believed for the prefent at the fight of fome Miracle, yet this was no lafting or well-grounded Faith: Many believed in his name, when they faw the Miracles which be did: but Jefus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all Men, John ii. 23, 24. And that Grace, which was necessary to their Faith, was deny'd to fome for their Sins, that they should not fee with their Eyes, nor understand with their Heart, and be converted, John xii. 40. So that Men of great Learning and worldly Wisdom might ftill continue Unbelievers, and not fubmit to all the Evidence of the Gofpel, because the Doctrine of the Gospel being fo contrary to their habitual Thoughts and Inclinations there was fomething neceffary to convert the Will and Affections, and to fubdue the former Habits which had been rooted in their Minds by frequent Acts and length of Time, and which were too ftrong for any Convictions of the Understanding, that confifted but in tranfient Acts, and were foon loft and vanished, through the prevailing contrary Habits both of the Understanding, and Will, and Affections. And therefore Faith muft neceffarily be an Effect of Grace as well as of Reafon; and where, because of former Sins and Provocations, this Grace was not vouch fafed, there could be no Faith, though there might be fome tranfient Convictions of Mind, fome faint Glimmerings, which were foon damp'd and extinguish'd, being overpower'd by former contrary Perfuafions. And for the fame Reason, those who had lefs Wisdom and Knowledge, but were not under the Power of habitual Lufts and Paffions, and therefore were more eafily perfuaded to any thing, of the Truth whereof they were once convinced, were likewise the more eafily converted. The Caufes why the Word became unfruitful, and fo little prevail'd with many Men, are in the Parable of the Sower declar'd to be either inconfiderate Negligence and Ignorance, and the Advantage taken from thence thence by Satan; or want of Conftancy in Times of Tribulations and Perfecutions; or the Cares of this World, and the Deceitfulness of Riches; and the Lufts of other things, Matth. xiii. 18. Mark iv. 9. It was next to an impoffibility for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of God, or to become a Chriftian. They were not Natural fo much as Moral Accomplishments, not fo much Parts and Learning, as an honeft and humble Mind, which were the requifite Qualifications for Men to become Chriftians: Because, as God the more freely bestowed his Grace upon Men thus qualified, fo they were the better difpofed to be wrought upon by it; whereas others, though they wanted a greater measure of Grace, yet had lefs vouchfafed to them. For God refifteth the Proud, but giveth Grace to the Humble. Thus much in the general; I now proceed to give a particular Account of the Causes of the Unbelief both of the Jews and Gentiles. I. Since there is fo great Evidence, that our Saviour is the true Chrift, it may seem a wonderful and almost an incredible thing, that the Jews fhould fo generally reject him, notwithstanding all the Means and Opportunities which they had above other Nations of being converted. But, 3 1. The Jews and Profelytes were converted in vast Numbers. Besides the Shepherds, Simon, and Anna the Prophetess, acknowledged and adored our Saviour in his Infancy, as the true Meffias, Luke ii. 25, 36. and it is probably fuppofed that this was Rabban Simeon, the Son of Hillel, and Father of Gamaliel. The Title of Rabban was the highest of all Titles, fignifying a Prince rather than a Doctor or Teacher, as Rabbi doth; and there were but Seven of the Pofterity of Hillel who were dignified with it. Nicodemus, Jofeph of Arimathea, and many others of Note and 2 Buxtorf. de Abbrev. Hebr. Eminency C Eminency received the Chriftian Faith. About Three · Acts ii. 41. Thousand were converted at one time. Great Numbers were converted not only of the People, but of the Priests also, Acts vi. 7. All that dwelt at Lydda and Saron, A&ts ix. 35. A great number of the Grecians, orb Hellenifts, who were Jews, fpeaking the Greek Tongue, believed, and turned unto the Lord, at Antioch, Acts xi. 21. Many of the Jews and Religious Profelytes followed Paul and Barnabas, A&s xiii. 43. A great multitude of the devout Greeks, or Profelytes of the Gates, conforted with Paul and Silas at Theffalonica, Acts xvii. 4. At Iconium, a great multitude of the Jews believed, Acts xiv. 1. Believers of the Seit of the Pharifees at Jerufalem, A&ts xv. 5. Crifpus, chief Ruler of the Synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his Houfe, Acts xviii. 8. And Softhenes, another chief Ruler of the Synagogue, Acts xviii. 19. 1 Cor. i. 1. Apollos, an eloquent Man, and mighty in the Scriptures, was a Chriftian, A&ts xviii. 24. Many Thousands (or Myriads in the Greek) Acts xxi. 20. And the number of them which were fealed, was an Hundred and forty and four thousand of all the Tribes of the Children of Ifrael, Rev. vii. 4. The People were generally well difposed to receive the Gospel; and when the Chief Priests and Rulers would have perfecuted our. Saviour and his Apostles, they were often forced to desist for fear of the People. And if the Apostles did not depart from Jerufalem in the space of twelve Years, (as there is reason to believe) the number of Converts in all that time muft needs be extremely b Exawsai, conftantly rendred Grecians in our Translation, and "Exalwes Greeks. • Zeboulvos @goonλulor, Acts xiii. 43. Profelytes of Righteousness. Σεβόμθμοι Ελλίωες, and οἱ Σεβόρνοι, Acts xvii.4, 17. Profelytes of the Gates: fuch as Cornelius, Evσecùs, y poСéu☺ & Deòr, Acts x. 2. Thefe feem to be ftyled only devout Greeks, and devout Perfons, because they were not fo properly Profelytes as the other, but were then in no good opinion with the Jews. Eufeb. Hift. lib. v. c. 18. Clem. Strom. 1. 6. great. f great. The Church of Jerusalem flourished exceedingly from the Beginning, and the Bishops of that City were of the Nation of the Jews for fifteen Succeffions, even to the final destruction of it by Hadrian.. St. James, the first Bishop of that See, refided there, by St. Feram's computation, thirty Years; and the Prefence and Government of a Bishop fo generally efteemed by the Jews, could not fail of a very good and great Effect in the Conversion of that People. Many, even of the Rulers, being converted, the Scribes and Pharifees made their complaints, that the whole City of Jerufalem would turn Chriftians, as & Hegefippus, who was himself a converted Jew, informs us; and the Pharifees faid of our Saviour, when he was upon Earth, Behold, the World is gone after him, John xii. 19. The Martyrdom of St. James, in the midst of Jerufalem, at the time of the Passover, was the moft publick and illustrious Testimony to the Gospel that could be given, and the most proper means that could be used, to cure the Infidelity of that City before its Destruction. h St. Simeon, who fucceeded St. James in the Bishoprick of Jerufalem, fuffered Martyrdom at the Age of a Hundred and Twenty Years, and he was Bishop there about Forty three Years. So that the Church of Jerufalem was governed by those Two Bifhops above Seventy Years, which was the fignal Favour of a merciful Providence to the Jews, and was not without very great and happy Succefs. The Epiftles of St. Peter and St. James, and that of St. Paul to the Hebrews, purposely directed to the Jews and Ifraelites, fhew that their Conversions were very numerous both in Judea and in other Countries. Eufebius takes particular notice of the Mul k i • Id. lib. iv. c. 5. Sulp. Sever. lib. ii. c. 45. * Hier. Catal. Eufeb. Hift. 1. iii. c. 11, 32. Tilm. Memoir. Tom. 2. Part. 2. P. 37. * Eufeb. Hift. lib. iii. c. 35. titudes titudes of Believing Jews in the Bishoprick of Jerufalem, when Juftus, the Third Bishop, fucceeded to that See. And at Antioch, and Rome, and Ephefus, there was one Bishop of the converted Jews, and another of the Gentiles, and, as Dr. Hammond fuppofes, at Ferufalem likewife, but there is little proof of it. There feems, however, to have been a custom of placing Two Bishops, one of the Circumcifion, and another of the Uncircumcifion, in all Cities, where the Jews were in any great Number mix'd with the Gentiles; n Alexandria excepted, where Epiphanius fays, there never were Two Bishops, as in other Cities. And fome of the most Learned Jews have been converted, not only in these Times, but in latter Ages. Epiphanius was brought up in the Jewish Religion, as the Greek Menology teftifies, and he acquaints us, that Ellel, the Jewish Patriarch, fent for a Bishop to baptize him upon his Death-Bed. Samuel Morochianus, Petrus Alphonfus, Paulus Burgenfis, Nicolas de Lyra, Petrus Galatinus, Sixtus Senenfis, Tremellius, and other Learned Men educated in the Jewish Worship, upon their Converfion, have been eminent Defenders of the Christian Religion. Hieronymus à S. Fide, after his Conversion, is faid to have brought over many Thousands to Christianity. But it is obfervable, that the Rabbins of the greatest Note and Authority with the Jews, Maimonides, Solomon Farchi, Aben Ezra, and David and Jofeph Kimchi, flourished in the most ignorant and corrupt Ages of the Chriftian Church, when Chriftians, by their fuperftitious and erroneous Doctrines and wicked Lives, had brought their Religion into contempt both with Jews and Mahometans, who then were more learned than in any other Age. 1 See Mr. Thornd. of the Primit. Government of the Churches, c. 5. and Dr. Hammond on St. John, Epift. 2. and Rev. xi. 3. Epiphan. Hær. 68. n. 6. Pearf. in Ignat. p. 186. Epiphan. Hær. 30. n. 4. And |