Teejiimonies proving the c.214efriah to be come. i6$ dayes of the Ha!moneant' , the whole people was in perfect bondage and flavery Firtt,To the Perfanr,then to the Grecians; and bondage is nör,efpecially peace in the He- brewDiof:Cí, wherein, that word denotesan affluenceOf all good things. The Rule of the Hilinanieans was wholly fpent in bloody Wars, and intelline Divifions. their` power ilfued is the Dominionof the Romans, and their Vafalr the Herodians 1What l+uual eace they had in thofe dayes, they may learn from their own f ofeph Ben Gorion. To fay then,.that this was peace intended, is to fay direct ly; that that God promifed what he never' performed , which is fit only for thefe men to. do. . Betides, though God promifed to give this peace at 3ernfalem, that is amongfi the Jews yet he promifed not to give it only to ,ferufalem, unto the Jews but to all Nations alto , whom he would (hake and ftir up, to bring in this Glory: Now what pretence of peace had the Pews under the fecond Temple wherein all Nations were ,concerned ? I fuppofe they will not fay they had any. Moreover, the peace promifed, was that which was tobe brought in by the Meßîah. This Abarbinel grants;. And thence Peeks to ftrengthcnhis Obje&ion: for faith he , Then we fhall have Peace , Ride and Dominion according to the manifold Promifes given us unto that purpofe. 1 anfwer, thole Promifes are of two forts ; Some exprefs Spi- ritual things, Allegoricakÿ by words literally fignifying things outward ; And they are all of them fulfilled in andunto them that do believe. Others ofthem, that re- ally intend outward Peace and Glory , are made concerning them to be fulfilled, notwhen the Meah came to them , but when they fhall come to the Mph.: At his Coming unto them , they rejected. him , and he rejected them; but when their blindnefs` fhall be taken away, itid. they (hall return unto the Lord, all thefe Promifes fhall have a blelfed accomplifhment among(! them. But we have .faf- licienely proved that the principal work of the Meffizhwas to make peace between . God ,and man by taking away fin that was the caufe oftheir feparation , di(tance and Enmity. This then is the peace here promifed. ThisGod gave at'Jerufalene, whileft the fecondTemple was ftanding : For be is our peace who bath made both one and hatb broken. down the middle wall of partition between ter , having abolilhed in his fefb, the Enmity, even the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances for to make in himfellf of twain, one new man, fo making peace. And that he might reconcile both unto God , in one body by the Croft,. havingPin the Enmity thereby , and came and preached peace to them that mere afar off, and to them that were nigh. Thus did God give peace at Jerufalem, both to the Jews andGentiles, by 'him that was thedefire of allNations ; and fo by this Circumftance of the Context alto, is out interpretation fully confirmed. _ Although we have fufficiently confirm'd our Argument, 'and vindicated it from the' exceptions of theJewifßMatters; yet becaufe it is molt certain, that the con-, Rant faith of their Church of old was ,, that the Mah fhould come whileft. that fecond Temple was handing, which' they have now Apoftatized from, and renounced, countenancing themfejves in their infidelity, by the miferable evafions before men- tioned. I (hall add yet farther f}tength unto it from a parallel Tellimony, and from their own confellions. The parallel place intennded, is that of Malachi 3: t. Behold I.find myMenger, and be !hall prepare the way before me, even the Angel or Me)Jcnger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in : Behold he (hall come, faith the Lord of Hoff:, the time future of his coming, is by Haggai Paid to be tt rt 'toyrl a little while ; and hè i.e.Malachi aufwerably affirms, that hefhall come C7Ntia, fuddenly, in the fenfé be- fore declaredhe whoby Haggai is called t=1tlrt 77 mum, the defire of all Nati- ons,. with refpeá unto the Gentiles, all deferable things being laid up in him, is by Malachi called 0+äpao =M -tuH irN71, with refped unto the Jews, the Lord whom ye feek; whole coming they looked for fo long, and prayed for fó earnefily. And.what Haggai. expreffed. abfolutely !hall come, afterwards intimating the refried( his coming fhould have unto the Temple , Malachi lets down fully; 15'1 `tit 5.2131 , he fhall come unto his Temple, Further to clear what it is that in both thefe places is intended, he is called rirn t Jts 7 the Angel of the Cove- nant; Gods Meffenger, who was to confirm and ratifie the New Covenant with them; that is, the Mfah.. The Targum of Jonathan expieffeth' it'onPer. 3o. 2t. clofing the Promife of the Covenant with thefe words, poll, j1n+3170 N3 ßf1+1 +5xf + 1irpnrs p rieriewo s and their King fhall be annointed from among them , and their Meah fhall be revealed from amrnaff the miditt of them; He who was the defire of 3 25.
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