238 FAITH OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH OF THE JEWS [EXERC. XI.
pate the Christians; which last, as Justin Martyr, who lived near those days, informs us, he endeavoured with all cruelty. In the pur- suit of this design he continued for three years and a half, obsti- nately managing a bloody war against the Romans, until the impostor himself was slain, their great rabbi taken and tortured to death with iron cards, and such a devastation made of the whole nation as that to this day they could never gather together in great numbers in any place of the world.
Maimonides tells us of this Bar-Cosba, whom they all received for their Messiah, nav sd my xb oon no dxw xd,—“ that the wise men required of him neither sign nor wonder;” that is, no miracle: but others of them report that “ he caused fire to come out of his mouth,” with other diabolical delusions, fit to deceive a poor, blinded, credulous multitude. And the opinion of Maimonides, that they look for no miracles from the Messiah, seems to be vented on purpose to obviate the plea of the Christians from the miracles wrought by the Lord Jesus, and is contrary unto the constant per- suasion of most of their masters, and his own judgment declared in other places. And the Targum itself on Hab. i. 18 hath these words, Jnwnd Jaynt spar sp» Sy j22;—“ Because of the miracu- — lous signs and redemption that thou shalt work for” (or “ by”) “thy Messiah.” So they call the miracles wrought at their coming out of Egypt, n'D) or ND). See Hos. i. 15, Targum. And on this ground do they studiously and wickedly endeavour to stain, by any means, the glory of the miracles of the Lord Jesus. But the end of this impostor,—who probably was intended in these words of our Saviour, John v. 43, “If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive,’—hath proved the shame and reproach of their hopes and expectations unto all generations.
7. From this time forward, the remaining Jews, with their posterity, utterly rejected the faith of their father Abraham, and of the rest of their progenitors, who thereby “obtained a good report” and “this tes- timony, that they pleased God.” A Messiah that had been promised unto Adam, the common father of us all; one that should be a spiritual Redeemer from sin and misery; a Goél or Redeemer from death and wrath; a Peace-maker between God and man; one that should work out everlasting salvation, the great blessing wherein all the nations of the earth were to have an interest; a spiritual and eternal Prophet, Priest, and King, God and man in one person,—they neither looked for any more, nor desired. A temporal king and deliverer, promised unto themselves alone, to give them ease, dominion, wealth, and power, they would now have, or none at all. They would not think it thankworthy towards God himself, to send them a Messiah to deliver them from sin. And in their expectations of such a one, after they had been well wearied with many frustrations, they were, as
SECT. 7-9.] CONCERNING THE MESSIAH. 239
was said, in their adherence unto Bar-Cosba almost extirpated from the face of the earth; only God in his providence, who hath yet another work to accomplish towards them, hath preserved them a remnant unto his glory.
8. In this condition, some of them began to deny that there was any Messiah to be expected or looked for. This opinion is ascribed in the Talmud unto Rabbi Hillel, lib. Sanhed. cap. Chelek. This was not that Hillel whom they call jprn, “ The elder,” the famous master of traditions, who with Shammai lived under the second temple, but another, of whom some say that he was the son of Gamaliel, others, more probably, that he lived a long time after those days. But when- ever he lived, they say of him, aay Ssowd mwp ond ps ons Som wMprn “a smbas ;—“ Rabbi Hillel said, ‘A Messiah shall not be given unto Israel ; for they enjoyed him in the days of Hezekiah.’” This was a fruit of their applying that prophecy of Isaiah, chap. ix. 6, 7, unto Hezekiah; for if he was intended therein, he was unquestionably the only Messiah. But it doth not appear that this opinion was much followed; for a great dispute arose amongst them whether Hillel were not to be esteemed an apostate, and to have lost his interest in the world to come by this opinion. Those who, following Mai- monides, make the article of the coming of the Messiah one of the fundamentals of the law, are greatly offended at him; but he is more gently treated by Joseph Albo, Sepher Ikharim, Orat. i, on the account that this article is not fundamental, but only one branch of the great root of rewardsand punishments. Abarbanel goes another way to excuse him; but generally they all condemn his opinion. In this persuasion, then, that a Messiah is promised, and shall come, they all continue; but whereas, as was before observed, they have utterly rejected the faith and light of the church of old, they have in their Talmuds, and for ages ensuing their composition, coined so many foolish imaginations concerning him, his person, work, office, kingdom, life, continuance, and succession, as are endless to recount. But yet, that the reader may in them consider the wotul condition of men rejected of God, cast out of his covenant, and bereaved of his Spirit, and withal of how little use the letter of the Old Testament is unto the vain minds of men wholly destitute of divine ilumina- tion and grace; and also learn what is that present persuasion of the Jews which they prefer before the faith of their forefathers, and what they conceive of that Messiah for whose sake they reject Him in whom alone there is salvation; I shall give an account of the most important heads of their opinions and conjectures about him, as also of the principal occasions of their being hardened in their impeni- tency and unbelief.