Why then, it may be said, did he so express himself, that nobody could understand him, till the event had actually taken place ? We answer, it is of the very nature of prophecy to be obscure ; yea, it is altogether essential to the designs of prophecy : for suppose a prophecy to be perfectly clear, the friends of religion would be ready to exert themselves to fulfil it, as the enemies of religion would be to counteract it. Thus, if it were not accomplished, the religion which it was to support would be called an imposture ; and, if accomplished, its accom- plishment would be considered as the effect only of human prudence. This is evident, from what actually took place in relation to the prophecies respecting the kingly office of Christ, and his resurrection. The people who saw that he could feed multitudes with very small provision, and heal the sick of what- ever malady they had, and even raise the dead, concluded, that he was the king whom they expected to reign over the whole world ; and therefore sought to make him a king by force : nor could he prevent it, but by withdrawing miraculously from their presence. On the other hand, his enemies, who had heard him say that he would rise again the third day, set a guard around his grave on purpose to prevent it. In this maimer persons would have acted in reference to all the pro- phecies, if all had been equally clear : and thus prophecy, as a mean of establishing the true religion, would be superseded by a continued series of miracles ; and Christianity would lose its strongest evidence and support.
The true nature of prophecy is not anywhere more clearly seen than in the passage before us : for, till it was accomplished, no human being could understand its import ; nor after its accomplishment could any one mistake it.]
II. The origin of Christianity —
[Let any one who imagines Christianity to be a mere human contrivance, ask himself, whether any person, or set of persons, wishing to impose a religion upon the world, would be foolish enough to predict, that its founder's clothes should be disposed of in so strange a way ? The event must be so entirely out of their own power, that they would never subject their imposture to such a test as this. But this event was pre- dicted a thousand years before it came to pass ; and the psalm in which it was contained was universally acknowledged by the Jews to refer to their Messiah.
How then can we account for its accomplishment? Is there any appearance of contrivance in the matter? None at all. The Jews put Christ to death for pretending to be their Messiah ; and therefore would not at the same time contrive a plan that should prove him the Messiah. Besides, the thing was not done by Jews, but heathens ; who were perfectly un-