nor yet at Jerufalem, worship the Father. But the true worshippers fhall worship the Father in spirit "and in truth; for the Father feeketh such to worship " him."

Thus then, as to the law, in fhort: the civil and ritual part of the law, delivered by Mofes, obliges not chriftians, though, to the jews, it were a part of the law of works; it being a part of the law of nature, that man ought to obey every pofitive law of God, whenever he fhall please to make any fuch addition to the law of his nature. But the moral part of Mofes's law, or the moral law, (which is every where the fame, the eternal rule of right) obliges chriftians, and all men, every where, and is to all men the standing law of works. But chriftian believers have the privilege to be under the law of faith too; which is that law, whereby God juftifies a man for believing, though by his works he be not juft or righteous, i. e. though he come fhort of perfect obedience to the law of works. God alone does or can justify, or make juft, those who by their works are not fo: which he doth, by counting their faith for righteoufnefs, i. e. for a complete performance of the law. Rom. iv. 3. "Abraham believed God, " and it was counted to him for righteoufnefs." ver.

"To him that believeth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteoufnefs." ver. 6. "Even as David alfo defcribeth the blessedness " of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness " without works," i. e. without a full measure of works, which is exact obedience. Ver. 7. Saying, "Bleffed "are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, and whose "fins are covered." Ver. 8. "Bleffed is the man, to "whom the Lord will not impute fin."

This faith, for which God juftified Abraham, what was it? It was the believing God, when he engaged his promise in the covenant he made with him. This will be plain to any one, who confiders these places together, Gen. xv. 6. " He believed in the Lord, or be "lieved the Lord." For that the Hebrew phrafe, believing in," fignifies no more but believing, is plain from St. Paul's citation of this place, Rom. iv. 3,

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where he repeats it thus: "Abraham believed God, which he thus explains, ver. 18-22, "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the fa"ther of many nations: according to that which was

fpoken, So fhall thy feed be. And, being not weak "in faith, he confidered not his own body now dead, "when he was about an hundred years old, nor yet "the deadnefs of Sarah's womb. He ftaggered not at "the promise of God, through unbelief; but was ftrong in faith giving glory to God. And being fully perfuaded, that what he had promised he was alfo "able to perform. And therefore it was imputed "to him for righteoufnefs." By which it is clear, that the faith which God counted to Abraham for righteoufnefs, was nothing but a firm belief of what God declared to him; and a steadfast relying on him, for the accomplishment of what he had promised.

"Now this," fays St. Paul, ver. 23, 24, "was not "writ for his [Abraham's] fake alone, but for us also;" teaching us, that as Abraham was juftified for his faith, fo alfo ours fhall be accounted to us for righteoufnefs, if we believe God, as Abraham believed him. Whereby it is plain is meant the firmness of our faith, without ftaggering, and not the believing the fame propofitions that Abraham believed; viz. that though he and Sarah were old, and paft the time and hopes of children, yet he should have a fon by her, and by him become the father of a great people, which fhould poffefs the land of Canaan. This was what Abraham believed, and was counted to him for righteoufnefs. But nobody, I think, will fay, that any one's believing this now, fhall be imputed to him for righteoufnefs. The law of faith then, in short, is for every one to believe what God requires him to believe, as a condition of the covenant he makes with him and not to doubt of the performance of his promises. This the apoftle intimates in the close here, ver. 24. "But for us alfo, to whom it shall be "imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jefus "our Lord from the dead." We muft, therefore, examine and fee what God requires us to believe now, under the revelation of the gospel; for the belief of one invisible,

invifible, eternal, omnipotent God, maker of heaven and earth, &c. was required before, as well as now.

What we are now required to believe to obtain eternal life, is plainly fet down in the gospel. St. John tells us, John iii. 36. "He that believeth on the "Son, hath eternal life; and he that believeth not the "Son, thall not fee life." What this believing_on him is, we are alfo told in the next chapter: "The "woman faith unto him, I know that the Meffiah "cometh: when he is come, he will tell us all things. "Jefus faid unto her, I that speak unto thee, am he. "The woman then went into the city, and faith to the men, come fee a man that hath told me all things "that ever I did: is not this the Meffiah? and many of "the Samaritans believed on him for the saying of the "woman, who teftified, he told me all that ever, I "did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, many more believed because of his words, and faid "to the woman, We believe not any longer, because "of thy faying; for we have heard ourselves, and we "know that this man is truly the Saviour of the world, "the Meffiah," John iv. 25, 26, 29, 39, 40, 41, 42.

By which place it is plain, that believing on the Son is the believing that Jefus was the Meffiah; giving credit to the miracles he did, and the profeffion he made of himself. For those who were faid to BELIEVE ON HIM, for the saying of the woman, ver. 39, tell the woman that they now believed not any longer, because of her saying: but that having heard him themselves, they knew, i. e. BELIEVED, paft doubt, THAT HE WAS THE

MESSIAH.

This was the great propofition that was then controverted, concerning Jefus of Nazareth, "Whether he "was the Meffiah or no?" And the affent to that was that which diftinguished believers from unbelievers. When many of his difciples had forfaken him, upon his declaring that he was the bread of life, which came down from heaven," He said to his apoftles, Will ye "alfo go away? Then Simon Peter anfwered him, Lord, to whom fhall we go? Thou haft the words of "eternal life. And we believe, and are fure, that VOL. VI.

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"thou art the Meffiah, the Son of the living God," John vi. 69. This was the faith which diftinguished them from apoftates and unbelievers, and was fufficient to continue them in the rank of apostles: and it was upon the fame propofition, "That Jefus was the Mef"fiah, the Son of the living God," owned by St. Peter, that our Saviour faid, he would build his church, Matt. xvi. 16-18.

To convince men of this, he did his miracles: and their affent to, or not affenting to this, made them to be, or not to be, of his church; believers, or not believers: "The jews came round about him, and "faid unto him, How long dost thou make us doubt? "If thou be the Meffiah, tell us plainly. Jefus an"fwered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the "works that I do in my Father's name, they bear "witnefs of me. But ye believe not, becaufe ye are "not of my fheep," John x. 24-26. Conformable hereunto, St. John tells us, that "many deceivers are "entered into the world, who confefs not that Jefus, "the Meffiah, is come in the flesh. This is a de"ceiver, and an antichrift; whofoever abideth not in "the doctrine of the Meffiah, has not God. He that "abideth in the doctrine of the Meffiah," i. e. that Jefus is he," hath both the Father and the Son," John 7, 9. That this is the meaning of the place, is plain from what he fays in his foregoing epiftle, "Who

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foever believeth that Jefus is the Meffiah, is born "of God," 1 John v. I. And therefore, drawing to a clofe of his gofpel, and fhowing the end for which he writ it, he has these words: " Many other figns truly "did Jefus in the presence of his difciples, which are

not written in this book: but thefe are written that ye may believe that Jefus is the Meffiah, the Son of "God; and that, believing, you might have life through his name," John xx. 30, 31. Whereby it is plain, that the gofpel was writ to induce men into a belief of this propofition, That Jefus of Nazareth was "the Meffiah;" which if they believed, they fhould. have life.

Accordingly

Accordingly the great queftion among the jews was, whether he were the Meffiah or no? and the great point infifted on and promulgated in the gofpel, was, that he was the Meffiah. The first glad tidings of his birth, brought to the fhepherds by an angel, was in thefe words: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you "good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all people: for to you is born this day, in the city of "David, a Saviour, who is the Meffiah, the Lord," Luke ii. 11. Our Saviour difcourfing with Martha about the means of attaining eternal life, faith to her, John xi. 27. "Whosoever believeth in me, fhall never "die. Believeft thou this? She faith unto him, Yea, "Lord, I believe that thou art the Meffiah, the Son of "God, which should come into the world." This answer of hers fhoweth, what it is to believe in Jefus Christ, so as to have eternal life; viz. to believe that he is the Meffiah, the Son of God, whofe coming was foretold by the prophets. And thus Andrew and Philip exprefs it: " Andrew fays to his brother Simon,

we have found the Meffiah, which is, being interpreted, the Chrift. Philip faith to Nathanael, we "have found him, of whom Mofes in the law and the "prophets did write, Jefus of Nazareth, the Son of

Jofeph," John i. 41, 45. According to what the Evangelift fays in this place, I have, for the clearer understanding of the fcripture, all along put Messiah for Chrift: Chrift being but the Greek name for the Hebrew Meffiah, and both fignifying the Anointed.

And that he was the Meffiah, was the great truth he took pains to convince his difciples and apoftles of; appearing to them after his refurrection: as may be feen, Luke xxiv, which we fhall more particularly confider in another place. There we read what gofpel our Saviour preached to his difciples and apostles; and that as soon as he was risen from the dead, twice, the very day of his refurrection.

And, if we may gather what was to be believed by all nations from what was preached unto them, we may certainly know what they were commanded, Matt. ult. to teach all nations, by what they actually did teach

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