Sean. CXXXVIII. as a proper Means of our Salvation. 2:7 But upoct impartial Examination, it will appear, that notwithfkanding there Exceptions, the Sufferings of our Saviour confidered with all the Cïrcunnflances that belong to them, were a very wife and effe&ual Method madeufe of by Almighty God, for the reformingand faxing of the World. Which brings me to the Second Thing I propounded to (peak to from thefe Words, namely, to vin- dicate the Wifdom of this Defign and Contrivance of Almighty God, for the Salvationof Mankind, by the Sufferings of his Son, from the Teeming AbTur- dity and Unreafonablenefs of it. But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chrift the Power ofGod. and the Wifdom ofGod. And. Fill, The Jews had no futììcient Ground, to be fo much offended at the Suf- ferings of the Me9as. For, I. They had no Reafon to expe& that the Media: fhould be a great Tempo- ral Prince, if they had attended to the Predi&ionsof their Prophets concerning him, whichought to have been their Rule: For they affirm no fuch Thing of him. All that they fay of him, plainly refers to a Spiritual Kingdom, that he fhould rule in Righteoufnefi, that he fhould preach the Goffrel to the Poor, andopen the Eyes of the Blind, and unflop the Ears of the Deaf, and make the Lame walk; that he should fznilh Tranfgrejlion, and make an end of Sin, and make Interceffion for Iniquity, and bring in everlafling Righteoufnefs. So that if they had not en- tertained a very groundlefs and carnal Conceit concerning him, they could not fo widely have miftaken the ancient Prophefies of him, which ought to have guided them in there Matters, and which they might have feen all plainly ful- filled in the. Perron of our Saviour. II. The. Predi&ions concerning him do moft exprefly foretel his Death and Sufferings, and that with very particular Circumftances. David in the 22d Pfalm. Ifaiah quite throughout his 53d Chapter. And Daniel does particularly pointout the Time when he fhould be cut off So that they had all the Reafon in the World to expe& that the Meal, when he came, fhould be defpifed and rejectedofMen, a Man of Sorrow, and acquainted withGrief, that he fhould be frourged and bufet- ed, opprejd and afflit1ed, and at laft cut ofout of the Land of the Living. Nay, if it had been otherwife, they had had no Reafon to have owned him for the true Meas. III. As for Signs to evidence him to be the Son of God ; tho' God did not gratifie their Curiofity as to the Nature and Manner of them, yet he gave the greateft Teftimonies that ever were given to any Prophet, and abundantly enough to fatifie any reafonable Man, that he was a Teacher come from God. In- deed his Miracles were not generally foprodigious and amazing: Butthey were many and publick, they were ufeful and beneficial to Mankind; and for that Re on, more likely to come from God. He did not call for Fire from Heaven to eftroy his Enemies; but he gave Sight to the Blind, and Hearing to the Deaf, and Health to thole that were lick of the molt dangerous and inveterate Difeafes, and (which was always reckon'd among the greateft and molt un- doubted Kind of Miracles) Life to the Dead. And when he himfelf was put to Death by the Malice of the yews, tho' he did not come down from the Croft, and was not refcued from his Sufferings by an immediate Hand from Heaven, to triumph over the Malice and Cruelty which they were exercifingupon him, (which was the Miracle they required to be fhown) yet God was not wanting to give Teftimony to him in a moll remarkable Manner by Prodigies which immediately followed his Death ;in the Itrange Darknefs which came upon the Land ; in the terrible Earthquake which rent the Vail of the Temple, and tore the Rocks afunder; in the Opening of the Graves, and the Rifing of the Dead; and, Lafily, in his own miraculous Refurre&ion, the Third Day after he was crucified ; fo that here was no Sign wanting in Heaven above, or in theEarth beneath, to convince their Obftinacy and Unbelief, unlefs it were that very Sign which they demanded. God did enough to fatisfie every Man's Reafon; and he is not wont to gratifie the Humour and Curiofity of Men. If Men be fn unreafonable as to expe& this from him, God lets fuch Men continue in their wilful Blindnefs and Infidelity. Secondly
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