. he T romni[ed e. 44efriah long fince come. Rlets; *l e %:c, :ll. Among them the principali is that of Scepter , an Enfign of Rule and Government. Nor is it abfolutely riled in any outer fenfe , in that very fre- quently ; PGlnr 45. if1]4C tow )two wsw, A Scepter of uprightneJl is the Scepter of thy Kingdom, Numb. 24.17. "INIVO 012 D?', a Scepter fhall,arifi Out of Ifrael; that is, a Prince or a Rulers Targum > Chrill fhall rule out of I(rael. And this fenfe of the words is made more evident by its conjunction with ppt10 , aLam-giver; he that prefcribes andwrites Laws with Authority to be obferved. Dent. 33. 2. in a por- tion, i1t7 ppnn, of the Law-giver bidden, that is Motes ; the great Scribe faith the Targurn : for as they fuppofe, the Sepulchre of Mofe was in the Lot ofGad. Me- chokek faithAben Ezra that is tT iwrt '71-12m, thegreat Prefident or Ruler: Pp/. rog.t9. Judah 11743110, mÿ Lai;giver s with Allufiou to this Predietion ofJacob. Ifa. 33.22. The Lord is our Judge; the Lord is 1212pr ln, our Lawgiver. Tilde two words then in conjiinc}iou, do abfolutely denote Rule and Dominion. The latter Mailers of the Jews to avoid the force of this Teftímony, have coined a new f,gnification for theft words : Shebet, they fay is only a rod of Cotre&ion, and Mechokk any Scribe orTeacher which they would refer to the Rabbins, they have had in every Generation. Someof them by Shebet underhand a Pfaff of Iupportment, which they were to enjoy in the middeft of their troubles ; fo I remember Manaff Bén If- rael not long finer made it one of his reafons for their admit ion into England; that therein this Prophetic might receive fomewhat of accomplifhmenr, by this counte- nance and encouragement in this Land. But the moll of them adhere to the for-. mer fenfe of the words. So they call the Rory of .their calamities and- fisfferings, r111rli 171w; therod ofJudah. But this.evafion is plainly and fully obviated in the former opening of the words, and confirmation of their genuine importance : For, ( r.) It is openly contrary to the whole Context and Scope of the Place. (a.) To the meaning and confiant ufe of the words themfelves , efpecially as conjoined. ( 3'. ).To theTarrums, and allold Tranflations. ( 4. ) To the Talmud, and all their ownAntimo mailers. ( 5. ) To the troth of the Story; ,Judah having been long in a moll flourifhing and profperous condition, without any Inch fìgnal calamity as that, which they would intimate to be intended inthe words; namely filch as for fixteen hundred years they have now undergone. ( 6. ) Thefispportment they have had, hash not been National, nor afforded to Judah as a Tribe, or People, but bath confined meerly in the greatnefs and wealth of a few individual perforas fcattered up and down the world, neither themfelves, nor any elfe, knowing unto whaeTribe they did be- long. And (7.) Thisbath been in things noway relating to the Worfhipof God,or their Church:(late, or their fpiritual good. (8. ) Their Scribes were not formerly of the Tribe ofJudab, and their latter Rabbins wholly of an uncertain extraétion; fo that this pretence proves nothing, but the miferyof their prefent State andcondition, wherein they leek a refuge for their infidelity, in vanity and falfhood. Our fecond enquiry is concerningthe Jubjeif of the Tromife under confideration, which is theSbilo ; whereby we fay the promifid Seed is intended. About the deri- vation and precife frgniflcations of the word, we have no need to contend. Mon learned men look upon it as derived from rt7w, to be quiet, fat, happy, profperous, whence alfois rt "7W Pfal. r22. fafety,peace, profperity, Abundance. Hence Sbilo Cayes Mercer, font tranquillum, profferum, pacatunr, felicem; Augujfum, viliortm, cui omrtia pro= fiere fuccedunt s lignifies one, quiet, profilerons,- peaéeable, happy, honourable, a Conqueror, to whom all things fucceed well and happily. To this Etymologie of the word, agrees Galarintes, Fagius, Melanblhon, Pagninus, Prufius, Schindler, Buxtorfius, Armama, andge- nerally all the molt learned its the Hebrew tongue. The Vulgar Latin, rendring the words quimittendus eff, who is to be fens, as if it We 'refrom rr`tw, corrupts the fenfe, and gives advantage to theJews to pervert the words, as both 'Raymandusand Gala. times obferve. Neither is there any thing nearer the truth in the derivation of the word from 1t/ty, as though ri were put for 1 and w forMEN, fomaking it as much as 17 1WN, qua ei, which to him s whereuntoyet that ry äomixnlay and the a hosed penaäeß; of the Greek!, the firft mentioned byEufbius, the latter in the prefent Co- pies, both byJuftinMartyr, do relate or allude. Others fuppofe 410, to liignifie a Son, from r1+4w, which denotes the after birth, or Membrane whereinthe Child is wrapt in theWomb. Thence rt sw Shilo fhould be the fame with 17, IchSon, n beingput for 1, which is nor unnfùal faith Kimel,i. But Galatinus fuppofeth rt, tobe afceminine afx,denoting that theMeffrsh was to be the feed of thaWoman, or to be born of a Virgin. Neither is hisconje&ure abfolutely to he IgI 4 27.
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