24.4, The Srferings of Chrif conßder'd, Vol. IT. Among all the Prejudices that were railed againft the Chrifkian Religion, when it firft appeared in the World, this was the greateft of all other, that the firfk Author of this Do&tine Ihould come to fo miferable and fhameful an End, as to die upon the Crofs; that the Son of God fbould be deliver'd into the Hands of Men, to be fo cruelly and ignominioufly handled. This both Jews and Greeks laid hold on, as the molt popular Obje&ion againft Chriftianity, and Matter of juft Reproach to that Religion, which pretended tobe brought from Heaven by theSon of God : for tho' he call'dhimfelfthe Son of God, yet hedied like a Man; and not only fo, but fuffer'd as a Malefa&or. But, notwithfianding the Odium of this Objection, the Apoftles of our Lord andSaviour, who were fent by him to publith his Do&rine to the World, did not in the Ieali endeavour tohide and diffemble the Matter; but did openly, and withoutDifguife, declare to theWorld, that he in whom theybelieved, and en- deavoured to perfwade others to believe, was, for fpeaking theTroth, which he had heard fromGod, arraigned at Jerufalem, and thereby wicked Handscrucified andJlain. And tho' theyknew that this feemed very foolifh and abfurd, both to Jews and Gentiles, whom they deligned toconvert to Chriftianity, and did extreamly pre- judice them againft it ; yet neverthelefs they perfifted in the Courfe they had begun, leaving God to do his own Work, in his ownWay ; and they found the Succefs of it. For tho' it was a very plain Story which they told the World, and appeared even ridiculous to thofe who thought themfelves the wifeft and ablefkJudges of thefeMatters; yet being the Truth of God, it had a mighty Ef- ficacy upon the Minds of Men, notwithfkanding all the Prejudice that was raifed againft it. It pleafed God by the Foolifhnefs ofPreaching, to fave them that believe; by this Doctrine, which feemed fo abfurd to Humane Reafon, to gain many to the Belief and Entertainment of it. Indeed, it was not fuited to the Geniuseither of theJews orGentiles; for they according to their different Ways of Inftitution, expe&ed quite another Thing: Ver. 22. The Jews require a Sign, and the Greeks feek rafter Wifdom. The Jews re- quire a Sign ; they expected the Apofkles fhould have given fome extraordinary Tefkimony from Heaven, fuchas was Eliashis calling for Fire down fromHeaven to confume thofe that oppofed and refitted them. Such Things as thefe they read of the Prophets in their Law, and they expected the Meffias Mould do the fame, and greater Things. And tho' in Truthhe did fo, wroughtmore andgreater Miracles than Mofes and all the Prophets had done before him, yet their Curio Pity was not fatisfied ; and notwithftanding the great Works which he did among them, they were continually importuning him for a Sign; Matth. 12. 38. Then certain of the Scribes and Pharifees anfwered, Paying, Mafia, we would fee a Sign from thee. This feems a ftrange and unreafonableDemand, confidering the many and great Works he bad done among them, which were fogenerally known. So that in all Probability, it was fome particular andpeculiar KindofMiracle which they defired, as appears from Matth. rd. r. The Pharifees alfo with the Sadduces came, and tempting,, defired him that he would ¡hew them a Sign from Heaven. Hehad wrought many Miracles on Earth, in healing the Sick, and opening the Eyesof theBlind, and the Ears of the Deaf, incleanfing the Lepers, and making the Lame towalk; but thefe they looked upon as an inferiour Sort of Miracles, here was all this while no extraordinary Thing immediatelyfrom Heaven, if they could once fee that, they would be fatisfied. But when no loch Thing was done, and at laft God permitted him to die upon the Crofs, as an Impoftor and Seditious Perlon; and it appeared plainly that he, who pretended to free others from Difeafes, could not fave himfelf fromDeath; thisconfirmed them in their Unbelief, and upon good Reafon as they thought. And that this was a Sign which they parti- cularly expected, and thought they had Caufe fo to do, appearsby their upbraid- ing of him with the Want of it in the Time of his Suffering, Matth. 27. 39. And they that paid by reviledhim, wagging their Heads, and fayin , Thou that defiroyefi the Temple, and bnildefi it up in three Days,, fane thyfelf; if thou be the Son of God, cosse down from the Croft. And it was not only the Malice and Ignorance of the common People that objected this to him ; but even the Priefts, and Scribes, and Elders,
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