HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. CHAPTER I. A VIEW OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY, FROM THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE CLOSE OF THE FIRST CENTURY. SECTION I. FROM THE BIRTH TO THE DEATH OF CHRIST. THE kingdom of the Messiah forms an important article in the writings of the Hebrew prophets. Those holy men who, from time to time, were raised up to exercise their ministry in the Jewish church, had foretold the advent of this illustrious personage, and described, in the most glowing colours, the majesty of his character, the extent and perpetuity of his empire, the blessings of his government, and the happiness which his subjects should enjoy under his mild and gentle reign. Accordingly, the chosen tribes, throughout successive ages, anticipated his appearance with eager expectation.* It was a custom among the eastern monarchs, when entering upon an expedition, to send harbingers before them to announce their approach, and prepare for their reception. Isaiah had taught the Jews to expect that such also should be the case with their promised Messiah; that he should be preceded by "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it."t In conformity with this prediction, the sacred historian informs us that the joyful intelligence of the Messiah's immediate appearance was 2 Sam. vii. 11-16. Psal. ii. 8. and xxii. 27. and lxxii. passim, and lxxxix. 19-36. Isa. ix. 6, 7. and chap. xi. 1-9. chap. lx. Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. chap. xxxiii. 15. ad finem. Dan. ii. 44. and chap. vii. 14. † Isa, xl. 3. announced, in the fifteenth year of the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius, by the preaching of John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea.* The leading object of John's ministry was to proclaim the kingdom of heaven at hand; in virtue of which he called upon all who heard him, to repent and to be baptized for the remission of their sins; whilst the testimony that he bore to the character of his divine Master, was the most honourable that can be conceived.t The Jewish Sanhedrim, hearing of his fame, sent to interrogate him, whether he were the promised Messiah; and if not, to inform them what he professed himself to be. John immediately directed their attention to the prophecy of Isaiah, declaring that he was merely the herald of his Sovereign-" the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah."-That there stood among them, one whom they knew not, whose character was infinitely more dignified than his own-one who, though he came after him, was preferred before him, and so much his superior, that he considered himself not worthy to loose even the latchet of his shoe.‡ When Jesus had attained the age of thirty, the period of life at which the priests entered upon their ministrations in the temple, and was about to commence his public ministry, he was solemnly inaugurated in his sacred office by means of the ordinance of baptism, administered by the hands of his fore-runner. Impressed with sentiments of the most profound veneration for his Lord, John hesitated, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" Jesus, however, reminded him, that there was a necessity for thisthat his baptism was to serve as an emblematical figure of the manner in which he was to accomplish the work of human redemption: for as in baptism the individual is buried under, and raised again from the water, even so it became him to fulfil all righteousness, by dying for the sins of his people, and rising again for their justification. This being, accordingly, transacted in a figure, the evangelist informs us, that "the heavens were opened, and the Spirit of God descending like a dove, alighted upon Jesus, and a voice was heard from heaven, declaring, "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED."§ The ministry of Jesus, which continued during a period of three years, was restricted to the benefit of the Jewish nation. The writer of the Acts of the Apostles sums it up in two words, "He did and taught." He went about all Galilee "teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." His doctrine comprehended the nature and perfections of God-the misery of fallen man-a declaration of his own character as the Son of God and promised Messiah-the design of his mission into this world, which was to seek and save the lost, to give his life a ransom for many, and call sinners to repentance the immortality of the soul-the resurrection from the dead-the certainty of a future state of rewards and punishments-that * Luke iii. 1. † Mat. iii. 1. + John i. 19-27. ¶ Matt. iv. 53. The Ministry of Jesus Christ. 37 HE was appointed of God to judge the world in righteousness at the last day; and, finally, the gracious promise, that whosoever believeth the divine testimony concerning himself shall not perish, but have everlasting life.* In his doctrine he rescued the moral law from the false glosses imposed upon it by the Scribes and Pharisees; unfolded its spirituality and extent, as requiring perfect love to God and man; and enforced its indispensable obligation upon all men as the rule of their correspondence with God; declaring that he himself came not to abrogate or annul one tittle, but to fulfil its utmost requirements, by his own obedience and conformity thereunto, and adopting it as the unalterable law of his kingdom, which is to regulate the conduct of his disciples to the end of time.t The fame of this divine teacher soon spread "throughout all Syria, and "multitudes of people from Galilee, from Decapolis, from Jerusalem, from all parts of Judea, and even from beyond Jordan, resorted to him to hear his discourses and be healed of their infirmities." The miracles which he wrought from time to time, were the fullest at testation of his mission that could possibly be given; for they demonstrated that "God was with him." They were performed at his word, in an instant, on persons both near and at a distance; they were done by him in the most public and open manner-at Jerusalem and in every part of Judea and Galilee-in cities, in villages, in synagogues, in private houses, in the public streets, and in the high-ways, in the fields, and in the wilderness-upon Jews and Gentiles-before Scribes and Pharisees and rulers of the synagogues-not only when he was attended by few persons, but when surrounded by great multitudes-and in a word, before men of every diversity of character. They were in themselves of such a nature as to bear the strictest examination, and they had every thing about them which could possibly distinguish them from the delusions of enthusiasm, and the artifices of imposture. Accordingly we find him appealing to them with all the confidence of an upright mind, fully impressed with a consciousness of their truth and reality. The appeal was short, simple, and decisive. He seldom reasoned on either their nature or design, but generally pointed to them as plain and indubitable facts, which spake their own meaning and carried with them their own authority. They were too public to be suspected of imposture; and being the objects of sense, they were secured against the charge of enthusiasm. They had no disguise, and were, in a variety of instances, of such a nature as to preclude the very possibility of collusion. They were performed in the midst of his bitterest enemies, and were so palpable and certain as to extort from them the acknowledgment, that "this man doth many miracles; if we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him."|| An inattentive reader of the evangelic history would be led to conclude, from the accounts that are given us of the multitudes who fol § Acts x. 38. John iv. 24. ch. iii. 3--19. Matt. xvi. 26. John v. 27-29. Mark xyi. 15, 16, † Matt. v. vi. vii. Matt. iv. 24, 25. White's Sermons at Bampton's Lectures. lowed Jesus, that the number of his disciples was immense. But we have frequent intimations of the fallacy of implicitly trusting to appearances in these things. Were we to consider only the interesting nature of his doctrine, the wisdom and energy with which it was delivered, and the stupendous works of supernatural power by which it was accompanied the little success that attended it, must have ever remained a source of perplexity to us; but the problem is solved by admitting the scriptural account of the depravity of the human mind, its alienation from God, and its natural enmity against his truth. The reception which the Messiah was to meet with, had been described by an ancient prophet in these remarkable words, "Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"—And the event justified the prediction. Some few indeed, and those chiefly from among the inferior ranks in life, believed on him as the hope of Israel, and found in him all their salvation and desire; and while his claims of being the Messiah were generally set at naught by their countrymen, they could say, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe and are sure, that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." 66 漸 From among these latter, Jesus selected twelve whom he named apostles, and whom he qualified and sent forth to preach the doctrine of his kingdom, and to cure diseases; and sometime afterwards he appointed seventy others also to labour in his vineyard. These he sent forth, two and two, into every city and place to which he himself would come, as his heralds, announcing his approach, and calling all descriptions of persons to repent and believe the gospel.t It appears from the testimony of ancient historians, that about the time of Christ's appearing, the Jews anxiously expected him as the great deliverer and chief ornament of their nation; and even among the heathens an opinion was at that time prevalent, probably derived from the Hebrew prophets, that a prince of unparalleled glory was to arise in Judea, who was to found a kind of universal monarchy. But in the humble appearance of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jews found nothing that corresponded to the expectations they entertained on this subject. Their vain hearts, like those of the generality of men in all ages, were so intoxicated with the admiration of worldly pomp, that that was the only greatness for which they had any relish; and hence they formed a picture of him, who was the desire of all nations, very unlike the original. Nor was the doctrine which he inculcated more suited to their taste, than his personal appearance answered to their expectations. For, while they fostered the presumptuous imagination, that in virtue of the privileges they enjoyed as God's covenanted people, and especially as being the descendants of Abraham, they had a peculiar claim to the Divine favour and to all the blessings of their Messiah's kingdom, both Jesus and his forerunner boldly attacked this masterprejudice, and evinced the futility of every such plea. They were now called upon to give up the erroneous sentiments which they entertained * John vi. 68, 69. + Luke x. 1-16. + Suetonius in vita Vespasiani, ch. 1. Taciti Hist. 1. v. cap. 13. The Ministry of Jesus Christ. 39 respecting their own characters, the way of acceptance with God, and the nature and blessings of their Messiah's reign, on pain of incurring eternal ruin. For whereas they expected eternal life as the reward of their Jewish privileges, or of their own personal righteousness, they were now taught, that God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; that the Son of God came to be lifted up upon the cross, as the antitype of the brazen serpent which Moses elevated in the wilderness, that whosoever, not of the Jews only, but among the Gentiles also, believed in him, should not perish, but obtain eternal life.* And, with regard to the nature of the Messiah's kingdom the doctrines of Jesus were equally at variance with their fondest hopes; for, while they ardently longed for the accomplishment of the promises which God had made unto their fathers by the prophets, they seemed in general to have had no other object in view than the establishment of a temporal monarchy, like the other kingdoms of this world, though doubtless much surpassing them in all its extent and splendour. Accordingly, being interrogated by their leaders" when the kingdom of God should come," Jesus perceived the mistake of their hearts, and to correct it, told them that "the kingdom of God cometh not with observation"—that is, it did not at all resemble the kingdoms of this world-it was not to strike the senses of men by the glare of worldly grandeur; for as it is wholly spiritual, consisting in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, he added, "the kingdom of God is within you." So also when he spake to them concerning their bondage to sin and vassalage to Satan, the god of this world, with the necessity of being set free from this spiritual tyranny before they could participate of the liberty of the sons of God, they resented it as the highest insult that could be offered them; "We are Abraham's seed,' say they, "and were never in bondage to any man; how sayest thou, ye shall be made free." If we keep in view these false principles by which the minds of the Jewish people were led astray, the invincible obstinacy of their prejudices, and the contrariety of the doctrine and character of Jesus thereto, we shall cease to wonder at the issue to which matters were ultimately reduced between them. When he avowed himself to be the Son of God, and claimed equality with the MOST HIGH, they resisted his pretensions and accused him of blasphemy. And when he acknowledged his regal character, they charged him with treason against the Roman government. On these grounds they demanded his death, and "the voice of them and the chief priests prevailed."§ It cannot be necessary to pursue this part of the narrative in detail, since the result must be familiar to every Christian. "They that dwelt at Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which were read every Sabbath-day,they fulfilled them in condemning him; and though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain; * John iii. 16, 17. † Luke xvii. 20, 21. + John viii. § Luke xxiii. 23. |