upon those words Gen. 39.10 He hearken'd not unto her to lie by her or to be with her He would not lie with her in this World lest he should suffer with her in the next Now because these Actions depended upon both their Free-wills therefore one deserves Eternal Praise and Glory and the other Everlasting Disgrace and Ruine If we allow any such thing as Rewards and Punishments we must necessarily admit of Free-will Wherefore God always supports and helps those Persons that mind their Duty and are industrious but disregards the Lazy and Slothful SECT 10. As to the third thing I am to prove Maimonides affirms that if men's Sins are very heinous and notorious there is no room for Repentance and in confirmation of his Opinion he us'd to alledge that of Isaiah 6.10 and 2 Chron. 36.16 So that according to him God harden'd the Heart of Pharaoh for his Sins Exod. 14.4 Likewise Sihon and Og King of Basan were so wicked that their Repentance could not avert their Punishment Agreeable to this Opinion it is that God sometimes takes away Free-will from Sinners Certain it is that God deprives Men of their Estates Honours Life and Liberty for their Iniquities The Ancients too were of this Mind But what we read in Tanhuma is worth our Observation Three things says the Author God has put into our Power viz. our Hands Feet and Mouth and there are three things which are not in our Power viz. our Eyes Ears and Nose for we see hear and smell many things that are offensive to us God oftentimes debars us the use of those things which are in our Power by reason of our Sins Thus God wither'd the Hand of Jeroboam which he reach'd out to seize the Prophet and made Balaam bless the Israelites whom he design'd to curse Therefore it is evident that God very often obstructs Men's Actions and can abridge their Power Hence Abravanel confesses that when God intends to reward or punish any Person nothing can prevent it An instance of this he says we have in the Infatuation of Achitophel because God was resolv'd to punish Absolom To this belong the words of Jerem. 10.23 2 Sam. 17.14 Isa 14.27 Isaac Arama is of opinion that Repentance is never too late For says he it is always acceptable to God But he affirms that for the Murder of our Neighbour Repentance is ineffectual and therefore we can't escape Punishment for that If I may have leave to declare my Judgment in this Case I do firmly believe that God never forces or takes away the use of our Free-will but always mercifully disposes the means as they are more or less agreeable to our inclinations like the primum mobile which carries round the inferiour Orbs yet every one of them hath a distinct Motion I shall illustrate my meaning by this Example God design'd that the Israelites should continue in the Egyptian Bondage so many Years and that Joseph should be advanc'd above all his Brethren Now God compell'd no body to accomplish this Design but he only so order'd the means that Joseph might be sold to the Midianitish Merchants and then this way he might come into Egypt In like manner God intended to display the miraculous Signs of his Power among the Egyptians but how by hardening Pharaoh's Heart so that he should have no use of his Free-will No but by so contriving it that the King might have occasion by the free Use or rather the Abuse of his Will of hardening his Heart Thus when he saw his own Magicians work the same Miracles which Moses's did he disregarded them He perceiv'd that the Plagues could be easily remov'd and so was not much concern'd at them but obstinately refus'd to dismiss the People till he was surpriz'd with the Slaughter of his Son and all the First-born of his Subjects Thus we must understand that God harden'd the Hearts of Sihon and Og the King of Basan For the Israelites had sent Messengers to the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites to request a Passage through the Borders of their Country but being deny'd they went another way Now Sihon and Og expected that they would do the same to them but when they saw they would not they took up Arms and stiffly oppos'd their Passage but unhappily for they were presently conquer'd Here God only gave an opportunity to their perverseness but did not in the least force their Wills that he might punish them God also determin'd to divide Solomon's Kingdom but which way did he effect it not by compelling Rehoboam but by giving occasion that by the Advice of his young Counsellours by whom he was directed he might refuse to lessen the People's Taxes and so Abijah's Prophecy was fulfill'd Thus I think all the Places where God seems to deprive Man of his Free-will that he may punish him may be explain'd For as Princes know how wisely and prudently to manage their Affairs that they may obtain their Designs So does God who is the King of Heaven and Earth in like manner dispose all things without impairing our Free-wills that he may effect his Resolutions that he may mercifully recompence some and justly punish others To this belong the words of Solomon Prov. 21.1 The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the Rivers of Water he inclineth it whithersoever he will He does not say he forceth but inclineth and this is all that I propos'd to prove SECT 11. There still remains one difficult and intricate Question which I will endeavour to solve and it is this How can Man's Free-will and God's Fore-knowledge be reconcil'd together This seem'd inexplicable to Cajetan very crabbed to Vasquez and the Jews unanimously confess that it is very abstruse Hence Maimonides says that God's Knowledge is not an Accident as Man's is but is the very Essence of God Wherefore as Men can't comprehend the Essence of God according to that in Exod. 33.20 There shall no man see me and live So neither can they apprehend how God fore-knows things Isaiah 55.8 It is evident says the same Author that Men have Free-will and no Body doubts but God knew all things from Eternity but it is still a Question how God knows things and yet Man have the Liberty of his Will For to enquire which way God knows things is as much as to desire the Knowledge of God himself both which cannot be attain'd in this Life To this belongs the Answer of Bias who was ask'd how God was acquainted with humane Affairs and Actions It is certain says he there is a God whose Providence is over all and it is likewise certain that we have a Free-will but how God knows our Actions is easie to conjecture but difficult to explain R. Abraham Bar David a Rival of Malmonides says that Maimonides indeed did propose the Question but did not answer it and therefore he had better have let it alone Wherefore this Rabbi offering his Opinion to explain the manner of God's Prescience
is so too The time of our Birth is doubtless uncertain for though the Talmudick Doctors do averr That the Foetus's of dumb Animals are form'd within a limitted time yet they do not own the same of young Children They make the time of Parturition threefold one at the ninth Month which is common and usual and this they will have meant by the word Conception which in the Hebrew contains the number 271 for there are so many days in nine Months The second time that a Woman is with Child is seven Months hence in the Jerusalem Targum upon these words Gen. 3.16 I will greatly multiply thy Sorrow and thy Conception c. the Commentators say That the word in multiplying according to the numerical Letters of the Hebrew makes up 212 days which are equivalent to seven Months agreeably to this the Philosophers Empedocles Plotinus and Macrobius say That a Child can't live that is born before the seventh Month. Some of the Rabbins are of an Opinion that every one of the seven Planets performs an Office in the Production of Children The third time of Parturition is extended to the 12th Month. Agellius B. 3. chap. 16. reports that a Woman was brought to Bed at Rome the 11th Month after her Husband's Decease The Emperor Adrian by the Consent of Physicians and Philosophers maintains that this thing is possible Bernard mentions a Woman which is scarce credible that was 16 Months with Child Thus we see that it is ordinary for Women to be with Child nine Months yet extraordinarily they may be Deliver'd before or after that time so the ordinary Term of Man's Life is 70 years yet very sew live so long Therefore the Term of our Life is not so precisely Fix'd but it may be chang'd SECT 2. Man's Life may be shortne'd several ways viz. by Divine Providence Chance or Nature These three Causes I put instead of the three fatal Sisters to whom the Heathens ascrib'd the Boundaries of Life Thus a Man's Life is shortn'd by Providence for Example when a Man is cut off from the People which Punishment the Scripture makes mention of and by which the Cabbalists Aramban and Isaac Abravanel affirm a Man's Life is taken away in the midst of his days and the Soul after its Separation from the Body is depriv'd of the sight of God Hence it is manifest that our Life may be shortn'd by Sin and prolong'd by Vertue But I shall Illustrate this Argument by some Examples The Rabbins say That Abraham liv'd 175 years which are five less than his Son Isaac because he should not see the Impiety of his Kinsman Esau Rachel also did not live out her days For that which proceeds out of a righteous Man's mouth is the same as if it came out of an Angels Jacob not knowing that she had stolen her Fathers Idols curs'd her saying With whom soever thou sindest thy Gods let him not live Gen. 31.32 So they say though Joseph liv'd 110 years yet he died before all his Brethren because he had exercis'd a great deal of Severity towards them Abijah is said to be slain by the Lord for the Sin by which he polluted himself saying Ye be a great multitude and there are with you Golden Calves which Jerobeam made you for Gods 2 Chron. 13.8 With this agrees what Isaiah says Chap. 6.5 Wee is me for I am undone because I am a Man of unclean Lips and an Angel came and touched his Lips with which he had offended with a Coal There are more clear Examples beside these in Saul and his Sons which the Scripture expresses after this manner 1 Chron. 10.13 14. So Saul died for his Transgression which he committed against the Lord even against the word of the Lord which he kept not God smote Nabal with a sudden Death 1 Sam. 25.38 And it came to pass about ten days after that the Lord smote Nabal that he died Here the Jewish Doctors note that those were the ten days which are between the beginning of the Year and the Day of Expiation which we call penitential days because every one ought then to Examine his Life and consider what he has said or done amiss Jeremiah foretold the Death of Hananiah the false Prophet Chap. 28.16 This year shalt thou die because thou hast taught Rebellion against the Lord. But what shall we say of that vast multitude which perish'd in the Deluge of those that were consum'd in Sodom and Gomorrah of Korah Dathan and Abiram and their wicked Accomplices whom the Earth swallow'd up alive Of that grievous Plague which swept away so many Israelites in David's time Is it not manifest enough that their Lives were shorten'd by Divine Providence Pertinent to this are the words of David Psal 37.22 Such as be blessed of him shall inherit the Earth And they that be cursed of him shall be cut off and of Jeremiah Chap. 17.11 He that getteth Riches and not by Right shall leave them in the midst of his days which R. Kimchi expounding says He shall die before his time Job says Chap. 36.12 If they obey not they shall perish by the Sword And Solomon Eccl. 8.13 It shall not be well with the wicked neither shall he prolong his days Chap. 7.17 Be not overmuch wicked neither be thou foolish Why shouldst thou die before thy time Upon which places the Chaldee Paraphrast says They shall shorten their days because they shall die before their time comes to die Because God us'd to punish Sinners with untimely Death therefore David prays Psal 102.24 That God would not take him away in the midst of his days The Cabbalists upon that place of the Proverbs Chap. 13.23 There is that is destroyed for want of Judgment say That it is certain that Men often die before their time Hither may be referr'd those Persons that are punish'd for their Crimes as Joab Shimei and many more Concerning these Solomon observes Prov. 19.16 He that despiseth his ways shall die upon which words the Learned Aben Ezra comments Before his time because the Council shall put him to Death SECT 3. There is another way likewise by which Life may be shorten'd and that is by Chance or Fortune For this Reason R. Judah Levita upon those wards of Samuel Or he shall descend into the Battel and perish c. says That is an accidental Death And R. Joseph Albo affirms that it signifies a Death that happens by Chance and without any antecedent Offence and merely by the Power of a Celestial Sign But that I may explain this thing more clearly I shall shew what the Jews meant by Chance and Fortune And in the first place they usually distinguish between Fortune and Chance The latter of which they attribute to inanimate and insensible Creatures For instance if Tyles fall from a House when the Wind blows and kill a Man Here we have two things 1. A natural Cause for it is natural for the Wind to blow 2. That which may be
ways before them which did not happen under the second Temple for then they were strong and valiant but under the first Hence Isaiah lamenting the great weakness of the People says Chap. 22.3 All that are found in thee are bound together which have fled from far As to what relates to the other Curses the Jews were sadly sensible of their Events in the first Calamities that fell upon them as in the Captivity of Reuben Gad half the Tribe of Manasseh and in other Captivities of the Tribe of Judah Then was fulfill'd that Curse v. 30. Thou shalt betroth a Wife and another Man shall lie with her But when it is said v. 36. The Lord shall bring thee and thy King which thou shalt set over thee unto a Nation which neither thou nor thy Fathers have known and there shalt thou serve other Gods Wood and Stone no doubt but this must be understood of Zedekiah and Jehoiakim who were Captives in Babylonia which was a Land unknown to them and where they worship'd Idols And tho' after the Conquest of the Holy Land a remnant of the People was left yet it is said concerning them v. 38. Thou shalt carry much seed cut into the Field and shalt gather but little in c. v. 43. The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high which must be understood of the Samaritans who the King of Assyria drove out of Samaria and the adjacent places Because Moses here leaves off speaking of the Destruction of the first Temple he subjoyns the Cause of so great an Evil v. 47. Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God c. so much for the first part of the Chapter The 2d part begins thus The Lord shall bring a Nation against thee from far from the end of the Earth as swift as the Eagle flyeth a Nation whose Tongue thou shalt not understand a Nation of fierce Countenance c. It is observable that the word Nation is here thrice mention'd for three times Jerusalem felt the Power of the Romans when they bore an Eagle for their Ensign First when the Romans desir'd the assistance of Hyrcanus and Aristobulus the Sons of Alexander against Pompey Afterwards when Sosius succor'd Herod against Antigonus the Son of Aristobulus Lastly when the City was besieg'd and together with the Temple utterly destroy'd by Vespasian and his Son Titus Wherefore when Moses says A Nation shall come from far it must be understood of Rome and from the end of the Earth it must be understood of those Nations which Vespasian sent for to assist him out of England France Spain and other parts of the World In these Wars all the Evils and Calamities that were foretold happen'd to the Jews 1. Famine v. 53. 2dly Great Distress v. 5 7. 3dly Plagues v. 59. 4ly a vast Diminution of the People v. 62. 5ly a Desolation v. 63. To which may be added the 6th Evil a Forgetfulness of their Religion v. 64. which is chiefly come to pass in this present Captivity by Reason of the sad Calamities which the Jews undergo in France England and Spain Lastly he says v. 68. The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships Though Vespasian banish'd the Jews into several Countries yet Egypt only is nam'd to their Disgrace as if he would say ye shall be carried Captive into that Land out of which ye came with Triumph Here Moses makes an end of the Curses of the People but returns to them at the 39th Chapter Afterwards at the 30th Chapter he Comforts them with the hopes of Blessings and a return from the utmost parts of the Earth v. 4. In this all the Prophets imitate Moses who after a Repetition of a Catalogue of afflictions that shall come upon them subjoyn some consolatory Hopes upon which Account the Talmudists report That R. Aquiba laught at the Destruction of the Temple when all the rest of the wise Men lamented And being ask'd the Reason of it he answer'd After a Storm comes a Calm when these Evils are over we may expect some good for God as certainly brings one as the other 4. That came to pass which God foretold to Moses Deut. 31.16 5. God foretold that the Song which Moses was to speak to them should not be forgotten Deut. 31.21 And this has been verified in their Posterity to this day SECT 4. We read in the Scripture of many things that came to pass which were foretold several years before 1. In Joshua 6.26 which happen'd many years after in the Reign of Ahab 1 King 16.34 In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho he laid the Foundation thereof in Abiram his first born and set up the gates in his youngest Son Segub 2. The building of a Temple in Egypt was foretold 600 years before it was begun This Prophecy was fulfill'd in the time of Onias the High-Priest who having obtain'd leave of Ptolemy and Cleopatra erected a Temple at a place call'd Bubastus F. Josephus in his Antiq. of the Jews B. 13. c. 6. thus relates the words of Onias May it please your Majesties to grant me the favour to purifie that Temple which is Dedicated to no Deity and is fallen down and to build another in its place to the most high God in the same form and bigness of that which is at Jerusalem where we shall pray for the safety of you and your Children that the Jews who live in Egypt and resorting thither for their own Convenience may be more useful to you For Isaiah the Prophet foretold that there should be an Altar to the Lord in the midst of the Land of Egypt Chap. 19.19 In this Circumstance our Rabbins agree with Josephus for they refer these words to this Temple But in Seder Olam they are of a contrary Opinion there they say That after the Victory which God gave them over the Assyrians great part of them that were left were carried Captive to Jerusalem by Hezekiah Now these Forces Sennacherib had levy'd out of Aethiopia and Egypt Hence it came to pass that these Men being convinc'd by the Greatness of the Miracle embrac'd the Jewish Religion and returning into their own Countrey erected an Altar to the Honour and Glory of God And when Friendship and Commerce began to increase among them and the Jews they by degrees acquir'd the knowledge of our Language according to that of Isaiah Chap. 19.18 In that day shall five Cities in the Land of Egypt speak the Language of Canaan Thus this Prophecy was plainly fulfill'd 3. Long before the Restoration of the Jews and the building of the second Temple by the Command of Cyrus King of the Persians it was thus foretold of this Cyrus Isaiah 44.28 That saith of Cyrus he is my Shepherd and shall perform all my Pleasure even saying to Jerusalem thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy Foundation shall be laid he says to the Temple Thou shalt be founded not thou shalt be built The
see that the Trade of Lisbon has mightily decay'd since the Jews were banish'd from thence 7. So Ezekiel in Chap. 36.13 seems to foretell that Calumny which was fasten'd upon some of the Jews that they Sacrificed Children and then drank their Blood But this slander is not unlike that which the Gentiles cast upon the Christians of their eating Infants and drinking Men's Blood as is plain in Tertullian's Apology Pineda's Eccl. Hist B. 11. c. 32. and Justin Martyr who for this Reason wrote an Apology for the Christians to Antoninus Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea B. 5. c. 1. also relates that some People in France us'd to asperse the Christians for eating Man's flesh But thus it is Ambitious and envious Men are easily provok'd to slander Therefore let John Langius in the 71st Epist of his first B. say what he pleases But I solemnly protest before the God of Israel the Maker of Heaven and Earth in whose Presence I stand that the Jews are so far from Sacrificing Children or eating Men's Flesh and drinking their Blood that they have no Sacrifices at all and utterly abhor the use of any Blood Though indeed the Law of God does not prohibit abstinence from all kind of Blood but only that of Beasts and Birds yet in obedience to the Doctrine of the Rabbins they even abstain from that of Fish Nay if they perceive the least Particle of Blood in an Egg they throw it away And if while they are eating discern the least Drop of Blood on their Meat or Bread which may proceed from the Tenderness of their Gums they will not touch it any more till it is cleans'd or rather they fling it away How is it probable then that they would drink the Blood of Men when they can't endure any Blood in their Victuals 8. That prediction was verified which is spoken of in Hosea c. 3.4 For the Children of Israel shall abide many days without a King and without a Prince and without a Sacrifice c. And this seems to be their condition at present and because this was to continue many days therefore Zion says The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me Isa 49.14 Thus David also sadly complains of this thing to God Psal 89.20 to the End 9. The Prophet Amos foretells the miserable Captivity of the Jews under Titus Chap. 1.9 This prediction is meant of those who escaping the Hands of Titus and flying by Palaestine and the Borders of Tyrus were apprehended by the Tyrians and sent back to Edom i. e. to Titus and his Army They forgetting the Covenant which their Fathers had made with the Israelites whom they call'd Brethren as is express'd in 1 Kings 9.13 What Cities are these which thou hast given me my Brother 10. Jonas said Ch. 3.4 Yet forty days and Nineveh shall he destroyed This Prophecy also had its Event for it was conditional viz. unless it would repent Now their Repentance was the Cause of God's altering his Sentence and averting that Destruction which he threatned 11. Haggai the Prophet says Ch. 2.9 The Glory of this latter House shall be greater than of the former saith the Lord of Hosts and in this place will I give Peace Some understand by the latter House a third Temple which the Jews expect For they think if the Prophet had meant Esdras's Temple he would have said the Second not the Latter because by saying the Latter he implies a Middle one Another reason of their Opinion is because it is said In this place will I give peace Now say they under the Second there were a great many Wars Others understand it of the second Temple among whom are R. David Kimchi and most of the Antients For this seem'd to excell the former First in respect of Duration because that lasted but 410 and this 420 Years 2ly in respect of the great Esteem it was in among Foreign Princes Lastly upon the Account of the great Presents that they made to it For Darius and Artaxerxes generously bestow'd several Gifts towards building the Temple and Divine Sacrifices Alexander the Great highly reverenc'd the Chief Priest and desir'd that he would offer Sacrifices to God for him No body can be ignorant of Ptolemy Philadelphus's Bounty towards it Antiochus King of Greece by a publick Edict forbad all Strangers to enter the Temple and prophane that Place which the Jews had consecrated for the Service of their Religion the same was done by Demetrius To this we may refer what was urg'd among many other things by a Jewish Priest in defence of his Cause at the time when the Jews and the Samaritans disputed before Alexander the Great about the Honour and Dignity of the Temple says he This Temple has been much reverenc'd by all the Kings of Asia who have bestow'd upon it many noble Donatives We read in F. Josephus contr Appion that Ptolemy Evergetes after his Conquest of Syria offer'd Sacrifices at Jerusalem after the Jewish manner to the true God and not to Idols Pompey the Great did not dare to touch much less to rifle the Treasury of the Temple It was a Mistake of Cicero's in his Orat pro Plan. and St. Augustin's too to say that he did not do it because he would not be thought too ambitious I am sure this Reason is too absurd for he might have done it if he pleased by the Law of Arms. But the true Cause of his forbearance was the mighty veneration which he had entertain'd for the Temple Philo the Jew out of a Letter of Agrippa's to the Emperour Caius reports these things Caesar Aug. out of respect to the Temple commanded that a Sacrifice should be offer'd every day out of his own Revenue And Julia Augusta his Consort bestow'd several magnificent Gifts upon it It was also much oblig'd to the Generosity of Cleopatra Queen of Egypt Tiberius every Year of his Reign commanded that a Sacrifice should be offer'd to God out of his Tribute and so did Nero. But when Eleazar very imprudently refus'd to admit of Nero's Sacrifice the Emperour chang'd his mind and grievously persecuted the Jews I shall not make mention of those who seeing the Religion of the Jews were converted to the Worship of the true God It is very remarkable that all the time that Herod was building the Temple it did not rain which was done no doubt for the greater Honour of it All that I have said here was to shew that the Prophecy of Haggai is to be understood of the Second Temple SECT 6. There are other Prophecies likewise which were exacily fullfill'd 1. Daniel not only foretold the four Monarchies which should Rule over Jerusalem but he express'd the very Qualities and Nature of them For one part of that Image that was represented to him compounded of four several Metals which was Gold denoted the Kingdom of Babylon and that exceeded all the rest in Power That part which was Silver signified the Kingdom of the Medes but this was