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LIEVE ON HIM, were the chief priests and Pharifees, his enemics, who fought his life; and therefore could have no other fenfe nor thought of this faith in him, which they fpake of, but only the believing him to be the Meffiah: and that that was their meaning, the adjoining words fhew; "If we let him alone, all the world "will believe on him," i. e. believe him to be the Meffiah. "And "the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." Which reafoning of theirs was thus grounded: if we ftand ftill, and let the people " believe on him," i. e. receive him for the Mesfiah, they will thereby take him and fet him up for their king, and expect deliverance by him; which will draw the Roman arms upon us, to the destruction of us and our country. The Romans could not be thought to be at all concerned in any other belief whatsoever that the people might have on him. It is therefore plain, that "believing on him," was by the writers of the gospel understood to mean, the "believing him to be the Meffiah." "The Sanhe"drim therefore," ver. 53, 54. " from that day forth confulted to "put him to death. Jefus therefore walked not yet" (for fo the word fignifies, and fo I think it ought here to be tranflated) "boldly," or openfaced "among the Jews," i. e. of Jerufalem. "Er cannot well here be tranflated "no more," because within a very fhort time after, he appeared openly at the paffover, and by his miracles and speech declared himself more freely than ever he had done; and all the week before his paffion taught daily in the temple, Matt. xx. 17. Mark x. 32. Luke xviii. 31, &c. ing of this place feems therefore to be this: that his time being not yet come, he durft not fhew himself openly, and confidently, before the Scribes and Pharifees, and thofe of the Sanhedrim at Jerufalem, who were full of malice against him, and refolved his death: "but "went thence into a country near the wildernefs, into a city called "Ephraim, and there continued with his difciples," to keep himfelf out of the way till the paffover, "which was nigh at hand," ver. 55. In his return thither, he takes the twelve afide, and tells them before-hand what fhould happen to him at Jerufalem, whither they were now going; and that all things that are written by the prophets concerning the fan of man fhould be accomplished'; that he fhould be betrayed to the chief priests and Scribes; and that they fhould condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; that he fhould be mocked, and fpit on, and fcourged, and put to death; and the third day he fhould rife again. But St. Luke tells us, chap. xviii. 34. That the Apoftles "understood "none of these things, and this faying was hid from them; nei"ther knew they the things which were spoken." They believed him to be the fon of God, the Meffiah fent from the father; but their notion of the Meffiah was the fame with the reft of the Jews; that he should be a temporal prince and deliverer: accordingly we fee, Mark x. 35. that even in this their laft journey with him to Jerufalem, two of them, James and John, coming to him, and falling at his feet, faid, "Grant unto us, that we may fit, one on

The mean

"thy

"thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory; or, as St. Matthew has it, chap. xx. 21. " in thy kingdom." That which diftinguifhed them from the unbelieving Jews, was, that they believed Jefus to be the very Meffiah, and fo received him as their king and lord.

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And now the hour being come that the fon of man should be glorified, he, without his ufual referve, makes his public entry into Jerufalem, riding on a young afs as it is written, Fear not, "daughter of Sion, behold thy king cometh, fitting on an afs's "colt." But "thefe things," fays St. John, chap. xii. 16. "his "difciples understood not at the firft; but when Jefus was glori"fied, then remembered they that thefe things were written of him, "and that they had done these things unto him." Though the apostles believed him to be the Meffiah, yet there were many occurrences of his life which they understood not (at the time when they happened) to be foretold of the Meffiah; which after his afcenfion they found exactly to quadrate. Thus, according to what was foretold of him, he rode into the city, "all the people crying "Hofanna, Bleffed is the king of Ifrael, that cometh in the name "of the Lord." This was fo open a declaration of his being the Meffiah, that Luke xix. 39. "Some of the Pharifees from among "the multitude faid unto him, mafter, rebuke thy difciples." But he was fo far now from ftopping them, or difowning this their acknowledgement of his being the Meffiah, that he "faid unto "them, I tell you, that if thefe fhould hold their peace, the ftones "would immediately cry out." And again, upon the like occafion of their crying, "Hofanna to the fon of David," in the temtle, Matt. xxi. 15, 16. When “the chief priests and Scribes were "fore difpleafed, and faid unto him, Heareft thou what they fay? "Jefus faid unto them, yea; Have ye never read, Out of the "mouths of babes and fucklings thou haft perfected praife?" And now, ver. 14, 15. "He cures the blind and the lame openly in "the temple. And when the chief priefts and Scribes faw the "wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the "temple Hofanna, they were enraged." One would not think, that, after the multitude of miracies that our Saviour had now been doing for above three years together, the curing the lame and blind fhould fo much move them. But we must remember, that though his ministry had abounded with miracles, yet the most of them had been done about Galilee, and in parts remote from Jerufalem. There is but one left upon record hitherto done in that city; and that had fo ill a reception, that they fought his life for it; as we may read John v. 16. And therefore we hear not of his being at the next paffover, becaufe he was there only privately, as an ordinary Jew: the reafon whereof we may read, John vii. 1. " After "these things, Jefus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in "Jewry, becaufe the Jews fought to kill him."

Hence we may guels the reafon why St. John omitted the mention of his being at Jerufalem at the third pallover after his bap

tifm; probably because he did nothing memorable there. Indeed, when he was at the feaft of Tabernacles, immediately preceding this laft paffover, he cured the man born blind: but it appears not to have been done in Jerufalem itfelf, but in the way as he retired to the mount of Olives; for there feems to have been nobody by, when he did it, but his apoftles. Compare ver. 2. with ver. 8. 10. of St. John ix. This, at leaft, is remarkable; that neither the cure of this blind man, nor that of the other infirm man, at the paflover above a twelvemonth before at Jerufalem, was done in the fight of the Scribes, Pharifees, chief priefts, or rulers. Nor was it without reafon, that in the former part of his miniftry he was cautious of fhewing himfelf to them to be the Meffiah. But now, that he was come to the laft fcene of his life, and that the paffover was come, the appointed time wherein he was to compleat the work he came for, in his death and refurrection, he does many things in Jerufalem itself, before the face of the Scribes, Pharifees, and whole body of the Jewish nation, to manifeft himself to be the Meffiah. And, as St. Luke fays, chap. xix. 47, 48. "He taught "daily in the temple: but the chief priests, and the Scribes, and "the chief of the people, fought to deftroy him; and could not "find what they might do, for all the people were very attentive to "hear him." What he taught we are not left to guefs, by what we have found him conftantly preaching elsewhere: but St. Luke tells us, chap. xx. I. "He taught in the temple, and evangelized;" or, as we tranflate it, preached the gospel" which, as we have fhewed, was the making known to them the good news of the kingdom of the Meffiah. And this we fhall find he did, in what now remains of his hiftory.

In the first difcourfe of his, which we find upon record after this, John xii. 20. &c. he foretells his crucifixion, and the belief of all forts, both Jews and Gentiles, on him after that. Whereupon the people fay to him, ver. 34. "We have heard out of the law, that "the Meffiah abideth for ever; and how fayeft thou, That the fon "of man must be lifted up? Who is this fon of man?" In his answer he plainly defigns himfelf, under the name of "light," which was what he had declared himself to them to be, the last time that they had seen him in Jerufalem. For then at the feast of Tabernacles, but fix months before, he tells them in the very place where he now is, viz. in the temple, "I am the light of the world; who"foever follows me, fhall not walk in darknefs, but shall have the "light of life" as we may read John viii. 12. and ix. 5. he fays, "As long as I am in the world, I am the LIGHT of the world." But neither here, nor any where elfe, does he, even in thefe four or five laft days of his life (though he knew his hour was come, and was prepared for his death, ver. 27. and fcrupled not to manifeft himself to the rulers of the Jews to be the Meffiah, by doing miracles before them in the Temple), ever once in direct words own himself to the Jews to be the Mefliah; though by miracles, and other ways, he did every where make it known to them, fo that it

might be understood. This could not be without fome reafon; and the preservation of his life, which he came now to Jerufalem on purpose to lay down, could not be it. What other reafon could it then be, but the fame which had made him ufe caution in the former part of his miniftry; fo to conduct himself, that he might do the work which he came for, and in all parts anfwer the character given of the Meffiah in the law and the prophets? He had fulfilled the time of his miniftry, and now taught and did miracles openly in the temple, before the rulers and the people, not fearing to be feized: but he would not be feized for any thing that might make him a criminal to the government; and therefore he avoided giving thofe, who in the divifion that was about him inclined towards him, occafion of tumult for his fake; or to the Jews, his enemies, matter of just accufation against him out of his own mouth, by profeffing himself to be the Meffiah, the king of Ifrael, in direct words. It was enough, that by words and deeds he declared it fo to them, that they could not but understand him; which it is plain they did, Luke xx. 16, 19. Matt. xxi. 45. But yet neither his actions, which were only doing of good; nor words, which were myftical and parabolical (as we may fee Matt. xxi. and xxii. and the parallel places of Matthew and Luke); nor any of his ways of making himself known to be the Meffiah, could be brought in teftimony, or urged against him, as oppofite or dangerous to the government. This preferved him from being condemned as a malefactor, and procured him a teftimony from the Roman governor, his judge, that he was an innocent man, facrificed to the envy of the Jewish nation. So that he avoided faying that he was the Meffiah, that to those who could call to mind his life and death after his refurrection, he might the more clearly appear to be fo. It is farther to be remarked, that though he often appeals to the teftimony of his miracles who he is, yet he never tells the Jews that he was born at Bethlehem, to remove the prejudice that lay against hin, whilft he paffed for a Galilean, and which was urged as a proof that he was not the Meffiah, John vii. 41, 42. The healing of the fick, and doing of good miraculously, could be no crime in him, nor accufation against him; but the naming of Bethlehem for his birth-place, might have wrought as much upon the mind of Pilate, as it did on Herod's; and have raised a fufpicion in Pilate as prejudicial to our Saviour's innocence, as Herod's was to the children born there. His pretending to be born at Bethlehem, as it was liable to be explained by the Jews, could not have failed to have met with a finifter interpretation in the Roman governor, and have rendered Jefus fufpected of fome criminal defign against the government. And hence we fee, that when Pilate afked him, John xix. 9. "Whence art thou? Jefus gave him no answer."

Whether our Saviour had not an eye to this ftraitness, this narrow room that was left to his conduct, between the new converts and the captious Jews, when he fays, Luke xii. 50. "I "have a baptifm to be baptized with, and was curious, how am I "ftraitened

"ftraitened till it be accomplished,". I leave to be confidered. "I "am come to fend fire on the earth," fays our Saviour, and what "if it be already kindled?" i. e. there begin already to be divifions. about me, fee John vii. 12. 43. and ix. 16. and x. 19. and I have not the freedom, the latitude, to declare myfelf openly to be the Meffiah; though I am he, that must not be fpoken out till after my death. My way to my throne is closely hedged in on every fide, and much traitened,, within which I muft keep, till it bring me to my cross, in its due time and manner, fo that it do not cut short the time, nor cross the end of my miniftry.

And therefore, to keep up this inoffenfive character, and not to let it come within the reach of accident or calumny, he withdrew with his apoftles out of the town every evening, and kept himself retired out of the way, Luke xxi. 37. " And in the day-time he "was teaching in the Temple, and every night he went out, and "abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives;" that he might avoid all concourfe to him in the night, and give no occafion of difturbance or fufpicion of himself in that great conflux of the whole nation of the Jews, now affembled in Jerufalem at the paffover.

But to return to his preaching in the Temple: he bids them, John xii. 36. "To believe in the light whilft they have it:" and he tells them, ver. 46. "I am the light come into the world, that

every one who believes in me fhould not remain in darkness." Which believing in him, was the believing him to be the Meffiah, I have elsewhere fhewed.

The next day, Matt. xxi. he rebukes them for not having believed John the Baptist, who had teftified that he was the Messiah: and then, in a parable, declares himself to be the "fon of God," whom they should deftroy; and that for it God would take away the kingdom of the Meffiah from them, and give it to the Gentiles. That they understood him thus, is plain from Luke xx. 16. “ And "when they heard it, they faid, God forbid." And ver. 19. "For they knew that he had spoken this parable against them."

Much to the fame purpose was his next parable concerning "the "kingdom of heaven," Matt. xxii. 1-10. that the Jews not accepting of the kingdom of the Meffiah, to whom it was firft offered, others should be brought in.

The Scribes and Pharifees and chief priests, not able to bear the declaration he made of himself to be the Meffiah (by his difcourfes and miracles before them, poober auta, John xii. 37. which he had never done before), impatient of his preaching and miracles, and being not able otherwife to ftop the increase of his followers (for, "faid the Pharifees among themfelves, perceive ye how ye prevail "nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him." John xii. 19. So that the chief priefts, and the Scribes, and the chief of the "people) fought to deftroy him," the first day of his entrance into Jerufalem, Luke xix. 47. The next day again they were intent upon the fame thing, Mark xi. 17, 18. “And he taught in the "Temple;

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