fen Crambances, which feem directly op FORE DI ME Be Fancy has nothing to do WIH NE Perans, VICE BOC only feem to be DAVE IS TO Hove that also of the Unjetoning i et That we have fo forrowful ■ Père grai is if the Mafia, whose coming was bemely eat, does not proceed from xy tert of renting those things that might be Chance can never form fo many Cferent cars in hand, with fach coherent, animal reces, furnish'd even with the minicab Crombances of the Tragedy they retrice, mi coquent there is no other Priacpie o vict his Crate can be afribed, but the Ear Grat Anif we have to reason to suspect the Faruas I at much lets we have to suspect We can never fed thofe Matters of Fab to be illicious, on which the accomplishment of this Fraguera is grounded. The Evangelis dcurcieis could never deceive us, when they fo erably retraitnted to us the deep Humiliation of Style Carit. And though we fould have reafon to disteleve them, yet we could not chose but believe the Reproaches which the very Enemies of Se revile bin with is this respect, upbraiding him with one of the chief Characters of ais Mailoo, that is, his Pruerty and Meannefs: it cannot be doubted but that Jefu Chrift foffered Death. Neither is it likely the Circumftance of his Burial fhould be feigned. So impudent a Fiction as that mut have been, could not but have been foon brought to Light. No Man doubts, but chat Jef Christ was crucified between two Thieves. 'Tis a Matter of Fact confirmed by a happy Experience, that Jefus Christ had after his Death a very great number of Difciples, who were called his Children, or his Seed; upon much better grounds, than the Disciples of the Prophets were called the Children of the Prophets. All the World knows that many Perfons forfook the worship of Idols, and wholly gave up their Minds to the study of Sanctification, by the Knowledg they had of him. And fince it is impoffible for us to doubt that 'tis the good Pleasure of the Almighty God to fave Men, there is no doubt likewife, but that he, who has enlightened the Gentiles by the preaching of his Gofpel, caufed alfo the good Pleasure of the Lord to profper. Whence, I conclude, 'tis not in the Fancy and Imagination of the Evangelifts, but in the Truth of the Matter it felf, that the fulfilling of this Oracle is to be found. But if it depended not of the Fancy of the Disciples, fince they were but poor fimple Fisher-Men, to adapt the Event to the Oracle, we must add, that it much less depended of Jefus Chrift himself,to accommodate and adapt himself to this ancient Prophecy. For though we fhould fuppofe, that Jefus Chrift, in conformity to this Prophecy, had (as it were) adopted Shame and Misery to himself, yet after that was he Master of all the Circumftances of his Life, and of the Minds of those that should oppose his Doctrine, of his Death and Burial, and of what fhould come to pass after his Death? Was it by his advice, that they nailed him on the Crofs between two Thieves? Had he defired Joseph of Arimathea before his Death, to bury his Body in the Sepulchre he had hewn out in a Rock? Had he the Power to rife again from the Dead, after he had fo couragiously undergone the bitter Pains of a voluntary Death? Could he so dispose the Hearts of Men, as to convert them after his Death, Death, and so cause the Pleasure of the Lord to profper? And was he able to justify, by the Knowledg of his Name, thofe People who never had before heard any mention of him? But 'tis neither the Event nor the Prophecy, we ought to wonder at; 'tis the Proportion we find betwixt them both, which is of fuch a Nature, that the Prophecy feems to be but a Gospel, and the Gospel but a Prophecy repeated, and traced out again. So wonderful is the Refemblance betwixt them, where all the Circumstances quadrate with one another, and are fo well knit and united together, that I think it needlefs to infift on two or three Critical Remarks, which the Rabbies still have to oppose against the Evidence of this Truth, and therefore fhall only touch upon in paffing. 1. They object, That the Prophet fpeaks here of an infirm Man, and confequently could not mean our Lord Jefus Chrift, who was not liable to Grief, or any natural Infirmity, but was all his Life-time very healthy and vigorous, and was not taken off but by a violent Death. To this we anfwer, That the Infirmity which is meant in this Oracle, is altogether accidental and voluntary, as the following words evidently manifeft; He hath put him to Grief, which words must not be understood of any natural Afflictions, but of those Sufferings inflicted upon Men as a Punishment for their Sins. 2. They further object, That Jefus Chrift did not prolong his Days, having not lived above 33 Years, thereabouts. We answer, That he prolon them after his Death, having obtained Eternity ever 3. They defire to be informed in what sense Fefus Chrift can be said to have had a Portion divided him with the Great? We answer, That he had this portion divided him with the Kings and Princes of the World, who fubmitted themselves to the Scepter of his Word, having laid their own Scepters at his Feet; Or rather, that it is an Hebrew Phrafe,which fignifies only in general terms, that Jefus Chrift has had the best Share. But this we have already explained, and is of too little moment to be infifted any longer upon. 'Twas this wonderful Proportion betwixt the Event and the Prophecy, which is fo clear and fo eafy,fo undeniable,and at the fame time fo fenfible, that converted the Eunuch of Candace Queen of the Ethiopians, after that Philip had made him understand and difcern the excellence of it. But he ftop'd not at the Explication of this Oracle, but proceeded to expound to him the other Prophecies and fince we ought to imitate his Example, 'tis now time we should pass on to the confideration of the others likewife. CHAP. X. Where we further examine thofe Prophecies, which concern the Meffias, and especially those which denote the Place and Manner of his Birth. Hough the Birth, Life and Death of the Meias are contained in the Prophecy we just now examined, 'twill not be however belides our Kk prefent prefent Parpose, to lay down fame other Oracles, wherein all thefe Events are more particularly reprefented to us. But before we enter upon this undertaking, 'tis neceflary to obferve, that there are three forts of Oracles which concern the Meffias: fome that are Proofs without Types, others that reprefent Types without Proofs; and others that may ferve for Types and Proofs both together. Ifaac, Jofeph and Sampfon,&c. are the fimple Type of the Meffias, and very fit Images to reprefent him, nay defigned by the Wisdom of God for that very purpose; but these Types only suppose the Truth of his coming, without proving it. On the contrary, we may very well affirm of the Oracle which we have examined in the foregoing Chapter, that it is a contexture of very exprefs and evident Prophecies, which cannot belong to any but Jefus Chrift himfelf, and which immedi ately belong to him, without being concealed un-der any Image or Cover whatever. Thefel call Proofs without Types. The first of thefe Oracles reprefent him, but prove him not; and the others prove him, but reprefent him not. But for the greater Evidence-fake, it was very meet that Divine Wisdom fhould join the Proof and the Reprefentation together, to give us thofe Types of Jefus Chrift, as fhould ferve for a Proof of themfelves. On this account therefore, the Holy Ghost chuling David, and fome other remarkable PerTons, to be the Types of the Mejias, afcribes to them fuch things as could never belong to any but the Meffius himself, at the fame time defcribing, under the cover of that which happened to thofe noble Perfons, whatever concerned him, but yet with this particular difference, that the fenfe of |