5, 16. times, only the high-prieft was fo confecrated, whence the Levit. iv. 3, anointed, or the priest that is anointed, did fignify the high-priest, (in diftinction to other inferior priests.) Of kings; all that fucceeded in the kingdom of Ifrael, in a legal and orderly courfe, and thofe whom God did himfelf by extraordinary defignation confer that dignity upon, 15. 16. 1 Kings xix. were so separated, (as Hazael and Jehu.) Prophets; we do not find that they were commonly, or according to any rule, anointed; but one plain inftance we have of 1 Kings xix. Elisha fubftituted to Elijah in this manner, it feems, ast being a prophet more than ordinary, endued with higher gifts, and defigned to greater performances than common prophets were. Now whereas the people of the Jews were by prophetical admonitions brought into an opinion and hope, that in times to come God would fend an ex-l Deut. xviii. traordinary prophet; I will raise them up a prophet from 15, 18. among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my &c. xxxvii. fon alfo the Jews did from the fame inftructions expect to be a Prince, who fhould govern them in righteousness and in prosperity; endued with power to deliver them from all oppreffion and flavery, to fubdue their enemies, and reduce all nations under fubjection to their laws; according to thofe predictions; Ifaiah xxxii. 1. Behold, a King fhall reign in righteoufnefs, &c. Pfalm cx. 2. The Lord shall fend the rod of thy ftrength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies: Jer. xxiii. 5. and xxxiii. 15. Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, that I will raife unto David a righteous Branch; and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and juftice in the earth; in his days Judah fhall be faved, and Ifrael fhall dwell fafely: and, Jer. xxx. 8. It fhall come to pass in that day, faith the Vid. Ezek. Lord, I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst xxxiv. 23, thy bonds, and firangers shall no more ferve themselves of 24. him; but they shall ferve the Lord their God, and David Hof. iii. 5. their King, whom I will raise up unto them: Ifa. xi. 1, 10. And there fhall come forth a rod out of the ftem of Jeffe, Vid. Ifa. ix. and a Branch fhall grow out of his roots; and the Spirit of 7. xvi. 5. the Lord fhall be upon him, &c.—he shall stand for an enfign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles feek, and his rest fhall be glorious and many more places clearly speak to the fame purpose. That this great Perfon alfo fhould be a Prieft, they did or might have learned from the fame prophets; for of him Zechariah thus foretold; Thus faith Zech. vi.12. the Lord of hofts, Behold the man whofe name is The Branch, (a name in so many places appropriated to the Meffias ;) and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: even he shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall fit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counfel of peace fhall be between them both. Of him alfo David fpake; The Lord hath fworn, and will not Pfal. cx. 4. repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. From divers paffages alfo concerning his performances of propitiation and benediction, they might have collected the fame. It is no wonder then that the ancient Jews (although the text of Scripture does not, viii. 8. except once in the 9th of Daniel, apply this name of Chrift or Meffias to this perfon, fo promised and prophefied of) did attribute especially this title to him, it seeming most proper of any, and most comprehenfive, implying all the privileges, endowments, and performances belonging to him. It is obferved that the Chaldee paraphrase (composed by the priests, as an interpretation of the less exactly underflood ancient Hebrew Scripture, for the benefit and inftruction of the people) doth exprefsly Vid. Neh. mention the Meffias in above feventy places; and according to their expofitions we fee that the people did confidently expect a Perfon (under this name and notion) John iv. 25. fhould come; I know, faid the woman of Samaria, (fo far had this belief extended,) that the Meffias comes; and when he fhall come, he will tell us all things: (observe, that they did promife to themselves a full declaration of all truth by the Meffias.) And when St. John the Baptift did live and teach in a manner extraordinary, it is said, Luke iii. 15. That the people did expect, and all men mufed in their hearts concerning him, whether he were the Chrift or not: and when our Saviour's admirable works and difcourfes John vii.31. had convinced divers, they faid, When Chrift cometh, shall he do greater miracles than this man hath done? So that it is evident the belief and expectation of a Meffias to come was general among them. And that indeed Jefus was such, in correspondency to all those prophecies, and the characters in them described and prefignified; that he was fignally chosen and confecrated by God, in a manner fupereminent, to all these offices, prophetical, regal, and facerdotal, the New Teftament doth abundantly fhew us; Acts x. 38. Him, faith St. Peter, in general, God anointed with the Holy Spirit and power; not with external affufion of material oil, (that did only fignify, as Cyrus alfo was not, who yet is called God's Meffias,) but with real infufion of divine grace and power, enabling him to execute all thofe great and extraordinary functions: with this gladsome oil he was thoroughly perfumed and replenished without measure with this he was fanctified from the womb; Pfal. xlv. 5. when the power of the Highest did overshadow him, at or in his conception: with this, at his baptifm, he was folemnly Luke iv. 1, and vifibly inaugurated; when the heavens were opened John iii. 34. unto him, and the Spirit of God defcended upon him as a Matt. iii.16. dove, and came upon him: with this, in all the course of his life and miniftry, he was continually accompanied ; A&s x. 38. the virtue of it being in moft fenfible effects of wife and gracious discourse, holy and blameless conversation, miraculous and glorious performances for the good and benefit of mankind, to the delight and confolation of all well-difpofed minds, difcovered and diffufed. He was by this made (in right and in effect) a Prophet, a King, Prieft. 1. A Prophet: for they were not mistaken, who (upon our Saviour's admirable raifing the widow's child) were amazed, and glorified God, faying, That a great Lukevii.16. Prophet was raised up among them, and that God had vifited his people: nor the difciples, who called him a Prophet, mighty in deed and Speech before God and all the Luke xxiv. people: nor they, who confeffed, (in St. John's Gofpel,) 19. This is in truth the Prophet that is to come into the world. John vi. 14. An extraordinary commiffion he had from God, declared by vocal attestation of God himself from heaven, by the express testimony of St. John Baptist, by the performance of innumerable great figns and miraculous works, (arguments in the highest degree, to utmost poffibility, fufficient to affert and confirm it ;) he was in greatest perfection qualified for the exercise of that function; by inspiration complete and unlimited, by difpofition of mind altogether pure and holy, declared in a continual practice of life void of all fin and guile, by an infuperable courage and con- 1 Pet. ii. 22. ftancy, an incomparable meekness and patience, a most winning goodness and fweetness, a tranfcendant wisdom and discretion, a most powerful awfulness and majesty expreffed in all his demeanour and actions. And suitable to the authority of his commiffion and the qualifications of his person was the weight and the extent of his doctrine, concerning no less than the falvation of mankind, the reconciliation of God to the world, the entire will of God and whole duty of man, with all the covenants and con-ditions, the promises and threatenings relating to our fu 11. ture state; mysteries never before revealed, decrees never to be reversed. He did not (as other prophets have done) prophefy about the conftitution of one particular law or religion, the reproof or reformation of one state, the judgment and fate determined to this or that nation; but to the instruction and converfion of all people, the fettling of a law univerfal and perpetual, the final doom of all the world, did his prophetical revelations extend. So was he a Prophet. 2. And a King alfo he is, fuch as the ProAmos ix. phets foretold he fhould be, who fhould raife the tabernacle of David that was fallen, and restore the kingdom to Ifrael, (Acts i. 6.) that should enact laws, and reduce the nations into fubjection to them; fhould erect a kingdom, and govern it in righteousness, peace, and profperity, fubduing and extirpating all the enemies thereof: [a King not of this world, though over it; ruling not in external pomp and state, but by secret providence and power; not so much over the bodies and temporal eftates, as in the hearts and confciences of men; not chiefly by outward compulfion and violence, but by inward allurement and perfuafion] a King he is indeed over all the world: Rev. v. 13. to the Lamb is to be afcribed all power and authority by every creature: he is truly ftyled King of kings, and Lord Phil. ii. 9. of lords. God hath advanced him, (úzspúywσe,) and hath Eph. i. 21. given him a name (that is, a title of dignity and authority) Col. ii. 10. above every name; that at the name of Jefus every knee xix. 16. i. 5. 18. xi. 27. Should bend, whether of things in heaven, or upon the earth, or under the ground. Of him in a higher and exacter sense Pf. lxxii.11.it was faid than of Solomon, All kings fall down before him, all nations do ferve him. All men whatever (all creaMat. xxviii. tures) are his vaffals, fubje&t and tributary to him; All Johniii. 35. power is given unto him in heaven and earth. But in espexlii. 3. xvii. cial manner he is King over his Church, over that people Pf. cxxxii. whom by the fword of his word and prevalent operation of his Spirit he hath fubdued to himself, (that mystical Sion, built upon the rock of his heavenly grace and truth, Ifa. ii. 2, in which it is faid, God will place his refidence, and reign for ever; from whence the law fhall go forth, and to which all nations fhall flow.) Over this he reigns; hav 2. 13. Mic. iv. 7, &c.* &c. |