could be nothing but what those of Samaria in the same chapter believed, viz. that he was the Messiah. For we no-where in the gospel hear of any thing else, that had been proposed to be believed by them.

Having done miracles, and cured all their sick at Capernaum, he says, "Let us go to the adjoining towns, "that I may preach there also; for therefore came I "forth," Mark i. 38. Or, as St. Luke has it, chap. iv. 43, he tells the multitude, who would have kept him, that he might not go from them, " I must evangelize," or tell the good tidings of "the kingdom of God to "other cities also; for therefore am I sent." And St. Matthew, chap. iv. 23, tells us how he executed this commission he was sent on: "And Jesus went about all "Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching "the gospel of the kingdom, and curing all diseases." This then was what he was sent to preach every-where, viz. the gospel of the kingdom of the Messiah; and by the miracles and good he did he let them know who was the Messiah.

Hence he goes up to Jerusalem, to the second passover, since the beginning of his ministry. And here, discoursing to the jews, who sought to kill him upon occasion of the man whom he had cured carrying his bed on the sabbath-day, and for making God his Father, he tells them that he wrought these things by the power of God, and that he shall do greater things; for that the dead shall, at his summons, be raised; and that he, by a power committed to him from his Father, shall judge them; and that he is sent by his Father, and that whoever shall hear his word, and believe in him that sent him, has eternal life. This though a clear description of the Messiah, yet we may observe, that here, to the angry jews, who sought to kill him, he says not a word of his kingdom, nor so much as names the Messiah; but yet that he is the Son of God, and sent from God, he refers them to the testimony of John the Baptist; to the testimony of his own miracles, and of God himself in the voice from heaven, and of the scriptures, and of Moses. He leaves them to learn from these the truth they were to believe, viz. that he was the Messiah sent

from God. This you may read more at large, John v. 1-47.

The next place where we find him preaching, was on the mount, Matt. v. and Luke vi. This is by much the longest sermon we have of his, any-where; and, in all likelihood, to the greatest auditory: for it appears to have been to the people gathered to him from Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem, and from beyond Jordan, and that came out of Idumea, and from Tyre and Sidon, mentioned Mark iii. 7, 8. and Luke vi. 17. But in this whole sermon of his, we do not find one word of believing, and therefore no mention of the Messiah, or any intimation to the people who himself was. The reason whereof we may gather from Matt. xii. 16, where "Christ "forbids them to make him known;" which supposes them to know already who he was. For that this 12th

chapter of St. Matthew ought to precede the sermon in the mount, is plain, by comparing it with Mark ii. beginning at ver. 13, to Mark iii. 8, and comparing those chapters of St. Mark with Luke vi. And I desire my reader, once for all, here to take notice, that I have all along observed the order of time in our Saviour's preaching, and have not, as I think, passed by any of his discourses. In this sermon, our Saviour only teaches them what were the laws of his kingdom, and what they must do who were admitted into it, of which I shall have occasion to speak more at large in another place, being at present only inquiring what our Saviour proposed as matter of faith to be believed.

After this, John the Baptist sends to him this message, Luke vii. 19, asking, "Art thou he that should come, or do we expect another?" That is, in short, Art thou the Messiah? And if thou art, why dost thou let me, thy forerunner, languish in prison? Must I expect deliverance from any other? To which Jesus returns this answer, ver. 22, 23, "Tell John what ye have seen and "heard; the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are "cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached; and blessed is he who " is not offended in me." What it is to be "offended, "or scandalized in him," we may see by comparing

Matt. xiii. 28, and Mark iv. 17, with Luke viii. 13. For what the two first call " scandalized," the last call

66

standing off from, or forsaking," i. e. not receiving him as the Messiah (vid. Mark vi. 1-6.) or revolting from him. Here Jesus refers John, as he did the jews before, to the testimony of his miracles, to know who he was; and this was generally his preaching, whereby he declared himself to be the Messiah, who was the only prophet to come, whom the jews had any expectation of; nor did they look for any other person to be sent to them with the power of miracles, but only the Messiah. His miracles, we see by his answer to John the Baptist, he thought a sufficient declaration amongst them, that he was the Messiah. And therefore, upon his curing the possessed of the devil, the dumb, and blind, Matt. xii. the people, who saw the miracles, said, ver. 23, "Is not this the son of David?" As much as to say, Is not this the Messiah? Whereat the pharisees being offended, said, "He cast out devils by Beelzebub." Jesus, showing the falsehood and vanity of their blasphemy, justifies the conclusion the people made from this miracle, saying, ver. 28, That his casting out devils by the Spirit of God, was an evidence that the kingdom of the Messiah was come.

One thing more there was in the miracles done by his disciples, which showed him to be the Messiah; that they were done in his name. "In the name of Jesus of "Nazareth, rise up and walk," says St. Peter to the lame man, whom he cured in the temple, Acts iii. 6. And how far the power of that name reached, they themselves seem to wonder, Luke x. 17. "And the seventy "returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils "are subject to us in thy name."

99

From this message from John the Baptist, he takes occasion to tell the people that John was the forerunner of the Messiah; that from the time of John the Baptist the kingdom of the Messiah began; to which time all the prophets and the law pointed, Luke vii. and Matt. xi.

66

Luke viii. 1, "Afterwards he went through every city and village, preaching and showing the good tid.

ings of the kingdom of God." Here we see as everywhere, what his preaching was, and consequently what was to be believed.

Soon after, he preaches from a boat to the people on the shore. His sermon at large we may read, Matt. xiii. Mark iv. and Luke viii. But this is very observable, that this second sermon of his, here, is quite different from his former in the mount: for that was all so plain and intelligible, that nothing could be more so; whereas this is all so involved in parables, that even the apostles themselves did not understand it. If we inquire into the reason of this, we shall possibly have some light, from the different subjects of these two sermons. There he preached to the people only morality; clearing the precepts of the law from the false glosses which were received in those days, and setting forth th duties of a good life in their full obligation and extent, beyond what the judiciary laws of the Israelites did, or the civil laws of any country could prescribe, or take notice of. But here, in this sermon by the sea-side, he speaks of nothing but the kingdom of the Messiah, which he does all in parables. One reason whereof St. Matthew gives us, chap. xiii. 35, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets," saying, "I will open my "mouth in parables, I will utter things that have been kept secret from the foundations of the world." Another reason our Saviour himself gives of it, ver. 11, 12, "Because to you is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall "have more abundantly; but whosoever hath not," i. e. improves not the talents that he hath, "from him shall "be taken away even that he hath."

66

66

66

One thing it may not be amiss to observe, that our Saviour here, in the explication of the first of these parables to his apostles, calls the preaching of the kingdom of the Messiah, simply, "The word," and Luke viii. 21, "The word of God:" from whence St. Luke, in the Acts, often mentions it under the name of the 66 word," and "the word of God," as we have elsewhere observed. To which I shall here add that of Acts

viii. 4, "Therefore they that were scattered abroad, "went every-where preaching the word;" which word, as we have found by examining what they preached all through their history, was nothing but this, that " Jesus "was the Messiah :" 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 says, 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 Messiah their king being no less required, than their believing that Jesus was the Messiah, the king and deliverer that was promised them.

66

Matt. ix. 13, we have an account again of this preaching; what it was, and how: "And Jesus went about all "the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, " and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.' He acquainted them, that the kingdom of the Messiah was come, and left it to his miracles to instruct and convince them, that he was the Messiah.

66

99

Matt. x. when he sent his apostles abroad, their com mission to preach we have, ver. 7, 8, in these words: "As ye go, preach saying, The kingdom of heaven is " at hand: heal the sick," &c. All that they had to preach was, that the kingdom of the Messiah was come.

Whosoever should not receive them, the messengers of these good tidings, nor hearken to their message, incurred a heavier doom than Sodom and Gomorrah, at the day of judgment, ver. 14, 15. But ver. 32, "Who"soever shall confess me before men, I will confess "him before my Father who is in heaven." What this confessing of Christ is, we may see by comparing John xii. 42. with ix. 22. "Nevertheless, among the "chief rulers also many believed on him; but because "of the pharisees they did not CONFESS HIM, lest they "should be put out of the synagogue. And chap. ix. 22," These words spake his parents, because they feared "the jews; for the jews had agreed already, that if any man did CONFESS THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH,

66