26. What we are now required to believe to obtain eternal life, is plainly set down in the gospel. St. John tells us, John, iii. 36, 'He that believeth on the Son, hath eternal life; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life.' What this believing on him is, we are also told in the next chapter. 'The woman saith unto him, I know that the Messiah cometh when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus said unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. The woman then went into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man that hath told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Messiah? And many of the Samaritans believed on him, for the saying of the woman; who testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, many more believed because of his words; and said to the woman, We believe not any longer because of thy saying, for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this man is truly the Saviour of the world, the Messiah.'

27. By which place it is plain, that believing on the Son, is the believing that Jesus was the Messiah; giving credit to the miracles he did, and the profession he made of himself: for those who were said to believe on him for the saying of the woman, tell the woman that they now believed not any longer because of her saying; but that having heard him themselves, they knew, i. e. believed past doubt, that he was the Messiah.

28. This was the great proposition that was then controverted concerning Jesus of Nazareth, whether he was the Messiah or no; and the assent to that,

was that which distinguished believers from unbelievers. When many of the disciples had forsaken him, upon his declaring that he was the bread of life which came down from heaven, he said to the apostles, Will ye also go away ?' Then Simon Peter answered him; Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life: and we believe, and are sure thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.' This was the faith which distinguished them from apostates and unbelievers, and was sufficient to continue them in the rank of apostles and it was upon the same proposition, That Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God,' owned by St. Peter, that our Saviour said he would build his church.'

1 Though I shall, in the Appendix, have occasion to refer more than once to the conformity of opinion between Locke and that great and excellent prelate, Jeremy Taylor, the reader may not, perhaps, be displeased to find his testimony introduced here at the outset. Nothing can be more explicit, or more to the purpose, than the following: "Now the great object which I speak of is Jesus Christ crucified. 'I have determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified;' so said St. Paul to the church of Corinth. This is the article upon the confession of which Christ built his church; viz. only upon St. Peter's creed, which was no more but this simple enunciation, 'We believe and are sure that thou art Christ, the Son of the living God;' and to this salvation particularly is promised, as in the case of Martha's creed. (John, xi. 27.) To this the Scripture gives the greatest testimony, and to all them that confess it; for every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God;' and, whosoever confesseth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God :' the believing this article is the end of writing the four Gospels: 'These things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God:' and then that this sufficient follows: and that believing,' viz. this article (for this was only instanced in,)'ye might have life through his name.' This is that great article, which, as to the nature of the things to be believed, is sufficient disposition to prepare a catechumen to bap

29. To convince men of this, he did his miracles; and their assent to, or not assenting to this, made them to be, or not to be of his church; believers, or not believers. 'The Jews came round

about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us doubt? If thou be the Messiah, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.' Conformable hereunto St. John tells us, 'That many deceivers are entered into the world, who confessed not that Jesus, the Messiah, is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist: whosoever abideth not in the doctrine of the Messiah has not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of the Messiah,' i. e. that Jesus is he, hath both the Father and the Son.' That this is the meaning of the place, is plain from what he says in his foregoing epistle : Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Messiah, is born of God.' And therefore, drawing to a close of his gospel, and showing the end for which he wrote it, he has these words: Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written,

tism; as appears in the case of the Ethiopian eunuch, whose creed was only this: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God;' and upon this confession (saith the story) they both went into the water, and the Ethiop was washed, and became as white as snow."-Liberty of Prophesying, § I. p. 8, 9. But with this learned and eloquent work the readers of the "Sacred Classics" are already familiar; and must therefore know that it contains the entire foundation of Locke's Treatise. See particularly the sections on Faith and Heresy, which no man can read without benefit; since, were the spirit in which they are written the predominant spirit in the Christian world, great distinct bodies of heretics would scarcely be found.

that ye may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.' Whereby it is plain, that the gospel was written to induce men into a belief of this proposition-that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah; which, if they believed they should have life.

30. Accordingly, the great question amongst the Jews was, whether he were the Messiah or no: and the great point insisted on and promulgated in the gospel was, that he was the Messiah. The first glad tidings of his birth, brought to the shepherds by an angel, was in these words: Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.' Our Saviour discoursing with Martha about the means of attaining eternal life, saith to her, Whosoever believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Messiah, the Son of God, which should come into the world.' This answer of hers showeth what it is to believe in Jesus Christ, so as to have eternal life; viz. to believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, whose coming was foretold by the prophets. And thus Andrew and Philip express it: Andrew says to his brother Simon, We have found the Messiah; which is, being interpreted, the Christ.' Philip saith to Nathaniel, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write; Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.' John, i. 41, 45. According to what the evangelist says in this place, I have, for the clearer understanding of

the Scripture, all along put Messiah for Christ; Christ being but the Greek name for the Hebrew Messiah, and both signifying The Anointed.

31. And that he was the Messiah, was the great truth he took pains to convince his disciples and apostles of; appearing to them after his resurrection: as may be seen, Luke, xxiv.,which we shall more particularly consider in another place. There we read what gospel our Saviour preached to his disciples and apostles; and that, as soon as he was risen from the dead, twice the very day of his resurrection.

32. And if we may gather what was to be believed by all nations, from what was preached unto them, we may certainly know what they were commanded (Matt. ult.) to teach all nations, by what they actually did teach all nations; we may observe, that the preaching of the apostles every where in the Acts tended to this one point, to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. Indeed, now, after his death, his resurrection was also commonly required to be believed as a necessary article, and sometimes solely insisted on; it being a mark and undoubted evidence of his being the Messiah, and necessary now to be believed by those who would receive him as the Messiah. For since the Messiah was to be a Saviour and a King, and to give life and a kingdom to those who received him, as we shall see by-and-by, there could have been no pretence to have given him out for the Messiah, and to require men to believe him to be so, who thought him under the power of death, and corruption of the grave. And therefore those who believed him to be the Messiah, must believe that he