2,16 JefusofNazareth theonly True endProm f dMefsiah. Thirdly, He kerns not to repeat the words of the Prophet himfelf immediately, but only to record the anfwerwhich from there words of the Prophet, was given unto Herodby the Priefhr andScribes. So that the repetitionof the words is theirs,and not his properly. , Fourthly, whole evgr the words are, as there is nothing in the whole of themdii crepant from, much lef`s`contrary unto, thofe of the Prophet, nor areufed to lignifie any thingbut the open plain intention of the Prophet : fo are' all the particulars wherein adiference appearsbetween them, capable of a fair Reconciliation. This we than manifell by palling briefly through them. Thefiro difference is in the fiat words ; rimrI9 s t]riri i' irtti, and thou Beth- lehemEphrata; which are rendered in the Evangelif ; i, cu beet,ei a y "w i44; and thou Bethlehem in the Land ofJudah '; That Bethlehem which was ofold called Ephrata, from its firti Builder, t Chron. I.. 4. that name being now forgotten and worn out of rife, is here laid to be, as it was indeed, in the Land of Judah; to difünguifh it from Bethlehem, that was in the Lot or Land of Zebulun, asboth Raflai andKimehi obferve , Jafh.t'. 15.. Andit maybe to denote withall the relation that the Meffah.had to udah. So that here there is no difcrepancy. BethlehemEphrata, and Bethlehem in the Land ludah , are one and the famenameand place. a..In the enfuingwords there is more variety, +eNa rIVt17 11s, little to be in the thoufands of Iudah : in the Evan- geliff, s8sµho hì o íSn ;1 .4 7ds ñyéµoo v Was art' not'the leaf among the Leaders of Ju- dah; `tptc, parva, or little, in the pofitive, is rendered by the Evangelic, é>,axfç,, in thefuperlative degree, the - Hebrews have no fuperlative degree in their Language, and therefore do often exprefsthe importance of it by the politive with 1 following, as it doth inthis place; ,e7N3 T+VS, little in the thoufands of Judah, that is the leali of them, if the word beadjel-tively to be expounded. O +ß"111, that is xeuád$s, ( as the word is rendered by the LXX) is in the Evan- gel& ril leores, Princes, Rulers, Leaders. The Ifraelites in their political order were difiributed intoTens, Hundreds, andThou-fands, not unlike the dilfribution in ourown Countrey, into7ything:,Hundreds, and Counties ; and each portion had its peculiar Captain, Ruler, or Leader. According to this diilribution, when there was a confide- rabic number of a thoufand, or more inhabiting together, they made a pecpliar kind .ofTownor City, which had its fpecial Chiliarch, or Governour. And thefe were cal- led the Thtufands ofIfrael or Judah; or places that had fuck: a proportion of people belonging to them, and confequently filch a fpecial Ruler of their. own; which kind ofRulers in the Common-wealth were alone taken noticeof. Thofe others ofTens and Hundreds being under their Government. So that Reeler:, and 7houfànds, de- note one and the fame thing; one with refired unto the people, the other unto the Governoursof them. Theonly 'iasinaó@arte, is the:mode or manner ofexprelfion. The proportion in the Prophet feems to be affirmative, thou are little; in the'Evangelif, it is exprefly ne- gative, thouart not the leaf. ButFirc, This difference concerneth not the Tellimony, as to that end for which it was produced: what wayes foever the words be inter- preted, the importance of the Teflimony is lill the fame. (a. ) The words in the Prophet contain no perfeâ Enunciation, nor doyield any compleat lenfe, unlefs it be on one of thefe two fuppofitions. Firo, That.the word ,+ys, is tobe takenadverbiagy,' and to lignifie not parva, but parum, not a little one, but a little ; and then they give us this benie,, and thouBethlehem Ephrana it is but a little that thou fhouldit be among the Thoufànds of Judah ; and this bath no inconfiflency with the words of the Evange- lift, Thou art not the leaf For though it were eminent among theThoufànds ofJudah, yet this was but a little, or final} matter in comparifon of the honour that God would put upon it by the birthofthe Meph. And this is not unufhal in the HebrewLan- guage,AdjeFliverfriminineare frequently taken in the Neuter Gender, which it hath not, and lignifie Adverbially. r And though 't+9Y, be of a Mafruline Termination; yet being joyned withatll! r3 , the name of aTown or City , it is put for r11'VSC, of the fceminimGender.'Or, Secondly, An luterrogation mull bt fuppofed to be included in the words, art thou butlittle ? Bethlehem TIM nnN, art thoubut little?'which mayweltbe rendered negatively, á<dejws iaaxísn, thou art not the leaf, among ehe.thoufands of Judah. The Prophet then might have refpeer both to its prefent outward ecate, whichwas meanand contemptible, in the eyes of men, and allo the refpe& -that God had unto it as to içy futureworth, whichwas to prefer. it above all theThoufands of _Judah, which principally the Evangelic had regard unto. There
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