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about the conditional Nature of the Promises; left they give a Handle to the Jews to retort this Argument upon them, when they are difputing about the time of the Meffiah's coming. For they fay, that indeed the Meffiah would have appeared fooner, unless their Sins had prevented his coming. But the Promise (fay they) was conditional; and fince their Part has not been as yet fulfilled, therefore neither has God performed his Part. Farther they fay, that if God can (without any injury to his Truth) leave his Promifes to the Jews unaccomplished, why may he not alfo do so as to those Promifes which he has made to the Chriftians? And thus they may elude their Hopes and Expectations, either as to the fecond coming of the Meffiah, or the Prefervation of his new Church and Inftitution; fince the Chriftians have no lefs abused their Religion than the Jews formerly did theirs.

Thus we have endeavoured to remove thofe Anfwers or Obftacles, by which fome endeavour to enervate the Force of thofe Prophecies which respect the happy Condition of Ifrael. Among which Number those called Allegorifts are the chief: I mean they who turn thofe Prophecies, which according to the literal and plain Signification of the Words terminate on the Ifraelites, into Allegories. We have before granted, and must still confess that the Prophetic Stile is in many Places allegorical, and in others, diverfified with Hyperboles, Metaphors and Parables. But we muft take care that the Prophecies may not entirely vanish in Allegories, by too great a Freedom (or Licentioufnefs rather) of Interpretation. Since we find in Ifaiah, and other Prophets a famous Defcription of the future times of the Meffiah, if in this Account we fometimes meet with figurative Expreffions, we ought not upon that Account to reject the Matter itself, or

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Substance of the Declaration. These prophetic Sayings at leaft denote fome future happy times, and a bleffed Life in general; fuch as implies abundance of all good things, the moft confirmed Health, ferene Air, and fecure and quiet Station.

Unless you grant this, and own that the Words. of the Prophets carry this general Sense along with them, the Prophecy muft pafs but for a Golden Fable.

But perhaps you will fay that indeed the Kingdom of the Meffiah, according to the Prophets, is to be Pacific, and the Lives of his Subjects fercne, joyful, and undisturbed. But that we do not at prefent enjoy thofe good things because of our own Faults, in that we do not follow his Precepts, nor walk according to the Doctrine of the Gospel. It is indeed rightly obferved, that we do not fufficiently comply with the evangelical Precepts, but you add Conditions to thofe Prophecies, which are declared plainly and abfolutely: And we have already fhewn how incongruous it is for any Man out of his own Fancy to impofe tacit Conditions on the Prophecies. God's Power and Goodness are fufficient for the Performance of thofe Promifes which he has given, and all thofe things which are neceffary for their Accomplishment. However, let things be as they will on our Part, as alas they are indeed very culpable! yet the State of Nature at prefent (which is wholly in the Power of God) the Inclemency of the Air, the Infelicity of the Soil, and the Infirmity of our Bodies, will not permit us to enjoy the promifed Plenty of all good things, or that State of Tranquillity, accompanied with long Life, which we find foretold by the Prophets: So that you fee the Promises are not yet fulfilled on a double Account, But to proceed.

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You may obferve that in this Argument about the Restauration of the Jews, these Interpreters mutilate and diminish the Promifes of God in a twofold manner. They transfer to the Chriftians thofe things which regard the Jews, according to the genuine Signification of the Words, and accommodate them only to the former. And then they cut off those temporal Bleffings, which the Prophets mention together with fpiritual ones, and reftrain them wholly to fpiritual and celestial things. In both these ways they flee to Allegories. When they except and exclude the Jews, they feem to do it directly against the Words of the Prophets, and the Nature of Things and Times which are pointed out, as well as the exprefs Names of Places and People, as we have obferved before. And then they omit temporal good things, or change them into heavenly ones, they caft away the other Part of the Promises; for the Prophets often mention these alfo. I am of Opinion that Chrift is yet to be the King of the Jews in a more eminent manner than hitherto, that fo these prophetic Prophecies may not fail in any refpect. It is certain he never rejected this Title, And it was also by the Divine Providence affixed to the Crofs when he was expiring; and the chief Priefts and Scribes then upbraided him with it. When he was acknowledged to be the King of the Jews, either by the Ifraelites (Mark xi. 10. John xii. 13.) or Heathens, (Mat. ii. 2.) our Saviour did not deny or fay any thing against it. And when the Difciples were proclaiming him King, he was fo far from checking them that he faid, if they held their Peace the very Stones would cry out. (Luke xix. 40.) (Luke xix. 40.) Laftly, when Chrift himself was asked by Pilate, whether he was the King of the Jews, he did not deny it, but claimed that Title as being the Meffias; and

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confirmed that Report which was generally received concerning him.

Let us know, I pray, in what Sense Christ told Pilate that he was the King of the Jews, was it in a literal or allegorical one? The Queftion was propounded in a literal Senfe, and did Chrift anfwer Equivocally? No certainly, but in that Senfe wherein he declared himself to be the Meffiah, in the very fame did he say that he was the King of the Jews; according to the Predictions of the Prophets where these two are joined together. But the Jews were mistaken as to the times of his Kingdom, and did not rightly confider the. Difference between his preparatory and glorious Kingdom: The Apostles alfo fell into the fame Error. (Acts i. 6.)

Let us farther, with reference to this Subject, confider the Dialogue between Jefus and Pilate, as it is fully related by St. John. (c. xviii.) When Pilate entered the fecond time into the Judgment Hall he asked Jefus, Art thou the King of the Jews? (v. 33, &c.) Then Jefus before he answered him as to this, asked him, whether he faid this thing of himself, or others had told it him. Thy own Na tion, fays Pilate, and the chief Priests have delivered thee unto me, what haft thou done? Jefus anfwered, My Kingdom is not of this World; if my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight, that I fhould not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my Kingdom not from hence.

Then Pilate replied, Art thou a King then? Jefus anfwered, Thou fayeft that I am a King. To this End was I born, and for this Cause came I into the World, that I should bear Witness unto the Truth: or teftify what is Truth.

Now what Truth does he here bear Witness to, if not to that abovementioned, namely, that he was the King of the Jews? And this is the very Tef

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timony which St. Paul had in his Eye, when he exhorts Timothy not to fhun Martyrdom, or defert his Profeffion for fear of Death, citing the Example of Chrift, who owned himself to be the King of the Jews, tho' it was with the Danger of his

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But you may observe that our Saviour fomewhat qualifies his Affertion, by obferving that he did not at present actually enjoy his Kingdom, or majeftic Royalty. Otherwife, fays he, my Servants, my Guards would have defended me, but now is my Kingdom not from hence. As if Jefus had faid, Now I claim my Right, the Kingdom which God has promised me, tho' I do not exercise my regal Authority, ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, in this prefent Age; fo that the Romans need fear nothing from my Empire. So that thofe Words, not of this World, and now, feem to me to denote not the Nature or Quality of Chrift's Kingdom, but the time of his exercifing it. See the Parable concerning Chrift in the nineteenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gofpel. -(v. 12.)

Christ was anointed to be King, but he had not yet fo much in Fact as in Right, exhibited himself as a King, being afterwards to receive a fuller Dominion, as David who was a Type of him. (1 Sam. xvi. 12.) According to the prophetic Oracles, the King of the Jews and the Meffiah were the fame Perfon; and thus the Prophecy of Micah is explained by St. Matthew, (c. ii. 6.) For out of thee, he is fpeaking of Bethlehem, shall come a Governor that fball rule my People Ifrael.

If you understand this of a spiritual Kingdom, it belongs to the Gentiles as well as Ifrael; indeed Chrift has not as yet reigned over the Jews either literally or fpiritually. For they, as we have before obferved, ftill remain Rebellious against Christ

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