And in handling this

I fhall in the firft Place inquire what were the Causes and Reasons of this prodigious Ignorance of the Apoftles, after fo long and fo excellent Inftruction.

Secondly, I fhall prove that the permiffion of this Ignorance till the fending of the Holy Ghoft, was not in the leaft repugnant to the divine Wisdom, or the Defign of the Gospel. Thirdly, I fhall draw fome few Conclufions from both.

First then, the Causes and Reasons of this fo long continued Ignorance of the Apostles.

Of these I take the chief and most fundamental one to have been their Ignorance of the true Senfe of Scripture.

For the better explaining of this Cause, I will premise some few Obfervations.

As 1. The Conformity of the Life and Actions of Christ, to the Prophecies of the Old Teftament, was to the Jews the beft and principal Argument of the Divinity of Chrift, of his divine Miffion, and the Truth of his Revelations.

Miracles indeed might create a great probability of the Truth of thefe Articles. But fuch a conformity alone could demonftrate it, fince Miracles were common to inferiour Prophets, and sometimes even to false Prophets. But an intire Agreement of the precedent Prophecies was appropriated to the fole Person of the true Meffias.

This appears from the Nature of the Old
Teftament,

B 4

Teftament, and end of writing it, which taken in all its Parts, is chiefly defigned to point out the future Meffias, by certain plain Notes and Indications, whereby he might easily be discover'd to the Jews.

The Historical Books are imployed in Defcribing his Genealogy. The Pfalms and Prophets in foretelling the Time of his coming, the Manner of his Life, his Paffion, Refur rection and Doctrine.

Now it would be highly injurious to the Wisdom of God, that he should profelfedly cause so many Books to be written, chiefly to defign the Meffias; and yet defign him by fuch Characters, as fhould not be proper to him alone, but might be common to other Perfons. So that the agreement of thofe Prophecies to the Person of Jefus Chrift, was to the Jews a moft demonftrate Proof that he was the true Meffias.

Miracles indeed were in their respect also neceffary to him. But that chiefly, because it was before prophecied of the Meffias, that great and wonderful Miracles fhould be wrought by him. And fome fuch extraordinary Actions were required to excite the Jews to a serious Confideration of the Quality and Character of the Perfon who wrought them.

If the Actions of Christ had been deficient in any one Point of Conformity to the precedent Prophecies, it had been irrational as well as unlawful for the Jews to have admit ted his Revelations, altho' confirmed by the

greatest

greatest Miracles imaginable; fince they muit have owned thereby the falfity of thofe Prophecies, of the Truth of which they were abundantly convinced, as being confirm'd to them by an equal Authority of Miracles.

But not only doth the Reason and Nature of Things demonftrate this Truth; the Practice and Example of Christ and his Apostles evidently manifest it.

The firft, while yet on Earth, constantly afferted his divine Miffion and Quality of Meffias from the Scriptures of the Old Teftament, which had teftified of him. And his Disciples after his Death carried on the fame Argument.

He perform'd indeed greater Miracles than any ever had done before him. But in difputing with the Jews he commonly waved that Argument, and appealed to the Scripture; as well knowing, That if they would not hear Mofes and the Prophets, neither would they be perfwaded though one rofe from the Dead. By which Words he plainly infinuates, that the greatest of his Miracles, his Refurrection, was a lefs valid Proof, and inferiour to the Testimony of Mofes and the Prophets.

This he often thought alone fufficient to propose, as a neceffary Motive of Belief to the the Jews. And such a Motive as could not be rejected, without difowning and destroying the Authority of the Old Teftament.

For thus he difputes in the vth of St. John, Verfes 39, 46, 47. Search the Scriptures, for in

them

them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which Teftife of me. For had ye believed Mofes, je would have believed me: For he wrote of me. But if ye believed not his writings, how fhall je believe my words.

No other Method did he make use of to convince his Difciples walking to Emmaus, that all thofe Calamities, which had befallen his Perfon, ought neceffarily to be inflicted on the Meffias.

All thofe glorious Miracles, of which themfelves had been Witneffes, proved unsucessful; and could not fecure their Faith from a fhameful fluctuation. Until Chrift, beginning at Mofes and all the Prophets, expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself, and opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scripture, that it was thus written, and that it thus behoved Chrift to suffer, and to rife from the Dead the Third Day.

If the conftant Companions of our Saviour's Life, could be drawn to the true Knowledge of him, by no other Argument, than a full and plain Interpretation of the Prophecies of the Old Teftament; in vain do we hope that any other Arguments could convince the remaining Jews, who were lefs acquainted with the Holiness of his Life, and greatness of his Miracles.

In the next Place, we may obferve that the Apoftles were chofen by Chrift, and used as the infeparable Companions of his Life. Not fo much to be inftructed in the Mysteries of

the

the Chriftian Faith; or trained up in the neceffary Qualification of Preachers, who might propagate the Gospel after the Departure of their Master; as to be Witnesses and Specta-. tors of his Actions and Conversation; which they might afterwards teftifie to the World, and thereby convince Mankind, that they were intirely conformable to the Antient Predictions of the Prophets.

That the former could not be the End or Intention of their accompanying Chrift through the whole Difcharge of his Prophetick Office, appears plainly from their Ignorance, both of the Myfteries of Religion, and their own Duty at the Time of our Saviour's Crucifixion.

Yet can we not fuppofe, but that Chrift obtain'd his chief Aim, which he proposed to himself, in felecting certain Perfons for the Companions of his Life.

This End therefore could indeed be no other, than that which I have already affigned, of witneffing and publishing to the World the Actions of Chrift, whose reasonableness and agreement to the Predictions of the Mofaick Law, was to be judged and determined by every private Man.

For we no where find, that the Apoftles, from the Authority of their Miracles, which where not inferiour to thofe of Chrift himself, pretended to set up themselves for infallible Judges, or exercife an arbitrary Command over the Judgments of other Men.

They