Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 4 · Section 3
SECT. 3. Of a threefold error concerning Chriſt.
Three ſorts of error concerning Chriſt.THere is triplex error circa Chriſtum: The firſt is, error temporis: the ſecond is error perſonae: and the third is, error conditionis.
The firſt is error temporis.The firſt is, error temporis, when they denie that Chriſt is yet come; The Phariſees ſaid to Chriſt, Tell us plainely if thou be the Chriſt, Ioh. 10.24. Ieſus anſwered, I told you and you beleeved not.
The Lord inſtructed his people ſundry wayes; by baſe and ſylly creatures, as by the Piſmire, by the Conie, by the Locuſt, and by the Spider, Prov. 30.25, 26, 27, 28. By the Piſmire, he teacheth them induſtrie to teach them induſtrie to labour, Pro. 6. he teaches them to have a care of their houſhold and children. By the Conies a feeble flocke, they have a care to make their holls in the rockes for their ſafetie, and the ſafetie of their young ones. Thirdly, he teacheth them to joyne themſelves together for the defence of their countrie, as the Locuſt doe, who goe out to battell, although they have not a head: Fourthly, hee teacheth them to be wiſe, that they may ſtand in Princes courts; By the example of the Spider, which (although it be a ſillie creature) yet it takes hold in Kings Palaces: Ioſeph learned this leſſon when he ſtood before Pharaoh, and Mordecai before Aſhuerus.
So the Lord reproves his people by ſillie and baſe creatures, as by the Turtle, the Crane, and the Iwallow, Jer. 8.7. hee objects to them, that theſe poore creatures obſerved the time of their comming, but his people know not the time of their viſitation, Luke 19.44: Man being in honour became like the beaſts that periſh, Pſal. 49. yea worſe than the beaſts: Chryſoſtome hath an excellent ſaying, Pejus eſt comparari jumento quam eſſe Iumentum, It is worſe to be compared with the beaſtes, than to be a beaſt: To be borne a beaſt is no fault, but to be matched with them, when wee make our ſelves like beaſts, or worſe than beaſts, that is our great ſhame: The unreaſonable creatures by inſtinct knowes their times and ſeaſons, and man will not know the time of grace by the gracious light of the Goſpell: The …ewes were worſe than the ſillie Crane, or Swallow, when they knew not the time when Ieſus Chriſt their Meſſias came into the world.
Wee who are Chriſtians reckon our times from the Lords birth and from his death; but the Iewes abhorre this: When Alexander came to beſiege Ieruſalem in the dayes of Iaddus the highprieſt, to ſave Ieruſalem not to be ſacked, they were content to reckon their dates from Alexander his comming to beſiege Ieruſalem, anno creationis, 4260. And this was called afterward Aera Alexandri, and after that Selucidarum Alexandri: but now they will no wayes reckon from the comming of Chriſt; for when they count the yeares of the world, they omit the thouſands, and reckon by the hundrethes by (liphrath caton) as they call it;foreign they will not ſubſcribe their bonds and contracts by this date, (the yeare of Chriſt.)
How Cornelius his prayer was accepted, he not knowing that Chriſt was come.Queſt. How could Cornelius his prayers be accepted before God, ſeeing Chriſt was come and hee knew not that?
Anſw. Cornelius the centurion before hee heard Peter he beleeved in the Meſsias, and this hee had learned from the Iewes, but he knew not that Ieſus the Sonne of Mary was the Meſsias, and if he had died in that eſtate he might have beene ſaved, but after that hee heard Peter preach that Ieſus was the Meſsias, if he had not beleeved in Chriſt, then his ignorance had beene an affected ignorance, and damnable; ſuch was the ignorance of the Phariſees, Ioh. 10.24.
Three ſorts of Iewes who differed concerning Chriſts commingThere were three ſorts of the Iewes who differed concerning Chriſts comming; The firſt were thoſe who ſay that Chriſt was come, as Aquiba the Armour-bearer of Ben Cohebha who ſaid Omnia tempora Meſsiae preterierunt, he held that Ben kohebha was the Meſsias, and that hee was come already: there were others of them who ſaid,Thalmud in Sanedrim, Cap. 11. fol. 98. that he was come, although not yet revealed, but that he is amongſt the …epers of Rome; And there are ſome of them who expect yet their Gnolam haba, ſaeculum futurum; this time they call the time of their Meſsias, and ſeeing themſelves ſo often deceived, waiting for their Meſsias, they doe ſay that times are not to be reckoned,Thalmud in Sanedrim Cap. 11. fol. 97. So Rembam ſub finem Miſnaioth. and they lay a curſe upon him, who preſumes to reckon the times of his comming, Diſplodetur ſpiritus eorum, qui ſunt ſcrupuloſi in momentis temporum, ſed praeſtoletur & credat univerſitati verborum; that is, let him periſh miſerablie who is ſcrupulous in the ſearching the moments of time, and content thy ſelfe with this, that he hath promiſed that he will come, and he that beleeves will not make haſte, Hab. 2.3. There was a general faſt indicted to all the Iewes in Europe, becauſe their Meſsias delayed his comming ſo long, as Helvicus teſtifies, lib. 2.