Temple; and the Scribes and the chief priests heard it, and "fought how they might destroy him; for they feared him, be"caufe all the people were astonished at his doctrine."

The next day but one, upon his telling them the kingdom of the Meffiah fhould be taken from them, "the chief priests and Scribes "fought to lay hands on him the fame hour; and they feared the "people." Luke xx. 19. If they had fo great a defire to lay hold on him, why did they not? They were the chief priests and the rulers, the men of power. The reafon St. Luke plainly tells us in the next verfe," And they watched him, and fent forth spies, "which fhould feign themselves juft men, that they might take "hold of his words, that fo they might deliver him into the power and authority of the governor." They wanted matter of accufation against him to the power they were under: that they watched for, and that they would have been glad of, if they could have "entangled him in his talk," as St. Matthew expreffes it, chap. xxii. 15. If they could have laid hold on any word that had dropt from him, that might have rendered him guilty or fufpected to the Roman governor; that would have served their turn, to have laid hold upon him, with hopes to deftroy him: for, their power not answering their malice, they could not put him to death by their own authority, without the permiffion and affiftance of the governor, as they confefs, John xviii. 31. "It is not lawful for

us to put any man to death." This made them fo earnest for a declaration in direct words from his own mouth, that he was the Meffiah. It was not that they would more have believed in him, for fuch a declaration of himself, than they did for his miracles, or other ways of making himself known, which it appears they understood well enough; but they wanted plain direct words, fuch as might fupport an accufation, and be of weight before an heathen judge. This was the reafon why they preffed him to speak out, John x. 24. "Then came the Jews round about him, and faid "unto him, How long doft thou hold us in fufpenfe? if thou be "the Meffiah, tell us PLAINLY," wapinoia, i. e. in direct words: for that St. John uses it in that fenfe, we may fee chap. xi. 11-14. Jefus faith to them, "Lazarus fleepeth." His difciples faid, "If "he fleeps, he fhall do well. Howbeit, Jefus fpake of his death; "but they thought he had spoken of taking reft in fleep. Then "faid Jefus to them plainly, wapinoia, Lazarus is dead." Here we see what is meant by mapinoia, PLAIN direct words, such as exprefs the thing without a figure; and fo they would have Jesus pronounce himself to be the Meffiah. And the fame thing they prefs again, Matt. xvi. 63. the high prieft adjuring him by the living God, to tell them whether he were the Meffiah, the fon of God, as we shall have occafion to take notice by-and-by.

This we may obferve in the whole management of their defign against his life. It turned upon this; that they wanted and wished for a declaration from him, in direct words, that he was the MefVOL. IV. fiah;

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fiah; fomething from his own mouth, that might offend the Roman power, and render him criminal to Pilate. In the 21ft verfe of this, 20th of St. Luke, "They afked him, faying, Mafter, we know, "that thou fayeft and teacheft rightly; neither accepteft thou the "perfon of any, but teacheft the way of God truly. Is it lawful, "for us to give tribute to Cæfar, or no?" By this captious quef tion they hoped to catch him, which way foever he answered; for, if he had faid, they ought to pay tribute to Cæfar, it would be plain he allowed their fubjection to the Romans, and fo in effect difowned himself to be their king and deliverer; whereby he would have contradicted, what his carriage and doctrine seemed to aim at,. the opinion that was fpread amongst the people, that he was the, Meffiah. This would have quafhed the hopes, and deftroyed the faith, of those who believed on him, and have turned the ears and hearts of the people from him. If, on the other fide, he anfwered "No," it is not lawful to pay tribute to Cæfar, they had had out of his own mouth wherewithal to condemn him before Pontius Pilate." But St. Luke tells us, ver. 23. "He perceived their craftiness, and "faid unto them, Why tempt ye me?" i. e. why do ye lay fares for me?"Ye hypocrites, fhew me the tribute-money:" fo it is, Matt. xxii. 19. "Whofe image and infcription has it? They faid,' "Cæfar's. He faid unto them, Render therefore to Cæfar the "things that are Cæfar's; and to God the things that are God's." By the wisdom and caution of which unexpected answer, he defeated their whole defign. "And they could not take hold of his "words before the people; and they marvelled at his answer, and "held their peace,” Luke xx. 26. " and leaving him, they departed," Matt. xxii. 22.

He having by this reply (and what he answered to the Sadducees' concerning the refurrection, and to the lawyer about the first commandment, Mark xii.) anfwered fo little to their fatisfaction or advantage, they durft afk him no more queftions any of them. And now their mouths being stopped, he himself begins to question them about the Meffiah, afking the Pharifees, Matt. xxii. 41. « What, "think ye of the Meffiah, whofe fon is he? They fay unto him, "The fon of David:" wherein though they answered right, yet he fhews them, in the following words, that however they pretended to be ftudiers and teachers of the law, yet they understood. not clearly the fcriptures concerning the Meffiah; and thereupon, he fharply rebukes their hypocrify, vanity, pride, malice, covetouf. nefs, and ignorance; and particularly tells them, ver. 13. "Ye fhut, "up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go yourfelves, nor fuffer ye them that are entering to go in." Whereby he plainly declares to them, that the Meffiah was come, and his kingdom begun; but that they refused to believe in him themfelves, and did all they could to hinder others from believing in him, as is manifeft throughout the New Teftament; the hiftory whereof fufficiently explains what is meant here by "the kingdom "of heaven," which the Scribes and Pharifees would neither go

in

into themselves, nor fuffer others to enter into. And they could not chufe but understand him, though he named not himself in the cafe:

Provoked anew by his rebukes, they get prefently to council, Matt. xxvi. "Then affembled together the chief priests, and the "Scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the "high-priest, who was called Caiaphas, and confulted that they "might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they faid, Not "on the feaft-day, left there be an uproar among the people. For "they feared the people," fays St. Luke, chap. xxii. 2.

Having in the night got Jefus into their hands, by the treachery of Judas, they presently led him away bound to Annas, the fatherin-law of Caiaphas the high-prieft, who probably having examined him, and getting nothing out of him for his purpose, fends him away to Caiaphas, John xviii. 24. where the chief priests, the Scribes, and the elders, were affembled, Matt. xxvi. 57. John xviii. 19, 20. "The high-prieft then afked Jefus of his difciples, and of his "doctrine. Jefus answered him, I fpake openly to the world; I "ever taught in the Synagogue, and in the Temple, whither the "Jews always refort; and in fecret have I faid nothing." A proof that he had not in private to his difciples declared himself in exprefs words to be the Meffiah, the prince. But he goes on. "Why "afkeft thou me? Afk Judas, who has been always with me. "Afk them who heard me what I have faid unto them; behold, "they know what I faid." Our Saviour, we fee here, warily declines, for the reasons abovementioned, all difcourfe of his doctrine. The Sanhedrim, Matt. xxvi. 59. " fought falfe witness against him;" but when they found none that were fufficient, or came up to the point they defired, which was to have fomething against him to take away his life; (for fo I think the words and on mean, Mark xiv. 56, 59.) they try again what they can get out of him himself, concerning his being the Meffiah; which if he owned in express words, they thought they fhould have enough against him at the tribunal of the Roman governor, to make him "Læfæ majeftatis "reum," and fo to take away his life. They therefore fay to him, Luke xxii. 67. "If thou be the Meffiah, tell us:" nay, as St. Matthew hath it, the high-prieft adjures him by the living God to tell them whether he were the Meffiah. To which our Saviour replies, "If I tell you, ye will not believe; and if I afk you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go." If I tell you, and prove to you, by the teftimony given of me from heaven, and by works that I have done among you, you will not believe in me, that I am the Meffiah: or if I should ask you where the Meffiah is to be born, and what state he should come in, how he fhould appear, and other things that you think in me not reconcilable with the Meffiah; you will not answer me, and let me go, as one that has no pretence to be the Meffiah, and you are not afraid should be received for fuch. But yet I tell you, "Hereafter fhall the fon of man fit "on the right-hand of the power of God," ver. 70, "Then faid

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"they all, Art thou then the son of God? And he said unto them, "Ye fay that I am." By which discourse with them, related at large here by St, Luke, it is plain, that the answer of our Saviour, fet down by St. Matthew, chap. xxvi. 64. in thefe words, "Thou "haft faid;" and by St. Mark, chap. xvi. 62. in these, "I am;" is an anfwer only to this question, " Art thou then the son of God?" and not to that other, "Art thou the Meffiah?" which preceded, and he had answered to before; though Matthew and Mark, contracting the story, fet them down together, as if making but one queftion, omitting all the intervening difcourfe; whereas it is plain out of St. Luke, that they were two diftinct queftions, to which Jefus gave two diftinct anfwers. In the firft whereof, he, according to his ufual caution, declined faying in plain express words that he was the Meffiah; though in the latter he owned himself to be "the fon of God:" which though they, being Jews, understood to fignify the Meffiah, yet he knew could be no legal or weighty accufation against him before a heathen; and fo it proved: for, upon his answering to their question, "Art thou then the fon of God? "Ye fay that I am;" they cry out, Luke xxii. 71. “What need we <c any farther witneffes? For we ourselves have heard out of his "own mouth?" and fo thinking they had enough against him, they hurry him away to Pilate. Pilate afking them, John xviii. 29-32. What accufation bring you against this man? They an"fwered, and faid, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have "delivered him up unto thee." Then faid Pilate unto them, "Take ye him, and judge him according to your law." But this would not ferve their turn, who aimed at his life, and would be fatisfied with nothing effe. "The Jews therefore faid unto him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." And this was alfo, "That the faying of Jefus might be fulfilled which he spake, fignifying what death he fhould die." Pursuing therefore their defign, of making him appear to Pontius Pilate guilty of treafon againft Cæfar, Luke xxiii. 2. "They began to accufe him, faying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to "give tribute to Cæfar; faying, That he himself is the Meffiah "the king:" all which were inferences of theirs from his faying, he was "the fon of God;" which Pontius Pilate finding (for it is confonant that he examined them to the precife words he had faid), their accufation had no weight with him. However, the name of King being fuggefted against Jefus, he thought himself concerned to fearch it to the bottom. John xviii. 33-37• "Then Pilate en"tered again into the judgement-hall, and called Jefus, and faid "unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jefus anfwered him, "Sayeft thou this of thyfelf, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate "anfwered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests "have delivered thee unto me: what haft thou done? Jefus an"fwered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were "of this world, then would my fervants fight, that I fhould not be "delivered to the Jews? but my kingdom is not from hence. "Pilate

"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jefus an"fwered, Thou fayeft that I am a king. For this end was I born, "and for this caufe came I into the world, that I fhould bear "witnefs to the truth: every one that is of the truth heareth my "voice." In this dialogue between our Saviour and Pilate we may obferve, 1. That being afked, whether he were "the king of "the Jews?" he answers fo, that though he deny it not, yet he avoided giving the leaft umbrage, that he had any defign upon the government: for though he allows himself to be a king, yet, to obviate any fufpicion, he tells Pilate, "his kingdom is not of this "world;" and evidences it by this, that if he had pretended to any title to that country, his followers, which were not a few, and were forward enough to believe him their king, would have fought for him, if he had a mind to fet himfelf up by force, or his kingdom were so to be erected. "But my kingdom," fays he, "is not " from hence;" is not of this fashion, or of this place.

2. Pilate, being by his words and circumftances fatisfied that he laid no claim to his province, or meant any disturbance of the government, was yet a little furprised to hear a man, in that poor garb, without retinue, or fo much as a fervant or a friend, own himfelf to be a king; and therefore asks him, with fome kind of wonder, "Art thou a king then?"

3. That our Saviour declares, that his great bufiness into the world was, to teftify and make good this great truth, that he was a king, i. e. in other words, that he was the Meffiah.

4. That whoever were followers of the truth, and got into the way of truth and happinefs, received this doctrine concerning him, viz. that he was Meffiah their king.

Pilate being thus fatisfied that he neither meant, nor could there arife any harm from his pretence, whatever it was, to be a king, tells the Jews, ver. 38. "I find no fault in this man:" but the Jews were the more fierce, Luke xxiii. 5. faying, "He stirreth up "the people to fedition, by his preaching through all Jewry, "beginning from Galilee to this place." And then Pilate, learning that he was of Galilee, Herod's jurifdiction, fent him to Herod; to whom alfo the chief priefts and Scribes, ver. 10. "vehemently "accused him." Herod finding all their accufations either falfe or frivolous, thought our Saviour a bare object of contempt; and fo turning him only into ridicule, fent him back to Pilate; who calling unto him the chief priefts, and the rulers, and the people, ver. 14. "faid unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me as "one that perverteth the people; and behold, I have examined "him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching thefe "things whereof ye accufe him; no, nor yet Herod; for I fent you to him; and fo nothing worthy of death is done by him:" and therefore he would have released him; " for he knew the chief "priests had delivered him through envy," Mark xv. 10. And when they demanded Barabbas to be released, but as for Jefus, cried, "Crucify him," Luke xxiii. 22. "Pilate faid unto them the

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