Promifes of the Nlefriah Vindicated. lop They call him theSon ofJeQfrom this place; whichmakes it fomcwhat obf.rvable fiat fome Chriflians, as Grotius, Gould apply it unto Hezel¿sh, Judiizing in their inter- pretations beyond the Jews. Only the Jewsare not well agreed in what fcnfë thof words, the WolfJhall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopardfhall lye down with theKid,e'c. are tobeunderflood. Some wouldhave it, that the nature of the brute Bea(is thr',l be changed in the dayes Of the Mei'iah but this is rejeéledby the wife(( of them, as Maimonides, Kimehi, AbenEzraand others ; and theft interpret the words 41110 171, allegorically, applying them unto that VniverfalPeace which (hall be in the world in thedayes of the Mefliah. But the Peace they fancy is far from anfwering the words of the Prophetic, whichexprefs a change in the nature of the worn of men, by vertue of the Rule and Grace of the Mesh. I cannot but add that Abarbinel wri- tmg his Commentaries about the time that the European Chriftian Nations were fighting with theSaracens for the Land ofPaleffine, or the Holy Land, he- interprets the latter end of the tenth Chapter, to the deftre tion of them ,on both fides by God, whereon theirMejftab Gould be revealed, as is promifed in this, which he expref1 th is theclofe of hisExpofitionof the Gil Verfe of Chap. 11. tta many rtz ri ptnn Canto w+xvino'msy=Du r1 1`tt1 wpm no-6 73)142s o3) 17rí 1:7341v.1 ilie it jt1St7 rf]7 not.: ru 43)11, And there (ball prevail great War between the Natieins of the world, one againff another, on, or for theHolyLand, and Jtrong Nations !hall fa(l in it by the (word of one another, and therefore it is fisid, beheld theLord, the Lord of Hoff Jbxp lop. Chap. to. v. 33. And a little after, headds, Iltwön tzn J 7 mturr nort4o1 ,in1H -Ilan; in the middeft of that War If Mefah the King be revealed, For thole Nations he would have had to be Gog and Magog ; and in many places doth he exprefs his hopes of the ruine of the Chriftiansby that War; but, the ilfue hathdifappointed his hopes and delires,- Ife.16.v. T. Send ye the Lamb to the Ruler of the, Land. Targum; ß+17t3 ?CZ prt §. 40. 17131wri islltwa`7; They frail leing tbeir Tribute unto the Mefab of-Mad. e el O.oferving as it Gould teem, that theMoabites unto whom theft words are fpoken, were never after this time tributary to Judah, and withal! confdering the Prophetie of v. -y. which he applies elfo ( and that properly ) unto the Mefab, the Targumiftconceived him to be the"twin, or Ruler here mentioned, untowhom the Moabites are invited to yield obedience ; and I conceive it will not be very eafie to fix upona more genuine fenfe ofthe words. So alfo ver. 5. Then (hill the Throne of thè Meßiah of Ifrael be pre- . pared' in GoodnefL Doubtlefs with more Truth than thofe Chri(lians make ufeof, who wreft thefe Wordsalfo toHezekiab. Ifa. 28..5. In that day 'ball the' Lord of Hofs be for a Crown of Glory ; Targum; 4 4r, i11 a trI tarpwn, the- Mefliab ofthe Lord ofHafts the Lord of Hoffs, in andwith theMefiiab, whois theCrown ofGlory, and Diadem' of Beauty in his Kingly Office and Rule unto the Remnant ofhis People that(hall be faved by him. Ifa. 42. v. 1. Beheld my frvant whom Iuphold; txyEled. Targum , tiro= Clay I3;1, 4. 42. Behold" my frront the Mßiah. How much better than the Tranfation of the LXX Isseiß ó vacs w, %vrub,leoat civil, Iapel,, a ix,earIf /Ms j, applying the words to ,the wholePeople of /fael, whereas they are exprefly referred, to the Lord Chrill, Mat. sa. V. 17, 18. And Kimebl on thisplace, moo e) 1`It tlay 7l, behold my fervant; that is Mefsiah the King; AndAbarbinel confutes both It Saaditx, and AberEzra with tharp- nefs, whowere otherwife minded. How much better than he of late, who interprets- thefe wordsof Ifaiah himfelf,unto whom not one letter of the Propheticcan receive any tolerable accommodation. It is the Meßiahthen, by their ownconfcfsion, who is in- , tended in this Prophetie; who is defcribed not onborfi-baekin his harnoß as a great Warriour, fuch as they expel him; but one filled with theSpirit of the Lord , en- dowed with meekneß, filffering oppofìtion and- perfecution , bringing forth righteouf- nefs and truthunto theGentiles, who(hall wait for his Law, and receive it, when it is rejeéfed by theJews, as the event hathmanifefted, ID. 43.v. so. .My f rvent whom I have ehofen ; Targum. My fervant Mefs ah inwhom I ref. Ifa. 52. r8. Behold my fervant Jhall proffer. " Targum, t3Gttwt3 ray t1410 H1 ; Behold 4. 43; my frvant the Mefsiahjhall proffer; In thefewords begins that Prophetie which takes up the .remainder of this Chapter, and that whole Chapter that follows ; in the tenth Verfe whereof there is mention made again of the Meßiah. And this is an evi- dence to me that theJews howeverbold and defperate in corrupting the fente ofthe Scripture, to countenance their infidelity, yet have not dared to intermeddle with the letter its felf, no not in theTargums, which -are not fo fasred with theta as the Text.
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