' ' EPIST.IIL I l91 ' A roogly proves him the true Meflias; neither could he be ju!lified to be that Saviour if they rejelled himnot; fince the Prophets fore-faw and fore.rold, not their re~lling ofhim only, but their reviling. Ifthere we!e no m_o~c arguments; God bath fo mightily confuted them f:o~ ljeaven, by_the vOice ofblS judgemenr,_that_all tb_e world biffetb at their convu~.hon. Loe tbm very finne 1S capitally wntten 10 tbetr defolation, and contempt. One oftheir owne late Doctors ferioufly cxpollulatcs in a relenting Letter to another of ~is fellow Rabbins, w~at mi{\ht be the cauf~ o_f _fo long and defpcratc a ruineof thetr Ifrae/; and companng tbm f~rmer cap_ttvtttes with their former fins1 argues (andyet !cares to conclude) that tins conunUing ·pu· nifhmcnt mullneeds be,fent forfome finoefo much greater then Idolatry, Oppreflion, Sabbath-breaking; by how much this plague is more grievous then all the B other: Which, his feare tels him (and he may bclecveit) can be no other, buttbe murder and refufall oftheir trueMeffias. L~t oow all the DoCtorsoftbofe obllinate Synagogues,anfwtt thisdoubt oftheir owoe objctlin~: Butbow,pall allcontradi6tion, is the ancientwitnelfe ofallrhe holy Prophets,ao wered and confirmed by their events~ whofe forefayings verified in all particular iffues, are more then demonllrative, Noart can defcribe a thing pa!l,with moreexaClne!fe, then they did this Chrift to come.What circumllance is there,that bathnot his prediClion~Have they notforewritten who fhould be his mother,a Virgin:Ofwhat Tribc,of Iudah:Of wh.c houfe, of David: What place,Btth/em : What time, when the fcepter thould be taken from J,d,h: Or after fixry nine weeks: What name, It{t"M, Imm•nlltl : Wh~t habitation, Naz utth:What harbinger,llhn,the fecond :E/itu .-What his bufinc!fe,topreach,fave, c deliver: What entertainment, rejeClion: What death, the Croffo: What manner, piercing the body,not breaking the bones: What company,amidll twowicked ones : Where, at ler•faltm: Whereabouts, without the Gates : With whatwords, ofimploration : whatdraughr,ofVincgar and Gall :Who w~s hisTraitor, and with what fucce!fe~Jf all the Synagoguesofthe Circumcifion,all the Gates ofHell,can obfcure rhefc evidences, let me be a Profclyte. My labour herein is fo much le!fe, as there is Je!fe danger ofJudaifme, Our Church iswell tid ofthat accutfed Nation, \Vhom yet Rome harbours,and,in a fafhion,graces: whiles in !leadof ~itting at, or that their Ne- •politan correClion whereof GratiJn fpeakes, the Pope olemoly receives at their bands, that Bible, which they at onccapprove,andoverthrow. But would God there were no more ltwts then appcare. Even in this fenfe alfo he is a Iew, that is one withD in:plainly,whofe heart dothnot lincerely confe!fe his Redeemer.ThoughaChrillian Itw is no-otherthen anArheill; and therefore mull be fcourged clfcwherr, The Jew thus anfwered : The Torke !lands out for his U'dahomlt, that coufening ..Arahian, whofeReligion (ifitdcferve that name) !lands upon nothing bur rude ignorance aod palpable Impollure. Yet toe here a fub:ill Devill in a gro!fereligion : Fot when he faw that he could not by fingle twi!ls of herefic pull downethc well built walls oftheChurch; hewindesthemallup inone Cable, tofeeifhiscordoffo many folds might happily prevail<: raifing up·wicked Vltahomtt,to deny with SAhtl- /i"'.t~le dillinllion of perfons, with Arrim Chrills divinity, with UU•cedonisa the Dcmeofthe Holy Gholl, with StrgitH two wills in Chrill, with Mar&ioll Chri!ls fuffcring: And thcfe policies feconded with violence, how have they walled ChriE llendome! 0 damnable mixture, mifembly luccelfefulll which yetcould not have becne, but that it meets with fottifh Clients, and foothes up nature , and debarres ~oth all kn~wledge, ""d conrraClion. What is their v1 /cor~n, but afardle offoolifh tmpoflibthues! Whofoever thall heare me relate the llories of Angell ..Adritls death, Str•phutls trumpet, Gahritii bridge, H~rroth and UU~rroths hanoino the Moooes defcending into Mah•mtts fleevc, the Litter wherein he faw Gdd c~;ried by etght Angds, their ridiculous and fwinifh Paradife, and rhoufands of the fame bran; would fay, that Mahomtt hoped tomeeteither with bealls, or mad-men. Be- ~do t~efe barbarou~ fiClions, behold their !awes, full of licence, full ofimpietie: mwhiCh, revenge JS encouraged, multitudeof wivesallowed, thefr tolerated; aod the frame of r~eir opinions fuch , as well bewrayes their whole religion to be but the mungreiiJfli~<of an v!rrian, Jew, N t[lorian, and Ara6ia»: Amonller of many C c • feeds
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