working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of un- righteousness in them that perish3." He has more- over told us that these false prophets should " shew such signs and wonders as to deceive, if it were pos- sible, the very elect b :" nay more, that in the last day some will appeal to him respecting the prophecies they have uttered, and the miracles they have wrought in his name, and will plead them in arrest of judgment0. We may therefore safely concede what is here supposed, namely, that God may suffer miraculous and prophetic powers to be exercised to a certain degree even in support of idolatry itself.
Now then, in the next place, let us notice the in- junction given to the Jews notwithstanding this sup- position. God commands them " not to give heed to that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, even though his predictions should be verified, if his object be to turn them from him ; for that he himself suffers these illusions to be practised upon them, in order that their fidelity to him may be tried, and their love to him approved."
It may seem strange that God should suffer such stumbling-blocks to be cast in the way of his people : but it is not for us to say what Jehovah may, or may not, do : we are sure that " he tempteth no man," so as to lead him into sin d, and that the " Judge of all the earth will do nothing but what is right." But it is a fact, that he thus permitted Job to be tried, in order that he might approve himself a perfect man : and in like manner he tried Abraham, in order that it might appear, whether his regard for God's autho- rity, and his confidence in God's word, were sufficient to induce him to sacrifice his Isaac, the child of pro- mise6. It was for similar ends that God permitted his people to be tried for forty years in the wilderness f; and in the same way he has tried his Church in every period of the world. This is the true reason of so many stumbling-blocks being laid in the way of those
a 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10. b Matt. xxiv. 24. c Matt. vii. 22.
d Jam. i. 13. e Gen.xxii. 1,2, 12. f Deut. viii. 2.
206. J THE jews' LEADING OBJECTION TO CHRIST. 351
who embrace the Christian faith. Christianity is not revealed in a way to meet with the approbation of proud and carnal men : it is foolishness to the natural man: yea, even Christ himself is a stumbling-block to some, as well as a sanctuary to others; and such a stumbling-block, as to be " a gin and a snare to both the houses of Israel," amongst whom it was fore- told, " many should stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken s." It is God's express design in the whole constitution of our religion, to discover the secret bent of men's minds ; and whilst to the humble he has given abundant evidence for their conviction, he has left to the proud sufficient difficulties to call forth their latent animosity, and to justify in their own apprehensions, their obstinate unbelief11. He gave originally to the Jews, as he has also given to us, sufficient evidence to satisfy any candid mind: and this is all that we have any right to expect. It was not necessary that our Lord should give to every man in the Jewish nation the same evidence of his resurrection, as he gave to Thomas : it was reasonable that there should be scope left for every man to exercise his own judgment on the evi- dences that were placed within his reach ; as our Lord said to Thomas, " Because thou hast seen, thou hast believed; but blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed."