the scribes, according to the prophecy of Malachi, chap. iv. 5, rightly said, that Elias was to usher in the Messiah; so indeed Elias was already come, though the jews knew him not, and treated hịm ill; whereby “they "understood that he spoke to them of John the Bap"tist," ver. 13. And a little after he somewhat more plainly intimates, that he is the Messiah, Mark ix. 41, in these words: "Whosoever shall give you a cup of "water to drink in my name, because ye belong to the "Messiah." This, as I remember, is the first place where our Saviour ever mentioned the name of Messiah; and the first time that he went so far towards the owning, to any of the jewish nation, himself to be him.

In his way to Jerusalem, bidding one follow him, Luke ix. 59, who would first bury his father, ver. 60, "Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead; "but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." And Luke x. 1, sending out the seventy disciples, he says to them, ver. 9, "Heal the sick, and say, The kingdom "of God is come nigh unto you." He had nothing else for these, or for his apostles, or any one, it seems, to preach, but the good news of the coming of the kingdom of the Messiah. And if any city would not receive them, he bids them, ver. 10, "Go into the streets of "the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, "which cleaveth on us, do we wipe off against you; "notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that the king"dom 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 disciples also may see the "works that thou doest: for there is no man that does

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any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be "known openly. If thou do these things, show thy"self to the world." Here his brethren, which, the next verse tells us, "did not believe in him," seem to.

upbraid him with the inconsistency of his carriage; as if he designed to be received for the Messiah, and yet was afraid to show himself: to whom he justified his conduct (mentioned ver. 1.) in the following verses, by telling them, "That the world" (meaning the jews especially)" hated him, because he testified of it, that "the works thereof are evil; and that his timew as "not yet fully come," wherein to quit his reserve, and abandon himself freely to their malice and fury. Therefore, though he "went up unto the feast," it was "not "openly, but, as it were, in secret," ver. 10. And here, coming into the temple about the middle of the feast, he justifies his being sent 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 sabbath-day; which, though done above a year and a half before, they made use of as a pretence to destroy him. But what was the true reason of seeking his life, appears from what we have in this viith chapter, ver. 25-34, “Then said some of them at Jerusalem, Is not "this he whom they seek to kill? But lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the "rulers know indeed, that this is the very MESSIAH ?

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Howbeit, we know this man whence he is; but when "the Messiah cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. "Then cried Jesus in, the temple, as he taught, Ye "both know me and ye know whence I am and I "am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, "whom ye know not. But I know him; for I am "from him, and he hath sent me. Then they sought "[an occasion] to take him, but no man laid hands on "him, because his hour was not yet come. And And many "of the people believed on him, and said, When the "Messiah cometh, will he do more miracles than these, "which this man hath done? The pharisees heard that "the people murmured such things concerning him; "and the pharisees and chief priests sent officers to take "him. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while " am I with you, and then I go to him that sent me: ye shall seek me, and not find me; and where I am, "there you cannot come. Then said the jews among

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"themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall 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 Messiah; and doing such things as made the people "believe in him ;" i. e. believe that he was the Messiah. Here also our Saviour declares, in words very easy to be understood, at least after his resurrection, that he was the Messiah: for, if he were "sent from God," and did his miracles by the Spirit of God, there could be no doubt but he was the Messiah. But yet this declaration was in a way that the pharisees and priests could not lay hold on, to make an accusation of, to the disturbance of his ministry, or the seizure of his person, how much soever they desired it: for his time was not yet come. The officers they had sent to apprehend him, charmed with his discourse, returned without laying hands on him, ver. 45, 46. And when the chief priests asked them, "Why they brought "him not?" They answered, "Never man spake like "this man." Whereupon the pharisees reply," Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers, or of the pharisees, believed on him? But this people, who "know not the law, are cursed." This shows what was meant "by believing on him," viz. believing that he was the Messiah. For, say they, have any of the rulers, who are skilled in the law, or of the devout and learned pharisees, acknowledged him to be the Messiah? For as for those who in the division among the people concerning him, say, "That he is the Messiah," they are ignorant and vile wretches, know nothing of the scripture, and being accursed, are given up by God, to be deceived by this impostor, and to take him for the Messiah. Therefore, notwithstanding their desire to lay hold on him, he goes on; and ver. 37, 38, "In "the last and great day of the feast, Jesus stood and "cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto "me and drink: he that believeth on me, as the scrip"ture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." And thus he here again declares himself to be the Messiah; but in the prophetic style, as we may see by the next verse of this chapter, and those

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places in the Old Testament, that these words of our Saviour refer to.

In the next chapter, John viii. all that he says concerning himself, and what they were to believe, tends to this, viz. that he was sent from God his Father; and that, if they did not believe that he was the Messiah, they should die in their sins: but this, in a way, as St. John observes, ver. 27, that they did not well understand. But our Saviour himself tells them, ver. 28, "When ye have lift up the Son of man, then ye shall "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 cast him out, John ix. 35-38, "Jesus said "to him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? “He answered, Who is he, Lord, that I might be"lieve on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast "both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. "And he said, Lord, I believe." Here we see this man is pronounced a believer, when all that was proposed to him to believe, was, that Jesus was "the Son "of God," which was, as we have already shown, to believe that he was the Messiah.

In the next chapter, John x. 1-21, he declares the laying down of his life both for jews and gentiles ; but in a parable which they understood not, ver. 620.

As he was going to the feast of the dedication, the pharisees ask him, Luke xvii. 20, "When the king"dom of God," i. e. of the Messiah, "should come?" He answers, That it should not come with pomp and observation, and great concourse; but that it was already begun amongst them. If he had stopt here, the sense had been so plain, that they could hardly have mistaken him; or have doubted, but that he meant, that the Messiah was already come, and amongst them; and so might have been prone to infer, that Jesus took upon him to be him. But here, as in the place before taken notice of, subjoining to this future revelation of himself, both in his coming to execute vengeance on the jews, and in his coming to judgment, mixed toge

ther, he so involved his sense, that it was not easy to understand him. And therefore the jews came to him again in the temple, John x. 23, and said, "How long "dost thou make us doubt? If thou be the Christ tell us plainly. Jesus answered, 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

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ye are not of my sheep, as I told you." The BELIEVING here, which he accuses them of not doing, is plainly their not BELIEVING him to be the Messiah, as the foregoing words evince; and in the same sense it is evidently meant in the following verses of this chapter.

From hence Jesus going to Bethabara, and thence returning into Bethany; upon Lazarus's death, John xi. 25-27, Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection "and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were "dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and be"lieveth in me shall not die for ever." So I understand ἀποθάνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, answerable to ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, of the septuagint, Gen. iii. 22, or John vi. 51, which we read right, in our English translation, "live for ever." But whether this saying of our Saviour here, can with truth be translated, "He that liveth and believeth in "me shall never die," will be apt to be questioned. But to go on, "Believest thou this? She said unto him,

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Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Messiah, the "Son of God, which should come into the world." This she 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 same story of the raising of Lazarus, what faith it was our Saviour expected, by what he says, ver. 41, 42, "Father, I thank "thee, that thou hast heard me; and I know that thou "hearest me always. But because of the people who "stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou "hast sent me.". And what the consequence of it was, we may see, ver. 45, "Then many of the jews who "came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him;" which belief was, that he was "sent from the Father;" which, in other words, was,

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