448 1'raving f eJur to be the Meflias. this Meffage for his own fatisfaîtion, but to fatisfy his Difciples, who were never very willing to acknowledge Jefus for the Meas, becaufe they thought he did fhadow and cloud their Mafter. From whence we may take notice, how Mens Judgments are apt to be perverted by Fa&ion and. Intereft ; and that good Men are too prone to be fwayed thereby ; for fuch we fuppofe the Difciples of john tohave been; they will not believetheir own Mafter, when they ap- prehend him to fpeak again(. their intereft; for they knew that they mutt rife and fall in their Reputation and Efteem, as their Matter did. They believed that their Matter was a Prophet, and came from God; yet for all that they could not digeft his Tettimony of Chrift, becaufe that fet him above their Matter; which they were fagacious enough to perceive, that it tended to the diminution and leffening of themfelves. And that this was the thing which troubled them, appears plainly from the Complaint which they make to their Matter, John S. 26. The DiTapley of John came to him and faid, He that rods with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bereft witnefs, behold the fame baptizeth, and all men come to him. This troubled them, to fee him invade their Mafter's Of- fice, and that he began to have more Followers than Johnhad ; he baptizeth, and all men come to him. This prejudice John had endeavoured to root out of their minds, by telling them, that he had always declared that he was not the Meflias, v. 28. Tou your (elves bear me witnefs, that I faid, I am not the Chrifi, but that I am fent before him. But when heperceived it (till to flick with them, and that they obferved all his Altions, and the Miracles that he wrought, as if they had a mind to pick a quarrel with him (for St. Luke, who relates the fame Story, tells us, that when our Saviour had healed the Centurion's Servant, and raifed from the dead the Widow's Son at Naim, the Difciples of john fhew'd him all thefe things) I fay John Baptifi perceiving that they watched him fo narrowly, fent two of his Difciples to him, that they might receive full fatisfa&ion from him. And St. Luke tells us, that upon their coming to him, he wrought many of his Miracles before them, to convince them that he was the true Meflias, Luke 7. 21, 22. And in that fame hour he cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil fßirits ; and to many that were blind he gave fight ; and then faid to the Difciples of John, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have fen andheard; how that the blind fee, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raifed, and to the poor the goffel is preached; and bled is he that is not offinded in me. So that you fee that the Reafon why John Baptifl fent to our Saviour to know whether he was the Mefiias, was not to fatisfy himfelf, for he had no doubt of it; but perceivinghis Difciples to be ill-affeled towards our Saviour, and hear- ing them fpeak with force envy of his Miracles, he fent them to him, that by feeing what he did, and hearing what account he gave of himfelf, they might receive full fatisfadion concerning him. I have been the longerin the clearingof this, that Men upon every appearance of contradiítion in the Evangelical Hiftory, may not be too forward to fufpebt the truth of it; but may be convínc'd, that if they would but have patience to examine things carefully, they would find that the Story does fufficiently vindi- cate it felf; and tho' it be penn'd, with great fimplicity, yet there is fufìïcient care taken, to free it from being guilty of any contradi&ion to it felf. The Occafion of the words being thus cleared, there are in them thefe two things conlderable. Fir(, What it was that John the. flaptifi fent his Difciples to be fatisfied about; and that was, whether he was the Meal or not? Now when John hadheard inPrifon the works ofChrifi, hefent two of his Difciples. The Circumftance of his being in Prifon, feems ro bemention'd, to intimate to us the Reafon why he did not come himfelf along with them; he fent two of his Difciples to him, who faid unto him, Art thou he that Ihould come, or do we look for another ? And then, Secondly, The Anfwer which our Saviour returns to this Meffage; Jefus an- fwered and faid unto them, Go and Phew John again the things which yedo fee and hear;
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