words v. 47. 54. Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day The sum of all which Discourse is that he was the Messiah sent from God And that those who believed him to be so should be raised from the Dead at the last day to Eternal Life These who he spoke to were of those who the day before would by force have made him King And therefore 't is no wonder he should speak to them of himself and his Kingdom and Subjects in obscure and Mystical terms and such as should offend those who looked for nothing but the Grandeur of a Temporal Kingdom in this World and the Protection and Prosperity they had promised themselves under it The hopes of such a Kingdom now that they had found a man that did Miracles and therefore concluded to be the Deliverer they expected had the day before almost drawn them into an open Insurrection and involved our Saviour in it This he thought fit to put a stop to they still following him 't is like with the same design And therefore though he here speaks to them of his Kingdom it was in a way that so plainly bauk'd their Expectation and shock'd them that when they found themselves disappointed of those vain hopes and that he talked of their eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood that they might have Life the Jews said v. 52. How can this man give us his flesh to eat And many even of his Disciples said It was an hard saying who can bear it And so were scandalized in him and forsook him v. 60. 66. But what the true meaning of this Discourse of our Saviour was the Confession of St. Peter who understood it better and answered for the rest of the Apostles shews When Jesus asked him v. 67. Will ye also go away Then Simon Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we go Thou hast the words of eternal life i. e. Thou teachest us the way to attain Eternal Life And accordingly We believe and are sure that thou art the Messiah the Son of the living God This was the eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood whereby those who did so had Eternal Life Sometime after this he enquires of his Disciples Mark VIII 27. Who the People took him for They telling him for Iohn the Baptist or one of the old Prophets risen from the Dead He asked what they themselves thought And here again Peter answers in these words Mark VIII 29. Thou art the Messiah Luke IX 20. The Messiah of God And Mat. XVI 16. Thou art the Messiah the Son of the living God Which Expressions we may hence gather amount to the same thing Whereupon our Saviour tells Peter Mat. XVI 17 18. That this was such a truth As flesh and blood could not reveal to him but only his Father who was in Haven And that this was the Foundation on which he was to build his Church By all the parts of which passage it is more than probable that he had never yet told his Apostles in direct words that he was the Messiah but that they had gathered it from his Life and Miracles For which we may imagine to our selves this probable Reason Because that if he had familiarly and in direct terms talked to his Apostles in private that he was the Messiah the Prince of whose Kingdom he preached so much in publick every where Iudas whom he knew false and treacherous would have been readily made use of to testifie against him in a matter that would have been really Criminal to the Roman Governour This perhaps may help to clear to us that seemingly abrupt reply of our Saviour to his Apostles Iohn VI. 70. when they confessed him to be the Messiah I will for the better explaining of it set down the passage at large Peter having said We believe and are sure that thou art the Messiah the Son of the living God Iesus answered them Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is a reply seeming at first sight nothing to the purpose when yet it is sure all our Saviour's Discourses were wise and pertinent It seems therefore to me to carry this sense to be understood afterwards by the eleven as that of destroying the Temple and raising it again in three days was when they should reflect on it after his being betray'd by Iudas You have confessed and believe the truth concerning me I am the Messiah your King But do not wonder at it that I have never openly declared it to you For amongst you twelve whom I have chosen to be with me there is one who is an Informer or false Accuser for so the Greek word signifies and may possibly here be so translated rather than Devil who if I had owned my self in plain words to have been the Messiah the King of Israel would have betrayed me and informed against me That he was yet cautious of owning himself to his Apostles positively to be the Messiah appears farther from the manner wherein he tells Peter v. 18. that he will build his Church upon that Confession of his that he was the Messiah I say unto thee Thou art Cephas or a Rock and upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Words too doubtful to be laid hold on against him as a Testimony that he professed himself to be the Messiah Especially if we joyn with them the following words v. 19. And I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven And what thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and what thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven Which being said Personally to Peter render the foregoing words of our Saviour wherein he declares the Fundamental Article of his Church to be the believing him to be the Messiah the more obscure and doubtful and less liable to be made use of against him But yet such as might afterwards be understood And for the same reason he yet here again forbids the Apostles to say that he was the Messiah v. 20. From this time say the Evangelists Jesus began to shew to his Disciples i. e. his Apostles who are often called Disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the Elders Chief Priests and Scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day These though all marks of the Messiah yet how little understood by the Apostles or suited to their expectation of the Messiah appears from Peter's rebuking him for it in the following words Mat. XVI 22. Peter had twice before owned him to be the Messiah and yet he cannot here bear that he should Suffer and be put to Death and be raised again Whereby we may perceive how little yet Jesus had explained to the Apostles what Personally concerned himself They had been a good while witnesses of his Life and Miracles
St. Paul v. 23 24. was not writ for his Abraham 's sake alone But for us also teaching us that as Abraham was justified for his Faith so also ours shall be accounted to us for Righteousness if we believe God as Abraham believed him Whereby 't is plain is meant the firmness of our Faith without staggering and not the believing the same Propositions that Abraham believed viz. that though he and Sarah were old and past the time and hopes of Children yet he should have a Son by her and by him become the Father of a great People which should possess the Land of Canaan This was what Abraham believed and was counted to him for Righteousness But no body I think will say that any ones believing this now shall be imputed to him for Righteousness The Law of Faith then in short is for every one to believe what God requires him to believe as a condition of the Covenant he makes with him and not to doubt of the performance of his Promises This the Apostle intimates in the close here v. 24. But for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Iesus our Lord from the dead We must therefore examine and see what God requires us to believe now under the Revelation of the Gospel For the belief of one Invisible Eternal Omnipotent God maker of Heaven and Earth c. was required before as well as now What we are now required to believe to obtain Eternal Life is plainly set down in the Gospel St. Iohn tells us Iohn 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 Iesus said unto her I that spake 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 our selves and we know that this Man is truly the Saviour of the World the Messiah John IV. 25 26. 29. 39 40 41 42. By which place it is plain that believing on the Son is the believing that Iesus 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 v. 39. 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 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 form Unbelievers When many of his 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 Iohn VI. 69. This was the Faith which distinguished them form Apostates and Unbelievers and was sufficient to continue them in the rank of Apostles And it was upon the same Proposition That Iesus was the Messiah the Son of the living God owned by St. Peter that our Saviour said he would build his Church Mat. XVI 16-18 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 Iews came round about him and said unto him how long dost thou make us doubt If thou be the Messiah tell us plainly Iesus 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 John X. 24-26 Conformable hereunto St. Iohn tells us That many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Iesus 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 2 John 7. 9 10. That this is the meaning of the place is plain from what he says in his foregoing Epistle Whosoever believeth that Iesus is the Messiah is born of God 1 John V. 1. And therefore drawing to a close of his Gospel and shewing the end for which he writ it he has these words Many other signs truly did Iesus in the presence of his Disciples which are not written in this book but these are written that ye may believe that Iesus is the Messiah the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name John XX. 30 31. Whereby it is plain that the Gospel was writ to induce men into a belief of this Proposition that Iesus of Nazareth was the Messiah Which if they believed they should have life 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 Luke II. 11. Our Saviour Discoursing with Martha about the means of attaining Eternal Life saith to her Iohn XI 27. 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 sheweth 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 Nathanael we have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write Iesus of Nazareth the Son of Joseph Iohn I. 41. 45. According to what the Evangelist says in this place I have for the clearer understanding
them your blood be upon your own heads I am clean from henceforth I will go unto the Greeks Upon the like occasion he tells the Jews at Antioch Acts XIII 46. It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you But seeing you put it off from you we turn to the Gentiles 'T is plain here St. Paul's charging their Blood on their own heads is for opposing this single Truth that Iesus was the Messiah that Salvation or Perdition depends upon believing or rejecting this one Proposition I mean this is all is required to be believed by those who acknowledge but one Eternal and Invisible God the maker of Heaven and Earth as the Jews did For that there is something more required to Salvation besides believing we shall see hereafter In the mean time it is fit here on this occasion to take notice that though the Apostles in their Preaching to the Jews and the Devout as we translate the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who were Proselytes of the Gate and the worshippers of one Eternal and Invisible God said nothing of the believing in this one true God the maker of Heaven and Earth because it was needless to press this to those who believed and professed it already for to such 't is plain were most of their Discourses hitherto Yet when they had to do with Idolatrous Heathens who were not yet come to the knowledge of the one only true God they began with that as necessary to be believed it being the Foundation on which the other was built and without which it could signifie nothing Thus Paul speaking to the Idolatrous Lystrians who would have sacrificed to him and Barnabas says Acts XIV 15. We Preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God who made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all things that are therein Who in times past suffered all Nations to walk in their own ways Nevertheless he left not himself without witness in that he did good and gave us rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness Thus also he proceeded with the Idolatrous Athenians Acts XVII Telling them upon occasion of the Altar dedicated to the unknown God Whom ye ignorantly worship him declare I unto you God who made the World and all things therein Seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and Earth dwelleth not in Temples made with hands Forasmuch then as we are the Off-spring of God we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto Gold or Silver or Stone graven by art and man's device And the times of this ignorance God winked at But now commandeth all men every where to repent Because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in Righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained Whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead So that we see where any thing more was necessary to be proposed to be believed as there was to the Heathen Idolaters there the Apostles were careful not to omit it Acts XVIII 4. Paul at Corinth reasoned in the Synagogue every Sabbath-day and testified to the Iews that Iesus was the Messiah Ver. 11. And he continued there a year and six months teaching the Word of God amongst them i. e. The good News that Jesus was the Messiah as we have already shewn is meant by the Word of God Apollos another Preacher of the Gospel when he was instructed in the way of God more perfectly what did he teach but this same Doctrine As we may see in this account of him Acts XVIII 27. That when he was come into Achaia he helped the Brethren much who had believed through grace For he mightily convinced the Iews and that publickly shewing by the Scriptures that Iesus was the Messiah St. Paul in the Account he gives of himself before Festus and Agrippa professes this alone to be the Doctrine he taught after his Conversion For says he Acts XXVI 22. Having obtained help of God I continue unto this day witnessing both to small and great saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come That the Messias should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should shew light unto the People and to the Gentiles Which was no more than to prove that Jesus was the Messiah This is that which as we have above observed is called the Word of God Acts XI 1. compared with the foregoing Chapter from v. 34. to the end And XIII 42. compared with 44. 46. 48 49. And XVII 13. compared with v. 11. 3. It is also called the Word of the Gospel Acts XV. 7. And this is that Word of God and that Gospel which where-ever their Discourses are set down we find the Apostles preached and was that Faith which made both Jews and Gentiles Believers and Members of the Church of Christ purifying their hearts Acts XV. 9. And carrying with it Remission of sins Acts X. 43. So that all that was to be believed for Justification was no more but this single Proposition That Iesus of Nazareth was the Christ or the Messiah All I say that was to be believed for Justification For that it was not all that was required to be done for Justification we shall see hereafter Though we have seen above from what our Saviour has Pronounced himself Iohn III. 36. That he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And are taught from Iohn IV. 39. compared with v. 42. That believing on him is believing that he is the Messiah the Saviour of the World And the Confession made by St. Peter Mat. XVI 16. That he is the Messiah the Son of the living God being the Rock on which our Saviour has promised to build his Church Though this I say and what else we have already taken notice of be enough to convince us what it is we are in the Gospel required to believe to Eternal Life without adding what we have observed from the Preaching of the Apostles Yet it may not be amiss for the farther clearing this matter to observe what the Evangelists deliver concerning the same thing though in different words Which therefore perhaps are not so generally taken notice of to this purpose We have above observed from the words of Andrew and Philip compared That the Messiah and him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write signifie the same thing We shall now consider that place Iohn I. a little further Ver. 41. Andrew says to Simon We have found the Messiah Philip on the same occasion v. 45. says to Nathanael We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write Iesus of Nazareth the Son of Joseph Nathanael who disbelieved this when upon Christ's speaking to him