peo

9.σαβ.

9, 26.

be an Everlasting Kingdom; 'tis ftill expreffly predicted by the Prophets, that he should Suffer and be Cut off. Concerning the very fame person, who (with refpect to his coming to Reign, and to introduce the everlasting Jubilee or (4) Reft to the (4) Heb.4, ple of God,) is ftyled (5) Meffiah the Prince; βατισμός. Concerning the very fame perfon, I fay, 'tis in the (5) Dan. very fame fentence exprefly prædicted that he fhould 9.25 (6) be Cut off, but not for himself, [1" and (6) Dan. the People fhould not Then be His; unto Him fhould Gen. not Then (1) the Gathering of the people be.] For 49, 10. which Reafon, and also because the words can with no tolerable Sense be applied to any Other perfon, and because moreover the Connexion of the Whole Prophecy leads to the fame interpretation; the 53d chapter of Ifaiah likewife, is most justly understood to be fpoken of the Meffiah: (2) There fhall come (2) If. 11, forth a rod out of the stem of Feffe; righteoufnefs fhall He Judge the Poor: ~~ hold My Servant, mine Elect in whom my (4) If. 42 ; Soul delighteth; he shall not cry, nor lift up, 1, 2, 3nor caufe his Voice to be heard in the street: A bruised reed shall be not break, and the smoaking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment unto Truth.

(3) With 1.
(4) Be- 4.

(3) If. 11,

(5) Behold, My Servant fhall deal prudent- (5) If. 52,

4

13.

&c.

ly; (6) Surely He hath born our Griefs; he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruif- (0) If. 53, ed for our iniquities: he is brought he is brought as a Lamb to the flaughter, and as a sheep before her Shearers is dumb, fo he openeth not his Mouth: He was taken from prifon and from judgment, and Who shall declare his generation? for the tranfgreffion of my people was he stricken; And he made his Grave with the Wicked, and with the Rich in his Death: When thou shalt make his Soul an offering for Sin; My righteous Servant shall justify Many, for he shall bear their iniquities: He was numbred with the

-

the Tranfgreffors, and he bare the Sin of Many, and made Interceffion for the Tranfgreffors.

13. All Prophecies of Bleflings to the Worshippers of the True God, expreffed either as being to happen in the Latter Days, or in words which imply a Lafting Duration; are in reafon to be underftood, as having reference to the Times of the promifed Kingdom of the Meffiah; of whom 'tis ex(1) Dan. prefly faid, that he fhall (1) bring in Everlasting Righteoufnefs, and that (2) his Dominion is an Ever(2) Dan. lafting Dominion which shall not pass away, and his

9, 24.

7, 14.

Kingdom that which shall not be deftroyed. Some Prophecies of this kind, are direct and express. Others, beginning with Promifes of particular intermediate Bleffings, and proceeding with general expreffions more great and lofty, than can naturally be applied to the Temporal Bleffing immediately spoken of; are most reasonably understood to have a perpetual View and Regard to That Great and General Event, in which all God's Promifes to his true Worshippers do center and terminate; and of which, All intermediate Bleffings promised by God, are juftly looked upon as Beginnings, Types, Pledges, or Earnefts.

14. For fince from the express Prophecies before cited of the Meffiah's everlasting Kingdom of Righteousness, it appears that God had in fact a View to That, as the Great and General End of all the difpenfations of Providence towards his true Worship(3) 2 Pet. pers from the Beginning; and (3) no Prophecy of the

I, 20.

Scripture is of any Private interpretation, (that is, the Meaning of Prophecies is not what perhaps the Prophet himself might imagine in his private judgment of the State of things then prefent,) becaufe the Prophecy in old time came not by the WILL of Man, but Holy men Spake as they were moved by the Holy

Ghoft: there may therefore very poffibly and very

reasonably be fuppofed to be many Prophecies, which, though they may have a prior and immedi

ate

ate reference to fome nearer Event, yet by the Spirit of God, (whom Thofe Prophecies which are Express how to have had a further View,) may have been directed to be uttered in fuch words, as may even more properly and more justly be applyed to the Great Event which Providence had in view, than to the intermediate Event which God defigned as only a Pledge or Earneft of the Other. For Inftance: Suppofe thefe words of Daniel; (1) I beheld till the (1) Dan. thrones were caft down, [till the Thrones were placed,] 75 9, 10. and the Antient of days did fit : A fiery Stream

ver.

iffued and came forth from before him; thousand Thousands miniftred unto him, and ten thousand times ten Thousand stood before him; the Fudgment was fet, and the Books were opened: Suppofe (I fay) these words were fpoken concerning the (2) flaying of a (2) wild Beaft, or the deftruction of a Temporal Empire; 11. yet what reafonable man, who had ever elsewhere met with any Notices of a Judgment to come, could doubt but the Destruction there fpoken of, was therefore expreffed in Thofe words, that it might be underftood to be the introduction to the General Judgment? The exact and very particular defcription of a Refurrection, in the 37th of Ezekiel; fuppofing it to be indeed fpoken of a Temporal Reftoration of the Jews, yet Who can doubt but it was So worded with Design, to allude to a real Refurrection of the Dead? The words of Micah; (1) Thou, Bethle (1) Micah hem, though thou be little among the thousands of Fu 5, 2. dah, yet out of Thee shall He come forth unto me, Matt. 2, that is to be Ruler in Ifrael; whofe goings forth have been from of Old, from Everlasting fuppofing it poffible they could be fpoken of Zorobabel, yet, if afterwards there fhould arife out of Bethlehem One in whom were found all the Other prophetick characters of the promifed Meffiah, Who could doubt but the words were intended either folely or at leaft chiefly of the Latter? The words of Feremy; (2)

Babylon

6.

(2) Jer. 51; 7,6.5.

1) Rev.

17, 4. (2) ver.

2.

(3) ch. 18, 3, 4.

(4) If. 7, 14.

Mait. I,

23.

Babylon hath been a golden Cup ; — the Nations have
drunken of her wine, therefore the Nations are mad:
Flee out of the midst of Babylon, be not cut off in
her iniquity:
My People, go ye out of the midst
of her, and deliver ye every man his Soul from the fierce
anger of the Lord: Who,that carefully reads these words,
and confiders the Nature and character of the Babylon
in Jeremiah's time, and compares it with the Nature
and character of the Babylon defcribed by St John, can
doubt but the Spirit which influenced Jeremy, forefaw
and intended to allude to That Babylon, which had (1)
a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations, (2) and
the Inhabiters of the Earth have been made drunk
with the wine of her fornication, (3) and the Kings
of the Earth have committed fornication with her :-
Come out of her, my people, that ye
be not partakers
of her Sins, and that ye receive not of her Plagues?
For the words of Feremy are more strictly applicable
to this latter Babylon, than to That in his own time.
Again: The words of Ifaiah; (4) Behold, a Virgin
fhall conceive and bear a Son, and fhall call his Name
Immanuel, that is to fay, God with us: Suppofing
Ifaiah himself could poffibly at That time understand
them concerning a Son of his own, concerning a
Son to be born of a young woman afterwards, who
at the time then prefent was a Virgin; and that his
being ftyled Immanuel, meant nothing more, than
that, before This Child was grown up, Judah fhould
be delivered from the then threatned incurfions of
Ifrael and Syria; (all which, notwithstanding the
feeming connexion of the words in the place they
ftand, is very difficult to suppose;) yet if afterwards
any perfon, comparing the Solemn Introduction where-
with the words are brought in, (Hear ye now, O
houfe of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary
men, but will ye weary my God aljo? therefore the
Lord himself shall give you a Sign; Behold, a Virgin
fball conceive &c.) If any one, I fay, comparing this

Solemn

Solemn Introduction with the Promises repeated to the House of David in Other paffages of the Prophets, that there fhould be born unto them a Son, who

1,21.

fhould (1) fit upon the Throne of David and проп his (1) If. 9, Kingdom for ever, and of the increase of whofe 7. Ezek. government and peace there should be no end; and con- 37, 25. fidering moreover the character of this promifed Son, that he should (2) finish tranfgreffion, and (2) Dan. 9) make an end of Sins, and make reconciliation for in- 24. iquity, and bring in everlasting Righteousness: If a perfon confidering and comparing these things, fhould in his own days find a Son really born of a Virgin, attefted to by numerous Miracles, and by God's Command named Jefus (which is Synonymous to Immanuel, a Potent Saviour or God with us,) because he (1) fhould fave his People from their Sins, that is, fhould (2) make reconciliation for iniquity, and bring (1) Matt. in everlafting Righteonfnefs: Could fuch a perfon (2) Dan. 9, poffibly entertain the leaft doubt, whether God who 24. fent Ifaiah to repeat the fore-cited words to the houfe of David, did not intend thereby to defcribe, if not wholly and folely, at least chiefly and ultimately, this Latter Saviour? In like manner: Suppose those great Promises to David, (3) concerning the establish- (3) 2 Sam. ment of the Throne of his Son for ever, were by 75 13, 14, David and by the Prophet himself that delivered them, 16. understood (rii, as St Peter fpeaks,) concerning Solomon and a Succeffion of Kings in his Family; yet, when following Prophecies clearly and exprefly declared, that out of the root of Jeffe fhould arife a Meffiah who fhould reign for ever; no reasonable man can doubt, but that the former and lefs clear Prophecy was likewife intended of God, and therefore rightly applied by the Apostles of Chrift, to the fame purpofe. To give but One Inftance more: Suppose the words, (4) Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thy Holy . One to See corruption; were by David fpoken con

D

cerning

(4) Pf. 16,