some parcell of the Scripture he came unexpected among us and we thought good to read Christs Sermon upon the Mount in Matthew 5.6 7. And while we did read the Dutch translation we gave him the Hebrew translation of Munster to look into telling him that this was the Law of our Christ that he should read it and then let us know what he did judge thereof this he did and when he had read all with a great deal of ingenuity he made an acknowledgment that therein the ground and fountain of all Wisdom was contained and that whosoever should keep those Commandments would be more just then he or hiâ— people and he took notice of some things which he theâ—… 〈◊〉 were taken out of the most pure and antient Rabbins and when at that meeting we had not without Tears and much devour Contrition of mind made prayers for the Jews as well as for our selves that God would blot out our sins and theirs and remember his Mercy and restore the holy Spirit which they had lost c. These things seemed very much to move him and he made no doubt to affirm openly that if there were but ten men at Jerusalem who should thus with out heart pray for the coming of the Messiah that without all doubt he would suddenly come And being asked how he did understand the place of Malachy 3.1 Behold I will send my Messenger and he shall prepare the way for me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple c. He said by the Messenger Elias was meant and by the Lord was meant the Messiah who should come and shew himself to be seen at the Temple not of ours that is of mans building but in his own Temple which he hath built in the heavens and which he will let down from Heaven to the earth and when I asked him Whether the Jews alone were to be admitted into that Temple He answered No but that his Temple was ordained for all the people of the Gentiles who ever shall fear God in sincerity And once when we were speaking of the Promises made unto Abraham Gen. 15.19 20. He observed that God promised to cast out ten Nations out of the land of Canaan for his sake and would give their possessions to his Posterity but that since the days of Joshua no more but seven Nations have been cast out viz. The Hittites the Perizzites the Rephaims the Amorites the Canaanites the Gergasites and the Jebusites the theee first viz. The Kenites the Kenesites and the Kedmonites are reserved for the times of the Messiah which he would have to answer the ten Sephiroth whereof the seven last are called by the Cabalists simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Palaces but the three first taken together as one are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Temple of the Holy of Holies Whence I by my self drew this clear Argument for the Reign of Christ on earth If the Promise made to Abraham concerning the Land of Canaan it not yet fulfilled then it must be fulfilled But it is evident that it is not yet fulfilled First these three former Nations were never yet subdued Secondly Because the three Nations yet to be subdued will constitute the Temple which shall be called the holy of holies whereas the subduing of the seven which Joshuah conquered did only constitute some Palaces or courts which might be polluted and indeed were polluted overthrown and trodden under soot When at a time he did sup with us and saw us praying with our hands joined and lifted up unto Heaven he asked us why we did pray with that gesture It was answered that it was of old the custom so to pray derived from Moses who in the mount prayed against Amaleck with his hands lifted up unto heaven whereunto the Rabbi said No doubt whosoever can lift up pure hands with Moses unto heaven he will be heard of God as Moses was but it is to be understood that then both hands are purely lifted up unto heaven and the ten fingers erected on high when one directly is settled towards God with the whole strength of his soul and hath a good conscience toward Gods ten Commandments and that the purity and sincerity of the whole man doth require that every one should be inwardly so composed as his body is outwardly constitued therefore seeing they of his Nation were not conscious to themselves of such a frame of spirit they durst not lift up both their hands unto heaven but they keep them in their bosom taking hold of the left hand by the right because the right hand doth signifie Mercy and the left Gods Justice and by that gesture they petition that God by his Mercy would restrain his Justice that it may not break out upon them miserable sinners to consume them but would first prepare and form them unto all that is good I could relate many other things of this kind which shew a truly devout and humble mind one thing I shall yet add When it was askt of him Whether he was not afraid of his life chiefly he being a Jew a people above all other Nations hated of all through which he was to go he did answer If I look upon my self I see my self altogether unworthy of any mercy at Gods hands or that he should admit of my prayers â—e speaks here â—…e a legal â—â—w Rom. 10 2 3. but that which gives me some Confidence of life are the calamities and extream Straits of the poor at Jerusalem and the merits of the Fore-fathers and their Faith in God I believe that their prayers will be of weight towards the Father of the needy Here you may see in a Spirit of Humility Faith and in faith an humble and self denying Spirit What do you think Is it to be believed that Christ is far distant from a soul thus constituted or that any such thing can be formed without Christ in a man for my own part I confess I think I see Christ in his Spirit and I cannot but love him and those that are like him of which he saith many are at Jerusalem for I esteem them the true brethren of him that is our Christ and their Joseph c. Thus far Peter Serearius FRom whence we may gather this Conclusion that it is apparent the Lord by humbling their Spirits and moving them to look up unto him for the accomplishment of his Promises and letting them see that the Mysteries of divine Wisdom and the way of Righteousness are revealed more clearly to us by Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel then ever they were to them by their Rabbi's and that there is no inconsistency but rather a Consonancy with the Promise that Jesus shall be revealed to them as Joseph was once to his Brethren and by bringing the chief of them to be acquainted with such Christians as freely love them for Christs sake and willingly help them in their straits and give
AN INFORMATION CONCERNING The Present STATE OF THE JEWISH NATION IN EVROPE and JVDEA WHEREIN The footsteps of Providence preparing a way for their Conversion to CHRIST and for their Deliverance from Captivity are discovered LONDON Printed by R. W. for Thomas Brewster at the three Bibles near the West end of Pauls 1658. To the Christian Reader TRue-hearted Christian for we desire not that this information should come into the hands of any but of such as thou art we find it expedient to advertise thee of two things before thou enter upon the perusal of this discourse First thou art intreated to take notice that this discourse is peculiarly intended for such as are sober-minded and are acquainted with the Prophecies which concern the Jewish Nation Secondly that since the printing of this discourse before it was published some more distinct Informations have been sent unto us and because they tend to clear and express more fully some matters which happily would be doubtfully received therefore we have made an Appendix of them for greater satisfaction and have given them as they were sent hither in the Authors own words Farewell in the Lord Jesus and pray for the Salvation of Israel that it may come out of Sion shortly and give the Lord no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in all the earth Amen An Information CONCERNING The present State of the Jewish Nation in Europe and Iudea Wherein the footsteps of Providence preparing a way for their Conversion to Christ and for their deliverance from Captivity are discovered SUch as do believe the Promises that God will be mercifull unto the house of Israel because he still loveth them for the Fathers sake Rom 11.38 29 30 31. and that his Gifts and Calling to them being without Ripentance he will bestow mercy upon them through the Mercy whish is shewed to us Gentiles and such who also hope when that Mercy shall be shewed unto them whereby all Israel shall be saved Ibid 12 1â— that then their fulness and reception into Grace shall become to all the world abundant riches yea as life from the dead I say such as believe and hope for these things ought to consider seriously what God is now doing towards the effecting of this great work that is what preparations are made at this time towards it and what the way is by which he will bring them and us together as one flock in one sheepfold under Christ Jesus that we and they by him may glorifie God together This consideration is necessary to fit us for the work of our Generation that in our places we may become subservient to his Counsell and partake of the Comforts which from thence will redound unto his people for such as mourn for Jerusalem and expect that she shall be made the glory of the whole earth shall suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her Consolation and shall milk out Isa 66.10 11. and be delighted with the abundance of her Glory To this effect we ought to observe these following Informations concerning their present State whereby it is evident that God doth begin to appear for them by extraordinary Providences partly in driving them by great afflictions to look up unto him partly in moving them to consider the cause of those Afflictions to be the sin of their FORE-FATHERS in neglecting the day of their salvation partly in moving both Christians and Turks to have compassion upon them and by this means opening a dore of hope unto them to find relief and to us an occasion to impart through love unto them the mysteries of the Gospel for this design is upon the heart of many of Gods servants both here and elsewhere who entertain some acquaintance with them and endeavour to ratifie their Love unto them by works of Mercy to make way for better Communication in due time whereof the following Informations will give some account that such as are willing to concur with others in Prayers for them towards God and in the effects of Charity to gain them through kindness to have an open ear in due time for us may not be wanting to the opportunities which God doth offer to help the advancement of his Counsell which will be a happiness to all those who are made willing to co-operate therein and which for their own comfort they are hereby entreated to do First Then it is to be observed that as the distress of Nations doth increase in the world so the affliction and misery of the Jews They being scatered among these Nations must also needs be encreased for they having no possessions which they are permitted or willing to own as their inheritance among the Nations and not being able to return to the Inheritance which they expect as a Nation in the Land of Canaan Gen. 13.15.15.18.19 20 21 26 4. Deut 1.8 34 1.2 3 4. Dan. 12.1 there the land being theirs by Gods Promise their Affliction and Calamity must needs be by so much greater then that of other Nations by how much they are more unsetled then they For when the Nations with whom they live are so unsetled that they can neither abide among them nor retire to any other abode this must needs be to them that time of trouble whereof Daniel speaks which is said to be such as never was since there was a Nation even to this same time and because it is promised that when their trouble shall come to this height that then Michael the great Prince shall stand up for them therefore we must conceive that the time of their deliverance doth draw near and the greater the distress and trouble of the Nations will be the nearer will be their deliverance at hand For Christ tells us That Jerusalem must be troden down of the Gentiles till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled Now the times of the Gentiles are to be fulfilled when after the signs in the Sun Moon and Stars Luk. 21.25 26. whereof many have been already there shall be such distress of Nations with such perplexity as the sea and for the looking after those things which are coming upon the earth because the powers of heaven shall be shaken Which things we conceive are now actually begun and when they end the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled and then the Shulamite will return This distress of the Nations is now begun in Europe but is expected to end in Asia and in Africa and shall be sulfilled when the Prophesie of Isaiah shall come to pass mentioned Isa 19.23 24 25. to the end Can. 6. the end 13. When Israel shall be the third with Aegypt and Assyria that is in Africa and Asia even a blessing in the midst of the Land whom the Lord of hoasts shall bless saying blessed be Aegypt my people and Assyria the work of my hands and Israel mine Inheritance Seeing then it appears this will be the issue of the troubles now begun
distress wherein they are by being kept out of the Land of their Inheritance And when ever God shall remove either their Ignorance or their Captivity their whole deliverance both spiritual and bodily will be wrought because the one will follow upon the other Now we find some clear preparations begun to be set a foot for both these parts of their Deliverance First Toward their bodily deliverance from their Captivity and Dispersion We conceive that the distress of Nations which is coming upon the whole face of the earth is a manifest preparation and that two ways partly by driving them out from among the Nations where they cannot abide any longer and forcing them to draw closer together for their mutual relief partly by awakening in them more earnest desires and thoughts of the Promise that they shall return unto their own Inheritance by which means as soon as they shall perceive the waters of the great River Euphrates dryed up Rev. 16.12 Esa 19.18 c. they will be moved to resolve upon a march unto their own land from all quarters and in Egypt and Assyria is expected will be their Rendevouz in two bodies as it is said in Can. 6.13 You will see in the Shulamite at her return the company of two Armies The distress then of the Nations driving them to these two places is a preparative for their return Another preparation of the way for their return is that God doth still appear for them in the Extremity of their miseries when they can find no help from men and that in this great Calamity wherein they now are there is yet a door of hope left open unto them whereby Providence doth support them in it that they should not utterly perish whence we must gather that although God will have them to be cast down yet he will not suffer them to be destroyed and although he will have them perplexed yet he will not suffer them to despair of which things there are clear Instances to be given lately fallen out which ought to be observed Query First That God did appear for them in their utmost extremity when no help could be obtained or expected from men an instance hereof is this that about the year 16â—â— when there was for a long time no rain fallen upon Jerusalem and the land about it so that they were all in great extremity both Jews and Turks and like to perish the Turks having for a season humbled themselves and prayed unto God after their manner for rain and receiving no answer from heaven they did conceive that God was angry with them because the Jews were suffered to live among them therefore in great rage with drawn swords they went to the Jews and threatned them that if within three days they did not obtain Rain from heaven they should all be put to death Whereupon the Jews having appointed a solem fast and the third day being allassembled at a place which they call the Sepulcher of Zachary they prayed till noon and after noon the clouds gathered and with thunder they poured such a flood of rain that all the Cisterns were filled and did run over by which means they were saved from death and it was made manifest that the Lord did own them and accepted of their prayers when none but he could help them Secondly Another instance is in this their present Calamity for when in the year one thousane six hundred fifty five they were in such want that four hundred of their widdows dyed by famine and that they could expect no relief from any of their own Nations in Judea having sent into Europe to those of their Nation these also supplyed them no more but for the interest of their debt so that all help from men seemed to fail them it pleased God so to order it that without any application of theirs unto Christians some pious and charitable souls were moved of their own accord to reflect upon their condition and without their knowledge to make a considerable Collection for them which did amount to some ease of their distress although not to a total relief and since that time God hath also moved the new Turkish Basha to shew some kindness unto them for after his arrival at Jerusalem he satisfied all their Creditors with his own goods and wares and made an agreement with the Jews favorably using them that in stead of fifteen thousand Ryx-dollars they should pay him only seven thousand and that on two years term without any interest Yet with this hard Condition that if the agreement was not then performed they must all become his slaves and that he should do with them what he would So that it is apparent that although the Lord suffers them to come to great and in all humane appearance invincible straits yet he doth not suffer them to be swallowed up by the same but sheweth still some issue so that there is a door of hope yet open for them to escape which in the language of Providence doth signifie thus much That the Lord doth not utterly cast them off but hath still Mercy in store for them till they be fitted for a full deliverance for all these tryals in the way of Providence and Mercy tend to nothing else but to bring them to a sense of their sins that they may be cleansed from the same by repentance and brought to the knowledge of Jesus Christ to receive by faith the pardon thereof for his sake whereunto we Christians should set our selves to become instrumental towards them for now being thus humbled and finding our love and compassion not shut up against them in their misery their ear may be open to us to hearken without prejudice unto the Truth of our Faith and Hope BUT besides all these Tokens of Favour whereof we have particular Assurance which we look upon as manifest preparatives for their restitution there is one thing more to be mentioned whereunto we may give so much credit as is due to a vulgar rumor and that is this That whereas the land of Canaan heretofore was exceeding barren and more unfruitfull then any of the other neighbour Countries it is now reported to be become within the space of five or six years exceeding fruitfull yielding ten times the encrease of that which formerly it did yield and if this report be true which we cannot certainly affirm but only give it as a report come from some of the Inhabitants then we may make this certain conjecture upon it that God is not only fitting them to return unto their own Land by the forenamed Tryals but he is fitting also their land to receive them for even as for the sins of a people God turns the fruitfull land into barrenness Psal 107.34 So when he is reconciled unto a people he doth promise that he will cause the Heavens and the earth and the fruits of the ground to answer the desires of his people Hos 2.21 22. And if now this begins
to fall out in the land of Canaan after so long a Barrenness we may truly conceive that he is fitting it for more Inhabitants then formerly it could entertain and that he is about to make good the Prophesie of Moses Deut. 32.43 Rejoyce ye Nations with his Perple for he will avenge the blood of his servants and will render vengeance to his Adversaries and will be mercifull to his land and to his people and that as he brought not Adam into the world till all the creatures were fitted for his entertainment so he will not bring his people into their land till it be fitted to give them a livelyhood when they shall return unto it These Acts of Providence towards them in respect of their whole Nation Mic. 4.8 Rom. 11.8 and more especially in respect of Jerusalem which is the Tower of the flock and the strong hold of the daughter of Sion we look upon as preparatives only at a distance to give a general prospect a far off concerning Gods purpose to shew that they are not utterly cast away out of his Remembrance but that having still a design to do them good for their Fathers sake he will fit them thereby for a further deliverance from their ignorance and spiritual Captivity concerning the removal of which we find also some remarkable preparatives wrought among them because it is apparent by some passages of the converse of some of our friends with their chief Rabbi Nathan Saphira that the sense which their more understanding Rabbi's have of the Messiah is not so far distant from the Principles of Christianity as we ordinarily have imagined and that the frame of their Spirits at this time is made more susceptible of the Truth of the Gospel then at any time heretofore And to make out this we shall insert some Extracts out of a friends letter to J.D. dated in April one thousand six hundred fifty seven whereby the sincertiy of Rabbi Nathan and his understanding in holy Mysteries will be evidenced Mr. P. Serrarius then writes thus WHen on a certain time we were speaking together concerning the Messiah and I was alledging the History of the Patriarck Joseph how he was sold by his brethren and the rest of that Historie till he was manifested unto them when as they imagine nothing less then that he was alive one of the Jews at Amsterdam who stood by said instantly I know what you mean as if you would make us believe that your Christ were yet alive But Rabbi Nathan reproving his rashness said to him Do not say so Let come whoever will come our prayers and wishes are to this effect simply That God would be pleased to reveal him Whereunto when we had replied Except Christ reveal himself we desire not that you should believe us but if he as another Joseph who is long ago supposed to be dead should again shew himself alive unto you surely you would no less then your Fore-fathers believe your own eyes they both gave their assent hereunto Then it was asked of Nathan what he understood by the place of Isaiah 53.4 5. He hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows and he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisment of our Peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed c. The Question was of whom the prophet did speak there He answered plainly That he spoke of the Messiah and when we did wonder at the Answer and had replied that commonly that place of Scripture was otherwise understood by the Jews He said That by the Cabala it was most evident that the place could not be understood of any other and to prove this he did alledge the words of the foregoing Chapter 52.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold ny servant shall deal prudently he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which word he said That the undoubted tokens of this Mysterie was contained for by the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was meant Moses by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adam and by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 David These Cabaâ—…stical Notions though to â—s they are no â—…round of â—nterpretation of Scripture yet if to â—â—em they â—ring forth â—ue Gospel â—onclusions wâ—e have no â—ause to except against their using of them and that of this servant of God three things were fore-told and declared which have all the same meaning and might have been expressed by one word of exaltation if the holy Ghost had not had a respect to these three members of the Comparison namely That this servant of God was to be exalted above Moses extolled above Adam and made higher then David Above Moses because he will give a Law which shall be exalted above the Law of Moses Above Adam because he shall be Head of a Creation which shall be extolled above that which was in Adam Above David because he shall be a King higher and mightier then David And of none can these things be said but only of the Messiah whence he did conclude that the following words of ch 52. and 53. must be understood only of the Messiah When then we inquired how he would interpret the foregoing words of the 53. chap. concering the Messiah He answered that the Spirit of the Messiah had a being before Adam and as soon as Adam fell under the Condemnation of Death and curse he was moved with a most inward Compassion and coming down from Heaven he took the whole weight of that condemnation which neither Adam nor the whole generation of mankind could have born upon himselfe which he still bears that unto miserable mankind time and space may be given to repent and be reconciled with God that if he make good use thereof he may be freed from Condemnation and be admitted again to Gods favour but if not it will come to pass that the Messiah will withdraw his shoulders from under that Burden and leave to every impenitent and obstinate sinner his own burden to bear it for himself and in the mean time whiles this time of Repentance and Reconciliation lasts he it is who since the fall of Adam hath born our sicknesses and carried our sorrows who for our transgressions and iniquities was bruised and upon whom the chastisment of our Peace was laid which if the Spirit of the Messiah had not been pleased to do the sicknesses and pains of our sins had long ago consumed us our transgressions and iniquities would have bruised us and no hope of Peace or Salvation would ever have appeared unto us WHen I heard these things my bowels were inwardly stired within me and it seemed to me that I did not hear a Jew but a Christian and a Christian of no mean understanding who did relish the things of the Spirit and was admitted to the inward mysteries of our Religion Another time when we were together at a meeting with somn friends privately where we use to read