Master I would have you perpend and consider what a main difference there is betwixt the sacrifice of Aaron and the sacrifice of this righteous Lord. 1. The Lord said unto my Lord thou art a Priest for ever not for a small time as was Aaron who dyed at an hundred and twenty years of age 2. Aarons Sacrifice was but flesh the Sacrifice of the Just and Righteous Lord was bread and Wine according to the Order of Melchisedech By these words the Lord manifestly shews in his Prophet that Aarons Sacrifice should be at an end when this Sacrifice of Bread and Wine would begin which should know no end but last for ever an eternall or unpassable Priesthood not being given to Aaron as is given to Christ the Priest Of these Children God speakes by his Prophet Moses He will avenge the blood of his children or servants and will be mercifull to his land We O Master are the murtherers of the Prophets and for that he took vengeance of us but with a 70 years Captivitie but besides we have murdered the Apostles and that Just Master of theirs and now God has avenged that blood of his Children more severely bringing a Captivitie upon us that hath lasted a thousand years and beyond By their death God hath washed the Land of his People he doth not say it is the Land of the children of Israel no he doth not so name them Of these Children speaks David As Arrows in the hand of a mightie man so are his faithfull Children Where the Prophet compares these faithfull Children to Arrows shot forth by the hand of a mightie man for the Almightie God hath sent them forth being 12 Apostles into twelve parts of the World through all the four Climates thereof with the doctrine of the Law the Psalter and the Prophets Moses and Aaron he never sent forth to teach any beyond the bounds of his own holy House from him they had neither Mission nor Commission to travell to India oâ— trudge to Rome nor to any other place without the precincts of the Holy Land to declare and preach to others the Doctrine Legall and Propheticall Onely these faithfull Children have such a Calling being sent forth through the whole earth and are risen up before God in our place since God slew Israel and tooke away our name which David punctually denotes in the Psalme saying In stead of fathers thou shalt have Children whom thou maist make Princes in all lands By them is that first Law after the Order of Melchisedech renewed and brought in again who instituted the Sacrifice of God in Bread and wine of which he communicated to Abraham the friend of God Thus hath God by their Ministerie changed 1. our Sacrifice as he hath also 2. changed our name yea more he hath 3. changed our carnall Law into a spirituall Had God said so much to our Moses as he spoke by David to the Messias or Christ Thou shalt be a Priest for ever after the law of Moses Aaron then had our law got a ground for a firm standing thereof But now he saith far otherwise thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedech And for Abraham the friend of God he communicated of the Sacrifice of Bread and Wine not of the Sacrifice of Flesh The word of Moses is hereto consonant which saith Ye shall eat of the old fruit or of the old store By this old fruit he understands the Sacrifice of Melchisedech Again They shall eat of the old till the new fruits come in meaning when the sacrifice of the new Law is published your old things that is your old Sacrifices shall you cast away Howsoever we look up to God as ours in every event CHAP. XX. Of the casting off the sacrifice of the Iews and choosing the Sacrament of the Christians THe Sting of Fear is fastned in me O Master and here it pricks me I am afraid lest God hath sealed up us and our Sacrifice under a Writ of rejection and hath accepted the Sacrifice of the Gentiles as he spake by Malachie I have no pleasure in you saith the Lord of Hosts neither will I accept an Offering at your hands For from the rising of the Sunne to the going down of the same my Name shall be great among the Gentiles and there shall be offered in my Name a pure Sacrifice Therefore in Gods account the summe is cast up thus the sacrifice of the Gentiles is more clean and pure than ours Further God hath not onely taken from us our pure Offerings and depriv'd us of all other Sacrifices but withall he teaches the Christians to flie from us and to avoid us lest they should receive some soyle and defilement from us Thus are we scourged with a rod made of the Twiggs that grew on our own tree for when we had a Sacrifice which God received as pure and acceptable then did we shun and detest the Gentiles as some matter of abomination yea yea Master you know well enough what God speaks by the mouth of David concerning our Sacrifice Think you that I will eat the flesh of Bulls and drink the blood of Goats In which how can any thing be more manifest than this that God condemns and disallows our fleshly Sacrifice Gladly do I covet to know O Master with what reason we are harnessed for our detestation of the Gentiles Sacrifice of Bread and Wine which God himself hath instituted hath not disallowed it as he hath disallowed our Sacrifice Salomon speaks of the Aaronicall Sacrifice He stretched but his hands over the Altar and offered the Blood of the Grape and incense to the living God and offered up our Sacrifice of the Corne of the earth as Melchisedech offered for Abraham God declares what the Gentiles Sacrifice is by Moses Ye shall offer to God a Sacrifice of that is heaved from the Barn floore and of the pressed Grapes that God may blesse you and all the works of your hands We well know O Master that God at the beginning commanded Loaves to be set before the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord not flesh We know there was something concerning Shew-Bread but nothing of Shew-Flesh and Gods command O Master in Leviticus by Moses and Aaron was That a man of the Seed of Aaron the Priest that had any blemish should not offer the sacrifice of Bread nor any other sacrifice In divers other places of Scripture God hath placed his Command that they should offer to him bread and a Sacrifice of fine Flowre and that he will accept it and such at this day is the Gentiles Sacrifice even bread made of fine Flowre Of this Sacrifice of bread mention is made in the Booke of Kings when David came to Abimelech the High Priest in Silo or rather Nob he desired some Loaves of him who answered Here is none but shew bread which it is not fit
Christ keepe you many yeers in our Order in his grace and love Written at Paris by the hand of your humble servant Fryar Alphonsus The Preface of Rabbi Samuel to his Book of the comming of the MESSIAS as already past Samuel the Christian to Isaac the Israelite health THe Lord preserve thee O Brother and keep thee alive till this our captivitie come to an end our dispersion be gathered together and our hopes draw near and God set the Seale of his good pleasure upon our life Amen I know and that upon experience that the fulnesse of the knowledge of our time is in thee and thou art the hope of our satisfaction in the clearing of the doubts about the Law and Prophets by thy glorious expositions Wherefore I much desiring to be made partaker of thy Doctrine do now open unto thee the very secrets of my heart in those things I finde in the Law and the Prophets about which my soul lies under great anxietie and fear Hence it is I make my recourse to they abundant knowledge and wisdome and send to thee this little Book hoping through the will of God to be confirmed in the truth by thee and to have my judgement cleared in the things are doubtfull The Argument of every Chapter in the Book Chapter I. 1. WHy the Jews are under the wrath of God Chap. II. 2. He proves they are dispersed for some grievous sinn in which they are and argues against observation of their Law Chap. III. 3. All the Jews observance of the Law is unacceptable to God for the sin in which they are Chap. IV. 4. He shewes they are in blindnesse Chap. V. 5. The Jews deceive themselves and others Chap. VI. 6. What the sin is for which the Jews are in Captivity Chap. VII 7. That the Just JESVS the God of the Christians was unjustly sold Chap. VIII 8. How the dispersion of the Jews according to Daniel came to passe after the death of JESVS Chap. IX 9. That there are two advents or commings of CHRIST Chap. X. 10. Of the first comming of CHRIST Chap. XI 11. Of the second comming of CHRIST that he will then judge with power Chap. XII 12. Of the Ascension of CHRIST Chap. XIII 13. He more strongly proves the corporall Ascension of CHRIST Chap. XIV 14. Of the Jews blindnesse who neither understand nor beleeve that CHRIST is come Chap. XV. 15. The Jews blindnesse and incredulitie about CHRIST was foretold by the Prophets Chap. XVI 16. He shews the Jews reprobation for perfidiousnesse and the Gentiles election by faith Chap. XVII 17. Of the quickning and giving life to the Gentiles and slaying of the Jews Chap. XVIII 18. How the Gentiles quickned by faith have pure observances in their New law Chap. XIX 19. Of the choosing of the Apostles in place of the Prophets Chap. XX. 20. Of the casting off the Sacrifice of the Jews and choosing the Sacrament of the Christians Chap. XXI 21. God hath refused the Fasts Sabbaths and Sacrifices of the Jews and chosen them of the Christians Chap. XXII 22. He proves the abjection of the Synagogue and the election of the Church by the Lords word to Rebecca Chap. XXIII 23. He proveth the same thing by the Word of the Lord to the Prophet Malachie Chap. XXIV 24. He sheweth the Christians manner of singing is acceptable to God Chap. XXV 25. The Jews unjustly finde fault with the Christians practise of singing Chap. XXVI 26. He proves the Apostasie of the Jews from God Chap. XXVII 27. Testimonies of the Saraceus concerning JESVS and Mary his Mother A Table of the Digressions in the Annotations to every Chapter wherein divers things of consequence are insisted upon Historicall and Theologicall Chap. 1 1. A Digression about the inquiry of that great and particular sin of the Jews for which they have been and are in this long captivitie 2. A second Digression handles the Titles and Elogies of Christian and Iewish Doctors 3. The studying of Rabbins and Jewish learning is asserted and vindicated as needfull and profitable for Divines Chap. 2 4. Of Iews Sacrifices and Services Legall not intended to be perpetuall but to be abrogated Chap. 3 5. That Daniel was not onely an Hagiographer but a compleat and true Prophet Chap. 7 6. Of the 53. Chapter of Esay fitting none but CHRIST confessed by Iews themselves 7. The Epithite Iust and righteous One ordinarily given to JESUS CHRIST Chap. 10 8. Mis-interpretation of Zach. 14. Malac. 3. corrected Chap. 12 9. The Application of Psalm 24. corrected 10. The 63 of Esay vindicated at large 〈◊〉 the mis-application of it and the vulgar mistakes of our common Divines 11. Of the Iews care to preserve the Writings of the Old Testament from losing or corrupting Chap. 13 12. A discovery of what is meant by the Prophet Aser that it is not 〈…〉 but 〈◊〉 13 Reasons for that Scripture A woman shall compasse a man Jerem. 31. to be understood of something else than CHRISTS Incarnation Chap. 16 14. Of the Iews proud and horrible contempt of Gentiles and Christians Chap. 20 15. Of the Sacramentall Crama or mixture of Wine and Water Chap. 23 16. Iewish blasphemies and foul speeches against CHRIST Gospell Christians Chap. 26 17. A large Historicall digression reckoning up the chief fals Christs the Iews have since CHRISTS time been deluded with 18. A large discovery of Iewish follies about the time of CHRISTS comming when it should be and whether he be yet come or no and what kinde of one their Messias should be Chap. 27 19. The strange stubbornnesse and cursed obstinacy of the Iews is discoursed on and laid out 20. A censure on the Alcaron the Mahometans Gospell 21. The Creed of this converted Iew made out of the Chapters of this 〈◊〉 or demonstration of the Messias A DEMONSTRATION OF The true Messias CHAP. I. Why the Iews are under the wrath of God I Desire O Master my conscience may receive some satisfaction by thee out of the Testimonies of the Law the Prophets and other Scriptures about this point namely How it comes to passe that we Jews our whole Nation have a generall great stroke of God upon us in this Captivity which now holds us and which we may well call Gods perpetuall wrath because it findes no end The Wheel of time hath now spun a thousand years and more compleatly since that Titus first led us Captives We are not ignorant that our Fathers worshipt Idols and slew the Prophets and cast away the Law of God yet for all these transgressions the smart of Gods smiting hand did vexe them but with a seventy years Captivity in Babylon and when that set term of time was runne out he was appeased with them and brought them back into their own Land again And at that time according to the suffrage of the Scripture the anger of God had then the bitterest and strongest Ingredients of his wrath mixt with it above any precedent times reckoned
this our last Captivity we may be devout in observing all our Legalities and yet the Lord will not accept any of our Works Greater therefore for certain is our sinne than that which carryed our Fathers into Babylon and thence it is that the wrath of God is greater which is upon us and consequently our works are lesse acceptable and we in the eyes of the Lord more abhominable The slaughter of Prophets the worship of Idols procured them their seventy years captivity and no more but we are captives for a great sinne yea surely ours is the greatest sin which is thus punished with a chiliad of years and makes us miserable millenaries and more Without doubt O Master the Prophet Daniel speaking from the Lord means of our Captivity when he calls it the Desolation He shall make it desolate even till the Consummation and that determined shall bee powred upon the desolate The first Captivity is called but a transmigration because after a short time they were brought back with honour to Ierusalem but this is called a perpeâ—uall Desolation in which for certain God will â—ot have mercy on us as he had on our Fathers in Babylon And this is two wayes evident 1. The Prophets ceased not to comfort â—hem and give them promises of deliverance 2. Though they were in captivitie yet were â—hey all together and company alleviates an â—vill Now for the first we finde not a sylâ—able of any Propheticall promise for us And for the second our case is aggravated to make â—s higher graduates in misery we are not â—ondslaves in company of one another but â—e are a dispersion thorow all the Kingdoms of the World Notwithstanding we are in â—ll events the Lords CHAP. IV. He sheweth the Jews are blinde A Marvellous thing to me is this O Master that all of us are brimm full with continuall hopes of our freedome from our captivitie our Lipps doe alwayes mention it our Tongues know no vacation but are ever talking of our return to Ierusalem wherein we are â—o other than blinde men or meer deceivers of â—he simple For look to the time since our dispersion by Titus and where did any Prophet appear with any prediction or promise of our return nay did any Prophet since that seventy years hard apprentiship name any other end of our Captivity than the Worlds end The consummation of the World must onely consummate our Captivity and Daniel to that purpose names it an endlesse desolation This this o Master is still my fear our sinâ— is the greatest because our smart is the sorest a sin which farre exceeds Idol-worship and Butchering of Prophets for which our Fathers before were punished And if God will shew no mercy to us living we persevering in the same sin so will his mercy be farre from us dying also Yet this nothing can prevent that we belong to the Lord in every event CHAP. V. The Iews deceive themselves and others ME thinks O Master we notably gull both our selves and others because in the Books of the Law and the Prophets we have the Lords promise frequently of freeing our Nation and of gathering us together again from all our scatterings Now these promises lookt into with a well advised minde it will appear they were all 1 Either compleat before and in the seventy years or 2 that these promises were totally hindred from fulfilling the sins of them to whom they were made being an impediment to their impletion An instance O Master I give in those few words spoken by Ezechiel If ye will do my judgements and keep my Commandements then Will I gather you from the foure corners of the earth I will lift you up and bring you thorow the Sea yea I will make you return unto your holy House Behold that which the Lord promiseth us by Ezechiel in these words and other places of his Prophecie it was many times fulfilled before the seventy years captivitie as all such promises of the Lords whether greater or lesser contained in divers places of the sacred Volume were compleat and fulfilled before we fell into this last captivity which has no bottome though we have been more than a thousand years in it yet in none of the Prophets can wee finde it has a bottome And where any promise of God treats of freeing and gathering together it is not to be understood of this perpetuall bondage but of those tribulations and dispersions before the seventy years but after them there is not the least inkling of a promise to gather us from our scattered estate Of necessity therefore we must take it to us that we have committed that great sinne since the forementioned years in which sin we now are and obstinately persist for which the Lord so endlesly punisheth us else the Lords wrath could not so long time have held in his mercy from us Through the course of Scriptures we may perceive our forefathers punisht for their sins before seventy years out of many I select these few examples Our Elders sinned before that time who came out of Aegypt the Promise therefore made to them had no place in them for they perisht in their sins in the wildernesse Moses sinned at the Waters of strife and that sinne bolted him out from entring the promised Land Aaron sinned and he bore his punishment Eli the Priest sinned and he broke his Neck for breaking Gods Command and his Posterity lost the Priesthood though God had promised it them for ever Such promises as these are to be understood with this caution alwayes they shall be fulfilled unlesse for their sins they promerit another reward as is plaine in the Kingdome of David when his Posterity after the flesh fell short of the Scepter even as the true and glorious God promised Abraham and his Seed they should possesse the Land for ever yet they often were at a losse of it for their sins and the Lord often restored it to them again untill this last great losse of it Now a thousand years and above are gone over our heads and our hopes of recovery are vanisht with them because we still abide in that sinn by which our Land is lost and forfeited This is among wonderfull things a grand one O Master that all of us with one Lip consent to this that since the sore Servitude in Babylon it must needs be that we have sinned against God some great sinne and yet none can pick out what this great sinn is for which we have been laden with such a masse of misery Or if any of us have knowledge of the cause and our sin which hath thus engulphed us in these deep evils yet what are we the better The secret sticks in his owne breast he doth not declare it to his neighbour Or what is himself the better for knowing it whiles he turns it not to his own profit for we all do still lie flat upon the ground Clearly we do all see that in
thus though they did fully transgresse the Law worshipt Idols and slew the Prophets yet drunk they not of such a Cup of Indignation and Judgement as we their Children CHAP. XV. The Jews blindnesse and incredulity about Christ was foretold by the Prophets THis O Master dives me deep under the waters of fear that our not beleeving in that Righteous One hath caused that to be fulfilled and to fall upon us which the Lord spoke by the mouth of Esay The vision shall bee as the words of a Booke that is sealed which shall be given to one that is learned to a Reader saying read this I pray thee and hee saith I cannot for it is sealed And the Book is delivered to him that is not learned saying Read this I pray thee and he saith I am not learned What greater and closer sealing up of the Book can there be found O Master than this wherewith the Lord hath sealed and fast closed up our blinde hearts and we have now been a thousand years and more as miserable Truants in learning this one lesson of the comming of this Righteous One propounded to us in the Prophets and yet we know it not nor have taken it out This is it which blows the Prophets Trumpet with that threatning blast Ierusalem shall be desolate and their holy house shall fall down He further said Our Countrey is desolate and their holy house shall fall down He further said Our Countrey is desolate our Cities burnt with fire and Zion is left as a Cottage in a vineyard This this is the evill O Master which has now the age of a thousand years and more on the back of it According to this Esay further saith O Lord God I will exalt thee for thou hast made a Citie an heap an house to be confusion a defenced Citie to be a ruine for ever He shall break the people in pieces like the breaking of the Potters Vessell which shall be broken so as there shall not be found a sheard to take fire from the hearth or to take water withall out of the pit Daniels words are also fulfilled that after the Messias is cut off there shall follow a perpetuall desolation in which desolation we now are and have been cast deep into this flood of miseries a thousand years and more Esay goes on to spinne the thred of our wo Solitarinesse shall be left in the midst of the City or desolation and their Land shall hisse with a perpetuall hissing After him Jeremie saith Call ye them reprobate silver for the Lord hath rejected them Esay again Walk you in the light of your own fire and in the flames sparks which you have kindled In these flames we as miserable Salamanders have now lain a thousand years more Amos comes with like threats The house of Israel shall fall and none shall raise her up To me verily O Master it seems we are falne indeed and ruine is come on us since the comming of that Righteous One yea God hath brought it on us seeing since that time no Prophet has risen amongst us neither shall there be any as is foretold and prophesied of us for we remain still in our incredulitie we maintain an obstinate negative of that Righteous One and do not beleeve in him Hosea therefore saith When the woman conceived and bare a daughter God said call her name Loruhamah without mercy for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel And if thus it be that the Lord hath quite cast us off and will have no mercy on us as we have felt by the miserable experience of a thousand years and upward to what end or what profit is it for us to retain our old Ordinances the Law Sabbath and Circumcision Esay saith Bring forth the blinde people as the true glorious God hath now brought us forth of our Land and made us strangers to it more than a thousand years Besides all this he saith The old errour is gone away what can we pick out of this O Master what is the old thing but our Law which is gone away from us yea we have lost King Sacrifice Incense Altars Was there any worse thing in the whole predicament of calamity that could have befaln us What prey or bootie of hope have we for our winged expectations to flie after Do we not see wo unto us that wee see it that the Lord hath scattered and disperst us thorow the four quarters of the world as Moses Jeremie and other Prophets foretold us Yet for all God we are thine and to this God we have our recourse in every event CHAP. XVI He shews the Jews reprobation for perfidiousnesse and the Gentiles election by faith MY soul is not free from this fretting fear O Master that whereas you and I betwixt our selves can boldly say and affirme that we are the sons of Jacob and Israel that for all this God may have fulfill'd that which he spoke by Esay God shall slay thee O Israel and call his servants by another name I quake to think that we should be of those servants on whom that name shall be imposed as Moses writes in Deuteronomie The Nations shall be the Head and the unbeleeving people the Tail as we now are and have been the hindmost the very Tail of all the World for 1000 years and more Of these Nations Jeremie speaks The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters that cover the Seas Salomon hath of them this O Lord God when a stranger which is not of thy people Israel shall come to thy holy house and call upon thy blessed Name then hear thou O Lord my God that all the earth may learn to fear thy Name as doth thy people Israel What have wee O Master wee proud beggars of the Jews that we can boast in Why should we contemne and hold the Gentiles in scorn seeing Salomon the Prophet hath joyned them as partners with us in the fear of God and in his holy House And peradventure God hath shut us out of his House as unworthy ones and hath given our room to them as more worthy as Moses hath spoken of them Thus saith the Lord God the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. After him David All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord and all the kindreds of the Nation or a thousand generations shall worship before thee Of them spoke Esay O holy house of David thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee The Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising Lift up thine eyes round about thee and see all they gather themselves together they come to thee thy sons shall come from frare The sons of strangers shall build up thy walls and their Kings shall minister unto thee And who I pray O Master are
calls it the Well of salvation spoken of by Esay the Prophet Nay further behold this Jew turned perfect Christian for he confesses the summary of the Gospell the chief sentence of it to be very true which is this This without all doubt saith he is to be held that none are saved but those that beleeve Christs first comming and those that beleeve not there is no ground for them to hope for salvation at his second comming This is the maine matter of faith in the New Testament so that this Jew confesses like Peter Thou art Christ the Son of the living God And I see no reason but it may bee said to him as to Peter Blessed art thou Samuel the Israelite for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in Heaven He affirms the very same that is affirmed in the Gospell He that beleeveth on the Sonne hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him In the tenth Chapter we have some places brought in to prove the second comming of Christ which will not bear it and yet divers of our Christian Expositours have taken leave to be mistaken as well as this Jew or rather worse and so much the worse because they crie out of all which will not sing to their Violl when they themselves are out of tune Cramer undertaking the clearing of Prophecies concerning Christ finding fault with those that do not make Zach. 14. 3 4 5 c. to be meant of Christs Ascension and the cleaving of the Mount of Olives c. to be meant of the Apostles sending out to the Gentiles he names among the rest our Marochian in this place applying Zachary to the second comming of Christ Surely it is not meant of Christs second comming but as Calvin hath it of an illustrious presence and manifestation of God in his power and might evident to all that Jerusalem shall not be in a shady Valley but shall be conspicuous and open to a glorious view for all Nations to see it and admire it It is true Samuel is mistaken and so is Cramer too for because there is mention of the Mount of Olives it doth not follow that therefore Christs Ascension must be pointed at But the Lutherans Cramer Hunnius and others plow deep furrows upon Calvins backe because he will not swear to their Interpretations Our Christian Moore makes use of the third of Malachie too to prove Christs second comming But who may abide the day of his comming Divers of ours are also to be blamed for this that wheresoever in Scripture they meet with a terrible day of the Lord they presently apply it to the day of Judgement yet he sees little that sees not this to be meant of Christs first comming whose preaching and pure doctrine of Gospell was terrible to prophane ones and Hypocrites Scribes and Pharisees Besides it signifies the misery sorrow and captivitie which should befall the Jews in and after the comming of Christ not by Christs fault but by their impietie and infidelitie rejecting Christ so as his comming proves terrible to them In the end of the 11 chapter he hath two excellent things concerning Christ wherein he speaks Christianisme most Christianly and brushes himself clean of the least Jewish moat 1. He concludes it from Scripture that Christ and Christ alone is the True and Righteous One All men best of men were sinners but Christ was sinnlesse And in this he preferrs him before Moses and all other holy Ones which no Jew will do just as Christ is preferred in Hebr. 3. 2. He makes disobedience and infidelitie in Christ the damning sin This he proves as the Authour to the Hebrews proves it compare his words and those of Hebr. 10. 28 29. and you shall see such an agreement as if he had proposed those words and that Text to be followed He that despised Moses Law dyed without mercy under two or three witnesses He has it like to that If they were worthy of death who beleeved not Moses who was two degrees behinde Christ he was but a temporary Saviour and hee was a sinner Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy c. how much more saith our Samuel are they worthy of this Iudicatorie of fire who beleeve not nay who blaspheme this Christ who is a Righteous One and who saves eternally O that this lightsom beam of truth had pierced the hearts and breasts of all the dark-spirited Jews O that all of them saw with Samuels eyes The Lord perswade these Israelites to dwell in the Tents of Samuel and to come and see CHAP. XII THe Ascension of Christ he proves and beleeves which no stone-hearted Jew will by any means admit into thoughts of probability for they are so farre from beleeving his glorious Ascent into Heaven that they make his Descent into Hell their chief and unquestioned Article with the most horrible blasphemy affirming that our Christ is tormented in Hell in boyling and scalding Zoah Dung because he rejected and despised the Traditions and Doctrines of their holy Elders and Chachamims Yea they make him a false Prophet and to be a prophane wretch as Esau And in the most secret Books and Papers kept among the Jews which they will not let every eye see but such as are rightly Jewish that is stiffe enemies of Jesus this they teach and write That the soul of Esau entred into the body of Christ and so he was just such a wretch as Esau or Edom. And this may perhaps be one main reason why they call all Christians Edomites as thinking wee follow and put our trust in Christ who is as Edom with them He applyes the 24 Psalm to the Ascension of Christ which divers Christian Expositours by Prophesie will have pointed at and by allegory allude to This Author makes some ask the question Who is this King of glory And he sets the Angels to answer the question The Lord of Hosts he is the King of glory This way Ierome goes making a Dialogue betwixt Angels and Devils Who is the King of glory say the Devils The good Angels answer The Lord of Hosts mighty in Battell he is the King of glory This Jew it seems had studyed not onely the Christians Gospell but Christian Interpretours and Expositours of the Bible And though this be no strong proof of Christs Ascension but rather Davids Song about the building and setting up the Temple and the glorious gates thereof for the Lord of Hosts to come enter and dwell in it yet the Jew shews us how willing he is to admit the doctrine of Christs Ascension and to follow Christian Doctors This Jew though he sometimes uses the Scriptures with meanings and applications scarce genuine yet in his application of the 63 chapter of Esay vers 1. to the exaltation and
Scripture Behold darknesse shall cover the earth and grosse darknesse the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee Esay 60. 2. In which he plainly confesses no marvell if the Jews stumble because they shall be left in a thick spirituall Myst of blindnesse Blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in They frame their faith into an imagination of two Messiahs that shall come the one the sonne of Ioseph the other the sonne of David His glorie is like the firstling of a Bullock Deu. 33. 17. that is the sonne of Ioseph Zach. 9. 9. He is lowly riding upon an Asse and upon a Colt the Foal of an Asse this is their Messias the sonne of David Both these they will needs finde in the 32 of Esay Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters that send forth thither the feet of the Oxe and the Asse These two are both but one Iesus Christ for he was the sonne of Ioseph that was betrothed to his Mother his son not by the flesh but by education and bringing up Besides he was the son of David by the glorious Virgin his Mother who by the flesh descended from the Seed of David Messias the son of Ioseph being dead Messias the son of David they beleeve shall raise him again Their Messias shall make them great Feasts and Marry a Wife Kings daughters shall be among his honourable women on his right hand shall stand his Queen in Gold of Ophir The Kings of the world will think themselves highly honoured if any of them could get the Messias to marry their daughter He shall beget Children and see his childrens children and after he shall die as other men but his children shall rule and reign over Israel And whiles they are thus under their Messias the Christians shall do all their works drudgery without any wages Earth shall bring forth fruits for them presently after they are sown all kinde of pleasure peace shal they have c. Thus they grow up from dotage to dotage and wander without end in the framing to themselves a carnall Saviour and a sensuall salvation Let the 11 Chapter of the Gemara of the Sanhedrin be perused and there is enough from the Jews to stop the mouthes of the Jews concerning the expectation of any other Messiah besides Iesus Christ My intentions are not a fâ—ll confutation of them but onely the confirmation of Samuels Arguments CHAP. XXVII HE pleads against the Jews that they through incredulity and obstinacy will not receive Christ by the testimony of Saracens and Mahumetans concerning him Whence we note that Christs bitterest and blasphemousest enemies are the Jews his own Countreymen and Brethren after the flesh Venit ad suos sues eum non receperunt as the Waldenses in their Writings have it They are pertinacious and stâ—ffe-hearted nothing will convince them Sabbatius a Jew was baptized and made a Christian Minister he yet afterwards did secretly abide in his Jewish infidelitie When any of their Zealots are put to death for some pranks against Christ and Gospell as blasphemy or perfidiousnesse yet if their Writers mention it their evill deaths are commonly set out with this phrase He was slain propter sanctificationem Dei for the sanctifying of God as they say of R. Mordechai at Norenberge R. Ganz relating how five thousand Jews were put to death he saith they were burnt in fire propter sanctificationem Dei neque stultitiam vel peccatum tribuerunt Deo nor charged they God with sin or folly that is They did not renounce their Judaisme R. Amnon publikely sanctified the Lord by his death So Rabbi Abraham sanctificavit seipsum propter nomen proprium seu Dei A Christian disputing with Jews at Rome when by Scripture he clearly convinced them yet they remitted nothing of their pertinacie nay one of them answered Although thou shouldest shew it to me as clear as the Noone-dayes light that Christ is the Messias yet I am resolved of one thing I will not beleeve it It is reported at Coleine there was a Jew as was thought converted to the Christian Faith initiated by Baptism growing up to many years a little before his death he rejected with execration the Christian Religion and professed his Jewish mis-belief which it was judged he had abandoned Hereupon dying they made this Embleme be infixed on his Tomb a Mouse is represented pursuing a Catt with this Inscription Quando mus felem capiet Iudaeus etiam conversus manebit Christianus VVhen a Mouse shall catch a Cat then a Jew converted to be a Christian will remain a firme Christian By which it is in a manner concluded that it is amongst incredibles to think that any Jew will heartily convert and turn to Christ Yet God has a time and a power and a way to raise up these stones and make them children to Abraham Vsquequo Domine O for the time when the Jews shall be seene mourning over Jesus whom they have pierced The last thing is induction of Alcoran Testimonies concerning Christ some have done it besides this man as Dionysius à Rickel It was the good intent of the Jew to shame his Countreymen any way out of their infidelity and might be provoked by the very Turks to think and speak better of Christ But here is the Poyson if they write one syllable of truth concerning Christ they line it with so many Lies as makes it abominable This is one of their sentences concerning Christ The Word of God and his Spirit entred into Mary the sister of Moses and Aaron and she without Seed did bring forth Iesus Christ who was a Prophet and servant of God Mark what non-Divinity is here not speaking as the Gospell speaks The Word of God and Spirit entred into Mary Mark what non-sense and non-reason is here that Mary the Mother of Christ was the same with Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron whereas that Miriam lived thousandâ— of years before Mary Christs Mother was born I could alledge some good sayings of theirs concerning Christ but that the Devill is to be rebuked speak he never so well They say Jesus the son of Mary shall descend from Heaven to earth in the day of the Resurrection and shall judge the world in it with just judgement Again Iesus shall slay men and shall bring forth Gog and Magog and they shall die but Iesus shall remain alive and they that partake of his faith What ever they say of Christ it matters not for though they make him great yet they put him but as a Servingman to Mahomet whom they alwayes exalt higher It is verily beleeved they say by many wise and learned Heads even in Arabia and followed with reasons to prove it that the first Author of the Alcoran was not man but the
them against us that he speaks of them and not of us when he saith There is no Tongue or Language wherein their voyce is not heard and this cannot be taken of our Hebrew Language For what Gentiles are there which obey the precepts of Moses and Aaron seeing they slew the Gentiles put them to flight and drove them from them But these Gentiles at this day are acquainted with Moses and the Prophets they know God they keep their new Law after the prescript form of the Apostles teaching Notwithstanding all this yet we belong to God CHAP. XIX Of choosing the Apostles in place of the Prophets MY soul converseth in the region of fear and I am troubled about that place of Zacharie I will smite the Shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered I fear that was fulfilled when wee smote the Shepherd of those holy Children the Apostles for ever since that time we like miserable sheep run dispersed and stragling thorow the whole world and the Apostles which were our children are risen up in stead of our Prophets This appears as a Noon-tide truth seeing from that time God hath not sent us one Prophet nor given us any Divine notice or heavenly provision by the way of Vision O Master I fear that the Apostles are those Children Ioel meaneth of Your old men shall dreame dreams and your young men shall see visions For a certaintie O Master our Prophets are the Old men that dreamed of the faith of the Gentiles which these young men the Apostles have attained unto and seen it more clearly even in plain Visions Of these Children spoke David the Prophet Come ye Children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Besides this when God speaks of us â—e doth not name us commonly Children in â—he Plurall number but he stayes in the Singular naming us Israel his first born In another Psalm these young men are called Children Thy Children shall be like Olive Plants â—ound about thy Table Of Israel O Master God spoke by the mouth of Esay The Vineâ—ard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel I â—ooked it should bring forth Grapes and it â—rought forth wilde Grapes therefore I will break down the wall thereof and it shall be troden down Of these aforesaid Children of God by Esay he further saith Iacob shall not now be â—shamed neither shall his face waxe pale But it shall be then when he shall see his children the â—ork of mine hands sanctified before his eyes Now if those Children O Master were sanctified in our sight according to the way of our Law it could not be said of us that we were â—shamed and our Faces Vermilion'd with â—lushes and for that cause we should hide â—hem but rather would it shape for us glory â—nd resplendency of face But hence comes â—his confusion of the faces of Iacobs children â—nd this is the desolation that those Children the work of Gods own hand were sanctified in our sight and yet they have this honour another way than we it comes not as our sanctification by the Law Thus God would give us to understand that our Law is not their Law So much imports he by the mouth of Ieremie In that day they shall not say Our fathers have eaten sowre Grapes and their Childrens teeth are set on edge as if he meant thus The infidelitie of the Jews doth no way hurt the faith of the Apostles nor shall it hurt For this is added for that cause As I live saith the Lord this shall be no more a proverb in Israel And this is observable never any of the Apostles after they had received the faith of Christ did returne backe to imbrace our faith Thus are they free from tasting the bitternesse of our infidelity notwithstanding our teeth are set on edge with the sinnes of our Fathers Further O Master God by Esay delivers more concerning these children the Apostles From whom shall I passe away but from my people the children that are unfaithfull but God shall be their Saviour in all their afflictions his face and countenance shall keep them in his love in his pitie he hath redeemed them and shall be mercifull unto them for length of dayes This hath all truth in it O Master that these Children of whom we speak doth alwayes abide firm and stedfast neither hath God at any time left them and passed away from them since that Righteous one their King and Master hath redeemed them but he hath gone away from us though he abide with them alwayes Of these children the Apostles that wise Jesus the sonne of Sirach hath spoken in his book Hear me your Father O dear children and do thereafter that ye may be safe for the Lord hath given the father honour over the Children After what manner this honour is understood God declareth by the mouth of the Prophet Malachie God shall send Elias who shall turn the hearts of our Fathers to the Children O Master seeing this turning is to be understood of beleeving and turning to the faith if God would have turned the hearts of the Children viz. the Apostles to the Fathers that is to us then the Apostles had moved with us in the same fearfull orbe of miserie and should have been companions with us in this Captivitie that knows no end as we and our Fathers are involved in it But now seeing Gods Ordinance turnes the wheele another way that the hearts of the Fathers shall be turned to the Children what good is there O good Master for us to expect or what glasse of hope can we look in to see a face of comfort If wee shall go about to affirm that these must bee other Children not the Apostles of whom these aforesaid things are meant then must they be in Captivitie as well as we because they did not follow the way of that Righteous One whom the Apostles not onely have stedfastly followed but have also earnestly taught this way should be followed herein attaining to the honour to be named and accounted Fathers in that it is said The fathers should be turned to them Wherefore O Master seeing our Children attained to faith in God before us if our hearts were turned to the Children then the hearts of the children should be turned to us also as the most high God saith They shall be one people and one heart in the glorious and powerfull God For this is to be confessed that we are not to understand it of any other conversion then of turning from infidelitie to the faith and doctrine of that Just One who is the Teacher of salvation to all that beleeve in him As David hath said of him that his Priesthood is an everlasting Priesthood after the Order of Melchisedech who offered a Sacrifice of bread and Wine and this Melchisedech was the Priest of the most High God before Aaron Now here O