,ensTraditions about the coming of the Me[siah. 203 wrefted from fúndry of them , which having been colleéted by Others we fhall not trouble-the Reader with their recital,: tllfe that have been iufifted on, may and dó fuffice to make good the Argument inhand.- And fo we have fully demonitrated the fecond thing proofed unto confirmation; Namely, that the true Meßiab is long Grace come, and bath finilhed the work allotted unto him. Now .whereas we have in our paffage vindicated the Tahitonies Minted on from the particular excepti- onsóf the Jews ; It remaineth for the doling of this Difcourfe, that we confider the general Anfwer which they give unto the whole Argument taken from them all. That which they principally mud on is; a conceflion with an exception, rendring 17. as they fiippofe the whole ufelefs to our purpofe. They grant therefore that the time fixed on, wasdetermined for thecoming of the MJliah; But add withall, It is prolongedbeyond the limited féafon, becaufé of their fins s that is, that thepromife of . his coming at that feafon was not abfolute, but conditional, namely on fuppotition that the f erne were righteouk, holy+andworthy to receive him. Thus unto the Tradition ofElias before mentioned, determining the coming of the Meffiah upon the end of the fecond two thoufandyears of the worlds duration; they add in the Talmud. Tra-. filar. Sandd.- dif intt, Cheleck cap. r i. there words as an exception, 111x7 innutyal 1 s ,w +1D IN t1, becaufe of our fins, thole dayet have exceeded the time, all that is paff. And again they add in the fame place ; 1TI itMt el) rUp `77 1177 11 11DÑ ai ye p1W1p0l ,',110th N`7 il'7r1, Kab. faid, all times, appointed are fiiniJhed, and this matter is not fufpended, but upees account of repentance andgood works. And nothing is more common with them then this condition, if they deffrve it , íf they repent, the Meßiah will come, the time is already paff, but becauf of our fns he it not come. Ifall Iffael could repent but one day he would come. This is the fumm of their Anfwer. There was a time limitedand determined, for the coming of the Mefloab; This time is tiguifiyd in general in the Scripture to be before the defiruétion of the Second Temple, atid the utter departure of Scribe andLaw-giver from fudah; but all this de- fignation of the time was but conditional, and the accomplifhment of át had refpeci unto their righteoufnefs, .repentance, good works, andmerits, which they failing in, their Meßiah is not yet,come. To this ifiue is their infidelity at length arrived. But there are reafons innumerable, that make naked the vanity of this pretence. Some of them' (hall briefly infift upon at prefent, and more fullyafterwards. Firft, We have before proved, that not the Jews only, but the Gentiles alfo, even 5. 1 h. the whole world was concerned in the coming of the Meßiah. The brit promife of him concerned mankind in general, without the leali particular refpea, untoany one peculiarpeople, Gen. 3. 15. The next folemn renovation of it unto Abraham extends the blefling wherewith it was to be attended unto all the kindreds of' the earth, Gen. 17. 3. Chap. 18. 18. The whole reftriEtion of the promife unto him and to his po- fierity, codified only in the defignation of them to be the means ofbringing forth that Me/dah, who was to be a blefsing unto all Nations ; And when Jacob foretells his coming-offudah,Gen. 49. ro. he declares who were to have an equallfhare in 'the bleffing'of it, together with his pollerity, to him, faith he, !hall be she gathering ofthe peoplé. the fame courfe do all the fucceeding Prophets proceed in. They every where declare, that the Gentiles, the Nations of the world , were equally concerned with the `few,. in the promifeof the coming of the Meßiah, if not principally intend- ed, becauféof their greatnefs and number. Inmercy, love, companion, and philan- throphy did God provide this bleffed remedy for the recovery of mankind, ( both Jews and Gentiles ) out of that 'rarely whereunto they had cart themfelves by fin andApoftacy from him. The time of exhibiting this remedy unto them, he pro- mifed alto, and limited, flirting them. up {into an expeótation of its accomplifhment, as that whereon all their happinefs did depend. Shall we now fuppolè, that all this love, grace and mercy ofGod towards' mankind, that his ftitlfnlnefs in his promifes, were all fiafpended on the goodnefs, righteoufiaefs, merit'sand repentance ofthe Jenes ? that God who fo often tefîifies concerning them, that they were a- people, wicked, obltìnate, ilsbborn and rebellious, fhould make them keepers of the everlasting happi- nefs of the whole world? that he bath given the fountain-of his grace and love, which he intended and promiféd fhould overflow the whole earth, and make all the barrenWilderneffes of it fmitfal unto him, to be clofed and floppedby them. at their pleafure ? that it fhould be in their.power to reftrain all the promiféd effeas ofthem from the world ? As if he fhould fay in his promifes, Ian refolved out of mine in- d 2 finite
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