fect what was begun, and caufing ail hopes of CHAP. future fuccefs to vanish. But he thought quite II. otherwise, for the whole fuccefs depended on his death. He faid to his difciples, *« Ex

cept a corn of wheat fall into the ground "and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it' "bringeth forth much fruit." Thus he fignifies his own death and burial, and the incredible plenty of fruit that would follow, particularly among the Gentiles: for it is very remarkable, that this speech is made on their account, and it is of confequence that this fhould be well known.

ARTICLE III.

Cbrift foretold that the converfion of the Gentiles would be the fruit of his death.

T was very common to fee Gentiles come

to Jerufalem to adore the God of the Jews on all their great feftivals, particularly on their paffover, whether they adored no other gods, or whether they thought the worshipping of him was compatible with that of other deities, of whofe falfeness they were not as yet convinced. Some of those Gentiles, touched with refpect towards Chrift, defired to fee him, and applying to Philip the apostle, who, together with Andrew, came to acquaint Jefus, perhaps with aftonishment, that the Gentiles defired to fee

* John xii. 24.

him,

PART him, and probably with a fecret confidence, V. that those small beginnings would prove the fore-runner of a very confiderable progrefs.

'

сс

Jefus anfwered them, The hour is come "that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, except a << a corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bring"eth forth much fruit." As if he had faid in the cleareft terms: My glory will foon be great among the Gentiles, but their faith depends on my death. I am like the grain of wheat, which never multiplies till put into the earth, and beareth not till it dies: I fhall not appear great among the nations, till I am put to death by my own people, and my fecundity, typified by that of Ifaac, is annexed to my facrifice.

On the fame occafion Chrift faid, "Now "is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be caft out. And I, if "I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all

men unto me. This he faid, fignifying "what death he fhould die." How could Chrift but see the whole confequence of his defign from the beginning, fince he made its execution and accomplishment depend on what must have been its greatest obstruction according to human prudence. He faid, They are preparing to put me to a fcandalous and cruel death on a crofs; but it is by that I propose to conquer the world, and triumph over him who bath caufed himself to be adored for fo many ages.

+ John xii. 31.

:

ages. I will stretch forth my hands to the ex-CHAP. tremity of the earth, and will draw all people II. unto me: I will make all the world to kneel before my crofs I will convert it into an altar of expiation and grace, into a throne of mercy, and into a trophy, where my enemies and their arms shall be nailed and fufpended in the fight of the whole universe.

ARTICLE IV.

He foretold that the
the Jews, who were
witnesses of his miracles, and depo-
fitaries of the holy fciptures, would be
excluded his kingdom, and the Gen-
tiles preferred before them.

Ut

PON feveral other occafions Chrift foretold that the Gentiles would believe in him, and would come from the Eaft, West,

"And I fay unto you, that many shall come from the "eaft and weft, and fhall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of "the kingdom fhall be caft out into outer darkness; there shall "be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matth. viii. 11, 12.

"There fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye "shall see Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, and all the pro"phets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thruft out.

86

And they all come from the eaft, and from the weft, and "from the north, and from the south, and shall fit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are last, which shall "be first, and there are firft, which shall be laft." Luke xiii. 28..

What is related by Saint Matthew, was in regard of the centu rion's faith; and what is faid by Saint Luke, was in respect to the queftion propofed to Chrift upon the fmall number of elect. Matth. xxii. 2, 7.

H

PART. Weft, North, and South, and fit down with V. Abraham, Ifaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, whofe faith they imitated, while the children, for whom the kingdom was prepared (intimating the Jews) fhould be excluded and condemned to darkness and eternal weeping. Such a prophecy did not feem probable at that time; for if the Jews did not believe, they who had all the proofs neceffary to convince them, they who expected the Meffiah, and did not doubt but that the prophets, who predicted his coming, were infpired, and who knew that the time was accomplished or very near it; what likelihood was there that infidels, who knew nothing of the prophecies relating to the Messiah, would believe in him without having heard his difcourfes or beheld his miracles; or that they should even know that his own people had rejected him?

And yet this double prodigy was often foretold by Chrift in different parables, which were fo clear, that the event was no way neceffary to explain them. In one of the parables, he compares the Jews to the men invited by their king to the feftival of his fon's nuptials, who refused to be prefent, and mal-treated those who were fent to invite them: and he compares the Gentiles to ftrangers and blind people, fuch as were never thought of before, who are fubftituted in the room of the others to fill their vacant places.

In another, he reprefents the Jews, and particularly their chiefs and thofe in power, as the ungrateful and unjust vine-dreffers, unto whom

whom the mafter entrusted the care of his CHAP. vineyard, but who conftantly refused to deliver II. him the fruit; * who even abused the fervants whom he sent to demand the fame, and feeing their master's fon coming upon the fame errand, plotted to murder him, which they actually effected after they had caft him out of the vineyard. He reprefents the Gentiles as faithful and grateful vine-dreffers, whom the mafter, juftly provoked by the murder of his only son, substituted in the place of those murderers, and gave them the charge of his vineyard.

In another parable, Chrift compares himself to a nobleman, who went into a far country to take poffeffion of a kingdom †, and on his journey received a deputation from his ancient fubjects, that they would have him no longer to reign over them. But on his return, he punished the rebels with death. Thefe rebels are certainly the Jews. The new kingdom in a far country, plainly imports the conquefts of the Gentiles. And the punishment of the rebels is an evident prediction of that of the Jews, of which Chrift fpeaks as already done, in as much as he is certain that what he decrees fhall be fulfilled.

Matth. xxi. 33, 40.

+ Luke xix. 12, 27.

VOL. III.

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