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<DATE>2014-06-17</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>CONVICTION FOR THE JEWES, AND CONFIRMATION and Comfort for CHRISTIANS.</P>
<P>Or that, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the true Me&s;siah, and is alreadie Come.</HI></P>
<P>Prooved from, and by the &s;acred Scriptures, the unerring rule of truth, and by other undeniable Arguments.</P>
<P>Together with the principall and mo&s;t weightie Objections of the <HI>Jewes</HI> an&s;wered.</P>
<P>All being a loving exhortation to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> by him that earne&s;tly de&s;ireth the &s;alvation of all wearie and thir&s;tie &s;oules, both Jewes and Gentiles.</P>
<P>Written by JOHN BLACKLACH.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>I&s;ai. 51.1. Revel. 22.27.</HI></BIBL> Let him that is a thir&s;t come, for the Spirit, and the Bride &s;ay come, and who&s;oever will come, and take of the water of life freely.</Q>
<P><HI>LONDON;</HI> Printed by <HI>M. S.</HI> for <HI>Henry Cripps</HI> in <HI>Popes-head</HI> Alley. 1656.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>The Authors Epi&s;tle to the Engli&s;h.</HEAD>
<P>_DEarely beloved Countrymen of the Engli&s;h Nation, Men, Brethren, and Fathers, to you I wi&s;h and de&s;ire, the &s;ame comfort (of your bodies in this world, and everla&s;ting &s;alva|tion to your &s;oules in Gods heavenly king|dome) that I doe to my &s;elfe, having been long ab&s;ent from my Native Countrey of <HI>England,</HI> I know not (&s;o well as many o|thers) what might be mo&s;t acceptable to you, I would I had &s;ome|thing (that might be acceptable) to be&s;tow and to pre&s;ent you withall.</P>
<P>The wealth of this world, I have not much, though that little that I have, is much more then I doe de&s;erve; this I enjoy in a good mea&s;ure, that having bread for the day I am content there|with, and de&s;ire to be thankfull to God for it.</P>
<P>Had I this worlds wealth, con&s;idering that it could not free mee from the manifold evills, to which wee mortalls are &s;ubject, and con&s;idering that I could not be certaine to enjoy the be&s;t of this worlds good things, one day, I had therefore no great cau&s;e to Glory, nor to lift up my head or heart too high; and had I much riches to di&s;tribute among&s;t &s;o many, it would doe but a little good, and would &s;oone be &s;pent and vani&s;h; I &s;hall therefore (in token of my love to you) pre&s;ent to you a &s;mall Treati&s;e, a few lines, conteining more Comfort and good in them, then all this worlds wealth.</P>
<P>Certainly, when I fir&s;t wrote the matters following, I did onely (if I know my former intents) entend to write privately a few lines to the Nation, (or &s;ome) of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> and that aro&s;e from &s;ome loving conferences (that, the <HI>Jewes</HI> that inhabit in another part more remote, were plea&s;ed to favour mee with) touching the true <HI>Me&s;&s;iah.</HI></P>
<P>And finding that they thereby did &s;hew mee more love, and
<PB REF="3"> were more free to open them&s;elves in religious Matters to mee; then (I beleeve) had been ordinary; for ordinarily they are very re&s;erved in opening their minds (touching the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah,</HI>) to us Chri&s;tians. And having gained this former favour from them, they added this courte&s;ie, that at my departure, they wrote Letters to their friends at <HI>Am&s;terdam</HI> (whither I was bou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d) in my behalfe that they &s;hould &s;hew mee courte&s;ie (I could not reade the Let|ters) but &s;o they told mee (and I &s;o beleeve) was the contents.</P>
<P>I con&s;idered in my minde how I might gratifie the former kind|ne&s;&s;es, and how I might &s;hew my good will to that Nation; And at length I re&s;olved (by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance) to write as deliberately as I could to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> to doe (or receive from) them as much good as I could.</P>
<P>The Motives that moved me, upon &s;econd and future thoughts, to bring this to your &s;ight, are as followeth.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Rea&s;on is in regard that &s;ome matters, herein contai|ned, being of weighty and high concernment to every one (not onely <HI>Jewes</HI>) but al&s;o Chri&s;tians. And finding in and by the ble&s;|&s;ing of God upon the diligent &s;earch of the Scriptures, touching the matters treated off; and finding that much comfort, confir|mation, &amp; &s;trengthening to my faith did ari&s;e thereby, I thought to pre&s;ent the&s;e to more publike &s;ight, then at fir&s;t I entended. Hoping thereby that &s;ome drop of comfort, and &s;tabli&s;hment, might fall into the &s;oule of &s;ome ignorant (yet weary and thir|&s;tie &s;oule) and might put them upon further iniquirie.</P>
<P>Secondly, Becau&s;e having been long out of my Native Coun|try of <HI>England,</HI> I know not any that hath written upon this &s;ub|ject, and if others have written much more copiou&s;ly, and per|&s;picuou&s;ly, I therein rejoyce, let God have the glory and prai&s;e; this will not hinder (though more darke) but cau&s;e tho&s;e to &s;hine more bright, and plaine. And take notice of this, that if you finde any other that hath written upon this &s;ubject, buy and read both, doubt not but both will be worth their price; the matter is ex|cellent, dig for it as for hidden trea&s;ure; for faith is the roote of all Graces plea&s;ing to God.</P>
<P>To know God reconciled to thee in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, is (both the way to, and) Eternall life.</P>
<P>Faith well and deeply founded (e&s;pecially in &s;uch weightie mat|ters) will Comfort us both in pro&s;peritie, and in adver&s;itie, it will
<PB REF="3"> uphould us in times of temptation; it is that grace that God &s;o often and &s;o highly commendeth; it is the way and meanes by God ordained to eternall life; and faith comes by hearing.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on why I have been &s;paring (though not wholy want|ing) to produce many other writers, but the Scriptures chiefly, is.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e other Authors are as he that &s;ingeth a lovely &s;ong, in a delectable tune, or as the &s;mell of plea&s;ant and &s;weet &s;melling flowers. But &s;hould I bring many humane Authors (to convince the <HI>Jewes,</HI> who are an ob&s;tinate, and unbeleeving peo|ple) I might po&s;&s;ibly reach their eares, but (I beleeve) I &s;hould not reach their hearts (therefore I have laboured, to produce the word of God, (which is mightie in operation) according to the mea&s;ure of time, and other re&s;pects) not becau&s;e I was utterly de|&s;titute of other Authors, my &s;elfe (in former time, for many yeares together) did make it my whole employment, to reade varietie of Authors.</P>
<P>It was the manner of the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter,</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1 12. to be di|ligent to put us alwayes in remembrance of tho&s;e things, though wee knew them, and were e&s;tabli&s;hed in the pre&s;ent truth.</P>
<P><HI>Paul</HI> may plant, and <HI>Apollos</HI> may water, but it is from the ble&s;|&s;ing of the Lord, that either the former, or later, doth pro&s;per. <HI>Peter</HI> putteth them in remembrance of the &s;ame things, <HI>ver.</HI> 13. and thereby &s;tirreth them up.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The price of this being but &s;mall, and the Treati&s;e little, it is with more ea&s;e attained, and &s;ooner read.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Becau&s;e the weight of &s;ome of the&s;e following mat|ters, are great, and principall fundamentall points of our faith.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Becau&s;e it is good for every man to make diligent en|quirie, and to u&s;e what helps, and furtherances may be, becau&s;e wee know not into what tryalls wee may fall, and under what &s;trong temptations &s;ome of us may be tryed among&s;t men that are oppo&s;ite to our Religion; may wee not &s;ay, that the be&s;t of us, had need to be well e&s;tabli&s;hed, and rooted, in our beleefe, becau&s;e Satan, the world, and our owne frailties, doe dayly a&s;&s;ault us; If then our faith faile us, wee are &s;oone ca&s;t downe and overcome.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> It may be &s;ome may lightly e&s;teeme of this, conceiving the&s;e points not to be of &s;o great concernment.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Fir&s;t, It co&s;t mee more paines to write, then them to reade, and I doe freely give them my labour, I de&s;ire but their accep|tance.
<PB REF="4"> But further let mee &s;ay this, that to know God, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t is life eternall. To know Je&s;us Chri&s;t to be the true Me&s;|&s;iah, and to know God, to be reconciled to mee, or thee, a Gen|tile by nature, is the matter, the foundation, of a lively ju&s;tifying faith, if wee be well e&s;tabli&s;hed in this pre&s;ent truth, wee need not doubt, but good fruits, and acceptable to God, will &s;pring from thence, if the roote <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e holy, &s;o are the branches, this is the Anchor of hope, and let this roote be defective namely, that wee doe not thorowly know upon &s;ure grounds, that God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t is re|conciled to us, and that this Je&s;us is the Saviour of us Gentiles, a&s;&s;uredly wee &s;hall have but a dead and unprofitable faith, or our faith and workings, will be defective in proportion, for propor|tionable to our faith will our actings be.</P>
<P>A &s;ixth rea&s;on mooving mee to publi&s;h this, is becau&s;e every booke cometh not to every eye, it is likely that I may be&s;tow, or &s;catter the&s;e, where few of other writers workes doe come, and if both other mens writings doe come to the &s;ame readers &s;ight, yet neither will hinder other, &s;eeing both relate to (and doe beare witne&s;&s;e to) the &s;ame truth. I rejoyce if God be glorified, and if his worke be done.</P>
<P>All writings, or exhortations, doe not alike worke, nor alike prevaile with all men; <HI>Paul</HI> was &s;ound, yet came in plainene&s;&s;e, with feare and trembling, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.3, 4.</P>
<P><HI>Apollos</HI> &s;ought and endeavoured to be helpfull in the &s;ame worke of God, he built on the &s;ame foundation, and laboured to effect or helpe forward the &s;ame building, yet came furni&s;hed with eloquence, and being mightie in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>God in his wi&s;dome &s;eeth it meete to give diver&s;itie of gifts, for the edification of his &s;ervants.</P>
<P>One drop, nor one &s;hower of raine, doth not make ground &s;uf|ficiently fruitfull, God u&s;eth both dewes, and &s;howers.</P>
<P>I did truely entend this, to pre&s;ent this to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> and when I came to <HI>Am&s;terdam,</HI> and found that the <HI>Jewes</HI> &s;pake Dutch, and not Engli&s;h, I was at a lo&s;&s;e; but an hone&s;t Godly man (to whom I made this knowne) reading my Coppie, and approving the mat|ter, he promi&s;ed mee to tran&s;late it into the Dutch language, which I beleeve before this time he hath perfited, and publi&s;hed to my courteous, plaine, and &s;ingle-hearted Countryman I pre&s;ent this, and leave the i&s;&s;ue to the ble&s;&s;ing of God.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>The Authors Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Jewes.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_DEarely Beloved (I would willingly call you Brethren, but I beleeve you will not yet accept &s;o much, let mee call you) Men, and Fathers, unto you that are the po&s;te|ritie of <HI>Abram, I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> men who&s;e memories I highly e&s;teeme, and men for ever ble&s;&s;ed by the Lord.</P>
<P>The occa&s;ion of my writing to you the&s;e following lines, is as followeth; My bui&s;ine&s;&s;e leading, (and Gods divine providence &s;o di&s;po&s;ing) mee, I was lately in ano|ther part of the world, where many <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> (otherwi&s;e called <HI>Jewes</HI>) dwelt.</P>
<P>There I grew &s;omewhat familiarly acquainted with them, and &s;uch was their favour toward mee (though I de&s;erved not to be &s;o much re&s;pected by them) that they entertained diver&s;e &s;olemne, or deliberate Conferences with mee, touching the wor|&s;hip and &s;ervice of God.</P>
<P>And principally our Conference was touching or concerning the true Me&s;&s;iah, and touching the Gentile Nations.</P>
<P>And as love was the fir&s;t, and principall, and the onely moo|ving cau&s;e of our meetings, and conference; &s;o wee parted in love. And this further favour &s;ome of them &s;hewed to mee, that they wrote Letters te&s;timoniall, or in favour of mee, and &s;ent by mee to &s;ome other of your Nation dwelling in the place wither I was bound from thence.</P>
<P>If the effect of tho&s;e Letters, and the love of your Nation, fa&s;t &s;etled in my heart, may but gaine love from you againe, &s;o much and &s;o farre, as to reade over, and deliberately to weigh and to con&s;ider of the Scriptures in the&s;e following lines conteined, and applyed.</P>
<PB REF="5">
<P>And becau&s;e they doe chiefely concerne the mo&s;t weightie poynts, touching the true, &s;olid, and everla&s;ting comfort, both of your Nation, and of all men; therefore I humbly reque&s;t your favour, con&s;iderately to reade over the&s;e few lines (contained in this &s;mall Volume) unto the end.</P>
<P>I would reque&s;t (if I might to far gaine your favour) &s;ome few lines from you in an&s;wer; if it may be &s;o. I &s;hall not onely e&s;teeme you gratefull, but al&s;o I purpo&s;e to reade, and advi&s;edly to weigh yours, in an&s;wer, and I beleeve it will be of good u&s;e to mee and many more.</P>
<P>It may be (and I doe expect no le&s;&s;e but) that, &s;ome matters and places of Scripture, by mee alledged, may &s;eeme har&s;h to you, and faile, or fall &s;hort of your interpretation. Yet doe not you therefore reject the whole, becau&s;e you know that wee that are but infirme and weake creatures, are &s;ubject to infirmities; note that it is of right that wee a&s;cribe perfection to the Lord onely.</P>
<P>This I beleeve, that if you doe duely and advi&s;edly, reade over the whole to the end, you &s;hall finde profit thereby.</P>
<P>If you doe not give, nor I receive no an&s;wer, then doe you not &s;hew your &s;elves gratefull. But neverthele&s;&s;e, I am not thereby di&s;couraged, becau&s;e as the honour of my God, and the di&s;charge of my dutie, being the highe&s;t, and in compari&s;on, the onely end of my acting; I know that my labour &s;hall not be in vaine; true and long experience hath taught mee &s;o much.</P>
<P>My greate&s;t cau&s;e of trouble, and cau&s;e of humiliation is, be|cau&s;e I come aboundantly &s;hort of my dutie, and love, which I owe to God my Creator, and to you my Neighbours.</P>
<P>Dearely beloved, although I doe conceive, that your beleefe concerning us (that are beleevers in Je&s;us Chri&s;t) are very low, counting us to be out-ca&s;ts from the Common-wealth of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> and &s;trangers from the Covenants, and pretious promi&s;es, of life eternall in Gods heavenly kingdome. Yet know this undoubted|ly, that the writer hereof (and I beleeve many thou&s;ands in old <HI>England,</HI> in <HI>New England,</HI> be&s;ides other places of Chri&s;tians Re|formed) doe love your Nation or kindred (though now di&s;per|&s;ed) and doe dayly pray to Allmightie God, for your pro&s;peri|tie, and for the &s;alvation of your &s;oules. Touching our Conditi|on, as you have low, and meane thoughts of us, &s;o certainly wee
<PB REF="5"> have low and meane thoughts, concerning our &s;elves, and wee doe acknowledge, that it is the aboundant mercy of God, that wee are not con&s;umed, for our iniquities, and if God graunt mercie, and &s;alvation to us (Gentiles by nature) it is and mu&s;t be of his free grace, for when wee have done for God what wee can doe, yet wee have done le&s;&s;e then our dutie, and wee doe ac|knowledge unfeinedly that wee are unprofitable &s;ervants.</P>
<P>Thus much know, that when I doe &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, your pre&s;ent deplorable, and much to be lamented Condition, in which you now are, and under which you have continued about or a|bove fifteene hundred yeares now la&s;t pa&s;t I doe with the Pro|phet <HI>Jeremiah</HI> wi&s;h, <HI>That mine eyes were &s;uch a fountaine of teares, that I might</HI> (for your cau&s;e) <HI>weepe day and night, for your great calamities.</HI> De&s;iring to be &s;encible of, and more af|fected with, your &s;orrowfull and much to be lamented condi|tion.</P>
<P>And yet more (if po&s;&s;ible) is your condition to be lamented, becau&s;e (I beleeve) you &s;ee not wherefore the Lord hath thus af|flicted you, and con&s;equently you doe not repent, nor acknow|ledge your great evill.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider I pray you, that the great evill and &s;inne, for which God hath thus &s;mitten you is (and mu&s;t needs be &s;o) &s;ome ex|treame &s;inne, of an high nature, and that becau&s;e God is mo&s;t ju&s;t and righteous; I pray you patiently and advi&s;edly to con&s;ider, wherefore the Lord hath thus &s;mitten you &s;o long, and &s;o grie|vou&s;ly.</P>
<P>I doe verily beleeve, it is becau&s;e your Fathers did crucifie the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, whom I doe beleeve to be the promi&s;ed Me&s;|&s;iah, the onely meanes that God hath ordained, to reconcile &s;in|full man (both <HI>Jewes</HI> and Gentiles) to him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>For the tryall hereof I &s;hall endeavour, to proove by evident te&s;timonies of the Scriptures, and by other &s;trong and convin|cing te&s;timonies, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom your Fathers crucified, is the true Me&s;&s;iah, and that this &s;inne is the Capitall and chiefe &s;inne, for which Gods heavie hand of vi&s;ition, hath been &s;o long, and is &s;till &s;tretched out, again&s;t your Nation; I &s;hould rejoyce if God would give you &s;o much grace, to weigh matters in the ballance, and &s;eriou&s;ly to contemplate your owne condi|tion.</P>
<PB REF="6">
<P>Which I beleeve God in his appointed time will effect; for which hee humbly prayeth, that is your truely loving friend,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the true <HI>Me&s;siah, and is alreadie Come.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_FIr&s;t give me leave to remoove &s;ome prejudi|cate thoughts, that I beleeve many of your Nation are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed withall, and doe hin|der your conver&s;ion.</P>
<P>One of the Apprehen&s;ions of &s;ome (or many, if not all your Nation,) is, that <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> and his po&s;teritie were, and are &s;o the peculiar people of God, and above other people, that no other people, or per&s;ons, had or may have the like hope of Salvation.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Wee doe acknowledge, that wee are all &s;ubject to the mo&s;t high God hee may choo&s;e one, or more, per&s;on, or per&s;ons, one Nation, or Nations; and that he may refu&s;e another per&s;on, or Nation, or Nations, according to his own good will and plea|&s;ure, and wee doe acknowledge that wee are all in his hands, as clay is in the hand of the Potter, he may appoynt us to be ve&s;&s;ells of honour, or of di&s;honour, as it plea&s;eth him, and that righte|ou&s;ly.</P>
<P>Touching your Nation it is written <HI>Deuteronomie</HI> 7.6. <HI>Thou art an holy people, unto the Lord thy God, the Lord, thy God hath cho|&s;en thee, to be a &s;peciall people to him&s;elfe, above all people.</HI></P>
<P>Deuteronomie, 10.15. <HI>The Lord, thy God, had a delight in thy Fathers to love them, and he cho&s;e their &s;eede after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.</HI></P>
<P>Note that here wee doe acknowledge, that God did thus as before&s;aid, choo&s;e the Children of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> to be a peculiar people above other Nations But con&s;ider, that this doth not proove, that God had not cho&s;en other per&s;ons (to eternall life and &s;al|vation) before <HI>Abraham</HI> was; nor doth it proove that God had
<PB REF="7"> de&s;tinated, other Nations (be&s;ides the po&s;teritie of <HI>Abram,</HI> after <HI>Abrams</HI> time) to de&s;truction.</P>
<P>For the contrary hereof wee finde recorded in Gods holy word, namely, wee finde that God cho&s;e <HI>Adam, Abell, Enock, Sheth, Noath;</HI> as it is written, <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> 1 27. <HI>God created man in his owne Image, male and female.</HI> Ver&s;. 28. <HI>And God ble&s;&s;ed them.</HI></P>
<P>Gen, 4.4. <HI>God had re&s;pect to Abell, and to his offering.</HI></P>
<P>Gen. 5.24. <HI>Enock walked with God, and he was not, for God tooke him.</HI></P>
<P>Gen. 6.9. <HI>Noah was a ju&s;t man, and perfect in his Generation.</HI></P>
<P>Gen. 9.1. <HI>And God ble&s;&s;ed Noah, and his &s;onnes.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But po&s;&s;ibly you may object, that <HI>Abraham</HI> and the po&s;teritie of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> were cho&s;en above other people.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is true they were in &s;ome re&s;pects, above other Na|tions in that age of the world.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In re&s;pect that in a more e&s;peciall, and glorious Man|ner, God revealed him&s;elfe to <HI>Abraham,</HI> and to his po&s;teritie, then he had done to others.</P>
<P>Secondly, In regard that God did vaile his favourable counte|nance, more from other Nations, then hee then did from the Chil|dren of <HI>I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Becau&s;e unto the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were committed, the written word of God conteining the knowledge of God, and of other matters, and conteining tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ed, and righteous Lawes of God. And conteining many pretious promi&s;es, and experi|ments of Gods gracious di&s;pen&s;ations.</P>
<P>Four<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hly, Becau&s;e God redeemed them, out of <HI>Egypt</HI> by a &s;trong hand, and drove out the Nations, out of the Land of <HI>Ca|naan,</HI> and gave it to the Children of <HI>I&s;raell;</HI> entitling them his fir&s;t borne &s;onne.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Neverthele&s;&s;e, it is an evill and ignorant opinion, to conceive, that God had no more &s;onnes, or per&s;ons, ordained to everla&s;ting life (and &s;aved with the &s;ame &s;alvation that the Chil|dren of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> were &s;aved with) (before, nor after <HI>Abraham</HI> his time) but the po&s;teritie of <HI>Abraham</HI> onely. For as hath been &s;hewed, God ble&s;&s;ed and accepted <HI>Adam, Abell, Enock, Noah,</HI> before <HI>Abram</HI> was, and after <HI>Abrams</HI> time, <HI>Job</HI> a man dwelling in the land of <HI>&V;z,</HI> God witne&s;&s;ed of him, <HI>Job</HI> 1.8. <HI>That there is none like him in all the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that
<PB N="3" REF="7"> feared God, and e&s;chewed evill.</HI> Job 42.9. <HI>The Lord accepted Job.</HI> The like might be &s;poken of <HI>Melchi&s;edeck.</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, it is remarkeable that God doth equally unite, <HI>Noah, Job,</HI> and <HI>Daniell,</HI> Ezechiel 14.14. <HI>Though the&s;e three men were in it, Noah, Job, and Daniell, they &s;hall deliver but their owne &s;oules.</HI></P>
<P>Where note that <HI>Noah,</HI> and <HI>Job,</HI> had the &s;ame &s;alvation, toge|ther with <HI>Daniell.</HI></P>
<P>Wee may further note, that although God did in a glorious manner, manife&s;t him&s;elfe to the Children of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> yet touching the pretious promi&s;es of eternall life, and immortalitie, that was hidden, and in a great mea&s;ure vailed, &s;o that the <HI>Jewes</HI> could not clearely &s;ee the beautie, and &s;plendor, the excellencie of them.</P>
<P>This plainely appeared from the long, and vehement di&s;pute, between the Phari&s;ees, and Sadduces, touching the re&s;urrection: one partie beleeving no re&s;urrection, neither Angell, nor &s;pirit: The other partie was &s;o weake in under&s;tanding and opening tho&s;e my&s;teries, that they could not convince the other partie, &s;o as to divert them from their errour.</P>
<P>And touching the aboundant mercie of God in granting to the Gentiles, this pretious mercie, to finde out a way for them to be Co-heires with the <HI>Jewes</HI> of the kingdome of heaven. Neither <HI>Jew,</HI> nor Gentile, could clearely, &s;ee that light, till God of his great mercie, at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, did unvaile his graci|ous promi&s;es, and &s;hew his favourable countenance to the Gentile Nations, in declaring unto the Gentiles, the remi&s;&s;ion of their &s;innes by Je&s;us Chri&s;t. The rea&s;on why neither Jew nor Gentile could &s;ee the my&s;tery touching the pardon of &s;inne, was this.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e till the fullne&s;&s;e of time that God had appointed was come, God did purpo&s;ely conceale, and would not unvaile it. Even &s;o God promi&s;ed that the children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> which promi&s;e was &s;ure.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;&s;e, till the time was come (which God before had appoynted) the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> could not &s;ee clearely, nor did they beleeve the promi&s;e for their deliverance out of <HI>Egypt;</HI> this appeared, for when <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> came to them, with much difficultie they were per&s;waded to beleeve the promi&s;e.</P>
<P>Next I &s;hall endeavour to remove the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> &s;ome|what, from their glorying, and re&s;ting upon, and in their Cove|nant,
<PB N="4" REF="8"> in their Sacrifices, and Ceremonies, as followeth.</P>
<P>The Covenant that God made with the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, after they came out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> was conditionall, that is to &s;ay, God promi&s;ed them the good things of this life, in ca&s;e they were obedient to his Commandement; but in ca&s;e that they were di&s;obedient, then God threatned to di&s;&s;olve, and di&s;anull his promi&s;e or favour touching the good things of this life: And not onely &s;o, but a&s;&s;ureth them, that he would di&s;owne and cur&s;e them.</P>
<P>This appeareth from evident te&s;timonies, in the word of God, <HI>Deuteronomie</HI> 8.19, 20. <HI>And it &s;hall be, if you doe at all forget the Lord, your God, and walke after other Gods, and &s;erve them, I te&s;tifie again&s;t you this day, that you &s;hall &s;urely peri&s;h, as the Na|tions which the Lord de&s;troyed before your face, &s;o &s;hall you peri&s;h, becau&s;e you would not be obedient.</HI></P>
<P>Note the latitude of the&s;e words, <HI>So, or in like manner &s;hall you peri&s;h, as other Nations peri&s;hed.</HI></P>
<P>Deut. 11.27. <HI>A ble&s;&s;ing if you obey the Commandements of the Lord, your God.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s; 28. <HI>And a cur&s;e, if you will not obey the Commandements.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s;. 32. <HI>And you &s;hall ob&s;erve to doe all the Commandements of the Lord, the Statutes and the Judgements.</HI></P>
<P>Note that by the &s;trictne&s;&s;e, and perfection, of the Law, you are bound to doe all the Commandements, to perfect obedience, which neither your Fathers, nor you now did, nor were they able to performe.</P>
<P>Deuteronomie 27.26. <HI>Cur&s;ed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that your whole Nation entered into this Covenant, and were bound.</P>
<P>Deut. 29.16. <HI>You &s;tand all of you here this day before the Lord, your Captaines, your Elders, your Officers, with all the men of I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s;. 11. <HI>Your little ones, your wives:</HI> 12 ver&s;. <HI>That thou &s;houl|de&s;t enter into the Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that he that breaketh any part of the Law, is guiltie of breach of Covenant,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 27. Ver. 28. Ver. 29.</NOTE> which breach was &s;ubject to all the Cur&s;es that are written <HI>in &s;uch a manner, as the Lord executed on the Na|tions before them: The &s;ecret things belong unto the Lord.</HI></P>
<PB N="5" REF="8">
<P>Note, what was &s;ecret? was not this &s;ecret, <HI>namely, the for|given<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e of their &s;innes,</HI> ari&s;ing from the free mercy of the Lord, by giving them a Saviour <HI>(namely, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the pro|mi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah,)</HI> to redeeme them from the cur&s;es of the Law. This was a &s;ecret vailed and hidden from Jew and Gentile, till the fullne&s;&s;e of time was come; although the promi&s;e was &s;ure, made to <HI>Abraham, I&s;ack</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> that in their feede <HI>(the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah)</HI> all the Nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed; they under&s;tood not how, nor when, nor what this ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed was, and &s;hould be.</P>
<P>Deut. 30.19. <HI>I call heaven and earth to record again&s;t you this day, that I have &s;et before you this day, life and death, ble&s;&s;ing and cur&s;ing.</HI></P>
<P>Jo&s;ua 23.15. <HI>Therefore it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, that as all good things are came upon you, which the Lord your God promi&s;ed to you, &s;o &s;hall the Lord bring upon you all evill things, untill he have de|&s;troyed you from off this good land, which the Lord your God giveth you.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>When you have tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed the Covenant of the Lord your God.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the Covenant, was Conditionall, confirmed upon the tearmes or condition, of their obedience to all Gods Com|mandements.</P>
<P>It appeareth plainly from the&s;e forenamed places, that Gods Covenant (with the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI>) was conditionall, upon this condition, namely, that if they were obedient to all Gods Commandements: and al&s;o under the penaltie of the Cur&s;es of the Law, in ca&s;e they did not keepe, and performe the Commands. And note, that it is plainly recorded in Gods holy Word, that you did not keepe, but breake your Covenant, and that in a mo&s;t notorious manner, not onely once, but often; not in one, but all particulars, not in one Generation, but in all your Generations.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> How then can you claime a right, an eminencie, by vir|tue of that Covenant?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Certainly had not God in his aboundant Grace, and mercie, provided a ran&s;ome to redeeme us, and you, from the for|feiture of that Covenant, and layd helpe upon one that is mightie, and able to &s;ave; by who&s;e obedience, and fulfilling your Cove|nant, God hath in aboundant mercie, manife&s;ted his gratious fa|vour,
<PB N="6" REF="9"> and that in him he is well plea&s;ed, and by him the remi&s;&s;ion and pardon of our &s;innes is proclaimed. Otherwi&s;e neither Jew nor Gentile could have had any &s;ure hope of Salvation.</P>
<P>The Lord give you and us humble and repentant hearts, and give us and you grace, to look upon him, whom by our &s;innes you and wee have peirced, who &s;uffered for our &s;innes, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 53. <HI>By who&s;e &s;tripes wee mu&s;t be healed.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But if you an&s;wer that God promi&s;ed to ble&s;&s;e <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> before the Law was given by <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is true, the promi&s;e was freely made to <HI>Abraham, Gen.</HI> 12.2.</P>
<P>Gen. 12.2. <HI>I will make of thee a great Nation, and I will ble&s;&s;e thee, and thou &s;halt be a ble&s;&s;ing.</HI> Ver. 3. <HI>I will ble&s;&s;e them that ble&s;&s;e thee.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that God did here leave <HI>Abram</HI> recorded, in the word of truth, to be a ble&s;&s;ed man, in an extraordinary mea&s;ure, and manner.</P>
<P>Al&s;o note, that it were an evill, ignorant, and uncharitable opi|nion, to conceive that no other per&s;on, or per&s;ons at that time, upon earth, were ble&s;&s;ed but <HI>Abraham</HI> onely, nor that any before, or after <HI>Abram,</HI> were or &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed, but onely <HI>Abraham,</HI> and his Children.</P>
<P>For no doubt but that God had many others in the world, that were ble&s;&s;ed per&s;ons, and elected to Salvation, although they were not recorded by name, in the holy Scriptures: wee may note, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 19.10 <HI>Eliah</HI> (though an holy Prophet) was mi&s;taken when he thought, that he him&s;elfe onely was left a true wor&s;hip|per of the true God; For God had his number that had not bow|ed the knee to <HI>Baall,</HI> although their names in particular, are not recorded in the holy Scriptures.</P>
<P>And in <HI>Abr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ham</HI> his time <HI>Melchi&s;edeck</HI> lived, and wee finde <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> 14.19. that <HI>Melchi&s;edeck</HI> ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Abraham.</HI></P>
<P>Now con&s;ider, that the le&s;&s;er are ble&s;&s;ed by the greater; <HI>And Abraham gave tithes to Melchi&s;edeck;</HI> which &s;hewed that <HI>Abra|ham</HI> had an high e&s;timation of <HI>Melchi&s;edeck.</HI> And <HI>Lott</HI> lived then, and I beleeve he was a ble&s;&s;ed man. And as hath been noted, <HI>A|bell, Sheth, Enock, Noah,</HI> are recorded ble&s;&s;ed. And after <HI>Abra|ham</HI> his time, <HI>Job</HI> is recorded to be ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Note, that not onely the po&s;teritie of <HI>Abraham, I&s;ack</HI> and
<PB N="7" REF="9"> <HI>Jacob,</HI> were promi&s;ed to be ble&s;&s;ed, but <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> 12.2, 3. <HI>In thee all the Families of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed, and in thy &s;eede.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that in <HI>Abraham,</HI> not onely his owne Family, or Chil|dren, or po&s;teritie, were to be ble&s;&s;ed (as the <HI>Jewes</HI> &s;eeme to af|firme) but all the Families of the earth were to be ble&s;&s;ed, and were plainly compri&s;ed and included, within this gracious and ble&s;|&s;ed promi&s;e. So <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> 18.18. <HI>All the Nations of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed in him.</HI> Gen. 22.18. <HI>And in thy &s;eede all the Nations of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the gratious goodne&s;&s;e of God was &s;uch, that (al|though God did entend to vaile, ob&s;cure, or hide his loving coun|tenance from other Nations for an appoynted time.) Yet he would not &s;o retaine his di&s;plea&s;ure for ever, but in his time God did en|tend to accept and receive the Gentiles into his favour, as it is evi|dent, from the aforementioned promi&s;es. For although the Gen|tiles were for an appoynted time, as a barren woman, as the fruit|le&s;&s;e or de&s;olate Wilderne&s;&s;e, yet the Lord by his Prophets did proclaime, that the barren wilderne&s;&s;e &s;hould have cau&s;e, to &s;ing, and &s;hout for joy.</P>
<P>And that <HI>from the ri&s;ing of the Sunne, to the &s;etting, or going downe of the &s;ame, the name of the Lord &s;hould be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incen&s;e offered unto his name, and a pure offering, for my name &s;hall be great among the heathen, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, Malachy</HI> 1.11.</P>
<P>Note, God to &s;hew his &s;overaigne and ju&s;t authoritie, over all per&s;ons and Nations, doth choo&s;e one and refu&s;e another, accor|ding to his good will and plea&s;ure, and who can complaine, as it is written, <HI>Jeremiah</HI> 18.6. <HI>O hou&s;e of I&s;raell, cannot I doe with you as this potter &s;aith the Lord, behold as clay is in the hand of the pot|ter, &s;o are you in my hand O hou&s;e of I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, note, that the <HI>Jewes</HI> that glory much that they are the po&s;teritie of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and relye too much upon that outward priviledge; here God &s;heweth that they were in his hands but as potters clay, and he had power to ca&s;t them off, to break them to peeces; and experience hath prooved this to be true, for above fifteene hundred yeares.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that the &s;ame God had power, to forgive, and accept the Gentiles. <HI>Jere.</HI> 18.7. <HI>At what in&s;tant I &s;peake con|cerning a Nation, to pluck it up and to de&s;troy it.</HI></P>
<PB N="8" REF="10">
<P>Ver. 8. <HI>If that Nation again&s;t whom I have pronounced turne from their evill, I will repent of the evill, that I thought to doe to them.</HI></P>
<P>Note, why then &s;hould you that are <HI>Jewes</HI> by nature, &s;o highly be exalted in your judgements, that you onely and none el&s;e &s;o as you. And that it were &s;trange, or impo&s;&s;ible for other Nations to be &s;aved with the like &s;alvation that you expect.</P>
<P>You glory becau&s;e you are the &s;onnes of <HI>Abraham</HI> by nature; and may not (wee Gentiles) glory that wee are the &s;onnes of God by Creation; and de&s;cended from <HI>Noah;</HI> and may wee not Glory much more that wee by Grace, and free mercie, are recon|ciled to God, and within the New Covenant, e&s;tabli&s;hed on bet|ter tearmes, but wee onely de&s;ire to glory and rejoyce in the fa|vour of our God. Thus much to &s;hew that the promi&s;e made to <HI>Abraham,</HI> was a free promi&s;e of Grace, not founded nor annexed to mans de&s;erts, but did ari&s;e from Gods free grace and aboun|dant mercie.</P>
<P>And this promi&s;e made to <HI>Abraham,</HI> was not to him and his &s;eede onely, but to all Nations, and all the Families on earth were included, in that promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>But to returne to our former matter, to prove that the Cove|nant that God made with the Children of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> was contionall, grounded upon their obedience to all the Commandements of the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>Judges</HI> 2.2, 3. <HI>And you &s;hall make no Covenant with them, but you have not obeyed my voyce: Wherefore I al&s;o &s;aid, I will not drive them out before you.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that becau&s;e they kept not their Covenant, therefore the Lord doth not doe for them that which he promi&s;ed; in ca&s;e they had been obedient.</P>
<P>Jo&s;ua 23.14. <HI>All the good things which the Lord promi&s;ed, are come to pa&s;&s;e, not one thing hath failed thereof.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s;. 15. <HI>Therefore it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, that as all the good things are come upon you which the Lord your God promi&s;ed you; &s;o &s;hall your God bring upon you, all evill things, untill he have de|&s;troyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath gi|ven you.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>When you have tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed his Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, note the words, <HI>&s;o, or in like manner,</HI> &s;hall the Lord.</P>
<PB REF="10">
<P>Secondly, The latitude, <HI>all evill things,</HI> till he have de&s;troyed you.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The cau&s;e, <HI>When you have,</HI> or <HI>becau&s;e you have tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ed the Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Judges 2.1. <HI>And I &s;aid, I will never breake my Covenant with you.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s;. 2. <HI>Yee &s;hall make no Covenant with the Inhabitants of the Land: but ye have not obeyed my voyce.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s; 3. <HI>Therefore I al&s;o &s;aid, I will not drive them out from before you.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that by the&s;e words, <HI>I will never breake my Covenant,</HI> is &s;hewed plainly, the bond or condition, was tied to termes of obedience.</P>
<P>I&s;a. 1.11. <HI>To what purpo&s;e is the multitude of your &s;acrifices, &s;aith the Lord; I delight not in the multitude of your &s;acrifices, &s;aith the Lord; I delight not in the blood of Bullocks, nor of Lambs, nor of hee-Goates, bring no more vaine oblations,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>Put away the evill of your doings:</HI> Ver. 20. <HI>If ye re|fu&s;e and rebell, ye &s;hall be devoured with the &s;word, for the mouth of the Lord hath &s;poken it.</HI></P>
<P>Jere. 7.23. <HI>But this thing commanded I them, &s;aying, obey my voyce, and I will be your God, and ye &s;hall be my people, and walke you in all the wayes that I have commanded you.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 24 <HI>But they hearkned not, nor inclined their eare, but wal|ked in the coun&s;ells of their owne evill hearts.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 27. <HI>Therefore thou &s;halt &s;peake all the&s;e words unto them, but they will not hearken to thee.</HI></P>
<P>Ho&s;ea 1.9. <HI>Then &s;aid God, call his name loammie, for they are not my people, and I will not be their God.</HI></P>
<P>Note here, that as it was in the power of God to choo&s;e them, &s;o likewi&s;e it was in the power of God, to ca&s;t them off, to refu&s;e, to hide his countenance from them, as he had hid his loving coun|tenance from other Nations.</P>
<P>Zachary 2.14. <HI>Then an&s;wered Hagai, and &s;aid, &s;o is this people, and &s;o is this Nation before mee, &s;aith the Lord, and &s;o is every worke of their hands, and that which they offer then is uncleane.</HI></P>
<P>Zachary 11.10. <HI>And I tooke my &s;taffe even beautie, and I cut it in &s;under, that I might breake my Covenant, which I had made with all the people (&s;aith the Lord)</HI> that is, with the Children of <HI>I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<PB REF="11">
<P>Ver. 14. <HI>And I cut a&s;&s;under my other &s;taffe, even bands, that I might breake the brotherhood,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Ye Nation of the Children of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> yee erre thorow the pride of your hearts, you boa&s;t, or glory, that you are the &s;eede or po|&s;teritie of <HI>Abrhaam;</HI> might not <HI>I&s;mael, E&s;au,</HI> and the re&s;t of <HI>A|brahams</HI> Children claime &s;uch a priviledge?</P>
<P>May not other Nations &s;hew that they are Gods Children, by Creation, and <HI>Adams</HI> children by nature, and likewi&s;e de&s;cended from <HI>Noah,</HI> a man eminently ble&s;&s;ed by God.</P>
<P>But note, and con&s;ider this, that God is able to rai&s;e up to, or for him&s;elfe children of &s;tones: God is not tyed to &s;hew mercie to any man, becau&s;e he came of &s;uch or &s;uch a Father.</P>
<P>For as God in his owne appoynted time, did &s;elect the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> (in diver&s;e re&s;pects) above other people, to be a cho&s;en people to him&s;elfe, even &s;o the &s;ame God had power, to &s;mile, and ca&s;t his favourable countenance upon the Gentiles, and &s;o according to his gratious promi&s;es, made by his holy Prophets hee hath performed.</P>
<P>Therefore you Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> humble your &s;elves, be not &s;o proud to di&s;daine other Nations, and thinke not &s;uch high thoughts concerning your &s;elves; for <HI>David</HI> &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ith <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 25. <HI>God will teach and regard the humble,</HI> but <HI>God re&s;i&s;teth, and contemneth the proud.</HI></P>
<P>Search the Scriptures, and pray that God may take away that hardne&s;&s;e of heart, that blindne&s;&s;e, that vaile or covering that lieth over your hearts and eyes; that &s;o you may no lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ger rej<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ct, and refu&s;e the meanes that God hath ordained for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, and for to redeeme both Jew, and Gentile, to deliver us from the cur&s;e of the Law, under which cur&s;e both Jew and Gen|tile doe remaine, till by the faith of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, we are dilivered.</P>
<P>Wee Chri&s;tians (I meane &s;uch as are lovers of the <HI>I&s;raell</HI> of God) doe dayly pray for your pro&s;peritie, and doe beleeve, and expect, that the time is very neare, that God will againe call you, and cau&s;e you to receive, and embrace, the glad, and joyfull ti|dings of your &s;alvation.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But you may object that wee Chri&s;tians doe not ob|&s;erve the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I, and many more, and the mo&s;t of the Chri&s;tian Chur|ches reformed, doe ob&s;erve the law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;o as to regulate
<PB N="11" REF="11"> our lives and conver&s;ations according thereunto.</P>
<P>Onely &s;uch part thereof as was ceremoniall and typicall, &s;ha|dowing out things to come, becau&s;e the Antitype, the things fi|gured, the &s;ub&s;tance being come, tho&s;e things doe cea&s;e. The <HI>Manna,</HI> that foode that God gave <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> la&s;ted, and was accord|ing to rule to be ob&s;erved in the expectation for it, and in the ga|thering of it, <HI>Exod.</HI> 16. But when <HI>I&s;raell</HI> came into a land inha|bited, and God gave them foode in another way, <HI>then the Manna cea&s;ed.</HI> So God by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> pre&s;cribed, rules to be ob<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">erved by the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> in the order of their March, in the encompa&s;&s;ing <HI>Jeri|coe,</HI> in the carrying of <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> his bones, in the deviding the land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> but when <HI>Jerico</HI> was taken, when the Land was devi|ded the re&s;t fullfilled, <HI>tho&s;e rules were at an end, they cea&s;ed.</HI> Even &s;o the many outward wa&s;hings of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> &s;ignified that their &s;innes had neede to be clen&s;ed.</P>
<P>The Sacrifices, the &s;acrificing of Goates, Bullocks, and Lambs, and other like things, did fore&s;hew that one great Sacrifice &s;hould be offered, and that attonement mu&s;t be made, once for them all, &s;in had wounded and &s;tained them, they had neede to be healed.</P>
<P>Now when this great Sacrifice (Je&s;us Chri&s;t the &s;ub&s;tance of tho&s;e types, and &s;hadowes, being much more powerfull, excellent, and of far greater worth then the blood of Bulls and Goates,) was offered, <HI>then the&s;e &s;hadowes cea&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Tho&s;e &s;acrifices, and wa&s;hings were often to be repeated, be|cau&s;e of their weakne&s;&s;e and imperfection.</P>
<P>But Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the promi&s;ed &s;eede that &s;hould breake the Serpents head, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.15. Je&s;us Chri&s;t the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to <HI>Abraham, I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> &amp;c. in whom all the Nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed; this Je&s;us Chri&s;t the &s;ub&s;tance of tho&s;e &s;hadowes, ceremonies, wa&s;hing, &s;acrifices, he being come, and offering up him&s;elfe once for all: Now are all true beleevers, ble&s;&s;ed, &s;anctified, clean&s;ed, and perfectly reconciled to God, thorow Je&s;us Chri&s;t; therefore tho&s;e &s;acrifices, Ceremonies, &s;ha|dowes cea&s;ed. To this both <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and all the Prophets wit|ne&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Con&s;ider that the weight and burthen of the Ceremo|niall Law given by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> neither you nor your Fathers were able to beare.</P>
<P>Secondly, Con&s;ider that by your ceremoniall Law, your Na|tion
<PB N="12" REF="12"> were tyed to appeare, or offer &s;acrifice at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> three times every yeare, to wit, at the Pa&s;que, Penteco&s;t, and the fea&s;t of Tabernacles and not el&s;e where. Now you know that the La|titude of Gods gratious promi&s;e, extended to the mo&s;t remote places of the earth, <HI>from the ri&s;ing of the Sunne, to the going downe of the &s;ame;</HI> which &s;heweth that this ceremony of &s;acrificing then, and there, could not po&s;&s;ibly continue when the&s;e forraine Nati|ons &s;hould be accepted.</P>
<P>This was fore&s;hewed by the Prophets, <HI>Zach.</HI> 14.9. <HI>The Lord &s;hall be King over all the earth.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that whereas the <HI>Jewes</HI> conceived that the wor&s;hip of God was onely to be reteined among&s;t them&s;elves, yet the Lord knew his owne purpo&s;e, that he would be wor&s;hippied, he would be King over all the earth.</P>
<P>Joel 2.23. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, that who&s;oever &s;hall call upon the name of the Lord &s;hall be &s;aved:</HI> Note, that not you <HI>Jewes</HI> onely, but <HI>who&s;oever,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Zach 14.9. <HI>And the Lord &s;hall be King over all the earth,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Malachy 1.10, 11. <HI>My Name &s;hall be great among the Gentiles. And in every place, incen&s;e &s;hall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering;</HI> note, that this plainely &s;heweth that God would not al|wayes tie men to the &s;trictne&s;&s;e of tho&s;e Ceremonies.</P>
<P>Note, that the Covenant it &s;elfe was to be abrogated, as <HI>Jere.</HI> 31.31.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jere. 3.16. I&s;a. 66. v. 21. I&s;a. 16.10.</NOTE> and many places &s;hew. So al&s;o the Prie&s;thood was to be changed, which is &s;hewed when God &s;aith <HI>that &s;trangers &s;hould come and build, (and tho&s;e that then were far off) &s;hould build in Gods Temple;</HI> and further &s;aith, that <HI>he would take of them for Prie&s;ts and Levites:</HI> &s;ee <HI>Zach.</HI> 6.15. and other places are &s;poken to in the following.</P>
<P>Note, that the Arke that contained was to be aboli&s;hed &s;o much, and &s;o clearely, <HI>that it &s;hould not be &s;poken off, nor come to minde, nor be vi&s;ited,</HI> Jer. 3.16.</P>
<P>And note that the Law-giver &s;hould be changed, as <HI>Deut.</HI> 18.15.18, 19.</P>
<P>Why then &s;hould this (namely, the remoovall of the Cere|moniall Law) be &s;o weightie, as to hinder you from beleeving in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, becau&s;e you, looking &s;o much upon that place, <HI>Ma|lachy</HI> 4.4. <HI>Remember the Law of Mo&s;es,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider, that God there, &s;peaketh of that time pre&s;ent, but
<PB N="13" REF="12"> you may plainely &s;ee that God purpo&s;ed in the future time to al|ter both the Covenant and the conditions thereof, as appeareth; for God &s;aith, there &s;hould be new heavens and earth, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66.22.</P>
<P>Touching the wor&s;hipping of Images, wee (beleeving and en|lightened Chri&s;tians) doe know it to be vaine, &s;infull and abho|minable. And touching the eating of blood, or of things &s;trang|led, I and many enlightened Chri&s;tians more, doe &s;hun and abho|minate it, knowing that although (God thorow Je&s;us Chri&s;t) hath clen&s;ed every &s;ort of creature (whol&s;ome) to be eaten, may be eaten.</P>
<P>Yet the blood of every creature, being the life of the creature, as it was never given, (of any creature) but expre&s;&s;ely often, and &s;everely forbidden) by God to Man, both before the Law, under the Law, and after the Law under the Go&s;pell, (as <HI>Acts</HI> 15.29.) this being never made free to man, therefore wee eate it not, but according to the rule wee powre it out as water upon the ground; for although many Chri&s;tians not duely con&s;idering, that this evill of eating blood, or things &s;trangled, hath been entruded up|on many, with many more evils of Idolatry, by the man of &s;inne; yet many more, con&s;iderate Chri&s;tians (in this particular) doe re|fu&s;e it. And &s;o wee finde in the auncient records of the primitive Churches, that Chri&s;tians then would neither eate, nor touch the blood, willingly. Wee Chri&s;tians (in the reformed Churches) doe ob&s;erve all the Morall Commandements of the Lord our God</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But you doe object (at which you &s;tumble) that wee &s;erve more Gods then one.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Touching the Godhead, wee beleeve that there is but one God, who is mo&s;t mightie, mo&s;t faithfull, mo&s;t high, mo&s;t wi&s;e, mo&s;t mercifull, and infinitely glorious excellent and perfect. But wee beleeve that there are three per&s;ons, or di&s;tinct operati|ons, although wee doe acknowledge, this great My&s;tery is pa&s;t our under&s;tandings, it being to us, an unconceivable, and an unut|terable my&s;tery, that one per&s;on &s;hould be di&s;tingui&s;hed &s;o, and not divided, into three divided per&s;ons. Therefore I doe with love, and reverence, wor&s;hip the mo&s;t high and glorious, ble&s;&s;ed Lord God, that created heaven and earth; and I dare not be too cu|rious in de&s;cribing, the Manner of the unitie, in the trinitie, lea&s;t I &s;hould pre&s;ume above what is meete, onely take this ta&s;t (if it may a little &s;uffice) it is written.</P>
<PB N="14" REF="13">
<P>Gen. 1.2. <HI>The Spirit of God mooved upon the face of the Waters.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;ider here that it is not &s;aid, <HI>the whole Godhead or God, moo|ved;</HI> but thus, <HI>The Spirit of God mooved upon the face of the waters.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 26. <HI>And God &s;aid, let us make man, in our Image.</HI></P>
<P>Here there is pluralitie of per&s;ons u&s;ed in the&s;e words, viz. <HI>Let us make, our Image,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Your owne Jewi&s;h writers, of great authoritie and e&s;teeme a|mong&s;t the <HI>Jewes,</HI> have borne witne&s;&s;e, that the holy Prophets did fore&s;hew, that the Me&s;&s;iah whom they expected, &s;hould be both God and Man, the &s;onne of God, and that there were three per|&s;ons, and yet but one God.</P>
<P><HI>Philo</HI> &s;aith, that you mu&s;t expect the death of an high Prei&s;t, which high Prei&s;t &s;hall be the very word of God, voide of all &s;in, who&s;e Father &s;hall be God, and this word &s;hall be the Fathers wi&s;dome, by which all things in this world were created, therefore the Me&s;&s;iah mu&s;t be both God and Man.</P>
<P>Rabby <HI>Simeon</HI> in a Treati&s;e called <HI>Zoar,</HI> out of the&s;e words in <HI>I&s;aiah (Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ts)</HI> thus expoundeth the meaning to be <HI>Holy Father, holy Sonne, holy Spirit,</HI> which three holies doe make but <HI>one Lord God of ho&s;ts:</HI> &s;ee Rabby <HI>Jona|than,</HI> and your <HI>Talmund,</HI> and your publike Commentaries.</P>
<P>Rabbi <HI>Haccadoch</HI> upon <HI>Jere.</HI> 13.6. interpreteth from the letters contained in the name <HI>Jehovah,</HI> the divine and the humane nature of the Me&s;&s;iah.</P>
<P>See Rabby <HI>Kimbie</HI> upon <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 4.2. and Rabby <HI>Jonathan</HI> upon <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 1.7 Rabby <HI>Hader&s;on</HI> upon <HI>Gen.</HI> 41. and upon <HI>Zepha.</HI> 3.9. and many other Writers. But I may not be large in this place, but leave you to enquire after wi&s;dome: I &s;hall briefely propound &s;ome evidences from that pure fountaine, the word of the ble&s;&s;ed God, which is mo&s;t pure, and mo&s;t excellent.</P>
<P>P&s;al. 2.7, 8. <HI>Thou art my &s;onne, this day have I begotten thee, aske of mee, and I will give thee the heathen</HI> (that is to &s;ay, the Gen|tiles) <HI>for thy inheritance.</HI></P>
<P>P&s;al. 72.8. <HI>He &s;hall have dominion from &s;ea to &s;ea, and from the Rivers to the ends of the earth.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>All Kings &s;hall fall downe before him, all Nations &s;hall &s;erve him.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 14. <HI>He &s;hall redeeme their &s;oul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> And <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 110. <HI>The Lord &s;aid to my Lord, &s;it at my Right hand till I make thy enemies thy foote&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ole.</HI></P>
<PB N="15" REF="13">
<P>Micah 5.2. <HI>Thou Bethelem, though thou be little amongst the thou&s;ands of I&s;raell, yet out of thee &s;hall he come forth unto mee, to be ruler in I&s;raell; who&s;e goings forth have been from of old, from everla&s;ting.</HI> Ver. 5. <HI>And this &s;hall be the peace.</HI> Ver. 4. <HI>He &s;hall be great to the ends of the earth.</HI></P>
<P>Jeremy 23.5. <HI>I will rai&s;e up to David a righteous branch.</HI> Ver. 6. <HI>This is his name whereby he &s;hall be called Jehovah (or the Lord) our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Jere. 33.15. <HI>I will cau&s;e the branch (to grow up to David) of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s;. 16. <HI>And this is the name whereby he &s;hall be called, the Lord our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;a. 9.6. <HI>&V;nto us a childe is borne, unto us a &s;onne is given, the government &s;hall be upon his &s;houlder, and his name &s;hall be called wonderfull, coun&s;ellor, the mightie God, the everla&s;ting Father, the Prince of Peace.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;a. 7.14. <HI>Behould a virgin &s;hall conceive and beare a &s;onne, and &s;hall call his name Immanuell; which being interpreted, is God with us.</HI></P>
<P>Malachy 3.1. (The Me&s;&s;iah is called) <HI>The Lord whom yee &s;eeke,</HI> and the Temple is called <HI>his Temple,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Daniell 7.13, 14. (The Me&s;&s;iah is called) <HI>one like the &s;onne of Man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Auncient of dayes, and they brought him neare before him: and there was given him, dominion, and glory, and a kingdome, that all people and Nati|ons, and languages, &s;hould &s;erve him, his dominion is an everla&s;ting dominion, which &s;hall not pa&s;&s;e away, and his kingdome &s;hall not be de&s;troyed.</HI></P>
<P>I doe forbeare to multiply many other places of Scripture, which doe evidently &s;hew, that the Me&s;&s;iah &s;hould be the &s;onne of God, the Saviour of all that by a true and lively faith beleeved in him, becau&s;e I &s;hall have cau&s;e to &s;peake more touching the&s;e matters in this following Treati&s;e.</P>
<P>The&s;e prophe&s;ies were written long before the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the true and onely Me&s;&s;iah.</P>
<P>You <HI>Jewes</HI> doe expect a temporall kingdome, who&s;e kingdome &s;hall be glorious in this world; if it were &s;o, yet that &s;hould have an end, for except you could proove that you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">our &s;elves were to live for ever, it would not much profit you it would be but as the
<PB N="16" REF="14"> plea&s;ures that <HI>Solomon</HI> ta&s;ted of, which in the conclu&s;ion, <HI>Solomon</HI> did confe&s;&s;e, that they were <HI>but vanitie, and vexation of &s;pirit.</HI></P>
<P>You <HI>Jewes</HI> doe not allow of any &s;pirituall meaning to be con|tained in the free and precious promi&s;es of God; and you doe af|firme that all the promi&s;es (in the whole Scriptures) have re&s;pect onely to the good things of this life.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider that, if it were &s;o, what hope have you to be &s;aved, to live for ever? how mi&s;erable then were the condition of tho&s;e that are a&s;leepe, as <HI>Jacob, Jeremiah,</HI> and tho&s;e that dyed under the Egyptian bondage? who&s;e dayes were few and evill? but if you &s;hall reply, that you hope or &s;uppo&s;e better, then you mu&s;t allow a &s;pirituall meaning and application of the Scriptures, be|cau&s;e &s;ecret things belong to the Lord, and revealed things doe belong to us.</P>
<P>Touching the alteration of the forme of the Church.</P>
<P>Touching other objections, concerning the Sabbaths alteration in re&s;pect of the day.</P>
<P>Touching the Ceremoniall Law, and touching diver&s;e other objections, of mo&s;t concernment, whereat the <HI>Jewes</HI> are offended, you &s;hall finde them in this following Treati&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> You <HI>Jewes</HI> object that few or no <HI>Jewes</HI> doe beleeve in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t, Many thou&s;ands of <HI>Jewes,</HI> did beleeve and re|ceive the Chri&s;tian faith, as wee finde by evident, and &s;ure te&s;ti|monies, recorded in the Records, and Chronciles of former times. And wee know this to be true, upon &s;ure te&s;timonies, that many <HI>Jewes</HI> did beleeve, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Sa|viour of all that beleeve both Jewes and Gentiles.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e <HI>Jewes</HI> adhering to the Chri&s;tian faith, became one peo|ple joyned to the Chri&s;tians, and &s;o were as buried or covered, they lo&s;t vi&s;ibilitie, and &s;ight to the re&s;t of the <HI>Jewes.</HI></P>
<P>Yea and many <HI>Jewes</HI> &s;uffered per&s;ecution, and death, con&s;tant|ly and joyfully profe&s;&s;ing and witne&s;&s;ing the faith of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, I an&s;wer, that it was according to the prophe&s;ies of the Prophets, that the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> in the generall, or a great part of them, &s;hould not receive, nor beleeve in the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, or Saviour, till the t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">me before determined, and appoynted by God. Which time, according to the prophe&s;ies of the Prophets (&s;o farre as wee are able to interpret, and under&s;tand) are now
<PB N="17" REF="14"> accompli&s;hed very neare, even in this age wherein we doe live.</P>
<P>Now I &s;hall labour to &s;hew and prove, that God did by his holy Prophets &s;hew, that he would graunt unto the Gentiles, re|pentance and forgivene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, and that he would &s;hew his favourable countenance to the Gentiles, and bring them into his &s;heepfould, and give to them true ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, his favour and everla&s;ting life.</P>
<P>Of this (your Nation) the Jewes doe not love to heare, name|ly, that the Gentiles &s;hould be Co-heires, and equally intere&s;&s;ed in the pretious promi&s;es, that the Gentiles &s;hould have hope, (upon any &s;ure foundation) to be inheritors of everla&s;ting life.</P>
<P>What the heathen, the Gentiles, &s;uch unworthy per&s;ons, that they &s;hould be &s;aved with the &s;ame &s;alvation with the Jewes, with the po&s;teritie of <HI>Abraham,</HI> of <HI>I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> the friends of God, cho&s;en, and elected, in a peculiar manner, above all the Nations of the world: to whom God did &s;o gloriou&s;ly reveale him&s;elfe at &s;o many times, and in &s;o tran&s;cendant and marveilous actings.</P>
<P>That the Gentiles &s;hould be concerned in tho&s;e, the &s;ame gra|tious promi&s;es made to the Jewes, this is &s;o unplea&s;ant, &s;o odious, and hatefull to the Jewes, that they neither love to conferre, nor meditate, nor to di&s;pute of, or concerning this matter, the very conceipt of this is enough to &s;care, affright, and keepe them backe from receiving, or beleeving in the true Me&s;&s;iah, the alone meanes of &s;alvation.</P>
<P>It is true, that &s;ome of the Jewes will hardly, and &s;paringly be drawne, to allow to the Gentiles, any little &s;mall hope of a little &s;alvation, though much inferiour to them&s;elves, as a &s;ervant is in|feriour to his Ma&s;ter, or as a beggar, or poore man, is inferiour to a very great, rich, and honourable man.</P>
<P>Upon &s;uch tearmes they feinedly graunt, that a Gentile may be &s;aved, by keeping the &s;eaven Commandements, which tearmes of &s;alvation, are but the fictions of their owne braines, (a little to plea&s;e the Gentiles) for they are no where &s;o revealed in the Scrip|tures, as they relate them. And according to their interpretation (a Cammell may as ea&s;ily goe thorow a needles eye) &s;o few would be &s;aved, on tho&s;e tearmes.</P>
<P>Therefore I &s;hall labour as effectually as I can, to convince the ob&s;tinate Jewes, of this their errour hoping that thereby a faire,
<PB N="18" REF="15"> plaine, and ea&s;ie way may be for their conver&s;ion.</P>
<P>Gen. 2. It is written, that <HI>in the day that Adam did</HI> (or &s;hould) <HI>eate of the forbidden fruite he &s;hould dye.</HI> Con&s;ider wee that a thou|&s;and yeares (with the Lord) are as one day, in which time <HI>A|dam</HI> dyed.</P>
<P><HI>Adam</HI> being the onely and originall roote of Mankinde, did repre&s;ent the whole po&s;teritie of mankinde.</P>
<P>As the benefits and ble&s;&s;ings given by God to <HI>Adam,</HI> were gi|ven, and de&s;cended to the po&s;teritie of <HI>Adam,</HI> to their off &s;pring. So likewi&s;e the puni&s;hment for <HI>Adams</HI> offence, did de&s;cend to <HI>A|dams</HI> po&s;teritie, in the &s;weate of their browes to eat bread, and to dye the death. Yet &s;uch was the mercie and bountie of the ble&s;&s;ed God, that he did not &s;o fa&s;ten the puni&s;hment of <HI>Adams</HI> &s;inne, to eternitie, but did give them hope, a gracious promi&s;e of redemp|tion.</P>
<P>Gen. 3.15. <HI>The &s;eede of the woman &s;hall breake the Serpents head.</HI></P>
<P>As the &s;erpent had brui&s;ed Mans heele (in cau&s;ing him to &s;inne) &s;o that during this life, mans wayes, and living &s;hould be with paine and griefe. As he that hath a brui&s;ed heele, cannot travell but in paine, as appeareth <HI>ver.</HI> 19.</P>
<P>Ver. 19. <HI>In the &s;weate of thy browes thou &s;halt eate bread, till thou returne to the ground.</HI></P>
<P>So in like manner, God in &s;ingular and aboundant mercie, and goodne&s;&s;e did certainly entend, and did provide a remedie for mankinde, &s;o that as the woman had been in&s;trumentall in pro|voking man to &s;inne; &s;o in like manner God in wi&s;dome made the woman, after a &s;ort in&s;trumentall, in the worke of mans redemp|tion, in that it is &s;aid, <HI>The &s;eede of the woman &s;hould breake the &s;er|pents head.</HI> Thereby fore&s;hewing that the &s;eede of the woman &s;hould redeeme man from death, and &s;hould de&s;troy Satan and death, and &s;hould deliver from hell, from the grave; by which is appeareth, that this redemption &s;hould be by the &s;eede of the wo|man, of a virgin: to this the Prophets give witne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But the <HI>Jewes</HI> object that this hath no further meaning then thus: <HI>viz.</HI> that man with his heele &s;hould treade on the &s;er|pents head.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> This opinion doth proceede from much ignorance; for had this been the onely meaning, it had been, and were a &s;mall
<PB N="19" REF="15"> &s;atisfaction to &s;infull and condemned man, namely, that man &s;hould dye eternally, onely he &s;hould kill a &s;erpent, and man him|&s;elfe &s;hould dye eternally.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, If this had been the &s;ence of the place (as the <HI>Jewes</HI> doe affirme) then had the puni&s;hment of Man been greater then the puni&s;hment of the Serpent, becau&s;e the &s;erpent in this life liveth dly, but man liveth in &s;orrow.</P>
<P>Secondly, This had been too meane and low a benefit for the mo&s;t glorious &amp; ble&s;&s;ed God to be&s;tow upon man, in &s;uch a dole|full condition, for man was formed, created in re&s;embled, or bore the Image of God, and this was the fir&s;t bountie or free gift of God to man, in the e&s;tate of mi&s;ery.</P>
<P>Thirdly, I beleeve that this interpretation ari&s;eth from this principle, namely, that you &s;eeke to darken the meaning of this place, lea&s;t any light might come to &s;hew, that the true Me&s;&s;iah, Mans redeemer, &s;hould be the &s;eede of a woman, a virgin; but God in mercie hath &s;hewed us the true &s;pirituall meaning of this place, &s;o that &s;uch meane thoughts take no place with us.</P>
<P>Gen. 9.1. <HI>God ble&s;&s;ed Noah, and his &s;onnes.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>And I will e&s;tabli&s;h my Covenant with you and your &s;eede after you.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Now ob&s;erve the words; <HI>God ble&s;&s;ed Noah;</HI> was this onely a temporall ble&s;&s;ing, if &s;o, then thus, <HI>Noah</HI> was in &s;orrow to eate his bread all the dayes of his life, and then to peri&s;h for ever.</P>
<P><HI>Solomon</HI> could &s;ee that all things under the Sunne, were vanitie and vexation of &s;pirit, no &s;olid good was in them. And old <HI>Jacob</HI> acknowledged, that his being upon earth was but a weary pil|grimage.</P>
<P>Secondly, But if you graunt that this ble&s;&s;ing had re&s;pect to &s;alvation, then you mu&s;t &s;ay that both Jew, and Gentile were in|cluded in this ble&s;&s;ing, becau&s;e <HI>Noah</HI> as the roote of all Man|kinde, what priviledge God gave him, was given al&s;o to his po|&s;teritie, whether it had re&s;pect to &s;pirituall, or temporall matters.</P>
<P>Gene&s;is 12.1. <HI>God &s;pake to Abraham,</HI> &amp;c. Ver. 4^t^h <HI>In thee &s;hall all the Families of the earth be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI> So reade <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> 18.18. <HI>All the Nations of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed in him.</HI></P>
<P>Gen. 22.18. <HI>And in thy &s;eede &s;hall all the Nations of the earth be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<PB N="20" REF="16">
<P>Gen. 26. God &s;aith to <HI>I&s;ack;</HI> Ver. 4. <HI>And in thy &s;eede all the Nations of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Gen. 28. God renueth this promi&s;e to <HI>Jacob;</HI> Ver. 14. <HI>And in thy &s;eede all the Families of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note that here the Lord entended that this promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing &s;hould be in, and by a promi&s;ed &s;eede, and not in all the &s;eede, not in all the Children or po&s;teritie of <HI>Abram,</HI> but in a &s;eede &s;peaking of one; this appeareth,</P>
<P>Gen. 21.12. <HI>In all that Sarah hath &s;poken unto thee, hearken unto her, for in I&s;ack &s;hall thy &s;eede be called.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that if this promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, &s;hould have &s;prung in and by all <HI>Abraham</HI> his po&s;teritie; then thorough <HI>I&s;maell, E&s;au,</HI> and other of <HI>Abrams</HI> children; but not &s;o, for in <HI>I&s;ack,</HI> that is, in and by one proceeding from the &s;eede of <HI>I&s;ack.</HI></P>
<P>Ob&s;erve further that <HI>I&s;ack</HI> was not this promi&s;ed &s;eede, for</P>
<P>Gen. 26. God &s;aid to <HI>I&s;ack, In thy &s;eede all the Nations of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI> So God repeated and renewed this promi&s;e,</P>
<P>Gen. 28.14. (&s;peaking to <HI>Jacob) In thy &s;eede &s;hall all the Families of the earth be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Wee may note that for as much, or in that, the Lord &s;aith in one place, <HI>all the Nations</HI> a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d in another, <HI>all the Fa|milies &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI> It &s;eemeth to mee that the Lord doth fully and di&s;tinctly thus expre&s;&s;e this gratious promi&s;e, that by that meanes he may an&s;wer, the ob&s;tinate, and willfull interpretation, (which the Spirit of God did fore&s;ee) that the <HI>Jewes</HI> would make of this, by interpreting the benefit of this pretious promi&s;e to them&s;elves onely.</P>
<P>Gen. 49.10. <HI>The &s;cepter &s;hall not depart from Juda, nor a Law-giver from between his feete till Shilo come, and unto him &s;hall the gathering of the people be.</HI></P>
<P>That is to &s;ay, the peoples, Nations, and Families of the earth, that till that time &s;hould be &s;eperated from the <HI>Jewes,</HI> &s;hould now be gathered into the Church, and be of the hou&s;hould of God, and &s;o be ble&s;&s;ed, according to the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to <HI>A|braham, I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob;</HI> in and by a promi&s;ed &s;eede.</P>
<P>Ob&s;erve that this ble&s;&s;ing, or promi&s;e, had re&s;pect to heavenly things; for otherwi&s;e, <HI>I&s;maell, E&s;au,</HI> and others were for a long time more ble&s;&s;ed with temporall good things, and lived more at ea&s;e, then the po&s;teritie of <HI>I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob.</HI> For when <HI>I&s;raells</HI>
<PB N="21" REF="16"> children were in bondage under the <HI>Egyptians,</HI> then <HI>I&s;maels,</HI> and <HI>E&s;aus</HI> &s;eede, lived more at ea&s;e and in pro&s;peritie.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> If you object that this promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing had re&s;pect onely to tho&s;e contained tn the Covenant, made with <HI>I&s;raell</HI> in the Wilderne&s;&s;e; and that none &s;hould have any benefit by the promi&s;e made to <HI>Abraham,</HI> but his po&s;teritie, or &s;uch pro&s;elytes as tooke hould of and joyned to the Covenant made in the Wil|derne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> If it were &s;o, then it would follow that who&s;oever did not exactly keep all the cond<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tions, all the commands of the Law, <HI>mu&s;t be, and doe remaine, under the cur&s;e of the Law.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, If you grau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t (as the truth is and you cannot ju&s;t|ly deny) that this g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">acious promi&s;e, did ari&s;e from the free boun|tie of God, and it was given long before the Law; it had no de|pendance <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">pon the Law, it was free, and cleare without conditi|ons. And h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s ble&s;&s;ing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ad re&s;pect to a &s;olid, &s;ure, everla&s;ting ble&s;&s;ing, in which ble&s;&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">g not onely the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> were contained, but all the Nations, yea all the Families of the earth are compri&s;ed, and ble&s;&s;ed, to this agree all the prophe&s;ies of the Prophets.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 2.2. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e in the la&s;t dayes, that the M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">untaine of the Lords hou&s;e, &s;hall be exalted in the top of the M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ntaines,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>and all Nations &s;hall flow unto it.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;heweth the purpo&s;e of God, to breake downe the parti|tion wall be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ween Jew and Gentile, and that God (in the latter dayes) did purpo&s;e to call the re&s;t of the Nations to wor&s;hip God in truth, and &s;o as God would owne, and accept them.</P>
<P>Ver. 2 <HI>And many people &s;hall &s;ay, come let us goe up, God will teach us.</HI></P>
<P>The Nations &s;eeing the gratious goodne&s;&s;e of God di&s;covered, and held out to them; this encourageth them to &s;ay; <HI>Come let us goe up,</HI> becau&s;e God hath manife&s;ted to us that he will accept and teach us.</P>
<P>Ver 4 <HI>And he &s;hall judge among the Nations, and they &s;hall beate their &s;words into plow&s;hares,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The&s;e wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ds, <HI>he &s;hall judge among the Nations,</HI> doe &s;hew that whereas the heathen, or Gentile Nations, were then governed, and regulated by unrighteous lawes, &s;utable to their ignorance, and vaine beleefe. Now God &s;heweth that his purpo&s;e was that
<PB N="22" REF="17"> they &s;hould be guided by his ble&s;&s;ed, and righteous lawes, im|plyed plainly, in that God &s;aith <HI>He will judge;</HI> by meanes where|of, that evill and enmitie that (by nature) is in mans heart &s;hall be changed, &s;o that <HI>they &s;hall beate their &s;words into plow&s;hares,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>O hou&s;e of Jacob, come ye and let us walke in the Law of the Lord.</HI> This &s;heweth that the hou&s;e of <HI>Jacob,</HI> the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> &s;hould reject, or refu&s;e to joyne with the Gentiles in the true wor&s;hip of God for a time, yet in the end they &s;hall &s;ee and embrace this gratious favour of God, manife&s;ted to the Gentiles in and by the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; <HI>They &s;hall &s;ay, Come let us walke in the Law of the Lord.</HI> To t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">is purpo&s;e reade <HI>Micah</HI> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The Lord &s;heweth further, that he would &s;hew favour to the Gentiles.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 9.2. <HI>The people that walked in darkne&s;&s;e, have &s;eene a great light, they that dwelled in the land and &s;hadow of death, upon them hath the light &s;hined.</HI></P>
<P>Note, who they were <HI>that dwelled in darkne&s;&s;e, in the land and &s;hadow of death.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, This could not be meant of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>the light then &s;hined upon them</HI> in a glorious, and in an eminent manner.</P>
<P>Secondly, But this mu&s;t be meant of the Gentiles, implyed plainely <HI>by their dwelling in darkne&s;&s;e, in the land, and &s;hadow of death.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>By the light &s;hining upon them,</HI> mu&s;t needs be meant, the favourable light of Gods gratious countenance, in &s;hewing mercie, and in revealing that light, that favour to them, and in accepting them among&s;t the number of his beloved ones, implyed plainely <HI>by remooving them from the &s;hadow of death.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 11.1. to 11. <HI>And there &s;hall come forth a rod out of the &s;tem of Je&s;&s;e, and a branch &s;hall grow out of his roots, which &s;hall &s;tand for an en&s;igne of the people, to it &s;hall the Gentiles &s;eeke.</HI></P>
<P>This plainely &s;heweth that God remembered, and would full|fill the promi&s;e made to <HI>Adam,</HI> the &s;eede of the woman, to de&s;troy the Devill, and his envious and politike works.</P>
<P>This likewi&s;e &s;heweth that God remembred, and would fullfill the ble&s;&s;ed promi&s;e made to <HI>Noah,</HI> to <HI>Abram, I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> namely, that in his &s;eede all the nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed; this is that rod out of the &s;tem of <HI>Je&s;&s;e,</HI> that branch out of roote, that &s;hould &s;tand for an en&s;igne of the people, <HI>to this
<PB N="23" REF="17"> en&s;igne,</HI> or per&s;picuous Colours, to this gratious manife&s;tation, or declaration of Gods favourable countenance to this promi&s;ed &s;eede, to this true Me&s;&s;iah, the Prince of peace. To this &s;hould (and &s;hall) the Gentiles &s;eeke, becau&s;e it highly concerned their joy and comfort, <HI>this is that light that &s;hined upon them,</HI> when be|fore and without this, <HI>they dwelled in darkne&s;&s;e, in the land and &s;hadow of death.</HI></P>
<P>See here the gratious bountie, and favour of God to the Gen|tiles, though God did vaile, and hide his countenance for a &s;ea|&s;on, yet he did not purpo&s;e to let his di&s;plea&s;ure burne for ever, but foretold that good things &s;hould come unto the Gentiles, that is to &s;ay <HI>an en&s;igne, the promi&s;ed &s;eede,</HI> the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t <HI>&s;hould be lifted up,</HI> to this offer of Grace, to this glad tidings of &s;alvation, <HI>&s;hall the Gentiles &s;eeke, and his re&s;t &s;hall be glorious.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 12. <HI>And he &s;hall &s;et up an en&s;igne for the Nations, and &s;hall a&s;&s;emble the outca&s;ts of I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<P>By <HI>the outca&s;ts of I&s;raell,</HI> (I beleeve) is plainely held out, that the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> &s;hould for an appoynted time be as people ca&s;t out of Gods favour; this wee &s;ee was and is verefied, and they re|maine yet to this day as a people ca&s;t out.</P>
<P>Yet this place, and many other places doe &s;hew that God will againe &s;hew them favour, gather them from their di&s;per&s;ions, and they &s;hall receive the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, they &s;hall be a&s;&s;em|bled to this en&s;igne or Colours di&s;played to the Gentiles, to the Nations, to the &s;ame grace; this is plainely held out in the&s;e words; <HI>He &s;hall &s;et up an en&s;igne to the Nations,</HI> and <HI>(al&s;o) a&s;&s;em|ble the outca&s;ts of I&s;raell from the foure corners of the earth;</HI> this is further confirmed,</P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>There &s;hall be an high way for the remnant of his peo|ple, like as it was to I&s;raell in the day that he came out of Egypt:</HI></P>
<P>Doubtle&s;&s;e (I beleeve) this &s;heweth that in the latter dayes, the <HI>Jewes</HI> and Gentiles &s;hall be at unitie, concerning the true wor|&s;hip of God, although <HI>I&s;raell</HI> have refu&s;ed <HI>this en&s;igne,</HI> and have rejected this promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, <HI>the true Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> and have cruci|fied the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to all Nations, and therefore they have been rejected afflicted, and di&s;per&s;ed now for above fifteene hundred yeares la&s;t pa&s;t, yet God will give them Grace to looke upon him that they have peirced, and to
<PB N="24" REF="18"> mourne bitterly for him; as it is foretold, <HI>Zacheriah</HI> 12.10. And when God openeth their eyes and hearts to embrace the joyfull, and glad tidings of their &s;alvation, their joy and deliverance from the cur&s;es of the Law, from their former blindne&s;&s;e, from Gods di&s;plea&s;ure; <HI>It &s;hall be eminent, as it was to I&s;raell in the day that he came out of the land of Egypt;</HI> &s;ee further,</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 18.7. <HI>In that time &s;hall the pre&s;ent be brought to the Lord of ho&s;ts, of a people &s;cattered and peeled, from a people terrible from the beginning hitherto,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>to the place of the name of the Lord of ho&s;ts, the mount Sion.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note that this <HI>&s;cattered, terrible people from the beginning,</HI> mu&s;t needs be the Gentile Nations.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that God would accept (in his appoynted way and time) a pre&s;ent, or offering at their hands, <HI>which pre&s;ent they &s;hall bring.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that then they mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;itie fir&s;t be recon|ciled to God their Father, and Creator, becau&s;e their per&s;ons mu&s;t be accepted, before their &s;acrifice or pre&s;ent would be accepted. And if &s;o, then they mu&s;t be &s;anctified, and clen&s;ed, becau&s;e the way to the Lord is holine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 35.8. <HI>A high way &s;hall be made, and a way, it &s;hall be cal|led holine&s;&s;e, the uncleane &s;hall not pa&s;&s;e over it.</HI> See</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 18.3. <HI>All ye inhabitants of the world &s;ee, when he lifteth up an en&s;igne on the Mountaines, and when he bloweth a trumpet heare ye.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>In that time &s;hall the pre&s;ent be brought unto the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that &s;ome, if not mo&s;t, or all your Nation of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> doe wre&s;t the true interpretation of the&s;e, and &s;uch like places as the&s;e, &s;aying that <HI>this en&s;igne</HI> mu&s;t be onely di&s;played to them, and that <HI>a trumpet</HI> (in a litterall &s;ence) <HI>&s;hall &s;ound,</HI> to gather them (the <HI>Jewes</HI>) onely. But con&s;ider what the Lord &s;aith, <HI>All the inha|bitants of the world, and dwellers upon the earth &s;ee ye, when he lift|eth up an en&s;igne.</HI> And by the blowing the trumpet, is plainly meant, <HI>the preaching of the Go&s;pell,</HI> the offer of grace, the glad tidings of &s;alvation preached and <HI>offered to all the inhabitants, and dwellers upon earth.</HI> Thus the Lord interpreteth in &s;peaking to the Prophet.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 18.1. <HI>Cry aloud, lift up thy voice like a trumpet,</HI> that is
<PB N="25" REF="18"> to &s;ay, preach or declare my will to the people, &s;o plainly as a trumpet is heard.</P>
<P>Note further, that <HI>when this en&s;igne,</HI> the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>was lifted up,</HI> (or openly preached) then in that time &s;hall the pre&s;ent be brought to the Lord of ho&s;ts. This did plainly poynt out and &s;hew, both the true Me&s;&s;iah, and the time of his coming.</P>
<P>And this was punctually and plainly fullfilled at the coming, and in and by Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 35.1. <HI>The Wilderne&s;&s;e and the &s;olitary place &s;hall be glad for them, and the de&s;art &s;hall rejoyce and blo&s;&s;ome as the ro&s;e,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, note, that <HI>by wilderne&s;&s;e, &s;olitary and de&s;ert place,</HI> mu&s;t be meant the Gentiles, <HI>which then were &s;olitary in darkne&s;&s;e,</HI> and as ca&s;t out of Gods vineyard; God did then hide his loving counte|nance from them.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that to the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> God did then cau&s;e the light of his loving favour to be manife&s;ted to them in an eminent manner, above other Nations; and <HI>God calls I&s;raell his vineyard,</HI> as <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that God did here foretell, that <HI>the &s;olitary Gentiles &s;hould rejoyce, and blo&s;&s;ome,</HI> that is, bring forth fruite, as the ro&s;e, not as a bramble, or thorne, <HI>but as a &s;weete &s;melling ro&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 4. <HI>Say to them that are fearefull be &s;trong, feare not,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>for even your God will come,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>he will come and &s;ave you.</HI></P>
<P>As if God &s;hould &s;ay, you Gentiles that are now as a wilder|ne&s;&s;e, <HI>and therefore &s;olitary,</HI> you that are now as a de&s;ert, <HI>not &s;o husbanded as the Children of I&s;raell,</HI> yet feare not, God will finde out a way, <HI>he will come and &s;ave you;</HI> this is further explained.</P>
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>The eyes of the blinde &s;hall be opened, and the eares of the deafe &s;hall be un&s;topped.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>For in the Wilderne&s;&s;e &s;hall waters breake forth, and &s;treames in the de&s;ert.</HI></P>
<P>As if God &s;hould &s;ay, although you are not now able to &s;ee, nor heare of any comfort to you, conteined in my revealed will, yet the time &s;hall come <HI>that &s;uch waters &s;hall breake forth, yea &s;treames of living waters,</HI> &s;uch as &s;hall fully &s;uffice to quench your thir&s;t.</P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>The parched ground &s;hall become a poole,</HI> that is to &s;ay, the Gentiles, who were then <HI>parched,</HI> for want of tho&s;e lively
<PB N="26" REF="19"> di&s;pen&s;ations that the Children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> then lived under.</P>
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>The habitation of Dragons &s;hall be greene with reeds and ru&s;hes.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 8. <HI>And a way &s;hall be there, and it &s;hall be called the way of holine&s;&s;e, the uncleane &s;hall not pa&s;&s;e over it.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that God &s;aith, <HI>a way &s;hall there,</HI> which &s;heweth that at that pre&s;ent there was not &s;uch a way among&s;t the Gen|tiles.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that this had re&s;pect to &s;pirituall good things, becau&s;e God &s;aith it &s;hall be called, <HI>a way of holine&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;heweth the calling of the Gentiles, their wa&s;hing or clen|&s;ing, the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes and acceptance, therefore its &s;aid.</P>
<P>Ver. 10. <HI>The ran&s;omed of the Lord &s;hall come to Sion, with &s;ongs, and everla&s;ting joy &s;hall be upon their heads, they &s;hall obtaine joy and gladne&s;&s;e, and &s;orrow and &s;ighing and mourning &s;hall fly away.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that the way whereby God will doe this great worke mu&s;t be by another, not by any worth in them&s;elves, therefore they are called, <HI>the ran&s;omed,</HI> or redeemed, <HI>of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that the way or worke of the true Me&s;&s;iah &s;hould be to redeeme his people from the cur&s;es of the Law, from their &s;innes, from death and hell; therefore it is &s;aid, <HI>ever|la&s;ting joy &s;hall be upon their heads;</HI> to this agreeth the prophe&s;ies of the Prophets.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 42.1. <HI>Behold my &s;ervant whom I uphold, my elect in whom my &s;oule delighteth. I have put my Spirit upon him, he &s;hall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 3. <HI>A brui&s;ed reede &s;hall he not breake, and the &s;moaking flax &s;hall he not quench, he &s;hall bring forth judgement unto truth.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, This &s;heweth that this redeemer &s;hould be, the beloved of the Lord, &s;hewed in the&s;e words, <HI>my elect in whom my &s;oule de|lighteth.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, This &s;heweth that God would doe this great worke by one, which mu&s;t needs be the promi&s;ed &s;eede, in whom not onely the <HI>Jewes</HI> (but al&s;o all Nations, all the Families of the earth) &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed, therefore here it is &s;aid, <HI>he &s;hall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles,</HI> who are here compared to <HI>a brui&s;ed reed<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and to &s;moaking flax.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>I the Lord have called thee in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and will hould thy hand, and will give thee for a Covenant of the people, for a light to the Gentiles.</HI></P>
<PB N="27" REF="19">
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that this worke was to be done <HI>by one promi&s;ed,</HI> not by many, noted in the&s;e words, <HI>I will give thee.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, This worke mu&s;t be done <HI>by another a new Covenant;</HI> The promi&s;ed &s;eede <HI>mu&s;t be a Covenant,</HI> or in&s;tead of a Cove|nant, on the Gentiles their behalfe.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that <HI>this new Covenant is upon better tearmes;</HI> for fir&s;t, it is freely promi&s;ed without any conditions of de&s;ert, on mans part. And &s;econdly, the cur&s;es of the Law are not an|nexed to this Covenant.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Note, that the Gentiles then &s;ate in darkne&s;&s;e, and in the &s;hadow of death, becau&s;e it is &s;aid, <HI>He</HI> (that is the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah) <HI>is given for a Covenant, and for a light, to the Gentiles,</HI> that wanted both.</P>
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>To open the eyes of the blinde, to bring out the pri&s;oners from the pri&s;on.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 8. <HI>I am the Lord,</HI> as if the Lord &s;hould &s;ay, nothing is too hard for mee, I have &s;aid it, it &s;hall &s;tand, who can hinder it?</P>
<P>Ver. 9. <HI>New things doe I declare,</HI> that is to &s;ay, &s;uch as neither Gentiles nor Jewes, were able to know before, therefore God &s;aith, <HI>before they &s;pring forth I tell you of them.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 10. <HI>Sing unto the Lord a new &s;ong, and his prai&s;e from the end of the earth; ye that goe downe to the Sea, and all that therein is, the I&s;les and the inhabitants thereof.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;heweth the great cau&s;e, that all people &s;hould have, (for the&s;e gratious favours of God) to rejoyce.</P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>Let the Wilderne&s;&s;e and the Citties thereof rejoyce, let them &s;houte from the top of the Mountaines.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>I will bring the blinde by a way that they knew not, I will leade them in pathes that they have not knowne, I will make darkne&s;&s;e light, and crooked things &s;treight before them, the&s;e things will I doe, and not for&s;ake them.</HI></P>
<P>Note, <HI>that by wilderne&s;&s;e, and by blinde,</HI> are meant the Gentiles, to whom God here houldeth out great comfort, as if he &s;hould &s;ay, although you Gentiles now are as a wilderne&s;&s;e, or as blinde men yet the time &s;hall come that I will in&s;truct you, and leade you, <HI>I will make darkne&s;&s;e light, and crooked things &s;treight,</HI> though at the pre&s;ent I hide my loving favour from you, yet I will not for&s;ake you for ever.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 49.6. <HI>And he &s;aid, is it a light thing that thou &s;houldest
<PB N="28" REF="20"> be my &s;ervant, to rai&s;e up the Tribes of Jacob, and to re&s;tore the pre|&s;erved of I&s;raell. I will give thee al&s;o, for a light to the Gentiles, that thou maye&s;t be my &s;alvation to the ends of the earth.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that <HI>I&s;raell</HI> were fallen, and ju&s;tly &s;ubject to the cur&s;es of the Law, they had broken their Covenant, therefore this promi&s;ed &s;eede, this true Me&s;&s;iah, was promi&s;ed to re&s;tore and rai&s;e up the Children of <HI>I&s;raell;</HI> their falling, or ca&s;ting off being likewi&s;e plainely fore&s;hewed.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that this promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ed &s;eede &s;hould al&s;o be <HI>a light to the Gentiles,</HI> that &s;ate then, in a &s;tate of darkne&s;&s;e, and the &s;hadow of death, therefore both Jew and Gentile &s;hould a|like, (by the Me&s;&s;iah) be &s;aved; which is plain<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ly &s;hewed in the&s;e words, <HI>al&s;o that thou mai&s;t be my &s;alvation to the ends of the earth.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that the &s;alvation, both of Jew and Gentiles is not from any cau&s;e in them&s;elves, it ari&s;eth from Gods free boun|tie, and grace, in giving &s;alvation, in and by this promi&s;ed &s;eede, noted in the&s;e words, <HI>that thou mai&s;t be my &s;alvation.</HI></P>
<P>This is that promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to <HI>Adam,</HI> that &s;hould breake the &s;erpents head, this is the ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed to <HI>Abraham, I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob, that branch out of the roote of Je&s;&s;e,</HI> to this give all the Pro|phets witne&s;&s;e; this is the fullfilling of that ble&s;&s;ed promi&s;e.</P>
<P>Ho&s;ea 13.14. <HI>O death I will be thy death, O grave I will be thy de&s;truction; repentance is hid from my eyes.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e it is &s;o hard a matter to per&s;wade the <HI>Jewes,</HI> that God did entend to &s;hew favour to the Gentiles, therefore I &s;hall pro|ceede further.</P>
<P>I&s;ai 49.8. <HI>I will give thee for a Covenant of the people, to cau&s;e to inherite the de&s;olate heritages.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 9. <HI>That thou maye&s;t &s;ay to the pri&s;oners goe forth, to them that are in darkne&s;&s;e &s;hew your &s;elves.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 10. <HI>They &s;hall not hunger nor thir&s;t, for he that hath mer|cie on them &s;hall leade them.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>Behold the&s;e &s;hall come from farre, and loe the&s;e from the North, and from the We&s;t, and the&s;e from the Land of Sinim.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 13. <HI>The Children that thou &s;halt have after thou ha&s;t lo&s;t the other &s;hall &s;ay againe in thy eares, the place is too &s;trait for mee, give place that I may dwell.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 21. <HI>Then &s;halt thou &s;ay in thy heart, who hath begotten mee ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, &s;eeing I have lo&s;t my Children, and am de&s;olate, a Captive.</HI></P>
<PB N="29" REF="20">
<P>The&s;e are the thoughts, and inquiries of the children of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> now in their &s;cattered, and captivated condition; they wonder that God &s;hould &s;hew favour to the Gentiles, and accept them to his &s;ervice; therefore ob&s;erve how the Lord by the Prophet an&s;wereth them.</P>
<P>Ver. 22. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord, behold I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and &s;et up my &s;tandard to the people, and they &s;hall bring thy &s;onnes in their armes, and thy daughters &s;hall be carried on their &s;houlders.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that by Gods <HI>lifting up his hand, and &s;etting up his &s;tan|dard to the Gentiles,</HI> is meant, that <HI>by the preaching of the Go&s;pell</HI> (the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, the joyfull tidings of Salvation, in and by this promi&s;ed &s;eede, this true Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t) <HI>The Gentiles &s;hall willingly come, and embrace or receive the truth,</HI> and &s;hall with all the &s;trength and abilities they have, both re|ceive and maintaine the true wor&s;hip of God; for</P>
<P>This is far from the mi&s;take of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> who give this follow|ing interpretation of the&s;e words, namely, that there &s;hall come a time when the Gentiles &s;hall bring backe the Jewes, out of their di&s;per&s;ions to <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> in their armes, and on their &s;houlders, in a litterall &s;ence. By the &s;ame argument they may &s;ay, that <HI>Kings &s;hall nurce their Children</HI> in a litterall &s;ence, or that when <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, that <HI>God loveth the gates of Sion be&s;t,</HI> that then <HI>David</HI> meaneth that God loveth the &s;tones and timber, (in a litterall &s;ence) be&s;t. Or when God &s;aith, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 51.5. <HI>My Armes &s;hall judge the people,</HI> they under&s;tand this in a litterall &s;ence; by the &s;ame argument, whereas the true meaning is, that God by his great almightie power <HI>(implyed by his armes)</HI> &s;hall cau&s;e judge|ment to be executed. So reade</P>
<P>Jeremiah 3.14. <HI>I will take you one of a Citie, and two of a tribe or family</HI> (that is to &s;ay, a few in compari&s;on of the multitude,) <HI>and bring you to Sion; by Sion</HI> here is not meant, the Mount <HI>Sion</HI> in a litterall &s;ence, but <HI>heare Sion,</HI> this word is u&s;ed to &s;et forth the place where Gods true wor&s;hip is, or where God would be truely wor&s;hipped. The like is often u&s;ed <HI>when the name Jeru&s;a|lem</HI> is put to &s;ignifie the place of Gods wor&s;hip, <HI>and the I&s;rael of God,</HI> is (put, or) u&s;ed, &s;ignifying all the true wor&s;hippers of God both Jewes ond Gentiles. So</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 52.10. <HI>The Lord hath made bare his holy arme.</HI></P>
<PB N="30" REF="21">
<P>Here wee are not to under&s;tand <HI>an arme in a litterall &s;ence;</HI> but the true &s;pirituall meaning is, that God hath &s;hewed, declared or made manife&s;t <HI>his mightie power.</HI></P>
<P>Doubtle&s;&s;e, I beleeve it is a great hinderance, to you that are <HI>Jewes</HI> in the under&s;tanding the holy Scriptures, for that in &s;uch places as poynt out the true Me&s;&s;iah, or doth hold out gratious promi&s;es, &s;pirituall comfort to the Gentiles, there u&s;ually you that are <HI>Jewes</HI> doe &s;eeke to darken, to evade, to avoide, the true &s;pirituall meaning of &s;uch places, either by applying the meaning of the words to be under&s;tood in a litterall &s;ence, <HI>when &s;pirituall,</HI> or to be meant of the <HI>Jewes</HI> onely, when the true meaning is other|wi&s;e, or by &s;aying that the words in our tran&s;lations are not right|ly tran&s;lated, or &s;ome &s;uch way you <HI>Jewes</HI> doe &s;eeke, to evade, and avoide, or turne away true &s;pirituall comfort, from any Na|tion, but your owne &s;elves onely. The Lord in mercie give to you, more humble, and charitable hearts.</P>
<P>I&s;ai 51.5. <HI>My &s;alvation is gone forth, and mine armes &s;hall judge the people; the I&s;les &s;hall waite upon mee, and on my arme &s;hall they tru&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that <HI>by the people here</HI> is &s;hewed other Nations dif|fering from the <HI>Jewes;</HI> and note, that this is further made plaine, <HI>by the I&s;les waiting for God;</HI> for it is ob&s;ervable, that at that time, wee know not that there was any I&s;land upon earth peopled by <HI>Jewes.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Therefore God here fore&s;heweth that the mo&s;t re|mote (and places as &s;eperated) <HI>of the Gentiles, &s;hould waite on him,</HI> that is to &s;ay, they (the I&s;les of the Gentiles) &s;hould be &s;ub|ject, and obedient to his commandements. And by their <HI>tru&s;ting (or re&s;ting) on the arme of God,</HI> is fore&s;hewed, their true and ef|fectuall faith, in beleeving, and adhering to the promi&s;es of the true God onely.</P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>Therefore the redeemed of the Lord &s;hall come with joy, &s;inging, everla&s;ting joy &s;hall be upon their heads.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 52.10. <HI>All the ends of the earth, &s;hall &s;ee the &s;alvation of God.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that this &s;heweth that the Lord entended that the Gen|tiles, all Nations, &s;hall &s;ee the glorious riches of Gods grace, his &s;alvation to the furthe&s;t, to the remote&s;t places, <HI>to the ends of the earth;</HI> This is that promi&s;e repeated, renewed, made to <HI>Adam,</HI>
<PB N="31" REF="21"> to <HI>Noah,</HI> to <HI>Abram, I&s;ack</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> to the Prophets, and was fullfilled at, and by the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 53. The whole Chapter doth plainely and lively declare, and &s;hew, the birth, the life, the Acts, the death of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which was &s;o plainely, truely, and punctually verefied, at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that except you <HI>Jewes</HI> will &s;hut your eyes, and harden your hearts, you cannot but mu&s;t acknowledge, Je&s;us Chri&s;t to be the true Me&s;&s;iah.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 54.1. <HI>Sing O barren, thou that didde&s;t not beare, breake forth into &s;inging, for the Children of the de&s;olate, are more then the Chil|dren of the Married wife, &s;aith the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that by <HI>barren, and de&s;olate,</HI> here is meant the Gentiles, and <HI>by the Marred wife</HI> was meant the Jewes; as in</P>
<P>Jeremiah 3.14. <HI>Turne O back&s;liding Children, &s;aith the Lord, for I am married unto you.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 54.3. <HI>For thou &s;halt breake forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy &s;eede &s;hall inherite the Gentiles, and make the de&s;o|late Citties to be inhabited.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 4. <HI>Feare not, fort thou &s;halt not be a&s;hamed, neither be thou confounded, for thou &s;halt not be put to &s;hame, and &s;halt not remember the reproach of thy widdowhood any more.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>For thy maker is thy husband (the Lord of ho&s;ts is his name) and thy redeemer the holy one of I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>For the Lord hath called thee as a woman for&s;aken, and grieved in &s;pirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wa&s;t for&s;aken, re|fu&s;ed, &s;aith thy God.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>For a &s;mall moment have I for&s;aken thee, but with great mercie will I gather thee.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 8. <HI>In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, but with ever|la&s;ting kindne&s;&s;e, will I have mercie on thee.</HI></P>
<P>Wee noted from the fir&s;t ver&s;e, that the Lord here, did fore|&s;hew that he would be gratious to the barren Gentiles, &s;o the Prophet goeth on in the following ver&s;es, to Comfort the Gen|tiles, &s;hewing that although for a &s;ea&s;on God had for&s;aken, refu|&s;ed, and &s;eemingly divorced them from him, yet God doth here &s;peake comfortably to them, putting them in minde, <HI>that he was their maker,</HI> ver. 5. and therefore would regard the worke of his owne hands.</P>
<P>And yet further goeth on to admini&s;ter comfort, by t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lling the
<PB N="32" REF="22"> Gentiles that although at that pre&s;ent <HI>they were like a wife divor|ced, refu&s;ed, or like one that was a widdow,</HI> yet the Lord di&s;covers one bright beame of his favour to them, telling them that <HI>their maker was &s;till their husband,</HI> although he &s;eemed for ever to have for&s;aken them; which is noted ver. 5. in the&s;e words, <HI>The God of the whole earth &s;hall he be called;</HI> As if God &s;hould &s;ay, although the <HI>Jewes</HI> conceive (and the Gentiles beleeve it) that I onely re|gard the Jewes, yet there is a mi&s;take in it, for I am (and will fur|ther make it knowne that I am) the God of (and have re&s;pect to) both Jewes and Gentiles, therefore God &s;aith, <HI>ver.</HI> 5. that <HI>he will be called the God of the whole earth,</HI> that is to &s;ay, both of the Jew, and Gentile.</P>
<P>Ver. 9. <HI>For this (is as) the waters of Noah, for as I have &s;worne that the waters of Noah &s;hould no more goe over the earth, &s;o have I &s;worne.</HI></P>
<P>As if God &s;hould &s;ay, remember that in, and before, and after the dayes of <HI>Noah,</HI> I might ju&s;tly have for&s;aken and de&s;troyed, all mankinde, yet I promi&s;ed to deale more mercifully, I would not de&s;troy the world by water; even &s;o is thy condition: thus the Lord goeth on forward in the 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 ver&s;es, to comfort and refre&s;h, the afflicted, and di&s;con&s;olate e|&s;tate of his &s;ervants.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 55.1. <HI>Hoe every one that thir&s;teth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buie wine, and milke, without money, and without price.</HI></P>
<P>As if God &s;hould &s;ay, let neither Jew in&s;ult nor pre&s;ume, not let not the Gentiles de&s;paire, for although they have no worth, nor excellencie in them, for both the Jewes have &s;inned, and bro|ken their Covenant, and the Gentiles have &s;inned, and provoked mee to ca&s;t them both off, and to for&s;ake them, <HI>yet I am Gracious,</HI> therefore let every one of what Nation &s;oever that thir&s;teth after mee, let him <HI>come to the waters, and buie, wine and milke, without money, and without price:</HI> expre&s;&s;ed thus, <HI>every one that thir&s;teth come.</HI></P>
<P>Note, this mercie here promi&s;ed, doth not depend upon any worth or de&s;ert on mans part, but upon the free grace of God.</P>
<P>Ver. 4. <HI>Behould I have given him for a witne&s;&s;e, a leader and commander to the people.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>Behould thou &s;halt call a Nation that thou knowe&s;t not,
<PB N="33" REF="22"> and Nations that knew not thee &s;hall run unto thee, becau&s;e of the Lord thy God,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, This &s;heweth one promi&s;ed &s;eede to be given <HI>for a lea|der, and commander;</HI> this is <HI>that commander &s;poken off by Mo&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>Deut. 18.15. <HI>The Lord thy God, will rai&s;e up a Prophet unto thee, from the midde&s;t of thy brethren, like unto mee, unto him &s;hall ye hearken:</HI> the &s;ame (in effect) is repeated, <HI>ver.</HI> 18, 19.</P>
<P>Note, that by the&s;e words, <HI>like unto mee,</HI> is &s;hewed that as <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> did by Gods direction, bring the people out of their Egyptian bondage, and in&s;truct the people, what was plea&s;ing to God. So did the promi&s;ed &s;eede (the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t) deliver the Jew and Gentile <HI>from the Cur&s;es of the Law, from hell, and everla&s;ting death,</HI> and revealed to them this &s;ecret which was before hid, <HI>namely, the forgivene&s;&s;e of &s;innes;</HI> thus did no other Prophet from <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> time, to the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to him gave all the Prophets witne&s;&s;e, and in him all the prophe&s;ies were fullfilled, and neither before nor after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, did or dur&s;t, or could any other, Come in &s;uch a way as he came; <HI>This is that Leader &s;poken of, I&s;ai.</HI> 55.4.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that God here <HI>ver.</HI> 5. promi&s;ed or fore&s;hew|ed, the conver&s;ion of the Gentile Nations; in the&s;e words, <HI>Thou &s;halt call a Nation that thou knowe&s;t not;</HI> that is to &s;ay, that God did not &s;eeme to owne or know, or take notice of; this is further confirmed, in the&s;e words, <HI>And Nations, that knew not thee &s;hall run unto thee;</HI> that is to &s;ay, when God &s;hould by the preaching of the Go&s;pell (the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, the glad tidings of &s;alva|tion) call to the Gentiles (that then knew not God) the&s;e &s;hould gladly goe, <HI>they &s;hould run</HI> (willingly) unto the Lord their God; which &s;heweth their free and unfeined conver&s;ion.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 60.3. <HI>And the Gentiles &s;hall come to thy light, and Kings to the brightne&s;&s;e of thy ri&s;ing.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 4. <HI>Thy &s;onnes &s;hall come from farre.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>Then &s;halt thou &s;ee and flow together, and thy heart &s;hall feare and be enlarged; becau&s;e of the aboundance of the &s;ea &s;hall be converted unto thee, and the forces of the Gentiles &s;hall be converted unto thee.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, God doth here &s;hew that the Gentiles &s;hould come wil|lingly, which is &s;hewed in this word, <HI>come;</HI> they are not drawne, to embrace the true God, which is plainely held out in the&s;e
<PB N="34" REF="23"> words, <HI>&s;hall come to thy light,</HI> that light which was then the light of the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> &s;hould be the light of the Gentiles, to which the Gentiles &s;hould come, which was no other but to the true know|ledge of God, and of his will conteined in the Scriptures; &s;o <HI>Da|vid</HI> interpreteth the word <HI>light;</HI> P&s;al. 119.105. <HI>Thy word is a light to mee,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Secondly, And by the&s;e words, <HI>Thy &s;onnes &s;hall come from far;</HI> This &s;heweth the true conver&s;ion of the Gentiles, who then were far di&s;tant from the Jewes, in &s;everall re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Thirdly, By the&s;e words, <HI>Then &s;halt thou &s;ee, and flow together;</HI> is &s;hewed that the Jew and Gentile &s;hall be joyned together, in the true wor&s;hip of God, <HI>even as waters that flow together, are mixed:</HI> which the Jewes &s;eeing, <HI>their hearts &s;hall feare, and (yet) be inlarged,</HI> becau&s;e of the aboundance of the &s;ea &s;hall be conver|ted to thee.</P>
<P>Note, that by, <HI>the aboundance of the &s;ea,</HI> is held out, that &s;ome of all Nations, for <HI>the &s;ea</HI> differeth from all rivers, it is a mixture of all waters: by the&s;e words, <HI>&s;hall be converted to thee,</HI> is &s;hewed that they &s;hall be brought willingly to wor&s;hip the true God.</P>
<P>This is further explained in the&s;e words, <HI>The forces of the Gen|tiles &s;hall come unto thee.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>All they of Sheba &s;hall come unto thee:</HI> This place <HI>She|ba</HI> was not inhabited by the Jewes; here note that it is &s;aid, <HI>all they of Sheba,</HI> not &s;ome few &s;cattered Jewes, as the Jewes doe (either wilfully or ignorantly) affirme, both of this and many other places.</P>
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>All the flocks of Kedar &s;hall be gathered together to thee,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>They &s;hall come up with acceptance on my Altar, and I will glorifie the hou&s;e of my Glory.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that they &s;hall not come, as &s;ome (ignorantly doe af|firme) as &s;ervants to the Jewes, <HI>to bring the men and women in their armes,</HI> literally. But they &s;hall come up to wor&s;hip God, and &s;o as God will receive them gratiou&s;ly <HI>they &s;hall come up</HI> (&s;aith God) <HI>with acceptance on my Altar;</HI> and <HI>they &s;hall &s;hew forth the prai&s;es of the Lord;</HI> which &s;ignifieth their unfeined and true wor&s;hip, of the true and everliving God.</P>
<P>Ver. 8. <HI>Who are the&s;e that fly as a cloude to the windows?</HI></P>
<P>By the&s;e words, <HI>as a cloude,</HI> is &s;hewed the abundant acce&s;&s;e of the Gentiles; by the&s;e words, <HI>to the windows,</HI> is &s;hewed their com|ing
<PB N="35" REF="23"> to the true light, to the revealed word, the will of God, which doth <HI>as thorough the windowes,</HI> conveigh light into the &s;oule of man.</P>
<P>Ver. 9. <HI>Surely the I&s;les &s;hall waite for mee,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>to bring thy &s;onnes from far, their &s;ilver and their gould with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God.</HI></P>
<P>Note, by the&s;e words, <HI>their &s;ilver and their gould with them,</HI> is &s;hewed that they &s;hall come unfeinedly, acceptably, with all their heart; for it is not &s;aid they &s;hall bring bra&s;&s;e, or iron, the refu&s;e, but <HI>&s;ilver and gould,</HI> the be&s;t, and cheife of their affections. And note that this is not offered to a fal&s;e God, but <HI>unto the name of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 10. <HI>And the &s;onnes of &s;trangers &s;hall build thy walls;</HI> this &s;heweth that the Gentiles (which then were &s;trangers) &s;hould be admitted to joyne with the Jewes in doeing Gods worke.</P>
<P>Note, that in tho&s;e dayes, it was not lawfull for &s;trangers to build; as</P>
<P>E&s;ra 4.2. <HI>Then they came to the cheife of the Fathers and &s;aid, let us build with you,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>But Zorobabell, and Jo&s;hua, and the re&s;t, &s;aid unto them, ye have nothing to doe with us to build an hou&s;e unto our God, but we our &s;elves will build together.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that in as much as God &s;aith, that <HI>the &s;onnes of &s;trangers &s;hould be admitted to build,</HI> (that is to helpe forward in the worke and &s;ervice of the Lord) this &s;heweth that the &s;tate and forme of the Church vi&s;ible, &s;hould be new formed of Jewes and Gen|tiles: as God promi&s;ed that he would make new heavens, and a new earth, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 65.17. and a new Covenant, on new and bet|ter conditions; yea &s;o far &s;hould this latter exceede the former, that the former &s;hould be forgotten, and not be mentioned, nor come to minde. In this latter &s;tate of the Church, it &s;hould be compo&s;ed both of Jewes and Gentiles: according to that promi&s;e and prophe&s;ie, <HI>Gen.</HI> 9.27. <HI>God &s;hall per&s;wade Japheth to dwell in the tents of Shem;</HI> and according to the promi&s;e made to <HI>Abra|ham, I&s;ack,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> Gen. 9. and 19. and 22. that <HI>in their &s;eede all the Nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed;</HI> this is <HI>that branch</HI> that &s;hould &s;pring, or grow <HI>out of the Roote of Je&s;&s;e;</HI> this is that <HI>en&s;igne lifted up to all Nations;</HI> this, this is he, even <HI>that Shilo, to whom the Gathering of the people &s;hould be;</HI> this is <HI>he that was given for a Covenant of the people</HI> (or Nations) <HI>for a light to the people;</HI>
<PB N="36" REF="24"> this is <HI>that promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> &s;poken of by <HI>Daniell,</HI> that &s;hould <HI>be &s;laine, or cut off,</HI> Dan. 9.26. I&s;ai. 53. This is he <HI>by who&s;e &s;tripes wee are healed, who was wounded for our tre&s;pa&s;&s;es,</HI> I&s;ai. 53. This is he by who&s;e meanes, <HI>the &s;onnes of &s;trangers, &s;hall build together</HI> with the <HI>Jewes.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>Therefore thy Gates &s;hall be open continually, they &s;hall not be &s;hutt day nor night, that (they) may bring unto thee, the for|ces of the Gentiles.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;heweth, that the Partition wall between Jew and Gentile &s;hall be broken downe, and that God would bring, or cau&s;e the Gentiles to come, and embrace, and &s;ubmit unto, the true wor&s;hip of God.</P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>Thou &s;halt al&s;o &s;uck the milke of the Gentiles;</HI> compare this with <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 66.10, 11. This plainly &s;heweth, that the &s;ame precious word, promi&s;es and di&s;pen&s;ations of God, whereby the Gentiles &s;hould be nouri&s;hed, &s;hould be the comfort, and nouri&s;h|ment of the Jewes. And doth further &s;hew the falling away of the Jewes from the truth for a time, and their re&s;toring to the light and truth afterwards.</P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>And thou &s;halt know that I the Lord, am thy Saviour, and Redeemer.</HI> This houlds out that this way of redemption &s;hould be &s;uch as then they knew not (for their former Covenant they had broken) and this &s;hould be by a new Covenant.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 65.1. <HI>I am found of them that asked not for mee, I am found of them that &s;ought mee not, I &s;aid behould mee, behould mee, to a Nation that was not called by my Name.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 2. <HI>All the day long have I &s;pread out my hands, unto a re|bellious people, which walketh in away that is not good, after their own thoughts.</HI> Ver. 3. <HI>A people that provoketh mee to anger continually.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note that by <HI>tho&s;e that &s;ought not God,</HI> mu&s;t needs be the Gentiles, for here God puts a cleare difference between the Jewes and them, as may plainely be noted in the 2 &amp; 3 ver&s;es. Secondly, Note, that God &s;peaketh of the Gentiles, that <HI>he was found of them that &s;ought not God;</HI> that is to &s;ay, whereas the Gentiles had lo&s;t the manife&s;tation of Gods gracious pre&s;ence, yet God knowing his own gracious purpo&s;e, not for ever to ca&s;t off the Gentiles, he declareth <HI>that he would be found,</HI> that is to &s;ay, he would &s;hew to the Gentiles his favourable countenance. Thirdly, Note, that God poynteth out the preaching of the Go&s;pell, the Glad-tidings
<PB N="37" REF="24"> of &s;alvation, to the Gentiles in the&s;e words, <HI>I &s;aid, behould mee, behould mee, to a Nation that was not called by my name.</HI> Fourthly, Note, here is a cleare difference to di&s;tingui&s;h, the Jewes from the Gentiles, in the&s;e words, <HI>to a Nation that was not called by the name of God;</HI> it is not &s;aid <HI>to a per&s;on,</HI> but <HI>to a Nation.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 5. This is further explained <HI>ver.</HI> 5. <HI>Which &s;ay, &s;tand by thy &s;elfe, come not neare mee, for I am holier then thou.</HI></P>
<P>Note that this was both the &s;peech and practice of the Jewes, to be lifted up with pride, &s;o that they de&s;pi&s;ed other people, therefore in the following words, God &s;aith that, <HI>the&s;e are a &s;moake in my no&s;e, a fire that burneth all the day.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 17. <HI>For behould I create new heavens, and a new earth.</HI></P>
<P>This (I conceive) &s;heweth the alteration of the &s;tate and lati|tude of the Church, under the dayes of the Go&s;pell, which is fur|ther explained, Ver. 25. <HI>The wolfe and the lambe &s;hall feed together.</HI></P>
<P>Doth not this &s;hew, that Gods purpo&s;e was to reconcile the difference between the Jew and the Gentile?</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 66.10. <HI>Rejoyce ye with Jeru&s;alem, all ye that love her, be glad with her.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> here &s;ignifieth <HI>all the true wor&s;hippers.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>That ye may &s;uck and be &s;atisfied with the bre&s;ts of her con&s;olation.</HI> (I beleeve that) this doth invite the Gentiles, to imbrace and long after tho&s;e precious lawes, ordinances, and promi&s;es, con|tained in the Scriptures; which the Church of God then enjoyed and kept. By the&s;e words, <HI>with Jeru&s;alem,</HI> doe plainly &s;hew that this is &s;poken to, and of a people, that at that pre&s;ent <HI>were not in fellow&s;hip,</HI> and communion with the Church of God; and by the&s;e words, <HI>that ye may &s;uck,</HI> is further &s;hewed, <HI>that then they did not &s;uck, the bre&s;ts of her con&s;olation:</HI> and by the&s;e words, <HI>&s;uck, and be &s;atisfied,</HI> is plainely &s;hewed, that the per&s;ons invited, <HI>(which mu&s;t be the Gentiles)</HI> &s;hould have the full, the &s;ame, and all the comfort that the Jewes had, even to &s;atisfaction: this is further explained in the next ver&s;e.</P>
<P>Ver. 12. <HI>For thus &s;aith the Lord, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the Glory of the Gentiles, li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e a flowing &s;treame; ye &s;hall be borne upon her &s;ides, and dandled on her knees.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the Gentiles had no true Glory, further then they were made partakers of, <HI>the precious promi&s;es of the ble&s;&s;ed God,</HI> to reconcile them, and to call them to the light, and to unite them to the true Church.</P>
<PB N="38" REF="25">
<P>Note, that by <HI>being dandled on the knees of the true wor&s;hippers,</HI> &s;heweth that the (tho&s;e) precious promi&s;es of God, and tho&s;e manife&s;tations of his favour, received by the beleeving Jewes, &s;hould be &s;uch as &s;hould comfort, and delight the Gentiles, in the latter dayes; for the words <HI>dandled,</HI> are a metaphor u&s;ed, repre|&s;enting the love and affection, between a Mother, or a loving Nurce and a Childe. The &s;ame in effect is expre&s;&s;ed</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 60.3, 4. <HI>The Gentiles &s;hall come to thy light, thy &s;onnes &s;hall come from far,</HI> (that is to &s;ay) from forreine Nations, &s;uch as are not now &s;o neare as to have fellow&s;hip in the wor&s;hip of the true God.</P>
<P>Note, that <HI>by &s;onnes</HI> is &s;hewed, that they &s;hould be the Children <HI>(and not &s;trangers)</HI> to the true Church; &s;hewed further in the 6 <HI>&amp;</HI> 7 ver&s;es following, in the&s;e words, <HI>They &s;hall come with ac|ceptance, they &s;hall &s;hew forth the prai&s;es of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>And lea&s;t the Jewes, &s;hould wre&s;t, and mi&s;-interpret that place, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 66.11. where it is &s;aid, <HI>That the Gentiles &s;hould &s;ucke, and be &s;atisfied with the bre&s;ts of con&s;olation whereby the Jewes were nouri&s;hed;</HI> therefore it is &s;aid reciprocally, <HI>that the Jewes &s;hould &s;ucke the milke of the Gentiles:</HI> I&s;ai. 60.16. <HI>Thou &s;halt &s;ucke the milke of the Gentiles;</HI> that is to &s;ay, thou the Jew when thou &s;halt be converted from thine ob&s;tinacie, and &s;halt acknowledge thine error, in not imbracing that forgivene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, (the pretious promi&s;es of God made unto the Gentiles, in and by Je&s;us Chri&s;t) yet in the latter dayes <HI>thou &s;halt &s;uck</HI> (that is receive) <HI>and be &s;a|tisfied, and nouri&s;hed by the &s;ame faith,</HI> that the Gentiles are nou|ri&s;hed by; for by <HI>milke</HI> is here meant, the true comfort contained in the word of God; and note</P>
<P>I&s;a. 66.18. <HI>I will gather all Nations and tongues, and they &s;hall come and &s;ee my glory.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 19. <HI>I will &s;et a &s;igne among them, and I will &s;end tho&s;e that e&s;cape of them, unto the Nations, to Tar&s;his Pull, and Lud, to Tu|ball and Javan, to the I&s;les a far off, that have not heard of my fame, and they &s;hall declare my glory among the Gentiles.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that <HI>this &s;igne</HI> mu&s;t needs be <HI>the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> (that promi&s;ed &s;eede in whom all the Nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed) for &s;o the Lord by the Prophet often &s;peaketh, <HI>that as a &s;igne, or an en&s;igne he &s;hould be lifted up to the Gentiles.</HI></P>
<P>Note, why &s;hould God manife&s;t his Glory and &s;hew him&s;elfe
<PB N="39" REF="25"> to the&s;e Gentile Nations, was it not <HI>becau&s;e God did in his appoyn|ted time entend to &s;hew his loving favour to the Gentile Nations,</HI> and as God had &s;hewed his Glory unto the Children of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> &s;o God here fore&s;hewed that he would unvaile him&s;elfe, and &s;hew the brightne&s;&s;e, the glorious excellencie, his loving favour to the Gentiles. Therefore it is, that God &s;o often inviteth the Gen|tiles (under the &s;imilitudes of barren, of de&s;olate, of for&s;aken of wilderne&s;&s;e, of widdowhood,) to rejoyce, to breake forth into &s;inging, to &s;houte for joy, becau&s;e the Lord would declare his Glory among, (and &s;hew his loving favour to) the Gentiles. This is noted in this 19 ver. and the Gentiles &s;hould an&s;wer by the fruites thereof, <HI>they &s;hould &s;hew forth the prai&s;es of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 20. <HI>And they &s;hall bring all your brethren for an offering, unto the Lord, for an offering out of all Nations.</HI></P>
<P>Note, here it is &s;aid, <HI>they &s;hall bring,</HI> that is to &s;ay, the&s;e forrein Nations, &s;uch of them, as &s;eeing the en&s;igne.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 18.3. <HI>Then O all ye inhabitants of the earth &s;ee ye, when he lifteth up an en&s;igne.</HI> Note, that <HI>this en&s;igne</HI> is the promi&s;ed &s;eede in whom all the Nations of the earth, yea all the Families of the earth, &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed. <HI>Then when the Trumpet is blowne,</HI> that is, when the Go&s;pell (the glad and joyfull tidings of our &s;alvati|on) is preached, when the &s;ound thereof is heard, then in that day, <HI>they</HI> (that is to &s;ay) the&s;e forrein Nations, (de&s;cribed under the names of) <HI>Tar&s;his, Pull, Lud, Tuball, Javan, and the I&s;les a far of) &s;hall be brought a pre&s;ent to the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 18.7. &s;hewed in other words to the &s;ame effect; <HI>In that day &s;hall the pre&s;ent be brought to the Lord of ho&s;ts, of a people &s;cat|tered, and peeled, from a people terrible from the beginning hitherto, to the place of the name of the Lord. And they &s;hall bring all your brethren.</HI> Note that by <HI>brethren</HI> is held out, that there &s;hall be one God, and one Church Catholike, of Jewes and Gentiles; for al|though the Jewes conceived that they onely were the people of God, and that none before <HI>Abraham,</HI> nor none after, but them|&s;elves &s;hould be accepted, although they the Jewes, might con&s;i|der that they had often and grievou&s;ly offended God, as is noted <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 66.17 and in other places.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 18.8. The Lord &s;aith, <HI>I know their thoughts, and their works,</HI> (note the words next following) <HI>I will gather all Nations, and tongues, and they &s;hall come and &s;ee my Glory.</HI></P>
<PB N="40" REF="26">
<P>Note, that the Jewes &s;peake all one tongue or language, there|fore the Lord puts a cleare difference, and &s;heweth for the com|fort of the Gentile Nations, <HI>that men of other Nations, of all Lan|guages, &s;hall &s;ee the glory of God,</HI> to their comfort they &s;hall come as brethren; as is noted <HI>ver.</HI> 20. they &s;hall come. <HI>They,</HI> that is to &s;ay, the&s;e forrein Nations, all Nations, and languages &s;hall come, (not as &s;trangers) <HI>but being brethren.</HI></P>
<P>And yet further to comfort the&s;e forrein Nations, God &s;aith in this 20 <HI>ver.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 20. <HI>They &s;hall come being brethren, as the Children of I&s;|raell, bring an offering in a cleane ve&s;&s;ell, into the hou&s;e of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that by the compari&s;on, in the&s;e words, <HI>as the Children of I&s;raell,</HI> &s;heweth, that it was not meant of the Children of <HI>I&s;|raell,</HI> but of tho&s;e forrein Nations, and yet the Lord to make this mercie more cleare to the Gentiles (that then &s;ate in darkne&s;&s;e, in the valley, and &s;hadow of death) yea to make it to appeare, that God entended to &s;hew favour to the Gentile Nations.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 66.21. God &s;aith in the next <HI>ver.</HI> 21. <HI>And I will take of them for Prei&s;ts, and Levites &s;aith the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Note here that to take of forrein Nations <HI>to be Prei&s;ts, and Levites,</HI> cannot &s;tand with the willfull interpretation, of &s;ome Jewes, who would apply all &s;uch promi&s;es unto them&s;elves onely. For note that the Pro&s;elytes could not be <HI>Prei&s;ts and Levites.</HI></P>
<P>But the&s;e words, <HI>to take of them for Prei&s;ts and Levites,</HI> &s;heweth two things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That the&s;e forrein Nations, by the ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed, in the promi&s;ed &s;eede,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach 6.14.</NOTE> that branch &s;pringing from the tribe of <HI>Juda,</HI> from the roote of <HI>Je&s;&s;e,</HI> being the father of <HI>David;</HI> that branch being the promi&s;ed &s;eede the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, by and in whome all the prophe&s;ies of the Prophets were fullfilled, and in whome, all the types, &s;hadowes, and prophe&s;ies, touching the promi&s;ed &s;eede were accompli&s;hed and ended. By hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Partition wall be|tween the Jew, and Gentile, was broken downe, and a way made to and for the Gentiles, to enter into the hou&s;e, the Sanctuary, the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God; to this the Prophets witne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 60.10. <HI>And the &s;onnes of &s;trangers &s;hall build thy walls.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>Therefore thy Gates &s;hall be open continually, they &s;hall not be &s;hutt day nor night:</HI> note, that it followeth in the next ver&s;e.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 66.22. <HI>For as the New Heaven, and the New Earth, that I will make, &s;hall remaine before mee, &s;o</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<PB N="41" REF="26">
<P>Note, that by <HI>new heavens, and new earth,</HI> is &s;hewed that the e&s;tate of the vi&s;ible Church under the Go&s;pell, at the coming of the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah (the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t) &s;hould be as it were new formed, for Jew and Gentile then &s;hould become one, and the Covenant, and the condition thereof altered and changed, and the Prei&s;thood changed, for if wee con&s;ider the next to <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 60 10.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 60.11. Where the &s;ame matter is &s;poken of, namely, <HI>that &s;trangers &s;hould</HI> be admitted in the &s;ervice of God to <HI>build toge|ther with the Jewes.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that therefore it is &s;aid, <HI>thy Gates &s;hall be open con|tinually.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that then <HI>the gates were &s;hutt,</HI> the Gentiles were not admitted; and comparing this <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 66.21, 22 where God admitts, <HI>an offering, out of all Nations, and God will take &s;ome of all Nations for Prei&s;ts, and Levites,</HI> which under that pre&s;ent forme of the Church was unlawfull.</P>
<P>To this purpo&s;e, <HI>ver.</HI> 23. <HI>All fle&s;h &s;hall come to wor&s;hip.</HI></P>
<P>If therefore wee weigh and compare Scripture with Scripture (I beleeve) that it will plainely appeare, that by <HI>new heavens,</HI> be|fore &s;poken of, is meant the vi&s;ible e&s;tate of the Church under the Go&s;pell in &s;pirituall matters.</P>
<P>And by <HI>new earth,</HI> may po&s;&s;ibly be meant the per&s;ons concer|ned, namely, &s;ome of all Nations; for in both the&s;e re&s;pects the condition and &s;tate of the Church under the Go&s;pell is changed, and the Covenant is new, and in all re&s;pects, this latter e&s;tate is better then the former. And</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that by rhe&s;e words, <HI>&s;hall remaine,</HI> is &s;hewed that this new forme, was to be more excellent, more durable, <HI>it &s;hould remaine,</HI> it &s;hould be &s;tedfa&s;t, and unmooveable. And</P>
<P>Secondly, Note. It &s;heweth likewi&s;e that the then pre&s;ent e&s;tate of the Church &s;hould vani&s;h, &s;hould be changed, &s;hould not re|maine.</P>
<P>Thirdly, And by the former words in 21 <HI>ver. I will take of them for Prei&s;ts and Levites,</HI> is plainely &s;hewed that the Prei&s;thood &s;hould be changed, which was verefied and fullfilled at the com|ing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And in both the&s;e re&s;pects, namely, by <HI>new heavens, and new earth,</HI> and likewi&s;e by the taking <HI>&s;trangers for to be Prei&s;ts, and
<PB N="42" REF="27"> Levites,</HI> is &s;hewed, that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Ceremoniall Law &s;hould vani&s;h, becau&s;e God &s;aith, <HI>this</HI> (e&s;tate) <HI>&s;hould be new, and &s;hould remaine.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 23. <HI>All fle&s;h &s;hall come to wor&s;hip before mee, &s;aith the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Jeremiah 3.14. <HI>Turne O back&s;liding children, for I am married to you &s;aith the Lord; and I will take you one of a Cittie, and two of a Tribe, or Family, and bring you to Sion.</HI> Hence note,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That <HI>I&s;raell</HI> is not tho&s;e that the Prophet &s;o often in|vites to rejoyce, under the names <HI>of barren, of wilderne&s;&s;e, of wid|dows;</HI> for here the Lord calls them <HI>Children,</HI> though back&s;liding, and not either <HI>widdow, or for&s;aken;</HI> for God here &s;aith, <HI>hee was married to them.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that not all <HI>I&s;raell</HI> &s;hould be effectually cal|led, but a few, in regard of the multitude, <HI>one of a Cittie, two of a Family.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 16. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e in tho&s;e dayes &s;aith the Lord, they &s;hall &s;ay no more, the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord, neither &s;hall it come to minde, neither &s;hall they remember it, neither &s;hall they vi&s;it it.</HI></P>
<P>Note, why &s;hould they not &s;ay, <HI>the Arke of the Covenant,</HI> (or containing the Covenant?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t, becau&s;e they had broken the Covenant, which Covenant (I conceive) was conteined in the Arke, therefore upon that foundation, <HI>it &s;hould not be named, nor come to minde.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Becau&s;e the glory and beautie of the new Covenant, &s;hould &s;o farre exceede the Covenant conteined in the Arke, that the Arke, nor Covenant in the Arke &s;hould not come to minde, nor be vi&s;ited.</P>
<P>Jeremiah 31.31. <HI>Behould the dayes come &s;aith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant with the hou&s;e of I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 32. <HI>Not according to the Covenant, which I made with their Fathers,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>which my Covenant they brake; For I will forgive their iniquities.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that <HI>this new Covenant,</HI> is the Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in whome all the Nations &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed; as</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 42.6. <HI>I the Lord have called thee, and will give thee for a Covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>To open the eyes of the blinde, and them that &s;it in dark|ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Jeremiah 3.17. <HI>At that time they &s;hall call Jeru&s;alem, the
<PB N="43" REF="27"> prai&s;e of the whole earth, and all the Nations &s;hall be gathered unto it, to the Name of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Note here that <HI>by Jeru&s;alem</HI> is to be under&s;tood <HI>the place where Gods wor&s;hip is,</HI> and note that the Nations, &s;hall be true wor&s;hip|pers, for they &s;hall <HI>be gathered to the name of the Lord,</HI> which is further &s;hewed in the following words.</P>
<P>Ver. 17. <HI>Neither &s;hall they walke any more, after the imagina|tion of their evill heart.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that by the&s;e words, <HI>they walke,</HI> is meant <HI>the Nations,</HI> for they are they, that are the next before &s;poken off.</P>
<P>Ezekiell 16.60. <HI>Neverthele&s;&s;e, I will remember my Covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth, and I will e&s;tabli&s;h unto thee, an everla&s;ting Covenant.</HI> Ver. 61. <HI>But not by thy Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that the Lord &s;aith, <HI>ver.</HI> 59. the Jewes had de&s;pi&s;ed the oath, <HI>by breaking their Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that another, a new Covenant is promi&s;ed, in the&s;e words, <HI>an everla&s;ting Covenant;</HI> which al&s;o &s;hewed the for|mer was not everla&s;ting.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The Lord to &s;hew that this mercie (in making or e|&s;tabli&s;hing an everla&s;ting Covenant) &s;hould be upon better tearmes, on better conditions it &s;hould be <HI>by and of Gods free grace,</HI> not on condition of their works, therefore to make them &s;ee their own evills and be a&s;hamed, the Lord doth unite together with them <HI>Sodome,</HI> and <HI>Samaria,</HI> 55, 56 ver&s;es, and call them <HI>her &s;i&s;ters:</HI> and further puts the Jewes in minde of their pride of heart thus, <HI>ver.</HI> 56. <HI>Thy &s;i&s;ter Sodome was not mentioned in thy mouth in the day of thy pride.</HI></P>
<P>Jeremiah 16.19. <HI>The Gentiles &s;hall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and &s;hall &s;ay &s;urely our fathers have inherited lies, va|nitie, and things wherein there is no profit.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 21. Therefore <HI>(&s;aith the Lord) behould I will this once cau&s;e them to know, I will cau&s;e them to know my hand, and my might, and they &s;hall know that my name is the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that the&s;e words, <HI>The Gentiles &s;hall come from the ends of the earth,</HI> doe &s;hew that this precious promi&s;e is made to the Gentiles.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that the Gentiles <HI>&s;hall come willingly,</HI> they are not &s;aid to be drawne, but thus, <HI>they &s;hall come to acknowledge God to be the true God.</HI></P>
<PB N="44" REF="28">
<P>Thirdly, And they &s;hall &s;ee and repent of their former evills, and fal&s;e wor&s;hip, noted in the&s;e words, <HI>and &s;hall &s;ay, &s;urely our fathers have inherited lies,</HI> and &s;hall be a&s;hamed of their former ignorance, noted in the&s;e words, <HI>things wherein there is no pro|fit.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, Note the gracious favour, and aboundant mercie of God towards the Gentiles, in forgiving their &s;innes, and recei|ving them to mercie, noted in the&s;e words, <HI>I will cau&s;e them to know my Name, and my hand, and they (al&s;o) &s;hall know that I am the Lord, aboundant in mercie.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the&s;e words, <HI>know the hand</HI> &amp;c. <HI>the might, the Name of the Lord,</HI> doth hould out, that they &s;hall unfeinedly be conver|ted, and heartily love, feare, reverence, and &s;ubmit unto, the true and ble&s;&s;ed God, for &s;o the words, <HI>know the Lord,</HI> are interpre|ted, <HI>Exod.</HI> 5.2.</P>
<P>Exod. 5.2. <HI>And Pharaoh &s;aid, who is the Lord, that I &s;hould obey his voyce, to let I&s;raell goe, I know not the Lord, neither will I let I&s;raell goe.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that by <HI>not knowing the Lord,</HI> is implyed, <HI>the not loving, not fearing, not &s;ubmitting to, not beleeving in the true God,</HI> there|fore when the Lord &s;aith that the Gentiles &s;hall know, <HI>the might, the hand, the Name of the Lord,</HI> it is all one as if he &s;hould &s;ay, they &s;hall &s;ubmit to, they &s;hall love, reverence, and beleeve in God; this matter was in Gods decree fully determined, for the words are twice repeated, <HI>they &s;hall know, they &s;hall know.</HI></P>
<P>Ho&s;ea 1.10. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, in the place where it was &s;aid unto them, ye are not my people, there it &s;hall be &s;aid unto them, ye are the &s;onnes of the living God.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that this place holdeth out that Gods purpo&s;e was, to re|ceive the Gentiles into his favour, and to adopt them, <HI>not to be &s;er|vants, but &s;onnes of the living God;</HI> note, that both the place and per&s;ons are noted.</P>
<P>Joell 2.23. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, that who&s;oever &s;hall call upon the Name of the Lord &s;hall be &s;aved.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that here, God &s;heweth that not onely among&s;t the Jewes, but <HI>in every place,</HI> God will not onely heare prayers, but al&s;o men &s;hall be &s;aved with the &s;ame &s;alvation that the Jewes &s;hould be &s;aved with; for here is no difference made.</P>
<PB N="45" REF="28">
<P>Micah 4.2. <HI>And many Nations &s;hall come and &s;ay, come and let us goe up to the Mountaine of the Lord, to the hou&s;e of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his wayes, and wee will walke in his pathes.</HI></P>
<P>Zephany 3.8, 9, 10. In the 8th ver&s;e, <HI>God threatneth to puni&s;h all Nations.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s;. 9. <HI>Then will I turne to a people of a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to &s;erve him with one con&s;ent.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 10. <HI>For from the River of Ethiopia, my &s;upplications.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that from the&s;e words, <HI>Then will I turne to a people,</HI> is held out that in any Nation where God giveth grace, God will turne in mercy to them, and give them grace <HI>with one con&s;ent</HI> or &s;houl|der to &s;erve him.</P>
<P>Note, that by the&s;e words, <HI>all call, and with one con&s;ent,</HI> is &s;hewed that the difference between Jew and Gentile &s;hould be &s;o taken away and reconciled, that in all Nations (who&s;e hearts were purified by faith) they &s;hould have libertie, and gratiou&s;ly be ac|cepted, to &s;erve him in one. And houldeth out the benefit that &s;hould come by the promi&s;ed &s;eede, that &s;hould breake the &s;er|pents head, <HI>in whom all the Nations, all the Families of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>This mu&s;t needs be the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, becau&s;e none before him did fullfill the prophe&s;ies, nor none after him hath been.</P>
<P>Zacheriah 6.15. <HI>And they that are farre off, &s;hall come and build in the Temple of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that it had been no new, or &s;trange matter for the Nati|on of the Jewes to come, and build in the Temple of the Lord, but in this that God &s;heweth that tho&s;e that then were farre off from being admitted, or accepted in that &s;ervice; this ari&s;eth from the free, and aboundant mercy of God.</P>
<P>Note, that by <HI>building in the Temple of the Lord,</HI> is &s;hewed that the worke, the wor&s;hip, and &s;ervice of the true God, &s;hould be furthered, and &s;trengthened.</P>
<P>Zacheriah 14.9. <HI>And the Lord &s;hall be King over all the earth, and there &s;hall be one Lord, and his Name one.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the&s;e words; <HI>the Lord &s;hall be King over all the earth,</HI> doe &s;hew that the true wor&s;hip of the true God, &s;hall be received
<PB N="46" REF="29"> and &s;ubmitted to, by &s;ome of all Nations, for otherwi&s;e indeede and truth, <HI>the Lord was ever King over all the earth,</HI> but the Nati|ons did not know God, nor wor&s;hip the true God in tho&s;e times, God did hide his favourable countenance from other Nations, therefore <HI>they owned not God as King.</HI></P>
<P>Note further, that <HI>there &s;hall be one God, and his name one;</HI> this &s;heweth that God had fully decreede this matter, <HI>becau&s;e it is twice repeated.</HI> So</P>
<P>Exod. 48.16. The like &s;peech is u&s;ed by old <HI>Jacob, let my name be named on the lads;</HI> by the&s;e words &s;hewing that they &s;hould be &s;urely united, and joyned to, and with the Children of <HI>I&s;raell.</HI> So here when God &s;heweth that there &s;hould be <HI>one King, or Lord, and one name over all the earth,</HI> it &s;heweth that the partiti|on, between Jew and Gentile &s;hould be aboli&s;hed, and that there &s;hould be one Church of the ble&s;&s;ed God, <HI>containing both the Jew and Gentile.</HI></P>
<P>To this give the Prophets witne&s;&s;e, <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> 18.18. <HI>All the Nations of the earth &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 2.2. <HI>The Mountaine of the Lords hou&s;e &s;hall be exalted, and all Nations &s;hall flow unto it.</HI> Where note, that by the words, <HI>&s;tow unto it,</HI> is &s;hewed, the aboundant coming in of the Gentiles, for it is a meete &s;imilitude, taken from the waters that flow from the Sea, and mix them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Micah 4.1. <HI>&amp;</HI> Daniell 7.27. &s;heweth in effect the &s;ame thing.</P>
<P>Malachy 3.1. <HI>Behould I will &s;end my Me&s;&s;enger, and he &s;hall prepare the way before mee;</HI> This was fullfilled by <HI>John the Bap|tist,</HI> who did immediately precede the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and he did &s;hew and witne&s;&s;e that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was the true Me&s;&s;iah, in whom, all the Nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed, and the Na|tion of the Jewes <HI>did acknowledge and own John Bapti&s;t to be a true Prophet of the Lord:</HI> it followeth</P>
<P>Malachy 3.1. <HI>And the Lord whome ye &s;eeke &s;hall &s;odainely come into his Temple, even the Me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant, whome ye de|light in, he &s;hall come &s;aith the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the&s;e words, <HI>the Me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant,</HI> doe &s;hew another, a new Covenant, becau&s;e the former they had broken.</P>
<P>Note, that the&s;e words, <HI>&s;hall come,</HI> doe &s;hew that he was not then come, therefore he is called <HI>the Me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant,</HI> &s;hewing that he brought tidings (of another) <HI>of a new Covenant,</HI>
<PB N="47" REF="29"> and note that this was &s;uch a Covenant, as <HI>they delighted in,</HI> &s;po|ken of, <HI>Jere.</HI> 31.33.</P>
<P>Jeremiah 31, 31, 32, 33. <HI>But this &s;hall be the Covenant that I will make with the hou&s;e of I&s;rael after tho&s;e days &s;aith the Lord,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Ver. 34. <HI>For I will forgive their iniquitie, and I will remember their &s;inne no more.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the former Covenant was dreadfull, becau&s;e the Cur&s;es of the Law were annexed to it, therefore they had no &s;uch cau&s;e <HI>to delight in it.</HI></P>
<P>Malachy 1.10. <HI>I have no plea&s;ure in you &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, neither will I accept an offering at your hands,</HI> &s;peaking to the <HI>Jews.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>For from the ri&s;ing of the Sunne to the going downe thereof, my Name &s;hall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place in&s;ence &s;hall be offered unto my Name, and a pure offering; for my Name &s;hall be great among the heathen, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Note here that God to &s;hew that he did entend to &s;hew mercie to the Gentiles, he putteth a plaine difference between the Jew, and the Gentile for God &s;aith in the former ver. 10. <HI>He had no plea&s;ure in the Jewes, nor would he accept an offering at their hands.</HI></P>
<P>Note that the Jewes were &s;o elevated, and lift up with pride, that they e&s;teemed of other people, to be utterly ca&s;t out of Gods favour, and that God would accept of no wor&s;hip but among&s;t their Nation, and in their Country: Therefore the Lord to hum|ble them, doth &s;hew the glimp&s;e (one beame of the brightne&s;&s;e) of his favour, to the Gentiles, telling them that they the Gentiles &s;hould be accepted, noted in the&s;e large, and gratious plaine tearmes, <HI>that in every place, from the ri&s;ing of the Sunne, to the going downe thereof, incen&s;e &s;hould be offered to the Name of the Lord;</HI> and further &s;aith it &s;hould be <HI>a pure offering;</HI> that is to &s;ay, it &s;hould be accepted, as an offering without blemi&s;h, cleane and &s;anctified in Gods &s;ight; for</P>
<P>Note, that by the&s;e words, <HI>My Name &s;hall be great amongst the heathen, or Gentiles,</HI> is &s;hewed that the Gentiles &s;hould e&s;teeme the Name of the Lord at a high price they &s;hould love, reverence, and &s;erve the Lord, with all their hearts, and with the chiefe af|fections. And to &s;hew that this is clearely meant of the Gentile Nations, God tells the Jewes in the next following twelfth ver&s;e, that <HI>they had prophaned it,</HI> that is, they had prophaned <HI>the Name, and offerings of the Lord;</HI> they too lightly, and meanely e&s;teemed God favour to them.</P>
<PB N="48" REF="30">
<P>Thus breifely I have laboured to &s;hew, that God did entend to &s;hew favour to the Gentiles, and that although God did for a time choo&s;e the Children of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> and &s;eperate them from other Na|tions, and did manife&s;t his favour to them, above other Nations, in many re&s;pects, yet God had a people or per&s;ons before <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> and that other people or per&s;ons in and after <HI>Abrahams</HI> time &s;hould be accepted and &s;aved with the &s;ame &s;alvation, that the po|&s;teritie of <HI>Abraham</HI> were &s;aved with.</P>
<P>Therefore why &s;hould you that are Jewes be &s;o lift up, as to conceive that no other people, can be &s;aved with the &s;ame &s;alvati|on, wherewith you are &s;aved, <HI>certainly it is of free mercie, and not of your de&s;erts that you mu&s;t be &s;aved.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Jere.</HI> 18.1. And the &s;ame God that &s;hewed mercie to your Nation, re&s;erved that power, to &s;hew mercie to others, even ac|cording to his own good will and plea&s;ure, as the potter hath power over the clay. You have ju&s;t cau&s;e to lay this to your hearts and to be humbled under the mightie hand of God, which hath now been &s;tretched out in great di&s;plea&s;ure for above fifteene hundreth yeares; of this the Prophets, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t did fore|tell.</P>
<P><HI>Exod.</HI> 33.29. God &s;aith, <HI>He will have mercie, on whome he will have mercie;</HI> and <HI>Jere.</HI> 18.1. to 11. even as a potter hath power, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Wee (many of us) that are beleevers in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, doe earne&s;tly long for, and de&s;ire, the true good of your &s;oules, and bodies, and wee doe continually and earne&s;tly pray that God would be mercifull unto you, and take away the hardne&s;&s;e of your hearts, and the vaile that is for a &s;ea&s;on &s;pread over your eyes.</P>
<P>Now in the next place, I &s;hall labour (as God &s;hall a&s;&s;i&s;t and permit) to &s;hew and evidently to proove that Je&s;us Chri&s;t (is al|ready come, and by your Nation Crucified) was, and is the pro|mi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, the Saviour of all tho&s;e that beleeve in him, both Jewes and Gentiles.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Touching the promi&s;e made to <HI>Adam,</HI> renewed to <HI>Noah,</HI> when God ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Noah</HI> and his &s;onnes, <HI>Gen.</HI> 9.1.</P>
<P>And touching the promi&s;e made in, and to <HI>Abraham,</HI> and in his &s;eede, <HI>Gen.</HI> 12.3. and <HI>Chap.</HI> 18.18. and 22.18. I have alrea|dy noted, and &s;hewed, that this promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, was a ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed in, and by a promi&s;ed &s;eede, in whome, not onely the po&s;teritie of <HI>Abraham,</HI> but al&s;o <HI>all the Families of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<PB N="49" REF="30">
<P>Secondly, That this &s;eede proceeding from <HI>Abraham,</HI> was not meant of all <HI>Abraham</HI> his po&s;teritie; for if &s;o then <HI>I&s;maell, E&s;au,</HI> and the re&s;t of <HI>Abraham</HI> his Children &s;hould have been alike ble&s;|&s;ings, but not &s;o, for God &s;aith, <HI>In I&s;ack &s;hall thy &s;eede be called;</HI> And <HI>I&s;ack</HI> is not that &s;eede, for God &s;ceptated the &s;ame promi&s;e to <HI>I&s;ack,</HI> and to <HI>Jacob</HI> after him. And <HI>Jacob</HI> prophe&s;ied,</P>
<P>Gene&s;is 49.10. <HI>The &s;cepter &s;hall not depart from Juda, nor a Lawgiver from between his feete till Shilo come, and unto him &s;hall the Gathering of the people be.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that this promi&s;e hath re&s;pect unto one, not to ma|ny, which is &s;hewed in the&s;e words, <HI>unto him &s;hall;</HI> and by the name, <HI>Shilo,</HI> wee under&s;tand <HI>the Me&s;&s;iah.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that this prophe&s;ie, and promi&s;e had re&s;pect to &s;ome extraordinary ble&s;&s;ing, that &s;hould come by this <HI>Shilo</HI> or <HI>Me&s;&s;iah.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that <HI>by the &s;cepter,</HI> wee doe under&s;tand govern|ment; now here it is prophe&s;ied, that <HI>the &s;cepter &s;hould not depart from that Tribe till Shilo come.</HI></P>
<P>Note likewi&s;e that the Government did continue in that Tribe, a long &s;ea&s;on after the time of <HI>David,</HI> and wee finde Records that &s;ome of <HI>Davids</HI> po&s;teritie governed till Je&s;us Chri&s;t came. Yet if you that are Jewes &s;hould not acknowledge that</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Yet you mu&s;t needs acknowledge that in that Tribe the government did continue a long time after <HI>David</HI> his time.</P>
<P>Secondly, You mu&s;t acknowledge that it is now long &s;ince the Government departed from that Tribe.</P>
<P>Thirdly, I demand, or reque&s;t you to &s;hew, where, and who, this <HI>Shilo</HI> is, and when <HI>Shilo</HI> did come, and when (and what) was the Gathering of the People or Nations to him.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Note, that this prophe&s;ie mu&s;t needs be ended long &s;ince.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Note, that this prophe&s;ie mu&s;t needs be fullfilled, in and at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; for it punctually agreed with him in all re&s;pects, <HI>and unto him was the Gathering of the people.</HI> And this agreeth with no other before, nor &s;ince.</P>
<P>Deut. 18.15. <HI>A Prophet the Lord will rai&s;e up unto thee, from the midde&s;t of thy brethren, like unto mee, unto him &s;hall ye hearken.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 18. <HI>The Lord &s;aid, I will rai&s;e them up a Prophet, like un|to thee, and he &s;hall &s;peake unto them all that I command him.</HI></P>
<PB N="50" REF="31">
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that this Prophet mu&s;t needs be the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, becau&s;e from the dayes of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> no other aro&s;e <HI>like unto Mo&s;es,</HI> but Je&s;us Chri&s;t onely, <HI>neither before nor &s;ince.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, All the prophe&s;ies before <HI>by Mo&s;es, and by all the Prophets, did poynt out</HI> (and were fullfilled in, and) <HI>at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Con&s;ider the &s;ad experience, that your Nation hath of the di&s;plea&s;ure of God, again&s;t your whole Nation, as it was plainely foretold; &s;o con&s;ider that it was for &s;uch a great &s;inne, as they had committed none &s;o great.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Note, why they de&s;ired, <HI>that God would rai&s;e them up &s;uch a Prophet:</HI> this is noted in the next ver&s;e, <HI>Deut.</HI> 18.16. <HI>Be|cau&s;e the giving of the Law was &s;o dreadfull,</HI> that they de&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed God to appeare and &s;peake to them in a more favovrable way, <HI>not &s;o dreadfull;</HI> And God promi&s;ed <HI>to rai&s;e them up a Prophet like to Mo&s;es, that might declare his good will to them.</HI> And at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t this was fullfilled, for he came to them in a graci|ous manner, doeing them good, and healed their bodily di&s;ea&s;es, and al&s;o proclaimed and &s;hewed the forgivene&s;&s;e of their &s;innes, noted <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.31.34. The&s;e things as they were left on record by faithfull eye witne&s;&s;es, &s;o they have been kept &s;afe and unalte|red. To the truth of this give all the Prophets witne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>P&s;al. 16.17. <HI>Thou wilt not leave my &s;oule in grave, nor &s;uffer Thy holy one to &s;ee corruption.</HI></P>
<P>Note that <HI>David</HI> here doth not &s;peake this concerning him|&s;elfe for <HI>David</HI> was buried, and &s;aw corruption. Therefore he &s;peaketh of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>who &s;aw no corruption,</HI> although he were put in the grave, <HI>for he ro&s;e from death to life,</HI> as by the te&s;timony of many faithfull witne&s;&s;es. And this could be &s;poken of no other man from the time of <HI>David</HI> to this day.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 9.6. <HI>For unto us a childe is borne, unto us a &s;onne is given, and the Government &s;hall be upon his &s;houlder, and his name &s;hall be called the mightie God, the everla&s;ting Father, the Prince of peace.</HI></P>
<P>I know that &s;ome of your Nation doe &s;eeke to avoyde the true meaning of this place, by &s;aying that this childe was borne in that age, or by &s;aying that &s;ome words in this place are not rightly tran&s;lated. But I pray you note the next <HI>ver.</HI> 7. <HI>Of the increa&s;e of his government and peace there &s;hall be no end.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that of the government of that Childe borne in that age,
<PB N="51" REF="31"> there was an end, in that age, and the Government of the hou&s;e of <HI>David</HI> is ended in your &s;ence.</P>
<P>But this place having re&s;pect to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the whole place agreeth, and in him was fullfilled; but to proceed.</P>
<P>Note, that he is fitly called, <HI>the Prince of peace;</HI> &s;hewing that he &s;hould be called the Sonne of God; &s;ee</P>
<P>Dan. 9.25. He is called <HI>Me&s;&s;iah the Prince;</HI> &s;o it is noted fur|ther.</P>
<P>Dan. 7.14. That <HI>his kingdome is an everla&s;ting kingdome;</HI> and he is &s;aid, <HI>to bring in everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Dan. 7.13. <HI>I &s;aw in the night vi&s;ions, and behould one like the &s;onne of man, came with clouds of heaven, and came to the Auncient of dayes, and they brought him neare before him.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 14. <HI>And there was given to him dominion, and a kingdome, and glory, that all people, and Nations, and languages, &s;hould &s;erve him; his dominion is an everla&s;ting dominion, which &s;hall not pa&s;&s;e away, and his kingdome &s;hall not be de&s;troyed.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that he is &s;aid to be <HI>one:</HI> &s;econdly, <HI>one like the &s;onne of man;</HI> So was Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he was borne of the virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> and &s;o in regard of his humane nature <HI>was like the &s;onne of Man;</HI> and note that none other &s;ince <HI>Daniells</HI> dayes to whome this may be applyed.</P>
<P>Secondly, note, that he <HI>came to the Auncient of dayes;</HI> this &s;heweth that he differed from the Auncient of dayes.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that <HI>an everla&s;ting kingdome</HI> was given to him: this is he that &s;hould <HI>&s;it upon the throne of David for ever.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, Note, that it is &s;aid <HI>ver.</HI> 14. that <HI>all people, and Na|tions and languages &s;hould &s;erve him;</HI> fitly agreeing with the pro|mi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, <HI>in whome all the Nations &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, Note, that this was fullfilled at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and by his re&s;urrection and by no other; to this the Pro|phets witne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 11.1. <HI>There &s;hall come a rod out of the &s;tem of Je&s;&s;e, and a branch &s;hall grow out of his roots.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 2. <HI>And the Spirit of the Lord &s;hall re&s;t upon him.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 3. <HI>He &s;hall not judge after the &s;ight of the eyes, neither re|proove after the hearing of the eares, but with righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall he judge the poore, and he &s;hall &s;mite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips, &s;hall he &s;lay the wicked.</HI></P>
<PB N="52" REF="32">
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall be the Girdle of his loynes.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that this <HI>rod out of the &s;tem of Je&s;&s;e,</HI> mu&s;t needs be one that &s;hould be, or proceede from <HI>that &s;tock or kindred,</HI> which mu&s;t needs be <HI>the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> in whom all the Nations were ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that this promi&s;ed &s;eede, or rod, mu&s;t needs be after a wonderfull manner, <HI>for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hould be the Gir|dle of his loynes;</HI> the like was not &s;aid of any other before, nor after.</P>
<P>Thirdly, This was never fullfilled in, or by any other from that time, <HI>but in and by Je&s;us Chri&s;t this was punctually fullfilled.</HI> 7, 8, 9 ver&s;es &s;hew that the great difference between Jew and Gentile &s;hall be reconciled, held out by the amitie and agree|ment, between the cleane, and uncleane creatures, the Cow a cleane creature, the Beare uncleane, the Lambe cleane, and the Wolfe uncleane, the Calfe and the Lyon, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that is is the true meaning of the place, appeareth by the 9 ver&s;e next following, <HI>they &s;hall not hurt nor de&s;troy in all my holy Mountaine.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that till the promi&s;ed &s;eede came (in whome all the Na|tions of the earth were ble&s;&s;ed) the Gentiles were as uncleane- they had not place in the holy Mountaine.</P>
<P>For by <HI>holy Mountaine,</HI> mu&s;t needs be meant the holy wor&s;hip of the true God, or the wor&s;hippers therein.</P>
<P>And by the promi&s;ed &s;eede the Gentiles, all Nations belee|ving were promi&s;ed to be ble&s;&s;ed, and received to favour.</P>
<P>This doth likewi&s;e hold out that our corrupt natures &s;hould be clen&s;ed; it followeth, that <HI>the earth &s;hall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that this likewi&s;e &s;heweth, that then a greater mea&s;ure of the knowledge of the Lord &s;hould be revealed; the words are large.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 11.10. <HI>And in that day there &s;hall be a roote of Je&s;&s;e, which &s;hall &s;tand for an en&s;igne of the people, to it &s;hall the Gentiles &s;eeke, and his re&s;t &s;hall be glorious.</HI></P>
<P>Note, fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t, that <HI>in that day,</HI> when the Jew and Gentile &s;hould be reconciled, the cleane, and the uncleane, <HI>then this promi&s;ed &s;eede, this roote of Je&s;&s;e &s;hould &s;tand for an en&s;igne,</HI> or Colours di&s;|played, <HI>and to it the Gentiles &s;hould &s;eeke.</HI></P>
<PB N="53" REF="32">
<P>Note, why &s;hould the Gentiles &s;eeke to it, but for the com|fort of it?</P>
<P>Note, that this was punctually fullfilled at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; for he being by the preaching of the Go&s;pell &s;hewed, the Gentiles then &s;ought to him.</P>
<P>And in him the Jew, and Gentile (the cleane and uncleane) by faith in him were clean&s;ed, and reconciled, and many thou|&s;and Jewes received the Chri&s;tian faith, and did become one Church, by rea&s;on whereof they are not now to be di&s;cerned, nor differenced the one from the other.</P>
<P><HI>And his re&s;t &s;hall be glorious;</HI> this was &s;hewed by <HI>Hag|gai</HI> 2.9.</P>
<P>Haggai 2 9. <HI>The Glory of this latter hou&s;e &s;hall be greater then the glory of the former, &s;aith the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the glory of this latter hou&s;e <HI>was inferior to the for|mer,</HI> if wee &s;hould onely have re&s;pect to the workman&s;hip and to the materialls in a litterall &s;ence.</P>
<P>But in the&s;e re&s;pects <HI>this glory of this latter hou&s;e was the greater.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e of the per&s;onall pre&s;ence of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, And in re&s;pect that the Co&s;pell, the New Cove|nant was preached in it, the glad and joyfull tidings of Mans &s;al|vation.</P>
<P>Jeremiah 31.31. <HI>Behould the dayes come &s;aith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant with them,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Ver. 32. <HI>Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>which my Covenant they brake.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 33. <HI>But this &s;hall be the Covenant, I will be their God, and they &s;hall be my people.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 34. <HI>For their &s;innes and iniquities, will I forgive.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I would reque&s;t you that are Jewes to con&s;ider when you doe expect this new Covenant, and what this New Cove|nant is.</P>
<P>Secondly, How you doe conceive this is to be perfor|med, certainely were not your under&s;tandings darkned, you would not but &s;ee, that this was fullfilled, at the coming of JESUS CHRIST; For reade <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 49.6. <HI>Is it a light thing that thou &s;houldest be my &s;ervant, to rai&s;e
<PB N="54" REF="33"> up the Tribes of Jacob; I will give thee al&s;o for a light to the Gen|tiles, that thou maye&s;t be my &s;alvation, to the ends of the earth.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 22. Compare this with ver. 22. and with <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 42.6.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 42.6. <HI>I the Lord will give thee, for a Covenant of the Peo|ple, for a light to the Gentiles;</HI> to this agreeth that of</P>
<P>I&s;aiah 9.1. This is the <HI>branch that &s;hould grow out of the Roote of Je&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that it is a promi&s;ed &s;eede, therefore it is &s;aid, <HI>give thee for a light;</HI> it is not &s;aid thus, <HI>give them a light;</HI> &s;o it is &s;aid, <HI>I will give thee for a Covenant;</HI> &s;o he is called <HI>a branch,</HI> thereby noting that this promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing was to be fullfilled <HI>in a promi|&s;ed &s;eede;</HI> thus it is noted</P>
<P>Daniell 7.14. <HI>One like the &s;onne of man;</HI> &s;o <HI>Jeremiah</HI> noteth,</P>
<P>Jeremiah 23.5. <HI>Behould the dayes come, &s;aith the Lord, that I will rai&s;e up to David a righteous branch.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>And this is his Name whereby he &s;hall be called the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that he is fitly called <HI>the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> becau&s;e neither the Jew, nor the Gentile, had any righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of their owne.</P>
<P>The Jew had broken their Covenant, and the Gentile had &s;in|ned, therefore he is fitly called <HI>our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> becau&s;e his Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is imputed to us</P>
<P>The Cur&s;es of the Law being due, both to Jew, and Gentile.</P>
<P>Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;uffering death upon the Cro&s;&s;e, became a Cur&s;e, to redeeme us from the Cur&s;e; as it is written,</P>
<P>Deut. 21.21. <HI>Cur&s;ed is every one that is hanged on a tree.</HI></P>
<P>Thus Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;uffering the Cur&s;e due to us, <HI>with his &s;tripes wee are healed;</HI> as it is written,</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 53.4. <HI>Surely he hath borne our griefes, and carried our &s;or|rowes, yet wee e&s;teeme him &s;tricken and &s;mitten of God.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>He was wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and the cha&s;ti&s;e|ment of our peace was upon him; and with his &s;tripes wee are healed.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 10. <HI>His &s;oule was made an offering for &s;inne;</HI> &s;o <HI>Dan.</HI> 9.26.</P>
<P>Dan. 9.24, 25, 26. <HI>And after three&s;core and two weeks, the Me&s;&s;iah &s;hall be cut off, but not for him&s;elfe:</HI> therefore he is fitly <HI>called our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 11.10. <HI>And in that day there &s;hall be a roote of Je&s;&s;e, which &s;hall &s;tand for an en&s;igne of the people, to it &s;hall the Gentiles &s;eeke.</HI></P>
<PB N="55" REF="33">
<P>Note, that <HI>this en&s;igne</HI> mu&s;t needs be the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, <HI>the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> who being <HI>our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> therefore wee &s;eeke to it.</P>
<P>Zachery 3.8. <HI>I will bring forth my &s;ervant, the branch.</HI></P>
<P>Numb. 24.14. <HI>There &s;hall come a &s;tarre out of Jacob.</HI> So</P>
<P>Zacheriah 9 9. <HI>Behould thy King cometh, he is ju&s;t, and having &s;alvati<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n, lowly, and riding upon an A&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Note, thus d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d Je&s;us Chri&s;t come to <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> riding on an A&s;&s;e, when the people &s;pread their cloaths in the way and cryed, <HI>Ho&s;anna to the &s;onne of David,</HI> and &s;aid, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 62.10. <HI>Lift up a &s;tandard.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 11. <HI>Behould thy &s;alvation cometh.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 61.11. <HI>For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>and as the Garden,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>&s;o the Lord will cau&s;e righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and prai&s;e, to &s;pring before all Nations.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the&s;e places doe evidently &s;hew that the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, the branch out of the roote of <HI>Je&s;&s;e,</HI> the Father of <HI>Da|vid,</HI> the Me&s;&s;iah, the Prince, the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, our &s;alvation, this en&s;igne lifted up, to whome the Gentiles &s;hould &s;eeke, this promi&s;ed &s;eede that is our Covenant, <HI>is that ble&s;&s;ed &s;eede, and promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, in whome all the Nations of the earth were promi&s;ed to be ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> which mu&s;t needs be <HI>the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>For all the&s;e prophe&s;ies were in him fullfilled, both in re&s;pect of the time, and of the manner, and of the effects following, and in no other before, nor after were they fullfilled.</P>
<P>Jere. 23.6. <HI>I will rai&s;e up to David a righteous branch.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>He &s;hall be called the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is fitly called, <HI>the Lord our Righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e,</HI> becau&s;e wee &s;inners beleeving in him, <HI>his Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is imputed to us;</HI> as Gene&s;is 15.6. <HI>Abraham beleeved God, and it was imputed to him for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e:</HI> or as tho&s;e that in the Wil|derne&s;&s;e <HI>were bitten by fierie Serpents, becau&s;e they &s;inned,</HI> therefore <HI>God appoynted them to looke on a Serpent lifted up for their healing:</HI> this Serpent was a type of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Daniell 9.24. <HI>Seaventie weekes are determined, and to make re|conciliation for iniquitie, and to bring in everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and to annoint the mo&s;t holy.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that tho&s;e <HI>&s;eaventie weekes</HI> are pa&s;t long &s;ince, and doe
<PB N="56" REF="34"> truely agree with the time that Je&s;us Chri&s;t did come. And no o|ther did come, and he did wholy verefie this Scripture, <HI>He made reconciliation for iniquitie, and brought in everla&s;ting righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and was the holy one of God.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that as <HI>Daviell</HI> calls him the <HI>mo&s;t holy,</HI> &s;o <HI>David</HI> calls him</P>
<P>P&s;al. 16.10. <HI>the holy one:</HI> in the&s;e words, <HI>Thou wilt not leave my &s;oule in Grave, neither wilt &s;uffer thy holy one to &s;ee corruption.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that <HI>the holy one, mu&s;t be put in a grave</HI> but <HI>not &s;ee corrup|tion;</HI> even &s;o Je&s;us Chri&s;t was laid in the &s;epulchre of <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> but <HI>he &s;aw no corruption;</HI> for he ro&s;e againe the third day to life; this is witne&s;&s;ed to us by many &s;incere, Godly, humble, true eye-wit|ne&s;&s;es, and &s;uch as &s;ealed the truth thereof with their lives.</P>
<P>To this <HI>Daniell</HI> witne&s;&s;ed, <HI>Daniel</HI> 9.26. And the Prophet</P>
<P>I&s;aiah 53.8. &s;heweth, that <HI>the Me&s;&s;iah &s;hould be cut off or &s;laine,</HI> the &s;ame words are u&s;ed: and as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid, that <HI>he &s;hould be in the Grave;</HI> &s;o <HI>I&s;ai</HI> 53.9. &s;aith, <HI>He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the&s;e prophe&s;ies were fullfilled, for he was crucified between two theeves, and was buried in a rich mans &s;epulchre.</P>
<P>Note further, that this Prophe&s;ie of <HI>Daniell</HI> 9.26. doth plain|ly &s;hew that the Me&s;&s;iah &s;hould be cut off or &s;laine before the de|&s;truction of the Cittie, and of the Temple, which is now long &s;ince pa&s;&s;ed, and the Cittie and the Temple de&s;troyed.</P>
<P>Note further, that <HI>Daniell</HI> doth de&s;cribe the per&s;ons, and &s;aith, that <HI>the people of the Prince to come &s;hould doe this.</HI></P>
<P>Even &s;o this was verefied, for <HI>Titus</HI> the Prince, his people again&s;t his con&s;ent (in &s;ome re&s;pect) did de&s;troy the Sanctuarie.</P>
<P>Note, that the end of this de&s;truction <HI>Daniell</HI> &s;aith, <HI>&s;hould be with a flood,</HI> fitly agreeing with the manner of the de&s;truction; which did <HI>as Noah his flood,</HI> de&s;troy a multitude of people.</P>
<P>Wee Chri&s;tians doe often &s;earch the Scriptures, and doe con&s;i|der both the manner, and time, that the Me&s;&s;iah &s;hould come, and by comparing one Scripture with another, wee conclude plainely, <HI>that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is that me&s;&s;iah, already come.</HI></P>
<P>Wee de&s;ire you that are Jewes &s;o to doe impartially, in that you have not already done it, wee doe not &s;o much marvaile, be|cau&s;e the Lord &s;hewed in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Scriptures plainely, that for a &s;ea&s;on, till Gods appoynted time came, your under&s;tandings &s;hould be railed, the&s;e great matters &s;hould to you be &s;ealed, &amp; not opened.</P>
<PB N="57" REF="34">
<P>But now wee (many of us) doe beleeve, that this is the age, that God will open your eyes, and bring you to acknowledge <HI>the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Wee earne&s;tly and often pray for your conver&s;ion, and for the good both of your bodies and &s;oules, and wee de&s;ire, and &s;hould rejoyce that God would be mercifull to you, <HI>and give you a name, and make you a prai&s;e thorow-out the whole earth.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that although God will &s;hew mercie to you, yet he will be &s;ought to for it, for in that day that he will be mercifull to you, he will powre upon you a &s;pirit of prayer and &s;upplication.</P>
<P>Even as formerly when the returne of <HI>I&s;raells</HI> Captivitie was neare, he &s;tirred up <HI>E&s;ra,</HI> and <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> after more then an or|dinary manner to &s;eeke the Lord.</P>
<P>And as the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> in the time of the <HI>Judges,</HI> did Cry unto the Lord in their afflictions, <HI>when God entended to &s;hew them mer|cie;</HI> &s;o doubtle&s;&s;e God doth expect that you &s;hould after more then an ordinary manner &s;eeke his favour. But to proceede &s;ee.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 53.1. <HI>Who hath beleeved our report;</HI> this &s;heweth that the Jewes &s;hould be hardly brought to beleeve; and the Gentiles that then &s;ate in darkne&s;&s;e, and in the &s;hadow of death, could hardly beleeve that God would ever &s;hew &s;uch favour to them, being &s;o unworthy.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 53.2. The Prophet gives the rea&s;on why men &s;hould &s;o hardly be brought to beleeve this report, namely, becau&s;e he &s;hould be as a <HI>roote, out of a dry ground, he hath no forme nor come|line&s;&s;e in him; there was no beautie, that wee &s;hould de&s;ire him,</HI> that is to &s;ay, he &s;hould be of meane parents.</P>
<P>You Jewes looked for a temporall, worldly, glorious King, and therein you were mi&s;taken; for <HI>Chri&s;t his kingdome was and is of another world,</HI> namely, a &s;pirituall, an heavenly kingdome, which is farre more excellent, therefore note, it followes,</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 53.3. <HI>He is de&s;pi&s;ed and rejected of men, a man of &s;orrows, and wee hid as it were our faces from him; he was de&s;pi&s;ed and wee e&s;teemed him not.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 4. <HI>Yet &s;urely he hath borne our &s;orrowes, yet wee e&s;teeme him &s;tricken, and &s;mitten of God.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 5. <HI>But he was wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, he was brui|&s;ed for our iniquities, and the cha&s;ti&s;ement of our peace was upon him, and with his &s;tripes wee are healed:</HI> reade the whole Chap|ter,
<PB N="58" REF="35"> and note that to none before Je&s;us Chri&s;t, nor to none after can this Chapter be applyed, and <HI>in him it is wholly fullfilled.</HI></P>
<P>Haggai 2.6. <HI>For thus &s;aith the Lord, yet once a little while it is, and I will &s;hake the heavens and the earth, and the Sea, and the dry land.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>And I will &s;hake all Nations, and the de&s;ire of all Nati|ons &s;hall come, and I will fill this hou&s;e with Glory.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 9. <HI>The Glory of this latter hou&s;e &s;hall be greater, then the Glory of the former, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts, and in this place I will give peace.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that this <HI>de&s;ire of all Nations,</HI> was not then come, which is &s;hewed plainely in the&s;e words, <HI>yet once more,</HI> and in the&s;e words, <HI>the de&s;ire of all Nations &s;hall come,</HI> and I will fill the glory thereof.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that <HI>the de&s;ire of all Nations</HI> was to be hap|pie, and ble&s;&s;ed; this is plainly &s;hewed to be <HI>that &s;eede that &s;hould breake the Serpents head,</HI> that &s;hould ea&s;e mans paine, that &s;hould redeeme man from death, and from the grave, that &s;hould pur|cha&s;e for man more durable Good things.</P>
<P>This <HI>de&s;ire of all Nations,</HI> mu&s;t needs be <HI>that ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed</HI> to <HI>Abraham,</HI> to <HI>I&s;ack,</HI> and to <HI>Jacob, in whome, all the Nations &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed;</HI> this mu&s;t needs be <HI>that new Covenant,</HI> whereby <HI>our &s;innes and iniquities &s;hould be forgiven.</HI></P>
<P>This mu&s;t needs be <HI>the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, the en&s;igne lifted up, the &s;tandard which God willeth all the inhabitants, and dwellers upon the earth, to hearken unto;</HI> this is he <HI>in whome the Gentiles &s;hould tru&s;t;</HI> this is that promi&s;e, <HI>O death, I will be thy death, O grave, I will be thy de&s;truction.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that God &s;aith, that this <HI>de&s;ire of all Nations, &s;hould fill this hou&s;e with Glory:</HI> note the large extent of the words, <HI>fill it with Glory:</HI> in this re&s;pect, namely, by the coming of the promi&s;ed &s;eede, <HI>the de&s;ire of all Nations,</HI> the Glory of this latter hou&s;e <HI>&s;hould be greater</HI> then the Glory of the former.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Note, that <HI>the Glory of this latter hou&s;e</HI> was inferiour <HI>to the Glory of the former,</HI> if wee &s;hould onely have re&s;pect to the workman&s;hip and Materialls, in a litterall &s;ence. But having re|&s;pect <HI>to this de&s;ire of all Nations,</HI> to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who&s;e per&s;onall pre&s;ence was in it. And having re&s;pect to the preaching the Go|&s;pell, the glad and joyfull tidings of mans &s;alvation. <HI>Thus this
<PB N="59" REF="35"> hou&s;e exceeded the former hou&s;e, and was filled with glory.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, Note, that this <HI>de&s;ire of all Nations</HI> was to come before this hou&s;e &s;hould be de&s;troyed; for &s;o the words plainely &s;hew, <HI>the de&s;ire of all Nations &s;hall come, I will fill this hou&s;e with glory, and the glory of this latter hou&s;e &s;hall be greater then the glory of the former:</HI> note further,</P>
<P>Sixthly, That <HI>in this hou&s;e the Lord &s;aith, he will give peace.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the Jew nor Gentile could have peace, no other way but by the New Covenant, the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, the forgivene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, the Cancelling of the Cur&s;es of the Law.</P>
<P>Malachy 4.2. <HI>But unto you that feare my Name, &s;hall the &s;onne of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e ari&s;e with healing in his wings.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that he is fitly called the <HI>&s;onne of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> as in o|ther places he is called <HI>our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>the Lord our righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> &s;hewing that wee being &s;infull, had need to be made righ|teous, and had need to be healed, &s;in had wounded us; therefore</P>
<P>Malachy 3.1. <HI>Behould I &s;end my Me&s;&s;enger, and he &s;hall pre|pare the way before mee, and the Lord whome ye &s;eeke &s;hall &s;odainely come into his Temple, even the Me&s;&s;enger, and the Covenant, whome you delight in, behould he &s;hall come, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that <HI>this Me&s;&s;enger</HI> &s;ent before, <HI>was John the Bap|ti&s;t,</HI> and he witne&s;&s;ed to the Jewes, <HI>that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was the true Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, the de&s;ire of all Nations.</P>
<P>Secondly, Note, that the Jewes them&s;elves, did acknowledge that <HI>John Bapti&s;t</HI> was a true Prophet of God.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that (the Lord, or Me&s;&s;iah) the Jewes then &s;ought after, <HI>then they did expect his coming,</HI> at the very time of <HI>John the Bapti&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, Note, that the&s;e words, <HI>&s;hall &s;odainely come,</HI> doe &s;hew that which came to pa&s;&s;e; <HI>for Je&s;us Chri&s;t did then come &s;odainely</HI> before they were aware.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Note, that the&s;e words, <HI>&s;hall come into his Temple,</HI> doe &s;hew, that the Covenant, the Me&s;&s;iah that they delighted in, &s;hould come <HI>before that Temple was de&s;troyed.</HI> In which regard the glory of the latter Temple, was greater then the glory of the for|mer Temple, <HI>Hag.</HI> 2.9.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Note, that by the&s;e words, <HI>even the Me&s;&s;enger of the Covenant, whome ye delight in,</HI> doe &s;hew <HI>a new Covenant,</HI> for there needed no Me&s;&s;enger to bring them newes of the former Cove|nant,
<PB N="60" REF="36"> neither had they &s;uch cau&s;e to delight in the former Cove|nant, becau&s;e they had broken the former, and the Cur&s;es were annexed to it, <HI>but this latter Covenant they delighted in,</HI> for it was often fore&s;hewed.</P>
<P>Jeremiah 31.31. <HI>Behould the dayes come &s;aith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 32. <HI>Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>which my Covenant they brake.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 33. <HI>But this &s;hall be the Covenant that I will make,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>I will be their God, and they &s;hall be my people.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 34. <HI>They &s;hall all know mee from the lea&s;t of them, to the greate&s;t of them, for I will forgive their &s;innes, and I will remember their iniquities no more.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Note, that this is <HI>that New Covenant, that they delighted in,</HI> namely, <HI>to have their &s;innes forgiven;</HI> this is that Covenant &s;hewed &s;o often when the Me&s;&s;iah is promi&s;ed <HI>for a Covenant, I&s;ai.</HI> 42.6. &amp; <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 49.6. &amp; <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 9.1 <HI>Dan.</HI> 7.14. <HI>Jerem.</HI> 23.5, 6. this is <HI>the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>This is the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to all Nations, and this was <HI>and is the de&s;ire of all Nations,</HI> to be reconciled, to have their &s;innes forgiven, to be received into the favour of God, to be redeemed from death, from the Grave, and hell, and to live with the ble&s;&s;ed God for ever, Amen.</P>
<P>Note, that this is that promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, for which God &s;o of|ten inviteth men <HI>to &s;ing unto the Lord a new &s;ong, and his prai&s;e from the ends of the earth;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 42. Ver. 10, 11, 12.</NOTE> <HI>they that goe downe to the Sea, the I&s;les and the inhabitants thereof, lift up your voyce, let them &s;hout from the top of the M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">untaines, let them give glory to the Lord, and de|clare his prai&s;e in the Ilands.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall at the pre&s;ent onely mention &s;ome particulars, whereby it may further appeare, that the Prophets did foretell, the place, the manner, and other matters, which concerned the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>At the time of his birth the Angell of God, appeared to Shep|heards (that were keeping watch over their flock) by night, <HI>and the glory of the Lord &s;hone round about them, and the Shepheards be|ing afraid, the Angel &s;aid, feare not, for behould I bring you tidings of great joy, which &s;hall be to all people, for unto you is borne this day a Saviour which is Chri&s;t the Lord.</HI></P>
<PB N="61" REF="36">
<P><HI>And the Shepheards</HI> (being directed by the Angell) <HI>they went into the Cittie, and found the young babe, newly borne; And this matter the Shepheards declared to the People dwelling in tho&s;e parts.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that this was done at his birth, and then made knowne, and this was then written, and then publi&s;hed, and none could de|ny the truth of it.</P>
<P>The Parents of Chri&s;t fled into <HI>Egypt,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>Herod</HI> &s;ought to &s;lay the childe, and did kill many other children, &s;uppo&s;ing a|mong&s;t them to have &s;laine Je&s;us; fore&s;hewed <HI>Jerem.</HI> 31.15.</P>
<P>After <HI>Herods</HI> death, (by Gods direction) <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> his &s;uppo&s;ed father returned; fore&s;hewed <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 11.1.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Touching the place of his birth, it was in <HI>Bethelem;</HI> &s;o <HI>Micah</HI> 5.2.</P>
<P>Secondly, He was the &s;onne of a virgin, a maide; &s;o <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 7.14. <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.15.</P>
<P>Thirdly, He came of the virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> which was of the tribe of <HI>Juda;</HI> &s;o the Prophets, <HI>Jere.</HI> 33.14. <HI>Jere.</HI> 23.6. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 4.2. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 7.14.</P>
<P>Fourthly, His miraculous acts, te&s;tified and declared him to be the Me&s;&s;iah.</P>
<P>Fifthly, His name was foretold by the Prophets.</P>
<P>Sixthly, His death and re&s;urrection was foretold, to his Mo|ther, by an Angell; and &s;o <HI>I&s;a</HI> 7.14. <HI>Jer.</HI> 23.6.</P>
<P><HI>Objection.</HI> You Jewes are offended, becau&s;e wee Chri&s;tians doe beleeve that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was the Sonne of God.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The Rea&s;ons &s;ome few of them I &s;hall (labour to) pre&s;ent to your con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e being borne of a virgin, a maide, his concepti|on was by the holy Spirit of God, and not by man; &s;o <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 7.14.</P>
<P>Secondly, The miracles that he wrought openly in the &s;ight of the Jewes, and of &s;uch as were faithfull, and eye-witne&s;&s;es, &s;hewed &s;o much.</P>
<P>Thirdly, A voice from heaven, in the pre&s;ence and &s;ight and hearing of the Prophet, <HI>John the Bapti&s;t,</HI> and of other faithfull wit|ne&s;&s;es, declared &s;o much; and the P&s;almi&s;t <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Thou art my &s;onne,</HI> &amp;c. &s;peaking of the Me&s;&s;iah.</P>
<P>Fourthly He knew matters before they were declared to him, he knew mens thoughts, he rai&s;ed the dead, commanded the winds, and the Seas, he healed all di&s;ea&s;es; the Leprous, blinde, lame, dumbe, deafe, and ca&s;t out Devills.</P>
<PB N="62" REF="37">
<P>Fifthly, He foretold his owne death, the manner, and time of it, to many before it came to pa&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Sixthly, He aro&s;e from death to life, and he a&s;cended up to heaven after his re&s;urrection, in the &s;ight of many faithfull wit|ne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>Seventhly, To this the Prophets gave witne&s;&s;e, namely, that he &s;hould be after a wonderfull manner, and that he &s;hould be cal|led the Sonne of God; &s;ee</P>
<P>Jeremiah 23.5. <HI>Behould the dayes come</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>that I will rai&s;e up to David, a righteous branch.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>And this is his name whereby he &s;hall be called, the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Malachy 4.2. <HI>He is called the &s;onne of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, with healing in his wings.</HI></P>
<P>Malachy 3.1. <HI>He is called the Lord whome they &s;ought, the Tem|ple is called his Temple.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 9.6. <HI>His name &s;hall be called, the wonderfull Coun&s;eller, the everla&s;ting Father, the mightie God, the Prince of peace.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 7.14. <HI>Behould a virgin &s;hall conceive and beare a &s;onne, and he &s;hall call his name Immanuell, which is</HI> (being interpreted) <HI>God with us.</HI></P>
<P>Micah 5.2. <HI>Out of thee &s;hall come forth unto mee, to be ruler in I&s;raell, who&s;e goings forth have been from everla&s;ting.</HI></P>
<P>P&s;al. 110.1. <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, <HI>the Lord &s;aid unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand.</HI></P>
<P>Daniell 9.24. <HI>He is called the mo&s;t holy, the everla&s;ting Righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Daniell 7.13. <HI>Behould one like the &s;onne of Man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Auncient of dayes, and they brought him neare before him.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 14. <HI>And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdome, that all people, and Nations, and languages &s;hould &s;erve him, his dominion is an everla&s;ting dominion, which &s;hall not be de|&s;troyed, which &s;hall not pa&s;&s;e away.</HI></P>
<P>P&s;al. 2.7. <HI>Thou art my &s;onne, this day have I begotten thee, aske of mee, and I will give thee the Heathen</HI> (or Gentiles) <HI>for thy in|heritance, and the utmo&s;t parts of the earth, for thy po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion;</HI> &s;ee <HI>Jerem.</HI> 33.15, 16.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 9.6. (The Me&s;&s;iah is called) <HI>the mightie God, the ever|la&s;ting Father, the Prince of peace.</HI></P>
<PB N="63" REF="37">
<P>Ver. 7. <HI>Of the increa&s;e of his Government and Peace, no end.</HI></P>
<P>Note that the divine and humane nature of Chri&s;t is foretold,</P>
<P>Zach. 6.12. <HI>Thus &s;peaketh the Lord of hosts, behould the Man who&s;e name is the Branch, he &s;hall grow up.</HI></P>
<P>I&s;ai. 7.14. <HI>Behould a virgin &s;hall conceive and beare a &s;onne.</HI></P>
<P>Dan. 7.13. <HI>One like the &s;onne of Man.</HI></P>
<P>From the&s;e words, <HI>the Man who&s;e name is the Branch,</HI> and the other places mentioned, may be gathered the Manhood, or hu|mane nature, and from the&s;e following the divine nature; for <HI>this branch</HI> is &s;hewed to be, and called, <HI>Jer.</HI> 23.5, 6. <HI>The Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> and the virgins &s;onne, is called, <HI>Immanuell,</HI> And this <HI>one like the &s;onne of Man, his kingdome is everla&s;ting,</HI> which no earthly kingdome can be.</P>
<P>Note, that from the&s;e and many other places, in the holy Scrip|tures, may be gathered, that the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to all Nations the true Me&s;&s;iah, &s;hould be the &s;onne of God after a wonderfull manner.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t rea&s;on is, becau&s;e that man by &s;inning had offended an holy, infinitely pure and ju&s;t God, who&s;e Ju&s;tice mu&s;t be &s;ati&s;|fied, and a &s;acrifice offered up, in &s;ome proportion an&s;werable to the Maje&s;tie of God, who&s;e righteous Lawes were broken by man.</P>
<P>Second rea&s;on may be to expre&s;&s;e the wonderfull, and aboun|dant mercie, goodne&s;&s;e, and bountie of God towards Mankinde, in &s;ending his owne Sonne, in the likene&s;&s;e of Man, to &s;atisfie, and and to make an attonement between God and &s;infull Man; there|fore God hath given him a name above every name, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.20. Therefore <HI>David</HI> in &s;pirit calleth him <HI>his Lord,</HI> P&s;al. 110.1.</P>
<P>Thirdly, To the intent that wee &s;hould love, and honour the Sonne.</P>
<P>But further to proceede, this promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, was (during his abode on earth among&s;t men) courteous, kinde, doeing good to all, healing the &s;icke, clen&s;ing the Leapers, curing the dumbe, deafe, blinde, impotent, ca&s;ting out the Devills, rai&s;ing up the dead; and la&s;tly, offered up him&s;elfe as a Sacrifice to God, to purcha&s;e pardon, and everla&s;ting &s;alvation, and happi|ne&s;&s;e for Man.</P>
<P>Note, that thus the Prophets fore&s;hewed of him, reade <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 42.1.</P>
<PB N="64" REF="38">
<P>Ver. 2. <HI>He &s;hall not cry, nor lift up, nor cau&s;e his voyce to be heard in the &s;treets; a brui&s;ed reede &s;hall he not breake, nor the &s;moak|king flax &s;hall he not quench.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 4. <HI>The I&s;les &s;hall waite for his Law.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 6. <HI>I will give thee for a Covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 7.</NOTE> <HI>to open the eyes of the blinde, and to bring them that &s;it in darkne&s;&s;e out of the pri&s;on hou&s;e, to bring out the pri&s;oners.</HI></P>
<P>Touching his Garments the Prophets foretold; <HI>David</HI> &s;aith,</P>
<P>P&s;al. 22.18. <HI>They parted my Garments, and for my ve&s;ture they did ca&s;t lots.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that this was punctually fullfilled, for when Chri&s;t was crucified, the Souldiers parted Chri&s;t his Garments, but touching his ve&s;ture, it being without a &s;eame, they ca&s;t lots for it.</P>
<P>And touching <HI>Judas</HI> (the traytor that betrayed Chri&s;t) the Prophet <HI>Zachary</HI> 11.12. &s;peaketh thus; <HI>And I &s;aid unto them, if ye thinke good give mee my price, and if not forbeare, &s;o they weigh|ed for my price thirtie peices of &s;ilver.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 13. <HI>And the Lord &s;aid unto mee, ca&s;t it unto the potter, a goodly price, that I was pri&s;ed at of them.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 14. <HI>And I tooke my other &s;taffe, even bands and cut it in &s;under.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that this Scripture was fullfilled at the death of Chri&s;t, for the Jewes covenanted to give <HI>Judas,</HI> thirtie peices of &s;ilver, to betray Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and afterwards <HI>Judas</HI> that betrayed Chri&s;t repented, and carried back to the Jewes (that imployed him) tho&s;e thirtie peices of &s;ilver, and tho&s;e Jewes tooke Councell, and becau&s;e it was the price of blood, they would not put them into the trea&s;urie, but they went and bought with that money the pot|ters field, which to this day is called <HI>the field of blood.</HI> Therefore it followeth, <HI>ver.</HI> 14. God cut a&s;&s;under, the <HI>&s;taffe of bands;</HI> this was likewi&s;e verefied, for God did &s;o cut a&s;under the bands of his gratious protection, that the whole Nation of the Jewes were &s;o di&s;&s;olved, di&s;per&s;ed, de&s;troyed, and &s;cattered, that they could not be reunited for the&s;e fifteene hundred yeares, and the weight of this &s;ad, and dreadfull &s;troake of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, doth &s;till re&s;t upon that Nation, and yet their under&s;tandings are &s;o vailed and darkned, that they cannot (they doe not) &s;ee wherefore they are &s;mitten.</P>
<P>Wee Chri&s;tians doe pray that God would in his great mercie turne your Captivitie.</P>
<PB N="65" REF="38">
<P>Now it followeth that I &s;hall labour by good evidence of rea|&s;on to prove, that which I have breifely prooved by Scripture, namely that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was the promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah, the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, in whome all the Nations, all true beleevers, are truely ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It appeareth by tho&s;e prophe&s;ies, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t made knowne to many faithfull witne&s;&s;es, while he was conver&s;ant on earth; for he</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, fore&s;hewed them of <HI>Judas</HI> that &s;hould betray him.</P>
<P>Secondly, He told them of his &s;ufferings at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> of his death, and of his re&s;urrection the third day after.</P>
<P>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the &s;ame night that he was betrayed, he foretold his Di&s;ciples, that he &s;hould be apprehended, and of his &s;ufferings, and he tooke bread and ble&s;&s;ed it, and wine and ble&s;&s;ed, or gave thankes for it, and told them, that the breaking the bread, &s;igni|fied his body, which &s;hould be broken for them, and the powring out of the wine &s;ignified his blood, which &s;hould be powred out for them.</P>
<P>And Je&s;us Chri&s;t did then appoynt, that in remembrance of his death and &s;ufferings, wee Chri&s;tians &s;hould often breake bread, and powre out wine, in &s;uch a manner, (when wee &s;olemnely meete together) to keepe his death and &s;ufferings in memory.</P>
<P>And wee Chri&s;tians, from that very time, to this day doe &s;o, <HI>in remembrance of the un&s;peakeable kindne&s;&s;e of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who offered up</HI> (not the blood of Bulls, and Goats, but) <HI>him&s;elfe, his body to be peirced, and his blood to be powred out</HI> (not for his owne &s;innes, <HI>for he had done no iniquitie,</HI> but) <HI>for our &s;innes, in him God was, and is well plea&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, He tould them of the de&s;truction of the Cittie, of the Temple, and of the di&s;per&s;ion of the Nation of the Jewes: and likewi&s;e he tould them the times of tho&s;e matters, and that the&s;e things &s;hould come in that Generation, and many other things, which were then written (by faithfull witne&s;&s;es) and &s;afe|ly pre&s;erved, unaltered, to this day, tho&s;e matters did punctually &s;o come to pa&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Second Rea&s;on, the Miracles that Chri&s;t did, did evidently prove him to be the true Me&s;&s;iah.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Note, that the&s;e Miracles were not done in a corner, in &s;ecret, but they were done publikely in the pre&s;ence of many
<PB N="66" REF="39"> thou&s;ands, and your Nation the Jewes knew, and were witne&s;&s;es, and tho&s;e witne&s;&s;ed, that were eare, and eye-witne&s;&s;es, &s;uch as did both feare and &s;ee, his gratious, and glorious actings.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Tho&s;e witne&s;&s;es (that left his acts on record to us) were plaine, humble, &s;incere, and holy men, leading a godly and a &s;ober life, they were &s;uch as &s;ought not, the vaine glorious prai|&s;es of men, nor worldly honours, nor worldly plea&s;ures, nor world|ly wealth, they were in their lives and conver&s;ations unrebukea|ble, &s;pending them&s;elves, &amp; their labours, for the good of others, doeing good, and not evill, where&s;oever they came; they &s;pent their time in preaching, in healing di&s;ea&s;es, and in bearing witne&s;&s;e that Je&s;us was the Chri&s;t, and they were much in fa&s;ting &amp; prayer.</P>
<P>Fifthly, The Lord did beare witne&s;&s;e to their doctrine by ma|ny Miracles &amp; wonders that the Lord wrought for them, in them, and by them. To in&s;tance in &s;ome, the Lord gave them the &s;pirit of prophe&s;ie, to foretell things to come, they foretould the de|&s;truction, and de&s;olation, and the di&s;per&s;ion of the Nation of the Jewes, their owne Nation. And that God would after a long &s;ea|&s;on (the time wee conceive to be neare, even in this age) call the Jewes, and cau&s;e them to acknowledge the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and bring them back out of their captivated, and di&s;|per&s;ed conditions, &s;o that <HI>they &s;hall looke upon him,</HI> that they and wee, by our &s;innes <HI>have peirced, and they &s;hall mourne for him, as one mourneth for his onely &s;onne,</HI> Zach. 12.10.</P>
<P>And further the Lord did beare witne&s;&s;e to the truth of tho&s;e witne&s;&s;es of Je&s;us Chri&s;t thus, they being plaine men that had learned to &s;peake no other language but that of the Jewes, they were at one in&s;tant of time, &s;o filled with the Spirit of God, that they could (and did) &s;peake and under&s;tand, the Languages, of many, or of all Nations.</P>
<P>Sixthly, The&s;e Apo&s;tles, and witne&s;&s;es, did for the confirma|tion of their doctrine, both bouldly, con&s;tantly, and undaunted|ly, before the Jewes, their Rulers, and before Kings and Gover|nours (preach, &s;hew, and) witne&s;&s;e, <HI>that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was the true Me&s;&s;iah, the Saviour of the world, the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to all Nations.</HI></P>
<P>And this they did, even unto death, notwith&s;tanding, the threat|nings, notwith&s;tanding the pre&s;ervations, the impri&s;onments, the torturings that could be, (and were invented, and) impo&s;ed up|on
<PB N="67" REF="39"> them, in &s;uch manner, that to the death, they did con&s;tantly affirme, and beare witne&s;&s;e, <HI>that Je&s;us was the Chri&s;t, the Saviour.</HI></P>
<P>Seventhly, Not onely the twelve Apo&s;tles did thus witne&s;&s;e, but many thou&s;ands others, both Jewes and &s;ome other Nations did al&s;o witne&s;&s;e, and patiently &s;uffer per&s;ecution, and many of them &s;uffered death, for the afore&s;aid cau&s;e, witne&s;&s;ing, that Je&s;us was the Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Eighthly, The wonderfull power of God did comfort, and &s;upport the Chri&s;tians &s;o (under tho&s;e &s;avage, barbarous cruell and inhumane per&s;ecutions) that many that beheld their &s;uffer|ings, (and noting likewi&s;e the mightie, and divine power of God, in &s;upporting the Chri&s;tians) the &s;pectators them&s;elves confe&s;&s;ed the Chri&s;tian faith to be the true faith.</P>
<P>In &s;o much that many of tho&s;e &s;pectators, both confe&s;&s;ed, and profe&s;&s;ed the Chri&s;tian faith, and the Chri&s;tians, both the one and the other, did (notwith&s;tanding tho&s;e cruell torturings, tho&s;e in|humane and unparalely cruelties) both joyfully, patiently, and victoriou&s;ly for&s;ake the&s;e earthly bodies, upon confident per&s;wa|&s;ion, and a&s;&s;urance, that they &s;hould have a joyfull re&s;urrection, a Crowne of everla&s;ting Glory.</P>
<P>Ninthly, The doctrine of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and of his Apo&s;tles, did agree with the doctrine both of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and of all the Pro|phets.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The <HI>Jewes</HI> &s;ay that Chri&s;t taught men to neglect the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Although I have formerly an&s;wered to this, yet becau&s;e it is a matter, that is a great impediment to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> in receiving the Chri&s;tian faith, therefore I &s;hall breifely adde a word.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles, did confirme &s;trengthen, and teach men to ob&s;erve all the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;o farre as they were the Morall commandements of God, and did &s;trengthen and expound the true &s;pirituall meaning of the Commandements; to in&s;tance in &s;ome.</P>
<P>Exod. 13.20. <HI>Thou &s;halt not kill;</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hewed, that to be angry with our Neighbour unadvi&s;edly, is a degree of Mur|der: and &s;o likewi&s;e to hate another man is a degree of Murder; the like to &s;peake evill of our Neighbour.</P>
<P>So likewi&s;e concerning adultery, Chri&s;t &s;hewed, that to lu&s;t in our affections was &s;infull.</P>
<P>So likewi&s;e touching the Wor&s;hip of God, whereas the <HI>Jewes</HI>
<PB N="68" REF="40"> plea&s;ed them&s;elves too much in the outward performance of du|tie.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t &s;hewed them that their obedience &s;hould (more flow, and) ari&s;e from the inward affections, it &s;hould be &s;incere, and with their whole heart, becau&s;e God &s;earcheth the heart.</P>
<P>So whereas the <HI>Jewes</HI> practi&s;e was to love their friends onely, Chri&s;t &s;hewed, and taught them, to doe good to all men, and not to render evill for evill, but good for evill, and to love our ene|mies, and tho&s;e that de&s;erved not good from us; &s;hewing us that God do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h not deale with us as wee de&s;erve.</P>
<P>And &s;o in other matters Chri&s;t opened the &s;pirituall meaning of the Commandements; whereas the <HI>Jewes</HI> looked too much upon the litterall meaning.</P>
<P>And Chri&s;t teacheth us to be bountifull, to be mercifull, to be kinde, to be long-&s;uffering, to weepe with them that weepe, to be compa&s;&s;ionate to all men in their afflictions, and wants. And that wee &s;hould love God, ardently, intirely, with all our hearts, and that wee &s;hould doe to all men, as wee would that they &s;hould doe to us.</P>
<P>Touching the Sabbath day, Chri&s;t &s;heweth that he was Lord of the Sabbath; and further &s;heweth that workes of nece&s;&s;itie, and workes of mercie may be done upon the Sabbath day.</P>
<P>And further, whereas a maine end that the Sabbath of the <HI>Jewes</HI> had, was this; it had re&s;pect to the Creation of the&s;e earthly mat|ters, and to the re&s;t of God thereupon.</P>
<P>So Je&s;us Chri&s;t having fullfilled the Law, endured the puni&s;h|ment that was due to man for his &s;inne, he being for mans Cau&s;e made a Cur&s;e, and offering up him&s;elfe for a &s;acrifice to God, for (or in the behalfe of) &s;infull man, in him God was well plea&s;ed, and accepted this &s;acrifice, &s;o that he pardoned Mans &s;inne, recei|ved him into favour, and promi&s;ed for Chri&s;t his &s;ake to be&s;tow &s;alvation upon Man, and an everla&s;ting inheritance in heaven.</P>
<P><HI>Thus Man being redeemed,</HI> in&s;tead of a terrene life, in&s;tead of a &s;hort, tran&s;itory, trouble&s;ome life, <HI>Chri&s;t purcha&s;ed, and God free|ly be&s;towed, an everla&s;ting, immortall, happie life, a Crowne of Glory upon Man.</HI></P>
<P>In regard of Mans re&s;tauration, or New Creation, <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us appoynted, and man ob&s;erveth and keepeth,</HI> a &s;eaventh day, begin|ning with the fir&s;t day of the weeke, in memory of the workes of
<PB N="69" REF="40"> our New Creation, our redemption from the Cur&s;es of the Law, from death, from hell, and from everla&s;ting de&s;truction.</P>
<P>For the&s;e cau&s;es wee Chri&s;tians call this the Lords day.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider that you Jewes doe not keepe the &s;ame Sabbath that <HI>Adam</HI> kept, you differ in the time, and in &s;everall re&s;pects.</P>
<P>And con&s;ider that you <HI>Jewes</HI> (being &s;o farre &s;cattered over the face of the earth) <HI>you doe not begin nor end your Sabbath all at one in&s;tant of time;</HI> for the day endeth in one part of the world, be|fore it endeth in another.</P>
<P>Note, that in the fir&s;t Creation, it was a Glorious worke, (and aboundance of Grace, and favour) for God, to create the world, and to make man the Cheife, to have dominion.</P>
<P>In re&s;pect, or regard of this worke (God re&s;ting thereupon) did ble&s;&s;e, (and ordaine) that day, to be kept a holy day of re&s;t.</P>
<P>Note, that the worke of Mans redemption, from the grave, from death, and hell, it was a worke of greater concernment:</P>
<P>This worke was &s;o long in perfecting.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It was decreede when God promi&s;ed, <HI>that the &s;eede of the woman &s;hould breake the Serpents head.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, It was long time, and in &s;everall ages foretold by by the Prophets.</P>
<P>Thirdly, It was many yeares that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was conver&s;ant on earth, in the worke of our redemption and it was purcha&s;ed at a high price.</P>
<P>Note, fir&s;t, that if the worke of &s;ix dayes, had a particular day appoynted, in memory of Gods worke and favour to man.</P>
<P>Secondly, If the favours which God &s;hewed to man (in the Creation of the&s;e worldly matters, and the benefit coming to man thereby, and Gods re&s;t thereupon) de&s;erved a Sabbath, a parti|cular day.</P>
<P>Ought not then the New Creation, the new and everla&s;ting life, which was long in working, and Chri&s;ts re&s;t thereupon (I &s;ay) ought not there a day to be ob&s;erved, in memorie thereof, which wee call the Lords day, in memory of his re&s;urrection;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 1.10.</NOTE> the worke of our Creation, had the la&s;t of &s;eaven dayes, And the worke of our Redemption, the fir&s;t of &s;eaven dayes.</P>
<P>Doth not heavenly matters, exceed earthly, and eternitie a mo|ment of time.</P>
<P>A word or two breifely to tho&s;e Chri&s;tians, that que&s;tion whe|ther
<PB N="70" REF="41" MS="y"> or no any day of the weeke, hath any re&s;pect more then ano|ther.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Con&s;ider that one day of the weeke, hath the denomi|nation, or peculiar name of the Lords day; this is proved by di|vine in&s;titution.</P>
<P><HI>Revel.</HI> 1.10. the Apo&s;tle <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>He was in the Spirit on the Lords day.</HI></P>
<P>By this it appeareth that one day in the weeke is <HI>the Lords day.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Con&s;ider that wee reade that every fir&s;t day of the weeke, the Chri&s;tians u&s;ed to meete together to breake bread; And every fir&s;t day of the weeke they laid up for the poore, or gathered for holy ends, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 16.1, 2.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The mo&s;t auncient Writers, in the primitive times, doe &s;hew the practi&s;e of Chri&s;tians was to meete together (for holy ends) the fir&s;t day of the weeke, which day they called <HI>the Lords day.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, Con&s;ider that the Apo&s;tle admoni&s;heth us not to for&s;ake the a&s;&s;embling together of the Saints.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Con&s;ider that this day (which wee call the Lords day) as it was in&s;tituted, and had its roote, foundation, name and practice in the Apo&s;tles time, prooved before, <HI>Revel.</HI> 1.10. So likewi&s;e it hath had its continued &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, from that day, to this day.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Con&s;ider the eminent, evident, and manifold judge|ments of God, &s;hewed upon the di&s;pi&s;ers &amp; prophaners thereof.</P>
<P>Seaventhly, Con&s;ider the benefits, and ble&s;&s;ings, that God hath be&s;towed in the holy u&s;e, and ob&s;ervation, of the Lords day.</P>
<P>Eighthly, Con&s;ider how dreadfull a matter it is to be &s;uch an one, as draweth back, or di&s;&s;wadeth, from that which tendeth &s;o much to the Glory of God, and he that oppo&s;eth the holy ob|&s;ervation thereof, cannot avoyde this; he will be a great offence to Chri&s;t his little ones.</P>
<P>Now if any lu&s;t to be contentions, let him con&s;ider that he mu&s;t give an account. This breifely as a touch, my pre&s;ent time, admits not further inlargement.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But Chri&s;tians doe not ob&s;erve &s;ome other part of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Law.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Touching &s;acrifices, and ceremonies, and wa&s;hings and &s;uch like; wee doe know, that the&s;e were types, &s;hadowes, and repre&s;entations of things to come.</P>
<PB N="71" REF="41">
<P>The &s;acrificing of Bulls, and Goates, and Lambs, and &s;uch like matters, did figure out, and &s;hew, that one great &s;acrifice &s;hould be offered up unto God, for the &s;inne of man, perfectly to make an attonement.</P>
<P>Now when the &s;ub&s;tance figured out, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t did come, <HI>and offer up him&s;elfe, a &s;acrifice to God for mans cau&s;e, once for all;</HI> he made a &s;acrifice &s;ufficient, &amp; was accepted of God.</P>
<P>Now our peace with God being fully made, concluded, and ended, wee need no more to u&s;e tho&s;e &s;acrifices, which in them|&s;elves were imperfect, and were but types, figures, and &s;hadowes of things to come.</P>
<P>Note that &s;ome commands of God (which without limitation of time, God him&s;elfe commanded) as, namely, the Gathering of <HI>Manna</HI> in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, and diver&s;e rites, and ceremonies thereabout, as the times of Gathering, the quantitie, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Yet the&s;e la&s;ted not for ever, the rea&s;on was becau&s;e the &s;ub|&s;tance being come (they being brought into <HI>Canaan,</HI> where God provided more varietie of food for them) then the <HI>Manna</HI> cea&s;ed.</P>
<P>Even &s;o the bra&s;en Serpent, the Encompa&s;&s;ing of <HI>Jericoe,</HI> and the Ceremonies thereof, and other &s;uch matters, they were Gods owne Commandements, but they were not to endure for ever, they onely had their u&s;es in their &s;ea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Note, That <HI>all pictures, figures, &s;hadowes, repre&s;entations</HI> of o|ther &s;ub&s;tances, they doe come &s;hort, and are inferior to the &s;ub|&s;tances (to the things them&s;elves) which they doe repre&s;ent.</P>
<P>Blame not us therefore, if wee (po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing, and enjoying the &s;ub&s;tance) doe neglect tho&s;e figures, &s;hadowes, and ceremonies.</P>
<P>Note further, that it is good to con&s;ider that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> fore&s;hew|ed, <HI>that the Lord would rai&s;e up a Prophet like unto him;</HI> to whome <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> willed and commanded the people to hearken, and to be obedient.</P>
<P>Deut. 18.19. <HI>It &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e, that who&s;oever will not hearken unto my words, which he &s;hall &s;peake in my name, I will re|quire it.</HI></P>
<P>Note therefore that if it be prooved <HI>(as it hath been prooved)</HI> that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the Prophet, <HI>like to Mo&s;es,</HI> whome God pro|mi&s;ed to &s;end.</P>
<P>Then, and <HI>Now your great &s;tumbling block, is taken away, and you are Commanded by God to follow his direction.</HI></P>
<PB N="72" REF="42">
<P>And &s;urely note that fora&s;much as your Nation, did not hear|ken unto Je&s;us Chri&s;t, (a great part of them, did not, would not hearken) therefore God hath (&s;o &s;trictly and &s;adly) required this of them, as is to the wonder, and a&s;toni&s;hment of the world; For note, that when both <HI>Herod,</HI> and <HI>Pilate,</HI> had examined Je&s;us, and found no fault in him, &s;ee their owne words, which are left upon &s;ure record, and &s;afely kept unaltered, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And Pilate when he had called together the Cheife Prei&s;ts, and the Rulers of the People, &s;aid unto them; Ye have brought this man unto mee, as one that perverteth the People, and behould I have exa|mined him before you, and have found no fault in this man, touching tho&s;e things whereof you accu&s;e him; no nor yet Herod, for I &s;ent you to him, and loe nothing worthy of death is done unto him.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And they cryed all out at once, away with this Man, and relea&s;e unto us Barrabas; Now this Barrabas was a murtherer.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Yet Pilate willing to relea&s;e Je&s;us &s;pake againe to them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But they cryed, &s;aying, Crucifie him, crucifie him.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And Pilate &s;aid againe the third time, why? what evill hath he done, I have found no cau&s;e of death in him.</HI></P>
<P>And yet more, when <HI>Pilate</HI> &s;aw that he could nothing prevaile, but rather that a tumult was made, <HI>he tooke water, and wa&s;hed his hands before the multitude, &s;aying, I am innocent from the blood of this ju&s;t per&s;on.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Then an&s;wered all the People, and &s;aid, his blood be on us, and on our Children.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that the&s;e things were not done in a corner, but publikely.</P>
<P>And note that as the Lord &s;aid, <HI>Deut.</HI> 18.19. <HI>that God would require it of tho&s;e that would not hearken to him, to that Prophet like to Mo&s;es.</HI> And as <HI>they de&s;ired that his blood might be on them, and on their Children,</HI> &s;o it came to pa&s;&s;e; for as Chri&s;t foretold (and they de&s;ired)</P>
<P><HI>The heavie, and dreadfull wrath of God, did breake forth upon that Nation, upon the Citties thereof, upon the Temple, and upon the whole Land, in &s;o eminent, and in &s;o dreadfull a manner, as none be|fore it, like it, from the time that they were a Nation, in &s;o much that all the Nations round about were a&s;toni&s;hed, and amazed thereat, and to this day the memory of it remaineth in an eminent manner. And the heavie hand of God is &s;till upon your Nation, &s;o that you are &s;cattered over the face of the earth, and in no place is there a Na|tion of you.</HI></P>
<PB N="73" REF="42">
<P>This I relate with griefe, to &s;tirre you up, and to awaken you, that you may &s;earch and try your wayes, and turne to the Lord, meet him by repentance, and by true and unfeined humiliation, <HI>becau&s;e God is gratious and aboundant in mercy.</HI> And remember that <HI>I&s;raell</HI> in the time of the <HI>Judges,</HI> when the hand of God was &s;tretched out again&s;t them, <HI>they not onely prayed, but cryed to the Lord in their afflictions.</HI> Doe not harden your hearts, as your Fa|thers did in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, and entered not into the Land of promi&s;e.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider that God is ju&s;t and mo&s;t wi&s;e, and doth not di&s;pence &s;uch &s;ore, and great afflictions (for above fifteene hundred yeares) but it mu&s;t needs be, for &s;ome exceeding great &s;inne.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider that your Nation did Crucifie Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the promi|&s;ed &s;eede in whome both your Nation, and all Nations, all the Families on the earth, that are true beleevers in Je&s;us Chri&s;t are ble&s;&s;ed and there is no other way revealed in the holy Scriptures, whereby to be &s;aved.</P>
<P>And the Prophets doe all beare witne&s;&s;e to the truth of <HI>this new Covenant,</HI> to <HI>this de&s;ire of all Nations,</HI> to <HI>this promi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah.</HI> And con&s;ider that in ca&s;e that you &s;till depend upon <HI>that Cove|nant made in the time of Mo&s;es,</HI> remember that the highe&s;t degree that you can attaine unto, <HI>is to be in bondage to Ceremonies, and to lie under (and to be &s;ubject to) the Cur&s;es of the Law, annexed to that Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>And con&s;ider <HI>that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was ever doeing good to your Na|tion, while&s;t he was conver&s;ant amongst them on earth,</HI> and did lay downe his life, to redeeme both you, and us, from the cur&s;es of the Law, from hell, from death, and from everla&s;ting de&s;truction.</P>
<P>God hath promi&s;ed that <HI>he will powre upon you the &s;pirit of Grace, and Supplication, and you &s;hall looke on him,</HI> that you (and wee Chri&s;tians by our &s;innes) <HI>have peirced, and &s;hall mourne for him, as one mourneth for his onely &s;onne, and &s;hall be in bitterne&s;&s;e for him, as one that is in bitterne&s;&s;e for his fir&s;t borne,</HI> Zach. 12.10.</P>
<P>And note that wee Chri&s;tians, (many of us) doe conceive that the time is now neare, even in this Generation, that the Prophets did foretell, that God will &s;hew mercy to your Nation, or many of them; For this, wee Chri&s;tians (many of us) doe long for, &s;hould rejoyce in, and doe often pray for. Amen.</P>
<P>Let yet at the length the Coun&s;ell of <HI>Ho&s;ea,</HI> be accepted by you.</P>
<PB N="74" REF="43">
<P>Ho&s;ea 14.1. <HI>O I&s;raell, returne unto the Lord thy God, for thou ha&s;t fallen by thine iniquitie.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 2. <HI>Take with you words, turne to the Lord, and &s;ay unto him, take away all iniquitie, &amp; receive us gratiou&s;ly: turne our captivitie.</HI> Who can tell, it may be the Lord will an&s;wer you in mercy, thus.</P>
<P>Ver. 4. <HI>I will heale their back&s;lidings, I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away.</HI></P>
<P>And note, that although your Nation were Actors, in Crucify|ing Je&s;us Chri&s;t, yet they did no more therein, then God had fore-determined, and by his Prophets foretold, <HI>And Je&s;us Chri&s;t came for that very end into the world, to offer up him&s;elfe to God for a &s;a|crifice.</HI></P>
<P>The blood of Bulls and Goates were too meane, and too low, <HI>perfectly to procure the grace of God,</HI> which is free. Our &s;alvation doth not depend upon our workes, but <HI>it ari&s;eth from the free gift, and aboundant mercie of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> And wee Chri&s;tians doe take notice of and acknowledge, that as you were actors in the death of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;o likewi&s;e wee did procure his death, and peirced him by our &s;innes.</P>
<P>Further con&s;ider that the cheife Rulers and the cheife men a|mong&s;t the <HI>Jewes</HI> had a grudge again&s;t Je&s;us, becau&s;e that he did often reprove them publikely, for their covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, hypocri&s;ie, and &s;uch matters; <HI>therefore when they thus procured his death,</HI> they gathered a company of them&s;elves, and their &s;ervants, and &s;uch as they had &s;tirred up (and by their meanes many other were &s;tirred up) <HI>and &s;o acted this matter &s;odainely.</HI></P>
<P>But thus they could not have done, but that God had thus fore-determined, and fore-&s;hewed by the Prophets; And Je&s;us Chri&s;t knew this before it was acted, and tould his Di&s;ciples of it, and al&s;o tould them who &s;hould betray him, and al&s;o immediate|ly before tooke his leave of them, and tould them it mu&s;t be &s;o, <HI>that he mu&s;t &s;uffer death, and ri&s;e againe the third day after;</HI> which accordingly he did, and &s;hewed him&s;elfe to them diver&s;e times, after his re&s;urrection, and not onely to them, but to diver&s;e hun|dreds more which did &s;ee him after his re&s;urrection; And in their &s;ight he a&s;cended up to heaven.</P>
<P>For note that multitudes of them (the <HI>Jewes) both loved and highly e&s;teemed of Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> which appeareth in diver&s;e re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>they dur&s;t not in the day time apprehend him, amongst the
<PB N="75" REF="43"> concour&s;e of people;</HI> for he daily taught publikely in the Cittie, and in the Temple, and <HI>then they dur&s;t not, they did not apprehend him.</HI> But they hired <HI>Judas,</HI> the traytor to &s;hew them where he was, in that night more retired, and thither they came, with lanthornes, and other lights, tooke him and carried him away.</P>
<P>Now that it may appeare that <HI>he was beloved, and much honou|red of the People,</HI> con&s;ider &s;ome particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, where&s;oever he came, <HI>great multitudes followed him,</HI> and gladly heard and intertained him, with great re&s;pect.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>When he then came to Jeru&s;alem to keepe the fea&s;t of the Pa&s;&s;eover</HI> (and indeed, his time being come) <HI>he came purpo&s;ely to offer him&s;elfe up for a &s;acrifice to God,</HI> he even then (<HI>before it came to pa&s;&s;e,</HI> tould his Di&s;ciples of his death, and re&s;urrection.</P>
<P><HI>When he was on the way neare to the Cittie,</HI> great multitudes of people, came to meete him, and with Great joy received him; and &s;uch was their joy and love to him, that they <HI>tooke branches of trees, and &s;trewed them in the way, and others tooke their Garments, and &s;trewed them in the way where he &s;hould pa&s;&s;e; and they that went before, and they that followed after him, cryed with great rejoycing, Ho&s;anna, ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, and ble&s;|&s;ed be the King of I&s;raell that cometh in the name of the Lord, Ho|&s;anna in the highe&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>He rode to <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> (that time) on a yong A&s;&s;e. Here was &s;eene, and fullfilled that &s;aying of the Prophet,</P>
<P>Zach. 9 9. <HI>Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Sion, &s;houte O daugh|ter of Jeru&s;alem; behould thy King cometh unto thee, he is ju&s;t, and having &s;alvation, lowly and riding on an A&s;&s;e, and upon a Coult the fole of an A&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, When he was led out to be Crucified, many wept as he went along, (but the Souldiers guarded him) <HI>Chri&s;t &s;eeing them weepe, turned to them, and &s;aid</HI> (Gratiou&s;ly to them) <HI>daughters of Jeru&s;alem, weepe not for mee, but weepe for your &s;elves, and for your Children;</HI> fore&s;hewing the great Calamities that &s;hould come upon that Nation, in that Generation.</P>
<P>To returne to our former Arguments; which &s;hewed Je&s;us Chri&s;t to be a true Prophet, and the true Me&s;&s;iah, the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing to all Nations.</P>
<P>Tenth Argument is, <HI>The holy, ju&s;t, and unblameable life and Conver&s;ation, of Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> who &s;pent his time, in teaching the
<PB N="76" REF="44"> People, their duties to God, and to their Neighbours; he loved and helped, and cured the people of their di&s;ea&s;es, lepro&s;ies, blind|ne&s;&s;es, lamene&s;&s;e, dumbne&s;&s;e, deafene&s;&s;e, and many other infir|mities; he was a great friend to the poore, and tho&s;e in di&s;tre&s;&s;e, to the &s;tranger, fatherle&s;&s;e, and widdow; he refu&s;ed the riches, and Glory of the&s;e earthly matters, as appeareth al&s;o, <HI>when on a time the People would have taken him, and by force have made him a King, he tould them that his kingdome was not of this world;</HI> and he conveighed him&s;elfe away from among&s;t them, and refu&s;ed that honour.</P>
<P>Eleventh Argument may be deduced from the wonderfull mat|ters that came to pa&s;&s;e, at, and about the time of his &s;uffering death.</P>
<P>There was darkne&s;&s;e from the &s;ixth houre, to the ninth houre of the day.</P>
<P>And the earth did quake, and Rockes were rent in peeces, and graves did open, and many bodyes of Godly men, which &s;lept aro&s;e and came out of the Graves, And went into the Cittie, and appeared to many; and the vaile of the Temple rent in twaine, from the top to the bottome, and other remarkeable pa&s;&s;ages: The&s;e are witne&s;&s;ed to us by godly, faithfull, eye-witne&s;&s;es, and &s;afely pre&s;erved on record.</P>
<P>Twelfth Argument is taken from his re&s;urrection, <HI>he ro&s;e againe from death to life the third day,</HI> according as he had fore&s;hewed to his Di&s;ciples, <HI>He appeared to many, to his twelve Apo&s;tles, that &s;ealed the truth of their te&s;timony with their lives,</HI> con&s;tantly, joy|fully, and continually, all their lives affirming the &s;ame thing.</P>
<P><HI>He appeared to many other after his re&s;urrection, both men and women that knew him.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He appeared to above five hundred at one time.</HI></P>
<P>And la&s;tly, <HI>He a&s;cended up to heaven, and was received to Glory in the &s;ight of his Di&s;ciples.</HI></P>
<P>To the&s;e things, the Nation of the Jewes (a great part of them) were witne&s;&s;es to (the mo&s;t part of the premi&s;ed matters) and many thou&s;ands of the Jewes beleeved in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they re|ceived the Chri&s;tian faith, and many of them &s;uffered impri&s;on|ment, afflictions (and were con&s;tant in the faith) and &s;uffered death for that cau&s;e, but they are as buried to your people, be|cau&s;e they became one Church, and people, with the Chri&s;tians.</P>
<PB N="77" REF="44">
<P>Moreover the&s;e that left the&s;e matters on record, <HI>were eye-wit|ne&s;&s;es, they &s;aw them, they heard them,</HI> they were humble, holy, plaine &s;incere men, &s;uch as &s;ought not worldly honour, worldly wealth, nor worldly plea&s;ures.</P>
<P>They con&s;tantly witne&s;&s;ed tho&s;e things, publiquely, and pri|vately, <HI>before Kings, before Rulers, and people, all the dayes of their lives,</HI> and the Lord accompanied, and gave witne&s;&s;e to their doctrine, by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">any &s;ignes, wonders, and miracles, which the Lord wrought by them. And when Gods appointed time came, when they had by their preachings, and by their &s;ufferings, taught and confirmed many, they con&s;tantly to the death affirmed to the truth of the prem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;es, and then patiently, joyfully, and victori|ou&s;ly they laid downe their brittle lives here, in hope, and a&s;&s;u|rance of, a more Glorious, and immortall Crowne of glory in the kingdome of heaven.</P>
<P>A thirteenth Argument to proove Je&s;us Chri&s;t to be the true Me&s;&s;iah, may plainely be deduced from the mightie, and imme|diate divine power of God, in begetting, increa&s;ing, and main|taining the Chri&s;tian faith.</P>
<P>For whereas other Religions, as Turci&s;me, Papi&s;me, Paga|ni&s;me, and all other fal&s;e wor&s;hips and religions, have begun, and maintained, by force, by the allurements of this world, by indi|rect meanes.</P>
<P>Our Chri&s;tian faith was begun, by the evident finger, by the mightie, and immediate power of God, witne&s;&s;ed by all the holy Prophets, from the beginning of the world, it hath been increa|&s;ed and upheld, (not by force of man, not by the enticeing vo|luptuous worldly plea&s;ures, but) in povertie, and under per&s;ecu|tion, and &s;ufferings.</P>
<P>Such multitudes have &s;uffered, &s;o many, &s;o cruell, &s;o inhu|mane per&s;ecutions, for bearing witne&s;&s;e to the truth of our Chri&s;tian faith, that all other Religions being put together in one, they come aboundantly &s;hort in this kinde.</P>
<P>For the more our Chri&s;tian faith, hath been per&s;ecuted, the more it hath increa&s;ed.</P>
<P>And the Chri&s;tian faith hath had no other matter to maintaine it, but onely this.</P>
<P><HI>The brightne&s;&s;e of the truth of our cau&s;e.</HI></P>
<PB N="78" REF="45">
<P>This hath appeared plainely, thorough, and in the midde&s;t, of the mo&s;t darke, feirce, and di&s;mall &s;tormes of per&s;ecution.</P>
<P>A Gratious God did &s;till (in and thorough the midde&s;t of tho&s;e di&s;mall &s;tormes) looke &s;o directly, and &s;o gratiou&s;ly upon tho&s;e &s;uffering &s;oules.</P>
<P>That the light of Gods countenance being better then life, with the joy thereof, they were &s;o comforted, that they did joyfully, and victoriou&s;ly pa&s;&s;e thorough tho&s;e fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ie tryalls.</P>
<P>Fourteenth Argument might be urged, I &s;hall but breifely men|tion it, namely, This the manifold, and &s;ure experiences, that wee Chri&s;tians have had, when in times of di&s;tre&s;&s;e, and otherwi&s;e, wee have made our prayers to God, in the Name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and in his Name given prai&s;es to God. Wee know, and are a&s;|&s;ured that God hath heard our prayers, granted our reque&s;t, and hath Accepted our thanke&s;givings.</P>
<P>And now dearely beloved (to you that are Jewes I now &s;peake) doe not willfully harden your hearts, but now after above fif|teene hundred yeares, yet at the length, &s;eriou&s;ly take your owne condition into con&s;ideration, &s;earch the Scriptures, and &s;ee whe|ther th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e things be &s;o, pray earne&s;tly, meete the Lord by humble, and unfeined repentance.</P>
<P>The Lord is not altered, <HI>He is the &s;ame Glorious, gratious, and ble&s;&s;ed God, &s;low to anger, aboundant in mercie, and goodne&s;&s;e, for|giving, iniquitie, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and &s;inne.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> his brethren &s;ould him, and &s;ent him into <HI>Egypt</HI> as a &s;er|vant, and bondman, <HI>but God &s;ent him for to pre&s;erve life, and to de|liver many from famine, and death.</HI></P>
<P>Your Nation Crucified Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>but God accepted this &s;acri|fice for your &s;innes, and for our &s;innes;</HI> and this is that which God had before &s;hewed by the Prophets; and this is the way that God appoynted <HI>to redeeme both Jew and Gentile from death, and to pur|cha&s;e for you, and for us everla&s;ting life,</HI> which is the free Gift of God, not by your de&s;erts, nor by our de&s;erts.</P>
<P>God hath promi&s;ed <HI>to a&s;&s;emble the outca&s;ts of I&s;raell,</HI> I&s;ai. 11.10.12.</P>
<P>I&s;ai. 11.10. <HI>And in that day, there &s;hall come a roote out of Je&s;&s;e, which &s;hall &s;tand for an en&s;igne of the People, to it &s;hall the Gentiles &s;eeke.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 12. <HI>And he &s;hall &s;et up an en&s;igne for the Nations, And
<PB N="79" REF="45"> &s;hall a&s;&s;emble the outca&s;ts of I&s;raell, And gather together the di&s;per|&s;ed of Juda, from the foure corners of the earth,</HI> I&s;ai. 60.15, 16.</P>
<P>Note, fir&s;t, that God promi&s;ed to &s;et up <HI>an en&s;igne,</HI> what en|&s;igne could this be? how doe you Jewes interpret this place?</P>
<P>It mu&s;t be &s;o apparent that the Gentiles &s;hall &s;ee it.</P>
<P>It mu&s;t be <HI>a roote out of Je&s;&s;e,</HI> It mu&s;t be &s;uch as did apparently hould out comfort and benefit to the Gentiles.</P>
<P>It mu&s;t be &s;uch as the Gentiles &s;hould owne and accept, there|fore God promi&s;eth that the Gentiles &s;hould &s;eeke to.</P>
<P>It mu&s;t be &s;uch <HI>an en&s;igne,</HI> to which the Jewes &s;hall be a&s;&s;em|bled (or cau&s;ed to come unto) after their di&s;per&s;ion, ov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r the face (or towards the foure corners) of the earth.</P>
<P>Note, &s;econdly, that the Lord fore&s;hewed here that the Jewes &s;hould be for an appoynted time ca&s;t out (of Gods vineyard) and di&s;per&s;ed over the face of the earth.</P>
<P>This being duely con&s;idered, it plainely &s;heweth, that this <HI>roote out of Je&s;&s;e,</HI> this <HI>en&s;igne</HI> mu&s;t needs be the promi&s;ed ble&s;&s;ing, in whome all the Nations of the earth (both Jewes, and Gentiles) were promi&s;ed to be ble&s;&s;ed, and that mu&s;t needs be by the pro|mi&s;ed Me&s;&s;iah.</P>
<P>And con&s;ider duely that this Scripture was plainely fullfilled, in, and by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to whome the Gentiles &s;ought. We waite, and pray for you (that are ca&s;t out) that you may come in.</P>
<P>Note, what followeth, <HI>Chap.</HI> next ver. 2. <HI>In that day, you &s;hall &s;ay, (God is your &s;alvation, the Lord Jehovah is your &s;trength) and &s;ong, and your &s;alvation.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 3. <HI>Therefore with Joy, &s;hall ye draw water, out of the wells of &s;alvation.</HI></P>
<P>Note, that in that day that God will a&s;&s;emble you outca&s;ts, to this <HI>en&s;igne,</HI> then you &s;hall no longer re&s;t upon that Covenant which you have broken.</P>
<P>You &s;hall no longer hope for &s;alvation, from your owne de|&s;erts, or &s;trength, but you &s;hall <HI>with joy draw water out of the wells of &s;alvation,</HI> that is to &s;ay, you &s;hall be &s;atisfied by the pretious, and free promi&s;es of Grace, therein re&s;teth your joy, &s;trength, and &s;alvation.</P>
<P>And as God hath Granted to the Gentiles, this pretious fa|vour, <HI>to &s;uck tho&s;e pretious promi&s;es, tho&s;e bre&s;ts of Con&s;olation, of you our elder &s;i&s;ter, the Jewes,</HI> I&s;ai. 66.10, 11.</P>
<PB N="80" REF="46">
<P>Even &s;o the Lord in his aboundant and rich grace, and m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">cie, hath promi&s;ed, that <HI>you Jewes, &s;hall &s;uck, the &s;ame, tho&s;e pretious promi&s;es, tho&s;e bre&s;ts of con&s;olation, whereby the Gentiles are now nouri&s;hed, and comforted,</HI> I&s;ai. 60.15, 16.</P>
<P>For which wee Chri&s;tians d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ire, long for, and pray for, that &s;o there may be one Lord, and his name one.</P>
<P>That &s;o <HI>from the Ri&s;ing of the Sunne, to the going downe of the &s;ame, the Name of the Lord may be great, both among the Jewes, and amongst the Gentiles.</HI></P>
<P>That &s;o all the People on the earth may give Glory to the Lord <HI>and &s;ing, and &s;hout for joy, and &s;hew forth the prai&s;es of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Jere 18.1. to 11. <HI>As the Potter hath power over the Clay, &s;o hath the Lord of Ho&s;ts, power over all his creatures.</HI></P>
<P>Exod. 33.29. <HI>God &s;aith, that he will have mercie on whome he will have mercie.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Shall the thing formed, &s;ay to him that formed it, why ha&s;t thou made mee thus?</HI></P>
<P>Now to God be given, glory, and honour, wor&s;hip, and prai&s;e, from everla&s;ting, to everla&s;ting, Amen.</P>
<P>THe u&s;e of the whole foregoing Treati&s;e, (to us Chri&s;tians) may be this, to admire at, and for ever to be thankfull for, the great, free, rich, aboundant, and unexpre&s;&s;ible mercie, and kindne&s;&s;e of God, to us (Gentiles by nature aliens, and &s;tran|gers, that were as ca&s;t out, polluted, and &s;tained with &s;inne, being as without hope, and no eye pittied us: And wee would by no meanes helpe our &s;elves) In this our low, and &s;orrowfull condi|tion, Our good, and gratious God, tooke pittie upon us, for his owne Name &s;ake, he wa&s;hed us, and clean&s;ed us and put goodly raiment upon us; he opened the doore of hope for us, he adopted us, he elected us to be his Children, to call God our Father, he tooke us to be of his hou&s;hold, he promi&s;ed, and &s;urely confirmed to us an everla&s;ting inheritance, in his own kingdome, he forgave our &s;innes, delivered us from the Grave, from hell, from death, and everla&s;ting de&s;truction; to effect this God &s;pared not his owne deare Sonne.</P>
<P>What &s;hall wee render to the Lord for all his benefits? if wee doe not accordingly value the&s;e mercies at an high price, if wee
<PB N="81" REF="46"> (Chri&s;tians) doe not e&s;timate the&s;e favours of God, as the pearle of highe&s;t account. If our fruits doe not &s;hew forth the prai&s;es of the Lord.</P>
<P>Note what is written;</P>
<P>Revel. 22.11. <HI>He that is unju&s;t, let him be unju&s;t &s;till; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy &s;till: And he that is righteous, let him be righteous &s;till; and he that is holy, let him be holy &s;till.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 12. <HI>And behould I come quickly, and my reward is with mee, to give to every man according as his worke &s;hall be.</HI></P>
<P>Ver. 13. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that doe his Commandements.</HI></P>
<P>THe u&s;e of this foregoing Treati&s;e, (to you that are Jewes) is to invite, or to &s;tirre you up, to con&s;ider of, your pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and future condition; if any motives may po&s;&s;ibly per|&s;wade you diligent to enquire after light, and truth, to &s;earch the Scriptures, to meditate, to pray to God for Grace, and wi&s;|dome, becau&s;e God is the fountaine of all grace.</P>
<P>If you Jewes will be willfully blinde, and hardned yet remem|ber that your dayes on earth are but &s;hort, your gla&s;&s;e is running, as death leaveth you, Judgement will finde you, time pa&s;t cannot be recovered, be like rea&s;onable men, and not like unrea&s;onable bea&s;ts.</P>
<P>Certainly, if any of you Jewes be a thir&s;t, he will dig for the water of life, he will &s;earch the Scriptures, and reade them over, and over, he will meditate, and pray, he will not &s;pare a little paines, to finde out the pure water of life.</P>
<P>Without this water of life, your thir&s;t can never be &s;atisfied.</P>
<P>And doe you but finde out the&s;e living waters of life, and drinke thereof your fill, And you &s;hall be &s;o fully &s;atisfied, that you &s;hall never thir&s;t more.</P>
<P>For which, your unworthy friend (the meane&s;t of ten thou|&s;and) doth unfeinedly de&s;ire, and pray.</P>
<P>I have in this foregoing Treati&s;e, omitted inlargement; I have principally poynted to the places, with &s;ome few &s;hort, and breife notes thereupon, hoping that the wi&s;e Reader will meditate, and &s;o (by Gods ble&s;&s;ing) will draw much more &s;weetne&s;&s;e and com|fort from the pretious promi&s;es of our good God. At the pre&s;ent, my time, my meanes, my talent would not admit further enlarge|ment.</P>
<PB N="82" REF="47">
<P>I have laboured to ca&s;t this mite into Gods Trea&s;urie, leaving the acceptance, and ble&s;&s;ing to Almightie God.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>FOlio 1. line 2. <HI>for your Nation are,</HI> reade <HI>your Nation the Jewes are.</HI></P>
<P>For. 12. line 30. <HI>to contained</HI> adde the&s;e words, <HI>the Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 15. line 36. <HI>for temporall kinddome,</HI> r. <HI>temporall King.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 18. l. 37. <HI>to &s;erpents head,</HI> adde, <HI>in a litterall &s;ence.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 19. l. 7. for <HI>dly,</HI> r. <HI>idly.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 19. l. 11. for <HI>was the fir&s;t,</HI> r. <HI>was as the fir&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 21. l. 16. for, <HI>and this,</HI> r. <HI>then this.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 22. l. 37. for. <HI>of roote,</HI> r. <HI>of his roote.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 26. l. 6. for, <HI>&s;hall their,</HI> r. <HI>&s;hall be their.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 41. l. 14. for, <HI>this I&s;ai.</HI> r. <HI>this with I&s;ai.</HI> 66.22.</P>
<P>Fol. 49. l. 5. for, <HI>&s;ceptated,</HI> r. <HI>repeated.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 57. l. 27. <HI>unto meane parents,</HI> adde in the words <HI>e&s;teeme.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 58. l. 13. for, <HI>fill the glory,</HI> r. <HI>fill this hou&s;e with glory.</HI></P>
<P>Fol. 61. l. 21. <HI>to by the Prophets,</HI> adde, <HI>and to his Mother by an Angell. I&s;ai.</HI> 7.14. <HI>Jer.</HI> 23.6. <HI>Luk.</HI> 1.31.</P>
<P>Fol. 61. l. 22, 23. leave out, <HI>to his Mother by an Angell. I&s;ai.</HI> 7.14. <HI>Jer.</HI> 23.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
