And yet we see that our Saviour did not; but, on the contrary, for the most part, made no other discovery of himself, at least in Judea, and at the beginning of his ministry, but in the two former ways, which were more obscure; not declaring himself to be the Messiah, any otherwise than as it might be gathered from the miracles he did, and the conformity of his life and actions with the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning him; and from some general discourses of the kingdom of the Messiah being come, under the name of the 'kingdom of God,' and' of heaven.' Nay, so far was he from publicly owning himself to be the Messiah, that he forbade the doing of it: 'He asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say Elias, and others, one of the prophets.' (So that it is evident, that even those who believed him an extraordinary person, knew not yet who he was, or that he gave himself out for the Messiah; though this was in the third year of his ministry, and not a year before his death.) And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answered, and said unto him, Thou art the Messiah. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.' And devils came out of many, crying, 'Thou art the Messiah, the Son of God: and he rebuking them, suffered them not to speak, that they knew him to be the Messiah.' Unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God: and he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.' Here again we may observe,

1 Luke, iv. 41.

2 Mark, iii. 11, 12.

E

from the comparing of the two texts, that thou art the Son of God,' or thou art the Messiah,' were indifferently used for the same thing. But to return to the matter in hand.

57. This concealment of himself will seem strange, in one who was come to bring light into the world, and was to suffer death for the testimony of the truth. This reservedness will be thought to look as if he had a mind to conceal himself, and not to be known to the world for the Messiah, nor to be believed on as such. But we shall be of another mind, and conclude this proceeding of his according to divine wisdom, and suited to a fuller manifestation and evidence of his being the Messiah, when we consider, that he was to fill out the time foretold of his ministry; and, after a life illustrious in miracles and good works, attended with humility, meekness, patience, and sufferings, and every way conformable to the prophecies of him, should be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and with all quiet and submission be brought to the cross, though there were no guilt nor fault found in him. This could not have been, if, as soon as he appeared in public, and began to preach, he had presently professed himself to have been the Messiah, the King that owned that kingdom he published to be at hand: for the sanhedrim would then have laid hold on it, to have got him into their power, and thereby have taken away his life; at least, they would have disturbed his ministry, and hindered the work he was about. That this made him cautious, and avoid, as much as he could, the occasions of provoking them, and falling into their hands, is plain from John, vii. i: 'After

6

these things Jesus walked in Galilee;' out of the way of the chief priests and rulers; for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.' Thus making good what he foretold them at Jerusalem, when at the first passover, at his beginning to preach the gospel, upon his curing the man at the pool of Bethesda, they sought to kill him. John, v. 'Ye have not,' says he, his word abiding amongst you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.' This was spoken more particularly to the Jews of Jerusalem, who were the forward men, zealous to take away his life; and it imports that because of their unbelief and opposition to him, the word of God, that is, the preaching of the kingdom of the Messiah, which is often called the word of God,' did not stay amongst them :-he could not stay amongst them, preach and explain to them the kingdom of the Messiah.

58. That the word of God here signifies the word of God that should make Jesus known to them to be the Messiah, is evident from the context; and this meaning of this place is made good by the event: for after this we hear no more of Jesus at Jerusalem, until the pentecost come twelvemonth; though it is not to be doubted but that he was there the next passover, and other feasts between, but privately. And now at Jerusalem, at the feast of pentecost, near fifteen months after, he says very little of any thing, and not a word of the kingdom of heaven being come or at hand; nor did he any miracle there. And returning to Jerusalem at the feast of tabernacles, it is plain, that from this time till then, which was a year and a half, he had not

6

taught them at Jerusalem. For, 1, It is said, that he teaching in the temple at the feast of tabernacles, The Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?'1 a sign they had not been used to his preaching; for if they had, they would not now have marvelled. 2, He says thus to them: 'Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keep the law? Why go you about to kill me One work, or miracle, I did here amongst you, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision, and ye on the sabbath-day circumcise a man; if a man on the sabbath-day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken, are ye angry with me, because I have made a man every way whole on the sabbath-day? Which is a direct defence of what he did at Jerusalem a year and a half before. The work he here speaks of we find reported, John, v. He had not preached to them there from that time till this, but had made good what he then told them: Ye have not the word of God remaining among you, because whom he hath sent, ye believe not whereby, I think, he signifies his not staying and being frequent amongst them at Jerusalem, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, because their great unbelief, opposition, and malice to him, would not permit it.

:'

59. This was manifestly so in fact: for the first miracle he did at Jerusalem, which was at the second passover after his baptism, brought him in danger of his life. Hereupon we find he forbore preaching again there till the feast of tabernacles, immediately preceding his last passover: so that

John, vii.

till half a year before his passion, he did but one miracle, and preached but once publicly at Jerusalem. These trials he made there; but found their unbelief such, that if he had staid and persisted to preach the good tidings of the kingdom, and to show himself by miracles among them, he could not have had time and freedom to do those works which his Father had given him to finish, as he says, verse 36. They all imaginable ways attacked him, and he as readily eluded all their attempts, by the wonderful quickness and conduct of an unparalleled wisdom. Here, at this feast of tabernacles, The Scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; they say unto him, Master, Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned, but what sayest thou? This they said tempting him, that they might accuse him.' It is plain they hoped that this criminal cause of a woman just taken in the fact, brought before him in the sight of the people, would draw him, if he would preserve the opinion of being the Messiah, their king, to give judgment in it, and by the exercise of such an authority expose him to the Roman deputy. Some such accusation they watched for; but they could never get any such advantage against him: he marvellously defeated their design, and without lessening himself, sent them away covered with shame and silence.

60. When, upon the curing of the withered hand on the sabbath-day, 'The Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy him, Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea and a great multitude from Galilee followed