If. 64. 10, 11, 12.

Prophecy, which perfonate a People in a maze at what had befallen 'em; Zion is a Wildernefs, Jerufalem a Defolation, our holy and our beautiful House, where our Fathers praised thee, is burnt up with Fire, and all our pleasant things are lay'd waste, And thou refraineft thy felf for thefe things, and doft hold thy peace, and afflict us very fore. And what a Defolation Jerufalem has been, according to this Prediction, you your felves know with a Witness. It was moreover prophecy'd, concerning this Defolation, that not a Jew fhou'd be tolerated to live If. 1. 7. there; for thus Ifaiah has it, Your Country is defolate, Strangers devour it in your Prefence, and there is none to inhabit: And what Care you have taken of fulfilling this Prophecy, you need not be told, for you have made it 1 Capital in a Jew to fet a Foot in his own Country.

LXIII. And how it was foretold, that our Christ should cure all Diseases, and raise the If. 35. 5,6. Dead, you may learn from hence, At his Coming the Lame fhall leap like a Stag, and the Tongue of the Dumb fhall be eloquent, the Lepers fhall be cleanfed, and the Dead shall rise and walk about. And how He perform'd these Miracles you may easily be fatisfy'd, from the Acts of Pontius Pilate, and how the prophetick Spirit declar'd before hand, that both He and those who trufted in Him fhou'd lofe their

• Concerning this Interdict against the Jews entring into the Ho ly Land, under Pain of Death. See Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. lib. 4. cap. 4. and Tertull. Apol. cap. 21.

Lives, I refer you to this Paffage in Isaiah, Be- If. 57.1, 2,
hold how the Righteous perisheth, and no Man
layeth it to Heart, and merciful Men are taken
away, none confidering that the Righteous is ta-
ken away from the Evil to come; he shall go in
Peace, he is taken from among us. Again you
may see how it was publish'd by the fame I-
Saiah, that the Gentiles who expected Him not,
fhou'd worship Him; but the Jews, who were
always in Expectation of Him, fhou'd not know
Him, even when He was come unto them. The
Words are deliver'd in the Person of Christ,
and run thus, I am sought of them that asked 1.65.1,€;
not for me, I am found of them that fought me
not; 1 faid behold me, behold me, unto a Na-
tion that was not called by my Name; I have
Spread out my Hands unto a rebellious People,
which walketh in no good way, but after their
own Thoughts, a People that provoketh me to An-
ger continually to my Face. For the Jews who
had thefe Oracles in keeping, and were always
up in Expectation of the Meffiah, faw Him
not, when before their Eyes; and not only o-
verlook'd Him, but abus'd Him to the last De-

gree of Ignominy. But the Gentiles, who fat
in Darkness, and had heard nothing of Chrift
till after His Apostles went from Jerufalem, and
expounded the things concerning Him, and
publish'd the Prophecies; thefe People, I fay,
were fill'd with Joy and Faith at the gladTidings,
and both renounc'd their Idols, and alfo confe-

That this was the ancient Form of Words proclaim'd by the Deacon, upon the difmiffion of fuch Catechumens from the Church, as were fhortly to be baptiz'd, fee Dr. Grabe's Notes up, on the Place.

crated themselves to the Unbegotten God thro' Christ. And that the infamous Stories spread about against the Profeffors of Chrift, and the Miferies that should befal the Spreaders of them, and fuch as value themselves fo mightily for adhering to the Customs of their Forefathers, that all these things were foreknown, you may eafily perceive from this short Paffage in Isaiah, If. 5. 20. Wo be to them who call bitter sweet, and fweet

bitter.

LXIV. Moreover, that He was to be made Man for the Sake of Mankind, and that He fhou'd be contented to fuffer, and to be treated in the most dishonourable manner, and at length come again in Glory, I shall propofe to your Obfervation the Prophecies upon this If.53.v.alt. Head. Because he hath poured out his Soul unto Death, and was numbred with the Trans

14, 15.

greffors, and bare the Sin of many, and made If. 52. 13, Atonement for the Tranfgreffors; Behold my Servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high: As many were aftonied at thee (his Vifage was fo much marred more than any Man, and his Form more than the Sons of Men) fo fhall many Nations admire, and the Kings fhall fout their Mouths at him, for that which had not been told them fhall they fee, and that which they had not heard shall they underIf.53.1-8. ftand. Lord who hath believed our Report, and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender Plant, and as a Root out of a dry Ground; he hath no Form or Comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no Beauty that we should defire him.

He

He is defpifed and rejected of Men, a Man of Sorrow, and acquainted with Grief, and we hid, as it were, our Faces from him, he was defpifed, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath born our Griefs, and carryed our Sorrows; yet we did efteem him ftricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted: But he was wounded for our Tranfgreffions, he was wounded for our Iniquities, the Chaftifement of our Peace was upon him, and with his Stripes are we healed; All we, like Sheep, have gone aftray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the Iniqui ty of us all; He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his Mouth; he is brought as a Lamb to the Slaughter, and as a Sheep before her Shearers is dumb, So he opened not his Month. He was taken away by Diftrefs and Judgment. Accordingly upon His Crucifixion His Difciples all deferted and deny'd Him, but upon the Sight of their Master just risen from the Dead, and when he had let their Understandings into the Prophecies where this whole Scene of Suffering and Triumph was defcrib'd, and had made his Afcenfion into Heaven before their Eyes, and thus fully convinced them, and fhower'd down upon them the Powers of the Spirit; they went out in the Strength thereof into ev'ry Nation, preaching these things, and from their Miffion were called Apostles.

LXV. And to acquaint us that the Sufferer of all this, was of a Generation inexplicable, and that He should rule over His Enemies; the prophetick Spirit speaks thus, Who shall declare If. 53.8.to bis Generation? for he was cut off out of the the end. Land

Land of the Living, for the Tranfgreffion of my People was he ftricken, and he made his Grave with the Wicked, and the Rich in his death, becanfe he had done no Violence, neither was any Deceit in his Month; Tet it pleafed the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to Grief. When thou fhalt make his Soul an Offering for Sin, he shall See his Seed, he shall prolong his Days, and the Pleafure of the Lord fhall profper in his Hand. He shall fee of the Travel of his Soul, and shall be fatisfy'd. By his Knowledge fhall 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 Spoil with the Strong, because he has poured out his Soul unto Death, and he was number'd with the Transgreffors, and made Interceffion for many. Hear Pf. 23.7,8. another Prophecy concerning His Afcenfion, Lift up the Gates of Heaven, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting Doors, that the King of Glory may enter in. Who is the King of Glory? the Lord Strong, the Lord mighty in Battel. And that you may see how He is to come again from Heaven in Glory, I will give you the PropheDan. 7.13. Cy of Daniel, Behold the Son of Man came with the Clouds of Heaven, and his Angels with Him.

LXVI. Since therefore we thus demonstrably prove, that the things now come to pass, were proclaim'd by the Prophets long before the Events, how can we withold from believing that the Prophecies as yet unfulfill'd, will as verily be accomplish'd in their Season, as those we now fee verify'd with our own Eyes?

For