ThePreface. á' force common Principles relating to the fuhjelï he treated with them about. Thefe he makes ufe of unto them ally For though the unbelieving Jews did deny, or did not yet acknowledge that Jefus was the Chrifi, yet they alto confented unto,or couldnotgainfay,whatin the Old Teftament was revealed concerning thePerfn, Orce, Dignity, andWorkoftheMefíiah when hefhould come 5 that being thefaithwhereby theywerefaved beforehis appearance,Alts 26, 6, 7. Vpon theftgenoral Principles, wherein they allo agreed, andwhich were the general perfwafion of the whole Judaical Church, the Apo le !ayes thefoundationofall hisArguments. Andhence he oft times takes that forgrant- ed, which without this eongderation,fbouldwe look onany ofthof to whom he 2rrites under the general notion ofunbelievers, wouldfeem to be the thing principally in qu f ion. And therefore have weat largealready manifefted what was the avowed Profeffion of thefounder partof the Judaical Church in thefe does concerning the .TweJah, which the Apfile here and elfewhere in dealing with theyews built upon 5 Acts26. a 2, 23, 27. Chap. a8. 23. Chap. 13. 16, 17 , &c. which theReader mutt haveconfiant refpefl unto. III. In urging Teftimonies outofthe Old Teftament, he doth not alwayes make ufe of thole that feem to be m fi perfpicuous and appofite to hit pur- pofe, but oftentimes takes others more abftrufe, obfcure, andof leg evident cnnfquenceat fì f view. And that upon a double account. Fif,That he might inflruçi the Believers among'' them in the more abftrufe Prophecies of theoldTeflament, and thereby incite them to thefurtherfearch after Chr f under theMofaical Veil, andProphetical Allegories,wherebyhe is therein ex- pre'd, aiming to lead them on towards perfection , Chap. 5. 12.6. i. Secondly, Becaufe moft of theTeftimonies be makes ttfe of, were generally granted by the Jews of all forts tobelong to the Mefíiah, his Kingdom and officer andhis defign was to deal with them chiefly, upon their own conceffi- ons andprinciples. Al wehave famefew other helps remaining to acquaint towith what was the received[enfe of the Judaical Church, concerning fun- dry paffrges in theOld Teftament relating unto the promild Chrift, fo the Paraphrafes of scripture that were either at that time in ufe amongfi then, as was the GreekTranflationamong!' the Hellenifts, or about that timecom. poled, as theTargums, at leafs, forceparts of them, will give us much light into it. What ofthat ancient fenfe appearethyet in the corrupted Copies of ¡boleTranflations whichremain, being congdered, willmuchevince the realn andfuitablen f of theApoftles Luuotations. Andthis is needful to beobferv- ed, torefute that impiety offame(as Cajetan) whonot being able tounder- f'and the force o f Torre Teftimonies cited by the Apo file as to his purpofe in hand, have qu f ioned the Authority of the whole Ep f le5 as alfo the mfake ofHierom, who inhis EpfIle to Pammachius, rafhly affirmed that Paul did quotescriptures that were not indeed to hispurpofe, but out ofdefign to ftop themouths of his Adverfaries, as hehimfelfhad dealt with Jovinian 5 which was very far f omhim whofe only dfgn was AnMíunr èr iyálrp, to promote theTruth inLove. IV. He takes itforgranted in thewhole Ep f le, that theJudaical Church- State didyet continue, and that the Worfhipof it was not yet difallowed of God; fuitably to what was before declared concerning his ownand the other Apoftlesprat-lice. Had that Church-Statebeenutterly abolifhed, all obfer- nation of Mofaical rites, which weretheWorfhipofthat Church asfuch, had been utterly unlawfull, as now it is. Neither did the determination recorded Acts 15. abolfs them asforre fuppofe, but only flee the Gentiles from their obfervance. Their free ufe was yet permittedunto theyevs. Acts 21.20, 32, 25, 26. Chap.-27. 9. andpraelifidbyPaul inparticular, inhis Naza- reticalVow, Acts 21. 26. Whichwasattendedwithasacrifice, Numb 6.13 T s Nor
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