we are here primarily to understand the Jews; who notwithstanding all the mighty Signs and Miracles performed by Chrift, denied Affent to his Doctrine. This Dif belief of theirs before the Miffion of the Holy Ghost, our Saviour in many Places feems to excufe and pardon; and St. Peter in Acts iii. 17. extenuates their crucifying the Lord of Life by their Ignorance: Which Plea would have been but trifling, had not their Ignorance in fome Measure been excufable; but after the Miffion of the Holy Spirit, to ftand out against those manifold Convictions that were then offer'd, could be no other than an inexcufable Perverseness and Incredulity. Of this we may affign two several Reasons.

First, That although our Lord had in his own Perfon performed many, and those ftupendious Miracles; yet thefe affected no other than the Spectators of them. For while alive, he never blazoned abroad his Miracles, nor employed his Difciples in fpreading the Report, and teftifying the Truth of them. So that however many particular Perfons, who were Eye-witneffes of his Miracles, could not but be abundantly convinced of his Divinity; yet the univerfal Conviction of the whole Nation of the Jews was to be referved to the Miffion of the Holy Ghoft: When the Apoftles were to be endued with Courage and Power from on High, to proclaim his Acti

ons

ons and Doctrines to all Men, and if need were, to affert the Truth of them, by other no less extraordinary Miracles.

Secondly, The chief Note affixed by God, whereby to judge of the Truth of any Prophet, and particularly of the Meffias, was the Completion of his Prophecies. Thus in Deut. xviii. when Mofes affureth the Children of Ifrael, That God should raise them up in the latter days a Prophet like unto himself, whom they should be obliged to bear in all things; he gives them this Token, whereby to judge between the true and any falfe Meffias: If the Predictions of him, who took upon him the Name and Character of the Meffias, did really come to pass; then they should acknowledge him to be the true Meffias. The most eminent, and almost only Predictions of our Lord, which could ferve as Signs of this Nature to the Jews of that Age, were the Miffion of the Holy Ghost, the Resurrection of himfelf after Three Days Imprisonment in the Grave, and the final Deftruction of Jerufalem, before that Generation fhould pafs

away.

The first was happily accomplished upon this Day; when the Gifts of the Holy Ghoft were poured out upon the Apoftles, in fo illuftrious a Manner, as the Jews could not but take Notice of the exact Completion of his Promise, of fending the Comforter not many Days after his Afcenfion; in fuch a

Man

Manner, as drew the Eyes of all the Inhabitants of Jerufalem, both Jews and Stran gers upon them, and tended no lefs to demonftrate the Power, than the Truth of Christ. The second Prediction indeed, that of his Refurrection, was fulfilled Fifty Days before, but became not an Argument of Conviction to the Jews till now; as being not till now publickly attested by the Apoftles, who were the Witneffes of it. The Report of his Refurrection had been indeed rumoured in Jerufalem; which put the Sanhedrim upon that fhameful Device of corrupting the Soldiers who guarded his Sepulchre; but the certain and publick Knowledge of it was not delivered, till the Apoftles were enabled and enboldened to pro. claim and testify it to the whole World by those Gifts which they received upon this Day.

After the exact Completion of these Prophecies, and the authentick Atteftation of them, no Excufe remained to the Jews, whereby to extenuate their Unbelief; according to the Rules laid down by Mofes, they were now obliged to acknowledge Christ to have been a true Prophet, and the true Meffias; and were convinced of their heinous Sin before committed by them, in the Rejection of his Doctrine, and Crucifixion of his Perfon; the Horror of which Sin might induce them the more readily to believe in Christ, and lay hold of his Me

rits; that fo they might obtain Remiffion of it. Otherwife they were to expect the moft fevere Execution of Divine Vengeance for their wilful Obftinacy and Disbelief; as Mofes had affured them in the fame Place, Deut. xviii. 19. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall peak in my name, I will require it of him. This Sentence, and therein the Prophecy of Chrift, was in a most eminent Manner, executed and fulfilled in the Destruction, and entire Defolation of the whole Nation of the Jews, about Forty Years after the Afcenfion of our Lord; whereby the Apoftles and Difciples of our Lord then alive, acted by the Holy Ghoft, were farther enabled invincibly to plead his Cause, against the Oppofition of the unbelieving World, both Jews and Gen

tiles.

For however the Miffion of the Holy Ghost, and the Confequences of it, did more especially convince of Sin the Jews who were then alive, and had been guilty either of rejecting the Preaching, or contriving the Death of our Lord; yet it contributed no lefs effectually to manifest the Unreasonableness of all, both Jews and Gentiles, who either in that, or in all Ages to come, fhould reject the Faith of Chrift, when proposed to them. For the Belief of him was to be proposed to all Creatures under Heaven. and confirmed by Arguments

drawn

drawn from hence; which were fo rational and convictive, fo clear and demonstrative, that they could not be rejected without the most extreme Perverfenefs; and if rejected, the Holy Ghost should hereby plead the Cause of Chrift against them, and convince the whole World, and their own Confciences alfo, if rightly judging, that in rejecting the Gospel they had finned against their own Souls; and that nothing remained to them, but a certain fearful Expectation of the fiery Judgment, to be most justly inflicted on them.

The fecond Point, of which the Comforter was to reprove or convince the World, was of Righteousness; the Reason of which is affigned in the 10th Verse, Becaufe I go to my Father; and ye fee me no more. The Justice of God had to the Eyes of Men been clouded; when he permitted his only begotten Son to be delivered up, and crucified by wicked Men; when he abandoned him to the Rage of his Enemies, and rescued him not from the Infults of the Jews by an extraordinary Interpofition from Heaven. The Majefty of the Deity feemed then to be Eclipfed, and suffer Diminution; when fubjected to the Contradiction and Affronts of unreafonable Men. Men naturally expect that God fhould, even in this World, declare in Behalf of oppreffed Innocence; either by refcuing it from the Malice of its Enemies, or taking a fevere

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