much addicted to prophecy; and particularly, that they had a strong
expectation about the time that Christ appeared, to have a victorious
prince rise among them. This is laid as the ground of suspicion; and,
in fact, many imposters, you are told, set up upon these notions of the
people; and thence it is inferred, that Christ built his scheme upon
the strength of these popular prejudices. But when this fact came to
be examined on the other side, it appeared, that Christ was so far from
falling in with these notions, and abusing the credulity of the people,
that it was his main point, to correct these prejudices, to oppose
these superstitions; and by these very means he fell into disgrace with
his countrymen, and suffered as one who, in their opinion, destroyed
the Law and the Prophets. With respect to temporal power, so far was
he from aiming at it, that he refused it when offered: so far from
giving any hopes of it to his disciples, that he invited men upon quite
different terms: To take up the cross, and follow him. And it is
observable, that, after he had foretold his death and resurrection, he
continued to admonish his disciples of the evils they were to suffer;
to tell them, that the world would hate them, and abuse them; which
surely to common sense has no appearance that he was then contriving a
cheat, or encouraging his disciples to execute it.

But as ill supported as this charge is, there was no avoiding it;
it was necessity and not choice, which drove the Gentleman to it: for
since Christ had foretold his resurrection, if the whole was a cheat,
he certainly was conscious to it, and consequently the plot was laid in
his own time. And yet the supposing Christ conscious to such a fraud
in these circumstance, is contrary to all probability. It is very
improbable, that he, or any man, should, without any temptation,
contrive a cheat to take place after his death. And if this could be
supposed, it is highly improbable that he should give publick notice of