^ "^ 
 
 vM 
 
, 
 
 
 LTBIIA.RY 
 
 
 OF TIIK 
 
 
 Theological Seminary, \ 
 
 
 \ PRINCETON, N. J. 1 
 
 
 1 Case, ^C^>— - Di vision. _ 
 
 Hhelf, o^v^^®'^ Section | 
 
 i Book, C- ' ^^ 
 
 1 
 
 

 ':\ 
 
 % 
 
•% II— 
 
 \- • . 1 
 
 ,,. .:; r>.t. 
 
A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 On the TRUTH of the 
 
 Chriftian Religion: 
 
 WHEREIN 
 
 It's Real Foundation upon th'e 
 Old Tejiament is fliewn. 
 
 By ARTHUR ASHLEY^ISYKES, D.B. 
 
 Dem. E^vang. I. I. c. 7. 
 The SECOND EDITION, Correaed and Enlarged. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. and P. Kn apt on, in Lucigaie- Street. 
 MDCCLV, 
 
lit 
 THE 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 THE following EJfay upon tM 
 Truth of the Chrijiian Reli- 
 gion^ was drawn up foon 
 after The Difcourfe of the Grotmds 
 and Reafons^ &c. was published : 
 And it appears now, not that I 
 would pretend to corred: the Errors 
 of others, or to fupply their De- 
 fecisj but becaufe at this particular 
 Time the Minds of many are intent 
 upon this important Subject ; and 
 it is hoped that This may do fome 
 good. There is a Pleafure and an 
 Entertainment in Variety ; and dif- 
 ferent People are affeded by different 
 
 A 2 Argu- 
 
iv The P R E FA C E. 
 
 Arguments : If therefore This falls 
 into the hands of any ferious, think- 
 ing, Perfons, who are either co?t- 
 vi72ced by it, or co7iJjrmed in the 
 Truth of Chriftianity, my End will 
 be obtained. 
 
 That which determined me to 
 purfue the Method I have taken, was 
 this. I have long lince obferved, 
 that fome of thofe Paffages which 
 have been often cited as Prophecies 
 of The Mejftah^ have been explained 
 away by fome ; and that fome other 
 Prophecies which are often quoted, 
 prefuppofe the point which ufually 
 is inferred from them. This made 
 me attempt to lay the Foundation 
 •of Chriftianity upon what I thought 
 was clear and indifputable ; purfuing 
 thofe Topics which our Saviour him- 
 felf urged to prove himfelf to be 
 The Meffiah : Not intending thereby 
 
 to 
 
The PREFACE. 
 
 to infinuate that there were no other 
 Prophecies relating to Him, than 
 what I have confidered, but only to 
 fet the Truth in fuch a light, as 
 feemed to me to be fatisfadtory : and 
 when once the main point is fecured, 
 Other matters may be difputed, with- 
 out any prejudice to the Truth of 
 Chriftianity itfelf. 
 
 How well I have fucceeded in my 
 Delign, the Reader is now to judge. 
 Perhaps it may be thought that I 
 have miftaken the meaning oi fome 
 paffages of Scripture. All that I can 
 fay for myfelf is This only; — That 
 in the Explication of fo many, it is 
 well if I have not. However, I 
 have fincercly endeavoured to follow 
 Truth, being very little follicitous 
 where it led me : And if I have ' 
 failed, yet, This I am fure of, that my 
 Intentions were good and upright. 
 A 3 But 
 
Vi 
 
 The PREFACE. 
 But if I have made it appear, that 
 the writers of the New Teftament 
 argue fl?^iEilyy and very ratio?mlly^ 
 even in thofe points where our Ad- 
 verfaries reprefent them as arguing 
 very weakly and ahjurdly^ I hope I 
 have done no diflervice to the caufe 
 of Chriji. 
 
 It were to be wifhed, that the 
 Adverfaries of Chriftianity would 
 read the Books of the New Tefta- 
 ment, v^ith the fame Equity and Can- 
 dour that they do the Roman^ or 
 Greek Writers : That They would 
 examine into the real Intent and De- 
 Jiign of the Evangelifts, before They 
 pronounce their Affertions to be 
 falfe or ridiculous : That They would 
 carefully fearch into, and difcover 
 the true meaning and import of 
 the New Teftament Phrafeology, 
 before they declare things irrecon- 
 
 cileable. 
 
The PREFACE, 
 
 cileable. The Hke method is always 
 followed in all other Books: and 
 why the Hiftorians of the New Tefta- 
 ment fliould be denied this piece of 
 Juftice, is unconceiveable. Is any 
 thing more evident, than that FaSis 
 are fometimes joined together in a 
 Narration, which yet were vifibly not 
 fo in themfelves? Examine any Epi- 
 tome of any Hiflory, and fee if there 
 be not a Thoufand inftances of this 
 kind. If by conlidering that no one 
 of the Evangelifts fpeaks every thing 
 about the Adions o{ Jefus ; and that 
 by allowing diffcrentTimes for different 
 FaBsy the whole may be made con- 
 fident ; it is but equitable to make 
 fuch Allowances. 
 
 As thus much may reafonably be 
 
 demanded of our Adverfaries^ fo it 
 
 feems incumbent on Ou?^ parts, as 
 
 Lovers of Men and Friends to Truths 
 
 A + to 
 
 Vll 
 
viil The PREFACE. 
 
 to examine fairly, and without bitter- 
 nefs, the Objeftions which are brought 
 againft the Rehgion which we pro- 
 fefs ; and to take care that thofe who 
 produce their Difficulties, fliould be 
 by no means molefted, or any ways 
 injured on that account. It is a re- 
 proach to Truth to feek fhelter in 
 force; and whatever any of the con- 
 tending parties may think, the By- 
 Ji under s always will efteem it an Ar- 
 gument of a weak caufe to defire 
 fuch Affiftance. All that a Chrifitan 
 need wifh for, I think, is only this — 
 That an Adverfary would lay afide 
 all Prejudice and PaiTion, and bring 
 with him a Difpofition to receive the 
 Truth : That He would not rejed: 
 the whole of what is faid, on ac- 
 count of fome incidental inaccura- 
 cies, or miflakes: That the caufe of 
 Chriftianity may not be deemed in- 
 defenfible or falfe, becaufe fome, 
 
 who 
 
ThG P R E F A C E. h 
 
 who have mean^ well, have ill dcr 
 fended it : and That the ridiculous 
 Opinions of it's ProfeiTors may not be 
 imputed to Chriftianity itfelf 
 
 One thing more I would obferve, 
 which both the Friends and the Ad~ 
 verfaries of Chriftianity know full- 
 well ; and That is, that fincc Divinity 
 has been made a Science, and Syfte- 
 matical Opinions have been received, 
 and embraced, in fuch a manner that 
 it has not been fafe to contradidl them, 
 the Burden of vindicating Chrifti- 
 anity has been very much encreafed. 
 It's Friends have been much embar- 
 rafled thro' Fear ot fpeaking againft 
 local Truths \ and it's Adverfaries 
 have fo fuccefsfully attacked thofe 
 Weaknefies, that Chrijlia7^ity itfelf 
 has been deemed indefenftble, when 
 in reality the Follies of Chriftians a- 
 lone have been fo. Whereas, were 
 
 Chrtjiians 
 
The PREFACE. 
 
 Chrijlians left to their full Liberty 
 to defend the Doftrines of Chrift 
 and his Apoftles; the Dodrines, 
 I fay, of Chrift and his Apoftles, 
 which is all that Chriftians, as fuch^ 
 are obliged to defend ; were no 
 attacks to be made againft them, but 
 what could be taken from thence ; and 
 were they to defend 07^ly Them, I 
 do not fee which way their caufe 
 could receive any damage, nor how 
 Infidelity could make any converts. 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 T O T H E 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THE following Effay, containing a 
 direct ^ po/kive, Proof of this Truths 
 that yefus is The Cbrijl^ and being 
 allowed by that able Adverfary againft whom 
 it was wrote, " to have advanced a confiftent 
 " Scheme of Things/^ it is now thought 
 proper to reprint it, when the Religion of 
 Chriji is again attacked, as it has been by the 
 late Lord Bolingbroke^ and by Mr Hume. 
 There is in Both thefe Writers infinite Self- 
 contradidion : in Both of Them, a Con- 
 tempt of all Religion^ Natural as well as 
 Revealed : In the One, the moral Attributes 
 of God are treated as if They had no Foun- 
 dation, but in the Pride and Vanity of Hu- 
 man Hearts. In the Other, All Religion is 
 treated as if it were nothing but Fanaticifray 
 or Si{perJiitio?2, 
 
 It 
 
xu The PREFACE 
 
 It has always been my Defire, to fee Reli- 
 gion treated as a ratioiial^ confijlent Thing, 
 fiee from all Abfardity, or Folly: and the 
 Chrijlian in particular, as agreeable to our 
 Notions of God, and the Good of Man. 
 The Religion of Nature is capable of the 
 ftrideft Evidence; and therefore That is 
 never to be deviated from, or given up: The 
 Religion of Chrift^ as it lies in the New Te- 
 ftament, is perfectly agreeable to, and con- 
 fiftent with, what Natural Religion teaches: 
 and fo it will always be found, by Them that 
 examine into it*s Truth with Sincerity. Let 
 then Theology^ (as That word is made to f]g- 
 nify fomerhing added to the Religion laid 
 down in the Scriptures) be treated with all 
 the Severity that Lord Bolingbroke can throw 
 upon it, or that it may defer ve ; Let Thofe 
 that have abufed the Gofpel to any bad pur- 
 pofes, be expofed to the uta^oft ; and let all 
 Men of Senfe unite in condemning the Prac- 
 tices, or Notions, that have no Foundation in 
 the Scriptures, ftill the Gofpel of Chrijl re- 
 mains untouched, unhurt^ in full Strength, not 
 anfwerable for any of Thofe Additaments 
 that have been made to it by the Folly or the 
 Wickednefs of Man. 
 
 When this EJfay was firft wrote, it was 
 defigned as a plain^ poftive^ Argument, for 
 
 the 
 
to the Second Edition. x.iii 
 
 the Truth of the Religion of Chrift. The 
 better to clear up fome Padiges in it, I have 
 now enlarged it in fonie places ; and parti- 
 cularly, in the Beginning of the Second 
 Chapter I have added what I think will 
 evidently lliew the Grounds on which the 
 Expedation of the MeJJiah was founded. 
 I have added too, in chap. viii. an Argu- 
 ment to prove the Credibility of the Mi- 
 racles of our Saviour, and his Apoftles, to 
 lis \n thefedays'y and, in chap. xiv. a more 
 particular account of the liijd chap, of Ifaiah. 
 Several other Additions and Alterations are 
 made, as I thought proper. And if a dire^^ 
 and pofitive Proof of our Saviour's being 
 The Chrijiy be capable of being produced, 
 — clear, coniiftent, and credible, — no merely 
 negative reafoning is ever to be allowed a- 
 gainft it. 
 
 It is on all hands allowed, *^ that there 
 *' was, in and about the Times of "Jefus^ a. 
 '' very great Expecftation among the Jews of 
 *' a perfon to come," who was to reign, or 
 to have Dominion, '' to which perfon they 
 ** gave, by way of Emphafis, the Name of 
 " Mejiah^, or Chrijlr The Ground of this 
 Expedtation is here plainly fliewn to be 
 found in the Sacred Writings, When J ejus 
 came, and declared himfelf to be the Perlon 
 
 prom i fed 
 
XIV 
 
 <rhe PREFACE 
 promired and foretold, it was neceffary that 
 he (liould, fome how or other, prove himfelf 
 to be what he pretended. Now This He 
 did by appealing to his Works; and by 
 foretelling his Resurrection from the dead. 
 The Expectation of the Me/Jiah, or the 
 Grounds of fuch Expectation, cannot be de- 
 nied : And therefore Thofe who would en- 
 deavour to deftroy the Credibility of the 
 Gofpel, muft in fome manner or other, fhew 
 that there is not fufScient Foundation in the 
 Scriptures for the Expedation of the Mefliah j 
 or they mufl deny the Credibility of the mi- 
 raculous Works which Jefus performed; Or 
 elfe they muft refute the Accounts given us 
 of his Refurrc5lion -, Thefe being the Evi- 
 dences produced by our Saviour, that He was 
 what he pretended to be. 
 
 The Laft Attack which we have had, has 
 been upon the Miracles of our Lord, by Mr 
 Hume^ who tells us, " That there muft be 
 " an uniform Experience again ft every mira- 
 *' culous Event ; otherwife the Event would 
 " not merit That Appellation. And as an 
 *' unijonn Experience amounts to a proof, 
 ** there is here a diredl and full proof, from 
 ** the nature of the Fad:, againft the Ex- 
 *' ijlence of any Miracle: nor can fuch a 
 ''^ proof be deftroyed, or the Miracle ren- 
 
 '' dered 
 
to the Second Edition. xv 
 
 " dered credible, but by an oppofite Proof 
 " that is fuperior." 
 
 It is neceffary here to confider this Ob- 
 jedlion, becaufe it may feem to affecft the Ar- 
 gument drawn from the Miraculous Works of 
 our Saviour, in proof of his being T^he Chrijl, 
 
 Here then let it be obferved, that This 
 Argument (if it deferves the Name of an Ar- 
 gument) manifeflly begs the ^lejlion. For if 
 there *' 77iuji be an 11721 form Experience againft 
 " every miraculous Event," then no mira- 
 culous Event can ever be feen or known. 
 But if by uniform Experience, this Author 
 means only general^ or common Experience^ 
 then an Event may " juftly merit the Ap- 
 " pellation of miraculous,'* though common 
 Experience for fuch Event is not to be had. 
 Suppofe that One Generation of Men never 
 faw a Miracle; or, if he pleafes, that no one 
 Miracle has been feen for Sixteen Hundred 
 Years ; Mr H, then has a Right to fay, that 
 the Uniform Experience of fo many Hundred 
 Years is againft every miraculous Event, 
 But then he has no Right to fay, that luch an 
 Uniform Experience is abfolutely and univer- 
 fally againft every miraculous Event. For if 
 a Miracle be a thing pofjible, i. e. does not 
 imply a Contradidion, fuch an Event might 
 have been Seventeen Hundred Years ago, 
 
 though 
 
XVI 
 
 The PREFACE 
 
 though it has not happened within Sixteen 
 Hundred Years : And confeqaently, the uni- 
 form Experience of the prefent Generation, or 
 of many preceding Generations, is no " diredl 
 " and full proof from the Nature of the Fad: 
 ** againft the Exiftence of any Miracle/' 
 The Exiftence of any Miracle depends upon 
 nothing but the Will and Power of fome 
 Being, fuperior to Man, capable of producing 
 it. And if there be any fuch Being, or if 
 ever fince the World began there happened, 
 (what implies no contradidlion to be done,) 
 either a defigned Sufpenfion of, or an Altera- 
 tion in the ufual courfe of Nature, fuch Suf- 
 penfion, 'or Alteration, would have been a 
 Miracle: And if fuch miraculous Event has 
 not happened once in Sixteen Hundred Years, 
 Mr Hume can argue only from Juch Expe- 
 rience ; and He is flill to prove, that what 
 might have been in the Century before That, 
 and which is aflerted to have Then happened, 
 never did happen at That Time, nor at any 
 Other before That. 
 
 Great Numbers of People are faid to 
 have feen Inftance? of miraculous Interpofi- 
 tions in the Age of Chrid, and his Apoftles; 
 though We that now live do not fee, or have 
 not feen, any miraculous Events. Our Expe- 
 rience is no Proof, that the Men who lived 
 
 Seventeen 
 
to the Second Edition. xvii 
 
 Seventeen Hundred Years ago never faw fuch 
 Events : for Our Experience does not imply, 
 that Other peoples Experience mud be only 
 the fanie with Ours in all Cafes, more than 
 their Experience implies ours. Did They of 
 Old know all that We know ? Or do We know 
 all that T^hey did ? 
 
 If the Queftion then be, Hov7 the Exi- 
 ftenceof a Miracle can be proved to Others? 
 I anfwer; by exadly the fame means that 
 other FaBs are proved. Suppofe fuch an E- 
 vent to have happened, and to have htQufeen 
 by any one, and examined into, — The Fa5i 
 then muft be credible to him that faw it. 
 Suppofe him to relate what He had feen to 
 Others ; the Fadl becomes credible to Jhem^ 
 if They are convinced of the Ability, Sagacity, 
 and Faithfulnefs of the Reporter. There 
 may be added to This, fuch Circumftances, 
 as may fatisfy even the moll remote Genera- 
 tions, of the Truth of the miraculous Fads 
 reported to have been wrought. E. g. Suppofe 
 the Perfon who is reported to have worked 
 Miracles, was vefted with Other Supernatural 
 Powers : Suppofe He foretold Events which 
 were out of the reach of Human Forefight j 
 imagine that ht foretold things at many hun- 
 dred years diftance, and you yourfelf y^^ what 
 He faid exadlly to be accompli(hed, — in this 
 
 a cafe 
 
xviii The PREFACE 
 
 cafe the miraculous Events become credible, to 
 thofe who live at any proper diftance of Time 
 from the Relators of them 5 not only as they 
 have Hijlorical Evidence of the Truih of the 
 Fads, but as xh^y fee^ and have their own Ex- 
 perience of His having had a Supernatural 
 Power ^ who is reported to have worked the 
 Miracle. 
 
 Mr fl. lays it down as " a general Maxim,** 
 (One would fuppofe he meant a Self-evident 
 Truth) '' That ho Tefhmony is fufiicient to 
 ■^ ellabllfh a Miracle, unlefs the Teftimony 
 *' be of fuch a kind, that it's Falfhood would 
 ^^ be more miraculous than the Fad: which it 
 " endeavours to eftablifh." 
 
 Let us apply this obfcure, darky wiinteUi" 
 gible Affertion, here called '' a general 
 " Maxim,'* to a Fad. Suppofe then that 
 any one faw with his own Eyes a Dead Man 
 reftored to hife^ by a mere Word^ or Command 
 to live again : and he reports to Others what 
 he had feen. Before Affent is given to what 
 is faid, you have a Right to examine the Wit- 
 nefs as to the FaB — Whether He knew the 
 Perfon to be dead ? Whether He faw him in 
 Both States, adually dead, and afterwards 
 alive ? Whether all his Senfes^ his Hearings or 
 his Touchy were employed, and fatisfied, as 
 well as his Sight ? Whether there was any 
 
to the Second Edition. xlx 
 
 Juggle y or Contrivance to deceive ? Whether 
 it was openly done, or in Secret ? Was it in 
 iht Night, or in ope?t Day? .A fie as many 
 Queftions as you pleafe to fift out the Truth j 
 and if the Witnefs appears to be able^ faith-- 
 ful, confiftent j and moreover is ready to ex- 
 pofe himfelf to the fuffering of any Evils in 
 Life, or even the Lofs of Life itfelf, for the 
 Truth of his Teftimony, you cannot but con- 
 clude him Honeji, If no Fanaticifm^ nor aS^- 
 perftition appears, you have no Right to charge 
 him with thofe Diforders of Mind : And if 
 he has no Intereft to ferve by his Story, his 
 Credit muft be good enough to eilabliili the 
 Miracle fo attefted. 
 
 It is as pojjible for God to raife a Dead 
 man to life^ as it was to give him life at firil. 
 There is no Contradidtion in it ; nor has God 
 any where declared that he never, on no oc- 
 cafion, would reftore a dead man to life. It 
 is poffible too, that an honeft, fagacious perfon, 
 may be prefent when fuch a FaB is done. 
 The Fa5l will be, upon Suppofition, a Fadt 
 aduallydone; and there is Power fufficient 
 to do it. The Man v/ho faw it, was an Eye- 
 wit /lefs ', and therefore as certain of what he 
 fawy as his Senfes could make him. Suppofe 
 now that He relates this Fadl to Others, 
 They have a Right to fufpend their Affent, ' 
 
 a 2 'till 
 
xt r/6^ P R E F A C E 
 
 'till they have made the ftridleft Enquiry into 
 the Witnefs, If there be more Witne/fes than 
 One of the fame Fa5t, you have a Right to 
 make what Enquiry you can 5 and if they are 
 all confiftent in their Accounts, the Nature of 
 the Teftimony is not altered, except that it 
 becomes more credible. Nor is here, the 
 " weighing one Miracle againft another;'* 
 nor is ** the FaKhood of the Teftimony more 
 ** miraculous than the Fa6l it would cftablifh ;" 
 but the Evidences of the Fadi are the fame^ 
 whether it be a Natural or a Supernatural one. 
 If there be no Abfurdity, no Coniradidlion 
 propofed, but only a bare Fa^ related, as the 
 Evidence is, fo ought the Fa5i to be believed. 
 
 This Author objeds further, *' There is 
 " not found, in all Hiftory, any Miracle at- 
 " tefted by a Siifficient Number of Men, of 
 " fuch unqueftioned good Senfe, Education, 
 " and Learning, as to fecure us againft De- 
 *' lufion in Themfehes y of (uch undoubted Li- 
 " tegrity, as to place them beyond all Sufpi- 
 ** cion of any dtjig?i to deceive Others ; of 
 ** fuch Credit and Reputation in the Eyes of 
 *' Mankind, as to have -^i great deal to lofe*\n 
 ** cafe of being deteded in any Falfhood ; 
 *' and the fame time attefting Fa5is perform- 
 '* ed in a Public Manner^ and in fo celebrated 
 " a part of the World, as to render the De- 
 
 ** iedlion 
 
to the Second Edition. xxi 
 
 " tedlon unavoidable. All which Circum- 
 " fiances are requifite to give us a full Af- 
 " furance in the Tejlimony of Men.'* 
 
 I. It maybe proper to obferve, that A^l? 
 Number of Men^ however goody or able^ or 
 greats (upon this Author's Principles) can be 
 fufficient to atteji a Miracle^ fince he requires 
 an Uniform Experience for a Proof of fuch 
 an Event. All Mankind therefore are ne- 
 ceffary, and not any particular Number, to 
 atteft a Miracle : And if this Author alone 
 fliould with-hold his Affent, the reft of the 
 whole World would be infufficient. 
 
 2.. Perhaps This is the Firjl Time that 
 " All thefe Circumjlances'* have been made 
 " requifite to give us a full AJfurance in the 
 '' Teftimony of Men." What has '' Edu- 
 " cation^ Learning, the having a great deal 
 " to lofe'' to do, with bearing Teftimony to 
 the Truth of what a Man fees ox feels ^ or is 
 as good a Judge of, as one that has thofe 
 Qnalities ? Are the Men oi Education, Learn- 
 ing, and EftateSy never liable to Falfliood ? Or 
 are they *' fecure againft Delufion in Them- 
 ** felves?" Or do fuch, never impofe on 
 Others? Is not Ability y and Integrity, the 
 Ground of Affent ? Or are not Thefe a bet- 
 ter Allli ranee of Teftimony, than Learjiing^ 
 
 Of 
 
xxu 
 
 The PREFACE 
 
 or Educatiofj^ or the having a great deal t6 
 bfe? 
 
 It is confeffed, that the Apoftles of Chrift 
 had not a great deal to lofe, if by That is 
 meant, large Fortunes, much Money, great 
 EJiates. But then They expofed themfelves 
 to great Dangers for their Teflimonies : They 
 facrificed their Lives for the Truth of what 
 they affirmed : And if men will give all they 
 have to fave their Lives, Life muft be more 
 valuable than a great deal to lofe. And This 
 is a ftronger Confirmation of hitegrity, when 
 offered in behalf of what tntnfee, than *' E- 
 *' ducation. Learning, and a great deal to 
 *' lofe,'* all joined together; Since Thefe 
 may be confident with Fraud, and Impofition^ 
 as well as with being impofed on -, whereas the 
 Other is a fure Mark of Honejiy and Integrity, 
 and an Argument of the very higheft Pro- 
 bability of Truth. 
 
 The Miracles of Chrift are not only at- 
 tefted by a fitfficient Number of Men (not 
 only by Thofe who were his Apojlles, but by 
 All who from Enemies to Him became Con^ 
 verts to his Religion,) but They all continued 
 fteady and uniform in their Tefl:imony. Not 
 one appears to have retracted, or contradiBed, 
 the Opinion they at firft entertained : not one 
 appears to have difcovered any Fraud, Combi- 
 nation^ 
 
to the Second Edition. xxiii 
 
 nation, or Secret Intrigues. They were Men 
 of unqueftionable Integrity^ becaufe they fa- 
 crificed their Lives for the Truth's Sake. 
 Many of the Miracles done by Chrift and his 
 Apoftles were performed publickly m the Ca- 
 pital City of a numerous People : And if All 
 the People did not come into the Truth of 
 the Notion taught by Thefe Men, yet many 
 Tkoufands did 5 and a very fatisfadory Reafon 
 may be affigned, why Others did not. The 
 Teftimony of thefe Vouchers was founded on 
 their Se?ifes ; and the Fa5is done v/ere fuch as 
 they could not be deceived in Themfeives. 
 If therefore we can be fecure of the undoubted 
 Integrity of the Witneffes, the Other requi- 
 fites laid down by Mr Hume, and fuggefted as 
 neceffary " to give full Aflurance to the Tefti- 
 " mony of Men/* are only neceffary when 
 Men refolve againft all Belief, and are deter- 
 mined to (hut their Eyes left they (i^ould fee. 
 
 There is no Occafion to be more prolix 
 upon this Subjedt. If Infidelity can be fup- 
 ported by no better Reatbnings, than thefe 
 late Defenders of it have produced in it's Be- 
 half, the Caufe of Chrijlianity may be trufted 
 to the Evidence produced for it. Infidelity 
 indeed may Jeem to triumph, to Men who 
 will not examine what Chrifiianity is : They 
 may fee fomething juftly objedted to the 
 
 WickcdneJfeSy 
 
xxiv The PREFACE, &c. 
 
 WickedneJJes, or WeakneJJes of fuch as have 
 added to the Gofpel of Chrift, Notions and 
 Pradices of their own. But what is This to 
 the Religion of Chriji ? If indeed any Writer 
 can bring himfelf to treat j^ll Religion^ as 
 either Fanaticifm or Super]} it ion, This is to 
 deny not only Revelation, but Natural Reli- 
 gion too; and is in reality not Deifm, but 
 Atheifm : It muft proceed from a iad Heart, 
 not a weak Head -, and every body muft not 
 only look upon, but fhould treat fuch an jid- 
 vocate, as ignorant of the very firft Principles 
 of Natural Religion^ as well as of the Reli- 
 gion of Jefus Chrift. 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 I 
 
 NTRODUCTION Page, i 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 That the Jews expeBed about the Time that 
 Jefus appeared^ that Somebody from among 
 them fiould obtain a Dominion over all. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Upon what Grounds the Jews expeBed that 
 Somebody from amongji Them Jhould ob- 
 tain a Kingdom and Dominion over all. 
 
 12 
 
 CHAP. IIL 
 
 Of the Kingdom of Heaven in the New 
 Testament, 34 
 
 b CHAP. 
 
The CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Containing fome Obfervatiom about the 
 Kingdom of The Messiah. Fage 76 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Of the Title of Son of Man in the New 
 Testament. 82 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Of the Title Messiah, (?r, Christ, in the 
 New Tejlamenty and whence it was de- 
 rived, 118 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 How Jefus proved himfelf to be the Christ, 
 or The Messiah, or The Son of Man. 
 
 127 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 What EvideJice there is for the Miracles 
 which Jefus did. 139 
 
 CHAP. 
 
The CONTENTS. 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of the Refurredlion (j/' Jesus. Page 149 
 CHAP, X. 
 
 Confiderations upon the Evidence arijingfrom 
 the Refurreflion of Jesus, in order to 
 prove him to be The Christ. 162 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 Containing an Argument drawn from the 
 Prophecies of the New Tejiament for 
 the Truth of Christianity. 174 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Of the Meaning of Types in the New 
 Teflament I and of TY?iCAh Reafoning. 
 
 CHAP. xni. 
 
 Of the Meaning of thofe Words ufed by the 
 Evangelists, That it might he. JulfiUed 
 which was fpoken of by the Prophets. 
 Of the Citations made by St Matthew. 
 
 208 
 
 CHAP. 
 
7be CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 Of the Citations made by St Mark, Luke, 
 and John, which are not taken Notice 
 of by St Matthew in his Go/pel. 
 
 Page 253. 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 Of the Citations made from the Old Tef 
 tament in the Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 27s 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Why the Prophecies which Chrijiians very 
 ufually infijt on Now a-days, are never 
 mentioned in the New Teftament 5 where- 
 as Others y which feem more remote ^ and 
 difficult to be underjlood^ are therein often 
 mentioned, 301 
 
 Conclusion. 306 
 
 errata. 
 
 Page 8. Line 25. r. gave them. 
 
 P. 195. L 23. / that r. than. 
 
 P. 275. 1. 2. /. Prophecies cited, I, Citations made. 
 
 A N 
 
A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 Upon the T R U T H of the 
 
 Chriftian Religion^ &;c. 
 
 * 
 
 The INrRODUCriON. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION 
 having it's Origin from JESUS of 
 Nazareth, and being manifeftly 
 founded upon the Scriptures of the Old Tejla^ 
 ment^ there cannot be a more natural Method 
 of examining it's Truth, than to compare 
 what vf2i^ foretold W\i\i the Confequences and 
 following Events ; and then to confider the 
 Arguments which He himfelf and his im- 
 mediate Difciples urged in proof of their 
 Affertions. 
 
 There are, I know, a great many Perfons, 
 who conceive that Chriftianity is fufRciently 
 proved to be true, if the Miracles and Refur- 
 redion of Jefus are true • even without any 
 regard to the Prophecies fo often appealed 
 to by him. But fuppofing the Miracles to 
 be true 5 yet no Miracles can prove that 
 which is falfe in itfelf to be true. If there- 
 
 B fore 
 
ii rhe INTRODUCTION. 
 
 fore the Meffiah be not foretold in the Old 
 Teftament, No Miracles can prove Jefus to 
 be the Meffiah foretold : Nay it is a Itronger 
 Argument to prove J ejus to be an Impoftor, 
 that He appealed to Prophecies which were 
 not Prophecies, and by that means impofed 
 upon the Ignorant People -, than it is, that 
 He came from God merely becaufe he 
 worked Miracles, Falfe Cbrijls ajid falfe 
 Prophets may arife, and may foew Juch 
 great SIGNS AND WONDERS as to 
 deceive^ if it were poffible^ the very Ele6l, 
 Matt. xxiv. 24. Yet no one from thence 
 would argue that thofe faJfe Chrifts, are 
 true ones -, Nor woald any one conclude that 
 a Man came from God, (notwithftanding 
 any Miracles he might do,) if He appealed 
 to Scripture for that which is no where in it. 
 Befides 5 what notions of common Mora- 
 lity muft he have, who pretends to come 
 from God, and declares that the Scriptures 
 tejlify of Him^ fohn v. 39, if the Scriptures 
 do not teftify of him ? What Honefty, what 
 Truth, or Sincerity muft he have, who could 
 begin at Mofes and all the Prophets, and ex* 
 pound unto his Difciples in all the Scriptures 
 the thi?2gs concerning himfelf Luke xxiv. 27, 
 if neither Mofes, nor the Prophets, ever fpoke 
 a word about him ? The Prophets therefore 
 muft be confidered, and the Foundation of 
 Chriftianity muft be laid on Them, or elfe 
 to avoid one Difficulty, we (hall be forced 
 
 into 
 
ne INTRODUCriO N. 
 into fuch Abfurdities, as no man can palliate, 
 much lefs can extricate himfelf out of. 
 
 That there was fnch a man as Jefus of 
 Nazareth, who lived in the times in which 
 he is faid to have lived, and who died as 
 he is laid to have died, is not, I think, cal- 
 led in Queflion by any. The Account of 
 his Charader and Condudl, the manner of 
 his Life and Death, and the Methods which 
 He took to propagate his Dodrines, are only 
 to be found in the New Tejlament, I readily 
 admit that fome ^ews^ as well antient as 
 modern, have told a great many Stories con- 
 cerning Jefus ', They abound in Fidions 
 which are inconfiflent with themfelves, and 
 with all Hiftory ; and one need only to look 
 into their Hiftories of the Generation of 
 yefiiSy either That which Wagenjelius pub- 
 liflied, or That which Huldric publi(hed 
 about 40, or 50 Years ago, to be even furfeited 
 with their Inventions and Lyes. But their 
 Calumnies are fo palpable, that they can with 
 no more reafon be urged as derogatory to 
 the Ads given us by the Evangelifts, than 
 the mod fabulous Legends, or the mereft 
 Romances, can againft the acknowledged 
 truefl Hiftories. 
 
 To the Evangelifts then we appeal for the 
 Accounts of the Life, and Death, and Adions 
 of Jefus: And there is this advantageous 
 Circumftance for the Truth of their Narra- 
 tions, that 0?ie of them certainly fuffered 
 B 2 Death i 
 
 ••• 
 lit 
 
iv Tfe INrRODUCriON. 
 
 Death ; very probably Two more did fo ; All 
 the Four underwent the fevereft Perfecutions 
 for what They preached : Nor does it ap- * 
 pear, that ever any of Thofe who were 
 converfant with Jejhs, and faw his Life, 
 and knew him intimately, either retraded 
 what They had fliid ; or difcovered the lead 
 fufpicion of Their Belief of any Impofture 
 in Hinn. 
 
 I grant it pojjible, that Men fliould be 
 ready and willing, in fome particular Cafes, 
 to throw away their Lives, or expofe them- 
 felves to Dangers, for what is adually Falje. 
 Enthufiafm is a Principle of Adion much 
 more powerful than Self-prefervation itfelf: 
 and therefore, it is fojfible, that men, adua- 
 ted by its Influence, may lay down their 
 Lives for a groundlefj Fable, or fuffer Racks 
 and Gibbets for a Falfhood. But then con- 
 fidering the Number of the Parties con- 
 cerned, who fuffered merely o« account of 
 their infilling upon the Truth of what they 
 had feen ', and confidering the Circum- 
 flances of what They preached ; The Ho- 
 nejly that appears in their Accounts of things ; 
 and the artlefs Good Senfe and L:jtegrity 
 which fliews itfelf throughout their Wri- 
 tings, — confidering Thefe Things, if the Dif- 
 ciples of Jefus were under the Influence 
 of Enthufiafm, it was fuch an Enthufiafm as 
 never before, nor never fmce, was heard of : 
 It was fuch an Enthufiafm, as neither the 
 
 Power 
 
rhe INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Power nor the Cunning of their Adverfa- 
 ries; Neither Good Will nor 111 Will; 
 Neither Force nor Perfwafion, could ever 
 prevail upon One Single Perfon of the Apo- 
 flles (as far as appears) to forfake, or re- 
 nounce. — But This Argument will appear 
 in it's full ftrength hereafter. All that I 
 would here infer, is only this, that it is 
 highly probable the Apoftles have given us 
 fuch an Account of "Jefin^ of his Life, and 
 Death, and Refurreclion, as they thetnfehei 
 believed to be true. 
 
 Now fuppofing that We, at this diftance 
 of Time, when many Books are loft which 
 might poffibly have afforded us fome Light, 
 are not able to account for fome particular 
 Fadls^ or for the Reafons upon which fome 
 Fads in the Gofpel are grounded : Yet, un- 
 lefs Thofe very FaBs^ or Things, are made 
 the Foundation of our Belief in Chrill ; 
 unlefs Thej|[ are the Particular Points up- 
 on which fomething of Chriftianity depends, 
 it is very abfuid to argue from fuch againfl: 
 the T'ruth of Chriftianity. Such Inferences 
 may indeed impofe upon Weak Men, and 
 may prove a Stumbling-block (zj^Q(TKoiJ.y.a.) in 
 Their ways : Rut thence to infer that Chri- 
 flianity is a mere Impoflure, is at beft like 
 arguing againfl: the Providence of God from 
 a particular Circumftance which we cannot 
 account for. Were we even to allow fuch a 
 Fad: as I am fpeaking of, to be all that our 
 B 3, Adverfaries 
 
yi "The INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Adverfaries them(elves would have it to be, 
 
 yet what would That prove againft Other 
 Fads which are clear and evident, and not 
 capable of a Mifconftrudion ? For Inftance ; 
 Sappofing that I aai not able to give a fatis- 
 fadiory Reafon, why Jefus curfed the Fig 
 Tree which had nothing but Leaves upon it^ 
 ivhen the time of Figs was not, Mark xi. 13,- 
 or fuppofing that I know not what is the 
 meaning of that Exprellion, This Kind [of 
 Devils] goeth not out but by Prayer and Fall- 
 ings Matt. xvii. 2 1 ; or of that in Luke viii. 
 33, Then went the Devils out of the Man^ 
 and entred into the Swine ; and the herd ran 
 violently down ajieep place into the Lake^ and 
 were choaked, — Suppofing, I fay, that I can't 
 account for Thefe, or fome other FaBs^ or 
 ExpreJJions, in the Gofpel ; yet, Chriftianity 
 not being founded folely upon thefe particular 
 Facts; nor any particular Strefs being laid 
 upon Them either by Jefus^ or fcy the A- 
 poftles, Thefe cannot deftroy the Evidence 
 which arifcs from Other Fads upon which 
 much Strefs is laid, and which plainly were 
 brought for, and defigned as Proofs of this 
 Truth, that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of 
 God. Thefe Points, (fuppofing them really 
 to be unaccountable, which yet in fad they 
 are not,) will not deftroy the Evidence which 
 arifes from Other Miracles ; nor Vv^ill they 
 prove that Jefus did not rife from the Dead -y 
 nor that what is elfewhere faid and done, 
 
 was 
 
rhe INTRODUCTION, vi\ 
 
 was the EffecS of Enthufiafm or Impofture. 
 Had the Evangelifls even omitted the Nar- 
 ration of Thefe Fads, as they did of Many 
 Other things which Jcfus did^ John xxi. 25, 
 yet we fliould not have wanted fufficient 
 Proofs, that Jefus is the Chriji^ the Son of 
 God, and that believing we might have Life 
 thro' his name, John xx. 31. 
 
 B 4 CHAP, 
 
An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Tbaf the yews expected about the Time that 
 JESUS appeared^ that fomebody from 
 among them JJjould obtain a Dominion 
 over all. 
 
 IN Order to a dired Proof of the Truth of 
 Chriftianiiy, I obferve, that very foon af- 
 ter the Death of Jefus^ mention is made by 
 Heathen Writers, of an Old and conjlantly 
 received Opinion ^ that Somebody of Judea 
 f:ould obtain a Dominion over AIL Sue to- 
 nius*s words are, Percrebuerat Orient e toto 
 vetus & conftans Opinio, effe in fatis iit eo 
 tempore Judea profedi reriim potirentur : An 
 Old and fixed opinion was all over the Eaft, 
 that it was decreed by Heaven^ that about 
 that time. Somebody from Judea fiould obtain 
 the Dominion over all. This notion He ap- 
 plies indeed to Vefpafan, and makes it a Pro- 
 phecy concerning Him and His obtaining 
 the Empire, and interprets it by that Event, 
 But Suetonius^ Application is not the Point 
 in hand ; But only His Tefimony, that infaB 
 there was at that iivntfuch an Opinion fpread ; 
 and that it was an Antient one, and con- 
 Jlantly received, 
 
 Vefpafian 
 
of the Christian Religion. 
 
 Fefpajian was faluted Emperor within CHAP. 
 
 36 years after the Death of Chriil ; and he ^^^^\ , 
 
 was fent Commander in chief againii: the 
 Jews Two Years before ; and before He 
 went into Judea^ This Opinion had pre- 
 vailed fo ftrongly, that it was the chief Mo- 
 tive, it feems, to the Jews to rebel. Id 
 yiidai ad fe trahentes rebellarmit, Siieton. 
 Vejpafian. c. iv. 
 
 When Tacitus Is fpeaking of the Deftruc- 
 tion of Jeriifalcm by Titus^ He mentions the 
 fame Prophecy in almoft the fame words : 
 Pluribus, faith he, perjuafio inerat, AN'TI- 
 ^JJIS facer dot um litter is contineri^ eo ipfo 
 tempore fore^ ut valefceret OrienSy proje^iique 
 Judea rermn potirentur, Annal. L 2 i . hlojl 
 of them [the Jews] had a 720tio?i that it was 
 exprefjly J did in the Antient Books of their 
 Priejis^ that at 'That very time^ the Eaft 
 fhould grow powerfid, aitd Somebody frojii 
 Judea Jhould gain the Dominion. And He 
 obferves that This Opinion had taken fuch 
 PoiTeflion of the [Vulgus^ Commofialty^ that 
 even when they faw themfelves in the loweft 
 Ebb of Fortune, yet they could not be re- 
 moved from this Perfuafion, that fome of 
 their Nation Hiould ftill gain the Afcendant, 
 and Rule over all. 
 
 To thefe Teftimonies of Heathens^ I 
 mufi: add That of Jofephus the Jew, De 
 Bello Judaico lib. 7. c 31. 7haty fays he, 
 which chief y excited them to the War^ was a 
 
 dubious 
 
lo An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, dubious Orside found in their Sacred Wri^ 
 tingSy that about That Time One of them 
 from their Parts fidould reign over the World. 
 This Prophecy Jofephus applies, as Suetonius 
 does, to Vefpafian, becaufe He was in Judea 
 firft proclaimed Emperor; and it is very pro- 
 bable that from this prevalent notion it was, 
 that when Jofephus was taken Prifoner and 
 brought before Vejpafian^ he foretold Vef- 
 pafian\ Advancement to the Empire. 1. 3. 
 c. 27. 
 
 But it is not the Application^ but the No- 
 tion itfelf which we enquire after. And 
 fince it is fo peculiarly obferved by JewiJIj 
 and Heathen Writers, and fo much feems to 
 be laid upon it, by Them -, The Evangelifls 
 cannot be fufpeded of Partiality, if they tell 
 us, that the Difciples of Jefus were in full 
 Expectation of His taking upon him The 
 Kingdom -, and always difcourfe with him, as 
 Perfons that were fully perfuaded, that He 
 would in due time aflume to himfelf the 
 Title and Dignity of King, Lord, wilt 
 thou at this time reftore again the Kingdom 
 to Ifrael, Afts i. 6, was a very proper Que- 
 ftion, from Men who had feen the Wonders 
 which Jefus did, and had heard him declare 
 himfelf to be The Mejfiah. It was This 
 which They expeded who looked for Re- 
 demption in Jerufalem, Luke ii. 38. And 
 it was This which the Difciples alluded to 
 in their Difcourfe as they went to Emmausy 
 
 We 
 
of the Christian Religion. u 
 
 We trujied that it had been He which Jhoiild CHAP. 
 have Redeemed Ifrael, Luke xxiv. 21. 
 
 From Thefe, and many other Inftances in 
 the Evafigelijisy which I fhall particularly 
 examine hereafter, it is evident that the Opi- 
 nion was Jixed and fettled^ and generally re- 
 ceived amongft the Jews, that Somebody of 
 Their Nation was to get an Univerfal Domi- 
 nion : It is teftified on all Sides by Heathens 
 and Jews as well as Chrijlians^ and confe- 
 quently cannot be denied. 
 
 Whence this Antient and Fixed Opinion 
 fprung, is next to be enquired. Suetonius 
 fays only, that fuch a Thing was decreed 
 *' by the Fates i" But Tacitus fays, that it 
 was " in the Antient Books of their Priefls-^^ 
 and Jofephus, that it was '* in their f acred 
 Writings'' Now if we can find exprefs 
 Prophecy in the Books of the Old Teftament 
 which foretels a Kingdom over all, which 
 will fairly account for this Notion, we fhall 
 make a confiderable Step towards determin- 
 ing the matter in hand. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
12 M ESS AT Upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Upon what Grounds the Jews expedicd that 
 Somebody from amongH Them jhould obtain 
 a Kingdom and Dominion over All. 
 
 IN enquiring into the Foundation of this 
 Antient and conflant Opinion amongfl: the 
 Jews, one cannot but take notice that That 
 People expreffed a particular Dependance up- 
 on T^wo Promifes made by God : The One 
 given to Abraham ; the Other made to Da- 
 vid. The Firji of thefe was originally made 
 to Abraham^ and repeated to Ifaac and J a- 
 cob^ That God would multiply their Seed as 
 the Stars of Heaven ; and that he would give 
 them PoJJeJjion of the Land of Canaan ; and, 
 ill 'Thee Jhall all the Families of the Earth be 
 blefled. The Jews had feen two parts of 
 this Promife adually fulfilled ; and they lived 
 in conftant Expedlation that the T^hird would 
 certainly have it's Completion. As this Pro- 
 mife was made to the Father of the Jewifh 
 People, they concluded very juftly that this 
 Eleffing would be derived to all Nations thro* 
 Them. 
 
 The Promife made to Abraham, confiding 
 of feveral parts, was not completed at once^ 
 but the FirJl part was accompliflied many 
 
 years 
 
of the Christian Religion. 13 
 
 years before the Second took place. They chap. 
 were a numerom People long before they had 
 any Pofleffion of Canaan : and as to the Se- 
 cofid part of this Prornife, that God would 
 give them ail that lay between the River of 
 Egypt imto the Great River Euphrates, Gen, 
 XV. 18, — This was not made good to them 
 before David's days, when it was fulfilled. 
 But ftill there remained a T'hird part to be 
 completed, that All the Earth fiotdd be blef- 
 fed in him ; and as This was not yet fulfilled, 
 though fo many Hundred years were pafTed 
 from David's days, They went on expe^ing^ 
 and waiting for the Time when This fhould 
 come to pafs. 
 
 At the fame time that they had this de- 
 pendance on the Promife mad^ to Abraham, 
 they had in their Sacred Books a Second Pro- 
 mife made to David, and to his Seed; that 
 though David himfelf fl:iould fleep with his 
 Fathers, yet God would raife up to him a 
 Houfe^ or Seedy by or in whom the Throne 
 of his Kmgdom fiould be ejlab lifted for ever, 
 2 Sam, vii. 16. 
 
 As to the particular Manner, or the par- 
 ticular Time^ when all this lliould be made 
 good, nothing is here faid ; But a Promife 
 made by God is a gocd Foundation for an 
 Opinion that fomebody fhould arife who 
 fhould reign over all. Accordingly we find 
 it a common Expedation among the fews, 
 that fomebody of David's Houfe was to re- 
 ceive 
 
14 ^n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, ceive his Kingdom, and to reign in it for 
 '^ ^ ever. Somedmes they grounded their Ex- 
 pedation upon Both thele Pro:nifes^ I mean 
 That to Abraham^ and Thii^ to David : and 
 Sometimes upon o?ie of them alone : but ftiU 
 fure, that God would perform his Profnife, 
 and raife up that King, whole Dominion was 
 to laft for ever. Thus we find Zechariahy 
 the Father of John the Bapti/i exprefiing 
 himfelf, — Blefed be the Lord God of Ifrael, 
 
 for he hath vijited and redeemed his people^ 
 and hath raifed up an horn of Salvation for 
 us in the houfe cf his Servant David ; As he 
 
 fpake by the mouth of his holy Prophets — to 
 perform the mercy promifed to our Father s^ 
 and to remember his holy Covenant. The Oath 
 which he [ware to our Father Abraham, that 
 he would grant unto us^ Luke i. 68 — 74. 
 The Virgin Mary fpeaks of the fame Promife 
 to Abraham, when llie faid, He hath holpen 
 his Servant Ifrael, as he [poke to our Fathers, 
 to Abraham, and to his S^cd for ever, Luke 
 i. 54, 55. Hence it is, that St Matthew be- 
 gins his Gofpel with thefe words, — The Book 
 of the Generation of Jefus Chriti, the Son of 
 David, the Son of Abraham. And hence it 
 was that St Paul argued. That the Bleffing of 
 Abraham might come on the Gentiles through 
 Jefus Chrift. — Now to Abraham a?id his Seed 
 were the Promifes made^ — and that Seed was 
 Chrift^ Gal iii. 14, 16. 
 
 I obferved 
 
of the Christian Religion, i^ 
 
 I obferved that Befides the Blefling that was CHAP. 
 to be derived through Abraham^ there was ^^„^ 
 Another Promife particularly made to David^ 
 from whence the Opinion was common a- 
 mongft the Jews, that it was to be one of 
 That Family that was to reig7i over all. And 
 This was the reafon, that when our Saviour 
 appeared, and did fuch mighty Works amongft 
 the People, that They inftantly applied to 
 Him the Title of, ^on of David. Thus 
 when the Blind heard of the Fame of "Jefui 
 of Nazareth^ They cried and f aid ^ T'bou Son 
 of David have mercy upon us. Matt, ix. 27. 
 XX. 30, 31. At another Time we find that 
 All the people were amazed and faid^ Is not 
 this the Son of David? c. xii. 23. The Ca- 
 naanitiJJ: Woman faluted our Lord with the 
 fame Title — Have Mercy on me^ O Lord, thou 
 Son of David, Matt. xv. 22. They all 
 meant by This, that they thought our Lord 
 to be the Peribn in, and by whom, the Throne 
 of David was to be ejiablified for ever. They 
 depended upon the Promifes of God ; and 
 They thought the Time was come in which 
 He would make them good : And as aflurance 
 was given that it ihould be made good in one 
 of David's Seed, when they faw the Mira- 
 cles of our Lord, they concluded Him to be 
 The Son of David. 
 
 It is not probable, that the common people 
 had ever heard of what the Angel faid to the 
 Virgin Mary before our Saviour was con- 
 ceived, 
 
i6 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 "CHAP, ceived, that the Child to be born of her was 
 .to be cal/eJ the Son of the Htghefl^ and the 
 Lord God JJjal! give unto him the Throne of 
 his Father David, a?id He f: all reign over the 
 Hoiife of Jacob for ever, and of his Kingdom 
 there flmll be no End, Luke i. 32, 33, It 
 was the frequent Exertion of a miraculous 
 Power, which made them willing at fome 
 times, to take him by Force and make him 
 their King, John v\. 15. They knew that 
 Chrift Cometh out of the Seed of David, and 
 out of the Town of Bethlehem, John vii. 42. 
 And as the People knew his Tribe and Fa- 
 mily, and had (ctn his wonderous Works, 
 when he entered Jerufalem, They cried out, 
 Ble/fed be the Kingdom of our Father David 
 that Cometh in the Name of the Lord^ Ho- 
 fannah to the Son of David. Blejfed is he 
 that Cometh in the Name of the Lord^ Ho^ 
 fannah in the highefl^ Matt. xxi. 9. 
 
 Thefe and fuch like paflages plainly fhew, 
 not only that a Foundation was laid in their 
 Sacred Books for the RxpeBation then cur- 
 rent among the fews^ that Somebody of their 
 Nation fliould arife and reign over all ; but 
 They point out the particular places on which 
 this antient Opinion was built. 
 
 But befides Thefe exprefs Promifes, there 
 are in the Prophets, particularly in Daniel^ 
 plain Predidions of a certain Kingdom that 
 was in God's good time to be fet up, and was 
 xojland for ever. It is granted that fome of 
 
 the 
 
of the Christian Religion. 17 
 
 the Prophecies of Dame/ ^re hard to be un-CHAP. 
 derftood, but yet there are Others (and a- , ^^" 
 niongd them what concerns the Kingdom of 
 God, given to the Son of Man,) fo very plain, 
 that Porphyry and others have not fcrupled to 
 fay they w^ere wrote after the Events ; which 
 is Evidence fufficient that the Language in 
 Thofe Prophecies was intelHgible enough. 
 
 In the Prophecies which I (hall have oc- 
 cafion to cite for my prefent purpofe, the 
 Prophetic Style is plain and eafy ; and the 
 Terms fach as will admit of very little, if 
 any, debate. E. g. 
 
 Firfl, Daniel \tVi% w%y c. ii. 31 — 35. iV^- 
 buchadnezzar had a Vilion of an Image whofe 
 Head ivas of fine Gold: His Breajl and his 
 Arms of Silver : His Belly and his Thighs of 
 Brafs : His Legs of Iron : His Feet part of 
 Iron^ and part of Clay, Thou f awe Ji till that 
 a Stone was cut out without Hands^ which 
 fmote the Image upon his Feet that were of 
 Iron and Clay, and brake them to pieces — and 
 the Wind carried them away that no place was 
 found for them : and the Stone that fmote the 
 Image became a great Mountain^ and filled the 
 whole Earth, 
 
 Thefe Defcriptions of the Image, Daniel 
 himfclf explains to ine^n four Ki77gdomSy and 
 fays, V. 44, fpeaking of the Fourth Kingdom ^ 
 In the Days of thefe Kings, (it is in the Ori- 
 ginal, In the Days of them, viz. of thofe 
 Kings) fi:all the God of Heaven fet up a King- 
 
 C dom. 
 
An E^^ AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 dom, which JJ:all ?iever be dejlroyed : and the 
 
 Kingdom Jhall not be left to other people, but 
 
 t f!:all break in pieces^ and confume all thefe 
 
 Kingdoms^ and it Jhall jl and for ever; 
 
 In the Days of them^ viz. of thofe Ki72gs^ 
 5. e. during the Governors of the Fourth 
 Kingdom. For the word which we render, 
 Kings, Hgnifies any fort of govertiing Powers 
 in a State. 
 
 Now let it be obferved, That the Stone was 
 Cat out, before it fmote the Image ; and 
 confequently before that Empire, which is 
 reprefented by the. Legs of the Image, was 
 deftroyed : and Secondly^ That the Stone ia 
 not to* become a Mountain till after ic had 
 fmote the Image. How long the State or 
 Period is to be from the cutting out of the 
 Stone ^ to it's fmiting the Image, is not at all 
 declared : and it is likewife not foretold how 
 long it will be before the Stone becomes a 
 Mountain. However as the Stone reprefents 
 a Kingdom which God was toeredl, and which 
 in procefs of time was to become ilronger and 
 larger than any of the Emjpires reprefented by 
 the Image, it's ftate before it becomes a 
 Mountain jaftly reprefents the firfl: beginning 
 of that Kingdom, or the State before that 
 Kingdom grows to it's utmoft Extent. 
 
 The Properties of This Kingdom are, that 
 it foall never be defiroyed, but f jail f and for 
 ever : \i Jhall not be left to other People; i, e. 
 fliall never be conquered or fubdued: liJJjall 
 
 break 
 
of the Christian Religion. 19 
 
 break in pieces and confume all thcfe Kingdoms, C H A P. 
 
 How far each of Thefe are verified in the,. ^ 
 
 Kingdom ofChriflfliail hereafter be confidered. 
 
 If any thing be enquired more particularly 
 concerning this Kingdom of the God of Hea- 
 ven, we have it reprefented under the Image 
 of a Stone^ which was cut out^ and which 
 was not in Hands : That this Siontfmote the 
 Image^ and became a great Mountain and 
 filled the whole Earthy v. 35, 45. This 
 Kingdom, which was fmall at fiffl, was by 
 degrees to grow fo ilrong, as to be able to 
 overcome the Image, and to extend itfelf thro' 
 all the Earth. 
 
 The only thing which is here to be explain- 
 ed, is the Expreffion, which is not in Hands % 
 A Stone cut out, which is not in Hands, The 
 Chaldee Words are ]n^:2 K*7 H. Now as we 
 have the very fame Expreflion in the Syriac 
 of the New Teftament, Co/, ii. 11. concern- 
 ing circumcifion, dilla bajadim^ which is not 
 in Hands^ the meaning cannot be much 
 miftaken. Circumcifion which is not in 
 Hands, is a Circumcifion not made by Man^ 
 or a Spiritual Circumcifion ; and confequently 
 the Kingdom which is not in Hands, muft be 
 a Kingdom not like the Kingdom.s of Men, 
 or ^ Spiritual Kingdom. 
 
 Take then the Words, which is not in 
 
 Hands, as they properly fignify, for, which 
 
 is not promoted or carried on by human 
 
 force^ or flrengthy they will jufdy reprefent, 
 
 C 2 and 
 
20 J?t ESSJTiipon 'the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, and vvill plainly foretel the Nature of that 
 State to which they fo apparently belong. 
 
 The only point which here muft be de- 
 bated is, whether this Fourth Ki?igdom men- 
 tioned by the Prophet, is deiigned to repre- 
 fent to us the Roman State, or whether it 
 concerns thofe kingdoms, which fo dread- 
 fully infefled the Jcwifi State, n)tz» That of 
 the Seleiicidce, and that of Egypt under the 
 Ptohmies. 
 
 That it related to the Former, viz. to the 
 Roman Empire, will appear, if it be conii- 
 deied that, ift. This was confeffedly the Opi- 
 nion of all the A?itient5. 2dly. There is no- 
 thing in the Dream, or it's Interpretation, 
 bat what exa(5Lly corrcfponds to the Roma?! 
 State, without any force, or draining of any 
 one Exprelfion. 3dly. Thofe who contend 
 for it's meaning the Kingdoms oi Afia^ Syria, 
 and Egypt^ confound the Prophetic Lan- 
 guage quite. For whereas the Third Em- 
 pire, or that of Greece^ is reprefented by a 
 Leopard, cap. vii ; and by a He-Goat, cap. 
 viii ; The Leopard is faid to have Four Heads, 
 c. vii. 6 ; which plainly reprefents the Four 
 Kingdoms of the Succeflors of Alexander: 
 and in the latter place, when the Great Horn 
 of the He 'Goat was broken, c. viii. 8. for it 
 came up four notable ones towards the four 
 Winds of Heaven : evidently reprefenting the 
 fame thing. To fay therefore that the King- 
 doms of the Seleucidce and the Ptolemies were 
 
 the 
 
of the Christian Religion. 21 
 
 the Fourth Kingdom, is to fay that T%i)o Horns CHAP, 
 of the He-Gout is the He-Goat iiklf, and 
 ^wo Heads of the Leopard is the Leopard it- 
 felf; which is confounding all Language. 
 4thly. yllexander and all his Succeffois, /. e, 
 the four States, whereof the Seleucida and 
 Lagidce make Two, are repreftnted as mak- 
 ing up Qjie Empire. For the rough Goat is 
 the King of Greece, and the great Horn that 
 is between his Eyes is the firft King. Now 
 that being broken, whereas Four food up for 
 it, Four Kingdoms Jhall fland up out of the 
 Nation, but not in his Power, Dan, viii. 2 1 , 
 22. Now it is impoffible that the Seleucidce 
 and Lagidce, which had not even the Power 
 of Alexander, fliould be the Fourth Empire 
 which is repa-efented as having greater Power 
 than Alexander, and (tamping and breaking 
 in Pieces even Alexander^ ftrength. From 
 thefe and feveral other confiderations I con- 
 clude, that the Roman State is the State re- 
 prefented by the Fourth Beaft, or Kingdom. 
 As in this Prophecy of Daniel, exprefs Men- 
 tion is made of a KINGDOM which the 
 God of Heaven was to erecfl during the Ro- 
 man Empire, and which was to Jland for 
 ever ; So, 
 
 Secondly, In the 7th Chapter, we have ano- 
 ther remarkable Prophecy to the fame EfFedt : 
 And as This will fo naturally account for ma- 
 ny Expreffions of the New Tellament, it de- 
 ferves a particular Confideration. Dan, vii. 7. 
 C 3 After 
 
An ESS Jr upon the TRUTH 
 
 After this I Jaw in the night vijions, and be- 
 hold a Fourth B^iail, dreadful and terrible^ 
 and firong exceedingly ; and it had great Iron- 
 Teeth : it devoured and brake in pieces^ and 
 fiainfd the re/i, lue with the feet of it ; and it 
 was divers from all the Beafls which were be- 
 fore it i and it had ten Horns, I confidered 
 the Horns, and behold there came up among 
 them a?20ther little Horn, before whom there 
 were Three of the frf Horns pluck' d up by 
 the roots. This Fourth Beaji reprefents again 
 the Roman Empire ; and the Prophecy ex- 
 tends even till the Beaji was flain^ ver. lo. 
 Daniel whilft he was confidering the Fate of 
 this Empire fays, ver. 13, 14. I faw in the 
 night vifons, and behold one like the Son of 
 Man came with the Clouds of Heaven^ and 
 came to the antient of Days, and they brought 
 him near before him : And there was given 
 him DOMINION, and GLORY, and a 
 KINGDOM, that all People, Nations, and 
 Languages fhould ferve him : His DOMI- 
 NION is an everlafting DOMINION ; and 
 his KINGDOM that which fiall not be de- 
 froyed. 
 
 Here a KINGDOM is expreffly declared 
 to be given to 07ie who appeared like the Son 
 of Man; and the time, in which ihis King- 
 dom is given, is exprelHy mentioned to be 
 after the Death of the Bead, or after the 
 Expiration of the Fourth Kingdom. Now 
 it has been obferved that the Fourth Bead re- 
 prefents 
 
of the Christian Religion. 23 
 
 prefents the Roman Empire : and it is evi- ^ H A P. 
 dent from the Context that the Saints^ i. e. 
 the Worfliippers of the One God, were to 
 be numerous before the little Horn arofe and 
 fliould attempt to "wear them out, ver. 25. 
 And it is expreffly faid, that That little Horn 
 was to come up ajter^ the Ttn Kings, ver. 
 24. And when the Dominion of this little 
 Horn fliall be taken away and deftroyed, ver. 
 26. then the Kingdom and Dominion, and the 
 Greatnefs of the Kingdom n?ider the whole 
 Heaven y Jljall be given to the People of the 
 Saints of the mofl High, whofe Kingdom is an 
 everlajling Kingdom, aiid all Dominions Jh all 
 ferve and obey HIM^ ver. 27. 
 
 In this Prophecy feveral particulars are 
 mentioned which were not contained in the 
 former-, and we have fome account of 
 what was to happen more particularly in that 
 intermediate State, betwixt the time when 
 the Stone was cut cut, and the time when it 
 became a Mountain and filled the whole 
 Earth, And here it is obfervable, that the 
 Kingdom of the Son of Man is not fpoken 
 of as a Kingdom, in this Prophecy, 'till the 
 Judgment was fat, i. e. not 'till that glorious 
 State of it, when the Stone (hall adually be- 
 come a Mountain, and the Sop of ls/i2ccijl:all 
 come in the Clouds of Heaven, ver. 13. 
 There are therefore manifestly Two very dif- 
 ferent States of the Ki?2gdom of Heaven fore- 
 told 5 the OnCy when the Saints fliall be per- 
 C 4 fecuted, 
 
Jn ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 fecuted, and when they fliall be delivered tji- 
 to the Hands of a Tyrannizing Power ; the 
 Other ^ when this Tyranny fhall be at an end, 
 and the Saints of the mojl High Jh all take the 
 Kingdom, ver. 18. i. e. when the Son of 
 Man fl:iall enter into his Kingdom, ver. 
 9 — 13. The New Teftament will lufRci- 
 ently clear up thefe things. 
 
 Thefe Prophecies thus occurring in the Sa- 
 cred Books of the fews, in tlie antiejit Books 
 of their Priejis, as Tacitus has it, very na- 
 turally and obvioufly account for the before- 
 mentioned Expedations of that Nation. 
 
 Bat then, fappofing that They v^ill account 
 for the Expedation which the feivs might 
 have of a Kingdom of God to be eredled, yet 
 whence is it that juft about the Time of Je- 
 fuSy and a little later, they expeded that 
 This Kingdom fljould begiji -, fince the Pro- 
 phecies before cited do not at all encourage 
 fuch a Notion at that particular Time ? 
 
 This too may fairly be accounted for from 
 DanieL He had expreflly faid, c. ix. 24. 
 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy People, 
 and upon thy Holy City, to finip the Tranf 
 grejjion, and to make an End of Sins, and to 
 make reconciliation for Iniquity, and to bring 
 in EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS, 
 and to feal up the Vifion and Prophecy, and to 
 anoint the moft Holy, Thefe Seventy weeks, 
 or 490 Years, plainly are fixed by the Pro- 
 phet to fome particular time, when a Com- 
 mandment 
 
of the Christian Religion. 25 
 
 mandme?2i JJjouId go forth to rcjhrc and to build C H A p. 
 Jerufalem, ver. 25, and coniequently they 
 muft begin at fuch a time : and They are 
 to terminate at the bringing in Everlalting 
 RIGHTEOUSNESS, and the anointing the 
 moft Holy, Now it is remarkable, that from 
 the Seventh of Artaxerxes Longimanm, from 
 whom Ezra received his Commiffion, cap. 
 vii. 8, to the Death of fefus, there are juft 
 490 Years. Or if you will date it from the 
 20th of Artaxerxes^ that is, from the Time 
 when Nehemiah received his Commiffion, to 
 build the Wall of the City, &cc, Nehem. ii. 
 5 — 8, the Difference will be very infignifi- 
 cant. For the Prophecy coming out, in ei- 
 ther of thefe ways of computation, much 
 about the Time when our Saviour appeared. 
 This very naturally will account for that ge- 
 neral Expedation amongft the Jews at that 
 particular Time ; which is all the Ufe that 
 I here defign to make of it. 
 
 If any one (hould fay, that the words of 
 Daniel which concern this Kingdom of God^ 
 may as well agree to the Mahometan as to the 
 Chriftian Religion : and That the Stone which 
 afterwards became a Mountain^ may be appli- 
 ed to the ftrange Encreafe of Mahometifm^ 
 efpecially fince Mahomet arofe during the Ro- 
 man Empire, and when it was in a very de- 
 clining Condition ; which may be reprefent- 
 ed under the notion of the Stone's ftriking 
 
 the 
 
A71 ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 the Image upon his Feet, and breaking them to 
 pieces : I Anl wer. 
 
 That the Kingdom of God, and the State 
 of TLverlafling Right eoifnefs fignifying the 
 fame thing, This was to be brought in before 
 the Deftrucflion of feriifalem by the Romans : 
 and confequently Mahometifm coming in five 
 Hundred and fifty Years at leaft after the 
 Deftrudion of Jerufalem, cannot poffibly be 
 the Kingdom foretold by the Prophet. I add, 
 2dly, That Mahometifm being not a Spiritual 
 Kingdom, and being entirely propagated by 
 Force, cannot be reprefented by a Stone 
 which was not in Hands ; Since that Expref- 
 iion fignifies either that it fhould be a Spiri- 
 tual Kingdom, or that it (hould encreafe not 
 by Force 'till it became a Mountain, And 
 3dly, Suppofing this One Prophecy might 
 poffibly relate to Mahometifm, (which yet I 
 have fhewn it cannot do) Yet flill Mahomet 
 did not appear, before the Sceptre departed 
 from Judah ^ He was not of the Seed oi Da- 
 'uid'j He, in a word, agreed in no one Cir- 
 cumftance to the charader of the Meffiah 
 mentioned in other Prophecies j and confe- 
 quently his Kingdom could not be the King- 
 dom of the Mejfiah here foretold. 
 
 I cannot recoiled any thing which has the 
 leaft Tendency to weaken this Thread of Rea- 
 foning, except what may feem either, Firfl^ 
 to affed the Book of Daniel itfelf in parti- 
 cular : 
 
of the Christian Religion. 27 
 
 cular : Or, Secondly, what may be objeded CHAP, 
 againft all Prophecies whatever. ^^• 
 
 In Anfwer to the Firjl, I obferve, ill:, 
 That there feem not to be fufficient Grounds 
 to call in queflion the Gcnuinenefs and Anti- 
 quity of Daiiiel's Book : And as it always was 
 looked upon as a Sacred Book by the Jeiivs, it 
 ought not to be rejeded as fpurious without 
 very good Evidence. Daniel lived five hun- 
 dred and fifty Years at leaft before Chrift ; 
 and upon fuppofition that he foretold this 
 Kingdom of God, — This will fully account 
 for that vet us Opinio^ That ant lent Notion 
 of the Jews, that Sojnebody from their Na- 
 tion fiould obtain the Dominion over alL 
 Every Charader mentioned by Jofephus, Ta- 
 citus, and Suetonius, exadly agrees to this 
 Account from Daniel, and therefore that 
 Opinion may juftly be deemed to have had 
 it's Origin from This Book. But if to this 
 be added, what is remarked above of the 
 Promife made to Abraham, and the Covenant 
 with David, the Antiquity of the Notion 
 and the places where it is to be found, cannot 
 be doubted. 
 
 2dly. Porphyry indeed afferted, that Da- 
 niel's Book was wrote after the Events : 
 That *' it was the Compofition of Somebody 
 *' in Judea about the time of Antiochus 
 • ' Epiphanes, <i!oho having a mi^id to give an 
 " account of thofe Days of Mifery, chofe to 
 ** deliver it rather in the Prophetic manner ^^ 
 
 " and 
 
An ESSATupofi the TRUTH 
 
 " a?id as foreteU'mg things to come^ rather 
 *^ than barely narrating things that were paji ? 
 " Th' will accoun*-, fays he, for the clearnefs 
 *' of what happened before Antiochus'j Times : 
 " and likewife for the Obfcurity of thofe 
 " Things which afterwards were to happen, 
 *' as being only the uncertain Gtiejfes of one 
 " that was entirely Ignorant of Futurity ^ 
 
 Now without entering more particularly 
 into this Controverfy ; It is certain, and al- 
 lowed even by Porphyry himielf, that Da- 
 niels Book was extant long before the Days 
 of fefus of Nazareth, Sappofmg it wrote 
 at the Time which Porphyry fixed upon ; 
 yet even then it was i6o Years before the 
 times of Chiift : And then as to the parti- 
 cular Prophecies which I have cited, it is 
 plain they were not after the Events. 
 
 3dly. If we take the later Opinion of Spi- 
 noza, perfedly groundlefs as it is, that This 
 Book was put together after the Reftoration 
 of the Jewijh Worfliip by Judas Machabeus ; 
 and that the lad five Chapters were the real 
 works of Daniel, and that the former Seven 
 were taken out of fome Chaldean Books.' — ^E- 
 ven Still the Book as it is, will be near 160 
 Years before Chrift, io^ Judas was (lain fo long 
 before the Days of Jefus, But then 
 
 4thly. I add, that Jofephus has given us 
 a very particular Extradt of the firft eight 
 Chapters of Daniel-y and always fpeaks of 
 him as living in the times which his Book 
 
 declares. 
 
o/ //j^ Christian Re L I GioN. 29 
 
 declares. It is evident that He had no more CHAP, 
 fufpicion of Forgery in this Book of Daniel^ ^^' 
 than he had of any Other of the Sacred 
 Writings : Nor does he mention any fuch fuf- 
 picions of any of his Nation concerning DanieL 
 On the contrary he expreffly afferts that Da- 
 7iiel hved Four Himdred and Eight Years be- 
 fore the Times of Judas Machabeus^ Antiq. 
 1. xii. c. II. When He mentions the Pro- 
 phecy in the 8th Chapter, concerning Antio- 
 chui EpiphaneSy he fays it came to pafs, 
 
 dviy^cx^^B rot y£]/woiJ^svx, juft as Daniel forefaWy 
 and wrote many Years before they happened^ 
 Antiquit. 1. x. c. 12. And again, the Books 
 which he wrote are read amongft us even to 
 this Day, and we hzYitvQ from them that Da- 
 niel converfed with God: for he not only fore- 
 told things to come, as the Other Prophets did^ 
 but he predetermined the very Time in which- 
 the Things fkould come to pafsy ibid, which 
 He could not fay, if he had had the lead 
 Sufpicion of any Forgery in this Cafe. Nor 
 inuft it be omitted, that, 1. xi. c. ult. He 
 tells us, how the Book of Daniel being foewn 
 to Alexander the Great, in which He foretold 
 that a certain Grecian fhouldput an end to the 
 Empire of the Perfians, Alexander thinking 
 himfelf to be that Perfon prefignified, with joy 
 difmiffed the Midtitude ; — and granted to the 
 Jews particular Privileges. 
 
 5thly. 
 
An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 5thly. How antient that Greek verfion of 
 Daniel is which formerly went under the 
 Name of the LXX, I cannot fay with any 
 certainty. The Tranflation of the Prophets 
 into Qreek feems to have been made in Ptolo- 
 my Philometors Reign, i. e, about 150 Years 
 before Chrili. Whether Daniel was then 
 tranllated I know not. Certain it is from 
 what St yerom fays, that the firft Verfion of 
 Daniel was lo i.\v from the Truth of the Ori- 
 gi?ial that it was jujily rejeBed ; and Theodo- 
 iion's was received by and ufed in the Church 
 in it's ftead. Whether This Book of DanieN 
 continuing untranilaied fome time after the 
 Tranflation of the other Prophets into Greek, 
 might not give Occafion to Porphyry to fuggeft 
 that it was wrote originally af.er Antiochui 
 Rpiphanes^ Days, may be worth Enquiring. 
 6thly. I muil add, That Daniel \^ very ex- 
 prelTly cited by the Authors of the ift. and 3d. 
 Books of Machabces ; and by "Jefus, when he 
 was fpeaking of the Deflrudion oi Jerufalem^ 
 Matth. xxiv. 15. 
 
 From all This, I infer, That let the Book 
 of Daniel be mangled, or be made up by 
 the Sanhedrin out of Papers left by Daniel-, 
 Or let it be wrote as late as Porphyry vainly 
 imagined ; Yet dill my obfervation is good, 
 that in This Book there is exprefs and clear 
 Prophecy of a Kingdom which God was to eredl ; 
 and, were this only to be confidered, a fufficient 
 Foundation is laid for that Antient and Conflant 
 
 Opinion^ 
 
of the Christian Religion. 3-1 
 
 Opiniofiy that one from Judea ivas to arife^ and^^^ P- 
 to obtain a Dominion over alL And 
 
 2. It is nothing to the Purpofe to object 
 the Variety of Interpretations which Great 
 and Learned Men have made of the f event y 
 weeks: Since almoft All Interpretations of 
 them were expired, but a Httle before or at 
 the Deftrudion of Jertifalem, And if we 
 are not able to agree about the limits of the 
 feven weeks and of the fixty-two weeks^ yet 
 ilWl we are able to fee clearly, that a fpiritual 
 Kingdom was to be let up, and without 
 force, during the Roman Empire ; and that 
 the MeJJiah was to be cut off before the De- 
 ftrudion of Jerufalem ; which is enough for 
 our prefent Purpofe, which is only to account 
 for This Antient and univerfally received 
 Opinion. 
 
 As to the Second Objecflion, which is made 
 againft the Interpretation of All Prophecies 
 in general, it is thus urged by the Author of 
 ne DifcGtirfe of the Grounds^ &c. ' Such 
 
 * Agreement [of Prophecy and Events] can 
 ' carry no real Convidion along with it. 
 
 * For the Reafon of fuch agreement is plain- 
 
 * ly This, that the Explainers have had both 
 
 * the Prophecies and Events lying for a long 
 
 * time before them with a View to make 
 
 * them accord. In confequence whereof 
 ^ they have, by mending and piecing of 
 
 * Syftems, and varying and changing Ideas to 
 \ words, found out the mod plaufible mean- 
 
 ings 
 
32^ An ESSAY upon the TRVTH. 
 
 CHAP. < ings poffible for certain words in the Pro- 
 ^_^ 1^^ * phecies, in order to apply thole Prophecies 
 
 * to the events they would have to be intend- 
 
 * ed in them. For nothing is eafier than for 
 ^ artful and learned men to make accommo- 
 ' dations in this cafe, between things, to a 
 ^ certain degree. But perfedt accommoda- 
 
 * tions feem impoffible/ />. 249 — 250. To 
 this I anfwer ; 
 
 That in very many Inftances ' perfcdl Ac- 
 
 * commodations' are not only not ' impoffi- 
 ' ble/ but are very manifeil. In the Pro- 
 phecies upon which I think Chriftianity 
 chiefly founded, there is fo manifeft an A- 
 greement with the Event; and we have fo 
 many years Evidence for the Truth of the 
 Application ; and every fmgle circumftance 
 fo exadly fuits with what was predi6led ; 
 that the Accommodation is not owing to the 
 Study and Induflry of ' artful and learned 
 
 * Men,' but the obfervation of Things has 
 pointed out what it was that was foretold. 
 When we fee a Prophecy and an exadtly cor-^ 
 refponding Event, in all circumilances per-^ 
 fedly agreeing, we may be as fure, that That 
 is the Event prophecied of, as when in Ma-- 
 thematicks we know the properties of a Tri- 
 angle, and at any time meet with a Body 
 which has the fame properties in Experience, 
 we can be fure that that Body is a real Tri- 
 angle. The ' mending and piecing of Sy- 
 ' flems' arifes plainly from the partial Con-^ 
 
 fideration 
 
cf the Christian Religion. 33 
 
 fideration of fome Circumftances only : And C H a P. 
 in prophetic matters it is juft as it is in all ^}^ 
 other Subjeds. If men will take in but part 
 of any Propofition and confider That as the 
 whole, they muft neceflarily fall into Miftake 
 and Paralogifm. So in Prophetick cafes, if 
 men will take into their confideration fome 
 parts of a Prophecy, and from them only, 
 omitting all orher circumftances, will deter- 
 mine upon it's meaning, there is no help 
 for, nor end of, fuch Miflakes. But then, 
 when they confider the whole, and can find 
 that every circumftance tallies exadlly with 
 an Event, there is the jufteft ground for 
 * real convidion y notwithftanding unob- 
 ferving or ignorant men have miftaken things, 
 and have attempted to accommodate fuch 
 matters as in themfelves were irreconcileable 
 together* 
 
 D chap; 
 
 * 
 
34 ^n ES SAT upon the T^RUTH 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the KINGDOj^;! of HEAVEN in the 
 
 New I'ejiament, 
 
 IT Is evident from what has been already 
 faid in the Firft Chapter, that the Jews 
 were in Expedation of a Perlbn whom They 
 ftiied T^he Meffiah^ and who as they believed 
 was to have a Kingdom, and Dominion 
 over all People, Nations and Languages. It 
 has been likewife proved that, A Kingdom 
 was to be fet up by God, which was not to be 
 deftroyed:, and the T^ime prefixed in Da?jiel^ 
 was much about the Time that Jefus appeared 
 in. When Jefus began to preach, it is re- 
 markable that he opened the Gofpel with 
 This, ^he Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand^ 
 Matt. iv. ij. Or as it is in Mark i. 15, TZ?^ 
 Time is fulhlled, and the Kingdom of God is 
 at hand. The Jews were then fo well ac- 
 quainted with the Meaning of this Expreflion, 
 and were fo well apprized of a Kingdom 
 which God had relolved in his due Time 
 to fet up, that as often as Jefus talked of 
 the KiNGDOM'f^/ //<?^w;2, or, of God -^ nei- 
 ther the People, nor their Rulers, ever of- 
 fered to a{k him the Meaning of that 
 Phrafe : Which yet we cannot fuppofe them 
 
 not 
 
of the Christian Religion. 
 not to have done, if he had talked with, 
 and to, them in a Language they were un- 
 acquainted with. But as They.expeded The 
 Kingdom of God, as Daniel had expreflly 
 foretold, fo Jcfus aflures them that the 
 Time was fulhlled, and the Kingdom of 
 God would inftantly begin to be fet up in the 
 World. ^, 
 
 But bec'aufe This will lielp to explain ma- 
 ny PafTages in the New Teftament, I fliall 
 examine the Meaning of this Expreffion, and 
 iTiew that the Prophecies of Daniel are con- 
 flandy in View, whenever the Difcourfe is 
 about the Kingdom of Heaven, or of God, 
 or of Chriji, in tl}e Hidory of Jefas. 
 
 When John the Baptift began his Mi- 
 niftry, it was with This Dodrine, Repent ye^ 
 for The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand, 
 Matt. iii. 2. Mark. i. 14. Our Saviour 
 made ufe of the lame Word?, Matt. iv. 17. 
 Mark i. 15; and as foon as he had called 
 Four Difcipies, ^dw^ went about all G2X\\tQ^ 
 teaching in their Synagogues ^ and preaching 
 the Gofpel of The Kingdom, /. e, telling 
 • them the Good News that God was now 
 beginning to fet up that Kingdom which 
 was to f and for ever. And accordingly when 
 he commiflioned the Seventy to preach the 
 Gofpel, Matt, x. 7, Their Inilrudions were, 
 to fay, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand: 
 Or as it is Luke x. 9, The Kingdom of 
 God is come nigh unto you. ^yy-iKC]) Ip' vixoig. 
 D 2 The 
 
36 An ESSAY upon the rRUTH 
 
 G HA P. The Time of fetting up that Kingdom^ which 
 God had foretold by Daiiiely was fo nighy 
 That even the Perfons to whom they fpoke, 
 were to fee it begin. 
 
 When our Lord went fir ft out of Galilee 
 to Jerufakm^ that remarkable Diicourfe paf- 
 fed betwixt Him and Nicodemus, John iii. 3, 
 5. Verily\ njerily^ I fay unto thee^ Except a 
 man be born again^ he cannot fee the King- 
 dom of God. Nicodemus faith unto hitn^ 
 How can a man be born when he is old? — 
 fefus anfwered — Except a inan be born of 
 JVater and of the Spirit ^ he cannot enter into 
 The Kingdom of God. The meaning of 
 which is, That That Kingdom which God 
 was to eredt, was of fuch a Nature, that 
 People in order to qualify themfelves for it, 
 inuft make an entire change, in the Courfe 
 of their Lives ; and become New Men. 
 They muft not be governed by Paffions, and 
 Lufts, and an Animal Life, but muft be 
 guided by the Spij-it of Chrifi^ Rom. viii. 9, 
 in order to be His. To fee therefore the 
 Kingdom of God, is here, to be admitted 
 into it, io partake of it y juft as iofee death ^ 
 Luke ii. 26, is to dye-, to fee God, is to en- 
 joy him, Matt, v. 8. No man therefore can 
 poflibly be a fubjecTt of the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven^ or of God, except he will qualify him- 
 Iclf for it by forfaking a vicious Courfe of 
 Life, and follow the Means laid down by 
 God. The Qceflion betwixt our Saviour 
 
 and 
 
of the Christian Religion. 37 
 
 and Nicodemus was, What was required to C H A P. 
 admit a Man a Member, (not of that State ,^J[!L^ 
 which Good men fliall enjoy after the final 
 day of Judgment, but) of that Kingdom 
 which Jelus preached? And purfuant to this. 
 The Anfwer is, to be born of Water ; and 
 to be born again ^ ava..^f^, ox from above ^ and 
 to be born of the Spirit ; /. e. The Members 
 of this Kingdom niulT: lead Lives of Virtue, 
 and muft purify their Hearts, in order to be 
 qualified for entrance into it by Baptlfm. 
 And no wonder that this was the Subjed: of 
 their Conference. For tho' a Kingdom was 
 foretold in Daniel^ yet it was only foretold 
 in general, that fuch a thing in fad: fliould 
 be. But then, as to the particular Nature 
 of it, what niould be it's Laws, or what the 
 Conditions of living in it, or what fliould be 
 the Qualifications of it's Members,: — Thefe, 
 and many other Circumftances, were referv- 
 ed for the appointed Time, when it fliould 
 pleafe God to let it up. Thus 
 
 Matt. V. 3. BleJJed are the poor in Spirit ^ 
 
 for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven ; Or as 
 
 St Luke has it, ch. vi. 20. Tours is the 
 
 Kingdom of God : and ver. 10. Blcjfed are 
 
 they which are perfecuted for Righteoufnefs 
 
 fake ; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 Such Perfons are fitly qualified and difpofed 
 
 to be Members of nat Kingdom which was 
 
 to lad for ever. Becaufe the Humility of 
 
 ^Jie former renders them teacheable and ready 
 
 D 3 to 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 to fubniit to the Will of God -, and the Cou- 
 rage and the Conftancy, and the Upright- 
 nefs of the latter, d^fpofes them to obey the 
 Truth, notwithitcinding all the Difficulties 
 they may meet with in the Profecution of 
 their Duties. 
 
 When thus the Kingdom of God was 
 preached, in fo many refpeds different from 
 That of the jewSy the Objedion was natu- 
 ral ;:: — Muft the Jcwifli Polity therefore be fet 
 afide, or deftroyed, fince God was now ered- 
 ing a Kingdom, to become Subjeds of which, 
 qualifications were required very different 
 from thofe of the Law of Mofes ; and like- 
 wife vL-vy different from what the Seniles and 
 Pbcfrifees taughi ? 
 
 To obviaie this, oar Saviour fays, Think 
 not that I am come to deilroy the Law or the 
 Pfopheis : / am not come to deftroy, but to 
 fulfill : for verily I Jay unto you^ 'Till Hea- 
 ven and Earth pafs^ one jot or one tittle f:all 
 in no "wife pafs 'till all be fulfilled. V/hofo- 
 ever therefore Jhall break one of thefe leafi 
 comjnandmeniSy and JJjall teach men Jo, he 
 JJoall be called leaji in the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven : but whofoever JJjall do and teach them^ 
 the fame fall be called great in the King- 
 dom o/' Heaven, For I Jay unto you that ex- 
 cept your righteoufnej] Jhall exceed the righ- 
 teoufnefs of the Scribes a?id Pharifees, ye fall 
 271 710 cafe enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, 
 Matt. V. 17—20. i. e. '' The End of my 
 
 *' coming 
 
<c 
 
 of the Christian Religion. 
 '' coming into the World and preaching thus 
 *' the Dodrine of the Kingdom, is not to 
 *^ annul the Law of Mofes -^ or to hinder 
 '* Men from paying a due regard to That, 
 " or to the Prophets : But it is to accomplifli 
 '' whatever is foretold in Them, that the 
 '' MefTiah is to DO or fuffer. For be af- 
 ^' fured that Heaven and Earth fhall fooner 
 ^* be deftroyed, than any thing declared in 
 '* the Law and the Prophets be unfulfilled, 
 ^' It is far from my defign to releafe you from 
 the Obligation you are under to the Law, 
 My Intent is to give you it's true and com- 
 " pleat Senfe ; and not to deftroy it by fuch 
 *' corrupt Glofles as the Scribes and Pharifees 
 *' have done. Whofoever therefore fhall 
 *' teach men fuch Traditions as weaken the 
 " Obligation of the Law, and fet men at li- 
 " berty from obferving it, He turns Mens 
 ** Eyes and Thoughts from what the Law 
 " and the Prophets have faid, and therefore 
 " is unworthy to be a Member of the King- 
 " dom of the Meffiah. The Law and the 
 " Prophets, I fay, are to be regarded, and 
 *' not the Glofles and Corruptions oi the 
 " Scribes and Pharifees -, for unlefs another 
 " fort of righteoufnefs obtains amongft you 
 '' than is taught by them, ye cannot be qua- 
 *' lifted for admiffion into the Kingdom of 
 '' Heaven." 
 
 The fame Notion runs through this whole 
 
 Difcourfe of our Lord, and plainly points 
 
 D 4 out 
 
40 A71 ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A P. out his Meaning. When He taught his Dif- 
 ciples to pray y Matt, vi. lo. and Luke xi. 2. 
 Thy Kingdom come, his plain Meaning is, 
 " Let That Kingdom which was foretold fo 
 *' expreffly, wherein the Worfhip of the 
 " One God, and the eternal Laws of righte- 
 *' Gufnefs are to be eftablifhed in the World, 
 *' foon take place therein/' 
 
 When He would take off his Difciples 
 
 from all Anxiety, arifing from the necefluous 
 
 Condition they might be under in fpending 
 
 their Time in the Promulgation of the Gof- 
 
 pel, He fays, Take no Thought faying^ what 
 
 fkall we eaty or what JJoall we drink^ or 
 
 wherewithal pall we be cloathed — But leek ye 
 
 firfl the Kingdom of God, and his Righteouf- 
 
 nefs, and all thefe things JJoall be added unto 
 
 you. Matt. vi. 33, Luke xii. 31; "The 
 
 " things which you are to be follicitous about, 
 
 *' and which you are carefully and principally 
 
 ^' to feek, are the Nature of That Kifigdom 
 
 *' which God has foretold, and who is that 
 
 ** RIGHTEOUS BRANCH, That King 
 
 " that JJjall reign and profper, and jJmll exe- 
 
 ** cute "judgment and 'Jujlice in the Earth, 
 
 " and who is called in the Prophets THE 
 
 ''LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 
 
 " All other things are the effedls of God's or- 
 
 " dinary Providence, Compare Jeremiah 
 
 *' xxiii. 5, 6. and Ifaiah xli, 2.*' If this 
 
 may feem to fbme a lefs probable Account of 
 
 the Meaning of the Word, Righteouf?iefs, m 
 
 this 
 
of the Christian Religion. 41 
 
 this place J They may underftand by it, That CHAP. 
 
 Submiffion and Obedience which God now ^ 1 
 
 requires in the Gofpel State ; which St Paul^ 
 Rom, X. 3. calls, God's Right eotijhefs', and 
 ver. 6. 'The Righteoufnefs which is of Faith : 
 In either of which Senfes the main Defign of 
 our Lord is the fame, to allude to that 
 State which the Prophet had fo exprefHy 
 foretold. 
 
 It has been obferved from the Account 
 which Daniel gave of this Kingdom, that from 
 fmall beginnings it was to grow till it filled^ 
 T^v oiH»/x£^»u, the Earth, I>uring this Progrefs, 
 different Things may be, and adually are af- 
 ferted of it in it's different Slates, or Periods, 
 and all are very proper to The Kifigdom itfelf. 
 Thus, what our Saviour fays, Matt, viii. 11. 
 and again, Luke xiii. 28, 29. has a View to 
 all Times from his own Days to the final 
 conclufion of the World. I fay unto you 
 that mafjy fdall come from the Eaji, and JVeJi^ 
 and f:all fit down with Abraham and Ifaac 
 and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven : But 
 the Children of the Kingdom Jhall be cafl out 
 into outer Darkitefs. What he means is. 
 That Good men even of the Gentiles fliall be 
 received with Abraham, &c. into the Kingdom 
 of God', [{hall h^ ble[jed with faithful Abra- 
 ham, Gal. iii. 9. and partake of the Happi- 
 nefs propofed to him] whilrt the unbelieving 
 Jews, who have fuch great Advantages alrea- 
 dy, fliall be excluded the Privileges of his 
 
 Kingdom. 
 
42 An ESSJT upoti the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Kingdom. To lye down with Abraham^ &c. 
 in the Kingdom of Heaven^ means no more 
 than to be admitted Heir of the Promifes 
 made to the Patriarchs of Old, and to re- 
 ceive the Blefling equally with Them. The 
 Cenmrion's Faith (which gave Occafion for 
 what our Lord here fays,) was greater than 
 what Jefus had found even in Ifrael^ ver. lo. 
 That Faith qualified- him for the Gofpel- 
 State, and made him be looked upon and 
 treated as a Difciple of The Chrijl : And This 
 gave further Occafion to our Saviour to fay, 
 that Not only this Stranger, but Many Gen- 
 tiles lliould be adm>itted into his Kingdom, 
 and become his Subjeds, and reap the Pri- 
 vileges of the Gofpel-Stace, as well as Abra- 
 ham and the Patriarchs, He fpeaks, it is 
 plain, of a State out of which the Jezvs were 
 to be ca/l, ver. 12, Jirji -, but lajl were to be 
 received again, and to make up Part of our 
 Lord's Subjeds. When he fpeaks in almoft 
 the fame words, Luke xiii. 28, 29, There 
 jhall be weeping and gnaJJjing of Teeth ^ when 
 ye [Jews] fiallfee Abraham, and Ifaac, and 
 Jacob, and all the Prophets in the Kingdom 
 of God, a72d you your] elves thruji out. And 
 They [the Gentiles] fiall come from the Eaft 
 and from the Wejt, a?id fro?n the Norths and 
 from the South, and Jloall ft down in the 
 Kingdom of God, — When, I fay, our Sa- 
 viour fpeaks thus. He adds, And behold there 
 are laft, which fiall be firfl 5 and there are 
 
 firfl 
 
of the Christian Religion. 43 
 
 firft which pall be laft. Which evidently CHAP, 
 fhews that he is fpeaking concerning the Stale 
 of the MeJJialfs Kingdom, into which the 
 Ge?7tiles were to be called after the fews 
 were Jirji rejeded ; and the Jews^ unto 
 whom the Gifpel was firft preached, were 
 again to be called at laji. It may be further 
 neceffary to obferve here, that the Jews^ 
 who were to be caji into outer Darknefs, are, 
 in this plice- ft i led, ne Children of the Kifjg- 
 dom : Becaule they were firft defigned for, 
 and had the firft Offer of the Kingdom of 
 Heaven, though they refiifed it, and reje5ied 
 the Counfel cf God againjl the?nfelves: Where- 
 as, chap. xiii. 38, The good Seed, i.e. fuch 
 as complied with the conditions or Laws of 
 the Kingdom, and will be received and re- 
 warded in it, are called The Children of the 
 kingdoin. 
 
 The next PafTage where this Exprefiion oc- 
 curs, is, Matt, xi. 11, 12. Verily I fay unto 
 you^ among them that are born of Women^ 
 there hath not rifen a greater than John the 
 Baptift; 720twithltanding he that is leaft in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven, is greater than He, 
 And from the Days of John the B.^ptift u?2til 
 now the Kingdom of Heaven fuffereth Vio" 
 lence^ and the violent take it by Force, St 
 ' Luke has it, c. xvi. 16. The haw and the 
 Prophets were until John : Since that Time 
 the Kingdom of God is preached, and every 
 Man prejjetb into it,^ ■ 
 
 It 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 It is plain from the Comparifon of thefe 
 places, that by the Kingdom of Heaven can- 
 not be meant here a Place of future Rewards, 
 but muft be a State that was preached from 
 the Time of "John^ and into which Men 
 frejj'ed', and into which m id,^ they did en- 
 ter. It was Something which was contra- 
 diftinguifl:ied from, and oppofed to, that State, 
 where The Law and the Prophets were in 
 their Glory. Had our Saviour meant by the 
 Phrafe, Ki?2gdom of Heaven, the State of 
 the BlefTed in Heaven, what great thing is it 
 to fay, that the BlefTed above are greater than 
 any on Earth ? That the meaneft Perfon who 
 has obtained the Reward of his Endeavours, 
 is better than he who is ftill contending, and 
 may lofe it. To explain therefore this Paf- 
 fage, it muft be obferved that "John is con- 
 fidered, not only as the lafl Prophet under the 
 Old Teflament, but likewife as One that 
 prepared the way of the Lord, And as the 
 New Teftament had many advantageous 
 Circumftances, which the Old had not j And 
 as 'John did no Miracle, whereas the leaft 
 Prophet of the New Teftament was vefted 
 with Miraculous Powers; Therefore it is 
 faid, that the Leaft in the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven, /. e, in the Gofpel-State is greater than 
 He, He indeed foretold the Kingdom of 
 Heaven to he at hand : But fince his Time, 
 it has been openly preached^ and the Nature 
 of it explained, which He was ignorant of ^ 
 
 and 
 
of the Christian Religion. 4^ 
 
 and great numbers daily /r^, and are earneft chap. 
 to be admitted i?ito it ; and will reap the Be- 
 nefits of it. 
 
 Whilft our Lord was thus preaching and 
 JJjewing the glad Tidings of the Kingdom of 
 God, Luke v\\\. i, The Pharifees took Urn- 
 brage at his Proceedings, and objeded to 
 Him, that He caji out Devils by Beelzebub 
 the Prince of the Devils. To take off the 
 Pretence of Objedion here, Jefus appeals to 
 his Miracles ; and inlifts that he could not 
 have a Power over Devils from the Devil 
 himfelf, but muft derive it from the Spirit of 
 God. But, fays he, if I cafl out Devils by 
 the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God 
 is cotne unto you. Matt. xii. 28, i^pOao-ev \(p J/xaf, 
 The Kingdom of the Meffias is come in your 
 Times : and the Miracles done by me con- 
 firm that I am no Impoftor. 
 
 But we may judge the beft of this Phrafe- 
 ology from Matt, xiii. and the parallel places, 
 in Mark iv. and Luke viii. where fefus hav- 
 ing told the Parable of the Sower, His Dif 
 ciples came and faid unto him. Why fpeakefl 
 thou unto them in Parables ? He anfwered 
 and faid unto them, Becaife it is given unto 
 you to know the Myfteries [the myftery in 
 Mark iv. 11.] of the Kingdom ^Heaven 
 [of Goi, Mark iv. 11. Luke v\\\, 10.] but 
 to them it is not given. Matt. xiii. 11. 
 What now is this Myjiery? From the Para- 
 ble it is plain, That many of thofe Perfons 
 
 to 
 
A?i ESSAr upo?i the TRUTH 
 to whom it was to be propofed would not 
 be afFeded by it : That the Attempt to bring 
 in great Numbers would be ineftcdual ; and 
 the Preaching it's L^ws wouli be to many, 
 iifelefs Labour : It would be \vkQfowi?2g good 
 Seed', b'jf yet the Giound lay open to the 
 Abufes of falfe Teachers and wicked Men ; 
 Matt, xiii. 24. Bat then the ApolUes were 
 let into the Secret of the Gofnel- State, and 
 it's Nature was more plainly difclofed to them 
 than it was to Others; and what he fpake 
 for particular Reafons more covertly to the 
 People, he interpreted plainly to them. 
 
 In the following part of this Chapter there 
 are Two more Parables^ which are exadly a- 
 greeable to DanieN Predidlions. The King- 
 dom of Heaven is like a Grain of Muftard- 
 feed, which a Man took and [owed in his field ^ 
 which is the leail of all Seeds, but when it 
 is grown, it is the greateft among Herbs, and 
 hecometh a Tree : So that the Birds of the 
 Air come and lodge i?i the branches thereof 
 ver. 31, 32. and Markiv, 31, 32. Again, 
 The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto Leaven, 
 which a Woman took aitd hid in three Mea^ 
 fares of Meal, 'till the whole was leavened, 
 ver. 33. Luke x'lu, 18, 19, 20, 21. This is 
 plainly faying. That The Ki?2gdom of Hea- 
 ven, which in it's firft State Da?2iel repre- 
 fented as no bigger than a Stone, fhall encreafe 
 and extend itfelf, 'till it hccom^ssi Mount ainy 
 a?id fills the whole Earth. 
 
 If 
 
of the Christian ReligioNo 47 
 
 If any one fhould imagine that Thefe Pa- CH ap. 
 rabies have a relation to fomething that {hall 
 happen after the Efid of the World -^ He may 
 obrerve, that This Kingdom of the Meffiah 
 is to contain Good and Bad Men : T^he good 
 Seed are the Children of the Kingdom, fowed 
 now : The Tares are the Children of the 
 Wicked one. At the End of the Wo: Id the 
 Angels are to gather^ U r^g ^xtriXiUq auVy, 
 OUT of his Kingdom all things that offend: 
 And that this is to be done before the retri- 
 bution of the Juft. For after This is done, 
 THEN f jail the righteous fiine forth in the 
 Kingdom of their Father, ver. 43. So that 
 The Kingdom of Heaven plainly relates to the 
 prefe?2t State of things ; and is juftly com- 
 pared, ver. 47. to a Net^ which being cafl 
 into the Sea, gathered of every Kind, and 
 and every Kind was in the Net, 'till at the 
 End of the World, the wicked fiall be fevered 
 from the Ju/iy ver. 49. In thefe Inftances 
 nothing can be more evident, than what our 
 Lord has taught us concerning the Kingdom 
 of God. Daniel only foretold that fuch a 
 Kingdom was to be. But our Lord explained 
 the Myftery of this Kingdom, and difcover- 
 ed it's Nature, it's Tendency, and Defign ; 
 and what would be the End of our being ad- 
 mitted into it, and of obferving it's Laws : 
 and when confidered in this View, it is JLill- 
 ly compared to a Treafure hid in a fields 
 which when a Man hath found ^ he felleth all 
 
 that 
 
48 An ESSAT upo?i the TRUTH, 
 
 CHAP, that he hath^ and huyeth that fields ver. 44. 
 ^^^^ Or, to a Pearl of great Price, for which the 
 Merchant felkth all that he hath to buy it^ 
 ver. 46. When the Apoftles declared, that 
 They underftood what our Lord had been 
 faying, He clofes this Difcourfe, in which he 
 had difcovered fo much of the Myjiery of 
 The Kingdom^ in thefe words, ver. 52. £- 
 . 'very Scribe which is injiru6led unto the King- 
 dom of Heaven n like a Man that is an 
 Houfeholder^ which bringeth forth out of his 
 Treafure things New and Old, i. e. Every 
 Ikilful Man who is acquainted with the Na- 
 ture and Properties of the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven, will be able to produce very fit and pro- 
 per Arguments, and very fit and proper Me- 
 thods of Inflruding Others, upon fo confidera- 
 ble a Subjedt as the Kingdom of Heaven is. 
 
 We meet with nothing that can occafion 
 the lead: Difficulty in Luke ix. 2, either when 
 our Lord fent his twelve Difciples to preach 
 the Kingdom of God 5 Or, when, upon 
 Their return, he fpake to the People^ which 
 followed him into the Defert, of the King- 
 dom of God, ver. 1 1. The Place which on 
 Other accounts has been moft perplexed is 
 Matt, xvi. 19, I will give unto thee the Keys 
 of the Kingdom of Heaven. Which as ap- 
 pears by the Event was, that Peter fhould 
 open the Kingdom of Heaven to JewSy and 
 to Gentiles too, the firft of any of the Apo- 
 ftles : /. e. He fhould preach, and bring into 
 
 the 
 
^//^^ Christian Religion. 4g 
 
 the Church the Jir/l Converts : which in faft CHAP. 
 He did ; and which fliews the meaning of, 
 the Phrafe to be, That He iliould be the 
 Per Ton who ftiould open to the Gefjtile 
 World, as well as to the Jews, the State 
 which God defigned on Earth for his true 
 Worfliippers. 
 
 Immediately after this, Jefus let his Dif- 
 clples into that important Truth, that He 
 was to be killed and raifed again the Third 
 Day : Matt. xvi. 21. When Peter began to 
 rebuke him for it. He called the people to him^ 
 with his Difciples alfo^ and among other 
 things told them, Verily I fay unto you, There 
 be jome Jlandmg here which fiall not tajle of 
 Death, 'till they fee the Son of Man coming 
 in his Kingdom, Matt, xvi. 28. Mark has 
 it, chap. xi. i, There be fome of them that 
 ft and here, which fall not tafte of Death 'till 
 they have feen the Kingdom of God ccme with 
 Fewer, St Luke has it, chap. ix. 27, 'till 
 they fee The Kingdom of God. The Kingdo?n 
 of God will foon begin ; and it's beginning 
 will be attended with Power ; with the Re- 
 furredion and Afcenfion of the Meffiah 5 
 and with Miracles, which will attell the 
 Truth of the Dodrine taught, and which 
 will confirm the Truth of the Miflion of 
 it's Preachers, v, ASs i. 8. St Paul^ Rom. 
 i. 4, feems plainly to have this Notion of 
 coming with Power, when he fays that 
 
 E Jefus 
 
50 Afi ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Jefus was declared to be the Son of God 
 ^ 1^^ iv hvd(j(.£i^ with Power y by the Refurredion 
 from the Dead. 
 
 Whilft Jeius was on the way to Caper- 
 jiaufUy a Difpiue began amongft his Difci- 
 pies upon this Queftion, Who is the Great- 
 eft in the Kingdom of Heaven ? Matt, xviii. 
 J. They underftood all along that The Ki?2g- 
 dom of Heaven was to be a Kingdom here 
 on Earth ; and they had joined to it their 
 Expectations of Temporal Grandeur; and 
 therefore difputed amongft themfelves for the 
 Privilege of Pre-eminence, fo natural to the 
 minds of Men. This made our Saviour let 
 them fomewhat further into the Nature of 
 the Kingdom which God defigned to ered:. 
 Except ye be converted, and become as little 
 Children, ye fid all not enter into the Kingdom 
 of Heaven : Whofoever therefore Jh all ivamhlQ 
 himfelf as this little Child, the fame is greateft 
 i7i the Kingdom of Heaven, ver. 3, 4. By 
 which he plainly told them, that the King- 
 dom of Heaven was not at all like the other 
 Kingdoms of the World, where Dignities and 
 Honours and Preferments were the frequent 
 and ufual Confeqaences of Striving and Am- 
 bition i Bat that in this particular Cafe, Hu- 
 mility, and opennefs of Mind for Truth, 
 and undifguifed Plainnefs, and Uprightnefs, 
 were the things which woold quahfy Men 
 for This State, or Kingdom of God, Our 
 
 Lord's 
 
of the Christian Religion. 51 
 
 Lord's Remarks are more enlarged in St ^ ^^ "^ P- 
 Mark, chap. ix. And His Difcourle contains 
 feveral Reafonings to fhew the FoHv and 
 Ablurdicy of Men's expofing themielves to 
 the Divine Dilpleafure, on account of fome 
 prefent Advantages which ought in reahty to 
 be forgone. Amongft thefe he urges, chap. 
 ix. 47, And if tkine Eye offend thee^ pluck 
 it out : it is better for thee to enter into the 
 Kingdom of God with one Eye^ than hav- 
 ing two Eyes to be caft into Hell-fire, i. e. If 
 any thing dilcouragts you from following the 
 Truth of God, be it ever fo dear or near un- 
 to you, difcard it quire ; for to be admiited a 
 Member of the Kingdom of Heaven, and 
 to be capacitated to enjoy it's Privileges, every 
 thing mud be fo rlaken and quitted which 
 is inconiitlent with what God requires of 
 Mankind ; and to which he has annexed his 
 Rewards in his Kingdom. 
 
 In the parallel Place of Matt, xviii. 8, 9, 
 what Mark here expreffes by Entring into 
 the Kingdom of God, the other Evangelift 
 calls £;2/r/;7^ /;2/^ Life : and the veiy fame 
 Phrafe does St Mark make ufc of, ver. 43, 
 45. which fhews the meaning of the Phrafe 
 to be the fame in Effeci, Jeius calls himfelf, 
 T^he Life^ John xi. 25. and xiv. 6, becaufe 
 He is the Author of Life 10 all that believe, 
 and God has committed to him the Power of 
 giving Life. To enter into Lif\ is to enter 
 into a State that leads to Life and to that 
 E 2 Happinefs 
 
An ESSAY tipoji the TRUTH 
 
 Happinefs which God defigned for his Sub- 
 jects : To enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, 
 here, as fignifying the fame with Life, is 
 to qualify a Man's felf for Life by entering 
 into a State which will produce Life. But 
 this by the bye. 
 
 Soon after this, Jcfus fet himfelf to go to 
 yerufalem, Luke ix. 51. and in the way 
 commanded one to follow him ; but he ex- 
 cufed his prefent attendance upon him, by 
 faying, Lord, Juffer 77ie firjl to go and bury 
 my Father, y^fas /aid unto him. Let the 
 Dead bury their Dead -y but go thou, and 
 Preach the Kingdom of God. And Ano- 
 ther alfo faid, Lord, I will follow thee : but 
 let mefirfl go bid them farewel which are at 
 Home. A?id Jefus faid unto him, no Man 
 having put his hand to the Plough, aiid looking 
 backy is fit for the Kingdom of God, Luke ix. 
 59, 60, 61, 62. No man, ejOeto? irtv aV t^v 
 P>oc<t{xhscv t« ^ea. is rightly difpofed for to enter 
 into the Kingdom which God is about to efta- 
 blifli: becaufe he prefers his own Eafe and 
 Quiet to the things which God requires of him. 
 
 In the xviiith of Matt, our Lord having 
 faid, that Chriftians ought to forgive one ano- 
 ther very freely and very largely, he infers, 
 ver. 23 — 35, Ty^^r^/^T^ the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven is likened to a certain King which would 
 take account of his Servants, whereof One 
 owed him ten Thoufand Talents : But foraf 
 much as he had not to pay — his Lord forgave 
 
 him 
 
cf the Christian Religion. 53 
 
 him the Debt, &c. i. e. In the Difpcnlation CHAP- 
 of Rewards and PaniflMiients in the Kingdom 
 which God is eiiabhihing, my Heavenly Fa- 
 ther, when he ihall take account of the Con- 
 dud: of his Sabjeds, will be ready and wil- 
 ling to forgive fuch as iLew Mercy to their 
 Brethren, but will puni(h feverely fuch as are 
 obftinate and relentlefs. 
 
 The Commiffion which the Scvent'^ re- 
 ceived, Luke x. 9, 11, to preach to the Peo- 
 ple, that T^he Kingdom of God is come nigh 
 wito you: i.e. is juft now'ereding among 
 You, is a fufficient Comment upon our 
 Lord's Expreffion, Luke xi. 20, But if I 
 with the finger of God caji out Devils, no 
 doubt the Kingdom of God is come upon 
 you : i'p^oc<Tiv l(p J/xa^, is now adtually come 
 quite to, and begun among You. And in 
 like manner is that Phrafe to be underftood, 
 Blejfed is he that f ball eat Bread in the King- 
 dom of God 5 Luke xiv. 15. It was occa- 
 fioned by one, who was at dinner at a Pha- 
 rifee'% Houfe with our Lord, and heard him 
 recommending Humility and Charity, and 
 Condefcenfion to Others. ' Bleffed,' fays he, 
 
 * is he who (hall live in thofe times wheq. 
 
 * thefe Virtues fhall be pradifed, and "The 
 
 * Kingdom of God, the proper Place and 
 ' Time for them, fhall be ereded in this 
 
 * World.' That it relates to a State in this 
 World is evident from the Anfwer which our 
 t'Ord made to the Perfon who thus addreffed 
 
 E 3 himfelf 
 
54 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, himfelf unto Him. A certain man made a 
 ' .great Supper and bad many: And fent his 
 Servant at Supper -time to Jay to them that 
 were bidden, Comey for all things are now 
 ready. And they all with one Con fent began 
 to make Excufe. — Then the Majler of the 
 Houfe being angry^ faid to his Servant, Go 
 out quickly into the Streets and La?ies of the 
 City, and bring in hither the Poor, and the 
 Maimed, and the Halt, and the Blind, — • 
 Compel them to come in, that my Houfe may 
 be filed. For 1 fay unto you^ that none of 
 thoft' Men which were bidden fall tafte of 
 xny Supper. Luke xiv. ic — 24, /. e. The 
 Privileges of tiie Ki?2gdom of God were frji 
 o^c A v:> <h^ Jews : but they feemed una- 
 ni« oully to rejed: them : Then were They 
 off*, -ed kO thofe Ge?itiles who were near Ju- 
 4ea; Then the goodnefs of God extended it- 
 felf to th^ remoteft pans of the Earth : for it 
 was relolved that * ho'e Jews who had re- 
 jected the Ofifc' s tendered to them, Aould not 
 fhc^e of the p efen: Benefits which they 
 fcorned and defpilec. 
 
 Jefus having now fo long, and fo often 
 been preaching the Kingdom of Heaven, and 
 having over and over faid, that it is come nigh 
 unto yoa, and ii is come upon you, The Pha- 
 rifees demanded of him, Luke xvii. 20, 
 When the Kingdom of God fbould come'? 
 He a7if were d them and faid-. The Kingdom 
 of God Cometh not with Obfervation : Nei- 
 ther 
 
^//^^ Christian Religion. ^^ 
 
 ther Jhall they fay^ Lo here, or Lo, there ; C H A P. 
 for behold the Kingdom of God is within 
 you, ver. 21. They own the Thing, That 
 God would ere6t a Kingdom upon Earth ; 
 but the Point was. When Hiould it begin ? 
 To this the Anfwer is, it is a Kingdom which 
 Cometh not with Ohfervation : ic is not Hke 
 the Kingdoms of the World, to be regarded 
 by or for ii*s Pomp and Splendor aad Mag- 
 nificence ; but it i:? £i^(^ vfxccv, it is now with- 
 in Tou, and therefore is to be difcerned by 
 examining yourfehes, and the Condudl of 
 your Minds and Hearts. As to it's Begin- 
 ning, it is now come amonglf you ; and you 
 may difiinguifij This Kingdom from all Others - 
 by confidering it's Nature and Properties, 
 which I have declared unto you. 
 
 It may feem fomewhat more difficult to 
 account for the Phraieology in Matt. xix. 12. 
 T^here he fome which have made themfelves 
 Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Ht^^ytn^fake. 
 For it may be afked, how could they do this 
 for the Kingdom of Heaven' s fake which was 
 but now ereding ? But this DiiHculty will 
 vanifh, when We confider, That the Dif- 
 courfe was introduced on occalion of the Sub- 
 jed: of Divorces ; and our Lord having de- 
 termined the fingle Cafe Vv herein Divorce 
 was lawful, The Diiciples privately, Mark 
 X. 10. afterwards tell him. If the cafe of the 
 Man be Jo with his Wife, it is not good to 
 marry. To this he anfwers, All men cannot 
 E 4 receive 
 
56 An ESS AT upon the TR UTH 
 
 CHAP, receive this faying^ fave they to whom it is 
 given, FOR there are fome Eunuchs which 
 were fo born from their Mothers Womb : and 
 there are jome Eunuchs which were made Eu- 
 nuchs of Men : and there are fome Eunuchs y 
 which have made themjehes Eunuchs for the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. He that is able to re- 
 ceive ity let him receive it, i. e. The Ne- 
 ceffiiy of Marriage is not equal to all Men. 
 For there are fome born with a Temper of 
 Body which makes them not defire it. O- 
 thers by the Injuries of Men are maimed, 
 and made unfit for it. Others again, can 
 and do, even now, refolutely matter their In- 
 clinations, out of a defire of making them- 
 felves the more acceptable to God, when his 
 Kingdom (hall come. He means fuch per- 
 fons as waited for the conflation of Ifrael ; 
 and kept theml'elves pure, a7id ferved God 
 with Faftings and Prayers night and day. 
 Such were old SimeoUy and Jofeph of Ari- 
 mathea, who waited for the Kingdom of 
 God, Markx^, 43. Luke xxin. 51, and ma- 
 ny others. 
 
 Soon after this fome of the Jews brought 
 young Children to Jefus, that he Ihould put 
 his hands upon them a?jd pray : And the Dif- 
 ciples rebuked them. But Jefus faid^ Suffer 
 the little Children^ and forbid them not to 
 come to me : for of fuch is the Kingdom of 
 Heaven, Matt, xix. \\, Of fuch is the 
 Kingdom ^/G(?<^. Markx. 14. Lukexvin. 16. 
 
 The 
 
of the Christian Religion. 57 
 
 The proper Qualifications for that State which CHAP. 
 God is ereding, are fuch as Children excel in ; 
 Innocency, Teachablenels, and a Freedom 
 from Prejudice, and Vice. 
 
 Whilil: Jefus was talking about thefe Chil- 
 dren, Ofie jaid unto him^ Good mafier^ what 
 good thing Jljall I do that I may have eternal 
 Life"? Malt. xix-. t6. The Anfwer to this 
 Qneftion was, Keep the Commandments, The 
 young man declaring that He had kept them 
 fro?n his Toiith^ ver. 20, and putting the 
 Queftion farther, What lack J yet ? Jefus 
 bid him, fell what he had, and come and fol- 
 low him. Upon this the young man went 
 away forrowful, for he had great PoJfeJJmiSy 
 ver. 22. The Refledion made upon This 
 Behaviour of his, was ; Verily I fay unto you^ 
 that a rich man fall hardly enter into the 
 Kingdom ^of Heaven. // is e after for a Ca- 
 mel to go through the eye of a Needle^ thaji 
 for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of 
 God. ver. 23, 24. Mark x. 23, 25. huke 
 xviii. 25. /. e. It is very hard for any one 
 who abounds in this World's Goods, to bring 
 himfelf to fuch a Temper and Difpofition of 
 Mind, as may rightly qualify him for the 
 Gofpel State : They are fuch Temptations, 
 that very few have Virtue enough to forego 
 them. Upon This Feter faid, Lo^ we have 
 left all and followed thee, Luke xviii. 28. 
 To which our Lord replied, ver. 29. Verily 
 I fay unto yoUy there is no man that hath left 
 " ■■ ' Houfe 
 
An ESSAT upo?i the TRUTH 
 
 Houfe, or Parents^ or brethren, or Wife, or 
 Children for the Kingdom of God's fake, 
 "Who [ball not receive manifold more in this 
 prefent time, and in the "world to come, h t^^ 
 a'twn Tw ifx^y^hu;, ill the Age that is now com- 
 ing on, life everlajling. It is in Mark chap. 
 X. 29, For 77iy fake and the GofpeVs-, In 
 Matt. chap. xix. 29, only,yir my name's fake. 
 From all which compared ic is evident, That 
 The Kingdom of God, and the Go [pel, lignify 
 the fame thing, viz, a prefent State : And 
 That to fuch, as for their Faith in yefus, and 
 for their fteady purfuit of thofe things which 
 God requires in the Ki?2gdom which he was 
 then ereding, forfook every thing that w^as ac- 
 ceptable to them — The Promife was made of 
 ample Compenfation. See this fufficiently 
 explained, 2 Cor. vi. 8, 9, 10. Our Lord 
 goes on, But many that are firft^ f:all be lajly 
 and the lafi JJ:all be firji, ver. 30. For the 
 Kmgd -m of Heaven is like unto a Man that 
 is an Houfjolder, which went out early in the 
 Morning to hire Labourers into his Vineyard \ 
 and at the third, fixth, ninth, and eleventh 
 hour, did likewife : and when the Even was 
 come ihey equally received Every Man a 
 fenny. Matt. xx. i — 16. The Kingdom 
 which God was fetting up, was to extend it- 
 felf over the Earth, and to take in Others 
 befides thofe to whom it was now at Jirjl 
 propofed ; that all who laboured in it honeftly 
 Ihould be faithfully rewarded ^ and that thofe 
 
 who 
 
of the Christian Religion, 59 
 
 who have the firft Notices of the Will and CHAP. 
 Defign of God, by no means ought to mur- 
 mur, or repine, becaufe God extends his 
 Kingdom, and receives into favour, and re- 
 wards Others befides themfelves. 
 
 When Jefns drew nigh to 'Jerufakm^ Luke 
 xix. I ij It is plain The People thought that 
 the Kingdom of G^)d Jhoidd immediately ap- 
 pear. They expt-ded now that yefiis would 
 openly declare hsmlelf to be the Meffiah, and 
 fet up upon the foot of Temporal Grandeur, 
 and Regal Power. This gave him Occafion 
 ^o fpc'uk a liule more dirtindly flill of the 
 Namre of this Kingdom, and of the Means 
 which God would make Ufe of in the dif- 
 penfing his Favours to his Servants, as ap- 
 pears by a View of the Parable of the Ta- 
 lents. A certain Nobleman went into afar 
 country to receive for himjef a Kingdom, 
 and to return. And he called his ten Ser- 
 iiants, and delivered to them ten pounds, and 
 faid to them^ Occupy 'till 1 come. But his 
 Citizens hated him^ and fent a Meffenger af- 
 ter him, faying. We will not have this Man 
 to reign over us. And it came to pafs that 
 when he was returned, having received the 
 Kingdom, theji he commanded thofe Serva?its 
 to be called to him, that he ?night know how 
 much every man had gained by trading, &c. 
 Luke xix. 12 — 27. It was then the Cuftom 
 for the Kings of Judea to go to Rome in or- 
 der to receive the Kingdom from Cafar ; 
 
 and 
 
An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 and as Mr Le Clerc has ingenioQily con- 
 jectured, From that Ciidom this Parable had 
 it's Foundation. J^^j^^, the King of the 
 JewSy was ro go to Heaven, there to receive 
 from his Faiher all Rule, and all Authority 
 and Power. But before he went, he en- 
 trufied his own Servants with their refpedive 
 Talents. His Citizens^ the Jews, would not 
 acknowledge him for their King, or would 
 not that he fhould reig?i over them. How- 
 ever notwithftanding this their Hatred^ Jefus 
 received the Kingdom : and as all Judgment 
 is committed to him, a time will come, when 
 at the final Retribution, he will return^ and ^ 
 account with his Servants, and reward them, 
 and will then punifti his Enemies. As Ar- 
 chelaiis e. g. was King from that Moment 
 that Ccefar granted to him the Kingdom of 
 Judeay even before he returned to Jerufalem ; 
 even fo was Jefus King of his Kingdom from 
 that Inflant in which he received all Power 
 in Heaven and Earth ; even though he is not 
 yet returned to Earth, nor will he return^ 
 'till the time appointed by the Father. 
 
 When Jefus was in the Temple at Jeru- 
 salem, and had put to filence and confulion 
 the chief Priefts and Elders, who had demanded 
 of him, by what Authority he did the things 
 which he did, He afterwards propofed to 
 them this Parable, Matt. xxi. 28 — 31. A 
 certain man had Two Sons ; ajid he came to 
 the firjl^ and faid^ Son^ go^ work to day in 
 
 rny 
 
(^/rf^ Christian Religion. 6i 
 
 my Vineyard, He anfwered and faid I will ^ ^^ ^ P. 
 7iof, but afterward he repented and went, , 
 And he came to the fecond and faid likewife. 
 And he anfwered and faid^ I go Sir^ and 
 went not. Whether of them twain did the 
 Will of his Father ? T^hey fay unto him^ The 
 firfi, Jefus faith unto them^ Verily 1 fay un- 
 to you^ that the Publicans and the Harlots go 
 into the Kingdom of God before you. The 
 ^ews who pretended fuch Zeal for God, 
 and fuch Readinefs to obey his Will, yet in 
 fadt refufed to comply with his Commands: 
 Whilfl Publicans and Harlots, who formerly 
 had been Sinners, repented, and were ready 
 and willing to be inftruded, and to qualify 
 themfelves for the Kingdom which was now 
 eredting. A fufficient reafon w^hy, The 
 Kingdom oi God f jail be taken from the Jews, 
 and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits 
 thereof^ ver. 43. 
 
 It was very foon after this, That Jefus re- 
 prefented the State of the Gofpel, (the State 
 foretold fo expreflly by the Prophets,) under 
 the Parable of the Marriage of a certain 
 King's Son. Matt, xxii. 2. In which he 
 fhews, that The Kingdom of Heaven^ would 
 not be received by the ^ews^ but would by 
 the Gentiles ; amongft whom there would be 
 fome who likewife would live unbecoming 
 their Profeffion. But ftill, univerfally, He has 
 a View to the Circumftances of the Society 
 
 which 
 
62 An ESSAY upoji the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, which Chriftians are fuppofed to form in this 
 cilL. World. 
 
 Thus again, when the Scribe demanded of 
 our Lord, which is the Firji Commandment 
 of ally Mark xii. 28 — 34, and Jefas found 
 by the Converfation, that He had a juft 
 Senfe of his Duty to God, and io his Neigh- 
 bour, He told him, Thou art not far from 
 The Kingdom of God. His meaning is. 
 Such Notions are what will rightly qualify 
 you for the State which God is now about to 
 fet up ; They will make you a proper Mem- 
 ber of that Society on Earth. And when he 
 denounced that Woe againft the Scribes and 
 Pharifees, Matt, xxiii. 13, For ye Jhut up 
 the Kingdom of Heaven againft Men: for 
 ye neither go in yourfelves^ neither fuffer ye 
 theniy that are entring^ to go in^ it is evident 
 it relates to that State which Chrift was 
 preaching ; into which They would not en- 
 ter them/elves. Have any of the Scribes or 
 Pharifees believed on him? John vii. 48. 
 It was a State into which Men were in je- 
 fus's time Entring^ and which the Scribes 
 and Pharifees hindred men from entring into -, 
 by their treating Jefus bimfclf as ading by 
 the Power of Beelzebub^ and as guilty of 
 Blafphemy, &c, and by their excommuni- 
 cating fuch as did in fact profefs their Belief 
 in him. By thefe and fuch like Arts, They 
 prevented men from declaring themfelves 
 
 of 
 
oj the Christian Religion. 63 
 
 of that Society which was defigned by God CHAP. 
 to be begun at That Time. 
 
 In the xxi. chap, of Liike^ when our Lord 
 had been foretelling the Deftru(5tion of ^e-^ 
 rujalem^ and that it JJjould be trodden down 
 of the Gentiles, &c. and had been giving 
 them certain Criteria, by which they might 
 judge of feveral future things to the End of 
 the World •, He fays, that as when Trees 
 JJ:oot Jorth^ ye fee and know of your own fehes 
 that Summer is now nigh at hand ; fo like- 
 wife when ye fee thefe thi?jgs come to pafs^ 
 know ye that the Kingdom ot God is jiigh at 
 hand. That it will then be near it's full 
 growth, and State of Perfection ; and that 
 therefore the Son of Man will foon after 
 appear %mth power and great Glory, 27 — 3 i. 
 But for the better underflanding this whole 
 Prophecy it is fit to obferve, that it extends 
 to the final End of all things, ferufalem 
 was to be deftroyed, ver. 20 ; the fews made 
 captives^ and the Holy City was to continue 
 under the Power of the Gentiles, until the 
 times of the Gentiles be fulfilled , ver. 24. Af- 
 ter the End of this time, there is to be great 
 Perplexity and Confufion, for the Powers of 
 Heaven Jhall be Jhalmiy ver. 25, 26. And 
 Then f Jail they fee the Son of Man coming in 
 a Cloud with Power, aiid Great Glory, as 
 Daniel has defciibed him : not to take Ven- 
 geance on the Jews J for ferufalem is confi- 
 dered as long before deftroyed and trodden 
 
 down 
 
64 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP, down of the Gentiles; but to put an End to 
 y_ 1,^ the Misfortunes of his Servants, and to re^ 
 deem^ ver. 28. them from their Troubles. 
 
 When our Lord had finiftied this Prophecy, 
 he fpake the Parable of the Fig-tree^ ver. 29. 
 and applies it thus, So Hkewife ye, when ye 
 fee thefe things come to pafs, kfiow ye that the 
 Kingdom of God is nigh, viz. in it's glorious 
 State, in it's Perfedion, when the End of it 
 ihd\\ be obtained. The only Difficulty here 
 to be accounted for is, That our Saviour adds 
 both here, ver. 32. and like wife in St Matt, 
 chap. xxiv. 34. Verily I fay unto you^ this 
 Generation Jhall not pafs 'till all thefe thi?jgs 
 be fulfilled, TrxvTOi, roivToc ymroci, 'till all thefe 
 things are tranfaded, or done. Now either 
 the Word, Generation, mud extend beyond 
 the People then living, and mean that the 
 people of the fews, the Generation of yews 
 fliall not ceafe, 'till all thefe things diall hap- 
 pen ; Or elfe the Words, all thefe things, 
 muft be confined to what was faid about the 
 Deftrudion of Jerufalem, which the words 
 will likewife bear, and either way the Diffi- 
 culty is folved. That, yzv^J, fignifies Race, 
 or Nation, is probable, from feveral Places in 
 this very Gofpel, not to mention the other 
 Evangelifts. Whereunto fjall I liken, rdvTr.v 
 T^u ysusxu. This Race, This People, D>;. It 
 is like unto children fitting in the Market, &c. 
 It was not peculiar to That Set of Men then 
 alive to be perverfe, and to mifreprefent the 
 
 means 
 
^ /i'^ Christian Religion. 65 
 
 means made ufe of by God, to reclaim them ; C H A P. 
 But it was the fame in all their preceding Ge- " 
 
 Iterations ; and the fame Crime was laid to 
 the charge of thofe in Ifaialfs time, that they 
 cicfed their Eyes leafi they Jhouldfee^ or under ^ 
 jland^ or be converted. The fame Perverfe- 
 nefs always reigned in That, yi^ioi^ People^ 
 and was not at all peculiar to thofe who lived 
 in the days of our Lord. 
 
 So Again, chap, xxiii, 34, 35, 36. Be^ 
 hold I fend unto you Prophets^ and wife men ^ 
 and Scribes^ and fome of the?n ye floall kill 
 and crucify-— Ihat upon you may come all the 
 righteous blood fied upon the Earth — Verily 
 I fay unto you, All thefe things fd all come upon 
 this, ysvstxu. Nation. So Beza, renders it. 
 Super Nationem ijlam ; and again, in Luke 
 xi. 50, 51. A Natione hac -, and a Natione 
 ifia. 
 
 And I muft own I think, this the true 
 meaning of the Expreflion ; and am the 
 more confirmed in it from the remarkable, 
 and indeed unparallelled, prefervation of the 
 ^ews, in the midft of Hatred and continual 
 Perfecutions. Chriftians, Mahometans, and 
 Heathens have each in their turns endeavour- 
 ed to extinguifli the Name of that People : 
 and yet always without Effecft. They have 
 been maffacred 5 they have been bani(hed ; 
 they have been, and are flill, almoft univer- 
 fally hated 3 and yet they fubfift and are very 
 numerous, and keeo themfelves diftind from 
 ^ F all 
 
66 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, all the Nations where they are permitted to 
 J^^;^^ dwell. No Inftance parallel to this can be 
 found, where a People fhould perfifl: fo fixt 
 in a religious Worfhip for feventeen Cen- 
 turies together, in the midft of mifery, and 
 perfecutions, and yet very few if any for- 
 lake the Religion of their Forefathers, But 
 I proceed. 
 
 Matt. XXV. I. The Kingdom of Heaven is 
 compared unto ten Virgins^ which took their 
 Lamps ^ and went forth to meet the Bride* 
 groom. The Gofpel State, or the Condition 
 of the Subjeds of God*s Kingdom, and 
 likewife the Method of God's dealing with 
 his Servants at the final Retribution of things, 
 is juftly reprefented under this Image. 
 
 There are but Three places more in the 
 Evangelifts where the Kingdom of God is by 
 that Name expreffly mentioned : and they 
 are All relating to the fame thing : mx. Our 
 Lord's eating the Paffover and declaring, 7 
 will drink 7io tnore of the Fruit of the Vine 
 Until that Day that I drink it new in the 
 Kingdom of God. Mark xiv. 25. In St Luke, 
 c. xxii. 15 — 18. With defire^ fays he, / 
 have defired to eat this Pajjover with you be* 
 fore Ifuffer. For I fay unto you, I will not 
 any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the 
 Kingdom of God. And he took the Cup and 
 faidj Take this and divide it af?wng yourfelves : 
 For I fay unto you, I will not drink of the 
 Fruit of the Vine^ until the Kingdom of 
 
 God 
 
of the Christian Religion. 67 
 
 God Jhall come. St Matthew has it, / will CHAP. 
 7iot drink henceforth of this Fruit of the Vine^ 
 until that Day when I drink it new with yen 
 in my Father's Kingdom, Matt, xxvi. 29. 
 The meaning of all which places, when 
 compared together, is, I will not drink of 
 the Fruit of the Vine 'till after my Refur- 
 redlion and Afcenfion, and being vefled with 
 all Power in Heaven and in Earth. Then 
 He eat and drank with his Difciples, A^i x. 
 41. Then all Tower was committed to 
 Him ; and then the Kingdom of God and of 
 his Chrijl flridly and literally began. 
 
 As this was the view, when our Lord 
 talked of 'The Kingdom of Heaven, or, of 
 God, So likewife was it whenever He fpoke 
 abfolutely of The Kingdom, or of His King^ 
 dom. It will be worth our while therefore 
 to examine Thefe too as they occur. 
 
 The Prophecies of Daniel, both that in 
 chap. iii. and that in the viith, agree in This, 
 That the Ki/igdom of the Meffiah was to 
 fland for ever, and was never to be deftroyed. 
 Now when Mary was firft acquainted with 
 the purpofes of God, She was told that Her 
 Son fhould Reign over the Hoife of Jacob 
 FOR EVER, and of his Kingdom there fhould 
 be NO End, Luke i. 33. What poffible 
 meaning could fuch a Promife as This have 
 to a Perfon in fuch Circumftances of Life as 
 the Virgin was, unlefs a View was had to 
 the Prophets of Qld, who had foretold fuch 
 F 2 a Domi- 
 
68 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A p. a Dominion ? The Duration of his Domi- 
 nion was a certain Charader by which She 
 was aflured that the Time was fulfilled, and 
 the Kingdom of Heaven was inftantly to be 
 fet up. 
 
 As Jefui began with preaching Repen- 
 tance, and that The KINGDOM of Heaven 
 was at Hand^ Matt. iv. 17. This is ex- 
 preffed, ver. 23. by preaching the Gofpel of 
 THE KINGDOM, by way of Eminence, 
 /. e, telling the good news that the Time 
 was come in which God would fet up that 
 Kingdom, which he had fo expreffly pro- 
 mifed in the Prophet. See alfo Matt, ix. 15, 
 and xxiv. 14. 
 
 When he explained the Parable of the 
 Sower, Matt, xiii. 19. He introduces it. 
 When any one heareth the Word of THE 
 KINGDOM, and underftandeth it not, then 
 Cometh the Wicked One, and catcheth away 
 that which was fown in his Heart : This is 
 he which received Seed by the way fide. He had 
 faid, ver. 11. To you it is given to know the 
 Myfteries of the Kingdom of Heaven ; /. e, 
 to be let into it's Nature and Properties, and 
 the Defigns of God to eredt it at this Time ; 
 though others had not thofe things fet before 
 them in fuch a Light. When therefore, fays 
 he, any one has the Gofpel, or good News 
 of God's Defign laid before them, and yet 
 they do not underjland what is faid, or what 
 is the prefent Defign of God, or what Ten- 
 dency 
 
of the Christian Religion. 69 
 
 dency the prefent meafures have to accom- chap. 
 phfh what was foretold, They are Hke High- 
 ways ibwn with Seed, which is carelellly or 
 wantonly deftroyed. 
 
 In a following Parable in the fame Chap- 
 ter, ver. 37. — T^he Kingdo??i of the Son of 
 Man very evidently relates to the whole State 
 of it, both prefent and future ; and exadly 
 correfponds to what was prophecied of it in 
 DanieL He that /owed the good Seed, is the 
 Son of Man : The field is the World 3 the 
 good feed are the Children of The Kingdom, 
 but the Tares are the Children of the Wicked 
 one. The Enemy that fowed them is the De^ 
 vil : The Harvefi is the end of the Worlds 
 and the Reapers are the Angels : As therefore 
 the Tares are gathered and burnt in the fire^ 
 Sofjall it be in the End of this World. The 
 Son of Man fljall fend forth his A7jgels^ and 
 they f:all gather out of His Kingdom all 
 things that offend^ and them which do ini- 
 quity ^ And fhall cafi them into a furnace of 
 fire—r-Then Jhall the Righteous Jhi?2e forth as 
 the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father. 
 Oar Saviour laid the Foundation of the King- 
 dom of Heaven when He preached the Gof- 
 pel, and fowed the good Seed : IN His King- 
 dom the Wheat and the Tares were to grow 
 together, 'till the Harveft ; otherwife, at the 
 End of this World, Angels could not ga^ 
 ther, £x T^I? jSao-iXf/a? ayrS UT of his Khig- 
 
 domy them which do Iniquity. The King- 
 • F 3 ^^^ 
 
70 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. (Join therefore of Heaven is to laft from the 
 ' Time in which it began in JefuSy 'till the 
 Times foretold in Daniel, when the judg- 
 ment J]:all fet, and the Books Jl:all be opened, 
 chap. vii. lo. and even 'till He fliall deliver 
 up the Kingdom to God, even the Father^ 
 1 Cor. XV. 24. 
 
 Luke xii. Our Lord has a fet Difcourfe 
 to a very great Multitude of People; and 
 among other things worthy of their peculiar 
 Care, He bids them not be follicitous for 
 what they Ihould eat, or what they fliould 
 drink, But rather feek ye the Kingdom of 
 God, and all thefe things Jlmll be added to 
 you : Fear not, little fiock, for it is your Fa- 
 ther s good Pleafure to give you THE KING- 
 DOM, ver. 31, 32. /. e. Do not be anxious 
 about the things of Life ; for it is your Fa- 
 ther's good Pleafure to admit you into That 
 State in which you fliall be amply rewarded 
 for all the Troubles and Difficulties you can 
 undergo. 
 
 As Jefus was entring yerufalem the laft 
 time, the Multitude accompanied him with 
 the greateft fliouts of Joy, and brought Him 
 into the City with, — Bleff'ed is he that cometh 
 in the Name of the Lord-, Bleffed be THE 
 KINGDOM of our Father David, that 
 cometh in the Name of the Lord, Hofanna 
 in the higheji, Mark ix. 9, 10. They wiflied 
 all Joy, and Profperity, to the Prophet who 
 came to redeem Ifrael-, and widied all Sue- 
 
 cefs 
 
o/*/^^ Christian Religion. yi 
 
 cefs to I'be Kingdom of the Meffiah, which the ^ ^ A P. 
 Lord was now eredting ; and they prayed that 
 He would preferve it for ever. This was the 
 notion of the common People, and thus far 
 They reafoned right ; though they added 
 I know not what fanciful notions of their 
 own to what the Scriptures had faid : and 
 as it ufually happens, the falfe Inferences 
 from Scripture were more univerfally re- 
 garded, and deemed of more Importance 
 thin the Scriptures themfelves. 
 
 When the Proceedings of the Day of 
 } vl^nient are delcribed, Matt, xxv, The 
 K ng, /. f. Jefus Chrifi, reprefents himfelf 
 as ' ning to thofe on his right Hand, Come 
 yc t?le[led of my Father, inherit The King- 
 dom prepared for you from the Foundation of 
 the iVorld^ ver. 34, In the Foreknowledge 
 and Dciign of God, a State of Blifs and 
 Happine(s was prepared for all fuch as Ihould 
 live virtuoufly and uprightly, i, e. as faithful 
 and obedient Sabjedls to Him in this World : 
 When they entered into the Tojjefjion of this 
 Happinefs, they are faid to Inherit the King- 
 dom, which itfelf fubfifted long before, even 
 from the time that Jefu^ at his Refurredion 
 was inverted in it. 
 
 Juft before our Lord was apprehended he 
 told the Twelve, Te are they which have con- 
 tinued with me in my Temptations. And 
 I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Fa-- 
 ther bath appointed unto me, That ye may 
 F 4 eat 
 
72 Jn ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CH A ?. eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdom, 
 Luke xxii. 28 — 30. Here is plainly a Mif- 
 conftrucftion of thefe words ; and they ought 
 to be rendered, As my Father hath appointed 
 [or given by compad] unto me a King- 
 dom, So 1 appoint [covenant with] yoii^ 
 That ye jhall eat and drink at my Table in 
 my Kingdom. Here the Term, Kingdom, 
 takes in the different States, or v/hole Du- 
 ration of the Kingdom of the MeJJiahy from 
 it's firft eredion to the final Completion, 
 when Chrift Jhall deliver up the Kingdom to 
 God even the Father, when he Jldall have put 
 down all rule, and all authority, and Power ^ 
 I Cor. XV. 24. 
 
 But this will perhaps better appear from 
 the Confideration of what paffed when our 
 Lord was upon his Trial. Pilate put the 
 Queftion to him, John xviii. 33, Art thou 
 the King of the Jews ? To this the Anfwer 
 of Jefus was, My Kingdom is not of this 
 World. If my Kingdom were of this World, 
 then would 7ny fervants fight that I Jhould 
 not be delivered to the Jews : But now is my 
 Kingdom not from hence, Pilate therefore 
 faid unto him ; Art thou a King Then ? 
 Jefus anfwer ed. Thou fay eft that I am a King, 
 In this Examination we may obferve, ift. 
 That Jefus owns himfelf to be a King : To 
 be that Perfon who as Daniel had foretold, 
 fhould receive a KINGDOM. 2dly, That 
 
 This 
 
^/Z'^ Christian Religion. 7^ 
 
 This KINGDOM was not of this mr/d,CUA?. 
 £K T8 xoVp-a T»T8, is720t ffom hence, hx 
 The meaning of which ExpreHion is juft 
 the fame as when our Lord faid, John viii. 23. 
 to the Jews, Te are of This Worlds 1 am not of 
 T^his Worlds h. rtf jcoV/a^ Tars. Your Tempers and 
 Affedtions are agreeable to the Cuftoms of, 
 and you have a Difpofition to the Things of, 
 this World ; Mine are not agreeable to Them. 
 And again, 'John xv. 19, fpeaking to his 
 Difciples, If ye were OF the World, ly. t» xoV/.ok, 
 the World would love ifs own : but becaufe ye 
 are not of the World U ra xoV/xi? »>c sW, — 
 therefore the World hateth you. If you were 
 to ad agreeably to the Notions and Practices 
 of the World ye would be well received and 
 loved : but becaufe your Pradlices are per- 
 fectly inconfiftent with thofe of the World, 
 therefore the World hateth you, v, chap, 
 xvii. 14, 16. and 1 Ep.Johnu. 16. Where 
 to be of EX, the World is oppofed to a Spiri- 
 tual Life, yet fuppofes neceffarily That which 
 is of the World, to be upon Earth. For all that 
 is in the World, the luft of the Flejh, the luji 
 of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life, is not of the 
 Father, but is of the Wor Id . The Kingdom then 
 of Chrift which is not of this World, means, that 
 The Kingdom which He came to eredl was 
 not after the manner or Cuftoms of the King- 
 doms of the World, for had it been fo, his 
 Subjedls and Followers would have attempt- 
 ed to refcue him from the Jews : But it was 
 
 •^ of 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 of a different Nature quite, and his Subjects 
 were to be governed in a different manner 
 from the Subjeds of odier Kingdoms : which 
 is an Evidence that His Kingdom was not 
 like the Kingdoms of the World. 3dly, 
 That Jcfos could not be Khtg of any King- 
 dom in any Senfe when he fpoke to Pilate^ 
 if he were r.x : to enter upon it 'till the Day 
 of Judgment. Whereas when His Father 
 had covenanted to give him a Kingdom which 
 was now fetting up, or now began amongft 
 them, and which was l^Vo; u/awv, In or a??iong 
 them^ and he was in two Days time to receive 
 what was aftually promifed, He might juflly 
 fay, He was a Ki?ig : and the Thief on the 
 Crofs, who believed in him as the MeJJtas^ 
 might pray him to remember bun when he 
 came in hii Kingdom, Luke xxiii. 42, which 
 accounts for the promife, TO DAY JJjalt 
 thou be with me in Paradife, 
 
 m 
 
 Enough I think has been faid of the mean- 
 ing of this ExprefTion ; and it fufHciently ap- 
 pears that a view is had to the Prophecies of 
 Daniel in it. What I obferve from all this, is, 
 
 iji, Da?iiel plainly foretold a Kingdom 
 which God would fet up during the Roman 
 Empire. 
 
 2dly. JESUS, at the Time appointed, 
 began to preach the Kingdom of Heaven 
 to be at Hand : and he difcovered many Cir- 
 cumftances of the true Nature of it, which 
 
 could 
 
III. 
 
 ^ //6^ Christian Religion. 7^ 
 
 pould not be gathered from what appeared C H A p. 
 before his Time. 
 
 3^/v. This Kingdom was to arife from 
 fmall beginnings ; and to grow 'till it became 
 a Mountain^ and filled the Earth, 
 
 Athly. This Kingdom was to be, without 
 Hands, i. e. a Spiritual Kingdom, not to 
 be promoted or carried on by Human Force. 
 
 Thus in fa(ft was Chriftianity propagated at 
 firft : And the Obfervation of it's ftrange 
 Encreale fo exadlly correfponding with the 
 accounts of it, as foretold in Daniel ^ and af- 
 terwards more explicitly told in the New 
 Teftament : and the Confideration of it's 
 State in the World, exadly as the New 
 Teftament Writers have foretold it, joined to 
 1700 Years Obfervation upon it's Progrefs, 
 are convincing Arguments that the Kingdom 
 of Jefus is That true Kingdom of Heaven, 
 foretold. And the Paffages in the New 
 Teftament where that Expreflion is ufed, 
 being all confiftent, and clear, when the 
 Prophecies in Daniel^ are fuppofed the 
 Foundation of them; and not at all con- 
 fiftent, nor in many cafes accountable for, 
 nay being abfurd, or of no determinate mean- 
 ing, upon any other Principles, it is evident 
 that They are Appeals to thofe Original Pro- 
 phecies, and make us clearly fee the Difpen- 
 fations of Providence, and the Truth of 
 Chriftianity at the fame time. 
 
 Thus 
 
^6 '^n ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 Thus much concerning the Expreffion, 
 Kingdom of Heaven^ and the Meaning of it 
 in the Gofpels. It will be proper Here to 
 make a few remarks on the Thing itfelf, be- 
 fore I proceed any further. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Containing fome Obfervatiofis about the 
 Kingdom of The MESSIAH. 
 
 IT has been obferved that the Phrafe Klng^^ 
 dom of God^ or Kingdom of Heaven in 
 the Ne^/'" Teftament, has an Immediate View 
 to that Kingdom which was prophefied of 
 in Daniel'^ and that the Expreffion is taken 
 from thence. This Kingdom, as our Saviour 
 declared all along, began in his Times : 
 When He firil appeared, He faid it was then 
 AT HAND^ that it was NEAR THEM; 
 and in fhort that it took it's rife from Him. 
 But then the Prophecy which occurs in Da-- 
 niel^ chap. vii. fpeaks of fuch a Kingdom as 
 Was to be given to the Son of Man^ at a time 
 which is not yet com.e. For he fays, I be- 
 held 'till the Thrones were cajl dowUy and the 
 antient of days did fit^ whofe Garment was 
 white as fnow^ and the Hair of his head like 
 the pure wool: His Throne was like the fiery 
 
 flameSy 
 
of the Christian Religion. 77 
 
 JlameSy and his wheels as burning fire. ^CHAP. 
 fiery Stream ifiiied, and came forth from be- 
 fore him : thoufand thoujands miniftred unto 
 him^ and ten thoufand times ten thoufand fiood 
 before him : The Judgment wasfet, and the 
 books were opened, I beheld then^ BECAUSE 
 of the VOICE of the great words which the 
 HORN Spake-, I beheld even 'till the BEKST 
 was flain, and his Body deftroyed, and given 
 to the burning fame. After This the Pro- 
 phecy fpeaks of the coming of the Son of 
 Man in the Clouds of Heaven^ and of his re- 
 ceiving a Kingdom and Dominion^ ver. 13, 
 14. So again 5 what is faid, Daniel W, con- 
 cerning The Stone that fmote the Image upon 
 his Feet^ relates to a Kingdom which was to 
 break in pieces, and confume the Roman Em- 
 pire, ver. 44. Now the DifRcuky here is ; 
 What relation has this to Chriflianity, fince 
 the one Prophecy relates to a Kingdom which 
 is not to be before the fudg^nent is fet, afid 
 the Books are opened, i. e. before the Day of 
 Judgment ; and the Other has not Yet been 
 fully accomplifhed in all it's parts ? 
 
 "T'o account for this, 1/?. The Time of the 
 glorious Kingdom of the Mefliah, or that time 
 when the Kingdoms of this world fhall become our 
 Lords and his Chrijls, Rev. xi. 1 5, is plainly 
 yet not come. But then it is as plain, that 
 there has been a Kingdom fet up in the 
 World by fefus, in which he is deemed 
 Lord, fuperior to the greateft Kings on Earth, 
 
 and 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 and his Laws have been, and are deemed 
 paramount to theirs, and have a prior Obedi- 
 ence paid to them : If any State whatever has 
 publiflied any Commands contrary to thofe of 
 yefuSy they have been looked upon and treat- 
 cd by the Subjeds of Chrift's Kingdom as of 
 no Obligation. This has been in fad the 
 State of Chrift's Kingdom ; and though it is 
 not yet come to it's otK[j<,rii according as the 
 Prophets have defcribed it's Glory^ yet, from 
 the concurrence of Events, and the Circum- 
 ftances foretold by the New Teftament Wri- 
 ters, it is evident that the time pall of Chri- 
 ftianity ought to be looked upon as the In- 
 fancy of Chrift's Kingdom, And according- 
 ly it muft be obferved, 
 
 2d/y. That the Phrafe, Kingdom of Hea^ 
 veny of God, of Chriji^ in the New Tefta- 
 ment has plainly Two very different Signi- 
 fications. Sometimes it fignifies that State 
 in which Jefus, The Chrift, fhall reign 
 when He fhall appear in the Clouds of Hea- 
 ven: Sometimes it fignifies the prefent Stsitc 
 of things from the Commencement of our 
 Saviour's Dominion at his Afcenfion. In- 
 flances of each of thefe are very numerous. 
 Thus in the latter Senfe, The Kingdom of 
 Heaven is at hand ; was faid when our Sa- 
 viour began his Miniftry : Matt. iv. 17; 
 Mark i. 14, 15. Matt, x, 7. Luke x. 9. 
 John iii. 5. Matt. xvi. 28. In the former 
 Senfe it is ufed Luke xxi. 3 1. Matt. viii. 1 1. 
 
 Luke 
 
of the Christian Religion. j^ 
 
 Luke xiii. 28, 29. 2 Tim, iv. i. Now this chap. 
 is eafily accounted for by obferving that 
 Daniel, chap. vii. fpeaking of the moft emi- 
 nent Period of The MeJJialfs Kingdom, and 
 prophefying of That, does not exclude the 
 Infancy of that Kingdom, or the time pre- 
 ceding that State of Glory. 
 
 3^/^, Jefus being acknowledged by all 
 Chriftians as their Lord and King, and an 
 abfolute Obedience being ackowledged to 
 his Laws as fuperior to the Laws of all 
 Princes, States, or Potentates whatfoever ; 
 In this confifts his prefent Kingdom : and the 
 Period from which this acknowledgment was 
 firft made, was the exadt Period when this 
 Kingdom began. Now this was not before 
 the Afcenfion of our Lord to the right hand 
 of his Father ; nor is it to be dated before 
 That. When He himfelf was on Earth, He 
 preached his Kingdom but as nigh at hand^ 
 Matt. iv. 17. and after his Refurredion St 
 Peter tells the fews that Gcd had made that 
 faf?ie Jefus whom they had crucified both Lord 
 and Chrijl, Adts ii. 36. And St Paul ex- 
 prelTly, Philip, ii. 8, 9, 10. fays, that God 
 therefore highly exalted him^ becaufe he be- 
 came obedient to Death, even the Death of 
 the Crofs. Now as the Kingdom of Chrift 
 is One Kingdom, from the time that He re^ 
 ceived all power in Heaven and in Earthy 
 'till the End when He flmll deliver up the 
 Kingdom to God even the Father ^ and fiall 
 
 have 
 
8o An ESSAY upon the TRUTH: 
 
 CHAP, have put down all Rule and Authority and 
 ^^_^ Power, I Cor. xv. 24, — As I fay The King- 
 dom of Chrift is One Kingdom from the be- 
 ginning to the end of all things, fo a care- 
 ful Perufer of the Scriptures will eafily per- 
 ceive a difference of it's States, and a dif-^ 
 ference of the Methods by which it was at 
 firft ereded in the World, and by which it 
 will be hereafter carried on. But to treat of 
 thofe Matters would carry me beyond my 
 prefent Defign. 
 
 If it be faid, that the prefent Period of 
 time is not fpoken of in Scripture as the 
 Time of the Kingdom of Chrijt, but as the 
 Kingdom of Antichrijl, or of the Beaji, or 
 the Man of Sin, &c. I acknowledge, that 
 the prefent Times are fpoken of under thofe 
 Charadlers ; But then this is only a repre- 
 fentation of the mighty prevalence of fome 
 Notions and Pradices, contrary to the Fun- 
 damental Laws of Chrift's Kingdom ; and 
 as even thofe Notions and Pradices were ex* 
 preffly foretold by the Apoflles, they are of 
 mighty confequence in proof of the Truth 
 of Chriftianity itfelf. And as thefe Things 
 are foretold, fo there is clear Prediction when 
 the Antichriftian State fhall have it's End; 
 and when the alone Laws of Chrift (hall be 
 the rule of fuch as profefs themfelves Chri- 
 ftians : There will be a time when the Kings 
 of the feveral Nations (hall acknowledge 
 themfelves fubjedl to him in Sincerity and 
 
 Truth 
 
of the Christian Religion. 8i 
 
 Truth, and the People fliall be no longer C H A P- 
 
 perfecuted for his lake : and Whenever this ^^ ^^^..^ 
 
 happy time fliali come, then will the King- 
 do jp.s of this World become the Kingdoms of 
 the Lord and of his Chrid, and he p,^ all reign 
 for Ever and Ever^ Rev. xi. i 5. 
 
 ^Jkly, It is ridiculous to impute the Pro- 
 grels of Chriftlanlty, which is a mere fpiri- 
 tital Kingdom, and was not promoted by 
 force, to any Chance^ or any lucky coinci- 
 dence of thing^\ when there was exprefs 
 Prophecy that there fljould be fuch a. fpiritual 
 Kingdom, and that it fliould not be promoted 
 by human means or hands-, when it is confi- 
 dered, that this Kingdom has lailed now for 
 fo many hundred years ; when we ourfelves 
 fee fuch an exadt correfpondence in Chrifti- 
 aniry to what was foretold ^ and fuch a Conti- 
 nuation of things as the Prophet's words 
 plainly fignified. Can it be imputed to 
 Chajice or a lucky contrivance, that fefus^ind 
 his Apoflles iliould take up a Notion, and 
 iliould fpread ic in the Wo* Id j and then that 
 it fhould laji thus long, and nothing root it 
 up in Seventeen Hundred Years? That his 
 Difciples too lliould foretel the very corrup- 
 tions, the very methods v/hich wicked men 
 fliould take to (?hange the Scene of things' 
 which fefus preached ? Was it mere chance 
 that they lliould not oiily name the very fteps 
 which Anti-Chrlft was to take ; but likewife 
 that the Powers of that wicked one Hiouldnct 
 G be 
 
82 An ESSAT upo7i the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, be able to prevail ? But of this I (liall fpeak 
 L,^ more particularly by and by. In the mean 
 time I Ihall obierve only, that we fee the 
 completion of things foretold, and fuch a 
 Connexion of things which are already ac- 
 complifhed, as may make us very fure that 
 the reft will come out as. the Prophets have 
 predided, in God's good time. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Of the Title of SON of MAN i?i the 
 New Teftament. 
 
 AS there was exprefs Prophecy of The 
 Ki??gdom of God in Daniel^ fo we 
 find as exprefs a Foretelling of Some One 
 particular Perfon to whom this Kingdom is 
 reprefented as given ^ in the Prophet. Da- 
 niel^ chap, vii. 13, 14. fays, I faw in the 
 night Vifions, and behold one like The SON 
 of MAN came with the Clouds of Heaven^ 
 and came to the Antient of Days^ and they 
 brought him near before him : and There was 
 given him DOMINION, and GLORY, 
 and a KINGDOM, that ail People, Nations, 
 and Languages, fmild ferve him : His Do- 
 minion is an everlafting Dominion, which 
 fhall not pafs away-, and his KINGDOM 
 that which pall not be deflroyed. 
 
 The 
 
 *fc 
 
of the Christian Religion. 
 
 The Kingdom prophefied of, is delivered, 
 or given to One difiinguiflied by the Cha- 
 rader of The SON of MAN-, and it is fuch 
 a Kingdom 2.^ jJjall 7iot be dtjlroyed. 
 
 My next flep therefore is to fljevv, that as 
 Jefus preached the Kingdom of Heaven to he 
 at Hand, fo where-cver the Phrafe of SON 
 of MAN is mentioned in the New Tefta- 
 ment, this Prophecy of Daniel is in View ; 
 and whcre-ever Jefus is called Son of Man^ 
 how often foever that be, there the meaning is, 
 that He is That Perfon to whom the Ki?ig- 
 dom is propheiied to be given in DanieL 
 In proof of this I fhall examine as carefully 
 as I can, every place where this ExprefTion is 
 ufed in the New Teftament ; and if this'One 
 determinate meaning makes an uniform, con- 
 fiftent, clear, and rational Senfe with the 
 whole, we may be fure that This is the mean- 
 ing of the Expreffion. 
 
 To begin therefore according to the Hi- 
 flory of our Saviour's Life : When Natha- 
 niel had made That Confefiion, fohn i. 49, 
 T^hou art the Son of God, Thou art the King 
 of Ifrael ; Jefus x.o\A him, ver. 51, Hereafter 
 ye fhall fee Heaven ope?!, and the Aiigeh of 
 God af vending and defc ending upon The Son 
 c/' Man. You profefs to believe me to be 
 The Chrifl from that little Circumflafice that 
 I told you, vi%, where you were. You (hall 
 fee greater and more public Evidence than 
 That; You (liall fee even Angels miniflring 
 G ?, to 
 
An ESSAY tibon the TRUTH 
 
 to me ; which will be a demonftrative Proof 
 that I am Ithat Son of Man. io whom the 
 Kingdom is given. A Fad which came to 
 pafs, at the Agony, Reiarredion and AI- 
 cenfion of Jcfus^ v. Jlcls i. lo, ij. Luke 
 xxii. 43. 
 
 The next time that our Lord made ufe 
 of this Phrafe was, in difcourfing with M- 
 codemus about the Nature of the Kingdom of 
 Heaven^ and the QuaUtications of the Perfons 
 who were to be admitted into it. Nicode- 
 mus not underftanding the meaning of fome 
 Exprefiions ufed by our Lord, J^ks replied, 
 If I have told you Earthly things, and ye be- 
 lieve not^ how Jkatl ye believe If I tell you of 
 Heavenly things ? And no Man bath afcended 
 up /" Heaven^ but he that came down from 
 lie. 72, even the Son of Man, a)y, which is^ 
 or v.as, in Heaven, John iii. 12, 13. i, e. 
 If when I tell you common things, Things 
 which are nec^ffary to quahfy Men for the 
 Kingdom of God, and explain them to you by 
 eafy Comparifons taken from earthly things. 
 You do not beheve me •, much lefs would 
 you do it, if I told you things of another 
 and higher Nature. The things I mean are 
 fuch as no Man can acquaint you with, but 
 he that defcended from Heaven, even That 
 SON of MAN, who was long ago ittn 
 and defcribed by the Prophet, as in Heaven. 
 He alone who w^j. admitted into the Bofom 
 of the Father y uv sU tov xoAtj-oi', chap. i. 18, 
 
 hath 
 
of tie Christian Religion. 85 
 
 hath or can dccKirti, them. And as Mofes C H A p. 
 lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernefs, even 
 fo ?nuji the Son of Man be lifted up. Though 
 Daniel fpoke of a Kingdo7n and Dominion, 
 and Power, ddivered to the SON of MAN, 
 yet be affured that he muft be crucified, and 
 fuffer Death. 
 
 Not long after, our Lord gives an x'^ccount 
 of fome great Privileges, granted by his Fa- 
 ther to him, Verily I fay unto you, J^he Hour 
 is coining, and new is, when the Dead P:)all 
 bear the Voice of the Son oj God, and they 
 that hear P:all live ; For as the Father hath 
 Life in him f elf fo hath he given to the Son fo 
 have life in himfelf -, and hath given him Au- 
 thority to execute Judgment aljo, BECAUSE 
 he is The Son of Man, ^obn v. 25 — 27. 
 The reafon why fcfus was veiled wMch thefe 
 great Powers is, becaufe He is That SON 
 of MAN, who had Dominion and a King- 
 dom given him ; and that he may reward, or 
 puniili, his Subjcds according to their be- 
 haviour. 
 
 It was quickly afer this That he entered 
 into Capernaum^ Matt. viii. 20, and Luke ix. 
 58, where a certain Scribe came and faid 
 unto him, Maftcr, I will follow thee whither- 
 foever thou goefi. And Jefus faid unto him^ 
 'The Foxes have Holes, and the Birds of the 
 Air have Nejls, but the Son of Man hath 
 7iot where to lay his Head, Gr otitis is guihy 
 {lere of a double Miftake 3 ft, in faying^, 
 G 3 *' Chrijlu% 
 
86 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. <« Chrif.iis nunquam hoc modo nifi a feipfo ap- 
 ^^ peilatur^ This appellation is never given 
 '* him by any except himfelf." For St Ste- 
 phen calls him by that Title, A5is vii. 56. 
 And St "John in the Revelations, chap. i. 13, 
 and xiv. 14. And idly. In affigning the 
 Reafon of the Name, i^iz. Chriftus hac voce 
 faam illam xacoo-iv de qua agiiur, Philip, ii. 7, 
 defer ipfit. Chriil by this Phrafe dejigned to 
 reprefent his low Condition, which is treated 
 of, Philip, ii. 7. In other Places He hit up- 
 on the true Senfe of the Expreffion 5 as in 
 his Notes upon yohfi v. 27, upon thofe 
 words, Becaufe he is the Son of Man, 
 *' Quia hie ille eft Filius Horn in is de quo 
 *' Da?2ielis illud jui;o>£co? intelligitiir, fore ut 
 *' ei detur Dominatus & Regnum in omnes 
 *' Gentes fine fine./' Becaufe this Per/on is 
 That Son of Man, of whom That Prophecy 
 of DANIEL is myftically, [he (hould have 
 laid lirerallv,] to be u?iderflood, that Do?ni- 
 nion and a Kingdom over all Nations was to he 
 given to him^ 2inA th2iX. \i fJjould lafi for ever. 
 And again upon thofe Words, John xii. 34. 
 Who is this Son of Man? *' Nos cum Filium 
 *' Hoininis dici audimus, eum concipimus de 
 ** quo dixit Daniel-, & cujus fore regnum 
 *^ aeccrnuin ijife vaticinatus eft/' We^ when 
 we hear any one named (by way of eminency) 
 The Son of Man, underfland it of Him whom , 
 Daniel foretold^ and whofe Kingdom He pro- ^ 
 phefed fhould be eternal. 
 
 Indeed 
 
^ //^d' Christian Religion. 87 
 
 Indeed This is the conflant unvaried Senfe ^ l^;^ P. 
 of the Phrafe. ' Thus in the V/ords already ^ 
 cited, The Son of Man hath not where to 
 lay his Head-, i. e. That Perfon who was 
 prophefied of by Daniel under the Title of 
 The Son of Man, and was to have a Kin^- 
 dom given him, is now in fo poor and mean 
 a Condition, as not to have where to lay his 
 head. 
 
 In the next Chapter, Matt, ix". 6. and it's 
 parallel places, Mark ii. 10, Luke v. 24, A 
 Perfon fick of the Palfy was brought to Jefus 
 to be cured : and J ejus made ufe of this Ex- 
 preffion, Son, be of good cheer ^ thy Sins be 
 forgiven thee. The, Scribes immediately 
 charged him yNiih Blafphemy for afluming to 
 himfelf the Power ot forgivi?jg Sins, Up- 
 on this he anfwer?, That ye may know that 
 the Son of Man hath power on EylRl'H to ^^ 
 forgive Sins, he faith to the Sick of the Pal- '^ 
 fy, Arife, take up thy bed and walk. The 
 meaning is plain, if one compares this wiih 
 Daniel. The Son of Man is deicribed in the 
 Prophet as coming in the Clouds of Hea- 
 ven, and having Power given him. Oar 
 Saviour here lays, That ye may know that 
 the Son of Man hath Power on Earth to 
 'forgive Sins. What can thqfe Words, On 
 Earth, mean, when there has not been 
 one Syllable faid before, v;hich could give oc- 
 cafion for them? But if regard be had to the 
 Prophecv oi Daniel, known and in the minds 
 G 4 of 
 
88 Ztt ESSAT upon the TR UTH 
 
 C H A p. of his Auditors, where Power is defcribed • 
 as given to him i?2 the Clouds of Heave?:, eve- 
 ry thing is natural, and plain^if^nd eafy ; that 
 Now On Earth, notvviihftanding the Man- 
 ner in which he appeared, He had fuch and 
 fuch Powers, and could exercife them as he 
 judged fit. 
 
 Soon after this our Lord called unto him 
 his twelve Difciples, and fent them to preach 
 The Kingdom of Heaven to be at hand. He 
 foretold them the difficulties they were to 
 jineet with, and guarded them againd the 111 
 treatment which their Office would expole 
 them to : And at laft he tells them, Matt. 
 X. 23. When they per Je cute ycu in this City^ 
 jiee ye into another: for verily I fay unto you ^ 
 ye fhall not have gone over the Cities of Krael, 
 '//// the Son of Man be come. 
 
 For the better underftanding of this place, 
 which certainly has it's real Difficulties ori 
 all Schemes, 1 muft obferve, ^ 
 
 if. That where-ever in the New Tefla- 
 Xntni mention is made of the Trapouo-/^:, com- 
 ing, or pre fence of our Lord, or of the Son 
 of Man^ regard is univerlally had to tliat 
 Time when He ffiall appear, as Daniel had 
 defcribed Him coming, in the Clouds of Hea- 
 ven, This is apparent in all the Places where 
 the TTcc^omU^ or coming of Chriil:, is mentioned, 
 E^g, I Cor. XV. 23. In Chrift all fiall be 
 made alive : But every man in his own Order : 
 Chrift the fir fi fruits^ afterwards they that 
 
 are 
 
/?/'/Z'^ Christian Religion. 89 
 
 are Chnft's, at his Coming, v. 1 Thef. ii. CHAP. 
 ig. chap. iii. 13. chap. iv. 35. chap. v. 23. 
 2 Theff. ii. i. chap. ii. 8. James v. 7, S. 
 2 Pet. i. 16. chap. iii. 4, 12. i John ii. 28. 
 In every one of the forecited Inftances it is 
 evident ; that the Trx^ovtria.^ coming of Chrift, 
 is apparently that time, when the Lord him- 
 felf Jhall defcemi from heaven with the voice 
 of the Archangel^ and with the trump of 
 God, 1 Their, iv. j6. In Matt. xxiv. His 
 Trapouo-ia is four times mentioned, and though 
 fome have applied them to his coming to de- 
 flroy Jerufalem^ yet that cannot be it's mean- 
 ing. y^Jus having obferved, ver. 2, that a 
 time {liould come when not one Stone of the 
 Temple fliould be left upon another, His 
 Difciples came unto him, and afk him, when 
 Jkall thefe things be? and what fiall be the 
 Sign of thy coming, and of the end of the 
 World? That They meant his Coming as Da- 
 niel had prophefied of the Meffiah^ is plain 
 from hence; that when our Lord anfwers 
 the Qneftion, He ufes the very words of the 
 Prophet, ver. 30, And then floall appear the 
 Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven ; and 
 then fl:all all the tribes of the Earth mourn ^ 
 and they Jhall fee the Son of Man coming in 
 the Clouds of Heaven, with Power ^«^ great 
 Glory. When therefore He declares His 
 7rap«(ri'^ to be on a fudden, as the Deluge was 
 in the days of Noah^ ver. 'x^^^ 39, or as the 
 Light of Lightnings ver. 27, flJll he fpeaks 
 
 with 
 
V. 
 
 90 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, with a dired; view to his coming with Glory 
 and Power, at the time appointed and de- 
 fcribed in Daniel , and not at all with a view 
 to the 'DefiruBion of yerufalem, which he is 
 never delcribed as coming to dejiroy, 
 
 idly. In all other Places, except one, 
 where ^^efus fpeaks of the coming of tlie Son 
 of Man, abfolutely, He means his coming at 
 the day of Judgment. Thus, Matt. xxiv. 
 44. Therefore be Te alfo ready, for infuch an 
 hour as Te think not^ The Son of Man 
 Cometh, v. Matt, xxiv. 13. huke xii. 40. 
 xviii. 8. 
 
 n^dly. In Matt. xvi. 28. Our Saviour has 
 fpoke of his coming in his Kingdom in fuch a 
 Manner, as probably may mean His Entrance 
 into it. There be fome f landing here, fays he, 
 which fljall not tafle of Death, 'till they fee 
 the Son of Man coming in his Kiyigdom, 
 i. e. invefted in it, and manifefting himfelf 
 to be fo, by the Powers given to his Fol- 
 lowers, as well as by his own RefurreSiion, 
 V, Mark ix. i. and Rom. 1. 4. This, I fay, 
 mzy probably be His meaning; though there 
 may be another in which even This Place 
 may poffibly relate to his Laft coming. 
 
 In the Paffage therefore before us — Te 
 fhall not have gone over the Cities of Ifrael, 
 '//// the Son of Man be come — Which is 
 The coming intended by our Saviour? Not 
 the Firjl -, becaufe They met with no Per- 
 fecutions at all, nor with any difficulties; 
 
 They 
 
^/^^ Christian Religion. 91 
 
 They met with no Perfccutio?25, I fay, 'till CHAP. 
 after the Afcetifion of our Lord, and his be- ^' 
 ing entred into his Kingdom ; which yet are 
 in fadl fuppofed here to be by our Saviour, 
 and upon That Suppofition this Advice is 
 founded. And if it relates to his Second 
 Coming, What can be the Meaning of the 
 Perfonal Pronoun, Ye ? Or what can be the 
 'Meaning of going over the Cities of Ifrael^ 
 fince the Jews have long fince had no Cities 
 of their own to go over^ which yet they are 
 fuppofed to have in our Saviour's Difcourfe. 
 But to this I anfwer, 
 
 I. That what our Saviour Here fpeaks im- 
 mediately to the Tivelve, was defigned I think, 
 by him as a Direction to All Chriftians, at 
 all Times, in like Circumftances. The Per- 
 fonal Exprefiions therefore are not exclufive 
 of Others, but on the contrary are defigned 
 to include others in like circumftances. And 
 indeed this is very frequent in the New 
 Teftament : Thus, Matt, xxiv. 44. There- 
 fore be Ye alfo ready, for^in fuch an hour as 
 Ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. And 
 Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. Go Ye therefore and 
 teach all Nations — Teaching them to obfervc 
 all things what fo ever I have commanded You : 
 And lo I a?n with You always to the End of 
 the World. Here it is evident, that a Pro- 
 mife is made which was to extend to the 
 End of the World -^ and fince the Apoftles 
 have been long fince dead, it is evident that 
 
 under 
 
92 ^^n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, under the Terms, Ye, and You, mufi: be con- 
 ^' tained All, at all Times, in like Circum- 
 flances. 
 
 2. It is true that the Jews have no Gtles 
 Now ; but yet They had luch when our Sa- 
 viour fpake this Difcourfe ; and He fpake ac- 
 cording as things Then were, and not as they 
 were to be during Their rejedtion. 
 
 It fcems therefore to me very probable, 
 that our Lord's Defign was in this Prophecy, 
 to tax the Incredulity, and obilinate Per- 
 verfenefs of the Jews : That it (hould be 
 fuch and fo great, that before His Difciples 
 could convert them, and bring them to the 
 Belief of His Being The Meffiah, Pie lliould 
 come in Power. The Context feems to me 
 to require this Meaning : and there is nothing 
 in the Terms in which this is exprefled, which 
 may not be fo underflood ; and if they be 
 thus underflood, the Senfe of this Place will 
 be the fame with all thofe others in which 
 this word occurs. 
 
 Soon after this, ^efus going through the 
 Corn-fields on the Sabbath-day his Difciples 
 began as they went to pluck the Ears of 
 Corn and to eat. The Pharifees upon this 
 charged them with doing what was not law- 
 Jul to do upon the Sabbath-day, To this His 
 Anfwer was, The Sabbath was made for 7nan^ 
 and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the 
 Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath, 
 
 Mark ii. 28, Luke vi. 5. Matt, xii. 8, 
 
 The 
 
c/ //v Christian Religion. 93 
 
 The Meaning of which is this ; The Sab- CHAP, 
 bath was deligned for the Benefit of Man; ^ 
 and therefore in Cafes of neceffity it may be 
 dilpenfed with : It is not a Law of an eternal 
 and immutable Nature, but of pofitive In- 
 stitution. And if fo, then, He who has the 
 Dominion given hifn over all^ may eafily re- 
 lax it, or not at all oblige his Subjeds to the 
 Obfervance of it. 
 
 It is indeed aflerted by feme great Writers, 
 that Son of Man in this place hath no rela- 
 tion to Cbriji -, but means, as the Hebrew 
 Phraleology fignifies, Man in general. And 
 the reafon of this Notion is, that in St Mark 
 the Words, Therefore the Son of Man is 
 Lord alfo of the Sabbath^ are made a Confe- 
 quence from the Preceding ones, T^he Sab- 
 bath was made for Man, not man for the 
 Sabbath : and therefore the Words, Son of 
 Man, in the Confequence, can be no other 
 than Man in the Premifes. But in all other 
 places it indifputably means our Lord : In 
 this one therefore it is highly iinprobabk it 
 Ihould vary from it's univerfal meaning 
 throughout the Gofpels. Efpeclally llnce the 
 Senfe is very plain and very good, if we un- 
 derlland ir here concerning Chrill ; That if 
 the Sabbath was originally defigncd for the 
 Reft of Men, and was inftituted only for 
 their good, then, He who is conlliiuied the 
 Governor of Men, and of their Adions, 
 muft have a power even over the Sabbath. 
 
 The 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 The whole Difcoarfe of our Lord was to 
 jaftify the Adion of His Difciples : As there- 
 fore, Matt, xii. 6. he fiys, that in this place 
 is one greater than the Temple^ meaning him- 
 felf, So ver. 8. He argues in hke manner, 
 ftill referring to himfelf, The Son of Man n 
 JLord even of the Sabbath day. 
 
 It was quickly after this that Jefus chofe 
 his Twelve Apoftles; and Multitudes com- 
 ing about him, he taught them, faying, Luke 
 vi. 22. Blejfed are ye when Men JJxill hate 
 you and feparate you^ and foall reproach yoUy 
 and cajl out your Name as Evil for the Son 
 of Man's //>^^. In St Matt. v. i;, it is, 
 and jhall jay all manner of Evil againfl you 
 falfy for ^lY fake, i. e. for believing 7ne to 
 be That Son of Man foretold. 
 
 The day after that Jefus had delivered that 
 famous Sermon of his, He raifed from the 
 dead the Widow's Son at Naifn : which oc- 
 cafioned the People to glorify God, faying^ 
 That a great Prophet is rifen up amongfl us, 
 and That God hath vifited his People-, by 
 fending That Perfon whom They all along 
 expeded. John the Baptiji hearing thefe 
 things, fent Two of his Difciples unto Jefus, 
 faying. Art thou He that fjould come, or 
 look we for another ? When Jefus had dif- 
 miffed thefe Meffengers, with laying, BleJJ^d 
 is he whofoever fjall not be offended with ME 5 
 He began to reproach the Jews with their 
 Perverfenefs, that they would interpret the 
 
 feveral 
 
(?/ /Z?^ Christian Religion. 9^ 
 
 feveral Methods of Providence, juft like peeviili CH AP, 
 humourfome Children, whom nothing could ^* 
 pleafe or fatisfy. John the Baptift caine Jiei- 
 tber eating Bread, nor drinking Wine, and 
 ye fay. He hath a Devil, 'The Son of Man 
 is coine eati?ig and drinking ; and ye fay. Be- 
 hold a Gluttonous Man, and a Wine-bibber — 
 Luke vii. 34. Matt. xi. 19. John the Bap- 
 tiji came in the utmoft Severity of Life to 
 prepare the Way of the Lord ; and he was ill 
 treated for That : But the Lord himfelf came 
 with an eafy freedom of Life and Converfa- 
 tion, and he is abul'ed and ill treated for That 
 too. 
 
 It is certain that whatever fome perfons 
 did, Many did not come into the Belief that 
 yefus was The Chrifl : His mean Appearance, 
 and his mean Parentage, and his courfe of 
 Life were mighty Obflacles againft him. 
 Rather therefore than admit him to be the 
 Chrift, the Jews imputed every thing to any 
 thing; and always perverted what was 
 brought for Him, and really was Evidence in his 
 Behalf. Thus when he caft out Devils, The 
 Pharifees faid, This fellow doth not cafl out 
 Devils, but by Beelzebub the Prince of the 
 Devils. Matt. xii. 24. When Jefus. had re- 
 futed this Accufation, he added, I fay unto 
 you, All manner of Sin and Blafphemy fvill 
 be forgiven unto men : but the blafphemy 
 againjt the Holy Ghofi fiall not be forgiv.n 
 unto men. And whofoever fpeaketh a Word 
 
 againfl 
 
V. 
 
 96 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP, cgainjl ^/6f Son of Man, it Jhall be forgiven 
 J him : but whofoever fpeaketh againjl the Holy 
 Ghoji it JJ:all not be forgiven him, neither in 
 this Worlds neither in the PForld to come. 
 The meaning of which is, That coniidering 
 all Circu affiances there might be great Diffi- 
 culties in believing Him to be the Chrijl at 
 that Time : and that Therefore God would 
 be ready to pardon the Prejudices of fuch, as 
 at prcfent could not give into the Belief of 
 his being The Son of Man, foretold by the 
 Prophet, and therefore fpoke againft Him : 
 But That when after his Death and Refur- 
 redion the Holy GhoJi (liould come, and 
 confirm the Truth by Signs and Wonders ; 
 if tnen fliil continued obiiinate, and rejeded 
 That la/l Tender of Evidence, no more was 
 to be offered to Them, but They were to 
 remain in their Sins. 
 
 Upon his affuming thus to himfelf This 
 Title, certain of the Scribes, and of the 
 Pharifees anfwered faying, Mafier^ we would 
 fee a Sign from thee. But he anfwered and 
 faid unto them ; An evil and adulterous Ge- 
 neration feeketh after a Sign, and there jhall 
 no Sign be given to it^ but the Sign of the 
 Prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three Days, 
 and three Nights, in the Whales Belly, Jo 
 Jhall the Son of Man be three Days, and three 
 Nights, in the heart of the Earth, Matt. xii. 
 38 — 40. In the xith. of Luke it is, This is 
 an Evil Generation : they feel: a Sign ; ajid 
 
 there 
 
cf the Christian Religion. 97 
 
 there Jloall no Sign he given it, but the Sign CHAP. 
 of Jonas the Pj-ophct, For as Jonas was a 
 Sign unto the Ninevites, Jo jJoall alfo the SON 
 of MAN Z't' to this Generation.' v. 2g, 30, 
 It is plain They wanted fome Proof, ditFerent 
 from what Jcfus had hitherto given them, 
 that he was the Perfon fo long promifed, and 
 fo much expeded. The Proof therefore of 
 his being that Perfon, That SON of MAN, 
 was to be his Refurre5fion from the Dead, 
 which would certainly be the highefl: Evi- 
 dence of his coming from God. This He 
 foretold upon this Occalion, as he had be- 
 fore upon another to ISlicodemus : that fo ma- 
 ny different Perfons having Expedtation given 
 them, might the better be fatisfiedj when 
 That Fad: fhould happen. 
 
 The fame Day Jefus entered into a Ship 
 and taught the Multitude in Parables : In 
 Explaining That of the Tares, Matt. xiii. 
 37, He fays, He that foweth the good Seed is 
 The Son of Man : Is that Son of Man who 
 had The Kingdom delivered to Him ; who, 
 ver. 41, (hall at the End of the World 
 fend forth his Angels, and they fhall ga- 
 ^ther out of his KINGDOM all things that 
 Offend. 
 
 The People were fo much pleafed with 
 the Inftrudtion they received from 'fefuSy 
 That when He had privately retired to Ca- 
 pernaum, John vi. 24 — 27, They followed 
 him thither. Upon this he faid, Ye feek 
 
 H me 
 
98 An ES SAT upon the "TRUTH 
 
 CHAP fj2e not becaufe Te Jaw the Miracles, but be- 
 .^ •_ _^ caiife ye did eat of the Loaves ^ and were 
 
 filled. Labour not for the Meat which pe- 
 rijheth, but for the Meat which endureth un- 
 to everlafing Life^ which the SON of MAN 
 
 JJjall give unto you. The People from feeing 
 the Miracle which J ejus did, had determined 
 to take him by Force a?id to make him a King^ 
 ver. 15. He therefore now talks to them in 
 an obfcure manner ; and reprefents his Doc- 
 trines under the Hard Figure of Meat : and 
 bids them Labour for that Knowledge which 
 would bring them to that Everlafting Life, 
 which He was empowered by his Father to 
 give them. What That Knowledge was, is 
 expreffed, ver. 29. That ye believe on Him 
 whom [God] hath fent^ i. e. believe Him to 
 be That Son of Man foretold. They were 
 confounded at his expreffing himfelf in fuch 
 a (Irange way ; and therefore demanded a 
 Sign of him to prove what he pretended to 
 be. M'^hat Sign fiewejl thou then, that we 
 may fee and believe thee ? What workeft thou '? 
 Our Fathers did eat Manna in the defert, as 
 it is written^ He gave Bread from Heaven to 
 eat^ ver. 30, 31. The mention of their 
 eating Manna ^ gave ©ur Lord occafion to 
 , fay that He was The living Bread which came 
 "^^ down from Heaven^ ver. 51 ; and to add, 
 
 Except ye eat the Flejlj of the Son of Man, 
 and drink his Bloody ye have no Life in Tou, 
 The meaning of which is explained; ver. 56. 
 
 He 
 
cf the Christian Religion. 
 He that eateth my Fle/Jj, and drinketh my Bloody 
 dwelleth in me, and I in Him, *' Unlefs 
 ** therefore/' lays he, *' Ye arc united to 
 '' me, and continue fteady in the Belief that 
 " I am that Perfon to whom the Kingdom 
 '' of God is defcribed as given in the Pro- 
 ** phets, ye lliall not be partakers of the 
 '' Privileges of That Kingdom/' But as 
 thcfe things v/ere delivered in a Myftical way, 
 and were fo dark and obfcure, that no Body 
 fcarce underftood from the hints he gave them 
 what his meaning was, many of his Difci- 
 ples, balk'd in their Expedtations, departed 
 tfom him, and complained at his Condud:. 
 JVhen Jt;fus therefore knew in him j elf that his 
 Dijciples murmia-ed at it^ he /aid unto them^ 
 Doth this offend you? What and if ye JJmll 
 fee the SON of MAN afcend up where he 
 was before^ ver. 62. *' You take it ill of me, 
 " and cannot forbear complaining of my 
 '* Conduct, that I reprefent my coming from 
 ** Heaven to give Life, under the allegory 
 *' of Bread which came down from Heaven : 
 " and you expecft that I fliould continue up- 
 " on Earth, and reign here over you. What 
 " would you fay, if I ftiould tell you, that I 
 " muft die, and that you fhall fee me afcend 
 ** into Heaven, and continue there where 
 *' Daniel {^^ me?" 
 
 As feveral of the Jews walked no more with 
 
 Jefus, He took an Opportunity foon after 
 
 this to enquire of his Difciples, what No- 
 
 H 2 tions 
 
100 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A P. tions the People had of him ? PFhom do Men 
 Jay that /, the Son of Man, am: Matt. xvi. 
 J 3. i. e. I, who really am the Perfon fpoken 
 of by that Name in the Prophet, though I 
 make fo different an appearance. Peter rea- 
 dily acknowledged his Belief, Thou art^ 
 Xpir^?, The Chrift, the Son of the Livi?ig 
 God. 
 
 His Difciples thus profeffing him to be 
 The Chrijl^ He thought it proper to let them 
 further into what he was to do, and fuffer : 
 Mark y\\\, 31. Luke ix. 22. He began to 
 teach them^ that the Son of Man muji Suffer 
 many things^ and be reje5Ied of the Elders^ 
 and Chief- Priejls^ and Scribes, and be flain, 
 and be raifed the Third Day, Though the 
 Son of Man was reprefented as having Do- 
 minion and a Kingdom given him, very large 
 and grand. Yet he was to Suffer^ and to be 
 reje^led^ and to htflain. This was fo con- 
 trary to all their Notions, that PETER 
 took him and began to rebuke him, faying, Be 
 it far from thee. Lord, This fJjall not be unto 
 thee. But he turned and faid unto Peter, 
 Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an Of- 
 fe72ce unto me, for thou favourefi ?2ot the 
 things that be of God, but thofe that be of 
 Men. Matt. xvi. 22, 23. You ad like an 
 Adverfary (for that is the meaning of the 
 word, Satan^ in itfelf, and particularly in 
 this place) (tvMxxL)/ //a a. You are a Hin- 
 drance to the Belief of my being the Chrift, 
 
 by 
 
of the Christian Religion. ioi 
 
 by your Ignorance of the Methods by which CHAP. 
 God defigns to Effedl his Purpofes. 
 
 No fooner had he thus reproved the A- 
 poftle, but he called the People to him, with 
 his Difciples aljo^ Mark viii. -34 — 38, and 
 told them, that if they would come after. 
 Him, they mufi: exped to meet with great 
 Difficulties, and great Hazards : But however 
 the Ballance would be much on their fides, 
 if they perfevered in the Profeffion of Him. 
 For whojbever jl:all be afloamed of me and of 
 my words, of him JJ:all the SON of MAN he 
 ajhamed, when he Jhall come in his own Glory ^ 
 and in his Fathers, and of the Holy Angels^ 
 Luke ix. 26. St Matthew has it, ch. xvi. 27, 
 28, For the SON of MAN //W/ come in the 
 Glory of his Father^ with his Angels, and 
 then he fall reward every Man according to 
 his Works. Verily I fay unto you, There be 
 fame [landing here which Jhall ?iot tafte of 
 Death, 'till they fee the Son of Man coming 
 in his Kingdom. It has been obfervcd al- 
 ready, that the Kingdom of Heaven, or of 
 God^ is reprefented in the Prophet as a King- 
 dom, which from fmall beginnings fliould 
 grow 'till it became a Mountain, and f:ould 
 fll the Earth. Jf^U who declared himfelf 
 to be the SON of MAN mentioned by the 
 Prophet, came at firft to open this Kingdom, 
 and to lay it's Foundations : and lliall come 
 again at the End of the World to reward 
 every Man according to his Works. This lad 
 H 3 Advent 
 
102 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Advent of his, is plainly the Time when He 
 is to come in Glory-, when every Man ihall 
 appear before the Judgment-Seat of Chrift, 
 and receive according to the things done in 
 the Flefli. This coming of the Son of Man, 
 ver. 27. is fo clofely conned:ed with what 
 follows of his immediate C07ni77g^ ver. 28, 
 v/hich fome then alive wxre \o jce^ that it has 
 rendered the whole oblcure. Bat his rea- 
 foning is this ; '* Every Difciple of mine 
 ** muft renounce all Pleafures, and refign 
 *^ himfelf up to whatever the Providence of 
 " God fhall lay upon him. For whofoever 
 *' will fave his Life by mean compliances, 
 ^* (hall lofe it hereafter 3 But whofoever will 
 " lofe his Life^ or be ready to forego ir, for 
 " my fake^ and for the fake of Virtue, fhall 
 ** find it, by enjoy jnent of eternal Happi- 
 *^ nefs. ■ For the SON of MAN Jhall come 
 in the Glory of his Father, and then fljall 
 he reward every Man accordijig to his 
 Works, He ihill have the Kingdom, as it 
 is propheiled of Him ; and he fliall enter 1 
 upon it fo foon, that lome here piefent * 
 fliall live to fee him ^dually inveited in 
 
 €( 
 
 tc 
 
 <€ 
 
 '' it." 
 
 That this is the meaning is evident from 
 the parallel Place, Mark ix. i. Verily I fay 
 unto you, that there be fome of them that ft and 
 here, which Jlmll not tafte of Death 'till they 
 have feen the Kingdom of God come with 
 Power. So that the coming of the Son of 
 
 Man 
 
(?/'/y6d'CHRISTIANRELIGI0N. JO3 
 
 Man in his Ki?2gdojny and, The Kingdom of^^J^^- 
 God coining imth Power, fignifies the fame 
 Thing ; and implies that the Me£iah'% King- 
 dom was very loon to begin ; and would be 
 eafily manifefted by the Miraculous Gifts 
 which would attend it's Preachers. 
 
 Six or Eight Days after this, happened the 
 Transfiguration of our Lord ; at which were 
 prefent only Peter, James, and John, They 
 faw what pafied 5 and they heard the Voice 
 of God pronouncing yefus to be his Beloved 
 Son, in whom He was well pleajed. As they 
 came down from the Mountain Jefus charged 
 them, faying, tell the Vifion to 7io Man, until 
 the Son of Man be rifen again from the Dead, 
 Matt. vii. 9. Mark ix. 9. He had told them 
 before that He was to be flain, and to rife 
 again-. What paffed at the prefent Interview 
 of Mofes and Elias, they were not to difclofe 
 'till after his Refurredion from the Dead. 
 However having feen Elias, this put them in 
 mind of that Prophecy of Malachi, chap. iv. 
 5. Behold I will fend you Elijah the Pro- 
 phet, before the coming of the great and ter^ 
 rible Day of the Lord, The Difciples there- 
 fore afk him, Why then fay the Scribes that 
 Elias mujl firji come. He anfwered that 
 Elias is come already, and they knew him not, 
 but have done unto him whatfoever they lifted ; 
 likewije alfo fall the SON of MAN fufer of 
 them. Matt. xvii. 10 — 12. Or as Mark 
 has it, chap. ix. 12, He ' told them, Eiias 
 H 4 verily 
 
I04 ^n ESSAT upo7i the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, verily cometh firfiy and rejioreth all things ; 
 ^^' and how it is written of the SON of MAN, 
 that he inufi fuffer inany things y and be fet at 
 nought. This he inculcates again, Matt, 
 xvii. 22, 23. Mark ix. 31. Luke ix. 44, 
 The Son of Man, J hall be betrayed or deli- 
 vered, into the Hands of Men ; and they flo all 
 kill him, and the third Day he Jljall be raifed 
 again, i'he thing which made them not un- 
 der ft and this fayingy Luke ix. 45, Mark ix. 
 32» was the Grandeur, and Majelty in which 
 the SON of MAN was defcribed in the 
 Prophet, which feems contradidlory to the 
 account here given of His Sufferings and 
 Death, But fince the Nature of the King- 
 dom, aiid the Methods by which it was to 
 rife, and the different States and Circum- 
 ftances of it, are now revealed, thofe things 
 wliich the Apoilles at firif could not con- 
 ceive, are now palpable and eafy to every 
 Body. 
 
 Matt,-:^sm. i. A Difpute arofe amongft 
 the Difciples, Who is the great ejl in the King- 
 'do?n of Heaven ? Jefus taking a Child, and 
 fetting it before them, fliewed them their 
 Miftakes about the Nature of his Kingdom, 
 and recommends Humility as the beft Qua- 
 lification for the Gofpel-State. On this ac- 
 count he bids them, ver. 10, 11. Take heed 
 that ye difpife not one of thefe little Ones .; for 
 1 fay unto you, that in Heaven their Angels 
 do always behold the face of my Father which 
 
 is 
 
<?/■" //6^ GiiR 1ST I AN Religion. 105 
 
 IS in Heaven: For the SON of MAN /iCiiAP. 
 come to fave that which was loft. ** Do not 
 *' be ambitious of Honours ; nor difpife 
 *' even thefe little Ones ; For he that hath a 
 ** Kingdom given him, has condefcended to 
 ** come into this World in this mean Con- 
 '* dition, only that he might recover and 
 ** preferve that which other wife would have 
 '' been loft." 
 
 Soon after this ^efus Jiedfajily Jet his Face 
 to go to Jerufalem ; and going through a 
 Village of the Sa?naritans, They refufed him 
 the common Civilities of Entertainment, be- 
 cauje his Face was as though he would go to 
 Jerufalem. "James and John when they faw 
 this, were for commanding Fire from Hea- 
 ven to confume them. But Jefus rebuked them 
 and faid, Te know not what jnajiner of Spirit 
 ye are of For the SON of MAN is not come 
 to deftroy Men% Lives, iJ^ijx'^V, but to fave 
 them, Luke ix. 56. *' You do not confider 
 ** the Genius, the Temper, the Difpofitiori 
 *' which the Golpel-Sraie requires : For He 
 *^ that is the Ruler and Gover?2or in that State, 
 *' is not come down from Heaven to punilh 
 " Men, or take away their Lives, but to 
 *' bring them to Happinefs by Eafmefs and 
 *' gentle Converfation." 
 
 When He was at Jerufalem, our Lord en- 
 deavoured to prove to the People that He 
 was The Chriji : But this he did in fuch a 
 Way^ and in fuch Expreffions concerning The 
 
 Father^ 
 
io6 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Father^ that They underftood ?20t, John viii. 
 ^ 1 ^ 27. yefus obferving this, [aid unto them^ 
 ^ When ye have lift up the SON of MAN, 
 then JIuill ye know that I am he, i. e. He of 
 whom it was prophefied that he {hould re- 
 ceive a Kingdom, 
 
 In the 1 2th. Chapter of Luke, The Mul- 
 titude being gathered together, he affured his 
 Difciples of the particular Providence of God ; 
 and faid, Whofoever JJ:aIl confefs me before 
 Men, him Jlmil the SON of MAN aljo cofi- 
 fefs before the Angels of God, A?id whofo- 
 ever jhall fpeak a word againji the SON of 
 MAN, it jhall be forgiven him^ but unto him 
 that blafphemeth ogainjl the Holy Ghoft, it 
 fhail not be j or given, ver. 8, 10. The Con- 
 fefing him before Men, is plainly the open ac- 
 knowledging Him to be The Mcjfiah ; and 
 whofoever (hould thus profefs this Relief in 
 Him as The Chriji, Him would Jefus, when 
 He was in his Kingdom, publickly acknow- 
 ledge as his Faithful Subjed and Servant, and 
 would pubHckly reward. *' The Prejudices, 
 *' the Ignorance, the Infirmities, and the 
 *' vain Deference to the Authority of the 
 " Scribes, may make you fpeak again ft me 
 " as the SON of MAN v and God will have 
 ** regard to thefe Defeds> and will pardon 
 " them : But whofoever continues after my 
 *' Refurre.'tion to fpeak againft the Holy 
 " Ghoji, and the Signs and Miracles done by 
 *' Hitny God will no longer pardon That Ob- 
 
 " ftinacy 
 
of the Christian Religion. 107 
 
 '' ftinacy and Perverfenefs : it is the hifl: means ^ HA p. 
 " of Convidion which he will ever afford/' ^ " 
 
 In the xviith of St Luke^ we have a par- 
 ticular Prophecy of the unexpedied Ap- 
 pearance of the Son of Man ; occafioned by 
 the Demand of the Pharifees, When the 
 Kingdom of God fiould come? 20 — 37. In 
 Anlwer to This, Jefus tells them, that. The 
 Kingdom of God comet h not with Objerva- 
 tion y Neither fldcill ye fay, Lo here, or lo 
 there-, fir behold the Kingdom of God is 
 withi?2 you. It is not in One part, or in ano- 
 ther part of the World, as worldly Kingdoms 
 are, but it is where-ever Men's Minds are 
 influenced by Virtue, and a Sen(e of the One 
 God. Upon this he tells his Difciples, of 
 the Mileries which were to attend his Fol- 
 lowers, and how unexpededly He fhould 
 again appear. The days will come when ye JJjall 
 de/ire to fee one of the days of the Son of 
 Man, and ye JJ?all not fee it. You (hall de- 
 fire to fee me prefent with you, and coming 
 in Power, but it will not be. And they fxill 
 fay unto you. See here, or See there : Go not 
 after them, nor follow them ; for as the 
 Lightning that lightneth out of the One part 
 under Heaven, Jhi?ieth unto the Other part 
 under Heaven, fo fiall alfo the Son of Man 
 he in his day. [Matt. xxiv. ver. 27. So fiall 
 alfo the coming of the Son of Man be.\ 
 But firjl muft he fuffer 7?tany things, and be 
 rejeSfed of this Generation, And as it was in 
 
 4 the 
 
Jin ESSATupofi the TRUTH 
 the days of Noah, fo Jhall it be alfo in the 
 days of the Son of Man. — hike wife alfo as 
 it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they 
 drank, they bought, they fold, they planted^ 
 they huilded'y But the fame day that Lot went 
 out oj Sodom it rained fire — and dejlroyed 
 them all : Even thus Jhall it be in the day 
 when the Son of Man is revealed^ Luke 
 xvii. 22, 24, 26, 30. In Matt. xxiv. 39, it 
 is ; And knew Jiot until the flood came, and 
 took them all awsy \ So fljall alfo the coming of 
 the Son of Man be. Deceivers, he tells 
 them, will arife, and will talk of the Son of 
 Man as taking poffeflion of his Kingdom, 
 in one place, and in another. But they were 
 not to believe them : For whenever that time 
 fhould come, he would do it in fuch a manner 
 as fhould be vifible to all : And as men will 
 be carelefs and negligent, and minding only 
 their temporal concerns, they will be unex- 
 pededly furprized with his Appearance. 
 
 This uuv^xpeded Appearance of his to 
 judge the World is in other places foretold : 
 Thus Luke xii. 40. Be ye therefore ready, 
 for The Sun of Man comet h at an hour when 
 ye think not : and Matt, xxiv. 44. But al- 
 ways ftill with a view to That Kingdom and 
 Power with which he was vefted, and by 
 which charaders he was defcribed in the Pro- 
 phet. Take the Phrafe, Son of Man, to 
 fignify only, A Man, and what jejune and 
 mean Notions will That give us in the places 
 
 where 
 
of the Christian Religion. 109 
 
 where the Words, Son of Man, occur ?C map. 
 Subftitute in their places, One of a mean 
 and low Condition^ as Others fay this Ex- 
 preffion llgnirics, and what Senfe will it make 
 in numberlels places? Whereas if it be taken 
 uniformly as having a view to the perfon de- 
 fcribed under that Charadter in Daniel^ the 
 meaning of all thofe places in which we 
 meet with it, is rational and o )nfiftent. 
 
 Thus Luke xviii. The Parable of the un- 
 juji Judge being urged, in order to excite 
 men to pray with importunity, our Lord ap- 
 plies it thus. Shall not God ave?ige his own 
 Ele5i which cry day and night unto him, 
 though he bare long with them ? I tell you that 
 he will avenge them fpeedily. Neverthelefs 
 when The Son of Man comethy Jhall he find 
 Faith on Earth? The time when he (hall 
 come as he is defcribed, in Power ^ to judge 
 and reward his Servants, is fo far off, that 
 Multitudes will give over the patient Ex- 
 pedlation of him, and grow careiefs, and 
 perfedly remifs in their Duties. He plainly 
 intimates that His own coming to Judge 
 and to avenge, would be fo remote, that 
 very Many would have loft all Patience and 
 Perfeverance. 
 
 As he drew near his End, he gave En- 
 couragement to the Twelve to perfevere, by 
 aiTuring them, that as a Reward for forfaking 
 all, and following him ; When the Son of 
 yiK^ Jhall ft upon the Throne of his Glo- 
 ry, 
 
no An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. RY, They alfo Jhould fit upon, twelve throne % 
 ^ )j^^S^^S ^^^ twelve tribes of Ifrael. Matt. 
 xix. 28. 
 
 Our Lord had fcveral times before told his 
 Difciples what he was to fufFer, and that he 
 fhould rife again the third day. Sometimes 
 indeed this was done in a figurative oblcure 
 manner, which very few could underftand ; 
 as when he faid, John ii. 19, Dejlroy this 
 Temple, a?id in Three Days / will raife 
 it up. And again, John iii. 14. ^i Moles 
 lifted up the Serpent in the Wilder nefs^ even 
 fo mujt the Son of Man be lifted up, &c» 
 V, John viii. 27. chap. xii. 32, 33. But 
 now as he was going up to Jerufalem the 
 laft time, he repeated to his Difciples, 
 what he had told them before [1;. Matt, 
 xvii. 9, 22. Mark ix. 9, 32. chap. viii. 31, 
 Luke ix. 22.] very expreffly, That the Son 
 of Man fjall be betrayed unto the Chief 
 Priejis^ a?id unto the Scribes^ and they Jhall 
 condemn him to Death — And the third day 
 he Jhall rife again. Matt. xx. 18. Mark x, 
 3'^. St Luke has it, Behold we go up to Je- 
 ruialem, and all things that are written by 
 the Prophets coficernittg The Son of Man 
 Jloall be accompUJlded, FO R he JJjall be deli- 
 vered wito the Gentiles y &c. Luke xviii. 31, 
 32, 33. and he adds, ver. 34. And they un- 
 derjiood none of thefe things^ and this faying 
 was hid from thejn, neither knew they the 
 things 'which were fpoken. The Reafon of 
 
 this 
 
of the Christian Religion. in 
 
 this is evident, if we confider their expedta- CHAP, 
 tions, and their Prejudices, concerning the ^' 
 Kingdom of Heaven. They knew from 
 what they had preached, That the Kingdom 
 of Heaven was at hand: They knew what 
 the Prophet had faid concerning the Son of 
 Man; that he had a Kingdom and Domi- 
 nion given him, that all People^ Nations and 
 Languages jhoiild ferve him^ and that his 
 Kijigdom JJjculd laji for ever. To tell them 
 therefore of fuch Sufferings, and fuch a Death, 
 was perfedly to them unaccountable : And 
 this arillng fo naturally from the comparing 
 the Prophecy and the Events of things toge- 
 ther, fliews us what the Difciples themfelves 
 meant by The SON of MANy and what 
 They underftood their Mafter to mean. 
 For taking 'The Kingdom of Heaven to be a 
 Kingdom like thofe of the World, confiding 
 of earthly Greatnefs, of Riches and Ho- 
 nours, The Sons of Zebedee did by their 
 Mother defire to be advanced to the chief 
 Places and Honours of it. When "Jefus told 
 them their Miftake, and faid that the way to 
 the chiefeft Honours of His Kingdom was 
 to be the Servant of all. He adds. For even The 
 Son of Man came not to be mini fired unto^ 
 hut to juinijier ; and to give his Life a ran- 
 fomjor Ma?iy. Matt. xx^. 28. Mark x. 45. 
 /". e. Even He who has the Kingdom itfelf 
 given him, came not into the World to de- 
 mand Subjedion, and Tribute, and worldly 
 
 Splendor, 
 
112 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP. Splendor, but to ferve all Men, and even to 
 
 ^^J'_^^ lay down his Life for them. 
 
 As Jefus had paffed through "Jericho^ he 
 took occafion to go to the Hoafe of Zac- 
 cheiis, who was a rich ?na?i^ and chief among 
 the Publicans : Luke xix. And he addrefled 
 himfelf to Him thus, This day is Salvation 
 come to this houfcy forafmiich as he alfo is the 
 Son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is 
 come to feek and to fave that which was lofl^ 
 i. e. Zaccheus^ though a Publican and there- 
 fore odious, and all his Family, are this day 
 admitted to all the Privileges of the Gofpel- 
 State : Nor ought any one to murmur^ ver. 
 7, at this ; For as the Kingdom of Heaven 
 is to be fet up by the Son of Man, and to be 
 ruled by him, fo his coming into the World 
 was with defign to reclaim all he could, and 
 bring them from the confequences of Sin to a 
 State of eternal Happinefs. 
 
 When Jefus had en t red Jerufalem^ John 
 xii. Certain Greeks^ that were at Jerufalem 
 on occafion of the Pafchal Feaft, were very 
 defirous to fee him, ver. 21. Upon this 
 fefus faid. The Hour is come that The Son 
 oi yiK^ fjdould be glorified. That is. Things 
 are now come to that point, that I fhall foon 
 enter upon the Kingdoin defigned for and 
 promifed to me, in the Prophets. Aiid 7, if 
 I be lifted up, / will draw all Men unto me. 
 This he faid ^ f^S^^fy^^S "^hat Death he fiould 
 dye. The people anfwered him, We have heard 
 
 out 
 
cf the Christian Religion. 11-5 
 
 out the Law, that Chrift abideth for ever : C H A P. 
 And how Jdyefi then, ''The Son of Man ^nufi ^^\^^^ 
 be lift up? Who is this Son of Man, ver. 
 32—34. /. e, ' You talk of your Death -^ 
 ' but the Prophets have plainly iiiid that l^he 
 ' Kingdom of the Meffiah is to laft for ever, 
 
 * If you then are T^he MeJ/iah, or which is 
 ^ all one, The Son of Man, what do you 
 
 * mean by talking of your being lifted up^ 
 ' or dying at all ; much lefs dying an igno- 
 
 * minious Death ? T^ l<riy out©^ utV? r^ avOpwVy. 
 
 * Who is Jhis who calls himfelf The SON 
 ' of MAN fo abfurdly, and inconfiflently 
 ' with the Prophets, who fpcak of the Do- 
 
 * minion He is to have, and not of his Death 
 ^ and SafFerings ?* 
 
 As he went out of the City and fat upon 
 
 the Mount of Olives, He foretold the De- 
 
 ilrudion of the City and of the Temple. A 
 
 hew Scene of things v/ould plainly arife frorrt 
 
 thence 3 and thence they would be enabled to 
 
 fee the Connexion of feveral things, which 
 
 whilft the City Hood, they could make no 
 
 Judgment of. The Difciples therefore came 
 
 to him privately, and afked him, When ff:all 
 :| theje things be ? and what P:>all be the Sign of 
 ij thy comings and of the End of the World ? 
 iJT«a*wv(§p, of the Age? Here he warns them ;♦ 
 
 I again ft being impofed upon by ma?2y that 
 I fliould come in his Name^ and pretend to be 
 
 Chriji^ X^^rk-, The Chrijl -, and gives them, 
 
 and us, feveral Marks by which we inav judge 
 
 I ' of 
 
114 ^^ ESSAY upon the "TRUrH 
 
 CHAP, of Events. Jerufalem was to be trodden 
 down of the Gentiles, Luke xxi. (as it now 
 continues,) until the times of the Gentiles be 
 fulfilled. After This, great Diftrefs is to be 
 in the World, And Then floall they fee the 
 Son of Man coming in a cloud with power 
 and great Glory [In the Clouds with Great 
 power, Mark xiii. 26. In St Matt, chap. 
 xxiv. 30. Then fid all appear the Sign, (o-Jiafro;/ 
 the Proof) of the Son of Man in Heaven \ 
 and then fi^all all the Tribes of the Earth 
 mourn ^ and they Jhall fee the Son of Man 
 comiiig in the Clouds of Heaven with Power 
 and great Glory,] ver, 27. Watch ye there- 
 fore^ and pray always^ that ye may be ac- 
 counted worthy to ejcape all thefe things that 
 fijall come to pafs, and to fand before the 
 Son of Man. At the End of the World the 
 Son of Man, fliall come juft as he is defcribed 
 in Da?iiel in the Clouds of Heaven^ to judge 
 the World : be ye therefore always fo upon 
 your guard, that ye may be able to appear 
 before him. 
 
 In the xxvth of St Matt, 31. the Com- 
 ing of our Lord is defcribed in the very fame 
 Phrafeology, When the Son of Man fioall 
 come in his Glory,, and all the Holy Angels 
 with him^ then Jhall he ft upon the throne of 
 his Glory, And much the fame Inference 
 is made, ver, 13. as in the preceding chap- 
 ter. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the 
 day^ nor the Hour wherein the Son of Man 
 
 cometb. 
 
of the Christian Religion. 115 
 
 Cometh, In both which places the Allufion chap. 
 is ib plain that there is no Occafion to infift 
 longer upon it. 
 
 As the Death of our Lord drew nearer, he 
 talked more openly concerning himfelf. Te 
 know, fays he, that after two days is the 
 feaft of the Paffover, and The Son of Man 
 is betrayed to be crucified. Matt, xxvi. 2. 
 The Evangelid indeed had obfeived before, 
 that He foretold his Crucifixion^ chap. xx. 
 18, 19. Here he repeats it again, That 
 notwithstanding his having the Kingdom^ yet 
 he was to be betrayed and put to death in a 
 very ignominious Manner, He foon after- 
 wards expreffly named the Man who was to" 
 do the fcandalous Ad. And as foon as "Ju- 
 d^s was gone oat, Jefus faid to the Eleven, 
 Now is The Son of Man glorified^ and God 
 is glorified in Him^ John xiii, 31. * This 
 
 * Scene of Adions which now I am to un- 
 
 * dergo, though it feems (hameful to mCj 
 
 * confidering how I am charaderized in the 
 
 * Prophet, yet really will tend to my Ho« 
 
 * nour, and will encreafe the Glory of God/ 
 The Son of Man goeth indeed as it is writ^ 
 ten of hifn -, but woe ufito that Man by whom 
 the Son of Man is betrayed. Matt. xxvi. 24. 
 Mark xiv. 21. Luke xxii. 22. TheMeffiah 
 is indeed to be cut off, as it was determined^ 
 before He enters into his Glory : but this 
 does not lefien the Bafenefs and Ingratitude 
 of Him who thus wickedly betrays him. 
 
 I a When 
 
An ESSAY iiton the rRUTH 
 
 When "Judas was coming with the Officers 
 to feize him, our Lord had been at prayer, 
 and his Difciples fleeping; He tells them 
 therefore, Behold^ the hour is at hand-, and 
 the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of 
 Sinners, Matt. xxvi. 45. Mark xiv. 41, and 
 when Judas drew near to him according to 
 the Signal, to kijs him, Jefus faid unto him^ 
 J ad as, betrayefi thou the Son of Man njoith 
 a Kifs, Luke xxii. 48. And exadly in the 
 fame manner after his Refurredion, the An- 
 gels bid the Women, Remember how he fpake 
 unto them, when he was yet in Galilee, yi}'/;?^, 
 The Son of Man muji be delivered into the 
 Hands of Jinful men, Luke xxiv. 7. He who 
 was exalted fo high, as to have all Power and 
 Dominion given him, yet was to be betrayed 
 by the Wickednefs and Avarice of a Man, 
 who had been his Companion and Friend, 
 and would make himklf the Inftrument of 
 their Malice to put an End to his Life. 
 
 As Jefus had thus frequently alTumed to 
 himfelt this Title, when he was upon his 
 Trial, The High-Prieft, refolving to have it 
 from his own Mouth, whether He were the 
 Perfon he pretended to be, faid unto him, 
 / adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell 
 uSy whether thou be The Chriil: , The Son of 
 God, Jefus then affirmed that he was ; hie- 
 'verthelefs I fay unto you. Hereafter f jail ye fe 
 the Son of Man /it ti?7g on the right hatid of 
 power, and coming in the Clouds of Heaven. 
 
 Matt, 
 
of the Christian Religion. 117 
 
 Matt. xxvi. 64. Mark xiv. 62. Luke xxii. CHAP, 
 69. The plain meaning of which is, That 
 though you fee me now in this low and def- 
 picable condition, very unlike the Perfon de- 
 fcribed as the Son of" Man in the Prophet, 
 yet there will come a time, when I fhall ap- 
 pear in the Manner and Form there defcribed, 
 and fliall judge the World. 
 
 Thefe are all the Places, I think, in the 
 Four Evangelifts, where this Expreflion is 
 ufed. In the A£ts^ chap. vii. 56, St Stephen 
 feeing our Lord jianding on the right hand 
 of God, faid^ Behold 1 fee the Heavens opened ^ 
 and the Son of Man Jianding on the right 
 hand of God. He then faw Him in the Pof- 
 feffion of all Power in Heaven and in Earthy 
 juft as the Son of Man is defcribed in Da- 
 niel: And in the Revelations St "Jolm de- 
 fcribes him, chap. i. 13, as one whofe Coun- 
 tenance was as the Sun Jhineth in his Jirength : 
 And chap. xiv. 14, as having on his head a 
 Golden crown. 
 
 Since then The one uniform Senfe of this 
 Phrafe is fo evidently, and fo naturally, to be 
 accounted for from the. Prophecy of Daniel^ 
 I conclude, that That Prophecy was in view 
 whenever our Lord iHled himfelf, or any one 
 elfe gave him the Title of, The SON of 
 MAN. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
ii8 jin ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A P. VI. 
 
 Of the Title MESSIAH, or, CHRIST, 
 
 in the New Tejlament^ and whence i\ 
 was derived. 
 
 T has been already obferved, that about 
 the time of "Jefus^ the fews were in full 
 Expedlation of One whom They called, The 
 MeJJiah^ or which is all One, The Chrifl-y 
 from and by whom, according to the No- 
 tions then prevailing, and the falfe Inferences 
 which they drew from the Prophets, they 
 exptdted a Temporal Deliverance. Simeon is 
 faid, huke ii. 25. to wait for the Confolation 
 of lii ael : and when he took yejiis in his 
 A'ms, He declared, that His Eyes had fecn m 
 the Salvation which God had prepared for -^ 
 Ifrael. Bat what they expedled to be do?ie 
 by The MESSIAH, is not the Subjed of 
 the prefent Enquiry. That fach a Perfon, 
 with fuch a particular Title, v/as expeded, is 
 clear from what the Woman of Samaria faid, 
 "John \\\ 25. / know well that Meffias P^all 
 {:ome. And the Jews argue, upon feeing 
 what our Saviour did, John vii. 26, Do the 
 Rulers know indeed, that This [man] is in 
 Truth The Chrift, outo? ?riv aA?jO&?? l yi^^rkt 
 
 Howbeit 
 
(?/'/;&£' Christ IAN Religion. 119 
 
 Howbeit we know this Man whence he is : But CHAP. 
 when The Chrift, Xpirk^ comet h, no Man 
 kncweth whejice he .is^ ver. 27. And again, 
 ver. 31. When The Chrift, J Xpir-o\, comet h^ 
 will He do more Miracles than this Man hath 
 done'? And when They reafoned about the 
 Difcourfes of Jefus, ver. 41, 42, feme faid, 
 This is The Chrift, But others faid, JImll 
 The Chrift, I Xp;ro;, come out of GaUlee ? 
 Hath not the Scripture faid, that The Chrift, 
 XptroV, cometh of the Seed of David, and 
 out of the Town of Bethlehem, where Da- 
 vid was ? Thefe, and many other, Paflages 
 plainly fliew the Expedation of the Jews of 
 Old about a particular Perfon, who was to 
 appear under the Name and Title of The 
 Qhrift, or The Mejiah. 
 
 The later Jews have ftill the Expedation 
 of The Mefjiah j and it is one of the Funda- 
 mental Articles of their Faith, That The 
 Mefiiah will come, and although he tarries 
 long, yet they declare they will expeB on 'till 
 he does come. The Commentator upon this 
 Article in Bombergius^ Bible fays, He who 
 doubts of the coming, of The Mefliah, accufes 
 the whole Law of Faljhood, Maimonides has 
 obferved, that all the Prophets frotn Moles to 
 Malachi have prophefied of fear ce any thing 
 elfe but of Meftiah the King. And Abar- 
 banel fays, that the coining of The Mefliah is 
 declared in the Law, and the Prophets, 
 This is certainly the common and received 
 I 4 Notion 
 
I20 An ESSA7'upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Notion of the Jews, expreffly contained in 
 * their Forms of Prayers, and inculcated by all 
 their Rabbles : and thoueh Rabbi Albo has 
 contended that the Article of the Mcjjiah 
 ought not to be deemed a Fiindameiital one, 
 yet he owns That the Prophets did prophecy 
 of the comi?2g of The Meffiah. 
 
 It is not my Defign to colled Paffages to 
 this purpofe from the Modern Jews, fmce 
 even fuppofing that They had not at prefent 
 Expedations of a MrJ/iah, yet their change 
 of Notions would not alter the Truth of 
 things ; nor make the Sentiments of the An- 
 tients other than what in fad: they were. 
 However they agree fo perfedly in the Ex- 
 pedation of fomebody under that Title, that 
 I know not any but what allow, that fuch ^ 
 Perfon is foretold or prophefied of, though 
 they deny Jejus of Nazareth to have been 
 that Perfon. 
 
 It is fuggefted indeed by the Author of 
 The Grounds and Reafons of the Chrifiian Re- 
 ligion, &c. That not All the Jews in our 
 Saviour's time, and perhaps none before the 
 Captivity, did ever expe5l a Real or Temporal 
 Deliverer, p. 33. This is grounded upon a 
 Note of Mr Le Clerf, upon Luke ii. 38, 
 where Aj2na the Prophetefs is faid to [peak of 
 Jefus to All them that looked for Redemption 
 in Ifrael. Now, 
 
 Whereas it is fuggefted from the words of 
 5t Luke^ (which are allowed, if coniidered 
 
 by 
 
of the Christian Religion. 121 
 
 by themfelves, to be capable of the meaning CHAP 
 here put upon them) that there were Some 
 who did not ex[)eB a 'Temporal Deliverer^ 
 I anfwer ; what if there were Some who 
 through Careleffnefs, or Prejudice, did not 
 learch the Scriptures, or did not trouble 
 themfelves about luch Matter?, yet if it were 
 the general Expedlation of the Nation, That 
 is futhcient in this cafe. Now it is certain, 
 that not only the Pkarifees were in full Ex- 
 pectation of The Meffiah, but this Notion 
 prevailed amongft the low and illiterate Part 
 of the People. The firil Difciples of Jefus 
 were plainly fuch : And their very way of 
 talking upon thefe matters, plainly lliews 
 what their Expectations were. When An- 
 drew had heard John the Baptiji declare Je- 
 Jus to be the Lamb of God, he foon went in 
 fearch of his Brother Simon, and told him. 
 We have found The Meffiah, fohn i. 41. 
 The next day Philip met with Nathanael^ 
 and told him. We have found him of whom 
 Mofes in the Law a?id the Prophets did write ^ 
 ver. 45. And upon Jefus's faying to him. 
 Before that Philip called thee, when thou wajt 
 under the Fig-tree, 1 Jaw thee ; Nathanael, 
 anjwcred. Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, 
 Thou art the King c>/Ifrael, ver. 49. Which 
 way did thefe Notions come into Juch peoples 
 thought?, had they not been ge?ierally re- 
 ceived in that Nation ? And, 
 
 Whereas 
 
122 ^n ESSAY upon the TRUIH 
 
 CHAP. Whereas it is fuggefted, that perhaps none 
 ^ ^ _^^ expelled a real 'Deliverer before the Captivity ; 
 if by that is meant, that none expedted T^he 
 Mejfiah, under That Name, '' before the 
 •' Captivity,'' I grant it. The reafon is, He 
 was not foretold by 'That Name^ 'till Daniel 
 prophefied of Him. And even fuppoiing 
 that none did expett a Deliverer before the 
 Captivity, That will be foon enough to ac- 
 count for the Expedations of the Nation at 
 and about the Time of our Saviour. But in 
 Truth there was fufficient Reafon for the Ex- 
 pedation of that Perfon, who was afterwards 
 fpoken of by the Name of The Mefjiah^ 
 from feveral. Prophecies in the Books of 
 Mofes, and in the fubfequent Prophets ; 
 though what EfFed they did produce of Old 
 in men's Minds, it is, at this diftance, im- 
 poffible to fay. 
 
 The yewifid Nati'^n are at this day in con- 
 flant Expedition of a Mefjiah ; and the Dif- 
 pute betwixt fews and Cbrifiam, confifts 
 chiefly in this Point, whether their expected 
 Meffiah be or be not already come. Now confi- 
 dering the Circumftances of the Jews, and 
 their Aveifion to Chrifians, Ic is incredible 
 that Uicy ilio?ild lo univerfally, as they now 
 do, have come into this Expedation, had 
 they not had a fufficient Ground for it in 
 their facred Books: and as thefe are the fame 
 now as they have been ever fince the times of 
 Malachy^ and as far as appears the Expeda- 
 
 lion 
 
of the Christian Religion. 123 
 
 iion has been the fame; Therefore we may chap. 
 conclude, that they founded their Expefta- ^^' 
 tions upon their Prophets. Now, 
 
 The Expedtation of the Jews is naturally 
 and obvioufly to be accounted for from The 
 Promife to Abraham, and to David, and the 
 Vilion mentioned in Daniel. And the par- 
 ticular Time of his coming was grounded on 
 that famous Prophecy of Daniel, chap. ix. 
 24 — 27. Seventy Weeks are determined upon 
 thy People, and upon thy Holy City — Know 
 therefore and underfiand, that from the going 
 forth of the Commandment to rejlore and to 
 build Jerufalem, unto The Mefliah the Prince, 
 fldall be feven Weeks and threefcore and two 
 Weeks : The Street Jl:all be built again, and 
 the Wall even in troublous Times, And after 
 threefcore and two Weeks pall Meffiah be cut 
 off, but not for himfelf, &c. 
 
 To explain this Prophecy, and to fliew it*s 
 exadt completion in all it's parts is here need- 
 lefs, becaufe my Delign carries me no fur- 
 ther than to obferve the Places from whence 
 the Jews had their Notions of The Meffiah, 
 or The Chriji, And if we examine all the 
 "Paflages in the Gofpels and Ads, where The 
 Chrifl is mentioned, it will appear that They 
 allude to a Prophecy, wherein He is fore- 
 told under That Name. To cite a few Paf- 
 fages in proof of this fhall fuffice. 
 
 When the wife Men came to Jerufalem to 
 enquire concerning the Birth of the King of 
 ' ^ the 
 
J.n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 the Jews, Matt, ii. HEROD gathered all 
 the chief Priejis, and Scribes of the People 
 together, and demanded of them, where ^ o X^irogy 
 The Chriji ihould he Born. And Again, 
 chap. xvi. 13 — 16. y^f^^s afked his Dijciples 
 fayi?2g, whom do Men jay, that 1 the SON of 
 MAN atn. When i hey had told him the 
 common Notions of the People, He puts the 
 Queftion to them, But whom fay TE that I 
 an? Simon i'eter anfwered and f aid. Thou 
 arty I Xpis-o?, The Chrili, the Son of the liv- 
 ing God, Mark viii. 29. Again, when the 
 High- Pried at our Saviour's Trial, preffed him 
 to declire himfclf, who and what he was, He 
 doe^ it in this manner, / adjure thee by the 
 living Gody that thou tell us whether thou be 
 The Chriil, the Son of God, Matt. xxvi. 63. 
 Luke xxii. 67. And when the People be- 
 held him upon the Crofs, they derided him 
 faying. He faved others, let him fave hiinjelf 
 if he be, XpiroV, The Chrift, Luke xxiii, 
 35 Each of thefe are plainly relative to 
 fome Prophecy conceining a perfon who was 
 to appear under the Denomination of The 
 Chriji : and fincc the One place in the Old 
 Teftamenc, where the . word Mefjiah^ or 
 Chrift, is put abfolutely, and applied to a fu- 
 ture Peribn who was to be 2iKtng or Prince^ 
 is this Prophecy of Da?iiel, it is highly pro- 
 bable that their Expedations of one under 
 That Tide, were founded upon This. 
 
 I think 
 
of the Christian Religion. 125 
 
 I think it needlefs to profecute this Topic chap. 
 any farther, becanfe the nneaning of the 
 Texts where the Term, The Chnji^ occurs, 
 are fo plain that it is not ealy to wrefl: them 
 to a wrong Senfe. Who can miflake the 
 Apoille, when A^s ix. 22, he fays, that 
 Saul encreafed the ?7wre in Strength ; and con- 
 founded the Jews which dwelt at Damaicus, 
 proving that this [Jelus] is The Chrift, 
 Xpiro\ ? Or, when Paid^ as his manner 
 was, went into a Synagogue of the Jews at 
 Thefjalonica^ and reafoned with them out of 
 the Scriptures, opening and alledging that 
 The Chrill mufl needs have fufered,. [com- 
 pare ABs XX vi. 23, That the Chrift JJjould 
 fuffer, ii 7rcc^nro<; o Xptro,-, That The Chrift 
 is liable to Sufferings] and rij'en again from 
 the Dead^ and this Jeibs whom I preach 
 unto Tou, is, Xptro?, The Chrift, A^s 
 xvii. 3. Every Paffage has lb palpable a Re- 
 lation to fome Prophecy in the Old Tefta- 
 ment, v/hich occafioned that Expedaiion of 
 the jews, that without fuch a Suppoficion it 
 is impoffible to conceive, or to apprehend the 
 meaning of them. And if we conlider that 
 particular Prophecy of Daniel, where The 
 Mejjiah, by exprefs Name is foretold ; and 
 that fefus was cut off-, and that this was done 
 exadly at the End of the 70 Weeks, as it 
 was in diredl terms predided by the Pro- 
 phet ; — Thus much we may conclude, That 
 this Prophecy was the Paflage in view in all 
 
 the 
 
126 ^n ESSAT upo?i the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, the Difcourfes of Je/us, and of his Apoftles, 
 ^^' when they preached him to be The Chrift. 
 
 Thus far then wc- have advanced in our 
 Argument : There wat an univcrlal Expeda- 
 tion of one from Judea who Ihould reign 
 over all : This Perfon was expeded under the 
 Name and Charader of The Meffiahy or, 
 The Chrijl, The Foundation of this was more 
 than one Prophecy, of long ftanding, before 
 yefus appeared : The Prophecies of Daniel 
 very naturally and clearly account, not only 
 for this ExpeBation of the Mejiahy but like- 
 wife for what Jefus taught concerning, The 
 Kingdom of God, or, of Heaven. 
 
 The next thing therefore to be enquired 
 into, is, with what Right, or in Virtue of 
 what Proofs, Jefus laid claim to Thofe Cha- 
 radters of Son of Man, and the Chnjl^ 
 mentioned in the Prophet Daniel, 
 
 i 
 
 CHAP. 
 
of the Christian Religion. 127 
 
 CHAP, vii; 
 
 How JESUS proved hmfelf to be The 
 CHRIST, or The MESSIAH, or 
 "The SON of MAN. 
 
 IT maft be allowed on all hands, that aC HA p. 
 Man's aflaming to himfelf the Title, or,^^^ 
 the Charadler, of The Mejjiah, is not a luf- 
 ficient reafon tor any one's believing him to be 
 what he pretends to be 3 fince Ambition, or 
 Enthufiafm, or fome private Views which we 
 cannot enter into, will often put men upon 
 ading a Part, and upon laying claim to Titles 
 which do not belong unto Them. That 
 Some in fad: did fo, foon after the Time in 
 which Jefus appeared, is evident: And He 
 himfelf foretold, that there fhould arife Falfe 
 Chrijlsy and falfe Prophets, who f:ould fiew 
 great Signs and Wonders, infomuch that, if 
 it were poffible, they fjould deceive the very 
 eleB, Matr. xxiv. 24. Mark xlii. 22. And 
 indeed fo many Pretenders have arofe fince 
 His Times, That the Accounts of them have 
 furniflied Materials for a Volume, De Pfeiida 
 Mefiis, 
 
 The prefent Enquiry therefore is, How to 
 diflinguifh the True Meffiah from the Falfe 
 ones. And 
 
 Firfl, 
 
128 yin ESSJTiipon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP. Firjl, The True MeJJiah was to appear before 
 y^ ^^l ^ theDeftradtion oiyerufalem, and the final End 
 of the Jewijh State. This is evident, not only 
 from the Prophecy of Daniel fo ofcen cited, 
 which declares that MeJjiah was to be cut off\ 
 and that then the people of the Prince that 
 jhould come (hould dejiroy the City and the Sanc^ 
 tuary^ chap. ix. 20, 27. Buc like wife from 
 Gen, xlix. 10. Now "Je^us did appear not 
 only before the City and the San5luary were 
 dejiroy ed', bat like wife died exadlly at the End 
 of the Seventy weeks, or 490 Years, from the 
 going fo7'th of the Commandment to refiore and 
 to build Jerufalem, given to Ezra in the Se- 
 *venth year of Artaxerxes, vid. Efdras vii. 7. 
 But though This is no Proof that Jefus is 
 The MeJJiah^ yet it is a Proof that Others^ 
 who have affumed the Character of The 
 Chrijf, fmce the Deftrudtion of Jerufale?n, 
 are not^ nor can be^ what They pretend to be. 
 I add therefore, 
 
 Secondly y That Jefus himfelf always ap- 
 peals to the Works v^hich he did, to prove 
 that he came from God, and was that Son 
 of Man 'fpoken of, by Daniel, Plad he 
 called himfelf The MeJJiah^ and given no 
 Evidence of it, no doubt a wife man might 
 juftly have refufed his Aflent to him. For 
 as he argues, John v. 3 i . If I bear witnefi 
 of myfelf my witnefs is not t?'ue^ i. e. ought 
 not to be admitted as true. But then He 
 adds. The WORKS which the Father hath 
 
 given 
 
VII 
 
 of the Christian Religion. 129 
 
 given me to finijh, the fame V/ORKS that /C H A P. 
 Doy bear Witnefi of me that the Father hath 
 fcnt me^ ver. 33. And again, chip. x. 25. 
 'The WORKS that I do in mv Father s name^ 
 they bear witnefs of me. And vcr. 37. If I 
 do not the WORKS of my Father, believe me 
 not : But if I do, though ye believe 7tot Me, 
 [upon my own word] believe the WORKS, 
 that ye may know, and believe, that the Fa- 
 ther is in me, and I in him. So again, chap, 
 xiv. 1 1. Believe me that I am in the Father^ 
 and the Father in me, or elfe believe me for 
 the very WORKS fake. This way of ar- 
 guing was looked upon as fo ftridly conclu- 
 fjve, that fefu^ declares John xv. 24. If I 
 had 7iot done among thefn the WORKS which 
 none other Man did, They had not had fn. 
 And it was upon this foundation that the 
 Apoftles argued, that Jefus of Nazareth was 
 to be received as LORD, and THE 
 CHRIST, or THE MESSIAH, be- 
 caufe he was a Man approved of God among 
 you by Miracles, Wonders and Signs, which 
 God did by him in the midf of you i Ads ii, 
 22, 36. 
 
 The Miracles then of Jefus, which at 
 prefent I luppofe to be real, demand our At- 
 tention to what He declares ; and fince that 
 He, and He only, came within the Time 
 foretold, and worked Miracles, and laid 
 Claim to the Charader of The Mefjiah ; 
 therefore I conclude that He is The Chriji 
 K foretold. 
 
I30 An ESS AT upon the TRVTH 
 
 CHAP, foretold. I would willingly remove fome 
 Difficulties propofed by the Author of the 
 Dijcourfey &c. before I proceed any further* 
 And, 
 
 Firjl, He fliys [Jefus's] * Miracles had no 
 ' effeui on bis own Brethren, and Kindred, 
 
 * and Family, who feem to have been more in- 
 
 * credulous in Him than other Jews. — So7ne 
 
 * [of his immediate Followers and Difciples] 
 
 * did not believe in him but deferred him — 
 ' and thought he could not be the Messias, 
 
 * when they jaw him fuffer, not wit hjl an ding 
 ' his Miracles and frequent Declarations to 
 ' them, that he was T'/6^ M E S S I A H/ p. ^ 5. 
 
 The Anfwer to This, and fuch like Ob- 
 Jadions, is eafily to be gathered^ from the 
 Circumftances in which Jefus appeared, and 
 from the Difficulties and Straits he was in, in 
 the finifhing his Courfe. His ordinary way 
 of ailing, was to work a Miracle 3 and then 
 to leave it to the Perfons with whom he was 
 concerned, to draw the Inference he deiigned, 
 that He was The MeJ/iah, This was his 
 ufual Method 5 though at proper Times, and 
 proper Occafions, He made no fcruple to 
 declare Who, and what He was. Thus, 
 John iv. 26. He openly declared himfelf, / 
 that [peak to thee^ am He, i. e. the Chrift. 
 In other places He fays only, I am, John xiii. 
 19. which is fufficiently explained. Matt, 
 xxiv. 5. Many poall come in my Name faying^ 
 I am the Chrift* But generally he proceeded 
 
 in 
 
 
of the Christian Religion. 
 
 In a different Method. And indeed fuch 
 were the Circumftances of things, that He 
 could not plainly, Tr^ppna-iV, in diredl words, 
 declare him (elf 'The Mejjiah, without draw- 
 ing upon himfelf the Romam^ and expofing 
 his Followers to the Imputation and Confe- 
 quences of Tumults and Sedition. Bat fee 
 this proved at large in Mr Locke s Reafonable- 
 nefs of Chrijlianity ; where this Matter is fet 
 in luch a Light as can admit no difpute. 
 The falfe Notions which generally prevailed 
 about the Kingdom of the So?i of Mariy and 
 the Prejudices of the People, were fo ftrong ; 
 and the Imagination of Temporal Grandeur 
 was fo prevalent ; that there was little room 
 for Realon, and lefs for Obedience, to One 
 who reverfed every Notion which they were 
 fo fond of. His own Brethren^ like other 
 people, faw the worh he did: But yet pre- 
 conceiving a 'Temporal Kingdom^ and the Glo- 
 ries, and Honours of Regal Majefly ; and 
 feeing feju^ appear fo very different from 
 vvhat the Kings of the Earth did 3 They did 
 not believe him to be a King of his own 
 Kingdom^ i, e. of a Kingdom, wherein there 
 were no fuch vifible things as Glory and Ho- 
 nours. When fome of his Difciples went 
 back and walked no more with him^ John vi, 
 66, it was plainly owing to this, that when 
 the people from the Sight of a Miracle would 
 have taken him by force^ and have made him 
 a King^ ver. 15, he avoided it, and retired 
 K 2 by 
 
132 A?i ESSAY iipcn the TRUTH 
 
 G H A p. by himfelf. They imagined him The 
 Me£iah ; and That rightly : But v/hen he 
 avoided to appear as what They (though 
 falfely) thougiit The MeJJiah fliould appear, 
 and be, they deferted him. Tiie Miracle 
 therefore of Jtjus proved what it was in- 
 tended to prove, viz. That Jefus came from 
 God. But then that Miracle would not 
 prove what it was not intended to prove, viz, 
 not only that he was The MeJJiah prophefied 
 of in the Old Tefiament 5 but likevc'-ife that 
 he was a Temporal Frince \ which was not 
 prophefied in D^^niel, or any where elfe. 
 
 It is certain that ' a Miracle cannot make 
 ' a foimdation valid which is invalid. — Can 
 ' never make a Prophecy fulfilled which is not 
 ^fulfilled,' Grounds and Reafons, p, 32. 
 But a Miracle will fhew a Man to have fuch 
 or fuch Advantages, or Privikges from God, 
 which were many years beforehand foretold 
 that he fhould have. Suppofe that it was 
 foretold that The Son of Man fhould have a 
 Kingdom •, but yet no man can fay. Who 
 this Son of Man is. I fay, the Man that 
 Ihould raife a Dead perfon to Life ; or that 
 fiiould, with a word only, give Eyes to the 
 Blind, or Feet to the Lame, and fhould de- 
 clare himfelf to be That Son of Man, — He 
 would give a fufiicient Evidence of it ; and 
 he that fhould oppofe him, would be juftly 
 deemed perverfe and obftinate. The Mi- 
 racles therefore which Jefus did, were really 
 
 fufiicient 
 
c/'//;^ Christian Religion. i-^^ 
 
 fufficient proofs to the 'Jews that he was "The CHAP. 
 Mejjiah'^ though they were not indeed proofs ^'^' 
 of his being a T^riumphant Temporal Piince 
 in T^heir Senfe, and upon 'J heir Notions, 
 which were not in the Prophets, and in con- 
 fequence were without foundation. 
 
 idly^ He fays, ' That Miracles are no 
 ' otherwife to be cotifidered as Proofs of any 
 ' Points^ then as fuifiiling the Sayings in the 
 
 * Old Tejlament, like other Gofpel-matters 
 
 * and EventSy i. e. as comprehejided in, and 
 
 * exciBly confonant to the Prophecies concern^ 
 
 * ing the Meffias/ Grounds* and Reafons ? 
 P'Z7' I reply; 
 
 This is faying, that a Miracle^ or rather a 
 Series of Miracles, would not prove a Man 
 to come from God, unlefs the Miracles them- 
 felves were foretold ! Miracles are Credentials 
 of a Man's being approved by God, if the 
 thing, for the confirmation of which Mi- 
 racles are wrought, be fuch as is probable^ 
 and nothing inconfident with Reafon, and 
 no Oppofition is made by any other Miracles 
 to it. When therefore Miracles were appli- 
 ed to the proof of this, that Jefus was l^he 
 Son of Man, They proved fo m,uch : becaufe 
 it is impoffible to conceive that a Wife Go- 
 vernor of the Univerfe, would permit any 
 Man to impofe neceffarily upon honeil 
 Searchers after his Will, and never interpofe 
 IP refcue them from the Deceit. 
 
 K 3 The 
 
134 An ESSAT upon the TRUrU 
 
 CHAP. The Miracles of Jefus were a Series of 
 ' Miracles, Many, and Great, and fuch as juft- 
 ly demanded the Attention of the People. 
 No Conteft betwixt him and Others on tlieir 
 account appears ; nor any Interruption or Re- 
 ftraint of them, whenever he thought fit tq 
 exert them. Greater Proofs cannot be con- 
 ceived ; nor is it poffible to imagine that God 
 would permit fuch Evidence to pafs uncon- 
 trolled, if he had not fet his Seal to, and ap- 
 proved, His Conduct and his Pretenfions. 
 Had indet-d no Perfon been fooken of, as the 
 MESSIAS, in the Old Teftament, the Mi- 
 racles of Jejus could not, in the nature of 
 things, have proved him a Perfon foretold in 
 the Old Teftament; becaufe as This Author 
 has well obierved, />. 32. Miracles can never 
 render a foundation valid^ which is in itfelf 
 invalid ; can never make a falfe Inference 
 true ; can iiever make a Prophecy fulfilled, 
 which is not fulfilled. 
 
 But then I have (hewn at large that a 
 MESSIAH was foretold in the Old Tefta- 
 ment. Miracles will therefore prove the 
 claim of him that does them, to That Title, 
 if he pretends to it ; or elfe we muft lay 
 afide all Notions of the Being of God, as a 
 Governor and Director of this World. And 
 confequently, fince fefus worked Miracles, 
 and aflame'd to himfelf, the Title of The 
 MESSIAH, His claim was Jufl: and Indif- 
 putable. 
 
 T^hirdly, 
 
of ^be Christian Religion. 
 
 Tbtrdh, This Author afferts, that '' Mi- 
 ** racks falonej will not prove Jejus to be 
 " the MESSIAH prophefied of in the Old 
 •* Teflament, nor his Miflion to be divine :'* 
 p, 37. and therefore the Jews mi^ht '* as 
 ** jii/ll) rejedi Jefus ajjerttng his Miffion and 
 '* DoBrine %mth Miracles, as any other Per- 
 *' fon who in Vertite of Miracles woidd lead 
 ** them into Idolatry, 'till they could be ia- 
 ** tisfied from the Old Tejiame?it that Jefas 
 ** was the Meflias/' /*. 36. I anfwer, 
 
 1. That it is allowed that no Miracle can 
 prove a thing which is falfe to be true : Nor 
 can any Miracle prove that a Dod:rine which 
 is inconfiftent with Reafon ous>ht to be ad- 
 mitted : And therefore any Perfon who 
 would attempt to lead a Man into Idolatry 
 by means of a Miracle, ought not to be re- 
 ceived, and hearkened to. The Reafon is, 
 that in fuch an Inliance, An Appeal is made 
 to Reafon againji Reafon at the fame time. 
 But when a Perfon offers to prove a Point 
 which is very confiftent with Reafon, by an 
 Appeal to a Miracle, he ought to be heard, 
 becaufe he ads no unreafonabie part. When 
 Jefus therefore by Miracles would prove 
 himfelf the Perfon prom i fed to Abraham and 
 Dai)idy and prophefied of by Daniel, and 
 worked Many Miracles for ir, his Procedure 
 was very juft ^ becaufe there was no Impofli- 
 bihty in the Nature of the Thing, wdiy he 
 might not be That Perfon 5 and the Attefla- 
 K 4 tion 
 
136 ^n ESS AT upon the TR UTH 
 
 C K A P. tion of Miracles was a Sis;n that He was ap- 
 
 \,'^ I r . ^ 
 
 ' proved by God in That Claim. A man that 
 works a Miracle for Idolatry^ attempts to 
 prove an Abfurdity in the rcafon of things : 
 And as he mud appeal to our rational Fa- 
 cuhies for the Truth of the Miracle, and for 
 the Inferences from the Miracle j So thofe 
 very rational Faculties would be by fuch a 
 Miracle deftroyed. 
 
 But then It has been already fhewn that 
 The MESSIAH was foretold in the Old 
 Teftament : Not, indeed, that JESUS icvn 
 the MESSIAH; for that was not, nor could 
 be foretold ', but The MeJJiah was to be ex- 
 pelled in the courfe of things ; and when 
 yefus did appear. He was to prove himfeli 
 by Miracles to be the Perfon prefignihcd ; 
 and when This was done, He ought to be 
 received as The Chrifl, 
 
 Fourthly, It is objeded, " That the Apo- 
 *' Jlles — did expcB a temporal Prince, — 'till 
 *' they came to underjland the Jpirituai Senfe 
 *^ of the Scripture^ : — a?jdfeem to a^ an in- 
 '* confiftent part in interpreting the Scrip- 
 " tiires in fo many refpetis about Jefus as they 
 ** did according to the traditional Rules and 
 " Explications of the Jews, and yet rcjeding 
 " their traditional Explication in refpe^ la 
 *' the temporal Kingdom of their Meflias." 
 
 A 36, 37- ' 
 
 I readily acknowledge that the Apojlles did 
 
 cxpeB a Temporal MefTiah : and did at firfl 
 
 difbelieye 
 
^ /Z?^ Chr isTi AN Religion. 1^7 
 
 dill)elieve that the Mcffiah was to fnfer -, CU k?. 
 Whether '' they dijbelieved at fird jESUS ^^^• 
 *' to be the MESSIAS on account of his 
 '* Sufferings,'* as this Author aff^rts, or only 
 doubted about it, is not worth while to en- 
 quire. But they were certainly in the behef 
 of a Temporal King, and underftood at fiift 
 the Scriptures in That Senfe. Afterwards, 
 when they found fufficient Reafon to alter 
 their Notions, they interpreted fome Scrip- 
 tures in a very different manner. Is there 
 any Abfurdity in this Condud ? Surely none. 
 In Truth, when Jefus appeared and de- 
 clared himfelf to be The Meffah, it was not 
 his Bulinefs to refute *' the traditional Ex- 
 '' plications'\ which the ^ews had ridicu- 
 loufly made of their Prophets ; but it was to 
 prove himfelf to be what the Prophets had 
 foretold concerning the Son of Man -, which 
 would be in confequence indeed refuting their 
 Explications, as re&um ejl fid index & obliqui. 
 The Prophet Daniel had toretold that a King- 
 dom fliould be given to the Son of Man dur- 
 ing the 4th Monaichy. The traditional Ex- 
 plications of the Jews of this Prophecy were 
 as abfird, as at prefent the traditional Expli- 
 cations of fcveral Dodrines in Chriftianity 
 are among fome Chridians: They are mere 
 Inventions of Men, fupported only by Human 
 Authority, but have no Foundation in the 
 Scriptures themfelves. J^ftis therefore de- 
 clared himfelf to be what the Prophets fore- 
 told 5 
 
An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 told ; not what their traditmial^ groundlefs, 
 and fanciful Explications of the Prophefies 
 faid he fliould be. If they made their In- 
 ventions to be THE Prophecy itfelf, or if 
 they deemed their Additions to be of equal 
 concern, His Bufinefs was to reduce them to 
 the Law ajid to the Tejiimony. If he proved 
 himfelf to be That Son of Man, and in con- 
 fequence to be the King of That Kingdom 
 which God defigned to eredl, the natural con- 
 fequence is, That he was to be hearkned to 
 in relation to the Nature, and to the Laws of 
 his own Kingdom. But thus it ever v>^as, 
 and I fear will ever be ; Men are for efta- 
 blifliing their own Notions inftead of the 
 Notions of God ; and then when any one 
 would bring them back to the pure, and fin- 
 cere, and uncorrupt Word of God, he is 
 treated as a common Enemy and perfecuted ; 
 and crucify him^ crucify him^ is all that can 
 be heard, and all that will be faid. 
 
 Jefus then proved himfelf to be That Son 
 of Man, That Perfon whom Daniel faw, 
 and to whom a Kingdom was given : and 
 This He proved by a Series of Miracles, by 
 Wonders and Signs which God did by him in 
 the Land of Judea, But as This is a Fadt 
 of too much Importance to be taken for 
 granted, the next Step is to fhew upon what 
 Grounds wc think thofe Miracles were truly 
 performed. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
pf the Christian Religion* 139 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 JVhat Evidence there is for the Miracles 
 which JESUS did. 
 
 IT may perhaps be thought improper to c H A P. 
 cite the Authors of the Four Gofpels in ^ ^^^ 
 behalf of the Miracles which ^efus did, be- 
 caufe They may be looked upon as Parties j 
 and therefore that no more regard is to be 
 paid to their Relations in thefe Cafes by 
 Deifts, than is paid by Proteftants to Ribadi- 
 neira^ or Maffeus^ or Bouhours for the Mi- 
 racles of Ignatius^ or indeed to any other Je- 
 fuit, who fcruple not to tell a Thoufand ly- 
 ing Stories for their Founders Credit. It 
 muft be owned, that there has been in the 
 World a great deal of Cheat and Impofture; 
 and that Men of Learning have fo long con- 
 curred in propagating Pious Frauds, and in 
 writing the Lives of Hypocrites, or Enthu- 
 fiafts, and Mad-men, who have pretended 
 to work Miracles, *till they have almoft de- 
 ftroyed the Natural Evidence which true 
 Miracles afford, by hardly leaving us a pof- 
 fibility of diftinguilhing betwixt the Evidence 
 for them and pretended ones. When Atha- 
 najius can write the Life of St Anthony y and 
 
 Severus 
 
 <f 
 
j^ri ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 Sever us the Life of St Mart pi, and Gre- 
 gory the Great the Lives and Miracles of the 
 Italian Fathers, and other Legendary Writers 
 the reipedtive Fables they patronize, what- 
 ever paltry Defigns they may have in view, 
 or whatever Points they may pretend to gain 
 by fnch Writings, they fap the Foundations 
 of Chriftianity itfelf, and make it very diffi- 
 cult for thofe true Miracles which fupport it, 
 to gain any Credit. 
 
 / However, Miracles are FaBs ; and there- 
 fore the Evidence for the Truth of them is, 
 in general, of the fame Nature with the Evi- 
 dence for all other FaBs ; And if we are 
 able to diftinguifh in Other cafes Truth from 
 Falfhood, or can come at fufficient Proofs of 
 what (for Inftance) Alexander the Great did, 
 by the very fame methods we may come at 
 the Knowledge of what Jefus did : and 
 That which is allowed to be fufficient Evir 
 dence in the One Cafe, ought not to be ab- 
 folutcly. rejeded as infufficient in the Other. 
 But in truth the Evidence of the Miracles of 
 yefus is much ftronger than what can be pro- 
 duced for mofi: Fads done fo many hundred 
 Years ago 5 and confequently ought in com- 
 mon Juitice to be admitted. 
 
 Be it fuppofed then that common Ilifiorical 
 Evidence for miraculous cafes is not to be adr 
 mitted as fufficient, the Evidence for the Mira- 
 cles of the Gofpel is, I fay, much ftronger than 
 what can be produced for common Fads. 
 
 There 
 
of the Christian Religion. 141 
 
 There are in the New Teflament many Pro- CHAP. 
 phecies of diltant Events 5 and we who Lve at 
 this time, are able to judge of their Truth or 
 FaHhood. Every body knows, that it is not in 
 the power oi Man ioforefce Futurities, or to 
 relate what is to happen feveral hundreds of 
 years before they come to pals. If therefore 
 our Saviour, and his Apollies did in fa<Styi?r^- 
 tel thofe things which We now fee with our 
 own Eyes to be accompHd^ed, it follows that 
 They were under a Supernatural Afliftance : 
 and if this be Eye-fight Evidence to U S, it 
 foUow^s, that it is pojjible at Icaft, that they 
 might be enabled to work Miracles by that 
 Supernatural Power, by which they foretold 
 thofe Events which we fee to have happened 
 in the World. We have then a ftronger 
 Evidence for the miraculous Fads of the 
 Gofpel, than is to be produced for other com- 
 mon Hijlorical Fads ; or than is to be pro- 
 duced for all thofe lyi7ig Wonders which have 
 been told, to do honour to Saints, or to the 
 reliques of Martyrs in whatever Age they 
 have lived. 
 
 The PoJJibility and Credibility of Miracles, 
 asfuch being thus laid down, let us next con- 
 fider the Evidence that is producible for thofe 
 of our Saviour. And even this will appear 
 much ftronger than what is capable of being 
 faid on common and ordinary pad Fads. 
 
 If it be faid that the Evangelifts are pro- 
 fcfled Friends to jefus, and therefore Their 
 
 Relations 
 
An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 Relations ought to be rejected upon That 
 account : my Anlwer is, That this alone is 
 never efteemed a fufficient reafon for reject- 
 ing the Teftimony of a Friend, who is well 
 acquainted with the Life a:nd Adlions he re- 
 lates J (Nay on the contrary fuch accounts 
 are generally moft valued;) unlefs there are 
 fuch Circumftances, as give ground to fufpe(S 
 the Writer to be partial and infincere. 
 
 I own indeed that Circumftances may be 
 fo ftrong againft a particular Evidence, that 
 little or no regard is to be paid to it. The 
 Fadl itfelf may be fo ridiculous ; Or the End 
 of it may be fo trifling ; Or Intereft may be 
 fo nearly concerned -, that it is oftentimes 
 eafy to di ("cover the Byafs which draws the 
 Hiftorian from the Truth. But then where 
 the Intereft: of a Perfon is plainly contrary to 
 His Teftimony ; and the Fadt he tells is 
 worthy the Agent to whom He imputes it 5 
 and the End is good and noble; where it isr 
 not probable, that a Man is either impofed 
 on himfclf, or is willing to impofe upon 
 Others, it is very unreafonable under thefe 
 Circumftances to rejedl fuch a Man's Tefti- 
 mony. Now 
 
 The Evangelifts, Two of them at leaft, 
 were Eye-witneJJes of what Jefus did ; They 
 faw him work his Miracles, and teftified 
 what They had feen. They could have no 
 Worldly Intereft to ferve ; Nay they know- 
 ingly expofed themCelves to infinite Hazards, 
 
 and 
 
of the Christian Religion. 143 
 
 and Inconveniencies, for nothing elfe but the CHAP. 
 Witneffing what they did. They were plain, 
 illiterate, Men; free from all Policy or Cun- 
 ning : and their Writings fl:iew them to be 
 artlefs, and fimple, and ingenuous : Their 
 Fundamental Doc.l:rine was, to follow things 
 honeji in the jight of all Men j to renounce the 
 hidden things of Difjonejly : not to handle the 
 Word of God deceitfully ; to lay a fide all 
 Guile ^ and Hypocrify ; to put away all Lying ; 
 ajid to fpeak Truth every Man with his 
 Neighbour : And all this with the folemneft 
 Appeals to God for the Truth of what they 
 faid. As thefe were the Dodrines they 
 Taught, fo they every where declare with 
 what impartiality all Mankind fli all be judged 
 at the laft Day j that God will take cogni- 
 fance of every Man's Adions; and the 
 Workers of Iniquity fhall certainly be con- 
 demned to Puniihment in a place where the 
 Worm dieth not^ and the Fire is not quenched. 
 What Probability is there, that Men under 
 thefe CircumRances, fliould write and pub- 
 lifli to the World notorious Falfhoods ? 
 Befides, 
 
 There are throughout St Paul's Epiftles 
 the evidenteft marks of Divifons amongft 
 the Followers of fefus. They had their 
 Heats, and Animolities, and Difputes ; and 
 great Parties oppofed St Paul himfelf, and 
 were for following other Mafters and Teach- 
 ers of Chriilianity. What did St Paul do 
 
 in 
 
viir. 
 
 144 An ESS AT upon the TRVTti. 
 
 CHAP, in this Cafe ? Did he fubmit to them, or as 
 . People muft do, if they are ading a fraudulent 
 part under cover, give way to their clamours 
 for fear of a Difcovery? When he ftood 
 fingle againfl: many, and threatned the Difo-* 
 bedient wiih his coming among them with a 
 Rod, and adualiy exercifed a high adl of 
 Power over fome Offenders; is it not fur- 
 prizing that none of them fhould difcover what 
 they knew, or had heard, of a Fraud ? That 
 none of them ihould lay open the cunningly 
 devifed Fable? Or is it not furprizing that 
 every body fhould tamely fubmit to fo pal- 
 pable an Impofture, as Chriftianity is now 
 pretended to be ? 
 
 It is true that This Argument extends no 
 further than to St Paid, and to His Adions : 
 And it may be faid that the People of Rcme^ 
 of Corinth, Galatia, &c. knew nothing of 
 the Miracles of Jefus, but what they heard 
 from the Apoftles ; and therefore had it not 
 in their Powers to difcover the Falfity of 
 them. But then St Paul appeals to the 
 Mighty Signs and Wonders done by himfelf, 
 by the Power of the Spirit of God, Rom. xv. 
 19. And J Cor, ii. 4, 5, He aflerts his 
 preaching to be in demonjlration of the Spirit, 
 and of Power, that their Faith fioidd not 
 Jland in the Wijdom of Men, but in the 
 POWER of God. And again, Gal iii. 5, 
 the ApoiHe fpeaking of himfelf, fays. He that 
 miniftred you the Spuit, and worketb Miracles . 
 
 among 
 
of the Christian Religion. 145 
 
 amonz you. How comes it to pafs, that St c H a p. 
 
 Paul fhould dare to appeal to lo many Peo- , * 
 
 pie for the Truth of his Miraculous Powers^ 
 if they were not fully fatisfied of the Truth 
 of the Fa51s done amongft them ? He ap- 
 peals even to AdverjarieSy in the Cafe be- 
 fore us- and for what every one amongft 
 them could eafily have confuted, and would 
 certainly have declared againfl, had the Fads 
 been falfe. If therefore we have no reafoa 
 to doubt^ but that wonderful works were 
 done by the Apoftles in the Name of "Jefui 
 of Nazareth, we can have no reafon to 
 queftion, whether JESUS hlmfelf w2ls the 
 real Author of the Miracles faid by Them to 
 be done by Him. 
 
 Even the Adverfaries of Chriftianity, thofe 
 who wrote profeffedly againft it, never pre- 
 tend to bring any Witnejfes of the Falfliood 
 of the Miracles, or of thofe who afcribe 
 Miracles, to Jefus. They treat indeed the 
 Miracles as contemptible things, done in ob- 
 fcure Villages ; as Impoiicions upon ignorant, 
 foolifli, country people; as the Tricks of 
 Jugglers, and (trolling Cheats and Impoftors ; 
 Or they impure them to Magick Art : But 
 then all this is faid at random, and without 
 any pretence to Proof, or Authority, or Tra- 
 dition ; without which the Aflertions of Men 
 who lived, One of them 150 Years, as 
 Celfus', another [^Porphyry'] 24c; the 3d, 
 viz, Julian, 300 Years at leaft, after the 
 
 L Time 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRU^TH 
 Time of yefiis^ can be of no weight, and 
 are to be looked upon as mere Calumnies. 
 But to fet this in a better light, I add, 
 
 1. That Three of the Gofpels were wrote 
 within Thirty years after the Death of Je- 
 
 fus', and St Job?i's Gofpel was publifhed 
 about Sixty-Two or Three years after it. 
 Now each of thefe containing an Account of 
 Miracles done by Jefus ; and Each of Them 
 being received as Sacred amongft Chrijftians, 
 and the Number of Chriftians multiplying 
 daily from the Preaching of the Apoiiles, 
 and in confeqiience much Debate ariling be- 
 twixt Jews and Chrtjlians^ and Gentiles and 
 Chrijiians -, — I fay, confidering thefe Circum- 
 flances, Ce/fus, and Porphyry^ and Julian, 
 could not have failed to have known, and to 
 have cited them, had there been any Hints, 
 or Memoirs, extant in their refpedive times, 
 which contradided the accounts of the Mi- 
 racles done by Jcjus, They were all of them 
 Men of fine Parts, and great Reading •, and 
 as they wrote profeffedly againft Chriflianity, 
 they could not but have cited their Authors, 
 had they known any who had denied the 
 Fadts of Chrifl:. But this being never done, 
 it is fo great a prefumption in favour of the 
 Truth of the Miracles done by Jefus, that it 
 amounts even to Evidence for them. 
 
 2. Any Conceflion of the Fads done by 
 JefuSy (which yet is often made by the an- 
 tienteft Adverfaries to Chriflianity) could not 
 
 arife 
 
of the Christian Religion. 147 
 
 arife from any fears of offending the Supreme C H a p. 
 Powers ; nor of drawing upon themfelves any ^^^^' 
 Inconveniencies irom the People. For wnen 
 Celfus and Porphyry wrote, the Gove ning 
 Powers were open Enemies to ChriUianicy j 
 and Chriflians were in a perfecuted State. 
 "Julian was Emperor himfelf ^ and wanted no 
 Will to have brought about his Deligns : 
 Nay he Once had been a Chrijiian ; and had 
 employed his Pains in the Study of the Chri- 
 llian Religion. Could he therefore have 
 charged the Evangcliils with Falfliood ; or 
 had he been able to have denied the Fads 
 which 'J ejus did ^ He could be under no 
 Fears, nor under any Temptations to allov/ 
 them. 
 
 3. There is nothing more ufual amongft 
 thefe Writers than to impute the Miracles of 
 Jejus to Magic-, Or to compare the Acftions 
 of Apollonius Tyanceus^ and of Arijieas PrO" 
 connejius^ &c. with thofe done by Jefus^ 
 Now the attempt to compare the Adtions 
 of Thefe Men with the Adions of our Lord, 
 Or the imputing them to Magicky is, in 
 effedt, acknowledging wonderful things to 
 have been performed by Jefus, It is very 
 abfurd and ridiculous to pretend to compare 
 Adions togethwr, when Men are convinced 
 that there have been no fuch Adions ; and 
 when it is fo much more to the purpofe ab- 
 folutely to deny them. 
 
 h z 4' Admits 
 
148 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. ^, Admitting the Juggling Tricks oi A- 
 pollonius to be true Miracles, and to have 
 been done jufl as Pbilcjiratus reports them j 
 Yet there is this apparent difference in the 
 Cafes : The Miracles of Jefus were perform- 
 ed for a particular good E?td : The Miracles 
 of Apollo?jiuSy whatever they were, do not 
 appear to be done with a view to any End 
 whatever : He gathered no Followers ; He 
 made no Difciples, nor did he pretend to 
 make any: Whereas the Defign of Jefus 
 was to teach mankind the worfliip of the 
 One God j to give them the perfedefl Rule 
 of Action ; and to bring Life and Immorta- 
 lity to the Light through the Gofpel. 
 
 5. When Celfus calls the Miracles of Je- 
 fus, Romantick Miracles^ or gives the Name 
 of Fables, or Inventions, to the Accounts of 
 them. He does this without Proof; without 
 Teftimonies ; without any Witnefles ; with- 
 out pretending to difcover any Authority for 
 calling FaBs fo well teftified from the Be- 
 ginning, by fuch a Name. As if a bare 
 Denial without proof, were Evidence againji 
 Proof: Or as if the Teftimonies of plain, 
 and honeft, and finceie Men concerning what 
 they themfelves y^w andyW/, were of no ac- 
 count, when no one thing is fuggefled to in- 
 validate their Credit ! From all which I argue 
 that the Miracles of Jefus were really per- 
 formed ; and that which is related of them 
 by the Evangelifts is true. 
 
 Having 
 
of the Christian Religion. 149 
 
 Having faid thus much concerning the CHAP. 
 Fa5ls by which Jefus proved himfelf to be ^^^^' 
 The MeJJiah, the next Enquiry is, what 
 were the Topicks made Ufe of by his imme- 
 diate Followers in preaching the Gofpei of 
 the Kingdom ; and by what Arguments 
 They proved him to be The Chrijt^ and Lord 
 of all. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of the RESURRECTION of 
 JESUS. 
 
 HAVING afready confidered what Evi- CHAP, 
 dence there is for the Mh^acles, by v.,.^^ 
 which Jefus (hewed himfelf approved by 
 God, and to which he conftantly appealed 
 for the Truth of his being the Mejfiah • The 
 next Point is to confider His Refurredion^ to 
 which he referred thofe who demanded fome 
 further Sign^ or Evidence, than what he had 
 already given : and upon which the Apoftles 
 erecft almoft the whole Strudure of Chrifti- 
 anity. St Paul makes no fcruple to declare, 
 that T/'Chrift be not rifen, then is our preach- 
 ing vainy and your Faith is alfo vain^ i Cor, 
 XV. 14, 17. And when the Apoftles met 
 together juft after the Afcenfion of Jefus, 
 Peter infifted upon the Necejfity of ordaining 
 one, who was to be a witnefs with them of 
 L 3 Jefus's 
 
150 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 c H A P. Jefus's Refurredion, Ads i. 22. In purfu- 
 ance of the fame Notion, Ads ii. 24, 32, 
 Peter tells the Jeivs^ that him whom they by 
 wicked hands had crucified and Jlain^ God had 
 raifed up, halving Icofed the pains of Deaths 
 becaufe it was not pojjible that he jhould be, 
 holden of it. — This Jefus hath God raifed up, 
 whereof we all are witneffes. Again, chap, 
 iii. Peter urges the fame Argument to prove 
 that fefus was the Mefiah^ becaufe God had 
 raifed him from the dead, whereof we are 
 witneffes^ ver. \^. and ver. 26. God havi72g 
 raifed up his Son Jefu's, fent him to blefs you. 
 In the iviih Chapter, when the Apoilles were 
 examined before the Rulers, and Elders, and 
 Scribes^ in relation to a Cure they had done 
 upon an impotent Man, Peter s Anfwer was, 
 ver. 10, Be it known unto you all — that by 
 the Name ^^ Jefus Chrift ^ Nazareth, whom 
 ye crucified^ whom God raifed from the dead, 
 even by him doth this man Jland here before 
 you whole. Thus with great Power did the 
 Apojlles give witnefs of the Refurredion of 
 the Lord ]dus, ver. 33. vid. Ads v. 30, 32. 
 And again : When Peter inftruded Cornelius 
 in the Faith of Chrift, A^s x. His AfTertion 
 was, JESUS was Lord of all ; ver. 36. and 
 his Evidence for it was, Him whom they few 
 and hanged on a Tree^ God raifed up the 
 third day, ajid f jewed him openly. Not to 
 all the People^ but unto Witnesses, chofen 
 before of God^ even to us who did eat and 
 
 drink 
 
of the Christian Religion. 
 drink with him after he rofe from the ^ 
 dead. Thefe are the Arguments which 
 Peter ufed in Proof of fefuC^ being the 
 Chrift. 
 
 St Paul made Ufe of the fame in the 
 Courfe of his Preaching ; Though^ fays he, 
 the fews found 720 Caiife of death in him, yet 
 de fired they Pilate that he poidd be flain. 
 But God raifed him from the Dead. And 
 he was feen many Days of them which came 
 up with him from Galilee to Jerufalem, who 
 are his Witneffes unto the people : And we de- 
 dare unto you glad tidings^ how that the Pro- 
 mife which was made to the Fathers, God 
 hath fulfilled the fame unto us their children^ 
 in that he hath raifed Jefus again. Ads xiii. 
 28 — :^3. See alfo Adts xvii. 31. 
 
 As The RefurreBion then of fefus v/as a 
 fad: of fuch coniequence, it is neceffary to 
 confider diftindlv the Circumftances of it, as 
 they are recorded in the Evangelifts, and fo 
 much infifted on by the Apoftles in all their 
 Preachings; and by St Paul in particular, in 
 his Eplftle to the Corinthians, He was bu- 
 ried, ajid rofe again the third day according 
 to the Scriptures 5 he was feen of Cephas ; 
 then of the twelve ; after that he was feen of 
 five hundred Brethren at once ; after that he 
 was feen of James ; then of all the Apoftles ; 
 and -lafl of all^ he was feen by Paul himfelf 
 I Cor. XV. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And this is the 
 more neceffary, becaufe the Evangelifts com- 
 L 4 pared 
 
An ES SAT upon the "TRVTH 
 
 pared together, are charged with a great ma- 
 ny exprefs Contradidions in their relations of 
 this important Facl. 
 
 But before I come to account for the Cir- 
 cumjiances of the Refurredion, it is fit to ob- 
 ferve, That there is no Abfiirdity, nor no 
 Impojjibility in the Nature of the thing, that 
 a Man fliould be really Dead and Buried, and 
 continue in that State fome thirty Hours or 
 more ; and that then he fhould live again, 
 and (hew himfelf openly to many. There is 
 nothing in all this more hard to conceive, 
 than how the Body itfelf is formed at firfl: ; 
 or how the Liquids and Solids are fo exadly 
 proportioned, and adapted to each other, as 
 to anfwer all the Ends of Life. 
 
 If therefore there be any thing which oc- 
 cafions our hefitation about a Matter of Fadi 
 of this Kind, it mu(l arife either fiom the 
 Cir cumjiances in the Narration, which clafh- 
 ing with one another^ or being inconfiftent, 
 or contradidlory, mull make the whole Nar- 
 ration feem fabulous : Or elfe from hence, 
 that the Witnejfes who relate it were deceived, 
 or have a defign to deceive. Every Circiim- 
 ftance therefore that feems of any Confe- 
 quence in relation to our Saviour's Refur- 
 ledion (hall be examined, and the w^hole be 
 ihewn to be fuch an account, as may induce 
 a reafonable Man to believe it. The Hiflory 
 is thus. 
 
 Early 
 
of the Christian Religion. 153 
 
 Early in the Morning, bcfor-e Break of C HA?. 
 Day, John XX. i, The Two Ma?y"s, and ^^" 
 other Women, fet forward towards the Se- 
 pulchre. Whilfl: they were on the Way, 
 they faid to one another, wbo fjall roll away 
 for us the Stone from the Door of the Sepul- 
 chre, Mark xvi. 4. But when they came 
 thither, they found the St072e taken away 
 from the Sepulchre, John xx. i. (This was 
 done by an Angely Matt, xxviii. 2.) Ma7j 
 Magdalen ran back alone to the City, and 
 told Peter and fohn^ They had taken the 
 Lord out of the Sepulchre, and we know not 
 where they have laid him, John xx. 2. In 
 this Interval whilfl: Mary was gone to the 
 City, the other Women entered the Cave, 
 and faw an Angel, who fat upon the Stone 
 of the Sepulchre, w^hich he had rolled away, 
 who faid to them, — Fear not ye, — Go tell his 
 Difciples that He is rifen, &c. And injlantly 
 going out of the Sepulchre they ran to tell 
 the Difciples, Matt, xxviii. 5, 6, 7. Mark 
 xvi. 6. After they were gone, Peter and 
 yohn ran to the Sepulchre, and Mary fol- 
 lowed them. The Apoftles entred the Se- 
 pulchre, and faw the linnen Clothes, but 
 finding not the body of Jefus, they infl:antly 
 returned Home, John xx. 3 — 11. After 
 the Apofl:les were gone, and Mary was now 
 alone and weeping, {he looks into the Se- 
 pulchre, and fee's Two Angels in the Sepulchery 
 and fuddenly turning about fees Jefus him- 
 
 felf, 
 
An E^^ AY upon the TRUTH 
 felf, whom fhe miftook for the Gardiner, 
 J ejus difcovers himfelf to her, and fends her 
 to tell the Difciples, Johnxx, j2 — 18. Mark 
 xvi. 9. The other Women as they went to- 
 wards the City, full of Fear and great Joy 
 for what they had heard from the Angels, 
 were likewife met by Jefiis^ who faid mito 
 them. All hail: And they held him by the 
 ^eet, and worfloipped him. Then faid Jefus, 
 be not afraid, &c. Matt, xxviii. 8 — 10, 
 Whilft this was tranfading betwixt the Se- 
 palcher and the City, fome of the Watch 
 came into the City, and gave an Account to 
 the High-Priefts of what had pafTed at the 
 RefurreBion of Jefus, Matt, xxviii, 11. 
 When Mary Magdalen^ Mark xvi. 1 1 , gave 
 the Account at her fecond return, that floe 
 had feen Jefus, the Apoftles believed not. 
 The other Women confirming likewife what 
 They had Seen, their Words feemed to them as 
 idle TaleSy Luke xxiv. 11. 
 
 It was not after the Women had given 
 their reports to the Apoftles, that Peter ran 
 to the Monument, as our Tranflation has it, 
 Luke xxiv. 12 ; As if Peter went thither for 
 his own Satisfaction at a different time from 
 that when he went with St John, There is 
 nothing in the Original which may lead us to 
 fuch a Notion. But it fhould be rendered, 
 as if the time pafl were referred to : St Luke 
 taking notice of it where he did, only be- 
 caufe he would not interrupt the Account 
 
 which 
 
of the Christian Religion. i^^ 
 
 which die W'»nv a were giving of what they CHAP. 
 had feci). AnH rht^ Tranflation fhen will be, . ^^* 
 Peter t^o riling pad run to the Sepulcber^ and 
 Jtooptng down jhir- the Vuinen Clothes laid by 
 thernj elves, and departed^ wondering in him- 
 felf at thai which was come to pafs. 
 
 T..e feveral Appearances to the Apoftles 
 afverwards, are eafily I think accounted for, 
 without the leaft Pretence of Contradiftion, 
 or Inconfiftency. 
 
 This I think is the Hiftory ; and thus I 
 think it reconcileable. However, 
 
 iji, Suppofing it even impoffible to ac- 
 count for fome Circumftances, which may be 
 diiEFerent in the feveral Gofpels, yet if thofe 
 differences be fo minute as not to affedl the 
 Credibility of the thing itfelf, they ought 
 not to be infifted on as Objedions to it. 
 
 If feveral Hifiorians relate even inconfiflent 
 circumftances about the Battle of Pharfalia^ 
 it will not thence follow, that there never 
 was a Battle fought betwixt Ccefar and Pom- 
 pey at Pharfalia, If Arrian and Curtius 
 differ in their accounts of fome of the Fads 
 of Alexander the Great, it does not thence 
 follow that Alexander never fought fuch a 
 Battle, or never was at fuch a Place, or never 
 did the things he is faid to do. 
 
 2dly, If there be a feeming Difference in 
 the x^ccounts between the Evangelifts, yet if 
 they are capable of being made confiftent by 
 allowing them to fpeak of different times, or 
 
 different 
 
156 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A p. c3ifFerent Circiimftances, it is but common 
 _?\^^^^ Equity to make (uch allowance. It is no 
 more than what all Readers are forced to do 
 in all other Writers ; and which if they were 
 not to do, an univerfal Scepticifm in all Hi- 
 ftory would neceflarily follow. 
 
 'T^dly, It is but common Juflice to allow, 
 thai whrere feveral Writers relate different 
 Circurnflances of any Fail, He that men- 
 tions the fewefl: Circumftances is not to be 
 interpreted, as if he excluded or denied all 
 others, efpecidlly if difference of Times will 
 reconcile ti em all together. 
 
 /^thly, Suppofing even the worft, viz, fome 
 Inconfiltency in the Accounts of fome Cir- 
 cumftances of the Refurredion, This will be 
 a very probable Evidence, That the Four 
 Gofpels were not wrote by concert, or by 
 any. mutual Agreement; fince in fuch Cafe 
 there would have been moft: probably a per- 
 fed; Concord and Harmony in the Narrators, 
 
 ^tbly. Now fuppofing that the Women j 
 through the Pallions of Grief, Joy, Fear, or 
 Surprize, were miftaken in lome Circurn- 
 flances; and the Evangelirts in their Reports 
 from them related even thofe Miftakes, yet 
 thefe are fuch as will not affe6l The Rejiir- 
 reBion itfelf^ in which All were unanimous 
 and perfedly confiftent. The different Cir- 
 cumrtances of One Angel, or Two Angels^ 
 of their Sitting or Stariautgy &c. (even fup- 
 ppfing that they could not be accounted for) 
 
 are 
 
 
of the Christian Religion. 157 
 
 lire things which are no where infifted on by C H a P. 
 the Apoftles in their making Converts : Nor ^^' 
 indeed are they of any mighty Confequence 
 as to the Refurredion of Jffus, The point 
 is, Whether Jejiis did in Fadt rife from the 
 Dead ? It is evident that He foretold his Re- 
 fnrredion, Matt, xx. 19. xvii. 9. Mark 
 viii. 31. ix. 31. x. 34. And it is evident 
 that the Apodles, (who were Strangers at 
 firft to the means which God deligned to 
 make ufe of for the Advancement of his 
 Kingdom,) did 7tot iinderjland what he meant 
 by rifing again ^ Mark ix. 32. Nay when 
 the Women told Them, that He was rifen, 
 and that They had SEEN \\im^ They were 
 far enough from Creduloufly believing Them, 
 or their Reports. When He appeared to 
 Some, and not to Others, flill an Averfenefs 
 to the Belief of His Refurredion appears j 
 nor would any thing fatisfy Thomas, but the 
 putting his Finger into the Wounds, and 
 thrufting his Hands into the Sides of our Lord, 
 John XX. 25. But when after all thefe Evi- 
 dences of the FaB they found it indifputable, 
 no wonder they infifted fo conftantly upon 
 this Topick, and made it the Foundation 
 of Chrilfianity, and witnejfed daily both to 
 Small and Great, the things which they had 
 SEEN. 
 
 However let us defcend to the particular 
 Objedions, and fee what force there is in 
 them. 
 
 • Firji, 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 Firji, Matthew tells us of but One AngeU 
 xxv)ii. 2. Mark calls him 2..Toung Man^ 
 chap. xvi. 5. (/. e, an Angel in the Form of 
 a Young Man, juft as The Man Gabriel^ Da- 
 niel ix. 21. Three Men^ i. t. Angels in 
 the Shape of Men, Gen, xviii. 2.) St huke 
 xxiv. 4, fays there were Tnjoo Men^ St "John 
 calls them Two ybigeh^ xx. 12. To This I 
 Anfwer, 
 
 i/?. Either 0«^ Angel is mentioned by 
 Matthew^ and Mark^ becaufe One only fpoke 
 to the Women: An 1 therefore when St 
 Luke fays, chap. xxiv. 5, THET faid to the 
 Women J and St J^p/j/^ xx. 13, THEY faid 
 to her^ — This is to be interpreted of One only ; 
 (juft as Matt, xxvii. 44. The Thieves caji 
 the fame in his Teeth, whereas One of them 
 only did it. And again the Soldiers offered 
 our Lord Vinegar, John xix. 29, Z^y^^-xxiii, 
 36, whereas ia St Matt, xxvii. 48, One of 
 them did it, and fo likewife in St Mark xv. 
 36.) Either this was the Cafe ; Or, 
 
 2dly, One Angel only was in the Cave up- 
 on the Stone of the Sepulcher, who bad the 
 Women, Come fee the Place where the Lord 
 lay -y and then when they entered into the 
 Sepulcher itfelf, He and Another fat as they 
 are defcribed in St John. Or, 
 
 "^dly. When the 0?ie Angel bad them look 
 into the Sepulcher, They faw Two Angels 
 more fitting there. Afiy of thefe ways may 
 
 this 
 
of the Christian Religion. 1^9 
 
 this Difficulty be removed, and the Contra- CM A B* 
 didlion (as it is called) be reconciled. ^^' 
 
 A Second Objedion is, That St Luke fays, 
 the Angels Jiood by them, chap. xxiv. 4, 
 The reft of the Evangelifts' all defcribe them 
 as Sitting. But, in Truth, St Luke does not 
 fpeak a word of either Standings or any other 
 Pofturej but fays Two Men, Wirmo'.^f aJWf, 
 fuddenly appeared to them. 
 
 A Third Difficulty is taken from the Places 
 in which the Angels appeared : St Mark 
 faying, xvi. 5, that the Angel fat on the 
 right Side of the Sepulcher : St "John xx. 12, 
 faying, they fat one at the Head, the Other 
 at the Feet, where the Body of Jefus had 
 lain. 
 
 This I think may be accounted for with 
 Eafe from what I have obferved in anfwer to 
 the Firft Objedion. 
 
 But let us luppofe even the worft, that 
 thefe Difficulties are abfolutely irreconcileable; 
 and that the Reports of the Women are con- 
 tradidtory to one another ; yet it is obfervable 
 that the Apoftles never lay any ftrefs upon 
 thefe Appearances of Angeh^ but wicnefs 
 what only They themfelves had feen with 
 their Eyes, and looked upon^ and their Hands 
 had handled : They teftify that They had 
 Eat and Drank with '^efus after he ro(e from 
 the Dead : which is a very different Argu- 
 ment from what tht Women told them con- 
 cerning thefe Angels. They declare that 
 
 They 
 
i6o An ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP. They Themfelves S AW him ; fometimes fe- 
 ^^ parately ; fometimes when they were all to- 
 gether. They ccnverfed with Him ; He 
 The wed himfelf alive after his Pajjion^ by 
 many infallible Proofs, being Seen of them 
 forty Days, ABs i. 3. He appeared X.o five 
 Hundred Brethren at once. Thefe are the 
 Topics which the Apoftles infill on in their 
 preaching to the World, and in their endea- 
 vours to make Converts ; and confequently 
 Thefe only are the i^rguments about the Re- 
 furredion which ought to be invalidated, if 
 the Truth of Chrifiianity is capable of being 
 fubverted ; and not the little Circumflances 
 which no Strefs is ever laid on by the Apo- 
 flles of our Lord. There were Eleven Men 
 at leaft, Witnefjing^ if not to Death, yet to 
 the greateft Sufferings, a matter of Senfe \ 
 what They aliy^-z^;; what ihty 2\\ faw feveral 
 Times ; and they periifted in this Evidence 
 to the laft. This is a very different Argu^ 
 ment from that which is fometimes oppofed 
 to this, viz. That Men have fuffered Death 
 for manifeft Errors, For a matter of Eye- 
 sight, not a tranfient but a permanent one ; 
 repeated feveral Times ; to very many dif- 
 ferent Perfons ; is very different from a Spe- 
 culation, which always confifls of Many Ideas 
 to be compared together, wherein the Omif- 
 iion, or miflake of any one, alters the whole, 
 and confounds the Underftanding : Whereas 
 the Other, being a Fa^^ and the Objedt of 
 
 Senfe, 
 
(if the Christian Religion. i6t 
 
 Senfe, and fo circumftantiated as the Refur- CHAP, 
 redion was, cannot be fo eafily miflakcn. ,^J^' 
 The thing in itfelf is not abfurd, nor -iin- 
 poffible : A great many Perfons witnefs the 
 Truth of it : They declare what they faw^ 
 and felty and heard , and This not once or 
 twice, but ma?iy Times, for forty Days to- 
 gether : They perfifted all of .hem in affirm- 
 ing this Fa5i : Several of them died only for 
 the Tefiimony of this FaB -^ And all of 
 them Juffered very feveiely for it ; and none 
 of them ever retraded, or pretended that 
 what they had preached was falfe. If there- 
 fore any one afferts this Fa5l to be falfe, it is 
 necefTary that He fliould fhew either that it 
 is impoffible, or abfcrd, for a Dead Man to 
 rife again ; or He muft difprove it from the 
 exprefs contradidiion of the Evidences; or 
 he muft {hew that we have not y?^aV«/ Evi- 
 dence for the Fa^ as it is related in the Nev^" 
 Teftament, 
 
 M C H A P. 
 
i62 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 ConfJeratiofis upon the EviJence arifmg 
 from the Re fur region of JESIJS in order 
 to prove him to be The CHRIST. 
 
 CHAP. rTp^HE Circumflances of the Hiftory of 
 j^ the Refurredion of y^/^/j being fuffi- 
 ciently accounted for in the preceding Chap- 
 ter, I fhall here conlider what Evidence this 
 gives for the Triuh of Chriitianity. And 
 here, 
 
 Firji, It muft be granted, that what Evi- 
 dence foever arifes from the confide ration of 
 the Miracles which Jefus did, yet ft ill many 
 of the Jews required lome farther Proof of 
 his being The Me/Jiah, Thus when He nad 
 healed one that was blind and dumb, info- 
 much that the blind and dumb both fpake and 
 faw ; Yet iiill not with itanding That, certain 
 of the Scribes and of the Pharifees who wc re 
 prefent, demanded a Sign f om him. Matt. 
 xii. 38. At another time. The Pharifees alfo 
 with the Sadducees, came^ and tempting^ de^ 
 fired that he would fiew them a Sign from 
 Heaven, Matt.x^x, i, Mark viii, 11. Luke 
 xi. 16. The Thing which they wanted, and 
 fo much preffed for, was fuch a (rn^itovy or 
 
 fure 
 
of the Christian Religion. 163 
 
 fure Mark, as fliould c-nfAOilvEiVy plainly pohit ^ ^^ ^ i'- 
 /jim out to be the Son of Man. The Mi- ^ '^' 
 racles which He did, plainly enough (hewed 
 that He came from God 5 But as He very 
 rarely declared himlelf openly to be the 
 Mkssiah, fo he might come trom God, and 
 yet not be T^he Chrtji, They wanted there- 
 fore a certain fixed Ciiterjon by which they 
 might be lure, that He was That Son of 
 Man, who was reprefented in Daniel as com^ 
 ing in the Clouds of Heaven. 
 
 The reafon of this demand was plainly 
 this, That though ^ejus performed many 
 Miracles, yet there were many Prophecies 
 concerning The Mefliah not yet fulhlled in 
 him. They faw Predidions of Empire and 
 Dominion in the Son oi David -, but in Jefus 
 they faw nothing but mean and low Ap- 
 pearances. The l^hrone of David was to be 
 eftablifiied for ever in the Seed of David: 
 but fefiis appeared as a Man of Sorrows and 
 acquainted with Grief Nor was it poffible 
 to reconcile thefe contrary Appearances, 'till 
 yefus ihould riie again, and be veiled with all 
 power in Heaven and Earth, They there- 
 fore afked a Sign, or ibme particular token, 
 by which they might be affured that he was 
 what he pretended to be, viz. ^he MeJJiah, 
 
 Oar Saviour's Aniwer to this Demand was. 
 An evil and adulterous Generation feeketh af- 
 ter a Sign, and there fh all no Sign be given to 
 it^ but the Sign of the Prophet Jonas. For 
 Ma' ^^ 
 
An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 as Jonas was three days and three nights in 
 the whale's belly, Jo Jl^all the Son of Man be 
 three days and three nights in the heart of the 
 Earthy Matt. xii. 39, 40. The Sign there- 
 fore was, that He was to die, and to conti- 
 nue buried fuch a determinate time, and no 
 Longer : and that this One, fingle, Sign was 
 fufficient to point out to them, that Jefus 
 was The Messiah, the Perfon whofe Cha- 
 rader he aflumed. 
 
 To his own Difciples, and immediate 
 Followers, he was more explicit about his 
 Death and Refurredtion : To them in direct 
 Terms He foretold, that He was to be con- 
 demned to Deaths and that on the third day 
 he was to rife again. Matt. xvi. 21. xvii. 
 22, 23. chap. XX. 18, 19. Mark ix. 31. 
 "John ii. 18 — 20. 
 
 The Tefl therefore openly given to both 
 Enemies and Friends was, the Refurre£lion of 
 Jefus: And Both were concerned to take 
 Notice of a Sign fo expreffly declared before- 
 hand : and it is plain that His Enemies did 
 obferve it 5 For the Chief Priefls and Pha- 
 rifees came together to Pilate^ faying. Sir, 
 we remember that that Deceiver f aid whilfi he 
 was yet alive^ after three days^ I will rife 
 again. Matt, xxvii. 62, 63. 
 
 The Truth of Chriftianity is here put up- 
 on a Jenfihle Fad ; upon what every body 
 was equally a Judge of; and what the moft 
 ignorant and moft illiterate Jew might com- 
 prehend 
 
of the Christian Religion. 165 
 
 prehend equally with the moft learned, wifeCiiAP. 
 and knowing Scribe, A Refurredion car- 
 ried it*s own Evidence with it : For if a Man 
 were dead and buried, and afterwards ap- 
 peared alive, juft as he foretold he Oiould, 
 it is evident that God muft have been with 
 him, and muft fet his Seal to confirm what- 
 ever fuch a Perfon had faid. Every body 
 was a Judge of fuch a Fad ; and every 
 honeft Man would, and indeed muft reafon 
 in fuch a manner : and therefore every honeft 
 Man was under a Neceffity of being go- 
 verned by fuch Evidence : and if the Pro- 
 vidence of God were to permit an Impoftor 
 to proceed in fuch a manner without any In- 
 terpofition, it would be laying fuch a Stum- 
 bling-block in the way of his Creatures that 
 the Wifeft muft fall 5 and fuch a Snare as 
 muft infallibly catch the moft Honeft and 
 Sincere. 
 
 But then if this reafoning be fo felf-evi- 
 dent, whence is it that the ChiefPrieJlsy and 
 the Rulers of the People, and thofe of the 
 Sadducean Sed ; and in fliort, the Council of 
 the Jews^ or the Saithedrim^ remained Un- 
 believers even after the Refurredion of Je- 
 fus ? Neither the Miracles He did in his 
 Life-time, nor thofe which the Apoftles did 
 afterwards in his Name ; no, nor the Sign 
 which Jefus beforehand gave them, had any 
 Influence upon them. Now Miracles, and 
 the Refurredion of a Dead Man, feem to be 
 M 3 fuch 
 
i66 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. fnch palpable Arguments that no Man can 
 ^' withftand them ; Therefore it is thought im- 
 pofi'ible they (hould have been done as the E- 
 vai gelifts have related ihem, becaufe the Ru- 
 lers^ and Men of Letter s^ v^ere not convinced, 
 and did not come into the Notion of Jejus's 
 being the Messiah. To this I anfwei , 
 
 ' That Prejudices may be fo ftrong, and fo 
 many Ciicumftances may concur to heighten 
 them, that it is hardly poffible for any Evi- 
 dence to be of Strength lufficient to over- 
 come them. The Jews it is certain expected 
 a Temporal Mejjiah ^ one that was very dif- 
 ferent from what our Saviour was, o- pre- 
 tended to be : They founded their Expecta- 
 tions on feveral Paffages of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, which they underftood very differently 
 from the true Senfe of he Prophets. When 
 thv-refore ^efus wofked a Miracle before 
 people full of fuch Expectations, and thofe 
 grounded as they thought on the revealed 
 Will of God, it is not to be wondered at 
 tha thry rejeded him as an Impoftor, and 
 Deceiver of the People. Their being Men 
 of Letters is the reafon why they were not 
 convinced : Their Study tended only to con- 
 firm and not to root out their Prejudices ; and 
 confequently made them lefs capable of In- 
 ftrudion than they would have been without 
 their Literature. The Riders of. the Jews^ 
 befides what Prejudices were common to 
 them all, had crucified the Lord of Life. 
 
 And 
 
^//&^ Christian Religion. 167 
 
 And what wonder is it, if Men who were C UJi P. 
 prejudiced to fuch a Degree as this, perfifted 
 in the Principles which occafioned fuch Pre- 
 judices. But to put this in a better Light. 
 
 The Ex pe (flat ion of the Jews was of a 
 mighty Prince, who was to fubdue their Ene- 
 mies, and to fet them Superior to thofe who 
 now reigned over them. They imagined they 
 were to have the Dominion over all ; and to 
 abound in Riches, and Honours, and Plenty : 
 They were to lufFer no Force nor Violence, 
 nor to labour under the want of any good 
 thing : They were then to be free from Dif- 
 eafes, from Weeping and Sadnefs, from Ha- 
 tred and Difagreement ; and one perpetual 
 Spring of Joy and Pleafure was to laft as 
 long as the world itfclf This is the De- 
 fcription which Rabbi Saadias^ ynd their other 
 mailers, give of their Redemption 3 and this 
 happy State" was to continue, as they ima- 
 gined, without the leafl diminution of their 
 Felicity. 
 
 Had Jefus after his Refarredion appeared 
 to Men under the(e Expedaiicns, and had he 
 told them that He was Lord of all, and yet 
 that every thing was to go on in ir's ufual 
 track ; it is more than probable, that their 
 prejudices would have outweighed the Rea- 
 fon of things, and they would have conti- 
 nued in their Infidelitv. They faw, as they 
 imagined, very cleaily all this Scene of Hap- 
 pinefs in the Word of God : They were 
 M 4 confident 
 
i68 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 C ^A P. confident that nothing inconfiftent with That 
 could come to pafs : Nothing could be more 
 certain than that contradid:ions could not be 
 true : and nothing was more plain, than 
 that what Jefus faid was contradictory to all 
 their Notions, and to all their Expectations. 
 It was foretold tHat The Mejjiah was to live 
 for ever ; But then ^efm was adually cut off: 
 and if he lived again, yet he did not reign ^ 
 nor overcome their Enemies : nor was This 
 in the way and manner The Mejjiah was 
 to live. If the Spirit of 'Jejm therefore did 
 appear, and did declare that He was The 
 Chrijl^ They iDight lay, That it would not 
 follow that Therefore He was The Chrijl ; 
 but he might be fome wicked Spirit endea- 
 vouring to impole upon them under their 
 Misfortunes ; whereas were he what he pre- 
 tended to be, he fhould rather help them out 
 of them. 
 
 Thus, I chink, might the Jews under their 
 abfurd and groundleCs, and very violent pre- 
 judices, argue themfelves into a perfuafion, 
 that Jefus was not The Cbriji -, even fup- 
 pofing, that he had appeared to them after 
 his Refurreflion. It does not follow, that 
 They could not have withftood fuch a Mi- 
 racle : Nay it is very probable that the bulk 
 of them woidd not have been convinced by 
 it. They who by reafon of violent preju- 
 dices, were not convinced by the frequent 
 Miracles of Jefus during his Life, would 
 
 very 
 
^ /Z?^ Christian Religion. 169 
 
 very probably have impnted to Illufion, Art, CHAP. 
 or any thing, the Apparition after his death ; ^* 
 and would have found means to have evaded 
 the Force of This, as They did the Other 
 Evidences He brought, to prove himfelf 
 The Meffiah. 
 
 2. The Appearance of Jefus to more than 
 Jive hundred Men at once, belides the feveral 
 
 Appearances to feveral particular Perfons, 
 was fufficient Confirmation of the Truth of 
 His Refurredtion : Becaufe Such numbers of 
 Witnefles cannot be admitted into, nor can 
 they join together in a Secret Fraud : Nor is 
 it poffible to exped: that where fo many are 
 concerned, that an Impofture fliould not be 
 fully detected. 
 
 3. In the prefent Cafe, Had Jefus ap- 
 peared to the Jewifl:i Sanhedrim^ and had they 
 become Converts upon Sight of the Man 
 whom they had flain, what Advantage would 
 this have been to the general Caufe of Chri- 
 flianity ? Or How could we now a-days have 
 urged Their Teftimonies, for Evidence of the 
 Truth, fince even Their Teftimonies would 
 have been deemacd the Teftimonies of Par- 
 ties; or might have been treated as The 
 Teftimonies of weak or credulous Perfons. 
 Elfe why ihould not the Teftimony of St 
 Paul, who was once a zealous Adverfary to 
 the Chriftians, (though afterwards he became 
 a Convert) be admitted, and allowed as fub- 
 Itantial Evidence for the Truth of Jefus's 
 
 RefurredVion 
 
1 70 ^An ESSAT upon the TR UTH 
 
 CHAP. Refurredion from the Dead, or of his Ap- 
 ^' pearing to five hundred Men at once ? Why 
 fliould the Teftintiony of the firft Converts 
 be denied, who had n^o Temptatiom to con- 
 fefs their Faith in Jcfus -^ who could have 
 no Intereji to ferve by it; nay who expofed 
 themfelves knowingly, and with open Eyes, 
 to all the Miferies and Misfortunes of the 
 prefent Life, folely on that account ; and 
 who came in as Converts from the Laws, 
 and Cuftoms, and Ceremonies of an Efta- 
 bliflied Religion, to That which was every 
 where fpoken againft ? No reafon can be 
 afligned for this, except it be fa id, that a 
 perfon who remains diffitisfied, is of more 
 Weight and Authority than One who be- 
 comes a Convert. But This is only faying 
 that Obftinacy is not as probable in fome 
 Men, as Crcdnlity in Others. 
 
 It is fuggefted further, that we have no 
 other Evidence for the Ref jrredion of ye- 
 fus^ but only That of Friends ; and confe- 
 quently there is juft Ground to fufpedt that 
 iuch Teftirnony may be falfe, or at bell may 
 be very partial. 
 
 I anfwer, That the Evidence for the Mi- 
 racles and Refurredion of Jefus muft necef- 
 farily, and in the Nature of things, arife from 
 fuch as are Friends^ becaufe it is impoffible 
 not to become a Friend^ upon Suppofition that 
 any one believes the Miracles to be really 
 
 done 
 
of the Christian Religion, 171 
 
 done, or ihe Refurreftion to have really hap- chap. 
 pened. ■^• 
 
 In the Cafe before us, feveral Perfons 
 affirm, ihr tht.y faw, and C07iverfed, and 
 eat^ and drank with Jelus, after his Refiir- 
 region: Thty affirm, That They were able 
 to do Miracles in his Name ; and That in 
 fadl they did do them. When Thefe very 
 Men relate This, is their Teftimony to be 
 fuipc.-^ed, only becaufe they are looked upon 
 as F lends, without confidering a great ma- 
 nv Ci cumltances vsrhich accompany their 
 Evidence ? 
 
 It is eafy indeed to fuggeft that the Mi- 
 racles were not done ; That they are nothing 
 b'jt the Tricks of artful or canning Men : 
 And that monfhous Scene of Lying Wonders 
 expreffly foretold, and done by the Man 
 of S.'n, ,who oppofeth and exalt eth himfelf 
 above all that is called God^ or that is wor- 
 Jljipped, has given but too much occafion for 
 the Adverfaries of Chriiiianity to fufpedl the 
 whole of Falfhood and Deceit. 
 
 But the Difference of the Cafes is mani- 
 feft : The forged Miracles are either done 
 remote from Witneffes ; in Dcferts, in Clo}^- 
 flers, in Bye- Places where no free Enquiry 
 can be made into them ; Or They are done 
 before Incompetent Witneffes ; Or They are 
 fngle Fads of a difputable Nature; or they 
 tend to no End ; or what is worfe, to an 
 unworthy End. But then the Miracles of 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 y^fus were many ; were done openly m the 
 I?i^,nt ox' ihe World -, They were of a lading 
 Nuure; and a conttant Appeal lay to them; 
 an^i thev tended to bring in a Reformation of 
 Life. His Reiurredlion was attefted by very 
 many j and the great and wonderful Encreale 
 of Chiiftianicy, without any human Affift- 
 ance in it's favour, nay againfl the moft re- 
 folate and dcicrruined Oppofition, plainly 
 fliews that there was no defed: of Proof in 
 fuch a momtntous point, which was made 
 the con(l:..nt foundation of what the Apollles 
 faid. 
 
 Now, as great Numbers of both "Jews and 
 Gentiles were made converts to Chriftianity, 
 evciy Jnflance that could be given of a Con- 
 vert ought (o be confidered, not as the Tefti- 
 mony (>{ a Friend^ but as it is in reality, the 
 Tedimony of an Enemy. It is an Inftance 
 of One, who by his condud: plainly declares 
 that He is fatlsfied of the Truth of the Mi- 
 racks and Refurre5lion of ^efus. His Con- 
 verlion is an evident Sign that he is convinced 
 of the Tuth of his Teiiimony; unlefs it be 
 faid th^t Every Convert aded upon diflioneft 
 Principles. But whatever may be fuggefted 
 now, when the Power and Intereft of the 
 Wurld lies fo much in the Hands of Chri- 
 ftians, yet This could not be the Motive in 
 the Intancy of Chriflianity, when a Man 
 was expoied fo much the more to worldly 
 
 Inconveniences, 
 
of the Christian Religion. 173 
 
 Inconveniences, on the mere account of this C map. 
 Profellion. ^' 
 
 It is granted then, that we have the writ- 
 ten Telliimony of Friends only for the Re- 
 furredion of Je/hs, But fince wc know 
 what Numbers of Converts were made from 
 the beginning ; every one of Them was in- 
 deed a living Tedimony of an Enemy ; and 
 every one of them is to be looked upon as 
 the Stiongefl: Evidence, becaufe ihey did in 
 efFed: give up every thing in this wo:ld for 
 the fake of their Teftimony to the Truih. 
 
 The Argument therefore for the Truth of 
 Chrillianity, ftands thus. The MefTiah was 
 foretold : Jefus laid claim to that Title ; and 
 proved his claim by Miracles, and by his 
 RefurreBion from the Dead. There does 
 not appear to be reafon fufficient to make us 
 rejedl the accounts we have of the Refur- 
 region of Jefus ; and therefore we may con- 
 clude That Fad: to be true ; and in confe- 
 quence that Jefus is The Chriji. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
174 ^n ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 Containing an Argument drawn from the 
 FRO l" REGIES of the New Tejiament 
 for the TRUTH of Christianity. 
 
 IT being on all Hands agreed that the fore- 
 telling Future Events, when they are of 
 fuch a Nature as apparently are out of the 
 reach of human Conjefture, is a fure and 
 demonftrative Proof that a perfon is influ- 
 enced by fome fuperior Power 5 If fuch E- 
 vents are foretold in the New Teilament by 
 fefus and his Apoftles; and Experience has 
 manifeftly confirmed the Truth of the Pre- 
 didion 3 it follows that fejus and his Apo- 
 ftles were true Prophets, i. e, were infpired, 
 or had the will of God revealed to them. 
 The Prophecies concerning the Kingdom of 
 Chrift have been hitherto but in part fulfilled 5 
 the remaining part is yet to be accompliihed. 
 The Natural way of reafoning here is, — That 
 if many things are foretold -, and of them, 
 feveral have had already a vifible Accom- 
 plifliment -, it is very reafonable to believe, 
 that what remain, will likewife in due Time 
 receive their completion. It is not conceive- 
 able that Enthufiajts^ or Mad-men, fhould 
 
 fo 
 
of the Christian Religion. ^y^ 
 
 fo luckily guefs at Futurities, and fo exadly CH AB. 
 hit upon Events, as if they had forefeen ^^* 
 them. It is not probable That they fl:iould 
 mention the very Circumftances fome Hun- 
 dred Years before they happened ; and This 
 too in relation to Events which never before 
 had been in the World ; and confequently 
 they could not from any antecedent Fa(5ts 
 form their Ideas, or Imaginations, fo as to 
 conjecture from what was paji, what in the 
 great revolutions of things was fo come. 
 
 The Prophets of the Old Teftament plain- 
 ly foretold a Kiiigdom of God, or a King- 
 dom which he was to let up. Whatever this 
 was to conlift in, or however it was to be 
 governed ; whether it was to be a Temporal 
 one, or a Spiritual one ; or how the King 
 of it was to prefide over it ; or by what 
 Laws it was to be direded, The Event alone 
 could fliew clearly. It has be^tn already 
 proved that This Kingdom was in Fa6t eredl- 
 ed by fefus o^ "Nazareth : But then, the pre- 
 fent State of Things is repreiented always in 
 the New Teflament as tne Sra:e of Anti- 
 Chrif ', as contrary to thar State of things, 
 which was to be under THE ME'-SIAIT^ 
 Government, as any thing could be. Now 
 if this was expreffly and clearly foretold by 
 yefus, and his ApoiUes ; and the Events have 
 been fuch, as evidently ilicv them to be out 
 of tlie reach of their conjeBure^ becaufe luch 
 as had never been feen or heard of in the 
 
 World 
 
176 An ESS AT upon the TR UTFL' 
 
 CHAP. World before ; and we our own felves fee 
 ^^ the Events cxadly correfponding to fuch pre- 
 didions, we cannot under fuch circumftanceS 
 but conclude that Chriftianity is true. 
 
 To make out this let us confider the Pro- 
 phecies of St Paul in his Second Epiftle to 
 the Theff'alonians, chap. ii. and again in his 
 iji to "Timothy, chap. iv. In the former He 
 fays, We befeech you, brethren^ by the coming 
 of our Lord Jefus Chriji [at the laft dayj and- 
 by our gathering together [being gathered^ 
 iTntrvvocfoof^g, to him at that time 5] That ye would 
 not be foon JJjaken in mind, or be troubled^ 
 neither by Spirit, nor by Word, nor by Letter^ 
 as from us, as that the day of Chrift is at 
 Hand, [i. e. when he fhall come in the 
 Clouds of Heaven] Let no Man deceive you 
 by any means •, for that Day foall not cofne^ 
 unlefs there come a falling away firft, and the 
 Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdi- 
 tion. Who oppofeth, and exalteth himfelf 
 above all that is called God, or that is wor- 
 fhipped ', fo that he fitteth in the Temple of 
 God, as God, floewing himfelf •that he is God. 
 — And now ye know what with-holdeth, that 
 he may be revealed in his time. For the Myf- 
 tery of Iniquity already worketh ; only he 
 who lettetb^ will let, 7/7/ he be taken out of 
 the way. And then jhall that wicked one be 
 revealed, whom the Lord fiall confume with 
 the Spirit of his Mouth, and fhall de/lroy 
 with the brightnefs of his coming. Even him 
 
 whofe 
 
of the Christian Religion. ijj 
 
 whofe coming is after the working of Satan^ CHAP. 
 with all Power ^ and Signs, and lying Won- ^^' 
 ders^ and with all deceivablenefs of imrigh^ ^"^ 
 teoufnefs in them that perijh. 
 
 About thirteen Years after this was wrote^ 
 He wrote his \Ji Epiltle to Timothy : and in 
 This He fays, chap. iv. The Spirit fpeaketh 
 expreffly that in the latter x\mt^ fome Jhall de-^ 
 part from the Faith , giving heed to feducing 
 Spirits, and Dod:rines of Devils, [/. e. De- 
 mons] fpeaking lies in Hypocrify ^—forbidding 
 to marry \a7id commanding\ to abftain from 
 meats, which God hath created to be received 
 with Thankfgivi?2g to them which believe and 
 knovo the Truth, 
 
 In both thefe places the Apoftle fpeaks of 
 an Apoftacy, or falling away^ or departing 
 from the Faith : and in the latter^ he gives 
 the particular Inftances, in which this Apo- 
 ftacy fliould coniift, — That fome who pro- 
 fefs Faith ^ viz. in fefuSy fhould give into^ 
 and maintain obftinately erroneous Doctrines, 
 even thofe Notions which aiTert the worfliip 
 of Dcemons^ i. e. Souls departed, or Saints 
 and Men canonifed. 
 
 That This (hould be brought about by 
 means of the Hypocrify, and deep diflimu- 
 lation, of notorious tellers of Lyes, of Men 
 whofe Confciences are feared. Who can 
 doubt of the meaning of this, who has (qqu^ 
 or known the Arts made ufe of to raife the 
 Credit of Image and Saint-worjlnp ? Lying 
 
 N Wuiders^ 
 
 /.. 
 
An ESSAT upon the "TRUTH 
 Wonders^ pretended Signs, forged Miracles, 
 Apparitions, Voices from Heaven, or from 
 Hell ; Legendary Stories, Relicks, Juglings, 
 all the Iniquity that a wicked Head, or a de- 
 luded Heart, could poffibly invent, have been 
 the means of introducing and continuing this 
 un parallelled Scene, or Myjlery of Iniquity. 
 Who can read the Inftitution and Growth of 
 Monajlicifm, and not prefently think of thofe 
 whom St Paul condemns for forbidding to 
 Marry, and commandin<^ Abjlinence from 
 Meats? Had St PWdefigned a Prophecy of 
 the Fourth and Fifth Centuries and Onwards, 
 could he have defcribed the great decay and 
 corruptions of Chriftianity, in more expref- 
 five Words ? Could he have condemned more 
 expreilly the Iniquity of Image-worjhip, or 
 the worfhip of canonifed Men^ or the Life 
 and Romances of thofe who eredted that hor- 
 rid Scene of Impiety ? Or is not that ftrange 
 Corruption in Chriftianity remarkable, con- 
 fidering what the Apoftle faid fo may Hun- 
 dred Years before it came to pafs, as if it 
 were to forbid it ? 
 
 In the Epiftle to the Theffaloniam the 
 fame T^imes are plainly defigned. There was 
 to be a falling away, before the Son of Man 
 came in Power and great Glory j and the 
 Man of Sin was to be revealed. What He 
 means by The Man of Sin, appears by the 
 following verfe, where he is defcribed, as i. 
 oppoJi?ig^ 2, exalting himfelf above all that is 
 
 called 
 
of the Christian Religion. 179 
 
 tailed God, or is worptped -, 3. as placing CHAP, 
 himfelf in the Temple of God, 4. as coming ^^' 
 with all Power, ^^g^^, and lying Wonders ; 
 and the utmoft degree of unrighteoufnefsi 
 That Tyrannical Power therefore which 
 teWxetTan, oppofcth Of hindreth the true wor- 
 fliip of the one God 5 that maketh itfelf fu- 
 perior to all regard to God, by enforcing it's 
 own decrees, even in oppofition to the word 
 of God, and thus fheweth itfelf to be as 
 God I that exerts itfelf, and enhances it's Au- 
 thority by lying wonders, and by all deceit 
 and JJnrighteoufnefs 5 — -Whatever this Tyran- 
 nical Power is, is what is foretold by the 
 Apoftle 5 and no one can look into Ecclefia- 
 ftical Hiftory, and remember the particulars 
 here fpecified, but will fee the Events, and 
 fee what it was that was the -^oL-xix^v^ from the 
 Circumflance of the Myjiery of Iniquity's 
 already working in the Apoftles Days. 
 
 But if Thefe be thought not circumftan- 
 tial enough, St John in his Revelations has 
 defcribed a Beajl, chap. xiii. (i. e. a Tyran- 
 nical State) which opened his Mouth in Blaf- 
 phemy againft God — to whom it was given to 
 make War with the Saints, [i. e. the wor- 
 fhippers of the One God,] and to overcome 
 them : to do great wonders, fo that he maketh 
 Fire come down from Heaven on the Earth in 
 fght of Men , and deceiveth them that dwell 
 on the Earth by the means of thofe Miracles 
 which he had Power to do — and caufeth all 
 N % both 
 
i8o An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. l;Qffj fmall and great ^ rich a?id poor^ free and 
 bond^ to receive a Mark in the right-hand^ 
 or in their foreheads^ a?id that no Man might 
 buy or felly fave he that had the Mark. — I 
 need not tranfcribe any more. The Great 
 City which in St John'i time reigned over the 
 Kings of the Earthy is fo apparently defcrib- 
 cd, that no one reads it without remembring 
 the fituation of Rome, and remembring that 
 iht is drunken with the blood of the Saint Sy 
 and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jefus, 
 Rev, xvii, 6. Such an exhorbitant Power is 
 defcribed by the Evangelift j and fuch have 
 vifibly been the EfFeds of it in the World ; 
 that it is hardly poffible to conceive how the 
 Prophet could have defcribed Ecclefiaftical 
 Tyranny more clearly. I fliall only add, 
 what St fohn faid when he was fpeaking on 
 this Topic, chap. xiii. 9, If any Man have 
 an Ear^ let him hear. 
 
 The monftrous Corruptions then, that 
 were to grow up under the Name and Co- 
 ver of Chriftianity, were apparently foretold : 
 and we at this time of Day fee them, and 
 mourn over them : and whilft we fee fuch 
 Events really and literally accompliflied, we 
 fee with our own Eyes a Confirmation of the 
 Truth of Chriftianity, as clear and demon- 
 ftrative, as any Event, exadly tallying with 
 exprefs Prophecies of io many Hundred Years 
 ftanding, can afford. 
 
 In 
 
cf the Christian Religion. i8i 
 
 In the Profecution of my Argument, I C H A P. 
 think, I have made it evident upon what ^^' 
 Foundation in the Old Teflament Chrifti- 
 anity flands : And if Prophecy^ clearly fuch, 
 and exadt correfponding Events be Proofs 
 as it is without difpute, then is Chridianity 
 true. But becaufe much Difpute has been 
 about the meaning of fome Pailages of the 
 Old Teftament, cited by the Authors of the 
 New 'y and Learned Men have been per- 
 plexed about thofe Citations ; Some pleading 
 a Corruption of the Books of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, Others inlifling upon double Comple- 
 tions^ and Others ftill pretending a iirange 
 allegorical, ablurd, way of Reafoning in the 
 Apoltles : I am not willing to leave this 
 point unconfidered ; and therefore fubmit the 
 following Refledions to every candid Reader 
 who feels the Difficulty. Only let it be ob- 
 ferved, that whether what I fugged in the 
 following Chapters be affv^nted to, or not, 
 j7et Chriftianity is true and muft be admitted 
 as fuch ; and difficulties in the Gofpels, ca- 
 pable of Variety of Solutions, are to be con- 
 fidered merely as fuch, wherein Every Man 
 may abound in his own Senfe. But before 
 I proceed I muft obferve, That fuch a wilful 
 Corruption as Mr Whijlon has contended for in 
 order to get rid of the Difficulty ; and luch Cor- 
 ruption to be made at the time when it is faid 
 by Mr Whijlon to be made, is as great a Dif- 
 ficulty as that which he endeavours^ to ac- 
 N 3 count 
 
i82 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, count for. A Double Senfe of Prophecies, 
 ^^L^ where the Prophet has not declared fuch a 
 double Senfe, is making Prpphecy ufelefs; be- 
 caufe when Prophecies have no One determi^ 
 nate Senfe, they will be equally capable of 
 as many Accomplifliments as every Enthu- 
 Jiajl pleafes. And the Allegorical way of 
 interpreting Prophecies and arguing from 
 them, is, generally fpeaking, fo wild and 
 extravagant, that thofe who judge of things 
 from the adtual Agreement or Difagreement 
 of Ideas, can never be made Converts by 
 fuch a method of Reafoning. When fuch 
 Difficulties as thefe offer at firft fight upon 
 each of thofc Schemes, it will be worth while 
 to examine whether the true Scheme is not 
 fomething very different from all thefe : At 
 lead thus much muft be allowed by the Ad- 
 verfaries of Chriftianity, that if the Cita- 
 tions of the Evangelifts can be reconciled to 
 what I have already proved to be true, and 
 can be {hewn to have no Inconfiftency, even 
 upon any pojfible Scheme, then it will follow 
 that this Difficulty is of no confequence 
 againft the Truth of Chriftianity itfelf. But 
 before I proceed to this, it will be proper to 
 confider the Nature of Types, and Typical 
 Reafonings, 
 
 CHAP, 
 
g/'/zS^ Christian Religion. 183 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Of the Meaning of Types in the New 
 Tefiament^ and of Typical Reafoning. 
 
 FOR the better underftanding the Apo- CHAP, 
 files when they fpeak of Types, let it ^^^' 
 be obferved, 
 
 Firfl^ That, TyV(^, fignifies originally any 
 natural Models or Pattern^ or Imprejion. 
 And in this Senfe it is ufed, John xx. 25. 
 Except I Jloall fee in his Hands the Vkii^t of 
 the Nails ^ and put my finger into the Print, 
 TUTTov, of the Nails — / will not believe. And 
 fo jiBs vii. 43. Te took up the Tabernacle, 
 of Moloch, and the Star of your God Rem- 
 phan, tuVb^, Models, or Figures, which ye 
 tnade to worjhip them. Again, ver. 44, Our 
 Fathers had the Tabernacle of witnefs in the 
 Wildernefs, as he had appointed fpeaking unto 
 Mofes, that he fhould make it according to the^ 
 rxiirovy Model or Fafhion, that he had feen. 
 vid. ABs xxiii. 25. Heb. viii. 5. Hence we 
 may underftand what the Apoftle fays, Rom. 
 vi. 17, Te have obeyed from the Hearty 
 
 u^ "ov ZTocfiSc^YiTB TUTTOJ/ Si^occrKO!,xU<;y that TORM 0/ 
 
 JDoSfrine^ which was delivered to you: Or, 
 
 tQ which ye were delivered: i. e. Ye have 
 
 N 4 exadlly 
 
184 ^n ESSAY upon the "TRUrH 
 
 C H A p. exadtly followed the Pattern which was fet 
 ^^^- you. 
 
 Secondly, That the word, -rWi^, hence 
 comes to be applied generally in St Paul's 
 Epiftles to fignify a Moral Exa?nple, or Pat- 
 tern. Thus, 1 Cor, X. 6. Now tbefe things 
 were our, tuttoi, Examples^ as is evident from 
 the following part of the verfe, to the intent 
 that we Jhould not luji after Evil things, as 
 they alfo lujied. So c^jain, ver. li. Now all 
 thefe things happened unto them ruVoi for Ext 
 amples ; and they were written for our ad- 
 monition, Phil. iii. jj. Brethren, he followers 
 togethr of me, and mark them which walkfo, 
 as ye have us for, tvttov, an Example. And 
 exad-lly in the fame {cn(e, 1 Thejf u 7. 
 2 Tlef] iii. 9. 1 Tim. iv. 12. Tit. ii. 7. 
 I Pel, V. 3. 
 
 7"here is but One Place more in the New 
 Teihmenc where This word occurs, viz. 
 Rom, V. 14. Neverthelefs, Death reigned 
 from Adam to Mofes, even over them that 
 had not finned after the Si?nilitude of Adam'j 
 Tranfgrefpon, who is, tuV^, the Figure of 
 him that was tp come. In This fingle In- 
 flance the metaphor is carried a little further; 
 and becaufe there is fome General Similitude^ 
 or Likenefs, betwixt the Pattern, and the 
 Thing formed according to it, as betwixt a 
 Seal and it's Impreflion, or the Pidure and 
 the rough t)raught, or general Delineation of 
 any thing; Therefore, in this fingle Inftance, 
 
 the 
 
of the Christian Religion. iSc^ 
 
 the word is put for a Getjeral Likenefs, or a c H A P. 
 SiiJiilitude. Thus Adam was, TuVi^, a Like- ,^^L 
 ne(s of Chriji. Not in E'u^ry thing : Indeed 
 in very few things. x^nd accordingly the 
 Apoftie here mentions many particulars in 
 which there was no Sort of Likenefs at all 
 betwixt them ; though as to the particular 
 cafe in which he inftances here, viz. that 
 each of them did fomething which extended 
 to Every Bod)\ there was a likenefs, 
 
 Thele then being the Only Senfes, and 
 the Only Places, in which the Word tuV©^, 
 is ufed in the New Teftament, The next 
 Step muft be to confider, what is meant by 
 the word ocvUtxjtt^^ or Antitype^ which the 
 Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, and 
 St Peter ^ i Ep, chap. iii. 21, makes ufe of. 
 The Former of thefe fays, chap. ix. 24; 
 that ChriJI is not entred iiito the Holy Places 
 made with Hands, which are aM/ruTra the fi- 
 gures, or antitypes of the T'rue ; now to ap- 
 pear in the prefence of God for us. TuV©^, as 
 has been obferved already, iignifies the Pat- 
 tern by which another thing is made. Now 
 as Mofes was obliged to make the Taber- 
 nacle, and all things in it^ according to the 
 Pattern ftiewed him in the Mounr, (vid. 
 Heb. viii. 5. Exod. xxv. 9, 40.) The Ta- 
 bernacle fo formed was the Antitype of what 
 was fhewn to Mofes. Any thing therefore 
 formed according to a Model, or Pattern^ is 
 an Antitype: And thus it fignifies in the 
 
 place 
 
\An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 place before us. The Tabernacle, and in 
 conlequence, the Holy of Holies in it, being 
 made according to the Pattern fliewn to 
 MofeSy it is very properly faid, that Thefe 
 were Figures y uvrirviroi^ of the True Holy 
 Places ', even of that Place into which Jefus 
 was entered, and in which the immediate 
 prefence of God always was, and is. 
 
 St Petery i Ep. iii. 21. fpeaking of No- 
 alfs Flood, and the Deliverance of only 
 Eight Perfo?2S in the Ark from it, fays, 
 
 to xai riy>olg ocvVTrvTrov wv (Tco^si (^otTriKTfxx, That J3c2p'«' 
 
 tijtn being an antitype to Tbat^ now faves us ; 
 not the putting away of the filth of the fiefh^ 
 but the anfwer of a good confcience towards 
 Gody by the refurreBion of Jefus Chrift. 
 His meaning is, that Water has now a quite 
 contrary effeft to what it had in the days of 
 Noah, That at that time it deftroyed entirely 
 all the World : But now it is the true means 
 oi faving all the World. Here then avI/ruTr©^, 
 fignifies, as it does frequently, contrary ^ quite 
 oppofite. Nor can St Peter be fuppofed to 
 make the Water of the Flood to prefignify 
 the Water of Baptifm, for that would be to 
 make the means of DefiruBion to be intend- 
 ed to prefigure the means of Salvation. 
 
 Hiiherto of the Meaning of the Words, 
 Type, and Afititype, But becaufe there are 
 Other Words in the New Teftament which 
 are thought to imply a future Event prefig^ 
 nified by fonu forgoing fadi^ it will be ne- 
 
 ceflary 
 
of the Christian Religion. 187 
 
 ceflTary to confider Them too, that the Rea- c ha p. 
 der may the better form a Judgment of this ^^^' 
 whole Matter. And here, 
 
 i. 'TTroJfif/xa ; which evidently fignifies an 
 'Example^ as in ^6?^;^ xiii. 15, James v. 10. 
 2 Pet. ii. 6. But the Author to the He- 
 brews ufes it to fignify a Copy of what is 
 made, or done, according to a Pattern. 
 Thus, chap. viii. 5, He fays that, The Priejis 
 that offer Gifts according to the Law^ 
 
 VTTO^uffAOcli y.ocl crynoi Aarpeuao-t rZv gTrapavi'wv, ferve UTL- 
 
 to the Example and Shadow of heavenly 
 things^ as Mofes was admonifloed of God^ 
 when he was about to make the Tabernacle : 
 For fee, faith he, that thou make all things 
 according to the Pattern foewed to thee in 
 the mount. The Tabernacle therefore was 
 ^he uVoVfif/Aas, the Imitation, or Copy of the 
 things which Mofes faw in the Mount 5 and 
 confequently when the Priefts are faid to ferve 
 in the Example and Shadow of Heavenly 
 things, no more is meant than this; that 
 They did minifler in That which was copied 
 from what Mofes faw : Whereas as it follows 
 immediately, Chrift hath obtained a more ex- 
 cellent Minijiry -, ver. 6. How fo? Becaufe 
 He is fet on the right hand of the Throne of 
 the Majejly in Heaven, ver. i. Heferves in 
 Heaven itfelf. 
 
 This will fufficiently explain, what the 
 fame Author fays, chap. ix. 23. It was 
 therefore necejjary that the Patterns [it fliould 
 
 be 
 
1 88 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A p. be rendered, The Copies, the Imitations,] 
 
 ^^^* of things in the Heavens, ru. (xh ^Tro^ily^ocroc 
 rm h TOK ypa^oK, i. e. The Tabernacle, G?c. 
 JJdould be purified with thefe^ but the Hea- 
 venly things themfelves with better Sacrifices 
 than thefe. For Chrifi is 7iot entred into the 
 Holy Places made with Hands^ i. e. the Ta- 
 bernacle, which are the Figures, aj/l/ruTra, of 
 the true 5 but into Heaven itfelf. And thus 
 is chap. iv. 11. to be underftood. Let us 
 labour to enter into that reft, left any man fall 
 after the fame example, ^Ttokiyi/.ocri, of unbeliefs 
 i. e. Left any of US fhould fall, by our co- 
 pying after their unbelief 5 by cur difobeying 
 as they did. 
 
 2. Another Word made Ufe of by the fa- 
 cred Writers is, o-xta, Shadow, Thus, He- 
 brews X. I, It is faid. That the Law having 
 a Shadow of good things to come, and not 
 the very Image of the things, can never with 
 thofe Sacrifices which they offered year by year 
 continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. 
 And in like manner St Paul, Colo ft, ii. 17. 
 fpeaking of New- Moons and Sabbaths, &oc, 
 fays, Which are a Shadov^ of things to come. 
 And again, Heb, viii. 5. The Priefis under 
 the Law ferve to a Shadov^ of heavenly things. 
 From thefe and fuch like general Expreffions, 
 fome, miftaking the defign of the Apoftle in 
 this Sort of Comparifons, have afferted that 
 all the Mofaic Rites vvrere Types of, or were 
 d^figned to prefignify future Events j and that 
 
 the 
 
of the Christian Religion. 189 
 
 the Gofpel is to be found in the Pentateuch. CHAP. 
 An Inference as wide from the Apoflle's ar- ^^^' 
 gument as is poffible ! His Intent was all 
 along to fhew the great Advantage of the 
 Gofpel over the Law of Mofes ; and in or- 
 der to this he had inftanced in feveral Parti- 
 culars, in every one of which Chriftianity 
 had the Advantage^ as much as the Sub- 
 fiance has the Pre-eminence above a Shadow. 
 They were all, if compared with the Gofpel- 
 State of things, mere Trifies, If, the Sha- 
 dow of things to come, be fuppofed to fignify, 
 a prefiguration of future Events^ Which are 
 thoie Events in Chriftianity, to which the 
 Jewifh New Moons, Col. ii. 16, or the 
 Jewiih Meats and Drinks have a Refped ? 
 Or How did the Law of Mofes made up of 
 commands about Perfons, Times, Places, and 
 Sacrifices, prefigure a Difpenfation, where 
 regard to Sacrifices, Holy Perfons, Times, and 
 Places, are fo far from being any ways emi- 
 nently enjoined, that they are all declared, 
 in effecfl, ufelefs? Can a particular Holy 
 Place in the Law be defigned as a Prefigu- 
 ration of a State, where all Places are equally 
 Holy, and a Service offered up in Spirit and 
 in Truth in all places is declared acceptable ? 
 The Law therefore is declared to have fo 
 litde of the Gofpel in it, that it was a per- 
 fedl mere Shadow, without any of the Truth 
 oi things in it, vid. John i. 17. chap. iv. 24. 
 
 But 
 
An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 But becaufe thefe paffages are ufually ur- 
 ged, as implying a defigned prefiguration of 
 fomething future, I fhall therefore more par- 
 ticularly enquire into the Apoftle's nmeaning 
 in each of them. The Author to the He- 
 brewsy chap. viii. 5. obferves, that the 
 Priejis that offer gifts accordi?ig to the LaWy 
 
 vwo^ily 1^01,71 xa) (Tmoi Aa]p£ua(rt twv CTrypa^Jcov, Jerve tOy 
 
 [or in,] that which was made in imitation, 
 and was the Shadow, of heavenly things^ 
 viz. the Tabernacle. The Apoftle had prov- 
 ed in the preceding Chapter, that fefus was 
 a High-Prieft, more excellent than any of 
 the order of Aaron > and he fpecifies the par- 
 ticulars in which this Excellency confifted* 
 Amongft the reft, this is One ; That the 
 Pfiefts of the Order of Aaron offer Gifts in 
 the Tabernacle which was made by Man^ and 
 made according to a particular Pattern^ 
 {hewn to Mofes in the Mount, ver. 5. 
 Whereas jefus was a Minifter of the True 
 [original] Tabernacle which the Lord pitched^ 
 and not Man^ ver. 2. The Former was on- 
 ly a Copy of the Latter ; and no more to be 
 compared to it in any refped:, than a SHA- 
 DOW is to the Subftance. The ApoOle is 
 not faying, that the Tabernacle of Mofes was 
 defigned to prefigure that Tabernacle in which 
 Jefus miniftred : but his Argument is, that 
 Jefus is now in thofe very Heavenly Places 
 themfelves, from whence Mofes received the 
 Patterns according to which he was to make 
 
 his 
 
of the Christian Religion. j^r 
 
 his Tabernacle : and confequently that Jefui C H a i?. 
 is a much more excellent High- Pried than . ^^^' 
 the Priefts of Aarofi could be, as miniftring 
 in Heaven itfelf. And thus the Argument is 
 highly rational and conclufive. 
 
 When the fame Author fays, chap. x. i. 
 T'he Law having a SHADOW of good 
 things to come, and not the very Image of the 
 Tihings, can never with thofe Sacrifices which 
 they offered Tear by Tear continually , make 
 the comers thereunto perfeS ^ — His Defign is 
 the fame in this, as in the former Inftance, 
 to ihew the great preheminence of the Sa- 
 crifice of Jefus, above Thofe of the Law: 
 That They could not make the comers there- 
 unto perfed:, whereas Jefus by one offering 
 hath perfeded for ever them that are fanBi- 
 fed, ver. lo, 14; That the Sacrifices there- 
 fore of the Law were in value, in eiFed:, 
 and in confequence, no more to be compared 
 with this Sacrifice of Chrift, than a SHA- 
 DOW is to a Subftance ; That they are fo 
 far from being of equal Worth and Dignity 
 with the Sacrifice of Jefus, that though the 
 Law might contain fome obfcure, faint, In- 
 timations of a future Life and the Happi- 
 nefs of good Men, yet it no where gives us 
 any perfect reprefentation of them ; and con- 
 fequently the Sacrifices which it prefcribes for 
 Sins, could not give affurance that God would 
 remember Sim ?io more, as the Sacrifice of 
 Jefus once offered has in Fadt done, ver. 17, 
 
 18, 
 
An ES SAT upon the TRUTH. 
 1 8. What is there in this which looks like 
 prefiguring future Events by the Sacrifices un- 
 der the Mofaic Difpenfation. 
 
 As for the other Place, Col. ii. i6, 17, 
 St Paul fays, Let no Man therefore judge you 
 in Meat, or Drink, or in refpeB of an Holy 
 Day, or of the New Moon, or of Sabbaths^ 
 which are a SHADOW of things to come^ 
 but the Body is of Chriji. It muft be ob- 
 ferved, that the Apoftle was apprehenfive 
 that fome Judaizers at Colofs might poffibly 
 endeavour to pervert them from the Purity 
 of their Faith, and to corrupt them by teach- 
 ing the Obligation to obferve the Jewijh 
 Rites, which He declares to be taken out of 
 the way^ and nailed to the Crofs. The Mo- 
 faic Law was once the Law of the People of 
 God : But fince God has been pleafed to fend 
 into the World the promifed MeJ/iah-, and 
 He through Death has entered into his 
 KINGDOM, the Law of Mofes is now no 
 longer the Law of the People of God, but 
 fomething, very different in every refpedt, is fo; 
 Let no Man therefore Judge you, &c. ' Let 
 
 * no Man therefore condemn you, as if you 
 
 * aded difagreeably to thd Law of God, in 
 ' your not obferving the fewiJJj Rites, about 
 
 * Meats, and Driftks, and Times : Thefe 
 
 * things could not give you even faint and 
 
 * languid, or remote Hopes of future good 
 ' things, of remifjion of Sins, and Eternal 
 ^ Happinefs'y but the real and fubftantial 
 
 ' Foundation 
 
of the Christian Religion. ip-j 
 
 * Foundation for fuch Expedations is from CHAP. 
 
 * jfefus,' This feeins to me to be the Apo- ^^J^ 
 file's way of Realoning; and the coniexc 
 feems to require this. Had the Apoftle in- 
 tended to have fpoken of thefe JeuH/J:> Rites, 
 
 as things which were defigned to prefigure 
 fomething in Chrillianity, How comes it that 
 he never mentions what the things are, which 
 were prefigured by them? He oppofes Body 
 to Shadow : and plainly fays, that this Body 
 is not to be looked for in the Law of MofeSy 
 but in Chriji. The future things he fpeaks 
 of, are thofe which Jefus is declared the 
 High'Prie/t of Hcb. ix. ii. And what are 
 They ? The A pottle tells us, He is become 
 the High'PrieJi of good things to come, 
 having obtained eternal Redemption^ ver. 12. 
 that they which are called might receive the 
 promife of Eternal Inheritance, ver. 15. 
 We have fufficient, real, fubft ant ial^ Grounds 
 to look for this through Chrift ; and there- 
 fore the Apoftle foon after argues, CoL iii. i. 
 If ye then be rifen with Chrift, feek thofe 
 things which are above. But in the Law 
 which required obfervances in relation to 
 Meats^ and Drinks, &c. future good things^ 
 were fo faint and languid, that they can no 
 more be compared to what is revealed by 
 Chrift, than a Shadow can to a Body, 
 
 There is One word more, made ufe of by 
 the Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews^ 
 which muil be conlidered. It is Tsocfoc^oxnj 
 
 O which 
 
An ES SAT upon the rRUTH 
 
 which we tranflate, a Figure, But into the 
 Second, fays the Apoftle, went the High- 
 Prieft alone ^ every Tear, not without blood — 
 T!he Holy Ghoft this fignifying, that the way 
 into the Holieji of all was not yet made mani- 
 fejiy while as the Jirji Tabernacle was yet 
 Jianding: which was a FIGURE for the 
 time then prefent, in which were offered both 
 Gifts and Sacrifices, that could not make him 
 that did the Service perfedi, as pertaining to 
 the Confcience, Heb. ix. 9. To underitand 
 this, it is neceffary to obferve, That the Ta- 
 bernacle oi Mofes is conlidered as divided in- 
 to Two parts ; That into which the Piiefts 
 went every Day in order to trim the Lamps, 
 to burn Incenle, <Sf^. and That moft inward 
 part, into which the High-Prieft alone was 
 to enter, once every Year. Now the High- 
 Priefl being permitted to enter, and that not 
 without Blood, would obvioufly fhew that no 
 one elfe was to enter into the Holieft during 
 the firft Tabernacle. "Hrt? ^apa-poA'/i el? tov xoc(^ov 
 TGu mrmorcc, Which Similitude or Comparifon, 
 may properly be ufed likewife even at this 
 very time, under the prefent Temple, which 
 hath it's Holy of Holies into which the High- 
 Prieft alone can enter, juft as the Tabernacle 
 of Mofes had. The Apoftle does not fay, 
 that the Holy of Holies was a Prefiguration of 
 Heaven ; for Heaven was antecedent to the 
 Holy of Holies, and therefore could not be 
 prefigured by that : But all that He means 
 
 is. 
 
of the Christian Religion. 195 
 
 is, that That Difpoiition of things was fiich,^^^ "^ ^• 
 as might very naturally help us to conceive in ' 
 the way of reafoning by Analogy, that the 
 way to Heaven^ or to obtain perjeulion^ was 
 not the intent, or defign of the Law. 
 
 This then being the import of all the 
 Terms made ufe of by the New Teftament- 
 writers, which may fcem to imply a dejigned 
 prcfignif cation of future Events under the 
 Golpel, we may obferve, 
 
 Firjl^ That to argue from 'T^ypes^ in the 
 Senfe in which that word occurs in the New 
 Teftament, can be only to argue from Ex- 
 amples^ or Similitudes ; and confequently all 
 Inferences drawn from fuch Reafonings muil 
 be no farther conclufive, than Reafoning 
 frpm Similitudes are. The Intent of Simi- 
 litudes is only to help to convey to, or print 
 in, the mind of the Reader, fome Ideas more 
 cleaily or ftrongly^ therefore to reafon^ or 
 deduce ConfequencesA^om any Simile, or to /;;- 
 fer any thing from other parts of the Simile 
 ^>ud»€ what are plainly Similar, is to make eve- 
 ry thing of any thing ; and to expofe a Truth 
 to the Laughter, not to prove it to the Uii- 
 derftanding, of an Adverfary. 
 
 Secondly J It cannot be proved to a Gain- 
 fayer, that the Rites, or Ceremonies of the 
 Mofaic Law, were ever defigned to prefigure 
 any Future Events in the State oi "The Mejialfs 
 Kingdom. No fuch declared prefgurations 
 are mentioned in the Writings of the Old 
 O 2 TeRament, 
 
196 Jn ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CPiAP. Teftamenr, whatever ftrange Notions of fuch 
 things prevailed arnongfl Writers, who im- 
 mediately followed Jejiis and his Apoltles. 
 I grant indeed that the ApoAles have argued 
 frorrt the Rites in the Mojciic Inftitution : But 
 the Polnc is, whether This be done only by 
 way of Illadration, Analogy, and Similitude ; 
 Orwhethur the Sacred Writers have maintained 
 that They were dcfigned to prefigure future E- 
 vents ? The chief Faffages that I can recoiled, 
 which may feem to be urged as prefigjiijying 
 fomething future, are the following : the mean- 
 ing of which I Tnall therefore examine. 
 
 \Ji. Heb, chap. iii. and iv. the Author ar- 
 gues, that becaufe God did reil tlje feventh 
 Day from all bis Works ; and becaufe elfe-- 
 where it is faid, Jf they /halt enter into 
 my reft ; Therefore there rernainetb a reft, 
 " <ra|3|3aTt(r/xo\, to the people of God. Let us 
 labour therefore to enter into THAT REST, 
 xal-jiVauo-iv. ver. 9, 1 1 . Now the entering in- 
 to the Reft fpoken of in the preceding chap- 
 ter, and likewife in this, being the entering 
 into the Land of Promife, This cannot be 
 applicable to the purpofe of the Apoftle, if 
 the Land of Promile were not a Type, or 
 Prefguration, of what the People of God, 
 in the Mef]iah\ times, were to enter into? 
 But 
 
 To This it may be anfwered, That there 
 is certainly an Analogy of things, or a gene- 
 ral Likenefs in all the Difpenfations of Pro- 
 vidence : 
 
of the Christian Religion. ic^j 
 
 vidence : There is in the Natural World as C ll A p. 
 well as in the Morale fuch a general Simi- ^'^* 
 litude, from whence it is eafy to argue by 
 way of Parity or Analogy ; and it is very jiift 
 to compare One thing with another, and to 
 obferve the Similitude of God's Adlions. 
 But that One of thefe Difpenfations was 
 tberejore given io prejignify another that was 
 future, can never be proved, unlefs it be ex- 
 prejjly declared. The Land of Promife was 
 to be the place where the Jews were to en- 
 joy Reft from their Labours : God likewife 
 did himfelf Reft the /event h Day from his 
 JVorks. Yet, Whoever imagined God's Reft 
 from the Creation to be preftgurative of the 
 Jews Reft in Canaan ? And is it not equally 
 reafonable to fay, that God's Reft on the ie- 
 venth Day prejigured the entrance of the 
 jfews into Canaan ^ notwithftanding there is 
 no declaration to that purpofe; as to fay — 
 that the Jewi/h Reft in Canaan prefigured the 
 Reft mendoned by David in the Pfalms, or 
 the Reji mentioned by the Author to the He- 
 -brewSj when there is no fuch previous inti- 
 mation given ? 
 
 If it be faid, that This might be (o, though 
 there be no declaration that in FaB itwas lo j 
 it muft be owned that this is poffible. But 
 then this will be laying, that all followiiig 
 Events, as well in the Natural as in the 
 Moral World, which are in the uniform 
 courfe of God's Government Similar to any 
 
 O 3 preceding 
 
198 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH , 
 
 CHAP, preceding ones, were defigned to be prefig- 
 ^^^" ?iified. And in this Senfe it is owned, that 
 the Rejl of ihd Jews was Typical oi the Reft 
 of Chrijiians. 
 
 Bat the better to underftand what I think 
 to be the Apoftle's way of reafoning, let it 
 be obferved, 
 
 iji, A Promife was made to the Children 
 of Ifrael of a Place of Rejiy i. e. Canaan ; 
 which fome of them could not enter into be- 
 caufe of JJnhelief. 
 
 idly, David likewife fays in hi^ time, To 
 Day if y^ 'will hear his Voice ^ harden not 
 your Hearts^ as in the Provocation, as in 
 the Day of Temptation in the Wildernefsy 
 Pf. xcv. 7, 8. 
 
 3^/y. A Promife was made to Chriftians 
 by Jefus of a Place of Rejl^ and of an Hap- 
 py Immortality. This isafferted, chap. v. 2. 
 
 r QV we id^iv IwAyyO^iC^ivoi^ xot^ccTrs^ Kocy.ETvoi^ JNot 
 
 as it is in our Tranflation, Unto us was the 
 Gofpel preached^ as well as imto them ; But, 
 We have had the good news of a Reft preach- 
 ed unto us, as they likewife had. 
 
 The Apoille therefore argues from ana- 
 logous Circumftances thus; That as in Jo- 
 Jhua's time many failed of the Reft promifed, 
 becaufe of Unbelief-^ and as in David's time, 
 they were called upon to hearken to the 
 Voice of God, and cautioned again ft falling 
 as their Forefathers had done ; So we too be- 
 ing promifed a Reft, or State of Happinefs, 
 
 fliould 
 
^//J'd' Christian Religion. 199 
 
 fliould take care that we do not fail through C H A P. 
 
 Unbelief, What is there in all this like/>r^- 
 
 Jignijying future Events ? 
 
 The Apoflle argues here, as he doth in 
 numberlefs other cafes, from the Analogy 
 of things ; from a Similitude .of particular 
 Circumftances ; and this very much tended to 
 help the Hebrews to an ealy Conception of 
 what he was reafoning about. But then, 
 whenever any one imagines, that where there 
 is an Analogy or Similitude of Cafes, there 
 is a defigned Prefiguration of future Events, 
 he muft neceffarily mifguide himfelf in in- 
 dulging fuch groundlefs Notions, and expofe 
 hinifelf and his Caufe to thofe, who will not 
 implicitly believe whatever is covered over 
 with the ill applied words of God. 
 
 2. It is in the fame manner we muft un- 
 derftand St.PW, when he fays, i Cor, v. 7. 
 Chrift our Paffover is facrificed for us : And 
 thus muft we underftand John the Baptift^ 
 John i. 29, when he calls our Saviour, The 
 Lamb of God, There was this Similitude 
 of Circumftances, that Chrijl was flain 
 on xhtfame Day that the PafchalLamb was : 
 He died about the very fame time of the 
 Day, when the Priefts began their Hillel : 
 Not a Bone of the One, or the Other was 
 broken 'y Exod. xii. 46. John x\x, '^6. As 
 the Pafchal Lamb was without blemilh, fo 
 was Chrift without Sin. From Thefe, and 
 feveral other Circumftances which may be 
 O 4 thought 
 
200 An ES SAT Upon the TRUTH ' 
 
 CHAP, thought of, the Apoftle applied the Term of 
 Pafjover to Chrijl -, and argues from a con- 
 fiftent Analogy in cafes where the Similitude 
 is plain. 
 
 3. Thus are we to account for what St 
 Paul calls The Baptifm of the Children of 
 Ifrael in the Cloud, and in the Sea y and like- 
 wife for the comparilon which the Author to 
 the Hebrews makes betwixt The High-Prieft 
 entering into the Holy Place every year with 
 Blood of Others^ and Chrift eniering into 
 Heaven itfelf now to appear in the prefence of 
 God for us^ Heb. ix. 24, 25, 26. Not that 
 the One can be proved to prefignijy the 
 Other 5 or that it can be made appear to any 
 one that doss deny it, that the One was ori- 
 ginally defgjied by God to prefigure the other 
 as a future Event ; But the Apoftle proceeds 
 according to the Rules of jftrid Reafoning, 
 and argues analogically, and explains his 
 Sentiments by Similes, which exadly fuited 
 the Cafe. And thus, where his defign led 
 hhn to compare the Two Covenants toge- 
 ther, and to ihew the Superiority, or greater 
 Excellence, of the Chrifiian above the few- 
 ijh Inflitution, he argues from the real Adr 
 vantages which the One had over the Other, 
 by the allowed Maxims of all Mankind. 
 
 4. It is by the fame analogical Reafoning 
 that That remarkable Allegory in St Paul is 
 eafily fhewn to be ftridly rational, and to be 
 nothing elfe but an Argument drawn from 
 
 Similitude 
 
of the Christ I A]^ Religion. 20 x 
 
 Similitude of Fads and Cii cumflances. Not CHAP. 
 that IJaac was defigned to prefigiiify Chri- ^^^' 
 ftians, who are the Children of the Promife^ ^ 
 as the Apoftlc calls them, Gal. iv. 28, Biu 
 that there was a great Similitude of Circum- 
 flances betwixt IJhmael and Ifaac on the one 
 hand, and the Subjedls of the Two Covenants 
 on the other : That a Parallel might be run 
 betwixt them 5 and it might be proved againft 
 the Jews from Fads well known and ac- 
 knowledged by them, that it was very con- 
 fident with the courfe of God's Providence, 
 that fome fhould be excluded from, and others 
 admitted to his Favours. The Queilion 
 which St Paul is debating is, Whether the 
 Gentiles are capable of bt ing admitted to the 
 Favour of God, without becoming fubjed to 
 the Law of Mofes, The Principle, which 
 he reafoned from, and which was acknow- 
 ledged by the fews, becaufe written in their 
 Law, was This matter of Fad, — Abraham 
 had Two Sons, whereof the One, born of 
 the Bond- woman was caft out ; the Other, 
 was the Son of Promife, and God made good 
 his Promife unto him. Wiiy God fliould 
 chufe Ifaac to make him and his Seed the 
 Objed of his peculiar favour, and not IJhmael y 
 is to us unknown ; but fo it is in Fad. So in 
 Relation to God's admitting the Gentiles into 
 favour, and cading out the Jews, IVhy he 
 fhould do this is a Secret ; but it is no more 
 pnreafonable than his rejeding Ifmacl^ and 
 
 conferring 
 
202 An ESSJTupcn the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, conferring the Promife upon Ifaac, God 
 has been pleafed to make Two Covenants 
 with Mankind ; The One with the Jews^ by 
 which They became his People : The Other, 
 wath all who are willing to receive Jefus to 
 be The Chrirt:. The Former of thefe may 
 be confidered under the circumrtances of 
 Agar^^ and this will juftly reprefent the Je- 
 rujalem that now is, /. e, the yews: The 
 Latter may be confidered as Sarah, and will 
 anfwer to All that believe in Jefus ^ i. e. to 
 yerufalem that is above. Now as Ifaac was 
 the Child of Promife, fo are all that believe 
 in Jefus: And as Ifhmael perfecuted Ifaac^ 
 So now the Jews perfecute the Chrifiians : 
 But yet as Agar v/as cad out and her Child, 
 fo may the Jews be juftly caft out by God ; 
 and the Gentiles be received into his Favour. 
 What is there more rational than this way 
 of arguing, and convincing the Jews upon 
 principles thus acknowledged by them ? It is 
 the fame as arguing a Simili^ or a pari : and 
 thus do the Apoftles reafon like all other 
 Writers, who would convince an Adverfary. 
 The miitaking the Defign of the Apoftles 
 way of reafoning 5 and the imagining that 
 the Mofaic Rites were originally defigned to 
 prefigure fomething or. other under the Gof- 
 pel, (as too many have groundleffly afl^erted,) 
 has led the Author of The Difcourfe of the 
 Grounds and ReafonSy &cc. to aflTert That 
 ^ St Paul endeavours to prove, efpecially in 
 
 * his 
 
of the Christian Religion. 203 
 
 * his Epiftle to the Hebrews ^ that Chriftianity CHAP. 
 
 * was contained in the Old Teftament, and^_^[^' 
 ' was impHed in the Jewijlj Hijlory and 
 
 * Law, both which he liiakes l^ypes and Sha- 
 
 * dows of Chriftianity.' p. 12. In proof of 
 this He cites, Hebrews viii. 5. x. 1 . and CoL 
 ii. 16, 17. 
 
 The Foundation of this I have exanriined 
 ah eady ; and to the remark I have made, 
 viz. That a Shadow of future things does 
 not fignify a prefguration of future things or 
 Events, I (hall here add, If any one fliould 
 fay, that the Knowledge which we enjoy in 
 this prefent State, is only a Shadow of that 
 Knowledge which we fliall enjoy hereafter j 
 would any one conceive our prefent Know- 
 ledge to be originally defigned to prefig7iify 
 our future Knowledge? Or might not the 
 prefent Knowledge have been the fame 
 exadtly as it is, fuppofing no regard were had 
 to our future Knowledge in the Intention of 
 God ? Who can poffibly miftake the mean- 
 ing of fuch a Phrafeology ? Or why mufl: the 
 Apoftolic Writings alone be forced to fpeak a 
 Language unknown to other Author?. 
 
 There is no one thing has made the New 
 Teftament the Subjedl of ridicule to fews 
 and Infdels, fo much as the abfurd Inferences 
 which Chriftians ufually have drawn from 
 Paffciges, which vifibly contain not one Tittle 
 of what is pretended : Nor is it poflible to 
 conceive what real Injury this has done to the 
 
 Caufc 
 
204 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Caufe of ChriRianity. To fee the moft glaring 
 ^^^' and eminent Follies and Weakneffcs of Men 
 fanditied by Divine Words, and vended as 
 important Truths, or put upon the World as 
 the Revelation of God, is entirely to alienate 
 Men's Minds from Truth, and to make them 
 take refage in any thing rather than in the 
 Books of Divine Wifdom. 
 
 The Author Of the Difcourfe of the 
 Groufidsy &c. argues, p, 228. '* Are not 
 " the Ritual Laws of Mofes {by being in their 
 " own natirre^ Types and Shadows of future 
 *' good things'' (thefe are Mr Whifon^ words,) 
 *' Prophecies ? And are not the Events and 
 " Hiftories of old time, by being recorded for 
 '* the fake of fome future Truths, and Dif- 
 " cover ies which were to be drawn from them, 
 " Prophecies alfoV I leave Mr Whijlon to 
 anfwer thefe Queries, becaufe ihey are made 
 upon the foundauon of his conceffions. But 
 then what is added, being a feeming confir- 
 mation of fuch typical Reafonings, I muft 
 confider : *' And does not our Saviour,'' fays 
 my Author, p, 229. '* himfclf fay io, w^hen 
 " he affirms that the Law prophecies \ and 
 *' that he came to fulfil the Law as well as 
 *' the Prophets?" I anfwer, 
 
 That our Saviour does not fay, that *' the 
 " ritual Laws of Mofes were Prophecies,'* 
 or that " the Events and Hiftories of old 
 ** time'' were *' Prophecies," when he fays 
 that He ca?ne to fulfil the Law and the Pro-- 
 
 phets \ 
 
of the Christian Religion. 20c 
 
 phets ; or when he fays the Law prophefied, CHAP. 
 For if the Law of Mojes, i. e. the Pe?Uateuch, »^i 
 contained any exprefs Prophecy of the Meffiah, 
 or foretold when He was to come 3 then the 
 Law might in the ftrid:eft propriety be faid 
 io prophcfy, and the MeiTiah' might fay, that 
 He came to fulfil the Law j not '^ the Ritual 
 ** Laws/' but what vfdiS prophefied oi him in 
 the Law of Mofes, Suppofe that in the Law 
 of Mofesk were foretold, that a certain Perfon 
 charadterized in a peculiar manner, was to be 
 hearkened to in whatever he declared from 
 God : Suppofe too, that it was foretold that 
 He fl:iould come before fuch or fuch great E- 
 vents lliould happen in the Common- wealth of 
 yudea ; and fuppofe too, that Jefus afiirmed 
 himfelf to be this Perfon ; — would it not be 
 literally true, that He came 10 fulfil the Law? 
 and would it not be literally true, to fay, that 
 t\\Q Law prophefied? Why therefore mud: re- 
 courfe be had to a typical Jecondary fenfe, when 
 a literal o^ft is obvious, and very rational, and 
 fully will a: junt for the Expreflions ? But 
 
 2. Suppofe that the Meaning of the Ex- 
 preffion, Matt, v. J7. I came not to defroy, 
 but -sTA^^aWi, fhould be, not \.o fulfil 2, prede- 
 termined Event, (as here it is made to fignify,) 
 but io fill up what was wanting, to affure man- 
 kind of an eternal Inheritance, to give a more 
 compleat Syllem of Morals that what was in 
 the Lav/ 3 to give it it's true Senfe irtt from 
 the corrupt Gloffes of the Scribes and Pbari- 
 
 fees— 
 
2o6 ^n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A ^fees — Suppofing This to be it's meaning (and 
 ^ ^^' . it is certainly a confiftent rational Meaning) 
 what even diftant view has this to the /' ritual 
 " Laws'* of Mofes? 
 
 3. The Other Text, Matt. xi. 13. For all 
 the Prophets and the Law prophelied until 
 John, cannot relate to the " ritual Laws'' of 
 Mofes^ becaufe the Law prophefied in the 
 fame Manner that the Prophets did. If the 
 Prophets therefore did diredly prophefy of 
 The MeJ/iahy and his Kingdom, The Law muft 
 do it in the fame manner. Now if we confider 
 this Text, or it's Parallel in Luke, chap. xvi. 
 16, The Law and the Prophets were until 
 John, we fliall eafily difcover our Saviour's 
 meaning. Not, that no Prophecies extended 
 beyond Joh?i's time; for that was falfe in fad : 
 Nor that the Books of Mofes faid nothing 
 which was to reach beyond John'^ Death j 
 For That too is a Midake : Bat the Meaning 
 is, the Law and the Prophets only foretold, or 
 prophefied of the Meffiah, but fohn pointed 
 him out ; He fhewed fefus to be the perfon ; 
 He declared the Man then prefent before 
 them, to be the Lamb of God, the Son of 
 God. ^ohn i. 29 — 36. 
 
 Thus much concerning Types, and Typical 
 Reafonings. I concern not myfelf with what 
 the Antients have in fadl faid -, nor with their 
 Methods of arguing. Had they defigned to 
 have expofed Chriftianity to the common Scorn 
 of all it's Adverfaries, I know not how they 
 
 could 
 
oj the Christian PvEligion. 207 
 
 could more efFedually have done it, than by C H A p. 
 abandoning common Senfe, and treating every ^^^' 
 thing ridiculoufly, and making Types and Pro- 
 phecies of every thing. And if Chi iftians will 
 perfift in. fuch Methods of Reafoning; and will 
 defend fuch wild arguings as the Word of God, 
 I iliall not wonder if Atheifts and Deifts feoff 
 at their Credulity, and rejecft that which is 
 fupported by manifefl Folly, and Abfurdity. 
 
 I would not by what I have faid be under- 
 flood to deny that there ever were fuch things 
 as Types, It is manifefl: that there were majiy 
 under the Old Teftament. Such were Zacha- 
 riah's Staves, Beauty and Bands, chap. xi. 7, 
 10, 14. Such \N2i^Hofeah's adulterous Wife, 
 ch. i. 2. and fuch were his Childre7i, ver. 4, 6. 
 and fuch were many in Efaiah, and Ezekiel, 
 that may with eafe be produced. The Prophets 
 defigned by thefe to prefigure future Events; 
 and it is certain that Aiiions, or Perjons, may 
 prefigure things, as well as Words foretel them. 
 But then in all thefe Inftances the Reader fees 
 by the Declaration of the Prophet, that fuch 
 and fuch Adliofis, or Perfons, were defigned 
 to poi?it out an Event ; and he is not left to 
 his own uncertain Conjed:ures about them, 
 after the Events have happened. This is not 
 the Cafe of thofe I have been confidering, 
 which are never previoufly declared in the 
 Old Teftament to fignify fomething future j 
 and which I think are never made ufe of in 
 the New for that purpofe. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
2o3 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 Of the Meaning of thofe Words ufed by 
 the Evangelists, That it might be /^Z- 
 filled which was fpoken by the Pro- 
 phets. Of the Citations made by St 
 Matthew. 
 
 CHAP. "YN order to account for this Form of Ex- 
 preffion, it is neceflary to obferve that 
 
 XIII. 
 
 I 
 
 the word, Prophet^ does not neceffarily fig- 
 nify, a Foreteller of future Evejits -, but is 
 very frequently uled both in profane and 
 facred Writers too, in many other Senfes. 
 As, 
 
 if. It fignifies an Interpreter, or Relater^ 
 of the Mind of God. Thus Exod. vii. i. 
 The Lord faid unto Mofes, fee I have made 
 thee a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy Bro- 
 ther fhall be thy Prophet, /. e, the Interpreter 
 or Relater of Mofes ^ Will, of whatever he 
 difcovered to Aaron -, jufl: as thofe who made 
 known to others what God himfelf revealed 
 to them, are ftiled his Prophets. Thus John 
 the Baptift was fliled a Prophet, Mark xi. 
 32, for all Men counted John that he was a 
 Prophet ijideed : and Luke xx. 6. for they be 
 perfuaded that John was a Prophet. 
 
 2dly. Be- 
 
cf the Christian Religion. ?^o() 
 
 idly, Becaufe, \.o propheJy\ fignifies very CHAP, 
 often to foretel future Events, the Knovv^- , ^^}_ 
 ledge of which is out of the Power of Man, 
 hence it comes to fignify to Declare any un- 
 known Events not barely future, but even 
 pafTed. Thus when our Saviour ftood before 
 the High-Prieft, Matt, xxvi. 63, Some 
 fmote him with the palms of their hands^ fay- 
 ing^ prophefy unto us, thou Chrift, who is he 
 that Jtnote thee. 
 
 yily, Becaufe that Prophets very often were 
 enabled by God to confirm the revelations 
 which they had received by Signs and Mi- 
 racles^ therefore that word has been applied 
 to perfons fo enabled, without any confider- 
 ation of their declaring the will of God at all. 
 Thus Luke vii. 16, When "fefus raifed the 
 Widow's Son at Nainiy The people Jaid, a 
 great Prophet is rifen up aniong us. And in 
 the Senfe now mentioned, joined to that 
 which I firft obferved, the Difciples in their 
 journey to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 1 9, call our 
 Saviour, a prophet mighty in deed and word 
 before God and all the people. 
 
 A^thly. Becaufe that Prophets were wont 
 
 to interpret the Will of God, hence it comes 
 
 to pafs, that to interpret the Scripture, or to 
 
 fpeak to men to edification and exhort at ion ^ is 
 
 called prophefy ing, i Cor, xiv. 3,4, 5. 
 
 There is another Senfe of the word, I 
 
 think, in the Old Teftament, where prophe- 
 
 fying fignifies no more than praifwg God in 
 
 P dances^ 
 
2!o An ES SAT upon the I'RUrH 
 
 ^ H A p. diincesy or in peculiar Motions of the Body ; 
 ' This is foreign to my prefcnt purpofe. But 
 fince the fignifications of the word, Prophet^ 
 are fo various, we muft be careful not to join 
 the Notion of a future Event predicted, to 
 that Term, as often as it occurs in the Old or 
 New Teflament. I muft obferve. 
 
 Secondly^ That the Evangelifts fometimes 
 apply to the Meffiah paffages of the Old 
 Teftament, which, as they he in our prefent 
 copies, plainly relate to fome other perfon^ or 
 thingy than what they are applied to. This 
 I think to be evident from Matt, ii. 1 5, Out 
 of Egypt have I called my So?i -, which words 
 are manifeftly taken from Hofeah xi. i ; 
 When Ifrael was a Child ^ then 1 loved him^ 
 and called my Son out of Egypt ^ &c. The 
 Prophet is fpeaking concerning the coming of 
 the Children of Ifrael out of Egypt-, and 
 tells us, that they facrificed to Baalim, and 
 burnt Incenfe to graven Images, ver. 2. 
 which fufRciently evinces of whom he is 
 fpeaking. I add, as a confequence from 
 thefe Two Obfervations, 
 
 Thirdly^ That where the Evangelifts ap- 
 ply to The MeJJiah paflages of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, which obvioufly relate to Somebody 
 elfe, and yet quote a Prophet for their Cita- 
 tion ; it does not follow neceflarily, that they 
 mean to appeal to fome Predi5lion of a future 
 Event y but only that they appeal to one to 
 whom the Name of Prophet is afcribed, 
 
 who 
 
of the Christian Religion, 211 
 
 who has wrote, befides Predi5fions, manyC^-^P- 
 other Events 5 and many Explications of the ^'^^' 
 Will of God. My Meaning is this : Ifaiah^ 
 e. g. not only foretold many things, which 
 according to his Predidtiom came to pafs j 
 but he likewife narrated many prefent, and 
 many paft fadls ; and he likewife declared the 
 Will of God, and the Duties of the people, 
 and told them what they were to do in order 
 to render themfelves acceptable to God. 
 Now if any Citation were made from any 
 palTage, where only the Obligations of the 
 People to ferve God were expreffed, it would 
 be very proper to cite, or appeal to the Pro^ 
 pbet^ without confidering, or taking into the 
 Notion of Prophet, the Idea oi foretelling 
 future Events, 
 
 Thefe Obfervations being premifed, I fhall 
 now proceed to examine the Citations of the 
 Evangelifis from the Old Teftament. 
 
 Jefus was boini of a Virgin^ fays St Matti, 
 chap. i. 22, tbcit it 7night be i\i\fA\ti which 
 was fpoken of the Lord by the Prophet j faying^ 
 Behold, a Virgin {hall be with Child. I 
 readily allow to the Author of The Difcourfe 
 of the. Grounds and Reafons^ &cq, ' that the 
 
 * words do in their obvious and literal Senfe 
 
 * relate to a Young Woman in the Days of 
 ' Ahaz, as will appear by the context,' p. 
 41. And were any one to read Ifaiah^ with- 
 out knowing, or having heard of the Evan- 
 gelift, it is highly probable that he would 
 
 P 2 not 
 
J?i ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 not imagine himfelf to be reading a Prophecy 
 of an Event, which was not to happen in 
 lels than fcven Hundred and Forty Years. 
 Mr /<F/j//?C72 acknowledges, that ' this paffage 
 ' of Ifciidb as it ftands in all the late Bibles, 
 
 * Hebrew^ and Greek, includes fuch an ad- 
 
 * ditional Claufe, as feems no way applicable 
 
 * to the Mejfiah : and fo occanons the 'Jew^ 
 ' to triumph, as if the Predidion were meant 
 
 * not of a Virgin, but only of a Young 
 ' Woman, in the Days of Ahaz: For fo 
 
 * runs the context in the Hebrew : and the 
 
 * prefent LXX for the main agrees to it/ 
 Elfciy on the Old Tejia??ie72t, p. 229. And it 
 mufl be likewife owned, that no Jew either 
 antient or modern, in any of their Books, 
 interpret this Paffage as a prediBion of The 
 MeJJiah : Nor does any one in the Series of 
 the Evangelical Hi (lory direully and in Terms 
 cite this Prophecy 5 which yet it (eems high- 
 ly probable that fome or other ihould, when 
 the Fadl was fo remarkable, and fo well 
 known. 
 
 To account for this. Learned Men have 
 ufually recurred to, and infifted on, a Double 
 completion of Prophecies: They fee the 
 words of the Old Teftament manifeftly re- 
 lating to fomebody elfe, notwithftanding that 
 they are applied by the New Teftament-wri- 
 ters to the MeJjiah -^ to whom, it muft be 
 owned, they are perfedly confonant ; nay they 
 more literally agree to Him, than to any one 
 
 elfe. 
 
of the Christian Religion. 213 
 
 elfe. But whatever thofe who aheady be- C H A p. 
 lieve the Truths of Chriftianity may, I am ^J^^' 
 apt to think that no Unbeliever can ever be 
 perfuaded, or will be converted, by fuch 
 Notions. A double completion, (unlefs in cafes 
 where the Prophet himfelf, or fomcbody 
 who has authority from God, exprefily de- 
 clares That to be the Intent of the Prophecy,) 
 ic may be faid, will make all Prophecy per- 
 fedly ufelefs. When any thing is foretold, 
 it is deiigned to be a Mark, or CharaBer, by 
 which we may be able to judge of the Event 
 whenever ic flmil happen. Now when we 
 fee the Accomplifliment of a Prophecy in 
 One perfon, why (]:iould we look for a Second 
 accomplifhment in Another'? Or if fome {i- 
 milar circumftances may feem to make a 
 Prophecy relate to feveral perfons ; the na- 
 tural confequence will be a difregard to all 
 Application of them, becaufe fuch ambi- 
 guity and uncertainty makes it endlefs to ap- 
 ply them. When a Prophecy has received 
 it's ^r,^ completion, it is ridiculous to apply 
 it a Second time to Another Perfon ; becaufe 
 by that means we deftroy the Ufe and Defign 
 of Prophecy : Since if it be faid to have 
 feveral Peifons in view, we fhall not be able 
 io prove to a gain-fayer that it belongs to any 
 particular Perfon, to whom in the Truth of 
 things it is applicable. 
 
 What then is the meaning of the lilvan- 
 
 gelift in this Citation ? Or to what Eiid or 
 
 P 3 purpofe 
 
214 -^ri ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, purpofe was it made, if it be not a Pro- 
 ^' phecy of the MeJJlah^ nor intended to prove 
 that it was predided, that The Mejfiah was 
 to be born of a Virgin ? I anfwer. 
 
 That the Evangelift in citing this Paffage, 
 (which as appears by the context, concerned 
 a Child which was to be born before the hand 
 jfljould be forfaken by Rezin and Pekab, who 
 |:hen invaded yudea, and over-ran it) only 
 cited them as words of Ifaiab remarkably a- 
 greeable to the miraculous Birth of JefiiSy 
 and not as a Prophecy of his Birth. St 
 Matthew y obferving the Providential Difpo- 
 lition of things, and feeing the furprifing and 
 extraordinary Birth of the Mejjtah in fo won- 
 derful a manner, exprefled it thus, All this 
 was done that it might be fulfilled which was 
 fpoken of the Lord by the Prophet : Bat yet 
 he meant no more than an accommodation of 
 the Prophet's words to the cafe in hand : Or, 
 as Bifnop Kidder expreffes himfelf, after a 
 long examination of this Difficulty in his De- 
 monjiration of the MeiTias, Part 2d. p, 310. 
 * St Matthew applies the prophet's words to 
 ^ the wojjderful Birth of Jefus.* 
 
 The Difficulty, or Objection againfl: this 
 Interpretation, arifes wholly from our Un- 
 acquainted nefs with the JewijJo Phrafeology. 
 The Evangelifts were Hebrews, and wrote as 
 other Hebrew writers did. They did not 
 make a Language of their own, nor ufe a 
 Phrafeology peculiar to themfelves 5 but did 
 
c/ /^^ Christian Religion. 215 
 
 as other Hebrew writers did, and followed ^ ^"^ A P. 
 their method. To underftand them there- 
 fore, .we are not to judge of the fenfe and 
 meaning of the Evangelijisy from the com- 
 mon and ordinary founds of words amongfl: 
 ourfelves -, but we muft enter into the '^ewijld 
 Phrafeology, and fee what the 'Jews meant 
 by fuch and fuch Expreffions, and upon what 
 Principles They reaioned. Their ways of 
 fpeaking, and of quoting, which can be 
 learnt from JewiJ};) writers only, muft be 
 looked into ; and how unnatural foever they 
 may feem to us, yet we muft be determined 
 by them, and only by them. Now it is 
 evident from numberlefs Examples, that the 
 yewifi way of writing is exadly agreeable to 
 That of the Evangelifts ; and the Mafters of 
 the Synagogue applied Faflages of the Old 
 Teftament in Senfes very remote from that of 
 the Original Author. Every Page of every 
 Rabbi almoft will fupply us with Inftances of 
 this kind : And as for the particular Term, 
 fulfilled, they very often meant no more by 
 That, than the happening of 2.fimilar Event ; 
 or an exad: agreement in particular Circum- 
 ftances of latter things with former. 
 
 In the fame manner that perplexing Ci- 
 tation from Hofeah ii. 1 , Out of Egypt have 
 I called my So?i, introduced by St Matt, 
 chap. ii. 1 5, thus — That it might be fulfilled 
 which was fpoken of the Lord by the Pro- 
 phet — is fo manifeftly no predidion about 
 
 P4 K«^' 
 
2i6 Jn ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, yefus, that this alone would (hew us the true 
 ' way of underftanding thefe Expreffions. Or 
 if any one will affert, that thefe words are 
 cited from what Balaam faid, Numb, xxiii, 
 22, or from chap, xxiv. 8, yet ftill every one 
 of the places refers to the Children of Ifrael*s 
 coming out of Egypt -^ and it cannot be 
 proved to any one that will contradidl it, that 
 thefe are Prophecies of future Events. 
 
 The only reafon why fuch Paffages in the 
 Prophets have been deemed Defignations, or 
 Predidions, of future Events, in the Mef- 
 jfiah*s times is, becaufe they were introduced 
 by the Evangelifls as if they pointed out fuch 
 or fuch particular Events. J^fus and his 
 Parents wef^e in Egypt until the Death oj 
 Herod, THAT // might be fulfilled which 
 was fpoken of the Lord by the Prophet. If 
 we examine the Prophet alone, it muft be 
 confeffed that He is fpeaking of the Iniquity, 
 and Ingratitude, of the Children of Ifrael -, 
 and fays, When Ifrael was a Child 1 loved him 
 and I called my Son out of Egypt. When 
 the LXX, and Jonathan, and the Arabic 
 Verfion render it, not 7J2y Son, as it is in the 
 Hebrew and Vulgate, but, His Sons, — it is 
 evident that They all underftood this of the 
 Children of Ifrael: and the immediate fol- 
 lowing words will force us fo to underftand 
 them, They facrificed unto Baalim, and 
 burnt incenje to graven Images. / taught 
 EPHRAIM alfo to walk^ taking them by the 
 
 Armsi 
 
of the Christian Religion. 217 
 
 Arms ; but "They knew not that I healed them^ CHAP. 
 ver. 2. 3. The plain Reafon of the Tran- ,_^^^ 
 iition from the fingular number to the plural, 
 from a Child, Him, my Son, to ney and 
 7hem in the following verfes, is, becaufe the 
 Prophet is adually fpeaking of a People under 
 the name, or Peifon, of a Child. 
 
 The Prophet therefore manifeftly fpeak- 
 ing of a different Subjed, and Occafion, from 
 what the Evangelift is fpeaking when he 
 made ufe of the Prophet's words, unlefs the 
 nature of the Evangelift*s Language necefla- 
 rily forces one to underftand him as if he 
 defigned to declare an Event foretold, we 
 ought in common Juftice to put another 
 meaning upon his words. Now the Particle 
 iW, Thaty very frequently fignifies only the 
 Event, not the End or Defign. Thus John 
 ix. 39, For Judgment I am come into the 
 World, IW o\ fXTi pAcVom? (3a£Vwo-j, TPIAT they 
 which fee not might fee^ and they which fee 
 might be made Blind. Juft in the fame man- 
 ner has the fame Apoftle applied a paffage of 
 Ifaiah, chap. xii. 37, 38. But though he 
 had done fo many Miracles before them, yet 
 they believed not on him, 'Im, THAT the fay- 
 ing of Ifaiah the Prophet might be fulfilled 
 which he fpake. Lord, who hath believed our 
 report. Not that J ejus came into the World 
 to blind, or with dejign to blind the People ; 
 but on the contrary to open Men's Eyes : 
 Nor that God defgned, that the Jews fhould 
 
 not 
 
2 1 8 An ES SAT upon the TR UTH 
 
 CHAP. r2of regard the Miracles of Jefus ; but in re- 
 ' ality that they Jhoiild pay a regard to his Mi- 
 racles, or elfe they would have had no Sin in 
 refafing to pay a regard to them. But in the 
 event of things it thus happened, that the 
 Miracles of our Lord v^ere the Occafiom of 
 their Obitinacy; and the words of IJaiah as 
 exadly fuited their Cafe, as if they had been 
 a Prophecy upon that very generation. So 
 here in relation to the Application of the 
 words of Hofeah^ there was as exadl a 
 fuitablenefs of the Terms made ufe of by 
 the Prophet to the cafe of J^lfus, as if it had 
 been in exprefs Defign and words foretold, 
 that Jefus was to go down into, and return 
 from Egypt, * 
 
 Neither will the word, -zs-A^pw^^, fulfilled^ 
 determine us to fuch a Senfe, as if the Evan- 
 gelift defigned to fpeak of a Prediction of fu- 
 ture Events accomplifhed. It is confeiTed, 
 that the word may fignify That : But when 
 the Pfophet was manifeftly fpeaking in the 
 words cited, of quite another thing; and a 
 ferious Searcher after Truth cannot difcover 
 any Intention in the Prophet to fpeak of a 
 future Eventj it is but reafonable to put fuch 
 a Senfe upon 'the Evangelift's words as will 
 make the whole confiftent. If therefore we 
 interpret the Citation as a mere Accommo- 
 dation of borrowed words, and this will ren- 
 der the whole Intelligible, it is very fit and 
 proper fo to do. Thus when the Evangelift 
 
 fays, 
 
of the Christian Religion. 219 
 
 fays, Matt. ii. 18, Then was fulfilled that^^^^- 
 which was Jpoken by Jeremy the Prophet, ^^ ' 
 faying^ In Rama was there a Voice heard^ 
 Lamentation^ and weepings and great mourn- 
 ings Rachel weeping for her Children^ and 
 would not be comforted^ becaife they were not. 
 If we look into Jeremiah ^ ic is plain, that 
 the Prophet is fpeaking about the Difperfon 
 of the Jews in ether Countries 3 and pro- 
 mifes, chap. xxxi. 16, that They Jhall come 
 figain from the hand of the Enemy, And 
 ver. 17. And there is hope in thine end, faith 
 the Lord, that thy Children fhall come again 
 to their OWN BORDER. To fult^A there- 
 fore this Prophecy, Children, (fuppofe That 
 word really to mean Infants of two Tears 
 old and under ^ which are the Children in St 
 Matthew^ were not to be murdered, but to 
 be kept alive^ and to be brought back to 
 their own Country, or Border, This there- 
 fore cannot pofiibly be a Prophecy of a fu- 
 ture Event relating to the murdering the In- 
 fants by Herod's bat muft be only the Ap- 
 plication of a paffage of the Prophet, where 
 the words exadly fuited the prefent occafion. 
 Mr Le Clerc has well obfei ved in his Notes 
 upon Matt, ii. 17. ' Les Joifs avoient ac- 
 
 * coutume de dire qu'un paffage de Tecriture 
 
 * s'accompliffoit, toutes les fois qu'il arrivoit 
 
 * quelque chofe, a quoi Ton pouvoit Tappli- 
 ' quer. Ainfi TEvangelifle ne veut dire autre 
 J chofe, ii non qu*il arriya alors une chofe^ dont 
 
 ' un 
 
220 ^n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP.* un pouvoit dire ce que Jeremie avoit dit au- 
 xin, c tj-efois dans une autre occafion.' /. e. The 
 Jews were wont to fay ^ that ^pajfage of Scrip- 
 ture was accomplilhed, as often as any thing 
 happened to which they could apply it. Thus the 
 Evangelifi intended 710 more^ than that a cer- 
 tain thing happened of which one might fay 
 what ]Qxtmyjaidat another time^ upon another 
 Occafon, And Bi(hop Kidder' % words are fo 
 perfedly confonant to this, that I cannot but 
 give them to the Reader. 
 
 " It is to be confidered that a Scripture 
 " may be laid to be fulfilled feveral ways : 
 " V, g. Properly^ in the Letter, as when 
 " that which was foretold comes to pafs ; or 
 " again, when what was fulfilled in the Type^ 
 *' is fulfilled again in the Antitype, Or elfe 
 *^ a Scripture may be faid to be fulfilled 
 *' more improperly j ^^ g, by way of Ac- 
 " commodation ; as when a like Event hap- 
 " pens to any Place or People to what fell 
 ** out fome time before. The Sorrow and 
 " the Mourning that now fell upon the 
 *' Coafts of Bethlehe??! and Ramah, was 
 '* very bitter and grievous,, and like that 
 ^* which is reported to have befallen thofe 
 ** Places, by Jeremy^ upon another occa- 
 " fion : And then thofe words are made ufe 
 '' of by way of Allifion to exprefs this Sor- 
 " row by. The Evangelift does not fay, 
 " That it might be fulfilled ; but then was 
 " fulfilled 'y q. d. Such another Scene of Sor- 
 
 " rov7 
 
of the Christian Religion. 221 
 
 ' row appeared then, upon the Murder of CHAP. 
 
 '' the Innocents, as was that which Jeremy ^"^" 
 
 ^' mentions upon another fad Occafion, 
 
 '* This is a way of fpeaking ufed in the New 
 
 '' Teftament. What the Prophet Ifaiah 
 
 " fays of the Hypocrites of his time, {Ifai. 
 
 ^* xxix. 13,) is appHed by y^j, to thofe who 
 
 '' were Hke them : Te Hypocrites, well did 
 
 *' Ifaias prophefy of you, faying^ This people 
 
 '' draweth nigh unto me with their mouthy 
 
 " and honour eth me with their lips, but their 
 
 " heart is far from me. Thefe Men were 
 
 '' ^Hypocrites Hke thofe in the Prophet's 
 
 '' time; and therefore the Words of the 
 
 " Prophet are accommodable to them though 
 
 *' they were fpoken of Other men. Again, 
 
 " the words of the fame Prophet, which 
 
 *' were fpoken to thofe of his own time, are 
 
 *' faid to be fulfilled in thofe who lived in 
 
 '* our Saviour's, and are accommodated to 
 
 " them. In them is fulfilled the Prophecy of 
 
 *' Ifaias, fays our Saviour; Matt, xiii. 14. com- 
 
 *' pared with Ifai, vi. 9. St Paul applies the 
 
 " fame words to the Jews of his time, and at 
 
 *' the fame time allows them to have been 
 
 '' fpoken of their Fathers: -^^i xxviii. 25. 
 ** It were eafy to give more Inftances to this 
 
 *' purpofe. Compare Matt. xiii. 34, 35. 
 
 " with Pf. Ixxviii. 2. Matt. xxi. 13. with 
 
 " Jer. vii. 1 1. And this is a Liberty to be 
 
 " allowed to, and that is taken by, all Wri- 
 
 " ters. St Matthew was an Hebrew ; and 
 
 '* wrote 
 
Jn ESSAT upo?i the TRUTH 
 wrote (it is commonly believed) in the 
 Hebrew Tongue, and for the Ule of the 
 Hebrews^ and in their Style and manner 
 *' of writing. He muft be a Stranger to 
 *' the Hebrew Writers, that does not know 
 " that nothing is more common among them 
 " than fuch Accommodations of the Text 
 " upon all occafions. They abound in fuch 
 " Applications: I m^iy hy their Mi drafiim 
 " do very much exceed in them. The Jews 
 " of all Men in the World have no caufe to 
 " objed: againft our Evangelift on this Ac- 
 " count. And this which I have faid in the 
 " laji place, I take to be alone a full Anfwer 
 " to the Obje(5lion of the Jews,'' Kidder's 
 Demonjiration of the Meffias. Part II. 
 p, 215, 216. 
 
 And indeed this way of fpeaking was not 
 unknown to the beft Heathen Writers. 
 Thus in Mlian-y Diogenes Sinopenfis ufed 
 continually to fay concerning himfelfy that he 
 Fulfilled, and underwent all the curfes of 
 Tragedy : For he was a Vagabond and had 
 
 no home, *'Or4 aJro^ IkttXvj^oi y-oci uVojU-g^ei m? Ik rr.q 
 
 Tpa>'cofe apa?. vid. Le C/erc's Supplement to 
 Hammond^ chap. iv. 14. 
 
 To fulfil therefore does not neceffarily 
 fignify the completion of an Event foretold, 
 but only fuch a Refemblance of Circum- 
 ftances, that the words of the Prophet may 
 be literally and exadly applied to the cafe 
 in hand : Or that they fuit as exactly, as 
 
 if 
 
of the Christian Religion. 223 
 
 if the Prophet had had this particular point chap. 
 in View. . ^'^^^^• 
 
 The Author of "The Difconrfe of the 
 Grounds^ Sec, has very juftly obferved, p. 209, 
 that '' the Learned are at a lofs how to ac- 
 " count for many Quotations," made by the 
 New Teftament Writers, *' which neither 
 " agree to the Hebrew or Sepfuagint,'* And 
 He thinks that " the Citations muft be ac- 
 '* counted for from the Jewip? manner of 
 *' making Citations fo as to ferve the pur- 
 " pofes for which they were produced," p, 
 215. It is very plain at firft fight, that they 
 vary in their C^uotations very much from the 
 Hebrew^ and likewife from the LXX. Thus 
 (to inftance in Two or Three,) Matthew, 
 chap. i. 23, has it. Behold^ a Virgin JJjall be 
 with child, and Jhall bring forth a Son^ and 
 yiocXi(7^(ri, They fhall call his name Emanuel. 
 The Hebrew has it, Thou fia/t call, and fo 
 the LXX, jtaA£cr£t?, The Targum of Jona- 
 than, She JImH calL 
 
 So again. Matt. ii. 6. K^l o-J |3»iO/\e£/->^, y^ :»Ja, 
 
 l^sAEuVerat 7i}/8^£v(^ oo? zroiiAuvsT rov Aaoy [xa tov 
 
 'l<rpocYix, In the Septuagint of Micah, ch. v. 2. 
 
 ^iXix(riv l^^x' Ix. (T? ]!^ol E^fAEUfrera; (AleX. riy^y^sv^^j 
 T» £ii/at ug app(^ovTa t» *I(rpa^7iA» Or aS the JileX" 
 
 andrian copy has it, h rZ 'lo-pa^iA, And if we 
 compare the EvangelilT: with the Hebrew, it 
 (lands thus, And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, 
 
 art 
 
^^4 ^^ ESSAT upo?i the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP, art little to be among the thoufands (or Go- 
 
 ii^ii-j vernors) of Judah. Out of thee fjall come 
 forth to me^ who fhqll be a Ruler in Ifrael. 
 Which words are very different from thole 
 which the Evangelift made ufe of in his Ci- 
 tation. And though this be a real Prophecy 
 of a Ruler which was to be born at Bethle- 
 hem, and was underftood by the JewSy and 
 applied to the Mefjiah expeded amongft them, 
 yet the Senfe of the Prophecy, and not thd 
 very words, are cited. 
 
 Again; Matt. ii. l8. (pmn b Tccy.^ r>w<7^Yi, 
 ra rix.voc durrig, aoci, «>c riOsAs "srocpocxKri^Yii/cci, on Jx iKrl, 
 
 Here again, the Evangeliil varies in two or 
 three Inflances from the words of the Ori- 
 ginal, by adding the word, Weeping, and by 
 leaving out after thofe words, would not be 
 comforted, thefe, viz. for her Children, 
 
 Thefe, and many other Inftances of this 
 kind, ihew that the Evangelills fometimes ap^ 
 plied the Words of the Old Teftament, which 
 fuited the Occafions they were fpeaking a- 
 bout, without regarding the Original Inten- 
 tion and View of the Prophet -, and at other 
 times they regarded the Senfe of Prophecies, 
 without tying themfelves up to the very Ex- 
 preffions which the Prophets ufed. Now 
 luppoiing their Citations to be, as generally 
 they are, mere accomfnodations only, this 
 very naturally will account for the changes of 
 words, or the differences which feem fo irre- 
 
 eoncileabko 
 
of the Christian Religion. 225 
 
 concileable. In fuch cafes, words may be C H A P. 
 left out, or put in, or may be applied difFe- ^J^^^' 
 rently from what an Author originally defign- 
 ed : Nor is any thing more ufual than for all 
 forts of people, by fmall changes of words, 
 to accommodate Scripture Paflages to Things 
 which the Writers themfelves never had in 
 View. Nor would this meet with any dif- 
 ficulty in the prefent Inftance, were it not 
 for thofe ftrong Expreffions made ufe of by 
 the Apoflles ; which our Unacquaintednefs 
 with the Genius of the Language, and of 
 the People which ufed them, makes appear 
 fo harfh and difagreeable. But to proceed. 
 
 The Evangelifl fays, Matt. ii. 23. And 
 he came and dwelt in a City called Nazareth, 
 that it might be fulfilled which wai fpoken by 
 the Prophets, He Jljall be called a Nazarene. 
 
 It is I think on all hands agreed, that none 
 of the writers of the Old Teftament have 
 faid one word about the Mejjiah'^ being cal- 
 led by This Name. Nor has any one of 
 them fo much as intimated that He was to 
 dwell at Nazareth, It muft be therefore . 
 mere conjedure now in every one that at- 
 tempts a Solution of this difficulty. Some 
 indeed are more happy in this than others : 
 and it muft be owned an eafier thing to re- 
 fute a former Conjedlure, than to find out 
 a new one. That which feems to me to 
 be the beft, and moft probable account is 
 this, that fince the Prophets fpoke of the 
 
 Q^ inean^ 
 
An ESS AT upon the rRUTH 
 
 mean^ and low, and defpi cable (late of The 
 MeJJiah -, that He fhould be in the Language 
 of IJaiah, chap. hii. 3. defpijed and reje5Ied 
 of Men, a Man of for rows and acquainted 
 with grief 'y that He fliould be cut of\ as Da- 
 niel has it, chap, ix. 26. — Since This was to 
 be the State of the Meffiah, the Providence 
 of God fo difpofcd things, that fefus (hould 
 live in a Town, from whence it was fup- 
 pofed that no good thing could come : John i. 
 46. That He fhould be treated with con- 
 tempt, and reproach, even upon Account of 
 the Place he Hved in : and that by this cir- 
 cumftance, what was faid concerning him in 
 the Prophet (hould be verified. 
 
 Matt. iii. 3. The Evangelift obferves, 
 This is he that was fpoken of by the Prophet 
 Efaias, faying. The Voice of one crying in the 
 wildernefsy prepare ye the way of the Lord, 
 make his Paths f rait. The place of Efaias 
 alluded to, is chap, x\, 3. The voice of him 
 that cryeth in the wildernefs, Prepare ye the 
 way of the Lord, makejlrait in the defart an 
 high way for our God : and this St Matthew 
 applies to John the Baptiji, and fays. This is 
 he that was fpoken of by the Prophet Ifaiah. 
 Every one of the Evangelifts apply the fame 
 paffage in the fame manner, Mark i. 3. 
 Lukem, 4, 5. John i. 23. except that this 
 laft tells us, that the Baptiji himfelf applyed 
 it to himfelf, faying, / am the voice of one 
 crying in the Wildernefs^ &c. 
 
 If 
 
bf the Christian Religion. 227 
 
 If we look into Ifaiah^ chap. xl. We find^^J^^/- 
 
 i9 
 
 that the Prophet is Tpeaking of Comfort to ^ '^^' 
 
 yerufakm, and that her Iniquity is pardoned^ 
 for jhe hath received from the Lord's hand 
 double for all her Sins. Upon this declara- 
 tion of pardon^ he bids them prepare a ivay 
 for God to return to them for to vifit them in 
 Kindnefs, and to ftiower down his Bleffings 
 upon them. But what has this to do with 
 yohn the Baptift^ who prepared indeed a 
 way for the Lord, but not as the Prophet was 
 fpeaking, for pardon of Iniquity, but to 
 render double upon Jerufalemyir all her Sins ? 
 It was indeed to be a Forerunner of the 
 Sceptre'% departing from Judah, and of the 
 Deftrudlion of ferufalem, and of the long 
 Captivity of his people, which lafts even to 
 this day, and not of any profped: of com- 
 fort or pleafure to the Jews, Thefe words 
 therefore, as applied to John, feem to be 
 nothing but an accommodation ; and confi- 
 dering his Circumllances in the wildernefs^ 
 and his being the Forerunner of the Mefjiah^ 
 nothing could be more applicable than they 
 are. 
 
 The Evangelirt: indeed fays, ^his is he that 
 is fpoken of by Ifaiah. But yet it is no more 
 abiurd to apply to him in particular the words 
 which in their original are general, and re- 
 late to a future comfort to Ifrael^ than it is in 
 other Inftances to apply general words to 
 particular occafions, which they will natu- 
 
 Q^ rally 
 
228 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 ^ Yif/' ^^''y ^"^ obvioufly fuit. I will name an In- 
 flance which may in fome Meafure explain 
 iny meaning. There is in Plato'% Alcibiades 
 2dus, a very remarkable conjecture of So- 
 crates^ concerning a Perfon who fliould fome 
 time or other come into the world, and teach 
 
 mankind, ux; ^sTw^og Gsa? xal Xir^o? av9pW7r»f SiocKsTG-Qxiy 
 
 How Men Jhould behave themfelves towards 
 God and Man, Alcibiades afks him, ison ay 
 
 uocpiroc^i c ;^pov(^ out(^, xat r]g zrocMoov^ When 
 
 that time will come ? and who it was that 
 Jhould thus inJlruB Mankind^ — Socrates an- 
 fwers, '^OuTo,- irvv w joteAst mpt' o-y. It is He who 
 now takes care of you : And foon after fays, 
 that He has a wonderful concern for you. 
 Alcibiades declares his readinefs to wait for 
 that Time, and expreffes his hopes that That 
 Time will come^ » Sioi ixocy.fi^ in a little time. 
 Now, fhould any one fay, that when ^efus 
 appeared, and did in fa6t what Socrates faid, 
 ouTo? Ir^'^i^ This is he that is fpoken of by So- 
 crates, The common Ufe of Language in all 
 countries would bear him out, and juftify the 
 Expreffion : much more would the particular 
 Idiom of the Jews, whofe way of citing 
 their facred Books is known to be exadly in 
 this manner. 
 
 When St Mark chap. i. 2, 3. cites this 
 place of Jfaiahy he joins to it a Paflage of 
 Malachi (from chap. iii. 1.) without giving 
 us any notice that One part of what he cites 
 is taken from Ifaiah^ the other from another 
 
 Prophet. 
 
of the Christian Religion. 229 
 
 Prophet. It is indeed in fome copies, as we ^ ^^ ^^ P- 
 read it, In the Prophets, But the antient vJ^iLi 
 reading was, In Ifaiah the prophet-, Or as 
 others, In the Prophet, vid. Mill, in loc. 
 But not to enter into this, I would obferve 
 that St Mark^ when he cites even a literal 
 Prophecy which was really accomplifhed in 
 yoh?2, yet he does not ftricflly obferve either 
 the Original, or the Septuagint ; but gives 
 us the true fenfe of Malachi, though he 
 varies a little from his Words. 
 
 The next Citation is Matt, iv. 13, &g. 
 Jefus leaving Nazareth, came and dwelt in 
 Capernaum, which is upon the Sea-coaji in 
 the Borders of Zabulon and Napthali. That 
 it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by Efaias 
 the prophet, faying. The land of Zabulon, 
 and the Land of Napthali, by the way of the 
 Sea heyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles ; 
 The people which fat in darknefs faw great 1 
 
 light ', and to them which fat in the region 
 and fiadow of Death, light is fprang up. 
 This Citation is taken from Ifaiah, chap. ix. 
 1,2; and if the real Meaning be, what the 
 judicious Mr Mede maintains, p, joi, The 
 Senfe of the Prophet is this : That as the 
 firji time He made vile the land of Zabulon, 
 and the land of Napthali, fo in the later time 
 he hath, or fjall, make it glorious, even the 
 way of the Sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the 
 Gentiles. Which way was this done ? The 
 people which walk in darknefs have feen great 
 
 0^3 h^'^'^ 
 
230 An ESS AT upon the I'RUTH 
 
 CHAP. Jigh^ . to them which dwell in the land of the 
 ^^^^* Shadow of Death light is fprung up. This 
 is what the Prophec has faid ; and this the 
 Evangelitt produces on account of fefus'% 
 dwelling in Caperiiaum^ which is in the Pro- 
 vince of Galilee, The point is, whether 
 this be a Prophecy, that the Meffiah was to 
 dwell in Galilee^ Or, is it only an Accommo- 
 dation of the words of Ifaiah to the acci- 
 dental retirement of Jejus to thofe parts? 
 Thofe who contend for it's being a Prophecy^ 
 conned: the whole together thus : That as 
 the Land of Zabulon and Napthali were the 
 frft that were fubdued by 'Tiglath-Pilefer^ 2 
 Kings XV. 29, fo that Land (hould firft have 
 the Honour of the Meffiah's Prefence : And 
 this they think is clearly afferted in the fol- 
 lowing verfes, For unto us a child is bom^ 
 unto us a Son is given, and the Government 
 fiall be upon his Shoulder^ and his Name Jhall 
 be called Wonderful, Counfeller, The Mighty 
 God, the everlafting Father, [the Father of 
 Ag;es,] the Prince of Peace. Of the Rii- 
 creafe of his Government and Peace there 
 jhall be no End, upon the Throne of David, 
 and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to 
 ejiablijh it with fudgment and with Jufice^ 
 from henceforth even for ever and ever. 
 
 But then on the other hand it may be faid^ 
 that the Evangelift has left out thofe words 
 nlpon which this Interpretation is in fome 
 meafure founded, and which might lead the 
 
 Reader 
 
c///6^ Christian Religion. 231 
 
 Reader of the Gofpel to fuch a Notion, viz. CHAP. 
 at thejirji time He made vile : And likewife ^^^^' 
 thofe other words, and afterwards did more 
 grievovfly ajfii^^ or as the words may be 
 rendered, fo in the later time be made glo- 
 rious: That, This was never underftood by 
 the 'Jews in our Saviour's time in this man- 
 ner ; For their notion was, Search and look ; 
 for out of Gahlee arifeth no prophet^ John 
 vii. 52. and again, ver. 41. fhall Chrijl come 
 out of Galilee : That, All this pafiage may 
 be underfiiovod literally of the feveral Invafions 
 of the Land of Judea by the AJJyrians^ viz. 
 " that at firft God lightly afilided the Land 
 *' of Zahulon and Napthali by Tiglath- 
 ** Pilefer ; Then He did it more grievoufly 
 ** by Salmanefer^ who caiTicd Ifrael away 
 " into Affyria : 2 Kings xvii. 6. and that the 
 *' people of feriifalem who were in the ter- 
 '' ribleft apprehenfions, had feen great light 
 *' and freedom from their fears, they that 
 " dwelt in the Shadow of Death, upon them 
 ** the Light hath finned :'' That confe- 
 qnently this can be no more than a mere Ap- 
 plication of the Prophet's words to the Oc- 
 cafion of fefus's preaching and living in Ga^ 
 like ; where the Words of Ifaiah in an emi- 
 nent manner fuited the circumftances of our 
 Saviour's converfation in thofe parts. 
 
 It is certain that the words cited Matt. 
 viii. 16, 17. are nothing but mere accom- 
 modation of the Phrafe of Jfaiah to the pre- 
 Q_4 feat 
 
A?i ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 fent Occafion. They brought unto him many 
 that were poffeffed with Devils, a?id he cafl 
 out the Spirits with his word^ and healed all 
 that were fick, That it might be fulfilled 
 which was Jpoken by the Prophet Efaias, fay- 
 ing^ Himfelf took our Infirmities, and bare 
 our SickneiTes. The Evangelifl: has here fol- 
 lowed the Hebrew literally, and not the 
 LXX, which is very diflFerent. In Ifaiah 
 there is not one word of cafiing out Devils^ 
 or of any miraculous cure of Sicknejjes. 
 When the prophet fpeaks of the Servant of 
 God, Ifai. Hi. 13. and fays, chap. liii. 4, 
 Surely he hath borne our Griefs, and carried 
 our Sorrows, — the natural and obvious fenfe of 
 the words is, that he is tender-hearted and 
 compaflionate, full of pity and concern for 
 the Misfortunes of Others. This Difpofi- 
 tion being fo very remarkable in our Lord, 
 and He always fhewing himfelf ready and 
 willing to cure all that were brought before 
 him, the Evangelifl: applied the Words of 
 the Prophet as exadly fuiting his prefent 
 Purpofe. It is true indeed that they are in- 
 troduced by faying,- — That was fulfilled which 
 wasfpoken by Efaiah ; Yet it is plain no more 
 is intended by the Evangelifts here, than that 
 the Prophet's words were very pertinent to 
 that Occafion 3 becaufe we find them applied 
 by St Peter, in his i Ep. chap. ii. 24. to 
 quite a different purpofe, viz. to Jefus's bear- 
 ing our Sins upon the Crofs $ and it is con- 
 trary 
 
 / 
 
^ //&(? Christian Religion. 233 
 
 trary to the Nature of all Language to ima- CHAP, 
 gine the Tame Words intended to lignify Two "^^^^^ 
 Things, fo different, and remote from each 
 other as thefe are. 
 
 When a Prophecy is literally to be com- 
 pleted, and a certain Event is foretold, it is 
 eafy to fee in the Prophet himfelf fuch an ac- 
 count of things as will manifeftly point out 
 fome certain Event. A Perfon known by 
 the Name of the MeJJtah, was expedted and 
 plainly foretold. The Prophet Haggai, plain- 
 ly declared that the Dejire of all TSIatiom 
 Jhould come — and that the Glory of this latter 
 houfe Jhoiild be greater than of the foriner^ 
 chap. ii. 7, 9. Malachy (many years after 
 Haggai) declared. Behold^ I will fend my 
 Meflenger, and he Jhall prepare the way be- 
 fore me ; and the Lord whom ye feek fiall 
 fuddenly come to his Temple^ even the Mejfenger 
 of the Covenant whom ye delight in : Behold^ 
 he ffjall come^ faith the Lord of Hofs^ chap. 
 iii. I. and Again, chap. iv. 5. Behold f I 
 will fend you Elijah the Prophet, before the 
 comijig, of the great and dreadful Day of the 
 Lord, Here is an exprefs Prophecy of a 
 particular Perfon, ftiled the Mejfenger of 
 him whom they feeked, and like wife a Pro- 
 phecy of Him whom they feeked for ; who 
 was to come into His Temple ; and this was 
 to be done fuddenly after that MejJ'enger^ 
 coming. Thus far was plain and clear Pro- 
 phecy 5 and every Man had a right to de- 
 mand 
 
234 ^« ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, rnand who this Meffenger was ? Jefus^ in 
 
 ^!^:^^Matt, ii. lo, tells us expreffly, that this 
 Mejfenger was ^obn the Baptift, This is he 
 of whom it is written^ Behold, I fend my 
 Mcir^Qger before thy face^ which Jlmll pre- 
 pare thx way before thee. The Event of 
 things alone could (hew the Truth of all this; 
 and that would prove the Difference betwixt 
 the General Application of fuitable Words, 
 and the real completion of an intended 
 Event. 
 
 Where the Prophet's words are fuch as 
 that the Reader fees a Predidion of fome- 
 thing future, He mufl look for the Event, 
 and judge from thence. In the prefent In- 
 ftances ; Here is an exprefs declaration, that 
 God would fend his Meffenger, and that then 
 prefent iy afcer fhoijld the Lord^ whom the 
 jews Jought, come iiito his Temple, The fol- 
 lowing verfes tell us what Ihould be the 
 Effect of his coming. Who may abide the 
 Day of his comi?2g ; and who fid all ft and when 
 he appeareth ; jor he is like Refiners Fire^ 
 and like Fullers Sope : and he jhall fit as a 
 Refiner and Purifier of Silver : and he jhall 
 purify the Sons of Levi — that they may offer 
 unto the Lord an Offering in Righteoufiiefs. 
 In the latter prophecy, it is declared, that 
 God would fend ELIJAH the Prophet^ before 
 the great and terrible Day of the Lord: and 
 that Wi\]d\\ Jhould endeavour to turn the Heart 
 of the Fathers and of their Qhildreny left 
 
 God 
 
of the Christian Religion. 23c 
 
 GoAJJooiild come and Jmite their Land with <^ C H A P. 
 Curfe. When the time came, that Two ,_^^^ 
 Perfons (hould appear juft under the cha- 
 radlers and defcriptions here mentioned, it 
 would be very right to compare their Adions 
 with the Prophecy, and to fee if they cor- 
 refponded. Now our Saviour diredly avow- 
 ed, John the Baptiji to be the Meffenger, 
 this Elijah who was to prepare the way of 
 the Lord, Nor does any thing occur to the 
 contrary, except that any one fhould enquire, 
 17?. How yohn was Elijah? 2. How is it, 
 that John himfelf denied himfelf to be £- 
 lias ? or 3^/^. How is it, that after John was 
 beheaded^ our Lord fa id, Eli as truly Jhall 
 comejirjl, and rejiore all things ? To the ^Jt, 
 How John was Elijah the Prophet^ or as the 
 LXX hath it, Elias the 'Thijbite? I anfwer, 
 that John came in the Spirit and Power of 
 Elias, Luke i. 17. There was a great Simi- 
 litude in their Tempers, Manners, Zeal, 
 Sandity, Way of living; and nothing is 
 more ufual than to call by the fame names 
 different Perfons of fo very like difpofitions. 
 Thus Cato is put for a rigidly jujl and wife 
 Man : Thus Virgil^ 
 
 Alter erit jam Tiphys^ £s? altera quce ve^ 
 
 hat Argos 
 pile5los Heroas. 
 
An ESSAT upon the TRUTH 
 To the Second Difficulty, That John de- 
 nied himfelf to be E/ias, John i. 21, I an- 
 iwer, That the Jews by their queftion, and 
 in their notions, meant the very Per/on of 
 Elias the Tiijbite, who was to appear upon 
 Earth again : and John denied himfelf to be 
 Eh'as in that Senfe : but then he added that 
 he was the Perfon who was to prepare the 
 way of the Lord -, which was declaring him- 
 felf to be the Elias of Malachi^ and all that 
 was meant in that Prophecy. He was the 
 Elias of the Prophet, though not the ima- 
 ginary Elias of the Jews, 
 
 To the Third Difficulty, It is in Matthew 
 xvii. II, Elias cometh jirfl^ and Jhall rejlore 
 all thi?2gS', Or as St Mark has it, chap. ix. 
 12, Elias coming firft^ rejioreth all things: 
 and Jefus adds immediately, He is come al- 
 ready^ Matt. xyii. j 2, which the Apofiles 
 plainly underflood of John the Baptift -^ 
 which fhews that they underftood our Sa- 
 viour, not of one who was to come in times 
 then future, but of one who was already 
 come ; even of John the Baptijl^ who had 
 performed what the Elias of Malachi was to 
 perform. 
 
 There was then an exprefs Prophecy of 
 a Mejfenger that was to appear before the 
 Meffiah; and Jefus determines John the 
 Baptiji to be that Perfon, when he fays, 
 This is he of whom it is written. He cites 
 the Prophecy where fuch and fuch things 
 
 were 
 
of the Christian Religion. 237 
 
 were foretold ; and which plainly defigned chap. 
 One^ fixed, and certain Event. But when , ™l^ 
 St Matthew^ fpeaking of the fame John^ 
 chap. iii. 3 , fays, This is he that was fpoken 
 of by the Prophet Efaias, — and then applies 
 fome words of Efaias which do not appear 
 to have any fiich determined Meaning, or 
 which would not lead the Reader to expert 
 a fore-runner of the Mefjtah in the particular 
 place referred to ; it is much more natural to 
 think, efpecially fince the words will bear 
 that Interpretation, that the Evangelift only 
 quotes words which were very proper to the 
 Occafion, but does not thence intend to infer 
 any determined Event foretold. 
 
 The next citation that we have is. Matt. 
 xii. 15 — 21. And great multitudes followed 
 him^ and he healed them all^ and charged them 
 that they Jloould not make him known. That 
 it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by Efaias 
 the Prophet^ fay^^gy * Behold^ my Servant 
 
 * whom I have chofen, my beloved in whom 
 
 * my Soul is well pleafed : I will put my 
 
 * Spirit upon him, and he fliali fhew Judg- 
 
 * ment unto the Gentiles, He iliall not 
 
 * ftrive nor cry ; neither (hall any Man hear 
 
 * his Voice in the Streets. A bruifed Reed 
 
 * fliall he not break, and fmoaking Flax fhall 
 
 * he not quench, 'till he fend forth Judg- 
 
 * ment unto Victory. And in his Name 
 
 * fliall the Gentiles trufl:.* Efai, xlii. i — 4. 
 
 St Matthew 
 
238 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. St Matthew here defigned to fliew the re- 
 ^^^.markable Meeknefs, and Freedom from all \ 
 Ambition, that was in Jefusi ^^^ he founds 
 his Obfervation upon this, that when he | 
 
 healed diftempered People, he charged them \ 
 
 that they fiould not make him known. This 
 condudt of our Saviour fo exacftly agreed to 
 what was faid in Efaiah, that the Evangelift 
 cites the whole Paflage, and by it declares 
 that He was a Perfon of no Contention, or 
 Ambition, or Strife; that he was not in the 
 lead addidled to an affectation of popularity^ 
 and fame, but quietly retired from the noife 
 of Glory. It is not the Defign of this Cita- 
 tion to prove, (as the Author of the Difcourfe 
 of the Grounds and Reajom of the Chrijiian 
 Religion^ afferts, p. 6.) That it. was fore- 
 told in Efaiahy that Jefus Jhould give fuch a 
 charge to thofe whom he cured : It would be 
 hard io prove (except from the Targum) that 
 Efaiah was at all fpeaking of the Meffiah, 
 But fuppofing him fpeaking of the Children 
 of IJrael^ as the LXX conceived ; or of 
 himfelf, as Grotius imagines, the Paffage was 
 pertinently applied to JefiiSy who was of fo 
 remarkably meek a Difpofition. 
 
 In the fame manner our Saviour himfelf 
 fpeaks concerning the People who did not 
 under ftand his Parables, Matt. xiii. 13, 14^ 
 1 5. Therefore fpeak I to them in Parables, 
 becaufe they feeing fee not, and hearijig they 
 hear noty neither do they underjiand. And 
 
 in 
 
of the Christian Religion. 27q 
 
 in them is fulfilled the Prophecy ^ Efaias, C H a p. 
 which faith, By hearing ye Jhall hear, and ^]i 
 Jhall not iinderjland ; and feeing ye fjfll fee^ 
 and Jhall not perceive. For this People's heart 
 is waxed grofs, and their Ears are dull of 
 hearing, and their Eyes they have clofed, left 
 at any time they fiould fe with their EyeSy 
 and hear with their Ears, and Jljould under ^ 
 ftand with their Heart, and fjould be con- 
 verted, and I JJjould heal them. The place 
 of Ifaiah alluded to is, chap. vi. 9, 10. 
 And he faid. Go tell this People, Hear ye in- 
 deed^ but underftand not, and fee ye indeed^ 
 but perceive not. Make the heart of this 
 People fat, and make their Ears heavy ^ and 
 fhut their Eyes, left they fee with their Eyes, 
 and hear with their Ears, and underftand 
 with their Heart, and convert, and be healed. 
 Who can reafonably conceive, That a parti- 
 cular adtion of Ifaiah^ and fuch a one as im- 
 mediately concerned him alone, and which he 
 alone was direded to do, iTiould be defigned 
 likewife for the particular Circumftances and 
 Times of 'Jefus, and the People with whom 
 Jefus had to do ? Thefe are plainly general 
 words, which equally may concern all times; 
 and are certainly applicable to all times : 
 fince it is true at ail times, and in all places, 
 that People's hearts are grofs and dull, and 
 their Eyes and Ears they clofe, wherefoever 
 or whenfoever they are governed, as the Bulk 
 of Mankind always have been, by vices and 
 
 flrong 
 
240 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP, flrong prejudices. The fulfilling therefore 
 ^^^^* this Prophecy of Efaias means no more than 
 this, that what was faid of the People of 
 his time, was equally true of, and equally ap- 
 plicable to, the People of the age in which 
 our Saviour lived. 
 
 The next citation likewife fliews the Truth 
 of this Obfervation. All thefe words fpake 
 Jefus unto the Multitude in parables, and 
 without a parable jpake not he unto them. 
 That it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by 
 the Prophet, faying, I will open my Mouth in 
 parables, / will utter things which have been 
 kept fecret from the Foundation of the World, 
 Matt. xiii. 35. Thefe words occurring no 
 where but in the Ixxviiith Pfalm, whatever 
 is the Prophet's name in fome copies, it is 
 certain that Afaph was meant, becaufe they 
 are expreffly his words : and Afaph here is 
 ftiled a Prophet ; not one that foretells fu- 
 ture Events, but in the laxer fenfe of the 
 word. One who has explained or declared 
 the mind of God. 2dly. The Parables of 
 the Pfalmift are very different from the Pa- 
 rabies made ufe of by our Saviour \ The One 
 were nothing but fhort Sententious narra- 
 tions of paft Fads; the other; were obfcure 
 fpeeches involved in Similitudes. In citing 
 therefore the words of the Pfalmijl in fo very 
 different a fenfe, The Evangelifts in effedt, 
 declared, that he only accommodated thofe 
 words to the prefent defign, though ihe in- 
 troduced 
 
of the Christian Religion. 241 
 
 troduced them as if he had cited a real Pro- CHAP, 
 phecy, and were relating it's accomplifliment. ^^11^ 
 idly. "OTTc^g TffXripM, THAT it might be ful- 
 filled, does not therefore fignify any purpofed 
 De/ign, or Intention in Afaph, but only fig- 
 nifies fuch an Event, cui verba ilia exceUe?i- 
 tiuSy imo magis proprie congruerent^ fays 
 Grotius, to which thofe words would even more 
 properly agree. For, d^thly, AJaph was fpeak- 
 ing of fuch things as, We have heard and 
 known ^ and our Fathers have told us-, and 
 then recounts 'the Wonders done by Mofes in 
 Egypt ^ and in the Wildernefs ; and defcends 
 to the times when David was taken from the 
 Sheepfolds to feed Jacob his People -, and pro- 
 ceeds no farther. What is there in this which 
 can poffibly relate to fefus, I mean intefi- 
 tionally^ and by way of foretelling a deter- 
 mined Event? and yet here are the Terms, 
 7hat it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by 
 the Prophet, which ihews that the Evan- 
 gelift's meaning was, only to make ufe of 
 words which fuited as well the Occafion, as 
 if in Fa6l it had been prophetically foretold 
 of Chrift, that he fhould fpeak in Parables, 
 
 But this will appear even flronger from 
 the next citation. Matt, xv. 7 ; where Je- 
 fus fpeaking of the hypocrify of the Pha- 
 rifees and Scribes^ who could even make void 
 a Law of God by their Traditions, fays, Te 
 Hypocrites, well did Efaias Prophefy of you ^ 
 faying^ This People draweth nigh unto me 
 
 R with 
 
242 An ESS AT upon the "TRVfH 
 
 Chap. «j^//^ their Mouth, and honour eth me with 
 * their Lips, but their heart is far jrom me : 
 But in vain do they worJJoip me, teaching for 
 doBrincs the Commandments of Men. The 
 Difference of the Citation from the tlebrcWy 
 and from the LXX, is not material: bat the 
 Point is, How did Ifaiah prophefy of the 
 People who by their notions about the things 
 which were really, or pretendedly, vowed to 
 God, were guilty of a Breach of the fifth 
 Commandment ? In what fenfe is this true, 
 when in Ifaiah^ there is no more relation to 
 the thing to which his words are applied by 
 yefuSy than there is of any thing how remote 
 foever ? To talk of Secondary Completions 
 here, is to fruftrate all Prophecy ; becaufe it 
 is impoflible ever to know when a Phophecy 
 is fulfilled, if as often as fimilar Circum- 
 fiances arife, we imagine that the Prophecy 
 had Them in view, and make fo many New 
 Completions. Befides, in the prefent Cafe, 
 as often as Religious Hypocrites appear, fo 
 often will this of Ifaiah be completed. Je- 
 fus therefore plainly meant no more, than 
 that thofe words of the Prophet fuited that 
 prefent Generation of Men as exadly, as if 
 Ifaiah had had them in his immediate View, 
 and had defigncdly fpoken of them. 
 
 This will help us to underftand the Evan- 
 gelift, chap. xxi. 4, 5. Where Jefus fending 
 his Difciples to fetch an Afs and it's Colt by 
 her, it is faid, AJl this was done that it might 
 
 be 
 
of the Christian Religion. 243 
 
 be fulfilled which was fpoken by the Prophet, ^ -^ "^ P- 
 faying^ Tell ye the Daughter of Zion, Be- '^'^^' 
 hold thy King comet h unto thee, meek-, a?id Jit- 
 ting upon an jifs, and a Colt the Fole of an 
 Afs. Thole words, — Tell ye the Daughter of 
 Sion, — are not in Zechariah : and the words 
 which are in the Prophet, — He is juft and 
 having Salvation — however literal concern- 
 ing fefus, are here omitted by the Evangelift. 
 In Sc JoLm^ Gofpel, chap. xii. 15, it is cited 
 thus, Fear not^ Daughter of Sion, Behold^ 
 thy King cometh fitting on an Afs's Colt, In 
 Zechariah ix. 9, the whole verfe is, Rejoice 
 greatly^ Daughter of Zion 5 fljout^ O 
 Daughter of Jerufalem ; Behold, thy King 
 Cometh unto thee : He is juft, and having Sal- 
 vation^ lowly, and riding upon an yijsy and 
 upon a Colt, the Fole of an Afs, 
 
 That which makes it very probable, that 
 thefe words related originally to Zorababel^ 
 or fome Perfon who came from Babylon, is, 
 that he is called in the Prophet, not as the 
 Englijh render it, having Salvation, or as in 
 the Margin, faving himfelf which is lefs 
 agreeable to the Original j nor as the Vulgate ^ 
 hath it, Salvator, and the LXX, o-w^wv ; but 
 paflivcly Vti^13, faved. One that was of the 
 Line of David who was faved during their 
 Captivity and Deftrudtion. Now .his being 
 omitted in the Citation by the E'^angelijiy 
 makes it probable that he took only from 
 the Old Teftament what was fuitable to his 
 R 2 Narration, 
 
244 ^^^ ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Narration, not intending to relate a Prophecy 
 t....,.^,^ of a defigned Event, but fuch an Analogy of 
 Circumftances as was very remarkable. 
 
 However, if any one imagines, that this 
 is proper ly a Prophecy of the Mejjiah ; that 
 a Saviour is foretold, who was to enter Je- 
 rufalem in the manner here defcribed ; that 
 This Ki?2g was to [peak peace to the Heathen 
 — and his Dominion to be even to the Ends of 
 the Earthy ver. lo. if any one, I fay, un- 
 derflands this Paffage in this manner, it is 
 literally fulfilled in Jejus ; and confequently 
 it is a Charader, which if it relates to the 
 MeJJtahy did agree to Jefus exadly. 
 
 The chief thing which feems to me to 
 have led many into miftakes about the mean- 
 ing of the Evangelift's words, in feveral 
 places, is, the taking redundant particles, or 
 fuch as defign mere accidental Events, or 
 perhaps Occafions only, for fuch as denote 
 Defign^ and Intention, and the Reafon of 
 things. Thus, Matt. xxvi. 31. Then f aid 
 Jefus U7ito them. All ye fiall be offended be- 
 caufe of me this night : 'ysypocTrroa TAP, FOR 
 // is written, I will fmite the Shepherd, and 
 the fideep of the flock jhall be flattered abroad. 
 The Particle, FOR, does not here denote a 
 Caufe why the Difciples were to defert their 
 Mafter ; Nor doth any Prophecy imply an 
 Intention of God, that They fhould be ob- 
 liged to be difperfed that night : But the par- 
 ticles, in all fuch Inftances, are, ConneUive 
 
 only ; 
 
of the Christian Religion. 245 
 
 only : Or elfe if the reafon be here meant, ^ if A p. 
 it is not becaiife it is written, but bcc'aufe in <,Jl!il^^ 
 the Courle of things, as the Prophet fays, if 
 the Shepherd be killed, the flock will be dif- t^ 
 
 perfed ; which words occur in Zechariah vii. 
 13. &mtte the Shepherd^ and theJJock will be 
 fcattered, m 
 
 Pfalm ex. is cited by our Lord to fliew that 
 The Mejjiahy or which is all one, ^he Son of 
 Davidy was to be a Perfon greater than Da- 
 md himfelf was, Matt, xxii. 42 — ^^^, 
 What think ye of Chrift ? whofe Son is He "^ 
 They fay unto hi?n. The Son of David. He 
 faith unto them. How then doth David i7i 
 Spirit call him Lord, faying, ' The Lord faid 
 
 * unto my Lord, fit thou on my right hand, 
 
 * 'till I make thine Enemies thy lootllool/ 
 If David then call him Lord, how is he His 
 Son? Mark xii. 35, 36, 37. Luke xx. 41 — 
 44. The principle here was acknowledged, 
 that The Mejjiah was to defcend from David -^ 
 and the Pfalmifi by the Spirit declared, that 
 this Lord oi David was to have E?2emies -, 
 and fo long too, that God at length fliould 
 take his Caufe into his own hands, and place 
 this Lord of David at his., right hand, 'till 
 Thefe fliould ail be fubdued. The Truth of 
 this the Jews in our Lord's time could not 
 comprehend, it being inconfiftent with their 
 Ideas of things : But fince the promulgation 
 of the Gofpel in the World, and the Know- 
 ledge of it's Progrefi:, we can fee how diis is 
 
 R 3 fuifllcd. 
 
246 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 fulfilled, and that an Event was here defigned 
 to be foretold. 
 
 The next citation is, Matt, xxvii. 9, 10. 
 Judas having returned the thirty pieces of 
 Silver which he had taken to betray his 
 Mafter, The chief Frieits took council^ and 
 ^bought with them the Potie?^s fields to bury 
 Strangers in. Then was fulfilled that which 
 wasfpoke by Jeremy the Prophet, faying, and 
 they took the thirty pieces of Silver^ the price 
 of him that was valued, who7n they of the 
 Children of I fr ael did value, and gave them 
 for the Potters field, as the Lord appointed 
 me. The place fuppofed to be alluded to, is 
 Zechariah xi. 12, 13. And If aid unto them^ 
 If ye think good, give me my price : and if 
 ?iot^ forbear. So they weighed for my price 
 thirty pieces of Silver. And the Lord faid 
 unto me^ Caft it mito the Potter : a goodly 
 price^ that I was prized at of thein. And I 
 took the thirty pieces of Silver, and cafl them 
 to the Potter in the houfe of the Lord, If 
 this be the place alluded to, there is indeed 
 mehiion made of Thirty Pieces of Silver, and 
 likewife of the Potter: but there is fcarce 
 any agreement in any other Circum fiances. 
 The perfonal Adion of Zfchariah, and the 
 Ferfonal Adion of Judas, have indeed this 
 refemblance, that each of them brought the 
 thirty pieces of Silver into the houfe of God, 
 But then Zechariah was the perfon prized at 
 rhat value 5 and to that Jejiis's Price cor- 
 
 refponds : 
 
cyT/iS^ Christian Religion. 247 
 
 refponds: fo that Zechary anfwers to both CHAP. 
 Judas who betrayed our Lord, and to our ^^^' 
 Lord too 'y which is fo involved and intricate, 
 and fo impoffible to be conceived as a cha- 
 rader of a future Perfon, that it is incredible 
 that the Apoftle fliould cite it as a Prophecy 
 of a determined future Event. 
 
 I do not enter into the Difficulty of ac- 
 counting for the citation as out of Jeremiahy 
 which no where occurs in '::Temiah's Books. 
 St Jerom'% Obfervation is, that thefe words 
 were in an apochryphal Book of Jeremiah's 
 verbatim. L^gi nuper^ fays he, in quodam 
 Hebraico volwnine quod Nazarenae SeEice He- 
 brasus mihi obtulit^ Hieremiae apocryphum^ in 
 quo h^c ad verbum Script a reperi. If the 
 Apoftle really cited this, He did no more 
 than St Jude did, in citing Enoch'^ Prophecy. 
 Nor could this be made an Objedion, were 
 it not that the word fulfilled, ufed by the 
 Evangelift, is deemed to carry with it the 
 meaning of an Event foretold, accomplifhed. 
 Whereas, fuppofing that That term iignifies 
 no more than to be verified, or that fome- 
 thing in One cafe anfwers very well in ano- 
 ther. Or that there is a fuitablenefi of things 
 —the difficulty vaniffies at firil fight. This 
 is certain, that if St Matthew cited the place 
 in Zechariah, he cited it diiferent from the 
 Hehrew, and from the Sepiuagint^ which 
 agree together j and (ince the citation agreed 
 verbatim with the Apochryphal Book which 
 R 4 "j^'^'^^n 
 
248 An ESSAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 ^l^h?.^erom faw, it is mod probable that from 
 
 ^'j_ I thence it was taken. However let the reader 
 
 weigh well Mr Mcde's Solution, p, 786. 
 where he fhews that the \xth, xtb, x\th, 
 chapters of Zechariah^ mod probably are the 
 Prophecies of Jeremiah^ as they are quoted 
 here by our Evangehil. 
 
 There is but one place more which may 
 look like citing a Prophecy : and That is 
 Matt, xxvii. 35. And they crucified him^ 
 and parted his Garments, cafiing Lots \ that 
 it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the 
 Prophets, They parted my Garments amongft 
 them, and upon my Vefture did they caft 
 lots. This is cited from Pfalm xxii. 18. 
 They part my Garments amongfi: them^ and 
 cafi lots upon my vefture. And every one of 
 the Evangelifts has taken notice of this re- 
 markable coincidence of things, Mark xv. 
 24. Luke xxiii. 34. John xix. 23. David 
 feems to be fpeaking of Himfelf, and the 
 diftrefled and forlorn Condition he was in : 
 Nor is there any internal mark throughout 
 this Pfalm, which would lead an attentive 
 reader to imagine, that he w^as fpeaking of the 
 miferable condition of another Perfon under 
 his own charadter. 
 
 The only reafon therefore why this PJalm 
 is deemed a Prophecy of the Meftiah is, that 
 feveral pafTages of it are cited by the New 
 Teftament writers, and are applied to Jefus, 
 But unlets it can be proved that the Term, 
 
 fulfilled. 
 
^ /^^ Christian Religion, 249 
 
 fulfilled^ implies always^ and neceffarily^ a ^ II A P. 
 preceding Event defigned to be accomplifhed ; ^^^^' 
 Or that the infpired Writers intended to de- 
 clare, that fuch a place was defigned as a Pro- 
 phecy^ it will be very difficult, if not im- 
 poffible, to make any nfc of fuch PafTages to 
 fatisfy an Infidel that they contain Charadfers^ 
 or Marks of a future Event. In the prefent 
 cafe, it feems very probable, that the Apo- 
 ftles meant no more than this, That what 
 was but figuratively^ or perhaps literally, 
 true of David in fome of his Misfortunes, 
 was literally true of Jefus at his Cruci- 
 fixion. 
 
 Thefe, I think, are all the paflages in St 
 Matthew, which feem to look like Pro- 
 phecies cited on account of the Events which 
 happened in our Saviour's Life : And from 
 Thefe, if we examine what are cited in the 
 Other Evangelifts, it will not be very diffi- 
 cult to difcover the true Import of their Ci- 
 tations. If the Prophet cited be fpeaking of 
 himfelf; or of his Contemporaries; or of his 
 own Times 3 or of paft Times, (unlefs it be 
 in fuch a manner as that the Reader may 
 plainly perceive that He is fpeaking of future 
 times;) the Application of fuch Citation to 
 our Saviour ought to be deemed no more than 
 AUufion, or Refemblance of Fads, and not 
 as determinate future Events to be accom- 
 plifhed in, or by, the Mejfiah, Nor ought 
 any one to argue from fuch Allufions, Ap- 
 plications 
 
250 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, plications, or Refemblances, as if They were 
 The Grounds and Reafo?2s of the Chrijiian Re- 
 ligion ; but only to coniider them as Accom- 
 modations of Scripture-Language to a prefent 
 Occafion. I cannot conclude this Chapter 
 better than in Dr Nicholh Words, in his 
 Conference with a TheiJK Part III. />. 10, 
 &c. 
 
 " I would have you confider, fays he, 
 ** Whether or no feveral of thefe pafTages 
 *^ which you refer to, and others in the New 
 *' Teftament, be not brought in by way of 
 " Allufiony or Accommodation, rather than 
 " Prophecy ? Now unlefs you were fure that 
 " all thofe places of the New Teftament, 
 " you are wont irreligioufly to expofe, can- 
 •' not poffibly be underftood this way, you 
 " do a very great piece of Injuftice to thefe 
 ** Writers. For why fhould not St Mat- 
 " thew^ or St Paul^ quote a Paffage of Ifaiab^ 
 "or the PfalmSy and apply it to another 
 '' Senfe, as well as You or I make the like 
 *' Ufe of a Verfe of Virgil or Ovid? Sup- 
 " pofe I lliould befpeak the Apoftles, thofe 
 " firft famous Propagators of our Chriftian 
 " Faith, in the Words of Virgih Invocation 
 '^ of the Sun and Moon, Virg, i. Georg,'— 
 " Vos 6 clarijfma Mundi Lumina — You 
 *' would not look upon this to be any great 
 *^ Solecifm. Now why has not St Paul the 
 *' liberty to do the like, when he quotes a 
 *' paffage of the xixth Pfalm, which is un- 
 
 '^ derfiood 
 
of the Christian Religion. 251 
 
 " derftood of the Sun and Moon, andap-CHAE. 
 *' plies it to the Preaching of the Apoftles? ^^^^• 
 " Biity I fay, have 'they not heard? yes^ 
 ** verily^ their Sound went into all the Earthy 
 " a?jd their words unto the Ends of the 
 " world, Rom. x. 18. So our Saviour 
 *' makes ufe of Ifaiah*^ Words to the Jews 
 " of old, to Jews of his time ; This people 
 ** honour eth me with their Lips^ but their 
 ** heart is far from me. Matt. xv. Ifai. 
 *' xxix. 13. There is hardly any Body will 
 *' deny, but that thefe Texts may fairly be 
 ** accounted for by way of Accommodation. 
 ** And I fee No Good Reason but why 
 ** feveral of the Texts you have mentioned, 
 *' may be explained the Same Way. Sup- 
 " pofe, I fay, when St Matthew quotes that 
 " Text of Hofea, in his relation of Chrift's 
 " coming back from Egypt ^ he had only a 
 ** mind to ufe the Prophet's words, Out of 
 ^' Egypt have I called my Son, rather than 
 *' in plain words to fay, ^nd thus God's So7t 
 ** came back out of Egypt, you will not be 
 *' able to make good the contrary againft 
 *' me. Nay in what fitter words could the 
 " Tragical Effecfts of Herod's, barbarous 
 " Murder of the Infants be expreffed in, 
 " than thofe of the Prophet which St Mat^ 
 *' thew chofe? In Ramah there was a voice 
 " heard, lamentation and weepi^ig, and great 
 " mourning', Rachel weeping for her chil- 
 ''" dren^ and would not be comforted, becaufe 
 
 !* they 
 
252 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP.*' they are not. Yes, you will fay, thefe 
 ^J^[^^ " Paflages cannot be quoted by way of Al- 
 ■ " lujion^ becaufe they are brought in with 
 *' this claufe, That the Scripture might be 
 *' fulfilled, which fhews they are meant for 
 ** Prophecies. But I cannot think that the 
 ** ^ews always when they ufed this Phrafe 
 ** in quoting a Text of Scripture, thought 
 "that Text was a Prophecy of what it was 
 *' applied to. I only take it to be an In- 
 " fiance of the Religious way of /peaking^ 
 *^ which the Jews above all Nations ufed. 
 " For as they were wont to attribute the 
 " common Adlions of Life to God*^ doing, 
 *' and to entitle Things Great and Remark- 
 " able to God, refledting thereby an Honour 
 *' upon God himjelf'y fo I fuppofe they de- 
 *' figned a refpedt to the Scripture, by feem- 
 ing to attribute a Propheticalnefi to every 
 part of it which they quoted. Not that 
 they thought every Paflage fo alledged, to 
 be truly prophetical of that they accom- 
 modated it to, but only that they made 
 ufe of this honourable Expreffion to fliew 
 their great regard to God\ word. I doubt 
 not but this Phrafe, That the Scripture 
 might be fulfilled^ and the like, were ufed 
 firfl in quoting real Prophecies ; but that 
 this, (as all other honourable Expreflions) 
 " by long ufe funk in it's value, and was 
 " more vulgarly applied, fo that at laft it 
 *' was given to Scripture only accommodated. 
 
 '' There 
 
 <t 
 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 
of the Christian Religion. 253 
 
 ' There are an Hundred Instances ofCHAP. 
 ' this Nature to be given in All Lan- ™^ 
 ' guages. I iliall inftance but in one out of 
 ' the Bible, which is very near of-kin to 
 ^ this we are fpeaking of; and that is the 
 ^ Signification of the word Prophet, In it's 
 ' firft and ordinary Signification, we all 
 ' know, that it fignified an Infpired Mef- 
 ' fa^g^^ of God', and yet in procefs of time 
 ' it came to denote Poets, Tit, i. 12. and 
 ' Singers of Pfalms, i Sam, x. 10. i Cor. 
 ' xiv. I. Now if Prophecy could at laft 
 ' come to fignify only Singing, why might 
 * not the Phrafe, Fulfilling of Scripture, or 
 ^ Prophecy, fignify only Rotation."' 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 Of the Citations made by St Mark, Luke, 
 and John, which are not taken Notice oj 
 by 5/ Matthew in his Gofpel, 
 
 I 
 
 ■^ HE only one Citation which St Mark CHAP, 
 has, except what I have already con- ^^^' 
 
 fidered in the preceding Chapter, is, chap. 
 XV. 28 ; And he was numbred with the Tranf- 
 grejfors. And it is introduced thus ; And the 
 Scripture was fulfilled which faith, &c. The 
 Citation is from the famous liii^. chap, oi 
 Ifaiah, And the Queftion is natural which 
 was put by the Eunuch to Philip, Ads viii. 
 
 34- 
 
254 ^« ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A P. 24. Of whom fpeaketh the Prophet this ? 
 ^"J^ Of him/elf or oj fome other Man ? But This 
 Chapter is fo remarkable in every refped, 
 that it will be worth our while, to examine 
 it, and particularly to enquire whether the 
 Citations from it are real Prophecies of, or 
 only Accommodations to the MeJJiah, Now 
 Firji^ The Jews of old underftood this 
 Sedion of the Prophet as a Prophecy of the 
 MeJ/iah^ as appears by their Targum ^ and 
 they interpreted the latter part of the pre- 
 ceding chapter, and this whole chapter, con- 
 cerning Him, and what he was to do for 
 their Nation. The Modern Jews indeed 
 deny, that This can be applied to The 
 MeJJiah ; and pretend that it is defigned to 
 reprefent the miferable State of their Nation 
 enflaved by the Gentiles. But whatever it 
 relates to, it is impoffible it fhould relate to 
 That ; fince there are fuch Charaders of the 
 Servant of God here defcribed, as in no fenfe 
 can belong to the Jewifi Nation. How can 
 the Jews be faid to have done no Violence^ 
 nor to have any deceit in their Mouths, ver. 
 9, when they are conftantly taxed, not only 
 by Ifaiah^ but by all the Prophets, with 
 numberlefs Tranfgreffions ? What can be the 
 meaning of that Affcrtion, He was wounded 
 for OUR TranfgrefjionSy He was bruifed for 
 OUR Iniquities^ ver. 5, if the Jewijh Na- 
 tion be The Servant thus treated ? 
 
 Secondly J, 
 
vf the Christian Religion. 255 
 
 Secondly^ There are in this chapter very CHAP. 
 dlfFeient things fpoken of this Servant of ^^^* 
 God : He was opprejjed and afli5ied^ brought 
 as a Lamb to the Slaughter j cut off out of 
 the land of the living ^ He made hii grave 
 with the wickedy and with the rich in his 
 Death : And yet His days are to be prolong- 
 ed -, the pleafure of the Lord is to profper 
 in his hand'. He is to be exalted and ex- 
 tolled^ and to be very high, Thefe things, 
 which are fo different, belonging to one and 
 the fame perfon, if we can fix upon any 
 one in whom they all center, He may be 
 moft certainly deemed the perfon here fpo- 
 ken of. Now, 
 
 thirdly, Thefe things, fo very different as 
 they are, do in faifl agree to the Perfon of 
 JefuSy and to no one elfe, without the moft 
 violent wracking of every ExprefTion. The 
 Language ufed by Ifaiahy is the Language 
 .of the whole ISlew Tefament: and the cir- 
 curnflances of this Servant of God are exact- 
 ly fuch as our Saviour was in. He hath no 
 form^ nor comelinej's j and when we fiall fee 
 him^ there is no beauty that we fhould dejire 
 him. He is defpifed and rejeBed of Men^ 
 a Man of for rows and acquainted with grief \ 
 and we hid as it were our faces from him, he 
 was defpifed, and we efieemed him not. Sure- 
 ly he hath borne our griefs^ and carried our 
 forrows, yet we did efteem him Jlricken, fnit'- 
 ten of God^ and afjUBed, &c. 
 
 The 
 
256 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP. The chief things in this chapter which 
 ^^^' may raife any ditRculty, arc, 
 
 Firjl^ That the perfon fpoken of by Ifaiah 
 is faid, to make his grave with the wicked, 
 and with the rich in his death, ver. 9, where- 
 as Jefus did exadly the contrary : He was 
 with the wicked (i. e. the two Thieves) in 
 his death, and with the rich, i. e. Jofeph of 
 Arimathea, in his Grave, It is in the ori- 
 ginal, vn.tDn "^^m n^i nap xyw^ n?^ ?nn. 
 
 Now this, if I miftake not, fignifies quite a 
 different thing, viz, that he fliall give, i. e. 
 repay, or, recompenfe upon, the Wicked his 
 Grave, and upon the Rich one, in, or, by his 
 Death. Thus the Arabic, He compenfated. 
 Ezekiel ufes the fame word in the fame fenfe. 
 \ini Dt^K"na tDD")"!. / will recompenfe their 
 way upon their Head, chap. , \x. i o. And 
 thus, Deut. xxi. 8. DT \r\r\ b^^ and do not 
 lay innocent blood to the charge of thy people. 
 
 It is remarkable that in this Text, the 
 Wicked are fpoken of in the Plural number j 
 the Rich is in the Singular, as fpoken of 
 One Perfon only : And when mention is 
 made of the Grave, there is no Prepofition 
 to the word, \yi]>, as there is afterwards 
 when the Rich one*^ Death is fpoken of. 
 In this laft cafe it is, VDDn, iii, or by, his 
 Deaths. It is a true Fad:, that the Wicked, 
 the Priefts and People, fuffered Vengeance 
 for bringing The Meffiah to his Grave-, and 
 i^-as as true, that He that condemned him, 
 
 and 
 
o/' //?^ Chri ST I AN Religion. 2C7 
 
 and To unjuflly caufed his Execution, was r^-CH ap. 
 paid in his Deaths^ i. e. the calamitous Cir- ^^^* 
 cumftances that attended him to, and in, his 
 Death ; for he was Aript of what he had, 
 exiled, and at laft reduced to fuch extremity 
 as to murder him f elf. So that this part of 
 the Prophecy was literally fcllilled in the fad 
 fufferings of ail thofe who were concerned in 
 the putting our Saviour to Death. And let 
 me add, that if the word, "y^^^, here ufed, 
 fignifies only, The Rich one, in Hebrew, yet 
 if we look into the Arabic, (from w^hence 
 much light is often brought to the HebrcWy) 
 we find that this word fignifies not only to 
 be Rich, but to ajjbciate ; to join in Cu(iom^ 
 Manners, Adiions ; familiarly to converfe^ 
 and aB with Others. And thus was this 
 Prophecy literally fulfilled in Him, whofe 
 grievous Miferies, and Death by his own 
 Hands, fufiiciently explains what is here 
 faid. 
 
 Eufebius, fpeaking of Pilate's murdering 
 himjelf, fays, // was by the divine Jufticeyi/- 
 ling upon him, that he thus fuffered. lib. ii. 
 ch. 7. Nicephorus cites fofephus in proof, 
 that from the time of the murder of our Sa- 
 viour, there was a continued fenes oj Sedi- 
 tiom, parrels. Battles, 'till at length the 
 City and Country was dejiroyed by Velpafian. 
 He then adds, That it was for what the 
 Jews did againjl Chrift that they felt ihe Di- 
 vine Vengeance, A^^j, fays he, the very 
 
 S Judge 
 
XIV. 
 
 258 An ESSAT upon the TRU'TH 
 
 ^^jt^' Ju^g^ ^f 0^^^ Saviour, Pilate, fuffered fe^ 
 verely under Tiberius -, but under Caias, af- 
 terwardsy he was involved in fuch diftreffes, 
 and was reduced to fuch fiecejjity, by adverfe 
 circum/iances, as to become his own Murderer ; 
 the Divine Juftice (as one may reajonably 
 conjecture) not long aj'ter purfuing him, as it 
 did Annas and Caiaphas, and the Scribes and 
 Pharifees, who fujfered their Defer ts for the 
 Unjoft Death of Chrift. lib. ii. ch. 10. 
 Orofius tells us, that Pilate was under fuch 
 Diftreffes by Caligula, that, murdering him- 
 felf, he fought, by the ^Jcknefs of his Death, 
 to make a foort End of his Misfortunes, lib. 
 vii. ch. 5. All looking upon this manner of 
 the Death of Pilate, as an Ad: of divine 
 Vengeajice. I fhall therefore leave it to the 
 judicious Reader, Whether this be not the 
 literal, exadl meaning of this Paffage in the 
 Prophet. 
 
 There is another Interpretation of this 
 Place of the Prophet, which luppofes the 
 Word, VHDl, Bemothav, not to fignify in, 
 or by, his Death, but to fignify his Sepul- 
 chre-, as if the Word came from nDH, Ba- 
 mahy and the fir ft Letter were a radical one, 
 not a Prepofition ; and it fuppofes too, that 
 this Word relates to the fame Perfon as the 
 Other word, Grave, does, in the former part 
 of the Verfe. It was the ingenious Inter- 
 pretation of Forfierius firfl:, thus to explain 
 this Paffage of the Prophet, as if the word 
 
 here 
 
of the Christian Religion. 2^q 
 
 here ufed fignliied a Sepulchre in a Hio-h^^ ^^^^^ 
 Place, to denote the honourable Burial of. ^^\ 
 Jefus wiih Jojepb of Arimathea. Mercer 
 recites this Notion of Forjierius as pious, and 
 well meant, but would not either rejed:, or 
 admit it. But fince Mercer ^ Time, This 
 Interpretation has crept into other Lexicons. 
 
 No doubt non, Bamah, figniiies an High 
 Place ; and hence it is put for a Chapel or 
 Altar built in an High Place : and it's Plural 
 Ts^^X Bemoth, is ufed for Altars Jo built. 
 But ftill I no where find, that this Word ei- 
 ther in it's fingiilar or plural, when put by 
 itfelf, ever fignifies a Grave, or Sepulchre. 
 That Sepulchres were fome times built in High 
 Places, appears plainly from IJaiah, chap, 
 xxii. 1 6, where he mentions Sbebna, as 
 hewing out a Sepulchre on Fligh. And £2;^- 
 kiel fpeaks of the Carcajfes of their Kings ^ 
 as we render it, in their High Places, In 
 the Firft of thefe Paflages, Sbebna is faid to 
 hew out his Sepulchre, or Grave, T\^\^, Kibro^ 
 on high. But then the Word, nr^Il, Bama^ 
 is not here ufed, but another Word : Or ilF 
 it had been ufed here, it would not have fig- 
 nified a Sepulchre, but only the place where 
 the Grave was. As to the other Pafiiige 
 taken from Ezekiel, the Senfe is very ob- 
 fcure; and though the Word, Bamotham, 
 here occurs, yet it may fignify, as the LXX 
 have rendered it, not High Places, but 
 Iv T^r^ (poi/oif, when they were Jlain, And in- 
 
 S 2 deed 
 
26o An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. (]eed had it been defigned to fignify, in their 
 High Places^ the Oi iginal would have been, 
 DHT'DUD, Bebamotbam, not as it now flands, 
 Bamotham, vid. Pf. Ixxviii. 58. where, in 
 High P/aceSy is, Beba?notham, 
 
 Thus much I thought proper to fay on 
 thefe Words, on which Interpreters have 
 difFered. The former Interpretation, which 
 makes it relate to Pilate and his Deaths is 
 literal ; This Other, how well meant foever, 
 feems too much forced. However, I could 
 come into This, much fooner than admit fuch 
 a Tranfpofition of words ^ as L^ Clerc abroad, 
 and Mr White at home, have, in their Notes 
 on this Place, contended for. But I proceed. 
 
 Secondly, It is faid of this Servant of God^ 
 that He Jhall be cut o?i from the Land of the 
 living : and yet, He jhall fee his Seedy He 
 fJoall prolong his days. How will this agree 
 to Jefus of Nazareth, who was cut off' in- 
 deed, as was faid, but he died a young Man, 
 and left no Poflerity behind him ? 
 
 This Difficulty arifes folcly from the dif- 
 ferent Ufe of the Word, Seed-, which is 
 properly applied to what i%fow7i in the Ground j^ 
 figuratively it is applied to Off'spring^ and to 
 Do5irines taught, and to Dtfciples made to 
 fuch Dodlrines. DoBrine is reprefented un- 
 der this Image in the Parable of our Saviour, 
 Matt, xiii. And the Seed which fell on the 
 good Ground is He that heareth the Word and 
 underflandeth it, and which heareth Fruit, 
 
 So 
 
of the Christian Religion, 261 
 
 So that in the Prophecy, feeing hii Seed, is, C H A p. 
 feeing his Do6irines taught, and fpreading, ^^^'* 
 and many Dfciples arifing to him. 
 
 Thirdly, He JJmll prolong his days. The 
 Charadiers of The Mefiah are, in the Sacred 
 Books, feemingly fo contrary, and incon- 
 fiftent, that it is not to be wondered, that 
 the carelefs among the ^ewi were fo incre- 
 dulous as they were, at the Time when our 
 Saviour appeared. He was to die, and yet 
 his Throne was to endure for ever. In this 
 Paffage, He was to be cut oS Jrom the land 
 of the living ; and yet he was to fee his Seed, 
 and to prolo72g his Days. We now can fee 
 plainly, How our Saviour accompIi{l:;ed all 
 this, by his Refurredion from the dead, and 
 by his having all Power in Heaven and in 
 Earth. 
 
 It follows, ver. 11. By his Knowledge 
 fhall my righteous Servant juftify many. Jt 
 ihould be rendered, By the Knowledge of 
 Him, or, by knowing him. By a full Per- 
 fuafion that He is Tyit" Chrijl^ ihall many be 
 treated as Righteous -, for he (hall bear their 
 Infirmities, 
 
 The following ^^xic is hence Eafy -, There- 
 fore will I give him a part among many. So 
 it is in the Original, and fo in the LXX, 
 xAr;povo//,r;cr£t is-oXAo-jf *.) and He Jl^all divide the 
 Spoil with the Strong. The word here tran- 
 llated, firong, fignines likewil'e refolute ad- 
 verfaries. The meaning therefore of the 
 S 3 word 
 
i§i An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, word is this; I will give him his portioii, or 
 ^^^' il:iare, in Ma?2y ; and notwithftanding adver- 
 iaries refolutely may oppoie him, yet he fiiall 
 acquire his (hare, or portion, viz. Many 
 Followers, becaiije he poured his Scul unto 
 death. The Expreflion is here merely figu- 
 rative ; and becaufe what is forced from 
 avowed Enemies is called, Spoils, therefore 
 the perfons which the MeiTiah was to gain 
 over to himlelf, notwithdanding thofe who 
 violently oppofed his Mealures, are here cal- 
 led. Spoils. 
 
 When therefore St Mark fays, He was 
 numbered with the Tranfgrefj'ors ; and in St 
 i^/y^^ our Saviour fays, I fay unto you, that 
 this that is written fjiuji yet be accomplifhed 
 in me, And he was reckoned among the 
 Tranfgreflbrs, for TH|^ Things concerning 
 me have an End, Luke xxii. 37. — It feems 
 very highly probable, that the t hi figs in this 
 chapter of Ifaiah v/ere particularly in view. 
 It is certain that our Lord expreffes himfelf 
 in Terms which imply an Event fulfilled, 
 viz. tiX^G^hoLi, and r'iXi^ ^^eiv, to have an ac- 
 complijhment , to be accomplifhed : And the 
 xvhole Section of Ifaiah, is concerning a per- 
 fon defcribed in fo particular a Manner ; and 
 it was of Old underftood concerning the 
 Mefjiah ; and not being applicable to any one 
 elfe, it is mod reafonabie to conclude that 
 this is ftridly a Prophecy of the Chrift. 
 
 huke 
 
c/" //»^ Christian Religion, 263 
 
 Luke'w. 18 — 21. We meet with a re- CHAP, 
 markable Inftance, which will plainly (hew ^^^^ 
 us the method of citing ufed by the Evange- 
 lifts. Jefus in the Synagogue at Nazareth 
 read this paflage of Jfaias ; The Spirit of the 
 Lord is upon me, hecaufe be hath anointed me 
 to preach the Gofpel to the poor ; he hath fent 
 me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach de- 
 liverance to the captives^ arid recovering of 
 fight to the blind '^ to fet at liberty them that 
 are bruifed, to preach the acceptable year of 
 the Lord, When he had read this paffage, 
 he clofed the Book, and began to fay unto 
 them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in 
 your Ears. Having heard his words with 
 pleafure, they defired to fee him do fuch 
 mighty works at Nazareth, as he had done 
 at Capernaum : Upon which he makes this 
 anfwer, ver. 24, No Prophet is acceptable in 
 his own country, affuniing to himfeif the 
 Title of a Prophet; Thefe places clearly 
 (hew us, 
 
 1. That the word, Prophet, carries not 
 with it always the Notion of a Foreteller of 
 
 future Events -, but iignifies, One who dif- 
 covers, or relates the Will of God, let it be 
 by predid:ions, or any how elfe; 
 
 2. The Scripture of Jfaiah was that day 
 fulfilled no otherwife, than as Jefus in fadf 
 did preach the acceptable year of the Lord 
 in one Senfe, as Ifaiah had done before him 
 iv\ another Senfe. Not that our Saviour 
 
 S 4 meant 
 
264 ^n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, meant any double completion of Prophecies ; 
 • bat he applied^ or acco7nmodated the words of 
 IJaiah to the prefent occafion ; and they 
 were equally true in both inftances, in that 
 which the prophet ufed them, and in that 
 which 'Jefus ufed them : and conlequently 
 the term, fulfilled^ does not fignify a de- 
 figned event accompIiOied, or that The Mef- 
 Jiah was in the intention of Providence to 
 preach upon thele v/ords in the Synagogue at 
 Nazareth^ but only this, that the words of 
 IJaiah are this day verified. 
 
 The reafon why 1 conclude this to be a 
 me-e accommodation only, is, that Ifaiah 
 fpeaks of fuch a day, wherein the Jews were 
 to build up the Old Waftes^ to raije up the 
 former Devafiations^ to repair the wajle Ci- 
 ties^ the Defoiatiofis of many generations^ 
 ch. Ixi. 4. What has this to do with the 
 appearance of another Sort of Liberty ; with 
 2i freedom from captivity to which the repairs 
 of Cities that have long lain umfie^ can have 
 no manner of relation ? fefus preached up a 
 Kingdom of a fpiritual nature ; a Kingdom 
 *which was not of this world \ and confe- 
 quently fuch a one in which there was no 
 need oi fenced Cities, and walled Towns for 
 the Security of his Subjeds : The deliverance 
 which he preached^ was to fuch as were cap- 
 tives to Sin and Death ; and the acceptable 
 year was That, in which the Redeemer was 
 to arife to the people of God. The words 
 
 of 
 
of the Christian Religion, 26c 
 
 of Ifaiah were very proper to make the Sub- CHAP, 
 jedl of his Difcourl'e upon, becaufe they ijlj^ 
 fiaited the prelent purpofe : and he ufed them 
 not by way of Argument or Proofs that he 
 was defigned in thofe words, but only took 
 occafion to fpeak to the point he had in View 
 from thofe words. In hke manner, 
 
 Luke XX, 17. When Our Lord had fpo- 
 ken the parable of the Vineyard, and under 
 That had lignified, that the Kingdom of 
 Pleaven was to be taken away from thoie 
 Hujbandmen who had fo much abufed the 
 laord of it'. He faid, What is this then that 
 is written ; T^be Stone which the builders re- 
 jeBed^ the fame is become the head of the cor- 
 Tier, St Matthew^ ch. xxi. 42, has added 
 the following verfe of the Pfalmill:, T^his is 
 the Lord's doings and it is marvellous in our 
 Eyes. Thus indeed it was written, and 
 thus they might read it in the Scriptures: 
 but then this is only a mere Similitude^ or 
 Comparifon^ ufed by the Pfalmift, and from 
 Him juftly applied to the prefent Occafion by 
 our Saviour. 
 
 In the lafl: chapter of St Luke, J^fi^ JS 
 reprefented as proving himfelf to be The 
 Chrifi, from Mofes and all the Prophets, chap, 
 xxiv. 25 — 27: and again, as opening the 
 Scriptures, ver. 32: and again, faying, that 
 all things muft be fulfilled which were written 
 in the Law of Mofes, and in the Prophets, 
 and in the Pfalms concerning Me. Then 
 
 opened 
 
266 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 C H A P. opened he their underftanding, that they 
 ^ * fjiight imderjiand the Scriptures 3 And faid 
 unto them ; Thus it is written, and thus it 
 behoved the Chriji to fuffer^ and to rife from 
 the dead the third day^ ver. 44 — 46. It 
 were indeed to be wiflied that St Luke had 
 been more explicit in this Difcourfe ; and 
 that he had cited the Texts which Jefus 
 cited to his Difciples on this Occafion. But 
 lince he has not done this, I fhall only ob- 
 ferve, that there is no neceflity to confine the 
 Scriptures, which our Lord produced con- 
 cerning himfelf to fuch pafiages only as re- 
 lated to his Death and ReJurreBion^ as Mr 
 Mede has done : It feems to me much more 
 probable, (if I may be allowed to conjedure, 
 where only conjedurc can be had) that Our 
 Lord opened their underflandings as to leveral 
 Prophecies, which in the nature of the thing 
 could not be cited as Evidence, before their 
 real accomplifhments. He might perhaps ihew 
 them, that The Meffiah was to be a man of 
 Sorrows, to fuffer, vid. ABs xxvi. 23. and to be 
 cut offy and fo to enter ifito his Glory : He 
 might give them a clear Inlight into many 
 Prophecies which were foon to have their ac- 
 complifliments ; and which were alluded to, 
 when mention was made of him, of whom 
 Mofes in the Law, and the Prophets did write. 
 He might explain very exprefs and literal 
 Prophecies of himfelf, which are no where 
 mentioned in his Life 5 nor indeed could they 
 
 be 
 
of the Christian Religion. 267 
 
 be mentioned there, for reafons which flhallC H A P. 
 be given hereafter. And if this were really ^'^• 
 the cafe, then what St Luke has here faid, 
 will be only a general Relation of the grand 
 fundamental Chara(flers of the Mejjiah^ which 
 were recorded before his appearance in ob- 
 fcure, and (by reafon of the prevailing pre- 
 judices they laboured under,) unintelligible 
 terms ; and which now our Saviour elucidated 
 to them. 
 
 Thefe I think, are all the Citations in 
 St Luke which may look like Prophecies 
 diftindt from what I have already confi- 
 dered. 
 
 The very fame manner of ExprefTion goes 
 through St John's Gofpel, and confirms 
 what has been fo often obferved already, that 
 the Accomplifhment of defigned Events, is 
 not always meant by the terms, fulfilling^ it 
 is written^ Sec. but ufually, a Suitablenefs or 
 Rejemblance of Circumftances. Thus, 
 
 John vii. 37, 38. In the loft day^ that 
 great day of the feaji, Jefus flood and cried ^ 
 faying^ If any man thirjl, let him come to 
 me and drink \ He that believeth on me^ as 
 /y6f Scripture hath faid, Out of his belly fhall 
 fiow rivers of living Water, It is certain 
 that this is no where faid in fo m.any words 
 in the Old Teftament, notwithftanding it is 
 introduced in that manner, T^he Scripture 
 hath faid: Which plainly fhews, that This, 
 und fuch like Expreffions, are not to be 
 
 taken 
 
268 An ESS AT upon the TR U TM 
 
 CHAP, taken in the utmoft rigour ; and fince it is 
 
 ^^^^- the common Phrafeology of thefe Writers, 
 in common Juiticc, no more ihould be lup- 
 pofed to be meant by them, than we (hould 
 luppofe in the like circumflances in any other 
 writers. The Thing intended is indeed faid, 
 though the very words of the Old Teftament 
 are not cited. Thus, Ifaiah xliv. 3, I will 
 four water upon him that is thirlty, and 
 floods upon the dry ground : I will pour my 
 Spirit upon thy Seed, And Ezekiel xxxvi. 
 25 — 27. Then will I fprinkle clean water 
 upon you — A new heart alfo will I give you, 
 and a new Spirit will I put Within Tou — 
 I will put my Spirit Wiruia you. Thefe 
 places will amply juftify our Saviour's man- 
 ner of Expreffion; and plainly fhew that the 
 Phrafe, The Scripture faith, (if this be to be 
 referred to the fubfequent words and not to 
 the precedent ones in this place) means no 
 more than a general ExprelTion of the Senfe, 
 not the words of Scripture. 
 
 In the xiith of St John 37 — 41, we meet 
 with Two citations from Ifaiah ; The one 
 from, chap. liii. i. the other from, chap. vi. 
 ^, to. They were occafioned by our Sa- 
 viour's Miracles done before the People j 
 and yet his gaining few or no Profelytes. 
 This, fays the Evangelift, was done, that the 
 faying of Efaias the Prophet might be ful- 
 filled which hefpakey Lord, who hath believed 
 our Report, and to whom hath the Arm of 
 
 the 
 
of the Christian Religion. 269 
 
 the Lord been revealed. This I have already C ll a p. 
 obferved is part of a Prophecy concerning "^^"^ ' 
 the Meffiah: The Other, taken from chap. 
 vi. and cited on this occalion, is a mere Ac- 
 commodation of the Prophet*s words. There- 
 fore they could not believe becaufe that Efaias 
 Jaid again. He hath blinded their Eyes and 
 hardened their Hearty that they Jljould not 
 fee with their Eyes, nor underjiand with their 
 Heart, and be converted, and I JJmild heal 
 them. Theje things /aid Efaias, when he Jaw 
 his Glory and /pake of him, 
 
 Efaiah chap. vi. had a vifion, wherein he 
 faw the Glory of God, as it is defcribed, ver. 
 I — 4. And as our Saviour was to come, 
 and did come in the Glory of God, Efaiah 
 is faid to fee the Glory of Jefus, becaufe he 
 faw the Glory in which Jefus was to come. 
 But this by the by. Here it is neceflary only 
 to obferve, that the Particle, THAT, in 
 thofe words — They believed not on him^ 
 THAT the faying of Efaias tnight be ful- 
 filled, — does not fignify any thing more than 
 the accidental Event, as it very often does. 
 And again ; THEREFORE they could not 
 believe, BECAUSE Ifaias had faid, &cc, only 
 denotes the occafion of that People*s Sin. 
 Our Saviour was no more than the Occafon 
 of their crime, fince He did all that was fie 
 and proper to be done to open their Eyes, 
 and to give them an underftanding of the 
 Scriptures. But it was with this People in 
 
 our 
 
270 ^n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, our Saviour's days, as it was with ihofe in 
 
 ^^^' Efaiah'^ time ; the means that were ufed to 
 reclaim them, were the very occalions of 
 hard-heartednefs and Impenitency. But of 
 this I have fpoke already upon occafion of 
 the Citation in the xmth of St Matthew, 
 
 In the next chapter, xiii. 18, Jcfus y^ryj, 
 Jfpeak not of you all : I know whom I have 
 chofen : But that the Scripture may be ful- 
 filled, He that eateth Bread with me^ hath 
 lift up his heel againjl me. This Citation is 
 taken from FJaim xli. 9, and is plainly no- 
 thing elfe but the Application of the words 
 of the Pfalmiji (which originally were fpoken 
 of either Abfalom^ or Achitophel,) to the 
 Cafe of Judas : Juft as the Citation, chap. 
 XV. 25, from the Pfalmiji, Pf» xxxv. 19. 
 or Pf Ixix. 4. They hated me without a 
 Caufey introduced thus, That it ?mght be ful- 
 filled that is written in their Law, means 
 only the Similitude of Events to David and 
 to Jefus, It is ufual to call That a ful- 
 filling of Scriptures, where things fall out ex- 
 adly fo that the Scripture words may literally 
 be applied. Where can we find in the Old 
 Teftament, that nojie of thofe whom God had 
 given to Q\\n^Jhould be loft but only the Son 
 of Perdition? And yet this happened. That 
 the Scriptures might be fulfilled, fohn xvii. 
 12. Where is it faid, that The MeJJiab 
 ihould juft before he died, fay, I thirfi? 
 
 yet 
 
of the Christian Religion. 271 
 
 yet this too is faid to be done that the Scrip- C H a p. 
 ture 7night be fulfilled, chap. xix. 28, be- , ^^_ 
 caule PJl Ixix. 21, it is laid, And in my 
 Thirft they gave 7ne Vinegar to drink, Where- 
 ever in the general Providence of God things 
 are brought about, that there is a very great 
 refemblance of them, (no matter whether 
 foretold or not) there things are faid to be 
 Juljillcd, Nor is it any thing but our un- 
 acquaintednefs with the Genius of the Scrip- 
 ture-Language, which can make us miftake 
 it's true import. When it is faid, chap. xix. 
 20, that thefe t hi figs were done that the Scrip- 
 tures might be fuifiUed^ A Bone of him J]:all 
 not be broken, Is there any fuch Event dired- 
 ly foretold of The Mefjiah ? Not one ; But 
 only it is faid of the Pafchal Lamb, Exod. 
 xii. 46, neither JJj all ye break A Bone thereof 
 And David lays, Ff. xxxiv. 20, God de- 
 liver eth the Righteous, He keepeth all his 
 Bones, not one of them is broken. And in 
 AUufion to One, or Other, of thefe places, 
 it is, that the Kvangelifl obferved of what hap- 
 pened to our Saviour, that the Soldiers broke 
 none of his Bones. 
 
 Not that the Pafchal Lamb was Pfophe- 
 tick of the Mefjiah, or that any one could 
 colledl from what happened to that Lamb^ 
 that the like was to happen to The Chrijl ; 
 But in the Event of things, matters were fo 
 ordered by Providence, that a Bone of fe- 
 fus was not broken ^ juft as it was com- 
 manded 
 
272 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH. 
 
 CHAP, manded that not a Bone of the Pajfover was 
 ^^^' . to be broken. There was in this a Simi- 
 litude of cafes ; and the Scriptures may be 
 faid to be fulfilled, not only when a Pre- 
 didiion is made' good in the Event, but when 
 a General promile is made good to a par- 
 ticular Perjon ; and likewife when fimilar 
 cafes happen to what had already come to 
 pafs. 
 
 But then what occurs in the next verfe, 
 chap. xix. 37, A?id again another Scripture 
 faith. They Jhall look on him who7n they 
 pierced, muft be taken in a very different 
 way, as being a real Prophecy. It is in Za- 
 chary xii. 10, They fhall look on Me, not 
 on Him: fo the LXX, the Vulgate, the 
 Chaldee Paraphrafe, the Arabic, and Syriac 
 Verfions. 
 
 Zachariah is fpeaking of a time when 
 yerufalem was to be a cup of trembling' to 
 all people — all that burden theinjelves with it 
 fjall be cut to pieces. — The Governors of 
 Judah were to fubdue all around them : In 
 that day Jljall the Lord defend the inhabi- 
 ta?2ts of Jerufalem — In that day / will feek 
 to deftroy all Natio?2S that come againfi Jeru- 
 falem. And then it immediately follows, 
 I will pour upon the Hoife of David, and 
 upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem the Spirit 
 cf Grace and Supplication, and they jfhall 
 look upon ME whom they have pierced, 
 and they Jl: all mourn for HIM as one mourneth 
 
 for 
 
of the Christian Religion. " ^yi 
 for an only Son, &c. Did any one circuni- C H a p. 
 rtance of all this happen to the Jews about ^^^^ 
 the time of the Death of 'Jejui ? Or rather 
 was not every thing the reverfe of what Ze- 
 char I ah fays ; and. in Read of all Nations be- 
 ing dejiroyed that came about ferufalem, 'Je^ 
 rufalem itfelf was deftroyed : initead or a 
 Spirit of Grace and Supplication^ the fews 
 have had their Hearts hardened againfl: The 
 Chrif : Inftead of mourning for him whom 
 they pierced^ they Curfe Him, and his Fol- 
 lowers, even to this day ? It is certain that 
 this whole Prophecy plainly relates to a time 
 yet future^ when the times of the Gentiles 
 jhall be fulfilled, and the fews (hall be re- 
 ceived again: And as this is perfedlly con- 
 fident with the whole Tenor of Scripture, 
 we mu(t wait the Event with patience, and 
 pray for thofe happy times, when C'hrift 
 {hall come with Clouds, and every Eye JJjall fee 
 him^ and they afo that pierced him. Even 
 fo Amen. Revel, i. 7. 
 
 However it is fit to obferve that the rea- 
 fon of the Citation in the Evangeliil: is 
 grounded upon the fingle word, pierced. 
 The Jews, in times fill future, are to look 
 upon a Perfon whom once they pierced. And 
 St John here declar es that Jefus, pierced as 
 he was, was that Perfon fpoken of by the 
 Prophet : Nor could the whole Prophecy 
 have been accomplidied at any time, had 
 
 T not 
 
274 ^ ESS AT upon the T'RU'TH 
 
 CHAP, not the Perfon fpoken of by the Prophet, 
 
 1 , been fo treated. 
 
 Thcfe I think are all the paflages, which 
 feem to be cited, as Prophecies^ out of the 
 Old Teftament. They are not brought, nor 
 intended as Proofs of Jefus's being The 
 Chriji : But in all thofe cafes where real 
 Prophecies are cited, they are intended to 
 be MarkSy or Characters of the MeJJiah^ 
 which in Fadt agreed to Jefus, When the 
 Evangelifts tell us what the Proofs of Chri- 
 ftianity are, they fay, Many other Signs truly 
 did Jefus in the prefence of his Difciples : 
 But thefe are written^ that ye might believe 
 that Jefus is the Chrift. John xx. 30, 31. 
 And St Luke fays, chap, xxiv, Jefus of Na- 
 zareth was a Prophet mighty in Deed and 
 Word before God^ and all the People, And 
 yohn XV. 24, Our Saviour himfelf fays. If I 
 had not done among them the Works which 
 none other Man did, they had not had Sin, 
 Which Proof Sy what They were, and how 
 they made out the point for which they were 
 produced, I have already (hewn. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
cf the Christian Religion, 275 
 
 .C H A P. XV. 
 
 Of the I'Ufci i HiJI l^rirS-^Wfrnl frofn the 
 OLD TESTAMENT in the Ads of 
 the APOSTLES. 
 
 IT has been already obferved, that the Apo- CHAP, 
 ftles in proving that Jefus was The Chrijl^ ^^* 
 chiefly did infift upon the Fad: of his Refur- 
 reBion from the Dead, and upon the Sigm 
 and Wonders he did, whilft alive, amongft the 
 fews. But as They likev/ife cite the Old 
 Teftament in their Difcourfes, it will be 
 worth while to examine their Citations from 
 thence, that we may the better judge of thefe 
 matters. I fhall therefore proceed to examine 
 the meaning of their Quotations j that from 
 a view of the whole we may be able to de- 
 termine, what they cite as Prophecy^ and 
 what as mere Allufion^ or Application of 
 words to the Defign in hand without re- 
 garding the Original Intent of the Author 
 cited. 
 
 And Firf, When ^udai had hanged him- 
 felf, Peter fays, ABs i. 16 — 20, This Scrip- 
 ture mufl needs have been fulfilled which the 
 Holy Ghoft by the Mouth of David [pake be- 
 fore concerning fudas^ — Let his Habitation 
 
 T 2 be 
 
276 Jin ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, be defolate, and let no Man dwell therein, 
 jPf, Ixix. 25, And His Biihoprick let ano- 
 ther take, Pf, cix. 8. Now notwiihfland- 
 ing the Introdudlion made hy ^^eter in this 
 Difcourfe, yet -he feems. to aie^^^no more 
 than the Resemblance «iif^jl|j|jg^^nr an Ac- 
 commodation of the Vjatml/i' i> words to the 
 Occafion j and not thac the Spirit adualiy 
 had Jiid^s in his View. "e^£i TrAripwGWi, may 
 mean no more than, it is very Jit and proper 
 to apply the words of David, which he fpake 
 long ago as if he were Ipeaking concerning 
 yudas, and which agree as exactly 10 the 
 Cafe in hand, as if they were a Prophecy 
 fulfilled. 
 
 It is proper to obferve, that the words 
 may be as jufily rendered, // is fit that This 
 Scripture JJ:oidd he mlSlied, concerning Judas, 
 which the Holy Ghoji by the Mouth of David 
 fpake before : and then it will be more Na- 
 tural, and eafy to fee the Accommodation. 
 
 But if the words agree fo exadiiy, and the 
 writers tell us, thofe words were to be ful- 
 filled^ why are they no- to be admiued as a 
 dired Prophecy ? The reafon why 1 under- 
 ftand them ocherwife is. That each of thofe 
 Pfalms from whence the Citations are made, 
 relate to other Perfons, and other Times ; and 
 notwithftanding a fingle verfe or two, may 
 very exadly fuit the Cafe of Judas, or of 
 any other wicked Man, yet the whole plainly 
 ihews, that the Pfalmi/l fpoke of his own 
 
 lelf, 
 
of the Christian Religion. 277 
 
 ftlf, and of the wicked that ufed hinr ill. CHAP. 
 He Jpeaks of Many 5 in the plural number ^ ^^* 
 and not of One Tingle Perfon, as it fliould 
 have been, had it been a defigned Propnecy 
 of One fingle Perfon. Let THEIR Tabic 
 become av* Snare, before THEM — Let 
 THEIR Eyes be darkened, and make 
 THEIR Loins continually to fl)ake. Let 
 THEIR Habitation be delolate— For THEY 
 perfecute, ^c. Pf. Ixix. 22 — 26. which 
 plainly iliews that ihe Pfalmijl was not fpeak- 
 ing of One Perfon only. And fo, Pfalm cix, 
 where fo many Lupiecauons occur, had 
 Judas been the dei.igned Subjedl of them, it 
 is very ftrange, that no more of them fiiould 
 be applicable, or that no Hiflory of Judas 
 Ihould have confirmed any of t )■; other 
 Curfes. Of if this be not iuihcieni, how 
 can v/e know what was perfonal to David^ 
 and to his time?, and what not, when all the 
 Imprecations reciied in liiis PJalmy might 
 very naturally be faid by David's own Ene- 
 mies ^ and might contain no more than their 
 wifhes and curfes againft him ? There is no 
 footftep of Prophecy in the Pfalm itfelf, nor 
 would any fjfptd: iuch a thing from reading 
 it, were it not for this Ap|:)iicatii>n by the 
 Apoftle : and fince it is lo common for 
 JewiJJj Writers to ufe the term Juljilled^ 
 where nothing more is meant than accommo- 
 dation of words to an Occafion, it is mofl 
 reafonable I think, fo to interpret it here. 
 
 T 3 The 
 
An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 The next citation made ufe of by St Peter ^ 
 ABi ii. 1 6 — 2 1, was occafioned by the De- 
 fcent of the Holy Ghoft, and His enabling 
 the Difciples to fpeak with Tongues. Thi^ 
 is that which wasfpoken by the Prophet Joel ; 
 And it jhall come to pafs in the LAST DAYS, 
 faith Gody I will pour out of my Spirit upon 
 all flejhy and your Sons and your Daughters 
 fjjall prophefy^ and your Young Men fhall fee 
 VifionSy and your Old Men fiall dream 
 Dreams-, And on my Servants, and on my 
 Hand-maids, I will pour out in thofe days of 
 my Spirit, and they fhall Prophefy. And I 
 will fhew Wonders in Heaven above, and 
 Signs in the Earth beneath. Blood, and Fire, 
 and Vapour of f moke. The Sunfiall be turn-- 
 ed into darknefs, and the Moon into blood, be- 
 fore that great and notable day of the Lord 
 come. And it fhall come to pafs that whofo- 
 ever foall call on the name of the Lord fhall 
 befaved. This Citation from jfoel, chap. ii. 
 28 — 31, varies in feveral particulars both 
 from the Hebrew and the LXX, but in no- 
 thing that affedts the Senfe of the Apoftle, 
 or that makes his meaning dubious. 
 
 j^^^/'s Prophecy, does, I think, chiefly extend 
 to a time yet liiture ; when God fhall bring a- 
 gain the captivity of Judah and Jerufalem ; 
 when he JJ:all gather ALL Nations — and will 
 plead with them for his People : when he 
 will raife the Children of ifrael, out of the 
 place whither they are fold — and will judge 
 
 all 
 
c/' //&^ Christian Religion. 279 
 
 all the Heathen round about : when Judah CHAP. 
 JJjall dwell for ever, and Jerufalem from Ge- 
 neration to Generation, chap. iii. 1, 2, 7, 12, 
 20. One of the great and Glorious Bleffings 
 of thefe happy Times was to be this, That 
 God would pour out his Spirit upon allfleJJj^ 
 Sec. St Peter, obferving the miraculous Ef- 
 fufion of the Spirit at the Feaft of Pentecoji^ 
 very juftly applied JoeN words to That Time, 
 and to That Occafion ; and takes Notice of 
 this Event, remarkable as it was, as a Sample 
 of what was to be hereafter. His meaning 
 therefore is, ' This talking in feveral Tongues 
 
 * is nothing more than what Joel faid fhould 
 
 * come to pafs in the laft days ; and you have 
 
 * no more Reafon to impute this to Drunken- 
 
 * nefs, ver. 15, than you would have, were 
 
 * thofe times fully come of which he has 
 
 * prophefied, when God will fo eminently 
 
 * pour out his Spirit,* 
 
 This will appear more clear, if we confi- 
 der that the Prophecy of Joel takes in all the 
 Time from the Prophets days to the final 
 Reftoration of the Jews : And therefore what 
 properly concerns the pouring out of the Spi- 
 rit y relates to what St Peter has applied it ; 
 though in Times ftill future it was to receive 
 a more perfeft AccomplKhment, in a more 
 full pouring out of the Spirit, 
 
 In the fame Difcourfe the fame Apoftle 
 
 argues from the Pfalms, that Jefus was to 
 
 T 4 rife 
 
28o An ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, rife again from the Dead. For David, 
 _^^^faithhe, Speaketh concerning HiM ; / 
 
 forefaw the Lord always before my Face^ for 
 he is on my right- hand that I fkould not be 
 moved, Therefore did my Heart rejoice^ and 
 my Tongue was glad : moreover aljo, my fiejh 
 fball reji in hope, becauje thou wilt not leave 
 my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine 
 holy One to fee Corruption. Thou hafi made 
 kno^itn to me the ways of Life -, thou /halt make 
 me full of joy with thy Countenance, Adts ii. . 
 2c— '2^- "^'^i^ ciiaiion is made from P/^//;; 
 xvi 8—1 1 , and from it St Feter argues thus : 
 Men and Brethren, let me freely fpeak to you 
 of ihe Patriarch David^ that he is both dead 
 ^M buried, and his Sepulchre is with us unto 
 this' Day, Therefore being a Prophet, and 
 knowing that God had fworn with an Oath 
 to 'him, that oj the fruit of his Loins, ac-. 
 cording to the fiejh, he would raife up Chrijl 
 to.ftonhisthrvjte-, He feeing this before, 
 fpake of the Re jur region of Chrif, that his 
 Soul was not left in Hell, neither his fe/Jj did 
 fee Corruption, 
 
 St Faul has urged the fame Argument to 
 the ^ews of Antioch in Pifdia, Adls xiii. 
 35 — il' Wherefore he faith aljo in another 
 Ffalm, Thou {]:ialt not fuffer thine Holy One 
 to fee Corruption. For David after he had 
 ferved his own Generation by the will of Gcd^ 
 fell on fie ep^ and was laid unto his Fathers, 
 
 and 
 
(9/ ^Z'^ Chr I ST I AN Religion. 281 
 
 ajid faw Corruption : But he whom God raifcd C ll A P. 
 agatn^ jaw no Corruption, '^^ • 
 
 There are but Two ways to account for 
 this 3 and as Learned Men are divided, it is 
 very julT: thcxt the Reader fliould vi^eigh their 
 leveral Schemes, and judge for himfelf in 
 an affair of this nature. 
 
 Thofe who look upon the w^ords of the 
 PJalmiJl as a real Prophecy^ obferve that both 
 St Peter, and St Paul, affert, that David 
 fpeaketh concerning the Chrijl : That David 
 is called exprefily a Prophet, ver. 30 : That 
 he is faid to fee this beforehand, that God in- 
 tended to raife up Chrift to fit on his throne ; 
 amd that from his feei?2g this before, he is faid 
 to fpeak of tHe Refarredion of Chrift, ver. 
 3 i : That fuppofing We are not able to fee 
 any thing like a Prophecy in the Original, 
 yet St Peter being an Apofilc of Jefus, and 
 being a Prophet himfelf, could not but be a 
 fit Interpieter of a Prophet : that the fame 
 Spirit which influenced David, did like wife 
 influence St Peter \ and confequently, the 
 Apoflle could not but be acquainted with the 
 true meaning of the Pfalmijl : That the 
 words, taken in their firft and obvious fenfe, 
 were not true of David-, for he in fad af- 
 ter he had ferved his own generation, by the 
 will of God fell on fleep, and was laid with 
 his Fathers, and faw corruption : But then 
 they were literally true of Jefus, for he whom 
 Cod raifcd again faw no corruption, ji6ls 
 
 xiii. 
 
282 Afi ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. xiii. 36, 37. From thefe Confiderations they 
 J ^ have been induced to believe this paffage of 
 the Pfalmiji to be a real Prophecy of the 
 Chrift. 
 
 But then on the other hand it may be ob- 
 ferved. That the words appear to be ori- 
 ginally fpoken by David of himfelf : That 
 the Pfalm hath nothing in it which can in- 
 duce a Reader to think, that another Perfon 
 is fpoken of: That the words do not necef- 
 farily imply more than this, that God would 
 certainly prote(ft David from his Enemies, 
 and not fufFer them to kill him : That it is 
 in the Original, Thou wilt not leave me^ 
 ^Kti^^, TO the Grave, nor fuffer thine only 
 one to fee the Pit : That in the Tranflation 
 ufed by the Apoftle, it is exadtly according 
 to the Original, i\<; a,^^^ not Iv aJ'aj and it is 
 impoffible to render the word, tl?, to^ or in- 
 tOy by Iv, in : That as to the other word. 
 Corruption, the fame word fignifies the Pit^ 
 or Grave, in Hebrew ; and that fo it ought 
 to be rendered according to the cuftomary 
 way of fpeaking amongft the Hebrews, 
 When therefore St Peter fays, that David 
 fpeaketh here concerning The Chriji, He may 
 mean no more than this, that David's words 
 are verified in Jefus : that they fuit Jefus^ 
 and his Cafe, even better than they did his 
 own : That the yews did ufually cite in fuch 
 a manner, and do to this day fay, That is it 
 which was fpoken^ when they relate fimilar 
 
 Fadts: 
 
of the Christian Religion. 283 
 
 Fafts : That it is very hard to conceive, that chap. 
 God fhould give us fuch Prophecies of fu- '^^' 
 ture Events, as fhould require the help of an 
 infpired Prophet to difcover them ; and even 
 after that he has difcovered them, no one 
 can fee that they were Prophecies, but merely 
 and folely upon his Authority : That fuch a 
 Prophecy therefore can never be urged to an 
 Infidel, becaufe before St Peter*^ authority 
 is proved, the Prophecy is nothing ; and af- 
 ter his Authority is proved, the Prophecy is 
 needlefs. 
 
 The Truth is, David had had Affurance 
 given him, that his Throne (hould be efiablijhed 
 for ever. The Apoftle therefore argues, that 
 the Time v^as come when this Prophecy (hould 
 be fulfilled; that The Chriji^ who was to de- 
 fcend from his Loins, was to fit upon his 
 Throne, and to reign for ever. He therefore 
 could not be given up to death, fo as to be de- 
 tained by it, and fee corruption, as David 
 himfelf did, but muft rije again, as in fadt 
 Jefus did : and thus was the promife made to 
 David literally fulfilled. 
 
 In the iii^ Chapter of the ABs, 22 — 24, 
 St Peter, proving to the Jews from the Mi- 
 racle done upon the Man that was Lame 
 from his Mother's Womb, that Jefus, whom 
 they had killed, was The Chriji ; and telling 
 them likewife, that they muft be converted, 
 and turn to Him, if they would have their 
 Sins blotted out, fays, Mofes truly faid unto 
 
 the 
 
284 ^n ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, the Fathers, A Prophet Jhall the Lord your 
 ^ • , God raife up unto you^ of your Brethren like 
 unto me j him Jhall ye hear in all things what- 
 Joever he Jhall fay unto you. And it Jhall 
 come to pafs, that every Soul %vhicb will not 
 hear that Prophet, JJjall be dejlroyed from 
 amo7ig the People, 
 
 When he had cited this from Mofes, Deut. 
 xviii. 15 — 19, St Peter inftantly adds, Tea 
 and all the Prophets Jrom Samuel, and thoje 
 that follow after, as many as have fpoken, 
 have likewife f^oretold of thefe Days, The 
 Expofition of thefe words will help us to un- 
 derftand what our Saviour faid, For all the 
 Prophets and the Law prophelied u?itil John, 
 Matt, xi. 135 or as St Luke has it, chap, 
 xvi. 16, The Law and the Prophets were un- 
 til yohn : Or as it is faid in another place, 
 Mofes wrote of Me, John v. 45 ; and again, 
 John \, 45, IVe have found him of whom 
 Mofes in the Law, and the Prophets, did 
 write, Jefus of Nazareth the Son of Jofeph. 
 In order to the underftanding this, lee it be 
 obferved, 
 
 \f, St Peter afferts, that a certain par- 
 ticular Perfon was to arife like u?2to Mofes, 
 who was to be hearkned to. Whether the 
 word which we render in Deuteronomy, like 
 unto ?ne, Chamoni, was defigned to fignify 
 only a general Similitude of Power and Au- 
 thority ; Or whether it were to be under- 
 (iood of a proper Equality^ the Event alone 
 
 could 
 
of the Christian Religion. 285 
 
 could determine. And confequently when- C II A P. 
 tver any Perlbn laid claim to be hearkned '^'^\i^^ 
 unto, and proved himfclf to be like to Mofes^ 
 then the precife Idea of that, chamGui^ like 
 to me, could be determined. 
 
 2dl)\ The words of Deuteronomy, were 
 fpoken by God to Mojes in Mount Horcb^ 
 and were occafioned by that majeftic dread- 
 ful appearance of God in the Mount, when 
 the Lord [pake unto the ajfembly of I frael out 
 of the ??iidji of the fire of the Cloud, and of 
 the thick Darknefs : when the People delired 
 Mofes, Deut. v. 22 — 28, to go near, and to 
 hear all that the Lord our God fl^all fay ^ and 
 promifed to hear, and to do whatever God 
 fiouldfpeak to him. This Refolution of the 
 People being approved by God, He promifed 
 them a Prophet, like unto Mofes, to whom 
 they were to hearken upon pain of his Dif- 
 pleafare. 
 
 This being the Occafion of the words, 
 and they being fpoken immediately after that 
 the Children of Ifrael went out of Egypt ^ 
 jiifl upon the giving them the Ten Com- 
 mandments, and confequently very near Forty 
 years before his death, if Mofes himfelf has 
 given us any criterion by which we may 
 judge of the meaning of his ExprefTions, 
 we may be able to determine with certainty, 
 what is the precife itieaning of this Prophecy. 
 Tnerefore, 
 
An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 o^dly. Much about a year after this Pro- 
 miie of a Prophet like U7ito Mofes, and con- 
 fequently about thirty-nine years before his 
 Death, Aaron and Mirjam fpoke againft 
 him, and occafioned this Declaration of God, 
 Numb. xii. 6 — 8. If there be a Prophet 
 among you, 1 the Lord will make myfelf 
 known unto him in a Vifion, and will fpeak 
 unto him in a drearn. My Servant Mofes is 
 not fo, who is jaithful in all mine houfe : 
 With him will I fpeak Mouth to Mouth, even 
 apparently, and not in dark fpeeches, and the 
 Similitude of the Lord JI:all he behold. This 
 will be explained from Exodus xxxiii. 1 1 ; 
 And the Lord fpake to Mofes face to face, as 
 a Man fpeaketh to his friend. This there- 
 fore is made the peculiar charader of Mofes : 
 and in this point neither Jofjua, nor any of 
 the yewijh prophets which fucceeded him, 
 could pretend to be like unto Mofes. Either 
 they did not fee the glorious prefence of 
 God ; Or they did not hear him fpeak di- 
 ftinftly : God did not converfe with them ; 
 but they received the Intimations of his plea- 
 fure by Vifions, or Dreams, or by obfcure 
 and enigmatical Expreffions. 
 
 /^thly. It appears by the laft chapter of 
 Deut. ver. 9, 10, That the Jews themfelves 
 underftood this Prophecy as I have explained 
 it, and never imagined it applicable to either 
 Jojhuay or to the fucceeding Prophets. For 
 it is there faid, Jofhua, the Son of Nun, was 
 
 full 
 
of the Christian Religion. 287 
 
 full of the Spirit of Wifdom, for Mofes had OH \?. 
 laid his hands upon him^ and the Children of ^ ^^' 
 Ifrael hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord 
 commanded Mofes. And there arofe not a 
 Vvo^\\ttfnce in Ifrael like unto Mofes, whom 
 the Lord knew face to face. And indeed 
 whenever any Prophet did arife, they only 
 expounded thofe Laws which Mofes gave ; 
 or they were fent on fome particular Occa- 
 fions to particular perfons ; or they attempted 
 the reformation of the people*s Manners ; 
 or they tried to bring them back to an exadl 
 obfervance of the Law 5 or elfe to put the 
 people upon endeavouring to live up to the 
 Spirit, and Intent, of the Law; Or, laftly, 
 they foretold fome future Events, difcovered 
 to them by Vifions, or Dreams, or by An- 
 gels : But they never adted like Mofes, in that 
 which was the diftinguifhing charadter of 
 Mofes, viz. to give a Law to the People of 
 God ; and to be a Mediator betwixt God 
 and his People ; and to propofe a Covenant 
 betwixt God and Them, by that means to 
 bring them to God. 
 
 Since then Mofes himfelf has given us fuch 
 a criterion, by which we might judge of the 
 meaning of thofe words, like unto Me — if 
 we find that Jefus was like unto Mofes in 
 thofe things which were the eminent cha- 
 radlers of Mofes, and that no one elfe was 
 like him in them, we may be affured that 
 Jefus was that Prophet foretold by Mofes. 
 
 In 
 
2S8 An ESS AT upon the TRUTH, 
 
 C H A P. In proof of this we are only to ob- 
 
 ^^' ferve, 
 
 1. That yefus came to ereft the Kingdom 
 of God, and to publifh the Laws of it to 
 Mankind : and declared their acceptance with 
 God to depend upon the performance, or 
 non-performance, of thofe conditions which 
 are fpecitied in the Gofpel. Herein he was 
 a LegiJIator like unto Mofes, 
 
 2. Jefus fpoke only that which he had 
 Seen with his Father: He was from the 
 beginning with God. John i. i. The only 
 begotten Son which is in the Bosom of the 
 Father^ he hath declared y6/;;/, ver. j8. A- 
 gain, chap. iii. 13. No Man hath afcended 
 lip ifito Heaven, but he that came down 
 
 fro7n Heaven, even the Son of Man which 
 is in Heaven. All which places imply the 
 perfedeft intimacy with God : that he was 
 admitted to the fecret defigns of God, and 
 was commiffioned to reveal them to Man- 
 kind. 
 
 3. Jefus was the Mediator of a Covenant 
 as well as Mofes. The conditions of our 
 Salvation were offered by him to us from 
 God: and That, not as Mofes did, by bare- 
 ly repeating the words of God, but by being 
 fuch a Mediator as gave himfef a ranfo^n for 
 alL I Tim, ii. 6. He is a Mediator of a 
 new covenant in his blood, Heb. ix 1 5. As 
 this was the part which Jefus performed, it 
 was very right, and literally true, to fay, that 
 
 Mofes 
 
of the Christian Religion. 2S9 
 
 Mofes wrote of him, or that the Law prophe- CHAP. 
 fed of him, ^^'^ 
 
 The Author of the Dijcourfe of the 
 Grounds^ &c. p, 28. feems to be of Opinion, 
 That this Paffage of Mofes " implies an 
 *' Eftabliiliment of an Order and Succef- 
 *' fion of Prophets in analogy to the Hea- 
 '* then Diviners : and fultably to the words 
 *^ oi Mofs there were great numbers of Pro- 
 *' phets among them, who not only in the 
 '* moft important Affairs of Government, 
 ** but in the difcovery of loft Goods, and in 
 " telling Fortunes, fhewed their divine In- 
 " fpiration." 
 
 For the Proof of this, we are referred to 
 Stillingfleet^ Origines Sacra. 
 
 The Arguments produced by that Learned 
 Man, are Thefe. The Firf is taken from 
 the Occafion of the words in queftion. 
 " God, fays he, prohibits them to hearken 
 " after the manner of their Neighbour iVi/- 
 *' tiom to Obfervers of Times, and Diviners; 
 *' and then brings in the following words, 
 *' as the reafon of that Prohibition^ That 
 " God would raife them up a Prophet^ &c.*' 
 To which I anfwer. 
 
 That Dr Stillingfleet has evidently mif- 
 taken the meaning of Mofes. Mofes, ver. 9. 
 gave the Ifraelites in charge, that when they 
 came into the land which God fiould give 
 them, there fhould not be among them a 
 Diviner or Wizard ^ &c. For all that do 
 
 U thefe 
 
An ES SAT upon the "TRUTH 
 
 thefe things are an abomination unto the 
 Lord, and Because of thefe abominations 
 the Lord doth drive them out before thee^ 
 And ver. 14. Thefe Nations which thou fo alt 
 pofefny hearkened unto obfervers of times, 
 and unto Diviners: But as for thee, the Lord 
 thy God hath not fuffered thee to do fo. The 
 very next words are thofe in debate; which 
 if they fignified^ Succefjion of Fortune-tellers^ 
 they v/ould direiitly contradict, not only the 
 words immediately preceding, but hkewife 
 the Reafon of the Prohibition. All that con- 
 fult Wizards^ or that uje Divination, are an 
 abomination unto me, fays God ^ and I will 
 r\otfr/ffer thee to do fo : And then the im- 
 mediately following words are, I will raife up 
 wito you Men that may ufe Divination ; and 
 for This reafon, that you may confult and 
 hearken to them. Could Mofes thus imme- 
 diately, and thus glaringly contradid: himfelf ? 
 
 Befides ; What concerns fuch as ufe Di- 
 vination^ &c, is the Repetition of a Law 
 from Leviticus, which was given at quite a 
 different l^ifne from this promife which was 
 made of a Prophet like unto Mofes ; and as 
 it was given much later in Time, it cannot 
 be the reafon of a prior Promife, given up- 
 on a different occafion. 
 
 Dr Stillingfleef^ Second reafon for inter- 
 preting thefe words as he has done, is, as he 
 himfelf owns, only for a Probability that 
 fuch may be the meaning, viz, " The Op- 
 
 pofition 
 
 iC 
 
of the Christian Religion. 291 
 
 ^^ pofition lies between the Order of true C H A P. 
 '^ Prophets among the 'Jews^ and the fliKe 
 *' ones which fhould arife in the midft of 
 *' them ; as appears from the charge which 
 *' follows againft falfe Prophets, and the 
 " rules to difcover them, ver. 20 — 22." 
 
 But then if this be the meaning of the 
 words, it is certain that the Succeffion of true 
 Prophets muft have been conjlant 5 or at leaft 
 true Prophets muft have been raifed up as 
 often as falfe Prophets appeared : There muft 
 have been real Prophets ready at hand to dif- 
 prove all Pretenders to Prophecy ; which is 
 neither agreeable to Hiftory, as far as ap- 
 pears J nor was it neceflary in itfelf, becaufe 
 Mofei had laid down rules to try falfe Pro- 
 phets by. 
 
 His other Reafon is really worfe ; viz. 
 *' There is no other Place in the whole 
 *' Pentateuch which doth exprejjly /peak of 
 " a Succeffion of Prophets.*' As if This 
 place exprejjly fpoke of a Succeffion ? I con- 
 clude therefore that Mofes fpoke of One par- 
 ticular Prophet : The words are exprefs of 
 One only : One^ like unto Mofes : And fuch 
 was Jejm in thofe very diftinguifhing cha- 
 radters of a Legijlator^ Mediator^ and Re- 
 vealer of the Will of God ; and confequent- 
 ly Jejus may be faid to be wrote of, or fpoke 
 of, by Mofes, 
 
 When St Veter fays, A5is iii. 24. Tea^ 
 
 and all the Prophets from Samuel, and thofe 
 
 U 2 that 
 
292 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 ^ Yv ^' ^^^^ follow after y as many as have fpoken^ 
 v^ ^^ have likewife foretold of thefe days j — He 
 means, not that every one of the Jewip 
 Writers after Samuel, to Malachi, wrote of 
 the days of The Mejfiah, But Some did it ; 
 as ma7iy as have fpokcn of I he days of The 
 MeJJiab, fpake wiiat is now beginning to be 
 accompliihed in thefe days in and by Jefus of 
 Nazareth. 
 
 The next citation taken from Pfalm cxviii. 
 22. is either a General Form of Expreffion, 
 or perhaps a common proverbial Speech, and 
 applied by St Peter, A6ls iv. ii. to our Sa- 
 viour, as our Saviour applied it to himfelf. 
 Matt, XX i. 42. T^his is the Stone which was 
 fet at 720ught of you builders^ which is become 
 the head of the corner, 
 
 ABs iv. 25 — 28. Peter and fohn, being 
 difmiffed with Threats by the Jewijh Sanhe^ 
 drim for preaching fefus to be the Chrift ; 
 and being come to their own company, and 
 having declared what the chief Priefts and 
 Elders had faid unto them, they all lift up 
 their voice to God, and faid. Lord — who by 
 the mouth of thy Servant David hafl faid^ 
 Why did the heathen rage, and the People 
 imagine vain things ? The Kings of the Earth 
 Hood up, and the Rulers were gathered to- 
 gether againft the Lord, and again ft his 
 Chrift. For of a Truth againft thy holy child 
 Jefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod, 
 aji/d Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the 
 
 people 
 
of the Christian Religion. 293 
 
 feople of Ifrael, were gathered together^ for CHAP. 
 to do whatever thy hand^ and thy counfel deter- 
 mined before to be done. To make out this 
 to be the citation of a Prophecy, it muft be 
 proved that the Spirit ot God had this particu- 
 lar Event in view 5 and that the Second Pfalm 
 was all a predidion of what was to happen 
 to, and under, the Meffiah, God no doubt 
 forefaw, and in his Wi(dom determined^ what 
 afterwards happened to the Meffiah: He 
 knew how "Jefui would be treated by Herod ^ 
 and Pilate^ by ^^ews^ and Gentiles: But that 
 David had this particular fadt in View, or 
 that he propheiied of the Meffiah in thefe 
 words which here the ApoAles apply, would 
 be very difficult to prove to any One, be- 
 caufe he fpeaks of his own Perfon and Times; 
 and the vain attempts of the Heathen to op- 
 pofe the Lord and his anointed. It is true, 
 that this Pfalm is very often cited by the Apo- 
 flles. ^hou art my Son^ this day have I be- 
 gotten theey is cited, ABs xiii. 33. Heb. i. 5, 
 and chap. v. 5, and conftantly applied to Je- 
 fus, A5is xiii. 33, It is applied to our Sa- 
 viour's RefurreBiony as appears by the con- 
 text. Gody fays the Apoftle, raifed him from 
 the dead : And he wasjeen many days of them 
 which came up with him from Galilee to Je- 
 rulalem, who are his witnejjes unto the people : 
 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how 
 that the promife which was made unto the fa^ 
 therSy God hath fulfilled the fame unto us their 
 U 3 children^ 
 
294. ^-n ESS AT upon the rRUTH 
 
 CHAP, children^ in that he hath raifed up Jefus again, 
 as it is aljh written in the 2d Fjalm ; Thou 
 art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 
 In the Epiftle to the Hebre^ws^ chap. v. 5, 
 thefe fame words are applied to our Lord's 
 being in poffeffion of his High-Priefthood. 
 So alfo Chrift glorified not himfelf to be made 
 an High-Prieft ; but. he that faid unto Him^ 
 Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten 
 thee. In the Firjl chapter of this Epiille it 
 relates to his Exaltation into his Kingdom 
 above all Angels as well as Men : Being made 
 fo rnuch better than the Angels, as he hath by 
 Inheritance obtained a more excellent name 
 than they ^ Vor unto which of the Augth faid 
 he at any ti77te^ Thou art my Son, this Day 
 have I begotten thee? Now thefe Words 
 containing the Decree of God, to eflablifli in 
 the Houie of David for ever his Kingdom j 
 and our Saviour, by his RefurreBion and Ex^ 
 altation^ being vefted with all Power in Hea- 
 ven and Earth, and thus enabled to rule for 
 ever, and being of the Seed of Davidy 
 —Thefe places contain an Explication of a 
 Prophecy^ and ar€ declarations of the Manner 
 in which it was accomplifhed. vid. My Para- 
 fhrafe and Notes upon the Epiftle to the He- 
 brews ^ p. 242, 6V. 
 
 As to the citation made, chap. viii. 32, 33. 
 I refer the reader to what I have laid in re- 
 lation to the liii of Ifaiah in the beginning of 
 the preceding chapter. 
 
 In 
 
c/'//?^ Christian Religion. 295 
 
 In the x'uUh chapter, Sr Paul has a very CHAP, 
 remarkable difcourfe at yhtioch in Pijidia -, 
 where, ver. 33, he ck<is the Second Plahn, 
 which I have aheady confidercd : and going 
 on with the evidence for the Relurredion of 
 our Saviour, he appeals, ver. 34. to EJaiab 
 Iv. 3. And as cojicerning that ke raifed him 
 up fro7n the dead, now no more to return to 
 corruption^ he Jaid en this ii'ife, I will give 
 you the fure Mercies of David. He doth 
 not mean that thefe words fignify, or were 
 intended to fignify, that the MeJJiah was pro- 
 phefied of as not to fee corruption 3 but that 
 God having made with David an everlafting 
 Covenant, and having promifed him great 
 things. He would faithfully obferve his pro- 
 mife to him. "J ejus therefore being the Per- 
 fon promifed, and in whom the Mercies to 
 David were to be made good, Jefus, I fay, 
 being crucified and buried, he mulf be 
 brought to life again, and muft be made ca- 
 pable of Adion, or iAit. the promife made to 
 David muft ceafe. Here therefore is a Pro- 
 phecy appealed to ; but not a Prophecy of the 
 Refurredion of Jefus-, not a Prophecy that 
 the Meffiah was 720t to fee corruption ; but a 
 Prophecy of quite a different nature, which 
 the Apoftle, having joined to it the known 
 death of Jefus ^ argues from, and fufficiently 
 explains how the mercies of God to David 
 were fulfilled in the refurredion of Jcfus. 
 What he adds from Pf xvi. Jhou fmt not 
 
 U 4 fuffcr 
 
296 An ES SAT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP fuffer thine Holy one to fee corruption^ has 
 ^^^* been already confidered in this chapter. 
 
 There are Two more Citations made by 
 S. Paul in this Difcourfe, which are fo plain- 
 ly mere accommodations, that no one can 
 e ;ii!y niif>.^ke them. After He had declared 
 that RemiiTion of Sins was preached unto the 
 Jews cf y^>2//V/6 through Chrifl, He cautions 
 them Lgainft Infidelity thus -, Beware^ there- 
 fore left that come upon you ^ which is fpoken of 
 in the Prophets^ " Behold, ye defpifers, and 
 *' wonder, and perifh, for I work a woik in 
 " your days, a work which you fliall in no 
 " wife believe, though a man declare it unto 
 *^ you," ver. 40, 41. This Citation is made 
 neither according to the Hebrew^ nor accord- 
 ing to the LXX, oi Habakkuk: And the very 
 ntxt words of the Prophet, ch. i. 5, 6, fliew, 
 that He was fpeaking of his own generation, 
 and of his own Times, For lo, I raife up the 
 Chaldeans, that hitler andhafiy Nation^ &c. 
 The Other, ver. 47. was occafioned by the 
 ^enios being filled wiih Envy^ blafpheming and 
 contradtding Paul. Upon which He and 
 Barnabas turned to the Gentiles, /. e, to the 
 religious Profelyies who were of Gentile Ex- 
 traction, and not of the Seed of Abraham ; 
 and They juftified what they did from thofe 
 words of Ifaiah, ch. xlix. 6, I have fet thee 
 to be a light to the Gentiles, that thou fhoiildfl 
 he for Salvation unto the Ends of the Earth. 
 It was certainly prophefied, that the Meffiah 
 
 was 
 
of the Christian Religion. 297 
 
 was to be a Prince or Governor of the Gen- CHAP. 
 tilt's: and ^ejus had commanded the Apoftles ^^'' 
 to make Ditciples to Him out oi all Natiojis^ 
 Matt, xwiiL 19. Mark xvi. 15. Luke xxiv. 
 47. But then the Prophet in the cited place 
 was fpeaking moft probably of himfelf ; and 
 the Apoftle argued thus in efFed, that fince 
 ye/us had commanded Difciples to be made of 
 Genti/es, and Jfaias was to be a Light to the 
 Gentiles as well as to the Jews, it could not 
 but be right to preach the Gofpel to them ; 
 and therefore he applied to Himfelf the words 
 of Ifaiahy and introduced them thus, Forfo 
 hath the Lord commanded us. 
 
 That the Ge7jtiles of all Sorts, and of all 
 Nations were to turn to God, and to be ad- 
 mitted into the Kingdom of the MeJJtah, was 
 very fully and expreffly declared by the Pro- 
 phets. Ifaiah fays it very clearly, There Jh all 
 be a root 0/* Jefle, which Jhall Jl and for an 
 Enfign of the People : To it fjall the Gentiles 
 feeky ch. xi. 10, ficc. Again, ch. Ivi. 7. 
 Mine Houfe fidall be called an Houfe of Prayer 
 for All People. And again, Malachi i. 1 1» 
 From the rifing up of the Sun, even to the go- 
 ing down o/' the fame, my name f mil be great 
 among the Gentiles ^ and in every place incenfe 
 f:all be offered up to my name, and a pure of- 
 fering : J or my Name jhall be great among the 
 Heathen, faith the Lord of Hofs, When 
 Paul and Barnabas had declared what Mira- 
 cles and Wonders God had wrought among the 
 
 Gentiles 
 
298 An ESSAY upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP. Gentiles by them 3 and Ja^nes had obferved 
 from Peter's Account of his preaching the 
 Gofpel to Cornelius^ that God had vifited the 
 Gentiles to take out of them a people for his 
 Namey Adts xv. 14; Si yames got^ on toob- 
 ferve, To this agree the words of the Prophets, 
 as it is written, After this I will return^ and 
 will build again the Tabernacle of D: vid, 
 which is fallen down : and I will build again 
 the ruins thereof and I will fet it up : That 
 the refdue of men might feek after the Lord^ and 
 all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called^ 
 faith the Lord who doth all thefe things, 1\\ 
 thefe words it is certain that James only fol- 
 lows the Senfe of Amos, ch. ix. 1 1, 12, not 
 his words, either according to the Original, 
 or the LXX. The Prophet is (peaking con- 
 cerning a time JiilL future , when the Jews 
 were to be planted in their Land, fo as no 
 more to be pulled cut of it, ver. 15 ; and this 
 was to be done after that the Houfe of Ifrael 
 had been Jif ted among all nations like as corn is 
 fftedin a Sieve, ver. 9. In this Time (when- 
 ever that (hall be) God promifes to raife up 
 the Tabernacle of David, and that the Gen- 
 tiles jhould jeek after the Lord, and fliould be 
 called upon by his Name. St James, obferv- 
 ing how the Light of the Golpel was fpread 
 among the Gentiles, puts them in mind that 
 this was all along defigned by God to be ac- 
 complished in his due time; and that this 
 prophecy of Amos plainly intimated fo much : 
 
 and 
 
cf the Christian Religion. 299 
 
 and therefore that He approved what Paul^^AP. 
 and Barnabas had done. , _ _ 
 
 As for the Citation, ^Bs xxviii. 26, 27, 
 It has been aheady coniidered. 
 
 Thefe I think are all the Paflages cited 
 from the Prophets, which may Teem to be, 
 or adually are, urged as Prophecies of the 
 things for which they are cited. How feldom, 
 and how often they are fo, 1 have lliewn. 
 But it will be afked, For what End are many of 
 them brought ? Or why did the Apoftles ufe 
 fuch a Style as might fo eafily lead the un- 
 wary Reader into Miftakes ? I anfwer. 
 
 They ufed a Style and Phrafeology which 
 was Then common zvnong iho, yews \ and 
 which was underftood by them, as eafily as 
 our European Phrafeology is underftood by us. 
 There are numberlefs Expreffions in the New 
 T^ament and in the Old too, which when 
 rightly underftood, and as the Writer really 
 meant them, fignify nothing like what igno- 
 rant People take them for, or what fome 
 Men of Letters wreft them to. The Powers 
 that be, are ordained of God : God hardned 
 Pharaoh's Heart : God's deceiving Prophets : 
 Calling : EleBion : Predejiination : Grace : 
 —Thefe and a thoufand other Inftances of hard 
 w^ords occur, which are, and have been under- 
 ftood, univerfally almoft, in a manner different 
 from what they were defigned to fignify. 
 
 If the Queftion be, Why did the Apoftles 
 ufe fuch Citations i I anfwer, In fome In- 
 ftances 
 
300 yin ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CHAP, ftances merely to illuftrate thei^* Narrations : 
 ^^- .In other, The Terms of the Old Teftament 
 were very exad and fuitable to their defign : 
 In Some, there is Event foretold diredly : 
 In Others, They argue from a predidion in 
 Juftilication of what they did. In All, they 
 fuppole their Readers, or their Hearers, to be 
 capable of underftanding what they fay, and 
 of having common Judgment to compare 
 things together, and to diicriminate Prophecy 
 really fuch, from mere Accommodations, 
 
 When therefore The Author of the Dif- 
 courfe of the Grounds and Reafons^ &c. ob- 
 ferves, that the Evangelifts prove the feveral 
 parts of Chriftianity from the Old Testa- 
 ment, />. 6. and argues thus becaufe they ufe 
 the Term, fulfil^ or ufe Citations from the 
 Old Teftaiiient, He very much miftakes the 
 meaning of that Term, and hkewife the De- 
 iign of the Apoftles in their references ; For 
 iTnce fome of them are lUuftrations only, and 
 fome, Accommodations of their words to the 
 point in hand ; and all are introduced in the 
 fame manner, as if they had been Prophe- 
 cies j The Rules which I have laid down will 
 fufficiently, I think, determine, which are 
 the One, and which are the Other -, and will 
 fhew the Miftake of thofe who put one uni- 
 form Sen'e upon a word which has evidently 
 feveral meanings as it is applied. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
ff the Christian Religion. 301 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Why the Prophecies which Chrijiians very 
 iifually injiji on Now a-days, are never 
 mentioned in the New Teftament; where- 
 as Others, which feem more remote and 
 difficult to be underjloody are therein often 
 mentioned. 
 
 IT may feem very ftrange, That there CHAP, 
 fhould be in the Old Teftament feveral ^'^^• 
 very remarkable Prophecies, which all Chri- 
 ftians now apply to The Me/Jiah, and with 
 which they always combat the Jews ; which 
 notwithftanding never once are cited by the 
 New Teftament Writers, nor any reference is 
 Ever made unto them. The famous One 
 concerning Shiloh, DanieW Seventy Weeks -^ 
 Haggai's Second Tiemple^ are never once fo 
 much as hinted at, much lefs are they cited 
 and applied, as one at iirft fight might rea~ 
 fonably exped, confidering that they feem fo 
 very fit to determine the Difpute about "The 
 Mejftah, 
 
 But however flrange this may appear at 
 firft fight, very good reafon may be afligned 
 for this condud in the Gofpel Writers. Thus 
 to inftance in particulars 5 
 
 The 
 
An ES SAT upon ihc TRUTH 
 The Firjl Prophecy I mentioned is, Gen, 
 xlix. 10. The Scepter Jhall 7iot depart from 
 Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his 
 Feet, 'till Shiloh cojne, and unto him fmll 
 the gathering of the People be. 
 
 It is nothing to the purpofe to obferve, 
 that the Chaldee Paraphrafts, who lived be- 
 fore the Controverfies arofe about this Text, 
 did All of them underftand this paffage of 
 the MeJJiah, The modern yews will always 
 deny their Authority, whenever it is againjl 
 them 5 and to appeal to Rabbles, where Rea- 
 fon and Argument alone (hould be confidered, 
 is not to convince the underftanding, or to 
 confute any Errors, but to bear Men down 
 with names and authorities, which never fa- 
 tisfy or convince the Mind. 
 
 In this Prophecy the word which we tran- 
 flate, Sceptre, \yyVy fignifies all thefe things; 
 a Rod J a Staff -^ a Lance ; a Sceptre j and a 
 Tribe. The Three former of thefe cannot 
 be intended here, becaufe they have nothing 
 fimilar, or relative, to what is expreffed by 
 the term, Lawgiver, The \th, Senfe, viz, 
 Sceptre, i. e. The Mark or Enfign of Supreme 
 Authority, cannot here be meant ; becaufe the 
 Royal Power never was in any of the Tribe of 
 Judah before David's Time ; nor was any of 
 that Tribe in pofTeffion of the Kingdom after 
 Zedekiah, The laft Senfe therefore feems to 
 be the true one ; and the meaning is, The 
 Tribe of JuddihJJ^all not fail. 
 
 Nor 
 
of the Christian Religion. 303 
 
 Nor a Laweiver from between his Feet : C H a p. 
 What we render, Lawgiver^ is one who 
 decrees y or determines any thing, or exercifes 
 JuriJdidlio?2. 
 
 Frofn between his Feet: It is a Phrafe 
 taken from the Image under which Judah is 
 reprefented in the preceding verfe, viz. of a 
 Liion^ who with his Feet feizes his Prey, and 
 holds it fecure, that no one dares deprive him 
 of it. The Tribe of Judah (hall laft, and 
 he (hall no more part with his right of Ju- 
 rifdiSfioUy than a Lion would with his Prey 
 from between his Feet, 
 
 fTill Shiloh come, and to Him the Gather- 
 ing of the People be. What the word, Shiloh, 
 means, is hard to fay, it never occurring but 
 in this place. But as almoft all the Jewifh 
 Interpreters antient and modern underfland 
 this, and interpret it of, The Mefjiah ; and 
 the Event of things has fo remarkably fhewn 
 that the Jews were difperfed foon after the 
 Appearance of Jefus of Nazareth, One can- 
 not but conclude this a Prediction of the 
 Mefjiah, The meaning of the whole Pre- 
 diction is, ' That Judah Oiould continue a 
 
 * T^ribe ; and there Ihould be in That, and in 
 ' that Tribe alone, Dominion and Jurif- 
 
 * didion 'till the Mefjiah come, (or He for 
 ' whom the Dominion was referved, as the 
 
 * LXX,) and the People be gathered to Him; 
 
 * and then Judah was to ceafe to have thefe 
 
 * Privileges/ Nov/ it is obvious that within 
 
 a very 
 
304 ^^ ESS AT upon the TRUTH. 
 
 C H A P. a very few Years after the Death of JeftiSy 
 ^^^' and whilfl: the People were gathering to Him^ 
 The Tribe of Judah ceafed to be a Tribe^ 
 and lofl all Jurifdidion. It was wrefted out 
 of the paws of this Lion^ with infinite La- 
 boar and Hazard; and they have never had the 
 lead pretence of Power near Seventeen Hun- 
 dred Years. The 'Jews at this day know not 
 their own Genealogy ; nor are they able to 
 prove from which of the Twelve Patriarchs 
 they are defcended. 
 
 The reafon now is manifeft, why this Pro- 
 phecy is not alleged by ^efin^ or by the Apo- 
 illes. For the Epiftles and all the Gofpels, 
 (except St John'^ Gofpel and Jude's Epiftle) 
 were wrote before the Jews were difperfed, 
 and confequently before this Prophecy was 
 fulfilled. Now whilft the Jewifi State con- 
 tinued, it was poffible, (for ought any one 
 could fay to the contrary at that time) that 
 fomebody elfe might have arofe, and might 
 have laid claim to the title of Shiloh, But 
 when once the Temple, and the State, were 
 entirely deftroyed, the Prophecy had it's 
 Event ; and then, and not 'till then, it might 
 very juftly have been quoted as fulfilled. 
 
 The fame reafon holds good, and is fuf- 
 ficient, I think, to fatisfy any one, why Da- 
 niels Weeh are never cited. Daniel was 
 very clear, chap. ix. 24 — 26, that Seventy 
 Weeks %vere determined — to bring in Ever- 
 lajiing Right eoufnefs^ and tofeal up the Fijiony 
 
 and 
 
of the Christian Religion. 305 
 
 and Prophecy^ a?id to anoint the mojl Holy. Chap. 
 Thus much was accompliflied in, and by,, ^^^' 
 the Death of Jefus, But then, very foon 
 after that the MeJJiah was cut off, the People 
 of the Prince that (hould come, fliould de- 
 ftroy the City and SanBuary, &c. Now 
 whilft the City and the Sanifuary remained 
 untouched, this Prophecy being only in part 
 fulfilled, and the reft remaining unaccom- 
 pliflied, it could not be urged by the Apoftles 
 in favour of Jefus, 'till all was fulfilled by 
 the Deftrucftion of Jerufalem. 
 
 So likewife what Haggai fays, that the 
 Defire of all Nations Jhould come into that 
 Temple, chap. ii. 7. — This could not be 
 urged before that Temple was deftroyed ; be- 
 caufe it was no fure Evidence that fuch a 
 Perfon was the MeJjiah, becaufe he laid claim 
 to that Title during the Temple 3 but it would 
 be Evidence that he could not be the Chrift, 
 if he had not come whilft it ftood. This 
 I think to be fufficient reafon why thefc^'Pro- 
 phecies are never cited by the Authors of the 
 New Teftament, The Hiftory of the ABs 
 ceafing feveral Years before the Deftru6lion 
 of Jerufalem ; and indeed All the Books of 
 the New Teftament being wrote before that 
 time, except St Jolm's Gofpel, and St Jude's 
 Epiftle. 
 
 C O N- 
 
3o6 ^ ESS AT upon the TRUTH 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 I HAVE in the preceding Chapters endea- 
 voured to purfue one fingle Thread of 
 Reafoning, omitting many other Arguments 
 which have their weight. But that the Reader 
 may perceive the connexion of the whole, I 
 here luii- up the Argument in a few words. 
 
 The yews were, at and about the times 
 when ^efus appeared, in great Expedation 
 of One, whom they called, The Mejjiahy 
 and who Vv^as to have an Univerfal Dominion; 
 and this Expectation was founded upon their 
 facred Books. There was a Promile made to 
 Abraham^ and to David^ that one fliould arife 
 of Davids Seed, who iliould reign for ever. 
 
 And in Daniel^ there is exprefs Prophecy 
 that God would ered a X/iVGi)OA/; and 
 there is an account of One like the Son of Man^ 
 to whom God is reprefented as giving an ever- 
 lafiing Dominion, that all People, Nations^ and 
 Lafiguages, Jloould ferve Him : and like wife 
 there is clear Prophecy, that in a certain Pe- 
 riod of time Mejiah fhould be cut off, 
 
 Jefus, when he appeared, declared to the 
 People, that God was, bymeansof Him, erect- 
 ing the Kingdom of Heaven foretold : That 
 He was That Son of Man, That Meffiah, or 
 Chriji, Vi'hom they expeded : and This He 
 did, not 072ce or twice ^ but fome Hundreds of 
 times, during his Life : in effed, every time 
 
 that 
 
of the Christian Religion. 307 
 
 that he difcourfed oi The Kingdom of Heaven^ 
 of The Son of Man, or of The Chri/}^ he 
 appealed to thefe Prophecies of Daniel, 
 
 To (hew That He did not do this as an 
 Impoftor^ but as one really fent from God, He 
 worked many Miracles ; He foretold his own 
 Death, and RefurreBion 5 and He rofe again 
 juft asHe had foretold : which plainly proves 
 that He was influenced by a Power from on 
 High. Thefe Fads being true ^ and the E- 
 vents exadly correfponding to the Prophecies 
 of Daniel:, and, fince our Saviour's times. 
 Events exadlly correfponding to the Prophe- 
 cies of the New Tertament, as we ourfelves 
 Q2Sifee^ and make a Judgment upon Seventeen 
 Hundred Years Experience, it is undeniably 
 certain, that Chrijiianity is True, 
 
 The only ObjeBions which have the ap- 
 pearance of weight in them, are taken from 
 mijtaken Notions of fome Expreffions in the 
 New Teftament writers ; or elfe from a 
 wrong Judgment of the Apodles methods of 
 arguing. But they are abfolutely nothing, 
 if underftood as it mufl: be allowed They 
 MAT be y and if there be but a PoJJibility 
 that they may be under ftood as I have ex- 
 plained them, ihe Truth of Chriftianity 
 llands unfliaken ; becaufe the force of the 
 Arguments produced againfl; it, lies entirely 
 upon a Suppofition that it is impojjible to re- 
 concile the Old and New Teftament toge- 
 gether in thofe Points. 
 
 Would 
 
3o8 ^ ESS AT upon the TRUTH, &c. 
 
 WouM to God that Chrijiiam would be 
 content with the Plainnefs and Simplicity of 
 the Gofpel ! That They would be perfuaded 
 to make no other Terms of Communion, 
 than what Jefus himfelf has made! That 
 They would not vend under the name of 
 Evangelical Truth, the abfurd and contra- 
 didoiy Schemes of ignorant, or wicked Men! 
 That They would part with that Load of 
 Rubbifli which makes Thinking Men almoil 
 fink under the weight, and gives too great a 
 handle for Infidehty! That They would di- 
 ftinguifli betwixt Human Opinions and Re- 
 vealed Truths ! That They would fee the 
 difference betwixt Authority and Reafon I 
 That They would look upon yefus as the 
 Author and Finiflder of Faith ! That They 
 would think, that they are not qualified to 
 make any other Terms of Acceptance with 
 God, than what are already publiihed by our 
 Saviour ! That They would look upon All 
 ferious Chriitians, as Members of the One 
 Body of Chrift ! That They would ceafe 
 "^ from unchriftian and inhuman Damning,^ 
 Perfecuting, Burning one another, for not 
 aflenting to the words of Men, as to the 
 words of God ! And Chrijiianity would foon 
 become the Joy of the whole Earth, and /«- 
 fidelity would lofe it*s main, I may fay, it's 
 only Support. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
* 
 
m 
 
IC.fT^'- ' 
 
 t 
 
 Jlk