all nations. We may obferve, that the preaching of the apoftles every where in the Acts, tended to this one point, to prove that Jefus was the Meffiah. Indeed, now, after his death, his refurrection was alfo commonly required to be believed, as a neceffary article, and fometimes folely infifted on: it being a mark and undoubted evidence of his being the Meffiah, and neceffary now to be believed by thofe who would receive him as the Meffiah. For fince the Meffiah was to be a Saviour and a king, and to give life and a kingdom to those who received him, as we fhall fee by and by; there could have been no pretence to have given him out for the Meffiah, and to require men to believe him to be fo, who thought him under the power of death, and corruption of the grave. And therefore those who believed him to be the Meffiah, muft believe that he was rifen from the dead: and thofe who believed him to be rifen from the dead, could not doubt of his being the Meffiah. But of this more in another place.

Let us fee therefore, how the apoftles preached Christ, and what they propofed to their hearers to believe. St. Peter at Jerufalem, Acts ii, by his firft fermon, converted three thousand fouls. What was his word, which, as we are told, ver. 41, "they gladly received, "and thereupon were baptized?" That may be seen from ver. 22 to 36. In fhort, this; which is the conclufion, drawn from all that he had faid, and which he preffes on them, as the thing they were to believe, viz. "Therefore let all the houfe of Ifrael know affuredly, "that God hath made that fame Jefus, whom ye have crucified, Lord and Meffiah," ver. 36.

To the fame purpofe was his difcourfe to the jews, in the temple, Acts iii. the defign whereof you have, ver. 18. But those things that God before had fhowed, "by the mouth of all his prophets, that the Meffiah "fhould fuffer, he hath fo fulfilled.'

In the next chapter, Acts iv, Peter and John being examined, about the miracle on the lame man, profefs it to have been done in the name of Jefus of Nazareth, who was the Meffiah, in whom alone there was falvation, ver. 10-12. The fame thing they confirm to

them

them again, Acts v. 29-32. "And daily in the tem"ple, and in every houfe, they ceafed not to teach and "preach Jefus the Meffiah," ver. 42.

What was Stephen's fpeech to the council, Acts vii, but a reprehenfion to them, that they were the betrayers and murderers of the Juft One? Which is the title, by which he plainly defigns the Meffiah, whose coming was forefhown by the prophets, ver. 51, 52. And that the Meffiah was to be without fin, (which is the import of the word Juft) was the opinion of the jews, appears from John ix. ver. 22, compared with 24.

Acts viii, Philip carries the gofpel to Samaria: "Then Philip went down to Samaria, and preached to "them." What was it he preached? You have an account of it in this one word, "the Meffiah," ver. 5. This being that alone which was required of them, to believe that Jefus was the Meffiah: which when they believed, they were baptized. "And when they be"lieved Philip's preaching the gofpel of the kingdom. "of God, and the name of Jefus the Meffiah, they were baptized, both men and women," ver. 12.

Philip being fent from thence, by a special call of the Spirit, to make an eminent convert; out of Isaiah preaches to him Jefus, ver. 35. And what it was he

preached concerning Jefus, we may know by the profeflion of faith the eunuch made, upon which he was admitted to baptifm, ver. 37. "I believe that Jefus "Chrift is the Son of God:" which is as much as to fay, I believe that he, whom you call Jefus Chrift, is really and truly the Meffiah, that was promised. For, that believing him to be the Son of God, and to be the Meffiah, was the fame thing, may appear, by comparing John i. 45, with ver. 49, where Nathanael owns Jefus to be the Meffiah, in thefe terms: "Thou art "the Son of God; thou art the king of Ifrael." So the jews, Luke xxii. 70, afking Chrift, whether he were the Son of God, plainly demanded of him, whether he were the Meffiah? Which is evident, by comparing that with the three preceding verfes. They afk him, ver. 67, Whether he were the Meffiah? He anfwers, "If I tell you, you will not believe:" but withal tells

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them, that from thenceforth he should be in poffeffion of the kingdom of the Meffiah, expreffed in these words, ver. 69. "Hereafter fhall the Son of Man fit on "the " right hand of the power of God:" which made them all cry out, "Art thou then the Son of God?" i. e. Dost thou then own thyfelf to be the Meffiah? To which he replies, "Ye fay that I am." That the Son of God was the known title of the Meffiah at that time, amongst the jews, we may fee alfo, from what the jews fay to Pilate, John xix. 7. "We have a law, and

by our law he ought to die, because he made him"felf THE SON OF GOD;" i. e. by making himself the Meffiah, the prophet which was to come, but falily; and therefore he deferves to die by the law, Deut. xviii. 20. That this was the common fignification of the Son of God, is farther evident, from what the chief priefts, mocking him, faid, when he was on the crofs, Matt. xxvii. 42. "He faved others, himself he "cannot fave: if he be the king of Ifrael, let him now "come down from the cross, and we will believe him. "He trufted in God, let him deliver him now, if he "will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God;" i. e. He said, he was the Meffiah: but 'tis plainly false; for, if he were, God would deliver him: for the Meffiah is to be king of Ifrael, the Saviour of others but this man cannot fave himself. The chief priests mention here the two titles, then in ufe, whereby the jews commonly defigned the Meffiah, viz. "Son of "God, and king of Ifrael." That of Son of God was fo familiar a compellation of the Meffiah, who was then fo much expected and talked of, that the romans, it feems, who lived amongst them, had learned it, as appears from ver. 54. "Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jefus, faw the earthquake, and thofe things that were done, they feared greatly, faying, truly this was the SON OF GOD;" this was that extraordinary perfon that was looked for.

Acts ix. St. Paul, exercifing the commiffion to preach the gofpel, which he had received in a miraculous way, ver. 20. "Straitway preached Chrift in the fynagogues,

that

"that he is the Son of God;" i. e. that Jefus was the the Meffiah: for Chrift, in this place, is evidently a proper name. And that this was it, which Paul preached, appears from ver. 22. "Saul increased the "more in ftrength, and confounded the jews, who "dwelt in Damafcus, proving that this is the very Christ," i. e. the Meffiah.

Peter, when he came to Cornelius at Cæfarea, who, by a vifion, was ordered to fend for him, as St. Peter on the other fide was by a vifion commanded to go to him; what does he teach him? His whole difcourfe, Acts x, tends to fhow what, he fays, God commanded the apostles, "To preach unto the people, and to teftify, that it is he [Jefus,] which was ordained of "God to be the judge of the quick and the dead. "And that it was to him, that all the prophets give "witness, that, through his name, whofoever be"lieveth in him fhall have remiffion of fins," ver. 42, 43. "This is the word, which God fent to the chil"dren of Ifrael; that wORD, which was published

throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after "the baptifm which John preached," ver. 36, 37. And these are the words, which had been promised to Cornelius, Acts xi. 14. "Whereby he and all his house "fhould be faved:" which words amount only to thus much that Jefus was the Meffiah, the Saviour that was promised. Upon their receiving of this, (for this was all was taught them) the Holy Ghost fell on them, and they were baptized. 'Tis obfervable here, that the Holy Ghost fell on them, before they were baptized, which, in other places, converts received not 'till after baptifm. The reafon whereof feems to be this, that God, by beftowing on them the Holy Ghoft, did thus declare from heaven, that the gentiles, upon believing Jefus to be the Meffiah, ought to be admitted into the church by baptifm, as well as the jews. Whoever reads St. Peter's defence, Acts xi, when he was accused by those of the circumcifion, that he had not kept that distance, which he ought, with the uncircumcised, will be of this opinion; and fee by what he says, ver. 15, 16, 17, that this was the ground, and an irrefiftible autho

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rity to him for doing so strange a thing, as it appeared to the jews, (who alone yet were members of the chriftian church) to admit gentiles into their communion, upon their believing. And therefore St. Peter, in the foregoing chapter, Acts x, before he would baptize them, propofes this queftion, " to thofe of the circumcifion, which came with him, and were aftonished, because that on the gentiles alfo was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghoft: can any one forbid water, that 'thefe fhould not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghoft as well as we?" ver. 47. And when some of the fect of the pharifees, who believed, thought it needful that the converted gentiles fhould be circumcifed and keep the law of Mofes, Acts xv, "Peter rose up and faid unto them, men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God made choice amongst us, that the gentiles," viz. Cornelius, and thofe here converted with him," by my mouth fhould hear the gospel, and believe. And God, who knoweth the hearts, bare them witnefs, giving them the Holy Ghoft, even as he did unto us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith," v. 7-9. So that both jews and gentiles, who believed Jefus to be the Meffiah, received thereupon the feal of baptifm; whereby they were owned to be his, and distinguished from unbelievers. From what is above faid, we may obferve, that this preaching Jefus to be the Meffiah is called the Word, and the Word of God; and believing it, receiving the Word of God. vid. Acts x. 36, 37. and xi. 1, 19, 20. and the word of the gospel, Acts xv. 7. And fo likewife in the hiftory of the gospel, what Mark, chap. iv. 14, 15, calls fimply the word, St. Luke calls the word of God, Luke viii. 11. And St. Matthew, chap. xiii. 19, the word of the kingdom; which were, it feems, in the gofpel-writers fynonymous terms, and are fo to be understood by us.

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But to go on: Acts xiii, Paul preaches in the synagogue at Antioch, where he makes it his business to convince the jews, that " God, according to his promife, had of the feed of David raised to Ifrael a Saviour Jefus." v. 24. That he was He of whom the

prophets