tion as a prophet, purchase it as a prieft, and bestow it as a king: that God's looking on the face of his anointed, who made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in an everlasting righteousness, is man's full and only encouragement to hope for every bleffing: that the enemies of this anointed one fhall be cloathed with fhame, and that these are bleffed who put their truft in him. Thefe, and many important particulars of the fame nature, might be ftill farther illuftrated and confirmed from Pf. xxii. and cx. If. xi, xlix, liii. Zach. iii. 8, 9; vi. 12. 13; ix. 9— 12; xiii. 7. and a variety of other fcriptures, which it would too much fwell these sheets to tranfcribe.

§ 7. Let us next enquire, in what fenfe, we muft believe, that Jefus is the Son of God. For Chrift and Son of God, do not mean precifely the fame thing: Elfe, Matth. xvi. 16; xxvi. 63. John xi. 27; xx. 31. 2 Cor. i. 19. 1 John i. 3, 7. where both these titles are in the fame fentence afcribed to Jefus, muft needs appear vain and ufelefs repetitions, unworthy of the wisdom of the Holy Ghoft. Befides, we are told, Acts ix. 20. that Paul "preached Chrift "in the fynagogues, that he is the Son of God." Surely this cannot mean, he preached that Christ was Chrift. So great a mafter of reasoning, not to say an inspired Apostle, was incapable of folemnly afferting and proving a meerly identical propofition. Indeed, if Chrift had been used as a proper name in the apoftolical times, as it is in modern writings, my reafoning would not be conclufive. But in fact, Jefus, the name given our. Lord at his circumcifion, was the only name by. which unbelievers then fpoke of him. What H 6

Paul

Paul preached to the Jews, was therefore this, that the promised Meffiah is no lefs a perfon than the Son of God. The prophets, had afcribed both titles to the Redeemer. And the high priest was probably fenfible of this, when he adjured Jefus by the living God, to tell whether he was the Chrift the Son of God. Matth. xxvi. 63. Yet it was more obfcure, that the promifed Redeemer was the Son of God, in that full emphafis of the title, which includes his divine nature, than that God was to anoint him in a peculiar manner with the Holy Ghoft. The charge of blafphemy againft Jefus, was not founded on his claiming the character of Meffias, but on his ftiling himself the Son of God. See John v. 18; x. 33. Had it not been for this laft claim, it is probable, that the Jews with lefs difficulty would have admitted the firft. They eafily perceived, that if the Meffias was indeed God, he was infinitely fuperior to Mofes, and therefore had power to abolith Mofes's law, and to erect a fpiritual and heavenly kingdom in its room. That confequence they detefted, and thus were led to reject the principle from which it flowed. With good reafon therefore, did Jefus and his apoftles infift upon it, as a term of difcipleship, that Jefus fhould be acknowledged not only as the Chrift, but as the Son of God. These very Jews, who believed that Jefus was the prophet that should come into the world, and were defigned to take him by force, and make him a king, yet could not bear the affertion that he came from heaven. And it was in diftinction from thofe who ftumbled at that doctrine, that Peter professed in the name of the twelve apostles, "We believe and are

❝ fure,

"fure, that thou art that Chrift, the Son of the "living God. See John vi. 14, 15, 41, 42, 66-69.

We read, Matth. xiv. 33. " Then they that "were in the fhip, came and worshipped him, (i. e. Jefus) faying, of a truth, thou art the

Son of God." And John ix. 35-38. “ Jefus heard that they had caft him (viz. the blind "man) out, and when he had found him, he "faid unto him, doft thou believe on the Son of "God? He answered and faid, who is he, Lord, "that I might believe on him? And Jefus faid "unto him, thou haft both feen him, and it is he "that talketh with thee. And he faid, Lord, I

believe, and he worshipped him." Here we fee that those in the fhip with Jefus, and the blind man, looked upon Jefus as the Son of God, and entitled in that capacity to divine adoration. If it was without ground they had imagined, that the title Son of God imported divinity; or if they had worshipped Jefus without regarding him as God, he would have accofted them with fome fuch queftion, as he put to the young man, Matth. xix. 16, 17. "Why cal

left thou me good? There is none good, but

one, that is God." I'acknowledge the word προςκυνείν fometimes means only fuch civil homage as was paid to the eastern monarchs. But not to obferve, that the Jews in that age, had no cuftom of expreffing their honouring princes by any fuch rite; it is plain, there was nothing in our Lord's outward appearance royal and majeftic, and therefore the homage paid him, was evidently paid him as Son of God. And that fuch adoration was not to be given to a fellow "And creature, is plain from Rev. xxii. 8, 9.

"I John faw these things and heard them. And "when I had heard and feen, I fell down to "worship, before the feet of the angel, which. "fhewed me these things. Then faith he unto 66 me, fee thou do it not, for I am thy fellow"fervant, and of thy brethren the prophets, "and of them which keep the sayings of this book worship God."

If the title Son of God did not in the apprehenfion of the Jews import divinity, Jefus, when he thus addreffed them, John x. 36. "Say ye of "him, whom the Father hath fanctified, and "fent into the world, thou blafphemeft: be"cause I faid, I am the Son of God?" muft be fupposed to have accufed them of saying what they had not faid, and of founding the charge of blafphemy where they had not founded it. And if this apprehenfion of the Jews was a wrong one, and the title Son of God imported fomething created, hardly can it be thought, our Lord would: have faid nothing to remove that ftumbling-block. out of their way.

We must therefore believe, that the Meffias is the Son of God in the fulleft and most emphati-cal fenfe of the word. On this account the article is added, John vi. 69.. VIOS T8 fex, and Jefus is termed, John iii. 16. “God's only be

66

gotten Son," i. e. the Son of God in a fenfe incommunicable to any creature, and which hasnot, nay, cannot have any thing parallel to it in: univerfal nature. A parent of many children divides among them his honours and poffeffions,. and does not give all to any one. But to an only begotten fon, a parent gives all that he has to give without exception. The name, therefore, Only begotten Son of God, intimates, that the

glory.

glory of the Son is as great as that of the Father, and that all things whatsoever the Father hath, are his. Poffibly to fome it may appear a speculative point of fmall importance, that he who came in the name of the Lord to fave us, was indeed the equal and fellow of the Almighty. But the Scripture lays upon this the greatest stress, as an evidence that Jefus is able to fave to the uttermoft, and an encouragement to rely on him for falvation. And faving faith accordingly views him as a person of infinite dignity, and therefore able to bear the weight of the Father's anger, to quench the fire of vindictive justice; to begin, carry on, and complete the recovery of defiled and difeafed fouls; and to make his people conquerors, and more than conquerors, of all their enemies. Let me appeal to a few Scripture prophecies, Ifa. xii. 2, 3. "Behold, God is my

falvation: I will truft and not be afraid; for "the LORD Jehovah is my ftrength and my "fong, he alfo is become my falvation. There"fore with joy fhall ye draw water out of the

wells of falvation." Ifa. xxvi. 4. "Truft 66 ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD Je❝hovah is everlafting ftrength." Ifa. xlv. 22, 24. "Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends "of the earth: for I am God, and there is none "elfe. Surely, fhall one fay, in the LORD have "I righteousness and ftrength." Zech. xii. 1, "Thus faith the LORD which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation "of the earth, and formeth the fpirit of man within him, I will pour upon the house of "David and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the fpirit of grace and of fupplication, and "they fhall look upon me whom they have pier

66 10.

"ced."