by any material Oil, but by the Spirit of GOD, which He received as the Head, and conveyeth to his Members.

(a) I. e. the Anointed.

except one place in

The Name therefore muft import a Perfon fet a part by GOD, anointed with the moft facred Oil, advanc'd to the highest Office, of which all thofe Employments under the Law, in the obtaining of which Oil was us'd, were but Types and Shadows. There was not only a general Expectation of fuch a Perfon among the Jews, but they ever esteem'd it an Article of Faith, to be believ'd of all who profefs'd the Law of Mofes; and whofoever denied it, was thereby interpreted to deny the Law and the Prophets. Now fince it is very certain that the Meffias was promis'd by GOD, both before, and under the Law, while yet most of thofe Promifes rather describe the Perfon, than exprefs the Titlet; it + For wherefoemay be worth our notice, how this Univerfal Expecta- ver he is spoken of tion of a Redeemer, under the Name of the Meffias, as the Anointed, fhould fpread it felf thro' the Jewish Church. And this it may be turned to it did chiefly after the Captivity, when the People, ha-Some other Perfon ving loft the exact knowledge of their own Tongue, Daniel, where 'tis had the Scriptures interpreted to them in Chaldee Lan- faid, The Methias guage, which they had lately learned. Thus the Le- fhall be cut off, vites are faid to have caufed the People to understand and even there the the Law, because they read in the Book in the Law of Meffias, but the GOD, diftinctly, and gave the Senfe, and caused them to Unction. understand the reading *. This conftant Interpretation Neh. viii. 8. produc'd at length a Chaldee Verfion of the Old Teftament, to be read every Sabbath in the Synagogues; which being made not Word for Word with the Hebrew, but with the liberty of a brief Exposition, took in, together with the Text, the general Opinion of the learned Jews; whence it came to pafs, that not only the Doctrine, but the Name alfo of the Meffias, was very frequent and familiar to them. So that in the Chaldee Paraphrafe now extant, there is exprefs mention of the Meffias in more than feventy Places befides that of Daniel.

(b) This is demonftrably evident from the two famous Prophefies; that of Jacob, The Scepter fhall not depart

from

*

Greek has not the

from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until + Gen. xlix 10. Shiloh come, and to him shall the gathering of the People be †•

And that other of Haggai, Thus faith the Lord of Hofts, yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth, and the Sea, and the dry Land; and I will shake all Nations, and the Defire of all Nations shall come; and I will fill this Houfe with Glory, faith the Lord of Hosts: the Glory of this latter Houle jhall be greater than the Glory 18.1.5, 7.9. of the former, faith the Lord of Hofts*. For as the antient Jews unanimoufly apply'd thefe Predictions to the Meffias, fo is it manifeft, that the Scepter is now departed from Judah, the Jewish Government hath entirely fail'd; and that the Second Temple is long fince deftroy'd; which being fo much inferior to the first in the common Characters and Marks of Glory, the Shekinah, the Fire upon the Altar, the Urim and Thummim, the Ark of the Covenant, &c. a fuperior Glory could accrue to it by nothing but by the coming of the Meffias, in whom all thofe Signs were more eminently united and contain'd.

Heb. vii. 14.

Mic. v. 2.

+ Ifai. vii. 14. Jer. xxi. 22.

(c) That Jefus is the Meffias, is infallibly evinc'd from the following Confiderations:

1. He is by Jew and Gentile acknowledged to have been in the World at that time when the Prophets foretold that the Meffias fhould come; and when no other Perfon, with any fhew of Probability, afpir'd to the fame Character.

2. It is evident (faith the Apostle) that our Lord fprang out of the Tribe of Judah t; and in all the Addreffes of the Supplicants we find him faluted, The Son of David. But to this Tribe, and this Family, the Jews before, and in, our Lord's time upon Earth, exprefly appropriated the Honour of the Meffias. And thofe modern Jews, who have invented a double Meffias, confefs the Son of David to be the Greater of the two. Again, the Birth-place of the Meffias, foretold by Micah ", and acknowledg'd, not only by the Scribes and Pharifees, but by all the People, was fulfill'd in our Lord by a most remarkable Providence, which called his reputed Parents thither. The manner alfo of his Birth, of a pure Virgin, and his being the true Immanuel, GOD with us, completed two of the most celebrated Predictions concerning Him †.

3. He

3. He taught what the Meffias was to teach, did what the Meffias was to do, fuffer'd what the Meffias was to suffer, and by suffering obtain'd all that a Meffias could obtain. The Meffias is promis'd as a greater Propher, a Teacher of a more perfect way, and of a univerfally extended Religion; who, when GOD had put His Spirit upon Him, fhould fhew Judgment unto the Gentiles, and make the Isles wait for his Law *. Our Lord has de- tai. xlii. 1. 4. livered the most perfect will of GOD, both in his Precepts and Promises. He hath deliver'd it in the most perfect manner, with the greatest Authority, Perfpicuity, and Univerfality. It was expected that the Meffias fhould infinitely furpafs all the former Prophets in mighty Signs and Miracles. Our Lord alledgeth this Mark and Teftimony of his Character, on feveral occafions; particularly in his Anfwer to the Enquiry of J. Baptift† ; † Mat. xi. 2, 3. and those Jews acknowledg'd it, who faid, when Chrift cometh, will he do more Miracles, than thefe which this

Man hath done? The Jewish Doctors reckon up Seventy Joh. vii. 31. fix Miracles for Mofes, and Seventy four for all the rest of the Prophets. What proportion would thefe (if really fo many,) bear to all which our Lord wrought; when St. John affures us with as great Certainty of Truth, as height of Hyperbole, that, There are many other things which Jefus did, the which if they should be written every one, he fuppofed, that, even the World it felf could not contain the Books that should be written t. North, xxi. 25. did our Saviour excel all others in the number more than in the Power of his Miracles.

In kim dwelt the

Fulness of the Godhead bodily *. His Power was so re- *Coloff. ii. 9. ally immanent and inherent in Himself, that He was able to communicate it to his Difciples, and to the Chriftians of the firft Ages. Whereas Mofes and the Prophets either receiv'd an occafional Power from GOD, or rather by their Prayers prevail'd with GOD to work the Miracles by his own immediate Hand. As to our Lord's Sufferings, if we look on them in the grofs, we fhall find them anfwering in the highest manner the Prophetical Character of the Meffias, a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief t. But this part will be beft Ifai. liii. 3. illuftrated, by comparing the particular Predictions with the Hiftorical Paffages of his Sufferings, and joining the Prophets and Evangelifts together: If Zachary fay, They weighed for my Price thirty Pieces of Silver *, St. Mathew will fhew Judas covenanting for the fame Sum †. If

Zach. xi. 12.

Maito 27. 15.

* Mai. bi. 5.

Zach xii. 10.

Joh. xx. 25.

Pal. xxii 7.8.

Mar.xxvii ag

43.

*tai. i 12. + Mar. xv. 27.

Pial Ixix 21.

Ifaiah fav, that He was wounded ", if Zachary, They shall look upon me whom they have pierced †, and David more Pial. xxii. 15. particularly, The pierced my Hands and my Feet; the Evangelifs will thew how He was faftened to the Cross, and Jefus himself the Print of the Nails †. If the Pfal. mift tell us, they should laugh him to fcorn, and fhake their Head, faying, He trafted in GOD, that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him, Jeeing He delighted in Him", St. Matthew will record the fame Action, and the fame Expreffion t. If David fay, My GOD, my GOD, why haft thou forfaken me*! the Son of David will fhew Pal xxii. 1. in whofe Perfon the Father fpake it t. Let Ifaiah foreMat xxvii. 46. tel, that He was numbered with the Trangreffors", and you will find Him crucified between two Thieves †. Read in the Pfalmift, In my Thirst they gave me Vinegar to drink, and in the Evangelift you will hear Jefus faying, Ithirst, that this Scripture might be fulfilled t. Read farther yet, They part my Garments among them, and caft Lots upon my *Pfal. xxii 18. Pefiure, and the Soldiers fhall make good the Predi + Joh. xix. 3 24. &tion t. Laftly, let the Prophets teach us, that He fhall be brought like a Lamb to the Slaughter, and be cut out of the Land of the Living, all the Evangelifts will declare how like a Lamb He fuffer'd, and all his Ene mies will atteft that He was cut off. And as He taught, and did, and fuffer'd, fo He alfo obtain'd what was promis'd of the Meffias. The Lord Jaid unto my Lord, (faith David) fit thou at my right hand †. Now David is not afcended into the Heavens but Jefus is afcended, and fet down at the right hand of GOD; and so, all the House of Ifrael may know affuredly, that GOD bath made that Jefus whom they crucified, both Lord and Acts ii 36. Chrift t.

t Joh. xix. 28.

† Pll cx 1. • Ads in 34.

Pfal. ii. 8.

Pfal. lxxii. 1.

Ifai. ii. 2.

of

4 It was the proper Note and Character of the Me fias, that all Nations fhould come in and ferve Him, and confequently the diftinction of Jew and Gentile ceafe. GOD fpeaks to Him thus, as to his Son, Ask of me, and I willgive thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy poffeffion *. It was one greater than Solomon, of whom thofe Words were fpoken, All Kings shall fall down before him, and all Na tions fhall ferve him. It shall come to pass in the last days, faith Ifaiah, that the Mountain of the Lord's House ball be establish'd in the Top of the Mountains, and shall be exalted above the Hills, and all Nations shall flow unto it *. And again, there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an

Enfign

A&ii. 4t.

Joh. 12. 20.
Acts ii. 5.

I Theff. 1.9.

Enfign of the People; to it shall the Gentiles feek". And Ifai. xi. 10, Malachy concludes the Meffage which all the Prophets had deliver'd; From the rifing of the Sun even to the going down of the fame, my Name shall be great amongst the Gentiles t. That all Nations did thus come into the Do-+ Mal. i. 11, trine preached by Jefus, cannot be denied. The first day that the Apostles receiv'd their Power from on high, by which they were enabled to execute their Commiffion of teaching all Nations, there was an acceffion of Three thousand Souls *. Many of the Greeks which came up to worship at Jerufalem †, devout Men out of every Nation under Heaven, firft embrac'd the Faith; which they were moft capable of, by reafon of their acquaintance with the Scriptures. After them the rest of the Gentiles turned from their Idols to Jerve the living and true GOD. In St. Paul's time the Golpel was preach'd to every Creature under Heaven t. And not many Years af- † Coloff. i. 23. ter, notwithstanding the Rage of Perfecutions, almost the whole Roman Empire became Christian, and the Em perors themselves, little above two Ages after the Death of the laft Apoftle. Thus, according to all the Predictions of the Prophets, the One GOD of Ifrael, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, was acknowledg'd thro' the World, for the only true GOD; the Idols ceas'd, and were rejected; the Law given to Ifrael was taken for the true Law of GOD; but the Ritual Part, as given only to the Jewish People, and therefore to ceafe with that People, while the Moral Part univerfally and eternally oblig'd. But now, if we confider either the nature of the Chriftian Doctrine, the fevere Precepts, the remote, and almoft incredible, Promises, the certainty of prefent Sufferings; or the Teachers of it, Men by Birth obfcure, by Education illiterate, by, Profeffion low and inglorious, defiring to know and to fpeak nothing but Chrift crucified; or their manner of teaching, without Subtilty of Wit, Art of Perfwafion, or Ornaments of Eloquence; it is not conceivable, that all the World fhould agree to defert and condemn the Religion of their Ancestors, to embrace Precepts, unacceptable to Flesh and Blood, upon Promises not ftriking Senfe, and fcarce probable to Reafon, by the preaching of those who were defpis'd and perfecuted, and in the Name of Him who was condemn'd and crucify'd; had not the Doctrine, which did thus prevail, been truly Divine; had not this Light, which difpel'd the Clouds of all former Religions, come from Heaven;

D

had