A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Appendix – Errata

A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament · Appendix – Errata

p. 753AN APPENDIX Containing ſome Animadverſions upon Ezekiel's Temple and City, deſcribed in his Chapters 40.41.42.43.44.45.46.47.48.

Remark the Firſt, The Time when Ezekiel did Propheſy muſt be diligently minded which may give ſome light unto the Myſtical meaning thereof ſo abſtruſely delivered: And ſeeing this Obſervation of Time doth help to illuſtrate the dark Expreſſions of all the other Prophets alſo, I Judge it Expedient to inſert here a Table of the Times of all the Prophets together; which I have before, but here and there ſcatteringly mentioned in the foregoing Diſcourſe, as occaſion offered: Take the Table from Piſcator, &c. Thus.

First, The Prophets that began to Propheſy before the Captivity: Were 1. Jonas in the beginning of Jeroboam the Second, 2 Kings 14.23, 25. 2. Amos during this Jeroboam's Reign, Amos 1. ver. 1. 3. Hoſea at the end of this Jeroboam's Reign, Hoſea 1. ver. 1. 4. Joel about that Time ſpeaking of the ſame Plagues that Amos doth. 5. Iſaiah in Hoſhea's Reign, Iſa. 1.1. and 6.1. 6. Micah in Jotham's Reign, Mic. 1.1. 7. Nahum under Hezekiah, foretelling Sennacherib's Death, &c. Nah. 1.11, 14. 8. Jeremy under Joſiah, Jer. 1.1. 9. Zephany at the end of Joſiah's Reign, Zeph. 1.1, 4. 10. Habakkuk about that Time, Hab. 1.1, 5. 11. Obadiah, when Jehoiakin had been carried away Captive, as his Matter intimates.

Secondly, In the Time of the Captivity. 1. Ezekiel began to Propheſy, in the fifth Year after Jehoiakin's Deportation, Ezek. 1.2. 2. Daniel in the firſt Year of Belſhazzar, Dan. 7.1.

Thirdly, After the Captivity. 1. Haggai in the ſecond Year of Darius, and in the ſixth Month, Hag. 1.1. 2. Zechariah in the ſame Year, and eighth Month, the Temple being not rebuilt, Zech. 1.1. 3. Malachy as appeareth by his Arguments, ut ſupra, theſe Prophets were ſixteen in all, and in Order, &c.

Remark the Second, The Time of this Viſion about restoring the Temple and City, &c. that Ezekiel had here, was twenty Years after his first Viſion, Ezek. 1.1. that was in the twelfth of Nebuchadnezzar, and in the fifth of Ezekiel's Captivity, but this was in the thirty ſecond of Nebuchadnezzar, and in the twenty fifth of Ezekiel, who being very Young was carried Captive in the Captivity of Jehoiakim or Jeconiah, Ezek. 40.1. the City was not destroyed, and the Temple burnt, until eleven Years after in Zedekiah's Captivity, which makes him mention the fourteenth Year, wherein that havock was made, and which being added together, the eleven and the fourteen Years make up twenty five: Becauſe this Viſion was but a little before the Temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, &c. therefore ſome Learned Men look too much at the litteral Senſe of this exceeding large Viſion; ſaying, it was given to the Prophet at this Time, for the Comfort of the Jewiſh Church; which had been now fourteen Years Mourning for the loſs of their Temple and City: Hereupon God gave this Viſion to Ezekiel to aſſure them, that though the Temple of Solomon was now burnt and the City destroyed, &c. yet ſhould all ſhortly be rebuilt by Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, &c. Thus great Grotias ſaith with Menochius, that Ezekiel had preſented to his Eyes the like Temple, to that which Nebuchadnezzar had burnt; and this for two Reaſons; Firſt, That the Jews might underſtand, how by their Sins they had loſt the Beauty and Glory of their Land. And Secondly, That upon their return, they might have this Specimen and Viſionary Pattern to imitate, ſo far as they were able, though far ſhort of Solomon's Temple, Ezra 3.12, &c.

p. 754Remark the Third, Such indeed is the difficulty of underſtanding the right Senſe of this whole Viſion, contained in the laſt nine Chapters of Ezekiel (eſpecially ſay ſome the 40.41.42.) that it gave the chief occaſion to that Ordinance among the Jews (ſaith Sanctius) that none under the Age of thirty Years ſhould be admitted to the reading of it, becauſe (ſaith Cunaeus) it is more obſcure than Plato's Mysterious Numbers: And ſome of their Learned Rabbins have profeſſed, that ſuch obſcurity they find in ſeveral Paſſages of the Viſion, that they deſpair to underſtand the true meaning thereof, until their Elias (whom they expect) ſhall come to unfold it to them: Yet the wiſeſt of thoſe Rabbins, convinced by cogent Reaſons (as Galatinus teſtifies) do not Interpret thoſe nine Chapters, of any earthly Building according to the Letter, much leſs of a glorious State and Temple at the coming of their imaginary Meſſiah, as the more fooliſh and fabulous Rabbins do generally underſtand and expect.

Remark the Fourth, Some Romanists have ſpent much Pains and Time in Commenting upon this Viſion, yet fall ſhort of their own ſatisfaction, as Sanctius himſelf confeſſeth, ſaying [Nihil tamen video in quo acquieſcit Animus, I can find no Senſe wherein I am ſatisfied, &c. yea and he ſawcily calls the Deſcription of this Temple, &c. Inſulſam Deſcriptionem] an inſipid nonſenſical Deſcription. N. B. This Sanctius and other Popiſh Commentators did ſo tie themſelves up to their Vulgar Latine Tranſlation, that it was a great ground of their manifold miſtakes, ſo that but ſparingly touching upon the true Litteral Sen…e, they run out ſo largely and laviſhly into Allegorical, Analogical, and Tropological Senſes of their own wanton Brains, as ſo many frothy Exuberancies thereof; inſomuch that ſome of them do (not without difficulty) forbear from blaſphemous Expreſſions both againſt this Holy Text-man, and the ſacred Text it ſelf, becauſe of its obſcurity.

Remark the Fifth, Among all ſorts of Theological Interpreters both Antient and Modern, the Greck and Latine Fathers, and later Learned Writers of the Reformed Religion, many have waved this Viſion of Ezekiel, not daring to undertake the Expoſition of it; affirming with ſome Rabbins, that it was an Arcanum unintelligible and unexplicable to all meer Mortal Men, ſaith A Lapide: This abſtruſe Viſion and ſome other ſacred Scriptures of the ſame ſort are ſuch Secrets, as God thought good to conceal from the Minds of Men, and he who can make right Conjectures (ſaith Cunaeus de Repub. Hebr.) Vatem hunc perhibebo optimum, I will account him a Prophet indeed of the beſt ſort: But Polanus better obſerveth, how John the Divine hath left for the Church an Excellent Interpretation of this mysterious Viſion, in Rev. 21. and 22. where he uſeth Words (as it were) borrowed from this Platform of Ezekiel, applying all not to the Carnal and Earthly, but to the Heavenly Jeruſalem the Mother of us all, Gal. 4.26.

Remark the Sixth, The ſoundest Interpretation of this Viſion among all Humane Interpreters. ſeemeth in my Judgment that of Junius, Capellus, and Polanus, &c. who unanimouſly affirm, the Scope of this Viſion beareth a Literal and a Myſtical Senſe.

Firſt, The Literal, relateth to the rebuilding of the Temple and City, &c. by Zerubbabel, &c. for 'tis improbable, that the Prophet in his coming to Comfort God's People (the now Captive Jews) ſhould flye over, and paſs wholly by ſuch a Cordial as this was, and would be to them, and ſo near at hand too, and that all he doth is only to Comfort them with an uncertain, remote comfortable Divine Diſpenſation of a Chriſtian Church in Goſpel-Times many hundred Years after this.

Secondly, The Myſtical Senſe is, 'tis ordinary with the Prophets to ſpeak figuratively of the Amplitude, Splendour and Glory of the Chriſtian Church, as Iſa. 54.11, 12. ſignifying God's Temple rais'd among the Gentiles, and beautified with the luſtre and variety of precious Graces: Accordingly (ſaith Junius) Ezekiel here doth, by a moſt appoſite Type of the Judaical Church (which once flouriſh'd under David and Solomon) deſcribe the Glory of the Evangelical Church its Antitype, and as it were the Third Temple: To which Capellus addeth, that though the reſtoring of Solomon's Temple be related here, yet muſt it have a more Myſtical meaning that the Jewiſh Synagogue ſhall rather be reſtored by the Church of Chriſt; becauſe now God was not ſo well pleaſed with thoſe Carnal commands, and with the Fleſh of Bulls and Goats, as with the Sacrifice of his own Son, &c. Polanus ſteps farther, ſaying, though ſomething of a ſecond Temple was indeed begun after the return of the Jews from Babylon; yet the Glory of this latter Houſe, came not till Chriſt was come into it, Hag. 2.6, 7, 9. Iſa. 66.11, 12, 22. therefore muſt we aſcend from the Shadow to the Subſtance, from the Earthly to the Heavenly Jeruſaſalem, as Rev. 21. and 22. do expound this whole Viſion in Chriſt's Kingdom begun here, but perfected hereafter.

p. 755Remark the Seventh, Many Reaſons may be rendred, why this Viſion muſt not be meant Literally, but Myſtically: As Firſt, This new Temple of Ezekiel is bigger in its Dimenſions, than the old Jeruſalem was; and this new Jeruſalem is bigger than all the Land of Canaan, yea ſome Rabbin's reckon it larger than all the World, from Ezek. 48.35. it being round about eighteen thouſand Meaſures, &c. however, this Temple is judg'd four Miles in Compaſs, and this City thirty ſix Miles at the leaſt, or fifty four by common Computation of ver. 32. ſo large is the City of God, which is prefigured by it. Secondly, The Waters that flowed from this new Temples Threſhold, Ezek. 47.1, to 9 growing to a great River, and ſweetning the Mare Mortnum by running into it (ſuch as never was, nor could be ſeen in the Litteral Temple) muſt be meant the Gifts of the Spirit, &c. and the Trees growing upon the Bank of the River muſt be Trees of Righteouſneſs of the Lord's Planting, &c. Iſa. 61.3. and 44.3, 4. and 55.11. Rev. 22.2. Thirdly, The Eaſt gate always ſhut, Ezek. 44.2. was only for Meſſiah the Prince, and to whom he (having the Keys of David) ſhall open it, Pſalm 118.20. Iſa. 26.2. Heb. 6.20. and 10.20, &c. No meer Man enters into God's City, but by Emmanuel, &c. Fourthly, The Inhabitants of this new City are the ten Tribes (as well as the two) as Chap. 47. and 48. teach us, whereas we read nothing of their return, and this Diviſion of the Land differs much from that of old; and Levi here hath a Gate into the City, Ezek. 48.31. Though he had no Lot in the Land, &c. Fifthly, The Strangers Gentiles, that never had any Inheritance with the Jews in Old Teſtament Times though they lived with them, yet here they ſhall have equal Inheritance, Ezek. 47.22. which is a plain Prediction of a perfect Abrogation of the Moſaical Polity, and of a new Church by the Meſſiah. Sixthly, The Longitude of each Tribe's Lot is deſcribed, Ezek. 48.2, &c. but not the Latitude, to denote that Chriſts Kingdom is Limitleſs, and his Dominion without Dimenſion; 'tis univerſal, he is Lord of all Perſons and things, Acts 10.36, &c. Seventhly, Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there, is the true Church's Name, Ezek. 48.35. whereas the Lord was there in the Jewiſh Church, but is not: God will not leave his Goſpel-Church, as he did that Synagogue, Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the World, Matth. 28.20. and at this World's end, he will then hand his Church up into Heaven, a better World, into Manſions of Glory, &c. Rev. 21. and 22, &c.

AN EXACT INDEX OF THE SCRIPTURES Explained in the Whole or in Part in my three Volumes of the Old Teſtament; The three Numbers [1. 2. 3.] ſignifie the firſt, ſecond and third Volume, wherein the Explanation is found in the Title Page of each Volume diſtinct.

GENESIS.

THE New-Teſtament.

MATTHEW.

ERRATA'S in the whole Firſt Volume.

IN Page 14. Chapter the Third is omitted at line 32. Page 214. for 94. after 91. read 92. Title Page, line 9. read Goel for God. Next to Page 277. Page 279. is ſet before Page 278.