To this design and method of publishing the gospel, was the choice of the apostles exactly adjusted; a comas delivered in the Scriptures*.; 83 pany of poor, ignorant, illiterate men; who, as Christ himself tells us, Matt. xi. 25, and Luke x. 21, were not of the " wise and prudent " men of the world: they were, in that respect, but mere children. These, con vinced by the miracles they saw him daily do, and the unblameable life he led, might be disposed to believe him to be the Messiah: and though they, with others, expected a temporal kingdom on earth, might yet rest satisfied in the truth of their master (who had honoured them with being near his person) that it would come, without being too inquisitive after the time, manner, or seat of his kingdom, as men of letters, more studied in their rabbins, or men of business, more versed in the world, would have been forward to have been. Men, great or wise in knowledge, or ways of the world, would hardly have been kept from prying more narrowly into his design and conduct; or from questioning him about the ways and measures he would take, for ascending the throne; and what means were to be used towards it, and when they should in earnest set about it. Abler men, of higher births or thoughts, would hardly have been hindered from whispering, at least to their friends and relations, that their master was the Messiah; and that, though he concealed himself to a fit opportunity, and until things were ripe for it, yet they should, ere long, see him break out of his obscurity, cast off the cloud, and declare himself, as he was, Ring of Israel. But the ignorance and lowness of these good, poor men, made them of another temper. They went along, in an implicit trust on him, punctually keeping to his com mands, and not exceeding his commission. When he sent them to preach the gospel, he bid them preach " the kingdom of God " to be at hand; and that they did, without being more particular than he had ordered, or mixing their own prudence with his commands, to promote the kingdom of the Messiah. They preached it, without giving, or so much as intimating that their master was he: which men of another condition, and an higher education, would scarce have forborne to have done. When he asked them, who they thought him 84 The Reasonableness of Christianity, to be; and Peter answered, " The Messiah, the Son of " God/' Matt. xvi. 16, he plainly shows by the follow ing words, that he himself had not told them so; and at the same time, ver. 20. forbids them to tell this their opinion of him to any body. How obedient they were to him in this, we may not only conclude from the si lence of the evangelists concerning any such thing, pub lished by them any-where before his death; but from the exact obedience three of them paid to a like command of his. He takes Peter, James, and John, into a moun tain; and there Moses and Elias coming to him, he is transfigured before them, Matt. xvii. 9. He charges them,, saying, " See that ye tell no man what ye have " seen, until the Son of man shall be risen from the dead." And St. Luke tells us, what punctual observers they were of his orders in this case, chap. ix. 36, " They kept it " close, and told no man in those days, any of those " things which they had seen."
Whether twelve other men, of quicker parts, and of a station or breeding, which might have given them any opinion of themselves, or their own abilities, would have been so easily kept from meddling, beyond just what was prescribed them, in a matter they had so much interest in; and have said nothing of what they might, in hu man prudence, have thought would have contributed to their master's reputation, and made way for his advance ment to his kingdom; I leave to be considered. And it may suggest matter of meditation, whether St. Paul was not for this reason, by his learning, parts, and warmer temper, better fitted for an apostle after, than during our Saviour's ministry: and therefore, though a chosen vessel, was not by the divine wisdom called, until after Christ's resurrection.
I offer this only as a subject of magnifying the ad mirable contrivance of the divine wisdom, in the whole work of our redemption, as far as we are able to trace it, by the footsteps which God hath made visible to hu man reason. For though it be as easy to omnipotent power to do all things by an immediate over-ruling will,, and so to make any instruments work, even contrary to as delivered in the Scriptures. 85 their nature, in subserviency to his ends; yet his wis dom is not usually at the expence of miracles, (if I may so say,) but only in cases that require them, for the evi dencing of some revelation or mission to be from him. He does constantly (unless where the confirmation of some truth requires it otherwise) bring about his pur poses by means operating according to their natures. If it were not so, the course and evidence of things would be confounded, miracles would lose their name and force; and there could be no distinction between na tural and supernatural.
There had been no room left to see and admire the wisdom, as well as innocence of our Saviour, if he had rashly every-where exposed himself to the fury of the jews, and had always been preserved by a miraculous suspension of their malice, or a miraculous rescuing him out of their hands. It was enough for him once to escape from the men of Nazareth, who were going to throw him down a precipice, for him never to preach to them again. Our Saviour had multitudes that fol lowed him for the loaves; who barely seeing the mira cles that he did, would have made him king. If to the tairacles he did, he had openly added, in express words, that he was the Messiah, and the king they expected to deliver them, he would have had more followers, and warmer in the cause, and readier to set him up at the head of a tumult. These indeed God, by a mira culous influence, might have hindered from any such attempt: but then posterity could not have believed, that the nation of the jews did, at that time, expect the Messiah, their king and deliverer; or that Jesus, who declared himself to be that king and deliverer, showed any miracles amongst them, to convince them of it; or did any thing worthy to make him be cre dited or received. If he had gone about preaching to the multitude, which he drew after him, that he was the " Messiah, the king of Israel," and this had been evidenced to Pilate; God could indeed, by a superna tural influence upon his mind, have made Pilate pro nounce him innocent, and not condemn him as a male factor, who had openly for three years together, preached 86 The Reasonableness of Christianity, sedition to the people, and endeavoured to persuade them, that he was " the Messiah, their king-," of the royal blood of David, come to deliver them. But then I ask, Whether posterity would not either have suspected the story, or that some art had been used to gain that testimony from Pilate? Because he could not (for no thing) have been so favourable to Jesus, as to be willing to release so turbulent and seditious a man; to declare him innocent, and to cast the blame and guilt of his death, as unjust, upon the envy of the jews.
But now, the malice of the chief priests, scribes and pharisees; the headiness of the mob, animated with hopes, and raised with miracles; Judas's treachery, and Pilate's care of his government, and of the peace of his province, all working naturally as they should; Jesus, by the admirable wariness of his carriage, and an ex traordinary wisdom, visible in his whole conduct; wea thers all these difficulties, does the work he comes for, uninterruptedly goes about preaching his full appointed time, sufficiently manifests himself to be the Messiah, in all the particulars the scriptures had foretold of him; and when his hour is come, suffers death: but is ac knowledged, both by Judas that betrayed, and Pilate that condemned him, to die innocent. For, to use his own words, Luke xxiv. 46, " Thus it is written, and thus " it behoved the Messiah to suffer." And of his whole conduct we have a reason and clear resolution in those words to St. Peter, Matt. xxvi. 53, " Thinkest thou " that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall " presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? " But how then shall the scripture be fulfilled, that thus " it must be?"
Having this clew to guide us, let us now observe, how our Saviour's preaching and conduct comported with it in the last scene of his life. How cautious he had been in the former part of his ministry,, we have already ob served. We never find him to use the name of the Mes siah but once, until he now came to Jerusalem, this last passover. Before this, his preaching and miracles were less at Jerusalem) where he used to make but very short stays) than any-where else. But now he comes six days as delivered in the Scriptures. 87 before the feast, and is every day in the temple teach ing; and there publicly heals the blind and the lame, in the presence of the scribes, pharisees, and chief priests. The time of his ministry drawing- to an end, and his hour coming, he cared not how much the chief priests, elders, rulers, and the sanhedrim, were provoked against him by his doctrine and miracles: he was as open and bold in his preaching, and doing the works of the Messiah now at Jerusalem, and in the sight of the rulers, and of all the people; as he had been before cautious and reserved there, and careful to be little taken notice of in that place, and not to come in their way more than needs. All that he now took care of was, not what they should think of him, or design against him, (for he knew they would seize him,) but to say or do nothing that might be a just matter of accusation against him, or render him criminal to the governor. But, as for the grandees of the Jewish nation, he spares them not, but sharply now reprehends their miscarriages publicly in the temple; where he calls them more than once, " hypocrites;" as is to be seen. Matt, xxiii. And concludes all with no softer a compellation than " ser- " pents," and " a generation of vipers."
After this severe reproof of the scribes and pharisees, being retired with his disciples into the " Mount of <e Olives " over against the temple, and there foretelling the destruction of it; his disciples ask him, Matt. xxiv. 3, &c. " When it should be, and what should be the " sign of his coming?" He says, to them, " Take heed " that no man deceive you: for many shall come in my " name/' (i. e. taking on them the name and dignity of the Messiah, which is only mine,) saying, " I am the " Messiah, and shall deceive many." But be not you by them misled, nor by persecution driven away from this fundamental truth, that I am the Messiah: " for many ** shall be scandalized," and apostatize; " but he that " endures to the end, the same shall be saved: and this " gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the " world:" i. e. the good news of me, the Messiah, and my kingdom, shall be spread through the world. This was the great and only point of belief they were warned 88 The Reasonableness of Christianity, to stick to; and this is inculcated again, ver. 23 — 26, and Mark xiii. 21 — 23, with this emphatical application to them, in both these evangelists, " Behold, I have told " you beforehand; remember, you are forewarned."
This was in answer to the apostles inquiry, concern ing his " coming, and the end of the world," ver. 3. For so we translate TVS erumXsiW tS aluvog. We must un derstand the disciples here to put their question, accord ing to the notion and way of speaking of the jews. For they had two worlds, as we translate it, o vw alw, xou o p&Xuv cawi/; " the present world," and the "world to come." The kingdom of God, as they called it, or the time of the Messiah, they called o ptxxw ouuv9 " the world to come," which they believed was to put an end to " this world;" and that then the just should be raised from the dead, to enjoy in that " new world" a happy eternity, with those of the Jewish nation, who should be then living.
These two things, viz. the visible and powerful ap pearance of his kingdom, and the end of the world, being confounded in the apostles question, our Saviour does not separate them, nor distinctly reply to them apart; but, leaving the inquirers in the common opi nion, answers at once concerning his coming to take vengeance on the Jewish nation, and put an end to their church worship and commonwealth; which was their o vuv ouw, " present world," which they counted should last till the Messiah came; and so it did, and then had an end put to it. And to this he joins his last coming to judgment, in the glory of his Father, to put a final end to this world, and all the dispensation belonging to the posterity of Adam upon earth. This joining them together, made his answer obscure, and hard to be understood by them then; nor was it safe for him to speak plainer of his kingdom, and the destruction of Jerusalem; unless he had a mind to be accused for hav ing designs against the government. For Judas was amongst them: and whether no other but his apostles were comprehended under the name of " his disciples," who were with him at this time, one cannot determine. Our Saviour, therefore, speaks of his kingdom in no other style, but that which he had all along hitherto as delivered in the Scriptures. 89 used, viz. " the kingdom of God," Luke xxi. 31, " When you see these things come to pass, know ye " that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." And continuing on his discourse with them, he has the same expression, Matt. xxv. 1, " Then the kingdom of " heaven shall be like unto ten virgins." At the end of the following parable of the talents, he adds, ver. 31, " When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and " all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon " the throne of his glory. And before him shall be " gathered all the nations. And he shall set the sheep " on his right hand, and the goats on his left. Then " shall the KING say," &c. Here he describes to his disciples the appearance of his kingdom, wherein he will show himself a king in glory upon his throne; but this in such a way, and so remote, and so unintelligible to an heathen magistrate; that, if it had been alleged against him, it would have seemed rather the dream of a crazy brain, than the contrivance of an ambitious or dangerous man, designing against the government: the way of expressing what he meant, being in the pro phetic style, which is seldom so plain as to be under stood, till accomplished. It is plain, that his disciples themselves comprehended not what kingdom he here spoke of, from their question to him after his resurrec tion, " Wilt thou at this time restore again the king- " dom unto Israel?"
Having finished these discourses, he takes order for the passover, and eats it with his disciples; and at sup per tells them, that one of them should betray him; and adds, John xiii. 19, " I tell it you now, before it " come, that when it is come to pass, you may know " that I am." He does not say out, " the Messiah;" Judas should not have that to say against him, if he would; though that be the sense in which he uses this expression, iyu ilpi, " I am," more than once. And that this is the meaning of it, is clear from Mark xii. 6, Luke xxi. 8. In both which evangelists the words are, " For many shall come in my name, saying, lyu el pi, " 1 am;" the meaning whereof we shall find explained in the parallel place of St. Matthew, chap. xxiv. 5, 90 The Reasonableness of Christianity, " For many shall come in my name, saying, ty " o Xptro?j I am the Messiah." Here, in this place of John xiii. Jesus foretels what should happen to him, viz. that he should be betrayed by Judas; adding this prediction to the many other particulars of his death and suffering, which he had at other times foretold to them. And here he tells them the reason of these his predictions, viz. that afterwards they might be a con firmation to their faith. And what was it that he would have them believe, and be confirmed in the belief of? Nothing but this, on iyu> i\pi o X.girog, " that he was the " Messiah." The same reason he gives, John xiv. 28, " You have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and " come again unto you: and now I have told you, be- " fore it comes to pass, that when it comes to pass, ye " might believe."
When Judas had left them, and was gone out, he talks a little freer to them of his glory and his king dom, than ever he had done before. For now he speaks plainly of himself, and of his kingdom, John xiii. 31, " Therefore when he [Judas] was gone out, Jesus said, " Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is also glo- " rified in him. And, if God be glorified in him, God " shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straitway " glorify him." And Luke xxii. 29, " And I will " appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath " appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink with " me at my table, in my kingdom." Though he has every-where, all along through his ministry, preached the " gospel of the kingdom," and nothing else but that and repentance, and the duties of a good life: yet it has been always " the kingdom of God," and " the " kingdom of heaven:" and I do not remember, that " any-where, till now, he uses any such expression, as " my kingdom." But here now he speaks in the first person, " I will appoint you a kingdom," and, " in my " kingdom:" and this we see is only to the eleven, now Judas was gone from them.
With these eleven, whom he was just now leaving, he has a long discourse, to comfort them for the loss of him; and to prepare them for the persecution of the as delivered in the Scriptures. 9l world, and to exhort them to keep his commandments, and to love one another. And here one may expect all the articles of faith should be laid down plainly, if any thing else were required of them to believe, but what he had taught them, and they believed already, viz. " That he was the Messiah." John xiv. 1, " Ye be- " lieve in God, believe also in me." Ver. 29, " I have " told you before it come to pass, that when it is " come to pass, ye may believe." It is believing on him without any thing else. John xvi. 31, " Jesus an- " swered them. Do ye now believe? " This was in answer to their profession, ver. 30, " Now are we sure " that thou knowest all things, and needest not that " any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou " earnest forth from God."
John xvii. 20, " Neither pray I for these alone, but " for them also which shall believe on me through their " word." All that is spoke of believing, in this his last sermon to them, is only " believing on him," or believing that " he came from God; " which was no other than believing him to be the Messiah.
Indeed, John xiv. 9, our Saviour tells Philip, " He " that hath seen me, hath seen the Father." And adds, ver. 10, " Believest thou not that I am in the Father, " and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto " you, I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwell- " eth in me, he doth the works." Which being in answer to Philip's wrords, ver. 9, " Show us the Father," seem to import thus much: " No man hath seen God " at any time," he is known only by his works. And that he is my Father, and I the Son of God, i. e. the Messiah, you may know by the works I have done; which it is impossible I could do of myself, but by the union I have with God my Father. For that by being " in God," and " God in him," he signifies such an union with God, that God operates in and by him, appears not only by the words above cited out of ver. 10 (which can scarce otherwise be made coherent sense), but also from the same phrase, used again by our Saviour presently after, ver. 20, " At that day/' viz. after his resurrection, when they should see him again, "you shall 92 The Reasonableness of Christianity, " know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I " in you; " i. e. by the works that I shall enable you to do, through a power I have received from the Father: which whosoever sees me do, must acknowledge the Fa ther to be in me; and whosoever sees you do. must ac knowledge me to be in you. And therefore he says, ver. 12, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believ- " eth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, be- " cause I go unto my Father." Though I go away, yet I shall be in you, who believe in me; and ye shall be enabled to do miracles also, for the carrying on of my kingdom, as I have done; that it may be manifested to others, that you are sent by me, as I have evidenced to you, that I am sent by the Father. And hence it is that he says, in the immediately preceding ver. 11, " Believe me, that I am in the Father, and the Father " in me; if not, believe me for the sake of the works " themselves." Let the works that I have done convince you, that I am sent by the Father; that he is with me, and that I do nothing but by his will; and by virtue of the union I have with him; and that consequently I am the Messiah, who am anointed, sanctified, and separated by the Father, to the work for which he sent me.
To confirm. them in this faith, and to enable them to do such works as he had done, he promises them the Holy Ghost, John xiv. 25, 26. " These things I have " said unto you, being yet present with you." But when I am gone, " The Holy Ghost, the Paraclet," (which may signify Monitor, as well as Comforter, or Advocate,) " which the Father shall send you in my " name, he shall show you all things, and bring to your " remembrance all things which I have said." So that considering all that I have said, and laying it together, and comparing it with what you shall see come to pass; you may be more abundantly assured, that I am the Messiah; and fully comprehend, that I have done and suffered all things foretold of the Messiah, and that were to be accomplished and fulfilled by him, according to the scriptures. But be not filled with grief, that I leave you, John xvi. 7, " It is expedient for you, that I go " away; for if I go not away, the Paraclet will not as delivered in the Scriptures. 93 <tf come unto you." One reason why, if he went not away, the Holy Ghost could not come, we may gather from what has been observed,, concerning the prudent and wary carriage of our Saviour all through his ministry, that he might not incur death with the least suspicion r of a malefactor. And therefore, though his disciples believed him to be the Messiah, yet they neither under stood it so well, nor were so well confirmed in the belief of it, as after that, he being crucified and risen again, they had received the Holy Ghost; and with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a fuller and clearer evidence and knowledge that he was the Messiah. They then were enlightened to see how his kingdom was such as the scriptures foretold; though not such as they, till then, had expected. And now this knowledge and assurance, received from the Holy Ghost, was of use to them after his resurrection; when they could now boldly go about, and openly preach, as they did, that Jesus was the Mes siah; confirming that doctrine by the miracles which the Holy Ghost empowered them to do. But till he was dead and gone, they could not do this. Their go ing about openly preaching, as they did after his resur rection, that Jesus was the Messiah, and doing miracles every-where, to make it good, would not have consisted with that character of humility, peace and innocence, which the Messiah was to sustain, if they had done it before his crucifixion. For this would have drawn upon him the condemnation of a malefactor, either as a stirrer of sedition against the public peace, or as a pretender to the kingdom of Israel. Hence we see, that they, who before his death preached only the " gospel of " the kingdom; " that " the kingdom of God was at " hand; " as soon as they had received the Holy Ghost, after his resurrection, changed their style, and every where in express words declare, that Jesus is the Mes siah, that King which was to come. This, the following words here in St. John xvi. 8 — 14, confirm; where he goes on to tell them, " And when he is come, he will " convince the world of sin; because they believed not " on me." Your preaching then, accompanied with miracles, by the assistance of the Holy Ghost, shall be a 94 The Reasonableness of Christianity, conviction to the world, that the jews sinned in not be lieving me to be the Messiah. " Of righteousness," or justice; " because I go to my Father, and ye see me no " more." By the same preaching and miracles you shall confirm the doctrine of my ascension; and thereby con vince the world, that I was that just one, who am, there fore, ascended to the Father into heaven, where no un just person shall enter. " Of judgment; because the " prince of this world is judged." And by the same assistance of the Holy Ghost ye shall convince the world, that the devil is judged or condemned by your casting of him out, and destroying his kingdom, and his wor ship, where-ever you preach. Our Saviour adds, " I <e have yet many things to say unto you, but you " cannot bear them now." They were yet so full of a temporal kingdom, that they could not bear the dis covery of what kind of kingdom his was, nor what a king he was to be: and therefore he leaves them to the coming of the Holy Ghost, for a farther and fuller dis covery of himself, and the kingdom of the Messiah; for fear they should be scandalized in him, and give up the hopes they now had in him, and forsake him. This he tells them, ver. 1, of this xvith chapter: " These