his Sufferings, and should have a Portion divided him with the Great, after he had made his Soul an Offering for Sin. All which put together fully convinceth that all these Oracles are meant of Jesus Chrift, whofe Death alone had so many and fuch exact Refemblances with the Death of him whom the Prophets have described to us, under the Notion of Chrift, or the Servant of God, who was to lay down his Soul for our Iniquities.

CHAP. XIII.

Where we fball examine the Prophecies which foretel what befel the Meffiah after his Death.

E have now nothing further to look for in the Oracles of the Prophets, but the Burial of Jefus Chrift, his Refurrection, Afcenfion, and fitting at the right Hand of God the Fa ther.

His Burial is very plainly foretold us in the 52d Chap. of Ifaiah, And he made his Grave with the Wicked, and with the Rich in his Death: which words we shall not need any further to explain, because we have already interpreted the meaning of that Oracle.

For his Refurrection, we cannot chufe but om the Writings of the Prophets, who

the one H
of the
and f

hat the Chrift should

the Living, by fuf

eath; and on the

other,

other, afcribe unto him an Everlasting Dominion and Glory, it being abfolutely impoffible to reconcile thefe two things together, but by his Refurrection only.

But that there may be no room to doubt that it was of one and the fame Meffiah, of whom the Prophets foretold he should fuffer an ignominious Death, and obtain an Everlasting Dominion, 'tis neceflary to remember, that in the 52d Chap, of Ifaiah, it is faid, of one and the fame Perfon which we have already proved to be the Mejjiah, That be Jhould make his Soul an Offering for Sin, and should fee his Seed after him, and make the Pleasure of the Lord profper, &c. All which Expressions neceffarily fuppofe a Refurrection.

This David himself, a Type of the Meffiah, admirably well expreffes after this manner, in the 16th Pfalm ver. 10. For thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell; neither wilt thou fuffer thy holy One, or thy beloved One, to fee Corruption. Here it appears again, that the prophetical Spirit wherewith the Prophet was infpired, gave a very large latitude and extenfion to his Words and Conceptions, which bars up from being able to apply them wholly to King David. For what should the Prophet mean, were it to be fuppofed, that his Soul, which is here taken for his Body, fhould not fee the Grave, and that being the Anointed of the Lord, his holy One, or his Beloved, he should efcape Death? But could any thing be more abfurd to imagine than this? fince David really faw Death, and fince his Sepulchre remained among the Jews until St. Peter's Time, who made ufe ci this fame Argument for to convince the Incredu lous and Obftinate Jews? And this Proof ferves

for

for fo much the greater a Demonftration against the Rabbies, because they own King David to have been the Type of the Meffiah, and that many things are ascribed to the former, that are applicable only to the latter. As for the other fort of Unbelievers, they may find the Resurrection of Jefus Chrift clearly foretold them in the 52d Chapter of Ifaiah.

His Afcenfion likewife, and his fitting on the right Hand of God, are no lefs evident in the Oracles of the Prophets. But because it would be too tedious to recite all thofe that foretel this double Event, we fhall only mention the 110th Pfalm, which is very remarkable, especially because there is no Subterfuge but what the Rabbies have devised to pervert the fense of it; and above all in their Interpretation of the beginning of it, The Lord hath faid unto my Lord, Sit thon on my right Hand, until I make, &c. fo that they might not favour the Perfon of our Messiah.

Some will have it that Melchifedech was the Compiler of this Pfalm, having written it on the account of the Victory which Abraham obtained over the Kings, who had carried his Brother Lot away Captive, as if it was expreft in the Text, The Lord hath faid unto my Lord Abraham, Sit thon on my right Hand, until I have, &c. as if Melchifedech the Prieft of the most High God, who bleffed Abraham in that Quality, and confequently was his Superiour, could rationally have called that Patriarch his Lord: or as if these words, The Lord fhall fend the Rod of thy Strength out of Zion, were futable to Abraham's Time, when there was no mention made of Zion, or of a Scepter, the Mark of Regality? Another

L1 2

Another fort of them pretend, that Eliezer, the Servant of Abraham, was the Author of this Pfalm; but they are foon refuted by this last Confideration, as well as by all the other Passages of this Prophecy.

A third fort affirm with no better Succefs, That David compofed this Song, as prophefying of King Hezekiah whofe Glory he foretold; as if it was any thing likely he fhould call him his Lord.

Laftly, Some are of Opinion, that this Pfalm was compofed in honour of David, by fome Levite or other who had a mind to publish his Glory and Grandure; and as fome others will have it, that he compofed it upon occafion of the danger David was in, of being flain by the Spear of the Philiftine Ifhbi-benob, when Abishai fuccoured him: So that the Men of Da2 Sam. 21. vid fware unto him, faying, Thon 16,17,18. fhalt go no more out with us to Battel, that thou quench not the Light of

Ifrael.

But though we should reflect on no other words but thefe, The Lord hath (worn, and will not repent: Thou art a Prieft for ever, after the Order of Melchifedech, we might plainly perceive this Prophecy cannot be understood of David, it being most certain that David was neither an everlasting Priest, nor a Priest after the Order of Melchifedech.

CHAP.

CHAP. XIV.

Wherein we answer the principal Objections that may be raised against the Prophecies touching the Meffiah.

THIS is what we had to fay concerning the Prophecies that foretold the coming of the Let us now hear what Objections the Incredulous do or may raise against thofe evident Testimonies.

Meffiah whom we own.

1. They will perhaps defire of us a greater number of Oracles to testify of the Lord Jesus. But let them confider, there is fcarce a Chapter in all the Revelations of each Prophet, but what contains fome Paffages or other touching the Meffiah.

2. If they require we should produce them Prophecies still more particular than these, let them confider that the Perfon of the Meffias could not be more precisely reprefented, nor the Events be more circumftantial than in the Prophecies we have alledged. Jefus Chrift is there called Shilob, the Chrift, a Deliverer, a great One, who was to come to the Second Houfe, and make the Glory of it; the Son of God, an Everlasting King, a Prieft according to the Order of Melchifedeck, the Lord, the God, the Saviour of all the World, the holy One of God, the Shepherd, the Prince, the Servant of God, his Elect in whom he delighteth; the Son of Man coming on the Clouds of Heaven; L13 like