Jews, befide their general proneness to revolt in common with other people that were oppreffed, had fome reafons for it peculiar to themselves; that they were the most univerfally oppofite to their masters in every thing relating to Polity and Religion; -that they were actually engaged in furious contests with Pilate on this very account;- nay that they thought it unlawful to ferve even the conquerors of the world in war, and that all who were once admitted were discharged by the Romans in form;-all this will introduce fuch a formidable body of infidels into the country about Jerufalem during the ministry of Christ, as without fome particular reafons of their conduct will even at this time thake the credit of the Christian Religion.

a

I could if it was neceffary heighten the prefent difficulty by fhewing farther from b one moft perfectly acquainted with the state of things, that the Romans were always so dif. trustful of the fidelity of the Jews, that they never fuffered their Capitol to be without a whole

2

Jofeph. Antiq. Jud. L. 18. c. 3. Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef.

L. 2. c 28.

• Jofeph. Antiq. Jud. L. 14. c. 19.

↑ Josepbus.

whole legion to keep it in awe; that the fort Antonia was likewife added to this number; that there must be a great many more at the festival times, when the governor came with all his train from Cæfarea; and that fometimes during a whole winter, the whole army was quartered at Jerufalem :— but there is no occafion for this; the face of things is already fo difordered as to call aloud for fome more fatif factory accounts of it than have hitherto been given; and it is not improbable that Tertullian himself was fenfible of it, when he says, that Pilate was in his heart a Chriftian. That he ought to have been fo is true; but that he was not, appears as well from the filence of the Scriptures, as the improbability of the fact in one of his conduct, as delivered in those records; but more efpecially ftill from the teftimonies of other Writers, who have related fuch actions, and given fuch accounts of him, as are not very confiftent with such a suppofition.

d

e

* Καθῆσο γὰρ ἀεὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τάγμα Ῥωμαίων.

f Philo

Jofeph. de bello Jud. L. 5. c. 5,

• Jofeph. Antiq. L. 18. c. 4.
Ipfe jam pro confcientiâ fuâ Chriftianus.

Tertullian. Apolog

Philo has given us an ample relation of his contentions with the Jews, and his obtruding with great obftinacy the fhields dedicated to the Emperor upon them, which argued in him a difpofition very unlike what Tertullian has afcribed to him: -and Eufebius informs us, that the vengeance of heaven at length overtook this Roman for his crimes, amongst which he intimates that the rejection and condemnation of our Saviour was not the leaft confiderable.

:

But as enough has already been faid of the principal actor in this fcene, let us fee how fome of his fubalterns behaved in like circumftances.

Jofephus likewife has mentioned a fact of the fame nature which happened before the miniftry of Chrift; but this of Philo's feems to be after, as it is mentioned that many diforders had been already committed by him.

C

* Οὐκ ἀγνοεῖν δὲ ἄξιον ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ Σωτήρης Πιλάτον, τοσαύταις περιπεσεῖν κατέχει λόγω συμφοραῖς, ὡς ἐξ ἀνάγκης Φονευτὴν ἑαυτῶ καὶ τιμωρὸν αὐ τόχειρα γενέθαι τῆς θείας, ὡς ἔοικε, δίκης ἐκ εἰς μάκραν AUTOV Melextions. Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. L. 2. c. 7.

Matth. 27. 54. Luke 15:39, 0. T

* Enquiry into the Heathea Reject, of Miracles. Chap. & & Luke 23.47:

From

ftances. The Centurion who attended our Saviour at his death, and who by his office was probably a Roman, was amazed and terrified with the things that were done; and if we should admit that hthofe, who the Evangelifts fay ftood with him, were Romans too, then we must conclude, that all of them, on this account, acknowledged Chrift to be the Son of God: but then what a low idea this appellation must be supposed to convey, has not only been fhewn in a full and ample manner before; but is likewife farther explained to us by the best fupport of truth in a like cafe; and that is from the teftimony of another Evan

k

gelift

From these two accounts we may conclude that it would not be improper to tranflate the words

, this was the Son of a God, and by this means make the Centurion fpeak, not after the Jewish but the Gentile manner; which is a fuppofition natural enough in moft cafes, but more especially in the prefent, where the oppofition is fo great in all points between the Jews and Romans, and where the one defpifed the other so much, that it is very improbable that the Centurion fhould have adopted their notions. And what the learned Grotius has obferved on this place is very favourable to this interpre

tation.

Cum Romani fuerint qui hoc dicebant, puto eos de Jefu ità exiftumaffe quomodo de Hercule, Baccho, Caf

toribus,

gelift, who has delivered down to us the faying of the Centurion as different in expreffion, but equivalent in the meaning, that Jefus certainly was a righteous man.

Indeed this was no more than what Pilate himself had before acknowledged, and that in a full affembly of the enemies of Christ; so that in all probability the conduct of himself, and the reft of his countrymen was the fame; that is, confiftent enough on the plan, that miracles were eafily wrought, and were of but little importance in the affairs of men; but inconceiveably stupid, and beyond description defperate on any other fuppofition.

For the whole of the matter is this: a Prophet from God appeals to the world for the truth of his miffion, by a continued feries of very amazing tranfactions in his life time, and now farther confirms it at his death by one more amazing than them all: This and

pro

toribus, Æfculapio, Quirino exiftumabant: et maxime ad celebrem de Quirino fabulam refpexiffe eos credibile eft, circa cujus mortem et tenebræ et fragor contigiffe dicebantur. Tertullianus de Chrifto. In cœlum eft receptus multo verius quam apud vos affeverare de Romulo Proculi folent. Grot. in loc.