Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

to the fame fate, adding the Taylor, unless he, with all humility pafs his receipt in full, giving due honour of my acceptance of these pontificals and other charges in his account. But, what thundering at the door? who's there?

Hoft & Bailiffs. Go with us, we muft fecure you. Luther. My dear Mr. Mofes help, I befeech, or I am a dead man; my truft is in you. Dear Mr. Taylor and my Hoft, fave me.

Mofes. Bailiffs, have patience, the fuits are the Taylor's and Hoft's prefent. Touching the Taylor's account, who ordered the clothes? Meffrs. Gentlemen of the Club, you will acknowledge owning to Mr. Ignatius and myself, that you ordered thefe feveral articles to drefs your Lord, whom you had raised to the popedom, and made an offer to Ignatius of one fuit, with an invitation to me to be a spectator.

Taylor. The order came from the Club, defiring the account fhould be charged to their Lord.

Luther. I never knew any thing of the matter until the clothes were produced. Save me, Mr. Mofes and Mr. Taylor, and I promise on the fpot, to become a member of the Holy Catholic Church, or even undergo Circumcifion, rather than go to gaol or pay the account, either would be death.

Taylor. Bailiffs, you will undress the Reverend Father, leaving him only his minister's habit, and restore them to the Club, and take them into confinement until my debt be paid. Luther. The pacquet is ready. Adieu to a land of imprisonment.

End of the Thirteenth Conference.

X 2

FOURTEENTH

FOURTEENTH CONFERENCE.

Mofes, Boy and Notaries.

Moses. TH

HIS day's debate will be the concordance of the life and death of Jefus, whom you term Chrift, with the fcriptures, touching the Meffiahfhip.

Boy. Every other impediment or objection to the Chriftian or new covenant are removed by our late difcuffions.

1

Mofes. You have removed many old prejudices, which had taken deep root, and fettered my understanding. Prove by the rule I have. fet forth that Jefus is the Meffiah and I am a Chriftian.

Boy. You agreed that the life and death (as is fet forth in the gofpels) of Jefus Chrift accord with that handed down by the Jews.

Mofes. This matter was open to the world, I mean the last three years (or thereabouts) of his life, with the circumftances of his death. I in a late conference enlarged on this matter to which I refer.

Boy. 53d chapter of Ifaiah correfponds and is a prophecy, with the caufe and manner of the Meffiah's death." Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? for he fhall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root, out of a dry ground; he hath no form or comelinefs, and when we fhall fee him, there fhall be no beauty that we fhould defire him. He is defpifed and rejected

of

"

of men;

a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief and we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was defpifed, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our forrows; yet, we did esteem him ftricken, fmitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our tranfgreffions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chaftifement of our peace was upon him, and with his tripes we are healed. And we, like fheep, have gone aftray; we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet, he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter, and as a fheep before her fhearers is dumb; fo opened not his mouth. He was taken from prifon and from judgment; and who fhall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living for the tranfgreffion of my people was he ftricken. And he made his And he made his grave with. the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleafed the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou fhalt make his foul an offering for fin, he fhall fee his feed, he fhall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hands. He fhall fee of the travel of his foul, and fhall be fatisfied: by his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant juftify many; for he fhall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him portion with the great, and he fhall divide the fpoil with the frong: because he hath

[blocks in formation]

poured out his foul unto death: and he was. numbered with the tranfgreffors; and he bear the fin of many, and made interceffion for the. tranfgreffors."

Mofes. Conviction captivates my mind; I acknowledge myfelf vanquifhed, and that Jefus is the Meffiah; a new fcene is prefented to the eyes of my foul, which enlightens, my understanding and fills my heart with grief for living a life oppofite to my God, who hath believed our report, Ifrael's difavowal, cenfuring and rejection, of the report of Jefus Chrift, agrees with this prophesy.

Boy. Mark 15. "And ftraightway in the morning the chief Priefts holding a confultation with the antients and the scribes, and the whole council, bound Jefus and led him away to Pilate, and Pilate asked him, " Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jefus anfwering, faith to him; "Thou fayeft it." And the chief Priefts accufed him in many things. And Pilate asked him, faying: "Anfwereft thou nothing? behold in how many things they accuse you." But Jefus ftill anfwered nothing; fo that Pilate wondered. Now on the festival day he was wont to release · unto them one of the prifoners, whomsoever they demanded. And there was one called Barabbas, who was, in prifon with fome feditious men, who in the fedition had committed murder. And when the multitude was come up, they began to defire that he would do as he had ever done to them. And Pilate anfwered them, and faid: "Will you, that I releafe to you the King of the Jews?" for he knew that the chief priests

priefts had delivered him up through envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he' fhould rather releafe Barrabbas to them. And Pilate again answered, faying to them: "What' will you then that I do to the King of the Jews? But they again cried out crucify him. And Pilate faith to them: " Why, what evil hath he done?" But they cried out the more, "Crucify him." So Pilate being willing to fatisfy the people, releafed them Barabbas, and delivered up Jefus when he had fcourged him, to be crucified. And the foldiers led him into the court of the palace, and they call together the whole band and they cloath him with purple, and platting a crown of thorns, they put it on him, and they began to faluté him: Hail, King of the Jews. And they ftruck his head with a reed; and they did fpit on him, and bowing their knees they worshipped him. And after they had mocked him they took off the purple from him, and put his own garments on him, and they led him out to crucify him. And they forced Simon, a Cyrinian who paffed by coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to take up his cross. And bringing him unto the place called Golgotha, which being interpreted, 15, "The place of Calvary." And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh; but he took it not. And crucifying him, they divided his garments, cafting lots upon them, what every man fhould take. And it was the third hour, and they crucifyed him. And the infcription of his caufe was written over, "The King of the Jews." And with him they crucified two X 4 thieves,

« PreviousContinue »