the Egyptians Also Moses was very great in the land of Egypt in the sight of Pharaohs servants and in the sight of the people Behold I have made thee Pharaohs God saith the Lord so he brought out Israel from among them for his mercy endureth for ever with a mighty hand and out-stretched arm c. after four hundred and thirty yeers captivity in Aegypt And when the four hundred and thirty yeers were expired even the self same day departed all the hosts of the Lord out of the land of Egypt And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light He divided the Sea in two parts and made Israel to pass through the midst of it and overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea for his mercy endureth for ever So leading them through the wilderness and feeding them forty yeers with Manna from heaven till at length he brought them safe and sound as it were upon Eagles wings maugre all difficulties and oppositions of enemies whatsoever even to the promised Land of Canaan the lot of their Inheritance Where thy continued in peace and prosperity so long as they served him and kept his Commandments but when once they sinned against him or rather as often as they sinned for it was not once but often and forgate the Lord their God which brought them out of the land of Egypt out of the house of Bondage then he suffered their enemies to prevail against them and tyrannize over them somtimes one and somtimes another till at length they were carried captives to Babylon Yet ever as the Burden of that Psalm is when they cryed to the Lord in their trouble he delivered them out of their distress raising up from time to time Judges as he did Moses and Joshua at the first which delivered them out of the hands of their Oppressors Othoniel who delivered them out of the hands of the King of Aram as it is in that place where it is said That the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Baalim therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim King of Aram whom they served eight yeers But when they cryed unto the Lord the Lord stirred them up a Saviour even Othoniel c. So the land had rest forty yeers Ehud who delivered them out of the hand of Eglon King of Moab Then the children of Israel again committed wickedness in the sight of the Lord and the Lord strengthned Eglon King of Moab c. So they served Eglon King of Moab eighteen yeers But when they cryed unto the Lord the Lord stirred them up a Saviour Ehud the son of Gera c. So the land had rest eighty yeers And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath which slew of the Philistims six hundred men with an Ox-goad and he also delivered Israel Deborah and Barack who delivered them out of the hand of Jabin King of Canaan And the children of Israel began again to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord and the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan whose chief Captain was Sisera Then the children of Israel cryed to the Lord c. And at that time Deborah a Prophetess judged Israel Then she sent and called Barack c. And the Lord destroyed Sisera and all his Chariots c. And the Land had rest forty yeers Gedeon who delivered them out of the hands of the Midianites Afterward the children of Israel committed wickedness in the sight of the Lord and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian seven yeers c. So was Israel exceedingly impoverished by the Midianites therefore the children of Israel cryed unto the Lord c. and he raised them another Saviour even Gedeon that valiant man who with three hundred men and no more such as lapped water with their tongues the rest sent away by the Lords command overthrew the whole host of Midian with this cry The sword of the Lord and of Gedeon Thus was Midian brought low before the children of Israel so that they lift up their heads no more And the Country was in quietness forty yeers in the days of Gideon But when Gideon was dead the children of Israel turned away c. and remembred not the Lord their God which had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side c. After him succeeded Abimelech his son after Abimelech Tola after Tola Jair the Gileadite After these arose Jepthe who delivered them out of the hand of the Ammonites And the children of Israel wrought wickedness again in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim c. and forsook the Lord and served not him Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel and the Lord sold them into the hands of the Philistims and into the hands of the children of Ammon c. Then the children of Israel cryed unto the Lord c. So the Lord raised them up another valiant man even Jepthe Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jepthe c. So Jepthe went unto the children oâ— Ammon to fight against them and the Lord delivered them into his hands Thus the children of Ammon were humbled before the children oâ— Israel And Jepthe judged Israel six yeers After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel After him Elon After Elon Abdon But the children of Israel continued to commit wickedness in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistims forty yeers Then God raised up Sampson who with the Jaw bone of an Ass slew a thousand of the Philistims at once And be judged Israel in the days of the Philistims twenty yeers Thus may we see by at these examples and make use thereof if we be wise what the state and condition of Gods people hath been ever of â—old the effect in brief or burden of the Song nothing else but this When they sinned against the Lord he delivered them into the hands of their enemies but when they cryed to the Lord in their trouble that is to say repented he straightway delivered them out of their distress raising up from time to time one Saviour or Deliverer after another and so immediately governing them by Judges till the day of Samuel When this people growing worse and worse and not contented with this sacred kind of Government immediately from God himself but desiring a King like all other Nations Make us a King to judge us like all other Nations He gave them a King in his anger saying to Samuel Hear the voice of the people in all that they shall say unto thee for they have
There arose not a Prophet in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face in all the miracles and wonders which the Lord sent him to do c. no such Prophet except the Messiah ever after to be expected but the Messiah he it is that must match and overmatch Moses every way he must be a man as Moses was in respect of our infirmities even according as the people of Israel themselves desired the Lord in Horeb saying Let me hear the voice of the Lord God no more nor see this great fire any more that I dye not And the Lord said unto Moses they have well spoken I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee c. He must be a Law-giver as Moses was but of a far more perfect Law as hereafter shal appear he must be such a one whom the Lord hath known face to face as he did Moses but of a far more divine nature For as it is in Isaiah Who shall declare his age Lastly he must be approved to the world by miracles signs and wonders as Moses was which the Lord shall send him to do as he did Moses But no such Prophet hath ever yet appeared in the world nor ever shall who hath so fitly answered this type so perfectly observed the Law of Moses which Moses himself could not do giving us instead therof a far more excellent Law as was prophesied long before that he should And finally so miraculously approved himselfe to the world to be sent from God by signs and wonders done both by himself and his Apostles as hereafter shall appear except this Christ which we profess therefore he alone is the true Messiah and no other to be expected The Prophesie of David THe fift is the Prophesie of David a type also of the Messiah who for that he was a holy man a man after Gods own heart out of whose linage the Messiah was to come had this Mystery most manifestly revealed unto him for the assurance whereof as of a great mystery even that of Christ and his Church God bindeth himselfe by an Oath saying I have made a Covenant with my chosen I have sworn unto David my servant thy seed will I establish for ever and set up thy Throne from generation to generation Selah Which words although the lattter Jews will apply to King Solomon and so in some sort they may for that he also was a type of the Messiah yet properly these words I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever so often repeated cannot be verified of Solomon whose earthly Kingdom was rent and torn in pieces streight after his death by Jerâ—boam and not long after as it were extinguished but they must needs be understood of an eternal King and Kingdom as must also those other words of God in the Psalms Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the ends of the earth for thy possession Thou shalt crush them with a rod of Iron and break them in pieces like a Potters Vessel which prophesie was never fulfilled in Solomon nor in any other temporal King in Jury after him And much lesse this that followeth They shal fear thee as long as the Sun and Moon endureth from Generation to Generation In his days shall the righteous flourish and aboundance of peace so long as the Moon endureth His dominion also shall be from Sea to Sea and from the River unto the ends of the Earth They that dwell in the Wilderness shall kneel before him and his enemies shall slick the dust The Kings of Tharshish and of the Isles shall bring presents the Kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring gifts yea all Kings shall worship him all Nations shall serve him His Name shall be for ever his Name shall endure as long as the Sun all Nations shall be blessed in him and shall bless him And blessed be the Lord God even the God of Israel which only doth wondrous things And blessed be his glorious Name for ever and let all the Earth be filled with his glory Amen Amen And so he endeth as it were in a trance ravished beyond measure with the sweet and Heavenly contemplation of this spiritual and everlasting Kingdom of the Messiah for to him and to no other can all these Circumstances and Hyperbolical speeches of David rapt with the Spirit of Prophesie properly and primarily appertain though literally the Jews understand them of Solomon as they do many other places in like case applying them only to the type never looking to the substance whereof those types and fitures were but shadows and semblances God of his mercy in his good time take away the vaile from their hearts that at length they may see the true Solomon in all his royalty not any longer to grope at noon days winking with their eyes against the clear Sun like their fore-Fathers as it is in Isaiah a most fearful judgement of God laid upon that Nation of old objected to them many times and oft both by Christ and his Apostles but in vain Go and say unto this people ye shall hear indeed but shall not understand ye shall plainly see and not perceive make the heart of this people fat make their ears heavy and shut their eyes least they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and convert And be healed Whereupon ensueth even upon this winking and wilful obstinasie a most severe denunciation of final desolation Lord how long saith the Prophet and he answered Untill the Cities be wasted without inhabitant the houses without a man and the Land be utterly desolate c. But yet a tenth reserved to return a holy seed remainig in due time to be converted This judgment and desolation hath been a long time upon them they feel it and groan under the burthen of it as their forefathers did in Egypt under Pharaoh and yet winking shut their eys and will not see it I mean acknowledge the true cause of these so great judgements revealed from Heaven upon them even the contempt of Gods holy Prophets sent unto them from time to time but especially of the Messiah whose blood lyeth heavily upon them even to this day as their forefathers desired His blood be upon vs and on our Children which all the world seeth is come to pass yea they themselves feel it yet winking with their eye they will not see it But there is a tenth to return c. The rest which will not this Messiah to reign over them let them look into that Parable in the Gospel there shall they find a far more fearful destruction denounced then the former The first being but for a time but a type of the other but a beginning of woes the other eternal for ever and ever The first he pronounceth with tears
Scepter was not departed they had their Sheckes that is to say chief men of their Tribes in all parts where they inhabit Moreover that some of the Moores forsooth had brought them word of a People or Nation of the Jewes inhabiting in a far Country he could not tell me the place where but first there is a River to be passed two Trees growing on either side directly one against another which two trees every saturday and no day else do of their own accord bow one towards another making as it were a bridg for men to go over Now the Jews by reason that day is their Sabbath may not attempt to pass over it But the Messiah at his comming shal bring them altogether into the Land of promise they know not how rebuild the City and Sanctuary in a trice much more glorious then ever it was before To which purpose he alledged that place out of the Psalms The Lord doth build up Jerusalem and gather together the dispersed of Israel So likewise interpreting that of Haggai the glory of this last house shal be greater then the first of this third imaginary Temple So literally applying that of Isaiah that in those days the Wolfe should dwell with the Lamb the Leopard lie with the Kid the Calf and the Lyon and the fat beasts together and a little child to lead them c. That these things should thus come to pass litterally according to the very Hebrew Characters This is all the knowledge they have in the Scriptures the bare Hebrew letters and no more Yet can they not speak one word of the true spiritual language of Canaan but in stead of Shiboleth like those Ephraimites they pronounce Siboleth no interpretation spiritual of the Celestial Canaan the Heavenly Jerusalem of the spiritual Temple of the mystical body of the Messiah that is to say his Church no relish at all of the spirit of God or any spiritual worship amongst them And yet forsooth they will be the people of God alone and who but they the Children of Abraham and of the promise and none but they yea they are so vainly puft up with the foolish pride of this their high pedigree that they think verily and will speak it confidently I have heard it from them that none of them unless for very heinous offences as Perjury or such like shall be judged after this life or be in danger of hell fire they only to have their punishment in this world and not else As though hell fire were only prepared for us Gentiles and Heaven only for the Jews which unless they repent they shall finde quite contrary if the words of our Saviour be found true which hitherto they have found but too true to their wo as I noted before I say unto you that many shall come from the East and from the West and shal sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven and the Children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Where are now the Jews with their lofty pedigree Even as Esau sold to Jacob his birth-right for a mess of pottage so have the Jews to us Gentiles their birthright to the Kingdom of Heaven for a mess of idle dreams and fantasies they imagin to themselves Towers and Castles in the air Crowns and Kingdoms in expectance even in this world another Paradice here on earth But in the end they shall find themselves to have been all this while in a fools Paradice and as it were in a dream which when one awaketh vanisheth and so I leave them to their dreams and profound sleep till it shal please God of his mercy to awake them Thus then it is manifest both by Scripture Tradition and Observation of the Jews themselves that about the time before mentioned to wit in the days of Augustus Cesar the new Roman Emperor and of Herod the usurper King of Jury who was the first that took away the Scepter from Judah even in the time of the second Temple the true Messiah was to be born And hence it was that the whole nation of the Jews remained so accent at this time more then ever before or since in expecting the Messiah Whereupon so soon as ever they heard of John Baptist in the Desart The Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask if he were the Messiah And in another place it is said ' As the people waited and all men mused in their hearts of John if he were the Messiah John answered and said unto them c. So that you see in those days the whole people of the Jews waited for his comming all men mused upon their Messiah So did also John himselfe being in prison sent two of his Disciples to Jesus demanding Art thou he that shall come or shall we look for another and again at the feast of the Dedication they came flocking to him from all parts they came round about him as it is in that place saying How long dost thou hold us in suspense if thou be that Christ tell us plainly All which importeth the great expectation wherein the people remained in those days of which fame expectation and greedy desire of the people divers deceivers took occasion to call themselves the Messiah Judas Galilaeus Judas the Son of Hezechias Atonges a Shepherd Theudas and Egyptus all notable deceivers But above all one Barcozham who as the Talmud affirmeth for thirty years together was received for the Messiah by the Rabbins themselves till at last they slew him because he was not able to deliver them from the Romans Which facility in the people when Herod saw he caused one Nicholaus Damascenus to devise a pedigree for him from the ancient Kings of Juda and so he as well as the rest took upon him the title of the Messiah whom divers carnal Jews that expected the Messiah to be a magnificent King as Herod was would seem to beleeve and publish abroad whereupon they are thought to be called Herodians in the Gospel who came to tempt Christ But all these deceivers are vanished and gone their memorial is perished with them whereunto our Saviour seemeth to allude where he saith All that ever came before me are theeves and robbers but the sheep did not hear them I say all these false Messiahs with their followers they are vanished and gone onely Jesus Christ and his Religion contrary to all other Religions in the world without either sword spear or shield against all world strength and policy hath increased and multiplied and shall do to the end of the world as Gamaliel long ago prophesied to the Jews wilfully bent put all in vain even in the very first infancy thereof to have destroyed it His words are these ' And now I say unto you refrain your selves from these men and let them alone for if this councel or this
saying Behold the time shall come that these tokens which I have told thee shal come to pass c. for my son Jesus shal appear c. and after these same years shal my son Christ dye Here is both his birth and passion both his names Jesus Christ plainly expressed Which book though it be not canonical yet was it extant in the world before ever Christ was born Also Rabbi Haccadosch proveth by art Cabalist out of many places of Scripture that the name of the Messiah at his comming shall be Jesus and among other he addeth this reason that as the name of him who first brought the Jews out of bondage into the Land of promise was Jesus or Josua which is all one so must his name be Jesus that shal the second time deliver them Secondly the Angels appearing to the Shepherds in the night of the Nativity with this joyful message from Heaven Behold I bring you tidings of great joy that shal be to all people that unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord And this is shall be a sign unto you ye shal find the child swad'led and laid in a cratch Thirdly the star that appeared notifying his comming into the world whereof not onely the wise men before mentioned but also generally all the Astronomers and Soothsayers of that age took special notice adjudging it to portend universal good to the earth some gathering thereupon that some God descended from heaven to the benefit of mankind and for that cause had that star an image erected to it in Rome and as Plinies words are Is Cometa unus toto orbe colitur That onely Comet in all the world is adored Fourthly his presentation in the Temple according to the Law of Moses where openly came old Simeon by the motion of the spirit for he had a revelation from God that he should not see death till he had seen the Lords Christ took the child in his arms acknowledged him for the Messiah prophesied that he should be a light to be revealed unto the Gentiles appointed for the fall and rising again o many in Israel with other events which afterwards came to pass So did likewise Anne the Prophetess as it is in the same Chapter Fiftly that most pitiful murder of all the Infants in and about Bethlehem upon this occasion as was prophesied by Jeremy saying A voice was heard on high mourning and bitter weeping Rachel weeping for her children and refused to be comforted because they were not Rachel was buried in the way to Ephrath which is Bethlehem and for that cause those infants were called her children albeit she were dead above two thousand years before they were slain and above one thousand and five hundred before Jeremy wrote this prophecy Among which Infants Herod also for more assurance slew an infant of his own for that he was descended by the Mothers side of the line of Judah Which cruelty comming to Augustus his ears he said he had rather be Herods swine then his son for that he being a Jew was prohibited by his religion to kill his swine though not ashamed to kill his Son Sixtly his flying into Egypt hereupon as also to fulfil that prophesie ' out of Egypt have I called my Son which Isaiah enlargeth further saying Behold the Lord rideth upon a light cloud which is his flesh or humanity and shal come into Egypt and all the Idols of Egypt shal tremble at his presence Which latter point Eusebius sheweth was fulfilled most evidently in the sight of all the world for that no nation came to Christian Religion with so great celerity and fervour as did the Egyptians who threw down their Idols before any other Nation And as they had been the first in Idolatry to other countries so were they the first by Christ his comming unto them that afterwards gave example of true return unto their Creator It followeth in Isaiah I wil deliver the Egyptians into the hands of cruel Lords these were the Roman Lords and Princes Pompey Caesar Antony c. ' And a migh-King shal reign over them c. this must needs be Augustus the Emperor who after the death of Cleopatra the last of the blood of the Ptolomies took possession of all Egypt and subjected it as a Province to the Roman Empire But after these temporal afflictions threatned against Egypt behold a most Evangelical promise of deliverance In that day shal five Cities of the Land of Egypt speak the Language of Canaan c. In that day shal the Altar of the Lord be in the midst of the Land of Egypt c. They shal cry unto the Lord because of their oppressors and he shall send them a Saviour and a great man and shal deliver them c. The Lord of Hosts shall bless them saying Blessed be my people of Egypt c. This blessing I say the Egyptians obtained by our Saviours being in Egypt whom here the Prophet calleth by his own name Jesus a Saviour a great man Finally the comming of John Baptist his forerunner or Messenger as was prophesied Behold I will send my Messenger and he shal prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shal speedily come to his Temple And again I will send you Eliah the Prophet that is to say John the Baptist in the spirit and power of Eliah as an Angel from Heaven expoundeth it appearing to Zacharias his Father in the Temple sent to foretel him both of his birth as also by what name he should call him even John saying Thou shalt call his name John he shal be great in the sight of the Lord he shall go before him in the power and spirit of Eliah And therefore out Saviour in plain terms he calleth him Eliah Mat. 11.14 And if you will receive it this is that Eliah which was to come he that hath ears to hear let him hear And as our Saviour gave him his due before a multitude then assembled calling him Eliah So did this Eliah also give our Saviour his due in acknowledging him for the Messiah not assuming unto himself that honour offered unto him by the Jews but refusing it absolutely and laying it upon Jesus our Saviour the true owner Then this is the record of John when the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who art thou and he confessed and denyed not and said plainly I am not the Christ I am not the Messiah I Baptize you with water but there is one among you whom you know not he it is that cometh after me which is preferred before me whose shoe latchet I am not worthy to unloose These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan where John did Baptize The next day John seeth Jesus comming to him and saith behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world This is he whom I said
it is fallen already and what hindreth but that daylie and hourly we may expect the final desolation thereof Daylie and hourly I say for with such celerity and violence when it shall please God to put in their hearts whom it may concern to fulfil his Will Rev. 17.17 shall this sentence be executed In one day shal her plagues come upon her death and sorrow and famine and she shall be burnt with fire c. In one hour she shall be made desolate Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath given your judgement on her And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great Milstone and cast it into the Sea saying with such violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down And here I might cast up together in like manner making but one total sum of all the Prophesies of all those holy Apostles and Disciples of our Lord and Saviour both as touching divers particulars whereof they prophesied in those times fulfilled most exactly as also touching the general state of the Church successively in all ages even to the end of the world and of the end of the world it self First for the particulars I will but point at them as before One of those holy Prophets prophesied of a general dearth to fall out in those times which hapned accordingly under Claudius Caesar Act. 11.27 Also of Pauls Imprisonment Acts 21.10 Paul in his sayling towards Rome foretelleth the Centurion and the rest of the tempestuous weather to ensue Acts 27.10 Of their shipwrack but yet with safety of their lives vers. 22. and precisely the place where they should be cast ashore to wit upon a certain Island vers. 26. In one of his Epistles he prophesieth of his own death 2 Tim. 4.6 So doth also Peter 2 Pet. 1.14 Secondly for the future state of the Church in these last days with the coming of Antichrist into the world and all his damned crew those hellish Furies See how precisely these holy Apostles and Prophets foretel of these times these perillous times and how lively they set him out in his colours with all his additions as well becometh such an infernal King the Angel of the bottomless pit whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon in Greek Apollyon That Antichrist that man of sin the son perdition that wicked one c. with all other adjuncts and circumstances so lively described as if he had been then already come for even in these days as the Apostle speaketh did this mysterie of iniquity begin to work See then I say 2 Thes. 2. 1 Tim. 3. 2 Tim. 4. 2 Pet. 2. 1 Joh. 2.18 chap. 4.1 2 Joh. v. 7. yea the whole Revelation is nothing else but a continued prophesie of all such things as should happen to the Church militant even from the Apostles times to the end of the world All which prophesies we see accomplished except before excepted the final destruction of Babylon and the calling of the Jews whereof both our Saviour himself as also Paul hath prophesied Rom. 11. both which we daylie expect and then as it is in the Revelation Come Lord Jesus Of which second coming or general doom with the manner of it and all other circumstances we have also sundry prophesies both of Christ and his Apostles which here I will joyn in one as proceeding all from one and the same Spirit for here all prophesies must come to a full period nil ultra I will only quote them as formerly Matth. 16.27 chap. 19.28 chap. 20.1 chap. 24. chap. 25. chap. 26.64 John 5.25 c. 1 Cor. 85. 1 Thes. 4.14 chap. 5.1 Jam. 5.8 1 Pet. 4.7 2 Pet. 3. Jude v. 6. 14 Rev. 21. where you shall see a new heaven and a new earth c. New Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven prepared as a Bride trimmed for her Husband Thus have I brought you at length as after a long and tedious passage by Sea to see land and as it were the Sea-mark whereunto after so many variable winds and so often tacking to and again we have directed our course even from the first Prophesie made to Adam in Paradise Gen. 3.15 to the very last period of all Prophesies in the Revelation shut up in the second Adam Jesus Christ who is the first and the last Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending in whom all Prophesies kiss each other and have their consummation These are the words saith he which I spake unto you while I was yet with you That all must be fulfilled which are written of me in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms c. Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem I say from this Jerusalem which now lyeth desolate I have brought you to the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven as a Bride adorned for her Husband from an earthly to a heavenly Paradise and there I leave you A Collection DEMONSTRATIVE OR Sum of the former Proofs THe Messiah must be a spiritual King to conquer the Divel â—eath and Sin bâ—th by Scripture as also by the Interpretation of the ancient Jews themselves upon that place of Genesis He shall break thine head Therefore not a Temporal King as the latter Jews imagine The Messiah must be King over the Gentiles as well as the Jews both by Scripture as also by their own Writers Therefore not a Temporal King to reign â—ver theâ— only much less to subdue the Gentiles to the servitude of Jewry as some of them imagine The Messiah must be both God and Man the Son of God the Word of God incarnate The second person in Trinâ—ty both by the Scriptures as also by their own Writers Therefore no such earthly Monarch as they expect The Messiah at his coming being to be both King of Jew and Gentile must change the Law of Moses to wit the Ceremonial and Provincial proper to the Jews only and instead thereof give a general Law to both absolute and pâ—rfect to serve for all persons times and places to endure even to the end of the world thâ—refore no such Temporal Monarchâ— to be expeâ—â—ed as they look after For one and the same conclusion followeth upon all the premises beating upon â—heir main groâ—nd to wit a temporal or Earthly Kingdom which beiâ—g once shaken the rest falleth to the ground All Prophesies whatsoever with every particular circumstance foretold by the Prophets of the Messiah were both substantially and circumstantially fulfilled in the person of our blessed Saviour both as touching his Birth Life Doctrine Miracles Death Resurrection Ascension and other effects afterwards of his Divine Power in sending of the holy Ghost and the miraculous encrease of his Church c. Therefore was he indeed the Messiah no other
the Apostle in a most fervent manner both prayeth and prophesieth to this effect Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved Then prophesieth at large in the chapter following and that most divinely as of their fall so of their general call in due time with many arguments and reasons to that purpose Which Prayer and Prophesie of hâ—â— proceeding from a Divine Instinct and Revelation no doubt shall one day take effect For it cannot be but that the word of God should take effect For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Grecian To the Jew first there is the promise there is the priviledge Lift up your heads now therefore O ye Jews sons of Abraham children of the promise to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises of whom are the Fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came I say lift up your heads and listen to the heavenly calls of Christ and his Apostle Paul For your Redemption draweth neer This is the generation of them that seek him of them that seek thy face Jacob Selah Lift up your heads ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in And let us Christians also upon whom the ends of the world are come lift up our heads and know remembring that parable of the Fig-tree when we see these things begin to come to pass that the Kingdom of God is near even at the doors Verily I say unto you This generation shal not pass till all these things be done Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away They are the words of our Saviour And now Brethren to return to Paul I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified Be favourable unto Zion for thy good pleasure build the walls of Jerusalem Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of righteousness even the burnt Offering and Oblation then shall they offer Calves upon thine Altar O give salvation unto Israel out of Zion when God turneth the captivity of his people then shall Jacob rejoyce and Israel shal be glad When the Lord brought again the captivity of Zion we were like them that dream then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with joy Then said they among the Heathen The Lord hath done great things for them The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoyce O Lord bring again our Captivity as the Rivers in the South Save us O Lord our God and gather us from among the heathen that we may praise thine holy Name and glory in thy praise Comfort us according to the days that thou hast afflicted us and according to the yeers that we have seen evil Thou wilt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to have mercy thereon for the appointed time is come For thy servants delight in the stones thereof and have pity on the dust thereof Then the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy glory When the Lord shall build up Zion and shall appear in his glory and shall turn unto the Prayer of the desolate and not despise their prayer This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord for he hath looked down from the height of his Sanctuary out of the heaven did the Lord behold the earth That he might hear the mourning of the Prisoner and deliver the children appointed unto death that they may declare the Name of the Lord in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem For God will save Zion and build the Cities of Judah that men may dwel there and have it in possession The seed also of his servants shall inherit it and they that love his Name shall dwell therein Surely the Lord will not fail his people neither will he forsake his Inheritance He hath alway remembred his Covenant and promise that he made to a thousand generations Thou wilt think upon thy Congregation which thou hast possessed of old and on the rod of thine Inheritance which thou hast redeemed and on mount Zion wherein thou hast dwelt Yea when the Lord turneth again the captivity of his people which will be when they turn unto him by hearty repentance not before when they cryed unto the Lord in their trouble he delivered them out of their distress then will he make even their very enemies to become their friends and give them grace and favour in the sight of all those Kings and Princes under whom they now live and groan in most miserable slavery and bondage as in their former captivities may be observed He saw when they were in affliction and heard their cry He remembred his Covenant towards them and repented according to the multitude of his mercies and gave them favour in the sight of all them that led them captive for the hearts of Kings are in the hands of the Lord as the Rivers of waters he turneth them which way soever it pleaseth him So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia after that their seventy yeers captivity in Babylon as also Darius and others to write in their behalf sundry most favourable Edicts for their return into their own Country again with large liberality for the re-edifying of the Temple of God in Jerusalem For the Lord had made them glad and turned the heart of the King of Asshur unto them to encourage them in the work of the house of God even the God of Israel Therefore Ezra blesseth the Lord for all these extraordinary favours saying blessed be the Lord God of our Fathers which so hath put in the Kings heart to beautifie the House of the Lord that is in Jerusalem c. Yea rather then fail of his promised deliverance to his people when they cry unto him in their distress He will rebuke even Kings for their sakes As he did Pharaoh King of Aegypt in the days of old with this peremptory command by the hand of Moses over and over Let my people go that they may serve me or if thou wilt not c. inflicting upon them one plague after another till at length they were forced to drive them away as it is in that place Rise up get you out from among my people and go serve the Lord as ye have said And the Egyptians did force the people because they would send them out of the Land in hast for they said we die all giving them favour in the mean time in the sight of