2. The first great promise of the Messiah, at large insisted on before, declased only his coming, and the end of it in general. This promise was recorded 1272322, Ps, xl. 8, or, as our apostle, Heb. x. 7, év xegaAsds Bs€Afov,—in the beginning, head, or first roll, of the book of God, namely, Gen. ii., as a stable foundation of all the rest that ensued; and it respected all the posterity of Adam, that they might have a refuge whereunto to repair in all their distresses. When the care of it, and respect unto it, and faith in it, were re- jected by the world, eZace rdvru re 2bvn ropebeodus rats 60075 airav, Acts xiv. 16, God left it unto the ways of its own choosing, to shift for itself, and in his sovereign grace and pleasure renewed the promise unto Abraham, with a restriction and limitation of it unto his family, as that which was to be separated from the rest of mankind, and de- dicated to the bringing forth of the Messiah in the appointed season, as we have declared. Upon the giving of that promise, with the call and separation of Abraham, whereon the church became in a special manner visible, there wanted nothing, to confirm the faith and fix the expectation of those that desired his coming, but only the determination of the time wherein he should so do.
And this was necessary upon a double account :—(1.) That those who were to live before his advent, or appearance in the flesh, might not only by faith see his person afar off, and be refreshed, as Cant.
264 THE PROMISED MESSIAH [EXERC. XII 4»
ii. 8, but also behold his day, or the time limited and prefixed unto his coming, and rejoice therein; and that not only as Abraham, who knew that such a day should be, John viii. 56, but also as those who had a certain day so limited as that, by diligent inquiry, 1 Pet. i. 11, they might take some especial prospect of it. (2.) To guide them who were to live in the days of the accomplishment of the promise unto a more earnest expectation of him and desire after him; as Daniel had for the return of the people from the captivity, when he understood by books that the time limited for it was accom- plished, Dan. ix. 2, 3. Accordingly it came to pass; for from hence it was that at that season when he was to be exhibited all men were in expectation of him, and prepared thereby to inquire after him, Luke iii. 15,
3. Now, this determination of time inquired after was first made by Jacob, Gen. xlix. 8-10, accompanied with a signal demonstra- tion of one especial person from whom the Messiah was to proceed, even in the family of Jacob himself. Such another restriction also, and but one, ensued, when that privilege, which originally rested in Abraham and his family, and was afterwards restrained unto Judah and his posterity, was lastly confined unto David and his offspring, and ever after left at large unto any branch of that family. And this I mention by the way, to prevent any difficulties about his genealogy: for as, in the very first instance of the regal succession in the house of David, there was no respect had to the primogeniture, 1 Kings i. 22, so there was no necessity that the Messiah should spring from the reigning family, although he did so, but only that he should be of the seed of David. For as, after the promise given unto Abraham, the Messiah might have sprung from any family whatever of his posterity by Isaac, until the limi- tation made by Jacob unto the person of Judah; and after that limitation might have done so from any family of his tribe or posterity, until the confinement of that privilege to the person of David; so no restriction or limitation being afterwards added, his production by any person of his posterity, whether in an alliance nearer to or farther from the reigning line, was all that was in- cluded in the promise. To return: the words of the place above quoted are, “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s chil- dren shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? “OTS pisy nnpt iy Ades Nara Ty yer pao pphyr Mn. pay; ”_« The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver” (or “ scribe”) from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him the gather- ing of people.” These last words are the seat of our argument, the
. BECT: 8-5.] LONG SINCE COME. 265
former, therefore, we shall no otherwise consider but as they give light and evidence to their interpretation.
4, The great masters among the Jews are exceedingly perplexed with this testimony, and have therefore invented endless ways for the enervating of it, openly and loudly contradicting one another almost about every word in the text. Some would evade the sense of it by interpreting D3Y to be only “a rod,” of correction, say some, of supportment, say others; and PPM, they would only have to be a scribe, such as they fancy their present rabbins to be. Some by M7) understand the person of Judah, unto whom they ascribe I know not what pre-eminence, and not his family or tribe. Some would have W to be separated from ‘3, that follows, because of the accent Jethib, and to signify “for ever.” Some by the 1 would have David intended; some, Ahijah the prophet; some, the city Shiloh; and most know not what. P!, some would have to be “destruction ;” some, “ instruction and obedience.” And on every one of these eavils do they build various interpretations, and provide various evasions for themselves; all which we shall either obviate or remove out of the way in the ensuing discourse.