Jesus ofNazareth theAndy True andPromifed Mefsiab. zit of theirCbri(i under Pilate, that fo they might Jhew , that the deffruilion of the City and Temple fell out not Talm l ud,. that hewasacrucified in the dayer 'ofthe Maccabes,anahxndredyears before. And here we have unawares thefore difcovered, and the true rafon laid open, why the TalmudJlr attempted, to transferr the time of his death, from the' dayesof Herod the Tetrarch, to theRule ofl&illobulur the Hafmonxan ; namely, left they Mould be compel- led to acknowledge their utter ruine to have fo fúddenly enfúed upon their e jefton of him, as indeed it did. However, as to ourprefentpurpofe, we have.in general this confeffion of dur Adverfaries themfelves, that the Lord Jefier.came before the deficit- eiion of the City andTemple, which was that we undertook to confirm. . We, Secondly, In the purfuit of our Argument, affirmed that noother perfoncame,' at or Within the timelimited, that couldpretend to be the Megiab. This the Jews themfelves confefs, nor can they think otherwife, without deflroying themfelves. For ifany fuchperfon Same, Geeing they received him not, nor d9 own him unto this day. Their guilt would be the fame, that we charge upon them, for the refufingof our Lord Jefus. There is noneed then, 'that we Mould go over theTragical Stories ofBarehocheha, Mofes Cretenfis, David el David, and fuchother Impofferr. For whereas. none of them came or lived,within the time determined, fo they are all difclaimed by themfelves, as Seducersand Caufers of great mifery unto their people and Nation. Hereinthen we have the coulent of all parties concerned, which renders all further evidence unneceilary. From what therefore hath been fpoken, and difputed ; It rcmaineth, that either our Lord lefts; was, and is the true Meab, as coming from God in thefeafon limited for that purpofe, orthat the whole promife concerning the Megiah is a meer figment, thewhole Old Teflainent a Fable, and fo both the old and prefent Religion of the yews a delttfron.. At that feafon the Meßah mull come, or there is an end ofall Re- ligion. , If any came then, whom they -had rather embrace for their Meßiab then our Lord pefur : letthem do fo, andown him, that wemayknow whohe was, and what he hatlidone for them. If none fuch there were, that canbe fo elleemed, as in troth, and as thèmlèlves univerfálly acknowledgethere was not, their obftinacy and blindnefs in refufing the only .promïfed Mefliab is fuch, as no reafonableman can give an account of, who dothnot call tomind the righteous Judgement ofGod in giving them up to blindnefs and obftinacy,as a jut} punifhment for their rejeflion and murthering hit onlySon. And this Argument is of fuch importance, as that with the cónfideration of the Doetrine of Chrift,andhis fuccefs in the world, itmay well be allowed to liand alone in this contell. Our fecondArgument is taken from thofe Charaáerifical notes that are given in the Scripture of the Mefliab. Now thefe ate fuch, as by which the Church might, know .him, and upon which they were bound to receivehim. Allthefe we [hall find to agree andcenter in the perfonóf our LordJefus. Some of the principal of them we (hall ,therefore infili upon, and vindicate from, the exceptions of theJews. The frock whereof he came; the place and manner of his Birth, the tourfe of his life and death, what hetaught, and what he fuffered, are the principal of chofe figns and notes that Godgave out to difcover the Meßiah in his appointed time and as they were very fufficient for that purpofe. So upon the matter they comprife all thefignr and slimswhereby any perfon may be,predefigned and fignified. Cir t, For theFamily,Stock, or lineagewhereofhewas to come; Therewas a threefold reltitution of.it,after the promife had foralong time run in general, that he fhould be of the feed of the Woman,or takehis nature from among mankind. Thefirft was unto the feed of 4beaham,Gen. s5.07. and under that alone there wasnomorerequired,but that he thould fpeng fromamong his pofterity,untill God addedthat peculiar limitation unto it, i,= tfac/aJtby Jeedbe called, Gen.ar.iz..After thisinthe Family ofIliac, Jacob peculiarly in, ,er:ted thepromife ; and his pofterity being branched into twelve Tribes or Families, the rife or nativityofthe,Meßiabwas confinedunto the Tribe ofJudah, Gen.49.ro. This mad: it further nceffary that from him, by fome one of the numerous families that fprang of himhe thould proceed. Out ofthat TribeGod afterwards railed the Kingly Fa- , mily of ,9avid to beaType and reprefentation of the Kingdomofthe M, Fah; and here- upon üe retlrained the promife unto that famille , though not unto any particplar bran.-üofit.. Hereunto no other reffri&ion was ever afterwards added. It .on< .tit then at any time made neceffary by promife that the Mefliab thould proceed t o^ =r theRoyal branch,, or famille of the tioufe of David, but only that he Ee 3 thould rT 4 i. so.
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