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 bp 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 βεβηλος και γραώδεις μυθος, 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

nally declares that he spake of that house which was then building, which their eyes saw, and which so many contemned as not to be compared with the former, ch. i. 4. this house, ch. ii. 7. this house, ver. 8. this house, so ver. 18. Others say, that the glory of that house did not consist in the coming of the Messiah unto it, but in its duration and continuance; for it stood ten years longer than the former. But this also is contrary, 1. To the catholic persuasion of their forefathers, Targums, Talmuds, and all ancient doctors. 2. To experience; for what could the miserable languishing of ten years by that house, whilst it was by their own confession a den of thieves, contribute unto it to enable it to vie for glory with that wonder of the world the temple of Solomon, in comparison whereof, their forefathers thought it no more, than some of them of old thought themselves when compared to the sons of Anak. 3. To the truth; affirming that the glory of that house was to consist in the corning of the Lord, whom they sought, the desire of all nations, unto it: all which things are vindicated in our Prolego

mena.

3. Their temple being utterly destroyed, as well as their state, and their Messiah not yet come, what think they of their sacrifices? Danicl tells them that he was to come, and to be cut off, before the ceasing of the daily sacrifices. But they must confess, that all sacrifices are long since utterly ceased; for surely their offering of a cock to the devil on the day of expiation, is no continuance of them. Some say, that the Messiah intended by Daniel, was king Agrippa, whom Vespasian slew at Rome. But this obstinacy is intolerable. That a semi-pagan, as Agrippa was, should be their Messiah, so honourably foretold, is a figment which, whatever they pretend, they themselves believe not. Nor was Agrippa slain, or cut off, but lived in peace to the day of his death. The most of them know not what to say, but only object that the computation of Daniel is dark and obscure, which Christians themselves are not agreed about: concerning which, I must refer the reader to our Prolegomena; as also for the full and large handling of the things here by the way only touched upon."

This makes it evident who the persons were who were spoken to in these last days, ro us, u; that is, to the members of the Judaical church, who lived in the days of the personal ministry of Christ, and afterwards under the preaching of the gospel to that day, ch. ii. 3. The Jews of those days were very apt to think, that if they had lived in the times of the former prophets, and had heard them delivering their message from God, they would have received it with a cheerful obedience; their only unhappiness they thought was, that they were born out of due time as to prophetical revelations. This is intimated of

them, Mat. xxiii. 30. The apostle meeting with this persuasion in them, minds them that in the revelation of the gospel, God had spoken to themselves, the things they so much desired, not questioning but that thereon they should believe and obey. If this word then they attend not unto, they must needs be self-condemned. Again, that care and love which God manifested towards them, in speaking immediately unto them, required the same obedience; especially considering the manner of it, so far excelling that which before he had used towards the fathers; of which afterwards.

And these are two instances of the comparison instituted, relating unto times and persons.

The next difference respects the manner of these several revelations of the will of God, and that in two particulars. For, 1. The former was made oλupięws, by divers parts, one after the other. The branch of the antithesis that should answer hereunto is not expressed, but implied to be, aaž, or sQuñaž, at

once.

Пoλoμegs, by many parts, and so consequently at sundry times. The gradual discovery of the mind and will of God, by the addition of one thing after another, at several seasons, as the church could bear the light of them, and as it was subserving to his main design of reserving all pre-eminence to the Messiah, is that which is intended in this expression. How all this is argumentative to the apostle's purpose, will instantly appear. Take the expression absolutely to denote the whole progress of divine revelation from the beginning of the world, and it compriseth four principal parts or degrees, with those that were subservient unto them.

The first of these was made to Adam, in the promise of the Seed, which was the principle of faith and obedience to the fathers before the flood; and unto this were subservient all the consequent particular revelations made to Seth, Enos, Enoch, Lamech, and others before the flood.

The second to Noah after the flood, in the renewal of the covenant, and establishing of the church in his family, Gen. viii. 21. ch. ix. 9, 10. whereunto were subservient the revelations made to Melchisedec, Gen. xiv. 18. and others before the calling of Abraham.

The third to Abraham in the restriction of the promise to his seed, and fuller illustration of the nature of it, Gen. xii. 1-4. ch. xv. 11, 12. xvii. 1, 2. confirmed in the revelations made to Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 24. Jacob, Gen. xlix. Joseph, Heb. xi. 22. and to others of their posterity.

The fourth to Moses in the giving of the law, and erection of the Judaical church in the wilderness, unto which there were three principal heads of subservient revelations :

1. To David, which was peculiarly designed to perfect the revelation of the will of God concerning the Old Testament worship, in those things that their wilderness condition was not capable of, 1 Chron. xxiii. 25-28. ch. xxviii. 11-19. To him we may join Solomon, with the rest of the prophets of their days.

2. To the prophets, after the division of the kingdom until the captivity, and during the captivity; to whom it was peculiar to be called to plead with the people about their defection by sin and false worship.

3. To Ezra, with the prophets that assisted in the reformation of the church after its return from Babylon, who in an especial manner, excited the people to an expectation of the coming of the Messiah.

These were the principal parts and degrees of the revelation of the will of God from the foundation of the world, until the coming of Christ in his fore-runner John the Baptist. And all this I have fully handled and unfolded in my discourse of the rise, nature, and progress of Scripture divinity or theology.

But as I shewed before, if we attend unto the special intention of the apostle, we must take in the date of these revelations, and begin with that to Moses, adding to it those other subservient ones now mentioned, which were peculiar to the Judaical church, which taught and confirmed the worship that was established amongst them.

This then is that which in this word the apostle minds the Hebrews of; namely, that the will of God concerning his worship and our obedience, was not formerly revealed all at once to his church, by Moses or any other; but by several parts and degrees, by new additions of light, as in his infinite wisdom and care he saw meet. The close and last hand was not to be put unto this work before the coming of the Messiah. He, they all acknowledged, was to reveal the whole counsel of God, John iv. 25. after that his way had been prepared by the coming of Elias, Mal. iv. Until that time they were to attend to the law of Moses, with those expositions of it which they had received, ver. 4, 5. That was the time appointed, jun Ŏnns

, to seal, complete and finish, vision and prophet; as also En Onn, to seal up sin, or as we render it, to make an end of sin, or the controversy about it, which had long been held in agitation by sacrifices, that could never put an end to that quarrel, Heb. x. 1, 2. 14.

Now in this very first word of his epistle, doth the apostle clearly convince the Hebrews of their mistake in their obstinate adherence unto Mosaic institutions. It is as if he had bidden them consider the way whereby God revealed his will to the church hitherto. Hath it not been by parts and degrees?