THE PROMISED MESSIAH LONG Since CONE.
perior ruie was not always in the hands of Jews. In this state things continued amongst them until the destruction of the commonwealth by Vespasian, and of the city and temple by Titus; only as a presage of the departure of sceptre and scribe, the power of judgment as to the lives of men, was some years before taken from the Sanhednm, John xviii. 31.
§ 11. By this general establishment of power in the tribe of Judah, we are freed from any concerp in the disputes of learned men, about the precise time of the departure foretold. And indeed if any thing more be intended in this prediction, but only that the tribe of Judah should continue in a national political state, with government in itself, it will be utterly impossible to determine exactly and precisely upon the accomplishment of this prophecy. Some would fix on the conquest of Jerusalem by Pompey, during the time of Hircanus, and Aristobulus the Hasmonzeans, as the period when the prophecy was fulfilled. For not many years after this conquest Shiloh came; which small remnant of time, as they suppose, impeacheth not the truth of the prediction, for in that action of Pompey, Cicero declares the nation conquered: Orat. pro Flacc. victa est, elocata, servata. But if this might suffice for the departure of Sceptre and scribe, much more might the former conquest by the Babylonians do so; which yet, by all men’s consent, it did not. Besides, the nation was left free by Pompey to use its own laws and policy, as were many other nations subdued by him, των ἐλημένων εἐθνων, Ta μὲν αὐτονομα ἤφεει, says Appian, ‘ he left some of the conquered nations free to their own rule and laws; among whom were the Jews. Some fix the period in Herod an Idumezan, a stranger to Judah, only a proselyte; on which subject we have many contests, managed by Baronius, Scaliger, Casaubon, Bulinger, Montacue, Pericus, A Lapide, Capellus, Scultetus, Rivetus, Spanhemius, and others innumerable.
But granting Herod to have been an Idumzean, as he undoubtedly was, and granting that that nation was not incorporated into Judah upon the conquest made of it by Hireanus, yet as he was in his own person ἃ proselyte, I do not see why it should be thought that the Sceptre departed from Judah because of his reign, any more than it did in the days of the Hasmonzeans before him, who were of the tribe of Levi. The government and polity of the nation was that of the Jews, whoever usurped and enjoyed the place of supreme rule. As in the Roman Empire, the rule and government was that of the Romans, though Philip an Arabian, Maximinus a Thracian, and sundry other foreigners, were emperors amongst them. One writer attempts to remove the difficulty arising from the authority of the Tlasmonzeans and Herodians, by affirming that the supreme power of the nation in their days was in the Sanhedrim; the greatest number of the persons of which it was constituted, being always of the tribe of Judah, as the Talmudists constantly affirm. But neither are we concerned herein. The government, as hath been manifested, was still in and of the tribe of Judah, with the forementioned accessions denominated from it, until the destruction of the country, city, and temple, by Vespasian and Titus, which is all that in the prediction is intended. And that was the precise season aimed at, especially if we suppose, as rationally we may, that ‘>"7y, is to be repeated, εκ κοινου, and to respect not only the former clause, but also the last clause of the prediction, and to him the gathering of the nations; which was accomplished signally before the final ruin of the church and state of the Jews, according as Christ himself foretold, Matt. xxiv. 14.
§ 12. Now because some fix the departure of the sceptre and law-
§ 13. The first appointment of this court, or the origin of this consessus Judicum is recorded, Numb. xi. 16, where, by God’s order, seventy elders are called and designed, to joi with Moses in the rule of the people, and are furnished with gifts to fit them for that purpose. The continuance of this court, with the institution of others depending on it, is enjoined on the people, Deut. x. 16. Some say that the first seventy were of them who had been officers over the people in Egypt, and had suffered for them; ‘whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them.’ DY ὩΡῚ; πρεσβυτεροι: and πρεσβυτεροι του λαου, in the New Testament, ‘elders, and elders of the people.’ Others think these had been elders and officers of the people before, in criminal and civil causes; but now were absolutely joined with Moses in all. These with him made up seventy-one, which was the constant number afterwards.
§ 14. The principal things recorded concerning this court of elders or judges, are, first, their orders, namely, that there was one that always presided amongst them, whom they called ΝΣ, the prince, add N>5172 the excellent, who supplied the place of Moses. And on his right hand sat he whom they called 1 ΠΣ 38, the father of the house of judgment, or consistory, who gathered the suffrages of the assessors. By whom stood two scribes, ὉΠ 751, scribes of judgments, one on the right hand of the prince, the other on his left; one of whom wrote down the sentences of them who condemned, the other of them who absolved, the persons respecting whom judgment was to be pronounced. There belonged also to the court two criers; and two who received the alms that were given by them who were absolved. Before them at some distance sat these wise men, out of whom the number of the Sanhedrim when any died, or were removed, was to be supplied.
§ 15. Secondly, the place of their meeting, which usually and ordinarily was at Jerusalem, M7377 NDwd3, in a chamber of hewn stones, whence the judges are sometimes called by them m2 ‘727, the wise men of the stone chamber. Although it may be, that no more is intended in that expression, but that it was a magnificent stately place or building, such as usually are made of stones hewn and carved. And they tell us that this place was built nigh the temple, part of it being on the holy ground, and part on that which was profane and common. Whence also it had two doors, one on the sacred side, by which the prince and the assessors entered, the’ other on the profane, by which criminal persons were brought in before them by their officers. So Talmudin Joma. And this some take to be the place where our Lord Christ was judged, John xix. 13, ‘ They sat down in the judgment seat, in the place that is called λιθοστρωτος: that is, mya now>, the place built and raised up with hewn or squared stones. For that λιθοστρωτος doth not signify merely. the pavement, as we translate it, or the floor of the place, the apostle manifests by adding, that it is called Gabbatha, 8n33, in the Hebrew; for although the word have a Syriac termination, according to the corrupt pronunciation of the Hebrew in those days among the people, yet the original of it is Hebrew; and the Syriac renders it here, NND“D2, and reads not NN22: now this signifies an high place, or a place built up on all sides and exalted, such as those in which the Roman βήματα, or judgment seats, were placed. But this might be a place like to the other; tor I much question, whether pe Roman* governor sat in judgment, in the meeting place of the Sanedrim.
§ 16. Thirdly, the Jews treat much of the qualifications of the persons, who were to be of the number of the assessors of this court. For first, they were to be of the priests, Levites, or nobles of Israel; that is, principal men in the commonwealth. Yet no one was admitted into the number of this court merely on the account of his dignity or offices; not even the king, nor the high priest, unless he was chosen because of his other qualifications. For they, secondly, were to be xp ‘by2 men of stature, and TN *2Y3, men of countenance, or good appearance, to keep up, as they say, a reverence for the office: and they were also to be ma2m »>y3, men of wisdom, and ΤΙΣΙ ~5y3, men of age, according to the first institution; and from this was derived the common appellation, elders of the people. They add in Dine Mamoneth, that they were to be DW y3, men skilled in the art of incantations and charms, to find out such practices; which the Talmudist, thought good to add, to countenance themselves, many of whom were professed magicians. And lastly, they were to be jy pwd pyaws, skilled in seventy tongues, that they might not need an interpreter; but fewer, I suppose, served their turn. They treat also in general, that they ought to be men fearing God, hating covetousness, stout and courageous, to oppose kings and tyrants if need were.
From this number they exclude expressly persons over old, deformed, and eunuchs, whom they conclude to be cruel and unmerciful, as Claudian
Adde quod eunuchus nulla pietate movetur Nec generi natisve cavet, clementia cunctis In similes, animosque ligant consortia damni.
Mercy from eunuchs is remov’d away,
No care of race or children doth them sway; This only renders men compassionate,
When misery is known their common fate.
§ 17. The power of this court was great, yea, often supreme in all things among the people; and at all times in most things of importance. All great persons, and weighty causes, were judged by them. Whena whole tribe offended, or a high priest, or a king of the house of David, by these were their causes heard and determined. They had power also to determine about lawful war. They had two sorts of war, 732 ram, commanded war. Such they esteemed war against the nations of Canaan, against Amalek, against any nation that oppressed Israel in their own land; and this kind of war, the king at any time of his own accord might engage in. And they had nywoan manda, war permitted only; as war for security and enlargements of territories, which could not be engaged, in at any time, but by consent, and upon the judgment of this court. The enlargement of the city of Jerusalem, the reparation of the temple, and the constitutions of courts of judicature in other cities, belonged also unto them. Ina word, they were to judge in all hard cases, upon the law of God.
§ 18. This sentence extended to life and death; which last they had power to inflict four ways; p27) ΠΤ ΠΡ ΤῸ md pp PI ma yom MN NIN, four deaths, (four kinds of death) were committed to the house of judgment, to stone, to burn, to slay with the sword, and to strangle. These were they, who in the days of the restoration of the church by Ezra, who by reason of the excellency of the persons, (many of them being prophets, and men divinely inspired,) are usuallly called 75.727 ND2D ΣΝ, the men of the great congregation. And the power of this court was continued, though not without some interruption and restraint, unto the last destruction of the city by Titus.
δ 19. Besides this greater court, they had also two lesser in other places; one of the twenty-three assessors, which might be erected in any city or ᾿ town where there was a hundred and twenty families or more, but not less; and these also had power over all causes, criminal and civil, which happened within the precincts of their jurisdiction, and over all punishments unto death itself.
Hilary on the second Psalm tells us, that, ‘ Erat a Mose ante institutum in omni Synagoga LXX. esse doctores. ‘Moses had appointed that in every synagogue there should be seventy teachers.’ He well calls them teachers, because that was part of their duty, to teach and make known the law of God in justice and judgment; and he adds, ‘Cujus doctrinz dominus in Evangeliis meminit dicens.’ ‘ Whose teaching our Lord mentions in the gospel, saying, the Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ chair.’ So referring the direction there given by our Saviour, to the judicial determinations of these judges, and not to their ordinary teachings or sermons to the people. But herein his mistake is evident, that he supposeth the number of seventy, to have belonged to every synagogue, which was peculiar to the great court before described. For besides this judicature of twenty-three in the greater towns, there were also in the lesser towns appointed a court of three assessors, who might judge and determine in many cases, about money, debts, and contracts, but had nothing to do in transgressions that were capital.
§ 20. In this court, judging and determining according to the law of Moses, consisted the rule and polity of the nation; and it is evident that they were continued amongst them until the coming of the Shiloh. For they themselves constantly aver, that the power of judging capitally, was taken from the Sanhedrim about forty years before the destruction of the second temple; though I suppose it will be found, that their power was rather occasionally suspended by the Romans, than absolutely taken away until the final destruction of the city. 5;
§ 21. But to return, upon the grant of the sceptre and_law-writer unto Judah” and during the continuance of these, it is promised that the Shiloh should come; that is, the Messiah, and that unto him shall be the gathering of the people. So was the promise unto Abraham, namely, that in his seed, all people, or all nations of the earth should be blessed. mw, Shiloh is a word used only in this place; and it comes from 77W, Shalah, to prosper, or save. So that the most probable import of the word is a prosperer, _adeliverer,.a Saviour, as we shall afterwards more fully manifest. The promise of the continuance of a sceptre and law-writer is N° *D"Ty, until this Shiloh should have come.
§ 22. The Jews, as was intimated before, state two objections to the sense and interpretation which we give of the particles *>-Ty, wntil. First, That ἽΝ signifies for ever: so that the meaning of the word is, that the sceptre and law-writer shall not depart from Judah for ever. The reason whereof is given in the next words, because the Shiloh shall come 5 being often casual. But though 7Y may sometimes signify as much as for ever, (though generally it only means adhuc, yet, or, as yet;) yet it neither doth nor can mean forever, when it is joined as here, with *3, which limits the duration intimated by the subject treated of, and by the sense of the © ensuing words that they respect unto. They except again, that TY is bur. dened with the accent Jethib, which distinguisheth the sense, and puts a stop upon it. But this they can give no instance in the confirmation of, especially when it hath Athnac immediately preceding it, as in this place it hath. Besides bY and ppm, sceptre and law-writer, are long since actually departed from Judah, and in their judgment the Shiloh is not yet come; which perfectly destroys the verity of the prediction.
§ 23. Having taken this brief view of the words, we may draw our argument from them, which is this. The Messiah, according to this prediction, must come while the rule and government of Judah was continued, or before it was utterly taken away, but they are long since departed, and taken away. They have been so, at least ever since the destruction of the nation, city, and temple by Titus. And therefore the Messiah is long since come, which was proposed unto confirmation. To manifest the uncontrollable evidence of this testimony and our argument from it: there is no more necessary, but that we demonstrate; first, that by sceptre and lawwriter, rule and government. are intended. Secondly, that the promised Shiloh is the Messiah. Thirdly, that all rule and national polity, was long since utterly taken away from Judah, even in the destruction of the city and temple. Now the proof of the two former, we shall take first, from the text and context. Secondly, from the confession of the ancient Jews themselves. The last being matter of fact, must be evinced from history; and the state of things inthe world since those days; so that there will be no rising up against this testimony, by any thing but by that pertinacious obstinacy, to which the Jews are judicially given up.
ὃ 24. The first thing proposed, namely, that by sceptre and lawgiver, rule and government are intended, is evident not only from the words themselves, which are plain and expressive, but from the context also; neither was it ever denied by any of the Jews, until they found themselves neces~ sitated thereto, by their corrupt interest. The dying patriarch is foretelling the erection of a rule and government amongst his posterity: now it might have been expected, that of course it should have been fixed in Reuben, his first born, according to the line of its descent from the foundation of the world, but he deprives him of it, ver. 4. Though he was in the ordinary course of nature, JY IM“ MW 7M the excellency of his ‘dignity, and the excellency of his strength, ver. 3, yet, saith he, amn-dx, thou shalt not excel; not preserve that excellency in thy posterity; nor have the preeminence of rule, for the reason which he there expresseth. In like manner, he passeth by the next in order, Simeon and Levi, taking from them all expectation of that privilege, by foretelling that they should be divided in Jacob, and scattered in Israel, ver. 7. Coming to Judah, there he fixeth the state of rule, ver. 8. ‘Judah, thou art he, whom thy brethren shall praise, alluding unto his name, ON JIT) ΤῊΝ ATT; thou shalt be exalted unto that rule amongst them, from the right to which the others fell by their transgression. And this rule, saith he, shall consist, as all prosperous dominion doth, in two things. First, in the regular obedience of those who de jure are subject unto it, ‘Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee; thou shalt have the authority among, and over the rest of my posterity. Secondly, in the conquest of the enemies and adversaries _of the dominion itself; ‘Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; as a lion’s whelp thou art gone up from the prey; to which the words insisted on are subjoined; the sceptre shall not depart; that is the sceptre of rule amongst thy brethren, and prevalency against thine enemies, however it may be weakened or interrupted, shall not utterly depart or be removed, until the Shiloh come, The context is clear and perspicuous: the Jews, as we shall see, cavil only at words and syllables; the reason of the Scripture, and the coherence of the context, they take no notice of.
§ 25. Secondly, the Targumists have, with one consent, given us the same account of the sense and import of these words; and some of the Targums are said by the Jews in Shebet Jehuda to have been composed by divine inspiration or assistance of the bip-na, as they express it in their Talmuds. Thus Onkelos, the best of them, mama jo>w ay 1 nd M717, the ruler, Lord, or prince, he that hath dominion, shall not be taken from the house of Judah. And Jonathan, mat pow pon ppos sd mim, ‘kings and rulers shall not cease from the house of Judah. The same words are used by that called the Jerusalem Targum. ‘The authority of these paraphrases among the Jews is such, as that they dare not openly recede from them. And therefore Manasseh in his Conciliator, where he endeavours to enervate this testimony, passeth over these Targums in silence, as having nothing to oppose to their authority, which is a sutffcient evidence that he saw the desperateness of the cause wherein he was engaged. Solomon and Bechai acknowledge rule and dominion to be intended in the words, but according to the latter, they are not to be erected until the coming of the Messiah, which is no less expressly contrary to the Targum, than to the text itself, affirming plainly, that then it was to end, and not begin. Add hereunto, further to manifest the consent of the ancient Jews unto this sense of the words, that in their Talmuds they affirm the lawgiver here mentioned to be the Sanhedrim, whose power continued in Judah until the Shiloh came, whereof we have spoken before.
§ 26. Unto these reasons and testimonies we may subjoin the use of the words themselves. 2) is originally and properly a rod, or staff; all other significations of it are metaphorical. Among these significations, the principal is that of Sceptre, an ensign of rule and government. Nor is it absolutely used in any other sense, and in this sense it is used very fre- VOL. I. ο quently; Ps. xlv. 7. qmobn paw awa waw, ‘A sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom, Num. xxiv. 17. byw wlW Gps A sceptre shall arise out of Israel; that is, a prince or a ruler; Targum, ‘Christ ‘shall rule out of Israel.’ And this sense of the words is made more evident, by its conjunction with pprv, a law-giver; he that prescribes and writes laws with authority, to be observed, Deut. xxxili. 2, in a portion, PPO ppr of the lamw-giver hidden, that is Moses; the great scribe, saith the Targum: for as they suppose, the sepulchre of Moses was in the lot of Gad. Mechokek, saith Aben Ezra; that is, wwii ΦΎΣΙ, the great president or ruler, Ps. evi. 9, Judah ‘ppm, my law-giver; with allusion to this prediction of Jacob. The Lord is our judge, the Lord is ppm, our law-giver, Isa. xxxill. 22. These two words then in conjunction, do absolutely denote rule and dominion.
§ 27. The more modern masters of the Jews, to avoid the force of this testimony, have coined a new signification for these words: Shebet they say is only arod of correction, and Mechokek means any scribe or teacher, which they would refer to the Rablins, whom they have had in every generation. Some of them by Shebet understand a staff of support, which they were to enjoy in the midst of their troubles; so [ remember Manasseh Ben Israel, not long since, made it one of his reasons for their admission into England, that therein this prophecy might receive somewhat of accomplishment, by this countenance and encouragement in this land. But the most of them adhere to the former sense of the words. So they call the story of their calamities and sufferings, M77 UAW, the rod of Judah. But this evasion is plainly and fully obviated in the former opening of the words, and confirmation of their genuine import: for, 1. it is openly contrary to the whole context and scope of the place. 2. To the meaning and constant use of the words themselves, especially as conjoined. 3. To the Targums, and all old translations. 4. To the Talmud, and all their own ancient masters. 5. To the truth of the story; Judah having been long in a most flourishing and prosperous condition, without any such signal calamity as that which they would intimate to be intended in the words; namely, such as for sixteen hundred years they have now undergone. 6. The support which they have had hath not been national, nor afforded to Judah as a tribe, or people, but hath consisted merely in the greatness and wealth of a few individuals, scattered up and down the world, neither they themselves, nor any one else, knowing unto what tribe they did belong. And, 7. This hath been in things no way relating to the worship of God, or their churchstate, or their spiritual good. 8. Their scribes were not formerly of the tribe of Judah, and their later Rabbins are wholly of an uncertain extraction; so that this pretence proves nothing, but the misery of their present state and condition, wherein they seek a refuge for their infidelity, in vanity and falsehood.
§ 28. Our second inquiry is concerning the subject of the promise under consideration, which is the Shiloh; whereby we say the promised seed is intended. About the derivation and precise significations of the word, we have no need to contend. Most learned men look upon it as derived from mw, to be quiet, safe, happy, prosperous, whence also is 77, Ps. exxii. safety, peace, prosperity, abundance. Hence Shiloh, says Mercer, ‘sonat tranquillum, prosperum, pacatum, felicem, augustum, victorem, cui omnia prospere succedunt; signifies one, ‘quiet, prosperous, peaceable, happy, honourable, a conqueror, to whom all things succeed well and happily. To this etymology of the word, Galatinus, Fagius, Melancthon, Pagninus,
Drusius, Schindler, Buxtorfius, Amama, and generally all the most learned in the Hebrew tongue assent. The vulgar Latin, rendering the words qui mittendus est, ‘who is to be sent,’ as if it were from MW, corrupts the sense, and gives advantage to the Jews to pervert the words, as both Raymandus and Galatinus observe. Neither is there any thing nearer the truth in the derivation of the word from 1>W, as though ΤΊ were put for 1 and W for (Wx, so making it as much as 12 Wx, gue ei, which to him; to which correspond the w ἀποκειταὶ, and the ra ἀποκείμενα αὐτου of the, Greeks, the first mentioned by Husebius, the latter in the present copies, and both of them by Justin Martyr.
Others suppose 5»w, to signify a Son, from my), which denotes the afterbirth, or membrane wherein the child is wrapt inthe womb. Thence ΤΟ Shiloh should be the same with 122, Ais Son; ΤΙ being put for Ἢ, which is not unusual, saith Kimchi. But Galatinus supposeth 7, to be a feminine affix, denoting that the Messiah was to be the seed of the woman, or to be born of a virgin. Neither is his conjecture absolutely to be rejected; although Mercer pronounce it to be against the rule of grammar; for we know that these hold not always in things mysterious. He that would be farther satisfied about the import of the word, may consult Raymandus, Porchetus, and Galatinus, in their discourses against the Jews on this subject; Kimchi, Pagnin, Mercer, Schindler, Philip ab Aquino, and Buxtorf in their Lexicons; Munster, Fagius, Drusius, Grotius in their annotations on the Text; Helvicus, Rivetus, Episcopius, Boetius, Hornebecke, in their discourses upon it. The weight of our argument lies not in the precise signification of the word. The Messiah it is who is intended in that expression.
§ 29. For first, this is manifest from the context and words themselves. The promise of the Messiah was the foundation of that nation and people; the reason of the call of Abraham, and of the erection of a kingdom and a state in his posterity. This we have elsewhere demonsirated. This promise concerning him, and covenant in him, was always the chief matter and head of the patriarchal benedictions, when they blessed their children and posterity. Now, unless we grant him to be intended in this expression, there is no mention of him at all in this prophetical benediction of Jacob, Besides, his posterity being now to be distributed into twelve distinct tribes, and each of these having a peculiar blessing appropriated unto it, and it being certain and confessed by all the Jews, that this privilege of bringing forth the Messiah was henceforth limited to the tribe of J udah, this limitation must be stated in this place, or there is no footstep of it in the Seripture. And it would indeed be very strange if Jacob, in reckoning up the privileges and advantages of Judah above his brethren, should omit the chief of them, from whence all the rest did flow. But the very tenor of the words manifest his intention of bringing this privilege prominently forward; for fixing on this, which was the fountain and end of all blessing, he passeth over his elder children, and declares to Judah that from him Messiah should descend, and that his tribe should have the continuance of rule until his coming.;; rene
§ 30. Secondly, That which in the text is affirmed concerning this Shiloh, makes it yet more evident who it is that is intended, D’ay NTP 15), ‘to him the gathering of the people, NTP; LXX. προσδοκια εθνων͵ ‘the expectation of the nations; that is, 7)pN from Mp, to eapect or look for. So the Vulgar, ‘Expectatio Gentium, Onkelos samy jiymamy* ΤῊΣ, and, him shall the people obey, or to him they shall hearken. Ben Uzziel; τ ἸΔῈ
ΝῺ jdm, ‘because of him the people shall faint; that is, Pe a their “opposition, and submit unto him. Targum Hierusal. | ~ny m> ΝΥΝῚ xm251 29 pTaymw™, ‘and to him shall all the kingdoms of the earth be subject:’ all to the same purpose, N7p> in construction from M77p* is from Tp to ‘hear, attend, obey. ‘The word is used only in one other passage of Scripture, Prov. xxx. 17, where it is rendered doctrine, or teaching given out with authority, and therefore to be obeyed. So that primarily it may seem to denote obedience unto doctrines; and because men gather themselves together to attend unto this, it signifies also gathering together; and so is rendered by Rashi, ND°ON the gathering together, collection or congregating. And by others also it is thus rendered, who seem to look on Mp, as its root, which signifies to gather and collect, as well as to hope, expect, and look after. That which in all these interpretations is aimed at, wherein they all agree, is one and the same thing, namely, that the Gentiles, people, heathen, should be called and gathered unto the Shiloh, should hear his doctrine, obey his law, and be made subject unto him.
Now as this was eminently contained in the great fundamental promise concerning the Messiah made to Abraham, namely, that in him all the nations of the earth should be blessed; so there is not any description of him in the following prophets more eminent than this, that unto him the gathering of the people should be, which in many places is made the characteristic note of his person and kingdom. Hence some of the Jews themselves interpret this place, as Rabbi Solomon by that of Isaiah xi. 10, 0072 ἊΝ wT, ‘to him shall Gentiles seek; and that of Chap. xl. 4, yn) wr ON, ‘the isles shall wait for his law.’ The sense also of the words given by the LXX. and by the Vulgate, zpoodoxia ἐθνων, expectatio Gentium, has good countenance given unto it, in other places of Scripture. For as he is called, Hag. ii. 7, pyam-d> nian, ‘the desire of all nations,’ that which they desire and expect; so speaking of himself, Isa. Ix. 9, he says, Nip ox 55, the isles, the same with ΘΔ, ‘ the Gentiles shall wait for me, or expect me. Now he to whom the Gentiles shall seek, whose doctrine they shall learn, whose law they shall obey, to whom they shall be subject, in whom they shall be blessed, and to whom they shall be gathered, for all these ends and purposes, is the true and only Messiah, and this is the Shiloh here mentioned..
§ 31. We have the concurring assent of all the Targums unto this application of the word Shiloh. Ben Uzziel, Nrmwna ΝΞΘῚ snes 87 pot Sy, ‘Until the time wherein the King Messiah shall come.’ The same are the words in that of Jerusalem: both of them, as we saw before, interpreting the next words also of the Messiah. And Onkelos to the same purpose, xmod ΝῚΤ S77 Nw SM T-Ty, ‘Until the Messiah shall come whose is the kingdom.’ Now after the Scripture itself, there is no greater eyidence of the persuasion of the old church of the Jews, than what is found in the consent of these Targums; and it is generally known of how little validity the exception of the modern Jews against their authority is.
δ 32. And we have also their Talmuds, and most learned ‘masters, full consenting in this cause. So in the Talmud. Hierusal. in Cheleke. ‘The world,’ say they, ‘is created for the Messiah, YW 779), and what is his name in the house of Rabbi Shiloh? They said, His name is Shiloh, as it is written, Until Shiloh come.’ And in Bereshith Rabba, on this place of ‘Genesis, ‘The sceptre shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come, TIT Pa mwa ΠῚ: This is the Messiah the Son of David, who shall come to rule the kingdoms witha sceptre;’ as Psal. ii. And in Beresh. Kebanna, ‘Until the Shiloh come, D>) NVaN PNY; for it shall come to pass, that the nations of the world shall bring their gifts unto Messiah the Son of David’ And Kimchi in mow; ΤΩ dy maT Ya wm, ‘Shiloh is interpreted Ais Son, and it is a prophecy of the Messiah.” And innumerable other testimonies from them to the same purpose may be produced. Yea, this sense is so common among them, and so known to have been the sense of the ancient church, that the wisest among them turn every stone to retain this interpretation of the words, and yet to avoid the force of the testimony insisted on from them.
§ 33. This passage of Scripture then plainly teaches, that the political rule and national government should not absolutely and irrecoverably be taken away from the tribe of Judah, until the promised Seed should be exhibited, until the Messiah shouldcome. It remaineth, that we also evidence that all rule, government, and polity, is long since taken away from Judah, and that for many generations there hath been no such thing as a tribe of Judah, in any national or political condition or constitution in the world. And had we not here to do with men obstinate and impudent, very few words would be needed in this matter. But they must have that proved unto them, which all the,world sees and knows, and takes care to make good, and which themselves, as occasion serves, confess and bewail. Is it not known to all the world, that for these last sixteen hundred years, they have been, sine Deo, sine homine rege, cast out of God’s special care, and wandering up and down, without law, government, or authority of their own. They are scattered over the face of the earth, leading a precarious life under the power of kings, princes, and commonwealths, as their several lots in their dispersion have fallen. And this, as I said, themselves also confess, as they have occasion. To this purpose, see Kimchi on Hosea iu. 4, Di" ἽΞ WMINW mda o> ort 7dN1, ‘And these are the days of captivity, wherein we are at this day, for we have neither king nor priest of Israel; but we are in the power of the Gentiles, and under the power of their kings and princes. Doth this man think that sceptre and law-giver are departed from Judah or no? And the Targum of Jonathan on that place is considerable; for, saith he, ‘ The children of Israel shall abide many days without a king of the house of David, and without a ruler in Israel; afterwards the children of Israel shall repent, and seek the worship of the Lord their God, and shall obey the Messiah, the Son of David, the King.’ So also are the words of Abarbinel on Isa. liii. He tells us that in their captivity and banishment, part of their misery is, xd) moda ΝΞ mt Now vewn vaw xd) ΠΣ, ‘that in Israel there is neither kingdom, nor rule, nor sceptre of judgment; that is plainly—sceptre and law-giver are departed. And therefore, if there be any truth in this prophecy, the Messiah is long since come. In like manner Maimonides: ‘ From the time that we have left our own land, we have no power of making laws.’ And they jointly confess, in the Talmud. Tract. Saned. that some time before the destruction of the temple, all power of judging both as unto life and death, and as unto pecuniary punishments, was taken from them. So that if there be a certainty in any thing in this world, it is certain that sceptre and law-giver are long since departed from Judah.
§ 34. There are not many things wherein the present Jews do more betray the desperateness of their cause, than in their endeavour to obscure this open and known truth in a matter of fact. That which they principally insist upon, is a story out of the Itinerary of Benjamin Tudelensis.
This Benjamin was a Jew, who about five hundred years ago travelled from Europe to the eastern parts of the world, and in his Itinerary, after the manner of common travellers, he gives us an account of the state and condition of his countrymen. Among other things which he relates, fide Rabbinica, he tells us of a Jew who then had a principality at Bagdad, whom his countrymen called the Son of David, there bemg a thousand of them living there all in subjection unto him, This honour was allowed him by the caliph, who in those days ruled there; so that, when he passed. in the streets, they cried before him, Make way for the Son of David. Fagius long since returned a proper answer to this story, in a proverb of their own, Y7Y PTY pwd 73, ‘He that hath a mind to lie, let him place his witnesses at distance enough.’ When Benjamin passed over those eastern parts of the world, they were greatly unknown to Europeans, and he had thence opportunity to feign what he pleased for the reputation of his nation, which opportunity he did not neglect to use. Time hath now brought truth to Hight. The people of Europe, especially the English and Hollanders, have some while since discovered the state of things in those parts, and can hear no tidings of Benjamin's principality, nor of his Son of David; nor could the Jews ever since get any one to confirm his relation. Besides, if all that he avers should be granted to be true, as in the main it is undoubtedly false, what would it amount to as to the matter in hand? Ts this the sceptre and Jaw-giver promised unto Judah, as the great privilege above his brethren? It seems, that an obscure unknown person in captivity at Bagdad, by the permission of a tyrant, whose slave and vassal he is, hath a pre-eminence among a thousand Jews, all slaves to the same tyrant,
And this is all that they pretend to in TT DAW, in the forty-second story, where they give us an account of this NW) or moat wr, Prince or Head of the Captivity, as they would have him.esteemed. A rich Jew, as they would make him to be, chosen unto a presidentship by the heads or rectors of the schools of Bagdad, Sora, and Pombeditha; and they confess, that now for many ages they have chosen no such president, because the Saracens killed the last that was so chosen, And is this, I say, the continuance of the tribe and sceptre of Judah? No: Judah must be a nation, a people in a political sense and state, dwelling in his own land, and must have rule and dominion exercised therein according to its own law, or the sceptre and law-giver are departed from it, And this they evidently are sixteen hundred years ago, and therefore the Shiloh, the promised Messiah, is long since come; and this is the truth, which from this testimony we intended to confirm, }
§ 1. Other testimonies proving the Messiah to be come. Hag. ii. 3—9. Mal. ili. 1, 2. § 2. State of the people at the building of the second temple. In the days of Darius Hystaspis, not Nothus. § 3. The house treated of by Haggai the second house. § 4. Proved against Abarbinel. § 5. The glory promised to this house. § 6. Brief summary of the glory of Solomon’s temple. Its projection. ᾧ 7. Magnificence. § 8. Treasure spent about it. § 9. Number of workmen employed init. § 10. Ornaments. § 11. Worship. ᾧ 12. Second temple compared with it. What was the glory promised to the second house. Opinion of the Jews. § 13. The promise of it not conditional, The meaning of wy) in the text. Evasions of Abarbinel, Kimchi, and Aben Ezra examined. § 14. Their opinion of the glory promised to the second house. Of the greatness of it. Things wanting in it by their own confession. § 15. The glory of this house not in the days of the Hasmonzans, or Herodians. § 16. Not in its continuance. § 17—24. Circumstances proving the true Messiah to be the glory. Anomalous construction of the words removed. § 25, 26. Mal. ili, 1, explained: § 27—29. Confession of the ancient Jews. ”
§ 1. We shall now proceed to other proofs from the Old Testament, which afford the same evidence, and which are of similar importance with the foregoing. The end of calling and separating the Jews from the rest of the world, of forming them into a nation, and of setting up a political state and rule amongst them, was solely, as we have declared, to bring forth the promised Messiah by them, and to shadow out his spiritual kingdom. It was necessary, then, that he should come before their utter desolation and final rejection from their national state, which also he did according to the promise and prediction before insisted on and explained. ‘The same was the end of their ecclesiastical or church-state, with all the religious worship that was-instituted therein. While that also, therefore, continued, and was accepted of God in Jerusalem, the place of his own appointment, Messiah was to be brought forth, and to accomplish his work in the world. This is foretold in sundry other places of the Old Testament; one or two of the most eminent of these we shall consider, and manifest from them, that the true Messiah is long since come, and exhibited unto the world, according to the promise given of old to that purpose. The first we shall fix upon is that of Haggai, ch. 11. 3—9, unto which we shall add, Mal. ii. 1. The words of the former place are, ‘ Who is left among you, that saw this house in her first glory, and how do you see it now? [5 it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: And I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts; and the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of hosts: And in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.” Those of the latter are, ‘ Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in, behold he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Both to the same purpose. § 2, The occasion of the former words must be inquired after, from the story of those times in Ezra, and from the whole’ discourse of the prophet in that place. The people who had returned from their captivity with Zerubbabel, in the days of Cyrus, had laid the foundation of the temple; but haying begun their work, they.met with much discouragement, from the great opposition which was made to it. Thus, indeed, it will happen to all men who engage in the work of God in any generation. The kings of Persia who first encouraged them unto. this work, and countenanced them in it, Ezra i. 7—9, being influenced by false reports and slanders, as is usual also in such cases, at first began to withdraw their assistance, as it should seem, in the days of Cyrus himself, Ezra iv. 5, and at length expressly forbade their proceedings, causing the whole work to cease by force and power, ver. 23. Besides this outward opposition, they were moreover greatly discouraged by their own poverty and inability for the carrying on their designed work in any measure, so as to answer the beauty and glory of their former house built by Solomon. Hence, the elders of the people who had seen the former house in its glory, wept with aloud voice when they saw the foundations of this laid, Ezra iv. 12, 13. They foresaw how much the splendour and beauty of their worship would be impaired; for as the dimensions assigned to the fabric itself by Cyrus, Ezra vi. 3, did no way answer Solomon’s structure, so for the ornaments of it, wherein its magnificence did principally consist, they had no means or ability to make any suitable provision for these. Bemg, therefore, thus hindered and discouraged, the work ceased wholly from the end of the reign of Cyrus, unto the second year of Darius Hystaspis. For there is no reason to suppose that this interruption of the work continued unto the reign of Darius Nothus. Between the first year of the whole empire of Cyrus, to the second of Darius Nothus, there were no less than a hundred years, as we shall afterwards declare. Now, it is evident in Ezra, that Zerubbabel and Joshua, who began the work in the reign of Cyrus, were alive, and carried it on in the days of Darius. And it is searcely credible that they who, it may be, were none of the youngest men when they first returned unto Jerusalem, should live there an hundred years, and then return unto the work again. Outward force and opposition, then, they were delivered from, in the second year of Darius Hystaspis. But their discouragements from their poverty and inability still continued. This the prophet intimates, ver. 4. ‘Who is there left among you who saw this house in its first glory, and what do you now see it? [5 it not as nothing in your eyes? For there is no necessity of reading the words with a supposition, as Scaliger contends, ‘If there were any amongst you who had seen. For it is much more likely that some who had seen the former house of Solomon, and wept at the laying of the foundation of this in the days of Cyrus, should now see the carrying of, it on in the second year of Darius Hystaspis, that is, about ten or twelve years after, than that those who began the work in the reign of Cyrus, should live to perfect it in the second year of Darius Nothus, an hundred years after. However, it is evident that the old discouragement was still pressing upon them. The former house was glorious and magnificent, famous and renowned in the world, and full of comfort unto them, from the visible pledges of the presence of God that were therein. ΤῸ remove this discouragement, and to support them under it, the Lord by this prophet makes them a promise, that whatever the straitness and poverty of the house might be which they undertook to build, however short it came of the glory of that of old, yet from what he himself would do, he would render that house far more glorious than the former; namely, by doing that in it, for which, both it and the former were instituted and erected. Saith he, ja PINNT min Man TaD MD Sy pws, ‘The glory of this latter house shall be great above that of the former.’ To clear the argument which we intend to deduce from these words, we must consider, 1. What this latter house was which is spoken of in this passage: and 2. Wherein the glory of it did consist.
§ 3. First, We are to inquire what house it is whereof the prophet speaks. Now this is most evident in the context. Z'his house, saith he, ver. 4, that your eyes look upon, and which you so much despise in comparison of the former. And ver. 8. I will fill, saith the Lord, m7 man, < this house’ which you are now finishing, with glory. And ver. 9, it is called JINNT TIT MSN, ‘this latter house. The prophet doth, as it were, point to it with his finger. This house that you and 1 are looking upon, this house which is so contemptible in your eyes, in comparison with that of Solomon, which you have either seen or read of, this house shall be filled with glory. It is true, this temple was three hundred years after reedified by Herod in the eighteenth year of his reign, which yet hindered not, but thatit was still the same temple. or this first structure was never destroyed, nor the materials of it at once taken down. And, notwithstanding the reparation of it by Herod, it still continued one and the same house, though much enlarged and beautified by him. And, therefore, the Jews, in the days of our Saviour, overlooked, as it were, the re-edification of the temple by Herod, and affirm that that house which then stood, was fortysix years in building, John 11. 20, as they supposed it to have been at the return from captivity; but the whole work and building of Herod was finished within the space of eight years. The Targum also of Jonathan, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi, and others, interpret the words of that house which was then building by Zerubbabel and Joshua, nor do any of the ancient Jews dissent from this opinion.
§ 4. Abarbinel, one of their great masters, and chief among them who invent pretences to serve their impenitence and unbelief, in his comment on this place, after he hath endeavoured his utmost against the interpretations of the Christians, and made use of the reasonings of former expositors, to apply the whole prophecy unto the second house, at least, as it was restored by Herod, at length refers all that is spoken of the house here unto a third temple, prophesied of, as he fancieth, by Ezekiel, and to be built in the days of the Messiah; because he saw, that if the second house was intended, it would be hard to avoid the evidence of the coming of the Messiah, whilst that house stood and continued. But we need not insist long in the removal of this fond imagination. For 1. It is contrary to express redoubled affirmations in the text before insisted on. 2. To the whole design of the context and prophecy, which is expressly to encourage the Jews unto the building of that house, which seemed so contemptible in the eyes of some of them. 3. To the repetition of this prophecy, Mal. iii. 1, where the second temple is evidently expressed. 4. To the prophecy of Ezekiel, wherein a spiritual and not a material temple is delineated, as we shall elsewhere demonstrate. 5. To the time assigned to the glorifying of the house spoken of; ST UY NAN TY, ‘yet a little while, which in no sense can be applied unto a temple to be built longer afterwards than that nation had heen a people. From the call of Abraham to the giving of this promise, there had passed about fourteen hundred and ten years; and it is now above two thousand years since this prophecy. Now, in what sense this can be called ‘a little while, it is hard to imagine. ‘This then is the sense that Abarbinel would put on these words, ‘ It is yet a little while, and I will fill this house with glory; that is, ‘a very great while hence, longer hence than you have been a people in the world: I will cause another house to be built. 6. To the Targum, and all the ancient masters among the Jews themselves. 7. But lastly, this conceit of Abarbinel is inconsistent In its parts, for it is by his own confession promised, that the Messiah should come to the temple that is promised to be filled with glory; but the other third temple that he fancies, is, as he said, to be built by Messiah himself, so as he cannot be said to come unto it. So that this evasion will not yield the least relief to their obstinacy and unbelief. It is evidently the second temple built by Zerubbabel, whose glory is here foretold.
§ 5. The glory promised unto this house, is next to be considered. This is expressed absolutely, ver. 7. ‘I will fill this house with glory; and comparatively with reference unto the temple of Solomon, which some of them had seen, ver. 9. ‘The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former.’ To understand aright this promise, we must reflect a little upon the glory of the first house, which the glory of this second was to excel. It would not answer our present design to digress unto a particular description of Solomon’s temple. It is also done by others with great judgment, diligence, and accuracy. I shall, therefore, only give a brief account of some of the heads of its excellency, which our present argument doth require.:
§ 6. First then, it was very glorious from its principal architect, which was God himself. He contrived the whole fabric, and disposed of all the parts of it in their order. For when David delivered unto Solomon the pattern of the house, and the whole worship of it, he tells him, ‘ All these things the Lord made me understand in writing, by his hand upon me, even all the work of this pattern, 1 Chron. xxv. 19. God gave him the whole in writing; that is, God divinely and immediately inspired him by his Holy Spirit, to write the frame of the house and of all that belonged to it, according to his own appointment and disposal. This rendered the house glorious, as answering the wisdom of him by whom it was contrived. And herein it had the advantage of all the fabrics that ever were on the earth; and in particular, of the second temple, whose builders had no such idea of their work given them by inspiration.
δ 7. Secondly, It was glorious in the greatness, state, and magnificence of the fabric itself. It was such a building, as was never equalled in the world, which sundry considerations will make evident unto us; as,
First, The design of Solomon in building it. Now, Solomon was the wisest and richest king that ever was in this world. When he undertook the work and sent to Hyram, king of Tyre, for his assistance, he tells him that ‘the house which he was to build was to be great; because the God of Israel was great above all gods,’ 2 Chron. ii. 5. N ay, saith he, ‘ The house which I am about to build shall be wonderful and great. No doubt then, but he designed to raise a structure magnificent to the utmost extent of his wisdom and wealth. And what shall he do that comes after the king? What shall any of the sons of men think to contrive and erect, which shall surpass in glory that building, in forming which, Solomon laid out his utmost. There can doubtless be no greater fondness than to imagine, that it could in any measure be equalled by what was done afterwards by Zerubbabel or Herod.
§ 8. Secondly, The vast and unspeakable treasures which were expended in the building and adorning of it. I know that there is some difference among learned men, about reducing the Hebrew signatures of money to our present account. But let the estimate be as low as by any can reasonably be imagined, setting aside what Solomon expended of his own revenue, the provision left by David towards the work, of an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; besides brass and iron without weight, with timber and stone, 1 Chron. xxi. 14, doth far exceed all the treasures that the greatest part, if not all the kings of the earth, are at this day possessed of. For on the ordinary computation and balance of coins, the gold amounted to £450,000,000, and the silver unto £375,000,000, besides what was dedicated by his princes, and out of his peculiar treasure. He that would be satisfied what immense sums of his own Solomon added to all this, may consult Villalpandus on this subject. And what the product of this expense, wisely managed, might be, it is not easy to conceive. It seems to me, that the whole revenue of Herod was searcely able to find bread for Solomon’s workmen; so unlikely is it that his fabric should be equal unto that other. It was surely, then, a glorious house that all this charge was expended about.
§ 9. Thirdly, It appears farther, from the number of workmen employed in the structure. We need not increase this number by conjectures with Villalpandus, whe reckons above four hundred thousand, seeing there is evident mention in the Scripture of an hundred and fourscore, and three thousand and six hundred, (besides the Tyrians that were hired, who by their wages seem also to have been a great number, 2 Chron. 11. 10,) that is, there was an hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred strangers of the posterity of the Canaanites, 2 Chron. ii. 17, 18, and thirty thousand Israelites, 1 Kings v. 13. Neither was all this multitude engaged in this work for a few days or months, but full seven years, 1 Kings vi. 38. And therein, as Josephus observes, the speed of the work was almost as admirable as its magnificence. And what a glorious structure might be raised by such numbers of men, in such a space of time, when nothing was wanting unto them, which by the immense treasures before mentioned could be procured, may easily be conceived. It doth not appear that the whole number of the people, rich and poor, who were gathered together under Zerubbabel, after the return from captivity, did equal the number of Solomon’s builders, so that they were not like to erect a fabric answerable unto what he effected; nor can it be imagined, that Herod employed so many in ᾿ the whole work, as Solomon had to oversee his labourers.
§ 10. We may add hereunto what is recorded concerning the adorning of this house. Not to mention the pillars of brass, with their chapiters, whose magnificence was wonderful, and workmanship inimitable; the molten sea, with the oxen, and the like ornaments innumerable: if we do but consider that the whole house, upon the vaulting and ceiling with cedar, was overlaid with pure beaten gold, how glorious must it need be rendered to the thoughts of eyery man, who remembers the greatness of the structure! And those utensils of the sanctuary, the ark, oracle, mercy-seat, and cherubims that represented the presence of God, what tongue can represent their beauty and glory! In the second house there was little of all these; and for the things of most cost and charge, nothing at all. Nor did the riches of this house consist only in the solid parts of the fabric, but in those vast treasures of silver and gold, with other precious things, which being dedicated to the service of God, were laid up therein; for besides what was consecrated by himself and his princes, Solomon brought in all the things which David his father had dedicated, 2 Chron. y. 7, and put them among the treasures of the house of God. And, although I do not think with some, that the whole sums of money before mentioned were herein included, because it was dedicated by David, for so also was his brass, and iron, and timber, all which were to be expended about, or used in the building of the house itself, yet I cannot but judge that those treasures were exceedingly great, and such as the poverty and confusion of the people, under the second temple, never allowed them to do any thing that was answerable unto it.
δ 11. Lastly, The glory of the worship of this temple consummated its beauty. Now, this was principally founded on the glorious entrance of 71352, or ‘ Divine presence’ into it, upon its consecration by the prayer of Solomon. Hereof God gave a double pledge. First, The falling down of the fire from heaven to éonsume the first offerings, and to leave a fire to be kept alive perpetually upon the altar, a type of the effectual operation of the Holy Ghost, making all our sacrifices acceptable to God, 2 Chron. vii. 1. And this the Jews expressly confess to have been wanting in the second temple. Secondly, The glory of the Lord, as a cloud filling the whole house, and resting upon it, 2 Chron. vii. 2,3. This foundation being laid, and attended with a sacrifice of many thousands of cattle, the whole worship was gloriously carried on, according to the institution revealed unto David by the Spirit of God. And the better to enable them to a right per-: formance hereof, some of the chief ministers, as Heman, Ethan, and Jeduthan, were themselves inspired with the spirit of prophecy. So that, here there is evidently the utmost glory that a worldly sanctuary and carnal ordinances could ever possess.
δ 12. Having taken this brief view of the glory of Solomon’s temple, we may now inquire what that glory was which was promised to this second house, concerning which the prophet affirms expressly that it shall excel all the glory which on any account belonged unto the former. And first, we shall consider the apprehensions of the Jews in this matter. First, Some of them plainly insinuate, that this whole promise was conditional, and depended upon the obedience of the people, wherein they failing, it is no wonder if the promise was never accomplished. Thus Abarbinel would have the prophet speak to them, TNA ΓΞ Umwy7 Ww ON, ‘If your works be right in the observation of the law.’ And to this end, Kimchi after Aben Ezra, giveth us a new connexion of the words; for that expression, ver. 4, “Be strong all ye people of the land,” 14, and work, he carries on to the beginning of the next verse, 7377 NX ANNT POD DY pat way: Wy? DSNN TWIN ὮΝ ὙΠ ἭΝ ATT AN Wyn ON mn, ‘and work: it coheres in sense with the following verse, or this word, If you do the work that I covenanted with you, and so leaps over those words in the end of ver. 4, and whereon the whole fifth verse doth evidently depend: “For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts.” And these following words, “so my Spirit remaineth among you,” he interprets for a promise depending upon the same condition, ‘If you do the work that I covenanted with you; that is, observe the law; Mp0D) WIP ΓΤ ApS) MNT wy Nd wom ams das Sond) D7 ΔΒ M1237, ‘But after they sinned, and observed not the law, the Holy Ghost and prophecy ceased from amongst them in the days of Zechariah and Malachi. And to the same purpose Abarbinel, ΤΣ DWT DWP DIATTT ANw MN 297, ‘The glorious presence, prophecy, and the rest of the holy things that were then wanting, should return unto them, if their ways were right and good.’ And in this fancy they all agree.
§ 13. But this wresting of the text is evident. There is no condition intimated in the words, but rather the contrary: God promising to be with them, as he was in the days of their coming out of the land of Egypt, wherein the work that he wrought for them depended not on their obedience, but was a mere effect of his own faithfulness, as he often declares. And those words, D231N2 Ny ‘Mm, and my Spirit standing, abiding, or remaining, in the midst of you, among you, is no promise of any thing that was future, but a declaration of the presence of God by his Spirit then amongst them, to carry them through all the difficulties and discouragements that they had met with. And this is evident from the inference that is made thereon, NTT DN, fear ye not. For as the presence of God with them by _ his Spirit and power was their great encouragement, so a promise of any thing that was future, was not suited unto that purpose. And hence the Targum of Jonathan, supposing the spirit of prophecy to be intended, referreth the words to the prophets that were then amongst them, who instructed them in the will of God. But by the Spirit, nothing is there intended, but the efficacious working of the providence of God in their protection, as it is explained, Zech. iv. 6, “ Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” And the transposition of the words invented by Kimchi, is a bold corruption of the text, and contrary to the whole design of the prophet’s message to the people. His business was, to encourage them to go on with the building of the temple. To this end, he bids them be strong, and do their work; MT p27 Wy, saith Rabbi Levi, work on this building, carry on this fabric. Yay, saith Jonathan, fall to your labour; and to this he adds the encouragement from the presence of God, who was powerfully with them by his Spirit, as in the days that he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
ὁ 14. This evasion being of no use, something more satisfactory must be inquired after, something wherein the glory of the latter house does excel that of the former. That they may not be utterly silent, the masters of the present Judaical infidelity fix upon two things, which they would persuade us this glory might consist in. First, They say the structure itself, either as built by Zerubbabel, or at least as restored by Herod, was higher, as more capacious, than that built by Solomon; and the glory of it was increased by the great riches of the nations, that were brought into it in the days of the Hasmonzans, and of Herod, when that was accomplished which was here foretold, “that the riches of the nations should come to that house.” So Kimchi, J will shake: ‘this is an allegorical expression,’ saith he, ‘ of the great glory and good that God would bring to Israel in the days of the second temple; and when was this? ΣΟΥ Yaa m7 ΠῚ: It was in the days of the Hasmonzans, D177" Jat Dy ἽΝ, or in the time of Herod;’ for which he refers us to the book of Joseph Ben Gorion, the plagiary of the true Josephus. And this also is repeated by Jarchi and Abarbinel, for the glory of the house itself. The same man tells us, that his masters of blessed memory were divided; some referring it unto the time of the standing of the second house, of which afterwards; some to its greatness. And for its greatness he informs us, ‘The second house, 21NDW Wad 233 Sa oon Pa Ddayn ma Nd OTT AAW pan wD Paya poy appar 51. Ἴ 373 ‘7792 TINT) 3, in the structure of it, was great; as it is written in the words of our Rabbins of blessed memory, and in the book of Joseph Ben Gorion, namely, that there was no building in the whole world to be compared with that structure which Herod built for beauty and excellency.’
But there are not many of this opinion, and those that pretend to be so, speak contrary to their own knowledge and conscience. ‘They know well enough, that the second temple was in nothing to be compared unto the former. And this Abarbinel acknowledgeth, in the entrance of his exposition of this prophecy, affirming that the people were troubled at the remembrance of the house built by Solomon, which was great and high, filled with multitudes of vessels of pure gold and precious stones; whereas that which they were building was small, according to the command of the king of Persia, and without treasure, because of the poverty of the people. And though this house was raised higher by Herod, yet it was not at all enlarged by him, but erected precisely on the old foundation. But not to enter at present into consideration of the dimensions of the former structure, let the latter temple be thought as wide and long as the former, and some cubits higher, doth this presently give it a greater glory than the other; a glory so much greater, as to be thus eminently promised and intimated to be brought in with the shaking of heaven and earth, sea, and dry land? Can any thing be more fondly imagined? It were endless to reckon up the particular instances wherein it came short of the glory of the first house. Let but the heads of the beauty and magnificence of the first temple, as above recounted, be run over, and this will quickly appear. In a word, notwithstanding this pretended gieatness of the second temple, it had not the hundredth part of the glory of Solomon’s house, which also these masters on all occasions acknowledge; for besides all the glorious golden vessels and ornaments of it, besides all the treasures deposited in it, besides sundry of the most magnificent parts of the building itself, they generally acknowledge that there were five things wanting in the last, wherein the principal glory of the first house consisted. These are diversely reckoned up by them, but in general they all agree about them; and they are given us by the author of Aruch in the root 723 im this order: 33) NNDD AN ax, the ark* propitiatory and cherubims, one; that is, the whole furniture of the sanctuary. YW MDW, the Divine Majesty or Presence, the second: this entered not into the second house in that glorious and solemn manner, that it did into the temple of Solomon. www TN NITY wWrprt mM, the Holy Ghost which is prophecy, the third; all prophecies ceasing under that house, from the days of Malachi unto John Baptist. ‘psa ὉΔῚ ΠῚ ox, Urim and Thummim, the fourth thing. ‘wT DNaWT pa ὌΝ, jire from heaven, to kindle the everlasting fire on the altar, the fifth thing. They that acknowledge all these things to have been wanting in the second temple, as the Jews generally do, and as the Talmud in N71, ch. 5, expressly admits, cannot well compare the glory of it, with the glory of that temple wherein these were, and whereof they were indeed the chief glory, as being the most eminent pledges of the presence of God therein.
§ 15. The pretence about the glory of this house, from the riches of the Hasmonzans and of Herod, is no less vain. That which amongst the Hasmonzeans had the greatest appearance of glory, was their high priest (who also came irregularly unto that office) assuming the royal power and titles. But this, as themselves confess, was a sinful disorder, and their whole race was quickly extirpated before Herod the great. And though they are on this occasion reconciled unto Herod, yet elsewhere they execrate him as an usurper, cruel tyrant, and slave to the Romans, all which he was indeed. Little glory came to the temple by his rule and sovereignty. Besides, during his reign, and the rule of the remainder of his race, the high priests were thrust in and out, at the pleasure of brutish tyrants; no order in their succession, no beauty in their worship, being observed or sought after. Hence, comparing the number of high priests under the second temple, who are more than three times as many as the high priests under the first temple, they use the words of Solomon, “ Because of the wickedness of the people, the rulers are many.” To seek for the glory mentioned among these things and persons, is assuredly vain.
§ 16. Wherefore others of these masters, waving these empty pretences, would have the glory of this second house to consist in its duration. So R. Jonathan in Bereshith Rabba, Jarchi on this place, and Kimchi, whose opinion is repeated by Abarbinel. Kimchi tells us, that their masters are divided in this matter; and Jarchi, that it was Raf and Samuel that were the authors of this different opinion. The one affirms, that the glory of this house consisted in its greatness, the other in its duration; and their dispute in this matter is in Perek Kama, of Baba Bathra, ΚΞΝ PWN m3 WY AND YIIN IW Ma Wy myn, ‘The first house,’ saith he, ‘ continued four hundred and ten years, the second four hundred and twenty.’ This is their account, though in truth it continued longer, as did the first house also. But is this the glory promised? What was the condition of that house in those last ten years, or for almost fifty years before? The whole nation, during this space of time, was shattered and wasted with oppressions, seditions, and miseries inexpressible, and the house itself made a den of thieves; and for the greatest part of the ten years they boast of, it was filled with cruel bloodshed and daily murders. And is it likely that for a mere duration in that season, when for the use made of the house, it was abhorred of God, and of all good men; is it likely that for this the second temple should be said to obtain more glory than the house of Solomon was ever made partaker of? There is, then, nothing more evident, than that these are evasions of men, who diligently endeavour to hide themselves from light and truth; for these inventions do not in the least answer either to the letter of the prophecy, or the intention of him that
: § 17. It remaineth, then, that we inquire from the text what is the true glory promised unto this house, wherein it was to have the pre-eminence above the former. Now this is expressly said to be, the coming unto it of the desire of all nations. ‘‘ The desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory; and the glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former.” This is directly affirmed to be the glory promised, and nothing else is in the least intimated wherein it should consist. And there are three circumstances of this glory expressed in the text. 1. The way whereby it should be brought in: “1 will shake the heavens and the earth, and the sea and the dry land: and I will shake all nations.” Secondly, The season wherein this was to be done: “ Yet once it is a little while.” Thirdly, The event of it, “And in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts:” all which are severally to be considered, and the intention of the Holy Ghost in them vindicated from the objections of the Jews.
ὁ 18. The first thing we are to inquire after, is the glory itself that is promised in these words, D»at >> NAIM WW), and the desire of all nations shall come. The Jews by these words generally understand the desirable things of the nations, their silver and gold, which above all things are unto them most desirable. These, they say, the nations being shaken, did bring unto the temple, and therein the glory of it did consist. Herein all their expositors on this place, Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and others of them whose judgments are repeated by Abarbinel, do agree. Aben Ezra briefly, ‘The nations shall be shaken, ‘mad mom, and shall bring gifts unto my house, DOD ΞΠῚ NWN ἽΝ ἢ ‘And they shall bring the treasures of gold and silver,’ saith Jarchi, ‘as it is recorded in the Book of Joseph Ben Gorion. Kimchi to the same purpose somewhat largely, D772 ἽΝ ΣΝ 4m1>> MAP’ MAN) DTA aM) DoD sda DSIND INBDW MTT “127 55, «As if it had been said, They shall bring in their hands all desirable things that are found in their lands, vessels of silver and of gold, garments and precious stones; and this, as I said, is their general sense.
But, first, It is directly contrary unto the context; for it is the plain design of the Holy Ghost to take off the thoughts of the people from that kind of glory, which consisted in abundance of ornaments of silver and gold. These being all of them always in his power, he could at that time have furnished them with these; but here he calls them to look for another glory. Secondly, It is perfectly false as to the event; for when was there such an: outward shaking of all nations under the second temple, as that thereon they brought their silver and gold unto it, and that im such abundance, as to render it more rich and glorious than the house of Solomon? So to wrest the words, is plainly to aver that the promise was never fulfilled. For nothing can be more ridiculous, than to make a comparison between the riches and treasures of Solomon’s temple, and those which at any time were laid up in the second temple. Besides, the things which were thus laid up, were but gifts and oblations of the people of the Jews, which the nations sometimes took away, but never brought. And, therefore, they who use this evasion, dare not place the excelling glory of this house herein, though the text do plainly affirm, that it doth consist in what these words intend, but turn to other imaginations of largeness and duration.
Thirdly, Open force is offered unto the words themselves; for they are not MIM ove 55 way, and all nations shall bring their desirable things, but DMT 5D NIT ἽΝΞ, the desire of all nations shall come. So woeful is the condition of men rebelling against light, that they care not into what perplexities they run themselves, if they avoid it. Abarbinel having repeated all these expositions, and seeing no doubt that they would not endure a tolerable examination, would have the desire of all nations to be Jerusalem; because they should all come up to war against it, with a desire to take it in the days of the third temple, which he fancieth to be here intended. There are scarce more words than monsters in this subterfuge. It may suffice for its removal, that we have already demonstrated, that his figment of a third temple is devoid of any pretence to cover it from open shame.
§ 19. We say then, that these words contain a prophecy of the Messiah, and of the real glory that should accrue unto the second temple, by his coming unto it, while it was yet standing. This is the import of the words, D2 59 Naam ΝΞ). The LXX. give us a corrupt interpretation of the words, καὶ ἡκει Ta ἐκλεκτὰ πάντων τῶν εθνων, and choice things of all nations shall come; in which error they are followed both by the Syriac and Arabic translators. Ta ἐκλεκτὰ doth in nothing answer to nan, the word here used by the prophet, and retained by Jonathan in the Chaldee Targum; who indeed is not so unfaithful in places relating unto the Messiah, as to exclude him, although he pervert the true meaning of many of them. The vulgar Latin hath, as to the sense, rendered these words rightly, Et venict desideratus cunctis gentibus; ‘And he shall come who is the desire of all nations. 77 from 7797, is properly desideriwm, desire; but is no where used in the Scripture but for a thing, or person desired, or desirable, loved, valued, or valuable. As is TaT also, Dan. ix. 23; ch. x.
11; xi. 8, 43; Gen. xxvii. 15; Ezek. xxiii. 6; Amos v. 11; Jer. iii, 19; Isa. ii. 16. This, I say, is the constant use of the words, to denote the person or thing that is desired, or desirable. And it being said here emphatically, that this desire shall come, nothing but a desired, or desirable person can be intended thereby. And this was no other but the Messiah, the bringing of whom into the world was the end of the building of that temple, and of the whole worship performed therein; and therefore by his coming unto it, it received the completion of its glory. The promise of him of old unto Abraham, foretold, that ‘in him all the nations of the earth should be blessed.’ Until his coming, they were generally to be left to walk in their own ways, and in the issue everlastingly to perish. By him were they to be relieved; and so he is rightly called their desire, or he that de jure, ought to be desirable above all things unto them. ‘The desire of all nations, and he ‘to whom the gathering of the people should be,’ that is the Shiloh, are one and the same. It is true, being filled with blindness and ignorance, the ages past before his coming had de facto, and actively, no desire after him; but as there was a secret groaning and tendency in the whole nature of things after his production, so he, when he came, who was alone to’ be desired by them, was actually received and embraced as the full accomplishment of their desires. That then, wherein all their blessedness and deliverance were laid up, may be properly called their desire, because containing all things truly desirable, and because, like desire fulfilled, it was perfectly satisfactory unto them when enjoyed.
§ 20. The only difficulty in the interpretation of these words, hes in their unusual construction. The verb ἽΝΞ, shall come, is of the plural number, venient; whereas, N17277, the desire, whereunto we refer it, is of the singular: desiderium omnium gentium venient. Kimchi observing this anomaly to suit the words unto his own sense, affirms that 3 is wanting, which should be prefixed to N17, and so be rendered, ‘ All nations shall come with their desire,’ that is, their desirable things, their silver and gold; but there is no need of this arbitrary addition to the text, and the sense contended for by him, we have sufficiently disproved. Nor is it unusual in the Hebrew tongue, where two substantives are joined in construction, that the verb agrees in number and person, not with that which directly and immediately it respects, but with that whereby it is regulated. }
As nar here is put in statu constructo, by 0°12, and the verb from thence put in the plural number, so 2 Sam. x. 9, Joab saw POX TNT 5 mandir ‘2D, that the face of battle was against him. The verb 7n‘n, was, which refers directly to 23D, the face, agrees not in number with it, but with mri, the battle, by which the other is put in construction. So Job xy. 20, 12532 Ὁ" 7D, the number of years is hid, 125¥2, are hid: it agrees with Ὁ, years, and not with 15D, the number; in the very same kind of construction with that of the words here used by the prophet. So likewise, 1 Sam. 11. 4, DM OMA NWP, arcus fortium confractorum. The adjective, Onn, broken, agrees in number with D722, the mighty, though it be apparently spoken of the bow. And likewise Hosea vi. 5, SBN ΠΟΘ, thy judgments shall go forth as the light: 83, shall go forth, agrees in number with “N, the light, though it respect ΤΌΘ, thy judgments, in the plural number; and many other instances of the like kind, may be alleged to the same purpose. This construction, then, though anomalous, yet is in that language so frequent, as not to create any difficulty in the words; and yet possibly the words may not be without a further sense, intimating the coming of the nations to Christ upon his coming into the temple.
§ 21. Though the words of the promise are thus clear in themselves, we may yet see what further light is contributed unto our interpretation from the circumstances before observed; as, first, the way of bringing in this glory is there expressed by the prophet from the mouth of the Lord, ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations.’ All the Jewish expositors agree, that these words are to be interpreted Dwr yaa by; that is, metaphorically and figuratively. Yet it cannot be denied, that a great concussion and shaking of the world, and all the nations of it, is intended in them, otherwise nothing is signified by them. And this must be with reference unto that house, and the worship thereof, and that in a tendency unto its glory. Now I desire to know what work among the nations in the whole world it is, that was wrought with respect unto the temple which is here intended. The nations came indeed under Antiochus, and almost ruined it; under Crassus, and robbed it; under Pompey, and profaned it; under Titus, and destroyed it. But what tended all this to its glory? But refer these words unto the coming of the Messiah, and all things contained in them were clearly fulfilled. Take the words literally, and they suit the event. At his birth, a new star appeared in the heavens; angels celebrated his nativity; wise men came from the east, to inquire after him; Herod and all Jerusalem was shaken at the tidings of him; and upon his undertaking of his work, he wrought miracles in heayen, and earth, and sea, and dry land, and upon the whole creation of God. Take them metaphorically, as they are rather to be understood, for the mighty change which God would work in his worship, and in the stirring up of the nations of the world to receive him and his doctrine, and the event is yet more evident. All nations under heaven were quickly shaken and moved by his coming. Some were stirred up to inquire after him, some to oppose him, until the world, as to the greatest and the most noble parts of it, was made subject to him. Evident it is, that since the creation of all things, never was there such an alteration and concussion in the world, as that wherewith the Messiah and his doctrine was brought into it, and which is therefore so expressed by the prophet.
§ 22. Abarbinel affirms that the DYN ‘MON, Christian doctors, would argue and prove from hence, that it is not the temple of the Jews, but their own house of worship, that is intended in these words, and that because there was no such confluence of the nations unto the Jews, either under the first or second temple, as is here promised; but unto the church and faith of Christians, all nations were converted. But he mistakes and confounds things, as all of them constantly do, in their disputations against Christians. We contend not that it is the Christian church that is here intended by the house to which glory was to come. Only we say, that he to whom the nations or Gentiles were to be gathered, whom they were shaken and stirred up to receive, did actually come unto the temple at Jerusalem, and thereby gave it a greater glory than what the temple of Solomon ever received. This first circumstance then clears our intention from this text.
§ 23. The season wherein the promised glory was to be brought in, is next noted in the context. It is expressed, ver. 6, N°T UY NMS TY. The Jews generally refer these words unto the rule or kingdom of the Hasmonveans, under whom the people were to enjoy their liberty, which is said to be a little season, as continuing seventy or eighty years; for it is said to be little, because they had but a small dominion in comparison of their former kingdom and empire. But it is evident from the context, that the prophet had no respect unto rule or dominion in these words. For whatever is intended in this expression, it hath a direct and immediate influence to the bringing in of the desire of all nations, and the glory promised, which the rule of the Hasmonzans reached not unto. Our apostle, Heb. xii. 27, renders these words NON Ty, literally and properly eve ἁπαξ, ‘ yet more once, or ‘yet once more.’ God had before done some work, whereunto that which he promised now to do is compared. Such a concussion of all things had been before; and this, as is evident from ver. 5, was the work that he wrought at the giving of the law, and the erection of the Judaical church, state and ordinances. In answer hereunto, he would bring in the everlasting kingdom of the Messiah, and the spiritual worship to be celebrated therein, the old church-state of the Jews being removed and taken away in this shaking of all things.
And this is plainly evinced from the comparison that God makes between the work here promised, and that which he wrought when he covenanted with the people upon their coming up out of Egypt. Concerning the work which God will thus do once more, it is said to be ὌΝ TY, a little while; that is, ere it be accomplished. It is not the nature or quality of the work, but the season or time wherein it shall be wrought, that is denoted in these words. In that sense is 0)73 often used in the Scripture, as we prove elsewhere. As the same work, Mal. iii. 1, is promised to be done ONND, suddenly, speedily. It is then foretold, that it should be but a little space of time before this work should be wrought. And hence Abarbinel would prove, that it cannot respect the coming of our Messiah, which was about four hundred years after. But this season is not called a little while absolutely, but with respect unto the former duration of the people, or church of the Jews, either from the calling of Abraham, or the giving of the law by Moses. And this space of four hundred years, is but little in comparison thereof; and is so termed to stir up believers unto a continual expectation of it, and desire after it: it being now nearer unto them than unto their forefathers, who beheld the time of its performance a very great way off. And this also serves for the conviction of the Jews; for whereas their forefathers of old did confess, and they at present cannot with any modesty deny, but that the Messiah is here intended, whom they suppose not yet to be come, how can this space of time from the days of Haggai in any sense be called a little while, seeing it far exceeds all the space of time that went before, from the call of Abraham, which is the first epoch of their privileges and claim.
§ 24. The last circumstance contributing light unto our interpretation of this place, is taken from the event, or the coming of the desire of all nations, and the glory of the second house ensuing thereon, in these words, DW JNN MIT DIP): ‘and in this place I will give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. From these words Abarbinel seeks to overthrow our exposition; by this place, saith he, is intended Jerusalem. Well, let that be granted, what will thence ensue? Why, saith he, m7 sd ὈΓΡ Tow oa TT p>wi ow; ‘Behold from the day that the Messiah was born, there was no peace in Jerusalem, but wars, destruction, and desolation.’ We say then, that by peace, here, must be understood either outward, temporal, worldly peace, or spiritual peace between God and man, between Jews and
Gentiles, in their joint communion in the same worship of God. “4 they Ρ say the former was intended, I desire to know when this promise was accomplished under the second temple? before the days of the Hasmonzans, the whole people was in perfect bondage and slavery, first to the Persians, then to the Grecians; and bondage is not peace, especially in the Hebrew dialect, wherein that word denotes an affluence of all good things. The rule of the Hasmonzans was wholly spent in bloody wars, and intestine divisions. Their power issued in the dominion of the Romans, and their vassals the Herodians. What signal peace they had in those days, they may learn from their own Joseph Ben Gorion. To say, then, that this was the peace intended, is to say directly, that God promised what he never performed, which it is fit only for these men to do.
Besides, though God promised to give this peace at Jerusalem, that is amongst the Jews, yet he promised not to give it only to Jerusalem, or only to the Jews, but to all nations also, whom he would shake and stir up, to bring in this glory. Now what pretence of peace had the Jews under the second temple, in which all nations were concerned? I suppose they will not say they had any. Moreover, the peace promised, was that which was to be brought in by the Messiah. This Abarbinel grants; and thence seeks to strengthen his objection: for, saith he, ‘Then we shall have peace, rule, and dominion, according to the manifold promises given us unto that purpose. I answer, those promises were of two sorts. Some allegorically express spiritual things, by words literally signifying things outward, and they are all of them fulfilled in and unto them that do believe. Others of them, that really intend outward peace and glory, are indeed made concerning the Jews to be fulfilled, not when the Messiah came to them, but when they shall come to the Messiah. At his coming unto them, they rejected him and he rejected them; but when their blindness shall be taken away, and they shall return unto the Lord, all these promises shall have a blessed accomplishment amongst them. But we have sufficiently proved that the principal work of the Messiah was to make peace between God and man by taking away sin that was the cause of their separation, distance, and enmity. This then is the peace here promised. This God gave at Jerusalem, whilst the second temple was standing: ‘ For he is our peace who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to make in himself of twain, one new man, so making peace. And that he might reconcile both unto God, in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, he came and preached peace to them that were afar off, and to them that were nigh.’ Thus did God give peace at Jerusalem, both to the Jews and Gentiles, by him that was the desire of all nations; and so by this circumstance of the context also, is our interpretation fully confirmed.
_ § 25. Although we have sufficiently confirmed our argument, and vindicated it from the exceptions of the Jewish masters; yet as it is most certain, that the constant faith of their church of old was, that the Messiah should come whilst that second temple was standing, and as the modern Jews have apostatized from this faith, and countenance themselves in their infidelity, by the miserable evasions before mentioned: I shall yet add farther strength unto it from a parallel testimony, and from their own confessions. The parallel place intended, is that of Malachi iii. 1, ‘Behold I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, even the angel or messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.’ The time future of his coming, is by Haggai said to be NYT wy, a little while; and Malachi answerably affirms, that he shall come DNND, suddenly, in the sense before declared. He who by Haggai is called 5°27 55 m7", ‘the desire of all nations,’ with respect unto the Gentiles, all desirable things being laid up in him, is by Malachi called | DWPan DAN AWS PINT, with respect unto the Jews, ‘the Lord whom ye seek: whose coming they looked for so long, and prayed for so earnestly. And what Haggai expressed absolutely, shall come, afterwards intimating the respect his coming should have unto the temple, Malachi sets down fully, 52° 5x N12», ‘he shall come to his temple.’ Further to clear what it is, that in both these places is intended, he 15 called MAN 7nd, the angel of the covenant; God’s messenger, who was to confirm and ratify the new covenant with them; that is, the Messiah. The Targum of Jonathan expresseth this on Jer. xxx. 21, closing the promise of the covenant with these words, ‘>> pM PremwA pm pins Nan, ‘and their king shall be anointed from among them, and their Messiah shall be revealed from amongst the midst of them; He who was the desire of all nations, the Lord whom the Jews sought, the messenger by whom the new covenant was to be ratified; that is, the Lord the Messiah was to come, and he did come to that temple.
§ 26. And here the Jews are at an end of all shifts and evasions. It cannot be said that the Messiah is not here intended; yet Rashi would fain evade it; the Lord whom ye seek, that is DDWUr “bx, the God of Judgment: because they had said before, Ch. 11.17, Where is the God of Judgment? Vain man! these words, Ch. 11. 17, which he himself had but just before interpreted, to be the atheistical expression of wicked men questioning the judgment of God, are now to serve his turn, interpreted as to be expressive of the same earnest desire of seeking after the Lord, which is evidently meant by the words, the Lord whom ye seek, the angel of the covenant whom ye delight in; for both these are the same, as Aben Ezra acknowledgeth, 215) Dyur 3 nan qd ST ΤΊΞΞΙΤ NIT PINT, ‘The Lord he is the glory, and the angel of the covenant, the same things being 1η- tended under a double expression.’ And the person to whom he refers is evident, from his interpreting the messenger to be sent before him, to be Messiah Ben Joseph, whom they make the forerunner of Messiah Ben David.
Kimchi interprets the angel to be sent before him, as the angel of God’s presence from heaven, to lead the people out of their captivity, as of old he went before them in the wilderness when they came out of Egypt. But we are better taught who this messenger was, Matt. xi, 10; Mark 1.2. | As for the Lord they sought, he speaks plainly, ma7 on Nia mpnan 70 Nv, ‘This is the king the Messiah, and this the angel of the covenant. He adds indeed the old story about Elijah, and his zeal for the covenant; whence he had the honour to preside at circumcision, to see the covenant observed, and may be thence called the angel of the covenant. But it is plain in the words, and confessed by Aben Ezra, that the Lord whom they sought, and the angel of the covenant, are the same. And as to these words, }>>"77 D8 NIA DNND, he shall come suddenly to his temple, he adds in their explication; ‘> ἼΩΝ DN*2T ἼΒΟΞ Wand Nd) ypr md Ndw “Dd NDW S12 ὉΠ ἸΝῚΞ DY OIN pts now No pinnp,.‘ Because the time of the end is not revealed nor unfolded in the book of Daniel. It is said he shall come suddenly, because there is no man that knows the day of his coming before he cometh.’ We grant that the precise day of his coming was not known before he came; but that the time of it was foretold, limited and unfolded in the book of Daniel, so far as the season would admit: and that all future expectation is there declared to be void, we shall immediately demonstrate. At present we have proved, and find that they cannot deny, but that he was to come unto the second temple, while it was yet standing.
§ 27. Once more, we may yet add the consent of others or their masters besides these expositors. Some testimonies out of their dectors are cited by others; I shall only name one or two of them in the Talmud itself, Tractat. Saned. cap. 11, the application of this place of Haggai unto the Messiah, is ascribed unto Rabbi Akiba; his words, as they report them, are, Twat ND’ TD TT Nd ΣΝ ond jox Nad vyy, * A little glory will I give unto Israel, and then the Messiah shall come. And this man is of so great repute among them, that Rabbi Eleazar affirms, that *727 5 Sw», ‘all the wise men of Israel were like a little garlic in comparison of that bald Rabbi.’ This then is their own avowed tradition, and the other place of Malachi, concerning the angel of the covenant, is expounded of the Messiah by Rambam in 0.35% m25>7, ‘In the days,’ saith he, ‘of the Messiah, the children of Israel shall be restored unto their genealogies, by the Holy Ghost that shall rest upon him, as it is said, Behold, I send my messenger before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall come unto his temple. We have then found out from the clear words of both these prophecies, and from the consent of the Jews themselves, who it is that is here promised in them, that he should come to his temple.
§ 28. This is the glory of the second house promised in Haggai. The end of the temple, and of all the glory of it, and all the worship performed in it, was to prefigure the promised seed, who was the true and only substantial glory of them all, and of the people to whom they were committed; for he was to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people [srael. Therefore in all the worship of the temple, those who believed, and in the use of the ordinances of it, saw unto the end of their institution, did continually exercise faith on his coming, and earnestly desire the accomplishment of the promise concerning it. The great glory then of this temple could consist in nothing but this coming of the Lord whom they sought, the desire of all nations, unto it. Now that he should come whilst the temple stood, is here confirmed by this double prophetical testimony; and the temple was utterly and irreparably destroyed above 1600 years ago. Tt must be acknowledged then that the Messiah is long since come, unless we we will say, that the word of God is vain, and his promise of none effect.
§ 29. The general objection of the Jews unto this argument, taken from the limitation of the time allotted unto the coming of the Messiah, we shall afterwards consider. In one word, that which they relieve themselves withal against the prediction of Haggai and Malachi, that he should come unto the temple then built amongst them, is so truly ridiculous, that I shall not need to detain the reader with the consideration of it. They say the Messiah was born at the time determined, before the destruction of the second temple, but that he is kept hid in the sea, or in Paradise, or dwells at the gates of Rome among the lepers, waiting for a call from heaven to go and deliver the Jews. With such follies do men please themselves in the great concerns of the glory of God and of their own eternal welfare, when they are left destitute of the Spirit of light and truth, and are sealed up under the efficacy of their own blindness and unbelief. But of this we shall treat further in the consideration of their general answers to the whole argument in hand.
§ 1. Daniel’s weeks, Ch. ix. 24—27, proposed unto consideration. § 2. Attempt of a learned man to prove the coming and suffering of the Messiah not to be intended, examined. § 3, First reason from the difficulties of the computation, and differences about it removed. § 4. Whether this place be used in the New Testament. ὁ 5. Objection from the time of the beginning of this computation, answered. § 6. Distribution of the seventy weeks into seven, and sixty two and one. Reason of it. § 7. Objection thence answered. § 8. The cutting off the Messiah, and the destruction of the city, not joined in one week. § 9. Things mentioned, ver. 24, peculiar to the Messiah. ὁ 10. The prophecy acknowledged by all Christians to respect the Messiah. § 11. The events mentioned in it, not to be accommodated unto any other. § 12. No types in the words, but a naked prediction, § 12—14. The prophecies of Daniel do not principally respect the churches of the latter days. § 15. Streights of time intimated when they fell out. ᾧ 16. Coincidence of phrases in this and other predictions considered. § 17. Removal of the daily offering, and causing the sacrifice and offering to cease, how they differ. § 18. The desolation foretold. § 19. Distribution of the seventy weeks accommodated unto the material Jerusalem, § 20. Objections removed. § 21. Distribution of things contained in this prophecy. § 22. Argument from the computation of time warranted. § 23. First neglected by the Jews, then cursed: yet used by them vainly. § 24. Concurrent expectation and fame of the coming of the Messiah upon the expiration of Daniel’s weeks. § 25. Mixture of things good and penal. Abarbinel’s figment rejected. § 26. Four hundred and ninety years the time limited. Fancy of Origen, and Apollinaris. § 27. The true Messiah intended. Proved from the context. § 28. The names and titles given unto him. § 29. The work assigned unto him. § 30. That work particularly explained; the expressions vindicated. To make an end of transgression, what. § 31. To seal up sins. § 32. To reconcile iniquity. § 33. To bring in everlasting righteousness. § 34. To seal vision and prophet. § 35. Messiah how cut off. § 36. The covenant strengthened. ὁ 37. Ceasing of the daily sacrifice. § 38. Perplexity of the Jews about these things. § 39. Opinion of Abarbinel and Manasseh Ben Israel. Cyrus not intended. Not Herod Agrippa. ᾧ 40. Not Magistracy. Africanus, Clemens, and Eusebius noted. § 41. Messiah came before the ceasing of the daily sacrifice. ὁ 42. Chronological computation,