise of Eternal life therein clearly revealed and of the great moment of it Of the Divine assistance attending this Religion Of the assurance of pardon from the Christian Religion and the sure foundation which it lays for the quieting the Consciences of Men. The usefulness of the foregoing discourse A more particular inquiry into the great Ends or Causes for which the Law of Moses was given The Conclusion of this Discourse THAT Jesus is the Christ and consequently that the Religion which Jesus and his followers taught came from Heaven hath been in great measure demonstrated already For the farther proof of this truth I shall consider the Religion it self which Jesus and his followers taught and prove that it is a more excellent and perfect Religion than that which was delivered to the Jews by the hands of Moses and consequently imcomparably the best Religion in the World I say the best in the World for so it must be if it once appear that it is more perfect than that which was taught the Jews by Moses For though the Religion of Moses were defective when compared with that of Jesus yet it was true however and came from God But for the Pagan Religion how ancient soever it were it was false and impious not revealed by God nor worthy of him inconstant and various trifling and silly It carried men away from God to the Creature It taught men to worship not onely the Host of Heaven but stocks and stones and dumb Idols the very Creatures which they did eat the Evils which they feared the very Devils themselves whom they did not love It prescribed impure Rites and Ceremonies put men upon cruelties to their own flesh and to their Children It was so gross and so silly that the wiser sort of Heathens though they complied