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to those mistaken principles they had imbibed; not because they used maxims of reafoning, p. 94. and difputing wholly oppofite to, i. e. in our author's fenfe, more juft, and proper, and pertinent than the Chriftians, who needed not arguments, from allegories, to fupport Christianity, when they might argue the truth of it from facts, which all its adverfaries hitherto have never been able to difprove.

However, tho' nothing is more evident, from what hath been already faid, than that the apostles laid their principal ftrefs on this, that the fufferings and refurrection of Christ, and the preaching the gofpel to the Gentiles, were conformable to the ancient prophecies relating to the Meffiah, and therefore that our Lord's fufferings were no real objection against the truth of his pretenfions, nor his refurrection a thing incredible, nor the preaching the gospel to the Gentiles a thing criminal, but even neceffary to fulfil the fayings of the prophets; yet 'tis certain that they cited other paffages of fcripture, befides fuch as relate to thofe great events, and applied them to Jefus Christ. And the

question

queftion here is, whether fome of thefe paffages have a real original reference to the Meffiah; and if not, how 'tis confiftent with the apostles characters, as inspi red perfons, to make such a false application of them to him? I answer, that of the feveral quotations mentioned by our author, fome of them have a certain reference to the Meffiah, and were literally accomplished in Chrift; and no other but him. This I have already fhewn of Ifaiah vii. 14. applied by Matthew i. 23. The fame is true of Micah v. 2. applied not by Matthew, as our author, thro' miftake, afferts, but by the chief priests and Scribes of the people, to the Meffiah, Mat. ii. 4. of Ifaiah xl. 3.

applied Mat. iii. 3. with others that might be mentioned. The application of fuch texts as thefe, which have a manifeft reference to the Meffiah, to Jefus Chrift, is with the greatest reason and justice; and therefore can be no exception against the character of the apoftles, as perfons infpired of the Holy Ghost.

As for other places, whofe reference to the Meffiah is not fo plain; I think

'tis fufficient to obviate every objection that can be brought against the apostles for applying them to Jefus, to consider, that it doth not appear they always cite fuch places, as real predictions of events to happen in the Meffiah's time, nor apply them to Jefus, as the proofs of his being the Meffiah; but make use of the Old Testament fcriptures, in their writings and controverfies, with fuch views and fuch purposes, as were most suitable to the circumftances of the perfons to whom they wrote. The first who had the gospel preached to them were Jews; and the feveral churches the Apostles at first gathered were either moftly of that nation, or else a mixture of Jews and Gentiles.

The

Apostles alfo of our bleffed Saviour were all of them Jews, who boasted of their facred writings, as the great privilege and glory of their nation, and who had been bred up with the highest efteem and veneration for them. therefore 'tis no wonder that Jews writing to Jews fhould make frequent use of those scriptures, allowed, on each

And

fide, to be of divine original, and intro duce them on every occafion, to adorn, illuftrate, and confirm their arguments. And tho' we, at this diftance of time, may not be able to fix any rules, by which to distinguish when they quoted them for one or the other purpofe; yet undoubtedly those to whom they wrote, who knew the method of writing at that time, understood the reafon and propriety of the quotations they made; and there is no reason to think, that the apostles would ever have gone to have exposed themselves, and the cause they espoused, by an unnatural and unusual application, or explication of any paffages out of the Old Teftament. The prejudices of the Jews against our Saviour, and his religion, were already ftrong enough, and needed not to be heighthened by a method of quoting fcripture, that would have been generally thought a perverting and abusing it.

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CHAP. XI.

The particular places excepted against by the Author of the Grounds, &c. accounted for.

B

UT poffibly it may not be fo very difficult a matter to account for moft, if not all those citations which are excepted againft, and to give fome probable reasons why the writers of the New Teftament made fuch use of them. And here 'tis evident that they quote fome paffages of the Old Teftament, by way of illuftration and fimile, and to reprefent their own fense and meaning by inftances, familiar to, and well under

ftood

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