ހ

-ly known and owned by all, as might easily be proved both from Pagan and Jewish writers there was such a man as Jesus of Nazareth, who preached an heavenly and divine doctrine, and confirmed it both by an exemplary life and undeniable miracles; wherefore the bare existence of such a man was sufficient to be expressed, whose name Jesus was principally inserted in the creed, and by consequence, chiefly to be considered, for no other reason than as it related, to the following word Christ, and in Jesus Christ; the intended meaning whereof was this, that the man called Jesus, who lived at Nazareth, is Christ; that is, is the Messias, or the anointed of God; that very person, who was designed and appointed by him to be the instructor, king and saviour of mankind: the declaration whereof at baptism, was required from the very foundation of Christianity, seeing it is that on which our whole religion depends, and what was most violently assaulted by the Jews, out of whom the first converts were made.

St. John relates concerning the fury and malice of the Jews, that they had agreed, that if any man did confess that this Jesus was the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue, that is, be excommunicated; in which hatred against the person and name of Jesus, the

successors of those blind and enraged zealots have obstinately continued to this very day: They universally expected indeed about that time the coming of the Messias; but they imagined, that it should be in worldly pomp and splendor, that his salvation should be tempo ral and earthly, that he should appear in a state of grandeur and magesty, and advance them to a suitable condition of magnificence and terrestrial greatness: wherefore, when quite contraryto all their imaginations, they be held our Jesus to be in mean and despised cir cumstance, an inhabitant, and as they believ ed, born in the contemptible town of Naza reth, from whence no good could come, attended only by a few despicable and unlearned fishermen, labouring under penury and want and living in an universal contempt; they were scandalized hereat, and could not brook this Jesus for their Christ, or Messias, who was so directly contrary to the gaudy conceits they had entertained of him, which is an open denial and total subversion of the whole gospel; for if this Jesus be not Christ, our reli gion, as was hinted before, is vain and false : the very basis and foundation of the whole body of Christianinty is, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, or the Messias; wherefore from the first preaching of the gospel, the belief of his being the Messias or Christ, was

always required at baptism; as is farther evi dent from the exhortation of St. Peter to the convinced Jews, [Acts ii. 38.]" to be bapti zed every one of them in the name of Jesus Christ," for the remission of sins; and from his [Acts x. 48.]" baptizing Cornelius, and his friends, for the same intent, in the name of the Lord" where, seeing they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, it is most apparent that they must neces sarily yield their assent to this proposition, that Jesus was the Christ, who had procured pardon and forgiveness for them.

In the confession also of the [Acts viii. 37.] Eunuch, which he made antecedent to his baptism there is included an acknowledgment of this necessary truth, that Jesus is the sav our of the world; as Irenæus writes concerning him," that he had been forehanded cat echized by the prophets, concerning God the father; and that he only lacked to be instruct ed in the coming of the son of God, which was now done by Philip, who easily persuaded him, that he was Jesus Christ, who was cruci fied under Pontius Pilate; which method was also observed by the apostles, who in their ser mons to the Jews did principally shew them, that that Jesus who was crucified, was the Christ the son of the living God." Wherefore, when

we repeat these words in the creed, “ in Jesus Christ," we thereby declare our sincere and unfeigned belief, that that man who was call ed Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ; which word signifies in Greek Anointed, as Messias doth in Hebrew also. I might hence take an occasion to enlarge on the use and end of unction amongst the Jews, and on the analogy that is between it and that of our Saviour; but this being not so pertinent to my present design, and it having been already largely handled by others, I shall only briefly mention so much thereof, as will be necessary to render this treatise complete and entire.

In the kingdom of Israel therefore, this ceremony of unction was used to design the consecration, dedication or appointment of any person or thing to any particular act or office; and especially, it was employed in the vocation, consecration, and inauguration of their prophets, priests and kings; as [I. Kings xix. 16.]" Elisha was anointed to be a prophet by Elijah;" and [Lev. iv, 3.] "the Levitical Law prescribes unction to every high priest, at his investiture in his office;" and [I. Kings i. 39.] "Zadok the priest inaugurated Solomon in his kingdom, by anointing him with oil." Now in allusion hereunto, our Saviour is said

to be anointed by a spiritual unction, being set apart, consecrated, and dedicated thereby to be a great prophet, an high priest, and an uni versal king; in a most eminent manner uni ting in himself the three offices, viz. prophet. ical, sacerdotal and regal, which were divided in the Jewish administration, as Petrus Chry sologus remarks in his exposition thereof, "that Jesus was called Christ from anointing; because, that unction which formerly by a figure ran upon kings, prophets and priests, the di vine spirit poured with a perfect plenitude on this king of kings, priest of priests and pro phet of prophets,

As for the manner of our Lord and Saviour's unction, it cannot be supposed to have been by real and material oil, but it must be understood of a spiritual and divine operation. A thanasius observing the several resemblances and parallels that are betwixt David and Christ, in every one whereof the latter hath the preeminency, mentions this for one: "David," saith he, was anointed with 'material oil; but the manner of our Saviour's anointing is thus described in the 45th Psalm, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a right scepter is the sceptre of thy kingdom: thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee

1