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It is related in the New Testament that John, when he was in prison, hearing of the miracles of Chrift, fent two of his difciples to him, faying, Art thou be that fhould come, or look we for another? Hence it may be objected, that, fince John at the latter end of his life doubted whether Jefus were the Meffias, the force of the testimony which he bare before is greatly weakened, and he may be supposed to have changed his opinion, and, as far as we can find, to have died uncertain what to think upon this affair.

In answer to this objection I would obferve;

First, that the Evangelifts, who have recorded the testimony which John bare of Jefus Chrift, have also preserved the doubtful meffage which he fent to our Lord, and which may seem to leffen the strength of his former teftimony. This is one inftance, amongst many more, of their fincerity in representing the truth without disguise.

1 Tertullian thinks that John really doubted, Adverf. Marcion. IV. 18. De Præfer. Hæret. 8. and Le Clerc inclines to the fame opinion.

Secondly;

Secondly; John the Baptift at the beginning of his ministry declared that Chrift was the Meffias, and afterwards, when he was in prison, he heard of the miraculous works done by Christ, which tended to confirm him in his first opinion. If at that time he began to grow doubtful, the only imaginable cause of his doubts must have been this, that Chrift appeared not as a temporal prince, to free him from his bonds. and the Jews from their fervitude. Since then his doubts, if he had any, must have arifen from his wrong apprehenfions of the nature of Chrift's kingdom, and of the happiness which the fervants of the Meffias should enjoy, they will never invalidate the teftimony which he had fo often borne to Christ, and the revelation made to him,' upon which his teftimony was founded.

Thirdly; the words of John the Baptist, taken in their obvious fenfe, imply a doubt whether Chrift were the Meffias; but almost all expositors agree in thinking that he had no doubts about it, and that he sent not this meffage for his own information, because John, as himself afferts, knew Christ to be the Meffias by divine revelation, and because

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because he heard that Chrift manifefted his power by miracles, and had fulfilled that part of his character. They endeavour therefore to affign fome other reason why he proposed this question to Christ.

The most common opinion is, that he proposed it for the information of his disciples, hoping that Chrift would fatisfy them by his answer, and perhaps by working miracles before them, and that they would at laft lay afide their prejudices and join themselves to Chrift.

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But there is another opinion, lefs followed indeed, and yet more probable, which is, that as the Jews in general, and the difciples of Christ, so also John and his disciples expected a temporal reign of the Meffias, and that they wondered why Jefus, who at that time wrought many miracles, did not deliver John out of the hands of his enemies.

He of all perfons feemed moft to deserve such favour and protection. He was feparated from his mother's womb, and

Some of them had been difciples of John, and had learned nothing from him concerning the fpiritual nature of Chrift's kingdom, as appears Acts i. 6.

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appointed by divine Providence to be the forerunner of the Meffias, to be the last and the most honoured of all the prophets who came before Chrift; he was fent to bear teftimony to him, and to prepare the world to receive him; and this office he had faithfully fulfilled; he was related to Christ, and in virtue had no fuperior amongst the Jews; he was now in bonds for the fake of righteousness, and his life depended upon the will of a wicked prince who was exafperated against him. Being in these circumstances and hearing of Chrift's miracles, he fends two difciples to him, and bids them fay; Art thou be that should come, or look we for another? In which words we may suppose that he indirectly befought his affiftance; as if he had faid:

If thou art the Meffias, why am I confined in prison? why may I not enjoy with thy difciples the pleasure of feeing him, whose coming I proclaimed, appear in his glory? It will caft fome reproach upon thee, if thy forerunner be left to perish. The miferable find daily relief from thy miracles; add one in favour of me, and deliver me, for thou canst not want power.

John and his difciples might not judge it prudent and safe to afk the affiftance of Chrift more openly, left it should provoke Herod, if it came to his knowledge.

It is true that John was filled with the holy Ghoft, and had better notions of Chrift than perhaps any of Chrift's disciples entertained before the refurrection of their mafter. This we may conclude from the things which he fpake of Christ's power and dignity, and of the end for which he came into the world. He calls him the Lamb of God that taketh away the fins of the world, which might incline us to imagine that he knew Chrift should fuffer and be a facrifice for fin. But it is not improbable that though by revelation he knew in general that Chrift would fave from their fins those who should believe in him, yet he knew not how he would effect it; that the particulars concerning the fufferings and death of Christ were not discovered to him, and that both he and the prophets before him might foretel things of the Meffias which they did not fully understand.

The answer which Chrift makes to John's difciples agrees very well with the expofition