then was that in this new Creation in the land of Ephraim not the male or man onely but the mighty male that Geber of whom Gedeon and Sampson were but types and shadowes was to be inclosed in the female or weaker sexe as the first woman or female was in the first male As she was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones so was this Geber to be of that females flesh and bones which was to inclose him And this was a worke of Gods Creation a new Creation far surpassing the first Creation wherein the woman was made of man For in this new Creation the Geber the sonne of God himselfe was to be made man of a woman And it is not unworthy the observant Readers consideration that when the Lord doth as it were wooe Ephraim or Israel to returne againe unto their owne Land or to him he doth not intreat them as a husband doth his wife but as a loving Father doth his prodigall son or roaming daughter as ver 20. Is Ephraim my deare sonne Is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Set thee up way markes make thee high heaps set thine heart towards he high way even the may which thou wentest Turne againe O Virgin Israel turne againe to the sethy Citties how long wilt thou goe about ô thou backsliding Daughter for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth or in thy Land the woman shall incompasse the man 11 Divers places there be in the new TestameÌ„t which touch not upon any article in this Creede which have tortured many good Interpreters no lesse then some vulgar Interpreters have tortured them I shall at this time instance onely in two First in that of S. Matthew 23. 34 35 36. Behold I send unto you Prophets and wise men c. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias sonne of Barachias whom yee slew betweene the Temple and the Altar verely I say unto you all those things shall come upon this generation The reason why most Interpreters of S. Matthew have wandered as men overtaken with a thicke mist upon a wilde heath or forrest was because they did not consult the Index Mercurialis which S. Luke from the words expressely uttered by our Saviour had set up for their better direction For whereas S. Matthew expresseth the Epiphonema or conclusion of our Saviours speech thus All these things shall come upon this generation S. Luke cap. 11. expresseth it Verily I say unto you it shall be required of this generation What was to be required of this generation The blood of all the Prophets froÌ„ Abel to Zacharias Zacharias his blood in particular For though this present generation by not repenting for their forefathers sinnes had made themselves guilty of the blood of all the Prophets which stood upon sacred Record from Abels time unto the destruction of the Temple yet Abel and Zacharias the high Priest whose death was in many respects most prodigious were the especiall avengers of blood For the blood of the one after he was dead and the dying voice of the other did cry to God for vengeance For so it is recorded in the second of Cron. 24. 22. of Zacharias When he dyed he said The Lord looke upon it and require it Now our Saviour in the words recorded by S. Luke forewarnes this impenitently stubborne generation that Zacharias his dying curse which had been through his mediatioÌ„ often deferred and often mitigated should be executed upon them as an ungodly race of ungodly Ancestors in a fuller measure then perhaps Zacharias intended The exact parallel betweene the sinnes of this people in the dayes of Ioash King of Judah who caused Zacharias to be stoned to death in the Temple and the sinnes of this present generation who put the High Priest of their soules the Lord of Glory himselfe to an ignominious death in what sense the blood of Zacharias was more required of this generation then the blood of our Saviour or of his Apostles in what manner the death of Zacharias and of our Saviour were the causes of this present generations destruction I have elsewhere discussed at large and if God permit meane shortly to publish amongst other meditations upoÌ„ our Saviours propheticall function or of such prophecies wherin he spake as never man spake which were not to be fulfilled in himselfe as in his death resurrection and ascension or comming to judgement For all prophecies of this ranke which shall come unto my memory or observation will have their fit place in these Commentaries 12 So will not that speech of his Mat. 24. 28. Wheresoever the Carkerse is there will the Eagles be gathered together Yet seeing the exposition of this place hath beene omitted in the explication of some prophecies with which it hath most affinity as with the signes of his comming to Judgement Math. 24. and Marke the 13. I have thought good to say somewhat of it in this place Most Interpreters grant the speech to be proverbiall and yet as uttered by our Saviour to be a Prophecie The mysterie foretold most of the Ancients would have to be the gathering together of Saints unto Christs body at the finall judgement or at least the gathering together of those bodies which being alive shall be raught up into the ayre to meete him at his comming But however the Eagles at least some kinde of Eagles may be fit Emblemes of Gods Saints yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the body or Carkeise whereto the Eagles resort hath no handsome or comely resemblance of Christs appearing in glory although it were granted that his wounds or skarres should then be conspicuous I make no question but our Saviour in the forecited place did meane that kinde of Eagles whose properties we have described by God himselfe even by this our Lord God and Redeemer Ioh. 39. 27. Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command and make her nest on high she dwelleth and abideth on the Rocke upon the Crag of the Rocke and the strong place from thence she sâ—â—keth the prey and her eyes behold a farre off her yâ—â—â—g ones also suck up blood and where the slaine is chere is shee The Eagle here displayed is either the Vulture or of the Vultures kind and their sagacitie whether in smelling slaine bodies a farre off or in presaging where great slaughters are like to happen as also their swift resort unto the prey is well knowne to secular Philologers But the flocking together of this kinde of Eagles doth rather menace destruction then minister any matter of comfort according to the literall sense either of proverbiall speech or of prophecy So the Prophet Habakuk doth character the fierce and swift incursion of the Caldaeans by this kinde of Eagles hastening
us of Ecce vetera praeterierunt nova facta sunt omnia He concludes CHAP. 9. Answering the objections against the former resolutions that God did deale better with Israel then with other nations although it were granted that other Nations had as perspicuous predictions of Christ and of his Kingdome as the Israelites had BUt if wee acknowledge the Revelation of these and the like divine mysteries unto the heathen to have beene so perspicuous as the Sibylline Oracles whether those which now are extant or those which Virgil did comment upon doe exhibit shall wee not hereby contradict the Psalmists avouchment of Gods speciall favour to his peculiar people Psalme 147. 19 20. Hee sheweth his words unto Iacob his Statutes and his Iudgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation and as for his judgements they have not knowne them For how can it rightly be conceived that hee should deale better with Jacob or Israel then with any other people if it bee granted that the Romanes or other Nations which were if not by Gods command yet by his permission depositories of the Sibylline Oracles had in them as perspicuous testimonies or revelations of Christ as Jacob and Israel had either in the Law or in the Prophets Most certaine it is that the measure of Gods gracious dealing with any Nation people or State must be taken from the severall manner or model of Revelations made unto them concerning the incarnation death passion c. of his only sonne for whose only sake and merits all the blessings which have beene which are or which shall be bestowed upō the sons of men were first promised or intended unto them in whom all that have any promise of such blessing receive their interest and immediate title unto them by whom and through whom all caelestiall blessings are actually derived unto and accomplished in all such as having just title make right claime unto them 2. The Psalmist himselfe from whose authority this objection is borowed affords a faire hint for a right answer unto it Hee doth not say that God sheweth his word unto Jacob alone or that no other Nation besides Israel had any knowledge of his word or prenotion of the word which was to be made flesh Wherein then did he deale better with Israel then with any other Nation In shewing his statutes and judgements unto that Nation alone For albeit the Revelations made unto the Sibylls if now wee had the undoubted originalls might be more perspicuous than any prophecy in the old Testament or admitting they had been delivered in the selfe-same words which God did speak to Moses and the Prophets this would not inferre that the ancient Heathens had as good meanes of knowing Christ as Israel had or that the manner of shewing his words unto both was as the words are supposed to bee altogether the same The statutes and judgements which he had given unto Israel only were given unto this purpose that the words which he had spoken by Moses and the Prophets might make more legible impression in their hearts Amongst many statutes and judgements peculiar unto Israel these were principall and fundamentall that the words which God had spoken by Moses and the Prophets should bee publiquely read often inculcated and expounded unto them that all his visitations of this people whether in mercy whilest they obeyed his voice or in judgement for their disobedience should be registred to remaine upon record as so many ruled cases or Presidents 3. To have the mysteries of salvation however revealed is a great blessing to any Nation But it is not one and the same blessing to have the wayes of life perspicuous in themselves and to have them made perspicuous unto this or that age or party This later blessing even those to whom these Sibylline Oracles were imparted did want And want it they did through their owne default in that they made no better use of these particular prophecies then they had done of the common booke of nature Rom. 1. 20 21. The Lord of heaven and earth was good and gratious unto many Heathens in dispensing or suffering these or the like Crummes to fall unto them from his childrens table yet not so gratious to them as he was to his children in that hee gave them no lawes and ordinances for the publication of these mysteries or for observing the times wherein they were to be fulfilled Nor had these Heathens the grace or goodnesse in them to enact publique Lawes for this purpose but like that ungracious servant in the Gospell they held it a point of wisdome to imprison these pretious talents in their Archives not to be looked upon but upon occasion of state 4. But suppose the Heathens had beene as peremptorily admonished by God himselfe or as strictly enjoyned by Lawes of their owne making to acquaint posterity with the Sibylline Oracles as the Israelites were to instruct their children in Gods word delivered by Moses would this have made the meaning of these prophecies in themselves as is supposed most perspicuous either more perspicuous or more effectuall to succeeding generations then they were God knowes that But the dayly experience of this age of this yeare current and of some few late past will not suffer us not to know that abundant plenty either of spirituall food or of medicines in themselves most divine though dayly administred doth not alwaies de facto purifie the hearts of Christians from Heathenish humours or diseases What then is wanting where spirituall meate and medicines doe so abound A want there is first of severe discipline to teach Physitians themselves how to dispence the food or Physick of life aright Secondly a greater want there is of coercive Lawes or of the execution of them for binding our patients to a right posture or diet whilest they are under our cure The lowd out-crying sinnes of these times awake the thoughts of all that are not dead in sinne and the oftner it is thought upon the more it will be lamented by every honest heart That God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost that Christ who is God and man our gracious Lord and Redeemer should be more traduced and more grosly mistransformed through liberty of prophecying as they terme it amongst us Christians then they have beene in any age before amongst Turks or Heathens which have died in their sinnes for want of prophecying But as for Israel of old they wanted no lawes or discipline for these or the like good purposes and prophecies they had in abundance Onely they were wanting to themselves in not exercising the Discipline in not executing the lawes which God had given them And unto this defect they added an excesse of traditions contrary to the lawes appointed them by God and extreamely opposite to wholsome discipline or doctrine 5. But such Iewish traditions as were contrarie to the Law of God how prejudiciall soever they were unto their soules which first invented or followed them doe not
to be their enemie and he fought against them And so it is said that he was grieved forty yeares with that generation which he had delivered out of Egypt And both places were they to be limited only with reference to times past could not be meant of God otherwise then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in a metaphoricall sense But as well that complaint of the Psalmist as this of the Prophet Esay were not meerely historicall but propheticall both to be fulfilled after a more exquisite sense in later ages For all Gods mercies and loving kindnesse to their Fathers were but as pledges or talents given by way of earnest for greater goodnesse and more tender mercies towards later generations so they would be thankfull for the former God whilest he was onely in the forme of God could not in strict proprietie of speech be troubled could not be grieved with compassion could not be wearied All those are passions or accidentall affections incident only to flesh and bloud or at least to natures subject to servitude and punishment But of God in our nature and forme of a servant all these patheticall complaints were most exactly accomplished Who was weake amongst his people and he not weakned by their weakenesse who amongst them did mourne and he not mourne with them who was afflicted in body or soule and he not partaker of their afflictions Of all those duties of Christian charitie or fellow-feeling of others infirmities practised by his Apostles and commended to us by them he by his practise and conversation set the most exquisite patterne more exquisite then any who was but man could have set For he was a man of sorrowes and infirmities to beare all our grievances He cured no bodily infirmitie though he cured many whose griefe untill the cure was wrought he did not suffer by exact and perfect sympathy And only by the anguish of his soule and spirit not Israel alone but all people throughout the world whoever found or hope to finde any must find rest and comfort to their soules and consciences Yet all this the wicked posterity of that wicked generation whose ingratitude towards the God of their Fathers did minister both matter of complaint and of prophecy to the Prophet Esay and the Psalmist no way regarded but requited all the paines trouble and affliction which he had undertaken for their poore brethrens bodily good and the comfort of all their soules with superaddition of those deadly griefes and sorowes which by the Romans help they brought upon him This God of Israel in former times had fought for them and had conducted them in the form of an Angell Ioshuah himselfe being but his deputy or under Cōmander But now that they have thus ungratefully requited him for all his loving kindnesse towards their Fathers whilst he was onely in the forme of God or did appeare in the garb or figure not in the substance of an Angell and for all the troubles and grievances undertaken by him for their good whilest he was in the substance of man and forme of a servant he at length became their Enemie and fought against them For as Visitors though farre absent do yet visite by their Commissaries so this God of Israell that Jesus whom the Jews had crucified being made King of Kings and Lord of Lords did judge Ierusalem and the Nation of the Iews by Vespasian and Titus as by his deputies It was he not they that in that great warre did overcome them As they had grieved him more then their Forefathers had done with whom he was grieved forty yeares in the wildernesse so they did remaine in the Land of their promised rest but forty yeares after his death and so they remained in farre worse case then their forefathers had done in the wildernesse and their posterity since have wandred throughout the world as unwelcome guests for almost these sixteene hundred yeares CHAP. 23. That God was to visite his Temple after such a visible and personall manner as the Prophet Ieremy in his name had done THe moderne Iew cannot deny that of the Prophet Ieremy chap. 7. ver 3 4. c. to be meant of God alone nor is he able to shew us how it was or could be otherwise fulfilled then of God incarnate or of God in the visible nature and substance of man-comming to visite his Temple Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel Amend your waies and your doings and I will cause you to dwell in this place Trust yee not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these And againe ver 8. Behold yee trust in lying words that cannot profit Will yee steale murther and commit adultery and sweare falsly and burne incense unto Baal and walk after other gods whom yee know not and come and stand before me in this house which is called by my name and say We are delivered to doe all these abominations Is this house which is called by my name become a denne of Robbers in your eyes Behold even I have seen it saith the Lord. To have denyed that God at this time did truly heare what this people said did truely see what they did did perfectly understand their secret thoughts had beene an errour much grosser and more dangerous then the errour of the Anthropomorphitae that is of such as imagined God by nature to have eyes eares and heart like man For that was but an heresie or transformation of the Deity the other was Epicurisme the worst and grossest errour wherewith the very heathen or Infidels were possest And so the Psalmist describeth it Psal 94. 7. Yet they say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Iacob regard it Vnderstand yee brutish among the people and yee fooles when will yee be wise He that planted the eare shall he not heare he that formed the eye shall he not see c. 2. Sight and hearing were in those times as truly attributed to God as now they can be yet in a generall or transcendent not so exquisite so proper and formall a sense as the patheticall expression which the Prophet there used doth literally imply Behold even I have seene it saith the Lord. For certainely that implies a great deale more then by ordinary Catechismes or domestique instructions they could have learned thus much at the least that the Lord God himselfe who sent the Prophet to deliver this message The Lord God of Israel who neither slumbreth nor sleepeth would watch his oportunity unlesse they did amend these misdemenors to visit them and his temple not by a Prophet or deputed Commissary but in person and after as evident and visible a manner to flesh and blood as the Prophet had done but with farre greater power The Prophet had only meere spirituall power to protest against them no coërcive authority to punish the delinquents or to banish these abuses out of the Temple This case was