several generations, chap. ii. 3. Now as to his personal ministry, he was sent "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," Mat. xv. 24. (to whom also alone in his own days he sent his apostles, Mat. x. 5,6.) and is therefore said to have been a "minister of the circumcision for the truth of God," Rdra xv. 5. being in the last place sent to the same vineyard, to which the prophets were sent before, Mat. xxi. 37. The words there used, "last of all he sent unto them his Son," are exegetical of these," he spoke in the Son in the last days."

3. This phrase is signally used in the Old Testament to denote the last days of the Judaical church. So by Jacob, Gen. xlix. 1. "I will tell you what shall befal you, 'p'n n'nx), in the last days," which words the LXX. rendered, ' xατ TW μgy, the words here used by the apostle; the days pointed to by Jacob being those wherein the Messiah should come, before Judah was utterly deprived of sceptre and scribe. Again by Balaam the same words are used to signify the same time, Num. xxiv. 14. where they are rendered exars TY μg, in the end of the days,' as many copies read in this place. And in all the prophets this is the peculiar notation of that season, Dan minx, Micah iv. 1. Isa. ii. 1. " in the latter or last days," and П, the He hajediah prefixed, noteth that course of days that were then running. As Deut. xxxi. 29. "Evil will overtake you, 'n 2, in the end of those days," and the promise of the conversion of some of the Jews to David their king is annexed to the same season, Hos. iii. 5. From these places is the expression here used taken, denoting the last times of the Judaical church, the times immediately preceding its rejection and final ruin. Hence Manasseh, lib. 3. de Resurrect. cap. 3. tells us out of Moses Gerundensis, p

In every place שנאמר בו באחרית הימים הוא לימות המשיה

that mentions the latter days, the days of the Messiah are to be understood,' which saying of his is confirmed by Manasseh himself, though attended with a gloss abominable and false, that is purely Judaical. The days of the Messiah, and the days of the end of the Judaical church, are the same. And these words are expressly also used by R. D. Kimchi. Comment. in Isa. ii. 2. who honestly refers all the words of that prophecy to the Messiah.

It is not for nothing that the apostle reminds the Hebrews, that the season then present was the last days, whereof so many things were foretold in the Old Testament. Many of their concernments lay in the knowledge of it, which, because they give great light to the whole cause as stated then between him and them, must be opened and considered. The sum is, that the end of their church and state, being foretold to be a perpetual desolation, Dan. ix. 27. the last days being now come VOL. III.

C

upon them, they might understand what they were shortly to expect and look for. The end of the Jews, being a people, a church and kingdom, was to bring forth the Messiah, whose coming and work must of necessity put an end to their old station and condition. Now because herein is enwrapped the most infallible demonstration that the Messiah is long since come, the apostle mentioning the last days to intimate that upon necessity he must be come in them, I shall further open his design in this matter; but having been large on this head in our Prolegomena, I shall briefly review the subject for their sakes, who by any difficulties may be deterred from the consideration of them.

"God having from the foundation of the world promised to bring forth the seed of the woman," to work out the redemption of his elect in the conquest of Satan, did, in the separation of Abraham from the rest of the world, begin to make provision of a peculiar stock, from whence the seed of the woman should spring. That this was the cause and end of his call and separation is evident from hence, that immediately thereupon God assures him that "in his seed all the kindreds of the earth should be blessed," Gen. xii. 1-3. xxii. 18. which is all one as if he had expressly said to him, For this cause have I chosen and called thee, that in thee I might lay a foundation of bringing forth the promised seed, by whom the curse is to be taken away, and the blessing of everlasting life procured, as Gal. iii. 13, 14. For this cause was his posterity continued in a state of separation from the rest of the world, that he might seek a holy seed to himself, Num. xxiii. 9. Mal. ii. 15. For this cause did he raise them into a civil, regal and church state, that he might in them typify and prefigure the offices and benefits of the promised Messiah, who was to gather to himself the nations that were to be blessed in the seed of Abraham, Gen. xlix. 10. Psal. xlv. Hos. iii. 5. Ezek. xxxiv. 23. And all their sacrifices did but shadow out that great expiation of sin, which he was to make in his own person, as hath been already proved.

Things being thus disposed, God promised to them that their civil political state, their condition as a peculiar nation and people, should be continued until the coming of the Messiah, Gen. xlix. 10. Ezek. xxi. 27. And this was made good to them, notwithstanding the great oppositions of those mighty empires, in the midst of whose devouring jaws they were placed, with some such short intercisions of the actual administration of rule amongst them, as being foretold, impeached not the promise. They lost not their civil state, until he came, to whom was "the gathering of the nations." After that, though many of the individuals obtained mercy, yet their being a nation or people, was of no peculiar use as to any special end of God.

Therefore was it immediately destroyed, and irrecoverably exterminated. From that day God in a wonderful manner blasted and cursed all their endeavours, either for the preservation of what they then had, or for its recovery and restoration when lost. No means could ever retrieve them into a people or nation on the old account. What may be hereafter on a new, God knows. The end of the days was come, and it was to no purpose for men to endeavour to keep up that which God would lay aside, after having accomplished the utmost of his design by it and upon it. And this season was fully evidenced to all the world, by the " gathering of the people to the Shiloh," or the coming in of the nations to partake in the "blessing of faithful Abraham," Micah iv. 1, 2.

"Of their church-state there were two principal parts: the temple itself, and the worship performed in it. The first of these, namely the temple, and also the tabernacle, was set up to typify him in whom the fulness of the "Godhead should dwell bodily," and the worship prefigured the same person, as he was to be the Great High Priest and the sacrifice. Both these also were to be continued until the coming of the Messiah, but by no endeavours could be continued afterwards. Hence was that promise of the glory of the second house, built after the captivity, and restored by Herod, because of his coming to it who was signified by it, Hag. ii. 9. Mal. iii. 1. He was to come whilst that temple was standing, after which it was to be of no more use. And therefore Ezekiel describes a third spiritual temple to succeed in the room thereof. The condition of their sacrifices was the same. Therefore Daniel, foretelling the coming of the Messiah four hundred and ninety years after the captivity, adds, that upon his death the "daily sacrifice must cease forever," and a total desolation ensue, of all the things that were used for Old Testament worship, as the end had been accomplished, Dan. ix. 24-27. The nation, state, temple, sacrifices, being set apart, set up and designed for no other end but to bring him forth, he was to come whilst they were standing and in use, after which they were none of them to be allowed a being upon their old foundation. This is that which the apostle pointed at in mentioning the last days, that they might consider in what condition the church and people of the Jews then were.

To discover the evidence of this demonstration, as confirmed in our Prolegomena, I shall here also briefly add some considerations of the miserable entanglements of the Jews in seeking to avoid the argument here intimated to them by the apostle. It is a common tradition among them, that all things were made for the Messiah, whereby they do not intend, as some have imagined, the whole old creation, but all things of their church state and worship. So the Targum, Psal. xl.

8. in the person of the Messiah, "I shall enter into life eternal

,דאתכתיבא אפטולתי,when I study in the volume of the law

that was written for my sake." By the law they understand their all. All depended on their Messiah, all was written for him. They see by experience that there was a coincidence of all these things in the last days when Jesus came. No sooner

had he done his work, but sceptre and scribe departed from Judah. They ceased to be a church and nation. The temple which the Lord whom they formerly sought came to, was destroyed, their sacrifices wherein they trusted caused to cease, and the nations of the earth were gathered into the faith of Abraham. From that time they have no more been a people, nor have had any distinction of tribes or families, temple, priesthood or sacrifice, nor any hope of a restoration to their pristine condition. Let us then see what course they have taken, or do take, to countenance themselves in their infidelity. Two ways to relieve themselves they have fixed on.

1. Granting that the Messiah was to come to their government and worship, they laboured to keep them up, and to restore them when cast down, that so they might prolong their expectation of that as to come, which indeed was already past. This in the righteous and holy providence of God, proved the means of their ruin. For their endeavour to maintain their liberty, rule and government, after, the coming of the Messiah, was the cause of the utter overthrow of all rule, authority, and public worship amongst them, by Vespasian, and Titus his son. Their endeavour to restore themselves into a state and people under their false Messiah, Barcosbi, was the means of their utter desolation from all hopes of being a people and nation any more, by Adrian; as also of their extermination for ever out of that country, wherein they had been separated from all nations, for that end which God appointed to them. After this, once more, still to avoid the thoughts that the Messiah was come, and had put an end to their former condition, they endeavoured, and were encouraged by Julian the emperor, to rebuild their temple, and restore their sacrifices. And this attempt also God turned to their further confusion. For whereas in former days, in the building of the temple, he encouraged and supported them against all difficulties and oppositions; being now upheld and strengthened by the favour and wealth of the Roman empire in the same work, he sets himself against them, and scatters them with no less indignation than he did the builders of Babel of old. When he would have a temple amongst them, he punished them with famine, for building their own houses, and suffering his to lie waste, Hag. ii. 8-11. Now, they may build houses for themselves where they please; but if they take in hand to build a temple, God is against them. In this state

they have now continued for sixteen hundred years, and were not blindness come upon them to the utmost, they could not but see, that it is not the will of God that they should be a people, state, or church on the former account, any more. What then is become of their Messiah, who was to come unto them whilst they were a state and church, seeing they were so, by their own confession, only for his sake? This puts their later masters to their last miserable shifts. For,

2. Contrary to the evident nature of all things relating to them from the appropriating of the promise to the family of Abraham, contrary to the whole design of the Scripture, and to the express testimonies of it before mentioned, with many other to the same purpose, they deny that their Messiah was to come to them, or at least to abide with them for the work whereunto he was destined, whilst their state, temple and sacrifices, continued. In the management of this shift of unbelief, they are wofully divided amongst themselves.

1. For the continuance of their state, until the coming of the Messiah, Gen. xlix. 11. some say, that by Shiloh the Messiah is not intended; who are confuted by their own Targums, all rendering the word Messiah, and by the constant tradition of the elder doctors. Some say, that by the sceptre and scribe, the rod of affliction and instruction only are intended; which is a gloss evidently contrary to the design of the prophecy, to the use of the words in all places where their sense is not restrained by evident circumstances, to the Targums, and to all old writers; asserting that which was not peculiar to Judah, nor true in itself; that tribe having for so long a season enjoyed as flourishing a condition as any people in the world, as good as the Jews look for under the Messiah. This state then is utterly gone, and their Messiah as it seems not come.

2. What say they unto their temple, that second house whereunto he was to come, and so render the glory of it greater than that of the former? Hag. ii. Mal. iii. Of old they unanimously agreed, that he was born whilst the temple stood, or that day that it was destroyed, as Aben Ezra confesseth on Isa. liii. Many stories out of them might be told to this purpose; where he was born, how, and of whom; to whom it was revealed by the p na who saw him, where he was disposed of, where he is; but these being all the fancies of idle curious heads, and unbelieving hearts, which St Paul calls Bions xai yęawòris pvtos, 1 Tim. iv. 7. profane and old wives' fables, we shall not trouble the reader with them. Abarbinel, who in corrupting the prophecies concerning the Messiah, hath a reach beyond his fellows, affirms that Haggai speaks not of the second, but of a third temple to be built under the Messiah; but this is nothing but a bold contradiction of the prophet, who three or four times sig