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 itself, but in the way as he retired to the mount of Olives; for there seems 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 paffover above a twelvemonth before at Jerufalem, was done in the fight of the Scribes, Pharifees, chief priefts, or rulers. Nor was it without reason, that in the former part of his miniftry he was cautious of fhewing himself to them to be the Meffiah. But now, that he was come to the last scene of his life, and that the passover 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 guess, by what we have found him conftantly preaching elsewhere: but St. Luke tells us, chap. xx. 1. "He taught in the temple, and evangelized;" or, as we tranflate it, " preached the gofpel:" 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 history.

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 anfwer he plainly defigns himself, under the name of "light," which was what he had declared himself to them to be, the last time that they had feen 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 darkness, but fhall have the

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light of life" as we may read John viii. 12. and ix. 5. he says, "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 manifest 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 Meffiah; 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 some reason; 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 answer 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 those, 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 Jewith 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 testimony 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 him, whilst 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 anfwer."

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 vixoμas, how am I

"ftraitened

"ftraitened till it be accomplished," I leave to be confidered. "F "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 myself openly to be the Meffiah; though I am he, that must not be spoken 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 crofs, in its due time and manner, so 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 disturbance 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 should not remain in darkness.” Which believing in him, was the believing him to be the Meffiah, as I have elsewhere fhewed.

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The next day, Matt. xxi. he rebukes them for not having believed John the Baptift, who had teftified that he was the Meffiah : 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."

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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 thould be brought in.

The Scribes and Pharifees and chief priests, not able to bear the declaration he made of himfelf to be the Meffiah (by his difcourfes and miracles before them, pode autãy, John xii. 37. which he had never done before), impatient of his preaching and miracles, and being not able otherwife to ftop the increafe 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 of priests, and the Scribes, and the chief the "people) fought to deftroy him," the firft 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;

Temple; and the Scribes and the chief priests heard it, and fought how they might destroy him; for they feared him, becaufe 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 so 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 fpies, which fhould feign themfelves 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 accufàtion 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 ferved 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 earneft 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 himfelf, 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 reason 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 PLAIN"LY," wapinoia, i. e. in direct words: for that St. John ufes 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 of reft in fleep. Then faid Jefus to them plainly, appraia, Lazarus is dead." Here we fee what is meant by wapnia, PLAIN direct words, fuch as exprefs the thing without a figure; and fo they would have Jefus pronounce himfelf to be the Meffiah. And the fame thing they prefs again, Matt. xvi. 63. the high priest adjuring him by the living God, to tell them whether he were the Meffiah, the fon of God, as we fhall have occafion to take notice by-and-by.

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

E

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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 fayest and teachest rightly; neither accepteft thou the perfon of any, but teachest the way of God truly. Is it lawful "for us to give tribute to Cæfar, or no?" By this captious queftion 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 feemcd 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 pople from him. If, on the other fide, he answered "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 inares for me?" Ye hypocrites, fhew me the tribute-money:" so it is, Matt. xxii. 19. "Whofe image and infcription has it? They said, "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 anfwer, he defeated their whole defign. "And they could not take hold of his "words before the people; and they marvelled at his anfwer, 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 com.mandment, 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, yer 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, covetoufnefs, and ignorance; and particularly tells them, ver. 13. "Ye fhut

up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in "yourselves, 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 refufed 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