The Resurrection Revealed, Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Section 6
SECT. VI.
Wherein the Propheſie in Numb. 24.16. to 25 is diſcuſſed as proof of the generall Poſition.
Numb. 24. v. 16.
He hath ſaid (or he aſſuredly ſaith) which heard the words (or oracles) of God, and knew the knowledge of the moſt High, which ſaw the viſion of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open. Verſe 17. I ſhall ſee him, but not now, I ſhall behold him, but not nigh; There ſhall come a STAR out of lacob, and a Scepter ſhall ariſe out of Iſrael, and ſhall ſmite (or ſmite thorow) the corners (or Princes) of Moab, and ſhall deſtroy (Heb. *foreignſhall unwall) all the children of Sheth. Verſe 18. And Edom ſhall be a poſſeſsion, Seir alſo ſhall be a poſſeſsion for his enemies, and Iſrael ſhall doe valiantly. Verſe 19. Out of Iacob ſhal come he that ſhall have dominion, and ſhall deſtroy him that remaineth of the City. Verſe. 20. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable and ſaid, Amalek was the firſt of the Nations,†That is, the firſt of the Nation warred againſt Iſrael, Exod. 17. but his latter end ſhall be, that hee periſh for ever. Verſe 21. And he looked on the Kenites, and tooke up his parable, and ſaid, Strong is thy dwelling place, and thou putteſt thy neſt in a rock. Verſe 22. Nevertheleſſe the Kenite (Heb. Kain*foreign) ſhall be waſted, untill Aſhur ſhall carry thee away captive. Verſe 23. And he took up his parable and ſaid, Alas, who ſhall live when God doth this**The Geneva Notes ſay, Some read, Oh who ſhall not periſh when the enc…y, that is ANTICHRIST ſhall ſet himſelf up as God.! Verſe 24. And ſhips ſhall come from the coaſts of Chitim, and ſhal afflict Aſhur, and ſhall afflict Eber, and he ſhall periſh for ever.
§. 1 IT will be a faire Preface to what we are to infer from theſe words to our purpoſe, if in the firſt place wee give you the expoſition of the Verſes above quoted in the words of the Hebrews, Targum, Talmud, and Rabbins, and of the Greek Septuagint. The man that ſpake this was Balaam, but ſet downe by Moſes as a moſt ſure Propheſie, and therefore ſhews us what a full manifeſtation he had from God of this Propheſie, verſe 16. It is not unuſuall with God ſometimes for extraordinary ends to reveale ſome particular Propheſies to ſome men at ſome certaine juncture of time for a preſent occaſion whiles ſuch men are unregenerate. So to Caiphas, Joh. 11.49, 50, 51. So to the Sibyls (of whom afore in the firſt Book, in the large quotations of Lactantius.) I ſay not, that God gives them the ſpirit of Propheſie, but that God dictated to them ſome particular Propheſies; as of this Balaam, it is ſaid the Lord met him, and gave him a charge what he ſhould ſay; and ſo he was enforced by the power of divine providence to bleſſe inſtead of curſing. And of this Propheſie we have ſome touches and phraſes repeated in the New Teſtament, 2 Pet. 1.19. Until the day-ſtar ariſe, Rev. 22.16. I Jeſus, &c. am the root of David, &c. and the bright and morning ſtar; yea, and ſome of this Propheſie is punctually fulfilled in the Old Teſtament ſo long ſince as Davids time, as wee ſhall ſee after.
§. 2 The matter of the Propheſie is very conſiderable to our buſineſſe, if we underſtand it aright, wherein the Hebrews admirably aſſiſt (for of them there cannot be an apter Proverb, Ubi bene nemo meliùs.) Let us touch with their pen, a little on every clauſe; I ſhall ſee him] or ſee it, *foreignthat is the perſon and thing he propheſies of following, which Sol. Jarchi expoundeth, I ſee the praiſe of Jacob, and their greatneſſe, but it is not now, but after a time. Chaskuni addeth He propheſieth of David, that is of him in his ultimate generation, Chriſt, as you ſhall ſee the Rabbins by and by, in their Targum, Talmud, and Treatiſes harmoniouſly conſent. But not nigh] that is as Jarchi ſaid afore, It is not now, but after a time. And as the Targum or Chalde Paraphraſe expounds it, It is not neer, when a King ſhall ariſe out of the houſe of Jacob, and CHRIST ſhall be anointed of the houſe of Iſrael, and ſhall RULE OVER ALL THE SONNES OF MEN: Marke that expreſſion. It follows, There ſhall come a ſtar out of Jacob.] The Greek tranſlate, ſhall ariſe, or ſhine forth, which is applyed to Chriſt by Peter in the ſaid 2 Pet. 1.19. afore-quoted, and by Chriſt himſelf to himſelfe in the above cited Rev. 22.16. Both places being penned ſince Chriſts aſcention, and therefore can import no leſſe then that it is yet to bee fulfilled, and that before the ultimate day of judgement, at which time it is too late, for Chriſt to ſhine as a day ſtar to the Jewes, if he ſhine not to them afore; or for the conſideration of Chriſts relation to David, when hee layes downe all relations. But of theſe things by and by, in the inferences from the ſaid place of Numbers. Of which it follows; And a Scepter ſhall riſe out of Iſrael] that is (ſaith the Chalde Paraphraſe) A King ſhall ariſe, the Meſsiah or Chriſt ſhall be anointed, that ſhall RULE ALL THE SONS OF MEN. So that Chriſt muſt have his Scepter as well as David, and other Kings. And as his gracious Scepter of righteouſneſſe over his people, Pſal. 45.7. Heb. 1.8. So his powerful conſtraining deſtroying Rod, or Scepter of Iron over his enemies, Pſal. 2.9. Rev. 12.5. which two laſt mentioned places are propheticall of future times, not fulfilled (ſhould ſeem) in the time of Johns penning the Revelation, though that was long after Chriſts aſcention. And he ſhal ſmite the corners of Moab, or through the corners of Moab.] The Greek is, He ſhall break to peeces the Dukes of Moab †foreign; The Chalde is, He ſhall kill the Princes of Moab †, and ſhal unwal the children of Seth] which the Chalde excellently expounds, That Chriſt ſhall have dominion over all the children of men. For Seth being the ſonne of Adam, given to him in the room of Abel, ſlaine; and Kaines poſterity being drowned in the flood, onelyonly Seths poſterity remaining in Noah, all the world ſince that may be truly ſaid to be the children of Seth, as of a ſecondary Adam, which dominion of Chriſt over all Kings and Nations is propheſied in Pſal. 72.11. All Kings ſhall fall downe before him, and all Nation ſhall ſerve him. And in Phil. 2.10. 'tis ſpoken in the future tenſe*foreign. (after Chriſts aſcention) and of all perſons and things, not onelyonly of heavenly or ſpiritual, but of earthly, &c. To this expoſition Sol. Iarchi ſubſcribes. All the ſonnes of Seth, that is (ſaith he) ALL PEOPLES, which doe ALL come of SETH the ſonne of ADAM THE FIRST. We have one Rabbin behinde, viz. Maimony, who in their Talmud†R. Maimony in Miſn. Tom. 4. Treat. of King. c. 11. ſect. 1. notably explaines the whole Propheſie of Balaam briefly thus: I ſhall ſee him, but not NOW, that is, DAVID, I ſhal behold him, but not NIGH, this is THE KING CHRIST. There ſhall proceed a ſtar out of Jacob, this is DAVID, and a Scepter ſhall riſe out of Iſrael, this is the KING CHRIST, and ſhall ſmi…e through the corners of Moab; this is DAVID, as it is written (2 Sam. 2.8.) And he ſmote Moab, &c. And he ſhall unwal all the ſonnes of Seth, this is the KING CHRIST, of whom it is written (Pſal. 72.8.) he ſhall have DOMINION FROM SEA TO SEA. And Edom ſhal be a poſſeſsion to David, as it is ſaid, and all they of Edom became Davids ſervants, 2 Sam. 8.14. And Seir ſhall be a poſſeſsion, this is unto THE KING CHRIST, as it is ſaid, AND SAVIOURS ſhall come up on mount Sion, to judge the mount of Eſau, and THE KINGDOME SHALL BEE THE LORDS. Hobad. v. 21. Thus Maimony, who hath ſpoken ſo fully, that I need not but give a light touch on the reſt. Verſe 18. EDOM ſhal be a poſſeſsion. Theſe Edomites (the poſterity of Eſau) became a poſſeſſion to David, 1 Chron. 18.13. After that they are to be a poſſeſſion to Chriſt, Iſa. 63.1. Who is this that cometh up from Edom, with died garments from Bozrah? Red with blood ſprinkled on his garments, intimating a corporall deſtruction of the Edomites by Chriſt. SEIR alſo ſhal be a poſſeſsion. Seir, that is Eſau, for there Eſau dwelt, Gen. 36. Therefore the Greek render Seir by Eſau. So that this clauſe is all one with the former. Againſt whom and the reſt of the enemies of the Church, the Iſraelites (as it follows) ſhall doe valiantneſſe (as it is in the Hebrew) that is valiant acts valiantly, which in effect ſometimes ſignifies victories in War (1 Sam. 14.48. ſometimes getting wealth and riches (Ezek. 28.4.) Both here meant, as both goe together, in the caſe of victory in War (though the Chalde expreſſeth rather the later) which double ſenſe well anſwers to the name Iſrael that ſignifies a prevailing as a Prince with God and men (Gen. 32.28.) And to Pſal. 60.14. Through God we ſhal do valiantneſſe, and he will tread down our enemies. And Heb. 2.8. God will put all things in ſubjection under Chriſts feet, who was the ſonne of David, of the ſeed of Iſrael. And he ſhall have dominion] that is, one of the houſe of Jacob, as the Chalde expreſſeth it. So Targum Jonathan ſaith, And a Ruler ſhal riſe up out of the houſe of Jacob, which Sol. Jarchi openeth thus: And yet there ſhal be another Ruler out of Iacob, and he ſhall deſtroy him that remaineth out of the City. Of the KING CHRIST hee ſpeaketh thus, of whom it is ſaid (Pſal. 72.) HE SHALL HAVE DOMINION FROM SEA TO SEA: And ſhall deſtroy him that remaineth out of the City; that is of all Cities, as the Chalde expoundeth it, viz. The Citie of the peoples. Verſe 20, 21, 22. are plain of themſelves. verſe 23, Alas, who ſhall live when God doth this? The Chalde explaineth it, Woe to the ſinners that ſhal live when God doth this. Targum Jonathan explaines it thus; when the word of the Lord ſhal be revealed to give a good reward unto the juſt, and take vengeance on the wicked. verſe 24, And Ships ſhal come from the coaſt of Chittim, and ſhal afflict Aſhur, and ſhal afflict Eber, and he ſhal alſo periſh for ever. The Chalde expoundeth Chittim to ſignifie the Romans. The old Latine explaines it by Italy (which is all one in effect, onelyonly the Roman Monarchy was larger then the Imperial Seat of it in the Kingdome of Italy.) Chittim, or Kitim was one of the ſonnes of Javan, the ſonne of Japhet, the ſon of Noah, Gen. 10.4. His poſterity inhabited partly Greece (viz. Macedonia) partly (as Joſephus affirmes) Italy among the Romans, as alſo Cyprus, and Cilicia. All which places alſo by turnes were ſometime of the Greek Empire, ſometime of the Roman Empire. By which reaſons Chittim, alias Kitim is ſometime taken for the Greeks, ſometimes for the Romans, both which took their turnes to afflict the Aſſyrians, and Eber, that is the Hebrews, or people of Iſrael. But the Cataſtrophe and fatall period is, that Chittim ſhall periſh for ever.
§. 3 Now theſe promiſes in their full latitude and extent were never yet fulfilled upon the earth (as they all import a fulfilling there) as it eaſily appears to a quicke eye reviewing the Premiſes. This ſame Star CHRIST hath not yet ſhined upon the hearts of the generality of the ſonnes of Iacob, as it is expounded, 2 Pet. 1.19. Hee hath not yet as CHRIST, ruled as a King over ALL THE SONNES OF MEN, as the Chalde before expounds the Scepter out of Iſrael, as the Scriptures Pſal. 2.9. backe it. CHRIST hath not yet unwalled ALL THE CHILDREN OF SETH, that is all the children of Adam (as before made plaine.) He hath not, that is, brought them off their owne confidences to ſubmit to him, or he hath not had (as the Chalde expounds before) dominion over all the children of men; according as Pſal. 72. verſe 11. and Phil. 2.10. confirme it, viz. That all Kings ſhal fall before Chriſt, and all Nations ſerve him, and every knee how and crouch to him. We ſee to this day for the generall, rather the contrary. CHRIST as KING hath not yet (as Maimony excellently out of Pſal. 72.8.) had dominion from ſea to ſea, no, nor ſo much as delivered Iſrael and Judah to this day, from their diſperſion and captivity under Turk, Pope, Indians, &c. Exempt from the account but ſix or ſeven Nations (and thoſe petty ones) of one fourth part of the world, Europe; with a ſpot or two of late Plantations in America; and the whole world of men are not yet ſo much as Profeſſours of Chriſt. Nor hath Chriſt taken vengeance on them to this day. Kitim, alias Chittim, i. e. the Roman Empire, is not yet periſhed for ever, but to this day partly under the Turk, and partly under the Pope doth miſchievouſly, and mightily oppoſe Chriſt.
§. 4 Nor can a wiſe man dream that theſe things ſhall be fulfilled at, or after the ultimate day of judgement; for then is a late time for Chriſt to have dominion over all the ſonnes of men. Then Chriſts Dominion doth utterly ceaſe. And this Text ſaith, that when God doth this, who ſhall live? plainly ſignifying, that when Chriſt doth thus as King, and Ruler over all the ſonnes of men, advancing his Church, and among them as his great deſigne, his Iſrael, there ſhall be a great corporall deſtruction of the obſtinate enemies of him and them. But the ultimate day of judgement is not the killing, but the making alive corporally all the wicked that ever were ſince the Creation.