berm. C:LXXXVI, of the Chrz /tin 'f ell ion. 5 65 A nd it is very remarkable, that this was a Thing fo incredible to the Difciples,that rho' our Saviour did fveraltimes, in the plaineft Words that could be, tell them of his Death and Su:%rings, yet they could not underfland it, that is, it could by no means fink into them, they could not apprehend that ever any filch ïhing fhould come to país. Mark 9. 3i, 32. For he taught his Difrples; andlaid unto tkm, The Son of Man is deliver'd into the Elands ofmen, and theyfhall kill him, and after that he is killed, he(hall rife the third Day. But they underflood not that Saying, and were afraid to ask him. And Luke q. 43, 44, 4S. after our Saviour had done a great Miracle, 'tis faid, They were all amazed at the mighty Power ofGod : but while theywonder'd every one at all thin e which lefua did; he faidunto his Difciples, Let thefe Sayings fink down intoyour Ears : for the Son of Man lull be delivered into the Hands of Men. But they rinderflood not this Sayinq., and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not ; and they feared to ask him of that Saying. They looked upon it as a Thing incredible, that he who did fuch Works, and was attended with filch a Divine Power, fhould ever be delivered into theHands of Men ; if Men fhould be fo malicious as to defign his Death, yet it was not credible that God fhould give up fuel' a Perfon into their Hands. And again a little before his Sufferings, he. inculcates this more particularly upon them, Luke i 8. 3 r, 3z, 33, 34 Then he took unto him the Twelve, andfaid unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerufalem, and all things that are written by the Prophets concerning the Son of Man, lball be accomplilhed.. For he (hall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and fkall be mecked, and fpitefully entreated, and ffiit upon; and they fhall fconrge him. and put him to Death; and then it is faid of the Difciples, that they an. derflood none of thefe Things, and this Saying wat hid from them, neither knew they the Things which wereffiaken. What was the matter ? Could any Thing have been faid in plainer Words, than our Saviour's declaring this to them? No certainly, they underftood very well the Meaning of thofe Words; for 'tis fàìd, Math. 17.13. that when he faid this to them, they were excee. ding ferry, they were very much troubled to hear him fay this; they un- derflood very well what the Words fignifyed, and they were troubled at the firft Appearance and literal Senfe of them : but it feems they took them to be a Parable, and to have force allegorical Meaning hiddenunder them; for they could not imagine, that ever they fhould be literally true. And that this was their Apprehenfion, feems to be fufficiently intimated by both the Evangelifls, St. Mark and St. Luke, who after they had told us, that the Difciples underlloodnot this Saying, . they immediately add, that they feared to ask Chrifl of this Saying ; that is, they did not underftand whether they were to take this Saynig in the literal and obvious Senfe of it ; or to look upon it as an Allegory, or a Parable that had force hidden Senfe ; but being trou- bled at the Saying, becaufe the obvious and literal Senfe bad a great deal of Horrour, they were afraid to ask our Saviour the Meaning of it (as they ti- led always to ask him the Meaning of his Parables) for fear he fhould tell them, that he intended it literally. Now from this it appears, how unlikely it feemed.to the Difciples, that our Saviour fhould fuller fuch things ashe fore- toldof himfelf. z. Our Saviour's Predit`dions concerning his riling again out of the Grave the third day ; concerning his being taken up into Heaven ; concerning the deféent of the Holy Ghoft upon the Apoftles, in fuchmiraculous Powers and Gifts after his Afcenfion, were all things very unlikely and incredible, becaufe fo exceedingEirange, and above thecommon courte of Nature. We look up. on it as a wonderful thing, for a Man certainly to foretel an ordinary thing : in the Grave, he tell us, that again, nd be vifibly taken up lainthree land' from
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