Peter re

of his own Death and Sufferings, buked him for it, Math. 16. 22. And none of them knew what his rifing from the Dead fhould mean, Mark 9. 10. for they thought, together with the reft of the People, that Chrift or the Meffiah abideth for ever, i. c. must never die, John 12. 34. And even after the Refurrection of Chrift they expected with fome Impatience the fame temporal Glory and Grandeur when they faid, Acts 1. 16. Lord, wilt thou at this time reflore the Kingdom unto Ifrael.

But to defcend to Particulars, and enquire What opinion the Jews had of the Nature of their Meffiah, Who or What he was to be.

1. They generally believed he fhould be a Man of their own Nation, of the Tribe of Judah, of the Seed of David, born at Bethlehem, who was to be the King of the Jews, and their Saviour. When Herod demanded where the Meffiah the King of the Jews fhould be born, the chief Priests and Scribes told him, at Bethlehem, Mat. 2. 5. And they faid to him, In Bethlehem of Judah, for thus it is written by the Prophet, And thou Bethlehem in the Land of Judah art not the least among the Princes of Judah, for out of thee fall come a Governor that shall rule my People Ifrael. And when Jefus afked the Pharifees, Whofe Son is Chrift, or the Meffiah? they roundly anfwered, The Son of David.

Yet

Yet others of the Jews were fo very ignorant and doubtful in this matter, that they refufed Jefus, and denied him to be the Meffiah, for this very Reason, because they knew his Birth and Parentage. John 7. 27. We know this Man whence he is, but when Chrift cometh, no Man knoweth whence he is.

2. They believed that he had an Existence before he came into the World; for we can hardly fuppofe that the Scribes and Priefts fhould be fo ready in citing one part of this Verfe, Micah 5. 2. which fhews him to be born at Bethlehem, and take no notice of the other part of it, a Ruler in Ifrael, whofe goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Yet it may perhaps be doubted whether this Opinion was universal, because in fome Inftances they were ftupid enough to believe one part of a Chapter or Period concerning the Meffiah's Glory, and neglect another part which related to his Sufferings.

3. They believed that he had fome glorious and eminent relation to God. This appears from the Name of Honour that the Meliah was univerfally known by amongst them, viz. The Son of God. The Scribes, the Pharifees, the Priests, and all the Jews, talk'd with our Lord Jefus freely about the Messiah under this Name and Title, as being the common Name of the Meffiah, and perfectly well known amongst them, viz. that the Meffiah was the

Son

Son of God in fome fuperior and more excellent way. When Philip told Nathanael, John 1. 46. We have found him of whom Mofes and the Prophets did write, that is, the Meffiah; Nathanael being convinced that Jefus was he, presently faluted him by this Name, Thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Ifrael.

4. The Prophets in the Old Teftament frequently intimate the Divinity of Chrift; and fome few of the ancient Jews might probably believe that he was the Memra, or Word of the Lord, the Shekinah or glorious Habitation of God, of which the Chaldee Paraphraft fometimes fpeaks. Dr. Allix in his Judgment of the ancient Jewish Church against the Unitarians, feems to be too pofitive and triumphant in this point, that this Memra or Logos to which the Chaldee Paraphraft afcribes the Creation of the World, and the Government of it, and particularly of the Jewish Nation, is the Meffiah in their Senfe. Mr. Nye and others utterly deny it. But the excellent Mr. Robert Fleming, in his Difcourfe of Chriftology, Vol. I. p. 136,— 144. very judicioufly follows a middle Path, and tells us, "That he did not find one of the many Citations ufed by Dr. Allix that "feem'd to neceffitate our Judgment this

way. Therefore he run thro' the Targums "himself in thofe Places where he thought "it moft probable to find what he fought, "and

and yet could find but few Paffages that "feemed very plainly to relate to the Meffiah." Upon which he concludes, "That tho' the "word Memra is fometimes used for the

Meffiah, yet 'tis much more frequently used " in other Senfes, and that the Jewish Memra "and Meffiah are spoken of sometimes as two "diftinct Beings or Perfons *."

But what doubtful Hints or plain Evidences foever there might be from the Books of the Prophets or thefe Paraphraftical Authors, that Chrift was to be the true God, yet the Jews in Chrift's Time did not generally believe it: And tho' fome learned Authors have afferted it, yet I never faw it proved.

Surely if the Pharifees had but embraced this Opinion, they could never been at a lofs to have answered our Lord Jefus, when he ask'd them, Mat. 22. 43, 45, 46. If Chrift be David's Son, how doth he in Spirit call bim Lord? It was plain by their Silence and Confufion, that they did not believe his God

head.

Mr. Fleming in that place tells us, that tho' he could not find the word Memra and Meffiah ufed as explicatory of one another in those Places which are plainly prophetical of Chrift, yet he fuppofes the Reafon might be this, that Memra denotes Chrift with relation only to his Divine Nature before his affuming human Nature, and Meffiah denotes him only as he was to appear vifibly and become Man; therefore it was hardly poffible that both thefe Words fhould be used of him at once. See Chriftology, Vol. I. p. 143. Thus 'tis evident that Mr. Fleming fearched after this Notion with a feeming Inclination to find it true, yet he could not find fo great and uncontested Evidence of it, as to fuppofe that the ancient Jews generally embraced this Opinion, that the Memra or Word of God was the fame with the Meffab.

head. Bifhop Bull is of this mind as well as Dr. Whitby. See Bull's Judic. Eccl. Cath. &c. c. 1. §. 13. and Whitby's Comment.

In fhort, their Notions of this Matter were fo very confused, fo uncertain, fo inconfiftent, and fo various, that they cannot be reduced to any certain or settled Scheme of Sentiments.

SECT. II. What Ideas did Chrift give his Difciples of himself.

II.I Proceed now in the fecond place to inquire, what Ideas or Notions our Lord Jefus Chrift taught his Difciples concerning himself.

1. He takes particular Pains upon many Occafions to fhew that he was fent from God, or received Commiffion from Heaven to teach the Doctrines which he taught, and to perform those glorious and furprizing Miracles which he wrought, to confirm both his Doctrine and his Commiffion. This is fo largely infifted on in the fifth, fixth, and following Chapters of the Gofpel by St. John, that I need not cite particular Inftances.

2. He proves by moft infallible Evidences, that he was the Meffiah, the Saviour of Mankind: and he endeavoured to lead his Difciples out of their own national Prejudices, and to give them a jufter Notion of the Office of the Meffiah, and his fpiritual Kingdom. This he did in feveral of his Difcourfes.

But