he fhould excite the jealoufy of the Roman governor. He had acknowledged this only to the woman in Samaria, and to his twelve apostles, when at a distance from Judea, in both which cafes no fuch hazard was incurred.

In order the more strongly to intimate, by styling himself the Son of the man, that he was the Meffiah, as well as to communicate gradually proper notions of the nature of his kingdom, Jefus, in his difcourfes, connects this appellation with the mention of his miraculous power, John i. 52; iii. 13; vi. 27, 53; Matt. ix. 6; xii. 32: of his kingdom on earth, Matt. x. 23; xi. 19; xiii. 37; xvi. 13; xviii. 11; xx. 28; Luke vi. 22; vii. 34; ix. 56; xviii. 8: of his low outward condition, his fufferings and death, John iii. 14; viii. 28; xiii. 31; Matt. viii. 20; xii. 40; xvii. 12, 22; xxvi. 2, 24, 45; Mark ix. 31; x. 33; Luke xviii. 31; xxii. 48: and of his glorious ftate of power and dominion after his refurrection and afcenfion, Matt. xiii. 41; xvi. 28; xvii.. 9; xix. 28; xxiv. 27, 30, 39, 44; xxv. 31; xxvi. 64; Mark viii. 38; Luke ix. 26; xii. 8, 40; xvii. 22, 24, 26, 30; John xii. 23; xiii. 31.

That the intention of Jefus in ftyling himself & V105 78 AVDRWT8 was to intimate his being the defcendant of David, and the Meffiah, farther appears, from his ufing this appellation, upon his very first appearance in his public character, as parallel with the titles à vos T8 98 the fon of God, and BarλEUS ra Ipath the king of Ifrael, which were confidered

by the Jews as fynonymous with the Meffiah; See John i. 49, 50, 51; comp. Mark xv. 32; Matt. xxvii. 40, 42; Mark x. 47; compared with xi. 10; and from his doing the fame at his last trial. See Matt. xxvi. 63 to 66; Mark xiv. 61 to 64; Luke xxii. 66, 67, 69, 70.

From the preceding obfervations, it appears, that the phrafe à vos T8 avgw78 alludes, not to the depreffed or exalted condition of Jefus, but to his lineage and ancestry, as one character of the Meffiah, which office he equally fuftained in his lowly fituation in this life, and in his ftate of glory and dominion after his afcenfion. From a perufal of all the paffages in which this phrafe occurs, it will be feen, that this fenfe of it accords with every connection in which it is introduced, and makes a proper and confiftent meaning in them all. It also presents a clear and proper reason for thus pointing the phrafe to denote a particular ancestor, by prefixing the article to each word.

It remains, however, to be explained, why the article to both words was omitted in John v. 27. He (the Father, ver. 26) hath given him (the Son, ver. 26) authority to exercise judgment alfo, because he is a fon of man, CTI VIOS AνDeWπ8 807, i. e. a man; as we have fhewn this phrafe without the article always fignifies in the Septuagint.

In this paffage, Jefus is not pointing the attention of his audience to the general idea of his being the Meffiah, but is declaring the reason why, as a part

only of the Meffiah's office, he is appointed to be the final judge of mankind. The ground of this he here specifies to be, because he was a human being. The propriety of this reafon, and of his omitting both the articles in ftating it, will appear from the following confiderations.

That Jefus was ὁ υιος τε avgway a particular fon of a particular man, would not have been a proper argument (especially as the only reafon) to have affigned for his being appointed to be the judge of the whole human race; particularly as this expreffion referred to a Jewish ancestor; for the Jews were well known to entertain many prejudices against all the gentiles, who were a vaft majority of mankind. But the phrafe vos avgwrs, which fignifies a human being in general, implies a near relationship to every individual of the fpecies, in the welfare of all of whom he therefore would naturally feel an intereft, that would tend to preclude unreasonable partialities in paffing judgment upon them. The peculiar fitnefs of Jefus for the office of Meffiah, even that part of it which relates to the future life, because he was of the fame nature, and subject to the fame frailties, as human beings in general, is argued in other parts of the New Teftament. Heb. ii. 9. We fee Jefus for the fuffering of death crowned with glory and honour, who was made a little while lower than meffengers, (or prophets) that by the favour of God he might tafte death for every man. Ver. 10. For it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all

things, in bringing many fons to glory, to make the author of their falvation perfect through fufferings. Ver. 11. For both Chrift that fanctifieth, and those that are fanctified, are all of one Father; for which caufe Chrift is not afhamed to call them brethren, Ver. 14. Since then the children are partakers of flesh and blood, Christ himfelf alfo in like manner partook of them; that through death he might deftroy him who hath the power of death, that is, the devil, (fee 1 John iii. 5, 8; James i. 15.) Ver. 15." And might deliver those who, through fear of death, were all their life time fubject to flavery. Ver. 17. Wherefore it behoved him to be like his brethren in all things; that he might be a compaffionate and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make reconciliation for the fins of the people. Ver. 18. For in that he himself hath fuffered, having been tempted, he is able to affift thofe that are tempted. v. 8, 9. Though Chrift was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and, having been made perfect, became the author of eternal falvation to all that obey him. See also Philip. ii. 5 to 11; Rom. xiv. 9; Heb. xii. 2; iv. 14, 15; Ephes. i. 19 to 22; 1 Cor. xv. 3, 21, 22 to 25, 45.

Farther, that Jesus, a proper human being, should be employed by the Father to judge all mankind, is alfo agreeable to what he declares concerning himself, Rev. xxii. 12, 16; and to the representation which he gives of the general judgment, in which he says

the fon of the man, as the judge, will addrefs the righteous as his brethren, Matt. xxv. 21, 40. This accords alfo with the exprefs declarations of the Apostles Paul and Peter, Acts xvii. 31; x. 38, 42; 1 Cor. xv. 25, 45, 47, 57.

αν

is the expreflion which כבר אנש,eg uuos vipere

Daniel ufes in the account of his predictive vifion of the future dominion and glory of the Meffiah, vii. 13; comp. x. 16, 18. And by adopting ULOG avgame without any article, in John v. 27, contrary to his ufual phrafeology, Jefus probably farther intended to allude to this prophecy, and to intimate that he himself was that very man of whom Daniel foretold.

SEC. V.

The light of the world.

John viii. 12. Jefus faid, I am the light of the world; he who followeth me, fhall by no means walk in darkness, but fhall have the light of life. xii. 46. I am come a light into the world, that whofoever believeth in me may not remain in darkness. Alfo ix. 5; i. 4, 5, 6, 9. The figure is probably taken from Isaiah lx. 1; xlix. 6; xlii. 6, 7.

Jefus enlightened the world by communicating the knowledge of true religion, and the affurance of im