facrifice to God, to forfake house and land, friends and kindred, father and mother, wife and children, for the fake of Chrift.

The Jews were accustomed to indulge themselves without restraint in those things which the law allowed in condefcenfion to their imperfections, and to prevent greater evils: here the Gospel interpofed with strict prohibitions, representing their custom of divorce, and of marrying again, as no better than adultery. The Apostles themselves thought this, when they first heard it, to be an hard precept; and indeed, in all parts of the world where these practices have been established, nothing hath stopped the progress of Christianity more than the prohibition of polygamy and divorce, and many, who else feemed difpofed to receive

the

Whitby on John viii. 7.

d Bayle Dict. MAHOMET GALADIN. & Parrhafiana, ch. 7. • Chrift and the Apoftles have not perhaps directly, and in fo many words, prohibited polygamy; but from the reasoning of Chrift against divorce, Chriftians have juftly concluded polygamy to be unlawful. Of the evils arifing from both, fee Le Clerc Hift. Ecclef. Proleg. p. 113. 161.

Polygamy was forbidden by the Roman laws. Digeft. L. iii. Tit. ii. 1. Cod. L. ix. Tit. ix. 18. And afterwards, Christian Emperors would not permit it to any persons in

their

the Gospel, have rejected it

account.

upon

this only

Laftly, the Jews thought that the Christian morality was in general too ftrict and fevere, and that no man could poffibly practise it.

The chief priests, Scribes and Pharifees, befides all these prejudices already mentioned, had particular motives to reject the Gospel.

They hated Chrift, because he had reproved and openly expofed their pride, their hypocrify, their uncharitableness, their covetoufness, their zeal for traditions; and

their dominions. Cod. L. i. Tit. ix. 7. L. v. Tit. v. 2. Novell. xviii. 5. In what cafes they allowed divorce, may be feen Cod. L. v. Tit. xvii. Novell. xxii. 15. cxvii. 8. 9. cxl. Moreover; Eo tempore, quo quis uxorem habet, concubinam habere non poteft. Julius Paulus Recept. Sentent. L. ii. Tit. xx. Et Cod. L. v. Tit. xxvi. Et Leonis Conftit. xci.

f Trypho fays to Jugin, ὑμῶν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ Ευαγγελίω παραγέλματα θαυμαςὰ ὅτως η μέγαλα ἐπίςαμαι εἶναι, ὡς ὑπολαμβάνειν μηδένα δύναθαι φυλάξαι dlá. Vestra fane quæ in Evangelio, quod dicitur, funt præcepta tam magna et admiranda effe novimus, ut fufpicio noftra fit a nemine ea fervari poffe.

So alfo fays Orobius in his difpute with Limborch.

See Tillotson Vol. I. Serm. 28. The Jews taught thať a careful obfervance of fome laws would excufe the violation of the reft. See Whitby on James ii. 11.

their hatred against him difpofed them to think ill of him, and to do him all ill offices. We need not wonder when we find them upon all occafions oppofing and calumniating him, if we confider that they were a wicked set of men, and that he had publicly and frequently reproved them. They were highly incenfed against him, and in the judgment which they made of him, they were directed by their paffions, not by their reason.

Nor did anger and refentment only furnish them with prejudices against Christ, but felf-intereft alfo and worldly policy. The people, who had seen the miracles of Christ, particularly that miracle by which he had fed a great multitude, had at one time, as St. John relates, a design to make him their king, concluding reasonably enough that under fuch a leader they fhould be victorious. Therefore Christ, if he had been a deceiver, and had entertained ambitious defigns, might easily have made himself a prince, and might have incited the people to shake off the Roman yoke, which was grievous to them.

The

The chief priests and principal perfons amongst the Jews thought, that if Chrift fhould make fuch an attempt they should be ruined, whatsoever the confequence of it were. If the Jews under his conduct fhould endeavour to recover their liberties, and fail in it, they knew that the nation would be feverely punished by the Romans. Nor was their profpect lefs bad, if Christ should deliver the people from their subjection to a foreign power, and rule over them himself; for though they hated the Romans, yet doubtless they thought that Chrift would be a worse ruler for them than any Roman Governor. They knew that he had a bad opinion of them, and that he had exposed their vices, and therefore they concluded that the establishment of his authority would be the ruin of theirs. Thus were they incited not only by resentment, but, as they fancied, by intereft, to deny that Christ was the Meffias, to oppose him, and to deftroy him; for fince they were perfuaded that the Meffias fhould be a temporal king, they could not acknowledge Christ to be the Meffias, unless at the fame time they owned him to be their king.

They fucceeded in their endeavours, they stirred up the people, they intimidated the governor, they prevailed to have Chrift crucified, and by his death they thought themselves at laft fecure from all these evils. But he arose again, and his disciples appeared openly in Jerufalem, working miracles, and teaching that Jefus was the Meffias. One would at first think that no man could withstand fuch evidence; but we shall not fo much wonder at their obftinacy, if we obferve that their fears, and, as they thought, their interests led them again to oppofe the truth.

They confidered that they were the perfons who had represented Christ as a man who had loft his fenfes, a dæmoniac, an impoftor, a magician, a violator of the law, a feditious teacher, a rebel, an enemy to Cæfar, and a falfe Meffias; who had inftigated the people and who had perfuaded Pilate to crucify him; they heard that the Apostles wrought miracles in the name of Christ, and they concluded that if the Apostles were permitted to proceed in this manner, they would convert a great part of the Jews; and they feared that if

the