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all through their hiftory, was nothing but this, that "Jefus was the "Meffiah :" I mean, this was all the doctrine they proposed to be believed for what they taught, as well as our Saviour, contained a great deal more; but that concerned practice, and not belief. And therefore our Saviour fays, in the place before quoted, Luke viii. 21. "They are my mother and my brethren who hear the word "of God, and do it:" obeying the law of the Meffiah their king, being no lefs required than their believing that Jefus was the Meffiah, the king and deliverer that was promifed them.

Mat. ix. 13. We have an account again of his preaching; what it was, and how. "And Jefus went about all the cities and villages "teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching the gospel of the king"dom, and healing every fickness and every difeafe amongst the "people." He acquainted them that the kingdom of the Meffiah was come, and left it to his miracles to inftruct and convince them that he was the Meffiah.

Matt. x. When he fent his apoftles abroad, their commiffion to preach we have, ver. 7, 8. in these words: "As ye go, preach, "faying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand; heal the fick," &c. All that they had to preach, was, that the kingdom of the Meffiah was come. Whofocver thould not receive them, the meffengers of thefe good tidings, nor hearken to their meflage, incurred a heavier doom than Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of judgment, ver. 14, 15. But ver. 32. "Whofoever fhall confefs me before men, I "will confefs him before my father who is in heaven." What this confefling of Chrift is, we may fee by comparing John xii. 4. with ix. 22. "Nevertheless, among the chief rulers alfo many be«lieved on him; but because of the Pharifees they did not coN"FESS HIM, left they fhould be put out of the fynagogue." And chap. ix. 22. "Thele words fpake his parents, because they feared "the Jews for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did "CONFESS THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH, he should be put out "of the fynagogue." By which places it is evident, that to confefs him, was to confefs that he was the Meffiah. From which give me leave to obferve alfo (what I have cleared from other places, but cannot be too often remarked, because of the different fenfe has been put upon that phrafe) viz. that "believing on" or "in "him" (for is avrò is rendered either way by the English translation) fignifies believing that he was the Meffiah. For many of the rulers (the text fays) believed on him;" but they durft not confefs what they believed, "for fear they fhould be put out of the fynagogue." Now the offence for which it was agreed that any one fhould be put out of the fynagogue, was, if he " did confefs "that Jefus was the Meffiah." Hence we may have a clear understanding of that paffage of St. Paul to the Romans, where he tells them pofitively what is the faith he preaches, Rom. x. 8, 9. "That is the word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt "confefs with thy mouth the Lord Jefus, and believe in thine "heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou fhalt be faved:"

and

and that alfo of 1 John iv. 14, 15. "We have seen, and do teftify,

"that the father fent the fon to be the Saviour of the world: "whofoever shall confefs that Jefus is the fon of God, God dwel"leth in him, and he in God." Where confeffing Jefus to be the fon of God, is the fame with confeffing him to be the Meffiah; thofe two expreffions being understood amongst the Jews to fignify the fame thing, as we have fhewn already.

How calling him the fon of God came to fignify that he was the Meffiah, would not be hard to fhew: but it is enough that it appears plainly that it was fo ufed, and had that import amongst the Jews at that time; which if any one defires to have farther evidenced to him, he may add Matt. xxvi. 63. John vi. 69. and xi. 27. and xx. 31. to thofe places before occafionally taken notice of.

As was the apoftles commiffion, fuch was their performance, as we read Luke ix. 6. "They departed, and went through the towns, "preaching the Gofpel, and healing every where." Jefus bid them preach," saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”. And St. Luke tells us, they went through the towns, preaching the gofpel; a word which in Saxon anfwers well the Greek tayor, and fignifies, as that does, "good news." So that what the infpired writers call the "gofpel," is nothing but the good tidings that the Meffiah and his kingdom was come; and fo it is to be understood in the New Teftament; and fo the angel calls it "good tidings of ແ great joy," Luke ii. 10. bringing the first news of our Saviour's birth. And this feems to be all that his difciples were at that time fent to preach.

So Luke ix. 59, 60. To him that would have excufed his prefent attendance, because of burying his father, "Jefus faid unto "him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the "kingdom of God." When I fay this was all they were to preach, I must be understood, that this was the faith they preached; but with it they joined obedience to the Meffiah, whom they received for their king. So likewife when he fent out the feventy, Luke x. their commiffion was in these words, ver. 9. "Heal the "fick, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh " unto you."

After the return of his apoftles to him, he fits down with them on a mountain, and a great multitude being gathered about them, St. Luke tells us, chap. ix. II. "The people followed him, and he "received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God; " and healed them that had need of healing." This was his preaching to this affembly, which confifted of five thousand men, befides women and children; all which great multitude he fed with five loaves and two fishes, Matt. xiv. 21. And what this miracle wrought upon them, St. John tells us, chap. vi. 14, 15. "Then "these men, when they had feen the miracle that Jefus did, faid, "This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world," i. e. the Meffiah: for the Meffiah was the only perfon that they expected from God, and this the time they looked for him.

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And

hence

hence John the Baptist, Matt. xi. 3. ftyles him, " He that fhould << come;" as in other places, "Come from God," or " fent from "God," are phrafes ufed for the Meffiah.

Here we fee our Saviour keeps to his ufual method of preaching: he fpeaks to them of the kingdom of God, and docs miracles, by which they might understand him to be the Meffiah, whofe kingdom he ipake of. And here we have the reafon alfo, why he fo much concealed himself, and forbore to own his being the Meffiah. For what the confequence was of the multitude's but thinking him fo, when they were got together, St. John tells us in the very next words; "When Jefus then perceived that they would come and "take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into a "mountain himfelf alone." If they were fo ready to let him up for their king, only because they gathered from his miracles that he was the Meffiah, whilft he himself faid nothing of it, what would not the people have done, and what would not the Scribes and Pharifees have had an opportunity to accufe him of, if he had openly profeffed himfelf to have been the Meffiah, that king they looked for? But this we have taken notice of already.

From hence going to Capernaum, whither he was followed by a great part of the people, whom he had the day before fo miraculoufly fed, he, upon the occafion of their following him for the loaves, bids them feek for the meat that endureth to eternal life: and thereupon, John vi. 22-69. declares to them his being fent from the Father, and that those who believed in him should be raised to eternal life; but all this very much involved in a mixture of allegorical terms of eating, and of bread, bread of life, which came down from heaven, &c. which is all comprehended and expounded in thefe fhort and plain words, ver. 47 and 54. "Verily, "verily I fay unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting "life, and I will raife him up at the last day." The fum of all

which difcourfe is, that he was the Meffiah fent from God; and that thofe who believed him to be fo, fhould be raised from the dead at the last day to eternal life. Thefe whom he spoke to, were of those who the day before would by force have made him king; and therefore it is no wonder he fhould speak to them of himself, and his kingdom and fubjects, in obfcure and myftical terms, and fuch as fhould offend thofe who looked for nothing but the grandeur of a temporal kingdom in this world, and the protection and profperity they had promifed themfelves under it. The hopes of fuch a kingdom, now that they had found a man that did miracles, and therefore concluded to be the deliverer they expected, had the day before almoft drawn them into an open infurrection, and involved our Saviour in it. This he thought fit to put a stop to, they ftill following him, it is like, with the fame defign; and therefore, though he here fpeaks to them of his kingdom, it was in a way that fo plainly baulked their expectation, and fhocked them, that, when they found themfelves difappointed of thofe vain hopes, and that he talked of their eating his fiefh, and drinking his blood,

that

"How can this

his difciples, And fo were But what the

that they might have life, the Jews faid, ver. 52. "man give us his flesh to eat? And many, even of "faid, It was an hard faying, who can bear it?" fcandalized in him, and forfook him, ver. 60. 66. true meaning of this difcourfe of our Saviour was, the confeffion of St. Peter, who understood it better, and anfwered for the reft of the apoftles, fhews: when Jefus afked him, ver. 67. "Will ye alfo go "away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom fhall "we go? Thou haft the words of eternal life," i. e. thou teachest us the way to attain eternal life; and accordingly " we believe, and are fure, that thou art the Meffiah, the son of the living God." This was the eating his flesh, and drinking his blood, whereby thofe who did fo had eternal life.

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Some time after this, he enquires of his difciples, Mark viii. 27. who the people took him for? They telling him, for John the Baptift, or one of the old prophets rifen from the dead; he asked, what they themselves thought? And here again Peter anfwers in thefe words, Mark viii. 29. "Thou art the Meffiah." Luke ix. "The Meffiah of God." And Matt. xvi. 16. « Thou art the "Meffiah, the fon of the living God." Which expreffions, we may hence gather, amount to the fame thing. Whereupon our Saviour tells Peter, Matt. xvi. 17, 18. " That this was such a truth

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as flesh and blood could not reveal to him, but only his father "who was in heaven;" and that this was the foundation on which he was "to build his church." By all the parts of which paffage it is more than probable, that he had never yet told his apostles in direct words that he was the Meffiah, but that they had gathered it from his life and miracles. For which we may imagine to ourfelves this probable reason; because that if he had familiarly, and in direct terms, talked to his apoftles in private that he was the Meffiah, the prince of whofe kingdom he preached fo much in public every where, Judas, whom he knew falfe and treacherous, would have been readily made ufe of to teftify against him in a matter that would have been really criminal to the Roman governor. This perhaps may help to clear to us that seemingly abrupt reply of our Saviour to his apoftles, John vi. 70. when they confeffed him to be the Meffiah. I will, for the better explaining of it, fet down the paffage at large. Peter having faid, "We believe, and are fure, "that thou art the Meffiah, the fon of the living God. Jefus an"fwered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is "dás?" This is a reply feeming at first fight nothing to the purpose; when yet it is fure all our Saviour's difcourfes were wife and pertinent. It feems therefore to me to carry this fenfe, to be understood afterwards by the cleven (as that of deftroying the temple, and raifing it again in three days was) when they thould reflect on it after his being betrayed by Judas: You have confefled, and believe the truth concerning me: I am the Meffiah your king: but do not wonder at it, that I have never openly declared it to you; for amongst you twelve, whom I have chofen to be with

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me,

me, there is one who is an informer, or falfe accufer; for fo the Greek word fignifies, and may poffibly here be fo tranflated, rather than Devil, who if I had owned myfelf in plain words to have been the Meffiah, "the king of Ifrael," would have betrayed me, and informed against me.

That he was yet cautious of owning himself to his apoftles pofitively to be the Meffiah, appears farther from the manner wherein he tells Peter, ver. 18. that he will build his church upon that confeffion of his, that he was the Meffiah. Ifay unto thee, "Thou art Cephas," or a rock," and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it:" words too doubtful to be laid hold on against him, as a teftimony that he profeffed himfelf to be the Meffiah; efpecially if we join with them the following words, ver. 19. " And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom "of heaven; and what thou fhalt bind on earth, fhall be bound in "heaven; and what thou fhalt loofe on earth, fhall be loofed in "heaven." Which being faid perfonally to Peter, render the foregoing words of our Saviour (wherein he declares the fundamental article of his church to be the believing him to be the Meffiah) the more obfcure and doubtful, and lefs liable to be made ufe of against him; but yet fuch as might afterwards be understood. And for the fame reafon he yet here again forbids the apostles to fay that he was the Meffiah, ver. 20.

The probability of this, viz. that he had not yet told the apoftles themselves plainly that he was the Meffiah, is confirmed by what our Saviour fays to them, John xv. 15. "Henceforth I call you not "fervants, for the fervant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but "I have called you friends," viz. in the foregoing verfe, " for all "things that I have heard of my father, I have made known unto you." This was in his laft difcourfe with them after Judas was gone out; wherein he committed to them the great fecret by speaking of the kingdom as his, as appears from Luke xxii. 30. and telling them feveral other particulars about it, whence he had it, what kingdom it was, how to be administered, and what share they were to have in it, &c. From whence it is plain, that till just before he was laid hold on, the very moment he was parting with his apoftles, he had kept them as fervants in ignorance; but now had discovered himself openly as to his friends.

"From this time," fay the evangelifts, " Jefus began to fhew "to his difciples (i. e. his apostles, who are often called difciples) "that he must go to Jerufalem, and fuffer many things from the "elders, chief priests, and Scribes; and be killed, and be raised "again the third day." Matt. xvi. 21. Thefe, though all marks of the Meffiah, yet how little underftcod by the apoftles, or fuited to their expectation of the Meffiah, appears from Peter's rebuking him for it in the following words, Matt. xvi. 22, Peter had twice before owned him to be the Meffiah, and yet he cannot here bear that he should fuffer, and be put to death, and be raifed again; whereby we may perceive, how little yet Jefus had explained to the

apoftles

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