ment of preserving his family; as Christ was sold and betrayed by Judas, cast into the prison of the grave, but miraculously raised up, to be a Saviour to his family the church; Moses, as a prophet, a lawgiver, and deliverer; Joshua', as giving possession of the promised land; Sampson, in overcoming the enemies of the church, and completing the victory by his death; David, in being both a king and a prophet; Solomon, as a man of peace, and in raising the temple of God, which was a figure of his church; and, lastly, Jonah, in being three days and three nights in the whale's belly, thereby representing Christ's rising from the dead the third day: and however the lives of these persons were obnoxious to some stains and infirmities, yet that can no more hinder them from being representatives of Christ, than the spots on a picture hinder it from containing the delineation of the person for whom it was drawn.

It hath been remarked before, that all immediate revelation from God ceased after the return from the Babylonian captivity, and under the second temple, (except the Bath-Kol, or voice aforementioned, if that were so;) but the time approaching for the appearance of the Messiah, God was pleased to revive his former way of revelation, by an angel to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Christ; and also to the Virgin Mary'.

Second remark. When the time was accomplished that Christ should appear, there was a common and earnest expectation among the Gentiles,

r

P Joshua was a type or representation of Christ, in his name as well as office; hence he is expressly called Jesus, Heb. iv. 8. scil. Jehoshua sive Joshua, et Jesus, a verbo Heb. Jashang. q Luke i. r Suetonius, 1. ii. in Augusto, c. 94. Tacit. Hist. 1. v. c. 13. Pluribus persuasio inerat, antiquis sacerdotum literis contineri, eo ipso tempore fore, ut valesceret oriens, profectique Judæa rerum potirentur. Et Suetonius, 1. viii. in Vespasiano, c. 4. Percrebuerat oriente toto, vetus et constans opinio, esse in

S

as well as the Jews, through great part of the eastern country, of some great prince who should arise out of Judea, and obtain the universal dominion. Hence the wise men, or astronomers, among the Gentiles, who lived eastward from Judea, having most probably heard of such an expectation; and likewise observed a strange extraordinary star, concluded, according to the common notion among the Gentiles, that it portended the birth of such a great king; and therefore they went to Jerusalem, the metropolis of Judea, to adore him, being directed to the place where he was, by the same star, (probably by a ray darted from the star, or the star appearing in the lower region of the air, and so low as to point out the house.) They might also have some revelation concerning the appearance of this star, or at least be illuminated or incited by the divine Spirit, as well as they were afterwards warned of God in a dream not to return to Herod".

Further, from this general expectancy it was that King Herod was so troubled at the report of those wise men, and ordered the slaughter of the children in and about Bethlehem, hoping to destroy him*.

The expectancy above mentioned, of the birth of some great king at that time, might be in part occasioned by the heathen oracles (as the devils themselves were forced to acknowledge Christ to be the Son of God',) but chiefly by the Jews, being dispersed all over the east, and their having filled all that part of the world with the fame of what they

fatis ut eo tempore, Judæa profecti rerum potirentur. Upon which Casaubon remarks, that much the same words being used by both the historians, they recite the very words of the oracle. Virg. Ecce Dionæi processit Cæsaris astrum, vid. Grot. in Matt. ii. 2. t Matt. ii. u Verse 12. Chrysostom thought it some invisible or divine power in the shape of a star, According to what is above z Matt. viii. 29.

in Matt. ii. 1. * Matt. ii.

cited out of Tacitus and Suetonius.

then looked for; viz. the appearance of the Messiah; since the prophet Daniel, as hath been shewn, had foretold when the Messiah should appear, and they knew that the time prefixed by that prophet was then expired; and Josephus assures us, that this expectancy of one that should be emperor of the world (the Messiah) was at this time so earnest, that it was one chief cause of the Jews rebelling against the Romans. It was also the cause of divers impostors about that time, who pretended to be the Messiah, and of so many Jews being seduced by them, which we do not find happened before this age of the world; no doubt, because they apprehended the time which Daniel prefixed was not expired till then. It was upon the account of this expectancy that Simeon is said to be waiting for the consolation of Israel, that is, the coming of the Messiah. For the same reason many went out to John the Baptist, when he published the kingdom of heaven, that is, the kingdom of the Messiah, is at hand: and when John had many disciples and followers, the people mused in their hearts, whether he, himself, was the Christ, the Messiah, or not, viz. whom they then expected; being taught by their doctors, or rabbies, so to understand the prophet Daniel before mentioned, and other prophecies of him, as that he was even then to appear. And because it was the custom to strew clothes and branches in the way, in honour of great

a

Concerning the signification of the term Messiah, see what has been said on the third chapter of Genesis, Part I. b Wars, book vii. chap. 12. at the end, Gr. 1. vi. c. 5. Ita et Suetonius, 1. viii. c. 4. in Vespas. (post antea citata verba, esse in fatis ut eo tempore, Judæa profecti rerum potirentur) id, de imperatore Romano prædictum, Judæi ad se trahentes, rebellarunt. c Acts

v. 36, 37. d Of these false Christs, see Bishop Kidder's Demonstration of the Messiah, part iii. c. 10. and Dr. Whitby on Matt. xxiv. 5. e Luke ii. 25, 38. f Matt. iii. 8 Luke h See also Luke vii. 16, 17, 18, 19. John i. 41. and

iii. 15.

vi. 14, 15.

kings; and also, at the feast of Tabernacles, to carry branches, and sing hosannahs, (the sense of which word is an abbreviation of this sentence, save, or prosper us, we pray ;) therefore many of the Jews, supposing Jesus to be the expected Messiah, and that he proceeded from David, spread their garments, and strewed branches, and cried, Hosannah! that is, save now, this we pray for the Son of David, or, according to the Jewish construction, all prosperity be to the Son of David.

But herein was their mistake; they expected he should appear as a temporal king, who should conquer the Romans, and obtain the command of the whole world, and set them up to be the lords thereof, under him; whereby they should enjoy peace and quiet, and all temporal felicities and delights, and that in their own land; being taught so to understand the prophecies of the Messiah, in a literal sense1

One of the ancient Christian apologists gives this account of their mistake; viz. that whereas two advents of the Messiah were to be expected; the first in a state of humiliation, at his first appearance in the world; the second, by a manifestation of divine glory and power, at the last day especially; by not understanding the first, they fixed wholly on the

k Matt. xxi. 8, 9. Hosannah pro Hosiah, na. Read Casaubon exercit. 16. anni 34. num. 5. and consult Robertsoni Thesau rum, sub voce Jashang, (v) p. 373. Like the Roman acclamation, Patri Patriæ. Supple. Salutem precamur. ! Such as Dan. vii. 13, 14, 18, 27. To the Son of man was given dominion, and the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever. And to the same purpose, Dan. ii. 44. Ezek. xxxvii. 25. Josephus, Wars, book vii. chap. 12, at the end. Just. Martyr. Trypho. p. 90. edit. Jebb. 1719. Lightf. Hor. in Joh. vi. 31. Hieronym. in Mic. v. 8. and in Isa. vi. 1, &c. Maimon. de Pœnitentia, cap. ix. §. 4. p. 98. edit. Oxon. et in porta Mosis, p. 158, &c. edit. Oxon. 1655. And their posterity still expect it. Buxtorf. Synag, c. 50.

second, imagining no other appearance of Christ, but in majesty and splendour. And in this sense, it is said", They thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. So also the Apostles themselves conceived, before they were more enlightened with the divine Spirit; and therefore they asked Christ when he was risen from the dead, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? According to this common notion among the Jews, Cleophas said of Christ, We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel, that is, from their subjection under the Romans, and should have made them kings and princes; whereas his kingdom, or regal dignity and power, was not of this world, viz. not such as they expected; neither was it to come with observation, with that royal splendour and grandeur as they pretended, so as to be rendered conspicuous in the eye of the world, whereby men might say one to another, lo it is here, or lo it is there: but Christ's kingdom was a spiritual kingdom on earth, not to be established with armies, but by a more divine and invisible way, by his word and holy Spirit; yet so as that his dominion and power were far above all earthly kings; viz. over devils and evil spirits, to cast them out, to cure diseases, and to rule in the hearts of men, to subdue their passions and affections, to keep down the power of sin, to break through the bars of the grave, and to bring all his subjects to an everlasting kingdom in heaven; but then, as for his outward appearance, it was to be in much humility and meanness, and suffering; he was to have no such outward form or comeliness, as they pretended, but was to be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, to be wounded for our trans

m Tertull. Apolog. cap. xxi. " Luke xix. 11. Luke xxiv. 21. 9 Luke xvii. 20, 21.

• Acts i. 6.