Sad and Serious Political Considerations, Part 13
XIII.
Other excellent Proofs of the future conversion and Monarchy of the Iews,Abraham was told in Genesis, His seed must thrice be like Dust, and then afterward like Stars (Stars not for multitude, but for Piety and Glory) onc… in Aegypt; secondly in Babel; thirdly throughout the world in the Roman Empire, and afterward in the beginning of the FIFTH MONARCHY must enlighten the whole world with the Glory of God. And the Jews themselves have an ancient tradition, That they must have two Messiahs;1From Abraham … The first should come about what time the Government was taken from Iudah; he should lay the Foundation of their Redemption, afterwards be betrayed, crucified, and die by their own hands, and leave them in a dolefull plight in the jaws of destruction by the Gentiles: him they called Ben-Ioseph or Ben-Ephraim, alluding to sorrowful Ioseph, who endured so much hardship, being sold by his brethren into Aegypt, and estranged from his fathers house; and to the unfortunate Attempt of the Tribe of Ephraim (soon after that barbarous Edict of murthering male Infants came forth) to deliver themselves and the Israelites by force of Arms from Pharaoh some 12 years before the Birth of Moses; when Pharaoh levying an huge Army, made fearful slaughters of them, forcing them to return to their old obedience, of which you may reade in Psal. 78.9. In this doleful misery they should remain so long till their second Messiah came and delivered them from the hands of all their enemies, restored them to their native Land of Iudea, and reigned over th…m in equal fame and prosperity with David their father. Him therefore they call Ben-David.
2From Isaac.Secondly, Isaac was mo… wayes then in his Immolation a figure of Christ. He had two sons Esa… and Iacob, of whom it is said, The Elder shall serve the younger… Edom (which Jews interpret to be the Roman Christian Church, the First-born to Christ from Isaac) must come to serve the younger, The Iewish converted Church in the end of time, when it is once come up.
Thirdly,3From Iacob. Iacob a Type of Christ in his Descent to Aegypt had two wives, Leah a Type of the visible Church of carnal Jews using and leaning upon ceremonious shadows in stead of the true sacrifice from Moses to the end of the second Temple: as likewise of the Church of the Gentiles, which from the Ascension of Christ was to continue in vicissitudinary fortune to it's end, full 1668 years. Thus Leah was blear-ey'd, but fruitfull in her posterity, yet not so acceptable and lovely in the eyes of her husband as Rachel (a Type of the glorious Jewish Church in the end of Monarchies) who was to be many dayes barren, even from the end of the second Temple, till Anno 1683, then brings forth Ioseph, leaves her fathers idolatrous house, within a few years after travels again, and brings forth the staff of Iacobs old age with the losse of her own life.
Fourthly,4From the New Testament, Act. 1. That the Jews were to have a temporal Monarchy in the end of the Roman Empire, is evident likewise out of the New Testament. In the first of Acts our Saviour Christs Disciples shewed how greatly the Jews expected for this time, when their Messiah should deliver them from the yoke of the Romans, and restore them to their temporal Kingdom in Iudea; as likewise how near they thought the season and period to be in our Saviours time, when they came to him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel? Our Saviour in his Answer doth not deny but that such a time was to be, when the Jews should be restored to their temporal Kingdom in their own Land (which should exceed Davids and Solomons in magnificence, and should extend over the whole world) but only blames and checks his Apostles for enquiring of that which neither was needful for them to know, neither should be in their dayes; as likewise for being too inquisitive in the times and seasons when it should be, and was to begin, Which (said he) the Father hath put in his own power. And whoso reads Hos. 3.4, 5. the four last Chapters of Zechary, Mich. 7.15, 16, 17. Esa. 2.2, 3, 4. and Chapter 27. 12, 13. with Ier. 24.6, 7. with divers other passages in Scripture, may plainly see that neither Solomons house nor the Maccabees ever obtained their full propriety, nor were those Prophecies of their universall Soveraignty ever fulfilled in the Old Testament.
Fifthly,5From Moses Song, Deut. 32. The Song of Moses in the 32. of Deuteronomy, is clear, that many and great afflictions shall befall them in the latter daies, even all the time of their first Messiah, and the Roman Empire. No Jew in the world ever expounded otherwise from the 36. verse to the 43. of that Song. And to this place they referre their afflictions which they have, and shall suffer all the time of the Roman Empire till their Restauration. There is but few of them now, but will confesse that their Messiah Ben-Ioseph, is come already, but their Ben-David is yet hid in the depth of the Sea, and will arise from thence about the finall end of the destruction of the Gentiles.
Sixthly,6From the history and life of Ioseph The life of Ioseph in Genesis hath in it more then History. At 17. years of age he was sold by his Brethren, and stood before Pharaoh to expound him his Dreams at thirty. So he lived above 12. years in misery and irons. And for those 12. years God rewarded him with 80. years of government in and over all the land of Aegypt. His brethren came and bowed to him according to his Dream of the sheaves; his father also was inferiour and subjected to him as he was Viceroy in the government of Aegypt: and was nourished and maintained by him according to his second D…eam of the Sun, Moon, and the eleven Stars crouching and making obeisance. Though his Brethren pitied him not in the anguish of his soul, yet he forgiveth and preserveth them in Aegypt, and at their deliverance thence marcheth triumphantly before them to Canaan in his Coffin. But yet neverthelesse Iacob was to stay in Canaan, and Ioseph was to be unknown to his Brethren till Aegypt be destroied by Famine, and yeeld if self to Ioseph. And the bon…s of Ioseph too must stay in Aegypt till 600000 men besides women and children be delivered them by the hands of Moses and Aaron. No departure from Aegypt, no passage through the Red-Sea without the bones of Ioseph. Edom in the dayes of Moses, and Babylon in Daniels time suffered the severest punishments God could inflict upon a people, and all for afflicting Eber. And here is a mystery not so observed as observable in Scripture. As Aegypt was broken before the first Tabernacle was set up by Moses: as Edom was harrowed by David before the first Temple was erected by Solomon: and thirdly, as Babel was Brought to nothing by Cyrus before the second Temple was built by Zorubbabel and I… hoshuah: so shall both Edom and Babel, Turk, Pope, and all Monarchies in the Earth be brought to dust, before the third Temple be built by the converted Jews in their native Land of Iudea and Ierusalem. Ierusalem now inhabited by Turks and hereticall Christians shall at that time be purged from filth, and be the only Receptacle of the children of God. But when that time shall be, I have abundantly shewn in the Sections before. And in that season shall Benjamin be sent down from his good father in the power of his right arm, and Ioseph (even Ben-Ioseph) shall make himself known to his Brethren, who did hate him, shoot at him, cast him into the pir, and delivered him to the Gentiles. Which excellent Parallels of Ioseph and Christ are fully explained in the Massorch, Zoar, and in Rabbi-Asse, besides Ezechiel and S. Iohn in the Revelations. Notwithstanding in citing these Jewish Traditions, I would not be mistaken, as if I maintained a second descention of our Saviour Christ from Heaven, as the Millenaries do; or that the Jews must have him come personally dowm from heaven to destroy the whole world, and restore them to their Land of Iudea, I mean no such thing. God hath other means to bring his purposes to passe then, by sending his Sonne Christ to sojourn the second time upon earth. A second Moses, yet a King, must work all this for them: yet not a Moses of their own bloud, but a Captain from the North; who shall work the works of God in righteousnesse, and make peace like a mighty stream overflow the whole earth.What uses Protestants ought to make of this blessing of the conversion of the Iews…