ftore the kingdom of Ifrael; that Herod no fooner heard of the magi's inquiry after "Him that was born king "of the jews," Matt. ii, but he forthwith "demanded "of the chief priests and scribes, where the Messiah "fhould be born,” ver. 4. Not doubting but, if there were any king born to the jews, it was the Meffiah: whofe coming was now the general expectation, as appears, Luke iii. 15, "The people being in expectation, "and all men musing in their hearts, of John, whether "he were the Meffiah or not." And when the priests and levites fent to ask him who he was; he, understanding their meaning, answers, John i. 20, "That he was not the Meffiah;" but he bears witness, that Jefus "is the Son of God," i. e. the Meffiah, ver. 34.

This looking for the Meffiah, at this time, we fee also in Simeon; who is faid to be " waiting for the con"folation of Ifrael," Luke ii. 21. And having the child Jefus in his arms, he fays, he had "feen the fal"vation of the Lord," ver. 30. And, "Anna coming "at the fame inftant into the temple, fhe gave thanks

alfo unto the Lord, and fpake of him to all them "that looked for redemption in Ifrael," ver. 38. And of Jofeph of Arimathea, it is faid, Mark xv. 43, That "he alfo expected the kingdom of God:" by all which was meant the coming of the Meffiah; and Luke xix. 11, it is faid, "They thought that the kingdom of God "fhould immediately appear."

This being premised, let us fee what it was that John the Baptift preached, when he firft entered upon his miniftry. That St. Matthew tells us, chap. iii. 1, 2, "In those days came John the Baptift preaching in the "wilderness of Judea, faying, repent; for the kingdom "of heaven is at hand." This was a declaration of the coming of the Meffiah: the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of God, being the fame, as is clear out of feveral places of the evangelifts; and both fignifying the kingdom of the Meffiah. The profeffion, which John the Baptift made, when fent to the jews, John i. 19, was, that he was not the Meffiah;" but that Jefus was. This will appear to any one, who will compare ver.

26-34, with John iii. 27, 30. The jews being very inquifitive to know, whether John were the Meffiah; he pofitively denies it; but tells them, he was only his fore-runner; and that there ftood one amongst them, who would follow him, whofe fhoe-latchet he was not worthy to untie. The next day, seeing Jefus, he says, he was the man; and that his own baptizing in water was only that Jefus might be manifefted to the world; and that he knew him not, till he faw the Holy Ghost defcend upon him: he that fent him to baptize, having told him, that he on whom he should see the Spirit defcend, and reft upon, he it was that should baptize with the Holy Ghoft; and that therefore he witneffed, that "this was the Son of God," ver. 34, i. e. the Meffiah; and, chap. iii. 26, &c. they come to John the Baptift, and tell him, that Jefus baptized, and that all men went to him. John answers, He has his authority from heaven; you know I never faid, I was the Meffiah, but that I was fent before him. He must increase, but I must decrease; for God hath fent him, and he speaks the words of God; and God hath given all things into the hands of his Son, "And he that believes on the Son, hath eternal life;" the same doctrine, and nothing else, but what was preached by the apoftles afterwards: as we have seen all through the Acts, v. g. that Jefus was the Meffiah. And thus it was, that John bears witness of our Saviour, as Jefus himself fays, John v. 33.

This alfo was the declaration given of him at his baptifm, by a voice from heaven: "This is my beloved

Son in whom I am well pleafed," Matt. iii. 17. Which was a declaration of him to be the Meffiah, the Son of God being (as we have fhowed) understood to fignify the Meffiah. To which we may add the first mention of him after his conception, in the words of the angel to Jofeph, Matt. i. 21. "Thou fhalt call "his name Jefus," or Saviour; " for he fall fave "his people from their fins." It was a received doctrine in the jewish nation, that at the coming of the Meffiah, all their fins fhould be forgiven them. These words, therefore, of the angel, we may look upon as a declaration, that Jefus was the Meffiah; whereof these

words,

words, "his people," are a farther mark: which fuppose him to have a people, and confequently to be a king.

After his baptifm, Jesus himself enters upon his miniftry. But, before we examine what it was he propofed to be believed, we must observe, that there is a threefold declaration of the Meffiah.

1. By miracles. The fpirit of prophecy had now for many ages forfaken the jews: and, though their commonwealth were not quite diffolved, but that they lived under their own laws, yet they were under a foreign dominion, fubject to the Romans. In this ftate, their account of the time being up, they were in expectation of the Meffiah, and of deliverance by him in a kingdom he was to fet up, according to their ancient prophecies of him which gave them hopes of an extraordinary man yet to come from God, who, with an extraordinary and divine power, and miracles, should evidence his miffion, and work their deliverance. And, of any fuch extraordinary perfon, who fhould have the power of doing miracles, they had no other expectation, but only of their Meffiah. One great prophet and worker of miracles, and only one more, they expected; who was to be the Meffiah. And therefore we see the people juftified their believing in him, i. e. their believing him to be the Meffiah, because of the miracles he did; John vii. 31. "And many of the people believed in him, " and faid, 'When the Meffiah cometh, will he do more "miracles, than this man hath done?" And when the jews, at the feaft of dedication, John x. 24, 25, coming about him, faid unto him, "How long dost thou "make us doubt? If thou be the Meffiah, tell us plainly; Jefus answered them, I told you, and ye be"lieved not; the works that I do in my Father's "name, bear witness of me." And, John v. 36, he fays, "I have a greater witness than that of John; for "the works, which the Father hath given me to do, "the fame works that I do, bear witnefs of me, that "the Father hath fent me." Where, by the way, we may obferve, that his being "fent by the Father," is but another way of expreffing the Meffiah; which is

evident

evident from this place here, John v, compared with that of John x, laft quoted. For there he says, that his works bear witnefs of him: And what was that witnefs? viz. That he was "the Meffiah." Here again he says, that his works bear witness of him: And what is that witnefs? viz. "That the Father sent him." By which we are taught, that to be fent by the Father, and to be the Meffiah, was the fame thing, in his way of declaring himself. And accordingly we find, John iv. 53, and xi. 45, and elsewhere, many hearkened and affented to his teftimony, and believed on him, fceing the things that he did.

2. Another way of declaring the coming of the Mefiah, was by phrases and circumlocutions, that did fignify or intimate his coming; though not in direct words pointing out the perfon. The moft ufual of these were, "The kingdom of God, and of heaven;" because it was that which was often spoken of the Meffiah, in the Old Teftament, in very plain words: and a kingdom was that which the Jews moft looked after and wifhed for. In that known place, Ifa. ix, "The GO"VERNMENT fhall be upon his fhoulders; he fhall be "called the PRINCE of peace: of the increase of his "GOVERNMENT and peace there fhall be no end; upon "the THRONE of David, and upon his KINGDOM, to "order it, and to establish it with judgment, and with juftice, from henceforth even for ever." Micah v. 2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be lit"tle among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee "fhall he come forth unto me, that is to be the RULER "in Ifrael." And Daniel, befides that he calls him, "Meffiah the PRINCE," chap. ix. 25, in the account of his vifion" of the Son of man," chap. vii. 13, 14, fays, "There was given him dominion, glory, and a "KINGDOM, that all people, nations, and languages, "fhould ferve him: his dominion is an everlasting do

minion, which fhall not pass away; and his KING"DOM that which fhall not be deftroyed." So that the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven, were common phrases amongst the jews, to fignify the times of the Meffiah. Luke xiv. 15, "One of the jews that VOL. VI.

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"fat at meat with him, faid unto him, Bleffed is he "that fhall eat bread in the kingdom of God." Chap. xvii. 20, The pharifees demanded, "when the king"dom of God fhould come?" And St. John Baptift came, faying, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is "at hand;" a phrafe he would not have used in preaching, had it not been understood.

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There are other expreffions that fignified the Meffiah, and his coming, which we fhall take notice of, as they come in our way.

3. By plain and direct words, declaring the doctrine of the Meffiah, fpeaking out that Jefus was he; as we fee the apoftles did, when they went about preaching the gospel, after our Saviour's refurrection. This was the open clear way, and that which one would think the Meffiah himself, when he came, should have taken ; efpecially, if it were of that moment, that upon men's believing him to be the Meffiah, depended the forgivenefs of their fins. And yet we fee, that our Saviour did not but on the contrary, for the most part, made no other discovery of himself, at leaft in Judea, and at the beginning of his ministry, but in the two former ways, which were more obfcure; not declaring himself to be the Meffiah, any otherwife than as it might be gathered from the miracles he did, and the conformity of his life and actions, with the prophecies of the Old Teftament concerning him; and from fome general difcourses of the kingdom of the Meffiah being come, under the name of the "kingdom of God, and of hea"ven." Nay, fo far was he from publicly owning himself to be the Meffiah, that he forbid the doing of it: Mark viii. 27-30. "He asked his difciples, "Whom do men say that I am? And they answered

John the Baptift; but fome fay Elias; and others, "one of the prophets." (So that it is evident, that even thofe, who believed him an extraordinary perfon, knew not yet who he was, or that he gave himfelf out for the Meffiah; though this was in the third year of his miniftry, and not a year before his death.) "And he faith "unto them, But whom fay ye that I am? And Peter "anfwered and said unto him, Thou art the Messiah.

"And