there.

"

But when he knew that the pharifees reported, that he made and baptized more difciples "than John, he left Judea," and got out of their way again into Galilee, John iv. 1, 3.

In his way back, by the well of Sichar, he difcourfes with the famaritan woman; and after having opened to her the true and fpiritual worship which was at hand, which the woman presently understands of the times of the Meffiah, who was then looked for; thus fhe answers, ver. 25, "I know that the Meffiah cometh: when he "is come, he will tell us all things." Whereupon our Saviour, though we hear no fuch thing from him in Jerufalem or Judea, or to Nicodemus; yet here, to this famaritan woman, he in plain and direct words owns and declares, that he himself, who talked with her, was the Meffiah, ver. 26.

This would feem very strange, that he should be more free and open to a famaritan, than he was to the jews, were not the reason plain, from what we have obferved above. He was now out of Judea, among a people with whom the jews had no commerce; ver. 9. who were not disposed, out of envy, as the jews were, to feek his life, or to accufe him to the roman governor, or to make an infurrection, to set a jew up for their King. What the confequence was of his difcourfe with this famaritan woman, we have an account, ver. 28, 39-42. "She left "her water-pot, and went her way into the city, and "faith to the men, Come, fee a man who told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Meffiah? And "many of the famaritans of that city BELIEVED ON HIM "for the faying of the woman, which teftified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the famaritans were come unto him, they befought him, that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; and "faid unto the woman, Now we believe not because of thy faying: for we have heard him ourselves; and we "know," (i. e. are fully perfuaded) " that this is indeed "the Meffiah, the Saviour of the world." By comparing ver. 39, with 41 and 42, it is plain, that "believ

"ing

ing on him" fignifies no more than believing him to be the Meffiah.

From Sichar Jefus goes to Nazareth, the place he was bred up in; and there reading in the fynagogue a prophecy concerning the Meffiah, out of the lxi. of Isaiah, he tells them, Luke iv. 21, " This day is this fcripture "fulfilled in your ears.'

But being in danger of his life at Nazareth, he leaves it for Capernaum: and then, as St. Matthew informs us, chap. iv. 17, "He began to preach and say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Or, as St. Mark has it, chap. i. 14, 15, Preaching the gofpel of the kingdom of God, and faying, The "time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;

repent ye and believe the gospel;" i. e. believe this good news. This removing to Capernaum, and seating himself there in the borders of Zabulon and Naphtali, was, as St. Matthew obferves, chap. iv. 13-16, that a prophecy of Ifaiah might be fulfilled. Thus the actions and circumftances of his life answered the prophecies, and declared him to be the Meffiah. And by what St. Mark fays in this place, it is manifeft, that the gospel which he preached and required them to believe, was no other but the good tidings of the coming of the Meffiah, and of his kingdom, the time being now fulfilled.

In his way to Capernaum, being come to Cana, a nobleman of Capernaum came to him, ver. 47, "And

befought him that he would come down and heal his "fon; for he was at the point of death." Ver. 48, "Then faid Jefus unto him, Except ye fee figns and wonders, ye will not believe.” Then he returning homewards, and finding that his fon began to "mend "at the fame hour which Jefus faid unto him, Thy fon "liveth; he himself believed, and his whole house," ver. 53.

Here this nobleman is by the apostles pronounced to be a believer. And what does he believe? Even that which Jefus complains, ver. 48," they would not BE

LIEVE," except they faw figns and wonders; which could be nothing but what thofe of Samaria in the fame chapter

chapter believed, viz. that he was the Meffiah. 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 fick at Capernaumn, he says, "Let us go to the adjoining towns, "that I may preach there alfo; 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 alfo; for therefore am I fent." And St. Matthew, chap. iv. 23, tells us how he executed this commiffion he was fent on: "And Jefus went about all

Galilee, teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching "the gospel of the kingdom, and curing all diseases." This then was what he was fent to preach every where, viz. the gospel of the kingdom of the Meffiah; and by the miracles and good he did he let them know who was the Meffiah.

Hence he goes up to Jerufalem, to the fecond passover, fince the beginning of his miniftry. And here, difcourfing to the jews, who fought to kill him, upon occafion of the man whom he had cured carrying his bed on the fabbath-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 fhall, at his summons, be raised; and that he, by a power committed to him from his Father, fhall judge them; and that he is sent by his Father; and that whoever fhall hear his word, and believe in him that fent him, has eternal life. This though a clear defcription of the Meffiah, yet we may observe, that here, to the angry jews, who fought to kill him, he says not a word of his kingdom, nor fo much as names the Messiah; but yet that he is the Son of God, and fent from God, he refers them to the teftimony of John the Baptift, to the teftimony of his own miracles, and of God himself in the voice from heaven, and of the fcriptures, and of Mofes. He leaves them to learn from these the truth they were to believe, viz. that he was the Messiah fent from

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

The next place where we find him preaching, was on the mount, Matt. v. and Luke vi. This is by much the longest fermon 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 Jerufalem, 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 fermon of his, we do not find one word of believing, and therefore no mention of the Meffiah, or any intimation to the people who himself was. The reafon whereof we may gather from Matt. xii. 16, where "Chrift forbids them to make him known;" which fuppofes them to know already who he was. For that this 12th chapter of St. Matthew ought to precede the fermon 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 defire my reader, once for all, here to take notice, that I have all along obferved the order of time in our Saviour's preaching, and have not, as I think, paffed by any of his discourses. In this fermon, our Saviour only teaches them what were the laws of his kingdom, and what they muft do who were admitted into it, of which I fhall have occafion 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, afking, "Art thou he that fhould come, "or do we expect another?" That is, in fhort, art thou the Meffiah? And if thou art, why doft thou let me, thy forerunner, languish in prifon? Muft I expect deliverance from any other? To which Jefus returns this anfwer, ver. 22, 23, "Tell John what ye have seen and "heard; the blind fee, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the "poor the gospel is preached; and bleffed is he who is "not offended in me.' What it is to be "offended, or fcandalized in him," we may fee by comparing

Matt.

Matt. xiii. 28, and Mark iv. 17, with Luke viii. 13. For what the two firft call " fcandalized," the laft call

standing off from, or forfaking," i. e. not receiving him as the Meffiah, (vid. Mark vi. 1-6.) or revolting from him. Here Jefus refers John, as he did the jews before, to the teftimony of his miracles, to know who he was; and this was generally his preaching, whereby he declared himfelf to be the Meffiah; who was the only prophet to come, whom the jews had any expectation of; nor did they look for any other perfon to be fent to them with the power of miracles, but only the Meffiah. His miracles, we fee by his anfwer to John the Baptift, he thought a fufficient declaration amongst them, that he was the Meffiah. And therefore, upon his curing the poffeffed of the devil, the dumb, and blind, Matt. xii, the people, who faw the miracles, faid, ver. 23, "Is not this the fon of David?" As much as to fay, Is not this the Meffiah? Whereat the pharifees being offended, faid, "He caft out devils by Beelzebub." Jefus, fhowing the falfehood and vanity of their blafphemy, juftifies the conclufion the people made from this miracle, faying, ver. 28, That his cafting out devils by the Spirit of God, was an evidence that the kingdom of the Meffiah was come.

One thing more there was in the miracles done by his difciples, which fhowed him to be the Meffiah; that they were done in his name. "In the name of Jefus of

Nazareth, rife up and walk," fays 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 themfelves feem to wonder, Luke x. 17. " And the feventy "returned again with joy, faying, Lord, even the devils are fubject to us in thy name.'

From this meffage from John the Baptift, he takes occafion to tell the people that John was the forerunner of the Meffiah; that from the time of John the Baptift the kingdom of the Meffiah began; to which time all the prophets and the law pointed, Luke vii. and Matt.

xi.

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

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