reftimonies proving theMefriah to be come. 157 Abarbinel one of their great Mailers, and ,Chief àmongthem who invent pretences,4. 4, to their impenitences and unbelief, in his Comment on this place, after he hath endea- voured his utmoft againit the interpretations of -the Chriflians, and made ufè of the reefoningsof formerExpofitors, to apply the whole Prophecy Unto the fecond Houfe, at leaf' as it was refloredby- Herod, at length refers all that is fpoken oftheHoule here, unto a third Temple prophefied as he fancieth, by Ezekiel, to bebuilt na the dayes of the Mßiab; becaufe he faw, that if the fecond Houfe was - intended , it would be hard to avoid the coming of theMph, whilcft thatHoufe flood and continued. But we need not infift long in the removall of this fond imagination. For (1. ) It. is con- trary to exprefs re-doubled affirmations in the Text before infrffedon. ( 2. ) To the whole defign of the Context and Prophecy, which is exprefly to epcourage the Jews unto the building of that Houfe, which feemed fo contemptible in,the eyes offome of them. ( 3.) To therepetition of thisProphecy,Ma /. 3. r. where. the f cond Temple is evidently exprefled. ( 4. ) To the Prophecy of Ezekiel, wherein a Spiritual and not a material Temple is delineated, as we fhall'elfewhere demónftrate. ( 5.) To the time afiigned to the glorifying of the Houfe fpoken of; train tot,0 r,nr ßtÿ, yet a little while, which in no fenfe can be applyed unto a Temple to be .built longer after- wards then that Nation had been a people. From theCall ofAbraham, to the giving of this Promífe, there had paffed. about fourteen hundred anthem years; and it is now above two thoufand years fince this Prophecy ; which iu what fenfe it can be called, a little while is.hard to imagine. This then is the fenfe that Abarbinel would put on thefewords, It isyet a little while, andI will fill this Houfe with Glory; that is, a very great while hence; hanger hence then you have been a' people in the world ; dwill caufe another Houfe to be built. ( 6. ) To-theTargum, andall the antient Mailers among the Jews themfelves. (7. ) To itsfeif, for it is by his ownconfeflion'promifed, that the Meffiah should come to ti :e Temple; that is promifed tobe filledwithGlory : but the other-Third Temple that he fancies, is ashe Paid, to be built by'himfelf; fo as he cannot be faid to come unto it. So that this evafion will not yield the leall. relief to their obflinacy and unbelief: It is evidently the fecond Temple. built by Zerubbabel, whole Glory is here fore- told. The Glory promifed unto this houfe, is nextly .to be confidered. This is eàprefled 4. 5. abfolutely, v.7: I wigfill this Houfe withGlory: and comparatively, with reference un- 'to the temple of Solomon, which fome of them had fece, v.9. The Glory of this lauer Houfe, (hall be greater thenof the former. Tou»derllaud aright this Promife, we mutt refiedt a littleupon the Glory of the belt Houle, which the glory of this fecond was to excel!. It would not anfwer our prefent defign, to digrefs unto a particular de- fcriptionofSolomon'r Temple : It is alto doneby Others with great Jtudgement,Dili- gence,and Accuracy. I (hall therefore only give a briefaccount ofCome of the heads of its excellency, whichour prefent Argument doth require. Firft then, It was veryGloriousfrom its principal ArchiteeI, whichwas God himfelf. 4, 6, He contrived the whole Fabrick, and difpofedof all, the parts of it, in their order. Far when David delivered unto Solomon the pattern of .the Houle, and the whole Worshipof it, he tells him, All the]) things theLord made me under/land in writing, by his band upon me, even all the Work of this pattern 1 Chron. Chap. 25.19. God gave him the whole in writing; That is, divinely and immediately infpiredhimby his holy Spirit to fet down the.frame ofthe Houfe, and all theconcernments of it, according to his own appointmentand difpofal. This rendred the HoufeGlorious, as anfwering theWifdom ofhim by whom it was contrived. And herein it had the advantage above all the Fabricks that ever was on the Earth ; and on particular, the Se- cond Temple, ,whole Builders had no Each Idea of their Work given them by infpiration. Secondly, It was Glorious in the Greatnefs, State, and Magnificence' of the Fabrick 4. 7. it fell Such a Building it wasas was never paralelled in the .world ; which fundry. Confiderations will make evident unto us ; as; heft, The defign ofSolomon, the Wifefìand Richelt King that everwas in this world, in the-building of it. When he undertook the work, and ,Cent to HyramKing of Tyre for Isis afsilìance, hetells him, that the Houfe which he was to build Was to be great , becaufe their-God was great above all Gods, :2 Chron. 2. 5. Nay, faith he, The Haul) whichI am about es build, Jball be .wonderfull andgreat. No.doubt, but hedeligned the SttuRure Magnificent to- the utmoft, that hisWifdom and Wealthwould extend unto. And
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