jefus of Nazareth the onlyTrue.and Fromifèd i ofíah. 223 he went untothe Kingwithhis mèffage, took with him Shear jafhubhis Son, e. 3, This certainly was for fouie efpecial end in the Wordor Meffage that hehad to deliver, the Child being then but an Infant, and of no ufe in the whole matter, unlefs tó be'made an infante of fomething that was to bs done. It is therefore probable that he was the w1rt, theyoung Child deflgned, v, t6. before whofe growing up to difcretionl thofeKingsofDamafcas and Samaria were deftroyed , or ( 2. ) The Expreflion may denote the time of any Childs being born and coming to the maturity of underfland- ing, and fo confequently the promiJèd Child. In as fhort a fpace of time as this pro- mifed Child ; when he (hall be born, thaldcome to know to refufè the evil, and chóofe the good, fhallthis deliverance be wrought. Their remaining Cavils are of little importance. The 'Child intended , Chap. 8. ß.33e was to be the Sonof the Prophet and Prophetefs, and fo not this Child that was to beborn of-a. rirgin. Betides, he is plainly promifed as a fign of other things then thofe treated of in this Chapter : Yea,.of things quite contrary unto them. Again this Child they tell its was to be called Immanuel whereas the Son of Mzrjwàs called pttu,, or, as they malitioufly write it MI. But this name is given to lignifie what he fhouldbe, and do, and not what he Mould be commonly called. He was tobé God and man inone perfori, to reconcile God and man ; to be every way Immanuel.. And this kind of expreflion in the Scrsipture, when a thing is laid tobe called that which it is the name denoting the Being, Nature, and quality of it, is fo frequent, that there is nothing peculiar in it as here ufed. See Ifa. a. 26. Chap. 8. 3. CChap,9.6. Jer.z3. 6'. Zeeh. 8. t. The like alto may be faid to that which they except in the laft place, namely, that theyknownot that Jefus ofNazareth was brought up with Butter anciHony, which is foretold concerning this Child. For the cxpreffion lignifies no more 'but thatthe Child fhould be educated with the common food of the Country, (itch as Children were in thofeplaces and tithes nourifhèd withal : It being the efpecial blei. fing of that Land that it flowedwith Milk and Honey. And thus have we aflèxted and vindicated the third eharaEteriJfical note of.the true Mefah , he 'was to be born of a Virgin, which none but only oar Lord'Jefus ever was from the foundation of the world. There remain yet other defriptive notes of the Metab, cottfibing in what fie was to sf. 344 teach, anddo, and Puffer, all of tlicm guiding the faithof the Church unto our Lord Jefus, who ni all things fully anfwered unto them all. I -fháll briefly pats through them, according unto our defign and purpofe; and begin with what he wasto teach. This Mops directsus unto, giving that great predefcription of him, which we have Deut. 18. ;8, i 9. I mill raifé them up a Prophet from among their Brethren, liltç unto thee, and willput my words in his mouth, and he fhall fpeakunro them all that Ifhall command him. And itfbdll come to pafi, that whofever will not hearken unto my word:, whichhe fhall f eak in my name, . I willrequire it of , him. This isthat fignal Teftimony concer- ning the McJah, whichPhilip urged out of Mofees unto Nathaniel; John n. 45. which Peter not only applyes unto him, but declares that he was foly intended in it, Xis 3. 22, 23. and Stephen feats that application with his blood, Alts 7.37. Neither can, or do theslew: deny that the Meffah was to beà Prophet, or thathe was promiféd unto the Church in the Wildemefs in theft words, but we fhall confider the particulars of them. Sundry things are here afferted byMofes concerning the Mefab ; as (r.) In general, 4. 35 thathe thould be a Prophet; a Teacher of the Church, and not a King only. The. ews indeed, who greedily de-fire the things-which outwardly attend Kingly Power andDominion in this world, do principally fix their thoughts andexpeoations on his Kingdom. The Revelation of theWill of God which was to be made by him, they little defireorenquire after. But the common faith of theirAnceflors from this and other places, was that the Meab was to be a Prophet t and reveal unto the Church the wholecounfel ofGod,as we (hall evince in our Comment on the fìrtt wordsofthe Epi- ftle.(z.)That thisProphet fhouldbe raifed up unto themfrom among their Eretbren-,He (hall be of the poflerity ofAbraham, and of the Tribe ofJudab, as was promifed of old ; or made-of them accordingunto theflefh, Rom.4.3.9.5So that as to his original or extraét, hewas to be born in the level ofthe people, from among his Brethren was be to be raifèd ìtp ; Unto thisOffice of a Prophet andTeacher of the Church. (3.) That he mutt be like unto Mofs. The words are plain in many places; that in the ordinary courte ofGods dealingwith that Churchamong the Prophets, there was .none likeuntoMofes, neither before,or after him. /denee Maimonides withhis followers conclude, that no- thing,
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