Moreover the Father himself bore testimony to him under that character. Thrice, by an audible voice from heaven, did he point him out to the world in that view ; " This is that my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased : hear him." He con- strained angels (both good and bad), and men (enemies as well as friends), to unite their testimony with his. In raising up Jesus from the dead, he declared also with irresistible evidence, that Jesus was his Son ; and that what he had done for the sal- vation of the world, was accepted in our behalf. The Apostles, whom he sent forth to instruct the world, were everywhere to bear this testimony, that the " Father had sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world :" and the Holy Ghost was poured out upon thousands, both in his gracious influences and miraculous powers, in order to confirm their word.
In a word, our blessed Lord himself always spake of himself as sent by the Father to perform His will ; and therefore, whilst we thankfully acknowledge the readiness with which Jesus undertook our cause, we must always regard him as God's salvation, commissioned by him for that purpose, accepted by him in that capacity, and proclaimed by him for that end.~\
2. As the universal Saviour —
[The immediate and primary objects of the Messiah's attention were, (as our Lord himself informs us,) " the lost sheep of the House of Israel a." And, after his resurrection, he gave especial commandment, that his Apostles, who were commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations, should make the first offers of salvation to the Jews, even in that very city where he had so recently been condemned to death, and to that very people who had imbrued their hands in his blood b. Accordingly we find that the Apostles forbore to preach unto the Gentiles, till the Jews had obstinately rejected their testi- mony, and poured contempt upon the proffered salvation0.
But the ultimate design of God was to give salvation to the world at large. If the Jews were to have the peculiar glory of giving birth to the Saviour, and of having the Gospel first ministered to them, they were not to engross all the benefits of his mission. The Gentiles, who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, were to behold his light, and to be guided by him into the paths of peace. Wherever there is a fallen child of Adam, there is a person for whom Christ came into the world, and to whom the Gospel, if thankfully accepted, shall become the power of God unto salvation. We are of Gentile extraction, and to us are the blessings of salvation offered: nor should we ever name the name of Christ, without feeling our obligations to him, and glorying in him as " all our salvation and all our desire."
a Matt. xv. 24. b Luke xxiv. 47. c Acts xiii. 46.