bling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness: but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chrift the power of God, and the wisdom of God: because the foolishness of God is wifer than men: and the weakness of God is ftronger than men. I Cor. i. 23. 25.

However, at p. 138. or 487. it is argued after this manner. "And therefore, when he was betrayed, anl seized by the officers, that were fent to apprehend him, our Saviour faid unto them: This is your hour, and the power of darkness. Luke xxii. 53. Giving them thereby to understand, and us through them, that it was not only the hour of men's wrath, but the hour of the power of darkness, that he so much dreaded, when he prayed to God the Father to fave him from that hour. At which time he had not only the contradiction of wicked men to ftrive with, but knew that this was the time allotted by God for Satan, the prince of darkness, to exercife, and employ his whole power in afflicting him."

But, really, no fuch conclufion can be drawn from those words: Where one and the fame thing is expreffed in a twofold manner, the more emphatically to reprefent the greatnefs of the trouble then coming upon our Saviour. As if he had faid: " But this is your hour. And indeed it is a very dark and aflictive feafon."

"But

Dr. Clarke's paraphrafe is in these terms. this is the time, wherein the infinite wifdom of God

has

has appointed me to fuffer. And Providence has now given you power over me, permitting you to execute your malice and cruelty upon me, that the fcripture may be fulfilled, and the eternal counfels of the divine wisdom, for the falvation of men, fully accomplished." To the like purpose Grotius upon John xiv. 30. [10]

And that this is the meaning of the words, may be argued from our Lord's manner of expreffion elsewhere, fpeaking of the fame thing. So in John

xvi. 32. 33. Behold the hour cometh, yea

is now come,

And yet I am not

that ye shall leave me alone. alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye fhall have trilulation. cheer, I have overcome the world.

But be of good And therefore,

me. Which is "The prince of

when he mentions Satan, it is in the character of the prince of this world. John xiv. 30. Hereafter I will not talk much with you. For the prince of this world cometh. And hath nothing in thus paraphrased by Dr. Whitby. this world cometh by his minifters, rulers of the Jews, and findeth nothing in me: he himself having no power to inflict death upon me, in whom is no fin, and they finding nothing in me worthy of death. Acts xiii. 28. Though therefore I

Judas, and the

am

[10] Venit autem per homines fui plenos, quorum vis erat so te oudles. Grot. in Jch. xiv. 30.

am to fuffer death, I do not fuffer for

any fault that can deserve it, or on account of any power he or

his minifters have over me to inflict it. up myself to death in compliance with will, and what follows."

But I give my Father's

END OF THE SECOND FOSTSCRIPT.