of Bethlehem, was matter of great joy, and not only Mary and Zacharias and Simeon, but alfo the whole choir of the heavenly angels celebrated this in their songs: fee Zech. ix.

9.

IV. And the Meffiah was not only exhibited, but also ❝ made perfect through fufferings," Heb. ii. 10. and thus being " made perfect, he became the author of eternal falvation unto all," Heb. v. 9. For, in the sufferings and death of Christ, there is a true expiation, a cancelling, a blotting out of our fins, a bringing in of everlasting righteousness, a tearing and removing of the hand-writing, nay, there is an eternal redemption.

V. But this was not all; for he was alfo received up into glory, and being placed in the throne of his majesty, he brought the kingdom of heaven to us, having removed every thing, by which the fpiritual and myftical government of God over the confcience, which is the government of liberty, was formerly obfcured. While David in fpirit had this kingdom of the Meffiah before him, as in a figure, he joyfully fung, " Jehovah reigneth, let the earth rejoice, let the multitude of ifles be glad,” Pfal. xcvii. 1. "Jehovah reigneth, let the people tremble," Pfal. xcix. 1. This is that kingdom of heaven, which the Baptift so often proclaimed was at hand; and concerning which our Lord declared, that there were fome of his hearers, "which should not tafte death, till they faw the Son of man coming in his kingdom," Mat. xvi. 28. It cannot but be most delightful to all, that love the Lord Jefus, " to see him crowned with glory and honour, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the fuffering of death," Heb. ii. 9. This great benefit the apoftle has fet forth in these important words, 1 Tim iii. 6. "God made manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." And our Saviour himself has taught us, that a great part of our happiness consists in the enjoyment of this bleffing, Mat. xiii. 16, 17.

VI. The fecond benefit is the gospel of the kingdom," which God had promifed afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures," Rom. i. 2. Namely, the gofpel as completed," which, at the first, began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him," Heb. ii. 3. For, this “ mystery was kept fecret fince the world began: but now is made manifeft, and, by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlafting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith;" Rom. xvi. 25, 26. Not that they had no gofpel before: for, even unto the ancients was the gospel formerly preached, Heb. iv. 2. But that this proclamation

proclamation of future grace was gosvayyshioμòs the gospel preached before, Gal. iii. 8. And the preaching of the present grace is eminently the gofpel now. Hence it is mentioned as an argument of the prefence of the Meffiah, that the "poor have the gospel preached to them," Mat, xi. 5.

VII. Moreover, the gofpel of the New Teftament has the following excellencies above the Old. Ift, That it sets forth Christ as come, and declares that all those things are fulfilled, which were formerly foretold, to come to pafs long after, 1 Cor. ii. 7-10. 2dly, That it declares in clear terms, every thing relating to the common falvation, without the covering of figures, or the labyrinths of dark fayings, 2 Cor. iii. 14. 3dly, That it now allures the hearts of believers with the fweeteft, and most abundant confolations, and without that severity, which according to the old legal dispensation, mixed the words of grace with fo much rigour, whence it is called "the miniftration of righteousness," 2 Cor. iii. 9. and " the word of reconciliation," 2 Cor. v. 18. "The mouth of our beloved is moft fweet," Cant. v. 16. And Ifaiah prophefied concerning his fervants, chap. lii. 7. "how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him, that bringeth good tidings!" &c. Add Ifa. xl. 1.—and Ifa. lxi. 1.—and Ifa. lxvi. 10-12. 4thly, That it dwells now more abundantly in us, and is preached more fully and frequently, and with a greater demonftration of the Spirit, and a deeper infinuation or finking into the conscience, Rom. x. 8.

VIII. The third benefit is the calling of the Gentiles by the gofpel, which followed upon the Meffiah's being made perfect : according to the promise, Pfal. ii. 8." Afk of me, and I fhall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion:" likewife Ifa. xlix. 6. Luke ii. 40. Paul, as in other places, fo, efpecially Eph. ii. and. iii. has, in a magnificent manner, fet forth the perfections of God, as being illuftriously displayed in this admirable work, and, above all, the unfearchable riches of the patience, goodnefs, and manifold wifdom of God in Chrift. "And, indeed, who can but stand amazed at such a surprising thing, (we may justly exclaim with Eufebius) to fee thofe, who, from the beginning, paid divine honour and worship to ftocks and ftones and devils, to ravenous beafts feeding on human flesh, and to venomous feptiles, to fire and to earth, to the very inanimate elements of the univerfe; to fee, I fay, fuch calling on the most high God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the very Lord of the prophets, the God of Abraham and his ancestors, after the coming of our Saviour?" Pray, read what follows; as it is too long to be

here

here transcribed. This very circumftance affures us, that the Lord Jefus is the true and only Meffiah, by whofe word, Spirit, and miniftry, fo aftonishing a work was accomplished, the like, or equal to it was never seen or heard, were we to go back to the remoteft antiquity.

IX. But we are to obferve, 1ft, That these things were accomplished by the apoftles of Chrift, and their fellow labourers, who were not remarkable, either for any excellence of worldly wifdom, or furnished with any charms of Greek and Roman eloquence, or fupported by any human affiftance; but by the naked demonftration of an admirable and almoft incredible truth to the confcience, while the gates of hell raged, the lords and dreaded tyrants of the world oppofed, and the fchools of conceited philofophers clamoured: that the glory of God and his Chrift might thine forth with the greater luftre and brightnefs, the meaner and lefs adapted for the work, were the inftruments he used, 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5.

X. 2dly, That the kingdom of Chrift was fet up among the Gentiles with an astonishing quickness. For," as the lightning that lightneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven, fo fhall also the Son of man be in his day," Luke xvii. 24. Ifaiah had foretold this with a kind of aftonifhment, chap. lxvi. 7, 8. "Before fhe travailed the brought forth; before her pain came fhe was delivered of a man-child. Who hath heard fuch a thing? Who hath feen fuch things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or fhall a nation be born at once? For, as foon as Zion travailed,. the brought forth her children.

XI. 3dly, That this calling extended very far, Rom. x. 18. "Their found went into all the earth, and their words into the ends of the world:" Col. i. 6, 24. Mark xvi. 20. "Tertullian adverfus Judæos fays, c. 7. In what other perfon befides have all the Gentiles believed but in Chrift, who is now come? On whom elfe have the Parthians believed, the Medes, Elamites, the inhabitants of Mefopotamia, Armenia, Phrygia, Egypt, that part of Africa beyond Cyrene; the Romans, the Jews then in Jerufalem, and other nations; and at this day, the various tribes of Getulians, many parts of Mefopotamia, Spain in all its extent, the different nations of Gaul, and the parts of Britain unacceffible to the Roman arms, made subject to Chrift; the Sarmatians, Dacians, Germans and Scythians, many nations yet undifcovered, many provinces and iflands unknown to you, and which we cannot enumerate? among which the name of Chrift, now come, prevails." In a like ftrain has Jerome celebrated abundance of heavenly grace, in Epitaphio Nepotiani ad Heliodorum,

liodorum, and in Epift. ad Lætam, and in general, the other fathers, exulting in so great a happiness of the New Testament. Yet we are not to think, that there was no corner of the world, where the name of Chrift was not preached: nor to believe, that the apoftles failed over to America, and to countries then unknown to the rest of the world: these univerfal expreffions only intimate, that the gofpel of Christ was extenfively propagated, without any diftinction of countries or people, on each fide of the fun's course. See the expreffions Rom. i. 8. Luke ii. 5.

XII. 4thly, The gospel did not reach to the Gentiles, till after it was rejected and despised by the Jews. "Through their fall falvation came to the Gentiles. The fall of them was the riches of the world," Rom. xi. 11, 12. We have an expofition of this paffage, Acts. xiii. 46, 47. where Paul and Barnabas speak thus. "It was neceffary, that the word of God fhould first have been spoken to you (the Jews); but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles: for, fo hath the Lord commanded us," &c. We may add Acts. xviii. 6.

XIII. 5thly, However the polity of the Jews was not overturned, before the kingdom of the Meffiah was made illuftrious among the Gentiles, Mat. xxiv. 14. "And this gofpel of the kingdom fhall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then fhall the end come," namely, of Jerufalem and the temple: which was very wifely fo ordered: for byt his means. ift, the The ungrateful Jews had not the least shadow of excufe left: for what excufe could they have for continuing in their hardnefs, who had feen his power in a very fhort space of time, fhining like lightning through the whole world? This is Chryfoftom's obfervation, Serm. 76 in Matthæum. 2dly, By the preaching of the golpel, he would have all the world know the crimes of the Jews, the guilt they had contracted by the paricide of Chrift, and their obftinate and invincible malice, in stubbornly rejecting all offers of mercy, before he would execute fo terrible a vengeance on a people, who were under fo many obligations to him: that all nations might be obliged to adore his juftice with trembling. 3dly, He would not caft off his ancient people by an ultimate deftruction, before he had gathered, from among the Gentiles, another people for himself. Nor make the material temple an Anthema, till he had built a fpiritual temple of lively ftones. For, it was never intended, that Chrift fhould be a king without a kingdom.

XIV. The fourth benefit is a more abundant and delightful measure of the Spirit, frequently foretold by the prophets, to VOL. II.

3-F

be

be fent together with, and poured out on the church by Christ To this purpofe, if I mistake not, is Zech. ix. 12. even to day mwa * * another declarer do I render unto thee. That day is meant, on which the king of Zion had, by the blood of the covenant, fet at liberty, those who were bound in Zion, and was delivered from death. At that time a declarer, difcoverer, or fhewer forth, is promised, the participle being used as a noun: and he is indeed another discoverer. The firft is the Son of God, and who is the other, but the Holy Spirit? who is also a difcoverer, as he teaches the elect, and brings all things to their remembrance, John xiv. 26. the next to Chrift or another comforter, ver. 16. Him God promises to give, that is, in place of the Son, after he was gone to the Father, John xvi. 7. Tö this likewise I apply, what the Meffiah fays, Ifa. xlviii. 16.

which is very properly tranflated, the Lord אדני הוה שלחני ורוה

God hath fent me and his Spirit. Add the like promises Isa. xliv. 2, 3. and Ifa. xxxv. 7. and Joel ii. 28. The fulfillment of which is in Chrift, who baptizeth his people with the Holy Ghoft and with fire, Mat. iii. 11. compare John vii. 38, 39. of which paffages we have fpoken elsewhere.

XV. The effects of this Spirit, are; 1ft, A more clear and diftinct knowledge of the myfteries of faith, Ifa. xi. 9. and Ifa. liv. 13. Jer. xxxi. 34. 1 John ii. 27. 2dly, A more generous, a more sublime, and cheerful degree of holiness, Ifa. xxxiii. 24. and Ifa. xxxv. 9. and Ifa. Ix. 21, 22. Zech. x. 5. and Zech. xii. 8. 3dly, A more delightful confolation, Ifa. xl. 1, 2. and Ifa. lx. 1, 2. and Ifa. lv. ti. and Ifa. lxvi. 12. 13, 14. John xiv. 16. Acts ix. 31. Eph. i. 13. 2 Cor. i. 22, 4thly, A filial boldnefs, which is now the greater, as adoption itself, and its effects are more confpicuous, Gal. iv. 6. 5thly, The extraordinary and altogether miraculous gifts, which were plentifully beftowed at the beginning of the gofpel, not only on the apoftles, but alfo often on other minifters, nay, on common believers, and even virgins, Mark xvi. 16-18. Acts x. 45, 46. and Acts xix. 6. and Acts xxi. 8. 1 Cor. xii. 7—11. But in what manner the New Teftament is to be compared with the Old, we have frequently shewn already:

XVI. The fifth benefit is Christian liberty, which Paul, the moft diligent interpreter of, and warmeft advocate for, usually fo confiders, that he makes it generally to confift in a freedom from that bondage, which the Jews were under; and

he

* Our version renders, will I render double unto thee. Double, fays a modern commentator, fignifies any thing large, fufficient, plentiful, Ifa. xl. 2. and lxi. 7. particularly the Spirit and his grace. See Gill. in Loc. our author here follows Cocceius.