10. Concerning the resurrection of the Messiah from the dead

HAving considered the several prophecies which regard the Messiah's sufferings, and the several circumstances which were to attend them, I shall now proceed to consider those which speak of his resurrection from the dead; and shall begin,

1st, With Ps. xvi. 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. The meaning of which is, be it spoken of who it will, that God would not leave the body of this person in the grave, so long as to be corrupted in it, but would raise him up from thence; by soul, being meant a dead body, as the word נפש sometimes signifies, see Lev. xix. 28. and xxi. 1. and by hell, the grave, which is no unusual sense of the word שאול, for which see Gen. xlii. 38. Isa. xxxviii. 18. Now this text is more than once produced by the apostles, to prove the resurrection of Christ from the dead, who argue from it, not in a mystical, enigmatical, and allegorical way, not by mere allusion to it, nor by an accommodation of phrases, but from its strict, literal, and obvious sense; in which sense they prove, that it cannot be understood of David, for as one of them says, 6 David is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us to this day, and is 6 Acts ii. 29, 34.

no!

i t i fi u v i tl ti p f c re th a v fu li e hi gr da not ascended into the heavens, i. e. he died and was buried, and continues in his grave to this day; he never ascended to heaven, therefore cannot be the person intended; and yet still more plainly and nervously, another of them argues, that David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption; but he whom God raised again, saw no corruption. And now, as there are some things in this Psalm which can be true of David, and especially in this text, so every thing in it well agrees with the Messiah; such as his trust in God, as he was man, and mediator, ver. 1. his very great regard to the saints and delight in them, ver. 2, 3. his disregard to others who were hastening after another God, or another saviour; whose sacrifices, as an high priest, he would not offer up, neither make intercession for them, ver. 4. his very exceeding great satisfaction, in having the God of Israel for his portion, and in his lot, being cast among his peculiar people, ver. 5, 6. his thankfulness for advice and direction, in the time, of his sorrows, and suffering, and his dependance upon God's almighty power then to support him, ver. 7, 8. and lastly, the joy and comfort he was filled with, in the views of his resurrection from the dead, and his enjoyment of the heavenly glory, ver. 9, 10, 11. All which well agree with Jesus; and especially what is said in ver. 10. where the character of an holy one exactly suits with him, who was so, both in nature and life, as also this holy one's seeing no corruption, was eminently, remarkably, and literally fulfilled in him, who, tho' he was crucified and laid in the grave, yet was raised from thence the third day, which was before the usual time that dead h Acts xiii. 35, 36, 37.

Z 2 bodies corrupt and putrify, see John xi. 39

Mr. Sykes † observes, ' That it is in the original,

' thou wilt not leave me לִשְׁאוֹל to the grave, nor

' suffer thine holy one to see the pit : That in the

' translation used by the apostle, 'tis exactly ac-

' cording to the original. ei & not & & &;

' and it is impossible to render the word iis, to

' or into, by &, in : That as to the other word

' corruption, the same word signifies the pit or

' grave in Hebrew, and that so it ought to be ren-

' der'd, according to the customary way of speak-

' ing amongst the Hebrews.' To which I reply, that as to לִשְׁאוֹל signifying to, and not, in the grave, it may be observed, that ל is frequently put for ב, and so signifies in, which is a very common acceptation * of it, many instances might be produced in proof thereof, and even of it, as affixed to this very word; thus in Ps. xxxi. 17. Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent לִשְׁאוֹל, not to, but, in the grave. Again, Ps. xlix. 14. Like sheep they are laid לִשְׁאוֹל, not to, but in the grave; once more, tho' as affixed to another word, Is. li. 14.

The captive exile hasteneth that he may be looked, and that he should not dye, לִשְׁאוֹל, which surely cannot be rendered to, but in the pit. And as to the translation used by the apostle, iis & seems plain enough to be put for & & & where there is a manifest ellipsis of the word לִשְׁאוֹל, or &, or ri &, or some such word; for neither iis, nor &, are usually put in construction with a word of the genitive case; and Mr. Sykes cannot be ignorant of iis being frequently put for &; of which,

† E. 24 on the Truth of the Christian Religion. p. 277, 278.

* Ibid. 78 pro 17 acceptio vulgatissima, Gejer. in Ps. exix. 38

† Vid. Piscator. in Act. ii. 27. & Ptochen. distrib. de Ling.

Grec. N. T. Puritat. n. 76. p. 53. 54.

instances might be given, see Matth. ii. 23.

Mark ii. 1. and xiii. 16. Luke xi. 7. 'Tis true, the Hebrew word שַׁחַת, here translated corruption, does signify a pit, and is frequently so render'd; on which account the Jews object against the apostle's version of the words, and the application of them to Jesus; but then it ought to be observed, that the word, in its first, proper, and literal sense, signifies corruption; and that a pit or grave is only called by this name, because dead bodies or carcasses are therein corrupted; now we ought not to depart from the first and literal sense of a word, unless some very good reason can be given for it; instances may be produced, where the word cannot be understood in any other sense: Thus, in Lev. xxii. 25. 'tis said,

Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these, because מִשְׁחָתָם their corruption is in them; and so in Ps. lv. 23. But thou,

O God, shalt bring them down, לְבָאֵר שַׁחַת, into the pit of destruction, or corruption; and that it must be so understood here, is manifest, ' because, as

' the Author of the true Grounds and Realms, &c.

' well observes, * whether the psalmist speaks in

' his name, or the Messiah's, they were both thrown

' into the pit of corruption; ' so that from the whole, nothing can be concluded from hence, against its being a literal prophecy of the Messiah; nor ought the Jews, especially, to object this, when their own Midrash † acknowledges, that the sense of these words is, that the myth and worm should have no power over him; which was not literally true of David, but was of the Messiah Jesus.

2dly, Another text of scripture which may be considered as a prophecy of the Messiah's resur-

† R. Isaac. Chizuk Eman. par. 2. c. 60. * Pag. 124.

† Midrash Tillim in Pearson in the Creed, art. 4.

rection, and is produced by the apostles as a proof thereof, is Ps. ii. 7. I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, thou art my son this day have I begotten thee. The whole Psalm belongs to the Messiah, and was so understood by the antient Jewish writers, who have applied several passages in it to the Messiah, and particularly this verse. That the whole Psalm is to be understood of the Messiah, may be easily collected from the mad council, and vain attempts of the kings of the earth against him ver. 1, 2, 3. who, in ver. 2. is expressly called the Lords anointed or Messiah; from God's decree and resolution to make and declare him king of Zion, notwithstanding their utmost efforts against him ver. 4, 5, 6. from his having the Gentiles for his inheritance, ver. 8, 9. which is true of no other; and especially from that reverence, adoration, and worship, which are to be given to him, and that trust and confidence that is to be placed in him, ver. 10, 11, 12. which can by no means agree with David, nor with any mere creature whatever; and as for this seventh verse, it is inapplicable to any but the Messiah, for unto which of the angels, said God, at any time, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee; and if not to any of the angels, much less to David, or any other; and is therefore very justly produced by the apostles, as a proof of the Messiah's resurrection, which is very aptly expressed by a begetting, even as the general resurrection of the dead is called narysoria, the regeneration, or a begetting again; and this upon this account that Jesus is called the first born from the dead. Besides, as ¹ Act. xiii. 33.

² Vid. Jarchium, Aben Ezram, & Kimchium in hunc Psal.

³ Zohar in Numb. fol. 82. 2. Talmud. Succah, fol. 52. 1. Maimon. in Tract. Sanhed. c. 10.

⁴ Heb. i. 5. ⁵ Matth. xix. 28. ⁶ Col. i. 18.

there f a r J in there is a very great affinity between the birth and resurrection of a person, so the resurrection of

Christ was really natalis imperii, the birth-day of his kingdom, or when he was made, or declared to be both Lord and Christ; nay, he was thereby declared to be the son of God with power, so that these words, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, are very pertinently applied by the apostles to this present purpose.

3dly, Another prophecy, which seems to regard the resurrection of the Messiah, is Is. xxvi. 19.

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise; which, by many interpreters, both

Jewish and Christian, * is understood of the resurrection from the dead; now these words are not the words of the prophet, † but are an answer to the prophet's complaint, in the preceding verses, wherein he is assured, that tho' his people should be distress'd and diminish'd by several calamities, as captivity, sword, famine, &c. yet they should live again in the resurrection of the just; and the person speaking, appears to be the

Messiah, from the characters of him in the context, who is the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength, ver. 4. the desire, the expectation of his people, ver. 8, 9. who ordains peace for them, and works all their works in them, ver. 12. and has the sole dominion over them, ver. 13. Now, at the time of the resurrection of the Messiah's dead body from the grave, others were to arise with him, which was accordingly fulfilled in Jesus, for p the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints, which slept, arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection. Tho' these words may be rendered, q Thy dead men shall live, as my dead body

* See Mede's works, p. 718. † Vid. Maji synops. Theolog.

Jud. p. 335,336. p Matth xxvii. 52, 53. s Vid. Kimchium in loc.

shall they arise, i. e. either in the same way and manner as my dead body shall they arise; or, as sure as I shall arise, so sure shall they, agreeable hereunto, the resurrection of Jesus, is both the exemplar and pledge of ours, for Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.

4thly, As another proof, out of the Old Testament, that the Messiah was to rise from the dead, the apostles produce, Is. lv. 3. I will give you the sure mercies of David. That the Messiah is here intended, appears very manifest from his name, David, which name is frequently given to him; see Jer. xxx. 9. Ezek. xxxiv. 23. 24. Hos. iii. 5. as also from his several offices in the following verse, where he is said to be given for a witness to the people, a leader and commander of them; which words, as well as the former, are by Aben Ezra and Kimchi understood of the Messiah; but the greatest difficulty is, how this appears to be a pertinent proof of the Messiah's resurrection from the dead; and therefore, in order to make it appear to be so, let it be observed, that by the sure mercies of David, are to be understood the blessings of the everlasting covenant, which the Messiah, by his death and sufferings, was to procure for all his people; but had he only died and not been raised from the dead, those blessings had not been ratified or made sure unto them; therefore, when God promises his people, that he will give them the sure mercies of David, or of the Messiah, he promises, that the Messiah shall not only die to procure mercies for them, but that he shall rise again from the dead to make them sure to them. r r Cor. xv. 20.

r Act. xiii. 34.

5thly, As the resurrection of the Messiah from the dead, was predicted by the prophets, so the very time thereof was fixed by them. Hence the writers of the New Testament, as they declare that Christ rose from the dead, according to the scriptures of the Old Testament, so they likewise declare, that he rose from the dead: the third day, according to these scriptures; which scriptures referred to, are not merely some typical predictions of the Old Testament, as that of Isaac's deliverance on the third day, after he had been given up to death by his father, Gen. xxii. 4. and that of Jonah's being three days and three nights in the whale's belly, Jonah i. 17. compar'd with Matth. xii. 40. tho' undoubtedly reference is made to them; but to a real prophecy, which in its literal and obvious sense, is to be understood of this affair. The prophecy I have in view, is Hos. vi. 2. After two days he will revive us, in the third he will raise us up; and we shall live in his sight. The Targum understands the words of the resurrection of the dead; for of no other resurrection, but the resurrection of the Messiah, * and of his people in him, can they, in their literal sense, be understood; because the time, the third day, will agree with no other, whose coming is prophesied of in the following verse, as what would be very glorious in it self, and profitable to God's people; besides, it suits best with the scope of the place, which is to animate and encourage sinners to turn to the Lord, where they might expect healing or pardon, through the promised Messiah, who by dying would obtain life for them, and by rising again the third day, procure their justification and acceptance with God, * 1 Cor. xv. 4. * They are applied to the Messiah by R. Moses Haddon in Gen. xvi. 4. in Galatin. de arcanis C. V. l. 3. c. 12. & l. 8. c. 22. Bereshith R. ib. 1. 12. c. 3.

A a that so they might live in his sight; and the reason why it is expressed in the plural number, in the third day he will raise us up, was to encourage those persons to hope and believe in God, from the consideration of their sharing in the resurrection of the Messiah, and the several benefits which were to spring from thence, who was to arise from the dead, not as a single, but as a public person, representing all his people; so that when he was raised from the dead, they might be said to be raised up together with him; which is a phrase that the writers of the New Testament, more than once, make use of; see Eph. ii. 6. Col. iii. 1. Now that Jesus rose from the dead, according to these prophecies of the Old Testament, as well as his own predictions, we have the most unquestionable evidence; that he really died, the Jews themselves make no doubt of it; that he rose from the dead, his disciples, with one mouth, asserted, "To whom he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proof, being seen of them forty days: So that they had all the opportunity they could desire, of satisfying themselves in this matter, some of them not being very credulous of it; they were men who perfectly knew him in his life-time, and after his resurrection eat and drank with him, saw the very prints of the nails and spear in his hands, feet, and side, handled his body, had views of him at several times, and a conversation with him for full forty days; and now, upon this ocular demonstration, they published it to the world, in doing of which they could have no sinister end to serve; for upon the score hereof, they were sure to meet with shame and reproach, afflictions and persecutions; nay, death it self, wherever they came. Besides, as they were men of v Act. i. 3.

probity, t c t i i a r g t i it th ti probity, and integrity, who attested this with such plain evidence, so they were not a few; for it was not only two or three, nay, nor the twelve only that saw him, but he was "seen of above five hundred brethren at once; and besides this human testimony, which in other matters of fact we should no ways scruple, we have that of an angel, Matt.

xxviii. 6. nay, of the Holy Ghost himself, for, says the Apostle, speaking of Christ's resurrection,

"And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him; which testimony he gave by the very large effusion of his gifts and graces upon men, as Jesus, in his life-time, had promised: Nay, the vile methods which the Jews took to stifle the belief of the resurrection of

Jesus, might easily be improved into an evidence of it, who hired the soldiers to say, "His disciples came by night and stole him away, while we slept; which shews, that they were under a conviction of the truth of his resurrection, tho they were not willing it should obtain in the world; besides, it is very improbable that the disciples, who were but a weak body of men, and now terrified and disheartened at the death of their master, should attempt to remove his body, when they knew there was a guard of soldiers about it; and if they did attempt it, why did not the soldiers hinder them, who certainly had it in their power? and if it should be said, as they did, they were asleep, what credit can be given to such a testimony? for if asleep, how should they know the disciples did it?

Nor have we less evidence of his rising again the third day; it was proper that he should continue in the grave some time, that it might ap-

* 1 Cor. xv. 6. 2 Acts v. 32, 3 Matth xxviii. 13.

A a 2 pear pear that he was really dead; tho' it was not convenient he should lie so long, as that his body should corrupt and putrify; because it was prophesied of him, that he should see no corruption; and whereas the third day was fixed in prophecy for his rising from the dead, and which was the day he gave out he should rise on, so he accordingly did; for tho' there were but one whole day and two nights, between the death of Christ and his resurrection, yet it was on the third day, from his death, that he rose again, the day on which he died being reckoned as one, and that on which he rose again another. Now this article, of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, as it is a grand article of the christian religion, for if a man believes in his heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, he shall be saved; so it is an unquestionable evidence of Jesus's being the true Messiah; this, Jesus gave as a sign thereof to the Jews, when they desir'd one of him, and it should be a satisfactory one to the Deist. C H A P. XII.

Concerning the Ascension of the MESSIAH to Heaven, his session at God's right hand, and second coming to judgment.

THAT the Messiah was to suffer death, and rise again from the dead, according to the prophecies of the Old Testament, I have endeavoured to prove in the two preceding chapters,

Rom. x. 9

Matth. xii. 38, 39, 40.

my business in this will be, to shew that he was to ascend into Heaven, sit down at God's right hand, and come a second time to judge the world in righteousness.

First, I shall endeavour to prove, from the prophecies of the Old Testament, that the Messiah, after his resurrection from the dead, was to ascend up into Heaven; and there are several prophecies which point out this unto us, as particularly Psal. xlvii. 5. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet; which psalm, both Kimchi and Aben-Ezra acknowledge, belongs to the Messiah, who is very manifestly prophesied of in the glory of his regal majesty, and as exalted upon the throne of his holiness; and if it should be said, that these words are inapplicable to the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, because his ascension thither was not attended with a shout, or the sound of a trumpet; it may be replied, that if it be considered what the angels said to the disciples, who stood gazing at Jesus as he went up to Heaven, it will appear highly reasonable to conclude, that he went up with the shout of angels and the trumpet of God, for they tell them, that his same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven. Now we are told that he shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. If therefore his ascent to Heaven was as his descent will be, then it was both with a shout and with the sound of a trumpet. Again, the Messiah's ascension to Heaven might be argued from his session at God's right hand; for if he was not to ascend up into Heaven, he could never sit at God's right hand there. That he was to sit at God's right hand is manifest from Psal. cx. 1. ⁵ Acts i. 11. ⁶ 1 Theft. iv. 16.

which cannot be understood of David, or any other person, but the Messiah, as the apostle, from its literal and obvious sense, very strongly argues, saying, "For David is not ascended into the Heavens, for he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand; but of this more hereafter. Again, Dan. vii. 13. where one like the son of man is said to come with the clouds of Heaven, unto the ancient of days, and to be brought near before him, may very well be understood of the Messiah's ascension into Heaven, and his introduction into the presence of the most high. That the Messiah is here intended by the son of man, many Jewish writers acknowledge, and the word עָנָן Anani, which signifies clouds, in which the son of man is said to come, is from hence become among them a known name for the Messiah; and that this is to be understood of his ascension into Heaven, may easily be collected from his coming with the clouds of Heaven, which was literally fulfilled in Jesus, whom when he was taken up from the earth, a cloud received out of sight: from his being conducted by others to the ancient of days, as Jesus was by angels into his father's presence: from that dominion, glory, and kingdom, which are said to be given him, in ver. 14. which well agrees with the ascension of Jesus, who being exalted at God's right hand was made or declared to be both Lord and Christ, all which is certainly more agreeable to the literal sense of Daniel than what the author of the Scheme of Literal Prophecy advances, who, with Grotius, by the son of man understands the Roa Acts ii. 34. c Zohar in Gen. fol. 85. 4. Jarchi & Saadiah Gaon in loc. & R. Jeshush in Aben Ezra in loc. Tzeror Hameror Talmud Sanhed & Midrash T'llim in Psal. xxi. 7. in Pearson on the Creed, art. 7. (See Bishop Chandler's Deft. of Christianity, p. 151. and Bereshith Rabba in Pearson on the Creed, Art. 7. a Acts i. 9. b Pag. 170, 172, 173.

man kingdom, and by coming with the clouds of Heaven, coming with a quick motion, which is his literal sense of this prophecy.

Again Mic. ii. 13. might be alledged, as a prophecy of the Messiah's ascension into heaven, where 'tis said that The breaker up is come up before them: they have broken up and have passed through the gate and are gone out by it, and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them. The Jews understand this of the Messiah, which may be very aptly applied to Jesus, who is gone up and entred into heaven as a sign of the forerunner for his people, having broken up the way, removed all difficulties out of it, and opened the gates of heaven for them. But that which most clearly of all expresses the ascension of the Messiah into heaven is Ps. lxviii. 18. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for men: yea for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. The design of this Psalm is to prove, that the presence of God among his people is always useful and salutary to them, tho' to the confusion and destruction of their enemies, which the Psalmist expresses in ver. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. which he proves by an induction of particular instances under the legal dispensation, beginning at ver. 7. and ending at ver. 14. and from thence proceeds to set forth the glory and security of the gospel church, from the presence of Job with in it, ver. 15, 16. who is described by his magnificent retinue, even thousands of angels, ver. 17. by his triumphant ascension into heaven, ver. 18. and by his being the author of salvation, ver. 19, 20. the whole of which description entirely agrees with the Messiah; and parti• The Author of Sopher Ailoth Rachel & R. M. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H.

cularly what is said of this person's ascending on high, can be understood of no other; not of Moses's ascending up to the firmament at the giving of the law, as the Targum and Jarchi interpret it, for tho' Moses ascended to the top of mount Sinai, yet we no where read that he went up to the firmament of heaven; nor is it to be understood of David's going up to the high fortresses of his enemies, as Aben-Ezra would have it, which sense is both jejune and impertinent; or of God's ascent from mount Sinai when he gave the law, of which ascent there is not any mention made in scripture; but of the Messiah's ascension into heaven, which may very well be signified by this phrase on high; see Ps. cii. 19. Jer. xxv. 30. which ascension is not to be understood figuratively, as Gen. xvii. 22. but literally, it being real, local, and visible, as that of Jesus's was. Besides, the circumstances which were to attend this ascension, manifestly shew this to be the sense of the words, as his leading captivity captive, which well expresses the Messiah's triumphant conquests over all his enemies, and had its full accomplishment in Jesus, who made an end of sin, abolished death, and spoiled principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, and having so done, went up, as a triumphant conquerour, to heaven, where he received the promise of the Holy Ghost, i. e. the several gifts and graces of the spirit in their fulness, and bestowed them upon men, even rebellious ones, whereby they became a fit habitation for God, that he might dwell with them and they with him; and thus the other circumstance which was to attend the ascension of this person, viz. his receiving gifts for men, had its completion in the Messiah, Jesus. The apostle, in citing those words Eph. iv. 8. and applying them to Jesus, renders this last clause somewhat different from what it is in the original text, i b

N of text, and instead of received gifts for men, reads it, and gave gifts to men; tho' the Jews have no reason to quarrel with it as they do, for their own Targum renders it after the same manner, the Hebrew word signifying both to give and to receive; nor is there any disagreement in sense; the Messiah was to receive these gifts, in order to give them to men; accordingly Jesus, having received them, did so. The words as they stand in the psalms are a prophecy of what the Messiah was to do, but as cited by the apostle are a narration of what Jesus had done. From the whole it appears, that the Messiah was to ascend into heaven, according to the prophecies of the Old Testament, which had their fulfillment in Jesus, who, as he before hand declared that he should ascend into heaven, actually did so, of which his disciples were eyewitnesses; he also being seen of angels, and accompanied by them, was received up into glory, where he ever lives to make intercession for his people. I proceed, Secondly, To shew that the Messiah, upon his ascension into heaven, was to sit down at God's right hand. He is called the man of God's right hand, Psal. lxxx. 17. and that not only because he is most dear to God, as Benjamin was to his father, and therefore was called by him the son of the right hand; nor because that by him he sustains and upholds all things, nor because he was strengthened and supported by God's right hand in performing the work of salvation; but because, being exalted by it, he was made to sit down at it, which is in so many words expressed in Psal. cx. ¹ R. Isaac Chizuk. Emun. par. 2. c. 91. ² Vid. Pocock, Not. Misc. in Port. Mosis, p. 84. and Bp. Kidder's Demonstration of the Messiah, part. 2. p. 87. Edit. fol. ³ Vide Targum in v. 15. & R. Aben-Ezram in loc.

B b

1.

1. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. That the Jews, in the times of Jesus, understood this psalm of the Messiah, is manifest from the Discourse which passed between him and them concerning the Messiah: He first asks them "; What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? To which they readily reply, The son of David. To this he objects, How then does David in spirit call him Lord? and for the proof thereof, produces this very text, The Lord said unto my Lord, &c. from whence he argues, If then David call him Lord, how is he his son? which nonpluss'd them, and threw them into the utmost confusion; for no man was able to answer him a word. Now had it been the generally received sense of the Jewish synagogue, at this time, that this Psalm was to be understood of some other person, and not the Messiah, they could very easily have objected it to him: but Jesus seems to argue with them from what was agreed on, on all hands, and of which there could be no dispute among them; viz. that this Psalm was wrote by David; that it was wrote by him under the inspiration of the spirit; and that the Messiah was the subject thereof: and, indeed, they by their silence acknowledge it; for had they not believed it, they would not have been reduced to the distress they were; nay, even some of their most celebrated " doctors since, have confessed the same, though others observing what confusion their forefathers were thrown into from hence by Jesus, and what improvement his followers have made of it since, for the vindication m Matt. xxii. 42. 43, 44, 45, 46. n Zohar in Numb. fol. 99. 2. Raya Menimna in Zohar in Gen. fol. 87. 3. R. Moses Hadlarin in Bereshith Rabba in Gen. xviii. 1. Mideath Tillim in loc. & in Pl. xviii. 35. R. Obadiah, & R. David Kim chi in loc. R. Saadiah Gaon in Dan. vii. 13. Nachmanides in disput. cum fiatre Paulo, p. 36, 55.

and establishment of their religion, have quitted the sense of the old synagogue, and introduced strange and foreign ones, which are inconsistent with themselves, and have no manner of foundation in the Psalm. Some of them would have Abraham the patriarch to be the subject thereof, and that it was composed, either by Melchizedek or Eliezer the servant of Abraham, or else by David, on the account of the victory Abraham obtained over the kings, Gen. xiv. in rescuing his kinsman Lot. But Melchizedek could not be the author of it, because he was a far greater person than Abraham; he blessed him, and received tithes from him, and therefore could not call him his Lord. 'Tis true Eliezer might, as being his servant, but then he could not assign unto him a seat at the right hand of God; nor say of him, that he had an everlasting priesthood after the order of Melchizedek: Besides, the psalm is a psalm of David, though not composed by him on this account, for the very same reasons. Others would have David intended, but David was the penman of this psalm, and therefore cannot be supposed to say so of himself; and whereas some of them say, that it was wrote by some of the singers, concerning him, it may be replied, that the title declares the contrary. Besides, David is not ascended into the heavens, neither is he set down at the right hand of God, nor had he any thing to do with the priesthood, much less was he a priest after Melchizedek's order; which is peculiar to the Messiah, Jesus, who was made an high-priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, of whose kingdom and priesthood, sufferings and exaltation, his conquests over his enec Jarchi in loc. & Vet. Nizzachon, p. 179. 180. p R. Isaac Chizuk Emun. par. 1. c. 40. q R. Aben Ezra in loc. 2 Heb vi. 20.

B b 2 mics, mies, and ſucceſs of his goſpel, this pſalm is a very plain and manifeſt prophecy. The perſon ſpeaking in this firſt verſe, is Jehovah, the father; the perſon ſpoken to, is David's Adon, or lord, the promiſed Meſſiah, whom the Jews, in Mal. iii. 1. ſought, and whoſe coming they earneſtly deſired. What is ſaid unto him, is, that he was to ſit at God's right hand, which is expreſſive of his exaltation, power, and authority; the time how long, is, until he made his enemies his footſtool; i. e. until they are all ſubdued under him, and the laſt enemy which ſhall be deſtroyed, is death. Now that Jeſus is ſet down at God's right hand, the writings of the New Teſtament conſtantly affirm. Jeſus himſelf, before the high-prieſt, declared, that they ſhould ſee the ſon of man, meaning himſelf, fitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven; and his apoſtles do frequently aver, that he is ſet down on the right hand of the majeſty on high: Nay, Stephen ſaw him ſtanding there, being riſen from his ſeat, as one provoked at the indignity offered to his ſervant; otherwiſe his uſual poſture is to ſit; which ſignifies that he has done his work, which has been graciouſly accepted, and is now taking his reſt, eaſe, and pleaſure, being placed upon the ſame throne with God, and crowned by him with glory and honour, where he will continue to ſit, for the advantage of his church and people, until he comes a ſecond time to judge the world, which I ſhall, in the next place, Thirdly, conſider. That there will be a future judgment, we have no controverſy with the Jews and it might eaſily be eſtabliſhed, from the very reaſon of things, againſt the Deiſts. The Jews ſuppoſe a revelation of this truth very early

Matt. xxvi. 64.

in the world; yea that this notion obtained as early as the times of Cain and Abel t, making the reaſon of their diſagreement to be their differing ſentiments about it, which was the cauſe of that tragical and barbarous action which Cain committed. However, 'tis certain, that Enoch, the ſeventh from Adam, u prophéſied of the day of judgment, and the writings of the old teſtament abundantly confirm the truth of it, where God is frequently repreſented as a judge, and the perſons to be judged, both the righteous and wicked w, are very evidently pointed out, as well as the ſeveral things which ſhall be brought into judgment, as every kind of work whether it be good, or whether it be evil x, nay, the ſeveral iſſues and events thereof, as the everlaſting happineſs of the ſaints, and perpetual puniſhment of the wicked; yea, the glory, majeſty, form, and manner of this awful procedure are exactly deſcribed, as the ſetting of the judgment, the placing of the thrones, the majeſtic appearance of the judge, his vaſt retinue, the large number of perſons that ſhall ſtand before him to be judged, and the opening of the books, from whence they are to be judged; ſee Dan. vii. 9, 10. compared with Rev. xx. 11, 12. Now the perſon who is to have the conduct and management of this awful affair, is the Meſſiah, who is often ſpoken of as a judge y in the old teſtament, and as every way qualified for ſuch a work, being a perſon of great knowledge and wiſdom z, courage and majeſty, having the fear of God before his eyes, of very great ſagacity and penetration, as well as of very great integrity and t Vid. Targum Jon. in Gen. iv. 8. u Jud. v. 14, 15. w Ecl. iii. 17. x Ecl. xi 9. and xii. 14. y See Mic. v. 1 Ifa. ii. 4. Obad. 21. and Kimchi and Aben-Ezra on the Jame, z Ifa. xi. 2, 3, 4, 5.

faithfulneſs, faithfulnefs, of whom 'tis prophesied in Pf. xcviii.

9. that he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousnefs shall be judge the world, and the people with equity;

which Pfalm solely belongs to the Messiah. Kimchi says a that all the Psalms, from the ninety third

Pfalm to the hundredth Psalm, inclusive, belong to the days of the Messiah, and the several arguments of them will easily evince it. Jarchi b endeavours to prove, that the 96th Psalm, which is of the same nature with this, begining and ending in the same manner, regards future times; because it thus concludes, for he cometh to judge the earth;

and adds, that wherever mention is made of a new song, it is על העתיד concerning the time to come, or relates to the times of the Messiah; and R. Abendana say the reason of those metaphorical expressions being used in ver. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. is, because of the greatness of that joy which shall be in the days of the Messiah; which is justly occasioned by those marvellous things which he has done, in redeeming his people, and those conquests which he has obtained over all his and their enemies ver. 1.

as also by making his salvation known, and openly shewing his righteousness to the Gentiles, as well as to the house of Israel, ver. 2, 3.

which exactly suits with the Messiah, and has had its fulfillment in Jesus; that this is to be understood of his second coming, and not of his first, may be concluded from the end thereof, which is to judge the earth; but the end of his first coming was not to d judge the world, but to save it. Moreover in the parallel text to this, in Pf.

xcvi. 13. this phrase is repeated, for he cometh, for he cometh, to judge the earth; which may be designed to denote either his second coming, or the a In Pf. xciii. 1

Michel Yophi in Pf. xcviii.

b In Pf. xcvi. 1.

d Joh. xii. 47.

c Not. in certainty thereof, or else the speed and haste he would make in coming, as Jesus says surely I come quickly; to which John replies, Amen, even so come Lord Jesus. Again, as the first coming of the Messiah was matter of great joy to all those who waited for the consolation of Israel, so will his second coming be to all those who love and look for his glorious appearing; at or about which time many prophecies of the old testament, which now remain unfulfilled, will have their full accomplishment, for which the people of God, under the present dispensation, are looking, waiting, and praying. C H A P. XIII.

Concerning the magnificent and august names and titles of the Messiah in the Old Testament.

I Thought to have concluded this account of the prophecies of the old testament, respecting the Messiah, with the preceding chapter; but observing some prophecies left unconsidered, which contain some of the famous names and titles of the Messiah, I thought it necessary to take notice of them, and especially seeing they are objected to, by the enemies of christianity; I have already, in the course of this work, considered several of the names and titles of the Messiah, by which he is called in the prophecies, as that of Shiloh, the Saviour or Peace-maker, Gen. xlix. 10. Immanuel or God with us, I. vii. 14. Messiah the prince, D. in. ix. 25. the desire of all nations, Herg. ii. 7. all which several titles serve to set forth the greatness of his R 20. xx. 20 person, perfon, the nature of his work, as well as his very great ufefulness to mankind, as do alfo the following ones, which I now intend to confider;

And fhall begin,

Firft, With Ifa. ix. 6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government fhall be upon his fhoulder, and his name fhall be called, wonderful, counfellor, the mighty God, the everlafting Father, the prince of peace. The antient Jews applied this prophecy to the Meffiah. Their ridiculous traditions, recorded in their Talmud, of God's defire to make Hezekiah the Meffiah, and Sennacherib, Gog and Magog; and that faying of R. Hillell's a, that Ifrael fhould not have a Meffiah, becaufe they enjoyed him in the days of Hezekiah, fhew plainly that they were under a conviction of this prophecy's belonging to him, though they foolifhly attempt to wreft it to Hezekiah, whom they are therefore obliged to make the Meffiah. The Targum manifestly refers thofe words to the Meffiah, as do alfo others of their antient and later b writers; tho' c others of them would have Hezekiah intended, who are herein followed by Grotius d, and the author of the fcheme of literal prophecy e, who fays, the words are manifestly fpoken of him; but Hezekiah furely can never be this ילך this new born babe, as the word properly fignifies, when he was at leaft nine or ten years of age, when this prophecy was given forth; nor can any reafon be affigned, why he fhould, in fuch a peculiar and unufual manner, be called בן, a fon; nor can it be faid of him, a Talmud Sanhed fol. 98. 2. & 99. 1. b Debarim Rabba fol. 196. col. 3. likewife R. Jofe Galilæus præfat. in Echa Rabbati in Allix's Judgment of the Jewifh Church, &c. p. 44. & Maimon. in Maji Synopf. Theolog. Jud. loc. 8. dg Meffia p. 21. Vid. Reuchlinum de arte Cabalæ lib. 1. p. 745. c Jarchi, Kimchi, & Aben-Exra in loc. Lipmann. Carmen memor. vet. Nizzach p. 1. R. Ifiac Chizuk Emun. par. 1. c. 21. d In loc. e Pag. 140. that that he was that great light which fshined upon the inhabitants of Galilee; nor was his birth the occasion of fo great joy, as the birth of this child is faid to be; nor can it, with any juftnefs, be faid of Hezekiah, that of the increase of his government and peace there was no end, feeing his government only extended to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, his reign was but twenty nine years, and that for the moft part attended with affliction, oppression, and war: befides, the auguft titles, here ufed, cannot be afcribed to him, or to any mere creature whatever; for as R. Sol. ben Melec on the place obferves, they are כנויים לאל יתברך the names of the blessed God, which Kimchi and Jarchi acknowledge, and therefore are forced to tranfpofe the words thus, and he who is the wonderful counfellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, shall call his name, the prince of peace; fo that only this laft is the name of the child, and all the reft are the names of God, who calls him fo. But this reading is a violent diftortion of the text, and if fuch a method was allowed of, we fhould be left to a very great uncertainty in the facred writings,

" It is contrary to the ufe of the fcripture, (as a learned man obferves,) that the word שבו,

" his name, fhould be placed before the name of

" him that calleth, when every where elfe it is

" placed between the name of him that calleth,

" and him that is called; fo that that name which

" follows the word שבו, his name, is always af-

" cribed to him that is called, and not to him

" that calleth, as appears from Gen. xvi. 15. xxi.

" 3. xxiii. 14. Exod. ii. 22. Ruth iv. 17. 1 Sam.

" i. 20. 2 Sam. xii. 25." This reading is alfo contrary to the very fyntax of the words, for if they

Frifchmuth. in Wagenseil. Carmin. Lipmann. Confut. p 516.

C e were to be read thus, there should have been את the sign of the accusative case before שר שלום, the prince of peace, to have distinguished it from those several nominatives; whereas there is not:

It is moreover contrary to the accents, for there's only a Tiphca on אבי ער, the everlasting father, which is no distinguishing accent, especially in propositions; and often idle and does not distinguish at all, but serves only to carry on the sentence to the next member. It would have appeared more plausible, if the stop had been made at אל גבור, the mighty God; for a Sakeph Katon is there, which is an accent of far greater power, but this would not answer their end; for they would be under an equal difficulty, in applying the title of the everlasting Father to Hezekiah, as that of the mighty God. Besides, what reason can be given, why the great God should have so many titles and epithets given unto him, and that only at the giving of a name to a young prince? what was there in Hezekiah that should require this? especially when we consider, that when God has either given new names to persons, or have changed their old ones, who were as famous as ever Hezekiah was, and as much in the divine favour, yet never used such a way of speaking as this.

What the Jews think will much help them in this sense, and reading of the words, is, that ויקרא is in the active, and not in the passive form, and therefore should be rendred, and be shall call his name &c. and not as we render it, and his name shall be called, &c. on which account & they are ready to charge us with a corruption of the text. To which I answer, 'tis true, the word is in the active form; but yet, nothing is more frequent in the

& Vid. R. Isaac Chizuk Emun. par. 1. c 21

Hebrew language, than for verbs active of the third person, to be used passively, when the nominative is not expressed; and this is the very manifest sense of this word in many places; see Gen. xvi. 14. 2 Sam. ii. 16. If. lxii. 2. besides, this word is rendered in the passive sense, in this very text, both by the Targum, and by several versions made by Jews themselves; though, if we understand the word actively, it no ways prejudices the application of those several names to the Messiah; for 'tis very easy to supply the nominative case, either thus, Jehovah, or God the father shall call, &c. or thus, and every one shall call his name wonderful, &c. From the whole it appears, that all, and every one of those titles belong to one and the same person, even to the child, or son, here spoken of, which Aben-Ezra acknowledges to be the true sense of the words; but how they can, with any justness, be applied to Hezekiah, or be thought to be manifestly spoken of him, I cannot apprehend; for will it be sufficient to say with the above said Jewish writer, that he was called wonderful, because of the miracles which God wrought in his days; counsellor, because he consulted with his princes about keeping the passover in the second month, 2 Chron. xxx. 2. the mighty God, because he was strong and powerful; the everlasting father, or father of eternity, because the kingdom of the house of David was continued somewhat longer for his sake; and the prince of peace, because there was peace in his days? Surely it cannot be thought sufficient to entitle him to the name of wonderful, that God did, in his days, and for his sake, cause יִשְׁמִיָּה וַיִּבְחָרִיָּה Targ בְּרִבְלֹהוֹן דִּי כִּי־בָבֶל בְּרִבְלֹהוֹן פֶּן־בְּרִבְלֹהוֹן דִּי כִּי־בָבֶל בְּרִבְלֹהוֹן דִּי כִּי־בָבֶל בְּרִבְלֹהוֹן דִּי כִּי־בָבֶל בְּרִבְלֹהוֹן

C c 2 the the fun to return ten degrees; nor could he be called fo on the account of his eminent virtues, which did not fhine more brightly in him than in many others. Nor is it enough to fay, that he was the counfellor, becaufe he took counfel with others, but was not a counfellor of others, often wanted counfel himfelf, and therefore fometimes acted a foolifh part, as in the cafe of his fhewing the ambaffadors of Babylon all his treafures; much lefs could he be called the mighty God, or the ftrong one, becaufe of his might, power, and prowefs in war, when we read but of one fingle exploit of his, of this kind, which could be any indication of it, and that is, his fmiting the Phili-ftines unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, 2 Kings viii. 8. Tho' afterwards we read, that the King of Affyria came and took all his fenced cities, and obliged him to pay a confiderable tribute to him; nor ought he to be called the everlafting fa-ther, or father of eternity, who himfelf lived but four and fifty years, and the regal power of his pofterity, in a few years, ended in Zedekiah; nor can I fee how he can well be called the prince of peace, who was frequently diftreffed and oppreffed by his enemies, his reign was chiefly fpent in war, and can be fuppofed only to enjoy peace towards the clofe thereof. But now the whole prophecy, and the feveral names given to this child, well agree with the Meffiah; 'tis he, whofe converfation in Galilee of the nations would make it glorious, as has been elfewhere obferv'd, at whofe coming light would fhine upon the inhabitants thereof; whofe birth would produce a joy like the joy in barveft, and as men rejoice when they divide the fpoil; whofe deliverance of his people from the yoke of flavery, would not be effected in a common way, but as in the dev of Midian, when Gideon, in fuch an in-credible credible and extraordinary manner, delivered the

Israelites: for this victory which he, the Messiah, was to obtain over all his enemies, would not be, like the victory of other warriors, attended with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood, but would be והיתה לשרפה נאכלת אש like to the burning of devouring fire, effected suddenly, in a moment, and without any noise, blood, or wounds;

which same person, being placed upon the throne of David, would bear the government upon his shoulder, wield the scepter in righteousness, and increase the peace of all his subjects. He might well be called wonderful, because he was to be born of a virgin, Is. vii. 14. counsellor, because the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, was to rest upon him, Is. xi. 2. the mighty God, because the Adon, the mighty Lord, who sits at God's right hand, and rules in the midst of his enemies, having obtained a compleat victory over them, Ps. cx. 1, 2, 5, 6. the everlasting father, because he was to see his seed, and to prolong his days, Isa. liii. 10. the prince of peace, because he was to be the man, the peace, who was to speak peace to the health of, abundance of which was to be in his days, Mic. v. 5. Zech. ix. 10. Ps.

lxxii. 3, 7.

Now, how well also these names suit the Mossiah, Jesus, is easy to observe, who may well be called wonderful, on the account of his extraordinary and wonderful conception and birth, as well as on the account of the many surprising miracles which were wrought by him; and if we regard him both as God and man, having two natures, human and divine, united in one person, he'll appear to be כלא, a wonder, a miracle. With as good reason also may he be called counsellor, μεσάλης εὐαυΐς ἀγλαφ. the angel of the great counsel, as the Septuagint render it, who was always with God; was privy to all his designs, counsels, and purposes; was consulted by him in all the works of his hands, as creation and redemption; is the wisdom of God, and has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid in him, and therefore a very proper person to give advice and counsel to his people. No less does he deserve the title and character of the mighty God, who has spoiled principalities and powers, subdued all his and his people's enemies, procured everlasting salvation for sinners, and is able to save, to the uttermost, them that come unto God by him; very agreeably may he be called, the everlasting father, or the father of the age to come, πατὰν τῷ μάλαλονῷ ἀνάσῃ, as the words are rendered by the septuagint: for the עולם הבא, the world to come, God has not put in subjection to angels, but has made it the care and charge, and put it under the government and conduct of his son, Jesus Christ, at whose coming this new age or world began, and therefore he may well be called the father of it: And, to conclude this, nothing can more fully and aptly express the temper of his mind, the nature of his work, and the diffusive blessings of his goodness to the sons of men, than when he is called the prince of peace. These things being considered, the author of the Scheme of Literal Prophecy, with Grotius and the Jews, will have little reason to conclude, that these words are manifestly spoken of Hezekiah, but rather conclude, that they are manifestly spoken of Jesus the Messiah; nor will the Jew have any reason, in that audacious and insulting manner, to say, as he does, 'That it is impossible that Jesus should be called by those names; for, says Heb. ii. 5. R. Isaac Chizuk. Emun. par. 1. c. 21. Much to the same purpose objects the author of the old Nizzachon. p. 86.

he,

‘ be, how can his name be called, wonderful,

‘ counsellor, when a foolish disciple of his knew

‘ his counsels, even so as to deliver him unto his

‘ enemies? and how can he be called the mighty

‘ God, who was slain? moreover, how can he be

‘ called the everlasting father, who died before he

‘ had lived out half his days? besides, how can

‘ he be called the prince of peace, in whose days

‘ there was no peace, for as he himself testifies,

‘ saying, I am not come to give peace on earth, but

‘ a sword? ’ all which, with what spite and malice, want of truth, as well as with what folly and ignorance they are spoken, may easily be collected from what has been already said concerning Jesus, and the application of this prophecy to him.

I proceed,

Secondly, To consider, Jer. xxiii. 6. where we have an account of another of the Messiah’s names, the words are these, In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name, whereby he shall be called, the Lord our righteousness. The person intended in those words, is undoubtedly the same, who in the preceding verse is call’d, the righteous branch, and is promised to be raised up unto David, which not only the Targum understands of the Messiah, and therefore thus paraphrases it, I will raise up unto David, Messiah the righteous, but also many other * Jewish writers. Grotius, indeed, would have Zorobabel intended, but that can’t be, for tho’ Zorobabel was a branch of David’s family, yet he never was king over Judah and Israel; nor were those people in such * Kimchi & R. Sol. ben Melec in loc. R. Isaac Chizuk Emun. par. 1. c. 42. who also interpret the Lord our righteousness, of the Messiah in ver. 6 and so it is likewise understood by R. Jochinah in Talmud, Baba Bithra, fol. 75. col. 2. by R. Aba bar Cahana in Echa Rabbati, fol. 58. col. 2. by R. Saadiah Gaon in Dan. vii. 13. and by Berchith Rabba in Gen xxv. 6. in G. Latin. de arcanis, C. V. lib. 2. c. 3 a very a very safe, secure, and prosperous condition, in his days; and tho' he was, no doubt, a righteous person, yet was he not so by way of eminency, nor was his name the Lord our righteousness, neither can any reason be given, why he should be called so. But every thing agrees well with the Messiah, who was frequently promised, and always expected as a king, in whose hand, the pleasure of the Lord should prosper, and by whom justice and judgment should be executed in the earth; for righteousness was to be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins; Israel was to be saved in him with an everlasting salvation; he was to be just or righteous in himself, and to bring in everlasting righteousness for others, whereby he was to justify many; so that it is no wonder, that his name should be called, the Lord our righteousness, which name the Messiah Jesus well deserves, seeing he is become the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believes, and is of God, made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. Abraham thinks that יהוה צדקנו, the Lord our righteousness, is not the name of the Messiah, but the name of God, who calls the Messiah the righteous branch; but this sense is contrary to the natural position of the words, and can never be supported without a violent torturing of the text. R. Saadiah Gaon is for separating יהוה the Lord, from צדקנו our righteousness; he is willing to allow that צדקנו our righteousness is the name of the Messiah, but then he would have יהוה Jehovah to be the name of God, who calls him so; but such a division of the words is contrary to the accents, which R. Aben-Ezra opposes unto him, and says, that he would never have attempted such a division of the words, had he observed that the accent Tipha is upon יקראו, be shall call him, or be shall be be called, which divides it from יהוה, Jehovah, and that the accent Merca is upon יהוה, Jehovah, which unites it to צדקנו, our righteousness; this observation sufficiently confirms our version of this text.

There is one thing more I would just observe, before I dismiss this prophecy, and that is, that the word יקראו, which we translate passively, shall be called, is in the active form, and may be rendered, shall call him, as it is both by the Targum and Septuagint; tho', as has been observed on the preceding prophecy, verbs active of the third person, when the nominative to them is not expressed, as here, are often used passively; but if the active sense should be insisted on, 'tis easy to supply it, either thus, every one shall call him, &c. or thus, God shall call him, &c. or thus, as Kimchi and others, Israel shall call him the Lord our righteousness. From the whole it appears, that this prophecy belongs to the Messiah, and admits of a very easy application to Jesus. Thirdly, The next prophecy of this kind, which I shall consider, is Zech. vi. 12. And speak unto him, i. e. to Joshua the son of Joseph, the high-priest, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of His, saying, Behold the man, whose name is the branch, and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. The same person is spoken of under the same title and character in ch. iii. 8. For behold I will bring forth my servant the branch, which the Targum paraphrases thus, Behold I will bring forth my servant the Messiah; and has been so understood by many Jewish interpreters. I have, in considering the former prophecy, observed, that the Messiah is called the righteous branch in Jer. xxiii. 5. as he is also in ch. xxxiii. 15. and in Isa. iv. 2. 'tis said; In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; which the Targum renders thus, ¹ Vid. Kimchium & Aben-Ezram in loc.

D d

At that time the Messiah of the Lord shall be for joy and glory; and so Kimchi expounds it of him. Once more, the Messiah is in Isa. xi. 1. called a branch, which should grow out of Jesse's roots. Thus we see, that this name, the branch, is very frequently given to the Messiah; and, perhaps, some reference is made to this name in Psal. cxxxii. 17. where it is said, There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. And 'tis certain the Jews have so understood it, who, in their prayers for the Messiah's coming, frequently express themselves after this manner, O God make the horn of David thy servant to bud, and ordain a lamp for the son of Jesse, thy Messiah, in haste, in our days. The author of the scheme of literal prophecy indeed says, from Grotius and White, 'that 'Esay, Jeremy, and Zechary, do not, by their use of the term branch, mean to signify the Messias; but the Jews in captivity in one place, viz. Isa. iv. 2. Hezekiah in another, viz. Isa. xi. 1. Zoro-babel in three other places, viz. Jer. xxiii. 5. 'Zech. iii. 8. and vi. 12.' Though he offers nothing in proof thereof. As to Isa. iv. 2. 'tis much more likely that the Messiah is intended than the Jews in captivity; for what great beauty and glory appeared in them, even when they returned from thence? Nay, this branch of the Lord, and fruit of the earth, is manifestly distinguished from them that are escaped from Israel, and him that is left in Zion. The beauty and glory predicated of this branch, best agrees with the Messiah; as do also the blessings promised in the following verses; such as the sanctification, washing away the filth, purging the blood of God's people, and the protection and glory of them. That Hezekiah cannot a Vid R. Sol. ben Melec. in Mielol Yophi in loc. & Kimchium in loc. b Seder Terhillot fol. 278. 1. & 285. 2. See R. Chandler's Defence of Christian iv. p. 221, 222. ° p. 288 be intended in Ifa. xi. 1. I have already proved in a preceding chapter; for he must be born some years before this prophecy was given forth; and that Zorobabel is not Jeremy's righteous branch in ch. xxiii. 5. I think I have sufficiently made appear; and shall now attempt to prove, that the Messiah, and not he, is intended by Zechary, when he says, Behold the man, whose name is the branch. The Targum reads it, Behold the man, whose name is the Messiah. Jarchi says, there are some who interpret it of the king Messiah; which interpretation R. Abeniana strenuously contends for; and which is the sense of some of their antient writers 4; and that it is the true sense, may be pretty easily collected from the context. This person was to be both a king and priest; he shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne. Zorobabel was neither king nor priest, the Messiah both. This person was to build the temple of the Lord, and to bear the glory: Not a third temple, which the Jews vainly expect; nor the second temple, built by Zorobabel, from whence so much glory did not arise to the builder of it, it being mean and contemptible, in comparison of that of Solomon's; but the church of God, which is the temple of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth, which was to be built in a very glorious manner, in the days of the Messiah, and was to consist of Jews and Gentiles; for they that were afar off; i. e. the Gentiles were to come and build in the temple of the Lord, and so the counsel of peace was between them both; i. e. Jews and Gentile, which was exactly fulfilled by the Messiah Jesus, who made peace between them both, incorporated them both into one building, of which he himself is the corner-stone, in whom all the building they * In not. in Mieloi Yopin in R. Abeniana in Echi Rabati, fol. 58. col. 2.

D d framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also, 'i. e. ye Ephesians, ye Gentiles, are builded together, with the Jews, for an habitation of God through the spirit; and now he bears all the glory of it. Once more, this person was not as yet grown up out of his place, but 'tis promised that he should, which cannot be true of Zorobabel, who was already grown up, and had been for some time actually engaged in building the second temple, as appears from Haggai's prophecy. The Messiah then, and not, Zorobabel, is the person intended, whose name may well be called the branch, by way of eminency, he being the most glorious branch of David's family, who also was to spring from thence, when that family was only like a root in a dry ground; all which well agrees with the state of that family in the times of Jesus, and with that very mean appearance, which he made, when he, this branch, first budded forth from thence. The Septuagint here render the word צמח, the branch, by 'Αναπλή, which properly signifies the rising of the sun, or that part of the heaven where the sun rises, and so may respect the Messiah as the sun of righteousness, who was to arise with healing in his wings'. Hence Zacharias in his song, calls the Messiah Jesus, ἀναπλή ἐξ ὕψε, the day spring from on high, who hath visited us: and from hence, perhaps, Oriens was used for a name of the Messiah; and 'tis not without some shew of reason, that some "have thought this to be the meaning of the word in Tacitus, when he says, Pluribus persuasio inerat, antiquis sacerdotum literis contineri, eo ipso tempore fore, ut valesceret oriens, many were persuaded that in the antient books of the Eph. ii. 14, 17, 20, 21, 22. Which is understood of the Mess. Kimchi, and R. Tanchuma in Allix's Judgment of the Jewish Church, p. 44, 64. Luke i. 78. Hammond on Luke i. 78. Bp. Chandler's Defence of Christianity, p. 28, 246. Hal. ii. 5, c. 13.

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priests were contained a prophecy, that at that time the cast should prevail. In fine, the Messiah is the man whose name is the branch, so often spoken of by the prophets, so much expected by the

Jews, and who budded forth in the person of Jesus. I shall conclude all with the words of Zacharias, y Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spake by the mouth of all his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us; that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

y Luk. i. 63, 69, &c.