the prefent Lews nor their pofterity do enjoy the Part 2, glorious advantages that are promifed to them, how fhall they fee the effects and accomplishment of fo many Oracles?

Here are infinite millions of fouls of lews, which perifh for feventeen hundred years together, only a Imall number of this people fhall be faved in the laft years of the World. Is this enough to answer those great Idea's, raifed by the magnificent promifes made to this Nation?

fiah was

and hither

brought

Befides, we muft obferve, that the Meffiah be- The Meflongs to the Jews, he was promifed to the Jews; promised this Nation from its very original hath been fed to the Jews with the hopes of the Meffiah's coming, as of fuch to he hath a good, which was too great to be defcribed. At only lalt he comes, and this people (inftead of feeing evil upon thofe great promifes accomplisht) fees their Temple them. burnt, their capital City razed, their Service abolifht, their pofterity difperft throughout the world, and made the execration and contempt of mankind." Thus the Meffiah, the glory of their Nation, brings them nothing but fhame, defolation, and infinite miferies, which have no parallel in any other people. All the advantage they have is, that at the end of the world, fome thousands of Tews fhall be converted, and efcape the being damn'd. If this be fo, I confefs that I nnderstand nothing in the Providences and Oracles of God.

There must therefore come a time, that fhall be the reign of the Meffiah and the Iews, in which this Nation fhall be exalted (as hath been promifed them above all the Nations; they must reign in their Saints, Prophets and Apoftles. Otherwife I am. bold to fay, that all the Oracles given to this people are cheats, and were given only to be a fare to them.

8

Nn 4

But

¿Part.

cles have

accom

plisht in

But fome will fay, all thefe glorious promises have

Thefe Ora-been accomplisht in the Church, which hath been not been gather'd among the Gentiles. "Tis the, who hath enlarged the cords of her tents; whofe children the Church have been called from all the parts of the World. saken from To her must be applyed every thing which is faid, Gentiles. to make the Church great and glorious. But do they not perceive, that in the Oracles before us, the Gentiles are evidently diftinguifht from the people.

among the

Ifrael: Ifrael rules over the Gentiles; the Nas tions must rejoyce in her light: All Nations mußt come day and night unto mount Sion, and to the City of ferufalem. The Kings of the Gentiles must be her Protectors, her nurfing Fathers: Sion must fuck their milk; Sion must be ferved, the Gentiles must ferve her. In a word, let all thefe Oracles be viewed, and it will be feen that the people of Ifrael muft be the ruling, the chofen, the Holy people, and that the Gentiles must be made happy, because they fhall be incorporated into this Ifrael.

her

Belides this, how can this thought be entertain'd, that all the terrible threatnings, that have been de nounc't against the earthly Ierufalem, (and against the people of Ifrael,according to the flesh) have been accomplisht in the literal and strict sense, upon and her children: and that the promises of grace and glory have not, must not be accomplisht, but only typically in thofe forreign Nations, with whom she hath really no communion. I fhould as foon choose to fay, that fome advantagious promifes made to the French were fulfilled, because they were made good to the Spaniards: Iews, and Gentiles have always been in a direct oppofition: the grace promised to the one, is not the grace belonging to the other. 'Twas fore-told to Ifrael, that God would scatter them in his anger, and difperfe

them

them throughout the Earth, that they should see Part 2. fad days, in which they should be without a King, Hol.3.4 and without a Prince, and without a Sacrifice, and without an Image, and without an Ephod, and without Teraphim. This hath been fulfilled in the letters and itricteft fenfe. At the foot of these threatnings (which are in almost every page of the Prophets) we likewife read of great and emphatical promifes of refettling, return, ofa glory, areign, and of an Empire. The threatnings have had their accomplishment upon the Jews, and fhall the promifes have theirs only upon the Gentiles? This is not probable at all. And that certain calling of fome lews, which (they fay) must be at the end of the World, is not fufficient to falve the veracity of God.

We need only confult the 63 Chapter of Ifaiah, where the present State of the lews is painted in iucn lively colours, that'tis not poffible to mistake. But they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit; there- Cha,63.10. fore he was turned to be their enemy and fought against them. Behold their fin, 'tis the fin against the Holy Ghoft; this is to be well, obferved. To vex the Holy Spirit, to quench the spirit, ta fin against the Holy Ghost, to do despite to the spirit of grace, are the fame thing in the ftyle of the new Teftament. And here Ifaiah fore-tells, that this people in their Apoftacy from God, will vex his holy spirit, i.e. will fin against the Holy Ghoft. This is exactly the fin with which our Saviour reproaches them, in the 13th of Matthew. 'Tis an unpardonable fin, that is not forgiven either in this World, or in that which is to come. That Generation which was contemporary with Iefus Chrift, hath been punish'd with eternal torments; their crime was never pardon'd to them; yea, their children bear their ini

of the Jews

admira.

ble man

ner

Part 2. quity in the wilderness, for forty years. See, in what language the Prophet paints out the punishment, V. 17. which the Jews lie under at this day. Why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardned our heart from thy fear? The people of thy holiness have poffeffed it but a little while, our adverfaries have trodden down thy Sanctuary. We are thine, thou never bareft rule over them, they were not called by thy name. The pre- Here we have 1. The difmal hardning into which entitate, God fuffer'd them to fall. Why baft thou made us to foretold in err from thy ways.2. Their long expulfion and exile out of their own Land; the people of thy holiness have poffeffed it but a little while; our adversar ries have trodden down thy Sanctuary. 34y The total abandoning of this nation by God; We are as thofe among whom thou beareft no rule (so the French verfion) 4ly And lastly, the continuing impiety of this Nation; Thy name is not called upon by us (fo the French verfion.) Nothing of all this agrees to the Babylonish captivity, it was not long, it lafted but 59 years, it was not attended with induration; on the contrary, this people was so touched with this terrible correction, that after that time they never returned to that Idolatry, which had brought fuch great punishments upon them. And thofe records which we have concerning their converfation in their captivity, (as the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Ether) inform us, that they repented very ferioufly, and in their captivity did not partake of the impurities of the Gentiles; It can't therefore be faid, that God did not bear rule over them, and that his name was not call'd upon by them during this captivity. "Tis therefore the prefent captivity of the Iews, which the Prophet defcribes here.

But what faith he afterward, and as a confe

quence

After the

state

them all

393 ence of this captivity, I will mention the loving Part 2. dneffes of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, 7, 8. ording to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us: prelent d the great goodness toward the house of Ifrael, hate of the bich he bath bestowed on them according to his promiseth rcies, and according to the multitude of his loving glorions dnesses. For he faid, furely they are my people, eftate. ildren that will not lye, fo he was their Saviour. the Jews have nothing else to look for, but the nverfion of fome thousands of them who fhall ot be damned; could it be faid, that the goodfs is great that is bestowed upon the house of Ifrael, nd that God will deal with them, according to the ultitude of his loving-kindnesses? If we compare e whole Nation, which for almost two thousand ars was to be loft, would fuch a converfion derve to be counted any thing?

Above all, we muft take notice in this 63 Chaper, that the fix firft Verfes, reprefent in a magnicent manner, the bloody victory of a Conqueror. Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garents from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his aparel,travelling in the greatness of his ftrength. I that beak in righteousness, mighty to fave. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like im that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the wine-prefs alone, and of the people, there was one with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, andtrample them in my fury, and their blood shall be prinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help, and I wondred that there, was none to uphold: therefore my own arm brought Salvation unto me, and myfury it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in my anger, and make

them