Jews against Jesus, upon such a real miracle, is very idle, because there never was such a public miracle done by any other for so pure a doctrine. But if this Jew or any one else will produce an instance of such a miracle done by any one, who also taught the same spiritual, heavenly doctrine that Jesus did, and nothing else; and who conversed and taught as publicly as Jesus did; and spoke the truth to all without fear or favour: I will show he had an ignominious death, or else wondrous escapes and deliverances by manifest interpositions of Divine Providence.

But though an instance of equal malignity cannot be shown, because there is no other character equal to our Saviour's in innocence of life and greatness of works; yet the Jewish nation will afford an instance, which I am very sorry is so near a parallel. Moses was the greatest prophet, and meekest man, they ever had among them, except Jesus, and they often murmured against him. "And Moses

cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me," Exod. xvii. 4. When they should have gone to have taken possession of the land of Canaan," All the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. All the congregation bade stone them with stones," Numb. xiv. 2—10, that is, Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, or at least these two, the only persons that stood by Moses, and his brother.

This people were to a man obliged to Moses, who had brought them up out of a state of servitude. Nor had they any just ground of complaint against him, whilst in the wilderness, for God says: "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings," Exod. xix. 4. The blessings Moses proposed were far more agreeable to carnal minds (such as the Jews and most other men's are) than those promised by Jesus. He engaged to raise them to a state of independency in a land flowing with milk and honey. The time set for this event according to divine promise was now come. And he had performed many great miracles before them, and yet they rebelled continually against God and this his servant. Nor did any of all this congregation, except Caleb and Joshua, believe God, as Moses tells them expressly. Deut. ix. 23, 24. They are called by the Psalmist a "stubborn and rebellious generation," Ps. lxxviii. 8. "They believed not for all his wondrous works," ver. 32. Not that they disbelieved the works themselves: they knew them, but though they saw the works of God, they were not obedient. "Thou knowest," says Aaron to Moses, " that this people

is set upon mischief," Exod. xxxii. 22. As they were then, so they continued to be; and slew the prophets which God sent to them. They are upon record in their own writings as the most obstinate of all people, Ezek. iii. 5, 6. They are said to have "changed God's judgments into wickedness more than the nations," ch. v. 6. One would think these, and many other such things, were recorded on purpose to prevent such an objection as we have now before us; or to help us to answer it, if any should be so unreasonable as to make it.

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Why should it be thought strange that this people, who would have stoned Moses, and who slew many other prophets, should also conspire against Jesus? especially considering that they abounded now as much as ever with all kinds of the worst wickedness, except idolatry; (if we may credit Josephus and other writers of this nation;) and were now disappointed in their fondest expectations of worldly power and splendour. I will transcribe here an answer of Origen to a like objection of Celsus, proposed in the person of a Jew. Well then, sirs, how will you (says Origen) a answer such questions as these, if put to you by us? Which are in your opinion the greatest miracles? those 'which were wrought in Egypt, and in the wilderness? or those which we say were wrought among you by Jesus? If in your opinion those are greater than these latter is it not hence apparent, that according to your custom, you may despise the less, who disbelieved the greater? since you think those ascribed to Jesus less than those former. But if those, which are related of Jesus are equal to those written by Moses: is it any thing strange, that the same people should be equally unbelieving upon both occasions? For the beginning of the law was by Moses: and in that are recorded the transgressions of the unbelievers and sinners among you. And the beginning of the second law and covenant is allowed to have been given unto us by * Το, τι βέλεσθε, ω ετοι, προς τας πευσεις ήμων αποκρίνεσθαι; ποιαι δυναμεις μείζες, όσον επι ύμετερα ὑποληψει είναι ύμιν φαίνονται. αι εν Αιγύπτῳ και τη ερημω, η & εφαμεν ήμεις πεποιηκέναι τον Ιησεν παρ' ύμιν ; ει μεν δε εκείναι μείζες τε των καθ' ὑμας εισι πως εκ αυτοθεν δεικνυται, ότι κατα το ηθος των τοις μειζοσιν απισήσαντων εστι και το των ἡττονων καταφρονειν ; τετο γαρ ὑπολαμβάνεται περὶ ὧν λεγομεν περι Ιησε· ει δε ισαι λεγονται περι το Ιησε ταις αναγεγραμμέναις ὑπο Μωύσεως, τι ξενον απηντησε λαῳ κατ' αμφοτέρας τας αρχάς των πραγματων απιςεντι, αρχη μεν γαρ νομοθεσίας, επι Μωυσέως ην. εν ή τα αμαρτηματα των απιςων και των αμαρτανόντων ὑμων αναγεγραπται. Αρχη δε νομοθεσίας και διαθηκης δευτέρας κατά τον Ιησεν ἡμιν γεγονεναι ὁμολογεῖται. Και μαρτυρεῖτε δι' ὧν τῳ Ιησε απιτειτε, ότι υιοι ετε εν τη ερημφ απιζησαντων ταις θειαις επιφανειαις. Origen, contr. Cels. 1. 2. p. 206, 207.

Jesus. And by your unbelief in Jesus you make it appear, 'that ye are the children of those who did not believe the divine appearances in the wilderness.'

Any man may perceive, that a prophet is the most unpopular of all characters. For he is to " cry aloud and spare not; to lift up his voice like a trumpet," Isaiah Iviii. 1, and show men of all ranks their transgressions and their sins. "Moses at first supposed his brethren would have understood, how that God by his hand would deliver them," Acts vii. 25. But when he endeavoured only to reconcile two of them, and "said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow ?" what a smart reply did he meet with?" who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian?" Exod. ii. 13, 14. These were his apprehensions then; but when he was forty years old, and knew the world better, and God appeared to him and told him, he would send him to bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt: after divers fine excuses, which are not accepted of, he in a modest way positively refuses to go. "And he said, O Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send," Exod. iv. 13. Nor does he yield, till the anger of the Lord is kindled against him. So hazardous and difficult was this office, that God sometimes promises a prophet as a special favour and a most necessary qualification, together with a commission, boldness of countenance to execute it. "As an adamant harder than flint," says God to Ezekiel, "have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed," Ezek. iii. 9. And Jeremiah he made a “defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land," Jerem. i. 18.

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It is a very unjust way of judging: such an one suffered, or was hated and opposed; therefore he was a wicked man, or an impostor. If we will pass a judgment on men, we should examine their conduct, as well as the treatment they meet with otherwise we are in danger of being unjust to the memory of some of the best men that ever were. mon says, "A just man falleth [into trouble] seven times, and riseth up again," Prov. xxiv. 16. And his father David: Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all," Ps. xxxiv. 19. Many were the afflictions of our blessed Saviour, but he was delivered out of them all, if ever man was; having been soon raised up from the grave, and seated at the right hand of God.

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Solomon says again : "An unjust man is an abomination

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to the just and he that is upright in the way, is abomination to the wicked," Prov. xxix. 27. Which last observation is confirmed by divers heathen writers of good knowledge in human nature: That a man can no sooner be an 'enemy to all vice, and walk in the ways of virtue, but he 'becomes the object of hatred.' Socrates who had been pronounced by the oracle of Apollo the wisest man, and who has since had almost universally the character of the best man among the Greeks, was put to death by his countrymen the Athenians, a people more renowned for civility and good humour than the Jews. He was always apprehensive of suffering, and sensible of the danger he incurred by opposing the evil practices of men. He goes so far as to tell the Athenians: It is impossible for any man to be 'safe among them, or any where else, who honestly and courageously opposes vice and injustice.' He says also that he had chosen a private life as best suited to answer his design; and that if he had been in the magistracy, and taken the course he had done of instructing and admonishing all people, he had not lived so long. And Cicero observed in his time, that philosophy, which proposed to cure the minds of men, was suspected and hated by the most, as a dangerous thing. Some sovereign princes have lost their lives in attempts of reformation. Many indeed are the instances of the unjust judgments of the most. A peaceable prince, who protects the estates, the commerce, the persons and consciences of his subjects, is barely beloved; a conqueror is adored; though he needlessly hazards the lives of his own subjects, and violates toward his neighbours all the laws of nations, and all the laws of honour and humanity.

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But I am ashamed to give this argument its full force. I little expected to have ever seen this objection seriously

Si quis vitiorum omnium inimicus rectum iter vitæ cœpit insistere, primum propter morum differentiam odium habet. Quis enim potest probare diversa? Petron. Arbiter, laudat. a Grot. ad Matt. x. 22.

Και γαρ και μισωνται, ελέγχοντες αυτών τας αμαθιας. Lucian. Contemplant. V. I. p. 357. edit. Amst.

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Και τον αριςον των Ελλήνων λαβων ὑποθεσιν [Αριτοφάνης] ανδρα τους τε αλλοις θεοις φιλον, και δη και μαλιτα τῳ Απολλωνι. Ælian. Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 13.

d Ευ γαρ ιτε, ω Αθηναιοι, ει εγω παλαι επεχείρησα πράττειν τα πολιτικά πραγματα, παλαι αν απολωλειν.Και μοι μη αχθεσθε λεγοντι τ' αληθη. Ον γαρ εσιν όςις ανθρωπων σωθησεται, ουτε ύμιν ουτε αλλῳ ουδενι πληθεῖ γνησεως εναντιωμένος, και διακωλύων πολλα αδικα και παρανομα εν τη πόλει Yiyvɛolai. Plat. Apolog. Socrat. p. 31. E.

Animi autem medicina nec tam desiderata sit,-nec tam multis grata et probata, pluribus etiam suspecta et invisa. Tusc. Q. 1. 3. init.

produced against the miracles, or any other branch of the history of the New Testament, and called calm and sedate reasoning, p. 55. An apologist for christianity might have brought it forth and stated it, to adorn his triumph, after a confutation of other more plausible objections; but for any seriously to mention the enmity of the Jews against Jesus, as an objection against him, can be owing to nothing, in my opinion, but strange ignorance or prejudice, or a most contemptuous opinion of all the reason and observation of mankind.

Let us examine another passage in the Jew's letter. 'Such a manifest miracle, let it be wrought for what end and purpose we can possibly imagine, would strike men 'with awe and reverence, and none could hate and per'secute the author of the miracle; lest he who could raise 'the dead, should exert his power against themselves, and ' either wound or smite them dead with it. For which reason, the resurrection of Lazarus, on the certain knowledge ' of our ancestors, was all fraud, or they would have re' verenced and adored the power of him that did it,' p. 48. And more such stuff has this Jew again and again to this same purpose.

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I must therefore remind him of some examples in the books of the Old Testament. In 1 Kings xvii. is the history of Elijah's raising the widow's son. In the next chapter he works a great miracle at the altar, and after that obtaineth rain. Nevertheless it is said, chap xix. 1, 2. "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah," and solemnly swears she would destroy him," saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time." Whereupon Elijah absconds, and in a prayer to God he says, " They seek his life to take it away." In the twenty-second chapter is mention of another prophet of the Lord, by name Micajah, of whom Ahab says to Jehosaphat in plain terms; "I hate him.”

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Ahaziah, another king of Israel, fell" down through a lattice in his upper chamber, and was sick," 2 Kings i. Nevertheless, in this condition, (such stubbornness is there in the heart of man!) he sends officers, one after another, to Elijah, requiring him to come to him. Elisha also, successor of Elijah, raised a person to life and wrought divers other miracles, 2 Kings iv. Notwithstanding this, Jehoram, another king of Israel, says: ch. vi. 31. "God do so and