ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

made his Grave also with the wicked, being crucified between two Thieves; and fo was not only reputed a Malefactor, and underwent the punishment of Tranfgreffors, but was executed at the very time and place with them, and buried when they were. He made interceffion for the Tranfgreffors, for the Penitent Thief in particular, whom he promised, that he fhould be with him that day in Paradife, and for his Perfecutors themselves, praying that they might be forgiven. The Prophecies of this Chapter are so very plainly and directly fulfilled, that I have known a Child арply them to the Paffion of Chrift.

One of the moft glorious Characters, by which the Meffias was defcribed by the Prophets, was, that he fhould be their Prince and King, and this led the Jews into that fatal mistake of a Temporal Meffias; for Meffias or Anointed, fignifies King as well as Prophet or Prieft, (in which three Offices Unction was ufed, Exod. xi. 15. 1 Sam. xv. I. 1 Kings xix. 16.) and they were all united in our Saviour, who was the Meffias anointed and inaugurated by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him in a visible shape, and with a diftinct and audible voice declaring him to be the Son of God. And that all the world might know our Saviour to be the King of the Jews, that Title was fixt upon his Crofs in three feveral Languages, the moft vulgar Tongues then in the world, that no Nation might be ignorant, that Chrift the King of the Jews was then crucified. For Pilate would not alter the Infcription; but though they had frighted him before by obferving to him, that it was Treafon against Cafar to call any one King befides him, yet when they would now have had him change the Infcription, and have written only, that he said, I am King of the Jews, Pilate gave a fhort and refolute Anfwer, what I have written, I have written. How much foever it were at his peril to provoke a malicious People, in a point, wherein they thought the Honour and Safety of their

Nation fo much concernéd, and in a point, which could not but be exceeding tender to fo jealous an Emperor as Tiberius: But Pilate had fuffered himself to be carried too far already against his own Confcience, and had fhewn great averfion to their proceedings, in the whole management of his Tryal; and the fame providence, which had ordered every circumftance to the manifeftation of the Truth, and the conviction both of the Jews and Gentiles, now fo difpofed this remarkable particular, that the laft period of his Life, in oppofition to all the fpight of the Jews, fhould be adorned and dignified with his true Title and Character, under which he had been foretold by the Prophets, in Capital Letters upon his Crofs.

Thus were the Prophecies concerning the Birth, and Life, and Death of the Meffias, exactly fulfilled in our Bleffed Saviour, which were fo many, that they could not be fulfilled by chance; and the fulfilling of them depended fo much upon the words and actions of others, and even of his worst Enemies, that it could proceed from no defign or contrivance of him or his Difciples: They were fulfilled in him by the malice chiefly of his Enemies, and according to the interpretation which they themselves were wont to give of them.

IV. His Refurrection likewife and Afcenfion were the fulfilling of exprefs Prophecies, as the Apostles proved to the face of his Crucifiers, Acts ii. And thefe were fuch Accomplishments of Prophecies as depended upon the fole Will and Power of Almighty God, and yet as certainly came to pass, as the Birth, and Life and Death of Chrift did: As fhall be proved in due place.

CHAP.

CHA P. XIII.

Of the Prophecies and Miracles of our Blessed

[ocr errors]

Saviour:

S our Bleffed Saviour was prophefied of by all the Prophets who were before him, fo he was himself the Great Prophet that was to come, and was at the time of his being in the world expected of the Jews; and he fulfilled that Prediction by the many eminent Prophecies which he fpake. He foretold the Treachery of Judas, and knew from the beginning who it was that should betray him; he foretold the manner of his own Death, that it was to be by crucifixion, though the Jews often fought opportunities to put him to death privately, and that was a kind of punifh-, ment which the Jews could not inflict; but if they had killed him themselves, and had not brought him to the Roman Judicature, they would have done it by floning, as they murthered St. Stephen. He foretold all the circumftances of his Sufferings, that he should be delivered unto the Chief Priests, and unto the Scribes, and that they fhould condemn him to death, yet that they fhould not take away his Life themselves, but should deli ver him to the Gentiles, and that they should mock him, and Should Scourge him, and should spit upon him, and fhould kill him, and that he would rife again the third day, Mark x. 33, 34. of which his Enemies took fuch notice, that they used all their vain endeavours to prevent it. He declared, that he would go unto the Father, John xiv. 18. by his Afcenfion, John vi. 62. He affured his Disciples, that his Gospel should be preached over the whole world, and that one particular Action, at which they were offended, of the Woman who anointed his Head, fhould never be omitted wherefoever his Gospel should be preached, Matth. xxvi. 13. he declared

.

declared, that there should arife falfe Chrifts and false Prophets; but that his Religion fhould prevail against all the oppofition which it would meet withal, and continue to the end of the World. He foretold the denial of St. Peter, and the manner of his Martyrdom, and both were foretold to St. Peter himself, and his denial, but a very little while before it came to pafs, when St. Peter looked upon it as a thing impoffible, who alone could have it in his Power to hinder it. He prophefied of the Deftruction of Jerufalem, which came to pafs about forty years after his own Death, within the compass of that Generation, as he had foretold. a The very Foundations of the Temple and City were deftroyed, and the Ground plowed up, fo that one ftone was not left upon another of all the magnificent Buildings of the Temple, which the Disciples fo much admired, when our Saviour told them that this fhould be the Fate of that b glorious Pile, Matth. xxiv. 2. And as I have already obferved upon another occafion, when Julian with a defign to defeat this Prophecy, endeavoured to have it rebuilt, both the Works and the Workmen were miraculously deftroyed by a fire burfting out of the ground. d Tacitus mentions the Prodigies foregoing the Deftruction of Jerufalem. And the Hiftory of the Jewish War by Jofephus, is the beft Commentary upon the Predictions of our Saviour; There we read of all the Prodigies, and Signs, and Wonders, whether in

[ocr errors]

- 2 Κελούς Καΐσας ἤδη * πόλιν ἅπασαν, καὶ Ἡ νέων κατασκάπλε οὕτως ἐξωμάλισαν οι κατασκάπτοντες, ὡς μὴ οἰκηθεί ως πίσιν ἂν ἔτι wagager Tois wagsabour. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. 1. 7. c. 18.

Titus ufed all his Endeavour to preferve the Temple. Jof. de Bell. Jud. 1. 17. c. 26. Deftruction of it. 1.7. c. 29..

ο ψουδεῖς ἀπελέγξαι τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ προβήσεις. Sozom. lib. 5. cap. 21.

Vife per cælum concurrere Acies, rutilantia Arma, & fubito Nubium igne collucere Templum expasse repente Delubri fores, &c. Tacit. Hift. 1. 5.

:

Heaven or in Earth, and of all the Calamities, whether by Peftilence, or Famine, or Sword, which our Saviour had foretold. The Inhabitants fell by the Edge of the Sword, and were led away captive into all Nations, Luke xxi. 24. the chiefeft place of fecurity was the mountainous part of Judea, which our Saviour forefaw, when he advised his Difciples to flee to the Mountains, Matt. xxiv. 16. And Ceftius Gallus compaffed Jerufalem with his Army, which was a warning to the Chriftians to depart, and then by raifing the Siege unexpectedly, and against alle Reafon, gave them an opportunity to fefcape to Pella, in the Mountains of Perea, exactly according to Luke xxi. 20, 21. And what Dion Caffius relates in the Reigns of Claudius, Nero, Vitellius, and Titus, may ferve as a Comment upon our Saviour's Prophecy; for there were famines and peftilences, fearful fights and great figns from heaven, and great earthquakes, the fea and the waves roaring, xxi. 11, 25. The Sun was darkned, and the Moon did not give her light, Matt. xxiv. 29. Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thofe things which were coming on the earth, Luke xxi. 26. and there was fo terrible an eruption of Vefuvius, that the Ashes were carried by the winds into Africk, and into Ægypt and Syria, with fo great fmoak and darkness, that it was thought the World had been at an end.

[ocr errors]

Chrift promifed to fend down the Holy Ghoft up on his Difciples, with a power of working Miracles, of Prophefying, and of fpeaking with New Tongues: and this was to be beftowed upon them at Jerufalem, from whence they were commanded by him, not to 'depart till the Promife had been fulfilled, which was to be not many days after his Afcenfion, Mark xvi. 17. Luke xxiv. 49. Acts i. 4, 5. And accordingly it came

e

Παραλογώτατα απο ε πόλεως ανέξοιξεν. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. 1. 2. C. 24. f Eufeb. Hift. 1. 3. C. 5.

to

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »