Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

afraid of him, and of the People too, because they took him for a Prophet, and were very attentive to hear him. Now it is no hard matter to imagine, that the People, feeing our Saviour proceed to the Temple in this triumphant Manner, might happily call to Mind the Prediction of the Prophet Malachi, The Lord, whom ye feck, Jhall fuddenly come to his Temple, even the Meffenger of the Covenant, in whom ye delight, and he fhall purify the Sons of Levi, that they may offer to the Lord an Offering of Righteousness; and that, from the Remembrance of this Prophefy, they might be encouraged to abet his Reformation of the Temple.

Nor is it to be doubted, but that a Confcioufnefs of Guilt in the Profaners themfelves might, in fome measure, contribute to their Submiffion and Acquiefcence; even in the fame manner, as his Enemies were ftruck backwards with the Senfe of their own Guilt, as well as the Majefty of his Appearance, and fell down to the Ground, when they came to apprehend him in the Garden. So that, in the whole, we are to confider our Saviour, in this Action, not in the Form of a defpifed Man, but of a triumphant Monarch rather, at the Head of an infinite

[ocr errors]

Mal. iii, 1, &c. Bp. Smallbroke's Vind. p. 146. Dr. Pearce, p. 15.

finite number of People, all rejoycing in the Completion of an ancient Prophefy, all acknowledging him for their Mef fiah and King, and thereupon ready to fupport him in any Reformation, that he fhould think proper to attempt.

whole an

fwer.

And now to collect what has been The fum faid in this Answer. Since, by the Tem- of the ple here, is meant the outer Court of it, or Court of the Gentiles, where undoubtedly were Shops, and Stalls, and feveral forts of Merchandise, which muft needs be a great Profanation of a Place, fet apart for religious Worship; fince the Honour and Reverence, due to the Houfe of God, was Motive fufficient for our Saviour to attempt a Reformation of this Abuse; and, in his present triumphant Condition, he had Followers and Abetters enough to fupport him in such an attempt; the fuppofed long or short Continuance of the Temple (to whose Deftruction our Saviour was not acceffory) makes no Alteration in the Cafe; nor is there any Occafion, I think, to form Invectives against this Miracle, or to charge it with any Abfurdities or Incredibilities.

SECT.

The Ob-❝

jection.

SECT. XI.

Of his curing the DEMONIACKS, and fending the Devils into the

Swine.

B

UT, fuppofe that the former Miracle will bear the Teft, « yet, what fhall we fay to the. "Cafe of the Demoniacks, in the Coun"try of the Gadarens, and that vaft "number of Devils, which, to the De"struction of other Mens Property, he

[ocr errors]

permitted to enter into the Herd of "Swine? It looks a little oddly in

deed, that these Madmen fhould have "their Habitation in the Tombs of a "Burying-ground, and that the People " of the Place should be fo inhumane

as to take no manner of Care or Pity "of them. If they were fo exceeding❝ly fierce and outragious, that no Fetter's "nor Chains could hold them, nor any "Paffenger go that Way, without be"ing in danger of his Life, it certainly "would have been more adviseable, " and more lawful too, to have dif

patched them: but to fend the Devils

"into

[ocr errors]

"into the Herd of Swine, was a thing "impoffible, because the Jews, who "inhabited the Place, were, by their "Law, not only prohibited to eat "Swine's Flefh, but (after the Time "that Antiochus polluted the Temple "by the Sacrifice of an Hog) under the "Pain of an Anathema, forbidden to "keep any in the Country. Nay, al"lowing this Herd to belong, not to "the Jews, but the neighbouring Gen"tiles, to whom it was lawful to eat " and keep Swine; yet, how will our "Divines be able to affoil the Goodness "and Justice of Jefus, in permitting fo "large an Herd to be deftroyed in this "Manner, and their Owners, by this

means, to become confiderable Suffer"ers? This one Confideration, in my "Opinion, is enough to fet afide the "whole Miracle. But then, if we con"fider, how common a thing (even ac"cording to the Teftimony of Jefus "himself) the Bufinefs of Exorcifm was

among the Jews, we cannot but con"clude, that his Talent of this kind

(even had it been much greater than "it really was) can never be deemed "a fufficient Proof of his divine Autho

« rity,

Spencer de Leg. Heb. p. 117.

The

The Nature of

Jewish
Tombs.

The Addition of the Word Buryingground to the Text, is defigned to miflead the Reader into a Conception of something resembling our Church-yards, in Cities and Towns; which, as they could afford but a bad Habitation for Madmen, would not fail of annoying the People perpetually, by having fuch fierce and diforderly Perfons near them. ▾ To fet us right, therefore, in this Particular, it must be observed, that the Tombs, which the Evangelift here mentions, are faid to be in the Mountains, and in the Wilderness: for the Custom of the Jews was, to have their Tombs, like fo many little Cells, cut out in the fides of Caverns, and the hollow parts of Rocks, and Mountains, at fome diftance from the Towns, and usually in very loanly and defart Places. That many fuch Tombs remain in Judæa, even to this Day, we are affured from the Teftimony of Maundrel, and other modern Travellers; and, that particularly, on the Coast of the Lake Gennefareth, which was the lower Galilee, and lay contiguous to Gadara, there were vaft Caves and Dens under Ground, wofephus, in his Hiftory, has not omitted to inform us. Nay, he tells us more

Dr. Pearce, part 2. p. 23.

over,

De Bell. Jud. L

2. c. 10.

« AnteriorContinuar »