should have taken; efpecially, if it were of that moment, that upon men's believing him to be the Meffiah, depended the forgiveness of their fins. And And yet we fee, that our Saviour did not: but on the contrary, for the most part, made no other discovery of himself, at least in Judea, and at the beginning of his miniftry, but in the two former ways, which were more obfcure; not declaring himfelf to be the Meffiah, any otherwife than as it might be gathered from the miracles he did, and the conformity of his life and actions, with the prophecies of the old teftament concerning him; and from fome general discourses of the kingdom of the Meffiah being come, under the name of the "kingdom of God, "and of heaven." Nay, fo far was he from publickly owning himself to be the Meffiah, that he forbid the doing of it: Mark viii. 27-20. "He afked "his difciples, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptift; but fome fay Elias; and others, one of the prophets." (So that it is evident, that even thofe, who believed him an extraordinary perfon, knew not yet who he was, or that he gave himself out for the Meffiah; though this was in the third year of his ministry, and not a year before his death.) " And he "faith unto them, But whom fay ye that I am? And Peter anfwered, and "faid unto him, Thou art the Meffiah. And he charged them, that they "fhould tell no man of him," Luke iv. "And devils came out of many, crying, Thou are the Meffiah, the Son of God: and he, rebuking them, fuf"fered them not to fpeak, that they knew him to be the Meffiah." Mark iii. I2. "Unclean fpirits, when they faw him, fell down before him, and cried, faying, Thou art the Son of God: and he straitly charged them, that they fhould not make him known." Here again we may obferve, from the comparing of the two texts, that "Thou art the Son of God," or "Thou "art the Meffiah," were indifferently used for the fame thing. But to return to the matter in hand:

II,

41.

THIS Concealment of himself will feem ftrange, in one who was come to bring light into the world, and was to fuffer death for the teftimony of the truth. This reservedness will be thought to look, as if he had a mind to conceal himself, and not to be known to the world for the Meffiah, nor to be believed on as fuch. But we shall be of another mind, and conclude this proceeding of his according to divine wisdom, and fuited to a fuller manifeftation and evidence of his being the Meffiah; when we confider that he was to fill out the time foretold of his ministry; and, after a life illuftrious in miracles and good works, attended with humility, meeknefs, patience, and fufferings, and every way conformable to the prophecies of him; fhould be led as a fheep to the flaughter, and with all quiet and fubmiffion be brought to the cross, though there were no guilt, nor fault found in him. This could not have been, if, as foon as he appeared in publick, and began to preach, he had presently profeffed himfelf to have been the Meffiah; the king that owned that kingdom, he publifhed to be at hand. For the fanhedrim would then have laid hold on it, to have got him into their power, and thereby have taken away his life; at least, they would have disturbed his ministry, and hindered the work he was about. That this made him cautious, and avoid, as much as he could, the occafions of provoking them, and falling into their hands, is plain from John vii. 1, "Af

"ter

"ter these things Jefus walked in Galilee;" out of the way of the chief priests and rulers; for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews fought to kill "him." Thus, making good what he foretold them at Jerufalem, when, at the firft paffover after his beginning to preach the gofpel, upon his curing the man at the pool of Bethesda, they fought to kill him, John v. 16, "Ye have not, fays he, ver. 38, "his word abiding amongst you; for whom he hath fent, him ye believe not." This was spoken more particularly to the Jews of Jerufalem, who were the forward men, zealous to take away his life: and it imports, that, because of their unbelief and oppofition to him, the word of God i. e. the preaching of the kingdom of the Meffiah, which is often called, "the word "of God," did not ftay amongst them, he could not ftay amongst them, preach and explain to them the kingdom of the Meffiah.

THAT the word of God, here, fignifies "the word of God" that should make Jefus known to them to be the Meffiah, is evident from the context: and this meaning of this place is made good by the event. For, after this, we hear no more of Jefus at Jerufalem, 'till the pentecoft come twelve-month; tho' 'tis not to be doubted, but that he was there the next paffover, and other feafts between; but privately. And now at Jerufalem, at the feast of pentecoft, near fifteen months after; he fays little of any thing, and not a word of the kingdom of heaven being come, or at hand; nor did he any miracle there. And returning to Jerufalem at the feaft of tabernacles, it is plain, that from this time 'till then, which was a year and a half, he had not taught them at Jerufalem.

FOR, I, It is faid, John vii. 2. 15, That, he teaching in the temple at the feaft of tabernacles, "the Jews marvelled, faying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" A fign they had not been used to his preaching: for, if they had, they would not now have marvelled.

2. VER. 19, He fays thus to them: "Did not Mofes give you the law, "and yet none of you keep the law? Why go ye about to kill me? One "work," or miracle, "I did here amongst you, and ye all marvel. Mofes there"fore gave unto you circumcifion, and ye on the fabbath-day circumcise a man: "If a man on the fabbath-day receive circumcifion, that the law of Mofes "fhould not be broken, are ye angry with me, because I have made a man "every way whole on the fabbath-day?" Which is a direct defence of what he did at Jerufalem, a year and a half before the work he here fpeaks of. We find he had not preached to them there, from that time to this; but had made good what he had told them, ver. 38, "Ye have not the word of God remaining

among you, because whom he hath fent ye believe not." Whereby, I think, he fignifies his not ftaying, and being frequent amongst them at Jerufalem, preaching the gofpel of the kingdom; because their great unbelief, oppofition, and malice to him, would not permit it.

THIS was manifeftly fo in fact: for the firft miracle he did at Jerufalem, which was at the fecond paffover after his baptifm; brought him in danger of his life. Hereupon we find he forbore preaching again there, 'till the feast of tabernacles, immediately preceding his laft paffover: fo that 'till the half a year before his paffion, he did but one miracle, and preached but once publickly at

Jerufalem.

Jerufalem. These trials he made there; but ound their unbelief fuch, that if he had staid and perfifted to preach the good tidings of the kingdom, and to fhew himself by miracles among them; he could not have had time and freedom to do thofe works which his Father had given him to finish, as he fays, ver. 36, of this fifth of St. John.

"The

WHEN, upon the curing of the withered hand on the fabbath-day, "Pharifees took council with the Herodians, how they might destroy him; Jefus withdrew himself, with his difciples, to the fea; and a great multiude "from Galilee followed him, and from Judea, and from Jerufalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond Jordan, and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great "multitude; when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him; and he healed them all, and CHARGED THEM, THAT THEY SHOULD NOT MAKE HIM KNOWN: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the "prophet Ifaiah, faying, Behold, my fervant, whom I have chofen; my belo"ved, in whom my foul is well pleafed: I will put my fpirit upon him, and he fhall fhew judgment to the Gentiles. He hall not strive, nor cry, neither fhall any man hear his voice in the ftreets," Matt. xii. Mark iii. AND, John xi. 47, upon the news of our Saviour's raifing Lazarus from the dead, "The chief priests and Pharifees convened the fanhedrim, and said, "What do we? For this man does many miracles." Ver. 53, "Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death." Ver. 54, Jefus therefore walked no more openly amongst the Jews." His miracles had now fo much declared him to be the Meffiah, that the Jews could no longer bear him, nor he trust himfelf amongst them; "But went thence unto "a country near to the wildernefs, into a city called Ephraim; and there continued with his difciples." This was but a little before his laft paffover, as appears by the following words, ver. 55. "And the Jews paffover was nigh at hand," and he could not, now his miracles had made him fo well known, have been fecure, the little time that remained, 'till his hour was fully come, if he had not, with his wonted and neceflary caution, withdrawn; "And walked "no more openly amongst the Jews," 'till his time (at the next paflover) was fully come; and then again he appeared amongst them openly.

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NOR would the Romans have fuffered him, if he had gone about preaching, that he was the King whom the Jews expected. Such an accufation would have been forwardly brought against him by the Jews, if they could have heard it out of his own mouth; and that had been his publick doctrine to his followe ers, which was openly preached by the apostles after his death, when he appeared no more. And of this they were accufed, Acts xvii. 5-9. "But the "Jews, which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd "fellows of the bafer fort, and gathered a company, and fet all the city in an uproar, and affaulted the houfe of Jafon, and fought to bring them out to "the people. And when they found them [Paul and Silas] not, they drew Jafon, and certain brethren, unto the rulers of the city, crying, Thefe that ❝ have turned the world upfide down, are come hither alfo; whom Jafon hath "received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæfar, faying, That "there is another King, one Jefus. And they troubled the people, and the

"" rulers

"rulers of the city, when they heard these things: and when they had taken fecurity of Jafon and the other, they let them go."

THOUGH the magiftrates of the world had no great regard to the talk of a King who had suffered death, and appeared no longer any where; yet, if our Saviour had openly declared this of himself in his life-time, with a train of disciples and followers every-where owning and crying him up for their King; the Roman Governor of Judea could not have forborn to have taken notice of it, and have made ufe of their force against him. This the Jews were not mistaken in; and therefore made use of it as the strongest accufation, and likelieft to prevail with Pilate against him, for the taking away his life; it being treason, and an unpardonable offence, which could not efcape death from a Roman deputy, without the forfeiture of his own life. Thus then they accuse him to Pilate, Luke xxiii. 2. "We found this fellow perverting the nation, forbidding to give tribute to Cæfar, faying, that he himself is a King;" or rather the Meffiah, the King."

OUR Saviour, indeed, now that his time was come, (and he in cuftody, and forfaken of all the world, and fo out of all danger of raifing any fedition or disturbance) owns himself to Pilate to be a King; after first having told Pilate, John xviii. 36, "That his kingdom was not of this world:" and, for a kingdom in another world, Pilate knew that his master at Rome concerned not him-self. But had there been any the least appearance of truth in the allegations of the Jews, that he had perverted the nation, forbidding to pay tribute to Cæfar, or drawing the people after him, as their King; Pilate would not so readily have pronounced him innocent. But we fee what he faid to his accufers, Luke xxiii. 13, 14. "Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and "the rulers of the people, faid unto them, you have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people; and behold, I, having examined him "before you, have found no fault in this man, touching those things whereof you accuse him: no, nor yet Herod, for I fent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done by him." And therefore, finding a man of that mean condition, and innocent life, (no mover of feditions, or disturber of the publick peace) without a friend or a follower, he would have dismissed him, as a King of no confequence; as an innocent man, falfely and maliciously accused by the Jews.

How neceffary this caution was in our Saviour, to fay or do nothing that might justly offend, or render him fufpected to the Roman governor; and how glad the Jews would have been to have had any fuch thing against him; we may fee, Luke xx. 20. The chief priests and the scribes "watched him, and sent << forth fpies, who should feign themselves just men, that might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor." And the very thing wherein they hoped to entrap him in this place, was paying tribute to Cæfar; which they afterwards falfely accused him of. And what would they have done, if he had before them professed himself to have been the Meffiah, their King and Deliverer ?

AND here we may obferve the wonderful providence of God, who had fo ordered the state of the Jews, at the time when his fon was to come into the VOL. III.

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world.

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world, that though neither their civil conftitution, nor religious worship, were diffolved, yet the power of life and death was taken from them; whereby he had an opportunity to publish the kingdom of the Meffiah;" that is, his own royalty, under the name of " the kingdom of God, and of heaven;" which the, Jews well enough understood, and would certainly have put him to death for, had the power been in their own hands. But this being no matter of accufation to the Romans, hindered him not from speaking of the " kingdom of heaven," as he did, fometimes in reference to his appearing in the world, and being believed on by particular perfons; fometimes in reference to the power should be given him by the Father at his refurrection; and fometimes in reference to his coming to judge the world at the last day, in the full glory and completion of his kingdom. These were ways of declaring himself, which the Jews could lay no hold on, to bring him in danger with Pontius Pilate, and get him seized put to death.

and

ANOTHER reafon there was, that hindered him, as much as the former, from profeffing himself, in express words, to be the Meffiah; and that was, that the whole nation of the Jews, expecting at this time their Meffiah, and deliverance by him, from the subjection they were in to a foreign yoke, the body of the people would certainly, upon his declaring himself to be the Meffiah, their king, have rofe up in rebellion, and fet him at the head of them. And indeed, the miracles that he did, fo much difpofed them to think him to be the Meffiah, that, though shrouded under the obfcurity of a mean condition, and a very private fimple life; though he paffed for a Galilean, (his birth at Bethlehem being then concealed) and affumed not to himself any power or authority, or fo much as the name of the Meffiah; yet he could hardly avoid being fet up by a tumult, and proclaimed their king. So John tells us, chap. vi. 14, 15, "Then those men, when they had feen the miracles that Jefus did, faid, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When "therefore Jefus perceived that they would come to take him by force to make "him king, he departed again into a mountain, himself alone." This was

upon his feeding of five thousand with five barley loaves and two fishes. So hard was it for him, doing those miracles which were neceffary to teftify his miffion, and which often drew great multitudes after him, Matt. iv. 25, to keep the heady and hafty multitude from fuch diforder, as would have involved him in it; and have disturbed the courfe, and cut fhort the time of his ministry; and drawn on him the reputation and death of a turbulent, feditious malefactor: contrary to the design of his coming, which was, to be offered up a lamb blameless, and void of offence; his innocence appearing to all the world, even to him that delivered him up to be crucified. This it would have been impoffible to have avoided, if, in his preaching every-where, he had openly affumed to himself the title of their Meffiah; which was all was wanting to fet the people in a flame; who, drawn by his miracles, and the hopes of finding a Deliverer in fo extraordinary a man, followed him in great numbers. We read every-where of multitudes, and, in Luke xii. 1, of myriads that were gathered about him. This conflux of people, thus difpofed, would not have failed, upon his declaring himself to be the Meffiah, to have made a commotion, and