VI.

SER M. of Melchifedec. Pfal. cx. 4. compared with Heb. vi. 20. A King to be raised out of David's Seed, who should reign and profper, and execute Judgment and Justice on the Earth. Jer. xxiii. 5. By his prophetical Office to guide our Feet into the Way of Peace: Luke i. 79. By his Priesthood to purge us, and expiate our Sins; And by his Regal Power to rescue us from our Enemies, to prescribe us Laws, and to make us at laft Partakers of his Kingdom. Mofes's Prophet, David's Prieft, and Jeremiah's King: But in each and in all Refpects THE CHRIST.

He

A Doctrine which we find the Apostles always infifting on, as the principal and fundamental Doctrine of Chriftianity. A Do&rine of fuch Importance, that we find it was the first Thing that St. Paul began his Preaching with, after his Converfion. confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damafcus, proving that Jefus is the very Chrift. Acts ix. 22. The fame he preffed alfo upon them in their Synagogue at Theffalonica for three Sabbath Days, reafoning with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alledging, that Chrift must needs bave fuffered and rifen again from the Dead, and that this Jefus whom he preached unto them was Chrift, Acts xvii. 2, 3. The fame Apostle.

VI.

being pressed in Spirit at Corinth, teftified alfo SER M. to the Jews there that Jefus was Chrift. Acts xviii. 5. Of the fame Thing Apollos alfo mightily convinced the Jews, Shewing by the Scriptures that Jefus is the Chrift, ver. 28.

Το prove this was the Drift of St. John's writing his Gospel: Thefe Things (faith he) were written that ye may believe that Jefus is the Chrift, John xx. 31. And this Belief he represents in his Epiftles to be the very Teft and Touchstone of Chriftianity: Whosoever believeth (faith he) that Jefus is the Chrift, is born of God, 1 John v. r. And who is a Liar (faith the fame Apoftle) but he that denieth that Jefus is the Chrift? He is Antichrift, denying the Father and the Son, Ch. ii. 22. That you may not therefore come under this Condemnation, I have proved and explained the Point fully to you: I have shewn you that Jesus was truly anointed, anointed with the Holy Spirit of God, and that the End of this Unction was to confecrate and initiate him to the Exercife of three feveral and different Offices, of Prophet, Prieft and King. And this brings me to the principal Defign I had at firft in View, viz. to dif courfe of each of thefe Offices of our Lord diftinctly; to fhew that according to ancient

Pro

SERM. Prophecies, he was to execute each of them; VI. that he really and truly did execute each of

them and in what Manner he did fo. But as each of these is a Subject of fuch Importance, as to need and deferve a whole Difcourse to itself, and fome of them more, I shall make them, God willing, the Subject of our Meditations on fome following Lord's Days; and conclude at prefent with fome fuitable Inferences from what has now been advanced.

And first let us hence infer and obferve what it is to be a Chriftian. It is a Title that all of us own, and claim, and prescribe to ; there is not one of us perhaps, but who would think it an Affront or Injury offered him, should any one question whether he were a Chriftian or not. And yet I am afraid, ma

ny
of us cannot tell why it is we are called
fo, or what Obligations our calling ourselves
fo, lays upon us. Permit me therefore from
the Reafons I have given why Jesus was
called the CHRIST, to fhew the Reason why
you are from him called CHRISTIANS. And
that is because you profess to believe in him;
to believe in him as the Chrift or Anointed
of God; and by Virtue of that Unction to
be invefted with thofe Offices I have here
mentioned

mentioned in fhort, but which I have promifed in fome following Difcourfes feverally to explain.

:

It is true those who believed in Jefus at first, were generally called by other Names; especially in those Books of the New Teftament which give the earliest Account of them. For there they are tiled Difciples, or Believers, or Brethren, or Men of the Church, or Callers upon the Name of Chrift, or Men of the Way; i. e. Men of that Profeffion Befides other Names which their Enemies gave them, fuch as Nazaraans, Galileans, and the like. But these Names being various and unsettled, and not fufficiently denomi→ nating them from their Master and Head, whose Disciples and Followers they profeffed to be; therefore (as it was ufual for Scholars to be denominated from the Mafter who taught them, or from whom they originally derived their Opinions, as the Platonists from Plato, the Epicureans from Epicurus, the Ariftotelians from Ariftotle, and the Pythagoreans from Pythagoras ;) fo it feems the Disciples in few Years affumed one common Name of CHRISTIANS; that fo they might acknowledge to all the World, that CHRIST was he, whofe Doctrine they received, and whofe

I

SER M.

VI.

SERM. whofe Religion they profeffed. And this St.

VI.

Luke tells us was done at Antioch, the Metropolis of Syria, which happened to be the Place of his own Nativity: The Difciples (faith he) were called CHRISTIANS firft in Antioch, Acts xi. 26. Where it is worth our observing that the Word which our Tranflation renders but coldly and flatly,—were called -fignifies more than a calling them so by chance: It fignifies that they were so denominated and stiled by a Divine Appointment, i.e. by fome Motion or Suggeftion infused into the Minds of the ruling Members of the Church from the Holy Spirit. Χρηματίσαι is the Word, and wherever that Word occurs in Scripture, it generally fignifies some Notice or Warning inspired by God. When therefore it is faid that the Disciples were CALLED Chriftians (or were folemnly filed Chriftians) first at Antioch, the very Word feems to intimate fome fecret Influence in the Work, if not a publick and vocal Admonition from Heaven. And that it was not done but upon ferious Confideration, had amongst themselves, and a devout Invocation of the Name of God, the Greatness of the Business, and the Piety of the firft Profeffors would induce us to think, though we had