Passage on the faith Christ taught the disciples

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: SL255.8, Location Unknown

Published online: April 2012

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- Revision History
  - 17 June 2011
    - Tagged transcription by Shannon Higgins
  - 12 July 2011
    - Revised by Shannon Higgins
  - 30 November 2011
    - Checked by John Young.
  - 16 April 2012
    - Catalogue information compiled by John Young
  - 16 April 2012
    - Code audited by Michael Hawkins
  - 20 April 2012
    - Final-checked by John Young
  - 23 April 2012
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Related Texts
- This document is part of SL255
  The previous part of this document is Part of a study of Revelation [SL255.7]
  The next part of this document is Passage on early Christian sects [SL255.9]

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2 The Faith which Christ taught his disciples after his resurrection, & which he sent them to teach all nations in disciplining them, he taught out of Moses & the Prophets & Psalms, opening their understandings that they might understand what was writ concerning him. And therefore for understanding this faith aright we must have recourse to the prophesies of the old testament which concern him & were fulfilled in him & explained by the Apostles in their preaching. And the chief of these prophesies are pointed at by the several names thence given to him & explain those names. He is called the Christ or Messiah to signify that he is that Messiah who was annointed by his death at the end of Daniels seventy weeks of years: the son of man to signify that he is the person whom Daniel saw like the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven to receive a kingdom that all people nations & languages should serve him: the son of God to signify that he is the person of whom God said; Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee; ask of me & I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance & the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession; thou shalt break them with a rod of iron & dash them in pieces like a Potters vessel; Psal. 2. He is called the Lamb of God to signify that he was typified in the Paschal Lamb instituted by Moses, & said to sit on the right hand of God & to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedech to signify that he is the person spoken of in 110^th Psalm who shall rule in the midst of his enemies. He is called the Word of God with a two edged sword coming out of his mouth to signify that he is the person spoken of in Isaiah 11^th, whom God should make of a quick understanding in the fear of the Lord to judge the poor with righteousness, & who shall smite the earth with the rod [or according to the seventy, with the word] of his mouth, & with the breath of his lips shall slay the wicked. And this Word is said to become flesh & to be heard & seen &handled to signify that the name includes the body of Christ & is not a metaphysical term of art. So then for understanding these names of Christ, we are to have recourse unto the old Testament & to beware of vain Philosophy. For Christ sent his Apostles, not to teach Metaphysicks & Philosophy to the common people & to their wives & children; but to teach what he had taught them out of Moses & the Prophets & Psalms concerning himself.

1 All Christians agree that we may give glory & honour to God the father because he hath created all things & to the Lamb of God because he hath redeemed us with his blood & is our Lord, & that we may pray to God the father in the name of Christ for what we want, & give him thanks for what we receive, & wish for grace & peace from God & Christ & the Holy Ghost, & baptize in their name, & receive the Eucharist in memory of Christs death. And all this worship is included in the first principles of the doctrine of Christ & is sufficient for salvation. And if any man hath a mind to add to this worship he may do it in his closet without troubling the Churches with his private sentiments.

3 Christ is also called the God who was in the beginning with God to signify that he was that God who walked in Paradise in the cool of the day & sentenced Adam & Eve & the Serpent, & by whom God the father made all things in the beginning & gave the promisses to the Patriarchs & of whom God said to the people of Israel, Obey my voice for my name is in him. Exod. 23.21. He is also called Michael in Apoc 12, with reference to the same name in Daniel chap. 10 & 12, to signify that he is that Michael the great Prince <2r> who in the end of the world shall stand up for the children of Daniels people & who in the days of Daniel helped the prophetic Angel against the Prince of the kingdom of Persia, & who alone held with & assisted the prophetic Angel in matters of prophesy & was then called the Prince of Daniels people, & by consequence is the Prince of the Host & the Prince of Princes spoken of in Daniels prophesy of the Ram & He Goat: And so the name of Antichrist was taken from the old Testament, & has relation to the last horn of the He Goat which magnified it self against the Prince of the Host & stood up against the Prince of Princes. Dan. 8. ✝ < insertion from lower down f 2r > ✝ And so the prophetic spirit is called an Angel in the Apocalypse with reference to the same name given him in the Prophesies of Daniel < text from higher up f 2r resumes > But these difficulter points are to be recconed amongst the strong meats for men of riper years rather then among the first principles of the doctrine of Christ.