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God by him; Heb. 7. 25. and elsewhere, that he is the Author of Eternal Salvation to all, and only thofe, that obey him; Heb. 5. 9. 'Tis not the bare Recital of the Creed, and faying we believe in Jefus, that will intitle us to the Salvation imply'd in it; but we must become his People in Covenant with him, and walk as fuch, before he will fave us from our Sins, or bring us to his Glory.

In fhort then, Chrift is truly and properly a Saviour, because he faves his People from their Sins that is, by the Power of his Grace, he deftroys the Dominion of Sin; by the Virtue of his Blood, he gives the Remiffion of it; and by advancing them to Glory, will take away the very Being and Poffibility of finning any more: So that the Power, the Pollution, and the Guilt of Sin being remov'd, there can be no Condemnation to them that are in Chrift Fefus. Moreover, he has deftroy'd Death, the Wages of Sin, and him that had the Power of Death, the Devil, the great Inftigator to it; and by both fecures to them Eternal Life.

The Leffons we may learn hence, are many : I fhall mention a few. As,

1. We learn hence where to go, and from whom to hope for Salvation; namely, to our Lord Jefus Chrift, who alone obtain'd and can only confer it upon us; for there is no Salvation in any other, neither is there any other Name under Heaven by which we can be fav'd: and therefore 'tis in vain to seek to, or rely upon any other.

2. We learn hence, the Terms upon which alone we may hope for Life and Salvation from him; namely, upon the Conditions of Faith and Repentance, which he has made neceffary to intitle us to it: he is a Saviour to none but his own People, who believe his Doctrine and obey his Precepts; neither does he fave any from their Sins, but fuch as repent and turn from them, without which, 'tis Vanity and Prefumption to expect it.

3. We learn hence, to blefs and magnify the unfpeakable Love and Goodnefs of God, in providing fo well for the Salvation of Mankind, and fending his own Son to be the Saviour of the World: This we are taught from the Hymn of Zacharias, whom we find praifing God for raising up bis Horn of Salvation for us in the House of his Servant David, to fave us from our Enemies, and the hands of all that bate us. And good old Simeon defir'd to fee nothing more, when his Eyes had seen this great Salvation.

4. We may learn hence, what a high Value and Efteem we are to have for the Name of Jefus, which is above every Name, at which the Apoftle would have every Knee to bow, and all things in Heaven and Earth to do Homage and Re

verence.

Laftly, We may learn hence, fo to demean ourselves towards our bleffed Saviour, as to attain an Interest in his Salvation. Without it, we are undone for ever: For bow fball we efcape, if we neglect fo great Salvation? And with it we fhall be eternally happy; For he is able to fave to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Wherefore let us fo believe in Jefus, as to love, honour, and obey him; fo fhall we receive the End of our Faith, the Salvation of our Souls.

62.

DISCOURSE VIII.

JOHN i. 4I.

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We have found the Meffias; which is, being interpreted, The Chrift.

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Have fpoken of the firft Name given to the Second Perfon in the Trinity, and fhew'd what it is to believe in Fefus: I come now to the fecond, which is Chrift; I believe in Fefus Chrift. Of which I fhall treat from the Words read, We have found the Meffias; which is, by Interpretation, the Chrift. Where I muft fhew,

First, The Import and Meaning of the word Chrift. Secondly, That Jefus is truly and properly The Chrift. Thirdly, The Grounds and Reafons upon which we believe him to be fo.

And Laftly, What Influence this Belief is to have on our Practice. I begin,

First, With the Import and Meaning of the word Christ, which is the fame in Greek with Meias in Hebrew, and both fignify The Anointed. I know the Meffias cometh, which is called Chrift, faith the Woman of Samaria; John 4. 24.

And

And here Andrew tells Peter, We have found the Meffias; which is, being interpreted, The Chrift. The Senfe of both which, is, that they had found the Perfon that was anointed of God, and thereby defign'd for the great Work of Man's Redemption. We read in Scripture, that Perfon appointed to any great and publick Office were wont to be anointed; thus Kings, Priefts, and Prophets were ufually fet apart and confecrated by this Ceremony. I have call'd Dav.d my Servant, (faith God) with my holy Oil have I anointed him. Aaron and his Sons were commanded to be anointed, to qualify them to minifter in the Pricft's Office, Exod. 30. 30. And the Prophets were gen rally by Unction invefted into their Office: Elifha the Son of Shaphat (faid God to Elijah) halt thou anoint to be Prophet in thy room; 1 Kings 19. 16.

Accordingly the Son of God, who is both the King, Prieft, and Prophet of his Church, was anointed with the moft facred Oil, and thereby confecrated to that high and holy Office, of which all the Employments under the Law, where Oil was us'd, were but Types and Shadows: for which reafon he is faid to be anointed with the Oil of Gladnefs above his Fellows, and to have the Spirit pour'd out upon him without meafure; which in the moft eminent manner gives him the Title of The Chrift, or Anointed of God.

But that we may not doubt or mistake the Perfon, I proceed,

Secondly, To fhew that Jefus, in whom we believe in our Creed, is that very Chrift, or true Meffias, that was anointed or fet apart by God for this great Work.

That fuch a divine extraordinary Perfon was to come, in whom all the Nations of the Earth fhould be bleffed, we learn from many plain Promifes and Prophecies in the Old Teftament. That fuch a one was earnestly expected to come into the World, at the time when our Saviour came into it, is evident from fundry Paffages of the New Teftament. "Twas a frequent Question among the Fers, Where is he that should be born King of the Jews? When St. John appear'd, the Jews fent Priefts and Levites to ask him, Whether he were the Christ or no? and we find others queftioning him, Art thou be that should come, or must we look for another? Which fhews that there was a general Expectation of the Coming of the Meffias at that time. VOL. I.

That

That many upon our Saviour's Birth and Appearance in the World took him for the true Meffias, is evident from the History of the Gofpel: Some were convinc'd by the Excellence of his Doctrine, as the Samaritans; We heard him ourselves (fay they) and know that this is indeed the Chrift, the Saviour of the World, Luke 2. 38. Others by his Miracles; faying, We know that he came from God, for none could do the Works that he did, except God were with him. And we find many upon fundry occafions acknowledging, Of a truth, this is that great Prophet that is to come into the World. Which Truth, by the Miniftry of the Apoftles, and others authoriz'd to preach it, hath obtain'd in moft Parts of the World; who are, by the Spreading and Succefs of the Gospel, profelyted to this Belief, that Jefus is the Chrift. Moreover,

That the time appointed by God, for the Coming of the Meffias, is already expir'd, and confequently that the MefGas is come, is plain from the exprefs Prophecies of holy Scripture. Jacob's Prediction made the Departure of the Scepter from Judah, and a Law-giver from between his feet, the time of Shiloh's or the Meffias's Coming, Gen. 49. 10. Now the Scepter or Government being wholly gone from that Tribe, and no Law-giver left between his feet, we may fafely conclude that the Meffias is come. Again,

Both the Prophecies of Haggai and Malachi plainly declare the Coming of the Meffias to be during the fecond Temple; for both of them tell us, that he, who was the Defire of all Nations, fhould come and fill that House with bis Glory, and by that means the Glory of this latter House Should be greater than the former; Hag. 2. 6, 7. and Mal. 5. 1. Both which Prophecies were fulfill'd at our Saviour's being prefented, and after appearing in the Temple; which gave a greater Glory to that Structure, than the former could boast of. Now it plainly appearing by these Prophecies, that the Meffias was to come during the ftanding of the fecond Temple, which he was to grace and adorn with his Prefence; and being now as certain that that Temple is fo far from standing, that there is not one Stone left on another; we may from thence evidently conclude, that the promifed Meffias is already come.

But because the Jews are the greatest Infidels and Unbelievers in this point, it will be requifite, both for the convincing of them, and confirming of others, to proceed,

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Thirdly, To the Grounds and Reafons why we believe Jefus to be the Chrift, or he that was born of the Virgin Mary to be the true promis'd Meffias. In proving of which, because we have to do only with the Jews, who own the Authority of Mofes and the Prophets, the most proper Method of Conviction will be to fetch our Arguments thence. If then all the Promifes and Predictions relating to the Meffias in the Old Testament, be exactly fulfill'd in the Perfon of him whom we acknowledge for our Saviour, and no other; we may fafely fay with those in the Text, We have found the Meffias; which is, by Interpretation, The Christ. And that fo it is, will be evident to any that will but compare them together.

The firft Promife of the Meffias in Paradife ftyles him, The Seed of the Woman, Gen. 3. 15. to which the Prophecy of Isaiah adds, that he was to be conceiv'd and born of a Virgin, Ifa. 9. 8. The Promife made to Abraham calls him bis Seed, which was to be a Bieffing to all Nations, Gen. 18. 18. After which we read, that he was to be of the Tribe of Judah, and of the Stock and Lineage of David. Facob fix'd the time of his coming, which was upon the Departure of the Scepter from Judah, and Daniel, after 70 Weeks of Tears: both which determin'd about the fame time. The Prophet Micah pointed out the Place of his Nativity; namely, at Bethlehem Ephrata, which, tho one of the least among the Hundreds of Judah, yet became more renown'd than all the reft by the Birth of this great Perfon, Mic. 6. In the Writings of Mofes we read, that the Meffias was to be a great Prophet, to reveal to the World the whole Mind and Will of God, Deut. 18. He was likewife to be a Prieft, higher than the High Priest, to offer Sacrifice, and make Interceffion for the People: And laftly, he was to be a King to rule and govern his People, not with the Scepter of an earthly Kingdom, but with the Scepter of Righteousness, to prepare and advance them to a Kingdom in Heaven.

Now how punctually all thefe Predictions were fulfil'd, and all these Offices perform'd by our bleffed Saviour, the Hiftory of the New Teftament may fully inform us; where the exact Harmony and Agreement of the Event, with the Predictions in all the Circumstances of Time, Place, Manner, and other Paffages relating to the Meffias, are fufficient to fatisfy any confidering Person that this is the Chrift. Again,

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