zzi, Jefusof Narareth the only True and .Htornifed Metiah, wás Ia1t3 a miraculousfign, asbeingborn of ri&ìV aV,irgin, andwho being born 'was tTh 1?ty Godwith us, both in refpeet of his perfon uniting the Natures of God and Man in one, and of his Office reconciling God and Man, that God might dwell with us in a way of favour and grace, and he whole the Land fhould be in an everlafting Kingdom. it, 30, I have infifted thelonger on this particular, becaufe it comprizeth all that The Pro- phecy iscited for by the Evangelift, and all that We are cóncerned in it. This being proved and confirmed undeniably, that it is the Meßiab whore birth is here foretold, as alfo that he was to be born of a Virgin, all other paffages, whatever difficulty we may meet withalf in them, mutt be interpreted inanfwer thereunto. And wehave (hewed' before, that by reafón of the Typical State and Conditionof that people, many of the Promiks of the Meffiah were fo mixed with things of their then prefent tempo- ral coneernmcait ; that it is often a matter of force difficulty to diftinguifh between them. It is enough for us, that we prove unqueftionably, that thole patl'ages which are applyed untohim iu the New Teftament were fpoken of him intentionally. in the Old ; which we have donein this place ; and what belonged unto the then prefent lute of the Jews, we are not particularlyconcerned in. However we (hall mahifeft in anfwer to the remainingexceptions of the Jews, that there is nothing mentioned in the wholeProphecy that hathany inconfifiency with what we have declared, as to the feure of the principal point ofit ; nay, thatthe wholeof it is excellently fuitedunto the principal Scope already vindicated. 31, That then which in thefecundplace isobjected by the Jems againft our Application , . of this Place and Prophecy to Jefus Cbrilt, is that the birth of the Child here promi- fed, was to be afign toAhaz , and the HouleofDavid, of theirdeliverance from the two Kings who thenwaged war againft :them. And this they fay the birth of the Meßiah fó many hundred yearsafter could give them no pledge or affurance of And ( 1. ) We donot fay, that this was given them as a peculiar fign, or token of their prefent deliverance. Ahaz himfelf had before refuted fuch a fign : But God only thews the Realms in general why he would not utterly call diemoff, although they Wearied him, but would'yet deliver them as at other times. And this was becaufc of that great work which he had to accomplifh among them, which was tobe fignal, marvelous and miraculous: And this he calls IliAi, a fign in its abfolute,. not relative fenfe, as denoting a workwonderful!, fuchas fometimes hé wrought, to evidence his great power thereby. In this fenfe tt1i11x, fign, are joyned unto Onto, Prodigies, Deut, 26. 22. Jer. 3a. 20. Nehem. 9. In. where, the works Ili called, were great and marvellous, notfigns formally of any thing, unlefs it were of the wonderful power of Godwhereby they were wrought. So the Miracles of our Saviour and the Apoftles in the New Teflament are called ns ,Ca, fign for the fame, and noother' caufe. And the Word is thus abfolutelyufed very often in the Old Teftament. Betides, that which is Secondlyalledged, that a thing that (half come to palsmany ages after, cannot bemade a fign of that which was to be done many ages before, is not univerfally true. The thing it felf in its exiJtence it is true cannot be made fo a lign ; but itmay in thePremife and prediction of it. And many inttdnces we have ofthings promifed for fign, which were not to exiff in themfelves, until! after the ac- complifhment ofthe things whereof they were fign , as Exod. 3. 12. Y Sam. 1 r. 34. Ifa. 37. to. r Kings 22.25. Godintendingby them the confirmation of their faith,who should live in the time oftheiraelual accompli(hment. Thirdly, This fign had the truth and force ofa Promife although it was not imme- diately tobe put inexecution,and that is thereafon, that theWords here ufed, are one of them till's, conceive, in thepreterpérfeti Tenfe, the other 111'r, in benoni, or Participle of the prefent Tenfe, to intimate the certainty of the events, as is ufual in the prophe- . tical Dialed. Their afrurance then from thisfign confifted herein , that God informs them, that as Cutely as he would accomplifh the great promife of bringing forth'the Meßiab, and,wduld'put forth his marvelous. power therein, that he fhould be con- ceived and born of a Virgin, focertain Mould be their pretest deliverance which they fo defred. 4. 32 It is further infifled on by them, that the deliverance promifed was to be wrought before the Child fpoken of, fhould know to refufi the evil and chufe the good ; or fhould come to years ofdifcretion, v. 16. and what was this unto him that was to beborn forcehundred years after ? Anfw. (r.)That the 1y]il, mentioned v. r 6.is thefain with the p promifed, v. 14 doth not appear. TheProphet by thecommand of God when he
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