Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ...

SECT. I. Of the Beginning of the Gospel.

IN this piece, as in the former, we must first lay down the Object, and then direct you how to look to it.

The Object is Jesus carrying on the work of Mans Salvation during the time of his Life. Now in all the transactions of this time, we shall observe them as they were carried on successively in those three years and an half of his ministerial Office, or if you will in those four compleat Years before his Passion and Death.

For the first Year, and his actings therein, the Evangelist Mark begins thus, The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God; q. d. the beginning of that age of the World, which the Prophets pointed out for the time of good things to come; or the be∣ginning of the exhibition and completion of that Gospel, which in respect of the pro∣mise, figures, and signification was from the beginning of the World. This beginning of the Gospel, the Prophets sometimes expressed by the term of the last dayes, and it shall come to pass in the last dayes: sometimes by the term of the acceptable year of the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord: some∣times by the term of the Kingdom of God; And in the dayes of these Kings, shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. Sometimes by the term of a New Heaven, and a New Earth, behold I create New Heavens, and a New Earth, and the former shall not be remembred, nor come in mind. Howsoever it is called, this is concluded, that the beginning of the Gospel is not to be reckoned from the birth of Christ, but from the beginning of the Ministry and Preaching of John the Baptist; from the dayes of John the Baptist untill now (said Christ) the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence; for all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John; and when the Apostles were ready in the Room of Judas to choose a new Apostle, it is said, that of those men which companied with them all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out amongst them, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was taken up, must one be ordained to be a witness. And Peter Preaching to Cornelius and his friends, he tells them that the Word (or Gospel) was

published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the Baptism which John preach∣ed: and see but how immediately these words follow, The beginning of the Gospel of Je∣sus Christ the Son of God: as it is written in the Prophets behold I send my Messenger be∣fore thy face, which shall prepare the way before thee: I know that Johns Ministry was six months before Christ's; and yet that now was the beginning of the Gospel, it ap∣pears, 1. In that Baptism (which was only used amongst the Jews for the admission of Proselites or Heathens to their Church) is now published and proposed to the Jews themselves; shewing, 1. That now they were to be entred and transplanted into a new Profession; and, 2. That the Gentiles, and they were now to be knit into one Church and Body. And, 2. It appears in that the Doctrine and Preaching of John was of a different strain, from the litteral Doctrine of the Law; as it is taken in the sense of the Jews; for that called all for works; and for exact performance, do this and live; but John called for Repentance, and for renewing of the mind, and for belief in him that was coming after, disclaiming all righteousness by the works of the Law; so that here was new Heavens, and a new Earth began to be created, a new Commandment given, a new Church founded, Justification by works cried down, and the Doctrine of Faith and Re∣pentance advanced and set up.

Hence one observes that the Evangelist Luke points out this year in a special manner; it was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Cesar; at which time (sayes he) Pilate was Gover∣nour of Judea, Herod was Tetrarch of Galilee, Philip was Tetrarch of Iturea, Lysanias was Tetrach of Abilene, and Annas and Caiaphas were high Priests. And then, even then, the Word of God came unto John, the Son of Zacharias, in the Wilderness. See how ex∣act the Evangelist seems, that so remarkable a year of the beginning of the Gospel might be fixed and made known to all the World. In this respect, I shall begin the first year of Christs Life with the beginning of John's Preaching, which was sixs months current be∣fore the Ministry of Christ; and in the compass of this first year, I shall handle these Particulars,—

1. The Preaching of John Baptist. 2. The Baptisme of Christ Jesus. 3. The Fa∣sting and Temptation of Christ in the wilderness. 4. The first manifestation of Jesus by his several witnesses. 5. Christ whipping the buyers and sellers out of the Temple. Observe that every of these four years, I shall end at one of the passeovers, of which we read during Christ Ministry; as of the first Passover in John. 2.13. of the second Pass∣over in John 5.1. of the third Passover, John 6.4. of the fourth Passover, John 13.1. And first, of the first year to end at the first Passover.

Notes

• Mark 1.1.
• Isa. 2.2.
• Mica. 4.1.
• Isa. 61.1, 2. Dan. 2.44. Isa. 65.17.
• Mat. 11.12, 15.
• Act. 11.21, 22.
• Acts 10.37.
• Mark. 1.1, 2.
• Lightf. Harm. of the Four Evang Luke 3.1, 2.