pares thofe, who would be his difciples, for fuffering, telling them, ver. 38, "Whofoever fhall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and finful

generation, of him alfo fhall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh "in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels:" and then fubjoins, Matt: xvi. 27, 28, two great and folemn acts, wherein he would fhew himself to be the Meffiah, the king: "For the Son of man fhall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he fhall render to every man according to "his works." This is evidently meant of the glorious appearance of his kingdom, when he fhall come to judge the world at the last day; defcribed more at large, Matt. xxv, "When the Son of man fhall come in his glory, and all "the holy angels with him, then fhall he fit upon the THRONE of his glory.. "Then fhall the KING fay to them on his right hand," &c.

But what follows in the place above quoted, Matt. xvi. 28, "Verily, verily, there be fome standing here, who fhall not tafte of death, till they fee "the Son of man coming in his kingdom;" importing that dominion, which fome there should see him exercise over the nation of the Jews; was fo covered, by being annexed to the preaching, ver. 27, (where he spoke of the manifeftation and glory of his kingdom, at the day of judgment) that though his plain meaning here in ver. 28. be, that the appearance and visible exercise of his kingly power in his kingdom was fo near, that fome there fhould live to fee it; yet, if the foregoing words had not caft a fhadow over thefe latter, but they had been left plainly to be understood, as they plainly fignified; that he should be a King, and that it was fo near, that fame there should see him in his kingdom; this might have been laid hold on, and made the matter of a plaufible and feemingly juft accufation against him, by the Jews before Pilate. This feems. to be the reafon of our Saviour's inverting here the order of the two folemn manifeftations to the world, of his rule and power; thereby perplexing at prefent his meaning, and fecuring himself, as was neceffary, from the malice of the Jews, which always lay at catch to intrap him, and accufe him to the Roman governor; and would, no doubt, have been ready to have alledged these words, Some here shall not taste of death, till they fee the Son of man com

ing in his kingdom," against him, as criminal, had not their meaning been,, by the former verfe, perplexed, and the fenfe at that time rendered unintelligible, and not applicable by any of his auditors to a fenfe that might have been prejudicial to him before Pontius Pilate. For how well the chief of the Jews. were difpofed towards him, St. Luke tells us, chap. xi. 54, Laying wait for "him, and feeking to catch fomething out of his mouth, that they might ac

cufe him :" which may be a reafon to fatisfy us of the feemingly doubtful and obfcure way of fpeaking, ufed by our Saviour in other places; his circumftances being fuch, that without fuch a prudent carriage and refervedness, he could not have gone through the work which he came to do; nor have performed all the parts of it, in a way correfpondent to the defcriptions given of the Meffiah; and which would be afterwards fully understood to belong to him, when he had left the world.

AFTER this, Matth. xvii. 10, &c. he, without faying it in direct words, begins, as it were, to own himself to his apoftles to be the Mefliah, by affuring, them,

them, that as the Scribes, according to the prophecy of Malachi, chap. iv. 5, rightly faid, that Elias was to usher in the Meffiah; fo indeed Elias was already come, though the Jews knew him not, and treated him ill: whereby they understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptift," ver. 13. And a little after he somewhat more plainly intimates, that he is the Meffiah, Mark ix. 41, in these words: "Whofoever fhall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to the Meffiah. This, as I remember, is the first place where our Saviour ever mentioned the name of Meffiah; and the first time that he went fo far towards the owning, to any of the Jewish nation, himfelf to be him.

In his way to Jerufalem, bidding one follow him, Luke ix. 59, who would first bury his father, ver. 60, " Jefus faid unto him, Let the dead bury their dead; but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." And Luke x. 1, fending out the feventy difciples, he fays to them, ver. 9, Heal the fick, and fay, "The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." He had nothing elfe for thefe, or for his apoftles, or any one, it feems, to preach, but the good news of the coming of the kingdom of the Meffiah. And if any city would not receive them, he bids them, ver. 10, "Go into the streets of the fame, and "fay, Even the very duft of your city, which cleaveth on us, do we wipe off against you: notwithstanding, be ye fure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." This they were to take notice of, as that which they should dearly answer for; viz. that they had not with faith received the good tidings of the kingdom of the Messiah.

AFTER this, his brethren say unto him, John vii. 2, 3, 4, (the feast of tabernacles being near) Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy difciples alfo may fee the works that thou doeft: for there is no man that does any thing in fecret, and he himself feeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, fhew thyself to the world." Here his brethren, which, the next verse tells us, “did not believe in him," feem to upbraid him with the inconsistency of his carriage; as if he defigned to be received for the Meffiah, and yet was afraid to fhew himfelf: to whom he juftified his conduct, (mentioned, ver. 1.) in the following verfes, by telling them, "That the world," (meaning the Jews especially) "hated him, because he testified of it, that the works thereof .66 are evil; and that his time was not yet fully come," wherein to quit his referve, and abandon himself freely to their malice and fury. Therefore, though he went up unto the feaft," it was "not openly, but, as it were, in fecret," ver. 10. And here, coming into the temple about the middle of the feast, he juftifies his being fent from God; and that he had not done any thing against the law, in curing the man at the pool of Bethesda, John v. 1-16, on the fabbath-day; which, though done above a year and a half before, they made ufe of as a pretence to deftroy him. But what was the true rea son of feeking his life, appears from what we have in this viith chapter, ver. 25-34, "Then "faid some of them at Jerufalem, Is not this he whom they feek to kill? But "lo, he fpeaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed, that this is the very MESSIAH? Howbeit, we know this man "whence he is; but when the Meffiah cometh, no man knoweth whence he 7

... is...

Then cried Jefus in the temple, as he taught, Ye both know me, and 06 ye know whence I am : and I am not come of myfelf, but he that fent me is "true, whom ye know not. But I know him; for I am from him, and he "hath fent me. Then they fought [an occafion] to take him, but no man laid. hands on him, becaufe his hour was not yet come. And many of the people "believed on him, and faid, When the Meffiah cometh, will he do more mi"racles than thefe, which this man hath done? The Pharifees heard that the people murmured fuch things concerning him; and the Pharifees and chief priefts fent officers to take him. Then faid Jefus unto them, Yet a little. "while am I with you, and then I go to him that fent me: ye fhall feek me, "and not find me; and where I am, there you cannot come, Then faid the Jews among themfelves, Whither will he go, that we fhall not find him?"" Here we find that the great fault in our Saviour, and the great provocation to the Jews, was his being taken for the Meffiah; and doing fuch things as made the people "believe in him;" i. e. believe that he was the Meffiah. Here alfo our Saviour declares, in words very cafy to be understood, at leaft after his refurrection; that he was the Meffiah: for, if he were "fent from God," and did his miracles by the Spirit of God, there could be no doubt but he was the Meffiah. But yet this declaration was in a way that the Pharifees and priests could not lay hold on, to make an accufation of, to the difturbance of his miniftry, or the feizure of his perfon, how much foever they defired it: for his time was not yet come. The officers they had fent to apprehend him, charmed with his difcourfe, returned without laying hands on him, ver. 45, 46. And when the chief priests afked them, Why they brought him not?" They an-fwered, "Never man fpake like this man." Whereupon the Pharifees reply,, "Are ye alfo deceived? Have any of the rulers, or of the Pharifees, believed on

him? But this people, who know not the law, are curfed." This fhews what was meant by "believing on him," viz. believing that he was the Meffiah.. For, fay they, have any of the rulers, who are killed in the law, or of the devout and learned Pharifees, acknowledged him to be the Meffiah? For as for thofe, who in the divifion among the people concerning him, fay, "That he is the Meffiah, they are ignorant and vile wretches, know nothing of the fcripture, and being accurfed, are given up by God, to be deceived by this impoftor, and to take him for the Meffiah. Therefore, notwithstanding their de fire to lay hold on him, he goes on; and ver. 37, 38, "In the laft and great

day of the feaft, Jefus ftood and cried, faying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me, as the fcripture hath faid,. out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water. And thus he here again. declares himself to be the Meffiah; but in the prophetic ftyle, as we may fee by the next verfe of this chapter, and thofe places in the old teftament, that thefe words of our Savour refer to.

IN the next chapter, John viii, all that he fays concerning himself, and what they were to believe, tends to this, viz. that he was fent from God his Father; and that, if they did not believe that he was the Meffiah, they fhould die in. their fins but this, in a way, as St. John obferves, ver. 27, that they did not

well:

ye

have

well understand. But our Saviour himself tells them, ver. 28, "When "lift up the Son of man, then fhall ye know that I am he." GOING from them, he cures the man born blind, whom meeting with again, after the Jews had questioned him, and caft him out, John ix. 35-38, "Jefus faid to him, Doft thou believe on the Son of God? He answered, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jefus faid unto him, Thou haft both feen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he faid, Lord, I believe." Here we fee this man is pronounced a believer, when all that was propofed to him to believe, was, that Jefus was "the Son of God;" which was, as we have already fhewn, to believe that he was the Meffiah.

IN the next chapter, John x. 1,-21, he declares the laying down of his life for both Jews and Gentiles; but in a parable which they understood not, ver. 6,-20.

As he was going to the feaft of the dedication, the Pharifees afk him, Luke xvii. 20, "When the kingdom of God," i. c. of the Meffiah, "fhould come?" e. He anfwers, That it fhould not come with pomp and obfervation, and great concourfe; but that it was already begun amongst them. If he had ftopt here, the sense had been fo plain, that they could hardly have mistaken him; or have doubted, but that he ineant, that the Meffiah was already come, and amongst them; and fo might have been prone to infer, that Jefus took upon him to be him. But here, as in the place before taken notice of, fubjoining to this future revelation of himself, both in his coming to execute vengeance on the Jews, and in his coming to judgment, mixed together, he fo involved his fenfe, that it was not eafy to understand him. And therefore the Jews came to him again in the temple, John x. 23, and said, "How long doft thou make us doubt? If thou be the Chrift, tell us plainly. Jefus anfwered, I told you, and ye BELIEVED not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear " witness of me. But ye BELIEVED not, because ye are not of my fheep, as "I told you." The BELIEVING here, which he accufes them of not doing, is plainly their not BELIEVING him to be the Meffiah, as the foregoingwords evince; and in the fame fenfe it is evidently meant in the following verfes of this chapter.

FROM hence Jefus going to Bethabara, and thence returning into Bethany; upon Lazarus's death, John xi. 25,-27, Jefus faid to Martha, "I am the refurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet "fhall he live; and whofoever liveth and believeth in me fhall not die for ever. So I underftand αποθάνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, anfwerable to ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, of th feptuagint, Gen. iii. 22, or Gen. iii. 22, or John vi. 51, which we read right, in our English tranflation," live for ever." "live for ever." But whether this faying of our Saviour here, can with truth be tranflated, "He that liveth and believeth in me fhall never die," will be apt to be queftioned. But to go on, "Believeft thou this? She faid "unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Meffiah, the Son of God, ** which should come into the world." This fhe gives as a full answer to our Saviour's demands; this being that faith, which whoever had, wanted no more to make them believers.

We may observe farther, in this fame story of the raifing of Lazarus, what faith it was our Saviour expected, by what he fays, ver. 41, 42, "Father, I "thank thee, that thou hast heard me; and I know that thou hearest me alBut because of the people who ftand by, I faid it, that they may beways. "lieve that thou haft fent me." And what the confequence of it was, we inay fee, ver. 45, "Then many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had feen the things which Jefus did, believed on him:" which belief was, that he was "fent from the Father;" which, in other words, was, that he was the Meffiah. That this is the meaning, in the evangelifts, of the phrase of "believing on him," we have a demonstration in the following words, ver. 47, 48, " Then gathered the chief priests and Pharifees a council, and faid, What do we ? "For this man does many miracles; and if we let him alone, all men will "6 BELIEVE ON HIM." Those who here fay, all men would BELIEVE ON HIM, were the chief priests and Pharifees, his enemies, who fought his life; and therefore could have no other fenfe nor thought of this faith in him, which they fpake of; but only the believing him to be the Meffiah: and that that was their meaning, the adjoining words fhew: " If we let him alone, all the world "will believe on him ;" i. e. believe him to be the Meffiah. "And the Ro"mans will come and take away both our place and nation." Which reafoning of theirs was thus grounded: If we stand still, and let the people "believe on him," i. e. receive him for the Meffiah: they will thereby take him and fet him up for their King, and expect deliverance by him; which will draw the Roman arms upon us, to the destruction of us and our country. The Romans could not be thought to be at all concerned in any other belief whatsoever, that the people might have on him. It is therefore plain, that "believing "on him," was, by the writers of the gofpel, understood to mean the " "believing "him to be the Meffiah." The fanhedrim therefore, ver. 53, 54, from that forth confulted to put him to death." Jefus therefore walked not yet" (for fo the word T fignifies, and so I think it ought here to be tranflated) "boldly," or open-faced," among the Jews," i. e. of Jerufalem. "Er cannot well here be tranflated" no more," because, within a very fhort time after, he appeared openly at the paffover, and by his miracles and fpeech declared himself more freely than ever he had done; and, all the week before his paffion, taught daily in the temple, Matt. xx. 17. Mark x. 32. Luke xviii. 31, &c. The meaning of this place feems therefore to be this: that his time being not yet come, he durft not yet fhew himself openly and confidently before the fcribes and Pharifees, and thofe of the fanhedrim at Jerufalem, who were full of malice against him, and had refolved his death: "But went thence into a country near the

wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his difciples," to keep himself out of the way until the paffover, "which was nigh at hand," ver. 55. In his return thither, he takes the twelve afide, and tells them beforehand, what should happen to him at Jerufalem, whither they were now going; and that all things that are written by the prophets, concerning the Son of man, fhould be accomplished; that he should be betrayed to the chief priests and fcribes; and that they should condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; that he should be mocked, and fpit on, and fcourged, and put to VOL. III. death;

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