successors of those blind and enraged zealots have obstinately continued to this very day : They universally expected indeed about that time the coming of the Messias; but they imagined, that it should be in worldly pomp and splendor, that his salvation should be temporal and earthly, that he should appear in a state of grandeur and magesty, and advance them to a suitable condition of magnificence and terrestrial greatness; wherefore, when quite contraryto all their imaginations, they be held our Jesus to be in mean and despised circumstance, an inhabitant, and as they believ ed, born in the contemptible town of Naza reth, from whence no good could come, at tended only by a few despicable and unlearn ed fishermen, labouring under penury and want and living in an universal contempt; they were scandalized hereat, and could not brook this Jesus for their Christ, or Messias, who was so directly contrary to the gaudy conceits they had entertained of him, which is an open denial and total subversion of the whole gospel; for if this Jesus be not Christ, our religion, as was hinted before, is vain and false: the very basis and foundation of the whole body of Christianinty is, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, or the Messias; wherefore from the first preaching of the gospel, the be lief of his being the Messias or Christ, was

always required at baptism; as is farther evi dent from the exhortation of St. Peter to the convinced Jews, [Acts ii. 38.]" to be baptized every one of them in the name of Jesus Christ," for the remission of sins: and from his [Acts x. 48.]" baptizing Cornelius, and his friends, for the same intent, in the name of the Lord;" where, seeing they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, it is most apparent that they must necessarily yield their assent to this proposition, that Jesus was the Christ, who had procured pardon and forgiveness for them.

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In the confession also of the [Acts viii. 37.7 Eunuch, which he made antecedent to his baptism there is included an acknowledgment of this necessary truth, that Jesus is the sav our of the world; as Irenæus writes concerning him," that he had been forehanded catechized by the prophets, concerning God the father; and that he only lacked to be instructed in the coming of the son of God, which was now done by Philip, who easily persuaded him, that he was Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate; which method was also observed by the apostles, who in their sermons to the Jews did principally shew them, that that Jesus who was crucified, was the Christ the son of the living God." Wherefore, when

we repeat these words in the creed, " in Je sus Christ," we thereby declare our sincere and unfeigned belief, that that man who was call ed Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ: which word signifies in Greek Anointed, as Messias doth in Hebrew also. I might hence take an accasion to enlarge on the use and end of unction amongst the Jews, and on the analogy that is between it and that of our Saviour; but this being not so pertinent to my present design, and it having been already largely handled by others, I shall only briefly mention so much thereof, as will be necessary to render this treatise complete and entire,

In the kingdom of Israel therefore, this ceremony of unction was used to design the consecration, dedication or appointment of any person or thing to any particular act or office; and especially, it was employed in the vocation, consecration, and inauguration of their prophets, priests and kings; as [I. Kings xix. 16.] "Elisha was anointed to be a prophet by Elijah;" and [Lev. iv. 3.] "the Levitical Law prescribes unction to every high priest, at his investiture in his office;" and [1. Kings i. 39.]"Zadok the priest inaugurated Solomon in his kingdom, by anointing him with oil.” Now in allusion hereunto, our Saviour is said

to be anointed by a spiritual unction, being set apart, consecrated, and dedicated thereby to be a great prophet, an high priest, and an universal king; in a most eminent manner uniting in himself the three offices, viz. prophet ical, sacerdotal and regal, which were divided in the Jewish administration, as Petrus Chrysologus remarks in his exposition thereof, "that Jesus was called Christ from anointing; because, that unction which formerly by a figure. ran upon kings, prophets and priests, the divine spirit poured with a perfect plenitude on this king of kings, priest of priests and prophet of prophets,

As for the manner of our Lord and Saviour's unction, it cannot be supposed to have been. by real and material oil, but it must be understood of a spiritual and divine operation. Athanasius observing the several resemblances and parallels that are betwixt David and Christ, in every one whereof the latter hath the preeminency, mentions this for one: "David," saith he," was anointed with material oil; but the manner of our Saviour's anointing is thus described in the 45th Psalm, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a right scepter is the sceptre of thy kingdom: thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee

with the oil of gladness above thy fellows: where it is said with the oil of gladness, lest by the word anointing we should apprehend an equality between them: David and Christ were both anointed, but the one was anointed by man, and the other by the father; which unction is ineffable, and the manner thereof incomprehensible: wherefore the psalmist styles it, the oil of gladness above thy fellows; for, although both are alike anointed, yet their unction is not of equal worth and dignity; for, as Christ retains the parallel, so also he conserves the pre-eminency."

He who anointed our Saviour was God the father; and the oil with which he performed it, was the Holy Ghost: "In the word Christ," saith Irenæus, "there is understood the anointer, the anointed, and the unction; the anointer is the father, the anointed is the son, and the unction is in the spirit;" as he saith by the prophet Isaiah," the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me; signifying the father who anointeth, the son who was anointed, and the spirit who is the oil" which oil was chiefly poured upon him at his conception and baptism; and, as Origen observes," is to be referred to his human nature," in which he was anointed by the God to be both Lord and Saviour.

K