Sérm.CLXV. aGzaide to the lipofiles. 193 gion, and fome ,Principles which they had imbib'd from the Teachers and Inter- pretersof their Law. 2. They were fuch Truths as, after the Holy Ghoft did defcend upon them, they fhould be inftrúcaed in. So that if we can find out what thofe Truths were, which the Difciples were fully iiiftru&ed in after the coming of the Holy Ghoft; which either were not at all, or not fo clearly revealed to them before, becaisfe of their prejudice againft them; we may then certainlyconclude, that thefe were the things which our Saviour here fpeaks of, when he fays, I have many things to fay unto you, but you cannot bear them nom. And upon Enquiry into this matter by thefe two marks, it will appear, that they were principally three three. . I. That our Saviour did not defign the fetting up of any tenipotal Kingdom in this World ; but that his Kingdom and Governinent was to be fpiritual, not ma- nag'd by any external force or compulfion, or by Laws, the violation whereof he would vindicate by the temporal Sword; but by Laws, the San&ion and Penalty Whereof fhould take hold ofthe Minds and Spirits of men, and relate untoanother World. And. this was a Truth which the Difciples were incapable of, whilft out_Savi- óur was here upon Earth; againft which they were fo prejudiced by the general Tradition which theVeins had entertained, that the McJiae was to be a great tem- poral Prince, and to fubdue all Nations to them, thatthey were in a continual ex= peíftation, when he would lay afide his mean condition, and appear inthat Glory and Majefty which they expe&ed ; when like the Sun he would break through all thofe Clouds wherewith he was muffled and obfcur'd, and Thine forth in his full Strength and Glory. For it appears very plain, that they had an hankering expe&ationafter forcefuch thing,and that after he hadfoplainly declared to thenhis Death and Sufferings. For theText tells us, that They couldnot underfland theft things, but they were hid from them; that is, they were fo poffeft with the conceit of his temporal Kingdom,: that they could not imagine that any fuch thing could befal him. And to thew how deeply this conceit was rooted in them, imniedi- ately after Chrift had told them fd plainlyof his Sufferings; yames and 'John putup a'Petition to him, that one of them might fit on his right hand, and the other on This left in his Kingdom. This opinion of his temporal Kingdom did fo run in their minds, that they: could not underftand any thing that Teemedtocontradict it. And tho' ourSaviour had fo exprefly declared, but a little before his Death; that his Kingdomwas not of this World, and therefore he fhould make no refiftance To the violence that was offered to him, .yea, tho' the Difciples faw him put to Death; yet they did not lay afide this opinion, but ftill expe led that he would rifé again, and then begin his Kingdom in thisWorld: For fo we find the two Difci- ples difcourling together, as they were going toEmmaus, Luke 24. 2 r. We truff- ed, fay they one to another, that it had been he which fhould have redeemed Ifra- eÍ And, after his Refurre &ion, this was that which lay uppermoft in their minds, and which their thoughts were 'till upon, as appears by that Qúeftion which they put to him juft before his Afcenfion, as St. Luke tells us, Alls a: 6. When there- fore they were come together they dikedof him, faying, .Wilt thou at this time reflore the Kingdom to Ifrael ? No wonder then, if being poffeft with fo ftrong a prejudice about this nittter, our Saviour did not ftrive to convince them of ir, whilft he was upon Earth ; be= caufe they could not then have born it: but we find that after the coming of the Holy Ghoft, they,were fully inftru&ed in it, and quitted the conceit which they formerly entertained, and were fatisfied that he was afcènded into Heaven, and fet at the right handof the Maje,fly of God, and that from thence he had fent his Spirit to inftru& and govern his Church, and that this was the Kingdom of the Meulas. They were fo poffeft before with another apprehenfion, that they would almoft have reje&ed him, had they underftood that the Meffias was to have no other kingdom than this : but after that glorious Confirmation was given to him, by his Refurre&ion from the dead, and viable afeenfion intoHeaven, and the defeent of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=