that purpose efficacious, was made more evidently operative in the raising of himself from death. The propagation and perpetual succession of this doctrine must likewise be attributed unto Jesus, as to no temporary or accidental prophet, but as to him who instituted and instructed all who have any relation to that function; for "the spirit of Christ was in the prophets." And "when he ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men;" "for he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," Eph. iv. 8. It is then most apparent that Jesus was so far Christ, as that he was anointed to the prophetical office, because his preparation for that office was most remarkable, his mission unto that office was undeniable, his administration of that office was infallible.

Now as Jesus was anointed with the unction of Elizeus to the prophetical, so was he also with the unction of Aaron to the sacerdotal office. Not that he was called after the order of Aaron; "for it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood," Heb. vii. 14. 21; but after a more ancient order, according to the prediction of the psalmist, "The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedeck." But though he were of another order, yet whatsoever Aaron did as a priest was wholly typical, and consequently to be fulfilled by the Messias, as he was a Priest; for the priesthood did not begin in Aaron, but was translated and conferred upon his family before his consecration. We read of "the priests which came near to the Lord ;” of “ young men of the children of Israel which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto the Lord,” Exod. xix. 22. xxiv. 5; who without question were no other than the first-born, to whom the priesthood did belong. Jesus therefore, as the firstbegotten of God, was by right a Priest, and being anointed unto that office, performed every function, by way of oblation, intercession, and benediction. "Every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man" Jesus, if he be an High

Priest, "have somewhat also to offer," Heb. viii. 3. Not that he had any thing beside himself, or that there was any peculiar sacrifice allowed to this Priest by God; to whom, "when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me," Heb. x. 5; and, "by the offering of this body of Jesus Christ are we sanctified," Heb. x. 10; for he who is our Priest hath "given himself an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." Eph. v. 2.

Now when Jesus had thus given himself a propitiatory sacrifice for sin, he ascended up on high, and entered into the holy of holies not made with hands, and there appeared before God as an atonement for our sin. Nor is he prevalent only in his own oblation once offered, but in his constant intercession. "Who is he that condemneth? saith the apostle; it is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God; who also maketh intercession for us," Rom. viii. 34. Upon this foundation he buildeth our persuasion, that he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them," Heb. vii. 25. Nor must we look upon this as a servile or precarious, but rather as an efficacious and glorious intercession, as being his to whom all power is given both in heaven and earth. Beside these offerings and intercedings, there was something more required of the priest, and that is blessing. "Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever," 1 Chron. xxiii. 13. We read of no other sacerdotal act performed by Melchizedeck the priest of the most high God, but only that of blessing, and that in respect both of God and man: first, he blessed man, and said, "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth;" then, "Blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand," Gen. xiv. 19. Now it is observable what the rabbins have delivered, that at the morning-sacrifice the priests under the law did bless the people with a solemn form of benediction, but at the evening-sacrifice they blessed them not; to show that in the evening of the

world, the last days, which are the days of the Messias, the benediction of the law should cease, and the blessing of the Christ take place. When Zachariah the priest, the father of John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Saviour, "executed his office before God in the order of his course," and the whole multitude of the people waited for him, to receive his benediction, he could not speak unto them, for he was dumb; showing the power of benediction was now passing to another and far greater Priest, even to Jesus, whose doctrine in the mount begins with "Blessed;" who, when he left his disciples, "lift up his hands and blessed them." And yet this function is principally performed after his resurrection, as it is written, "Unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning every one of you from his iniquities." It cannot then be denied that Jesus, who offered up himself a most perfect sacrifice and oblation for sin, who still maketh continual intercession for us, who was raised from the dead, that he might bless us with an everlasting benediction, is a most true and most perfect Priest.

The third office belonging to the Messias was the regal, as appeareth by the most ancient tradition of the Jews, and by the express predictions of the prophets. "Yet have I set my King," saith the psalmist, "upon my holy hill of Sion," Psal. ii. 6. "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder," saith the prophet Isaiah, who calleth him the "Prince of peace," showing the perpetuity of his power, and particularity of his seat. "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever," Isa. ix. 7. All which most certainly belongs unto our Jesus, by the unerring interpretation of the angel Gabriel, who promised the blessed virgin that the Lord God should give unto her Son the throne of his father David, "and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end," Luke i. 32. He acknowledgeth himself this office, though by a strange and unlikely representation of it, the riding on an ass; but

by that it was fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting on an ass," Matt. xxi. 4. He made as strange a confession of it unto Pilate; for when he said unto him, "Art thou a King then?" Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth," John xviii. 37. The solemn inauguration into this office was at his ascension into heaven, and his session at the right hand of God; not but that he was by right a King before, but the full and public execution was deferred till then, "when God raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion," Eph. 1. 20. Then he, whose "name is called the Word of God, had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords," Rev. xix. 13, 16.

This regal office of our Saviour consisteth partly in the ruling, protecting, and rewarding of his people; partly in the coercing, condemning, and destroying of his enemies. First, he ruleth in his own people, by delivering them a law by which they walk; by furnishing them with his grace, by which they are enabled to walk in it. Secondly, he protecteth the same, by helping them to subdue their lusts, which reign in their mortal bodies; by preserving them from the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; by supporting them in all their afflictions; by delivering them from all their enemies. Thirdly, whom he thus rules and protects here, he rewards hereafter in a most royal manner, making them "kings and priests unto God and his Father." On the contrary he showeth his regal dominion in the destruction of his enemies, whether they were temporal or spiritual enemies-temporal, as the Jews and Romans, who joined together in his crucifixion. While he was on earth he told his disciples, "There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom," Matt. xvi. 28, and in that kingdom he was then seen to come, when he brought utter de struction on the Jews by the Roman armies, not long

after to be destroyed themselves. But beside these visible enemies, there are other spiritual, those who hinder the bringing in of his own people into his Father's kingdom, those who refuse to be subject unto him, and consequently deny him to be their King; as all wicked and ungodly men, of whom he hath said, "These mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me," Luke xix. 27. Thus sin, satan, and death, being the enemies to his kingdom, shall all be destroyed in their order; for "he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet: and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death, 1 Cor. xv. 25. Thus is our Jesus become "the Prince of the kings of the earth;" thus is the Lamb acknowledged to be "Lord of lords, and King of kings."

Wherefore seeing we have already showed that the prophetical, sacerdotal, and regal offices were to belong unto the promised Messias, as the proper end and immediate effect of his unction; seeing we have likewise declared how Jesus was annointed to these offices, and hath and doth actually perform the same in all the functions belonging to them: there remaineth nothing for the full explication of this particular concerning the Christ, but only to show the manner of this unction, which is very necessary to be explained. For how they were anointed under the law, who were the types of the Messias, is plain and evident, because the manner was prescribed, and the materials were visible; God appointed an oil to be made, and appropriated it to that use; and the pouring that oil upon the body of any person was his anointing to that office for which he was designed. But seeing that oil so appropriated to this use was lost many hundred years before our Saviour's birth; seeing the custom of anointing in this manner had a long time ceased; seeing howsoever we never read that Jesus was at all anointed with oil; it remaineth still worthy our inquiry, how he was anointed, so as to answer to the former unctions; and what it was which answered to that oil which then was lost, and was at the first but as a type of this which now we search for.

The Jews tell us, that the anointing oil was hid in