vinced, might have rendered the truth of it beyond dispute? First, The chief priests and elders, with the other obstinate Jews, would not have believed in him, though they had seen him after he was risen, and when he ascended; since they could harden their hearts against his so many wonderful works, as if wrought by the prince of devils; and had consulted to put Lazarus to death, that they might stifle the belief of Christ's divine power in raising him from the grave. It was also requisite that our faith in Christ should be attended with some difficulty, whereby Christians might be the rather entitled to the glorious reward promised thereto1.

But then it has been further objected, that if, for the reasons above mentioned, Christ would not shew himself to be alive again to his declared and prejudiced enemies, why not to some indifferent persons, who were neither engaged for nor against him. Now if such indifferent persons should nevertheless not believe his doctrine, they would not have propagated it, and so have been useless to the main design of Christ's confirming his resurrection: but if they should be convinced, then those who could do service to the doctrine of the resurrection, must be converts to Christ's religion, and therefore not indifferent, unconcerned persons: so that Christ chose the most effectual way; especially if we consider, in the second place, that the miraculous gifts, of speaking divers languages, and healing diseases, and the like, with which the apostles were endued after Christ's ascension, for a confirmation of their doctrine, were as evident proof of the truth of what they taught concerning his resurrection and ascending into heaven, as if Christ had personally appeared to the world; nay, in some sense more evident;

John xii. 10, 11. i Ut fides, non mediocri præmio destinata, difficultate constaret. Tertul. Apol. cap. xxi.

for those hardened Jews, who should have seen Christ alive again, might have pretended to have seen his apparition, and not his real body, and so have verified our Saviour's saying, that they would not be persuaded, though one rose from the dead: but the many wonderful works, which were daily wrought by the apostles, in the most public manner, in testimony of the doctrine of Christ's resurrection and ascension, were the most convincing proofs of the truth of their doctrine; since thereby God himself did bear witness to it. To illustrate this matter a little further: we know, that too many have mistaken notions of the existence and the perfections of God; neither do they worship him suitably to his being; and yet, to prevent those evils, God does not think fit to manifest himself, after such a manner as perhaps some would fancy he might do; but having given men the faculties of reasoning and judging, he refers them to his glorious works, the visible things that are made, whereby that which is invisible may be understood, or known of God; so the visible confirmations of the resurrection of Christ, in the miracles wrought by the publishers of it, were the most suitable for conviction.

Fifteenth remark. There is often mention made in the Gospel, and also in the Acts, of the synagogues of the Jews. The word synagogue strictly signifies a place of meeting together for any purpose; but among the Jews, some think it was taken, (1st,) for the lesser consistory, or court of justice, appointed in each city', which had power, by the permission of the Romans, to judge and determine in divers causes or controversies between them, and to punish some offenders, who belonged to such a

Grotius and Lightf. in Matt. x. 17. yayas is used in 1 Maccab. vii. 12.

As the word ouva

place or synagogue, by scourging". Whence they apprehend, that Christ forewarned his followers to beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues".

0

But, (2dly,) others understand the term synagogue, in the common sense, to signify the place of public worship, and that our Saviour mentions the synagogues, in which the Christians were to be scourged, as distinct places from the councils, to which they were to be delivered, and that the scourging was wont to be actually inflicted in the synagogue, where they assembled for prayer and praise; and there are instances of that practice in the church histories; and one of the ancient fathers assigns a particular reason for. this usage, viz. that the Jews did pretend, as it were, to "offer a sacrifice to the greater glory and praise of God, by punishing the apostles in the same place where religious worship was wont to be performed'," that is, in the synagogues.

The temple, which was but one in their whole country, (and that was at Jerusalem,) was the proper place of divine worship; thither the several tribes were to go up at least three times a year, (at the passover, pentecost, and feast of tabernacles ;) there, and no where else, they offered sacrifice, and performed the most solemn offices of religion'. But for the most common religious performances at

Lightf. Hor. in Matt. x. 17. and cap. iv. 23. n Matt. X. 17. So chap. xxiii. 34. Acts xxii. 19. Compare Deut. xxv. 1, 2, 3, and 2 Cor. xi. 24. • In Matt. x. P Dr. Whitby (from Campeg. Vitringa. de Regim. Syn. vel. 1. iii. pars i. cap. 11.) in Mark v. 22. 4 Which Grotius cites in Matt. x. 17. from Epiphanius and Eusebius, though he understands the text otherwise. r St. Chrysost. in Matt. x. 17. • A short account of the manner thereof is given in Part I. chap. ix. in the description of the place of religious worship under the ceremonial law, viz. the tabernacle and temple.

home, (ever since their return from the Babylonian captivity,) they had synagogues dispersed up and down the whole country, and in other parts where they inhabited, if the place could afford ten persons who had leisure and capacities fit to attend the affairs of the synagogue, and study the law; and whosoever lived where a synagogue was, and did not join with the rest at the usual times, was esteemed a bad neighbour". In these synagogues they assembled three times each day (as hath been said above*) for prayer and praise, and reading and expounding the law and the prophets. Those synagogue days were the sabbath, the second and fifth day of each week, answerable to our Saturday, Monday, and Thursday. In these places some were rulers of the synagogues, that is, presidents, heads, or masters, to whom belonged the chief care thereof: there was also the chazan (chanter or reader) to repeat or sing the prayers aloud, with whom the rest joined in a low voice: he also, or some other called upon by him, expounded the law to the congregation. Offenders, in some cases, were wont to be put out of the synagogue, that is, excommunicated, or excluded from partaking, with the rest, in the public prayers, and religious offices there performed; which exclusion was esteemed scandalous, and the person thereby reckoned as an heathen man and a publicand.

Sixteenth remark. To avoid mistakes in reading our Saviour's sending his apostles, or other first publishers of the Gospel, we are to observe, there were two missions of them; the first was to the

t

Lightf. Hor. in Matt. iv. 23. and Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. C. X. "Lightfoot ibid. * Remark x. on the Gospels, numb. viii. Lightfoot ibid. z Mark v. 22. Luke xiii. 14. num. iii. b John ix. 22.

a See remark x. on the Gospels, c Leo Modena, part ii. c. 3.

d Matt. xviii. 17.

Jews only, who were the children of the kingdom, the peculiar people, and to whom the promises especially belonged, and therefore the Gospel was first preached to them. The apostles were not then to go either amongst the Gentiles or Samaritans, nor make any provision either of gold or silver, or change of coats, &c. but depend entirely upon their Master's providence. Their commission was to publish, among the Jews, that the kingdom of heaven, the time of the Messiah, was at hand; and therefore, that they should believe in Christ, and receive him as such. The apostles were also to work miracles, in confirmation of their doctrine; and as they had freely received from Christ the gift of miracles, (of healing the sick, and casting out devils, &c.) they should freely give the benefit thereof to others. When the apostles had completed this mission, they gave their Lord an account of ith. Their second mission was after Christ's resurrection', and in this none were excluded, but they were to go and teach all nations, Jews and Gentiles, without exception of any, and to be witnesses unto him, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. The latter part of our Saviour's instruction and charge1 seems most to respect this their second mission.

m

Seventeenth remark. This expression, the coming of Christ, or the coming of the Son of man, very often in the Gospels signifies his coming to execute that terrible judgment on the Jews, spoken of before", and making the Romans the instruments thereof; and sometimes, his coming to judgment at the end of the world. The

e Matt. viii. 12. f Rom. ix. 4.. see Matt. x. 5-16. Mark vi. 7, &c. i Matt. xxviii. 19. m Grot. in Matt. x. 16. n In Part I. c. 22.

For this first mission, Luke ix. 1, &c. h Luke k Acts i. 8. 1 From Matt. x.

ix. 10.

16, &c.