fathers name for ever and men shall be blessed in him all nations shall call him blessed Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who onely doth wonderous things and blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory Amen Amen So likewise in Psal 82. 8. after the description of Magistrates what they should be and what they should do defend the poor and fatherless do justice to the afflicted and needy rid them out of the hand of the wicked c. and then what they did judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked c. the Prophet seeing no justice to be done by men what ever they should be or whatever they pretend to be even as Gods upon earth pretending to do justly yet nothing less he looks further even to the righteous branch Arise O God judge the earth for thou shalt inherit all nations this is that should be the faith prayers and consolation of the Saints amidst all the troubles of the world and injustice and unfaithfulness of men that the righteous Lord loveth righteousness and his countenance doth behold the upright Psal 11. 7. and that he will take to himself his great power and will reign Rev. 11. 17. Isa 11. 1. there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots that is Jesus Christ the Son of David Act. 13. 23. and he shall be filled by the father through the Spirit of the Father withal accomplishments for so great a work vers 1 2 3. and then with righteousness shall he judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked vers 4. Isa 32. 1 2. Behold a King shall reign in righteousness and Princes shall rule in judgement and man shall be a hiding place even the man Christ Jesus whom the Lord hath made strong for himself Psal 80. 17. and by whom he will rule the nations its true this prophesie hath been is and shall be made good in a mesure even in the day of his humiliation he hath been and is a King and a hiding place to all that truely believe in him but it shall be much more fulfilled in the day of his exaltation when every knee shall bow to him and every tongue shall confess him to the glory of God the Father Psal 45. 23. Phil. 2. 11. Isa 42. 1 2 3 4. Where you have 1. A description of Christ in his humiliation 1. What he is to his Father vers 1. His servant his elect one in whom his soul delighteth c. 2. His humility and patience in his suffering He shall not cry nor cause his voice to be heard in the street 3. His meekness and harmlesness A bruised reed shall he not break the smoaking flax shall he not quench Yet 4. He shall bring forth judgement into truth He shall bring forth judgement in the earth the Isles shall wait for his law all the discouragements shall not hinder him the greatness of his sufferings and the long time of his being rejected by his own nation c. shall not hinder him but he shall bring forth judgement into victory and establish Jerusalem a praise in the earth Isa 62. 7. Jer. 22. 5 6. Chap. 33. 15. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall reign and prosper and execute judgement and justice in the earth c. this is the King promised in Ezek. 37. 25. and my servant David shall be their Prince for ever this is the fifth Monarchy mentioned Dan 2. or the little stone cut out of the mountain without hands that shall break in pieces all that have gone before it and shall be the last government in the world for he shall not leave the government to another people as all the rest have done and shall do v. 44 45. this is the kingdom and glory of the antient of days spoken of Dan. 7. 9 10. 26 27. this is that Michael Dan. 12. 1. that shall stand up a great prince which standeth for the children of thy people and the Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day there shall be one Lord and his name shall be one Zach. 14. 9. See this glorious truth preciously held forth likewise in the New Testament Phil. 2. from vers 6. to the 12. where the Apostle first describes him in his humiliation and then in his exaltation that God hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name that at the name of Jesus viz. his kingly authority every knee should bow c. and this is it the Apostle mindes in the Epistle to the Hebrews Chap. 2. applying that which is written concerning Christ in Psa 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet vers 8. but now we see not yet all things put under him but althings in this world shall be put under him and he shall reign till all his enemies are made his foot-stool Psal 110. 1. Mat. 22. 44. 1 Cor. 15. 25. Heb. 1. 13. this is likewise preciously minded Rev. 11. 15. the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and this is the thousand yeers reign spoken of Rev. 20. 4. Thus much shall suffice as in clearing the truth of the reign of Christ 2. The place where he shall manifest his glory in his kingdom and that is at Jerusalem in the land of Canaan that land which the Lord chose for himself a habitation for his name and people the place and City of his holiness even the mount Zion that place where our Lord suffered his shame and reproach shall he manifest his glory the Lord shall reign in Isa 24. 23. mount Zion in Jerusalem and there shall be glory before his ancients Joel 3. 12. Let the heathen be awakened and come up to the vally of Jehosaphat for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about there will the Lord sit and judge of the heathen and there will the Lord govern his people Zach. 2. 12. and the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy Land and shall chuse Jerusalem again let all flesh therefore be silent before the Lord when he ariseth up out of the habitation of his holiness 3. In this day of the reign of Christ will he gather together the dispersed of Judah and Israel into their own Land that although for their sins they have been put far away for along time yet they shall be gathered for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from him that was too strong for him therfore they shall come and sing in the hight of Zion and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord for wheat and for wine
even so amen But who will abide the day of his coming and who will stand when he appeareth Mal. 3. and this I desire to minde you by the way that as at or in the beginning work of your deliverance You must come in by weeping cross not onely in the sight and sense of your sin Jer. 5. 4. Looking on him whom you have peirced and mourning for him Zach. 12. but likewise in relation to the great trouble you are like to meet with also from the world that as you have been scattered among the nations and Israel hath been kept in obscurity so the nations will rage in your gathering together and then will be the first war of Gog and Magog mentioned in Ezek. 38. and 39. and it will go hard with you for a time see Zach. 14. 1 2. to this that agreeth Rev. 16. 12. when the River Euphrates is dryed up that the way of the kings of the earth may be prepared vers 13 14. on their appearance three unclean spirits like frogs went out of the mouth of the dragon the beast and the false prophets which are the spirits of devils working miracles which go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world to gather them together to the battel of the great day of God almighty that is the great battel of Gog and Magog mentioned before called the great battel of God almighty because it is that great battle appointed of God where he will destroy both his and your enemies And in this great distress by reason of the nations fury called Gog and Magog then shall Michael the great prince of his people stand up for your deliverance Dan. 12. 1. Then will the Lord send a fire upon Magog and he shall know that there is a God in Israel and the Lord will make his holy name known in the midst of his people Israel and he will not let them pollute his holy name any more c. Ezek. 39. 6 7. And then shall that prophesie be fulfilled Isa 2. and Micah 4. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more onely after the glorious reign of Christ and his Saints Satan shall be loosed for a little season Rev. 20. and shall gather together Gog and Magog that is those that were left of the nations in the first destruction Ezek. 39. 2 and they shal compass the campe of the Saints about the beloved City fire shall come down from God and destroy them this shall be the last encamping together of Gog and the last destruction and final judgement in this day of glory shall all believing Gentiles be gathered in with you for he is given as well to be a light to the Gentiles as to be the glory of the people Israel Isa 49. 6. Thus have I in tenderness and faithfulness both to the Lord and you discharged this as my duty in commending these few lines unto you the Lord grant that it may finde acceptance with you Here are many prayers presented for you at the throne of grace by those who clearly see and believe Gods intention of good to you for my self I trust my heart is so much set at liberty towards you that I could not onely prostrate my pen and prayers for your good but my person likewise if I saw a clear call from the Lord to serve you In a word to conclude I do believe that you have some of those remembrancers in this nation spoken of Isa 62. 6 7. That will give the Lord no rest till he have made Ierusalem a praise in the earth which is the earnest and daily prayer of him who is both yours and the truths servant as far as he may though unworthy T. C. THE POSTSCRIPT MY Friends to whose hands this Epistle may come The estate of the Jews having been a long time sad and indeed as once the Gentiles were and all unbelieving Gentiles are without Christ in the world and so without hope in themselves as in relation to the true Messiah the Lord having given me some apprehension concerning his purpose both of grace and glory towards them I could not with good conscience altogether hold my peace at this time without writing these preceding lines unto them it being translated into French that being a language that they are exercised in and so sent unto them the work being done the issue I leave to the Lord who I know doth usually honour himself in working by weak means and being desired by some friends I have likewise got it printed in English thereby not onely to provoke others who perhaps may be more inlarged in this work toward those poor dark despised people but likewise that all whose hearts are truely Zion-ward may be instant with the Lord in prayer for them and so much the more because their coming in will be to us life from the dead and their fulness will be our glory Oh therefore let all be warned not to be wise in their own conceit and know that blindness is happened to Israel but in part but that till the fulness of the Gentiles is come in and then Israel shall be saved I have a few words my brethren and friends to present you farther with concerning the reign of Christ and that is that he shall have a kingdom upon the earth and shall reign with his people upon the earth manifesting his power and glory amongst them and over the world But before I proceed any further I shall answer one objection that is some may say It was not long since that your self was against this principle c. Answ It s true in part I was being much informed in the truth of the reign of Christ but judging it to be a glorious reign in the spirits of his people over the world and this is the apprehension of many precious sons of Zion at this day but the Lord opening the seals by degrees unto his people he gives them to see farther into the mystery of his will concerning his kingdom and as light shines in their darkness doth flye away I could not but judge it my duty to give some hints concerning my farther apprehension of the kingdom of Christ in which I shall be very brief That his kingdom shall be manifest on earth will appear from these ensuing grounds 1. It was and is the great design of the Father to exalt the Son here on earth before the sons of men this was his design before he made the world and ever since all things hath doth and will concur to the bringing about of this great design therefore he at first made the world by him and for him Eph. 4. 9. Col. 2. 16. Joh. 1. 1. afterwards man being faln and the curse come in upon the whole creation Gen. 3. God did by him and for him recover the world again Col. 1. 20. that so he might have a selected people to himself that might enjoy his grace and glory Col. 1.
reign with him that you might know who it is you look for one that hath suffered and been tempted that so he might be your king in his humiliation a little before he come in his glory Oh it will be your joy and crown of rejoycing one day if you have hearts to own him truly in his humiliation Well your duty is and its that which the Lord calls you to to repent and believe the Gospel to be baptized after believing in the name of the Lord Jesus wherein is represented the washing away of sin both in conscience and conversation through faith in his blood it s onely the duty of believers to be baptized we own no national Church under the Gospel before the day of Christs glorious appearing but whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall be saved the nations delude themselves with the form of godliness without the power Oh it s the life and power of godliness that will stand us instead at the last it s your duty to own him in every part of his word and will for God hath raised him up a Prophet to you and it s your duty to hear him in all Dcut. 18. 15. with Act. 3. 22 23. Moses gives up all to him if Moses were upon the earth he would willingly submit himself to this prophet therefore stand it not out with him remember that word of Christ Luk. 19. 27. but those mine enemies that would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me The Lord Jesus in his glorious appearing will render vengeance to them that know him not to them that obey him not but will be admired in all those that have believed in him in that day 2 Thess 1. 8. 9 10. Oh therefore fear and tremble to stand it out with him any longer he is that stone that whosoever falls on him will be broken but on whomsoever he shall fall he will break them to pieces you have been stumbling at him a long time Oh take heed lest he fall on you he is not onely a Lamb full of meekness patience and forbearance slain for the sin of sinners but he is the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah and when the Lyon roareth all the beasts of the Forest will then tremble Oh then blessed are all those that put their trust in him To conclude this word remember I bessech you these three things 1. That without him there is no life there is no other name given among men whereby you may be saved but by the name of Jesus viz. through faith in his blood 2. Consider the grievousness of your sin in rejecting him so long as you have consider of that word of the Prophet if it had been an enemy I could have born it but it is thou O man my acquaintance Psal 45. 13. it is his own and they have not received him Oh thats it will cause you to weep bitterly every family apart Zach. 12. when you shall come to look upon him whom you have peirced and shall mourn for him Oh it s that will break your hearts when you shall see and say he that is our king hath been our reproach we it is that have wounded and peirced him we it is that have rejected him and trampled him under our feet and accounted the blood of the covenant an holy thing yet know that if the Lord make you sensible of your sin he is gracious he is yet a Lamb full of meekness his blood shall cleanse you from all your sins for the promise is to you as many as the Lord our God shall call For this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Heb. 9. 15. 3. Consider that notwithstanding your rejecting of him yet he shall be your King at last and he it is that shall be manifest to be the Lord of lords and King of kings that one Lord Jesus Christ who hath been so much set light by you see Hos 13. 10. I will be thy King Where is any that may save thee in all thy Cities and this leads me to the fourth particular SECT IV. THe fourth particular that I shall present you with is that this Jesus shall reign on earth and the twelve Tribes of Israel shall be gathered by him to their own land in peace 1. That this Jesus shall have his kingdom and dominion here on earth manifest among the sons of men Having had his day of humiliation among the sons of men He shall have his day of glory on earth among the sons of men that as he hath been abased in person on earth so shall he in person reign on earth In the confirmation of this glorious truth I shall present you with many Scriptures both in the old and new Testament Psal 2. throughout Where the Lord hath said it that notwithstanding the heathen rage and the people imagin a vain thing for they imagine that Christ shall not reign which is a vain thing vain imaginations c. yet verse 6. Have I set my King upon the holy hill of Sion And verse 8. He shall have the heathen given him for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession what shall he do with them he shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel This is a clear prophesie of the reign of Christ the anointed I have set mine anointed upon Zion the hill of my holiness and all the rage of men on earth shall not hinder it or prevent God in his great designe of the exaltation of the man Jesus to this fully agreeth that glorious prophesie Psalm 72. throughout though it may be supposed that the Prophet in this Psalm intendeth Solomon which I do not altogether deny yet he intendeth Solomon no otherwise than as he was a type of Christ but in the Messiah the man Jesus shall this prophesie be truly and fully made good in the day of his glory vers 2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with judgement vers 4. He shall judge the poor of the people and shall save the children of the needy and shall break in pieces the oppressor vers 5. they shall fear thee so long as the Sun and Moon endureth throughout all generations This was never made good in Solomon nor in any man else but it shall be in Christ Dan. 7. 27. all dominions shall serve and obey him but to return vers 7. in his dayes the righteous shall flourish and abundance of peace till there be no Moon vers 8. he shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth and so to the 17. verse are many glorious prophesies of his kingdom and his name shall be for ever he shall be a son to continue his
fulfilled that saying Isa 53. 7. he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearer is dumb so opened he not his mouth with Mat. 26. 62 63. And thus in silence for the sins of men he suffered death even the shameful death of the Cross and that Scripture was fulfilled Isa 53. 8. He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he cut off and verse 9. he made his grave with the wicked c. and vers 12. he poured out his soul to the death and he was numbered with the transgressors for he bear the sins of many Thus have I given you a brief tast of this truth so necessary to be known in this day of grace that Jesus Christ is the true promised Messiah The Lord give you an understanding in this precious truth which in it self is so full of clearness that whosoever runs may read if the vail remain not still untaken away I shall add in the last place that he according to the Scripture came of the tribe of Judah and so was the Son of David according to the flesh and in him were the prophesies fulfilled Gen. 49. 10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the law-giver from between his feet till Shilo come and to him shall the gathering of the people be And that prophesie Isa 11. 1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Iesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots with Act. 13. 22 23. I have found David the son of Iesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my wil of this mans seed hath God according to his promise raised a Saviour Jesus and this is proved both by Matthew Chap. 1. and Luk. chap. 3. in their account of the genealogy of Christ both agree in their account that he was the Son of David though probably there may seem some scruple because they reckon upon a contrary line yet I do believe there is much of the wisdome of God in it Matthew reckoning after the genealogy of Ioseph who was the supposed father of Christ and Luke after the line of Mary the mother of Christ so that take it on which side you will both came of David and so Christ was the son of David and the son of Abraham Mat. 1. 1. and so he was acknowledged in his incarnation by all that had any convictions of heart upon them Mat. 9. 27. The two blind men cryed Thou son of David have mercy on us and the woman of Canaan Chap. 15. 22. Cryed saying have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David and Chap. 21. 9. the multitude cryed out Hosanna to the son of David c. Let this suffice he was the son of David he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead Rom. 1. 3. 4. For he did not only dy for our sins but he was also raised again for our justification according to the Scriptures Rom. 4. 25. and so that Scripture was fulfilled Psal 16. 11. Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption David saw corruption but this man saw no corruption being quickened and raised by the Spirit Mark 16. 6. 1 Cor. 15 and being risen he is ascended to the Father Ioh. 20. 17. Act. 1. 9 10. And the heavens must receive him till the time of the restitution of all things Act. 3. 21. Thus much shall suffice at present in confirmation of this truth that that man Jesus who was crucified at Jerusalem is the true and promised Messiah though I might give many grounds more as the wise men coming by a star from the East to Jerusalem saying where is he that is born King of the Jews together with the many and great miracles which he did as to turn water into wine Ioh. 2. heal the sick open the eys of the blind raise the dead preach ed with authority Mat. 7. 29. Never man spake like this by the confession of those that were sent to apprehend him Ioh. 7. 46. Thus his works do witness that he was the son of God Iohn 36. and Iohn was a witness to him Ioh. 1. 15. 5. 33. the father by his Spirit bare witness to him Mat. 3. 17. with Ioh. 5. 37. all his disciples and servants were witnesses to him in their cleaving to him and bearing up of his name though in a way of suffering the Sun being darkened in the day of his sufferings was an evident witness that he was the Son of God Mat. 27. 45. the rending of the veil of the temple and raising of the dead and quaking of the earth convincing witnesses Mat. 27. 51 c. that he was the Messiah And finally your being cast out of your own country amongst the nations your City and temple destroyed according to his word Mat. 24. 2. for your rejecting of him according to that parable Mat. 21. 33. 38. 41. This is the Son come let us kill him c. Read that parable and consider all these with many others that I could produce do confirm that Jesus is the Christ SECT III. THe third general truth I desire to present you with is that the rejecting of this Jesus hath been and is your sin and that its your duty to own him and to believe in him I say unto you as once the Messiah said unto your fathers Iohn 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he you shall dye in your sins There are several reasons why your fathers did and you to this day do reject him 1. The meaness of his condition in outward appearance Oh you looked for him to come in glory a King to deliver you from all your enemies Oh you did not you do not know the mystery of his humiliation it was hid from your eyes it was hid from his own disciples till after it was accomplished Hence it is Christ saith Luk. 24. 25 26. O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory the meaness of Christ was and is to this day a veil cast over your faces by reason of which you did not you do not know him 2. The meaness of his followers Oh they were too mean for such a presence as was supposed would attend the true Messiah hence it was I will not say and yet is your selves best know that the chief Priests and Pharisees said have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him Ioh. 7. 48. Oh consider that prophesie Isa 8. 14 15 He shall be for a sanctuary but for a stone of stubmling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel for a gin and for a snare
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and many of them shall fall and be snared and be taken and hath not this been your condition meerly upon this account of rejecting Christ for his meaness and for the meaness of his followers upō this account it was that he was set at naught of the builders and yet is become the head stone of the corner not understanding the Scriptures which spake of him Isa 14. 32. That the Lord hath founded Zion and the poor of his people shall betake themselves unto it Chap 29. 19. the poor among men shall rejoyce in the holy one of Israel Other reasons might be presented but not so useful in this place Oh therefore let it be your wisdom to imbrace him and not to stand it out with him any longer I say the night is far spent and the day is at hand Oh kiss the Son lest he be angry and his wrath be kindled but a little blessed are they that trust in him Psal 2. I say unto you as once Paul Act. 13. 38 39. be it known unto you that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses Oh do not contradict and blaspheme any longer for he is still good and gracious the arms of his mercy are yet open to receive you he is not yet risen up out of his holy habitation to take vengeance on his enemies but he is yet complaining as in Isa 49. 4. Then I said I have labored in vain I have spent my strength for nought and in vain yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my work is with my God Behold Christ complaining for the rebellion of his nation as if he had spent his labor in vain suffered in vain because of their long rejecting of him but see the answer of God unto him to comfort him in his sad complaint v. 6 7. And he said art thou ligher then that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Iacob and to restore the restored of Israel and till Israel doth receive thee and is gathered by thee for thy comfort I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth thus saith the Lord the redeemer of Israel Israel shall be redeemed with judgement and her converts with righteousness Oh therefore stand it not out with the Lord any longer for if ye will not believe ye shall not be established the way by which God will work your deliverance will be your owning of the holy child Jesus he it is that must be your peace and that by faith in his blood for he hath given his life a ransom for many to be testified in due time and that prophesie Zach. 12. 10. shall be fulfilled they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and shal mourn for him c. and he it is that was peirced by your fathers and by your selves too in so much as you have justified your fathers in their sin by your rejecting of him and that opinion will prove but a fancy mentioned in Menasseh Ben Israel his book page 33. Sect. 26. that some of your wise men say that there is Messiah the son of Ephraim and that he shall dye in the last war of Gog and Magog and do apply this Scripture to that they shall look upon me whom they have peirced c. This cannot be for these reasons 1. There is never but one Messiah spoken of in the Scriptures Dan. 9. 25 26. and that Messiah is the Son of David and he was to be cut off but not for himself but for men Second Reason Because the cuting off of the Messiah was to be after the building of the City Ierusalem in their coming out of Babylon and before the second destruction by Titus expressed in these words that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Ierusalem viz. in coming forth of Babylon unto Messiah the prince seven weeks that is seven times seventy weeks and the seventy weeks is seventy times seven weeks which is all one in computation of time then the Messiah was to be cut off and after Ierusalem destroyed again by the people of the Prince that shall come for the Roman Monarchy was not then in being but was to come so that it cannot be so understood that Messiah should be cut off in the last war of Gog because he was to be cut off before the destruction of Ierusalem by the Roman power 3. It cannot be understood so because that word in Zachariah clears it self he doth not say Gog Magog shall look on him whom they have peirced so it must be if he were to be slain by Gog but I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of Grace c. and they shall look upon him whom they have peirced c. he was peirced by you and you it is that shall look upon him and mourn when the Lord doth pour out the spirit of Grace upon you 4. It cannot be in the last war of Magog for then shall be no destruction to any but Gog himself for there are two destructions to Gog as in its place I shall make it appear Oh therefore be intreated to sit down a little and sadly consider your estate If this be truth which is undeniable that the true Messiah was according to prophesies to suffer and all things spoken of by the prophets was fulfilled in him and so it appears that he was and is indeed the Son of God King of Israel Is it not high time for you to awake out of sleep Doth not the Lord say by the Prophet that there is a veil covering cast over all people Isa 25. 7. And Paul 1 Cor. 3. that the covering in the reading of Moses law remaineth untaken away When that is taken away you shall see him to be the substance as hath been minded of Moses law Priest sacrifice attonement prophet and king and to him you will submit in all things Do you believe the Prophets I know you believe them Oh then desire the Lord that you may understand them that you may not remain in that estate that Christ being come you do not know him it was want of knowledge that was the cause why your fathers crucified him so Paul speaks 1 Cor. 2. 8. had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory Oh continue not in that sin of ignorance and unbelief I know you shall not long I do rejoyce in the hearing of your zeal against idolatry Images Pictures in your keeping close to your own people in your marriages by which you are preserved in your great expectation of the Messiah but Oh my soul longs that you might know him in his humiliation that so you might suffer with him and for him and
and for oil c. and their soul shall be as a watered garden and they shall not see sorrow any more Ier. 31. 11 12 the Lord will gather them out of all places whither they have been driven and they shall come with weeping and supplication vers 8. 9. that is they shall come in with the sense of the sin that hath been the cause of their being put far away they shall look upon him whom they have peirced and shall mourn for him Zach. 12. First he will gather Iudah and Benjamin and let them have some sight of his grace Zach. 12. 7. the Lord also will save the tents of Iudah first and pour first upon them the Spirit of Grace and of supplication that the glory of the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnifie themselves against Judah that which I understand in it is that because Iudah and Benjamin had their hands especially in the crucifying of their King The Lord will first to shew that he is gracious save Iudah first called the tents of Iudah because the two tribes known by that name live as it were in tents not so possessed of any Nation as to call it their own And secondly he will save the tents of Iudah first thar the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Ierusalem do not magnifie against Iudah not but that Iudah is the house of David but the glory of it will be the coming in of the ten tribes so long lost that will be the glory of the house of David that is of Christ but the tents of Iudah must be first that the ten tribes may not magnifie against them because they had a hand in the crucifying of their king they it were that said this is the heir come let us kill him but Israel was ignorant of this Therefore to prevent Israels magnifying against Iudah the Lord will save the Tents of Iudah first behold the riches of his grace and kindness to men this is one prevailing thing that hath at this time drawn forth my heart and pen in writing to you And secondly He will save the ten tribes and bring them to their own land who have been for a long time driven far away yet not so properly said to dwel in tents as Iudah because I do believe that they are not onely in being but that there are great and strong nations of them as for the many places mentioned by Menasseh Ben Israel of their habitation I am not so curious about it it is enough to me to know that they are and that they shall return when their day is come I do give much credit to that mentioned by you in 2 Esdra 13. their being passed through the River Euphrates into a strange land where never mankind dwelt c. and that there they shall remain till the latter day and then the Lord will work signs for them and return them the same way and will drie up the river again for them to passe through and to this agreeth that prophesie in Isa 11. 11. when the Lord shall set his hand the second time to recover the remnant that are left from Assyria c. then vers 15. the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river and shall smite it in the seven streams and make men go over in shoos and v. 16. there shall be a high way for them that are left from Assyria c. that is the ten Tribes that was carried away captive by Salmanazer king of Assyria where Euphrates is called the Egyptian sea in way of allusion because it shall be like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt vers 16. to this agreeth that in Zach. 10. 11. and he shall pass through the sea with affliction and shall smite the waves in the sea and all the deeps of the river shall drie up and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down because Assyria carried them away and the Scepter of Egypt shall depart now the reason why Egypt is so much spoken of and the return from Egypt I do judge is because there was a remnant that was not carryed captive into Baylon but went into Egypt Jer. 43. 5 6 7. and I have not read of their return but its probable that they might be driven away into some obscure place and shall undoubtedly return at the time appointed But to return to this agreeth that in Rev. 16. 12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates and the water thereof was dried up that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared Doubtless the ten Tribes are in all this time of their being in the unknown parts of the world grown into many kingdoms and great people and their coming in through the river Euphrates will be a great amazement to the world thus shall both Iudah and Israel be gathered to their own country under Christ the head of his Church and that prophesie shall be fulfilled Ezek. 37. 16. Iudah and Ioseph shall be both writen on one stick and shall become one and shall have one king even David that is Christ shall be their prince for ever and he shall make a covenant of peace for them and they shall be no more two the envy of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of Iudah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Iudah nor Iudah shal not vex Ephraim Isa 11. 13. this is that which the Lord hath said that though thy bruise be incurable and thy wound grievous yet the Lord will restore health and will heal thee of thy wounds c. Jer. 30. thus shall Ierusalem be inhabited again in her own place even in Ierusalem Zach. 12. 6. I shall say no more to this at present beeause I finde Manasseh Ben Israel so full of clearness in this part of the truth and I do perceive by his lines your earnest expectation of the accomplishment of this great salvation by the Messiah which is indeed my joy but Oh that your souls did know him and believe in him who will appear for your joy and as for the time I dare not pitch upon it because I believe as is mentioned in the hope of Israel the Lord hath reserved it to himself So Christ answered his disciples Of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my father Mat. 24. 36. and when his disciples asked him after his resurrection if he would at this time restore the kingdom to Israel He answered them it is not for you to know the times and seasons which the father hath kept in his own power Act. 1. 6 7. yet I do believe and have very much confidence that the time is at hand and it is yet but a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry