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fenfe of the fcriptures, which they receiv'd partly by converfation with JEsus after his death, and partly by (t) infpiration; and who might feem to act an inconfiftent part, in interpreting the fcriptures in fo many respects about Jesus as they did, according to the traditional rules and explications of the Jews, and yet rejecting their traditional explication in refpect to the temporal kingdom of their MESSIAS,

ESU

In fine, the miracles wrought by JESUS are, according to the gofpel- fcheme, no abfolute proofs of his being the MESSIAS, Or of the truth of christianity.

Thofe miracles were prophefy'd of in the Old Teftament, like the other matters of the gofpel, and therefore they are no otherwife to be confider'd as proofs of thofe points, than as fulfilling the fayings in the Old Teftament, like other gofpel-matters and events, or (as a Boylean lecturer well expreffes it) (u) as comprehended in, and exactly confonant to the prophefies concerning the ME SSIAS. In that fenfe they are good proofs, and in that fenfe only: for, as I have before obferv'd, if Jesus is not the perfon prophefy'd of as the MESSIAS in the Old Testament, his miracles will not prove him to be fo, nor prove his divine miffion. And in that fenfe D 3 only

01

(t) Acts 26. 22. 1701. Serm. 8. p. 291

(u) Stanhope's Boyl, Left,

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only Jesus himself urges his miracles to prove
his being the MESSIAS. For when (w) JOHN
the baptift, who had heard in prison of the
works or miracles of CHRIST, but yet
ed whether he was the MESSIAS, as perhaps
expecting, like other Jews, and like the
apoftles themselves, a temporal prince, and
one who would deliver him from his prifon,
fent two of his difciples to him, to know
whether he was the MESSIAS, or they were
to look for another; CHRIST declares him-
felf to be the MESSIAS, by fhewing, that the
(x) characters of

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the prophets manifeftSSIAS as extant in

agreed to him in thefe words, () Go and shew JOHN again thofe things, which you do hear and fee The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleans'd, and the deaf bear, the dead are rais'd up, and the poor have the gospel preach'd unto them. And blessed are they who shall not be offended in me. Which characters confift of two parts, firft in doing miracles; and fecondly, in appearing in a low ftate, and teaching the poor (which laft was much miftaken by, and gave great offence to the Jews; for as to the firft, the Jews (2) agreed to it.) Nei

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ther

Vid. Hammondum & Clericum

(x) See Hammond, who cites Ifaiah, as referr'd 10 ch. 29. 18, 19. & 2 f. 1. & 35. 5, 6.

(y) Matt. 11. 4-6.

(2) John 7. 31

ther of which would, of itself, be fufficient to prove Jesus to be the MESSIAS, without the other; nor both together, but as they are the characters of the MESSIAS in the prophets.

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VIII.

That thofe proofs are typical or allegorical proofs.

the ftrength or weakness of the proofs for chriftianity out of the Old Teftament we feem well qualify'd to judge, by having the Old and New Teftament in our hands; the first containing the proofs of christianity, and the latter the application of thofe proofs. And we should seem to have nothing more to do, but to compare the Old and New Teftament together.

But these proofs taken out of the Old, and urg'd in the New Teftament, being, fometimes, either not to be found in the Old, or not urg'd in the New, according to the literal and obvious fenfe, which they seem to bear in their fuppos'd places in the Old, and therefore not proofs according to fcholaftick rules; almost all christian (a) comD 4 mentators

(a) Origen, Eufebius, Jerom, (who fays directly to Painmachius, that the Paffages alledg'd by Paul, out

of

1

mentators on the bible, and advocates for the chriftian religion, both antient and modern, have judg'd them to be apply'd in a fecondary, or typical, or myftical, or alle gorical, or enigmatical fenfe, that is, in a fenfe different from the obvious and literal fense, which they bear in the Old Tefta ment,

1. Thus for example, St. MATTHEW after having given an account of the conception of the virgin MARY, and of the birth of Jesus, fays, (b) all this was done that it might be fulfill'd, which was spoken by the prophet, faying, Behold a virgin "fhall be with child, and fhall bring forth "a Son, and they fhall call his name IM

c

MANUEL.

225

of the old Teftament, aliter in fuis locis, aliter in Epiitolis Paulinis fonant) Cyril, Chryfoftom, Auftin among the Antients. And among the Moderns, Sextus Senenfis in Bibl. Sancta; Gladius in Philologia Sacra; Grotius in Vetus and Nov. Teft. & ficut at in Ifa. 53.1. in Pfal, 22. 1. and in Matt. ì. Cuneus dan's fa Republique des Hebreux, 1. 3. c. 8. Vol. 1. p. 376; Simon Hift. Crit. du V. T. p. 97, 98. ---- Hift. Crit. du Nov. Teft. c. 21. & 22.Suppl. aux Ceremonies des Juifs. p. 7; Jenkins's Reafonab. of the Chriftian Religion Nichols Conference with a Theift. Vol. 3d. White on Ifaiah; Dupin Differt. Prelim. fur la Bible, 1. 1. c. 10; and Le Clerc Bib. Choifie, Vol. 27. p. 388-399. See WHISTON'S Confeffion of this Matter in Effay, &c. p. 92. (4) Matt. 1. 22, 23.

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MANUEL But the words, as they stand in ISAIAH, (c) from whom they are fuppos'd to be taken, do, in their obvious and literal fenfe, relate to a young woman in the days of AHAZ, king of Judah, as will appear by confidering the context,

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(d) When REZIN, king of Syria, and PEKAH, king of Ifrael, were confederates in arms together, against Abaz, king of Judab; ISAIAH the prophet was fent by God first to comfort АHAZ and his nation, and afterwards to affure them by a fign or miracle, that his enemies fhould in a little time be confounded. But AHAZ refufing a fign at the prophet's hands, the prophet faid, (e) The Lord hall give you a fign: Bebold a virgin (or (f) young woman) Shall conceive and bear a fon, and shall call his vame IMMANUEL. Butter and Honey Shall be eat; that he may know to refufe the evil, and chufe the good. the good. For before (g) the child fhall know to refufe the evil and chufe the good, the land fhall be forfaken of both her kings. And this fign is accordingly gi ven АHAZ by the prophet, who (b) took two witnees, and in their prefence went unto the faid virgin or young woman, call'd the prophetess, who in due time conceiv'd and

(c) Ifa. 7. 14. (d) č. 7. (e) v. 14-16. (f) Vide Erafmum in Matt.c. 1. v. 30.

(3) See Ifaiah 8.

4.

(b) Ib. v. 2. 18.

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