2,12 Jefüs,ofNazareth the only'T'rue and 'PtomifedMefiah, Mould be born of Come of his pofterity,by, what family foever, pooror rich, in power pr fubje&ion, he derived his Genealogie from him. His°Kingdom was to be quite of atiothcr nature then that of Davidor Soloman; nordid he derive his Title in the leaf thereunto from the rightofthe Davidical Houfe tothe Kingdomof Judah.Thus far then it pleafed God to dfign this Stock and Family of theMeßiab. He was to be ofthepofte- city ofAbraham, of theTobeofjudah, of the family, ofDavid, And although this evi. dente in its latitude will concludeonly thus far, that no onecan be pretended to be the Meßiabwhore Genealogie is not fo derived 'by David,aud Judah unto Abraham; yet bytlie addition of this circumflancein'the Providence of God, that no one lince the deflru &ion of the City andTemple can plead or demonftrate that original ; feting this was given out fora note; and lignto know him by, it proves undeniably, that he whimwe ai: fert was the trueMeßiah. For to what end fhould this token of him .be given forth to knowhim by, when all Genealogiesof the people being utterly left ; it is impoilible it fhould be of any ufe in the difcovery ofhim. Finnthen, For Abraham there is no qucihon between us and the Yews, but that the Lotd Jefus was Ofhis offspring and pofterity. Neither do theypretend any ex- ceptions to his being of the Tribe ofJudd); The Apoflle in this Epiflle afferts it as a thing notorious and unqueflionable, Chap. 7. 14..eódnaor yk, faith he; ö're ¡ç' ibd« äu«- vdz«>wev ö 4úg/@ d mr ; iris everymay, or altogether manifeff, that our Lord(prang of Ju- dah : mpfd'amp, is in Greek Authors, not onlymanifeff, but openly and conpicuoußy fo... Thus he is Paid, lavar 'whim's, in Sopbocles, who dyed openly and glorioufly by all wens confent, Thus was the birth of our Saviour among the.7emr themfelves, as to his fpringingfrom the TribeofJudah. The Apofile declares that it wasäravrrppnrnc, without any contradi&ion received amongfl them, and acknbwledged by then. Nor unto this day, do they layany exception unto this affection. It remains, that we prove him tohave been of theFamily ofDavid by tome' one fignal branch ofit. For , as we faid, there is nothing in the promife reffraining his original to the firli reigning family, or the dire&pofterity thereof. Now this is purpofely declared by Omof the Evangelif r, who being Jews, and living amongft them, wrote the fory of his lit: in the Age wherein he lived, for the ufe of the Jews thetnfelves, with the refidac of mankind. Matthewwho calls his recordof it, gigyani ysrítoemç, or nnSHn 190, the roll of his Genealogies; thews in the front of it, that he wrote it on purpofe to declare, that he was according to the promife of the poflerityofAbrabom, and of the family of David. Of Jefus Chriff the Son ofDavid the Son ofAbraham : That is,, who was promifedtoAbraham and David, to fpringfrom their loins. Luke alto oyho derives his Genealogie from the ficft giving of the promife unto Adam, brings it down through the ftveral refln &ions mentionedby Abraham, Judah andDavid. Other teftimony or evidence in this matter of fad is utterly impof ible for us to give, and unreafonable for anyotherto demand. It waswritten and publifhed unto all the world, byper- , Cons of unqueflionable integrity, whohad as much advantage to . know the truth of the matter about which they wrote, as any men ever had, or canhave in a matter of that 'nature. ,And this they didnot upon rumours, or Traditions offormer dayes, but in that very Age wherein helived, and that unto the faces of them, whole great interell it was toexcept againft what they wrote ; and who would undoubtedly, have fo done, had they not been overptiwred with the coevi&ion of the truth of it had they had the lean fufpition on the contrary; why did they not in Come of their eon- Cultations and rage againft him and his Dodrine, once objedb this untohimfelf, orhis followers, that he was not of the family David, and fo could not be the perfon he pretended himfelfto be. Befides,the Perfonswho wrotehis Genealogie, fealed their, Teffimony, not only with their lives, but with their eternal condition ; an higher al: furance of Truth canno men give., Iy, Two things the prefent Jews except unto this Teflimony. Firti in general, they deny the Authority of our Witnelfes, and deny the whole matter that they affect. Secondly, in particular they fay, they prove not the matter in queftion ; namely, that Jefes ofNazareth was of the family ofDavid. For the firfl, they neither have, nor do yield any other reafons but their ownwills and unbelief. They neither do, nor will believe what they have written.' Record, Teftimony, Tradition, or anyCircum dance contradidtingtheirwitnefs, they have none ; only they will. not believe them. Nowwhether it be meet; that their meet obllinacy and unbelief, wherein, and which theyperifh temporally and eternally, Mould be ofany weight with reáfonable teen, is eatie todetermine. Betides, I deute to knowofthe Jews whether they chink it 4
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