supream Principles of things a good one and a bad one Thus for the most part the first Question of a Romanist is How do you know the Scriptures to be the Word of God and then the next word is the Cabala the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orall Law Tradition these are the Foundation of it And in their progress they fail not to assert two Principles both borrowed from the Jews First That the Scripture is imperfect and doth not give us a full and compleat account of all things that are to be believed or practised that God may be glorified and our own souls saved Secondly That what is delivered therein can no way be rightly and truly understood but by the help of those Traditions which they have in their custody But although these are good usefull Inventions and they are men that want not Ability to find out what is conducing unto their own advantage yet they cannot be allowed the Credit of being their first Authors seeing they are expresly borrowed of the Jews § 19 Fourthly When these two Laws the Law of God and their own do come in competition the Jews many of them do expresly prefer that of their own invention before the other and that both as to certainty and use Hence they make it the foundation of their Church and the only safe means to preserve the Truth So are we informed by Isaac Corbulensis in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do not think saith he that the written Law is the Foundation for the Foundation is the Orall Law For by that Law was the Covenant made as it is written according to these words do I make a Covenant with thee Exod. 34.27 where he takes his Argument from that Expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wresting foolishly as they do all his Orall Law from those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie nothing but according to nor are any other words intended but those delivered to Moses and written by him And these he adds are the Treasures of the Holy Blessed God For he knew that Israel should be carried Captive among other People and that the Nations would transcribe their Books and therefore would not commit their secret Law to Writing It seems these things were left them in secret Tradition because God was not willing that any besides themselves should know his Mind and Will but they have at last shewed themselves more full of benignity towards mankind than they would allow God to be in as much as they have committed this Secret Law to Writing And to this purpose is their Confession in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Golden Altar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is impossible for us to stand or abide upon the Foundation of our holy Law which is the written Law unless it be by the Orall Law which is the Exposition thereof Wherein they not only declare their Judgements concerning their Traditions but also express the Reason of their obstinate adherence unto them which is that without it they cannot maintain themselves in their present Judaism And so indeed is the case with them innumerable Testimonies of the Scriptures rising up directly against their Infidelity they were not able to keep their station but by an horrible corrupting of them through their Traditions On this account it is a common thing with them in the advise they give unto their Disciples to prefer the Study of the Talmud before the Study of the Scripture and the sayings of their Wise men before the sayings of the Prophets and plainly express an utter disregard of the Written Word any farther than as they suppose the sense of it explained in their Orall Law Neither are they here forsaken by their Associates The principal design of all the Books which have been lately published by the Romanists and they have not been a few hath been to prove the Certainty and Sufficiency of their Traditions in matters of their Faith and Worship above that of the Written Word § 20 Fifthly There are some few remaining among the Eastern Jews who reject all this Story concerning the Orall Law and professedly adhere unto the Written Word only These the Masters of their present Religion and Perswasion do by common consent brand as Hereticks calling them Scripturists or Scripturarians or Biblists the very name of reproach wherewith the Romanists stigmatize all those who reject their Traditions These are their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Biblists or Scripturarians and every where they term them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hereticks and endeavour to prove them guilty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Heresie in the highest degree Some of them would have them to be the Offspring of the old Sadducees to deny the Resurrection and the World to come as men care not much usually what they impute unto those whom they esteem Hereticks But the falsity hereof is notorious and so acknowledged by others and confuted by the Writings of the Karaeans themselves Yea the Author of Cosri affirms that they are more studious in the Law than the Rabbins and that their Reasons were more weighty than theirs and lead more towards the naked sense of the Scripture But this is that which they charge upon them namely that rejecting the sure Rule of their Traditions they run into singular Expositions of the Law and so divided it and made many Laws of it having no certain means of Agreement among themselves So saith Rabbi Jehuda Levita the Author of the fore-mentioned Cosri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Karaeans multiply Laws according to their own Opinion which he inveighs against them for after he had commended them And the same is objected against them by Maimonides on Pirke Aboth As though it were not known that the greatest part of their Talmud the Sacred Treasury of their Orall Law is taken up with differences and Disputes of their Masters among themselves with a multitude of various Opinions and contradictory conceptions about their Traditions Thus deal the Romanists also which their Adversaries this they charge them withall They are Hereticks Biblists and by adhering to the Scripture alone have no certainty among themselves but run into diversities of Opinions as having deserted the unerring Rule of their Cabala when the world is filled with the noise of their own conflicts notwithstanding the pretended relief which they have thereby It remains that we consider how these Traditions come to be communicated unto others out of the secret Store-house wherein Originally they were deposited This as I have elsewhere and partly before declared was by their being committed unto writing by Rabbi Juda Hakkadosh whose collections with their Expositions in their Talmud do give us a perfect account if we may believe them of that secret Law which came down unto them by Orall Tradition from Moses And something like hereunto is by the Romanists pretended Many of their Traditions they say are recorded in the Rescripts of Popes Decrees of Councils and Constitutions of the Canon Law and the like sacred means of
by way of eminency to be called Canonical or regular as the Book wherein it is contained is called the Bible though in it self that be the Common name of all Books § 5 And this Appellation is of ancient use in the Church The Synod of Laodicea supposed to have praeceded the Council of Nice makes mention of it as a thing generally admitted for the Fathers of it decree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That no private Psalmes ought to be said or read in the Church nor any uncanonical Books but only the Canonical books of the new and old Testament whose names they subjoin in their order And some while before the Bishops who joyned with the Church of Antioch in the deposition of Paulus Samosatenus charge him as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that in the introduction of his heresie departed from the Canon or rule of the Scripture Before them also it was called by Irenaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Chrysostome calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sentence of the divine Laws 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the exact ballance square or rule and Canon of all truths and duties wherein he hath evidently respect unto the original use and importance of the word before explained and thereupon calls on his hearers that omitting the consideration of what this or that man sayes or thinks they should seek and require 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all these things of or from the Scriptures which are the Canon of our faith and obedience And Austin demonstrent ecclesiam suam non in rumoribus Africorum sed in praescripto legis in Prophetarum praedictis in Psalmorum cantibus hoc est in omnibus canonicis Sanctorum librorum authoritatibus Let them demonstrate their Church not by the rumors of the Africans but by the praescription of the Law the praedictions of the Prophets the Songs of the Psalms that is by the Canonical Authority of the holy books of the Scriptures And he pursues the Metaphor of a scale and a measure in many words elsewhere And thus Aquinas himself confesseth the Scripture is called Canonical because it is the Rule of our understanding in the things of God And such a Rule it is as hath Authority over the Consciences of men to bind them unto faith and obedience because of its being given of God by inspiration for that purpose Moreover as the Scripture upon the accounts mentioned is by way of eminency § 6 said to be Canonical so there is also a Canon or rule determining what books in particular do belong unto the Holy Scripture and to be on that account Canonical So Athanasius tells us that by the Holy Scripture he intends Libros certo canone comprehensus the books contained in the assured Canon of it And Ruffinus having reckoned up those books concludes hi sunt quos patres intra Canonem concluserum These are they which the Fathers have concluded to be in the Canon that is to belong unto the Canonical books of Scripture And Austin to the same purpose Non sine causa tam salubri vigilantia Canon Ecclesiasticus constitutus est ad quem certi Prophetarum Apostolorum libri pertinerent not without good reason is the Ecclesiastical Canon determined by wholsome diligence unto which certain books of the Prophets and Apostles should belong About the Assignation of this Canon of the Scripture or what books belonged unto the Canonical Scripture there have been some differences in the Church since the time of the Synod of Carthage confirmed by that in Trulla at Constantinople The first Church having agreed well enough about them excepting the haesitation of some few persons in reference unto one or two of them of the New Testament From this rise and use of the word it is evident what is intended by the Canonical § 7 Authority of the Scripture or of any particular book thereunto belonging Two things are included in that expression First the spring and Original of any book which gives it Authority and Secondly the design and end of it which renders it Canonical For the first it is required that it be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given by immediate inspiration from God without this no book or writing can by any means any acceptation or approbation of the Church any usefulness any similitude of style manner of writing unto the books that are so any conformity in matter or doctrine to them have an interest in that Authority that should lay a foundation for its reception into the Canon It is the impress of the Authority of God himself on any writing or its proceeding immediately from him that is sufficient for this purpose Neither yet will this alone suffice to render any Revelation or writing absolutely Canonical in the sense explained There may be an especial Revelation from God or a writing by his inspiration like that sent by Elijah unto Jehoram the King of Judah 2 Chron. 21.12 which being referred only unto some particular occasion and having thence Authority for some especial end and purpose yet being not designed for a Rule of faith and obedience unto the Church may not belong unto the Canon of the Scripture But when unto the Original of divine inspiration this end also is added that it is designed by the Holy Ghost for the Catholick standing use and instruction of the Church Then any writing or book becomes absolutely and compleatly Canonical The Jews of latter Ages assign some difference among the books of the old Testament § 8 as to their spring and Original or manner of Revelation though they make none as to their being all Canonicall The Book of the Law they assign unto a peculiar manner of Revelation which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mouth to mouth or face to face which they gather from Numbers 12.8 whereof afterwards Others of them they affirm to proceed from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the gift of Prophesie whereof as they make many kinds or degrees taken from the different means used by God in the Application of himself unto them belonging to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of divine Revelation mentioned by the Apostle Heb. 1.1 so they divide those books into two parts namely the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or former Prophets containing most of the historical Books after the end of the Law and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter prophets wherein they comprise the most of them peculiarly so called The Original of the remainder of them they ascribe unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or inspiration by the holy Ghost calling them peculiarly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written by that inspiration as though the whole Canon and systeme of the books were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Scripture or writing and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or divine inspiration the only means of their writing But they do herein as in many other things The distribution of the books of the old Testament into the Law
of every one of them is best suited to the Subject Matter whereof he treats and the End aimed at and the Persons with whom he had to do And herein Hierom hath lead the way to others and drawn many into a common mistake The Style of Isaiah he sayes is proper Vrbane high and excellent but that of Hosea and especially of Amos low plain improper favouring of the Country and his Profession who was a Shepherd But those that understand their Style and Language will not easily give consent unto him though the report be commonly admitted by the most It is true there appeareth in Isaiah an excellent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his Exhortations Expostulations and Comminations attended with Efficacious Apostrophe's Prosopopaeias Metaphors and Allusions a compacted fulness in his Prophesies and Predictions a sweet Evangelical Spiritualness in his Expression of Promises with frequent Paronomasia's and Elleipses which have a special Elegancy in that Language whence he is usually instanced in by Learned Men as an example of the Eloquence of the Divine Writings and his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preferred unto that of Aeschines Demosthenes or Cicero But the Reader must take heed that he look not for the peculiar Excellencies of that Prophet absolutely in the words used by him but rather in the things that it pleased the Holy Ghost to use him as his Instrument in the Revelation of But the other part of Hieroms censure is utterly devoid of any good foundation The Style of Amos considering the Subject Matter that he treateth of and the persons with whom he had to do in suiting of Words and Speech wherein all true solid Eloquence consisteth is every way as proper as Elegant as that of Isaiah Neither will the knowing Reader find him wanting in any of the celebrated Styles of Writing where occasion unto them is administred Thus some affirm that St. Paul used sundry Expressions and they instance in 1 Cor. 4.3 Col. 2.18 that were proper to the Cilicians his Country-men and not so proper as to the purity of that Language wherein he wrote but as the first of the Expressions they instance in is an Hebraism and the latter purely Greek so indeed they will discover a Tarsian defect in St. Paul together with the Patavinity in Livy that Pollio noted in him § 28 Eloquence and Propriety of Speech for the proper ends of them are the gift of God Exod. 4.10 11. And therefore unless Pregnant Instances may be given to the contrary it may well be thought and expected that they should not be wanting in Books written by his own Inspiration Nor indeed are they only we are not able to give a right measure of what doth truly and absolutely belong unto them He that shall look for a flourish of painted words artificiall Meretricious Ornaments of Speech Discourse suited to entice inveigle and work upon weak and carnal affections or Sophistical captious wayes of reasoning to deceive or that Suada or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that smooth and harmonious structure of periods wherein the great Roman Orator gloried the lenocinia verborum the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and grandiloquentia of some of the Heathens in the Scripture will be mistaken in his aim Such things become not the Authority Majesty Greatness and Holiness of him who speaks therein An Earthly Monarch that should make use of them in his Edicts Laws or Proclamations would but prostitute his Authority to contempt and invite his Subjects to disobedience by so doing How much more would they unbecome the Declaration of his Mind and Will given unto poor worms who is the great Possessor of Heaven and Earth Besides these things belong not indeed unto real Eloquence and Propriety of Speech but are arbitrarily invented crutches for the relief of our lameness and infirmity Men despairing to affect the minds of others with the things themselves which they had to propose unto them and acquainted with the baits that are meet to take hold of their bruitish affections with the wayes of prepossessing their minds with prejudice or casting a mist before their understandings that they may not discern the nature worth and excellency of Truth have invented such dispositions of words as might compass the ends they aimed at And great effects by this means were produced as by him whom men admired pleni moderantem froena Theatri And therefore the Apostle tells us that the rejecting of this kind of Oratory in his Preaching and Writing was of indispensible necessity that it might appear that the effects of them were not any way influenced thereby but were the genuine productions of the things themselves which he delivered 1 Cor. 2.5 6 7. This kind of Eloquence then the Scripture maketh no use of but rather condemneth its Application unto the great and holy things whereof it treateth as unbecoming their Excellency and Majesty So Origen to this purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tom. 4. in Johan If the Holy Scripture had used that Elegancy and choice of Speech which are admired among the Greeks one might have suspected that it was not Truth it self that conquered men but that they had been circumvented and deceived by appearing or fallacious consequences and the Splendor or Elegancy of Speech That the proper Excellency of Speech or Style consisteth in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or meet § 29 Accommodation of words unto things with consideration of the Person that useth them and the End whereunto they are applied all men that have any acquaintance with these things will confess 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Dionysius Halicarnasseus Nature requireth that words should follow or â—e made to serve sentences or things and not things be subservient to words whence the too curious Observation of Words hath been censured as an Argument of an infirm and abject mind however it may be pardoned in them who placed all their Excellency in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and disposing perswasive alluring words as Isocrates spent ten years in his Panegyricks and Plato ceased not unto the eightieth year of his Age to adorn his Discourses as Dionysius testifies of them both The Style of the Holy Scripture is every way answerable unto what may rationally be expected from it For First It becometh the Majesty Authority and Holiness of Him in whose name it speaketh And hence it is that by its Simplicity without Corruption Gravity without Affectation Plainess without alluring Ornaments it doth not so much entice move or perswade as constrain press and pierce into the mind and affections transforming them into a likeness of the things which it delivers unto us And therefore though St. Paul sayes that he dealt not with the Corinthians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in an Excellency or sublimity of Speech or Wisdom like that of the Orators before described yet he did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in such an evidence of Spiritual Power as was far more effectual and prevalent The whole
to oppose its Canonical Authority with their frivolous Cavils and Objections Neither is this Experience meerly satisfactory to themselves alone as is by some pretended It is a thing pleadable and that not only in their own defence to strengthen their Faith against Temptations but to others also though not to Atheistical Scoffers yet to humble enquirers which ought to be the frame of all men in the Investigation of Sacred Truths § 34 Unto what hath been spoken we may add that the Canonical Authority of this Epistle is confirmed unto us by Catholick Tradition By this Tradition I intend not the Testimony only of the present Church that is in the world nor Fancy a trust of a Power to declare what is so in any Church whatever but a generall uninterrupted Fame conveyed and confirmed by particular Instances Records and Testimonies in all Ages In any other sense how little weight there is to be laid upon Traditions we have a pregnant instance in him who first began to magnifie them This was Papias a contemporary of Policarpus in the very next Age after the Apostles Tradition of what was done or said by Christ or the Apostles what Expositions they gave he professed himself to set an high value upon equal to if not above the Scripture And two things are considerable in his search after them First That he did not think that there was any Church appointed to be the Preserver and Declarer of Apostolical Traditions but made his enquiry of all the individual ancient men that he could meet withall who had conversed with any of the Apostles Secondly That by all his pains he gathered together a Rhapsody of incredible Stories Fables Errors and useless Curiosities Such issue will the endeavours of men have who forsake the stable Word of Prophesie to follow rumors and reports under the specious name of Traditions But this Catholick Fame whereof we speak confirmed by particular Entrances and Records in all Ages testifying unto a matter of Fact is of great importance And how clearly this may be pleaded in our present case shall be manifested in our Investigation of the Penman of this Epistle And thus I hope we have made it evident that this Epistle is not destitute of any one of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or infallible proofs and Arguments whereby any particular Book of the Scripture evinceth its self unto the Consciences of men to be written by Inspiration from God It remaineth now to shew that it is not liable unto any of those Exceptions or Arguments whereby any Book or Writing pretending a claim to a Divine Original and Canonical Authority thereupon may be convicted and manifested to be of another Extract whereby its just priviledge will be on both sides secured § 35 The first consideration of this nature is taken from the Author or Penman of any such Writing The Books of the Old Testament were all of them written by Prophets or holy men inspired of God Hence St. Peter calls the whole of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophesie 2 Pet. 1.21 Prophesie delivered by men acted or moved therein by the Holy Ghost And though there be a distribution made of the several Books of it from the Subject Matter into the Law Prophets and Psalms Luke 24.44 and often into the Law and Prophets on the same account as Acts 26.2 Rom. 3.22 yet their Penmen being all equally Prophets the whole in general is ascribed unto them and called Prophesie Rom. 1.8 Chap. 16.26 Luke 24.25 2 Pet. 1.19 So were the Books of the New Testament written by Apostles or men endowed with an Apostolical Spirit and in their work equally inspired by the Holy Ghost whence the Church is said to be built on the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone Ephes. 2.20 If then the Author of any Writing acknowledgeth himself or may otherwise be convinced to have been neither Prophet nor Apostle nor endued with the same infallible Spirit with them his work how excellent soever other wayes it may appear must needs be esteemed a meer fruit of his own Skill Diligence and Wisdom and not any way to belong unto the Canon of the Scripture This is the condition for instance of the second Book of Maccabees In the close of it the Author being doubtful what acceptance his endeavours and manner of Writing would find amongst his Readers makes his excuse and affirms that he did his utmost to please them in his Style and Composition of his words So he tells us before Chap. 2. v. 24. that he did but Epitomize the History of Jason the Cyrenean wherein he took great pains and labour The truth is he that had before commended Judas Machabaeus for offering Sacrifices for the dead which indeed he did not but for the living no where appointed in the Law and affirmed that Jeremiah hid the holy Fire Ark Tabernacle and Altar of Incense in a Cave that the same person Antiochus was killed at Nanea in Persia Chap. 1. v. 16. and dyed in the Mountains of torments in his Bowels as he was coming to Judea Chap. 9. whom the first Book affirms to have dyed of sorrow at Babylon Chap. 6. v. 16. who affirms Judas to have written Letters to Aristobulus in the one hundred eighty eighth year of the Seleucian Empire who was slain in the one hundred fifty second year of it Lib. 1. Chap. 1.3 that is thirty six years after his death with many other such mistakes and falshoods had no great need to inform us that he had no special Divine Assistance in his Writing but leaned unto his own Understanding But yet this he doth as we shewed and that openly For the Holy Ghost will not be an Epitomator of a Profane Writing as he professeth himself to have been nor make excuses for his weakness nor declare his pains and Sweat in his Work as he doth And yet to that pass are things brought in the World by Custome Prejudice love of Reputation scorn to be esteemed mistaken in any thing that many earnestly contend for this Book to be written by Divine Inspiration when the Author of it himself openly professeth it to have been of another Extract For although this Book be not only rejected out of the Canon by the Council of Laodicea Hierom and others of the Antients but by Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome himself yet the Church of Rome would now by force thrust it thereinto But were the Author himself alive again I am so well perswaded of his Ingenuity and Honesty from the Conclusion of his Story that they would never be able to make him say that he wrote by Divine Inspiration and little reason then have we to believe it Now this Epistle is free from this Exception The Penman of it doth no where intimate directly or indirectly that he wrote in his own strength or by his own ability which yet if he had done in an Argument of that
separation to bring forth the Messiah then failed and therewith their claim on that account to be the children of Abraham 2. The Ordinances of Worship suited unto that Priviledge expired and came to an end 3. New Ordinances of Worship were appointed suited unto the New Light and grace granted then unto the Church 4. The Gentiles came in to the faith of Abraham together with the Jews to be fellow-heirs with them in his blessing But none of these nor all of them together made any such Alteration in the Church but that it was still one and the same The Olive Tree was the same only some branches were broken of and others planted in the Jews fell and the Gentiles came in their room And this must and doth determine the difference between the Jews and Christians § 8 about the Promises of the Old Testament They are all made unto the Church No individual Person hath any interest in them but by vertue of his Membership therewith This Church is and alwayes was one and the same With whomsoever it remains the Promises are theirs and that not by Application or Analogie but directly and properly They belong as immediately at this day either to the Jews or Christians as they did of old to any The Question is with whom is this Church founded on the promised seed in the Covenant This is Sion Jerusalem Israel Jacob the Temple of God The Jews plead that it is with them because they are the children of Abraham according to the flesh Christians tell them that their Priviledge on this account was of another nature and ended with the coming of the Messiah That the Church unto whom all the Promises belong are only those who are Heirs of Abrahams faith believing as he did and thereby interested in his Covenant Not as though the Promise made to Abraham were of none effect for as it was made good unto his carnal seed in the exhibition of the Messiah so the spiritual Priviledges of it belonged only unto those of the Jews and Gentiles in whom God had graciously purposed to effect the faith of Abraham Thus was and is the Church whereunto all the Promises belong still one and the same namely Abrahams children according to the faith and among those Promises this is one that God will be a God unto them and their seed for ever Exercitatio VII Of the Judaicall distribution of the Old Testament the Originall and Nature of their Orall Law and Traditions the whole disproved Agreement of the Jews and Papists about Traditions instanced in sundry particulars THE Apostle dealing with the Hebrews about the Revelation of the Will of § 1 God made unto their Fathers assigns it in generall unto his speaking unto them in the Prophets v. 1. This speaking unto them the present Jews affirm to consist of two Parts 1. That which Moses and the following Prophets was commanded to write for the publick use of the Church 2. What being delivered only by word of Mouth unto Moses and continued by Orall Tradition untill after the last destruction of the Temple was afterwards committed unto writing And because those who would read our Exposition of this Epistle or the Epistle it self with profit had need of some insight into the Opinions and Traditions of the Jews about these things I shall for the sake of them that want either Skill or Leisure to search after them elsewhere give a brief account of their faith concerning the two Heads of Revelation mentioned and therein discover both the Principle Means and Nature of their present Apostacy and Infidelity The Scripture of the Old Testament they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and divide it into three § 2 parts 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prophets 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Writings by Divine Inspiration which are usually called the Hagiographa or Holy Writings And this distribution of the Books of the Old Testament is in general intimated by our Saviour Luke 24.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All things written in the Law the Prophets and the Psalms under which last head all the Poetical Books of the Scripture are contained Thus Rabbi Bechai in Cad Hackemach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law so sometimes they call the whole Volume is divided into three parts the Law the Prophets and the Holy Writings All comprized generally under the Name of the Law for so they say in Midrash Tehillim Psalm 78. v. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Psalms are the Law and the Prophets are the Law that is the whole Scripture This distribution so far as it is intimated in the words of our Saviour doth evidently arise from the Nature and Subject Matter of the Books themselves And this was the received division of the Books of the Old Testament whilest the Judaical Church stood and Continued But the Postalmudicall Doctors overlooking or neglecting the true Reason of this Distribution have fancied others taken from the different manners and degrees of Revelation by which they were given out unto the Church Amongst these they make the Revelation to Moses the most excellent and are very vain in coining the Priviledges and Preeminences it had above all others which are elsewhere examined In the next degree they place those which proceeded from the Spirit of Prophesie which they distinguish from the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost Yea in the eleven degrees of Divine Revelation assigned by Maimonides Mor. Nebu par 2. That by Inspiration is cast into the last and lowest place But this distinction is groundless and meerly fancied out of the various wayes that God was pleased to use in representing things to the minds of the Prophets when it was in them all the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost alone that enabled them infallibly to declare the mind of God unto the Church 2 Pet. 1.21 Now the Books thus given by the Spirit of Prophesie they make of two sorts 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former Prophets which are all the Historical Books of the Old Testament written before the Captivity as Joshua Judges Samuel Kings Ruth only excepted 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are all the Prophetical Books peculiarly so called Daniel only excepted that is Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel and the twelve Minor Prophets Of the last sort or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cethubim Books written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost are the Poetical Books of the Scripture Psalms Job Proverbs Canticles Lamentations with Ecclesiastes whereunto they add Ruth Daniel and the Historical Books written after the Captivity as the Chronicles Ezra and Nehemiah which make up the Canon of the Old Testament why sundry of these Books should be cast into the last sort as the Story of Ruth and the Prophesie of Daniel they can give no tolerable account The other Books also written after the Captivity are plainly of the same nature with those which they call the former Prophets And for that of Daniel it contains in it
as occasion did require What the People knew of it is uncertain but what they did so was quickly lost The Consistory or great Sanhedrim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they call it the House of Judgement of Seventy and one was more faithfull in its charge Hence Rab. Moses in the same Book Tractat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Rebells or Transgressors teacheth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The great Consistory or House of Judgement at Jerusalem was the foundation of the Orall Law These are the Pillars of Doctrine from whom Statutes and Judgements went forth unto all all Israel And he afterwards affirms with what Truth may be easily judged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whilest this great Consâ—story continued there was no dissention in Israel For not only the famous differences between Hillel and Shammai with their Disciples which involved all the Schools Scribes and Lawyers among them arose and were propagated whilest that Consâ—story continued but also the Atheistical Sect of the Sadduces rose unto that height and interest as to obtain the Presidentship in the Sanhedrim its self But the High Priests are those whom they fix upon as the principal Conservators of this Orall Law To this End they give us Catalogues of them from first to last that by their uninterrupted Succession we we may be secured of the incorrupt preservation of their Original Traditions Only it may here be added by the way that they bind not themselves precisely in all their Religious Observances unto this Oral Law whereunto they assign a Divine Original but ascribe an Authority unto the Sanhedrim and the High Priest to constitute things of themselves in the Worship of God besides and beyond the word For whatever they pretend of their Orall Law when they come unto particular Instances they would fain educe the Constitutions of it from some Word or Letter or manner of Interpretation of the Scripture its self But those Constitutions of the Consistory and Wisemen they ascribe unto their own Authority Some of these are recounted by Maimonides in his Preface unto Jad Chazaka as the Reading of the Book or Roll of Esther with Fasting lights on the Feast of Dedication The Fast on the seventh of Ab. or July various Mixtures and Washings of hands things plainly of that nature which our Lord Jesus condemned amongst them And it is observable how he frees them from transgressing that Precept Deut. 12.32 Thou shalt not add unto this word by this Constitution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For saith he they say not that the holy blessed God hath commanded these things that there should be such Mixtures that the Book of Esther should be read with fasting for if they should say so they should add to the Law but thus we speak such and such a Prophet or the Consistory commanded and appointed that the Book of Esther should be read with fasting to celebrate the Glory of the Holy Blessed God in our Deliverance and so of the rest It seems then they may add what they will of their own so they entitle not the Name of God to their Inventions by which means they have set themselves at liberty to multiply superstitious Observations at their pleasure which they had actually done in the dayes of our Saviour and thereby made the Law of God of none effect In all these things are they followed and imitated by the Romanists In the same manner do they lay up the stock of their Traditions In general they make the Church the repository of them although they do not so distinctly explain the way and means whereby they were committed thereunto as the Jews do Unto the Sanhedrim Councils are succeeded in the same Office But their Nature Work Authority Assistance and Use are so variously disputed amongst them that nothing of certainty from them or by them singly considered is to be obtained It is the High Priest or Pope that is the Principal Conservator of this Sacred Treasury of Traditions Upon their Succession doth the certainty of them depend And whilest there is a Pope at Rome the knowledge of the new Orall Law will not fail as the Old one did not whilest the Jews had an High Priest though in the pursuit of it they Crucified the Messiah and continue to reject him unto this day Besides like the Jews they content not themselves with what they pretend to be of antient Tradition but assume a Power of making new Constitutions in the things of God whereby they would have us to think they do not violate the prohibitions of adding because they ascribe them not unto the Word of God but to the Authority of the present Church Thus far therefore they are fully agreed Thirdly The Jews in favour and unto the Honour of these Traditions affirm that the § 18 written Word without them is imperfect and not to be understood but as it is interpreted by them This they are constant unto and earnestly contend for Aben Ezra in his Preface to the Law discourseth at large of five several wayes of the Interpretation of it but concludes at last that the whole written Law of Moses is founded on the Orall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this is a sign unto us that the Law of Moses is founded on the Orall Law which is the joy of our hearts so apt are they to rejoyce in a thing of nought To the same purpose are the words of another Famous Master amongst them Rabbi Bechai in Cad Hakkemach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Orall Law is the Foundation of the written nor can the Written Law be expounded but by the Oral By this being the Foundation of the Written Law they intend that the sense of it is so enwrapped and contained therein that without the Explications thereof it cannot be understood And to this End Manasse one of their late Masters expresly disputes that in many things it is defective and in some things redundant so that it is not able to give us a full and clear direction in the things of God without their Traditional Explications and in the confirmation of his opinion he instanceth in sundry Precepts and Prohibitions that he would prove so obscure as that no Obedience can be yielded unto them in a due manner without the help of the Cabala which because for the most part his Exceptions from them are Childish Cavils and have been answered by others shall be here passed over This they are arrived unto this is the common perswasion of them all and we shall yet hear what farther Progress they have made And herein are they imitated by their Successors Their Orall Law also is made by them the foundation of the Written As those Hereticks of old who having got some Sophistical Cavils about Evil where ever they met with any one not of their mind they presently fell upon him with their Vnde maluâ—n whence had evil its Original so thinking to bring them to the acknowledgement of two
Psalm 75. they ascribe this place unto the Messiah and reckon his Horn as the tenth horn of strength granted unto Israel R. Levi Ben Gershom understands by the King in the first place He shall give strength unto his King Saul and by Messiah in the close of the words David who was to be annointed by Samuel the Son of Hanna whose words these are Kimchi applies the words to the Mâ—ssiah whom as he sayes she intended by the Spirit of Prophesie or spoke of from Tradition And indeed the words seem directly to intend him For by him alone doth the Lord judge the Ends of the Earth and he was the Annointed whose Power he would signally exalt And I mention this place only as an instance of the Faith of the Church of old who in all their mercies still had a regard unto the Great Promise of the Messiah which was the Fountain of them all And therefore Hanna here closeth her Prophetical Eulogie with her acknowledgement thereof and faith therein § 15 2 Sam. 23. v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that Ruleth in man just Ruler in or of the fear of the Lord Targ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He said he would appoint unto me a King which is the Messiah who shall arise and Rule in the fear of the Lord. And it refers thâ—s whole last Prophesie of David or his last words that he spake by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost unto the dayes of the Messiah whence it gives this Preface unto them These are the words of the Prophesie of David which he prophâ—sied concerning the End of the world or for the end of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the dayes of Consolation that were to come Rab. Isaiah and Rashi interpret the words of David himself and Kimchi also but he mentions the application of it unto the Messiah who was to come of David whom God would raise up unto him which he approveth of Christian Expositors who follow the Jews interpret those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rock of Israel spake to me by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spake concerning me that is by Samuel who annointed me to be King Some he spake unto me by Nathan Our Translators keep to the Letter he spake unto me And that alone answers unto the words of the Verse foregoing The Spirit of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spake in me or to me so are the Revelations of God expressed See Zech. 4. v. 1 4. and it expresseth the Communication of the mind of God unto the Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not his speaking by him unto others And from these very words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit of the Lord spake in me do the Jews take occasion to cast the writings of David amongst those which they assign unto that kind of Revelation which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Books written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost The other words also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his word was in my tongue manifest that it is David himself that is spoken unto and not of in the third Verse and therefore it is some other who is Prophesied of by him namely the Messiah And this the words whereby he is described do also manifest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ruling in man that is saith Jarchi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 over Israel who is called man as it is said and ye the flock of my pasture are men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you are man Ezek. 34.1 But where the word Adam is used with this praefix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as here it no where signifies Israel but is expresly used in a contradistinction from them as Jerem. 32.20 which hast set Signs and Wonders in the Land of Aegypt even unto this day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in Israel and in Adam that is as we render it amongst other men that are not Israel So that if any especial sort of men are intended in this Expression it is not Israel but other men And indeed this word is commonly used to denote mankind in general as Gen. 6. v. 3. Chap. 9. v. 6. Exod. 8.18 Chap. 9.10 Chap. 13.2 and universally where ever it is used it signifies either all mankind or humane nature So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is he who is the Ruler over all mankind which is the Messiah alone Unless we shall inteâ—pret this Expression by that of Psal. 68. v. 19. Thou hast ascended on high thou hast lead captivity captive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accepisti dona in homine and thou hast received gifts in man that is in the humane nature exalted whereof the Psalmist treats in that place For whereas the Apostle Ephâ—s 4. v. 8. renders these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he gave gifts unto men it is manifest that he expresseth the End and Effect of that which is spoken in the Psalm for the Lord Christ received gifts in his own humane nature that he might give and bestow them on others as Peter declareth Acts 2. v. 33. The remainder also of the words contain a description of the Messiah He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the just and Righteous One Acts 3.14 And He alone is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that rules in the things that concern the fear and Worship of God Isa. 11. v. 2 3. So that this place doth indeed belong unto the faith of the Antient Church concerning the Messiah 1 Kings 4. v. 33. In stead of those words concerning Solomon He spake of Trees § 16 from the Cedar Tree that is in Lebanon unto the Hyssop that springeth out of the Wall The Targum reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And be Prophecied of the Kings of the house of David in this world the duration of time and state of things under the Old Testament and of the Messiah in the world to câ—me so they call the dayes of the Messiah I know of none who have considered what occasion the Targumists could take from the words of the Text to mention this matter in this place I will not say that he doth not intend the Book of Canticles wherein under an Allegory of Trees Herbs and Spices Solomon Prophesieth of and sets forth the Grace and Love of Christ towards his Church and wherein many things are by the latter Targumist applied unto the Messiah also as we shall see There is mention likewise made of the Messiah in the Targum by an addition unto § 17 the Text Ruth 3. v. 15. It was said in the Prophesie that six Righteous Persons should come of Ruth David and Daniel with his Companions and the King Mâ—ssiah The general End of the writing of this Book of Ruth was to declare the Providence of God about the Genealogie of the Messiah And this seems to have been kept in Tradition amongst them And for this Cause doth Matthew expresly mention her name in his Rehearsal of the Genealogie of Christ Mâ—t.
interprets the Angel to be sent before him the Angel of Gods presence from Heaven to lead the people out of their Captivity as of old he went before them in the Wilderness when they came out of Aegypt But we are better taught who this Messenger was Matth. 11.10 Mark 1.2 As for the Lord whom they sought he speaks plainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is the King the Messiah and this the Angel of the Covenant he adds indeed the old Story about Elijah and his zeal for the Covenant whence he had the honour to preside at Circumcision to see the Covenant observed and may be thence called the Angel of the Covenant But it is plain in the words and confessed by Aben Ezra that the Lord whom they sought and the Angel of the Covenant are the same And as to these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall come suddenly unto his Temple he adds in their Explication 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the time of the end is not revealed nor unfolded in the Book of Daniel It is said he shall come suddenly because there is no man that knows the day of his coming before he came We grant that the precise day of his coming was not known before he came but that the time of it was foretold limited and unfolded in the Book of Daniel so far as the season and age of it would admit was made evident all future expectation declared to be void and that in the Book of Daniel we shall immediately demonstrate At present we have proved and find that they cannot deny but that he was to come unto the second Temple whilest it was yet standing § 27 Once more we may yet add the consent of others of their Masters besides these Expositors Some Testimonies out of their Doctors are Cited by others I shall only name one or two of them in Talmud it self Tractat. Sanâ—d caâ— 11. the application of this place of Haggai unto the Messiah is ascribed unto Rabbi Akiha his words as they report them are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little glory will I give unto Israel and then the Messiah shall come And this man of so great repute among them that Rabbi Eleazar affirms that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the wise men of Israel were like a little Garlick in comparison of that bald Rabbi This then is their own avow'd Tradition and the other place of Malachi concerning the Angel of the Covenant is expounded of the Messiah by Rainbain in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the dayes saith he of the Messiah the Children of Israel shall be restored unto their Genealogies by the Holy Ghost that shall rest upon him as it is said Behold I send my Messenger before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall come unto his Temple We have then found out both from the clear words of both these Prophesies and the consent of the Jews themselves who it is that is here promised in them that he should come to his Temple § 28 This is the glory of the second house promised in Haggai The end of the Temple and of all the glory of it and all the Worship performed in it was to prefigure the promised seed who was the true and only substantial glory of them all and of the people to whom they were committed for he was to be a Light to light the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel Therefore in all the Worship of the Temple those who believed and in the use of the Ordinances of it saw unto the end of their institution did continually exercise faith on his coming and earnestly desire the accomplishment of the promise concerning it The great glory then of this Temple could consist in nothing but this coming of the Lord whom they sought the desire of all Nations unto it Now that he should come whilest the Temple stood and continued is here confirmed by this double Prophetical Testimony and the Temple being utterly and irreparably destroyed now above 1600. years ago It must be acknowledged that the Messiah is long since come unless we will say that the Word of God is vain and his Promise of none effect The General Exception of the Jews unto this Argument taken from the limitation § 29 of the time allotted unto the coming of the Messiah we shall afterwards consider In one word that which they relieve themselves withall against the prediction of Haggai and Malachi that he should come unto the Temple then built amongst them which they acknowledge is so truly ridiculous that I shall not need to retain the Reader with the consideration of it They say the Messiah was born at the Time determined before the destruction of the second Temple but that he is kept hid in the Sea or in Paradise or dwells at the Gates of Rome among the Lepers waiting for a Call from Heaven to go and deliver the Jews with such follies do men please themselves in the great Concernments of the glory of God and their own eternal welfare who are left destitute of the Spirit of light and truth sealed up under the efficacy of their own blindness and unbelief But hereof we shall treat further in the Consideration of their General Answers to this whole Argument in hand Exercitatio XIV Daniels Weeks Chap. 9.24 25 26 27. proposed unto consideration Attempt of a Learned man to prove the coming and suffering of the Messiah not to be intended examined First Reason from the difficulties of the Computation and differences about it removed Whether this place be used in the New Testament Objection from the time of the Beginning of this computation answered Distribution of the LXX Weeks into VII LXII and one Reason of it Objectiâ—n thence answered The cutting of the Messiah and the destruction of the City not joyned in one Week Things mentioned v. 24. peculiar to the Messiah The Prophecy owned by all Christians to respect the Messiah The Events mentioned in it not to be accommodated unto any other No Types in the words but a naked prediction The Prophecies of Daniel not principally intending the Churches of the latter dayes Streights of time intimated when they fell out Coincidence of Phrases in this and other Predictions considered Removal of the daily Offering and causing the Sacrifice and Offering to cease how they differ The Desolation foretold Distribution of the LXX Weeks accommodated unto the Material Jerusalem Objections removed Distribution of things contained in this Prophecy Argument from the computation of time warranted First neglected by the Jews then cursed yet used by them vainly Concurrent Expectation and Fame of the coming of the Messiah upon the Expiration of Daniels Weeks Mixture of things good and poenal Abarbinels Figment rejected Four hundred and ninety years the time limited Fancy of Origen and Apollinaris The true Messiah intended Proved from the Context The Names and Titles given unto him The work assigned to him That work particulary explained the expressions vindicated To make an
wrought by Christ and the Tradition delivering them down unto us This also the Jews plead concerning the Miracles § 61 of Moses They were say they openly wrought in the sight of all Israel and that they were so wrought the Testimony of Israel in succeeding Ages is next the Writings its self the best and only witness they have of them And wherein doth our Testimony come short of theirs Nay on both accounts of their first notoriety and succeeding Tradition it far exceeds what they have to plead For as the Miracles of Moses were wrought openly so the most of them were so only in the sight of that one People whom he had under his own conduct in a wilderness remote from any converse with other Nations and that in those dark times of the world wherein men were generally stupid and credulous as having not been imposed on by the delusions which the following Ages were awakened by The Jews also lay no greater weight on any Miracles then thâ—y do on those which were wrought in the wilderness of Midian which had no witness unto them but that of Moses himself But the Miracles of Jesus were all or most of them wrought before the eyes of multitudes envying hating and persecuting of him and that in the most knowing daies of the world when Reason and Learning had improved the light of the minds of men to the utmost of their capacity in and upon multitudes for sundry years together being all of them sifted by his adversaries to try if they could discover any thing of deceit in them And although his personal Ministry was confined to one Nation yet the Miracles wrought by his Disciples in his Name and by his Power for the confirmation of his being the Messiah were spread all the world over so that all mankind were filled first with the report of them and then satisfied with their truth and lastly the generality of them with faith in him which they directed unto The notoriety therefore of his Miracles far exceedeth that of those of Moses And for the means whereby the certainty of them is continued unto us whether we respect the number of persons confirming it or their quality or their dis-interest as to any carnal advantage or their suffering for their Testimony it is notorious that the Jews condition confined meerly to themselves is no way to be compared with it So that we may truly say that no Jew can possibly on any rational account give credit unto the Truth of the Miracles wrought by Moses and deny it unto them wrought by the Lord Jesus § 62 But yet there seems somewhat further necessary in this case Though there were Miracles wrought by our Saviour yet they might be every way inferiour unto them wrought by Moses and so not sufficient to testifie unto a Doctrine and Authority removing and abolishing the Laws and Customs instituted by Moses And this the Jews of old seemed to have had respect unto in their endless tumultuary Calling after Signs and Miracles And hence though the Lord Christ sometimes pleaded with them the works that he wrought leaving them to stand and fall according unto the evidence of them Joh. 15.24 chap. 10.37 As also did the Apostles afterwards Act. 2.22 unto the astonishment of all and satisfaction of the less obdurate Job 7.31 chap. 12.37 Yet both he himself constantly refused to gratifie their curiosity and unbelief when they required any Sign or Miracle of him Matth. 12.38 39. chap. 16.4 Luk. 11.29 And the Apostle expresly condemneth the whole principle in them as that which in the preaching of the Gospel was not to be gratified nor much attended unto 1 Cor. 1.22 But yet neither is there any strength wanting unto our Argument on this account also For although it be not at all necessary that he who comes with an after-Revelation of the will of God reversing any thing before established should be attested unto with more Miracles or those that are more signal then he or they were who were the instruments of the first Revelation of things to be repealed seeing no more is required but that he be sufficiently evidenced to be sent of God which may be done by one true real Miracle as well as by a thousand yet the wisdom of God hath so ordered things that the Miracles wrought by the Lord Jesus did on many accounts exceed those wrought by Moses as by a comparison in some particular instances will appear First The number of them gives them the preheminence The Jews contend that § 63 there were seventy six Miracles wrought by Moses whereas those of all other Prophets as they observe amount but unto seventy four for so do they lay hold on every occasion to exalt him who yet judgeth and condemneth them To make up this number they reckon up sundry things that happened about his birth and death far enough from Miracles wrought by him or in the confirmation of his Ministry They add also every extraordinary work of God that fell out in his daies to the same purpose Be it so then that so many Miracles were wrought by Moses as we are far from diminishing any thing of the Glory of his Ministry yet what are those compared unto those wrought by Christ and his Apostles in his Name and by his Power and Authority Those that are recorded of his own are not easily reckoned up and yet those that are written are far the least part of what he did perform and that in the space of three or four years whereas those of Moses were scattered unto the whole course of his life for an hundred and twenty years Thus John assures us that he did many more signs besides those that are written chap. 20.30 31. and that his Testimony is equal unto that of Moses we have proved before He adds that the world could not contain the Books that might be written of his Miracles chap. 21.25 by which usual hyperbole a great multitude is designed Nor did the Writers of the Story of the Gospel agree to give an account of all the Miracles that were wrought by the Author of it but only to leave sufficient instances on record of his Divine Power in the effecting of them For this end they singled out some works that were occasionally attended with some Disputes or Preachings tending unto the opening and confirmation of the Doctrine of the Gospel Thus upon the coming of the Disciples of John unto him it is said Luk. 7.21 In that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits and unto many that were blind he gave sight The particular stories of none of these are any where mentioned nor had that season been at all remembred but upon occasion of those Persons who were sent unto him the present works which they saw being made the ground of that answer which he returned unto their Master v. 22. Go tell John the things which ye have seen and heard how that the blind
adultery as is known was capital by the express sentence of the Law As 1. With a Sister 2. A Fathers Sister 3. A Mothers Sister 4. A Wifes Sister 5. A Brothers Widow 6. An Vncles Widow 7. A Woman separated Many other Crimes also they reckon up with reference unto Ceremonial Institutions as eating of fat and blood and leaven on the Passeover making an Oyle like the holy Oyle even all such trangressions as are threatned with punishment but have no express kind of punishment annexed unto them § 28 Secondly Punishments respecting State and Condition were of two sorts First Pecuniary in a quadruple restitution in case of Theft Secondly Personal in banishment or confinement unto the City of Refuge for him that had slain a Man at unawares Numb 35.25 § 29 Thirdly Capital punishments they inflicted four wayes Fiâ—st By Strangulation which was inflicted on six sorts of Transgressors 1. Adulterers 2. Strikers of Parents 3. Men-stealers 4. Old Men exemplarily rebellious against the Law 5. False Prophets 6. Prognosticators by the Names of Idols Secondly Burning Lev. 20.14 And this the Jews say was inflicted by pouring molten Lead into their mouths and the Crimes that this punishment were allotted to were 1. The Adultery of the Priests Daughter 2. Incest 1. With a Daughter 2. With a Sons Daughter 3. A Wises Daughter 4. A Wises Daughters Daughter 5. A Wises Sons Daughter 6. A Wifes Mother 7. The Mother of her Father 8. The Mother of her Father in Law Thirdly Death was inflicted by the Sword Deut. 20.21 1. On the voluntary Man-slayer 2. On the Inhabitants of any City that fall to Idolatry Fourthly By Stoning Which was executed for Incest 1. With a Mother 2. A Mother in Law 3. A Daughter in Law 4. Adultery with a betroathed Virgin 5. Vnnatural uncleaness with Men 6. With Beasts by Men 7. With Beasts by Women 8. Blasphemy 9. Idolatry 10. Offering to Moloch 11. A Familiar Spirit of Ob 12. Of Jiedeoni 13. On Impostors 14. On Seducers 15. On Enchanters or Magicians 16. Prophaners of the Sabbath 17. Cursers of Father or Mother 18. The dissolute and stubborn Son Concerning all which it is expresly said that they shall be stoned § 30 Unto the execution of these penalties there was added two Cautionary Laws First That they that were put to death for the increase of their ignominy and terror of others should be hanged on a Tree Deut. 21.21 Secondly That they should be buryed the same day v. 23 And this is a brief abstract of the Penalties of the Law as it was the Rule of the Polity of the People in the Land of Canaan Exercitatio XXII The Building of the Tabernacle Moses Writing and Reading the Book of the Covenant Considerations of the particulars of the Fabrick and Vtensils of the Tabernacle Omitted One Instance insisted on The Ark. The same in the Tabernacle and Temple The Glory of God in what sense The principal Sacred Vtensil The matter whereof it was made The Form of it The End and Vse of it The Residence and Motions of it The Mercy-Seat that was upon it The matter thereof Of the Cherubims Their Form and Fashion The Visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel compared Difference in them and Reason thereof THe People having received the Law in the Wilderness and therein a Foundation § 1 being laid of their future Church-State and Worship which was to continue untâ—â— the Times of Reformation Heb. 9.10 they had also by Gods direction a place and Building for the seat of that Worship assigned unto them This was the Tabernacle erected in the Wilderness suited to their then moving state and condition into the Room whereof the Temple built afterwards by Solomon suceeded when they had attained a fixed station in the Land of Promise Our Apostle respecting the Ordinances of that Church as first instituted by Moses which the Hebrews boasted of as their priviledge and on the account whereof they obstinately adhered unto their observation insists only on the Tabernacle whereunto the Temple and its services were referred and conformed And this he doth principally Chap. 9 v. 1 2 3 4 5. Then verily the first Covenant had also Ordinances of divine Service and a worldly Sâ—â—ctuary For there was a Tabernacle made the first wherein was the candlestick and the Table and the Shew-bread which is called the Sanctuary And after the second Veil the Tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all which had the Golden Censor and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid round about with Gold wherein was the Golden Pot that had Manna and Aarons Rod that budded and the Tables of the Covenant And over it the Cherubims of Glory shaddowing the Mercy Seat The Preparation for the Directions which God gave for the building of this Tabernacle § 2 is declared Exod. 24. The Body of the people having heard the Law that is the ten Words or Commandments which was all they heard Deut. 9.10 what God spake to them was written in the Two Tables of stone they removed unto a greater distance from the Mount Exod. 20.18 19. After their Removal Moses continued to receive from the Lord that summary of the whole Law which is expressed Chap. 21.22 23. And all this as it should seem at the first hearing he wrote in a Book from the Mouth of God For it is said Chap. 24. v. 4. that he wrote all the words of the Lord. And v. 7. that he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the audience of the people The Jewish Masters suppose that it was the Book of Genesis that is there intended For § 3 say they the rest of the Law was not yet written namely before God himself had written or engraven the Ten Words on the Two Tables of Stone But this is a fond imagination seeing the Book which Moses read contained the form and tenour of the Covenant made with that people at Horeb and is expresly so called and as such was then solemnly confirmed and ratified by Sacrifice It may therefore be supposed that there is a Prolepsis used in the recording of this story and that indeed the confirmation of the Covenant by Sacrifice which was accompanied with the Reading of the Book was not until after the third return of Moses from the Mount with the renewed Tables But this also may well be doubted seeing this Sacrifice was prepared and offered by the young Men of the Children of Israel v. 5. that is the First Born whose Office was superseded upon the Separation of Aaron and his Sons unto the Priesthood which God had designed before that last descent of Moses from the Mount We must therefore leave things in the order wherein they are set down and recorded It appears therefore that Moses wrote the Law as he received it from God This being done he came down and read it in the ears of the people And he proposed it unto them as containing the Terms of the Covenant that God would have them enter
Psalms and Prophets was very antient in their Church We have mention of it Luke 24.44 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that are written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms that is in the whole Canonical Scripture And evident it is that this distribution is taken from the subject matter of those principal parts of it This reason of that distribution which they have by Tradition they not knowing or neglecting have feigned the rise of it in a different manner of Revelation and cast the particular books arbitrarily under what heads they pleased as is evident from sundry of them which they reckon unto the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cethubim or Hagiographa which are with them of least esteem But we have a more sure rule both overthrowing that feigned distinction and perfectly equalizing all parts of divine Scripture as to their spring and original St. Peter calls the whole 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1.19 the word of Prophesie and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 20. Prophesie and therefore it belongs not unto any peculiar part of it to be given out by Prophesie which is an affection of the whole And St. Paul also terms the whole Scriptuâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 16.26 prophetical Scriptures or writings of the Prophets And when he demanded of Agrippa whether he believed the Scriptures he doth it in the same manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 28.23 believest thou the prophets that is the Scriptures written by the spirit of Prophesie or by the inspiration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1.12 of the spirit of Christ that was in them God of old spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 1.1 in his Revelation of himself unto them and in them and equally spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 1.70 unto them by the mouth of his holy Prophets from the beginning And thus not this or that part but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 3.16 all Scripture was given by inspiration And herein all the parts or books of it are absolutely equall And in the giving out of the whole 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1.21 holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost So that whatever different means God at any time might make use of in the communication of his mind and will unto any of the Prophets or penmen of the Scripture it was this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and being acted by the holy Ghost both as to Things and Words that rendred them infallible Revealers of him unto the Church And thus the foundation of the Canonical authority of the books of the Scripture is absolutely the same in and unto them all without the least variety either from any difference in kind or degree § 9 The same is their condition as to their being Canonical they are all so equally Some of the Antients used that term ambiguously and therefore sometimes call books Canonical that absolutely are not so as not being written by divine inspiration nor given by the Holy Ghost to be any part of the Rule of the Churches faith and obedience Thus the Constantinopolitan Council in Trulla confirms the Canons both of the Synod of Laodicea and the third of Carthage which agree not in the Catalogues they give us of books Canonical which without a supposition of the ambiguity of the word could not be done unless they would give an assent unto a plain and open contradiction And the Council of Carthage makes evident its sense in their Appendiâ—e annexed to the one and fortieth Canon wherein they reckon up the books of the holy Scripture Hoc etiam say they fratri consacerdoti nostro Bonifacio vel aliis earum partium Episcopis pro confirmando isto Canone innotescat quia a patribus ista accepimus legenda liceat etiam legi passiones Martyrum cùm Aniversarii dies celebrantur They speak dubiously concerning their own determination and intimate that they called the books they enumerated Canonical only as they might be read in the Church which priviledge they grant also to the stories of the sufferings of the Martyrs which yet none thought to be properly canonical The same Epiphanius testifies of the Epistles of Clemens But as the books which that Synod added to the Canon of Laodicea are rejected by Melito Origen Athanasius Hilarius Gregorius Nazianzen Cyrillus Hierosolimitamus Epiphanius Ruffinus Hierome Gregorius magnus and others so their reading and Citation is generally declared by them to have been only for direction of manners and not for the confirmation of the faith even as St. Paul cited an Iambick out of Mâ—nandâ—r or rather Euripides 1 Cor. 15.33 an hemistichium out of Aratus Acts 17.28 and a whole Hexameter out of Epimenides Tit. 1.12 non sunt canonici sed leguntur Catechumenis saith Athanasius They are not Canonical but are only read to the Cateâ—humeni And Hierome the Church reads them ad aedificationem plebis non ad Authâ—ritatem Ecclesiasticarum dogmatum confirmandam for the edification of the people but not for the confirmation of any points of faith But although some books truly Canonical were of old amongst some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Epiphanius speaks doubted of and some were commonly read that are certainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and rejectitious yet neither the mistake of the former nor later practice can give any countenance to an Apprehension of a second or various sort of books properly canonical For the interest of any book or writing in the canon of the Scripture accrewing unto it as hath been shewed meerly from its divine inspiration and giving by the Holy Ghost for a Rule measure and standard of faith and obedience unto the Church whatever advantage or worth to commend it any writing may have Yet if it have not the propertiâ—s mentioned of Divine inspiration and Confirmation it differs in the whole kind and not in degrees only from all those that have them so that it can be no part regulae regulantis but regulatae at the best not having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a self-credibility on its own account or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a self-sufficing Authority but is truth only materially by vertue of its Analogie unto that which is absolutely universally and perfectly so And this was well observed by Lindanus Impio saith he sacrilegio se contaminant qui in scripturarum christianarum corpore quosdam quasi gradus conantur locare quod unam eandemque spiritus sancti vocem impio humanae stultitiae discerniculo audent in varias impares discerpere disturbare Autoritatis classes They desile themselves with the impiety of Sacriledge who endeavour to bring in as it were divers degrees into the body of the Scriptures for by the impious discretion of humane folly they would cast the one voice of the Holy Ghost into various forms of unequal Authority As then whatever difference there may be as to the subject
matter manner of writing and present usefulness between any of the books that being written by divine inspiration are given out for the Churches rule they are all equall as to their canonical authority being equally interested in that which is the formal reason of it so whatever usefulness or respect in the Church any other writing may have they can no way give them any interest in that whose formal reason they are not concerned in In the sense explained we affirm the Epistle to the Hebrews to be Canonical that is § 10 properly and strictly so and of the number of them which the Antients called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every way genuine and Catholick In the confirmation whereof we shall first declare by whom it hath been opposed or questioned and then what reasons they pretend for their so doing which being removed out of our way the arguments whereby the Truth of our assertion is evinced shall be insisted on We need not much insist on their madness who of old with a sacrilegious licentiousness § 11 rejected what portion of Scripture they pleased The Ebionites not only rejected all the Epistles of Paul but also reviled his person as a Greâ—k and an Apostate as Irenaeus and Epiphanius inform us Their folly and blasphemy was also imitated and followed by the Helescheitae in Eusebius Marcion rejected in particular this Epistle to the Hebrews and those also to Timothy and Titus as Epiphanius and Hierome assure us who adds unto him Basilides And Theodoret as to the Epistle unto the Hebrews joyns unto them some of the Arians also Now though the folly of those Sacrilegious persons be easie to be repelled as it is done by Petrus Cluniacusis yet Hierome hath given us a sufficient reason why we should not spend time therein Si quidem saith he redderent causas cur eas Apostoli non putant tentaremus aliquid respondere sorsitan satisfaciere lectori nunc vero cum haeretica autoritate pronunciant dicunt illa Epistola Pauli est haec non est ea autoritate refelli se pro veritate intelligant qua ipsi non crubescant falsa simulare They did not so much as plead or pretend any cause or reason for the rejection of these Epistles but did it upon their own head and Authority so they deserve neither answer nor consideration It is of more importance that this Epistle was a long time though not rejected by § 12 yet not received in the Church of Rome Eusebius informs us that Cains a Presbyter of that Church whom he much commends for his learning and piety admitted but of thirteen Epistles of St. Paul rejecting that unto the Hebrews as Photius also affirms And the same Photius acquaints us with the same Judgement of Hippolitus another eminent member of that Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Among other things not exactly answering the truth he saith also that the Epistle to the Hebrews was not Pauls And Eusebius adds unto his information of the Judgement of Cains that it was not generally received in the Church of Rome in his time Neither is it any way acknowledged as St. Pauls by either Tertullian Cyprian Lactantius or Macrobius Yea the same Eusebius affirms that some excepted against it upon this account because it was opposed as none of St. Pauls in the Roman Church Hierome grants that Latinorum consuetudo non recepit Epistolam ad Hebraeos inter Canonicas Scripturas The custome of the Latines that is the Roman Church did not receive this Epistle among the Canonical Scriptures And speaking elsewhere of it he adds the same words Licet eam latina consuetudo inter Canonicas Scripturas non recipiat And elsewhere also he confirms the same Assertion It cannot then be denied but that it was four hundred years at least after the writing of this Epistle before it was publickly received and avowed as Canonical by the Româ—n Church Nor will the quotation of it by Hilary and Ambrose prove any general admission of it as such it being their custome not to restrain the Testimonies they made use of unto Books absolutely Canonical § 13 Baronius ad An. 160 labours to take of this failure of the Latine Church The testimony of Eusebius he rejects because as he sayes he was Arianorum gregalis of the Arian faction and willing to call the authority of this Epistle into Question in complyance with them who some of them as we observed before refused it n. 42. The Judgement of Caius he resolves into the Testimony of Eusebius which because of his partiality as he pleads is not to be admitted And lastly opposeth the witness of Hierome as a person who had suffered himself to be imposed on by Eusebius whose words in his reports of Caius he makes use of n. 50. Concluding upon the whole matter that it was a meer false calumny of Eusebius against the Church of Rome which Hierome by too much facillity gave credit unto But I must acknowledge that these Answers of his which indeed are nothing but a rejection of as good witnesses in matters of fact as any we have upon the Roll of Antiquity are not unto me satisfactory no more than the testimony of its acceptance which he produceth in the Epistle of Innocentius to Exuperius which is justly suspected supposititious with the Council at Rome against Apollinaris under Damasus wherein no such thing appears Though I will not deny but that about that time it came to be publickly owned by that Church and was reckoned unto the Canon of the Scripture by Ruffinus § 14 But wherein doth it in the least appear that Eusebius reports the Judgement of Caius or the Roman Church in complyance with the Arians He himself evidently admits the Epistle to be Canonical and confirms it by the testimonies of Clemens Origen and others What would it advantage him or the cause which some pretend he favoured by reporting the opposition of others to a part of divine writt which himself accepted Besides they were not the Arians of the first rank or edition for an inclination unto whom Eusebius is suspected but some of their off-spring which fell out into such Sacrilegious opinions and practices as the first leaders of them owned not that are accused in this matter much less can he be thought to design the reproach of the Roman Church Nay these answers are inconsistent as any one may perceive He could not at the same time design the rejecting of the Epistle in complyance with the Arians and the calumniating of them by whom it was rejected and on whose Authority his intentions must be founded But indeed his words plainly manifest that he gives us a naked account of matter of fact without either prejudice or design It is yet more incredible that Hierome in this matter should suffer himself to be imposed on
and all our opinions must be judged But it being manifest at length that no colour was given unto the unjust severities of the Novatians by any thing in this Epistle it was generally embraced And by the conquest of this opposition established its Authority for the future § 17 Bellarmin chargeth Luther Brentius Chemnitius and the Centuriators with the rejection of this Epistle But because I know that some of them are falsly accused by him I am apt to suspect the same of the rest which I have not the opportunity to consult And so I shall not reckon them amongst the opposers of this Epistle The matter is more certain concerning Cajetan and Erasmus the former in his Preface unto the other in his last Annotation on this Epistle denying it to be St. Pauls and questioning yea indeed rejecting its Canonicall Authority To them we may add Eniedinus proceeding upon the same principles and making use of their Arguments to the same purpose These are the chief if not absolutely all who have at any time made any scruple at the Authority of this Epistle The reasons they make use of to justifie themselves in their conjectures are amassed together by Erasmus in his Note on the 24. Verse of the last Chapter of it But because he mixeth together the Arguments that he insists on to prove St. Paul not to have been the Penman of it and the exceptions he puts in unto its Canonicall Authority which are things of a diverse consideration I shall separate them and first take out those that seem absolutely to impeach its Authority leaving them that oppose its Penman to our ensuing Discourse on that question in particular § 18 The first thing generally pleaded is the uncertainty of its Author or Penman Sola omnium Pauli nomen non praefert saith Erasmus How unjust and groundless this pretence is we shall afterwards fully manifest At present I shall only shew that it is in generall of no importance in this cause The Author of a Writing being certainly known may indeed give some light unto the nature and Authority of it When it is confessed that the Penman of any Book was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or divinely inspired and that by him it was written for the use of the Church there can be no question of its Authority But this last of his design directed by the Holy Ghost must be no less known than the former For a man may write one Book by inspiration and others by a fallible humane Judgement as Solomon seems to have done his Philosophicall Discourses that are lost Again when the Penman of any Writing pretending unto Divine Authority is not esteemed nor doth manifest himself in any thing to have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immediately acted by the Holy Ghost the writing it self must needs be lyable unto just Exception Wherefore it is confessed that when the Author of any Writing is certainly known much light into its Authority and Relation unto the Canon of the Scripture may be thence received But when this is doubtfull nothing can thence satisfactory on either side be concluded And therefore it hath pleased the Holy Ghost to keep the names of the Penmen of many parts of the Scripture in everlasting obscurity for he borrows no Countenance or Authority unto any thing that proceeds by Inspiration from himself from the names of men There is not then the least strength in this exception for be it granted that we are altogether uncertain who was the Penman of this Epistle yet no impeachment of its Authority can thence be taken unless it can be proved that he was not Divinely inspired But yet to shew the insufficiency every way of this Objection we shall abundantly evince that indeed the very ground and foundation of it is feeble and false The Penman of this Epistle being as well and certainly known as those of any portion of Scripture whatever that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some whereof were never doubted nor called into question And at least we shall so far evince St. Paul to have been the Author of it as although we shall not from thence take any Argument to prove its Canonicall Authority because it hath it self been called into question yet as to render an Objection from the uncertainty of its Author altogether unreasonable § 19 The remaining Objections are more particular and direct to their purpose by whom they are pleaded As First that the Author of this Epistle cites sundry things out of the Old Testament which are not therein contained Such are many of the Stories related unto in the 11. Chapter and that in particular in Chap. 12. verse 21. where he affirms that Moses upon the Terror of the sight that appeared unto him said I exceedingly quake and tremble This place Erasmus supposeth Hierom to have intended when he sayes that some things are mentioned in this Epistle that are not recorded in the Old Testament And Aquinas perplexeth himself in seeking for a Solution unto this difficulty For First he would refer the place to Moses sight of the Angell in the Bush and not the giving of the Law contrary to the express Discourse of the Context And then he adds dixit saltem facto though he said not so yet he did so And lastly worst of all vel fortè Apostolus aliâ utitur literâ quam nos non habemus or it may be the Apostle used another Text that we have not But there is no need of any of these evasions The Author quotes no Book nor Testimony of the Old Testament but only relates a matter of fact and one circumstance of it which doubtless he had by Divine Revelation whereof there is no express mention in the place where the whole matter is Originally recorded Thus in the beginning of the Chronicles sundry particular Stories as that about the Children of Ephraim Chap. 7.21 no wher 's before written are reported from the same infallible directions that others of the same time were written withall when they were omitted And it is uncouth way of proving an Author not to write by Divine inspiration because he writeth Truths that he could no otherwise be acquainted withall Neither is it unmeet for him that writes by Divine inspiration to mention things recorded in other Stories whose Truth is unquestionable as those are related unto Chap. 11. It seems to be of more importance that if the Objectors may be believed the § 20 Writer of this Epistle citeth Testimonies out of the Old Testament that are no wayes to his purpose nor at all prove the matter that he produceth them for discovering at least that he wrote with a fallible spirit if not also that he dealt scarcely bona fide in handling the cause which he undertook Cajetan insists on that of the first Chapter verse 5. I will be unto him a Father and he shall be unto me a Son taken from the 2 Sam. 7.14 or 1 Chron. 17. ◠which words as he supposeth no
greatness and urgency of their plea to be admitted unto that series and order These are the Books commonly called Apochrypha not one of them is there wherein humane diligence doth not discover its self to be its fountain and spring Did this Epistle proceed from the same root and principle whence comes it to pass that it no where puts it self forth unto a discovery and conviction for that it doth not so we shall afterwards fully declare Besides to close this consideration the design of the Writer of this Epistle manifests that he sought the Glory of God in Christ according unto his will With this aim and purpose an endeavour to impose that on the Church as an immediate Revelation from God which was the product of his own pains and diligence is utterly inconsistent For by no means could he more dishonour God whose glory in sincerity he appears to have sought nor wrong the Church whose Good he desired to promote than by this imposing on him that whereof he was not the Author so adding unto his words and making himself subject to reproof as a lyar Prov. 30.6 and proposing that unto the Church as a firm and stable rule and object of faith which he knew not to be so leading her thereby into error uncertainty and falshood For this whole Epistle is delivered as the Will and Word of God as coming by Revelation from him without the least intimation of the intervention of the Will Wisdom or Diligence of man any other than is constantly ascribed unto those that declare the will of God by inspiration And if it were not so the evils mentioned cannot be avoided And how groundless this imputation would be our following discourses will manifest And I doubt not but this whole consideration will be and is of weight and moment with them who have their senses exercised in the Scriptures and are enabled by the Spirit breathing in them to discern between Good and Evil Wheat and Chaff Jer. 23.28 § 24 Unto the General Argument we may add the Particular Subject Matter of this Epistle as belonging unto the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it further confirming its Divine Original This for the most part consists in things of pure Revelation and which have no other foundation in rerum natura Some Books even of the Scripture it self are but the narrations of actions done amongst men which for the substance of them might be also recorded by humane diligence But the things treated of in this Epistle are purely divine spiritual and no wayes to be known but by Revelation And not only so but amongst those that are so There are four things eminent in the subject matter of this Epistle First that the principal things treated of in it are matters of the greatest importance in Christian Religion and such as concern the very foundation of faith Such are the Doctrines about the Person Offices and Sacrifice of Christ of the nature of Gospel Worship our Priviledge therein and Communion with God thereby In these things consist the very vitalls of our Profession and they are all opened and declared in a most excellent and heavenly manner in this Epistle and that as we shall manifest in an Absolute Consonancy unto what is taught concerning them in other places of Scripture Secondly In that some things of great moment unto the faith obedience and consolation of the Church that are but obscurely or sparingly taught in any other places of Holy Writt are here plainly fully and excellently taught and improved Such in particular is the Doctrine of the Priesthood of Christ with the nature and excellency of his Sacrifice and the execution of the remaining parts and duty of that Office in Heaven and how the whole of it was typically represented under the Old Testament He that understands aright the importance of these things their use in the faith and consolation of the Church their influence into our whole course of obedience the spiritual priviledge that faith by them interests a believing soul in the strength and supportment that they afford under Temptations and Trials will be ready to conclude that the world may as well want the Sun in the Firmament as the Church this Epistle And this perswasion we hope through Gods assistance to further in our Exposition of it Thirdly Gods way in teaching the Church of the Old Testament with the use and end of all the operous paedogogie of Moses manifesting it to be full of Wisdom Grace and Love is here fully revealed and the whole Aaronical Priesthood with all the duties and Offices of it translated unto the use of Believers under the Gospel How dark Mosaical institutions were in themselves is evident from the whole state of the Church in the dayes of Christ and his Apostles when they could not see unto the end of the things that were to be done away In their nature they were carnal in their number many as to their reason hidden in their observation heavy and burdensome in their outward shew Pompous and glorious by all which they so possessed the minds of the Church that very few saw clearly into the use intention and end of them But in this Epistle the veyle is taken of from Moses the mysterie of his institutions laid open a perfect clew given unto Believers to pass safely through all the turnings and windings of them unto Rest and Truth in Jesus Christ. Those hidden things of the Old Testament appear now unto us full of light and instruction but we are beholding for all our insight into them and benefit which we receive thereby unto the Exposition and Application of them made by the Holy Ghost in this Epistle And how great a portion of Gospel Wisdom and knowledge consists herein all men know who have any spiritual acquaintance with these things Fourthly the grounds reasons causes and manner of that great Alteration which God wrought and caused in his Worship by taking down the ancient glorious Fabrick of it which had been set up by his own appointment are here laid open and manifested and the greatest controversie that ever the Church of God was exercised withall is here fully determined There was nothing in the first Propagation of the Gospel and plantation of Christian Churches that did so divide and perplex the professors of the Truth and retard the work of promulgating the knowledge of Christ and the worship of God in him as the difference that was about the continuation and observation of Mosaical Rites and Ceremonies To such an height was this difference raised so zealously were the parties at variance ingaged in the pursuit of their various apprehensions of the mind of God in this matter that the Apostles themselves thought meet for a season rather to umpire and compose the controversie by leaving the Jews free to their observation and bringing the Gentiles unto a condescention in things of the greatest exasperation than absolutely and precisely to determine the whole matter between them And
of the Sacred Style is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if Truth Gravity Authority and Majesty can render it so nor can any instance be given to the contrary And Secondly it every where becometh the Subject Matter it treateth of which because it is various it is impossible that the Style wherein it is expressed should be Vniform when yet notwithstanding all its variety it every where keeps its own property to be in Gravity and Authority still like unto its self and unlike to or distinct from all other Writings whatsoever Whence Austin rightly of the Holy Penmen Audeo dicere omnes qui rectè intelligunt quod illi loquuntur simul intelligere non eos aliter loqui debuisse I dare say that whosoever understands what they speak will also understand that they ought not to have spoken otherwise And Origen of the Writings of St. Paul in particular If any one saith he give himself to the diligent Reading of his Epistles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know full well that either he will admire his great Conceptions and Sentences under a plain and vulgar Style or he will shew himself very ridiculous The things treated of in the Scripture are for the most part Heavenly Spiritual Supernatural Divine and nothing can be more fond than to look for such things to be expressed in a Flourish of Words and with various Ornaments of Speech fit to lead away the minds of men from that which they are designed wholly to be gathered unto the Admiration and Contemplation of Bodies that have a native Beauty and Harmony in the Composition of their parts are advantaged more by being clothed with fit Garments than by the Ornaments of gay Attire And the Spiritual Native Beauty of Heavenly Truths is better conveyed unto the minds of men by Words and Expressions fitted unto it plainly and simply than by any Ornaments of enticing Speech whatever and therefore we say with Austin that there is not any thing delivered in the Scripture but just as it ought to be and as the Matter requires Thirdly The Style of the holy Penmen is in a gracious condescension suited unto them and their capacity whereof far the greatest part of them with whom they had to do consisted This Origen at large insists upon in the beginning of his Fifth Book against Celsus The Philosophy and Oratory of the Heathen was suited principally if not solely to their capacity that were learned this the Authors and Professors of it aimed at namely that they might approve their skill and ability unto those who were able to judge of them The Scripture was written for the good of mankind in general and without the least design of any contemporation of it self to the Learning and Wisdom of men And this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Condescension unto the common Reason Sense Usage and Experience of mankind in general is very admirable in the holy Pen-men and absolutely peculiar unto them In this universal suitableness unto all the concernments of it consists that excellent simplicity of the Scripture Style whereby it plainly and openly without fraudulent Ornaments in common and usual Speech declares things Divine Spiritual and Heavenly with an holy accommodation of them to the understanding and capacities of men in such occasional variety as yet never diverts from those properties and characters wherein the Vniformity of the whole doth consist § 30 Besides all these Excellencies of the Style of Holy Writ with others that may be added unto them there is in it a secret Energy and efficacy for the subjecting of the minds of men unto its intention in all things Whether this prâ—ceed only and be imparted unto it from the matters treated of which are holy and heavenly or whether it be communicated unto it immediately by an impression of his Authority upon it by whom it is given out or whether it arise from both of them all that are conversant in it with faith and reverence do find the Truth of our Assertion by experience And Origen amongst others speaks excellently to this purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The holy Scripture teacheth us that what is spoken though in it self it be true and fit to perswade is not able to conquer the minds of men unless power from God be communicated to the Speaker and Grâ—â—e from him do flourish in the things spoken themselves and it is not withâ—ut Divine influency thâ—t they speak with efficacy Hence ariseth the Spiritual peculiar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Divine â—riters termed by St. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the demonstration of the Spirit and of power And herein as on other accounts the Word of God is quick and powerfull and sharper than any two edged sword Heb. 4.12 by which living Energy and Authority it evacuated and brought to nought all the Wisdom of this World that is all Philosophical Conceptions with all the Ornaments of Eloquence and Oratory The excellent Discourse of Austin on this Subject de Doctri Christiana lib. 4. cap. 6. is very well worthy consideration whither I refer the Reader that I may not too far divert from my present particular design § 31 What ever hath been thus spoken concerning the Style of the Sacred Scripture in General it is as applicable unto this Epistle unto the Hebrews as to any one portion of Holy Writ what ever That Simplicity Gravity Vnaffectedness suitableness to its Author Matter and End which commends the whole unto us are eminent in this part of it that Authority Efficacy and Energy which are implanted on the whole by him who supplied both sense and words unto the Penmen of it exert themselves in this Epistle also No defect in any of these can be charged on it that should argue it of any other extract than the whole Nothing so far singular as to be inconsistent with that harmony which in all their variety there is among the Books of the Holy Scripture as to the style and kind of Speech is any where to be found in it If any where as in the beginning of the first Chapter the Style seems to swell in its current above the ordinary banks of the Writings of the New Testament it is from the greatness and sublimity of the Matter treated on which was not capable of any other kind of Expression Doth the Penman of it any where use Words or Phrases not commonly or rarely or perhaps no where else used in the sense and way wherein they are by him applied it is because his Matter is peculiar and not elsewhere handled at least not on the same Principles nor to the same purpose as by him Doth he oftentimes speak in an Old Testament Dialect pressing Words and Expressions to the service and sâ—nse they were imployed in under the Tabernacle and Temple after they had been manumitted as it were and made free from their Typical importance in the Service and Spiritual Sense of the Gospel it is from the consideration of their state and
nature which he insisted on had been incumbent on him to have declared that he might not lead the Church into a pernicious error in embracing that as given by Inspiration from God which was but a fruit of his Diligence and fallible Indeavours But on the contrary he speaks as in the name of God referring unto him all that he delivers nor can in any Minute Instance be convicted to have wanted his Assistance Circumstances of the general Argument of a Book may also convince it of an humane § 36 or fallible Original This they do for instance in the Book of Judith For such a Nebuchadonosor as should raign in Ninive Chap. 1. v. 1. and make War with Arphaxad King of Ecbatane ver 13. whose Captains and Officers should know nothing at all of the Nation of the Jews Chap. 5. v. 3. that waged War against them in the dayes of Joakim or as other Copies Eliakim the High Priest Ch. 4.5 after whose Defeat the Jews should have peace for eighty years at the least Ch. 16.28.30 is an imagination of that which never had subsistence in rerum natura or a representation of what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Jewish Woman ought as the Author of it conceived undertake for the good of her Country Setting aside the consideration of all other discoveries of the fallibility of the whole Discourse This alone is sufficient to impeach its reputation Our Epistle is no way obnoxious unto any exception of this nature Yea the state of things in the Churches of God and among the Hebrews in particular did at that time administer so just and full occasion unto a Writing of this kind as gives countenance unto its ascription unto the Wisdom and Care of the Holy Ghost For if the eruption of the poysonous brood of Hereticks questioning the Deity of the Son of God in Cerinthus gave occasion to the Writing of the Gospel by St. John and if the Dissentions in the Church of Corinth deserved two Epistles for their composition and the lesser Differences between Believers of the Jews and Gentiles in and about the things treated of in this Epistle had a remedy provided for them in the Epistles of St. Paul unto them is it not at least probable that the same Spirit who moved the Penmen of those Books to Write and directed them in their so doing did also provide for the removal of the Prejudices and healing of the Distempers of the Hebrews which were so great and of so great importance unto all the Churches of God And that there is weight in this Consideration when we come to declare the Time when this Epistle was written will evidently appear The most manifest Eviction of any Writing pretending unto the priviledge of Divine Inspiration may be taken from the Subject Matter of it or the things taught and declared therein God himself being the first and only Essential Truth nothing § 37 can proceed from him but what is absolutely so and Truth being but one every way Vniform and Consonant unto it self there can be no discrepancy in the branches of it nor contrariety in the streams that flow from that one Fountain God is also Holy Glorious in Holiness and nothing proceeds immediately from him but it bears a stamp of his Holiness as also of his Greatness and Wisdom If then any thing in the Subject Matter of any Writing be Vntrue Impious Light or any way contradictory to the Ascertained Writings of Divine Inspiration all Pleas and pretences unto that priviledge must cease for ever We need no other Proof Testimony or Argument to evince its Original than what its self tenders unto us And by this means also do the Books commonly called Apochryphal unto which the Romanists ascribe Canonical Authority destroy their own pretentions They have all of them on this account long since been cast out of the limits of any tolerable defence Now that no one portion of Scripture is less obnoxious to any exception of this kind from the Subject Matter treated of and Doctrines delivered in it then this Epistle we shall by Gods assistance manifest in our Exposition of the whole and each particular passage of it Neither is it needful that we should here prolong our Discourse by anticipating any thing that must necessarily afterwards in its proper place be insisted on The place startled at by some Chap. 6. about the impossibility of the recovery of Apostates was touched on before and shall afterwards be fully cleared Nor do I know any other use to be made of observing the scruple of some of Old about the countenance given to the Novatians by that place but only to make a Discovery how partially men in all Ages have been addicted unto their own apprehensions in things wherein they differed from others for whereas if the Opinions of the Novatians had been confirmed in the place as it is not it had been their duty to have relinquished their own Hypothesis and gone over unto them some of them discovered a mind rather to have broken in upon the Authority of God himself declared in his Word than so to have done And it is greatly to be feared that the same Spirit still working in others is as effectual in them to reject the plain sense of the Scripture in sundry places as it was ready to have been in them to reject the words of it in this The Style and Method of a Writing may be such as to lay a just Prejudice against its claim of Canonical Authority For although the Subject Matter of a Writing may be good and honest in the main of it and generally suited unto the Analogie of faith § 38 yet there may be in the manner of its composure and Writing such an Ostentation of Wit Fancy Learning or Eloquence such an affectation of Words Phrases and Expressions such Rhetorical paintings of things small and inconsiderable as may sufficiently demonstrate humane Ambition Ignorance Pride or Desire of Applause to have been mixed in the forming and producing of it Much of this Hierom observes in particular concerning the Book entituled the Wisdom of Solomon Written as it is supposed by Philo an Eloquent and Learned man redolet Graecam Eloquentiam This consideration is of deserved moment in the Judgement we are to make of the spring or fountain from whence any Book doth proceed For whereas great variety of Style and in manner of Writings may be observed in the Penmen of Canonical Scripture yet in no one of them do the least footsteps of the failings and sinful infirmities of corrupted nature before mentioned appear When therefore they manifest themselves they cast out the Writings wherein they are from that Harmony and consent which in general appears amongst all the Books of Divine Inspiratâ—on Of the Style of this Epistle we have spoken before Its Gravity Simplicity Majesty and absolute suitableness unto the High Holy and Heavenly Mysteries treated of in it are as far as I can find not only very
was the fittest to be used in this employment and how well all things of this nature agree unto St. Paul we shall see afterwards § 5 Some have assigned the Writing of this Epistle unto Barnabas Clemens Origen Eusebius make no mention of him Tertullian was the Author of this Opinion and it is reported as his by Hierom. Philastrius also remembers the report of it And it is of late defended by Camero as the former concerning Luke by Grotius whose Reasons for his conjecture are confuted with some sharpness by Spanhemius mindful as it seems of his Fathers Controversie with some of his Scholars The Authority of Tertullian is the sole foundation of this Opinion But as the Book wherein he mentions it was written in his Paroxysme when he uttered not that only unadvisedly so he seems not to lay much weight on the Epistle it self only preferring it unto the Apochryphal Hermes Receptior saith he apud Ecclesias Epistola Barnabae illo Apocrypho pastore Maechorum And we have shewed that the Latin Church was for a time somewhat unacquainted with this Epistle so that it is no marvel if one of them should mistake its Author Grotius would disprove this Opinion from the dissimilitude of its style and that which goes under the name of Barnabas which is corrupt and barbarous But there is little weight in that Observation that Epistle being certainly spurious no way savouring the Wisdom or Spirit of him on whom it hath been vulgarly imposed But yet that it was that Epistle which is cited by some of the Antients under the name of Barnabas and not this unto the Hebrews is well proved by Baronius from the names that Hierom mentions out of that Epistle which are no where to be found in this to the Hebrews But that Epistle of Barnabas is an open fruit of that vanity which prevailed in many about the third and fourth Ages of the Church of personating in their Writings some Apostolical Persons wherein they seldom or never kept any good decorum as might easily be manifested in this particular instance As to our present Case the Reason before mentioned is of the same validity against this as the other Opinion concerning Luke whereunto others of an equal evidence may be added Barnabas was not an Apostle properly and strictly so called nor had Apostolical Mission or Authority but rather seems to have been one of the LXX Disciples as Epiphanius affirms And Eusebius a Person less credulous than he acknowledging that a just and true Catalogue of them could not be given yet placeth Barnabas as the first of them concerning whom all agreed Much weight indeed I shall not lay hereon seeing it is evident that the Catalogues given us by the Antients of those Disciples are nothing but a rude Collection of such names as they found in the Books of the New Testament applied without Reason or Testimony but Apostle he was none Many circumstances also concurr to the removal of this conjecture The Epistle was written in Italy Chap. 13.24 where it doth not appear that Barnabas ever was The fabulous Author I confess of the Rhapsedy called the Recognitions of Clemens tells us that Barnabas went to Rome taking along Clemens with him and returning into Judaea found St. Peter at Caesarea But St. Luke in the Acts gives us another account both where Barnabas was and how he was employed at the time intimated by him who knew nothing of those things For whilst St. Peter was at Caesarea Acts 10.1 Barnabas was at Hierusalem Acts 9.27 being a little while after sent to Antioch by the Apostles chap. 11.22 Again Timothy was the Companion of the Writer of this Epistle chap. 13.23 a Person as far as appears unknown unto Barnabas being taken into St. Pauls Society after their difference and separation Acts 15.39 chap. 16.1 He had also been in bonds or imprisonment chap. 10.34 whereof we cannot at that time learn any thing concerning Barnabas those of St. Paul being known unto all And lastly not long before the Writing of this Epistle Barnabas was so far from that Light into and Apprehension of the nature use and expiration of Judaical Rites herein expressed that he was easily mislead into a practical miscarriage in the observation of them Gal. 2.13 wherein although some after Hieroms fancy that the difference between St. Peter and St. Paul was only in pretence have laboured to free St. Peter and his Companions on other grounds from any sinful failing as it should seem in a direct opposition unto the Testimony of St. Paul affirming that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that particular he was to be blamed or condemned vâ—r 11. not unlike him who hath written a justification of Aaron in his making the Golden Calf yet that Barnabas was not come up unto any constancy in his practice about Mosaical Institutions is evident from the Text. And shall we suppose that He who but a little before upon the coming of some few Brethren of the Church of Jerusalem from St. James durst not avouch and abide by his own personal Liberty but deserted the use of it not without some blameable dissimulation Gal. 2.13 should now with so much Authority write an Epistle unto that Church with St. James and all the Hebrews in the world concurring with them in Judgement and Practice about that very thing wherein himself out of respect unto them had particularly miscarried This certainly was rather the work of St. Paul whose Light and Constancy in the Doctrine delivered in this Epistle with his engagements in the defence of it above all the rest of the Apostles is known from the story of the Acts and his own other Writings Apollos hath been thought by some to be the Penman of this Epistle and that because § 6 it answers the Character given of him For it is said that he was an Eloquent man mighty in the Scripture fervent in Spirit and one that mightily convinced the Jews out of the Scripture it self Acts 18.24 28. all which things appear throughout this whole Discourse But this Conjecture hath no Countenance from Antiquity no mention being made of any Epistle written by Apollos or of any thing else so that he is not reckoned by Hierom amongst the Ecclesiastical Writers nor by those who interpolated that work with some Fragments out of Sophronius Nor is he reported by Clemens Origen or Eusebius to have been by any esteemed the Author of this Epistle However I confess somewhat of moment might have been apprehended in the Observation mentioned if the Excellencies ascribed unto Apollos had been peculiar unto him yea had they not all of them been found in St. Paul and that in a manner and degree more eminent than in the other But this being so the ground of this Conjecture is taken from under it Origen Eusebius and Hierom in the places forecited mention a report concerning some § 7 who ascribed this Epistle unto Clemens Romanus
this Epistle to have been written by St. Paul the Testimony given unto it by St. Peter deserves Consideration in the first place and is indeed of it self sufficient to determine the Enquiry about it His Words to this purpose Epist. 2. Chap. 3. v. 15 16. are And account that the Long-suffering of our Lord is Salvation even as our beloved Brother Paul also according unto the Wisdom given unto him hath written unto you as also in all his Epistles speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction To clear this Testimony some few things must be observed in it and concerning it As 1. That St. Peter wrote this Second Epistle unto the same Persons that is the same Churches and People to whom he wrote his First This to omit other Evidences of it himself testifies Chap. 3.1 This Second Epistle Beloved I now write unto you it was not only absolutely his Second Epistle but the Second which he wrote to the same Persons handling in both the same general Argument as himself in the next words affirms 2. That his First Epistle was written unto the Jews or Hebrews in the Asian Dispersion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. to the Elect Strangers of the Dispersion of Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia Chap. 1.1 that is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. James styles the same Persons Chap. 1.1 the twelve Tribes or Hebrews of the twelve Tribes of Israel in their Dispersion These 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are those whom the Jews of Jerusalem called the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 7.35 the Dispersion or those of their Nation that were dispersed among the Gentiles Those especially they intend in the Greek Empire These they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dispersion or scattering of Israel when they were sifted amongst all Nations like the sifting of a Sieve Amos 9.9 Psal. 147.2 they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the LXX according to the Phrase in their dayes render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the dispersions or those scattered abroad of Israel as Isaiah calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 27. v. 13. So that there is no question but that these were they whom St. Peter calls the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Pontus Galatia c. As St. James extending his Salutation to the same people in all places the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Twelve Tribes Besides many things insisted on by St. Peter in these Epistles were peculiar to the Hebrews who also were his especial Care See 1 Epist. Chap. 1.10 11 12. Chap. 2.9 21. Chap. 3.5.6 Chap. 4.7 17. Eph. 2.19 20 21. Chap. 2.1 11 c. Chap. 3.10 11 12 13 14. and many other particular places of the same nature may be observed in them To summ up our Evidence in this particular Peter being in an especial manner the Apostle of the Circumcision or Hebrews Gal. 2.7 having by his first Sermon converted many of these strangers of Cappadocia Pontus and Asia Acts 2.9 10 41. ascribing that Title unto them to whom he wrote which was the usual and proper Appellation of them in all the World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 1.1 John 7.35 treating with them for the most part about things peculiar to them in a special manner and that with Arguments and from Principles peculiarly known unto them as the places above quoted will manifest there remains no ground of Question but it was those Hebrews unto whom he wrote Nor are the Exceptions that are made to this Evidence of any such importance as once to deserve a remembrance by them who design not a protracting of their Discourses by insisting on things unnecessary Now it is plain in this Testimony asserted That St. Paul wrote a peculiar Epistle unto § 22 them unto whom St. Peter wrote his that is to the Hebrews he hath written unto you as also in all his Epistles that is in all his other Epistles Besides his other Epistles to other Churches and Persons he hath also written one unto you So that if St. Peters Testimony may be received St. Paul undoubtedly wrote an Epistle unto the Hebrews But this may be say some another Epistle and not this we treat on particularly that to the Galatians which treateth about Judaical Customs and Worship But this Epistle mentioned by St. Peter was written particularly unto the Hebrews in distinction from the Gentiles This to the Galatians is written peculiarly to the Gentiles in opposition to the Jewes so that a more unhappy instance could not possibly have been fixed upon Besides he treats not in it of the things here mentioned by St. Peter which are indeed the main Subject of the Epistle to the Hebrews But say others Paul indeed might write an Epistle to the Hebrews which may be lost and this that we have might be written by some other But whence this Answer should proceed but from a resolution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against Light and Conviction I know not May we give place to such rash and presumptuous Conjectures we shall quickly have nothing left entire or stable For why may not another as well say it is true Moses wrote Five Books but they are lost and these that we have under his Name were written by another It is not surely one jot less intolerable for any one without ground proof or Testimony to affirm that the Church hath lost an Epistle written to the Hebrews by St. Paul and taken up one in the room thereof written by no man knoweth whom This is not to deal with that Holy Reverence in the things of God which becomes us St. Peter declares that St. Paul in that Epistle which he wrote unto the Hebrews had § 23 declared the Long-suffering of God whereof he had minded them to be salvation We must see what was this Long-suffering of God how it was Salvation and how Paul had manifested it so to be The Long-sufferance Patience or Forbearance of God is either absolute toward man in general or special in reference unto some sort of Men or some kind of Sins or Provocations that are amongst them The first of these is not that which is here intended Nor was there any reason why St. Peter should direct the Jews to the Epistles of St. Paul in particular to learn the Long-suffering of God in General which is so plentifully revealed in the whole Scripture both of the Old and New Testament and only occasionly at any time mentioned by St. Paul There was therefore an Especial Long-suffering of God which at that time he exercised towards the Jews waiting for the Conversion and the gathering of his Elect unto him before that total and final destruction which they had deserved should come upon that Church and State This he compares to the Long-suffering of God
I will wait for him so that their words seem to be taken from this place of the Apostle as apprehending his Testimony to be cited from the Prophet which that it is not we shall prove evidently afterwards The same Verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold I and the children which God hath given me From Isa. 8.17 CHAP. III. § 6 VEr 7 8 9 10 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the day of Provocation in the day of Temptation in the Wilderness when your Fathers tempted me proved me and saw my Works forty years wherefore I was grieved with that Generation and said they do alwayes err in heart and they have not known my wayes so I swore in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest From Psalm 95. v. 7 8 9 10 11. The Translation of the LXX agrees with the words of the Apostle both of them answering the Original Only the Apostle clearly to express the Reason of Gods Judgements on that people in the Wilderness distinguisheth the Words somewhat otherwise than they are in the Hebrew Text. For whereas that saith When your Fathers tempted me proved me and saw my Works Forty years long was I grieved with that Generation The Apostle adds that season of forty years to the mention of their sins and interposing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherefore refers his Speech unto the words foregoing as containing the cause of the ensuing Wrath and Judgement And although our present Copies of the Greek Bibles distinguish the Words according to the Hebrew Text yet Theodoret informs us that some Copies made the distinction with the Apostle and added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which also is observed by Nobilius and this could arise from no other cause but an attempt to insert the very words of the Apostle in that Text as did the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also reckoned amongst its various Sections though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remain in the vulgar Editions CHAP. IV. § 7 VEr 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And God râ—sted on the seventh day from all his works From Gen. 2. v. 2. The Apostle adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Text to complâ—â—t his Assertion and leaves out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he had made as to his purpose The LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and otherwise also differing from the Apostle CHAP. V. VEr 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou art a Priest for ever after § 8 the Order of Melchisedech From Psalm 110. v. 4. So also the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Jod superfluous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mos. There is nothing of Variety remaining in these words from any other Translations Ver. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessing I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee From Gen. 22. v. 17. The LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will multiply thy seed CHAP. VIII VEr 9 10 11 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 § 9 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold the dayes come saith the Lord when I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the Land of Aegypt because they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord. For this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Laws in their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people And they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his Brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them For I will be mercifull to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquity will I remember no more From Jer. 31. v. 32 33 34 35. Instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his neighbor ver 11. the LXX read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his fellow Citizen But some Copies of the LXX read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and some of this Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which makes it evident that there hath been tampering to bring them to Vniformity But the greatest difficulty of this Quotation ariseth from the Agreement of the Apostles words and the Translation of the LXX where both of them seem to depart from the Original For those words in the Hebrew Text v. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which my Covenant they made void and I was an Husband unto them or ruled over them are rendered by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not The Reason of the Apostles Translation of those words we shall manifest and vindicate in our Exposition of the Context At present the coincidence of it with that of the LXX and that wherein they both seem to differ from the Original and all Translations besides the Syriack and the Arabick which are made out of it though the Syriack follow it not in the confused transpositions that are made of Jeremiah's Prophesies from Chap. 25. to Chap. 40. as the Arabick doth is only to be considered which shall be done so soon as we have recounted the remaining Testimonies whereof some are attended with the same difficulty CHAP. IX § 10 VEr 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is the blood of the Covenant which God hath enjoyned unto you From Exod. 24.8 The sense of the Hebrew Text is alluded unto not the words absolutely The LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with much difference from the words of the Apostle CHAP. X. § 11 VEr 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldst not have a Body thou hast prepared me From Psalm 40. v. 6. So also the LXX both with great difference from the Original For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my ears hast thou digged or bored is rendered a Body thou hast prepared me Of the Reason of which difference and agreement we shall treat afterwards Ver. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast not required the Apostle expresseth exactly the sense of the Holy Ghost but observes not the first exact signification of the word The LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in some copies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soughtest not Ver. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold I come in the Head or beginning of the Book it is written of me to do thy will O God That is Gen. 3. v. 15. Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the roll of the Book Symmachus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
seven Treatises containing seventy one Chapters The fourth by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nezikim about loss and dammage and is divided into eight Massicktot whereof the first is divided into three parts called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first middle and last port or entrance containing in them thirty Chapters whereunto forty four are added in the following parts The fifth by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kodoshim of Sanctifications and is divided into eleven Books containing ninety Chapters The sixth with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Teharoth of Purifications in twelve Books and one hundred twenty six Chapters Unto this Mishnae of R. Juda they annex the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tosiphot or additions of § 10 Rabbi Chaiah his Scholar expounding many passages in his Masters works to them a more full explanation of the same doctrine of the Mishnae which they call Baracetot is subjoyned being the Collection of some Antitalmudicall Masters About three hundred years after the Destruction of the Temple R. Johanan composed the Hierusalem Talmud consisting in Expositions Comments and Disputes upon the whole Mishnae excepting the last part about Purifications An hundred years or thereabouts after that Rabbi Ase composed the Babylonian Talmud or Gemara thirty two years they say he spent in this work yet leaving it unfinished seventy one years after it was compleated by his Disciples And the whole work of both these Talmuds may be referred unto five heads For first they expound the Text of the Mishnae 2. Decide Questions of right and fact 3. Report the Disputations Traditions and Constitutions of the Doctors that lived between them and the Writing of the Mishnae 4. Give Allegorical monstrous Expositions of the Scripture which they call Midrashoth and 5. Report Stories of the like nature § 11 This at length is their Orall Law grown into and in the learning and practising of these things consists the whole Religion and Worship of the Jews there being not the most absurd saying of any of their Doctors in those huge heaps of folly and vanity that they do not equall unto nay that they are not ready to preferr before the Written Word that perfect and only Guide of their Church whilest God was pleased with it In the dust of this confusion here they dwell loving this darkness more than light because their deeds are evil Having for many generations entertained a prejudicate imagination that these traditional Figments amongst which their crafty Masters have inserted many filthy and blasphemous Fables against our Lord Christ and his Gospel are of Divine Authority and having utterly lost the spiritual sense of the written Word they are by it sealed up in blindness and obdurateness and shall be so untill the vail be taken away when the appointed time of their deliverance shall come A brief discovery of the falseness of this fancy of their Orall Law which is the foundation of all that huge building of Lyes and Vanities that their Talmuds are composed of shall put an end to this Discourse § 12 1. The very Story of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai sufficiently discovers the folly of this imagination This Orall Law the Jews are ready on all occasions to prefer before that which is written and do openly profess that without it the other is of no use unto them I desire then to know whence it is that all the circumstances of the giving and teaching of the less necessary are so exactly recorded but not one word is spoken of this Orall Law either of Gods revealing of it to Moses or of Moses teaching of it to Joshua or any others Strange that so much should be recorded of every circumstance of the less principal lifeless Law and not one word of either substance or circumstance of that which is if these men may be believed the very life and soul of the other Maimonides in Jad Chazaka tells us there is mention made of it in Exod. 24.12 I will give ye saith the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Law and Commandment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he is the Written Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Orall when the next words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I have written that thou mayest teach them the Written Law being on several accounts expressed by both those terms and no other How know they that any such Law was given to Moses as they pretend What Testimony Witness or Record of it was had or made at the time of its giving or in many generations for two thousand years afterwards § 13 2. Did their Fore-fathers at any time before the Captivity transgress this Orall Law or did they not If they say they did not but kept it and observed it diligently we may easily see of what importance it is that the most strict Obsâ—evation of it would not preserve them from all manner of wickedness and what an hedge it is to the Written Law when notwithstanding the obedience yielded unto it that was utterly despised and neglected if they shall say that Law also was broken by them I desire to know whence it comes to pass that whereas God by his Prophets doth reprove them for all their other sins and in particular for contempt of his Written Law the Statutes Ordinances and Institutions of it he no where once mentioneth this their greater guilt of despising the Orall Law but there is as universall a silence concerning its transgression as there is of its giving and institution Can we have any greater evidence of its being fictitious than this that whereas it is pretended that it is the main Rule of their Obedience to God God did never reprove them for the transgression of it though whilest he owned them as his Church and People he suffered none of their sins to pass by unreproved especially not any of that importance which this is by them pretended to be of 3. Moses was commanded to write the whole Law that he received from God and did so accordingly Exod. 24.3 4. Chap. 34.28 Deut. 31.9 24. Where was this Orall Law which they say was not to be written when Moses was commanded to write the whole Law that he had received of God and did accordingly This New Law was not then coyned being indeed nothing but the product of their Apostacy from the Law which was written 4. The sole ground and foundation of this Orall Law lyes in the imperfection of the Written Law This is that which they plead for the necessity of it The written Law extends not to all necessary cases that occurr in Religion many things are redundant many wanting in it and hereof they gather great heaps of Instances so that they will grant that if the Written Law had been perfect there had been no need of this Traditional one But whom in this matter shall we believe a few ignorant Jews or God himself bearing witness that his
of them on especial Occasions were so Thence were they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Annointed Ones And because this Annointing with Oyle was not appointed for its own sake but for somewhat signified thereby those who received the thing so signified although not actually annointed with corporeal Oyle are called Annointed ones also Psalm 105. v. 15. Now this Promised Seed this Saviour or Deliverer being appointed of God to perform his Work in the discharge of a Triple Office of King Priest and Prophet unto his Sacred People and being furnished with those Gifts and Endowments which were signified by the Annointing Oyle is by an Antanomasia called the Messiah Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Messiah the King Dan. 9.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Messiah the Prince Ruler or Leader and v. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Messiah absolutely The Greeks render this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which twice occurs in the New Testament where Persons of the Jewish Faith and Church are introduced expressing the Saviour they looked for John 1. v. 41. Chap. 4. v. 25. Otherwise the Holy Penmen constantly call the same Person by another name of the same signification in the Language wherein they wrote with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Annointed One Christ. The Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latine Messiah seem rather to be taken immediately from the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Messicha than from the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Messiach and to come nearer unto it in sound and Pronunciation It is true that the name is sometimes applied unto prophane and wicked men with respect unto the Office or Work whereunto they were of God designed as to Saul 1 Sam. 24. v. 7. and to Cyrus Isaiah 45. v. 1. And the Jews call the Priest who was to sound the Trumpet when the People went forth to Battel Deut. 20. v. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the annointed unto the War But as was said it is applied by the way of Eminency unto the Promised Seed unto others by way of Allusion and with respect unto their Office and present Work Exercitatio IX The First Promise explained in the subsequent The Name Messiah seldom used in the Original frequently in the Targums Places applyed unto him therein Gen. 3.15 Vse of their Testimony against the present Jewes Gen. 35.21 Occasion of the mention of the Messiah in that place from Micah 4.8 Genesis 49.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first mentioned V. 10. Vntill Shilo come Agreement of Targums Exod. 12. v. 42. Christ typified by the Paschal Lamb. Exod. 40.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who Dan. 9.25 Numb 11.26 Tradition about the Prophecying of Eldad and Medad Numb 23.21 Chap. 24.7 17 20 24. Consent of Targums Talmudists Cabalists Deut. 18.15 16 17 18 19. The Prophet promised who 1 Sam. 2.10 Hannas Prophecy of Christ. 2 Sam. 23.3 Davids in his lasts words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Kings 4.33 Solomons Prophecie Light of the Church increased by David Psal. 2. Vindicated Psal. 18. v. 32. Psal. 21.3 4. Psal. 45. Psal. 68. Psal. 69. Psal. 72. Targum Midrash Commentators Vulgar Latin corrupted and the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What. Psal. 80. v. 16 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how to be rendered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who Psal. 110. Prophesie of the Messiah Confession of the Jews Of the Targum in Solomons Song Isa. 2.2 3 4. Chap. 4. v. 2. Vindicated Chap. 9. v. 6. Sense of the Targum on the place Vulgar Latin noted Intanglements of the Jews from this Testimony Four things promised not agreeing to Hezekia Answer of Jarchi Kimchi Aben Ezra The Name mentioned whose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who Answer of Abarbinel Of the increase of his Government Chap. 10. v. 27. Chap. 11.1 Abarbinels Prediction of the ruine of the Christians Isaiah 16. v. 1. Chap. 28. v. 5. Chap. 42. v. 1. Jeremiah 23. v. 5. Corruption of Old Translations Purity of the Original Messiah Jehovah our Righteousness Ezek. 37. v. 24. Jerem. 30.21 Jerem. 33.15 16 Hos. 3.5 Hos. 14.8 Micha 5.2 Vindicated Kimchi's Blasphemy Zech. 3.8 Chap. 4.7 Chap. 6.12 Chap. 10.4 Chap. 9.9 Chap. 11.12 13. Chap. 12.10 Conclusion HAving considered the first great Promise concerning the Messiah and evinced § 1 from thence the nature of his Work and Office as also shewed in generall how Testimony is given unto him throughout the Old Testament and whence his Name is derived we shall now moreover enquire in particular into those places where he is expresly foretold promised or prophesied of that we may thence gather what farther Light concerning his Person and Natures with his employment was granted unto the Church of old which the present Jews wilfully reject And herein as I aim not to collect all the Prophecies and Promises which God gave concerning him by the mouth of his holy Prophets from the foundation of the World but only to single out some of the most eminent that give us a direct description of his Person or his Grace in answer unto or the confirmation of what hath been already discoursed about them so I shall have an especial respect unto them which the Jews themselves do acknowledge to belong unto him There is a Book written by Abarbinel which he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein he undertakes to explain all those Texts of Scripture or Prophecies which cannot be understood either Spiritually or of the Second Temple but of their Redemption by the Messiah This at present among others I am forbidden the use of which might have been of Advantage in the present design I shall therefore principally insist on those places which are applied unto him in the Targums the most Authentick Writings amongst them whereunto some others shall be added which I have observed to be interpreted unto the same purpose in the best of their Commentators The name of Messiah is but twice or thrice at most used in the Old Testament directly § 2 and immediately to denote the Promised Seed Namely Dan. 9. v. 25. and v. 26. whereunto Psalm 2. v. 2. may be added But this Name on the Reasons before given prevailing in the Judaical Church it is frequently made use of and inserted in the Targums where he is treated of although he be not expresly named in the Original Elias in his Methurgamim reckons up fifty of those places whereunto one and twenty more are added by Buxtorfius The Principal of these deserve our Consideration considering that some of the most eminent of them are denyed by the latter Jews to belong unto him those especially which give Testimony unto that part of the faith of Christians concerning him his Person and Office which by them is opposed or denyed And this consent of the Targums is of great weight against them as containing an Evidence of what Perswasion prevailed amongst them before such time as they suited all their Expositions of Scripture unto their own infidelity in
laboured to defend their obstinacy and unbelief And this we shall engage into with as much briefness as the nature of the matter treated of will admit Many are the Books which they have written among themselves mostly in the Hebrew Tongue and some in other Languages but the Hebrew Character against Christians and their Religion Unto sundry of these they give triumphant insulting Titles as though they had undoubtedly obtained a perfect Victory over their Adversaries but the Books themselves in nothing answer their specious Frontispieces Take away wilful mistakes gross Paralogisms false Stories and some few Grammatical nicities and they vanish into nothing What is spoken by them or for them that seems to have any weight shall be produced and examined Sundry things they object unto the Doctrine of the Gospel concerning the Person of the Messiah or his being God and man the rejection of the Mosaical Ceremonies and Law which they deem eternal and many exceptions they lay against particular passages and expressions in the Historical Books of the New Testament But all these things have been long since cleared and answered by others and I have also my self spoken to the most important of them partly in the preceding Discourses partly in my defence of the Deity and satisfaction of Christ against the Socinians For what concerns the Law of Moses and the abolition of it as to the Ceremonious Worship therein instituted it must be at large insisted on in that Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews which these discourses are only intended to make way unto I shall not here therefore enter upon a particular discussion of their Opinions Arguments and Objections about these things besides they belong not immediately to the subject of our present Discourse It is about the coming of the Messiah simply that we are disputing this we assert to be long since past the Jews deny him to be yet come living in the hope and expectation of him which at present is in them but as the giving up of the Ghost The means whereby this dying deceiving hope is supported in them comes now under examination and this alone is the subject of our ensuing Discourse To countenance themselves then in their denial of the coming of the Messiah they do § 2 all of them make use of one general Argument which they seek to confirm in and by several instances Now this is that the Promises made and recorded to be accomplished at the coming of the Messiah are not fulfilled and therefore the Messiah is not yet come This fills up their Books of Controversies and is constantly made use of by their Expositors so often as any occasion seems to offer its self unto them The Messiah say they was promised of old Together with him and to be wrought by him many other things were promised These things they see not at all fulfilled nay not those which contain the only work and business that he was promised for and therefore they will not â—elieve that he is come This general Argument I say they seek to confirm by instances wherein they reckon up all the promises which they suppose as yet unaccomplished and so endeavour to establish their Conclusion These we shall afterwards cast under the several heads whereunto they do belong and return that answer which the Word of Truth its self and the event do manifest to be the mind of God in them For the present unto their general Argument we say that all the Promises concerning the coming of the Messiah are actually fulfilled and those which concern his Grace and Kingdom are partly already accomplished and for the remainder shall be so in the manner time and season appointed for them and designed unto them in the purpose and Counsel of God So that from hence nothing can be concluded in favour of the Jews incredulity To evidence the truth of this Answer I shall lay down and confirm certain unquestionable principles that will guide us in the interpretation of the Promises that are under consideration § 3 The first is That the Promises concerning the Messiah do principally respect spiritual things and that eternal salvation which he was to obtain for his Church This we have proved at large before and this the very nature of the thing its self and the words of the Promises do abundantly manifest The Jews I suppose will not deny but the Promise concerning the Messiah is of the greatest Good that ever God engaged himself to bestow upon them I do not find that they any where deny it And it is at present the summ of all their desires prayers and expectations with the hopes whereof they comfort and support themselves in all their calamities If they should deny it it may easily be proved against them by innumerable Testimonies of Scripture many whereof have been already produced Now there can be no Reason of this but only because he was to work and effect for them who ever they be unto whom he was promised the greatest Good that they can or may be made partakers of And if it be only a Good of an inferior nature that he was to effect and any other means was to be used for that which was more principal and excellent that means is much to be preferred before him and above him Now what is this Chief Good of man Doth it consist in Riches Honor Power Pleasures the blindest of the Heathen were never blind enough to think so nor can any man entertain any such imagination without renouncing not only all right reason but in an especial manner the whole Scripture I think the Jews will not deny but that this Good consists in the favour of God in this world and the Eternal Enjoyment of him hereafter Now if the Messiah were promised only to procure those first outward temporary perishing things and these latter are to be obtained by another means namely by the observation of the Law of Moses it is evident that that is to be preferred infinitely before him which that it is not as we said is manifest from the whole Scripture and confirmed by the traditional hope and expectation of the Jews For if they enjoy that which is incomparably the Chiefest Good to what end do they so miserably bemoan themselves in their present condition and with so much impatience cry out for the coming of their Messiah Are they such slaves in their affections unto earthly perishing things that living in the enjoyment of all that is needful to procure them the love and favour of God with the eternal enjoyment of him they can have no rest or quiet because they enjoy not the good things of this life Doubtless this great expectation had a greater rise and cause then now they will own I know men are apt to complain under and to desire relief from outward trouble but to place the main of their Religion herein when they have Grace the pardon of sin and Heaven on other accounts this is only done
dyed about the year of our Lord 1104. have made it one of the fundamental Articles of their Religion which they have inserted in their Prayer Books that the Law of Moses is never to be changed and that God will never give them any other Law or Rule of Worship and as they further ground that Article in Ezrim Vearba printed in the end of Bombergs Bibles they affirm that nothing can be added unto it nothing taken away from it no alteration in its obligation be admitted which is directly contrary both to the Truth and to the Confession of all their Predecessors who looked for the Messiah as we shall afterwards declare In Opposition to this Gradual Revelation of the mind of God under the Old Testament the Apostle intimates that now by Jesus the Messiah the Lord hath at once begun and finished the whole Revelation of his Will according to their own hopes and expectation So Jude 3. The Faith was once delivered unto the Saints not in one day not in one Sermon or by one Person but at one season or under one dispensation comprizing all the time from the entrance of the Lord Christ upon his Ministry and the closing of the Canon of Scripture which period was now at hand This Season being once past and finished no new Revelation is to be expected to the end of the world Nothing shall be added unto nor altered in the Worship of God any more God will not do it men that attempt it do it on the price of their souls 2. God spake in the Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after divers sorts or manners Now this respects either the various wayes of Gods revealing himself to the Prophets by Dreams Visions Inspirations Voices Angels every way with an equal evidence of their being from God or the wayes of his dealing with the Fathers by the Prophets by promises threats gradual discoveries of his Will special Messages and Prophecies publick Sermons and the like The latter or the various wayes of the Prophets delivering their Messages to the People from God is principally intended though the former be not excluded it being that from whence this latter variety did principally arise and flow In opposition hereunto the Apostle intimates that the Revelation of God and his will by Christ was accomplished 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in one only way and manner by his preaching the Gospel who was anointed with the Spirit without measure The last difference or instance in the Comparison insisted on by the Apostle is that of old God spake in the Prophets but now in the Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say most Expositors in for by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Luke 1.70 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the mouth of the holy Prophets But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here answers the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numb 12. God spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Moses The certainty of the Revelation and presence of God with his word is intimated in the Expression So the word of the Lord was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the hand of this or that Prophet They were but instruments to give out what from God they had received Now these Prophets in whom God spake of Old were all those who were divinely inspired and sent to reveal his Will and Mind as to the duty of the Church or any special concernment of his Providence in the Rule and Government thereof whether they declared the inspirations they had or Revelations they received by word of mouth or by writing The Modern Jews make a distinction between the Gift of Prophecy and the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost following Maimonides in his More Nebuchim part 2 cap. 32. His opinion which he calls the opinion or sentence of the Law about Prophecy in general is the same with that of the Gentile Philosophers as he professeth In one thing only he differs from them namely that Prophecy doth not so necessarily follow after due preparation as that a man cannot but prophesie who is rightly prepared But the Gift of Prophecy he asserts wholly to depend on the temperature of the brain natural and moral exercises for the preparing and raising of the imagination upon which divine visions will succeed A brain-sick imagination confounding divine Revelation with Phanatical distempers But in the eleven degrees of Prophecy which he assigns and attempts to prove by instances out of Scripture he placeeth that of inspiration by the Holy Ghost in the last and lowest place And therefore by the late Masters is the Book of Daniel cast into this latter sort though eminently prophetical because they are so galled with his predictions and calculations other Reason of that disposition none readily occurs And this is the ground of their disposition of the Books of the Scripture into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law or five Books of Moses given in the highest way and degree of Prophecy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of two sorts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—nd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophets first or Books Historical and the latter and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Books written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost Of the ground of which distinction see Kimchi in his Preface to the Psalms Their mistake lyes in this That Prophecy consists principally in and is distinguished into several degrees by the manner of Revelation as by Dreams Visions Appearances of Angels or men and the like But as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Prophet and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophecy are of a larger signification then that pretended as Numb 11.29 1 Sam. 10.5 1 Chron. 25.1 2 3. will appear So that which made any Revelation to be Prophecy in that sense as to be an infallible rule for the guidance of the Church was not the means of communicateing it to the Prophets but that inspiration of the Holy Ghost which implanted upon their minds and gave forth by their Tongues or Pens that which God would utter in them and by them 2 Pet. 1.20 21. In answer unto this speaking of God in the Prophets it is asserted that in the Revelation of the Gospell God spake in his Son This is the main hinge on which all the Arguments of the Apostle in the whole Epistle do turn this bears the stress of all the inferences afterwards by him insisted on And therefore having mentioned it he proceeds immediately unto that description of him which gives evidence to all that he draws from this consideration Now because no one Argument of the Apostle can be understood unless this be rightly stated we must on necessity insist somewhat largely upon it and unto what we principally intend some previous observations must be premised 1. I take it at present for granted that the Son of God appeared unto the Prophets under the Old Testament Whether ever he spake unto them immediately or only by the Ministry of Angels is not so certain It is also
as accompanied the nature and manner of the Revelation made unto him 1. They arise from the infinite Excellency of his Person above theirs This is that which the Apostle from the close of this verse insists upon to the very end of the Chapter making his discourse upon it the basis of ensuing his exhortations I shall therefore remit the consideration of it unto its proper place 2. There were sundry Excellencies that attended the very Revelation it self made unto him or his Prophecie as such For 1. Not receiving the Spirit by measure Joh. 3.34 as they all did he had given unto him altogether a comprehension of the whole will and mind of God as to what ever he would have revealed of himself with the mystery of our salvation and all that obedience and worship which in this world he would require of his Church It pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell Col. 1.19 that is of Grace and Truth Joh. 1.17 not granting him a transient irradiation by them but a permanency and constant abode of them with him in their fulness all treasures of wisdom and knowledge being hid in him Col. 2.3 as their home and proper abiding place which made him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord Isa. 11.3 All the Mysteries of the counsel between the Father and the Eternal Word for the salvation of the Elect with all the ways whereby it was to be accomplished through his own blood were known unto him as also were all the bounds the whole extent of that Worship which his Church was to render unto God with the assistance of the Spirit that was to be afforded unto them for that end and purpose Hence the only reason why he did not at once reveal unto his Disciples the whole counsel of God was not because all the treasures of it were not committed unto him but because they could bear no other but that gradual communication of it which he used towards them Joh. 16.12 But he himself dwelt in the midst of those treasures seeing to the bottom of them All other Prophets even Moses himself receiving their revelation by transient irradiations of their minds had no treasure of truth dwelling in them but apprehended only that particular wherein they were enlightned and that not clearly neither in its fulness and perfection but in a measure of light accommodated unto the Age wherein they lived 1 Pet. 1.11 12. Hence the Spirit is said to rest on him Isa. 11.2 3. and to abide on him Matth. 3.16 who did only in a transient act affect the minds of other Prophets and by an actual motion which had not an habitual spring in themselves cause them to speak or write the will of God as an instrument of Musick gives forth a sound according to the skill of him that strikes it and that only when it is so stricken or used Hence 2. The Prophets receiving their Revelations as it were by number and tale from the holy Ghost when they had spoken or written what in particular at any season they had received from him could not adde one word or syllable of the same infallibility and authority with what they had so received But the Lord Christ having all the treasures of Wisdom Knowledge and Truth hid and laid up in him did at all times in all places with equal infallibility and authority give forth the mind and will of God even as he would what he so spake having its whole Authority from his speaking of it and not from its consonancy unto any thing otherwise revealed 3. The Prophets of old were so barely instrumental in receiving and revealing the will of God being only servants in the house Heb. 3.4 for the good of others 1 Pet. 1.11 that they saw not to the bottom of the things by themselves revealed and did therefore both diligently read and study the books of them that wrote before their time Dan. 9.2 and meditated upon the things which the Spirit uttered by themselves to obtain an understanding in them 1 Pet. 1.10 11 12. But the Lord Jesus the Lord over his own house had an absolutely perfect comprehension of all the mysteries revealed to him and by him by that divine Wisdom which always dwelt in him 4. The Difference was no less between them in respect of the Revelations themselves made to them and by them For although the substance of the will and mind of God concerning salvation by the Messiah was made known unto them all yet it was done so obscurely to Moses and the Prophets that ensued that they came all short in the light of that Mystery to John the Baptist who did not rise up in a clear and distinct apprehension of it unto the least of the true Disciples of Christ Matth. 11.11 whence the giving of the Law by Moses to instruct the Church in that Mystery by its types and shadows is opposed to that Grace and Truth which were brought by Jesus Christ Joh. 1.17 18. See Ephes. 3.8 9 10 11. Col. 1.26 27. Tit. 2.11 2 Tim. 1.10 In these and sundry other things of the like importance had the Fathers speaking in the Son the preheminence above his speaking in Moses and the Prophets for which cause the Apostle placeth this consideration in the head of his Reasonings and Arguments for attendance unto and observation of the things revealed by him For even all these things have influence into his present Argument though the main stress of it be laid on the excellency of his Person of which at large afterwards 6. We must yet further observe that the Jews with whom the Apostle had to do had all of them an expectation of a new signal and final Revelation of the will of God to be made by the Messias in the last days that is of their Church state and not as they now fondly imagine of the world Some of them indeed imagined that great Prophet promised Deut. 18. to have been one distinct from the Messias Joh. 1.21 but the general expectation of the Church for the full Revelation of the will of God was upon the Messias Joh. 4.25 Of the same mind were their more antient Doctors that retained any thing of the tradition of their Fathers asserting that the Law of Moses was alterable by the Messias and that in some things it should be so Maimonides is the leader in the opinion of the eternity of the Law whose Arguments are answered by the Author of Sepher Ikkarim lib. 3. cap. 13. and some of them by Nachmanides Hence it is laid down as a Principle in Neve shalom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Messias the King shall be exalted above Abraham be high above Moses yea and the ministring Angels And it is for the excellency of the Revelation made by him that he is so exalted above Moses Whence Maimonides himself acknowledgeth Tractat. de Regibus that at the coming of the Messiah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hidden and deep things i. e. of
and consequently to be preferred above them do not at all prove that Solomon of whom they were spoken meerly as he was a Type should be esteemed to be preferred above all Angels seeing he did only represent him who was so and had these words spoken unto him not absolutely but with respect unto that Representation And this removes the fourth Objection made in the behalf of the first Interpretation excluding Solomon from being at all intended in the Prophecy for what was spoken of him as a Type required not a full accomplishment in his own person but only that he should represent him who was principally intended 5. That there is a two-fold Perpetuity mentioned in the Scripture the one limited and relative the other absolute and both these are applied unto the Kingdom of David First there was a Perpetuity promised unto him and his Posterity in the Kingdom as of the Priesthood to Aaron that is a limited perpetuity namely during the continuance of the typical state and condition of that People whilst they continued the Rule by right belonged unto the House of David There was also an absolute perpetuity promised to the Kingdom of David to be made good only in the Kingdom and Rule of the Messiah and both these kinds of Perpetuity are expressed in the same words giving their sense according as they are applied If applied to the successors of David as his Kingdom was a Type of that of Christ they denote the limited Perpetuity before mentioned as that which respected an Adjunct of the Typical state of that People that was to be regulated by it and commensurate unto it but as they were referred to the Kingdom of Christ represented in the other so an Absolute Perpetuity is expressed in them And this takes away the third Reason excluding Solomon from being intended in these words the Perpetuity promised being unto him limited and bounded These considerations being premised I say the words insisted on by the Apostle I will be unto him a Father and he shall be unto me a son belonged first and nextly unto Solomon denoting that fatherly Love Care and Protection that God would afford unto him in his Kingdom so far forth as Christ was represented by him therein which requires not that they must absolutely and in all just consequences from them belong unto the person of Solomon principally therefore they intend Christ himself expressing that eternal unchangeable Love which the Father bore unto him grounded on the Relation of Father and Son The Jews I confess of all others do see least of Typicalness in Solomon But the reason of it is because that his sin was the Occasion of ruining their carnal earthly Glory and Wealth which things alone they lust after But the thing was doubtless confessed by the Church of old with whom Paul had to do and therefore we see that the Writer of the Book of the Chronicles written after the return of the People from their Captivity when Solomon's line was failed and Zerubbabel of the house of Nathan was Governour amongst them yet records again this Promise as that which looked forward and was yet to receive its full accomplishment in the Lord Christ. And some of the Rabbins themselves tell us that Solomâ—â— because of his sin had only the name of peace God stirring up Adversaries against him the thing it self is to be looked for under Messiah Ben-david The allegation of these words by the Apostle being thus fully and at large vindicated I shall now briefly enquire into the sense and meaning of the words themselves It was before observed that they are not produced by the Apostle to prove the Natural Sonship of Jesus Christ nor do they signifie it nor were they urged by him to confirm directly and immediately that he is more excellent than the Angels of whom there is nothing spoken in them nor in the place from whence they are taken But the Apostle insists on this testimony meerly in confirmation of his former Argument for the preheminence of the Son above Angels taken from that more excellent Name which he obtained by inheritance which being the Name of the Son of God he hereby proves that indeed he was so called by God himself Thus then do these words confirm the intention of the Apostle For to which of the Angels said God at any time I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son The words contain a great and signal priviledge they are spoken unto and concerning the Messiah and neither they nor any thing equivalent unto them were ever spoken of any Angel especially the Name of the Son of God so emphatically and in way of distinction from all others was never assigned unto any of them And this as hath been already shewed proves an Eminency and Preheminence in him above all that the Angels attain unto All this I say follows from the peculiar signal Appropriation of the Name of the Son of God unto him and his especial Relation unto God therein expressed Briefly we may adjoyn the intention of the words as in themselves considered and so complete the Exposition of them Now God promiseth in them to be unto the Lord Christ as exalted into his Throne a Father in love care power to protect and carry him on in his Rule unto the end of the world And therefore upon his Ascension he says that he went unto his God and Father Joh. 20.17 And he rules in the Name and Majesty of God Mic. 5.4 This is the importance of the words they intend not the Eternal and Natural Relation that is between the Father and Son which neither is nor can be the subject of any Promise but the Paternal care of God over Christ in his Kingdom and the dearness of Christ himself unto him If it be asked on what account God would thus be a Father unto Jesus Christ in this peculiar manner it must be answered that the radical fundamental cause of it lay in the Relation that was between them from his Eternal Generation but he manifested himself to be his Father and engaged to deal with him in the love and care of a Father as he had accomplished his work of Mediation on the Earth and was exalted unto his Throne and Rule in Heaven And this is the first Argument of the Apostle whereby he proves that the Son as the Revealer of the Mind and Will of God in the Gospel is made more excellent than the Angels whose Glory was a refuge to the Jews in their adherance to Legal Rites and Administrations even because they were given unto them by the Disposition of Angels According unto our proposed method we must in our progress draw hence also some Instructions for our own use and edification As 1. Every thing in the Scripture is instructive The Apostles arguing in this place is not so much from the thing spoken as from the manner wherein it is spoken even that also is highly Mysterious So are
ready to yield obedience unto God in this great work which could not be accomplished by Sacrifices and Burnt-offerings And this readiness and willingness of Christ unto this work is set out under three heads in the ensuing words 1. His Tender of himself unto this work then said he Lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me This thou hast promised this is recorded in the head beginning of thy book namely in that great Promise Gen. 3.15 That the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent and now thou hast given me and prepared me in the fulness of time a Body for that purpose Lo I come willing and ready to undertake it 2. In the frame of his mind in this engagement he entred into it with great delight I delight to do thy will O my God he did not delight in the thoughts of it only of old as before and then grew heavy and sorrowful when it was to be undertaken but he went unto it with cheaâ—fulness and delight although he knew what sorrow and grief it would cost him before it was brought unto perfection 3. From the Principle whence this Obedience and delight did spring which was an universal conformity of his Soul Mind and Will unto the Law Will and Mind of God thy Law is in my heart in the midst of my bowels every thing in me is compliant with thy Will and Law There is in me an universal conformity thereunto Being thus prepared thus principled he considered the Glory that was set before him the glory that would redound unto God by his becoming a Captain of salvation and that would ensue unto himself He endured the Cross and despised the shame He. 12.2 He armed himself with those considerations against the hardships and sufferings that he was to meet withall as the Apostle adviseth us with the like mind when we are to suffer 1 Pet. 4.1 By all which it appears that the Good will and Love of Jesus Christ was in this matter of being humbled and made less than Angels as the Apostle sayes expresly that he humbled himself and made himself of no reputation Phil. 2.7 8. as well as it is here said that God humbled him or made him less than Angels Secondly The Scripture peculiarly assigns this work unto the Love and Condescension of Christ himself For although it abounds in sitting forth the Love of the Father in the designing and contriving this work and sending his Son into the world yet it directs us unto the Lord Christ himself as the next immediate cause of his engaging into it and performance of it So saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I live by the faith of the Son of God that is by faith in him who loved me and gave himself for me It was the Love of Christ that moved him to give himself for us which is excellently expressed in that doxology Rev. 1.5 6. To him that loved us and washed us in his own blood from our sins and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father unto him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen All this was the fruit of his Love and therefore unto him is all Praise and Honour to be given and ascribed And so great was this Love of Christ that he declined nothing that was proposed unto him This the Apostle calls his Grace 2 Cor. 8 9. Ye know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be rich He condescended unto a poor and low condition and to suffer therein for our good that we might be made partakers of the Riches of the Grace of God And this was the love of the Person of Christ because it was in and wrought equally in him both before and after his Assumption of our nature Now the Holy Ghost makes an especial Application of this truth unto us as unto one part of our Obedience Phil. 2.5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus and what that mind was he declares in the ensuing Verses laying out his infinite condescension in taking our nature upon him and submitting to all misery reproach and death it self for our sakes If this mind were in Christ should not we endeavour after a Readiness and Willingness to submit our selves unto any condition for his glory Forasmuch saith Peter as Christ hath suffered for us in the flâ—sh arm your selves likewise with the same mind 1 Pet. 4.1 Many difficulties will lye in our way many Reasonings will rise up against it if we consult with flesh and blood but saith he arm your selves with the same mind that was in Christ get your souls strengthened and fenced by Grace against all Oppositions that you may follow him and imitate him Some that profess his name will suffer nothing for him if they may enjoy him or his wayes in peace and quietness well and good but if Persecution arise for the Gospel immediately they fall away These have neither lot nor portion in this matter Others the most the best have a secret lothness and unwillingness to condescend unto a condition of trouble and distress for the Gospel Well if we are unwilling hereunto What doth the Lord Christ lose by it Will it be any real Abatement of his honour or glory Will he lose his Crown or Kingdom thereby So far as suffering in this world is needful for any of his blessed Ends and Purposes he will not want them who shall be ready even to dye for his name sake But what if he had been unwilling to be humbled and to suffer for us If the same mind had been in Christ as was in us what had been our state and condition unto eternity In this Grace Love and Willingness of Christ lyes the foundation of all our Happiness of all our Deliverance from misery and ruine and shall we reckon our selves to have an interest therein and yet find our selves altogether unready to a conformity unto him Besides the Lord Christ was really rich when he made himself poor for our sakes he was in the form of God when he took upon him the form of a servant and became for us of no reputation nothing of this was due to him or belonged unto him but meerly on our account But we are in our selves really poor and obnoxious unto infinitely more miseries for our own sins than what he calls us unto for his name Are we unwilling to suffer a little light transitory trouble in this world for him without whose sufferings for us we must have suffered misery and that Eternal whether we would or no And I speak not so much about suffering it self as about the mind and frame of Spirit wherewith we undergo it Some will suffer when they cannot avoid it but so unwillingly so unchearfully as makes it evident that they aim at nothing nor act from no Principle but meerly that they dare not
he could not dye which it was necessary that he should do I desire to know why if the death which he was to undergo was not that death which they were obnoxious unto for whom he dyed how could it be any way more beneficial unto them than any thing else which he might have done for them although he had not dyed There is no ground then to pretend such an Amphibologie in the words as that which some contend for Now as we observed before the Death of Christ is here placed in the midst as the End of one thing and the Means or cause of another the End of his own Incarnation and the means of the Childrens Deliverance from the first we may see VII That the first and principal End of the Lord Christs assuming Humane Nature was not to reign in it but to suffer and dye in it He was indeed from of old designed unto a Kingdom but he was to suffer and so to enter into his glory Luke 24.26 And he so speaks of his coming into the world to suffer to dye to bear witness unto the truth as if that had been the only work that he was incarnate for Glory was to follow a Kingdom to ensue but suffering and dying was the principal work he came about Glory he had with his Father before the world was John 17.5 and therein a joynt Rule with him over all the works of his hands He need not have been made partaker of flesh and blood to have been a King for he was the King immortal invisible the King of Kings and Lord of Lords the only Potentate from everlasting But he could not have dyed if he had not been made partaker of our Nature And therefore when the People would have taken him by force and have made him a King he hid himself from them John 6.15 But he hid not himself when they came to take him by force and put him to death but affirmed that for that hour or business he came into the world John 18.4 5 11. And this farther sets forth his Love and Condescension He saw the work that was proposed unto him how he was to be exposed unto Miseries Afflictions and Persecutions and at length to make his soul an offering for sin yet because it was all for the Salvation of the children he was contented with it and delighted in it And how then ought we to be contented with the Difficulties Sorrows Afflictions and Persecutions which for his sake we are or may be exposed unto When he on purpose took our nature that for our sakes he might be exposed and subject unto much more than we are called unto There yet remains in these Verses the Effects of the Death of Christ that he might destroy sin and deliver wherein we must consider 1. Who it is that had the Power of Death 2. Wherein that Power of his did consist 3. How he was destroyed 4. How by the Death of Christ 5. What was the Delivery that was obtained for the children thereby 1. He that had the Power of Death is described by his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Devil the great Enemy of our salvation the great Calumniator make-bate and false Accuser the firebrand of the creation The Head and Captain of the Apostasie from God and of all desertion of the Law of the creation The old Serpent Prince of the Apostate Angels with all his Associates who first falsly accused God unto man and continues to accuse men falsly unto God of whom before 2. His Power in and over Death is variously apprehended What the Jews conceive hereof we have before declared and much of the Truth is mixed with their fables And the Apostle deals with them upon their Acknowledgement in general that he had the Power of death Properly in what sense or in what respect he is said so to have it Learned Expositors are not agreed All consent 1. That the Devil hath no absolute or Soveraign supream power over death Nor 2. Any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Authority about it de jure in his own Right or on Grant so as to act lawfully and rightly about it according unto his own Will Nor 3. Any judging or determining power as to the Guilt of death committed unto him which is peculiar to God the supream Rector and Judge of all Gen. 2.17 Deut. 32.39 Rev. 1.18 But wherein this Power of Satan doth positively consist they are not agreed Some place it in his Temptations unto Sin which bind unto death some in his Execution of the Sentence of death he hath the Power of an Executioner There cannot well be any doubt but that the whole Interest of Satan in reference unto Death is intended in this Expression This Death is that which was threatned in the beginning Gen. 2.17 Death poenally to be inflicted in the way of a Curse Deut. 27.26 Gal. 3.20 that is death consisting in the Dissolution of soul and body with every thing tending poenally thereunto with the everlasting Destruction of body and soul. And there are sundry things wherein the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Power of Satan in reference unto this death doth consist As 1. He was the means of bringing it into the world So is the Opinion of the Jews in this matter expressed in the Book of Wisdom written as is most probable by one of them not long before this Epistle They tell us Chap. 1.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God made not death it belonged not unto the Original Constitution of all things but Chap. 2.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Envy of the Devil-death entred into the world And that expression of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is retained by the Apostle Rom. 5.12 Only he layes the End of it on the morally deserving cause the sin of man as here it is laid on the efficiently procuring cause the Envy of the Devil And herein consisted no small part of the Power of Satan with respect unto death Being able to introduce sin he had power to bring in death also which in the righteous judgement of God and by the Sentence of the Law was inseparably annexed thereunto And by a parity of Reason so far as he yet continueth to have Power over sin deserving death he hath Power over death it self 2. Sin and Death being thus entered into the world and all mankind being guilty of the one and obnoxious unto the other Satan became thereby to be their Princess as being the Prince or Author of that state and condition whereinto they are brought Hence he is called the Prince of this world John 12.32 and the God of it 2 Cor. 4.4 Inasmuch as all the world is under the Guilt of that sin and death which he brought them into 3. God having passed the sentence of death against sin it was in the Power of Satan to terrifie and affright the consciences of men with the Expectation and dread of it so bringing them into Bondage And many God gives up