C H R 
after the reformation; from which cuftom, though long 
fince abolillied, the children who die within a month of 
their birth are itill called cbrifoms, in our London bills of 
mortality. 
CHRIST, [from anointed ; whence the pre-emi¬ 
nent term, the anointed of the Lord.~\ A name fynonymous 
with the Messiah, ufually added to Jesus, (Deliverer ;J 
and, together therewith, denominating or implying that 
Divine Person who was appointed to be the 
Saviour of the World; becaufe the objeft of his 
million upon earth was to reftore mankind to the inheri¬ 
tance of thole bleliings and that favour of God which 
had been forfeited by Adam’s tranfgreffion. Every dif- 
penfation of Providence from the fall, had been prepara¬ 
tory of this great event. Prophets had Jjeen railed from 
time to time, to preferve, in the early ages of the world, 
the knowjedge and worlhip of the true God: the children 
of Abraham had been feparated from the furrounding 
nations for the fame purpofe; and, by the difperlion of 
the ten tribes, the captivity of the other two in Babylon, 
and the tranflation of the Hebrew feriptures into the 
Greek language, much of the knowledge which had been 
revealed to the Ifraelites, and their expectation of a pro- 
mi fed MelTiah, was gradually difrufed over the eaftern 
world. 
This promife of a Redeemer of Ifrael, tranfmitted 
through lo many generations, was recognized by the 
Jews, and anxioully expended by them at the very time it 
was fulfilled; but they had grofsly miltaken the fpiritual 
million of Chrilt, fondly expending a powerful and mighty 
prince, who Ihould reign over them on earth, with all the 
pomp of temporal greatnefs, tramplirg under foot the 
enemies and oppreflors of Ifrael, and leading forth his 
cbofen people amid the triumphs of conqueft, and the 
fplendour of dominion. Yet the fame prophecies which 
foretold the coming, had likewile marked out with lin¬ 
gular precision, every particular concerning the charac¬ 
ter, the office, and the perfon, of the Saviour. The myf- 
terious union of the divine and human natures in the 
perfon of Chrift, was repeatedly (hadowed out, and might 
have been fairly inferred from thole very prophecies, 
which predicted the meannefs, the fufferings, and the ig¬ 
nominious death, of the MelTiah; and which painted the 
victory, the grandeur, and the fpiritual eternity, of his 
heavenly kingdom. He was, nevertkelefs, deferibed as 
“ defpifed and rejefted of men; a man of forrows, and 
acquainted with grief; wounded for the tranfgreffions, 
and bruifed for the iniquities, of his peopleand, laft- 
ly, as “ clofing his unexampled diltrefl'es and unfpotted 
life, like the fheep led forth in patient, and lubmiffive 
lilence to the {laughter.” 
As, in the Old Teftament, we find thefe ftriking fails 
long and'early predicted ; fo, in the New Teftament, we 
fee them precifely and literally fulfilled. Thus between 
the Old and the New Teftament, there is the clofefc con¬ 
nexion. The two parts taken together conllitute the 
Holy Scriptures : which being proved the authentic 
writings of men, whom divine agency prevented from 
miltake in the relation of fails and doilrines, become to 
us the unerring rule of our faith. We Ihould have to 
recite the whole of the gofpels, if we were to enter into 
a minute detail of fails recorded by the evangeliits. From 
fuch recapitulation we are neceflarily prevented : but we 
Ihould not do juftice to the importance of the fubjeil, if 
we did not direil the attention of the reader to fome par¬ 
ticulars. Let him obferve then, “ what Chrift teaches 
concerning God the Father; concerning his own Divine 
Nature; and concerning the Holy Spirit: what he teaches 
concerning his own manifeftation in the flefli; concern¬ 
ing good and evil fpirits; concerning a Hate of future 
retribution. Let him obferve.alfo, the authority with 
which he fpake; the force and energy, the fimplicity, af- 
feftion, and dignity, of his difcourles ; the beauty of his 
parables, and the correfpondence of them with the fub- 
jefts to be illuftrated ; and the appropriate method with 
Vol. IV. No. 216. 
I S T. 517 
which our Lord raifed moral and religious inftruftions 
from familiar objefts and common occurrences. Every 
reader ihould obferve alfo the knowledge he poilefled of 
men’s fecret thoughts; the conftant and inherent power 
with which he was endowed, to work inftantaneous and 
permanent miracles in the very fight of his enemies; and 
with which he was enabled to foretel events, which have 
been accompliflied in a manner extraordinary as it lias 
been punftual and literal.” All thefe circumftances com¬ 
bined together, fubilantiated as they are by credible wit- 
neiles, who iealed the truth of their hiftories with their 
own blood, muit imprefs on every candid mind ftrong 
conviction that Christ was infinitely fuperior to man, 
and that his million was truly from God. Nor Ihould we 
be inattentive to what may be ftyled the moral and reli¬ 
gious conduft of Christ upon earth. The manner in 
which the facred writers have deferibed the actions of 
Chrift, not only increafes the efficacy of his inftruftions, 
but conftitutes a new, a ftriking, and peculiar fpecies of 
evidence, for the truth of his dofttines. Indeed, the ex¬ 
emplary life and exalted charafter of Jefus Chrift, affords 
to human beings the molt perfeft model of piety, humi¬ 
lity, and virtue, of morality and benevolence; the true 
pattern of every thing that is good or excellent on earth. 
In patience and long-iuffering, he betrayed neither pufil- 
lanimity nor fpleen. He was firm without obftinacy, and 
humble without meannefs. In the general tenor of his 
life he was mild and gentle ; the promoter of peace among 
men, and the ftrifteft obferver of it in his own behaviour. 
Yet when great and urgent cccafions called for a different 
deportment, he difpiayed a noblenefs of mind, a con¬ 
tempt of danger and death, fuch as the importance of his 
million required from him, and fuch as confcious recti¬ 
tude could alone infpire. Thefe virtues of Chrift, whe¬ 
ther we confider them as too fublime to excite lentiments 
of prefumptuous emulation, or too rational not to jullify 
our endeavours to imitate them, will, in no age and no 
country, lofe either their ufefulnefs, their beauty, or then- 
merit. They are certainly in various refpefts practicable 
under every form of government, whether free or defpo- 
tic; under every modification of manners, not abfolutely 
barbarous; and in every Hate of knowledge, whether it 
be imperfeft or improved. In the loweft condition of the 
world, they will tend to leflen the miferies and diforders 
to which the unfearchable providence of God has f'ub- 
jefted our fpecies; they will increafe the Hock of cur 
happinels, and exalt our nature to the higheft perfection, 
when accompanied .by every ailiftance which realon, which 
philolophy, which civilization, can bellow, in forming the 
moral or the religious charafter of man. 
The firll public appearance of Chrift was in the higheft: 
degree unpopular, and oppofed to all the prejudices and 
all the pride of his countrymen. Inllead of alluring them 
by the profpeft of temporal importance and dominion, 
to which their expeftations had been direfted, he pro¬ 
claimed the commencement of a fpiritual and invifibie 
kingdom, little calculated to fatisfy their worldly deiires, 
or gratify their ambition. Inllead of erefting his victo¬ 
rious ftandard as the champion of Ifrael, as their mighty 
deliverer from the oppreffion of every earthly foe, lie of¬ 
fered them a redemption, more beneficial, indeed, though 
lefs attraftive to the fenfual mind; a redemption from the 
dreadful tyranny of fin, and from thofe effefts of divine 
difpleafure, which, after temporal death, await habitual 
and unrepenting finners. Had intereft or ambition been 
the guide of his aftions, he would certainly have alfumed 
that charafter, to which the warmeft hopes and the molt 
rooted prepofieflion of the Jews univerfally inclined. He 
would not have oppofed alike the pride of princes, and the 
fuperftition of the people; he would have either courted 
popularity, or gralped at dominion; he, at leaft, would 
not have taken every meafufe that had a natural tendency 
to alarm tlie jealouly of the magiftrate, and to provoke the 
dilplealure of the multitude. As ambition had no Ihare 
in his claims, as his kingdom was neither formed on the 
C CL policy* 
