Page images
PDF
EPUB

"Jefus is the Meffiah, THE SON OF GOD; and that believing, ye "might have life through his name ;" and then tell me whether he can doubt that Mefliah and "fon of God" were fynonymous terms, at that time, amongst the Jews.

The prophecy of Daniel, chap. ix. where he is called " Meffiah "the Prince ;" and the mention of his government and kingdom, and the deliverance by him, in Ifaiah, Daniel, and other prophecies, understood of the Meffiah, were fo well known to the Jews, and had fo raifed their hopes of him about this time, which, by their account, was to be the time of his coming to restore the kingdom to Ifrael, that Herod no fooner heard of the Magi's enquiry after him that was born king of the Jews," Matt. ii. but he forthwith" demanded of the chief priefts and Scribes, where "the Meffiah fhould be born," ver. 4. Not doubting, but if there were any king born to the Jews, it was the Meffiah, whofe coming was now the general expectation, as appears, Luke iii. 15. "The people being in expectation, and all men mufing in their "hearts of John, whether he were the Meffiah or not." And when the priests and Levites fent to afk him who he was, he, underftanding their meaning, anfwers, John i. 20. that he was "not "the Meffiah;" but he bears witnefs that Jefus "is the fon of "God," i. e. the Meffiah, ver. 34.

. This looking for the Meffiah at this time we fee alfo in Simeon, who is faid to be "waiting for the confolation of Ifrael," Luke ii. 21. And having the child Jefus in his arms, he fays he had "feen "the falvation of the Lord," ver. 30. And Anna "coming at "the fame inftant into the Temple, she gave thanks alfo unto the "Lord, and fpake of him to all them that looked for redemption "in Ifrael," ver. 38. And of Jofeph of Arimathea it is faid, Mark xv. 43. that "he alfo expected the kingdom of God:" by all which was meant the coming of the Meffiah. And Luke xix. II. it is faid, "They thought that the kingdom of God fhould im"mediately appear."

[ocr errors]

This being premised, let us see what it was that John the Baptift preached, when he firft entered upon his miniftry. That St. Matthew tells us, chap. iii. 1. 2. «In those days came John the "Baptift preaching in the wilderness of Judea, faying, Repent, for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This was a declaration of the coming of the Meffiah; the "kingdom of heaven" and the "kingdom of God" being the fame, as is clear out of feveral places of the evangelifts; and both fignifying the kingdom of the Meffiah. The profeffion which John the Baptift made, when sent to the Jews, John i. 19. was, that " he was not the Meffiah," but that Jefus was. This will appear to any one, who will compare ver. 26. 34. with John iii. 27. 30. The Jews being very inquifitive to know whether John were the Meffiah, he pofitively denies it, but tells them, he was only his forerunner; and that there ftood one amongst them, who would follow him, whofe fhoe-latchet he was not worthy to untie. The next day feeing Jefus, he fays, he C 2

was

[ocr errors]

was the man; and that his own baptizing in water, was only that Jefus might be manifefted to the world; and that he knew him not, till he faw the Holy Ghost defcend upon him. He that fent him to baptize having told him, that he on whom he should see the Spirit defcend, and reft upon, he it was that fhould baptize with the Holy Ghoft; and that therefore he witneffed, that "this was the fon of "God," ver. 34. i. e. the Meffiah. And chap. iii. 26, &c. they came to John the Baptift, and tell him, that Jefus baptized, and that all men went to him. John anfwers, He has his authority from heaven; you know I never faid, I was the Messiah, but that I was fent before him: he muft increase, but I muft decreafe; for God hath fent him, and he fpeaks the words of God; and God hath given all things into the hands of his fon, "And he that be"lieves on the fon hath eternal life." The fame doctrine, and nothing elfe, but what was preached by the apoftles afterwards; as we have seen all through the Acts, v. g. that Jefus was the Meffiah. And that it was that John bears witnefs of our Saviour, as Jefus 'himfelf fays, John v. 33.

This alfo was the declaration that was given of him at his baptifm, by a voice from heaven; "This is my beloved for, in "whom I am well pleafed," Matt. iii. 17. which was a declaration of him to be Meffiah; "the fon of God" being (as we have thewed) understood to fignify the Meffiah. To which we may add the first mention of him after his conception, in the words of the angel to Jofeph; Matt. i. 21. "Thou shalt call his name Jefus," or Saviour; "for he fhall fave his people from their fins." It was a received doctrine in the Jewish nation, that at the coming of the Meffiah all their fins fhould be forgiven them. Thefe words therefore of the angel we may look on as a declaration, that Jesus was the Meffiah; whereof thefe words, "his people," are a farther mark; which fuppofe him to have a people, and confequently to be a king.

After his baptifm, Jefus himself enters upon his miniftry. But before we examine what it was he proposed to be believed, we must obferve that there is a threefold declaration of the Meffiah :

1. By miracles. The fpirit of prophecy had now for many ages forfaken the Jews; and though their commonwealth were not quite diffolved, but that they lived under their own laws, yet they were under a foreign dominion, fubject to the Romans. In this ftate, their account of the time being up, they were in expectation of the Meffiah, and of deliverance by him in a kingdom he was to fet up, according to their ancient prophecies of him: which gave them hopes of an extraordinary man yet to come from God, who with an extraordinary and divine power, and miracles, should evidence his miffion, and work their deliverance. And of any fuch extraordinary perfon, who fhould have the power of doing miracles, they had no other expectation but only of their Meffiah. One great prophet and worker of miracles, and only one more, they expected, who was to be Meffiah. And therefore we fee the people juftified

their "believing in him," i. e. their believing him to be the Meffiah, because of the miracles he did; John vii. 31. "And many "of the people believed in him, and faid, When the Meffiah "cometh, will he do more miracles than this man hath done?" And when the Jews, at the feaft of dedication, John x. 24, 25. coming about him, faid unto him, "How long doft thou make us doubt? If thou be the Meffiah, tell us plainly; Jefus anfwered "them, I told you, and ye believed not; the works that I do in my father's name, bear witness of me." And John v. 36. he says, “I have a greater witness than that of John; for the works "which the father hath given me to do, the fame works that I do, "bear witnefs of me, that the father hath fent me." Where, by the way, we may obferve, that his being "fent by the father," is but another way of expreffing the Meffiah; which is evident from this place here, John v. compared with that of John x. laft quoted. For there he fays, that his works bear witness of him and what was that witnefs? viz. that he was the Mefliah. Here again he fays, that his works bear witness of him: and what is that witness ? "That the father fent him." By which we are taught, that to be fent by the father, and to be the Meffiah, was the fame thing in his way of declaring himfelf. And accordingly we find, John iv. 53. and xi. 45. and elfewhere, many hearkened and affented to his teftimony, and believed on him, feeing the things that he did.

[ocr errors]

viz.

2. Another way of declaring the coming of the Meffiah, was by phrafes and circumlocutions, that did fignify or intimate his coming, though not in direct words pointing out the perfon. The moft ufual of thefe were, "the kingdom of God, and of heaven;" because it was that which was ofteneft fpoken of the Meffiah, in the Old Testament, in very plain words; and a kingdom was that which the Jews moft looked after, and wifhed for. In that known place, Ifai. ix. "The GOVERNMENT fhall be upon his fhoulders; hè fhall "be called the PRINCE of peace of the increase of his GOVERNMENT and peace there fhall be no end upon the THRONE of "David, and upon his KINGDOM, to order it, and to establish it "with judgement and with juftice, from henceforth even for ever." Micah v. 2. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be "little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee fhall He come "forth unto me, that is to be the RULER in Ifrael." And Daniel, befides that he calls him "Meffiah the PRINCE," chap. ix. 25. in the account of his vifion" of the fon of man," chap. vii. 13, 14, fays, "There was given him dominion, glory, and a KINGDOM, "that all people, nations, and languages fhould ferve: his domi"nion is an everlasting dominion, which fhall not pafs away; and "his KINGDOM that which fhall not be deftroyed." So that the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven, were common phrafes amongst the Jews, to fignify the times of the Meffiah. Luke xiv. 15. "One of the Jews that fat at meat with him, faid unto him, "Bleffed is he that fhall eat bread in the kingdom of God," chap. xvii. 20. The Pharifees demanded, "When the kingdom of God

C 3

"fhould

"fhould come?" And St. John Baptift came, "faying, Repent, "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand :" a phrafe he would not have used in preaching, had it not been understood.

There are other expreffions that fignified the Meffiah, and his coming, which we fhall take notice of as they come in our way.

3. By plain and direct words, declaring the doctrine of the Meffiah; fpeaking out that Jefus was He as we fee the apoftles did, when they went about preaching the Gofpel, after our Saviour's refurrection. This was the open clear way, and that which one would think the Meffiah himfelf, when he came, fhould have taken; efpecially if it were of that moment, that upon mens believing him to be the Meffiah, depended the forgiveness of their fins. And yet we fee that our Saviour did not; but, on the contrary, for the most part, made no other difcovery of himself, at least in Judea, and at the beginning of his miniftry, but in the two former ways, which were more obfcure; not declaring himself to be the Meffiah, any otherwife than as it might be gathered from the miracles he did, and the conformity of his life and actions with the prophecies of the Old Teftament concerning him; and from fome general difcourfes of the kingdom of the Meffiah being come, under the name of the "kingdom of God," and "of heaven." Nay, fo far was he from publicly owning himself to be the Meah, that he forbad the doing of it: Mark viii. 27. 30. "He asked his difciples, Whom do "men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptift; but "fome fay, Elias, and others one of the prophets." (So that it is evident, that even thofe who believed him an extraordinary perfon, knew not yet who he was, or that he gave himfelf out for the Melliah; though this was in the third year of his miniftry, and not a year before his death.) "And he faith unto them, But "whom fay ye that I am? And Peter anfwered, and faid unto him, "Thou art the Meah. And he charged them that they fhould "tell no man of him." Luke iv. 41. And devils came out of "many, crying, Thou art the Mediah, the fon of God: And he "rebuking them, fuffered them not to speak, that they knew him ແ to be Meffiah." Mark iii. 11, 12. "Unclean fpirits, when they "faw him, fell down before him, and cried, faying, Thou art the "fon of God: And he ftraitly charged them that they should not "make him known." Here again we may obferve from the comparing of the two texts, that "Thou art the fon of God," or "Thou art the Melfiah," were indifferently used for the fame thing. But to return to the matter in hand.

This concealment of himfelf will feem ftrange, in one who was come to bring light into the world, and was to fuffer death for the teftimony of the truth. This refervednefs will be thought to look as if he had a mind to conceal himself, and not to be known to the world for the Mellah, nor to be believed on as fuch. But we shall be of another mind, and conclude this proceeding of his according to divine wisdom, and fuited to a fuller manifestation and evidence of his being the Mellah, when we confider, that he was

to

to fill out the time foretold of his miniftry; and, after a life illuftrious in miracles and good works, attended with humility, mecknefs, patience, and fufferings, and every way conformable to the prophefies of him, fhould be led as a fheep to the flaughter, and with all quiet and submission be brought to the crofs, though there were no guilt nor fault in him. This could not have been, if, as foon as he appeared in public, and began to preach, he had prefently profefled himself to have been the Meffiah, the king that owned that kingdom he publifhed to be at hand. For the Sanhedrim would then have laid hold on it, to have got him in their power, and thereby have taken away his life; at leaft, they would have difturbed his miniftry, and hindered the work he was about. That this made him cautious, and avoid, as much as he could, the occafions of provoking them, and falling into their hands, is plain from John vii. 1. "After thefe things Jefus walked in Galilee;" out of the way of the chief priefts and rulers; "for he would "not walk in fewry, because the Jews fought to kill him." Thus, making good what he foretold them at Jerufalem, when at the first Paffover, at his beginning to preach the gospel, upon his curing the man at the Pool of Bethesda, they fought to kill him, John v. 16. “Ye have not," fays he, ver. 38, "his word abiding amongst

you for whom he hath fent, him ye believe not." This was fpoken more particularly to the Jews of Jerufalem, who were the forward men, zealous to take away his life: and it imports, that becaufe of their unbelief and oppofition to him, the "Word of God," i. e. the preaching of the kingdom of the Mefliah, which is often called the Word of God, did not stay amongst them: he could not ftay amongst them, preach, and explain to them the kingdom of the Meffiah.

That the word of God, here, fignifies "the word of God" that fhould make Jefus known to them to be the Meffiah, is evident from the context: and this meaning of this place is made good by the event. For after this, we hear no more of Jefus at Jerufalem, till the Pentecoft come twelvemonth; though it is not to be doubted but that he was there the next paffover, and other feafts between, but privately. And now at Jerufalem, at the feast of Pentecost, near fifteen months after, he fays very little of any thing, and not a word of the kingdom of heaven being come, or at hand; nor did he any miracle there. And returning to Jerufalem at the feaft of Tabernacles, it is plain, that from this time till then, which was a year and a half, he had not taught them at Jerufalem.

For, 1. it is faid, John vii. 2. 15, that he teaching in the Temple at the feast of Tabernacles, "The Jews marvelled, faying, How "knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" A lign they had not been used to his preaching; for if they had, they would not now have marvelled.

2. Ver. 19. He fays thus to them; "Did not Mofes give you "the law, yet none of you keep the law? Why go you about to "kill me? One work," or miracle, "I did" here amongst you,

C 4

"and

« PreviousContinue »