Jefus 6/Nazareth theonly 'True and Pronti,red 1(lefriab. zt5 out ofthee fhall come firth t=n7-1720 -MUD 111 016 +7 llitnl3 lit stn, un_ to me the Melah, fir he /half be of the feed of David, who mar of Bethlehem He grants, I fay, that it is the Mfg!, thatis here prophefred of though againft Rah the Tanzuni and theText, he would deny that he mould be born in Bethlehem. But his interpretation is fond and forced to ferve the prefent tinm rbecaufc the yewsknow that the Lord Jefus.was born there. God fpeaks to Bethlehem the City of David, and givesan account how greatly he will magnifie it, beyond What .it- then fcemed to de- ferve; and thishe will do by railing out of, and from that place not from David, who was burn atthat place) the Mejab, who wasto rule his people Ifracl. This thew was the place of old defigned for the birth of the Meffiah, and- there was our Lord 3efùsborn; at the appoihted time, ofthe Tribe of Judah, and Family of David; and there are fundryeircumftances givingweight unto this confideratióm Firft, Whereas the ParentsofAir were outwardly of a mean condition, and living 4. t S. in Galilee, it may befuppofed that they -were very little known, or taken noticeof, tobe óf the lineage and off-fpring of David; nor it may be in their low efface did - they much defireto declare that, which would be of no advantage, and.parhaps of Come hazard unto them . Butnow their coming unto Bethlehem, and that whether they would or no, upon the command of psiblick Authority, mide their houfe and kindred known unto all the Jews, elpecially rhofè ofthe Familyof David, who were then all of them gathered together in that place. Secondly, There is no jutt nor ap pearing reafon to be given that Ihould move the Roman Emperour to decree Chat de- feription and enrolment of perfons which brought themunto Berhlehem i A "matter it wasof great charge and trouble to the whale Empire, which at that rime, enjoyed thereateff peace and tranquility. The Temple. of Janus was then flout, and all things in quietnefs in all parts ofthe world. Neither was there afterwards any pub- lickufe made of that enrollment ; nor is itcertain that it was accomplithed in many other Nations. But the infinite, "holy, wifeGovernour of all the world, puts this intohis mind, and incites him on this work, to fet mankind into a motion that two perfons of low condition might be brought out of Galilee into Bethlehem, that Jefùs might according unto this Prophecy be born there. Thirdly, It is not likely that Ja- liphand Mary had any thoughts at that time about the place where theMeffiah fhould be born, andfo probablyhad not tine lealt defign ofremoving their habitation unto Bethlehem; or if they had fo, Yet their doing ofit on their own accord, might have given advantage unto the yews, to fay. that the Mother of Jefas did not indeed any way belonguntoBethlehem, but only went thither tohe delivered, that the might re- port her Son the better to be the Mellab. But by thisadmirableprovidence of óod, all there, and fundry other difficulties of the likenature, are removed out ofthe way, their minds aredetermined, a Journey they mutt take, and that at a time very un- feafonable for the /GlyVirgin, when fhe won fó near.the time of her delivery, and be publickly enrolledof theFamily ofDavid, upon the command of him who never knew oughtof thatbufinrlh, which none but himfelfcould be inftrumental to accompii(h. Fourthly, Not long after this, that Town of Bethlehem was utterly deffroyed, not bath been for a thoufand and fix hundred years, either great or fmoll amung the 7houfnds of Judab. Andall thefe circumtlances giáe much light unto this charaïte- riffical prefignation of the perfon of the Meliab, from the place of his birth or nativity. TheExceptions of the Pies unto the Evangelifft citation of thé words óf thePro- 13 59. phet, concern not the teftitnony it felf, nor are indeed of any great importance. For rrft, The Evangelifi intended nomore, butonly merited unto that Tellimony which was -given unto the Nativity of the Meffiah at Bethlehem, reciting fo much of the words, and infilch manner, as to proveby them that which he intended. He took not upon him to repeat everyword as they were written by the Prophet (which he might eafily have done hadhe defignedit, and that without the leali difadvautage unto what he aimedat,) but-only to declare how theAffertion"was proved, that the Meffiab was tobe born at Bethlehem. Secondly, }le ufeth the words to no other purppfe, then 'that for which by the -Jews acknowledgement they were recorded by theProphet ; neither in theAlterations that are made in this- recital is there one letter takenfrom the Prophets words, or added, unto them, ufed by him to the advantage ofhis Affertion, which is the whole that the unnoft ferupulofitts cap require in the recital of the words of another by-the way of Teftimony. Thirdly,
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