32. And this testimony of their Targum the present Jews are -
SECT. 81-33. | MESSIAH VINDICATED. 205
much to be pressed withal; and there are not many from which they feel their entanglements more urgent upon them. And it would at the same time move compassion at their blindness, and indignation against their obstinacy, for any one seriously to consider how wofully they wrest the words up and down to make a tolerable application of them unto Hezekiah, whom they would fix this prophecy upon; and, on the occasion given us by the Targum, I shall take a little view of their sentiments on this place of the prophet. That of old they esteemed it a prophecy of the Messiah, not only the Targum, as we have seen, but the Talmud also, doth acknowledge. Besides, also, they manifest the same conviction in their futilous traditions. In Trac- tat. Sanhed. Distine. Chelek, they have a tradition that God thought to have made Hezekiah to be the Messiah, and Sennacherib to have been Gog and Magog; but pon nIn, “the property of judgment,” interposed, and asked why David rather was not made the Messiah, who had made so many songs to the praise of God. And Rabbi Hillel, as we shall see afterwards, contended that Israel was not any more to look for a Messiah, seeing they enjoyed him in Hezekiah. Now, these vain traditions arose merely from the concessions of their old masters, granting the Messiah to be here spoken of, and the craft of their later ones, wresting the words unto Hezekiah; so casting them into confusion, that they knew not what to say nor believe. But let us see how they acquit themselves at last in this matter.
33. Four things are here promised concerning this “child,” or “son,” that should be given unto the church:—(1.) That “ the government should be on his shoulder;” (2.) That “his name should be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace;’ (3.) That “of the increase of his government there should be no end;” (4.) That he should sit “on the throne of David, to order it for ever.’ And we may see how well they accommodate these’ things unto Hezekiah, their endeavours being evidently against the faith of the ancient church, the traditions of their fathers, and, it may be doubted, their own light and con- viction.
First, “ The government shall be on his shoulder,” saith Sol. Jarchi, “because the rule and yoke of God shall be upon him in the study of the law.” This pleaseth not Kimchi (as it is indeed ridiculous), and therefore he observeth that mention is not made of the shoulder but with reference unto burden and weight; whence he gives this interpretation of the words: ‘Sap 9m swsN > Jay mn mney spd mon sds wow Sy nay vnn xb aon ars ops wow by ;—“ Because Ahaz served the king of Assyria, and his burden was on his shoul- der, he says of this child, he shall not be a servant with his shoulder, but the government shall be on him.” And this, it seems, is all that is here promised, and this is all the concernment of the
206 PROMISES OF THE [EXERC. IX.
church in this promise: Hezekiah shall not serve the king of As- syria! Neither is it true that Ahaz served the king of Assyria under tribute; and it may seem rather that Hezekiah did so for a season, seeing it is expressly said that “he rebelled against him, and served him not,” 2 Kings xviii. 7; yea, plainly he did so, and paid him, by way of tribute, “three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold,” verse 14. So he. Aben Ezra passeth over this expression without taking notice of it.
34. Secondly, As to the name ascribed unto him, they are for the most part agreed; and unless that one evasion which they have fixed on will relieve them, they are utterly silent. Now this is, as was before declared, that the words are to be read, “The Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, shall call his name The Prince of Peace ;” so that “The Prince of Peace” only is the name of the promised child, all the rest are the names of God. But, —(1.) If words may be so transposed and shuffled together as these are to produce this sense, there will nothing be left certain in the Scripture; nor can they give any one instance of such a disposal of words as they fancy in this place. (2.) The very reading of the words rejects this gloss, “ He shall call his name Wonderful.” (8.) It is the name of the child, and not of God that gives him, which is expressed for the comfort of the church. (4.) What tolerable reason can be given for such an accumulation of names unto God in this place? (5.) There is nothing in the least, not any distinctive accent, to separate between “The Prince of Peace” and the expressions fore- going, but the same person is intended by them all; so that it was not Hezekiah, but the mighty God himself, who in the person of the Son was to be incarnate, that is here spoken of.
35. Besides, on what account should Hezekiah so eminently be called “The Prince of Peace,’—Di-Y7Y? Prince is never used in the Scripture with reference unto any thing, but he that is so called hath chief power and authority over that whereof he is the Ww’, “prince,” chief, or captain; as NI¥“W is the “ general,” or chief commander of the army, under whose command and at whose dis- posal it is. By the Greeks it is rendered épywv and dpynyés: as the apostle calls our Lord Jesus Christ’ Apynyiv rig Cais, Acts ili. 15, “The Prince of Life;” and ’Apynyiv rig cwrnpins, Heb. ii. 10, “ The Prince” (or “Captain”) “of Salvation.” Nor is the word once in the Old Testament applied unto any one but him that had power and authority over that of which he was the 1 or “ prince,” to give, grant, or dis- pose of it as he thought meet. And in what sense, then, can Hezekiah be called “The Prince of Peace?” Had he the power of peace of any sort in his hand? was he the lord of it? was it at his disposal? The most of his reign he spent in war, first with his neighbours the Philistines, 2 Kings xviii. 8, and afterwards with the king of Assyria,