and allusions to the law and prophets during his personal ministry.

One of the circumstances upon which Jesus insisted, both at the opening, and once and again during the progress, of his ministry, was the fulness of the season marked out by a particular class of predictions, which had indeed already led the Jews previously to admit and adopt an opinion, that the promised Messiah would shortly come. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand'.” And again, when they demanded a sign from heaven," he said, "Ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?" At another time, also, he referred them to "the signs of the times," which would prepare them, "even of themselves, to judge what was right;" since they must either conclude that Jesus was "he that should come," or that another speedily would come to accomplish the predictions of the prophets.

Jesus himself appeared in the character of “ a teacher come from God," referring to his works as a proof that he was "sent by God," and that he "spoke the words of God." He therefore taught "as one that had authority." He declared that he "C came to seek and to save that which was lost," to "call not the righteous, but sinners to

• Mark i. 15. b Matt. xvi. 1-3. © Luke xii. 56, 57.

repentance." He invited the "meek to learn of him; the weary and heavy laden to come to him for the rest which he would give to their souls." In proof of this as the proper office of him, whom the prophets had announced, he referred, both in the synagogue at Nazareth, and also in the conference with John's disciples, to the passage in the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, in which all this, with great particularity and variety of expression, was ascribed to him, upon whom would be "the Spirit of the Lord, because he was anointed to preach these glad tidings."-The same was also specified in many other passages of the Old Tes

tamente.

Though Jesus, as. well as the Baptist, taught that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, yet he adopted, as the ordinary description of his official character, the title of "the Son of man." And from the way in which, on various occasions, he connected that title with other statements, he evidently intended to direct their attention to the following words of the prophet Daniel. "I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion,

d Isai. lxi. 1—3.

• Ibid. xi. 1-5; xlii. 1-8; lvii. 14-18, &c.

and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, and nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed"." These words evidently describe a state of glory and exaltation; and yet he, by whom such glory was to be attained, is called "one like the Son of man."-That phrase, at least, certainly applies to Jesus, who appropriated the title to himself; for he did undoubtedly appear" in the likeness of men." But consider the remarkable manner and connexion in which he employed it as his appropriate designation. He spoke of a time when there should indeed " appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" referring to that expectation of "a sign from heaven" which the Jews had derived from this prediction of Daniel, and of which they had several times required the exhibition. When calling God "his own Father," and speaking of himself in a manner consistent with such a claim, he declared that he, the Son of God, "had authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." He spoke also of a time when the Son of man should come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory; in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." He not only spoke to Nico

a Dan. vii. 13, 14.

demus of "the Son of man coming down from heaven, and being in heaven," but also declared that "the Son of man must be lifted up;" but he declared publicly to the Jews, "when ye have lift up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he." And when on another occasion he declared that "when he was lifted up from the earth, he would draw all men to him," he had just said, "the hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified." And when he had affirmed, in answer to the question of the high priest, that he was the Christ, the Son of God, he added these remarkable words, "Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Thus both by his assumption of this title, and also by his application to himself of those attributes, which appertained to him whose it really was, Jesus appealed to those prophecies which described the humanity, humiliation, and subsequent exaltation of Messiah; although he avoided the title of Messiah, which suggested to the minds of the Jews only the idea of earthly power.

b Matt. xxiv. 30. John v. 27. Matt. xxv. 31. John iii. 13, 14; viii. 28; xii. 23. Matt. xxvi. 64. The Jews by adopting the title of Christ or Messiah, as the usual designation of“ him that should come," seem to have connected with their expectations of him only the ideas immediately suggested by the title "Messiah

the

The prophecies, upon which perhaps Jesus dwelt most largely, were those which respected his forerunner, and their connected mission. He expressly cited to the multitudes the prophecy of Malachi, which spoke of him, as "the messenger who was to be sent to prepare the way of the Lord;" stating that John was he of whom this was written. He also added, with reference to the expectation which they still entertained respecting the personal appearance of Elijah, that “if they would receive it, he was the Elias who was to come;" John being described under that name in the concluding words of Malachia. And the prediction of "the messenger of the Lord," was immediately followed by the assurance that “the Lord whom they sought should suddenly come to

the prince." (Dan. ix. 25.) Hence our Lord, and also the Baptist, principally adopted the other prophetic descriptions of the promised deliverer. We have contended in several passages of these Lectures, as indeed even a superficial observation of the Gospel history teaches us to do, that John did not call Jesus the Messiah, and that Jesus did not himself publicly adopt the title. We, as Christians, rightly conceive that this and the other scriptural titles of our Lord are convertible terms. In the Epistles, as being addressed to Christians, it is the term generally adopted. But when we peruse or interpret those parts of the New Testament, which record the discussions of those periods, when it was still in debate, whether Jesus was the Christ, and also whether the functions of the Christ were of a spiritual nature, we must bear in mind the errors of the age respecting that title, as well as its full and genuine import.

Mal. iii. 1-4; iv. 5, 6.