IS that man who comes to meet me a Iew? tru­ly his face & forme shew him to be a man. I know what to doe, I will salute him in He­brew, and I shall easily know whether he be a Iew or not. If he be a Iew, he will answer in Hebrew, but if he be not a Iew, he will hold his peace, not [Page 2] knowing what I say. God save you, O Iew.

And God save you; how know you me to be a Iew, that you speake so in Hebrew with me? art thou a Iew and one of our people?

I am not a Iew, neither of thy people, neither am I ac­quainted with you; but from the form of your face, I knew you to be a Iew: For you Iewes have a peculiar colour of face, different from the form and fi­gure of other men; which thing hath often fill'd me with admiration, for you are black and uncomely, and not white as other men.

It is a wonder, if wee be un­comely, why you Christians doe so love our women, and they seem to you more beauti­full then your owne.

Your women indeed are more comely than your men, but you seduce them most cor­ruptly.

Nay, seeing we are the elect people of God, and his inheri­tance, we are more comely than all the Nations of the earth; as it is written in Daniel, Dan. 1.15 that the countenances of the Iewish chil­dren appeared fairer and fatter in flesh then all the other chil­drens. [Page 4] And Iosephus the historian hath written, that Pompey did admire, and said, blessed is that Nation in which so faire young men are found; you see our peo­ple by the testimony of Scrip­ture, are of an excellent beauty, and not uncomely as you af­firme, which may be proved to you by the very fruits; for there are many fruits which in the blossome are white, and when they come to maturity, grow black: such are Damsins and Sloes: but they that appear red in the blossome, when they grow ripe, become white, as apples and peaches, and let these be spoken for example sake. The Isralites who are free from [Page 5] menstruous blood, have not in their originall any drop of red­nesse; but the Gentiles, who doe not dread that uncleanness, nor abstaine from women in the time when they ought to abstaine, they in their originall contract a certaine rednesse, and for that cause their fruit, namely their children, are white. More­over the unchast Gentiles in the day time doe generate, and doe behold Images and beautifull shapes, and beget sons like them, such as we read was done by Iacob, in Genesis, where it is said, and the sheep conceived when they came to drinke, &c. Gen. 30. 39.

Your arguments doe not wel answer the proposed businesse; for Isaac being an upright man, just, and fearing God, and de­parting from evill, begat his first born son, read Gen. 25. 25. and not white; also David the sonne of Iesse was ruddie, ha­ving beautifull eies, 1 Sam. 16.12. And whereas you adde, that you are more comely than any people, that is proved false in our time, forasmuch as not one amongst a thousand is found in the Nation, who is of a comely countenance; the reason where­of know, is this, because you no longer are Gods inheritance, and beloved people, but rather [Page 7] yee are an abomination in his eies, and a stink in his nostrils, wherefore he hath left you, so that you goe wandring up and down as sheep which are with­out a pastor, and have no cer­taine dwelling in any place.

I see you manage your busi­nesse with reproaches and re­bukes, as you were wont com­monly to do with us. Have you not read what Isaias wrote con­cerning us? Isa. 52. 14. namely, his form is estranged from men, and his countenance unlike the sons of men. We are unlike men by reason of our many tribulations and injuries which wee suffer by the Gentiles, amongst whom we are disperst.

You have not yet told me, why the women amongst you are more beautifull than the men, and are not so easily known as the men.

Because you Christians doe not so much reproach them, as the men; moreover wee a­dorne them with excellent apparell, that they may find favour in your eies, and we by them obtaine what we de­sire, and it may bee well with us by reason of them, and our soules may live for their sakes among the Gentiles; as it is written, and they intreated Abra­ham well for Sarahs sake, because [Page 9] she was a woman of a comely coun­tenance, Gen. 12. 16. But I am ashamed to speake with thee in publick, in the sight of those that passe by and repasse. If you please come with mee into my chamber, and there we will speake together more concer­ning these things.

Goe and I will follow you; for I have many things in my heart to speak to you, and now for a long time I have not en­tred the house of any Iew. What doth that white circle signifie, which I see written on the wals, round about the chamber, having this inscription? tarry without thou Lilith.

We by this circle drive away the Devill, lest he enter and hurt the infant newly borne, for our Rabbies say, that Lilith is a cer­taine Ghost, having the shape of an abortive, born of an impure birth, saving that he hath wings.

Thou tellest me strange things, but goe on and tell me what more your Masters write concerning this thing.

I will. Know therefore that our wise men judge thus; that Adam the first parent begat de­vils, spirits, and ghosts, and you shall be constrained to bee of their opinion, forasmuch as we [Page 11] finde not those creatures in the number of the other workes of creation; but many of these have a bodie and a soule, they are multiplied and die as other men, and againe there are many spirits which are created with­out a body, and of these it is said; which the Lord created that hee might make, which were not yet made but created; such were those Devils whose soules hee had created, but did not make their bodies, because the Sabbath was at hand, and the Lord was forc'd to rest from all his works, which hee had created that hee might make; but those which are cre­ated with a body and a soule, as [Page 12] men proceeded from him, then came Lilith to Adam, hee not knowing, for he had not a bo­dy by which hee might bee knowne, and did preserve his seed from him. But Adam was created from the beginning, and devils, and spirits, and ghosts, proceeded from him, which we draw from this. Adam was an hundred and thirty yeares old, and begat in his likenesse and image; whereby is signified, that he begat not in his likeness and image, untill the hundred and thirteth yeare, Gen. 5.5.

Declare to mee better the mentioned text of Scripture, which the Lord created that he [Page 13] might make, because I under­stand it not according to your words.

The Scripture saith thus, which the Lord created that he might make; and not thus, which the Lord created and made, to signifie that God crea­ted al things by a certain word, and was not tired nor weary, for he did not make, but created all things by a certaine vvord out of nothing, speaking to them as to Artificers, that they should bring forth things out of them­selves; as vvhen he said, let the earth bring forth, let the vvaters bring forth; therefore the Scrip­ture saith, vvhich the LORD [Page 14] created that hee might make, that is, commit to others that they might make them; but hee did determine, and told how all things should bee made. After this sort is the creation of De­vils, who were created in the even of the sabbath, as our wise men of good memory have re­corded. The holy day shone upon them, and their making was not altogether finished, but were sent into the aire im­perfect, partly communicating with man, and partly with An­gels: They eate and drinke, they increase in off-spring as men, they flie through the aire, they ascend and steale away things within a garment; and for the [Page 15] most part their speeches are lies, neither dare they appeare in the sight of God, seeing it is writ­ten, the wicked shall not dwell with thee; and when it is said in Genesis, Gen. 36. 24. that Anas found Iemim in the desert, hee would signifie Devils, where­fore Iemim is writ without Iod, to signifie that the Devils were left imperfect after the six daies of creation, for the holy day of the Sabbath began to enter, and hence it is that they shun the Sabbath, as it is written in Exo­dus, Exod. 12. 42. it is a night of observations to you, to wit, that you should beware of those in­jurious spirits; on the Sabbath no Devill, or other evill assault [Page 16] need be feared, for they all flie to the dark mountains, neither doe they appeare all the Sabbath day, because that is the holy day, and they are unclean; but when the Sabbath is ended, they returne to fall upon men and hurt them; and therefore we say; let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, Psal. 90. 17. which Psalme is against Devils, and hath that commendation, that by it we may put to flight those noxious spirits, who are called the snares of the sons of men; as it is written, Psal. 91. 10. evill shall not be devised a­gainst thee, neither shall the rod approach thy Tabernacle, and because those Devils were [Page 17] made of Adam the first parent, in those hundred and thirty yeares wherein hee was seque­stred from his wife, being made I say of his seed, therefore they are called the snares and plagues of men, and the mentioned Psalme, and the 91 Psalme, doth conteine a hundred and thirty sayings with this verse, with length of daies thou shalt satis­fie him, &c. and Adam left this calamity to his posterity, as it were by right of inheritance, that when at night they had felt the flux of nature, from thence Devils, hurtfull and malitious, to men are born: Therefore the Law saith, thou shalt beware of every evill thing, to wit, lest [Page 18] man in the day time take in any spirits, which in the night may cast him into uncleannesse, by Belial's meanes, who is called an evill eye, and he appeareth sometimes in the shape of a woman, & is also called Lilith, that is a night-ghost. Moreover, wee must observe, that those faunes who are so engendred of the seed of man, when the man dies, who is their father, they all meet together, to touch and defile him; and therefore our wise men have comman­ded us to make circles about the man, and remember certain words, whereby they are put to flight, and dare not enter the circle, to touch the funerall. [Page 19] Moreover they have taught us to make seven circles, to drive away seven troops of hurtfull angels which there met toge­ther, which they gather from hence, because it is written,Iob 5. 19. Iob 5.19. in six troubles he shall deliver thee, and in the seventh, evill shall not touch thee. Evill, that is Beli­al; for they flie away from those circles; wherefore those circles must bee made by the grave, that presently after the writing of them, they may put in the carkasse into the grave, and no delay at all be made in letting downe the coffin, lest any evill touch it.

This is great folly in you Iewes, yea madnesse of heart, when you affirme, that God left any creature unperfect or uncomplete, seeing it is written in the worke of creation, The Heaven and the Earth were fini­shed, and all the host of them, Gen. 2.2.Gen. 2.2. and in another place it is said, The worke of the Creator is perfect, Deut. 32. 4:Deu. 32.4 if that bee true, how dare you say, God made any work imperfect? do you think the hand of the Lord is shortned, that he cannot fi­nish any thing, or that he wants power that he cannot bring to an end any certaine work? But verily your tongue speaks a lie, [Page 21] and your mouth doth meditate perversenesse, it conceives la­bour, and bringeth forth vani­ty; you erre after the same man­ner in the whole heaven, when you say, the Moon from the be­ginning was equall with the Sun. But I desire to heare you tell me, what your wise men write of this matter.

The Scripture saith thus,Gen. 1. [...]6 the Lord made two great lights; and afterwards it saith, a greater light, and a lesser light, where wee must note, that the lights from the beginning, were equal in brightnesse, but God lessened one; and the reason why it was diminisht in its light, was [Page 22] pride, and unjust accusation, or complaint; for it is written, evill shall not dwell with thee;Psa [...] 101.7 and he that telleth lies shall not tarry in thy sight. Truly there is no­thing more hatefull before God, then an unjust complaint: As it is written,Psa. 101.5 he that slanders his neighbour in secret, him will I de­stroy, and who hath eies lifted up, and a proud heart, him I cannot be­hold; and because the Moone did complaine of her fellow, God humbled her; you ask me how she complained; I'll tell you; see, saith shee, it is not meet that it should be said of thee, that thou couldst not make divers sons: Then saith God to her; goe thou and be lesse in [Page 23] light, therefore the Moon was confounded, and diminisht in light for her sin; and when hee shewed himselfe mercifull to her, and gave the opening of the mouth to the penitent, and to those that converted them­selves from their whole heart to him, shee was received in­to favour. Our wise men be­ing moved by this, have writ; that man should never cease to make repentance, and should not say, my iniquity is greater than can be remitted, but if hee be converted, the Lord receives him; as it is written, the Lord desires not the death of a sinner, Ezek. 33.11.

Thou hast done well in con­cluding that repentance is sha­dowed out by the diminishing of the Moone, for the story thou hast told mee is a parable, and not the truth, as many of you have falsely thought; for the Moone hath not life, soule, or spirit, whereby she might love or hate, but God hath created it from the beginning, a lesser light to rule the night, and hath not diminisht it, as you falsely assert. But heare what the Pro­phet saith; thus saith the Lord, Ier. 10. 2. learne not according to the way of the Gentiles, and be not afraid of the signes of heaven, as the Gentiles feare them. Behold, [Page 25] the Gentiles beleeved such things, who knew not the li­ving God. Moreover it is not written that the Moon did en­vy the Sun, and did desire to rule in the world: why there­fore do you believe such things, which the Philosophers never thought? who affirme that the Moone hath no light of her selfe, but receives her bright­nesse from the Sun, as doe all the stars, for the Sunne alone is light of it selfe; and hence it is, that the Moon and Starres have lesse light than the Sun, which may easily bee demonstrated from the eclipse of the Moone, when the earth hinders the beames of the Sunne from tou­ching [Page 26] the body of the Moone; and if you desire to heare, I'll tell you in short the cause of the eclipse of the Moon. Forasmuch as the Moone of it selfe hath no light, but receives its splendor from the Sun; know, that these two lights alwaies in the mid­dle of the Month, do stand one against another, and though the earth be in the middle, yet be­cause the body of the Moon for the most part doth bow down either towards the north, or to­wards the south, the shadow of the earth cannot hinder the beames of the Sunne from tou­ching & inlightning the Moon. But when the Moone in the time of the opposition is in the [Page 27] point of the head of the Dra­gon, or neer, to wit, twelve de­grees lower, the Moon is dark­ned, sometimes wholly, some­times in part, according as it is more or lesse distant from the mentioned head, which I will not here discusse in many words; therefore I will turn my selfe to another thing. You say that the Iewes shall celebrate a great Feast in the latter times, in which they shall eat one com­mon Oxe, which in the meane while is fed in a certaine great mountaine, and Leviathan, that is a great fish salted from the beginning of the world, and kept for the just, and they shall drinke wine from the first six [Page 28] daies reserved together wtih the grapes; I desire to know from you if this be true.

It is true, our wise men speak of the Leviathan, that hee was slain immediately after the first six daies;Gen. 1.21. for the scripture saith, that God created great whales, and without doubt there was two of them, but God slew the one, namely the female, and did season it with salt, and reserves it for the just. This we gather from hence, because the Text hath tanimin with one (jod) and not with two; and peradven­ture for this cause it is not written in the fifth day, and it so came to passe, as in the other [Page 29] two daies, because that exi­stence was unperfect, by reason of the killing the of female, w^ch doth not want a mystery. It is moreover written in Isaiah, Isa. 27.1. In that day the Lord with his sore and great, and strong sword, shall punish Leviathan the pier­cing Serpent, even Leviathan that crooked Serpent, and hee shall slay the Dragon that is in the sea. You see the Scripture speaks of one Whale; neither was it Gods will, that he by bringing forth young, should multiply himself in the sea, for otherwaies no man could go to sea without danger. Againe, it is written in the 104 Psalme 26.Ps. 104.26 There is that Leviathan, whom thou hast made [Page 30] to play therein, the Prophet saith that in the singular number, and masculine gender, therefore the female was kill'd, especially seeing it is manifest, that at the first God created male and fe­male: concerning the Feast, it is written,Iob 40. 1. canst thou draw out Le­viathan with an hook, or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? hee who made him, can make his sword to approach unto him, &c. And it is written, the companions shall prepare him for a banquet, and the Merchants shall divide him amongst them. Moreover God planted a Garden of pleasure. And againe it is written,Isa. 60.21 The branch of my plantations shall be the work of my hands, that I may be [Page 31] glorified, signifying a Garden of the best fruits: And I pray you who shall eat these? truly now they are eat by none, but are re­served for the just, against the time to come.

You make mee laugh when you bring Scripture authori­ties, and interpret them accor­ding to your folly, & understan­ding them according to the let­ter, whē notwithstanding they are Metaphors. It is true, God created great Whales, but 'tis fals that he presētly slew the female, forsomuch as at this day, great Whales are found in the sea, that is, the greatest fishes that devour the lesser; therefore powerfull Kings are compared to Whales, [Page 32] who afflict and oppresse the poore, but the Lord can easily slay them, although in strength they bee not inferiour to the Whales of the sea, this is the mind of Ezekiel. Eze. 32.2. Moreover, whereas you assert, one of the Whales was slaine by God, you are constrained to say, Ionas was swallowed up by one, see­ing there was not another in the sea. But heare what the Prophet writes of himselfe, and the Lord prepared a great fish to devoure Ionah. The Lord brought not a great fish, or that Whale from the end of the world, which was left in the beginning of the world, but that Whale which by providence was [Page 33] found in that sea; this the Lord did ordaine to swallow up Io­nah. Ion. 1.17. And if you object, a Whale or Leviathan, and a great fish, are unlike; I answer, that is not true, seeing the Rabbies do expound the word tannim for a great fish, do you think that fish was a little one, which swal­lowed up Ionah, and kept him alive three daies and three nights in his belly? What you bring out of the Psalmes,Psal. 104. 26. I shortly avoid thus; there the singular number is taken for the plurall, which you know is frequent in the Hebrew, as, a man, oxe, sheep, &c. Moreover, you deprave that place brought out of Iob, for the Lord doth [Page 34] not say there, the companions shall eat the Leviathan: but he speaks after this manner; shall the companions and associates make a banquet of him, or shall the Merchants divide him a­mongst them? after the man­ner of those who buy fishes, and divide them into parts, and that place may have this inter­pretation: Will the compani­ons dig a pit to draw him thi­ther out of the sea by their his­sing, and take him? doe you see how unhappily the Fathers have understood and expoun­ded that place? this also is ve­ry false, and a great errour a­mongst you, that the just in the world to come, shall eat tem­porall [Page 35] food, and corporall bread; the flesh of beasts and fish, herbs, and corn of which bread is made, which we need in this life, where wee grow and doe beget an off-spring, and doe renew that which is appaired in our body by the adjection of meat. But in the world to come and resurrecti­on of the dead, it is farre other­waies with us; for then man shall be by the resurrection, a new creature, and renewed up­on their former bones, like that vision in Ezekiel, Eze. 37.6 when the Lord God did raise up his peo­ple, saying, I will lay sinews up­on you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and will cover [Page 36] you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live. Wher­fore your Rabbies have said in the secrets of the Law, that there is in the neibe, a very stiffe bone, which being put in the fire, is not hurt by it, and being put into the ground, doth not putrifie, and they affirm the re­surrection of the body doth in­crease by that. So also it is in Genesis, Gen. 2.22 and the Lord made [...] made I say upon the bone, si­newes, flesh and skin, and brea­thed into her the breath of life and brought her to Adam, tha [...] by this mystery he might fore­shew, although man shoul [...] dye, yet hee should rise in th [...] same body, and should be mad [...] [Page 37] a building of nerves, bones, and flesh joined together, which should not be dissolved; where­fore Adam called her bone of my bone,Gen: 2.23 because the resurrecti­on of man should be in his first bones ot eternall life. Then the just no longer shall eat corpo­rall bread, which doth not free from death, neither drink wine which the earth doth bring forth, but shall eate the bread of Angels, that is, as the just shall live in the spirit as Angels; so they shall eate food which shal not putrifie nor perish, neither shall the elect of God,Isa. 60.19 want any longer the light of the Sun by day, neither shall the Moone give them light by night; but [Page 38] the Lord shall be a perpetuall light to them, and their God shall bee their glory, and they shal then eat spiritual fruits, be­cause eye hath not seen those things which God will doe for them who wait upon him. See Isaiah concerning this place,Isa. 64.4. in the 60 chap. above mentioned, & thou shalt find many things in the text, which are not to bee understood according to the bare sense of the letter, as you erroneously doe for the most part, but in spirit and in truth; if in the future world, according to your errour, there were bodily eating, there should be also death, and con­sequently another resurrection, [Page 39] which is false, and a great er­rour;1 Cor. 15. 44. for it is sowne in this world a mortall body, and shall rise in the resurrection of the just, immortall, for they shall then be as the Angels of God which are in heaven, and shall never die. And to conclude, you now see, that those men are witlesse, who say that the just in the future world shall eat a common Oxe, and that salted Whale, and shall drinke wine which Paradice brought forth, seeing that the just in the future world, shall not live in the earth, but in the heavens with God.Lu [...] 14.15. Blessed is the man who shall eate bread in the King­dome of God. But I will pro­pound [Page 40] another question to you, and I desire you to answer me to it. The question is this, why doe not you Iewes believe in in our Messias, seeing that in him all the prophecies are ful­filled, which are written con­cerning him in the Law and the Prophets; but do make your faces more hard than a rock,Ier. 5.3. yea though with open eies you see there is no salvation in the earth for the people, who walk in darknesse, and see no light?

If I would answer, perad­venture you would be displea­sed, but who, being so provok'd can refrain speaking,Psa. 69 9. especially seeing the zeale of the house of [Page 41] the Lord hath eaten mee up, and the reproaches of them who reproach God are fallen upon me. You aske why wee believe not in the Messias, nei­ther receive him as you doe: to w^ch I answer you thus: In your Christ the words of the Pro­phets are not fulfilled, which they did foretell concerning the Messias, neither are the mysteries of the Law fulfilled; although wee know the time of his comming is not far off; and therefore through all gene­rations, they which are of the seed of David with great desire do expect in their daies the comming of salvation, and the time of the King Messiah.

And why, I pray you, doth that your Messias so long delay his comming to deliver you out of your tribulations in which you are? or how can GOD himselfe see for this so long time, your calamity which you suffer in this captivity, and doth not deliver you out of your troubles, executing judge­ment upon your enemies? why doth he suffer you so to wander through the world, as sheep which have no shepherd? Con­sider, that you have not a cer­taine and constant dwelling place. I desire to know the rea­son, why God hath cast you from him so many yeares, nor [Page 43] doth at any time remember you for your good: For when of old he punisht your fathers for their sins, when they were converted, and did confesse, and praied unto him in their ba­nishment, he forthwith delive­red them, and sent them a deli­verer, why doth hee not the same in this time of your grie­vous captivity?

Know you not that his wis­dome and his counsels are not to be searcht into, which do so far exceed our apprehensions? as it is written,Psal. 66.5 The Lord is ter­rible in his counsell towards the sons of men; we know not, nei­ther can we apprehend his wis­dome [Page 44] and prudence,Isa. 40.13. or find it out, and know it, but he knows what he doth.Psal. 36.9

I wonder at this your an­swer, when you say, you know not the cause why God hath cast you out of his presence, & surely it must needs be for some great sin, such as you never commit­ted from the beginning of the world, you, or your fathers, whatsoever it is. Furthermore, when you say the comming of the Messias is nigh, tell me I pray, what that is, which is re­cited in the Talmud. When Rabbi Ioshua the son of Levi did aske Elias when the Messias would come, and where is he? he an­swered, [Page 45] at Rome amongst the weake; and going thither hee found him. If hee was then at Rome, doubtlesse he is come and borne already, and yee expect him in vaine.

The Messias is not yet come, but he was borne in the time of the destruction of the Tem­ple, which the book Haggadoth, that is, the book of insinuati­ons or denuntiations doth shew.

If hee was borne in the time of the desolation, from which time almost a thousand and five hundred yeares are now past, and at this day hee is [Page 46] not yet come, when I pray you, or how will hee come, seeing that it is not allowed in nature, for any man to live a thousand and five hundred yeares.

You know the first men li­ved a long time, and that to the flood, as some came almost to the thousandth yeare;Gen. 5.27 but Eli­as and Enoch did live much lon­ger, whom God kept alive, and who live to this very day; so the Messias being borne along time before, is yet preserved in life.

Where therefore and in what place is he at this day? is he yet at Rome?

It may easily bee demonstra­ted from scripture, where he is. Consider, the first Adam in his first estate was in the earthly paradice, but because of his sin, he was cast forth from thence, as saith the Scripture,Gen. 3.24 God sent him out of the garden of plea­sure. It followes therefore, that he who was free from the pu­nishment of Adam should bee in Paradice; so our wise men have said, in the book of denun­tiations.

I doe not well understand what you would signifie by the word denunciations, there­fore before you proceed, de­clare [Page 48] that word to mee.

Know therefore, with us are three kinds of books, one kind of books we call the 24. which commonly are called the Bi­ble, and on these wee beleeve firmely, and with a perfect faith, because they were writ­ten by the Prophets, and other godly men, to whom the Lord made known his will, and did reveal mysteries. Another kind is called the Talmud, and is an Exposition or explanation o [...] the precepts of the Law; fo [...] there are in the Law of Moses 613 precepts, and all these are explained in the Talmud; i [...] which booke we also beleeve [Page 49] as in an exposition of precepts, which are in the hands of our Rabbies, who received it from their Fathers, and their Fathers received it from the Prophets, and they received it from God. Thirdly, wee have a kinde of books, which is called Medras, which signifies an inquisition or discussion of matters, and we commonly interpret it, a common opinion; for there what every man thought, and what seemed right to him, hee wrote down; wherefore they which believe these writings, do well, and he that doth not believe them, wrongs not him­selfe. Some wise men say, and have also left it in writing to [Page 50] us, that the Messias shall not be borne, untill the time of our deliverance is come, or shall draw nigh, that he may bring us out of that captivity; and I rather assent to this opinion, than their judgement, who say the Messias is borne long agoe, namely, in the time of the of the desolation of the Tem­ple, and we call the mentioned inquisition by another name, Haggada, that is, a denunciation; for it is nothing else but a cer­taine denunciation, whereby one man signifies any thing to another.

Is the Messias alwaies at Rome, according to their opini­on, [Page 51] who thought hee was at Rome?

Hee is not alwaies at Rome, but at that time hee was seene there; for Elias said to Rabbi Io­shua the son of Levi, that at that time he should find him there, and he might be seen for a cer­taine cause which is signified in Haggadoth, but which I meane not to reveale to you, nor to any other Christian, forasmuch as I know, our words are an abo­mination in your eyes, and therefore we write such myste­ries in the Tables of our heart.

Disclose to mee I pray you, what he did at Rome, or what [Page 52] he will do thete, and why he will rather goe thither than to another place; and do not con­ceale it from me.

Because you have so earnestly intreated me, I will tell you, but see you disclose it not to others, for you know how they are wont to deride us, when they have heard our secrets. Haggada saith, the Messias remaines at Rome, untill he destroy it, as we read concerning Moses our Law-giver who was bred up in the house of Pharoah, untill at length he took vengeance of him,Exo. 14. 28. and drowned all his peo­ple in the sea and he came not presently after hee was borne, [Page 53] and delivered Israel, but after many yeares, when the Lord God gave him command, then hee came and said to Pharaoh; Thus saith the Lord, let my people goe that they may serve me. Exo. 7:16 So the Messias when the fulnesse of time is come, shall come to the Pope by the command of God, and shall say to him, let my peo­ple go that they may serve me, then I say the Messias shall be said to have come, and till that time, he is not said to be come: But nei­ther is the Messias called, as David the King was not King, or anointed the same day wher­in he was borne, but after that Samuel had anointed him by the commandement of God, [Page 54] then was hee anointed King,1 Sa. 16.13 So when Elias hath anointed the Messias by the commande­ment of God, then shal he be the Messias, and shall come; these things are out of Haggada.

You tell me strange things, but all your words seem to be more like a lie than truth, for the Prophets of the Lord have taught far otherwaies; neither are the words of Haggada, true in this, when it will compare Moses to Christ, and the Egypti­an captivity, to the captivity of this time. For the Israelites in Egypt, did serve onely Pharoah; for it is thus written; Moses said to Pharaoh, let my people goe, Exo. 7.16. &c. [Page 55] for he alone, without another King, had the government over Israel, and when he would not let them go, God with a strong hand, and a stretcht out arme, and with great judgement, brought them forth.Exo. 13.9. But in the present captivity, the Iewes are not only under the power of the Pope, but are disperst and scattered into the foure parts of the world; seeing it is so, how can the Pope by his pow­er and authority let them goe, who are not at all found under his dominiō? Furthermore Mo­ses delaid not after his nativity, but fourscore years, after which he delivered Israel;Exod. 7.7 and when I turne my selfe to the words of [Page 56] the Thalmud, which saith, the Messias is born, but hitherto hath delaid his comming, now a thousand and five hundred yeares; I easily conclude, that the words of the Thalmud are false, or the first comparison foolish. I would have you at least to take this to heart, this ve­ry long captivity, which hath no end or bound, nor any con­solation, all which your fathers had in the captivity of Babel, yea after that they offended God by their manifold abominations, worshipping Idols, and profa­ning the Sabbath, and other so­lemnities, and turning away from all the commandements of God, proclaimed by Moses; [Page 57] & when they did these things, God sent the Prophets to them, to dehort them, and he repro­ved them by manifold rebukes, the Prophets telling them, un­lesse they did breake off, they should bee carried out of their owne land,Ier. 16.13. and should fall into the hands of their enemies. Loe,Ier. 12.7. you see, that even in the worst times, they had Prophets who did threaten them, and againe gave them words of comfort, speaking to their hearts, even in that houre when they commit­ted the evill; likewise in the houre wherein they went into banishment out of their owne land, the Prophets came to them and comforted them, and [Page 58] the Lord revealed to them the end of their captivity by the Prophet Ieremiah, Ier. 25.11 and they were in the captivity but seven­ty yeares; but in the Moderne captivity, there is not a Pro­phet, there is no comforting vi­sion, but the captivity daily be­comes more grievous, and all the bounds of the captivity, which the wise men have set, are past a long time agoe, and we are certain, the word of our Creator shall remain,Psal. 119. 89. & stands firme to eternity, neither shall be accomplisht from good into evill, but from evill into good, as it appears concerning Egypt, when hee began to count the end of that captivity from the [Page 59] nativity of Isaac. Exo. 12. 40. The same ap­peares concerning the Nine­vites, Gen. 15. 13. who when they had com­mitted all wickednesse, so soon as they repented of the evils,Ion. 3.10. God was mercifull to them. But in this your captivity, you indeed doe observe the Sabbath and solemnities, and other commandments of God, which your fathers before the Babylo­nish captivity, and in the capti­vity did not keepe, when they had altogether forgot the Law of Moses: but notwithstan­ding all this, when the time of seventy years was fulfilled, they were delivered. But is it not written,Is. 56.1,2. keep ye judgement and do justice, for my salvation is [Page 60] near to come, and my righte­ousnesse to be revealed? blessed is the man that doth this, and the son of man that laieth hold on it, keeping the Sabbath from polluting it. From this we ga­ther, when the Israelits do keep the Sabbath, and make repen­tance, they are not banisht from their own land. But in the mo­dern captivity the Iewes keepe the Sabbath, and other precepts of God, they make repentance, they pray, and give almes, why therefore doth not the Messias come? see how often they have made a great and solemn repen­tance with their whole heart, and whole soule, and all their strength, that the end of their [Page 61] captivity might bee revealed to them, but their prayer was not heard, they did that, especially in the 5262 yeare of the world, which was the 1502 yeare of Christ, when all the Iewes made a publick repentance through all their habitations, in all the earth, and through the whole captivity, and that al­most for a whole yeare, both young men and old men, wo­men and children, such a repen­tance as was never heard of in the foregoing ages, and they did it for the comming of the Mes­sias, but all in vaine; for there was nothing revealed to them, neither token, or any signe; not to speake of any greater thing, [Page 62] and truly that thing is a great wonder, a hissing, and clapping of hands to all who heare it, that nothing doth help them, not law, nor repentance, not prayer, neither any almes, all which they doe daily; is not this a manifest signe, that the Messias is already come? but because you refuse to believe this word, the keeping of the Law, and the works of your hands are nothing. Hence we may conclude thus; if for re­pentance your freedome shall come, and the gathering toge­ther of your scattering, ye shall never be redeemed, forsomuch as you have alwaies been a re­bellious people, and of a stiffe [Page 63] neck. Moreover, you see and know, how vaine the words of Rabbi are, who are here doubt­full, and perplext, and disagree­ing amongst themselves: One hath said, the Messias shall not come, but in a generation which is wholly righteous, or in a generation which is whol­ly wicked, and so thought Rab­bi Iohanan the son of Lacae, pro­ving it thus: In a generation which is wholly guilty, because it is thus written,Isa. 59.16. and hee saw there was no man, and he won­dred that there was no inter­cessour, therefore his arme brought salvation unto him, and his righteousnesse it sustained him. Also in a generation which [Page 64] is wholly cleane, because it is thus written,Isa. 60.21 and all thy people shall be just, they shall possesse the earth for ever. Also Rabbi Eleeser saith, if the Israelites shall make repentance, they shall immediately bee redee­med, seeing it is written,Ier. 3.14. turne or make repentance, O backsli­ding children, to which Rabbi Ioshua answers thus, was it not said,Isa. 5213. you have sold your selves for nought in your idolatry, and shall bee redeemed with­out monie, namely, by repen­tance, and good works? Hence wee gather, that the Rabbies themselves were doubtfull, whether the congregation of the captivity should bee made [Page 65] by repentance or not, and wee now already see, repentance hath profited you nothing; ther­fore all the words of the Rab­bies which they speak concer­ning the modern captivity, are mere lies and errours, and that verse cited out of Isa. hee saw there was no man,Isa. 59.16 &c. doth justly agree with Iesus our Sa­viour, in the houre of his passi­on, who saw none to repent; and for this cause it is rightly said, repent ye backsliding chil­dren, as if he should say, if they shall repent over this thing, and yet receive him, they shall im­mediately bee delivered: and this is the true repentance, and the good workes which yee [Page 66] should do, to remove the stum­bling block out of your hearts, and believe in the living God, and in the Messias, who is sent for salvation both to you and to us; then shall be fulfilled this saying of Scripture,Isa. 40.31 they that wait upon the Lord, shall re­new their strength; they shall mount up with wings as Ea­gles, they shall run and not bee weary, &c. for in the time when the Iewes shall receive unto themselves the Messias of the Lord, they shall be called the waiters upon the Lord, and he shall give them power and strength, and every good thing as from the beginning, where­upon it is added, then they shal [Page 67] renew their strength, they mount up with wings as Ea­gles, and they shall be renew­ed like an Eagle, which if hee live to the tenth yeare, hee as­cends aloft to the face of the Heaven, untill hee approach to the heat of the fire, and then casts himselfe through the ex­ceeding heat into the sea, and being made naked, is renewed, and other feathers will grow in him. I desire you to heare me againe what Haggai saith con­cerning the comming of Christ, Hag. 2.6. to the 10.Hag. 2.6. to the 10. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the Heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land, and I will shake [Page 68] all Nations, and the desire of all Nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts; the silver and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts. The glory of this house shal be grea­ter than of the former, saith the Lord of Hosts, and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hosts. Behold, the Prophet saith, yet a little while; but if the Mes­sias were not yet come, the Prophet had spoke false, seeing from the time of the Prophet, to our times, above two thou­sand yeares are past. Hee saith moreover, the glory of this lat­ter house, shall be greater than of the first; but what was that great glory, saving that our [Page 69] Messias did appeare in that se­cond Temple, doing there signs and wonders, such as were ne­ver done in the whole world; he also taught the people, and shewed them the way to eter­nall life.

Our Masters do speak other­waies here, namely, that the se­cond house is therefore called the greater, because it stood 10 years longer; for the first house stood 110 yeares, but the second stood 120.

This answer is empty and foolish; for not for so little time the second could bee said to bee greater, since that in all other [Page 70] things, it was lesse than the first house: For as it is said,Ezr. 3.12 many of the Priests and Levites, of the chiefe fathers and Elders of the people, who saw the first house, when the foundations of the second house were laid, and they standing by, saw it, they wept with a great voice, because that second house was as nothing in respect of the first, because the vessels of the first house were of gold, but of the se­cond they were of brasse. And moreover, in the second house were wanting ten signs, which were done in the first sanctua­ry to the Fathers, as the Rabbies write. 1. A woman did not make an aborsement, by reason of the smell of the sanctified [Page 71] flesh: 2. The holy flesh did not stink or was corrupt. 3. A flye was never seene where the sa­crifices were slain. 4. The High Priest had no nightly unclean­nesse in the time of the solemne sacrifice. 5. The raine did not quench the fire by the holy place, burning continually in the pile of wood. 6. The wind did not scatter the pillar of smoak, ascending straight to­wards heaven. 7. Mouldines or corruption was not found in the pot of Manna, in the two loaves, and in the shew bread. 8. They stood upright in the Temple, and when they bowed downe to worship, they had roome enough. 9. A Serpent, or [Page 72] a scorpion did never hurt in the city Ierusalem. 10. Neither did ever any man say to his fellow, my place is so straight, that I cannot remaine in Ierusalem. Moreover, five other things were in the first Temple, which were not in the second; namely these; the arke, with the propitiatory, and the cheru­bims, fire sent from heaven, the holy spirit, Vrim and Thum­mim, that is, certaine holy my­steries on the brest-plate of the chiefe Priest.1 King. 8. 7. You see now, that the second house was not grea­ter than the first, because of the 10 yeares. I will also add this, that your Rabbies speak not the truth, when they say, that [Page 73] they shall build a third Tem­ple in the Land of Israel, and then the Messias shall come, seeing the Prophet doth speake plainly here, this is the last house, shewing as it were by his finger, the house which was then built, and was then standing; that house I say shall be in greater glory than the for­mer. But I desire to know from whence you Iewes have it, that there shall be a third Temple.

I will tell you. Our wise men of good memorie say, that Abraham called that place a mountaine, but Isaac called it a field, and Iacob a house; for, be­cause Iacob about night came to [Page 74] that place, the holiness and dig­nity of that place was revealed to him, therefore these three fa­thers did foreshew, three Tem­ples to be in Israel, two to bee destroyed, and one to remaine for ever. Abraham called that place a mountaine, [...]. 22. he saith, in the mountaine the Lord shall be seen. This is the mountaine of desolation, concerning w^ch they write in the Medras, or nar­ration of the Psalmes,Psal. 3.4. with my voice will I cry unto the Lord, namely, when as yet the temple stood firme; but when that is destroied, from whence doth he answer? he adds, the Lord hath heard me from his holy moun­taine. Moreover, that the se­cond [Page 75] house was to be destroid they prove from this, because Isaac called that place a field, as it is written,Gen. 24 [...] 63. Isaac went forth to pray in the field. Ier. 26. 18 And Ieremiah saith, Zion shall bee plowed as a field. Moreover, the third Tem­ple, which shall never be de­stroied,Gen. 28. 17. Iacob called the house of the Lord God; and concer­ning that the Prophet writes, the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the for­mer.Hag. 2.9 [...] And againe it is written, I will bee to her saith the Lord, Zach. 2.5 a wall of fire round about, and the glory in the midst of her, Ex. 15.17 and Exo. 15.17. The sanctuary of the Lord which thy hands have establisht. The two first houses were [Page 76] made with the hands of men, therefore they had no stability, according to that,Ps. 127.1. in vaine doe they labour who build it; therefore Iacob called that temple a house that should alwaies endure, and not as others, a mountaine, a field, and therefore hee pre­sently subjoines,Gen. 28. 17. Ier. 31.38 this is no other but the house of God. And Ieremi­ah saith, behold the daies come saith the Lord, and the City shall bee built to the Lord, &c. and at length concluding, hee adds, it shall not be pluckt up, nor thrown down any more for ever. And Isa. saith,Isa. 2.2. it shall come to passe in the last daies, that the mountaine of the Lords house shall bee established in the top of the mountains. This is [Page 77] the mountaine of the Lord which Abraham did shew, and shall be exalted above the hils, alluding to Isaac, who called it a field; but by that which is added, the mountaine of the house of God; hee would signifie the house of Iacob, of which hee saith in another place,Isa. 2.3. Come yee and let us go up to the mountaine of the Lord, to the house of the God of Iacob, which shall remaine firm. Moreover, the Scripture in Genesis hath shewed to us these 3 houses, when it thrice makes mention of the place, where the lodging of Iacob is descri­bed, in the place of the house of God; for you find it there,Gen. 28. 11 that Iacob came to the place, tooke [Page 78] the stones of the place, and slept in that place; he hapned into that place, when the Sun was set, whereby was signifi­ed the destruction of the first house. He gathered the stones of the place, being scattered in the destruction of the first Temple, and laid them under his head, being to rest upon them all night, whereby is signified the building of the second Tem­ple, which should not continue long; but because he slept quiet­ly there, a third Temple was al­so signified, in which they be­ing without strength, shall a­gaine bee refreshed, and shall rest in their beds, and every man shall sit under his owne [Page 79] vine, and under his owne fig­tree, without all feare.Mich. 4.4

I can heare you no longer in this businesse, you so much wrest your selfe, and the Scrip­ture of God, and doe sharpen your wit to pervert the word of God; for this exposition which you have brought, is un­meete, and very unfit for the purpose, being upheld by no foundation, especially forso­much as the Prophet hath spoke so plainly;Hag. 2.9. that latter house, as if hee should say, that house which you see with your eies, that last shall be in greater glo­ry than the first, if he had said the latter house, and had not [Page 80] added that, you might have some appearing reason, al­though that place which you bring concerning the three fa­thers, is not agreeable to our purpose; therefore wee finde a first and a second house, but we find not a third.

What you write concerning the first and second house, is this; if the Israelites had not sinned, they should not have had but the first Temple, and it should have been worthy to be builded by the hand of God, according to that, Thy hands have establisht the sanctuary of the Lord;Ex. 15.17 but because they sinned, they were the cause why that [Page 81] Temple was built by the hands of men, as also the second; and hence it is that they had no firmnesse, according to that, they labour in vain who build it,Ps. 127.1. and the Lord himselfe shall by himselfe build Ierusalem, and fulfill that Scripture, thy hands have established the sanctua­ry of the Lord: and that, I will be to thee a fiery wal round about thee, and for a glory in the midst of thee. Zech. 2.5. And then also shal the saying of our Prophet be confirmed,Hag. 2.9. the glory of this latter house, shall bee greater than of the first, and hee hath not said, of the second, than of the first.

You multiply words, and [Page 82] cite many places of Scripture, but beside the purpose; if sinnes were the cause of the desolati­on of the first and second Tem­ple, the third Temple which you expect, shall never be built, because you sinne without cea­sing, and ye say, that because of your sins, the Messias defers his comming: If this be true, this your third Temple shall never be built, which you say shall be, and shall be built by the hands of God: whereof notwithstan­ding, neither the Scripture nor the Prophets doe make menti­on, but yee out of your owne braine have invented this opi­nion, to seduce the simple.

If the truth doth not stand for us, how I pray was that latter house in greater glory than the former?

I will tell you, and I have told you already; for this cause the second house was greater than the first, because the Lord of the Temple came into his Temple, as the Prophet Malachi did Prophecy.Mal. 3.1. Behold, I send my Angell, and hee shall prepare the way before my face, and the Lord shall suddenly come to his Temple, whom ye seek, and the angell of the Testament, whom ye desire: behold, he commeth saith the Lord of Hosts. This prophecy without all de­niall, [Page 84] doth agree with the King Messias, who hath come, and was seen of men, as I shewed above even now.

I said above, there are some amongst our Rabbies, who be­leeved the Messias was born in the desolation of the second Temple, but was not yet come, because when hee shall come, he shall do great signes, and his heart shall bee exalted in the waies of the Lord, but hee shall come and command the Pope, and all the Kings of the people, saying, let the people of the Lord go to serve him; and then hee shall doe signes before the rebellious, neither shall he feare [Page 85] them, and shall remaine in the City of Rome, untill he destroy it, and then he shall bring forth the people of God.

You have not yet told mee the reason, why your Messias doth so long delay, and deferre his comming.

I have told you already, that I know not; but our Rabbies say, that Ierusalem was wasted for no other cause, but because they did breake the Sabbath, and for the transgression of the Sabbath, they were driven out of their own land into banish­ment, and the chiefe good which at this day is found a­mongst our banished, is the [Page 86] keeping of the Sabbath, as it is written,Is. 56.1,2. thus saith the Lord, keepe ye judgement and doe justice, for my salvation is neer to come, and my righteousnesse to bee revealed. Blessed is the man that doth this, and the sonne of man that laieth hold on it, that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it. He saith, my sal­vation is neere to come, if you make your waies good, depar­ting from evill; for repentance withholds the comming of the Messias; and if all the Israelites did feare God, his salvation would be near to them: for re­demption depends upon repen­tance; as it is written,Ier. 29. 13,14. and the Lord thy God will turne thy cap­tivity, if thou wilt turne to the [Page 87] Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with thy whole soul. And again he saith,Isa. 56.2. blessed is the man which doth this, namely, keeping the Sabbath, for that is worthy to be separated from other daies, in meat and drinke, and more comely apparell, and this as to the body; but concerning the soule, that ought to be emptied of all the businesses of this world.

I have said above, if the peo­ple dispers'd in the captivity must be gathered together by repentance, ye shall never be de­livered, seeing that you are al­waies a rebellious people, and of a stiffe neck.

Heare what Ezechiel saith,Ezek. 36. 22. I will doe it not for your sakes, O house of Israel, &c. and he saith, I will bring you out from amongst the people, &c. And againe hee saith in the Law, I will remem­ber them for my first covenant, Le. 26.42 &c. From this wee think, that for the goodnesse of God, and righ­teousnesse of the Fathers, and not for our own righteousnesse, we shall come out of captivity. Wee see also how the Rabbies have been perplext here, whe­ther they should come out of captivity by repentance or not. Wherefore Rabbi Iohanan saith, that the sonne of David shall not come, but in a generation [Page 89] which is wholly just, or in a ge­neration which is wholly guil­ty of sin. And Rabbi Eleiser saith, if the Israelites shall make re­pentance, they shall immedi­ately be delivered, seeing it is written,Ier. 3. 14. returne yee backsliding children. To which Rabbi Ioshua doth answer;Isa. 52.3. was it not now said, ye are sold for nought, &c. Here we see, that our fathers were doutful, whether we should be delivered from banishment by repentance or not, because the sayings of Scripture do seem to disagree amongst themselves, which difference shall be thus composed; that many Israelites shall bee converted by repen­tance, after that they have seene [Page 90] the signes of deliverance; and therefore it is said,Isa. 59.16. hee saw that there was not a man that did re­pent, untill hee saw the beginning of the salvation: and notwith­standing, some remaining wic­ked and rebellious, shall come out with the multitude of re­penting Israelites, and shall dye in the journey, and shall not en­ter into the Land of Israel.

Tell mee I pray you, what signes shall be in the gathering together of your dispersion.

The first signe of our salvati­on, shall be this: That the peo- of this world shall fall, and we shall rise, and the people shall [Page 91] be as it were bound before our face, that no man dare lift a hand or foot, unlesse he first fall down and humble himself before our presence: And the reason of this is, although the judgements of God have come upon us, yet we cease not to fol­low him, knowing that his judgements are good; and when his judgements do come into the earth, then the inhabi­tants of the world are instru­cted, and learn to do justice,Isa. 26.9. for because of them the world stands. If we remembred the name of other gods amongst our enemies, under whom wee live, wee might bee delivered from their oppression, & might [Page 92] be in dignity and magnificence, as well as they; but because we refuse to do this, we suffer affli­ctions which hurt us not, but we are purified by them, and our sinne is consumed, that not any reliques or any spots doe remain in us, and when God doth chastise us in this captivi­ty for our sins, we cease not to hope in him, neither do we de­spaire, but that in his own time we may be delivered.

And why I beseech you have your Rabbies appointed you so many bounds, which now are all past, and your Messias is not yet come, neither have you any hope that he will come?

Our Rabbies were much troubled and disquieted, there­fore they set some neare bound, lest the common people should despaire, and cast off their hope of freedome.

Thus your Rabbies doe se­duce the simple Iewes who live amongst you, by saying, ex­pect a little while there, and expect a little while there, and behold you have no salvation nor redemptiō. But tel me ano­ther sign, and tell me what shall be when your redemption shal come.

The Israelites shall not fall away as other Nations, who [Page 94] shall so much be abolisht, that even the remembrance of their name shall not remaine; but the Israelites shall be so re-uni­ted amongst the Nations, that in every place they shall bee one people, although now they are banisht and cast out into every part of the world, for in the lat­ter daies they shall returne to their dignity, and shall be grea­ter than all the Nations of the earth, for then shall judgement draw nigh, that the wicked may bee abolisht, who are a­mongst them. And this shall be that day, when the Lord will send his Angell to cleare the way before the congregation of the banished, lest they should [Page 95] find in their way any adversa­ry, and evill encounter; but be­cause the end of the banish­ment is not revealed, neither explained in the book of Dani­el, when it is said,Dan. 12.9 because the say­ings are shut up and sealed, untill the time of the end: therefore 'tis said in Malachi, Mal. 3.1. for he shall sud­denly come, no man knowing the day of the comming of the Lord, who is King, Messias, and Angell of the Testament, or the Angell of the Testament is spoken of Elijah. Mal. 3. [...]. 3.

Moreover, that day shall be like fire, purifying the rust from the silver, for so the wicked shal be separated from the godly, and the wicked shall fall away, and the residue shall remaine [Page 96] just; for that day shall bee a day of judgement, when the Lord shall doe judgement between the wicked and the godly, the godly shall be his inheritance, and hee shall have mercy upon them, that the evill touch them not, which shall consume the wicked, and they shall see the good of Ierusalem, and the peace of Israel, all the daies of their life, to wit, theirs who then shal be alive in the congregation of the dispersion, when the redee­mer shall come in their daies. And the Lord shall raise those that shall not be alive, from the dead, namely, the just, that they may see the peace of Israel; and God shall send Elijah the Pro­phet [Page 97] for the good of Israel, and shall bring back again his soul, which did ascend into Heaven, to a body formed like his first body; for his first body was turned into earth, and every element did passe into its ele­ment; and after that hee hath quickned him in body onely, he shall send him to Israel be­fore the day of judgement, to admonish the Fathers, and like­wise the children, that they should turne themselves to God, with the whole heart,Mal. 4. 6. and they which shall repent, they shall be delivered from the day of judgement.

Thou hast told mee strange [Page 98] things, that even the dead, in the comming of the Messiah, shall live againe, and Elias shall returne, and the just shall see their redeemer the Messias, and they shall rejoice with him: but these things shall be in the second and last comming of the Messias, that is, in the end of the world, and not in his first comming, as you thinke; and if you vouchsafe to heare, I will tell you something con­cerning the resurrection of the dead, and I will tell you the truth.Isa. 26.19 We read in Isa. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise: awake and sing yee that dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, [Page 99] and the earth shall cast out the dead. Where he signifies the se­cond comming of the Messias to judgement, when God him­selfe in the day of judgement, shall raise the dead to life. The same is also in the Prophecy of Daniel, Dan. 12.2 and many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth, shall awake, that is, the resurrection of the dead to life, shall be com­mon to all the just, and the wicked shall also receive their bodies, but to be punished in them, and in their soules, and dye perpetually. Moreover, when the Prophet saith (thy dead) hee directs his speech to God; and then a voice shall come from heaven, and shall say to them, [Page 100] awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust. So when he saith (they dew) he speakes figuratively to God; for as the dew doth quicken, and cause the herbes to grow up, so the dew of divine power shall quicken the dead, and the earth shall cast forth her dead, that is, God shall condemne the wic­ked, and thrust them out into hell, but the just shall goe with Christ into eternall life, and then the present world shall have an end, and the elect shall be with God in the Kingdome of heaven for ever and ever, but the wicked shall be shut up to­gether with the devill into hell, from whence they shall never be delivered; as it is said in the [Page 101] same place,Dan. 12. 2 some shall awake to eternall life, but some to reproa­ches, and to perpetuall abominati­on. Behold, this is our faith concerning the resurrection of the dead, and so also our holy Prophets have taught.

Our Rabbies also have taught us, how we should be­leeve, but after another manner; for they have said, the resurre­ction of the dead shall bee for all the just, and for some wic­ked, for the Lord shal cast forth those that be dead, that is, the wicked to the earth, but that cannot give them life. More­over, the dead which then the Lord shall raise to life, shall not [Page 102] differ from other men in the use of humane life, for they shall have a free choice of good and evill; for therefore he saith,Dan. 12.2 some to eternall life, but some unto reproaches, and eternall abomination, untill at length they come into contempt, and a con­tinuall consummation, that no part of good shall come to them, but even as the Prophet saith,Hab. 2.14 at that time the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. Then the abundance of divine knowledge shal so much increase, that the faith of God shall never be wanting, neither shall man bee changed, but to good, and to perfection, and many Iewes say these things [Page 103] shall be before the daies of the Messias, at which time mira­cles without number shal come to passe.

And here you likewise erre, seeing all these miracles are ful­filled already, some few excep­ted, which shall come to passe in the second comming of the Messias, namely in the end of the world, when God and the Messias shall come to judge the quick and the dead, for the Messias is come already, and hath quickned the dead, some from a corporall death, & some from a spirituall death. At this day Idols have ceas'd in the world; as it is written, The earth [Page 104] is filled with the knowledge of the Lord; Isa. 11. 9. for all Nations professe at this day, one God. At this day much people walk to the house of the God of Iacob, which is the congregation of the faith­full beleeving in Christ, who also figuratively are called the spirituall Ierusalem. At this day the wolfe remaines with the Lamb;Isa. 11. 6. that is, the wicked and devourer, with the meeke, and doth not hurt him. Peace also was through the whole world in those daies, when Christ was born; for then one man, name­ly Octavianus, did reigne over the whole world in peace. But in the world to come, which is the kingdome of Christ, there [Page 105] shall bee peace without end; now the Ports of Ierusalem are open, that every one that will may enter,Isa. 2.2. and the mountain of the Lord is established upon the top of the mountaines, and is lifted above the hils. To day in the heavenly Ierusalem, which is the City of beleevers in Christ, who is al­ready, come,Isa. 65.19 a voice of weeping and mourning shall no more bee heard there, but beleevers in Christ shall remaine there, not onely five hundred yeares, but for ever. But yee Iewes do not understand this word, as Isaias hath prophecied,Isa. 1 3. the Ox knoweth his owner, and the Asse his Masters crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider: as if hee [Page 106] should say; they would not un­derstand and walke in a right way; interpreting places of Scripture according to their owne fancies, knowing that their words are defended by no truth, as I will explaine below, where they say Christ shal have sons and daughters. And is it not written in the Thalmud, in the Treatise Nisa, that the Mes­sias shall not come, till the soules bee perfected from the body, that is, brought out of that closet, from whence the soules shall come which are created, for they so call the bo­dy: Know therfore, their words are empty and foolish, when they frame expositiōs of things [Page 107] to come, for they doe it to tri­umph, and obstinately to re­main in their errour, lest if they repented, and stood off from their purpose, they should lie under shame and disgrace; but they themselves confesse, they dare not for the people, sing a recantation, for otherwise they should be killed, because they have so blinded the eyes of the common people, with their false consolations. But I know you Iewes doe object to us Christians, that this gave occa­sion to your so tedious banish­ment, because Iesus being born of the seed of David of the Iewes,Ioh. 10.30 made himselfe God, and drew many of the people to [Page 108] him, who beleeved in him: which neverthelesse is a very bad errour with you, and your ancestors. Did they not kill him for it, and hang him upon a tree? if they had done well, God ought rather to hasten their redemption for that fact, even before the end of their ba­nishment were come, especial­ly seeing they had fulfilled that command,Deu. 13.5 Thou shalt root out e­vill from the midst of thee; and did hee not promise this very thing to them by Moses? More­over, if the words of Christ were lies, why did not God send some Prophet or vision, as he did in the daies of the Kings when they worshipped Baal, [Page 109] and other Idols, admonishing them to abstaine from that va­nity, and did reprove them? But forasmuch as this hath not been done, we may conclude, that his words and deeds were true and just. Blessed therefore is the man, who puts his trust in the Lord, and in his Christ, and whose confidence the Lord is; for the time wherein he hopes in him, and in the Messias sent in the second house. I have other Ar­guments which I could bring, proving the Messias to be alrea­dy come; but I think it need­lesse to alledge more here, see­ing I have cited those which I thought the chiefest; but if any man will enter a dispute with [Page 110] me in this businesse, I will give him other reasons and Argu­ments, if these now mentioned, will not satisfie him. But now speak you, and tell what you yet know, and I will heare you.

The mentioned Haggada, saith also this of the Messias, that he praies for Israel, that the Lord would remit our sins; and he takes upon him chastise­ments, and saith before him: I will take upon me sufferings, so that thou wilt quicken our dead, and not these dead onely, but they who have been slaine by men to this present, and not these onely who have died, but these who have been cast into [Page 111] the sea, and drowned, and who have been devoured by wolves, leopards, and other beasts. But this prayer shews him to be a man and not God; neither is it in his power to raise the dead. Moreover, those passions are nothing else but his sorrow, whereby he is grieved, that he delaies so long, seeing his peo­ple in captivity, and not being able to save them; hee sees that they worship a strange god, and deny the true God, making to themselves another Messias, and honouring him. Thou shalt also observe this, when the Israelites shall come out of cap­tivity, many and great miracles shall come to passe, and no [Page 112] power shall be in the great ones of this world to hinder them, and God shal bring forth many fountaines in the desert, in the mountaines, and in the middle of the vallies; neither shall hee doe that onely, but shall cause trees to grow in the deserts, to give shelter to the passers by, that the heat and the Sun smite them not. As it is written,Isa. 41. 18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the val­lies, I will make the wildernesse a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wildernesse the Cedar, the Shittah tree, and the Mirtle, and the Oyle tree, &c. And waters, and great trees shall remaine in those deserts [Page 113] for ever; and the men of this world shall say when they passe by them: these things the Lord did for the honour of Israel, and they shall confesse to the name of the Lord for this miracle for ever. Moreover it is written, they which waite upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, Isa. 40.31 they shall mount up with wings as eagles. Behold, the Isralites who in this captivity doe waite for the Lord, and have no strength, shall renew their strength like as a shrub or tree, which if it be lopt, is renewed againe; so the Israelites shall againe goe into their owne land, as the eagle, which if hee come to the tenth yeare, raiseth himselfe up to the face of the heaven, &c. as you [Page 114] have reported above.

And who shall shew you the way from these remote countries, into which you are scattered to Ierusalem?

God shall be the guide of our journy, that not so much as fools shall wander from the strait way; for whether any hath been accustomed to runne journies or not, no man shall go astray in the way, but shall go by a strait path towards Ierusalem; neither shall the fil­thy deserts hinder, in which formerly, evill beasts have dwelt: for then when the Is­raelites shall passe over, there [Page 115] shall no lions, neither cruell beasts be there. Againe, Isaiah saith in another place,Isa. 60. 8. who are these that flie as clouds, and as doves to their habitations? And this is spoken concerning the congregations of Israel, who shall goe up from every place out of captivity, and with great facility, like clouds they shall come into their own land; for the prophet compared their swift motion to the clouds. Moreover hee saith, that they shall fly swiftly as doves, when they return to their nests. Also Daniel saith,Dan. 12.2 blessed is hee that waites, and comes to a thousand, three hundred and thirty five days; for then the Messias shall first [Page 116] come, and shall reduce to no­thing, the false worship of the Gods, and shall cast it out of the world, and afterward he shall gather together his disperst peo­ple of Israel, into the desert of the people; according to that which is written,Hos. 2.14. I will allure her, and bring her into the wilder­nesse, and speak comfortably to her, afterwards hee shall bring the Israelites into their own land: For as Moses the first Redeemer did lead the Israelites in the de­sert forty yeares,Num. 32. 13. so the last re­deemer shall doe, as it is writ­ten, and shee shall sing there, as in the daies of her youth, Hos. 2.15. and as in the day when shee came up out of the land of Egypt. After all these [Page 117] things they shall rest in their owne land, and shall rejoice in the Lord their God, and in Da­vid their King. Blessed is he that shall wait, and shal come to these daies.

Behold, now from the time of the destruction of the Tem­ple, not onely 1335 yeares are past, but many more, and your fathers expected the Messias at that time, and this was a con­stant exposition of the mentio­ned words, and notwithstan­ding,Dan. 12.12 your Messias is not yet come: from whence it is easily drawn, that you doe pervert the Scriptures according to your pleasure. Moreover, the other words which you have cited [Page 118] out of Isaiah, Isa. 60. 8. are to be under­stood figuratively, and not ac­cording to the litterall meaning.

Is. 49.7, 8, &c.It is written also, thus saith the Lord the Redeemer of Israel, and his holy one, to him whom man de­spiseth, to him whom the Nations abhorreth, to a servant of Rulers; Kings shall see, and arise, Princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithfull, and the holy One of Israel, and hee shall chuse thee. Thus saith the Lord, in an ac­ceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the peo­ple, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages: [Page 119] that thou maiest say to the Priso­ners, goe forth; to them that are in darknesse, shew your selves: they shall feed in the waies, and their pastures shall bee in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor Sun smite them: for hee that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shal he guide them, and I will make all my mountains a way, and my high waies shall bee exalted. Behold these shall come from farre; and loe, these from the north, and from the sea, and these from the land of Sinim. I say, these sayings of Scripture shall bee fulfilled, when the Lord shall bring forth Israel out of capti­vity ver. 7. (whom man despi­seth) [Page 120] the Lord speaks it by Isra­el, who is despised by the Nati­ons, and an abomination to them, and a servant of so many Lords; but Kings shall behold him, and rise at his presence, and Princes shall worship him; and they shall doe this because of the Lord, who is the faithfull helper of Israel, ver. 8. To esta­blish the earth, that is, repaire the desolations of the land of Israel, and possesse the heritages lying un­der desolation all the time of the captivity, v. 9. saying to the bound, goe forth out of captivity, for the Israelites are as prisoners, who have not any power to goe out of captivity, and power of the Gentiles. In like manner the [Page 121] captivity is compared to dark­nesse, ver. 9. Moreover, they shal be fed, because they shall finde every where so much as shall satisfie them, untill they shall come forth out of captivity, even in the high places, where at another time, no pasture is found for cattell, because of the desert of water, and in places, where other travellers can get nothing, they shall find all suffi­ciency, v. 10. they shall no where suffer hunger or thirst, the Lord providing necessaries for them; who shall open in the deserts, fountains for them, and shall make fruit-bearing trees to grow for their profit; and all these things shall happen to [Page 122] them miraculously. Also in all the places of deserts, by which they shall passe, fountains of wa­ter shall flow forth. Lastly (hee saith) and I will make all my mountaines a way, and my high ways shall be exalted. Isa. 40.4. I will make every valley to bee exalted, and every mountaine or hill shall bee made low, and that wonderfully, lest in their journie, they should bee compelled to ascend and de­scend, to their wearying. And thus according to the litterall meaning, the saying also may be figurative, namely, that by that long journie, they shall not bee wearied, for the ascent and de­scent doe exceedingly weary the Traveller; therefore God [Page 123] shall give them strength, that they may not at all be wearied. Moreover, the Prophet sub­joins, I'll make my mountains, and my paths. For God shall make new waies through the deserts, where before was no way; and when he adds again, behold these, &c. He recounts the foure parts of the world, into which the Israelites are scattered: By the sea, understand the west, and by the land of Sinim, the south, for there dwell the Sineans, who descended from the sons of Ca­naan.

And what shall be after that you shall be gathered together in the Land of Israel? will they [Page 124] build Cities, and til the ground?

It is written,Isa. 60.10 the sons of stran­gers shall build thy wals, and their Kings shall serve thee, because in my anger I smote thee, and in my loving kindnesse I had compassion on thee. The Nations in thy land shall build thy wals, and shall doe thy worke; for at that time when my indignation was up­on thee, thou wert brought into the service of the Nations; but in the time of my good pleasure, the Nations shall like­wise serve thee, as also their Kings.Ver. 11. Thy gates shall be open con­tinually day and night, neither shall they bee ever shut, that they may bring to thee the riches of the Gen­tiles, [Page 125] and their Kings may also be brought. He saith, thy gates shall be open, because peace shall be in the whole world, they shall go by night because of the heat, and Kings likewise shall gather themselves together, to come before the Messias as servants, before their Lord. For it is the manner of Kings, when they goe on foot, or ride on a horse, for honour sake, to bee condu­cted by Princes.Ver. 13. The glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, the firre tree, the box tree, and the pine tree, to adorne the place of my san­ctuary, and I will honour the place of my feet, for they did build the sanctuary with the trees of Le­banon, which is set directly a­gainst [Page 126] the throne of Majesty; and when the throne of Maje­sty is the sea of God, it follows, that the sanctuary is his foot­stool. Moreover, the gate of heaven is above the sanctuary, and that is as it were the navill of the world, and the land of Is­rael is put in the middle of the world, and Ierusalem in the middle of the Land of Israel, and the sanctuary in the middle of Ierusalem, and the Temple in the middle of the sanctuary, and the Arke in the middle of the Temple, and the Temple of holinesse is called the throne of Majesty Againe, the Lord saith to Isaiah, Isa. 54 11 Behold, I will lay thy stones with faire colours, and lay [Page 127] thy foundations with saphires, and I will make thy windowes of agats, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones, and all thy children shall be taught of the Lord: Therefore it may be, that these words may be fulfil­led, according to the letter, or else they may bee a figure, by which is exprest the magnifi­cence and abundance of good things, which Israel shall enjoy, that if they would, they might in those daies build their hou­ses of precious stones. Finally, all his sonnes shall be taught of the Lord, and a man shall no longer teach his neighbour.Isa. 54.13 Ier. 31.34

By these words heavenly Ie­rusalem [Page 128] is figured out, or surely by these words is signified, the congregation, and Church of the faithfull, which is the spiri­tuall Ierusalem: But I desire you to tell me somewhat more con­cerning this thing.

Isa. 61. 5.Againe, Isaias saith, stangers shall stand and feed your sheep, and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandmen, and vine-dressers. But yee shall bee called the Priests of the Lord, men shall call you the servants of our God, ye shall eate the substance of the Gentiles; doe ye understand these words?

I doe not clearly understand; doe you therefore vouchsafe to [Page 129] explaine them more plainly to me.

Behold strangers shall arise out of their owne place, and shall come to serve us; but we shall not bee compelled to doe our owne businesses, but the sons of strangers shall do them, to the end that wee may bee more free to serve God. More­over, we shall eat the substance of the Gentiles. For besides this, that they shall serve us in our land, they shall bring us also gifts, gold and silver, and every good thing out of their owne land, and we shall not be compelled to goe out of our own land to exercise merchan­dise, [Page 130] and to get gaine; for in our owne land wee shall injoy the good of the world. Againe, the Prophet saith,Isa. 61. 9. and their seed shall be known in the Nations, and their off-spring in the midst of the peo­ple: all who shall see them, shall know them, that they are of the seed which the Lord hath blessed, and when we shall go by the Land of the Gentiles to travell a­broad, or to trafficke, although we shall have no need of them, wee shall bee knowne by our great honours, in which wee shall then be; and we shall goe honorably apparelled, and men shall say of us,Ver. 9. these are the chil­dren of Israel, these are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Like­wise [Page 131] our young men shall goe for their pleasure to see the Countries of the Gentiles. God also shall renew a good aire, so that the Israelites shall live in health many yeares. Also he shal give the earth a singular virtue, as it is said;Isa. 65.17 Behold I create new heavens, and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembred.

Shall men dye in that Land, or shall they live for ever?

They shall not die by the sword, because war shall not be there, neither shall there be a naturall death, exept after many yeares, when a man shall be full of daies; but when he shall dye, [Page 132] they shall not weep over him, as it is written,Isa. 65. 19 the voice of wee­ping and mourning shall no more bee heard in Ierusalem. Also in that time they shall not say of an old man, that hee hath ac­complisht his daies, untill hee come to the three hundreth or five hundreth yeare, and above, such as were in the first ages in the beginning of the world. But these daies which now in the world are counted for old age, shall then bee the daies of youth, and men shall bee ac­counted then as growing chil­dren, as it is written,Ps 92.14. they shall be fruitfull in old age, they shall be fat and flourishing, in the con­trary manner of old men; [Page 133] wherefore it is written else­where,Isa. 65.20 a child of a hundred years old shall die, that is, if any man dy in the hundreth year, which shall be, because of his sin; they shall say of him, that a child is dead, and he expounds it after this manner: A child of an hundred yeares who shall sin, shall be accused; as if he should say, the curse of God shall bee upon him. Then they shal not build, and another inhabit, as now it is, neither shall they plant, and another eat, but ac­cording to the daies of trees, shall the daies of my people be;Ver. 22. that is, in the elect, because they onely shall have the longest lives, and that not without a [Page 134] miracle, but not other people; whereupon Ionathan hath in­terpreted that place thus: They shall live as the dayes of trees. But our Rabbies say, that a li­ving tree doth endure five hun­dred years. Some also say there shall be some change in the na­ture of corne, in the time of the Redeemer, that it shall as vines bee preserved in strength, and there shal not be need eve­ry yeare to sow new corn, but it shall be sown onely once, as the vine is once planted; and after the corne shall bee gathe­red in; the stalks shall remaine flourishing to the next yeare.

In what place of Scripture, [Page 135] did your Rabbies find that?

In Hosea, they shall preserve their corne, and it shall flourish as a vine. Also in that time, if they aske of the blessed God raine, he shall give it them, and hee will give every man herbes in his field according to his desire. Moreover, our Masters say, that at that time when the Israelites shall do the will of God, he wil also do their will, so that if any one alone shall have need of raine, he will give raine to him alone; or if any one shall want raine for one herbe in his field or garden, he will give raine to that herbe alone. And this is that which is said, aske raine of [Page 136] the Lord, Zac. 10.1. and hee will give thee plentifull raine for every herb in the field.

Because you have fallen up­on Zachary, tell me how you un­derstand those words which are written in it,Zac. 14.10 shall the whole earth be turned as into a plaine?

I will tell you, behold, all the land about Ierusalem, which now is mountainous, as it is in the Psalmes,Ps. 125.2. shall then be plain like the plainnesse of a champi­on field, and it shall be exalted, and be higher than all the land, although now it be higher than all the land of Israel, by reason of the mountaines which are a­bout [Page 137] it, because of which its height cannot be seene: But at that time when all the land round about it shall bee made plaine, its height shall be seen more than all the Land. Where­fore it is said in the prophecy of Isaiah, Isa. 2.2. the mountain of the Lord shall be established upon the top of the mountaines, and shall be lifted above the hils, and many fields which now are nigh Ierusalem, shall then be within the wals of the City, and that City being built, shall never afterwards be destroied, as it is written, behold, Ier. 31. 38,40. the daies come saith the Lord, and the City of the Lord shall be built from the tower of Hananeel, to the gate of the corner, &c. it shall not [Page 138] be destroied nor pluckt downe for ever. It is said also in the Psalm, if the Lord build not the house, Psa. 127.1 they labour in vaine who build it. But this hee saith of the sanctuary, and City of Ierusalem. Behold, from that day wherein the house of the Lord was wasted, and the Israelites led into capti­vity, and the City destroied, Ie­rusalem was now againe re­built, and now againe destroi'd; because it was in the power of the Idumeans, and in the power of the Ismaelites, and every year war was raised for it; they build it, and these destroy it againe, because it is not the will of the Lord, that the Gentiles should keep it built,Ver. 1. and therefore they [Page 139] labour in vaine who build it, and in vaine doe they rise in the mor­ning who keepe it. First, the Idu­means did subdue Ierusalem; af­terwards when they were qui­et, the Ismalites came and made a great war with the christians, and tooke the City out of their hands, and there was a continu­all war between them, and that discord, paines and labour to possesse the City, shall endure untill the Redeemer and King Messias shall come, to whom the Lord God shal deliver Ieru­salem without all trouble.

Shall the City and the Tem­ple be then built, as Ezechiel saw them in the spirit of Prophecy?

Eze. 40.1.Yes, for he saith thus, in the 25 yeare of our captivity, in the be­ginning of the year in the tenth moneth, in that day the Lord brought me to the land of Israel, and set me upon an exceeding high mountaine, upon which there was as it were the building of the City, from the south, because in the day of mercy God will pardon the iniquity of Israel, and will re­member their sin no more, and the Temple shall be built in the mountaine, and the City Ierusa­lem shall be next to it, on the south there the Lord shews Ezekiel the building of the fu­ture Temple, that the hope of the Israelites might not faile, but [Page 141] they might know they should return into their own land, and should dwell in it securely, and the building of the Temple shall bee much greater then it was at the beginning, though it shall not differ in forme and order.

Ezekiel had this vision in the babylonish captivity,Ver. 1. before the second house was built, there­fore it cannot be understood of the building of a third Temple. Againe, I aske of you at what time of the year shall the Israe­lites goe into their owne land, after your Messias shall come.

I have told you already, name­ly, [Page 142] in the day of propitiation, for then God shall pardon the ini­quity of Israel; but in the month Nisan, That is, April. they shall be delivered, which month also, before when they were delivered out of E­gypt, was the beginning of re­demption; they shall come forth before Nisan, and shall ascend towards the land of promise, but in the first day of that moneth the building of the Temple shall bee finisht, and they shall dedicate the Altar in that day, and when they shall be in their journy, God shall judge them in the desert, as it is writ­ten,Ezek. 20. 34,35. As I live saith the Lord God, I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you together out of [Page 143] the Nations, in which you have been scattered, and will lead you into the desert of the people, and will judge you there face to face, as as I judged your fathers in the desert of the Land of Egypt; the meaning of which place is this: When I shall bring you forth out from the people, I will not lead you to the land of Israel, untill I shall judge you in the desert of the people, for there I will take vengeance of you, and will destroy the rebellious, and every wicked one whom I shal find amongst you; I will take my judgement of you in the place where no man shall bee found to passe or repasse, lest the Nations should see your evill, [Page 144] and should rejoice over you; but he saith face to face, that is, between mee and between you onely, without any mediatour.

Shall then all the Nations beleeve in one God?

Divers faiths shall not then be in the world as now, but a chosen language shall returne to the people, that all may call upon the Name of the Lord, and may serve him with one shoulder, for then shall be ful­filled that which is written,Isa. 66.19 To gather together all nations that they may come and see my glory. I will set a signe amongst them, and I will send forth the rest of them to the [Page 145] Gentiles, that they may shew my glory, and bring all your brethren from all Nations, a gift to the Lord, on horses and chariots; as if he should say: I will cause all nations to come with Gog and Magog, and see my glory where­with I will be glorified among them, and I will cause the rem­nant to goe into all Nations, and declare my glory among the Gentiles, who have not come to Ierusalem, and when they shall heare that great mira­cle which God hath done in the Tents of Gog and Magog, they shall bring the sons of Isra­el on horses and chariots, for a gift to the Lord, and they shall bring them honourably appa­relled, [Page 146] set on horses and chari­ots, and the seed of Israel shall continue all the daies of the world, neither shall the Israe­lites ever perish, or be led into banishment out of their owne land, as those Nations thought, who came with Gog and Ma­gog, to besiege Ierusalem, who thought to lead away Israel, and blot out their name. Again, the Prophet saith,Isa. 66.23 and all flesh shall come and worship before my face, saith the Lord; for all that are left of all the Nations, shall come every yeare to Ierusalem, to worship the King of Hea­ven, and celebrate the feast of Tabernacles: He saith evident­ly, the Feast of Tabernacles, [Page 147] which battell of Gog and Ma­gog shall bee in that time. Also the Nations shall come from every part of the world to seek the peace of Israel, bringing a gift to her. A gift, as it is written,Ver. 12. Thus saith the Lord, behold I give to her, namely Ierusalem, peace as a river, and the glory of the Gen­tiles as a flowing stream, not that it shall hurt like an overflow­ing flood, but as an overflow­ing flood comes unawares, so glory shall suddenly come to them, that is, the riches of the Gentiles, and all the daies of the world, the Nations of the world shall serve Israel, and the Israelites shall have dominion over their enemies, and they [Page 148] shall revenge that bondage, which the Gentiles have abu­sed in their servitude, all the daies of the captivity; and now also all the Nations who doe not serve the Iewes, are the de­bitors of death, and worthy of banishment, as it is written in Isaiah, Isa. 60.1. Arise, shine, for the Nation and Kingdome that will not serve thee shall perish; therefore all the time that they serve the Israe­lites, they have a strong hope, as it is said, And strangers shall stand and feed thy sheep, and the chil­dren of strangers shall bee thy hus­bandmen, and thy vine-dressers. Whence it appeares, you ought to serve us every houre, to ful­fill that which is said, the greater [Page 149] shall serve the lesser. It is also written with you, that Saint Iohn hath said, the Iewes are to be honoured, for our salvation came from them.

That last is false, because it is not written in the booke of Iohn, that ye Iewes are to be ho­noured by the Christians, but thou hast added that to the words of our Messias, who said it not. But yet you have not told me, who is Gog, and who is Ma­gog, and when their battel shall be against the Israelites.

Magog is a name of a Nation, and Gog the name of the King reigning in that Nation. But [Page 150] Magog came of the sons of Ia­phet, and behold they say, that from the daies of Alexander King of the Greeks, the poste­rity of Magog have been shut up in the end of the north, whom Alexander shut up there within the mountaines, whence they have not gone forth hitherto, but they shall goe forth in the time of salvation, after that Isra­el is gone out of captivity: for so wee have found it written, that Alexander the Macedonian shut up Gog and Magog within great and high mountains, out of which there is no egresse, but in one place onely, where hee made a very strong building, whose wals are of Iron,[Page 151] that no man can goe forth thence; also in that wall hee hath made by wonderfull in­dustry, iron men, who continu­ally as it were with hammers, and axes, doe smite upon the wall, that the men who are within the wals may thinke, that building is to be continued and fortified for ever, that none of them may ever go forth, and that building shall not be bro­ken, neither shall any passage be made, until that great and terri­ble day come, when it shall please the Lord, that they may goe forth thence; for then mountaines shall be throwne down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to [Page 152] the ground;Eze. 38.3. for thus saith the Lord God, behold I am against thee O Gog, and I will bring thee forth, all thine army, horses and horsemen, and all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Lybia with them, all of them with shield and helmet. Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarma of the north quarters, ver. 14, 15. In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, thou shalt know it, and shalt come out of thy place from the north parts, thou and many people with thee, and thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to co­ver the land. ver. 19,20. And in [Page 153] that day there shall be a great sha­king in the Land of Israel, so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be throwne downe, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground, and I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God; every mans sword shall be against his brother.

These words of the Prophet are wonderful; but pursue your discourse, and declare what you know.

Eze. 38. 22.It follows, And I will plead against him with pestilence, and with blood, and I will rain upon him and his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an over­flowing raine, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone. Thus wil I mag­nifie my selfe and sanctifie my selfe, and I will bee knowne in the eyes of many Nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. Againe, saith the Lord, behold I am against thee, Eze. 39. 1,2. Gog, and I will smite thee, and pu­nish thee with six plagues, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee up­on the mountains of Israel. And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows [Page 155] to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountaines of Israel, thou and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Behold he saith, in that great war shall be a great tumult, to which Za­chary alludeth; who in his pro­phecy speaketh thus,Zac. 14.4. The moun­taine of Olives shall be rent; also every mans sword shall bee against his brother in that tu­mult of the Lord, neither shall be left of them but the sixt part of the multitude, and they shall goe to all Nations, to declare the glory of the Lord amongst the Nations, that they come [Page 156] not against Ierusalem; or hee shall judge them with six judg­ments, namely, plague, blood, overflowing raine,Ezek. 38. 22. hail-stones, fire and brimstone. But what he saith, fishes of the sea, and foules of heaven, know, that is spoken hyperbolically, to shew the greatnesse of the tumult which shall be.

Why understand you that which is spoken of the fishes of the sea,Ver. 20. &c. hyperbolically, but expoundest the other part of the prophecy according to the letter? and where I pray you is it written, that Alexander King of the Greeks, shut up the sons of Magog within the [Page 157] mountaines? but continue that prophecie, as you have begun.

Againe, Ezechiel saith,Eze. 39.9. And they that dwell in the Cities of Is­rael shall goe forth, and shall set on fire and burne the weapons, both the shield and the bucklers, the bows and the arrowes, and the hand-staves and the speares, and they shal burne them with fire seven yeares, they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut downe any out of the Forrests, for they shall burne the weapons with fire, that is, they shall not need to cut downe trees out of the woods, but the weapons of warre shall suffice. Moreover, he saith ver. 11. And it shall come to passe at that day, [Page 158] that I will give unto Gog, a place there of graves in Israel, the vally of the passengers on the East of the Sea; and it shall stop the noses of the passengers; there shall the house of Israel bury them, to the end, that they may cleanse the land se­ven moneths, the stinke of the dead shall cause those that passe by that way, to stop and shut their noses from that very evill stink, and the people of the land shall be emploied in the bury­ing of them seven moneths; al­so the Nations, who came to worship, shall goe forth out of Ierusalem into the vally of Ieho­saphat, to see the carcasses of the army of Gog and Magog, who dealt wickedly against the [Page 159] Lord. And though the house of Israel doe bury them, that they may cleanse the earth seven months, 'tis possible that they may see in those seven months, the judgement of those wicked men, for they shall see their car­casses full of wormes gnawing them, and fire burning in them, as it is written,Isa. 66.24. They shall go forth and see the carcasses of those men, who have done perversely against me, for their worme shall not dye, neither their fire be extinguisht.

You have hitherto multipli­ed words of divers things, I would have you repeat to me those things in a compend; which you have alledged here and above.

I will doe it, and give you 15 answers, 5 out of scripture, and 5 out of the Caball, and 5 by clear demonstration. Of the 5 which are brought out of Scripture, this is the first.Isa. 11.11. It is written that all shall bee gathered together from the foure parts of the world to come to Ierusalem, and not a remnant or one of them shall remaine in a strange land, and I will gather them to their own land, and will leave none of them there any more, &c. but in the daies of the se­cond Temple, they of Israel were not gathered together, but as it is written,Ezra 2.64 the whole congre­gation together, was forty and two [Page 161] thousand, three hundred and three­score, and for our comfort it is written,Ver. 11. that the Israelites shall be gathered together in the day of salvation from these Isles; from Elam, from Sinear, and Ho­math: But in the time of the first house, we do not find that one of them was transported to the Isles of the sea, and by conse­quent, none was to be brought back from hence.

There is no truth in your mouth, who at your own plea­sure doe pervert the Scriptures; for the mentioned places of Scripture, are to be understood of the gathering together of the Babylonish dispersion: con­cerning [Page 162] which, we find it thus written,Neh. 1. 8. Remember I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, if ye trans­gresse, I will scatter you abroad a­mong the Nations; but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commande­ments and do them; though there were of you cast out to the utmost parts of the heaven, yet will I ga­ther them from thence, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen to set my name there. But if you object, that the Lord said in Ezekiel, Eze. 34. 13. I will gather them to­gether to their own land, and will not leave any of them: but in the time of Ezra, all the Israelites did not returne to their owne land. I answer, that is not true, [Page 163] for Ezra saith,Ezr. 2.70. and all the Israe­lites dwelt in their Cities. More­over that is to be noted which is written in Deuteronomie con­cerning the babylonish captivi­ty,Deu. 30.3 Then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and ga­ther thee from all the Nations whi­ther the Lord thy God hath scat­tered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of Hea­ven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, from thence will he fetch thee, and the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possesse it.

If you will after this manner [Page 164] reproach my words, I will no longer speak to you of this mat­ter.

Doe it not I pray you, for I will lay my finger upon my mouth.

Ezek: 37. 23.The second answer is found in Ezekiel, They shall not be defiled any more in their uncleannesse, and abominations, &c. And David my King shall reign over them, and they all shall have one shepherd: and I will put my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever. The third is mentioned in Isaiah, for the comforts of Sion. Isa. 60.10 And children of strangers shall build thy wals, &c. But in the building of the [Page 165] second Temple, the Israelites were not suffered to build the Temple according to their will, but were continually molested with warres, to the end they might bee so hindered in the building, as it is written, With the one hand they did the worke, and in the other held a sword, Neh. 4. 17.

I pray you take it not grie­vously, if I speake this once. Be­hold Cyrus King of Persia, who was a stranger, caused the house of the Lord to be built, and suf­fered the children of Israel to returne into their owne land, and therefore the mentioned prophecy was fulfilled, accor­ding [Page 166] to the letter in the second Temple, which was built by strangers, according to the pro­phecy of Isaiah, Isa. 44. 28 but not with­out the command of God; but proceed and tell me the fourth answer.

It is written for our comfort,Isa. 60.11. And thy gates shall stand open continually day and night. But in the daies of the second Temple, it is thus written,Neh. 7.3. the gates of Ierusalem shall not be open untill the son grow hot. Therefore they shut the gates so long as their state continued.

There the Prophet speakes allegorically, and hyperboli­cally, [Page 167] as he also saith there,Isa. 60. 9. thou shalt not have the sun for a light by day, &c. Now speak you.

The fifth answer is written in Isa. for our comfort;Ver. 12. for the Nation and Kingdome that will not serve thee, shall perish. But in the daies of the second Temple, they were continually oppres­sed with bondage by the Kings of the Gentiles; as it is written, Behold, Ne. 9. 36. we are at this day oppressed with bondage, and the land which thou gavest our fathers to eat of the fruits thereof, and be satisfied with the fulnesse thereof, behold wee at this day are servants in it.

I haue said already, that all [Page 168] that place Is. must bee under­stood allegorically,Isa. 60.12 or hyperbo­lically.

I will now give you some answers out of Cabala.

And I will willingly give eare to your words, providing, that you tell me the truth, and not a lie.

The first answer out of Ca­bala is, our wise men have said thus: That in the daies of the Messias, they shall burne wood gathered up in the army of Gog and Magog seven yeares, so that in those seven yeares, they shall not need other wood, seeing it [Page 169] is thus written,Eze. 39.9. They shall make or maintaine a fire with weapons, &c.

Ezekiel said not, that seven yeares they should burne wea­pons of war,Ver. 9. so that they should not want other wood, and therefore the words of your wise men are false, and not true. Moreover, wee must say, that prophecy is a certaine obscure figure, whose interpretation is not sufficiently manifest to you, nor to us.

The second is, the Prophets say in the time of the Messias, Nilus a river of Egypt shall bee dried up in one place, and the [Page 170] river Euphrates in seven places, that there may be a passage for the redeemed Israelites; for it is thus written,Isa. 11.15 And the Lord shall dry up the tongue of the sea of E­gypt, that the remnant of my people may have a way. The third; The Prophets say that in the daies of the Messias, the mountaine of Olives shall bee rent through the middle, toward the North part, namely to be divided into two halfes, one halfe shall bend towards the North, and another towards the South; but through the gap or breach, a great river shall run, for it is written,Zec. 14.4. And the mountaine of Olives shall bee rent through the middle, to the East and to the West, [Page 171] &c. And it followes, in that day living waters shall goe forth out of Ierusalem. The fourth is pro­pounded in Ezekiel, namely, that the Temple shall be rebuilt according to its first forme and similitude. The fifth is explai­ned in the same place,Eze. 47.1. that li­ving waters shall goe forth of the Sanctuary, on each bank whereof, fruit-bearing trees fit for food shal grow, Ver. 12. &c. But in the daies of the second Temple, 'tis mani­fest, none of these things are yet come to passe.

The words of the Prophets are not alwaies to bee under­stood according to the sound of the words, but in spirit, and [Page 172] according to an allegory.

The five answers which are gathered from clear demon­stration, are taken out of the Prophets, who say that all peo­ple shall beleeve in the Lord, for it is written,Zec. 14.9. God shall bee King over all the earth: in that day there shal be one God, and his name one: But now the Nations be­leeve, and have many faiths, and they doe as they did at the be­ginning.

Although there bee divers and many faiths, neverthelesse, all Nations and people doe be­leeve in one God, who created heaven and earth, some few [Page 173] men excepted, who worship Idols; but of all the Nations some men are found who be­leeve in the God of heaven.

The second clear demonstra­tion is also had from the Pro­phets, who say that all the Israe­lites shall be in quiet and peace, safe from all annoiance of for­raine Kings, as it is said in Isa. The Lord hath sworne, Isa. 62.8. I will not give thy corne any more for food to thine enemies: but hitherto wee have been in bondage un­der the people. The third; The Prophets say, war shall bee no more in the world; for it is thus written, I will break the bow and the sword from the earth. And [Page 174] againe, it is said,Isa. 2.4. Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation, nei­ther shall they learne war any more. But to this time they make war, that people against this, and a man kils his neighbour, they quarrell among them­selves, people with people, Prince with Prince, and all the earth is full of robbery, and plundering, as in antient daies.

I am constrain'd here to inter­rupt your words, and answer the same. Behold, that word Od, that is, beyond, sometimes in Hebrew is taken for, for ever, sometimes for a long time, and sometimes for a short time; as it is in that place, thy name [Page 175] shall no more be called Iacob,Gen. 32. 28. but Israel shall be thy name, and yet a little after, in the same place, he is thrice called Iacob. So in the book of Samuell, it is said,1 Sa. 7.13 the Philistines came no more into the bounds of Israel, who ne­verthelesse came into the land of Israel after the death of Sa­muell. 1 Sa. 28.4 So it is said here,Isa. 2.4. there shall be war no more, that is, there shall not be war at that time, when the Messias shall come, and shal be born; as it was in the time of Augustus the Emperour, when our Christ was born in great peace, that men then might have broke, and turned their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning hooks [Page 176] if they would, for that manner of speaking is used by the Pro­phets.

The fourth is also expressed by the Prophets,Isa. 11.6. That the wolfe and the lamb shall feed together, and the lyon shall eat straw like the oxe, and the suckling child shall play upon the whole of the aspe; but these creatures are now hurtfull from the daies of old.

I will answer you presently concerning this prophecy.

The fifth is this, the land of Sodome shall bee rebuilt as it was from the beginning, seeing it is thus written,Eze. 16. 53. And I will [Page 177] bring back the captivity of Edom, and his villages. For from the be­ginning, the waters of Sodom were sweet, and watering the Land, as it is written,Gen. 13. 10. And Lot lifted up his eies, and saw all the plaine of Iordan, which was water­ed every where: But now to this day those waters are dryed up, and salt. Behold, all these consolations we yet expect shal be. God grant that they may come speedily in our daies. A­men. Selah.

We have far digrest from our first discourse, when we began to speak of the war of Gog and Magog. Now therefore tell me what shall bee after that war.

In those daies all men shall bee busied in wisedome, to know the Lord, as it is written,Hab. 2.14 The earth shall bee filled with the knowledge of the Lord. Then that which Ieremie saith,Ier. 33.11 shall be ful­filled, A voice of joy and a voice of gladnesse shall be, and all shall say; confesse to the Lord of Hosts, be­cause the Lord is good, for his mer­cy endureth for ever, and they shall bring an oblation for thanksgiving into the house of the Lord. He doth not say, they shall bring an obla­tion for sinne and for iniquity, because in that time, wicked men and sinners shall not bee among them, but all shal know the Lord. Hence it is that our [Page 179] Rabbies have said; all oblations shall be made void in the last times, except the oblation of thanksgiving. Moreover, in those daies they shall say no more,Ezek. 18. 2,3. the fathers have eaten sowre grapes, Ier. 31.29 and the childrens teeth are set on edge, because then sinners shall bee cut off, neither those that sin at that time shall com­mit any great sin; then the peo­ple shall know that GOD is King over all, neither is there another besides him, and they shall come to Ierusalem, to learn the judgements of God and his lawes, even as he saith,Isa. 2.3. come and let us goe up to the mount of the Lord, to the house of the God of Ia­cob, and he will teach us his waies, [Page 180] and we will walke in his paths, for the Law shall goe forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Ie­rusalem. He shall judge among the Nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their speares into pruning hooks. The Prophet speaks here of the Mes­sias; for if war shall be raised among the Gentiles, or questi­ons arise, they shall come to judgement before the King Messias, who shall be Lord of all the people, and hee shall re­prove them, and shall say to him who shall be found guilty, amend those faults which thou hast done against him who hath called thee to judgement. [Page 181] And for this cause there shall not be war against people and people, because the King Messi­as shall pacifie them; neither shall they need instruments of warre, but shall break them,Mic. 4.3. to make of them instruments of husbandry. In that day the Lord shall bee exalted alone, who shall cast out Idols uni­versally: And although Idols have ceased already among some people, yet some are found in the East, who wor­ship Idols; likewise they are truly counted among worship­pers of Idols, who bend their knees, and make images. But in the daies of the Messias Idols shall be wholly rooted out.

At this day, and from many yeares there are not, neither have been idols in the world, as I said above, but all Nations worship one God, neither do we Christians adore and wor­ship images, as you Iewes think, neither doe we beleeve that any power is in images, that they can bring us any help; but some among us, who pro­fesse themselves to bee Christi­ans, doe adore and worship our Christ before images, as your fathers also formerly in the first house did adore and worship God before the Arke of the San­ctuary.Ps. 138.2. But let us leave these things, or reserve them to ano­ther [Page 183] time, for I desire to heare something from you concer­ning beasts which shall be in the time of your Messias.

Concerning beasts you have it thus written,Isa. 11. 6. The wolfe shall dwell with the lamb, and the leo­pard shall lie down with the kid; and the calfe and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a lit­tle child shall lead them, and the cow and the beare shall feed, their young ones shall lie downe together, and the lyon shall eat straw like the oxe, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the aspes, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy [Page 184] mountaine; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Here are some sayings, that in the daies of the Messias, the natures of living creatures and beasts shall be changed, and they shall be as they were at the begin­ning of the creation, and as in the Arke of Noah: For if in the beginning of the creation, a ly­on had devoured a sheep, one kinde of the creation had peri­shed.

What therefore did the lyon, and other devouring creatures eat then, who now eat flesh?

I say, if the lyon had eat the [Page 185] flesh of any beast, the world had been deprived of that creature, forsomuch as all creatures first were created in each sex, male and female, and no more, nei­ther could the devouring crea­tures sustain hunger until cattel which might be devoured, had brought forth other individu­als, for the preservation of their kind; therefore it was necessary, that in the meane while they should eat the grass of the field, untill devourable cattell were bred and brought forth, then, and after that their nature be­gan to bee fed with flesh. Wee must think the same of them, for the time when they were in the Arke of Noah;Gen. 6.19. for if de­vouring [Page 186] creatures had destroi'd the devourable creatures, one kind had been wanting in the world, forasmuch as onely two and two were carried into the Ark,Gen. 7.16 and no more in one kind; unlesse you would rather say, seven and seven of cleane beasts were carried in, for the necessity of the devouring. Some like­wise expound these words fi­guratively, because the wolfe and the leopard, the beare and the lyon, doe signifie wicked men, tyrants, and violent extor­tioners, who fal upon the weak and poor, as devouring crea­tures fall upon the weak cattell. For the sheep, the cow, the calf, and kid, do signifie the poor of [Page 187] the earth. But there shall be so great a peace in the earth, in the daies of the Messias, that no man shall wrong his neighbor. I allow not this exposition; for the Prophet saith, they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountaine.

But I thinke this exposition true, seeing that Rabbi Moses the Egyptian, write in his rea­dings upon the book of Iudges, after this manner: Let it not en­ter into thy heart, that in the daies of the Messias, any thing is diminished of the course of this world, or any thing then renued of the workes of the six daies; but the world shall have [Page 188] then its succession like the suc­cession of this time. So likewise of that place,Isa. 11.6. the wolf shal dwel w^th the lamb, &c. This is the sence, that Israel shall dwell in safety with the wicked of the world, who are compared to lions, wolfes and leopards. Finally, in the time of the Messias it shall be knowne to all, for what cause those similitudes were spoken, and what is signified by them. Thus much the mentio­ned Rabbi Moses saith; and after this manner Iacob called Iuda a lyons whelpe, and Isachar he called a strong asse,Ge. 49.27 and Benja­min a wolfe, &c. But let us re­turne to the Prophecy.

In the daies of the Messias, peace shall bee through the whole world, as it is written,Mic. 4.3. And they shall beate their swords into plow-shares, &c. neither shall nation lift up sword against nati­on, and they shall not learne the use of war. We may also say, that the nature of beasts shall not be changed, but they shall devoure flesh, as they doe now. But the Lord shall defend the land of Israel, that evill beasts shall not hurt in it, as it is written,Isa. 11.9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, the reason where­of is shewed, for the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, and because the Israelites shall bee [Page 190] good, and shall keep the way of the Lord, no evill beast shall have any dominion over them, neither over their cattell, or over any other thing, as the Lord promised by Moses our teacher,Lev. 26.6 And I will drive out every beast out of the land; and if they passe by it, it shall not hurt. And againe he hath said,Isa. 11 7. For the lion shall eat straw like the oxe, for he shall not teare the flesh of a beast in the land of Israel, though he finde not a carcasse. Ver. 8. And the infant shall play, &c. For the enmity of the Serpent, contracted from the beginning of the creation, shal be taken away in the daies of the Messias, through the whole land of Israel, and also a [Page 191] Serpent, or other evill beasts shall not hurt any of the people of Israel, by what place soever he passe.

Shall your Messias have wife and children?

Concerning this it is found written thus,Psa. 45.9. Kings daughters were among thy honourable women, upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in gold of Ophir: that is, among the noble wives, which the Messias shall have, shall be the daughters of Kings; because every King of the Gentiles shal esteem it for great glory to him, if he give him his daughter to wife. But the Psalmist saith, the [Page 192] Queen stood, v. 9. For although the daughters of Kings are nū ­bred among his wives, never­thelesse the Queen, who shall be of the Israelites, she shall sit at his right hand in a crown of gold, and shee is properly called his concubine, because she one­ly and continually is appointed for his bed; but others shall come to him at certaine times, when hee shall call for them in his time, to come to the King; but the Queen his wife shall continually be conversant in his closet, and bed-chamber. More­over, concerning his sons, it is thus written,Isa. 53.10 He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his daies, and the desire of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Hoe, thou blind Iew! are you not ashamed to speak such things of the most holy Messi­as, as if he would give his heart to carnall pleasures, and would have many wives, seeing that the Prophets have sung of him, that he shall come to take away our sins from us? Behold, thou hast fallen as a blind man at noon day. And moreover, thou seducest other Iewes with your exposition; all these things are to be understood figurative­ly; for that Queen, is that pe­culiar congregation of faithfull men beleeving in the salvation of the Messias, and the daugh­ters of Kings are the nations of [Page 194] the Gentiles, who came to be­leeve in Christ; and concer­ning this Church the spouse of Christ, Solomon speakes in the Canticles.Can. 1.9.

Some likewise among our Rabbies expound the mentio­ned verse allegorically, almost as you have done, except that they understand by the undefi­led spouse, the Synagogue of Is­rael.

But what thinke your Rab­bies, concerning the death of the Messias? shall hee live al­waies, or shall hee die as other men after a long time?

Our great Doctor, Moses the son of Maimon, saith, the Messias shall dye, and his son shall reign after him, and the son of his son shall succeed after his son in the Kingdome, neverthelesse the Messias shall live many daies, and at length hee shall die in great glory, and his son shall in­herit the Empire, and after him his Nephew, &c.

Neither you nor the son of Maimon understand the pow­er of God, and the mystery of the holy Scriptures. For al­though the Messias was to die, yet he was to die for our sins, for he was stricken, smitten of God, [Page 196] and he was afflicted, Isa. 53. 6. he was woun­ded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the cha­stisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his owne way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and hee was af­flicted, yet he opened not his mouth: hee is brought as a lambe to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from pri­son, and from judgement, and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the li­ving: for the transgression of my people was he smitten; and he made [Page 197] his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, hee hath put him to griefe: when thou shalt make his soule an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shal pro­long his daies, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall see of the travell of his soule, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous ser­vant justifie many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoile with the strong; because hee hath poured out his soule unto death; and hee was numbred with the trans­gressors, [Page 198] and hee bare the sinne of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. You see here, what Isaiah the Prophet hath said concerning the death of the Messias, how he should die for our sins, that he might save our soules, and might lead us into the Kingdome of heaven, and that he should see his seed, and should prolong his daies; and truly the pleasure of the Lord hath had a prosperous successe in his hand: Forasmuch as his name hath been magnified in the whole earth; and you who slew him, are disperst through­out all the nations; your house is desolate, and you are become of the people of God, not the [Page 199] people of God, and of Gods pe­culiar inheritance, an abomi­nation in the eies of God, and of the sons of God, the sons of Belial. But on the contrary, they who beleeve in God, and in his Christ, these are the peo­ple, the possession, and the sons of God, and they shall never see death, because after this world, sin shall not bee, and by conse­quent, neither death which is the punishment of sin.

Our Masters speak far other­wise of these things; for they say in the time of the Messias,Isa. 11.9. the earth shal be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, be­cause of the plentifull pouring [Page 200] forth of God, whereby he shall then bow himselfe downe to the world; neither shall faith be then corrupted, neither shall man be changed, but to good, and to perfection. It is also like­ly, that then the dead shall not rise, but they who have been just; the wicked shall remain in death, some few excepted. And truly you have now seen, that innumerable miracles shall be wrought in the time of the Messias, as I have shewed you; and because all these are not yet come to passe, wee beleeve not in your Christ, but doe ex­pect our redeemer, neither doe we despaire, though many and great tribulations doe meet us [Page 201] in this our moderne captivity.

You and your Rabbies do err very much, for al these wonder­full things, concerning which you have spoke to me, are ful­filled already, some few excep­ted, which shall bee wrought in the second comming of Christ, that is, in the end of the world, when Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead; for our Christ hath raised some dead from a corporall death, and some from a spiritual death. At this day Idolatry is ta­ken out of the world,Isa. 11.9. and the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord; because all people doe at this day confesse one God. Now [Page 202] many people doe goe to enter into the house of the God of Iacob,Mic. 4. 2. which is the Church of belee­vers in Christ.Isa. 2.2. Now the wolfe dwels with the lambe, that is, the ungodly man, and the destroier with the meeke, and hee doth not hurt him. Moreover there was peace through the whole world in those daies when our Christ was born; for one man, namely Octavianus, did then reign over the whole world in peace, and in the world to come, there shall be peace with­out end.Isa. 60.11 Now the gates of Ieru­salem are open, that is, the Church of the faithfull is open, and eve­ry man of each sex, man and woman, old man and young [Page 203] man, rich and poor, Iew and Gentile, whosoever will, may enter in.Isa. 2.2. Also the mountaine of the Lords house, is prepared on the top of the mountaines, and is lifted above the hils. At this day in Ie­rusalem among beleevers,Isa. 65:19 the voice of weeping and mourning is no more heard, because they have consolation here, and they ex­pect in the world to come joy, which shall never bee taken from them. There men shall live not only five hundred or a thousand yeares, but for ever and ever.

I understand not your words, because you speake figurative­ly, and not according to the let­ter [Page 204] of the Scripture.

This is that which the Lord hath said by the Prophet,Isa. 1.3. The ox knows his owner, and the asse his Masters crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consi­der. Likewise Moses saith,Deu. 28. 29. the Lord shall smite thee with madness, blindnesse, and astonishment of hearth, and thou shalt grope at noon day, as the blinde man gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy daies.

This is the punishment wherewith God doth chastise us for our sin, but he will not throw off his people for ever.

What is that your sinne, for which this banishment, which now you suffer so long after the second house is so much pro­longed beyond the banish­ment of the first house? since that it is sufficiently manifest of the greatnesse of the sins which the Kings of Iuda did, and yet for them the time of banishment was not prolon­ged but two and fifty yeares; but in the second house they did not worship Idols, and never­thelesse the captivity endures wonderfull long.

I answer you to this doubt, thus: The sins w^ch they cōmit­ted [Page 206] in the time of the first house were very grievous, that even then it was decreed, that the se­cond Temple should not stand but seventy whole weeks, and then againe they should suffer punishment, and should beare the iniquity of their fathers, to the end of the redemption, as it is explained in the end of Da­niel, which present captivity in which wee now are, is for the sins which the Israelites com­mitted before the Babylonish captivity.

This your answer is vaine, for the sonne shall not bear the iniquity of his father, if hee bee not a follower of his fathers [Page 207] wickednesse; but I will heare what Daniel saith concerning that captivity.

Behold, he speaks after this manner,Dan. 12. 12. Blessed is he that waites, and comes to a thousand, three hun­dred, and thirty five daies, but a yeare is as a long day. And againe, a day is a little yeare. Likewise there is a certaine place found in the earth, where almost a whole yeare is but one day: For example, there is a place where the day takes up six months, and the night chal­lengeth to it selfe the remnant of time; there I say a yeare con­sists of one day. So Daniel called dayes yeares, because he would [Page 208] have his words shut up and sealed.Dan. 12.4

And when shall the mentioned number 1335 be accomplisht?

Some say that number is ex­tended to the year of the world 6118 (which is the 2367 year of Christ) For first, they counted 1290 daies to that time, when they laid down the abomina­tion of desolation after the de­struction of the temple, accor­ding to the words of Daniel;Dan. 9.27 and afterwards they began to number 1335 daies: But they who went before us, did not receive this supputation, but every man laboured to finde [Page 209] out some account which might agree with their daies. And af­ter this manner thou shalt finde with our Rabbies of good me­mory, many & divers bounds, which are al past, for they were carefull to finde out some neere bound, lest the common people should despaire, because re­demption was suspended.

And so your Rabbies doe al­way seduce you, saying, behold, at this time the Messias shall come, and when that that is past, again they say, at that time he shall come: How will yee believe these lying words? Con­sider, you have no hope, and salvation is deferred from you, and God is departed from you, [Page 210] and you have no consolation, not a prophet nor vision; there­fore be converted, & acknow­ledge your Saviour and our Sa­viour, our Lord Christ.

Neither have wee had from the beginning of the second Temple, a Prophet or vision, but in those daies when the Messias shall begin to grow, Then prophecies and visions shall be multiplied. But at this time all vision and prophecie is sealed; for the end of the vision of the Prophets, hath respect wholly to the growing of the Messias Kingdome. When hee shall come, we shall have great consolations, so that al the daies of our captivity, shall bee coun­ted [Page 211] as a little moment, as it is written,Isa. 54. 7. I have left thee a little moment, and in great mercies I wil gather thee.

Vision and prophecy is shut up from your eies, but not from our eies, for we are all taught of God, and the mysteries of the Kingdome of God are revealed to us,Isa. 54. 13 and if you also will be­lieve in our Lord Christ, you may enter into the Kingdome of God.

Wee cannot beleeve in your Christ, because hee was a Magi­cian, and all his miracles were wrought by the Magick Art, and therefore he was judged to death, as the Lord God taught [Page 212] us, and because hee brake the Sabbath, and said hee was a God, therefore the Iewes slew him.

Hold your peace knave, and doe not so reproach our Savi­our; but if you will at another time, I will come to you, that wee may speake more of this matter. Who knows, peradven­ture thou wilt acknowledge the truth, and receive our Go­spell.

I am content, that according to your pleasure you come to me; but speak nothing to me of your bad tidings.

Take heed to your selfe, that [Page 213] you say not bad tidings, but good tidings, for it is a manife­station of the goodness of God, which came to us by Christ the Redeemer of the world. But why doe you so refuse to heare the Gospell, and why doe you shun the light, and will set in darknesse? Is it not written con­cerning the light of the Gospell;Isa 9. 2. the people which did walke in darkenesse saw a great light, and to them which dwell in the shadow of death, light hath shined?

This is the reason why I will not heare, because Iesus your Messias was an evill man, and his speeches were fained, and the glorious God saw that hee [Page 214] would seduce the world, and would set himselfe forth for God, and for that God hath said that men should die, but Iesus ought to bee hanged upon the Crosse, that so all that should come into the world, might see that hee was not God. More­over, none of the Prophets hath prophecied frō that time, wher­in Christ being crucified, was hang'd up, none of Israel, neither any of the Nations, because a ly­ing spirit did so much prevail in the world, that there was no place for the spirit of prophecie. But also we suffer al these tribu­lations, and this very long capti­vity, because that wicked man was borne of us, and in our land, who made himselfe God, [Page 215] and seduced the whole world.

All those evils which you Iewes suffer, came not upon you because of our Christ, be­cause he said that he was God, and the son of God, but rather for this, because your fathers slew him and crucified him, a holy man and just, the Saviour of the world, who did no evill, neither was deceit found in his mouth. Behold, this holy man your fathers slew, and numbe­red him with the wicked, and ye all allow this fact to this very day, and therefore ye shall never find grace in the eies of God, unlesse ye return from that evill way, and acknowledge our Lord Iesus Christ, whom ye in [Page 216] contempt, do call Ieschim. Vnless you beleeve in him, you shall all perish, and shall goe downe to hell. Behold, I have foretold it, you shall not finde other salva­tion in heaven and in earth, and for this cause seeke the Lord while he may be found, call up­on him while he is neere. For­sake your unbelieving heart, and returne to the Lord, and he will have mercy on you, and to our God, for hee will abun­dantly pardon you. Be not like your fathers, who hardned their faces more than a rocke, and would not returne to the Lord, but dealt wickedly a­gainst the Lord, the God of their fathers, who delivered them to be spoiled, as you see it [Page 217] at this day: I beseech you harden not your necks as you have done hitherto, but give your hands to the Lord, and ac­knowledge that Christ is sent for the salvation of all men, who shall beleeve in him, the Lord our God is gratious and mercifull, who will not turne away his face from you, if yee returne to him.

You shal never perswade me to receive your faith, and be­lieve in your Christ, for that which you beleeve, no reason can comprehend, neither any man understand. For how shal I beleeve, that the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things that are in them, shut himselfe [Page 218] up in the wombe of a Iewish Virgin, grew nine moneths, and was borne a child, and af­terward increased in stature, and was delivered into the hands of his enemies, who con­demned him with the judge­ment of death, slew him on the Crosse, and yee afterward say and beleeve, that he lived again, and returned to his former state? neither the mind of a Iew, neither can any man compre­hend this, therefore you spend your words in vaine, seeing that these things have no likelihood of truth.

Knowest thou not, that no­thing is unpossible to God? ve­rily all those things which you [Page 219] have now mentioned, are in the Prophets, but wrapt in the covering of words; for thus saith the Prophet Isaias, Isa. 7. 14. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and beare a son, and shall call his name Imma­nuel. And in another place hee saith,Isa. 53. 5. Hee was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, &c. Doe you see how wonderfull things the Prophet hath spoke concer­ning the Messias, and all these things are fulfilled in our Christ? Againe heare what the same Prophet saith,Isa. 4.2. In that day the branch of the Lord shall bee beautifull and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent [Page 220] and comely for them that are esca­ped of Israel. Where Ionathan hath interpreted in Chaldee, af­ter this manner. In that time the Messias of the Lord shall be for joy and honour. Behold, the Messias is called the branch of the Lord, that is, the sonne of God, as also in Ieremiah he is called the branch of David, for he saith thus,Ier. 33.15 In those daies, and at that time, will I cause the branch of righteousnesse to grow up unto David: Where Ionathan the Chaldee interpreter, saith thus. In those daies, and at that time, will I raise up to David a Mes­sias of righteousnesse. You see now, that the Creator could suffer afflictions, not in the di­vine nature, but in the humani­ty [Page 221] which he assumed in the uni­ty of the person.

These are wonderful things, and what I pray you hath that your Iesus done, or what need was there that hee should bee born of a woman? why did he sustaine all those passions and afflictions, which our fathers brought upon him?

Was it not said already, that he was wounded for our trans­gressions? All we like sheep have gone astray, wee have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath made the iniquities of us all to meet in him.

Some of our teachers have [Page 222] said, the Messias hath no other passions,Isa. 6.9. but a certaine internall griefe and trouble, whereby he is internally afflicted that his comming is so long deferred, and in the meane while sees his people in captivity, and he can­not helpe them, and deliver them; but he shall never be de­livered into the hand of his ene­mies, as ye affirme.

Your Rabbies have been estranged from the womb, they have gone astray as soon as they were borne, speaking lies, stop­ping their eares like the deaf ad­der, that they might not heare the truth; they have ceased to heare rightly and wisely, and therefore God hath cast them [Page 223] off, and hath blinded their eies, as it is written, Goe and tell this people, heare ye indeed, but under­stand not, and see yee indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their eares heavy, and shut their eies: lest they see with their eies, and heare with their eares, and understand with their heart, and convert and bee healed. Loe, it hath come to pass to you Iews, according to this prophecy; for your fathers saw the wonderfull workes which our Christ did, and would not understand: They heard his doctrine, and could not reprove him, and yet they stopt their eares, likewise yee to this very day do confirme and approve their works, and therefore in [Page 224] vain do ye expect another Mes­sias.

If your Christ is God and the true Messias, why did he con­ceale himselfe in the flesh? and why did hee not come openly, by renewing his law, and gi­ving it publikely? for so the men of his age had not erred, neither should they stumble who come into this world af­ter him; he should have done his works in publick, that all might beleeve on him, especi­ally that great multitude which he destroied, and deprived of redemption by his concealing himselfe; for because of that concealing, they were separa­ted from him, and beleeved not in him.

[Page 225]Thou knowest not what thou saiest; hath he not shown in words and deeds, such mi­racles, as no other did, that hee was the Messias and redeemer of the world, and yet your fa­thers said, that by Beelzebub, and by the power of devils, that is, by magick art, he did all those things, lying against their own lives? Loe, God hath sent his own son, his onely son into the most pure womb of a virgin, as Isaias did foretell, and hee was made man within her, and born of her, without her pangs and griefe, and that by a mira­cle, farre otherwise than other women bring forth, and that was not impossible, forasmuch as all things which doe far ex­ceed [Page 226] the power of man, are possible to GOD, and by his power, a body might be created within a body, and be quick­ned by the spirit. Also he could and he would send his glorious word within a pure virgin, that hee might bee incarnated within her, and be born of her, without any griefe or paine, and as he entred into her, so he went out of her; and she remai­ned a virgin before and after the birth. But that child, who also is the glorious God, did walke upon the earth thirty three yeares that he might save man, for he was sent to the sons of Israel to redeem them, but because they were a people of a stiffe neck, and would not re­ceive [Page 227] him, neither observe all the signes, such as no man ever did; the Gentiles come and re­ceived him with love, and the blessed God chose them for his peculiar people in stead of Is­rael, and they were made the sons of Abraham for their faith, because Abraham is the father of the faithfull, and beleevers in God are the sons of Abraham. He therefore was that Messias, of whom the Prophets did prophecy, and he walked thir­ty yeares before hee became known to these who were in the world. But presently after that time, he manifested himself to the Israelites, that hee was the Christ of the LORD, and wrought signes and miracles, [Page 228] such as none of the Prophets ever did, shewing to the whole world, that he came to redeem man for sin, as it is written, He was wounded for our transgressi­ons; and hee made a new cove­nant with us, according to that which is said in Ieremy, Behold, the daies come saith the Lord, Ier. 31.31 and I will make with Israel and with Iudah a new covenant, not accor­ding to the covenant which I made with their fathers, for I will put my Law in their inward parts, &c. therefore it is manifest from these sayings, that the Lord would make with the Israelites a new covenant, and not accor­ding to that covenant which he made with Abraham, when he made a covenant with him [Page 229] that every male child should be cir­cumcised; Ge. 17.12 but this covenant was another covenant, namely, bap­tisme, in which by the power of Christs sufferings, all mans sin is remitted, and that signe or Sacrament is common to male and female. Moreover, he gave them a new law after that the Law of Moses was fulfilled; for the Law was given to Moses onely for a time, as you have it written in the Thalmud, in the Treatise of Idolatry, where it is said, that the law was given but for 2000 yeares; for the Fathers of good memory say thus; That the world must endure 6000 yeares, that it should bee 2000 yeares void and without form, that after two thousand yeares, [Page 230] the Mosaicall Law should bee given; that it should stand 2000 years under the Law, and 2000 yeares under the Messias, then it should returne to its owne rudenesse. But now the 2000 yeares of the Law, and besides many above a thousand are past, and your Messias is not yet come, as ye Iewes say. There is also another sign, that the Law of Moses was given for a time, because the Prophet saith, re­member the law of Moses my ser­vant, Mal. 4. 4. hee doth not say, doe the law of Moses, as if hee should say: In the time of the Messias remember the law of Moses, be­cause then all things which are written in the law of Moses concerning the Messias, shall be [Page 231] fulfilled: for the offerings and sacrifices of oxen and sheep, did foreshew the sacrifice of the Messias, when he was led forth for a sacrifice, and as a sheep which before the shearers is dumb, so ope­ned he not his mouth, but with his blood hee hath washt us from our sins, and hath cleansed a­way our iniquities. Now there­fore O Iewes, I turne my selfe to you. Behold, yee pray mor­ning and evening in all your prayers, that the Messias and the Redeemer may bee sent to you, and ye stand in the feast of propitiation from the evening to the morning, crying and praying with your whole heart, and your whole strength to the Lord, that hee would [Page 232] heare you, and send you the Messias, but there is no change of your state, there is none who understands your prayers, or who opens the gates of hea­ven, and takes you out of this life, and much lesse, who sends your Messias; yea, to speake somewhat more, nothing is seen, nothing is heard, there is no voice or vision which may tell you the comming of the Messias. And behold, the pro­perty of the blessed God is, to heare the prayers of the just,Pro. 15.8, 29. and it is impossible according to your assertion, who say your faith is true, that there hath not been some just in all these ge­nerations which have been from the daies of the desolation [Page 233] of the Temple to this present, that the blessed God hath not heard their praier, and hath sent them the Messias for their merits, or that some signe hath not been revealed to them, or vision shewed, or voice heard, whence they might have a sign of his comming. Furthermore, for what cause doe you thinke the Messias doth so long defer his comming, that he doth not redeem you? How can hee in this so long time, see your tri­bulations which yee suffer in this banishment, and doth not deliver you out of your tribu­lations, neither executes judge­ment against your enemies? why doth hee suffer you so to wander through the deserts, [Page 234] as sheep without a pastour, and have not any certain dwelling? why hath he cast you from him now so many yeares, and doth not remember you with God? Truly when formerly hee cha­stised your fathers for their sin, presently after they confest, and praied, and humbled themselves before him in their captivity, presently I say hee delivered them, although they had even committed Idolatry, and offen­ded against the law of Moses, had polluted the sabbath and solemnities, had broke the co­venant of Abraham; yet I say, notwithstanding these, when they repented, and did confess their sins, forthwith he heard their prayers, he repented of the [Page 235] evil inflicted upon them, he deli­vered them, and every day sent them the Prophets to comfort them in their banishment, yea, when before they were certifi­ed of the end of their captivi­ty,Ier. 29.1 [...] to wit, that they should bee in captivity but seventy yeares, but the present captivity is now prolonged beyond a thousand and five hundred yeares, and it is certaine, that in the second house they did not worship I­dols, neither committed they so much as one of those transgres­sions, which they committed in the first house; but neither in this captivity, is any man found who worships Idols, as they did in former daies, and never­thelesse not any consolation, or [Page 236] the voice of any oracle doth ap­peare, or is made known. What therefore is that your sin, for which this captivity after the second house, continues so long beyond the captivity of the first house, except that ye would not receive and heare the Messias the Saviour, when hee came to your land, but did persecute him even to death; yea, when your fathers saw his miracles and terrible works, such as no man ever did, yet they would not beleeve on him, and there­fore neither for them, neither for you, shall ever any propiti­ation ever be made, but being cast forth ye shal lie in the dark, and shadow of death, ye shall perish for ever, unlesse yee bee [Page 237] converted and confesse him. Measure for Measure.

This captivity shall endure to the end of redemption, to purge away the sin of our fa­thers, as it is declared in the end of Daniel, Dan. [...]2. [...]2 blessed is he that waites, and shall come to one hundred thirty five daies. By daies, understand yeares, as if he should say, for the sins which they committed in the first house, before the capti­vity of Babel, the mentioned time must be expected, &c.

I have said even now, that it is a great error among you, to think the Sonne doth beare the iniquity of his father, although he hath not committed his Sin, [Page 238] seeing the Scripture saith plain­ly,Ier. 31.29, 30. the sons shall not dye for the fa­thers, &c. And againe it is writ­ten,Exo. 20. 5 Visiting the iniquity of the fa­thers, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate mee. Where hee meanes, that God doth not visit iniquity but unto the fourth generation; and how many thousand generati­ons doe you thinke are past to this present time? Behold now from the time of the destructi­on of the Temple and City, not only a thousand three hundred and thirty five yeares, but ma­ny more are past, and your fathers expected the Messias about the end of those yeares, for so they interpreted the men­tioned place of Daniel, and ne­verthelesse [Page 239] your Messias is not yet come, neither hath removed from you the punish­ments of this very long captivity.

This captivity is prolonged for the trans­gression which the Israelites did in the se­cond house, making themselves gods; as Je­sus, the Apostles, and other Saints did, who all were Jewes, and did perversely inter­pret the sayings of the Prophets concer­ning Jesus, and made him as it were a per­petual Idol, for this the Israelites are almost perpetuated in this so long captivity.

Doubtlesse no man is ignorant how very grievously the Kings of Judea and Israel sinned in the first house, who ordained Priests for the worship of Idols, and cleane destroyed the true worship of God, and ne­vertheless they were in captivity but seven­ty yeares.Ier. 29.15 But in the modern captivity, they who have acknowledged Christ, and have called him the son of God, have not denied God, but they saw the workes of God in Christ, and said, this is the son of God: But if they had erred in this, yet for this they had not denyed God: which seeing it is thus, why is this your captivity so wonder­derfully prolonged? therefore it appears, that your reason is erroneous and in effe­ctuall; and truly it is the property of God, [Page 240] that his goodnesse doth exceed his severity, which seeing you cannot deny, why did not the Messias come in that time, which is so often toucht in the book of Daniel, Dan. 12.12 according to the supputations of all your wise men? verily hee ought not, neither could deferre his comming so many hun­dred yeares, beyond the bound appointed by himselfe. And if you will say that he will come in the generation of the just, and then will not be absent one moment; I an­swer, that all is erroneous, forsomuch as there hath never been a generation, in which all men have worshipped one God, except the generation of our time; and ne­verthelesse he stil defers his comming. But now I must depart from you, but I will return againe to you, and speake more with you of this matter.

Goe in peace, and see that you returne to mee againe, for I also have yet many things which I would discourse with you concerning your Christ, and concerning your bad tidings.

You speak like a desperate and perverse Jew.