to discern them. Hence the people were divided at the time of the Messiah; those who were spiritual received him, and those who were carnal, and rejected him, remain to this day as witnesses for him.

The carnal Jews understood neither the greatness nor the humiliation of the Messiah, which were foretold by the prophets. They mistook his true greatness, when they were assured that he should be David's Lord, although he was his Son; that he was before Abraham, and had seen him. They did not conceive he was so great, as to have existed from all eternity. And they no less mistook him in his humiliation and death. "The Messiah (say they) abideth for ever, and this man declares that he shall die." Therefore they neither believed him to be mortal nor eternal: they looked to the Messiah for nothing but worldly aggrandizement.

They were so fond of the figures, and so literally expected them, that they mistook the substance, when it came, at the time and in the manner that had been foretold.

Men indisposed to believing, are wont to shelter themselves under the unbelief of the Jews. If all this, say they, was so clear, why did not the Jews believe in him? Whereas their rejection of him is a ground for our faith. If they had believed, we should be less disposed to believe. We should then have a more colourable pretext for incredulity and distrust. This is wonderful indeed, to see the Jews at once such ardent lovers of the things which were prophesied, and yet such violent haters of the accomplishment of those very prophecies; and that this hatred itself should have been also foretold.

To give sufficient credibility to the Messiah, it was necessary that certain prophecies should precede his appearance, and should remain in the custody of unsuspected persons, of diligence, fidelity, and ex

traordinary zeal, and such as were known to the rest of mankind.

That things might succeed accordingly, God made choice of this carnal people, to whom he entrusted the predictions concerning the Messiah, which described him as a deliverer, and a dispenser of carnal blessings, which they loved. Hence they had an extraordinary zeal for their prophets, and held out to all the world those books which foretold the Messiah; assuring all nations that he would certainly come, in the very manner expressed by their records, which they kept open to the view of the whole world. But being deceived by his coming in such a mean and ignominious condition, they became his greatest opposers. So that here is a people, who of all mankind can be least suspected of favouring us, nevertheless supporting our cause, and, by the zeal which they shew for their law and their prophets, preserving, with the most incorruptible exactness, our evidences and their own condemnation.

Those who have rejected and crucified Jesus Christ, who was an offence to them, are the same people who preserved those writings which testify concerning him, and which affirm that he shall be despised and rejected by them. Thus their refusal of him has borne express testimony to him; and he has been equally demonstrated by the righteous Jews who received him, and by the wicked Jews who rejected him; both having been exactly foretold.

For this reason the prophecies have a double sense, one spiritual, to which this people were strongly averse, concealed under a literal one, which they liked. If the spiritual sense had been disclosed to them, as they were unable to embrace it, and could not have borne it, they would have had very little zeal to preserve their writings and ceremonial institutions: and if they had relished these spiritual promises, and preserved them uncorrupted

till the time of the Messiah, their evidence would have been deprived of its force, as being the testimony of his friends. We see, therefore, the necessity for veiling the spiritual sense: but yet, on the other hand, if its obscurity had been too deep for discovery, it could not have been an evidence of the Messiah. What, therefore, was done? The spiritual sense was disguised under the literal in most places, but in some was expressly and clearly delivered. Moreover, the time and state of the world were so exactly foretold, that the sun itself is not clearer. And there are some passages in which the spiritual meaning is so clearly explained, that no blindness short of that which the flesh brings upon a mind that is entirely enslaved by it, can withhold us from discerning it.

Such then was the conduct of God. In an infinite number of places the spiritual sense is covered over with another; yet in some, though rarely, it is openly revealed, but in such a manner, that the passages in which it is concealed admit of both interpretations, while those in which it is explained can admit only of the spiritual.

This method could not therefore lead men into error; nor could any, but a people whose heart was so entirely carnal, have misunderstood it.

For when good things were promised them in abundance, what could hinder them from interpreting these promises of real blessings, but their concupiscence, which made them explain them of earthly advantages? Whereas those whose only treasure was in God, would have referred them entirely to God. For there are two principles which divide the wills of men, concupiscence and charity. It is not, indeed, impossible that concupiscence should co-exist with faith, or charity with temporal possessions: but concupiscence avails itself of God, to enjoy the world; the latter makes use of the world, but enjoys God.

Again, the end which we pursue is that which

gives names to things. Whatever hinders us in the prosecution of that, we consider as an enemy. Thus the creatures, which are good in themselves, are the enemies of good men, when they lead them from God; and God himself is accounted an enemy by those whom he thwarts in their lusts.

Hence the appellation of enemy being applied according to the end men have in view, good men understood it of their passions, and carnal men of the Babylonians; so that these terms were only obscure to the wicked. And this was the meaning of Isaiah, when he said, "Seal the law among my disciples," Isa. viii. 16; and that Christ should be a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence,” (v.14.) "but blessed are those who shall not be offended in" him, Matt. xi. 6. Hosea also says the same thing: "Who is wise, and he shall understand these things; prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them; but transgressors shall fall therein." Hos. xiv. 9.

66

Yet the Old Testament was so framed, that while it enlightened some, and blinded others, it demonstrated in the latter the truth which it revealed to the former. For the visible blessings which they received from God, were so great and divine, that they evidently testified his power to give them those which were invisible, and also a Messiah.

The time of our Lord's first coming is expressly foretold; but that of his second is not. Because the first was to be private, whereas the second will be glorious, and so manifest, that his enemies themselves will acknowledge him. But though his first appearance was to be obscure, and discernible only by those who searched the scriptures, God had so ordered things, that all this contributed to characterize him. The Jews proved him by receiving him; for they were depositaries of the prophecies, and they proved him also by rejecting him, because in this they accomplished the prophecies.

The Jews had both miracles and prophecies which they saw fulfilled; the peculiar doctrine of their law was the love and adoration of only one God; and this was perpetual: it had therefore every mark of the true religion; and so it really was. But we are to distinguish between the doctrine of the Jews, and the doctrine of the law of the Jews. For the doctrine of the Jews was not true, although it had miracles and prophecies and perpetuity on its side; because it was deficient in the main principle, of loving and adoring God only.

The Jewish religion must therefore be considered very differently in the tradition of their saints, and in the tradition of the people. Its morality and happiness are both ridiculous, according to the tradition of the people; but they are incomparable in that of their saints. Its foundation is wonderful; it is the most ancient and most authentic book in the world: and whereas Mahomet, that his writings might continue, has forbidden them to be read; Moses, that his might continue, has commanded every body to read them.

The religion of the Jews is altogether divine in its authority, its duration, its perpetuity, its morality, its conduct, its doctrine, its effects. It was formed as a representation of the reality of the Messiah; and the reality of the Messiah was made evident by the Jewish religion, which represented him.

Under the Jewish economy truth appeared only in figure: in heaven it is without veil: in the church it is veiled, but discerned by its correspondence to the figure. As the figure was first built upon the truth, so the truth is now distinguishable by the figure.

He that forms his judgment of the Jewish religion, by its exterior, will judge wrongly. It is to be seen in the sacred writings, and in the traditions of the prophets, who sufficiently proved that they did not understand the law according to the letter. Our religion, in like manner, is divine in the gospel, in