6 Prinifii of theMeftiah Vittdícated. andtwenty moreare added byBuxtorfiur. The Principal of there deferve our Confe- deration, confidering that fomeof the moft eminent ofthem, are denyed úythe latter Jews, to belong untohim, thofe efpecially which give Teftimony unto that part of thefaith of Chriftians concerning him, his Perfon.and Office, which by them is op_ poled or denyed. And this confent of the Targums is of great weight again(' them, as containing an Evidence of what Perfwafion prevailed amongft them , befòre fesch time as they fuited all their Expofitions of Scripture, unto their own infidelity in oppofition to the Gofßel and Dodtrine thereof. And unto there, as was faid, filch others fhall be added, as their Chiefe(ì Mailers do yet acknowledge directly to intend him. g,..3; The firft ofthisfort that occurs, is theFirffPromife beforeinfiftedon and vindicated ; Gen. 3. 15. It, ( the feed of the Wonsan ) fhall brxifè thy Head , the Head of the Ser- pent. Mention is made here exprefly of the Meßiah in the Targums of Jonathan and Hierufalem ; and this Promife applied unto him after their manner. The feed of the Woman (hall bruite the head of the Serpent and they thall obtain, 23ri7.tps 233170 'OM t3]piy1 Nrrnw, healing, or a Miller f,r the Heel ( hurt re- ceivedby the Serpent ) in the dayes of Meßiah theKing; fo Jonathan ; and7arg. Hie- rufal. ufeth words to the famePurpofe. Both of them exprefly refer the Promife to the dayes ofthe Mepah; that is, to himfelf, or t se work that he was to do, whence they infert his name into the Text. And this is perfectly deilruétive unto 'thepre- lent pretenfions of the yews. The work here aligned unto him, of recovering the Evil of fin and mifery brought on the world'through the Temptation of the Ser- pent, is that wherewith they would have him to have nothingtodo. Betideshisfurring is intimated in theforegoing Exprefliion, that the Serpent Jhould knife- Ws heel, whichthey much defetto free their Mefriah.from. But that which principally lyes againft them in this Teftimony is, that whereas they appropriate the Promife of the Mefliab unto themfelves, and make theDodtrine concerning him to belong unto the Law ofALA whereof fay foire, ( thofe that follow Maimonides it is one of the Fundamentals, others ( as Jofephite Albbo ) that it is a branch of the Fundamental/ concerningRewards and Punifhments, it is here given out by the Te- ftimony of their Tarrgums, unto the Pofterityof Adam indefinitely, two thoufand years before the Call and Separation of Abraham, from whom they pretend toderive their Priviltdge, andmuch longer before the giving oftheir Lam, whereof theywould have it tobe a part ; which is diligently tobe heeded against them. Ø. 4. Concerningthe Promìfes made unto Abraham we have fpoken before ; the next mention in the Targumof the Mefliab is on Gen; 5. v. 21. where occafion is taken to bring him into the Text. For unto thofe words, and Ifrael journyed and(read his Tent, rsp tran'','unto, or beyond the Tower of Edar, Jonathan adds, aim 23rtalr, J1D3 2311rm t337o rtNTR31 Tile (äí1o1 Which is the place from whence ehe King Mefliah(hall be revealed in theend of the /ayes, And this Tradition is taken fromMicah4. v. 8. Tip '1130 M {I1í31, And thou Tower of Edar, or of the flock, unto thee /ball it come, the firfi Dominion. Now thisTower ofEdar was s place ist, or near to Bethlehem, as is manifell from the place -in Genefia s For whereasJacob is Paid to flay at Ephrah that is Bethlehem, where he let up a Pillar on the Grave ofRache V. 19, 2o. upon his next removal, he fpread his Tent beyond the Tower of Edar; which muff therefore needs be a place near unto Bethlehem ; and the Prophet al- figning the rife ofthe Kingdom of theMefliah unto that Place, becaufe he was to be born at Bethlehem, the Paraphraft took occafion to make mention of him here, where that place is firfi /ßokenof, declaring their expedtation of his being born there, which accordingly was long beforecome to pafs. 3f. 5. Gen49. v. t. And Jacob called unto bis Sons, and fail, Gather your films together, that I may tellyooe what full befall you. p' t,1 nrinr ], in the latter dayes, or the Taft days, or end of the Days. JonathanParaphrafeth on theft words; after that, oralthough 'the Glory of ehe Divine Majefty was revealed unto him rr t th l'n+nz 2375o 1i lyl /trip ;1rJic loDr^t3, the time, ( that is the expree time) wherein the King Me(lias was to come, was hid from him, and therefore he faid, cone and brilldeclare 'untoyou what fhall befall you in sheEnd of the dayes. This expreflion of =nun flrirtt3, the End or /alt of the dayes, is an dual Peripbrafis of the dayes of theMefliab in the Old Teflament. To that purpofe it is ufed, Numb.24. V. 14. Deut. 4. v. 30. Ifa. 2. v. 2. Hof 3. V. g. Micah. 4. 1. and our Apoffle exprefly refers unto it,, Heb. r. r. Now whereas this Ex- prefsion denotes no certain feafon of time, butonly indefinitely direâs to the lift dayes of
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