PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Works of John Owen — Volume 18
John Owen · 300,763 words · 293 reading sections
Section 181
2. In the first place, we may wholly lay aside the consideration of ? See for the division to which this numeral belongs, page 8316.—Ep, 334 COMPUTATION OF DANIEL’S WEEKS. _—_[EXERC. XV. them who would date the weeks from any time whatever before the first year of the reign and first decree of Cyrus. Among these are…
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And herein I shall not scrupulously bind myself unto days, or months, or seasons of the year, in any single account, but only con- sider the full and round number of years, which in such computa- tions, according to the custom of holy writ, is to be observed. And indeed, what through the silence, what through the disag…
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VOL. XVIII. 22 338 COMPUTATION OF DANIEL’S WEEKS. [EXERC. XV. ninety-nine years exceeds the time limited in this prophecy, of four hundred and ninety, the whole space of one hundred and nine years. 9. Hence it evidently appears that the seventy weeks of Gabriel, or the four hundred and ninety years, are not commensu…
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12. This interpretation of the words, might it be admitted, would, I confess, solve all difficulties, and entirely preserve the sacred and 340 COMPUTATION OF DANIEL’S WEEKS. [EXERC. XV. profane accounts from all appearance of interfering. But there are two reasons upon the account whereof I cannot assent unto it. The…
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14, Others there are, men learned and pious, who, resolving to date these weeks from the first of Cyrus, and to make four hundred and ninety years the exact measure of the time from thence unto the death of the Messiah, and not being able to disprove the compu- tation from Alexander unto that time, fall also upon the P…
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34d COMPUTATION OF DANIEL’S WEEKS. —[EXERC. XV. sundry names, much more might several men have the same name in successive generations. Thus, after Joshua was high priest, there was another Joshua chief of the Levites, Neh. xii. 7, 8. And that about this time there were two Zerubbabels,—one of the house of Nathan, the…
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18. The great Scaliger, who would date the weeks from this de- cree of Darius, knowing that the time would not suit with the reign of Darius Hystaspes, contends that it was Nothus, who succeeded Longimanus, that was the author of it, and extends the whole time or space of four hundred and ninety years to the destructio…
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22. And there wants not reason to induce us to fix on this de- eree rather than any other, being indeed the most famous and most useful to the people of all the rest. By what means it was obtained is not recorded. Evident it is that Ezra had great favour with the king, and that he had convinced him of the greatness and…
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1. Unto the invincible testimonies before insisted on, we may add some other considerations, taken from the Jews themselves, that are both suitable unto their conviction, and of use to strengthen the faith of them who do believe. And the first thing that offers itself unto us, is their miserable fluctuation and uncerta…
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5. The present Jews, I hope, will not deny but that God is faith- ful still, and as able to accomplish his promises as he was in the days of old. Let us, then, inquire whether they enjoy any one thing promised them in the covenant, or any thing relating there- _ unto, or have done so since the days wherein, as we have …
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9. Two things in general the Jews reply unto these considera- tions,—the one as they have occasion and advantage, the other openly and constantly. The first, which they only mention as they have occasion, is the prosperity of some of their nation in this or that country, with the honour and riches that some of them hav…
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11. Sometimes they will plead that it is for their own sins and the sins of the generations that succeeded the destruction of the second temple that they are kept thus long in misery and captivity. But we know that they use this plea only as a covering for their obstinate blindness and infidelity. Take them from this d…
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But it may be said that those sins, whatever they were, were ex- piated in the Babylonish captivity, and pardoned unto them upon their return, so that now they must suffer on the account of their sins committed under the second temple; to which he replies that this exception is of no force: “ Nam liberatio e Babylone n…
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13. But our author yet adds an instance whereby he hopes to re-enforce and confirm his former answer. Saith he, “Deus per SECT. 13.] COMING OF THE MESSIAH. 359 manus Salamanassari decem tribus in captivitatem passus est abduci in regiones nobis incognitas, sexcentis fere annis ante destructionem templi secundi, hoc e…
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SECT. 14, 15.] COMING OF THE MESSIAH. 361 good memory heard this, he thought the whole world should be destroyed. He went, therefore, and finding O18 32, men ploughing and sowing, he said unto them, ‘The holy, blessed God is angry with the world,’ (or ‘all this generation,’) odin 55, ‘and will destroy his house, and s…
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SECT. 16-18.] COMING OF THE MESSIAH. 363 this condition, ‘If they deserve it, if they repent, the Messiah will come; the time is already past, but because of our sins he is not come. If all Israel could repent but one day, he would come. This is the sum of their answer: There was a time limited and determined for the …
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SECT. 19-21. ] COMING OF THE MESSIAH. 365 to deceive. The condition, then, pretended cannot be put upon the promise of the coming of the Messiah without a direct denial of some, and, by just consequence, of all the essential properties of the nature of God, 20. Thirdly, There is not in the whole Scripture the least i…
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23. Sixthly, This plea is directly contrary to the nature of the covenant which God promised to make at the coming of the Mes- siah, or that which he came to ratify and establish, and to the reason which God gives for the making of that covenant, Jer. xxxi. 81-83. The foundation of the new covenant lies in this, that t…
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1. THE third branch of that great supposition and fundamental article of faith whereon the apostle builds his arguments and rea- sonings wherewith he deals with the Hebrews, is, that Jesus whom he preached was the true and only promised Messiah, who came forth from God for the accomplishment of his work, according to t…
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SECT. 4, 5.] THE ONLY TRUE AND PROMISED MESSIAH. 371 done) provided any relief against. This, then, stands upon equal evidence with the whole authority of the Old Testament,—namely, that the promised Messiah was to come within the time prefixed for his coming, and foretold. We ask them, then, If Jesus of Nazareth be …
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The reasons why the Talmudists concealed the true names of the parents of Jesus are evident; for by this means they more covered their malice in one respect, and gave more blasphemous vent unto it in another. They concealed it thus far, that every one might not perfectly understand whom they intended, unless he were a …
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7. We, secondly, in the pursuit of our argument, affirmed that no other person came at or within the time limited that could pre- tend to be the Messiah. This the Jews themselves confess, nor can they think otherwise without destroying themselves; for if any such person came, seeing they received him not, nor do own hi…
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SECT. 11-13.] THE ONLY TRUE AND PROMISED MESSIAH. 377 sible for us to give, and unreasonable for any other to demand. It was written and published unto all the world by persons of unques- tionable integrity, who had as much advantage to know the truth of the matter about which they wrote as any men ever had, or can ha…
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SECT. 14-16.] THE ONLY TRUE AND PROMISED MESSIAH. 379 was the son of David, the son of Abraham. Secondly, Although there was no indispensable necessity among the Jews binding them to marry within their tribes, unless the women were inheritrixes, in which case provision was made that inheritances might not be trans- fe…
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SECT. 17,18.| THE ONLY TRUE AND PROMISED MESSIAH. 381 it is he who is here prophesied of: “Out of thee shall come forth mar onda any Wt yo 1s nw * Ny,”—“ unto me the Messiah; for he shall be of the seed of David, who was of Bethlehem.” He grants, I say, that it is the Messiah that is here prophesied of, though, agains…
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Thirdly, He seems not to repeat the words of the prophet himself immediately, but only to record the answer which, from these words of the prophet, was given unto Herod by the priests and scribes; so that the repetition of the words is theirs, and not his properly. Fourthly, Whose soever the words are, as there is not…
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There is yet another solution of this difficulty added of late by a learned person (Pococke Miscellan. Not. cap. ii.), who makes it pro- bable, at least, that the word “Y¥ is of the number of those that are used in a directly contrary sense: as wtp, to “ sanctify” and “ pro- fane ;” 773, to “bless” and “ curse ;’ was, …
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Secondly, They say that the birth of this child, which the ney . or young woman mentioned, was to conceive, was immediately to ensue, so as to be a sign unto Ahaz and the house of David of the deliverance promised unto them from the kings of Damascus and Samaria; and so could not be Jesus of Nazareth, whose nativity, h…
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388 JESUS OF NAZARETH [EXERC. XVII. with expectation of his coming, and the salvation that it should be accompanied withal; and partly to give them assurance that they should not be consumed or utterly perish under their calamity, be- cause the great work of God by them, in bringing forth the Mes- siah, was not yet ac…
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390 JESUS OF NAZARETH [EXERC. XVII. not known her.” So that M5 is YT ND why WIN nbana, “a maid that no man hath known;” that is, an unspotted virgin. And doubt- less such a one, and’ no other, was intended by Abraham’s servant for a wife unto Isaac, when he prayed that the 77¥1 which came forth to the well might answe…
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28. Further; there are other considerations offering themselves from the context undeniably proving that it is the conception of a virgin which is here intended and foretold; for, first, it is plainly some marvellous thing, above and contrary unto the ordinary course and operation of nature, that is here spoken of. It …
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31. That, then, which in the second place is objected by the Jews against our application of this place and prophecy to Jesus Christ is, that the birth of the child here promised was to be a sign to Ahaz and the house of David of their deliverance from the two kings who then waged war against them. And this, they say, …
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34. There remain yet other descriptive notes of the Messiah, con- sisting in what he was to teach, and do, and suffer,—all of them guid- ing the faith of the church unto our Lord Jesus, who in all things fully answered unto them all. I shall briefly pass through them, ac- cording unto our design and purpose, and begin …
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accomplishment of it, gives light unto the whole prediction. Some of the Jews from these words have fancied unto themselves another great prophet, whom they expect, as they did of old, before the coming of the Messiah. So in their dealing with John the Baptist, they asked him whetlier he were Elias; which he denied, b…
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38. Secondly, We have declared, in the entrance of this discourse, that the Messiah was the means promised for the delivery of man- kind from that woful estate of sin and misery whereinto they had east themselves. This was declared unto all in general; this they believed whom God graciously enabled thereunto. But how t…
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40. Lastly, The event confirms the application of this character unto the Lord Jesus. Whosoever would not receive the word of this prophet, God threatens to “ require it of him ;” that is, as themselves confess, to exterminate him from among the number of his people, or to reject him from being so. Now, this was done b…
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43. This whole psalm, then, is a prophecy of the Messiah, and absolutely of no other, as may further be evidenced from sundry passages in the psalm itself: for, first, It treats of one in whom the welfare of the whole church was concerned; they are, therefore, all SECT. 42-45.] THE ONLY TRUE AND PROMISED MESSIAH. 403 …
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47. First, The most ancient and best records of their judgment expressly affirm the person spoken of to be the Messiah. This is the Targum on the place; which themselves esteem of unquestion- able, if not of divine authority. The spring and rise of the whole prophecy, as the series of the discourse manifests, is in ver…
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(3.) Some of them apply this prophecy to Jeremiah, concerning whom Abarbanel affirms, and that truly, that no one verse or line in the whole can with any colourable pretence be applied unto him; which also I have in particular manifested on another occasion. Himself applies it two ways:—[1.] To Josiah; [2.] To the whol…
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52. Secondly, They add, that the subject of this prophecy is spoken. of in the plural number, and so cannot intend any one singular per- son. This they endeavour to prove from these words of the Lord, verse 8, inp Y22 BY PEL; which they render, “A transgressione populi mei plaga illa,” ‘‘* Lamo’ is of the plural number…
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55. Agreeably unto these testimonies, the Jews themselves have a tradition about the sufferings of the Messiah, which sometimes breaks forth amongst them, In Midrash Tehillim on Ps. ii, “ Rabbi Hana, in the name of Rabbi Idi, says that the Messiah must bear the third part of all the afflictions that shall ever be in th…
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412 JESUS OF NAZARETH [EXERC. XVII. it overthrows all the foundations of knowledge in the world and of all human society, yea, of every thing that as men we either do or know; so, being once granted, it will necessarily follow that we know not the things that we see any longer than whilst we see them,—no, nor perhaps …
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62. But yet there seems somewhat further necessary in this case. Though there were miracles wrought by our Saviour, yet they might be every way inferior unto them wrought by Moses, and so not sufficient to testify unto a doctrine and authority removing and abolishing the laws and customs instituted by Moses. And this t…
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64, Again, the Jews much insist on this, that all other prophets wrought miracles by the intervention of prayer, Moses alone with- out it, at his own pleasure. The rod, they say, was committed unto him as a kingly sceptre, to denote that authority whereunto the whole nature of things gave place. It is true, indeed, it …
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68. Unto what hath been summarily recounted, we may lastly VOL. XVIII. 418 JESUS OF NAZARETH [EXERC. XVII. add the continuance of the miracles wrought by his power after his leaving of this world and his ascension into heaven. And there is in this an additional evidence unto what hath been insisted on: for whereas t…
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72. But this conviction more evidently discovers itself in their endeavours to assign his mighty works unto other causes, so that they may not from them be forced to acknowledge his divine power, and the presence of God with him. And there are two pretences which they make use of. The first is that of their forefathers…
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The story they tell us is this: There was a stone in the sanctum sanctorum, under the ark, wherein was written “Shem Hamphorash” (so the Cabbalists call the name Jehovah). He that could learn this name might, by the virtue of it, do what miracles he pleased. Wherefore the wise men, fearing what might ensue thereon, mad…
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424 JEWS’ OBJECTIONS AGAINST [ EXERC. XVIII. made senseless and stupid by the power of his lusts, can make him- self guilty of. Many are the branches of this argument, many the considerations that concur in a contribution of evidence and strength unto it; all which to examine and improve is beyond our ‘present design …
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word of truth itself and the event do manifest to be the mind of 426 JEWS OBJECTIONS AGAINST [ EXERC. XVIII. Godin them, For the present, unto their general argument, we say that all the promises concerning the coming of the Messiah are ac- tually fulfilled; and those which concern his grace and kingdom are partly al…
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428 JEWS’ OBJECTIONS AGAINST [EXERC. XVIIL poral things, at his coming or by it, are but accessory and occa- sional, and such as appertain not directly to his principal work and main design of his coming. Certain it is, that the whole work for which God of old promised the Messiah might have been effected and fully ac…
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430 JEWS’ OBJECTIONS AGAINST [EXERC. XVIII (3.) The state and condition of the church of old required such a way of instruction; for as they had then, in the covenant of the land of Canaan, many promises of earthly and carnal things, so they themselves were carnal, and received great encouragement to abide in their ex…
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432 JEWS’ OBJECTIONS AGAINST [EXERC. XVIIL streets and buildings of the town, that God did so regard. But one of them having heen for a season, in the days of David, the special place of his worship, and the other the principal habitation of church and people, God expresseth his love and good-will to his church and wo…
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9. Again, There are two ways whereby promises may be said to be accomplished by him who gives them. (1.) The one is, when all is done, in respect of outward means, helps, and advantages, that is needful for that end, and which if men do not embrace and make use of, they are left inexcusable, and have none to blame for …
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11. Lastly, Suppose there should be any particular promise or promises, relating unto the times and kingdom of the Messiah, either accomplished or not yet accomplished, the full, clear, and perfect sense and intendment whereof we are not able to arrive unto, shall we therefore reject that faith and persuasion which is …
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15. For, (1.) The temporal, outward peace of the world, if any such thing be here intended, is not the principal part, matter, or sub- ject of the promise, but only an accessory unto it. The chief part of it, which concerns the spiritual worship of God, is evidently and openly fulfilled. That which is temporal, for the…
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16. The next collection of promises which they insist upon to their purpose, is of those which intimate the destruction of idolatry and false worship in the world, with the abundance of the knowledge of the Lord, taking away all diversity in religion, that shall be in the days of the Messiah. Such is that of Jer. xxxi.…
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442 JEWS OBJECTIONS AGAINST — [EXERC. XVIII. efficacy of grace than of the pains of the teachers seen in the effects wrought and produced, according to the words of the promise, Jer. xxxi. 34. (6.) In this diffusion of the knowledge of God, there was way made for the union, agreement, and joint consent in worship, of …
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20. Thirdly, They insist on the promises which concern them- selyes; and these of all others they most mind and urge against their adversaries. Nothing, they say, is more certain and evident in the Scripture, than that the people of Israel shall be brought into a blessed and prosperous condition by the Messiah at his c…
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4.46 STATE AND ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH [EXERC. XIX. things are foretold concerning them, not only in their own propheti- cal writings, but also by the divine writers of sundry books of the New Testament. But all this, we say, must come to pass when the veil shall be taken from before their eyes, and when “ they shall…
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448 STATE AND ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH [EXERC. XIX. vii. 16, 17, 21, 23, viii. 83-5. 7. The sacrifices and services of them both, chap. viii. 3-5, ix. 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, x. 1-6, 11, xi. 11, 12. © It is plain and evident, that under these heads all the principal concernments of the ancient church, with the worship and …
1,055 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1850–1870); OCR text from Internet Archive. OCR may contain scanning/transcription errors. Verify quotations against page images when precision matters.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.