unto them, O fools, and flow of of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not CHRIST to have fuffer'd thefe things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at MOSES, and all the prophets, be expounded unto them, in all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself.

FABRICIUS fays, Hic (a) fermo ejus a multis non immerito anxie defideratus, & a Luca fortaffe auditus, nufquam extat.

But our learned (aa) Mede has endeavour'd to fupply this lofs, by pointing out those very fcriptures which our Saviour expounded to bis difciples.

Again, he difcours'd to all his difciples, putting them in mind, that before his death, he told them, that (b) all things must be fulfill'd, which were written in the law of MOSES, and in the prophets, and in the Pfalms concerning him; adding, thus it is written, and thus it behoveth CHRIST to fuffer, and to rife from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remiffion of fins fhould be preach'd in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerufalem,

When the people of feveral nations were (c) amaz'd at the apostles fpeaking in their feveral tongues; and when many mock'd

(a) Fabricii Codex Apocryphus, Nov. Teft. p. 322.

(aa) Mede's 13th Difc.

(b) Luke 24. 44, 46, 47.

(c) Alts 2. 12.-16.

the apoftles, faying, they were full of new wine; St. PETER makes a fpeech in publick, wherein, after faying, they were not drunken, because it was but the third hour of the day, he endeavours to fhew them, that this was spoken of by the prophet JOEL and he concludes, with proving the refurrection of Jesus from the pfalms.

St. PETER and St. JOHN tell the people affembled at the temple, that (d) God had Shew'd by the mouth of all his prophets that CHRIST Should fuffer; and alfo that JESUS fhould come again.

St. PETER, to juftify his preaching to the Gentiles, concludes his difcourfe with faying, (e) To Jesus give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whofoever (that is, Jew or Gentile) believeth in him hall receive remiffion of fins.

St. PAUL alfo endeavours to prove to the Jews, in the fynagogue of Antioch, (f) that the hiftory of JESUS was contain'd in the Old Teftament, and that he and BARNABAS were commanded, in the Old Teftament, to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

On occafion of a (g) difpute among the chriftians, whether the Gentile converts were to be circumcis'd after the law of Moses, and to obferve the other parts of the Jewish law

(d) Acts 3. 18, 20-24. (f) lb. 13.

(8) Ib. 15.

(e) Ib. 10. 43.

law; a council of apoftles and elders was held at Ferufalem, wherein, after much difputing, and fpeeches made by PETER, BARNABAS, and PAUL, JAMES Concludes the point from the Old Teftament (citing AMOS and MOSES;) from whence, in all probability, all their arguments were taken the things in debate being fuch as had long before been matters of controversy among the Jews in relation to their profelytes of the gate; fome Jews being fo narrow as to think circumcision and a strict obfervance of all the laws of MOSES neceffary in all who pretended to be profelytes to them; and. others requiring a conformity from profelytes in fuch matters only as fhould keep them at a distance from all idolatrous practices. And JAMES, fuitably to the latter more gentle determination and common pra&tice of the Jews in relation to their profelytes of the gate, infers, that the Gentile converts to chriftianity, were to be bound by no other laws of MOSES, but thofe which requir'd the abftinence from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things frangled, and from blood; the practice of thofe things having too great a connection with heathen idolatry, and rendering men too impure for fociety with chriftians, who were now the real and true Jews. Upon which the affembly came to a determination to that effect, and or

der'd

der'd letters to be written to notify the fame to all concern'd.

4

The Bereans are highly extoll'd for (b) Searching the fcriptures, that is, the Old Teftament, daily, in order to find out, whether the things preach'd to them by the apostles were fo or no; who, if they had not prov'd thofe things, that is, christianity from the Old Teftament, ought to have been rejected by the Bereans, as teachers of falfe doctrine.

St. PAUL, when accus'd before AGRIPPA by the Jews, faid, (i) I ftand and am judg'd for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers, that is, for teaching christianity or the true doctrine of the Old Testament; and to this accufation he pleads guilty, by declaring in the fullest manner, that he taught nothing but the doctrine of the Old Testament. (k) Having, therefore, fays he, obtain'd help of God, I continue unto this day, witneling both to small and great, faying none other things than those which the prophets and MOSES did fay fhould come that CHRIST should fuffer, and that he should be the first who should rife from the dead, and should fhew light unto the people and to the Gentiles.

St. PAUL fays, (1) JEsus rofe again the third day, according to the fcriptures, that is,

(b) A&ts. 17. 11. (i) lb. 26. 6. and 23. 29. (k) Ib. 26. 22, 23.

according

according to the Old Teftament: and he is fuppos'd to ground this on the history of the prophet JONAS, who was three days in a whale's belly, and then came out.

But most divine is St. Paul's argument in his Epiftle to the Galatians, to prove christianity to the Jews from the Old Te ftament. (m) Tell me, fays he, ye that defire to be under the LAW, do not ye hear the law? For it is written, that ABRAHAM had two fins; the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free-woman. But he who was of the bond-woman was born after the. flesh; but he who was of the free-woman was by promife. Which things are an ALLEGORY; for thefe are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. But this Agar is mount Sinai, in Arabia, and anfwereth to Jerufalem that now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerufalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, (n) rejoyce thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not for the defolate hath many more children than, fhe which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as ISAAC was, are the children of the promife. But as then he that was born after the flesh perfecuted him that was

born

(m) Gal. 4. 21

(n) Ifa. 54. I.