LXXXI. SERM. But as probable as this looks, there are two very great objections against it. One is, that St. Matthew calls the Zacharias fpoken of by our SAVIOUr, the fon of Barachias; whereas this Zacharias flain by Joafh, was the fon of Jehoiada: and though it be very confiderable, which St. Jerome obferves, that in the Hebrew, or Nazarene gospel, it is Zacharias the son of Jehoiada; yet it is hard to rely upon that, against all the Greek copies. But a more difficult objection, in my opinion, is, that our SAVIOUR feems to defign to mention the two extremes, the first and last righteous man that was flain, and between them two comprehended the good men of all ages, that were perfecuted and flain; and if fo, then that Zacharias in the Chronicles, who was flain fo long before, can by no means be the person. There is yet a fourth Zacharias, mentioned by Jofephus, lib. 4. the son of Baruch (which is probably enough the fame name with Barachias) who was the last remarkable good man that was flain, immediately before the fiege of Jerufalem; and that as Jofephus tells us, in the midst of the temple; which agrees with our SAVIOUR's defcription of it, "be 66 tween the altar and the temple ;" not the altar of incenfe, but of burnt-offerings, which was in the outward court, before the afcent to the temple. So that Grotius thinks this was the man intended by our SAVIOUR, yet fo that he does both allude to the hiftory of the former Zacharias, and foretel the death of this. And there is but one objection against this; that our SAVIOUR fpeaks of this as already paft "whom you have flain; whereas this Zacharias was not flain till after our SAVIOUR's death. But I think that a fatisfactory anfwer may be given to this (viz.) that our SAVIOUR foretelling those future perfe 66 LXXXI. perfecutions, which fhould fill up the measure of SER M. their fins, and bring final destruction upon them, he, speaks of this as already past, because before that deftruction fhould come upon them, it would be true, they had flain him :" fo that speaking of the vengeance coming upon them, well might he say, "that upon them fhould come the blood of all the righteous men, from Abel to Zacharias, whom they had flain." &c. 6.6 III. The third difficulty remains, and that is, in what fenfe, and with what reafon and juftice it is here threatned, "that the blood of all the prophets "and righteous men, fhed from the foundation of "the world, fhould be required of that generation." Some understand this more strictly; they should be charged with it, and formally punished for it, because in imitating their cruel predeceffors, they should be guilty of all their cruelty. But there is no neceffity of this all that our SAVIOUR feems to intend, is this, that their punishment, in the deftruction of Jerufalem, fhould be fo horrible, as if God had once for all arraigned them of all the righteous blood that ever had been fhed in the world, and brought the punishment of it upon them; though in truth the punishment did not exceed the defert of their own fins. And if this be the meaning of it, there is nothing harsh and unreasonable in it. And thus I have explained, as well as I can, the feveral difficulties in the text. I fhall make two or three observations from the main fcope and defign of it, and fo conclude. I. That it hath been the lot of holy and righteous men, in most ages of the world, to meet with very bad ufage, to be perfecuted and flain. The devil began this work early. When there were but three men in all the world, and two of them brethren; the VOL. V. Сс one SERM. one flew the other," because he was more righteLXXXI. 66 ous, " and ferved GOD better than he did. And this trade hath continued, and been practifed, more or lefs, in moft ages and generations of the world, as might be deduced through the hiftory of the old and new teftament, and of moft ages fince: "though "the rod of the wicked hath not always abode upon "the back of the righteous," left at last piety should be quite difcouraged, and " the faithful fail from among the children of men." The people and the church of GOD have had many intervals of peace and profperity; and fometimes for a long continuance, the favour and countenance of authority, and the powers of the world, and the laws of nations on their fide. 66 ઃઃ But yet there is a continual " enmity between the feed of the woman, and the ferpent, between the righteous and the wicked, between thofe that "ferve GOD, and thofe that ferve him not; because their ways are contrary one to another, and quite of another fashion, their principles and practices do contradict and clafh with one another; the virtues of good men are a continual upbraiding of the bad, a living reproof and reproach to them; fo that it is no wonder, that evil men do so violently hate and perfecute the good, and do by all means endeavour to remove out of the way thofe who are fo oppofite and offenfive to them. II. We may obferve likewise hence, how great a fin they are guilty of who perfecute the righteous, and how terrible a vengeance from GoD waits on them. Particular examples of this have been in all ages: but as the guilt of this fin never went higher, than at this time foretold by our SAVIOUR, when GOD fent to the Jews fuch" prophets, and wifeઃઃ men, 3 66 LXXXI. "men, and fcribes," and fuch a number of them, S ER M. as never upon any occafion were fent into the world, and they used them in that bloody and barbarous manner; no wonder, if the vengeance that came upon them were fuch as never had been before; and if, after they had "filled up the meafure" of their fins, by "crucifying the LORD JESUS" and "perfecuting his apoftles," and "ftoning and killing "all the prophets" that were fent unto them, "the "wrath of God came upon them to the utmost, and fuch a terrible deftruction from the LORD, as never befel any people; infomuch that our SAVIOUR, upon the forefight and mention of it, forty years before it happened, could not but "weep over them," and exprefs himself in thofe compaffionate words, "O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that killeft the "prophets, and ftoneft them that are fent unto "thee, how often would I have gathered thee, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings; "but ye would not! behold your houfe is left unto you defolate.” III. From this whole paffage of our SAVIOUR, which I have been explaining to you, we may learn how vain it is for men to pretend to honour the dead faints, when they perfecute the living. This was the great hypocrify of the fcribes and pharifees among the Jews in our SAVIOUR's time; and is at this day of the rulers and governors of the Roman church among us Chriftians; nay, they exceed the fcribes and pharifees, not only in their veneration of the ancient faints and righteous men, but also, if it be poffible, in their malice and cruelty towards the living. For they not only build coftly monuments to their memory, which was the utmoft the fcribes and pharifees did, but they honour them LXXXI. SER M. with fhrines and rich offerings, with prayers and vows to them, more frequent than to Almighty GOD himself and our bleffed SAVIOUR: but then they hate and perfecute the living, with as great violence and cruelty, as ever was us'd by any part of mankind towards one another. 'Tis true they do it under the notion of herefy; and fo did the fcribes and pharifees too, as St. Paul witneffeth, "After "the way which ye call herefy, fo worship I the "GOD of my Fathers, believing all things that are "written in the law and in the prophets." So they call us hereticks; though we receive and believe all that is written in the holy fcriptures, only rejecting their additions, whereby they "would make the 65 commandment of GoD of none effect." And as Rome is parallel with Jerufalem in many other refpects; fo especially in the bloody perfecution of righteous men and as Jerufalem is charged by our SAVIOUR with "the blood of all the prophets and "righteous men" of all ages; fo St. John in the Revelation fays of Rome, that "in her was found "the blood of prophets, and of faints, and of all "that were flain upon the earth," chap. xviii. 24. Which is no lefs true of Rome chriftian, than of Rome pagan. In all the Churches and religions in the World, and perhaps in Rome pagan herself, hath not fo much innocent blood been fhed, as in Rome chriftian and catholick, and that under a pretence of religion and no doubt there is a day coming, when she shall be called to a heavy account for these things" when the heavens fhall rejoice over her, and "the holy angels and prophets, becaufe God hath avenged them on her.": 66 SER |