God's name for ever And what more could be said in the assertive sence of our high Priest Or what argument can there be drawne from sacred authority that the Priesthood of Aaron should not be that the Priesthood of the sonne of David should be everlasting and unchangeable The only sure ground of this inference is that mentioned by our Apostle because Aaron and his sonnes were made Priests were destinated and authorized to their function without an Oath whereas the sonne of David was destinated and assigned to his Priesthood after the order of Melchisedech by solemne Oath interposed by him that said Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech which words are three or foure times reiterated in this Chapter The contents or importances of the Oath are most divinely expressed by the Apostle from v. 23. to the end of the Chapter And they truly were many Priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death but this man or rather this Priest because he continueth for ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing hee ever liveth to make intercession for them for such an high Priest became us who is holy harmlesse undefiled separate from sinnes and higher then the heavens who needeth not dayly as those high Priests to offer up sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the peoples for this he did once when hee offered up himselfe For the Law maketh men high Priests which have infirmitie but the word of the Oath which was since the Law maketh the Sonne who is Consecrated for evermore Christ the sonne of David was a mortall man before hee was consecrated to be an immortall Priest for his very death was a part of his Consecration And after the accomplishment of his Consecration the Priesthood of Aaron became void as being never confirmed by Oath For all things not so confirmed are at the best but commensurable to time or succession and time it selfe shall be abolished by oath Rev. 10. 6. Iuravit per viventem tempus non fore amplius That opinion of some heathen Philosophers as of Hierocles concerning the endlesse succession of time or perpetuall continuance of all things according to the course of nature which now they hold is probable did take its originall from a mistake or misapplication of the tradition or prenotion concerning the stabilitie or everlasting condition of things confirmed by Oath He with some others apply this undoubted rule unto things temporall or to this present world which holds true only of the world to come SECT 4. By what Persons and in what manner the Consecration of Iesus Christ the Son of God to his Priesthood was prefigured CHAP. 21. That Iesus or Iehoshua the sonne of Nun Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel and Iesus the sonne of Iehosadeck were speciall Types of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God respectively as he was to be made and now is both King and Prâ—est SOme good Historians have observed that many famous Kingdomes have been ruinated or extinguished under Princes of the same name with those that first did erect or advance them Darius the first King of that name in Persia made his Country famous and the Persians Lords of the best part of the inhabited world Another Darius makes Alexander famous by his mighty overthrow and raiseth up the Monarchy of Macedon by the fall of the Persian Augustus was the second great Caesar and the first perpetuall Roman Emperour and in Augustulus the very â—â—le of Emperour did die not so much as a shadow of the Roman Empire remained after him Constantine the great did first erect the Easterne Empire and founded the City of Constantinople the first of all Emperours that did publikely defend the Christian faith Another Constantine was the last Emperour of Constantinople leaving the Empire to the disposall of the Turke Baldwin Compeere of Godfrey of Bulloigne in the conquest of the Holy land and after his death created King of Ierusalem established this new King dome in peace which hee had wonne by warre Another of the same name and race leaves the Holy land it selfe for a prey unto the superstitious Mahumetan not repossest since his death by any Christian Prince 2 Nor doe humane stories only though many besides these alleadged might be produced afford us instances or observations in this ranke The visible Kingdome or Common-wealth of Israel taking Israel for the whole race of Iacob was first establish't and setled in peace by Hosea the son of Nun whom Moses upon fore-sight of this his good successe in planting the people of God in the land of their promised rest named Iehoshua that is to say a Savior In the dayes of Hosea the son of Elah did Israel as opposed unto the Kingdome of David that is tenne Tribes of twelve utterly cease to be a Nation Both King and people were led captives by Shalmanezar King of Assyria The Kingdome likewise or Common-wealth of Iudah did finally expire and determine under Iesus the sonne of David but altogether through this peoples fault hee never ceast to be a Saviour a greater Saviour of his people then Iesus the sonne of Nun had beene for hee was Salus ipsa Salvation it selfe But his people was become so wicked that salvation it selfe could not save them or preserve their common-wealth from ruine Howbeit to speake the truth this Iesus our Lord and Saviour did rather translate the Kindome of Iudah and David from earth to heaven then suffer it utterly to perish He still remaines a King and of his Kingdome there shall be no end though his Kingdome be not of this world nor over Israel or Iacob according to the flesh yet hee still ruleth in Iacob unto the ends of the world and so shall rule world without end This translation of the Kingdome of Iudah and David from earth to heaven or this new erection of this heavenly Kingdome by Iesus Christ our Savior was prefigured by onother Iesus as lively a Type or shadow of Christ as Iesus the sonne of Nun had been 3 For after Iudah through her riot and intemperancy had procured her bane as her sister Samaria had done and was carried for dead out of the dwellings wherein Iesus the sonne of Nun had first seated her the Lord in his all-foreseeing providence and in signe what was after to be accomplished and fulfilled concerning the Kingdome of David would have another Iesus the sonne of Iehosedeck to let Iudah after her recovery from captivity or civill death on her feet againe So it is specified 2. Esdras 3. Zach. 3. Haggai 2. that at this peoples returne from Babylon into their land Ieshua or Iesus the sonne of Iehosedeck was their high Priest and herein a Type of Christ as hee is our high Priest and Saviour Zerubbabel a Prince of the Tribe of Iudah and one of David's Line under whose conduct this people
ceremonies and chang'd into the Lords day And the Lords day besides the representation of God's rest from his workes of creation upon the Seventh day containes a weekly commemoration of our Redemption from the bondage of finne and powers of darknesse represented by the thraldome of Israel in Egypt through the Resurrection of our Lord and Redeemer Againe no solemnity in all the sacred Calender of legall foasts was more peremptorily enjoyned or strictly observed then the feast of Expiation or Attonement yet was not this anniveriary feast so properly abolished as accomplished or advanced by that one everlasting attonement made once for all by the Sonne of God upon the Crosse For albeit that attonement in respect of the sacrifice or offring was but once made yet the vertue or efficacy of it is not circumscriptible by time nor interruptible by any moment or instant of time Though hee dyed but once to make satisfaction for us yet he liveth for ever to make intercession for us and is a perpetuall propitiation for the sinnes which we dayly and hourely commit and for his sake and through his propitiation all our sinnes who truly beleeve in him and supplicate unto him for his intercession shall be not in generall only but in particular freely pardoned Not doth the absolute everlasting perfection of this attonement any way prohibite us Christians to keepe a solemne commemoration of the day whereon it was made once for all But whether this commemoration were ordained or observed by the Apostles themselves or taken up by voluntary tacite consent of the Church after the Apostles had finished their pilgrimage here on earth I dare not take upon mee to determine But whether from this or that authority or example most Christians are ready to humble themselves on the Friday before Easter acknowledge it to be a good day because it is the Commemoration of our Saviour's Passion and attonement made by it And albeit this humiliation were much more ritually and severely observed by all of us then it is by some few we should not transgresse any Law of God nor swerve from the analogie of Christian faith but rather accomplish the true intent and purport of the Law given by Moses for the strict observation of the day of legall Attonement The humbling of our selves upon that day by fasting and Prayer is a like common and lawfull both to the Iew and Christian and the representation or Commemoration of Christ's bloody Death upon that day by Communication of his Body and Blood under the sacramentall signes and pledges is rather an accomplishment then an abolishment of the legall sacrifices or other ceremonies of the Priest's entring into the Sanctum Sanctorum upon the tenth day of the month Tisri A commemoration of which day the moderne Iewes to this day celebrate with foolish and phantasticke ceremonies as by tormenting of a cock especially a white one Yet these phantasticke practices serve as an imprese or embleme of that sacred truth which wee Christians beleeve and acknowledge as hath beene observed at large in the fift Book of Commentaries upon the Creed Chap. 4◠Parag. 2. 3. 4 May wee Christians then call the Friday be fore Easter our day of Attonement or the Dominicall next after it the great Sabbath For assoiling this or the like Querie about the use of words especially such as are legall I know no fitter distinction then that plaine maxime of the Schooles Omne maius continet in se suum minus non formaliter tamen sed eminenter Every greater containeth the lesse of the same kind not formally but by way of eminencie It were no branch of untruth to say that a quadrangle is two and that a five-angled figure is three triangles yet would it be a solecisme to say the one were three triangles and the other two triangles If wee should be directly demanded what manner of figure this or that were the only true and punctuall answer must be that the one is formally a quadrangle the other a quinqangle To deny any King of England for the time being to be Duke of Lancaster would be censured for more then an errour or Logicall untruth for since the annexion of that great Dukedome to the Crowne every King of England hath had as just and full a Title to it as to the Kingdome it selse or ancient Crown-lands And yet if a Lawyer or other skilfull in drawing legall instruments should in those very Charters or donations which the royall power grants not as King of England but as he is Duke of Lancaster enstile him only thus H. by the grace of God Duke of Lancaster c. doe give and grant to N. omitting his royall Titles it would be a dangerous solecisme in Law Now the legall titles or names of feasts or of the services are so contained in the Evangelicall services and solemnities as two triangles are in a quadrangle or as Duke of Lancaster is in the royall Title of King of England It is no sinne to say that the Friday before Easter is the day of our Attonement or that the first day of the weeke on which Christ rose from the dead is the Christian Sabbath but the more Evangelicall or royall Style is to nominate the one the Lords day rather then the Sabbath and the other rather Good-Friday or feria quinta in hebdomade sancta that is the fift day besides the precedent dominicall in the holy weeke then the day of our Attonement The like may be said of all other Christian festivals instituted as solemne commemorations in testimony of the accomplishment of the legall rites or services by the suffrings Resurrection and other glorious actions of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ To conclude this short digression with Erasmus his resolution of a question lesse needfull then the former yet agitated by some as it seemes in his dayes or before him Non hic agitab◠quaestionem An in Christum competat servi vocabulum qui favent ejus dignitati malunt filium dici quam servum quirespiciunt ejus humilitatem ad mortem usque obedientiam non horrent servi vocabulum Filii nomine magis gaudent sacrae literae ipse dominus patrem saepius appellat quam Dominum aut Deum suum tamen Paulus scribit illi susceptam formam servi hoc est hominis ut interpretantur quidam nec servi modo verùm etiam servi mali verberibus digni quemadmodum dictus est eidem venisse in similitudine carnis peccati Sed absit hac de re inter conservos contentio qui servum appellare gaudent imitentur illius obedientiam quibus magis arridet filii nomen imitentur illius charitatem qui utrolibet nomine agnoscunt Dominum Iesum utrumque pro viribus exprimant In rebus enim spiritualibus nihil vetat eundem nunc servum nunc filium appellari Erasmus in Psal 85. ver 2. 5 But seeing wee Christians affirme that our high Priest did
A TREATISE OF THE CONSECRATION OF THE SONNE OF God to his everlasting PRIESTHOOD AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENT of it by his glorious Resurrection and Ascention BEING THE NINTH BOOK of Commentaries upon the Apostles CREED CONTINVED BY THOMAS IACKSON Doctor in Divinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his MAIESTY and President of C. C. C. in OXFORD OXFORD Printed by LEONARD LICHFIELD printer to the Famous Vniversity AN. DOM. 1638. TO THE ROYALL Ma tie OF OVR MOST GRACIOVS AND PIOVS SOVERAIGNE CHARLES KING OF GREAT BRITAINE c. Most gracious Soveraigne THE only ends or scopes at which my desires in the first draught of this long worke of comments upō the Apostles Creed did ayme were first and principally the glory of God which is the supreme Cause of causes the maine End of all other ends intended by good men or Angels The second subordinate to this was to give satisfaction to my longing desires of discharging my duty to the Church my Mother by doing her such service as I was able in setting forth the true worship of God and in maintaining the faith professed by her The third subordinate to the second but principally to the first was to give an accompt unto my middle age how I had spent my youth and to leave a Constat unto my old age at which by Gods good providence beyond my hope or expectation I am now arrived that I had not altogether spent my best daies in a drowsie sleepe or which is worse in waking dreames or wandring projects after pleasure riches ambitious hopes or private ends But being first called unto Your Majesties service in my declining yeares I tooke the boldnesse upon me about some five yeares agoe in supplement of my weake performances in my Ordinary attendance to dedicate these three Bookes concerning the knowledge of Iesus Christ of him crucified unto Your Highnesse these being to mine owne apprehension the best fruites of my best and flourishing yeares The matter or subject of them will not I take it be denied by any to be the fittest Theme for the meditations of all good Christians according to their severall capacities And no subject under heaven can be either more profitable or more delightfull for contemplative or stronger wits to worke upon unto whom especially unto such of them as have better meanes or abilities then God hitherto hath blessed me withall I leave to amend or finish what I have long agoe begun thus far prosecuted Ful time it is for me but no time I hope as yet overpast to consecrate the rest of my labours unto death-bed-learning and devotions which is the best service that can be expected from me at these yeares and which the elder I grow the better able I trust I shall be to performe as having by long experience found my selfe to bee then the strongest in this kinde of exercise of minde and spirit when I am in greatest weakenesse of body Now of these my devotions and daily prayers unto God a great part must be consecrated to this end that he would vouchsafe to continue his gracious favours and mercies towards your Royall person and that the Crownes of these Kingdomes whereof you are next and immediatly under him and his Christ the supreame Lord and governour may long flourish upon your own head the heads of your Posteritie that after this life ended he may invest you with a Crowne of endlesse glory Your Ma ties most humbly devoted Servant and Chaplaine THOMAS IACKSON To the Christian Reader IT was in my thoughts when this Coppy of my meditations upon the consecratiō of the Son of God to his everlasting Priest-hood was first licenced for the Presse to have annexed unto it one or two Sermons or short Treatises of the like argument But being called from my studies by urgent occasions before the impression of this 9 th Book of Commentaries upon the Creed was neare finished I am constrained to publish it in a lesser volume then I first intended it though I take it in as many lines or more words then either of the two former Bookes upon the same argument to wit the knowledge of Christ and of him crucified doe containe The matter is not great and so much the lesse because I have ready in adversariis divers Sermons or short Treatises as appendices or appertinences to all these three Books respectively to another intitled Christs answer to Iohns disciples or an Introduction to the knowledge of Christ c. to be published as soone as God shall be pleased to grant me ability and opportunity Other three Bookes I have in like readinesse for the Presse to wit the 10 th Book of Comments upon the Creede or a treatise of the naturall mans servitude to sinne and of that poore remnant of Free-will which is left in the Sonnes of Adam before they be regenerated in Christ by the spirit together with directions for the right use or imployment of Free-will after our Baptisme for the accomplishment or rather for performance of the conditions on our parts required that mortification may be accomplished in us by the spirit of God The next of the three Bookes promised is the 11 th Booke of these Commentaries containing a treatise upon the Articles of Christs comming to judgement of the Resurrection of the dead of the Life everlasting which is the finall setence which at his comming to Iudgement shall passe upon all men as well upon them which have bin long dead as those that shall be found alive at his comming The last Booke of these Comments containes the second part of a treatise heretofore begun and in part published concerning the Articles of the holy Catholique Church of the Communion of Saints and the Forgivenesse of sinnes What I here promise or may occasion the Readers especially young students in divinity to expect shall by Gods assistance be shortly or in good time performed either by myselfe or by my Executors unto whose disposalls I am not likely to leave much scarce any thing else besides Books and Papers Thine ever in Christ Iesu THOMAS IACKSON A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPALL Arguments of the severall Sections and Chapters contained in this BOOKE SECTION I. OF Consecration and of the Qualifications of those that were to be consecrated high Priests CHAP. 1. Of the true value or signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or of being made perfect Pag. 3. 2. Of the separation of the high Priest from men and of the compassionate temper which was the speciall Qualification of every high Priest Heb. 5. v. 2. Pag. 7. 3. What were those strong cryes which the Sonne of God did utter in the dayes of his flesh how farre his prayers were heard and from what death and danger he was delivered Heb. 5. v. 7. Pag. 11. 4. The Consecration of the Sonne of God was not finisht immediately after his Agony in the Garden nor was he then or at the time of his sufferings upon the Cross◠an 〈…〉 or
returned safe from Babylon was the type of Christ as King In respect of their deliverance from Babel or safe conduct in the way Zerubbabel had the precedency of Iesus the high Priest as Moses had the precedency of Iesus the sonne of Nun in respect of the peoples deliverance from Egypt But as Iesus the sonne of Nun was God's principall instrument in planting this people in the land of promise so Iesus the high Priest the sonne of Iehosadeck is the principall Saviour of this people after their safe returne from Babel into their native land the principall type or shadow of Iesus Christ our Saviour as he is consecrated by God to be the Author of everlasting salvation Zerubbabel the chiefe Prince of Iudah and Iesus the sonne of Iehosadech the high Priest and for his time the sole successor of Aaron in his office joyne both together the one a lively type of Christ Iesus the sonne of David as he was King the other a lively Type of Christ Iesus as hee was ordained to be our high Priest in the building of the materiall Altar which was to be erected unto the Lord in the City of Ierusalem after their returne from Babylon But whether of these two to wit Zerubbabel the sonne of David or Iesus the sonne of Iehosedech Aaron's successor had precedency in this great worke of erecting the Altar unto God the first worke of difficulty or moment to be undertaken by God's Servants upon their returne unto Ierusalem the City of God were hard to determine by any rule of sacred heraldry Ezra the scribe and sacred historian of this businesse gives Iesus the Sonne of Iehosedeck the precedency in stile Ezra 3. 2. Then stood up leshua the son of Iozadak and his brethren the Priests and Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel and his brethren and builded the Altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offrings thereon as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God But in the second of Haggai verse 4. Zerubbabel the sonne of David hath the like precedency of stile Now be strong ô Zerubbabel saith the Lord and be strong ô Ieshua the sonne of Iosedech the high Priest and be strong all yee people of the land saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of hoasts 4 Yet that Iesus the Sonne of Iosedech was the more illustrious and principall Type of Iesus Christ our Saviour and Redeemer as he is the builder and founder of God's spirituall Temple Gods holy Catholique Church is most apparent from the prophecies of Zachary a Prophet in those times extraordinarily rais'd up by God to encourage lesus the high Priest and his fellow-Priests to goe forward in building the materiall Temple in Ierusalem specially if we compare Zachary the third and part of Zachary the sixt with the Prophecies of Ieremy Chap. 23. verse 33. To begin with Zachary Chap. 3. Iesus the Sonne of Iosedesk by progeny the sonne of Aaron is solemnly enthronized as deputy or Proxie for the sonne of David the promised and long-expected high Priest after the order of Melchisedech This story or true legend of the installment or enthronization of Iesus the Sonne of Iosedech as in the right and interest of Iesus Christ the Sole Founder and Builder of the holy Catholique Church whereof the visible and materiall Temple of Ierusalem was but a type or shadow is very remarkably set out unto us as in a Map Zach. 3. The whole Chapter as also the 2. Chap. from the 6. verse unto the end is worth our perusall as most pertinent to this argument First Sathan that is the adversary of Iesus the high Priest waxed bold to resist him in the building of the materiall Temple being encouraged thereunto partly because the remnant of ludah then returning from captivity was but as a brand pluck't out of the fire the light whereof in the eyes of Sathan their adversary might easily have been extinguished unlesse the Lord had rebuked Sathan as the Lord there by his Angell doth and his rebuke was an Authentique prohibition Secondly Sathan was the bolder to resist this worke because Iesus the high Priest appointed by God and encouraged by his Prophets for accomplishing of it was for his bodily presence but weake and would quickely have beene daunted by his potent adversary unlesse the Lord by his Angell had rebuked and prohibited him Thus Sathan himselfe in person resisted our Lord and Saviour after his baptisme when hee first begun to lay the foundation of his Church and to erect the Kingdome of God being thereto emboldened by the weaknesse of his bodily presence and appearance in the fashion of man and forme of a servant untill the Lord himselfe rebuked him as the Angell in the name of the Lord did the adversary of of Ieshua saying avoid Sathan for 't is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve And upon this rebuke Sathan immediately left him and the Angels came and ministred unto him Math. 4. This is the Evangelicall accomplishment of the vision which Zachary saw as in the type or map Zach. 3. v. 1. 2. But here it will bee demanded whether the verses following v. 3. 4. which were literally historically meant of Iesus the Son of Iehosedech can be applied to Iesus our high Priest either according to the literall or mysticall sense Iesus saith the Text was cloathed with filthy garments and stood before the Angel and hee answered and spake unto those that stood before him saying take away the filthy garments from him and unto him he said Behold I have caused thine iniquity to passe from thee and I will cloath thee with change of rayment v. 4. Iesus his outward habit or rayment was sordid and unsightly Qualem decet exulis esse Such as well became a man as yet retainer to the house of mourning not fully absolved from the house of his prison or not yet admitted unto the house of his freedome 5 This Iesus in this habit was a true picture of Iesus our high Priest whilst hee continued in the forme and conditiion of a servant or whilst arraigned before the high Priests or Pontius Pilat and although in this estate he knew no sin yet as the Apostle saith 2. Cor. Chap. 5. v. last He was made sinne for us that we might be made the rigteousnesse of God in him Hee is said to be made sinne for us because hee bare the punishment due to our sinnes And this sinne or iniquity God did truly cause to passe from him because our sinnes were never inherent in him but made his by imputation only The punishment likewise due unto our sinnes did passe from him at his departure out of this world unto his Father The new rayments wherewith Iesus the high Priest was cloathed are emblemes or shadowes of that glory and immortality wherewith Iesus our high Priest since his Resurrection is invested The faire Mitre which was put upon Iesus
sting or teeth upon the Godhead as he did But whilst he sought to swallow the bait of his flesh hee hath lost his sting hee hath broken his teeth and spoiled his jawes by medling with the Godhead 3 But more plainely by much was our Saviour's Resurrection and victory over death fore-pictured by Isaac's narrowescape from death Gen. 22. 9. The Altar was built on purpose for him the wood was couched and Isaac fast bound upon it the knife was in his Father's hand whose arm was stretched forth to strike him But God by his Angell and a voice from heaven delivers him from this imminent danger as it is v. 11. 12. This only Son of Abraham this child of promise the only hope or pledge of that promised seede which was expected from the beginning was to come thus neere unto death and yet to be delivered from it that the faith of Abraham concerning the Death and Resurrection of Christ the promised seed might be tried or rather that by his triall our Saviour's Death and Resurrection might be truly represented or fore-pictured by Isaac's danger and delivery So saith the Apostle Heb. 11. 17. 18. 19. By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten Sonne of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure to wit of the Reâ—urrection of Christ or the promised seed 4 The later part of this promise belongs meerly and properly unto Christ in whom alone it could be fulfilled For the more in number Abraham's children according to the flesh were before the promised seed did come and the greater their temporall prosperity or happinesse were the worse it must needs goe with other Nations or kindreds of the earth If the Messias or promised seed should have erected such a temporall Kingdome here on earth as the Iewes expected the Nations of the earth could not have beene blessed in him as God promised by Oath to Abraham for it is no part of happinesse but rather misery to have the Iewes or seed of Abraham according to the flesh for their Lords and Masters 5 Notwithstanding the former promise was in part fulfilled in the mighty increase of Abraham's posterity by Sarah this was a pledge of the later part which was to be fulfilled in Christ Through faith saith the Apostle Sarah received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of acâ—ild when shee was past age because shee judged him faithfull who had promised Therefore sprang there even of one and him as good as dead so many as the starres of the â—kie in multitude and as the sand which is by the Sea shore innumerable Heb. 11. v. 11. 12. 6 It was one of the great wonders of the world that from a woman that had been barrentill after fourscore yeares of age there should proceed above six hundred thousand men within lesse theÌ„ four hundred yeares Thâ—miracle notwithstanding had been lesse if her children had been more but she brought forth no more sonnes then Isaac and this mighty Nation did spring from Iacob who was but one branch of Isaac â— Sarah was as good as dead when she conceived Isaac and Isaac himself was at death's doore before he gave life to others So powerfull is God to raise strength out of weaknesse and to make the barren a fruitfull Mother of many children How beit this wonderfull increase of Sarah's or Isaac's posterity was but a shadow a draught or mappe of that great miracle which was to be exhibited in the promised seed More admirable it was that the blessed Virgin should beare a Sonne then that Sarah should conceive More strange and miraculous that Christ being put to death should become the Father of more people then Isaac had beene Yet this wee see hath God performed For since his Resurrection hee hath begotten more sonnes to God throughout the Nations then all the children of Abraham or Isaac according to the flesh 7 This miraculous birth of the Church and this mighty increase of her children the Lord did as it were point out to future ages in the fore-mentioned increase of Sarah's posterity that the world might know the body or substance when it should appeare by the picture which hee had made of it And that Abraham's posteritie according to the flesh might stedfastly believe the spirituall promise by the temporall pledge Of which pledge every one of them was a part 8 To this end and purpose saith God himselfe by his Prophet Esay Chap. 51. v. 12. He or ken to mee yee that follow after righteousnesse yee that seeke the Lord Looke unto the Rock whence yee are hewen and to the hole of the pit whence yee are digged Looke unto Abraham your Father and to Sarah that bare you for I called him alone and blessed him and in creased him 9 It was more remarkably true of us Chrstians whether the poore remnant of the sonnes of Abraham according to the flesh which were converted or of us Gentiles the seed of Iaphet then it was of the Israelites which were borne in Egypt Wee were not the greatest but the least of all people or Nations It was not our owne wit or strength made us so great a Nation as we are But the Lord our God which loved Abraham loved us in Christ and bestowed the blessing of Isaac in fuller measure upon us It was his power his love and wisdome that did thus multiply and increase us The Rock whence we were hewen and the hole of the pit whence we were digged was our Saviour's grave After his death saith the Evangelist S. Luke Chap. 23. v. 52. 53. Ioseph of Ariâ—â—t 〈…〉 t to Pilat and begged the body of Iesus and tooke it downe and wrapped it in linnen and laid it in a Sepulchre that was hewen in stone wherein man never before was laid 10 This Rock was the quarrie out of which the whole Church of God which is now spread farre and wide over the face of the whole earth was digged Our Saviour's Resurrection from the dead was the first opening of it And by vertue of his Resurrection such as were dead in sinnes and trespasses such as without it should have consumed to dust in the grave are become living stones even Pillars in the house of God Abraham's children according to proâ—â—se for out of stones hath God raised up children ante Abraham 11 This Application of the Type is warranted by the Prophet Esay Chap. 53. v. 8. Hee was taken from prison and from judgment and who shall declare his generation What generation did the Prophet meaneâ— The eternall generation of the son of God So indeed some of the ancients have interpreted this place and too many moderne interpreters have herein followed them But this were to runne-counter upon the Text. No print or footstep of the Prophet's progresse in this
and Embassadours not to the end of the earth but to the ends of the World 4 Some of the Ancients and among the rest S. Austin if my memory faile not thinke they have found out S. Paul charactered in the fore cited prophecy there was litle Beniamin their Ruler c. And assuredly 't was not a matter of meere chance or fancy that this great Apostle of the Gentiles should have his name changed from Saul unto Paul a name borrowed as some thinke from Sergius Paulus and Paulus in the Latine signifies a litle one And this was a name better be fitting this great Apostles disposition after his calling then the name of Saul which was the name of the first King of Israel and one of the greatest of his Tribe That Saul was litle in his owne eyes before hee was King but great after whereas this Apostle Paul was litle in his owne eyes but great in the eyes of the Lord after hee was made Ruler of the people but to wave this conjecture of the Ancients and not to dispute the reason why Beniamin should be called litle by David in that Catalogue wherein hee had the precedency in order of Iudah most other passages throughout this 68. Psal from the 19. ver are eminently propheticall Blessed be the Lord who dayly loadeth us with benefits even the God of our salvation Hee that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues of death ver 19. 20. These are characters of God incarnate or made man or of the man Christ Iesus made salvation it selfe and of this Iesus raised from death for from this title the issues of death or deliverance from it belong to him as his peculiar More apparently are those passages ver 31. c. literally meant at least exactly fulfilled of Iesus Christ after his Resurrection and Ascension to his holy hill or heavenly Sanctuary Princes shall come out of Egypt Ethiopia shall soone stretch out her hands unto God Sing unto God O yee Kingdomes of the earth O sing praises unto the Lord. To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens which were of old Loe he doth send out his voice and that a mighty voice Ascribe yee strength unto God his excellency is over Israel and his strength is in the Clouds O God thou art terrible out of thy places the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people Bbessed be God ver 31. 32. c. 5 As for the prayer conceived first by Moses afterwards assumed by David after the removall of the Arke Let God arise let his enemies be scattered let them also that hate him flee before him and all those menaces of fearefull judgments upon God's enemies pronounced by David in this Psalme as appendices to it these were never so exactly fulfil'd either of the Cananites Moabites Philistims or other enemies of Israel whiles the materiall Arke did remove from place to place or setled in Ierusalem as they have been of the seed of Abraham and of Iacob since their God did arise from death in our nature which he consecrated to be the true and living Arke of God Nor can the truth of God's promises unto Abraham David or their seed no not according to the literall sense of the prophecies which concerne them be any way impeached by taking his punishing hand from their heads and laying it more heavily upon his sometimes-chosen people For seeing they became the sworne enemies of the God of their Fathers revealed in the Arke of his flesh the fore-mentioned prayer or imprecation of Moses and David was more literally and punctually directed against them then against Aâ—â—alek Moab Ammon c. For these whether we take them jointly or severally were no greater enemies of God then other heathen Nations were save only in this that they were greater enemies to his Chosen people the seed of Iacob by reason of their vicinity as bordering upon their costs which alwaies nurseth quarrels betweene Nations dis-united in soveraignty or forme of government whereas the Iewish seed of Abraham which had been sometimes God's Elect people without occasion given became the immediate enemies of their God and for his sake more bloody persecutors of the Gentiles yea of their owne brethren according to the flesh after they with the Gentiles had become his Chosen people Now Moses his prayer or David's imprecation did not aime at the persons of men of what Nation soever but at their malicious qualifications or enmities against God whether direct or indirect so that since the seed of Abraham became the enemies of God and his Christ they may be more truly said to have dashed against the Psalmists or Moses curse then it to have falled upon or overtaken them and yet for all this as wee learne from S. Paul Rom. 11. that other prayer of Moses when the Arke rested shall beare date againe shall be fulfilled for the good of these yet cast-awaies When the Ark rested Moses said returnè O God to the many thousands of Israel Numb 10. 36. This strange devolution of God's mercies and judgments from one people to another making the down-fall of one Nation to be the advancement of another to his free grace and mercy not the points of Election and reprobation as there hath been a mist cast upon them by unskilful Controversers whereas S. Paul had left them cleare enough was that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whose deeper consideration did extort that patheticall ejaculation from him O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God how unsearehable are his Iudgments and his waies past finding out c. CHAP. 38. That the manner of our Saviours Ascension was more clearly fore seen by Daniel then by David and most exactly fore-shadowed by matters of fact in Mosaicall and other sacred histories A parallel betweene SaloÌ„mon's Consecration of the Temple and our Saviour's Consecration or sanctisying of himselfe and his heavenly Sanctuary WHether David did distinctly apprehend the manner of our Saviour's Ascension and propagation of his dominion over all things in heaven and earth both which he did fore-tell and fore-shadow by matter of fact and service done to the Arke or whether he did at all fore-guesse or suspect the turning of God's heavy hand upon his seed and Iacob's seed according to the flesh is a point not altogether out of question were it fit to be inquired into But as hath been observed heretofore our beliefe or right apprehension of the truth of divine mysteries doth not depend upon their knowledge or appehension which did fore-tell or relate their prefigurations but on the contrivance of divine â—inerting all-seeing providence by whose inspiration and secret instinct both the Prophets and Evangelists did both speake and write But be the former doubt concerning David's apprehension of these mysteries waved or determined as it may be this wee know and may resolve whatsoever in the former Psalme was fore-told or