these arguments, it may be said, 1st, That we ought not to depart from the proper and usual signification of a word, without urgent necessity; which cannot be pleaded in this instance. 2dly, Although it is nowhere recorded that Elijah anointed those whom he was charged to anoint, it does not follow that this was not done; since it is not even recorded that he announced Hazael king of Syria, and Jehu king of Israel, which, however, is supposed. 3dly, It would be an exceedingly harsh impropriety of speech,* if the designation of a Prophet were called an anointing, and yet in the ordination of the Prophet no anointing properly so called, took place. Thus it would be absurd to say, that the Roman Consuls were anointed to the Consulship. 4thly, There is nothing to hinder us from believing, that Elisha was called and invited to the prophetical office by more than one ceremony. Sanchez observes not amiss, that "the anointing made Elisha a 'prophet; the mantle made him a colleague to Eli

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jah."† A mantle, however, seems to have been usually worn by the Prophets. As to the expression which immediately follows in Sanchez,-“ and a Monk,”‡ it is ridiculous and absurd. 5thly, We would not rashly allege, in the mean time, that Prophets were constantly and universally anointed. This command respecting Elisha is sufficient for our purpose, whether we consider it as a departure from the ordinary usage, or suppose that anointing was not uncommon on similar occasions. x. Further, the PRIESTS, also, were anointed, ac

* Καταχρήσις.

+ Unctio Eliseum fecit Prophetam; pallium, Eliæ contubernalem.

Et Monachum.

i Zech. xiii. 4.

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cording to the Divine appointment: "Thou shalt "anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office."k The Jewish Doctors affirm, that this precept is to be understood in this sense, that all such descendants of the sons of Aaron as were common priests, were to be considered as anointed in them, without the repetition of the ceremony towards those individually, who succeeded the dead, in the priestly office. They add, however, that a new High-priest was always anointed at his instalment, as, also, the priest whom they call the anointed for war,* according to the law recorded in Deuteronomy xx. 2. But they will have this anointing to extend only to the period of the first temple; for it could be done only with that sacred ointment, which was prepared agreeably to the Divine direction,1 and the making of any composition similar to which, was strictly prohibited. m The Talmudists, however, affirm, that this ointment was made use of for the purpose of installation and consecration till the reign of Josiah, who hid it under ground in the temple, in a secret place, which King Solomon had long before prepared with the greatest care, after having learned from the predictions of prophets that the time would come when the Assyrians should level the temple with the ground. See Cunaus,† Outram,‡ Selden;§ and particularly Simeon,|| who produces a long comment by Aberbenel on the

thirtieth Chapter of Exodus, where the manner of anointing the priests is expressly treated.

XI. KINGS, in fine, were consecrated by anointing; which has been copiously and ably illustrated by William Schickhard.* Yet the Talmudists hold, that all the kings were not anointed, but only those who were either the first in their own family, or whose pretensions to the kingdom were disputed by rivals. Saul, David, and others, were anointed for the first of these reasons; others, in consequence of opposition from an adverse party. Thus Solomon was anointed on account of Adonijah's party, Joash on account of Athaliah's, and Jehu on account of Joram's; though Jehu appears also to have been the first of his family that was advanced to the royal dignity. The modern Doctors, meantime, say they, have learned from wise and venerable men, that the kings of Israel, who, after the separation from Judah, made Samaria the seat of government, were not anointed with the oil which was prepared by Moses conformably to the Divine appointment; and that Elijah, consequently, made use only of common balsam, when he anointed Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat.

XII. In conformity to this three-fold order of persons that were anointed of old, the office of Christ consists of three parts. In the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, there is a passage relating to his Prophetical unction which Christ applies to himself, Luke iv. 17, 18, 19. His Priestly unction is referred to in Psalm cx. 4. compared with Heb. v. 4, 5, 6. and Dan. ix. 24, 26., where we read of the anointing of the most Holy, that is, Christ, whose unction was prefigured by the anointing of the sanctuary and the ark; of the cutting off of

* De Jure Regio.

the Messiah; and of the confirmation of the covenant by the Messiah's being cut off. His Kingly unction is clear from Psalm ii. 6.—With regard to the order of these offices, and the question as to which of them ought first to be considered, it is scarcely worth while to contend. They are all so intimately blended together in their exercise, that it is more necessary to distinguish them from each other in their nature, than in respect to the time of their execution.

XIII. Agreeably to custom, therefore, we begin with the PROPHETICAL office. That Christ was a Prophet, not merely equal but superior to Moses,-a Prophet who was to speak the words of God, words which God had reserved for himself to declare in the last days, and which it was not lawful for a mere man to utter," is collected from Deut. xviii. 18. compared with several other passages of Scripture. He is denominated" the "Apostle of our profession," that is, one whom we confess as a Teacher divinely commissioned, who teaches doctrines which are to be believed with the heart unto righteousness, and confessed with the mouth unto salvation, and to whom we are bound in all things to hearken; vowing submission to his authority, and saying Amen to him when we make a covenant with God.

XIV. The office of prophets consists of the three following parts. 1st, To teach the way of salvation. 2dly, To prophesy, or to foretel future events, otherwise unknown. 3dly, Rightly to confirm their doctrine and their prophecies, by a certain exemplary holiness of life, and if circumstances render it necessary, by miracles, and by martyrdom.

n

2 Cor. xii. 4. comp. John iii. 34.

• Heb. iii. 5. Acts iii. 22, 23. Is. xlii. 1. Joel ii. 28. John vi. 14.

P Heb. iii. 1.

9 Comp. 2 Cor. ix. 13.

xv. Each of these is performed by Christ in the most excellent manner. 1st, He revealed, and placed in the clearest light, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and the secret counsel of God respecting our salvation. 2dly, He accurately foretold in his prophecies the various events that are to befal the New Testament Church till the end of the world. 3dly, He confirmed his whole ministry, 1. By an exhibition, and an example, of the most unspotted holiness of conduct, both in his life, and at his death. 2. By stupendous miracles, none equal or similar to which were ever beheld." 3. By the martyrdom of his death, to which the Apostle refers when he says,-" Christ Jesus, who "before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession."▾ In reference to this, too, Jesus Christ appears to be called, "the faithful witness, and the first-begotten of "the dead."" Gregory Nazianzen calls Christ “the "chief Martyr :"* and that Christ might not seem to be deprived of any part of his honour, the Christians of Lyons and Vienne of old, chose rather to be called confessors than martyrs.†

XVI. We must not here omit to notice the superiority of Christ to other Prophets in every part of his office. If you consider his doctrine, not only did he utter dark sayings of old, and reveal mysteries which were kept secret since the world began, and which he

• Πρώτος μαρτυς.

Orat. xviii.

+ Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. v. cap. xv.

John xv. 15. xvii. 8.

s Mat. xxiv. xxv. Rev. i. 1.

t 1 Cor. xi. 1. 1 Thes. i. 6. 1 Pet. ii. 21.

" Luke vii. 14, 15, 16. Mat. xi. 3, 4, 5.

ν Ιησέ Χριστέ, τι μαρτυρήσαντος επι Ποντιᾶ Πιλατο την καλήν όμολο yiav. 1 Tim. vi. 13.

* Ο μαρτυς ὁ πιστος. Rev. i. 5.

* Ps. lxxviii. 2.

y Rom. xvi. 25.