Prom f s of the M f iah Vindicated. Adam in the roomofAbel, and all the Po.Cterity of Cain was cut off at the ,Flood, if the Meßiah defiroy literally all the children of Seth , he muff not leave any One man alive in the world, which certainly is not the work he was promiCed tòr. Betides the Lord Chrift, hath partly already; and indue time will utterly deltroy all the ftubborn Enemies of his Kingdom. Neither can the Yews prefs the initanee of Moab literally, teeing themfelves by Edont do conttantlp .underlland Runte, or the Roman Empire. Dent. t8. v. 15, 1G, 17, 18, t9. This place is an eminent Prophefie concerning the MefÌiah and his PropheticalOffice, not before any where mentioneel. But the Lam be- ing now given, which was to continue inviolably unto his coming, Mal. 4.4. when it was to be changed, removed, and taken -away , this part of his work , that hé was to make the lait, lull, perfeét Declaration of the will of God , is now do Glared. TheTargums are here filent of him, for they principally attend unto thole places witida make mention of his Kingdom. RaJhi refers the words unto thefrier ofPro- phets, which were afterwards railed up ; Aben Ezra to1,fhum ; others to yeretniab upon the rejeéfion ofwhole warnings, the people were carried into captivity, which they coiled from v. 19. Whatever now they pretend, of old they looked for fesme tine fignal Prophet from this place, WhichGould immediately come before the Mefliah himfGlf; Thence was thatQ-ueftiou in their Examination o(,JohnRaptilf ;' Art thou that Prophet, John 1.21. namely whom they looked for from this Predié ion ofMrfee, But it is the M.efiah hìmfelf and none other that is intended. For Firll, None other, ever arofe like unto MoJir. This is twice repeated', in the words of NGJèr unto the people ; v. 15. God will raife thee up a Prophet, 17107, like unto me ; and in the words ofGod toiWi/is; v. 18. I mill raife them up a Prophet `Been libe unto they, as thou art. Lipman a blafphe;nous Jew in his Nizzachon contends that Jrfitr cannot be in- tended ; becaufe he was not likeMfs ; for Mofes was a torn only, J.lus declaredhim- flf to be God ; Mfes had Father and Mother, f efts had not as we fry ; But the com- panion intended, lothnot at allrefpeét their Perlin, or their Natures, but theirOfce. Ic was in the Prnpbetie4 Office that the Prophet foretold , was to be. like unto d'Ife : Ìt is a Lan -giver, one that lhoula itallitute New Ordinances of Worlhip by the Aú- thority of God for the.nib and Obíbrvance of the whole Church, as Motes did; one that Gould reveal thewhole will ofGod,. as Majär did , as to that Gafon wherein God employed him. That this could not he Yofhua, nor any of the Prophets that enCued, is evident from that Teftimony of the Holy Ghodt, Deut. 3.I. v. to. There draft' notfines a Prophet in Ifrael like unto Mofès. This muff therefore be referred unto Tome fingular Prophet who was theta to come, or there is an exprefs contradiétion in the Text. And this is note other but the jab, concerning whom they acknowledge that he (hall be a Prophet aboveMtge. Secondly, The extermination threatned unto the peo- ple, upon their difobedience unto this Prophet, here promiCed, v. 19. never befell them; uutill they Thad rejcefed the Lord Me, the true and only Mefeiah. Wherefore this place is rightly applyed unto him in the NOVTefiament, skis 3.2a, 23. Cbs,. 7. 37. And we have hence a farther difcovery of the Nature of the Deliverer , and Delive- rance promiCed of old, and therein of the Faith of the Antient Church ; He was to be a bleared Prophet to reveal the mind and will of God ; which alíolac hath done un- to theutmoli. And from this place it is that the Jews themfèlves in Midraff, Co be- loth, cap; 1. fay, ;11íN itd11 p pow! t1N13) The Latter Redeemer it to be like the former. Dent. zq.v. i9.Thonfhalt blot out the Remembrance of Amaleck flow under Freaven, thon (halt not forget it. Jonathan ; Targum , +w7nn fail Nntwi N7 7í +V+i And all; in the layer of the M f iah the King, thou fhalt not forget it. But as this fa- vours toomuch of thofe revengeful] thoughts which they frequently di(hover them- Oyes to be filled withall; Co all there apprehenfions proceed from theOld Tradition that by theMeß;ah we Gould be &livered from the hands of all our. Enemies, which they being cantal and earthly, do wren to give countenance unto their own delires atad imaginations. Deut. 3o.v. 4. Ifany of thine be driven out unto the utmoli parts of heaven, from thence will theLord thyGod gather thee, and from thence will be fetch thee. Jonath. Targum s ¿crtn1 /ono NSl N7`te 11r17N1 111+ t7v i17`It7N n1 N10`0 t17n` á 71]7` irJrin Nr rwt7 N7 toys `11` `tv í17n1 31;1; from thence will the word of the Lord gather thee by the hand ofElijah the great Prielt, and from thence will he bring thee by the hand of O a Me(Cab '9'9 4. 13.
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