Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	divine_a	humane_a	personal_a	3,580	5	9.3191	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50462	A conference betwixt a Protestant and a Jevv, or, A second letter from a merchant in London to his correspondent in Amsterdam.	Mayo, Richard, 1631?-1695.; Jacob, John, 17th cent.	1678 (1678)	Wing M1523; ESTC R7786	36,017	42

slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken It pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to grief He hath poured out his soul unto death he was numbred with transgressors and he bore the sin of many I shall not stand now to open all these prophetical passages and apply them to Christ 'T is the manner of the Prophets to speak of things to come as if they were past or present and that is the reason why Isaiah speaks all along in the past or present tense This is such a Prophecy of Christ as belongs to him not only properly but immediately In other places and prophecies especially in the Psalms David or some other as a Type of Christ is spoken of in the first place when the Messiah is principally intended but here it is quite otherwise Christ himself is immediately spoken of That the Messiah is here intended is confest by your ancient Masters the Chaldee Paraphrast expresly names the Messiah and interprets the whole chapter of him So doth the Targum and the Talmud it self In Alshech on the very place it is thus written That it is concerning Messiah the King that these words are spoken and this he says is determined by our Masters with one consent In vain therefore do some later Jews attempt to make Josiah or Jeremiah or the whole body of the nation the subject of this Prophecy To which of these can all or any indeed of the forementioned passages in any tolerable sense be accommodated Rightly therefore doth one call this Chapter of Isaiah the torture or rack of the Jewish Rabbins Hulsius the Hebrew Professor in Breda informs us in a late Treatise of the Jewish Theology how some Jews told him that their Masters could easily have extricated themselves from all other places in the Prophets if Isaiah in this place had but held his peace though that was but a vain boast because other Prophecies some of which you have now heard are as perplexing to them as this Yet it appears by their own confession that this Prophecy doth greatly hamper and entangle them Yea the very reading and perusing of this place of Scripture which is one cause why I am so long upon it hath been a means of converting many Jews to the Christian Religion Hear the confession of Johannes Isaac a German Jew and afterwards a Christian Professor at Cologne Anno 1558. This saith he I do ingenuously profess that the 53 of Isaiah did draw me to the Christian Faith for more than a thousand times have I read that Chapter thorow and I have accurately compar'd it with many Translations and have found that there is a hundred times more mystery concerning Christ contain'd in the Hebrew Text than can be found in any other Translation and then he declares how at Frankford he disputed with Five Rabbins and from this very Chapter did so stop their mouths that they had not one word to answer Andradius tells us how he knew several Jews inhabitants of the inner Africa who by reading and ruminating upon this very Scripture were induc't to leave their friends and estates and with inflamed desires to consecrate themselves to Christ He adds that he askt some of them what it was in that 53 of Isaiah that wrought such a conviction upon them they answered that one passage did more touch them than all the rest and that is the clause which we translate smitten of God and afflicted the words are mucke elohim umeunne which they said was thus to be rendred God himself was smitten and humbled By which words they assur'd themselves the whole Chapter was to be understood not of a man but of God himself made man that he might bear and blot out our sins Let me add but one thing more That the holy Prophets of old did not only foretell the Humiliation but the Exaltation of the Messiah all which Prophecies also have had their accomplishment in Jesus of Nazareth consult Isa 63.1 2 3. Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah this that is glorious in his apparel travelling in the greatness of his strength I that speak in righteousness mighty to save Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine fat I have trodden the wine press alone and of the people there was none with me This obscure Prophecy by many Christian Expositors is applied to the passion of Christ But Rabbi Samuel a converted Jew in a little Arabick Treatise doth learnedly apply it to the Exaltation of Christ from him I first learnt the interpretation and for that reason I chuse to urge it though since I find that Mercer Camerus and others have expounded it the same way All the phrases in this Prophecy speak forth the triumph of Christ in his Resurrection and Ascension he is glorious in his apparel as being dyed or stain'd with the blood of his enemies his garments are like him that treads in the wine fat when the juice of the pressed grapes is sprinkled upon him that presseth them he is travelling in the greatness of his strength that is strongly conquering and destroying all his adversaries Under the name of Edom and Bozrah is set out his universal conquest and triumph over all his and his Churches enemies he is mighty to save and to defend all those that trust in him and rely upon him he does not say passively that he was trodden in the wine-press alone but actively that he trod the wine-press alone all his adversaries were under his feet and therefore it follows I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments c. There are in that one Book of the Psalms most clear Prophecies of Christs Exaltation in all the branches of it 1. David speaks of his Resurrection Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell nor suffer thine holy one to see corruption this he spake of the Resurrection of Christ knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit upon his Throne He could not speak this of himself for after he had served his generation by the will of God he fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption but now for Christ he rose again from the dead and saw no corruption 2. Again David speaks of his Ascension Psal 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive thou hast received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God may dwell among them The Psalmist here speaks to God and it must be understood saith Rabbi Samuel in the forementioned book of God in our nature for God considered in his Divine nature and essence can neither descend nor ascend 3. Again David speaks of his session at the right hand of God Psal 110.1 The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool By Davids Lord here we must understand the Messiah who though in respect of his humane nature he was Davids son yet in respect of his Divine nature he was Davids Lord. This Christ then who is the eternal Son of God being made flesh and having assumed our nature into a Personal union

with his Godhead in that nature which he graciously assumed he suffered and made satisfaction for our sins and in that nature he ascended into heaven and sate down at the right hand of the Majesty on high from whence he will one day come again to judg the quick and the dead Both time and strength would fail me to cite all the Prophecies of the Messiah that are in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms much more to expound and apply them Several of the most considerable I have a little toucht upon and have shewed you how they are verified and fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth which was the thing to be demonstrated R. J. Sir your arguing hath not only silenc't me but in some measure convinc't me I know not what 's the matter I find a strange and unwonted working within me Mr. B. Take heed of smuthering and stifling convictions some of your Fathers have done so to their cost Be not asham'd to be Truths captive and to be conquer'd by it Truth is mighty and will prevail What if you should from this day forward become a Christian you will never repent it And let me tell you you are not the first of your Nation that hath so done At the first publishing of the Gospel of Christ though the most of your Nation persisted in unbelief yet many thousands believed and repented and were baptized and in latter times we are not without instances of this very thing I told you but now of some and I can if need be give you a list of a great many more In the year 1310 Nicholas de Lyra of a Jew became a Christian and hath written an excellent Treatise proving by irrefragable arguments that the Messiah is come and that no other is to be expected About that time Paulus Burgensis turn'd Christian also and wrote against Judaism Elias Levita commonly call'd the Gramarian left his Rabbinism and entred the Church of Christ by Baptism bringing some 30 Jews more with him to be baptiz'd about the year 1517. Hieronymus de sancta fide as he 's call'd from a Jew was converted to Christianity and wrote a book call'd Hebraeomastix or the Jews scourge in which he whips them with their own Talmud and approved Rabbins making their own Authors to prove that Jesus is the Christ When the book was publish't in Spain it is reported that by the convincing arguments therein contained above 5000 Jews were turn'd to the faith One Paulus Ricius in the Court of the Emperor Maximilian of a Jew was converted to Christianity and wrote many things against his old misbelief Antonius Margarita converted in heart and baptized converts his hand and pen against the Jews Ernestus Ferdinandus of a Jew became a Professor of the Christian Faith and writes a book which he calls Flagellum Judaeorum Paulus Weidnerus turn'd to Christianity and in his Writings hath call'd upon his backsliding brethren the Jews and hath found Jesus himself to bid them come and see I could tell you of Christianus Gerson Emanuel Tremelius who hath worthily contributed towards the translation of the Bible with a many others And I doubt not but there be many thousands of your Nation that are greatly convinc't and perswaded that Jesus is the Messiah though they do not openly profess it Will you give me leave to relate a story that I have met with in the Writings of Epiphanius a credible and renowned Author 't is concerning one Joseph a Jew who liv'd in the days of Constantine the Great This learned and worthy person doth solemnly protest he had it in order as he relates it from Joseph's own mouth This Joseph laid with the Patriarch of the Jews called Ellel The Patriarch being ready to dye sends Joseph to the Bishop of Tyberias to desire him to come to him under pretence of his being his Physician The Bishop coming to him he beseecheth him to baptize him whereupon the servants are commanded to make ready some water as if it had been for some medicinal use and then they were all commanded to withdraw Joseph looks through some crevice of the door and seeth the Bishop baptize the Patriarch Three days after the Patriarch dying bequeath'd the tuition of his Son not yet at age to Joseph and another These things stuck in Josephs mind and made him desirous to know more of the Christian Religion And there being a certain secret place of supposed treasure which Joseph had now the keys of he opens it and findeth no money but the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles translated into Hebrew and with them Matthews Genealogy The reading of these increased his perplexities but yet did not perswade him to be baptized After this he fell into a sore and dangerous disease and he apprehended that Christ appear'd to him telling him he should recover and exhorting him to believe in him which he promised to do and recovered but continuing obstinate he fell sick again and that so desperately that they had no hope of his life The Jews coming about him to perform those ceremonies and give that advice which they use to do to dying persons one of the chief of them an ancient man skilful in their Law came to him and whisper'd these words in his ear Believe that Jesus who was crucified under Pontius Pilate being the son of God and afterwards born of Mary is the Christ of God and was raised from the dead and shall come again to judge the dead and the living And thus Joseph came to know that among their last mysteries the Jews secretly perswaded dying men to believe There is a great deal more in the story which I have not leisure now to write It ends thus That Christ appear'd again to him in a vision and gave him power to work a miracle for his conviction and still he delayed till at last being advanced by the young Patriarch Judas to a place of rule he exercised so much severity over the wicked Priests that they conspired against him and rushing one day into his house they find him reading the Gospels and snatching the Book out of his hand they draw him to the Synagogue and scourge him till the Bishop of the City came and delivered him After this meeting him on the way they cast him into the River Cydrus and thought they had drown'd him but being delivered he then delayd no longer but profest himself a Christian and