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1. The characters and offices which Chrift fuftains, viz. A witness, a leader, and a commander to the people. Not only to the people of the Jews, but also to the Gentiles; as the following verfe declares.

2. The perfon by whom Jefus Chrift is ordained to thefe offices, viz. God the Father. I (fays God) have given him, to be a witnefs, leader and commander. God the Father, conftituted and appointed him to discharge thefe offices.

DOCT. I. Jefus Chrift was given, by God the Father, to be a witness to the people. For explication and confirmation of this Doctrine, we may enquire,

1. What were the things, which Chrift witnessed to the people ?

2. How was Chrift a witnefs to the people?

3. What fort of witnefs was Jefus Chrift? Queft. 1. What were the things, which Chrift witnelled to the people ?

Anfw. 1. He witneffed fome things concerning GOD. He teftified to the world thofe things concerning God, which they knew not before. He was anointed of God to preach good tidings from him, Ifai. lxi. 1. And fo we read that he did in the courfe of his publick miniftry. Luk. viii. 1. He went throughout every city and village, preaching, and fhewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. He brought good news to them from God. Particularly,

1. He witneffed to them the love of God to a loft world. He was in the bofom of the Father, and knew the love and good will towards men, in the heart of God, and revealed it to the world. (Job. i. 18.) He gave them to know, that fuch was the love of God to the world, that he fent him his only begotten Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world 1hrough him might be faved. Joh. iii. 16, 17. He teftified to them, the eternal love of God, to a number of fallen mankind, in electing them to everlasting life. Thefe purpofes of divine grace, were by him made known

known to the world, which otherwife had been hid from them.

2. He witneffed to them the pardoning mercy of God for repenting finners. A finful world, had expofed themselves to the righteous vengeance of God, and in juftice deferved to perifh eternally. Nor did fallen man, expect any other than eternal death, from the hands of the holy and juft God. Such a thing as pardoning mercy with God, was unknown, unheard, unthought of. But now, Jefus Chrift came into a world lying under guilt and dreading the vindictive juftice of God, and declares to them that there is forgivenefs with God for them. He teftifies to them, how God comes to be pacified towards finners, how pardon of fin comes to be obtained for them, even, by his bearing the guilt and punishment thereof. And now he declares to finners, that upon their repentance and faith in Him, God will, for his fake, freely pardon all their fins. He therefore preached the doctrines of repentance and faith, and called upon finners to repent, and to believe on his name.

Anfw. 2. Jefus Chrift witneffed fome things concerning himself. Thus fays Chrift, Joh. viii. 18. I am one that bear witnefs of myself. Particularly,

1. He witneffed, that he was the promifed Messiah. God throughout the Old Teftament gave promises of the Meffiah or Chrift, that fhould in due time come into the world. And the people of the Jews lived in the expectation of his coming. Now Jefus Chrift teftified to the world, that he was that promifed Meffiah. Thus he witneffed to the woman of Samaria, Joh. iv. 25, 26. The woman faith unto him, I know that Meffias cometh, which is called Chrift; when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jefus faith unto her, I that Speak unto thee, am be. So when the high Prieft asked him, Art thou the Chrift, the Son of the Blefjed? Jefus faid, I am. Mar. xiy. 61. He declared himself to be that great one promifed, in whom were fulfilled all the prophecies, and who was the main scope and end of all the ceremonial law and teftified, that without the belief of this, men fhould die

in their fins. Joh. viii. 24. If ye believe not that I am be, Te ball die in your fins.

2. He witneffed, that he was the Son of God. He is indeed the eternally and only begotten Son of God." This he teftified unto the world. Thus he did to the blind man, that had received his fight, Job. ix. 35, 36, 37. Jefus faid unto him, Doft thou believe on the Son of God? be anfwered and faid, Who is be, Lord, that I might believe on him? and Fefus faid unto him, Thou haft both feen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. Thus when the council asked him, Art thou then the Son of God? be faid unto them, Te Jay that I am, Luk. xxii. 70. i. e. 'tis as ye fay, I am the Son of God.

3. He witneffed, that he was the faviour of the world. He bare record of himself, that he was the only perfon, by whom loft, perifhing finners could be faved, and that he came on the errand of their falvation. Luk. xix. 10. The Son of man is come to feek and to fave that which was loft. So, Joh. xii. 47. I came not to judge the world, i. e. now in my humbled estate, but to fave the world. He came into the world to purchase falvation for perishing finners, by laying down his life for them. Matth. xx. 28. The fon of man came not to be miniftred unto, but to minifter, and to give his life a ransom for many. He required of men to believe on him, as ever they would hope to be faved, and to efcape the damnation of hell. Mar. xvi. 16. He that believeth, fhall be faved, but he that believeth not, fhall be damned. Befides him there is no faviour, and without faith in him, there is no falvation.

4. He witneffed, that he was to be the judge of the world. The laft and general judgment of mankind, will be managed and carried on by the Lord Jefus Christ. This is a truth, which he teftified to the world, and which they could not have known, had ne not revealed it to them. A very clear and full teftimony he gave unto this truth, in Matth. xxv. 31-46. wherein he declares, that he would at the last day appear in great glory, with all the holy angels, and gather all nations be

fore

fore him, and feparate the good from the bad; and pronounce a sentence of abfolution upon the godly, and a fentence of condemnation upon the wicked; and bestow eternal life on the one, and inflict everlasting punishment on the other.

Thus for the first enquiry, viz. What are the things that Chrift witneffed ?

Queft. 2. How was Chrift a witness to the people? Anfw. 1. In his own perfon. When he was here on earth, he executed the office of a prophet in his own perfon. He did with his own mouth reveal the great and glorious truths of the gofpel, and bore his teftimony to them. And thus he was a witnefs, only to the people of the Jews. His publick miniftry was confined to that nation, by the appointment of God his Father. And therefore he himself faid, that he was not Jent but to the loft fheep of the boufe of Ifrael, Matth. xv. 24. And at the first, Jefus Chrift limited the ministry of his apoftles to the people of Ifrael, Matth. x. 5, 6. Go not into the way of the Gentiles. And into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the loft sheep of the boufe of Ifrael. Jefus Chrift was the minifter of the circumcifion, (as the apoftle calls him) and confined his work of preaching to the people of the Jews. To them only did he teftify the things of the kingdom of God.

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Anfw. 2. By his apostles and other minifters. Thefe were the witneffes of Chrift fo as that their teftimony was the teftimony of Jefus Chrift. And therefore Jefus Chrift fays, that thofe who receive or reject them, do receive or reject him. Matth. x. 40. He that receiveth you, receiveth me. Luk. x. 16. He that heareth you, heareth me and be that defpifeth you, defpifeth me. Whatfo

ever therefore was teftified by them, was teftified by Jefus Chrift. And thus Jefus Chrift was a witnefs,not only to the people of the Jews, but alfo to the Gentile world. For Jefus Chrift enlarged their commiffion after his refurrection, and ordered them to preach the gospel to all people without exception of any. Matth. xxviii. 19.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. And he ordained them to be his witneffes every where. Act. i. 8. Te fhall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Thus for the fecond queftion.

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Queft. 3. What fort of witnefs was Jefus Chrift ? What his character as a witnefs ?

Anfw. 1. He was a faithful witnefs. Fidelity is a thing required in a witnefs, and this was found in Chrift. Rev. 1. 5. And from Jefus Chrift, who is the faithful witness. Chap. iii. 14. These things faith the Amen, the faithful witnefs. He is by way of eminency the faithful witnefs: faithful in the highest degree. And here,

1. He was faithful to God. He was fent by God the Father, to declare his mind and will unto the world. And this he did with all poffible faithfulness. He is therefore faid to be faithful to him that appointed him, Heb. iii. 2. He was faithful to his truft, delivering the meffage that he was fent upon. He delivered nothing of his own head, but only what God the Father bid him. All that, and no more, did he deliver. Joh. xii. 49, 50. For I have not fpoken of myself, but the Father which fent ne, he gave me a commandment, what I should fay, and what I should fpeak. Whatfoever I Speak therefore, even as the Father faid unto me, fo I fpeak. He exactly obferved his Father's orders, adding nothing to, nor diminishing any thing of, the truths he was fent to reveal. And therefore our Lord in his prayer to God his Father, declares his own fidelity in this cafe, Job. xvii. 8, 14. I have given them the words which thou gavcft me.... I have given them thy word. He declared unto them thofe doctrines, which God had appointed and authorized him to deliver. So that Jefus Chrift witnessed neither more or lefs, than what he had authority from his Father to do.

2. He was faithful to men. Jefus Chrift acted the part of a faithful witnefs, towards thofe, unto whom he was fent. Ex. gr.

1. He

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