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and wicked things, and things hurtful to himself; for if these were told plainly and literally, it would be in his power to do other wise, unless God should force his will, and then he would not be a free agent.

(22.) De. I must have recourse to the Jews in answer to these prophecies of the Messiah which you have brought; for they, owning these Scriptures as revelations given them by God, must have some solution or other for them, or else give themselves up as self-condemned.

Chr. The answers the Jews give will convince you the more, and render them indeed self-condemned.

Before the coming of Christ, the Jews understood these texts, as we do, to be certainly meant of the Messiah, and of none other. But since that time they have forced themselves to put the most strained and contradictory meanings upon them; for they agree not in their expositions, and the one does manifestly destroy the other.

Thus, that text I before quoted, (Gen. xlix. 10,) was understood by the Chaldee and ancient Jewish interpreters to be meant of the Messiah. Yet of their modern Rabbies some say, that it was meant of Moses; but others reject that, first, Because it is plain that the gathering of the nations or Gentiles was not to Moses; secondly, Because the sceptre was not given to Judah till long after Moses. The first of it that appears was Judg. xx. 18, when Judah was commanded by God to "go up first," and lead the rest of the tribes; and David was the first king of the tribe of Judah. Thirdly, Because Moses did prophesy of a greater than himself to come, to whom the people should hearken, (Deut. xviii. 15, 18, 19.)

For these reasons, other Rabbies say it could not be meant of Moses, but they apply it to the tabernacle at Shiloh. This was only for the sake of the word Shiloh, for otherwise it bears no resemblance either to the gathering of the Gentiles, or the sceptre of Judah and though the house of God was fra set up at Shiloh, yet it was removed from thence, and established at Jerusalem; which was the place of which Moses spoke that God would place his name there, as I shall show you presently.

This interpretation therefore being rejected, other Rabbies say, that this prophecy must be meant of the Messiah, but that by the word sceptre is not to be understood a sceptre of rule or government, but of correction and punishment, and that this should not depart from Judah till Shiloh came. But the text explaining sceptre by the word lawgiver, that the sceptre should not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh came, overthrows this interpretation, and shows the sceptre here mentioned to be meant

of a sceptre of rule and government. Again, Joshua gave them rest from their enemies round about; and the land had rest many years under their Judges; and David delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; and under Solomon they were the richest and happiest people upon earth; and frequently after, they were in good condition and at ease; so that the sceptre of correction did often depart from them before Shiloh came.

This is so evident, that others of them allow this sceptre to be a sceptre of government; but they say the meaning is, that the sceptre shall not finally or for ever depart from Judah, because the Messiah will come and restore it to Judah again. But this is adding to the text, and making a new text of it, and quite different from the former, nay, directly opposite to it; for the text speaks only of the departing of the sceptre, but nothing of the restoring it; and it cannot be restored till once it is departed: therefore this exposition saying it "shall depart," and the text saying it" shall not depart," are directly contrary.

Lastly, There are others who throw aside all these excuses, and say, that the sceptre or dominio is not yet departed from Judah, for that some Jew or other may have some sort of rule or government, in some part or other of the world, though we know it not.

De. As if the Jews (who hold the best correspondence with one another of any people) could not tell this place, if there were any such where they were governed by their own laws, and by governments of their own nation, though in subjection to the government of the country where they lived.

These salvos of the Jews are contradictory to each other, they are poor excuses, and show their cause to be perfectly destitute.

But I have an objection against this prophecy, which affects both Jews and Christians: that the regal sceptre did depart from the tribe of Judah long before your Shiloh came.

Chr. First, This prophecy does not call the sceptre a regal sceptre, and therefore denotes only government in the general.

Secondly, The whole land and the nation took their name from Judah. It was called the land of Judah, and the nation took the name of Jews from Judah, as before that of Hebrews from Heber their progenitor, (Gen. x. 25.) And this prophecy spoke of those times when Judah should be the father of his country, and the whole nation should be comprehended under the name of Judah : and therefore Judah holds the sceptre wherever a Jew governs. Besides, the word sceptre and throne are used in relation to inferior governors, to tributary kings, and kings in captivity; thus it is said, that thirty-seven years after the captivity of Judah, the king of Babylon set the throne of Jehoiachin king of Judah above the thrones of kings that were

with him in Babylon, (2 Kings, xxv. 27, 28.) This was more than half the time of the captivity; and this was continued to Jehoiachin all the "days of his life," (ver. 29, 30,) which might last till the end, or near the end, of the captivity. But besides the king, the Jews had governors of their own nation allowed them, who were their archontes or rulers; and they enjoyed their own laws, though in subjection to the king of Babylon. The elders of Judah (which was a name of government) are mentioned in the captivity, (Ezek. viii. 1.) And the chief of the fathers of Judah, and the Priests and the Levites, (Ezra, i. 5.) And after the captivity, they had a trishahta or governor of their own nation, (Ezra, ii. 63; Neh. viii. 9.) And the throne or the governor is named, (Neh. iii. 7.) So that here was still the throne or sceptre of Judah.

And from the time of the Maccabees to their conquest by the Romans, the supreme authority was in their high priests; as it was afterwards, but in subjection to the Romans; and they enjoyed their own laws. "Pilate said unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law," (John, xviii. 31.) And though they answered, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death;" the reason is given in the next verse, "That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spake, signifying what death he should die." For crucifixion was a Roman death, but stoning by the law of Moses was the death for blasphemy, of which they accused him. And they afterwards stoned Saint Stephen for the same (alleged) crime, according to their own law. Their high priests and council had full liberty to meet when they pleased, and to act according to their law. And Christ himself owns they "sat in Moses's seat," (Matt. xxiii. 2.) The high priest sat to judge Saint Paul, who applied to him that text, (Exod. xxii. 28,) “Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people, or speak evil of nim," as the Apostle renders it, (Acts, xxiii. 5.) So that here the government was still in the Jews, though in subjection to the Romans: and thus it continued till the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans. But since that time they are dispersed in all countries, and have no governor or ruler of their own in any. The sceptre is entirely departed from them.

De. It is impossible but the Jews must see the difference of their state before the destruction of Jerusalem, and since, and of their condition as to government in their several captivities, and now in their dispersion. In the former, they had still a face of government left among themselves: but now, none at all. And their excuses, which you have mentioned, render them indeed self-condemned.

What do they say to that text you have quoted, (Jer xxiii. 17, &c.) that David should

never want a son to sit upon his throne, &c. You Christians apply it to Christ, who was called the Son of David; but to whom do the Jews apply it?

Chr. Some of them say, that David will be raised from the dead, and made immortal, to fulfil this prophecy. Others say, that after the Messiah, who is to be of the seed of David, he shall thenceforward no more want a son, &c.

De. Both these interpretations are in flat contradiction to the text. The text says, shall never want; these say, shall want for a long time; they must confess now for near seventeen hundred years together, and how much longer they cannot tell, they have had none to sit in Moses's seat, or on the throne of David, though in subjection to their enemies, as they had in the worst of their captivities; but have not now in their dispersion.

But is there any difference betwixt what you call the cathedra, or seat of Moses, and the throne of David?

Chr. None as to government; for Moses was king in Jeshurun, (Deut. xxiii. 5,) but David was the first king of the tribe of Judah, which was to be the name of the whole nation; and Christ was called the King of the Jews. It was the title set upon his cross. But after him none ever had that title to this day.

Dc. This is not to be answered by the Jews. But pray what person is it, do they say, was meant in chap. liii. of Isaiah, which you have quoted?

Chr. They will not have it to be any person at all; for they can find none, except our Christ, to whom these prophecies can any way be applied. Therefore they say, it must be meant of the nation of the Jews, whose sufferings, &c. are there described in the name of a person, by which the people are to be understood.

De. But the people and the person there described as suffering, &c. are plainly contradistinguished. It is said, ver. 8. "For the transgression of my people was he stricken." And ver. 3. 4, &c. "We" (the people) “like sheep have gone astray-And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all," that is, of the people; who are here called wicked. But he is called "My righteous servant, who did no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." Therefore this people and the person here spoken of could not be the same. They are opposed to each other. The one called righteous, the other wicked. The oue to die for the other, and to justify the other. "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many," &c.

Chr. The Jews, before Christ came, understood this prophecy of the Messiah, as indeed it can be applied to none other; but the Jews since Christ, to avoid the force of this and other prophecies which speak of the sufferings

and death of the Messiah, have invented two Messiahs, one Ben-Joseph of the tribe of Ephraim, who is to be the suffering Messiah, the other Ben-David, of the tribe of Judah, who is to triumph gloriously, and shall raise from the dead all the Israelites, and among them the first Messiah, Ben-Joseph.

De. Does the Scripture speak of two Messiahs, and the one raising the other?

Chr. No, not a word; but only of the Messiah, which shows it spoke only of one.-It mentions the two-fold state of this Messiah, the first suffering, the second triumphing;

whence the modern Jews have framed to themselves these two Messiahs.

De. This is shameful! And plainly to aid the prophecies against them.

Chr. This of Isaiah is fully explained, Dan. ix. 24, &c. where it is said, that the Messiah the Prince should be cut off, but not for himself, but for the transgressions of the people," to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity." And that this was to be within four hundred and ninety years after the building of the second temple, which I have mentioned before.

De. I cannot imagine how the Jews get clear of this.

Chr. They cannot. But in spite to it, they seek now to undervalue the whole book of Daniel, though they dare not totally reject it, because it was received by their forefathers, who preceded Christ. But about a hundred years after Christ they made a new distribution of the books of the Old Testament, different from their fathers, and took the book of Daniel out of the middle of the prophets, where it was placed before, and put it last of all. But more than this, to lessen the credit of this book, they adventured to shake the authority of their whole Scriptures; for they took upon them to make a distinction of the books of the Scripture, and made them not all inspired or canonical, but some of them they called Ayy, that is, holy or pious books, though in a lower class than those called inspired or canonical Scriptures. And they put the book of Daniel into the inferior class; but in that book Daniel speaks of himself as having received these prophecies immediately from an angel of God. Wherein, if he told us the truth, it must be put in the highest class of canonical Scripture; but if he told us false, then this book is quite through all a lie, and blasphemous too, in fathering it all upon God! So that the distinction of our modern Jews confounds themselves. And since they allow this book of Daniel a place among the Ayygaga, or holy writings, they cannot deny it to be truly canonical, as all their fathers owned it before the coming of Christ. And if they throw off Daniel, they must discard Ezekiel too; for he gives the highest attestation to Daniel that can be given to mortal

man; he makes him one of the three most righteous men to be found in all ages, and the very standard of wisdom to the world, (Ezek. xiv. 14, 20; xxviii. 3.)

De. What do they say to Hag. ii. 7, 9. where it is said, that Christ was to come into the second Temple.

Chr. Some of them say, that this must be meant of a temple yet to be built.

De. This is denying the prophecy; for it is said, (ver. 7.) "I will fill this house with glory," &c. And (ver. 9.) "The glory of this latter house-and in this place will I give peace," &c. But I am not to defend the cause of the Jews; it seems to me very desperate. I own, you Christians have the advantage of them in this.

Chr. And I hope it will have so much effect with you, as to make you consider seriously of the weight of this argument of prophecy we have discoursed.

De. Let us at present leave this head of prophecy. Have you any farther evidence to produce for your Christ?

(VII.) Chr. I have one more, which is yet more peculiar to him than even that of prophecy. For whatever weak pretence may be made of some prophecies among the Heathen, as to some particular events, of little consequence to the world, yet they never offered at that sort of evidence I am next to produce: which is not only prophecies of the fact, and that from the beginning of the world, but also types, resemblances, and exhibitions of the fact, in outward sensible institutions, ordained as law from the beginning, and to continue till the fact they prefigured should come to pass.

(1.) Such were the sacrifices instituted by God immediately upon the Fall, (and upon his promise of the life-giving seed, Gen. iii. 15.) as types of that great and only propitiatory sacrifice for sin which was to come; whose blood they saw continually shed (in type) in their daily sacrifices.

These were continued in the heathen posterities of Adam by immemorial tradition from the beginning, though they had forgot the beginning of them, as they had of the world, or of mankind; yet they retained so much of the reason of them, as that they had universally the notion of a vicarious atonement, and that our sins were to be purged by the blood of others suffering in our stead. As likewise, that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin, but that a more noble blood was necessary. Hence they came to human sacrifices, and at last to sacrifice the greatest, most noble, and most virtuous; and such offered themselves to be sacrificed for the safety of the people. As Codrus, King of the Athenians, who sacrificed himself on this account. The like did Curtius for the Romans, as supposing himself the bravest

and most valuable of them all. So the Decii, the Fabii, &c. Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia for the Greek army; and the King of Moab sacrificed his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, (2 Kings, iii. 27.) Thus the sacrificing (not their servants or slaves, but) their children to Moloch, is frequently mentioned of the Jews, which they did in imitation of the heathen, as it is said, (Psal. cvi. 35-38,)" They were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works; and they served their idols. Yea they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto the idols of Canaan," &c. Pursuant to which notion, the prophet introduceth them arguing thus: "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" (Micah, vi. 6,7.) They were plainly searching after a complete and adequate satisfaction for sin; and they thought it necessary.

De. No doubt they thought so; but that did not make it necessary.

Chr. The doctrine of satisfaction is a subject by itself; which I have treated elsewhere. But I am not come so far with you yet; I am now only speaking of sacrifices as types of the sacrifice of Christ.

(2.) And besides sacrifice in general, there were afterwards some particular sacrifices appointed more nearly expressive of our redemption by Christ. As the Passover, which was instituted in memory of the redemption of the children of Israel (that is, the Church) out of Egypt, (the house of bondage of this world, where we are in servitude to sin and misery) in the night when God slew all the first-born of the Egyptians: but the destroyer was to pass over those houses where he saw the blood of the Paschal Lamb upon the door-posts. And it was to be eaten with unleavened bread, expressing the sincerity of the heart, without any mixture or taint of wickedness. And thus it is applied, (1 Cor. v. 7, 8,) "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

(3.) There was a double exhibition of Christ on the great day of expiation, which was but once a-year; on which day only the high priest entered into the holy of holies (which represented heaven, Exod. xxv. 40; Wisd. ix. 8; Heb. ix. 24,) with the blood of the sacrifice, whose body was burnt without the camp; to show God's detestation of sin, and

that it was to be removed far from us and that we must go out of the camp, that is, out of this world, bearing our reproach for sin, before we can be quite freed from it. See how exactly this was fulfilled in Christ, (Heb. xiii. 11-14,) " For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burnt without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach; for here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come."

The other lively representation of Christ's bearing our sins, and taking them away from us, which was made on the same day of expiation, was the scape-goat, (Lev. xvi. 21, 22,) "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities, into a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." This is so plain, that it needs no application.

(4.) Another express representation of Christ was the brasen serpent in the wilderness, by looking upon which the people were cured of the stings of the fiery serpents. So in looking upon Christ by faith, the sting of the old serpent the devil is taken away. And the lifting up the serpent did represent Christ being lifted up upon the cross. Christ himself makes the allusion, (John, iii. 14,) "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

(5.) He was likewise represented by the manna; for he was the true bread that came down from heaven to nourish us unto eternal life, (John, vi. 31—36.)

(6.) As also by the rock whence the waters flowed out to give them drink in the wilder"And that rock was Christ," (1 Cor.

ness.

x. 4.)

(7.) And he was not only their meat and drink, but he was also their constant guide, and led them in a pillar of fire by night, and of a cloud by day. And the cloud of glory in the temple, in which God appeared, was by the Jews understood as a type of the Messiah, who is the true Shechina or habitation of God.

(8.) The Sabbath is called a shadow of Christ, (Col. ii. 17.) It was a figure of that eternal rest procured to us by Christ; therefore it is called a sign of the perpetual covenant, (Exod. xxxi. 16. 17; Ezek. xx. 12.)

(9.) And such a sign was the temple at Jerusalem; at which place, and none other, the sacrifices of the Jews were to be offered, (Deut. xii. 11, 13, 14.) Because Christ was to be sacrificed there, and as a token of it, those sacrifices which were types of him were to be offered only there.

And so great stress was laid upon this, that no sin of the Jews is oftener remembered than their breach of this command. It was a blot set upon their several reformations, otherwise good and commendable in the sight of God, that the high places, where they used to sacrifice, were not taken away. This is marked as the great defect in the reformation of Asa, (1 Kings, xv. 14;) of Jehoshaphat, (1 Kings, xxii. 43;) of Jehoash, (2 Kings, xii. 3;) of Amaziah, (2 Kings, xv. 4;) of Jotham, (verse 35.) But they were taken away by Hezekiah, (2 Kings, xviii. 4,) and the people instructed to sacrifice and burn incense at Jerusalem only, (2 Chron. xxxii. 12; Isa. xxxvi. 7.)

There was likewise a farther design of Providence in limiting their sacrifices to Jerusalem, which was, that after the great propitiatory sacrifice of Christ had been once offered there, God was to remove the Jews from Jerusalem, that they might have no sacrifice at all (as, for that reason, they have not had in any part of the world near these seventeen hundred years past) to instruct them; that (as the apostle speaks to them, Heb. x. 26,) "there remaineth no more" or "other sacrifice for sins." And since, by the Law, their sins were to be purged by sacrifice, they have now no way to purge their sins; to force them, as it were, to look back upon hat only sacrifice which can purge their sins. And till they return to that, they must have 10 sacrifice at all, but die in their sins. As Jesus said unto them, "I go my way, and ye shall die in your sins.-For if ye believe not hat I am he, ye shall die in your sins," (John, viii. 21, 24.)

And Daniel prophesied expressly, that soon after the death of the Messiah, the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary should be destroyed, and that the sacrifice should cease, "Even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate," (Dan. ix. 26, 27.)

And this desolation of theirs, and what was determined upon them, was told them likewise by Hosea, (iii. 4,) “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a sacrifice." But he says in the next verse, That "in the latter days they shall return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king," that is, the Son of David, their Prince and Messiah; as he is called Messiah the Prince, (Dan. ix. 25.)

Thus, as salvation was of the Jews, because Christ was to come of them, so this salvation

was only to be had at Jerusalem, where he was to suffer, and by which only salvation was to be had.

(10.) De. This argument is to the Jews; and if I were a Jew it would move me, because they never were so long before without king, temple, or sacrifice.

Chr. But the prophecies of it, and these fulfilled as you have seen; and Christ being so plainly pointed at, and the place of his passion, by limiting the sacrifices to Jerusalem only; and by causing the legal sacrifices to cease throughout the world, to show that they were fulfilled all this is a strong evidence to you of the truth of these things, and of our Jesus being the Messiah, or Christ, who was prophesied of.

De. I cannot deny but there is something remarkable in this, which I will take time to consider; but I do not see how the Jews can stand out against this, because this mark given by Daniel of the Messiah, that soon after his death the sacrifice should cease, cannot agree to any after Messiah who should now come, so many ages after the sacrifice has ceased.

Chr. Since we have fallen into the subject of the Jews, I will give you another prophecy which cannot be fulfilled in any after Messiah whom the Jews expect. And it will be also a confirmation to you of the truth of the prophecies of the Holy Scriptures.

Thus God speaks, (Jer. xxxiii. 20-22,) "Thus saith the Lord, if you can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me."

Now let the Jews tell in which son of David this is fulfilled, except only in our Christ? And how this is made good to the priests and Levites, otherwise than as Isaiah prophesied, (lxvi. 21,)" And I will also take of them" (the Gentiles) "for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord." And as it is thus applied, 1 Pet. ii. 5, 9; and Rev. i. 6; and this evangelical priesthood is multiplied as the stars of heaven, (which they are frequently called,) not like the tribe of Levi, which could not afford priests to all the earth.

And as I said before of Jerusalem and the sacrifices there, that they are ceased, to show they are fulfilled, so here, after this Son of David was come, all his other sons ceased, and the very genealogy of their tribes, and so of Judah, is lost, as also of the tribe of Levi ; so that the Jews can never tell, if any after

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