"wheat but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, and "when thou art converted" [imas, returned back again to the faith],"ftrengthen thy brethren." 4. The fourth event foretold by Chrift, is his being delivered to the high priests, and by them to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor, together with many particulars of his fufferings from that time to his crucifixion. All which things are related by the evangelifts, as follows: "And they that had laid hold on Jefus, led him away to Caia"phas the high priest," where the Scribes and the elders were affembled; who, after having examined fome witneffes, from whofe evidence nothing criminal could be made out against him, at length adjured him by the living God to tell them, Whether he was "the Chrift, the fon of God." To him Jefus faith, "Thou haft "faid. Then the high prieft rent his cloaths, faying, He hath "fpoken blafphemy, What farther need have we of witneffes? Be"hold, now you have heard his blafphemy. What think ye? They "anfwered and faid, 'He is guilty of death.' Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him, and others fmote him with the "palms of their hands, faying, Prophecy to us, thou Chrift, who " is he that fmote thee. "And when they had bound him, they led him away to Pontius "Pilate, the (Roman) governor ;" who, overcome by the clamours of a tumultuous multitude, at laft delivered him to be crucified, after having declared him innocent five feveral times, and endeavoured in vain to prevail upon the Jews to let him go free, or to be contented with his having fcourged him. "+Then the foldiers of the governor took Jefus into the common hall, and gathered to him "the whole band of foldiers; and they ftripped him, and put on him a fcarlet robe; and when they had platted a crown of thorns, "they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And "they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, faying, Hail "King of the Jews. And they spit upon him, and took the robe "off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away "to crucify him." The words in which many of thefe particulars were foretold, are thefe." Behold, we go up to Jerufalem, and the fon of man shall "be betrayed to the chief priests, and to the Scribes, and they fhall "condemn him to death; and fhall deliver him to the Gentiles "to mock, and to fcourge, and to crucify him." In St. Mark §it is, "They [the Gentiles] fhall mock him, and fall fcourge him, " and fhall fpit upon him, and fhall kill him." In St. Luke), For he fhall be delivered to the Gentiles, and fhall be mocked, " and spitefully entreated, and fpit on, and they fhall fcourge him " and put him to death." Of his fufferings from the elders and chief priests he spoke in these words: "** From that time forth "began Jefus to fhew to the difciples how he must go to Jerufalem, "and fuffer many things of the elders and chief priests, and Scribes, "and be killed," &c. *Matth. xxvi. 57. Mark xiv. 53. 5. His Matth. xxvii. 20. Ibid xx. 18. 5. His crucifixion and death are mentioned in every one of the laft cited paffages, and in many others up and down the evangelifts, either in exprefs words, or in figures and allufions, which I think it is not neceffary to infert, no more than the relation of those events, which are too well known to be difputed. One proof, however, of his death, I fhall here beg leave to mention, because it has not been much attended to by common readers. St. John, cap. xix. 33, 34, after having related that the foldiers "brake the legs of the two thieves," who were crucified with Jefus, adds, "But when they came to Jefus, and faw that he was dead "already, they brake not his legs; but one of the foldiers with a "fpear pierced his fide, and forthwith came thereout blood and "water; and he that faw it, bare record," &c. Upon these words Beza makes the following obfervation. Among the reasons that induced St. John to affert this fact with fo much emphafis, this ought not to be paffed over, which Erafmus alfo touches upon; namely, that by this wound the death of Chrift is fully proved. For the water, flowing out of that wound in the fide, was an indication of the fpear's having penetrated the pericardium, in which that water is lodged, and which being wounded, every animal must neceffarily die immediately. This fact, therefore, was inferted to obviate the calumnies of the enemies of the truth, who might otherwife pretend that Jefus was taken down from the cross before he was dead, and thence call in queftion the reality of his refurrection from the dead. 6. Of his rifing from the dead I need not here again produce. the proofs, having fet them forth fo copioufly in all the preceding parts of this difcourfe; but concerning the evidence of his rifing precifely on the third day," I think it proper here to add an obfervation or two. That he did not rife before the third day, is evident from what St. Matthew relates of the watch or guard being fet at the door of the fepulchre. The paffage is this: "* Now the "next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief "priefts and Pharifees came together to Pilate, faying, Sir, we re"member that that deceiver faid, whilft he was yet alive, After "three days I will rife again: command therefore that the fepulchre "be made fure" until the third day, "left his difciples come by "night and fteal him away, and fay to the people, He is rifen from "the dead; fo the last error fhall be worse than the firft," &c. From these words I obferve, 1ft, That the watch or guard was fet at the fepulchre the next day after the death and burial of Chrift. 2dly, It is most probable this was done on what we call the evening of that day; because that was a high-day, not only a Sabbath, but the paflover: and it can hardly be imagined that the chief prieft, and especially the Pharifees who pretended to greater ftrictness and purity than any other fect of the Jews, fhould, before the religious duties of the day were over, defile themfelves by going to Pilate; for that they were very fcrupulous upon that point appears from what St. John † fays of their not entering into the hall of judgement judgement (the prætorium, where Pilate's tribunal was) the day before," left they should be defiled," and fo kept from eating the pass over. And if it fhould be faid, that the pafchal-lamb being always eaten in the night, all their fcruples upon that account were over, and they at liberty to go to Pilate in the morning, or at what other time they pleased; I anfwer, that, allowing the objection, it is still farther to be confidered, that this was the Sabbath-day: and can it be fuppofed that the Pharifees, who cenfured Jefus " for healing, and "his difciples for plucking and eating the ears of corn on the Sab"bath-day," would profane that day, and defile themselves, not only by going to Pilate, but with the foldiers to the fepulchre of Chrift, and fetting a feal upon the door of the fepulchre, before the religious duties of that folemn day were paft? especially as they were under no kind of neceffity of doing it before the evening; though it was highly expedient for them not to delay it beyond that time. Both which points I shall now explain. Jefus had faid, whilft he was yet alive, that he should rife again from the dead on "the third day;" which prophecy would have been equally falfified by his rifing on the firft, or fecond, as on the fourth. If his body, therefore, was not in the fepulchre " at the "clofe of the fecond day," the chief priests and Pharifees would gain their points, and might have afferted boldly, that he was an impoftor; from whence it will follow, that it was time enough for them to vifit the fepulchre at the close of the fecond day." On the other hand, as he had declared he should rife on the third day," it was neceffary for them (if they apprehended what they gave out, that his difciples would come and fteal him away), to guard against any fuch attempt on that day, and for that day only." And, as the third day began from the evening or fhutting-in of the fecond, according to the way of computing ufed among the Jews, it was as neceflary for them not to delay vifiting the fepulchre, and fetting their guard, till after the beginning of that third day; for if they had come to the fepulchre, though ever fo fhort a time after the third day was begun," and had found the body miffing, they could not from thence have proved him an impoftor. And accordingly St. Matthew tells us they went thither on the fecond day," which was the Sabbath; and though the going to Pilate, and with the Roman foldiers, to the fepulchre, and fealing up the ftone, was undoubtedly a profanation of the Sabbath, in the eyes of the ceremonious Pharifees, yet might they excufe themselves to their confciences, or (what feems to have been of greater confequence in their opinions) to the world, by pleading the neceffity of doing it that day. And furely nothing could have carried them out on fuch a business, on fuch a day, but the urgent neceffity of doing it "then," or "not "at all." And as I have fhewn above, that this urgent neceffity could not take place till the "clofe of the fecond day," and juft, though but one moment, before the beginning of the third; it will follow, from what hath been faid, that in the estimation of the high prieft and Pharifees, the day on which they fet their guard was the fecond day; and the next day confequently was the third; to 66 the the end of which they requested Pilate to command that the fepulchre might be made fure. Here then we have a proof, furnished by the murderers and blafphemers of Chrift themselves, that he was not tifen before the third day; for it is to be taken for granted, that before they fealed up the fepulchre, and fet the guard, they had infpected it, and feen that the body was ftill there. Hence alfo we are enabled to answer the unlearned cavils that have been raised upon thefe expreffions, "three days and three nights," and "after "three days. For it is plain that the chief priests and Pharifees, by their going to the fepulchre on the Sabbath-day, underflood that day to be the fecond; and it is as plain by their fetting the guard from that time, and the reafon given to Pilate for their fo doing, viz. left the difciples fhould come in the night, and fteal him "away," that they conftrued that day, which was just then beginning, to be the day limited by Chrift for his rifing from the dead, i. e. the third day. For had they taken these words of our Saviour, "The fon of man fhall be three days and three nights in the heart of "the earth," in their ftrict literal fenfe, they need not have been in fuch hafte to fet their guard; fince, according to that interpretaItion, there were yet two days and two nights to come; neither, for the fame reafon, had they any occafion to apprehend ill confe=quences from the difciples coming that night and ftealing away the body of their master. So that, unless it be fuppofed that the chief priests and Pharifees, the most learned fect among the Jews, did not understand the meaning of a phrafe in their own language; or that they were fo impious or impolitic to profane the Sabbath and defile themselves without any occafion; and fo fenfelefs and impertinent as to afk a guard of Pilate for watching the fepulchrè that night and day, to prevent the difciples ftealing away the body of Chrift the night or the day following; unlefs, I fay, thefe ftrange fuppofitions be admitted, we may fairly conclude, that in the language, and to the understanding of the Jews, "three days and three nights, and after three days," were equivalent to "three days," or in three days." That he rofe on the third day, the teftimony of the angels, and his own appearances to the women, to Simon, and to the two difciples on the way to Emmaus, which all happened on that day, are clear and fufficient proofs. The predictions of Chrift, relating to this miraculous event, are many; fome of which only I fhall here fet down, for brevity's fake. "And as they" [the three difciples] "came down from the "mountain" [where Chrift had been transfigured] "Jefus charged "them, faying, Tell the vifion to no man, until the Son of man be "rifen again from the dead. NC + But after I am rifen, I will go before you into Galilee." "From that time forth began Jefus to fhew to his difciples, "how that he must go to Jerufalem, and fuffer many things of the "elders and chief priests and Scribes, and be killed, and be raised "again the third day." "Behold Matth. xvii. 9. 4 Chap. xxvi. 32. Chap. xvi. 22, "* Behold, we go up to Jerufalem, and the Son of man fhall be "betrayed to the chief priefts, and to the Scribes; and they shall "condemn him to death, and fhall deliver him to the Gentiles, to "mock, and to fcourge, and to crucify him; and the third day he fhall rife again." I fhall defer what remarks I have to make upon these predictions, and their accomplishment, till I come to confider the prophecies contained in the writings of Mofes, and the Prophets, and the Pfalms, relating to the fufferings, and death, and refurrection of Chrift; for thofe only belong to the prefent fubject. § 18. 4thly, The fourth evidence, appealed to by our Saviour, was the teftimony of the Scriptures; in which are contained, not only the promifes of a Meffiah, and Saviour of the world, but the marks and defcriptions by which he was to be known. Of these there are many, and thofe fo various, fo feemingly incompatible in one and the fame perfon, and exhibited under fuch a multitude of types and figures, that as it was abfurd for a mere mortal to pretend to answer the character of the Meffiah in all points, fo was it difficult to those who by fome expreffions of the prophets were filled with the idea of a glorious, powerful, and triumphant deliverer, to underftand the intimation given in others of his fufferings and death. But this difficulty, proceeds rather from the prejudices and blindness of the interpreters, than from any degree of obfcurity in the latter more than in the former. His fufferings and death, and his offering himself up as a facrifice for fin, are as plainly fet forth in the writings of the prophets, and in the types of the Mofaical ceremonies, as his power and his priesthood: and if the Jews, and even the difciples, poffeffed with the like vain and carnal imaginations, turned their views and expectations to the one, and overlooked the other, it was owing to their mistaking the nature of his kingdom, and the end and defign of his prieftly office. This, I doubt not, might be made appear by comparing the feveral types and prophecies together, but would carry me too far from my prefent purpofe, which is only to fhew, that the sufferings, and death, and refurrection of Chrift, were foretold in the types and predictions contained in the books of Mofes, in the Prophets, and in the Pfalms; and to derive from thence another proof in favour of the refurrection. The first prophecy relating to this fubject in the books of Mofes, and the first indeed that was ever given to man, is that recorded in the third chapter of Genefis, and the 15th verfe, in these words, "And I will put enmity between thee" [the ferpent] "and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed. It fhall bruise thy head, "and thou fhalt bruife his heel. Upon this prophecy, I fhall beg leave to quote a paffage out of the late Bishop of Salisbury's moft admirable difcourfes," Of the Ufe "and Intent of Prophecy in the feveral Ages of the World." Difc. III. p. 57. Let us confider the hiftory of Mofes, as we should "do any other ancient Eaftern hiftory of the like antiquity: fup 66 *Matth. xx. 18, 19. '" pole, |