« What fign doft thou fhew us, fince thou doeft these things? Jefus anfwered, Deftroy ye this temple, and in three days I will « raise it again.” This is an inftance of what way Jefus took to declare himfelf: for it is plain by their reply the Jews understood him not, nor his disciples neither; for it is faid, ver. 22. "When "therefore he was rifen from the dead, his difciples remembered "that he faid this to them and they believed the fcripture, and "the faying of Jefus to them."

This therefore we may look on, in the beginning, as a pattern of Chrift's preaching, and fhewing himself to the Jews; which he generally followed afterwards, viz. fuch a manifeftation of himself, as every one at prefent could not understand; but yet carried fuch an evidence with it to thofe who were well-difpofed now, or would reflect on it when the whole courfe of his miniftry was over, as was fufficient clearly to convince them that he was the Meffiah.

of

The reafon of this method ufed by our Saviour, the fcripture gives us here, at this his first appearing in public, after his entrance upon his miniftry, to be a rule and light to us in the whole courfe of it: for the next verfe takes notice that many believed on him « because of his miracles" (which was all the preaching they had). It is faid, ver. 24. "But Jefus did not commit himself unto them, "because he knew all men ;" i. e. he declared not himself so openly to be the Meffiah, their king, as to put himself into the power the Jews, by laying himself open to their malice, whom he knew would be fo ready to lay hold on it to accufe him; for, as the next verfe 25. fhews, he knew well enough what was in them. We may here farther obferve, that "believing in his name," fignifies believing him to be the Meffiah. Ver. 22. tells us, That " many " at the paffover believed in his name, when they faw the miracles "that he did." What other faith could thefe miracles produce in them who faw them, but that this was He of whom the fcripture fpoke, who was to be their deliverer?

Whilft he was now at Jerufalem, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, comes to him, John iii. 1-21. to whom he preaches eternal life by faith in the Meffiah, ver. 15. and 17. but in general terms, without naming himfelf to be that Meffiah, though his whole difcourse tends to it. This is all we hear of our Saviour. the first year of his miniftry, but only his baptifin, fafting, and temptation in the beginning of it, and spending the reft of it after the paflover in Judea with his difciples, baptizing there. But when he knew "that the Pharifees reported that he made and baptized more dif"ciples than John, he left Judea," and got out of their way again into Galilee, John iv. I, 3.

In his way back, by the well of Sichar, he difcourfes with the Samaritan woman; and after having opened to her the true and fpiritual worship which was at hand, which the woman prefently understands of the times of the Meffiah, who was then looked for; thus the answers, ver. 25. "I know that the Meffiah cometh: when he is come, he will tell us all things." Whereupon our Saviour,

though

though we hear no fuch thing from him in Jerufalem or Judea, or to Nicodemus, yet here to this Samaritan 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 ftrange, that he fhould be more free and open to a Samaritan than he was to the Jews, were not the reason plain from what we have obferved above. He was now out of Judea, with a people with whom the Jews had no commerce, ver. 9; who were not difpofed out of envy, as the Jews were, to seek his life, or to accufe him to the Roman governor, or to make an infurrection to fet a Jew up for their king. What the confequence was of his difcourfe with this Samaritan 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 Samaritans 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 Samaritans were come unto him, they befought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed becaufe 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 it is indeed the Meffiah, the Saviour of "the world." By comparing ver. 39, with 41 and 42, it is plain, that "believing 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 Synagogue a prophecy concerning the Meffiah out of the Ixift of Ifaiah, he tells them, Luke iv. 21. "This day is the 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 fay, Repent, for the kingdom of hea

ven 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, re"pent ye, and believe in the gofpel;" i. e. believe this good news. This removing to Capernaum, and feating himself there in the borders of Zabulon and Napthali, 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 gofpel 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."

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 in which Jefus faid unto him, Thy fon liveth; he himself "believed and his whole house." Ver. 53,

Here this nobleman is by the apoftle pronounced to be a "Be«liever." And what does he "believe" even that which Jefus complains, ver. 48. "They would not BELIEVE, except they faw figns and wonders; which could be nothing but what thofe of Samaria, in the fame chapter, believed, viz. that he was the Meffiah. For we no where in the gofpel hear of any thing elfe that had been propofed to be believed by them.

Having done miracles, and cured all their fick at Capernaum, he fays, "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 muft 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, let them know who was the Messiah.

Hence he goes up to Jerufalem, to the fecond paffover since 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 Sabbath-day, and for making God his father, he tells them, that he wrought thefe things by the power of God, and that he fall do greater things; for that the dead fhall, at his fummons, be raised; and that he, by a power committed to him from his father, fhall judge them; and that he is fent 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 obferve, that here to the angry Jews, who fought to kill him, he fays not a word of his kingdom, nor fo much as names the Meffiah; but yet that he is the fon 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 himfelf in the voice from Heaven, and of the fcriptures, and of Mofes. He leaves them to learn from thefe the truth they were to believe, viz. that he was the Meffiah fent 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 longeft 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

out of Idumca, 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 reason 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 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 thofe 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 difcourfes. In this fermon our Saviour only teaches them what were the laws of his kingdom, and what they must do who were admitted into it, of which I fhall have occafion to fpeak more at large in another place, being at prefent only enquiring what our Saviour propofed as matter of faith to be believed.

After this, John the Baptift fends to him this meffage, Luke vii. 19. afking, "Art thou he that should come, or do we expect an"other" that is, in fhort, art thou the Meffiah? and if thou art, why doft thou let me, thy forerunner, languifh in prifon? muft I expect deliverance from any other? To which Jefus returns this anfwer, ver. 22, 23. "Tell John what you have seen and heard; "the blind fee, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, the deaf hear, the dead are raifed, to the poor the gofpel is preached; and blefied is he who is not offended in me.' What it is to be "offended" or "fcandalized in him," we may fee by comparing Matt. xiii. 28. and Mark iv. 17. with Luke viii. 13. For what the two first call "fcandalized" the laft calls "ftanding off from," or "forfaking," i. e. not receiving him as the Meffiah (fee Mark vi. I-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 himself 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 poffefied of the devil, the dumb, and blind, Matt. xii. the people, who faw the miracle, 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 Beelfebub. Jefus, fhewing the falfhood and vanity of their blafphemy, juftifies the conclufion the people made from this miracle, faying, ver. 28. That his cafting out devils by the fpirit 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 fhewed him to be the Meffiah; that they were done in his

name.

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 seem to wonder, Luke x. 17. "And the feventy returned "again with joy, faying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us "in thy name.'

From this message 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. 1. "Afterwards he went through every city and village, "preaching and fhewing the good tidings of the kingdom of God.' Here we fee, as every where, what his preaching was, and confequently what was to be believed.

Soon after, he preaches from a boat to the people on the fhore." His fermon at large we may read Matt. xiii. Mark iv. and Luke viii. But this is very obfervable, that this fecond fermon of his here is quite different from his former in the mount: for that was all fo plain and intelligible, that nothing could be more fo; whereas this is all fo involved in parables, that even the apoftles themselves did not understand it. If we enquire into the reafon of this, we fhall poffibly have fome light from the different subjects of these two fermons. There he preached to the people only morality; clearing the precepts of the law from the falfe gloffes which were received in those days, and setting forth the duties of a good life in their full obligation and extent, beyond what the judiciary laws of the Ifraelites did, or the civil laws of any country could prefcribe or take notice of. But here, in this fermon by the fea-fide, he fpeaks of nothing but the kingdom of the Meffiah, which he does all in parables. One reafon whereof St. Matthew gives us, chap. xiii. 35. "That it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the pro"phet, faying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things "that have been kept fecret from the foundation of the world.” Another reason our Saviour himself gives of it, ver. 11, 12. "Be"cause to you it is given to know the myfteries of the kingdom of "heaven, but to them it is not given. For whofoever hath, to "him fhall be given, and he fhall have more abundantly; but "whofoever hath not," i. e. improves not the talents that he hath, " from him fhall be taken away even that he hath."

One thing it may not be amifs to obferve, that our Saviour here, in the explication of the first of these parables to his apostles, calls the preaching of the kingdom of the Meffiah, fimply, "the word;" and Luke viii. 21. "the word of God:" from whence St. Luke, in the Acts, often mentions it under the name of "the word," and the "word of God," as we have elsewhere observed. Το which I fhall here add that of Acts viii. 4. "Therefore they that "were scattered abroad, went every where preaching the word;" which word, as we have found by examining what they preached VOL. IV.

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