Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 4 · Section 8
SECT. 8. Of the third eſtate of the Jewes when they ſhall be Ruchama, and firſt of their calling againe.
THings that are impoſſible with men are poſſible with God,Ruchama, Matth. 19.26. When the children of Iſrael were in captivitie in Babylon, who would have thought that ever they ſhould have returned out of it againe. It ſeemed like a dreame unto themſelves, and yet by that we may be led to conſider the eſtate of the captivitie of the Iewes now.Types ſhewing to the Iewes their reſtitution from the captivitie of Babylon.
When the Iewes were to goe to the captivitie of Babylon, there was little hope of their returne out of the captivitie, and farre leſſe when they lay ſo long in the captivitie; yet the Lord did ſhew them their reſtitution by ſundry types.
Firſt, by Ieremie, The type ſhewne to Ieremie.when they were to goe to the captivitie; Ieremie bought a field in Anathoth from his Vncles ſonne Hananeel, Ier. 32. becauſe the right of the inheritance was his, and the redemption of the land, he ſubſcribed the evidences, he ſealed them and tooke witneſſes, & weighed to him the mony in ballances, he took alſo the evidences of the purchaſe, both that which was ſealed according to the Law and cuſtome, and that which was open; firſt, he tooke that which was ſealed according to the Law, that is, the letters in the which the commandement of God given to the Prophet, was ſet down, and a particular deſcription of all the cautions which concerned the right: then there was an open contract which was confirmed by the Magiſtrate: Then he gave the evidents of the purchaſes to Baruch the ſon of Merajah in the ſight of Hananeel his Vncles ſonne, and in the preſence of the witneſſes that ſubſcribed the booke of purchaſe, and before all the Iewes that ſate in the court of the priſon, after that he charged Baruch before them all, in the name of the Lord of Hoſtes; and put them in an earthen veſſell, that they might continue for many dayes; Now when they had remained long in the captivity, and Ieremie and Hananeel his Vncles ſon were dead, & the Iewes who ſate in the court of the priſon, who would ever have thought that any ſhould have come home to have poſſeſſed the land of Anathoth againe, but yet the contract was extant, which was kept in an earthen veſſell all this time, and ſome of Ieremies poſterity came home and inherited that peece of ground in Anathoth: So although the Iewes now have lien long under the captivity, and Abraham, Iſaac, and Iacob with many thouſands of men are all gone, yet becauſe the covenant ſtands, and the contract of purchaſe; therefore they ſhall be reſtored to be ſpirituall heires of the covenant; for Gods mercy extends it ſelfe to a thouſand generations.
The ſecond type ſhewed to Ieremiah.The ſecond type whereby the Lord ſhewed to the Iewes that they were to be called backe againe from the captivity of Babylon was Ier. 24. the two baskets of figges, which the Lord ſhewed unto him, the good figges, and the badde figges; the good figges ſignified the Iewes that were to be called home againe from Babylon, and the evill figges that could not be eaten ſignified Zedekiah king of Iudah and his princes, and the reſidue of Ieruſalem which remained in the land, and theſe that dwelt in Egypt, whom the Lord was to deliver to bee removed from all the kingdomes of the earth for their hurt, to bee a reproach, and a proverbe, a taunt, and a curſe in all places, as the Lord had badde figges then, that were to bee deſtroyed; ſo the Lord hath of this captivity, now many whom he hath deſtroyed, and made of them a proverbe, a taunt, and a curſe amongſt the nations; But as all the figges of the firſt captivity were not badde, but ſome were very good figges, like the figges that are firſt ripe; ſo in this captivity now, the Lord hath reſerved himſelfe whom he mindes to build, and not to pull downe againe, and to plant, and not to pull up.
The third type of the calling of the Iewes from the captivity of Babylon was ſhewne to Ezekiel, The third type ſhewed to Ezekiel.chap. 37. a field full of dead bones; when the Lord brought the Prophet, and ſhewed to him thoſe bones, and asked him, Sonne of man can theſe bones live? and the Prophet anſwered him, Lord thou knoweſt, then the Lord cauſed theſe bones to take ſinewes and fleſh, and skin, and at laſt there came a winde and put breath into them, and they did live; there was but ſmall hope that theſe bones ſhould live againe, yet when the Lord did breath upon them, then they did live. If a man ſhould looke now with a naturall eye upon the dead and dry bones of the captivity of Iudah, and were asked (as the Lord demanded the prophet) whether they ſhould live againe or not? all his anſwer would be this, Lord thou knoweſt; but yet when the winde of Gods grace ſhal blow againe upon them, they ſhall revive from death to life, and they ſhall returne from the captivitie.
The fourth type of Gods mercy in delivering of the Iewes from the captivity of Babylon was ſh…wne to Zacharie, The fourth type ſhewed to Zacharie.cap. 5.9. when hee ſaw two women carrying an Ephah betwixt the heaven and the earth; when they were carrying the wicked Iewes to Babylon, yet in the midſt of his anger he remembers mercy, & carries them not on the wings of an Eagle, or a Kyte, but on the wings of a ſtorke, which ſignifies mercy, Chaſida miſericordia; and why may not the Lord who is gracious and mercifull, remember thoſe poore captives in their long deſolation.
Ob. But their ſinnes have beene hainous, and great, and many in number?
Anſw. But wee muſt remember that where ſinne aboundeth there grace aboundeth much more, Rom. 5.15. and that his mercy is above all his workes; The farther that theſe poore wretches have fallen from the Lord, his mercy is the more magnified in recalling of them: Gods mercy and mans miſerie have not beene unfitlie compared to the ſunne and the moone, when the moone is fartheſt from the ſunne, then the ſunne gives his light moſt brightly to the moone; So when miſerable ſinners are fartheſt from God, then the ſunne of Righteouſneſſe the Lord Ieſus Chriſt ſhall bee pleaſed ſometimes to ſhine upon them; And although their ſinne were as red as the skarlet, Iſa. 1.18. yet he can make them as white as the wooll; The number of their ſinnes cannot hinder the pardon of them; David ſayes Pſal. 35.7. ini quitates tranſierunt caput meū, that is, they were more in number then the haires of my head, & yet they hindred not the pardon of his ſins; the Lord would not have Peter to pardon only ſeven times, or ſeven times ſeven times, but ſeventie times ſeventimes, Now if the Lord will have Peter to do this, how much more wil he bee ready to pardon, who is the Ocean of mercy, hee that made the eye ſhall he not ſee, and he that puts mercy in others, ſhall hee not bee mercifull; And if Ionah had pitty on his gourd, that grew up in one night, and withered in another, Ionah 1.10. ſhall not the Lord then have pitty on his people, who were once a royall generation and kingly Prieſthood. 1. Pet. 2.9.
Ob. But they have beene bloody murtherers of the Lord of life, blaſphemers of his holy name, and haters of the Goſpel, and of all thoſe who in call upon the name of the Lord Ieſus Chriſt; how can they then be ſaved?God ſhewing mercy to Paul a bloody perſecutor, ſhewes that God may be mercifull to the Iewes.
Anſw. Conſider but the example of Saint Paul, and apply his example to them, and then ye may ſee how God ſhall ſhew mercy upon them; Saint Paul who was a Phariſee of Phariſees, that is a moſt preciſe Phariſee, Act. 26.5. foreign, which ſignifieth a moſt accurate ſeparation from others; for zeale hee perſecuted the church, Phil. 3. and hee procured letters to apprehned & binde the poore Chriſtians, and cauſed many of them to blaſpheme, Act. 26.11. and what if Paul had been there when Chriſt was crucified would he not have cryed with the reſt of the Iewes, away with him, away with him, would he not have ſaid with the reſt, wee have no King but Caeſar, and let Barrabas live, Whatſoever Chriſt was convicted for, of that he abſolves his children.and Chriſt die; yet for all his ſins the Lord hath pardoned him, and why may he not ſhew the like pardon upon theſe poore ſinners; And for there fearefull blaſphemies, and manie inſurrections let us obſerve but this one comfortable ground, whatſoeuer the Lord Ieſus Chriſt was condemned for, that he abſolves his children of; But Ieſus Chriſt was condemned of blaſphemie, and affecting of Caeſars crowne; therefore the Lords death ſhall acquite the repenting Iewes of their blaſphemies againſt him, and of their mutunies and ſeditions againſt Caeſar.
Now let us conſider more particularly the calling of theſe Iewes: ſecondly, the manner how they ſhall be called: and thirdly; the end of their calling.
The firſt reaſon of their calling is taken from the promiſe Reaſon 1 made to their fathers,Of the calling of the Iewes. Rom. 11.27. The Lord remembers the covenant made with Abraham, Iſaac, and Iacob, both aſcending and deſcending, deſcending he remembers Abraham, Iſaac, and Iacob, then aſcending, Levit. 26.43. I will remember my covenant with Iacob and my covenant with Abraham; I will remember my covenant made with Iacob in Bethel, and I will remember my covenant made with Iſaac in Mount M…riah, and I will remember my covenant with Abraham, when hee cut the calfe in twaine, and paſt betwixt the partes thereof, Ier. 34.18. God being mindfull of the covenant loves the Iewes, becauſe hee loved their fathers, he loves the children alſo?
Queſt. But what hope is there of the ſalvation of the Iewes, ſeeing they are enemies to the Goſpell?
Anſw. They are now (ſaith the Apoſtle) enemies, but yet this people are beloved of God, becauſe of the election once made, for his election is not fruſtrate for the infidelity of thoſe who hate the Goſpel, ſeeing Gods calling and election are without change.
Reaſon 2 There ſhall come a deliverer from Sion, Rom. 11.26. but it is better tranſlated,Of the calling of the Iewes. there ſhall come a deliverer to Sion, Est dativus commodi, ſo Zach. 9.9. a King ſhall come to thee, that is, for thy profit, and there ſhall come a deliverer to thee;foreign in the Hebrew it is Goel; Goel was the next of the kindred who had power to redeeme the morgaged lands which their friends had morgaged, and had power to deliver them when they were captives, and they were the revenger of their blood; Chriſt being the Iewes Goel he will deliver them from their captivity.
Reaſon 3 The third reaſon is taken from Chriſts interceſſion; Father forgive them for they know not what they doe; Of the calling of the Iewes.The efficacie of Chriſts interceſſion doth not onelyonly extend it ſelfe to the Iewes who were living then, but alſo to the poſterity to be converted, Iohn 17.20.
Reaſon 4 The fourth reaſon, when the moſt ancient people of the world were captivate and deſtroyed,Of their calling. yet the people of the Iewes in all thoſe changes and alterations, remained a people diſtinguiſhed from all other people by their profeſſion, a people dwelling by themſelves, Num. 23. and having no medling with other people whom the Lord would not have ſlaine but ſcattered, Pſal. 59.11. This ſhewes the wonderfull providence of God over them, and that they are reſerved for their time of calling againe.
In the laſt dayes there ſhall bee a full converſion of Reaſon 5 the Iewes, Of their calling.Apocal. 7. when the foure Angels were forbidden to hurt the earth, and the ſea till thoſe 144000. bee ſealed in their foreheads, of all the tribes of Iſrael; of the tribe of Iudah were ſealed 12000. and of the reſt of the tribes as many, which prophecie according to the letter is to bee underſtood of the calling of the Iewes, becauſe the Iſraelites there marked in the forehead, are expreſlie diſtinguiſhed from the Gentiles, who are marked, and from other languages, verſe 9.
The ſixt reaſon, Hoſ. 3.4. The children of Iſrael ſhall Reaſon 6 remaine many dayes without a King, and an Ephod, Of their calling.and without a Teraphim, afterward ſhall the children of Iſrael returne, and ſeeke the Lord their God, and David their King; Here are foure eſtates and conditions of the Iewes ſet downe, firſt when they had their Ephod, and religiouſly worſhipped the Lord; ſecondly, when they had their Teraphim, and were Idolaters; thirdly, in their eſtate now, when they want both their Ephod and their Teraphim, that is, they are neither true worſhipers of God now, neither are they Idolaters now (for they hate Idoles;) fourthly, when they ſhall returne to ſeeke the Lord, and David their King, then they ſhall bee Ruchama.
Saint Paul wiſhes to be accurſed for his brethren the Iewes; this deſire came from the holy ſpirit, therefore Reaſon 7 it muſt not bee fruſtrate;Of their calling. for God and nature does nothing in vaine.
Ob. But ye will ſay, can a man wiſh his owne damnation for the glory of God, and ſafety of his Church?
Anſw. Wee have a naturall life, and wee have a ſpirituall life; wee ſhould preferre our naturall life to another mans naturall life:A man is rather bound to preſerve his owne life then another mans of equall condition. A man is bound to preſerve his owne life, rather then another mans of that ſame degree, when onelyonly hee conſiders his life as his life; but when there comes in another reſpect as for honeſty, vertue; or fidelity, one man might give his life for another, Iohn 15.13. greater love then this hath no man, when one bestoweth his life for his friend: The two Pythagoreans are much commended for their mutuall friendſhip one to another, the one of them gave himſelfe a pledge for the other, that if he ſhould not returne at ſuch a day to the Emperor, then hee ſhould die for him; the day comming, and hee not appearing, his friend who lay in pledge for him was adjudged to die for him, and when they were leading him out to execution, his friend came and redeemed him, and entred in his place to be executed for him; the tyrant ſeeing theſe two ſuch conſtant friends he quite them both, and wiſhed earneſtly that they would take him in to bee the hird friend to them:Lactantius lib. 5. de inſtitia. cap. 18. Lactantius inferre, upon this, that if it be a glorious thing to die for a friend, how much more glorious is it to die for Chriſt.
A man is bound to lay downe his naturall life for the ſafety of his ſuperiors.Secondly, a man is bound to lay downe his naturall life for the ſafety of thoſe who are his ſuperiours; And they put this caſe, If the King and the ſubject were in one ſhip, or the father and the ſonne, the ſhippe breakes, and there is but one planke which cannot ſerve two to ſwimme out upon; In this caſe the ſubject is bound to quite the planke for the ſafety of his prince, and ſo is the ſonne to quite the plancke for the ſafety of his father, Indignus eſt vitâ qui vitae ſuae authorem negligit, hee is not worthy of life,A man is bound to lay downe his temporarie life for the ſpirituall life of his brother. who contemnes him who hath been the author of his life.
Thirdly, a man is bound to quite his temporarie life for the ſpirituall life of his brother, as Chriſt did, 1 Ioh. 3.16. Hereby we may perceive the great love of God, who was pleaſed to lay downe his life for us, ought not wee then to lay downe our lives for our brethren? and verſ. 23. This is his Commandement that we love one another, as he gave commandement. This was his commandement, Ioh. 15. That yee love one another as I have loved you: And the reaſon of this is, becauſe wee are members of one body, Epheſ. 4. and 1 Theſ. 2.8. ſo being affectionately deſirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not onelyonly the Goſpell of God, but alſo our owne ſoules, becauſe ye were deare unto us. In the naturall body one member hazards it ſelfe for another, as the hand for the head; ſo ſhould the members in the myſticall body doe.
Fourthly, in the defence of the Church a man may lay downe his naturall life, as Sampſon did; and we have an example of this, 1 Mach. 6.43. of one Eleazar ſurnamed Savaran, who perceiving an Elephant greater than all the reſt, and ſuppoſing that the King was upon him, verſ. 46. he crept under the Elephant, and thruſt him in the bellie and ſlew him, whereupon the Elephant fell downe upon him, and killed him; The fathers doe not condemne this act of Eleazar, Ambroſ. li. 1. de of ficiis.but they commend him much for it, in that he layes downe his naturall life for the ſafetie of the Church.
Laſtly, wee are to lay downe our temporarie life above all for Chriſts ſake, as the martyres did,We are to lay downe our temporall life for Chriſt. this farre wee ſee how we may lay downe our naturall life for others, but to lay downe our ſpirituall life for others, that wee cannot doe; a man may deſire at ſome times the deferring of the injoying of the ſpirituall life for a while for the good of the Church, Phil. 1.24. but hee cannot abſolutely wiſh himſelfe to be Anathema for the good of the Church: Paul in a ſuppoſition wiſhes rather that he may be curſed,In a ſpeech joyntly taken both the partes may be true which being ſeparate, the one is true, and the other is falſe. then the Iewes condemned; but hee wiſhes not this abſolutely; In a ſpeech jointly taken both the parts may be true, which being ſeparate, the one is true, and the other falſe: as Elias ſaith to Ahab, The Lord hath not ſpoken by me if thou returne in peace from the battell; this ſuppoſition joyntly taken is true, but ſever the parts, then the one is true, and the other falſe, (The Lord hath not ſpoken by mee) that is falſe, (Thou ſhalt not returne in peace, that is true. Example 2. Ioh. 21.25. If all that Chriſt had ſpoken and done had beene written, then the world could not containe thoſe bookes (All that Chriſt hath ſpoken and done is written) that is falſe (The world is able to containe thoſe bookes which he wrote) that is true. Example 3.1 Cor. 13.1. If I ſhould ſpeake with the tongue of men and Angels and have not charitie, then I am nothing: Paul to be ſome thing, that is true, but Paul to be ſome thing and want charitie, that is falſe. Example 4. Gal. 1.8. If an Angell from heaven ſhould preach another Goſpell he ſhould not be beleeved; An Angell to be beleeved, that is true, but an Angell to preach another Goſpell from heaven, that is falſe.
When wee deſire a thing in complexo, the parts may be true, and yet ſever them they are falſe.So when wee deſire a thing comparatively in complexo, the parts may be true, but ſeverally we wiſh them not, Example, 1 King. 3.26. When the mother of the child wiſhed the child rather to be given to her who was not the true mother than the child ſhould be cut in ſunder, yet ſhe neither wiſhes the child to be cut in ſunder, nor the child to be given to another: So Saint Paul wiſhes here rather than the Iewes ſhould be caſt away, that he ſhould be Anathema; but hee wiſhes not abſolutely that he ſhould be Anathema, and that the Iewes ſhould be caſt away: Conſider Paul as onelyonly looking to his brethrens ſalvation, and then he caſts all things behind his backe in reſpect of it:Paul cannot wiſh this abſolutely to be accurſed for his brethren. but when Paul turnes himſelfe to the view of eternall glorie, and to the ſalvation of his owne ſoule he cannot wiſh this, to be damned for his brethrens ſaftie; for a mans ſalvation ſhould be dearer to him than all the world, yea, than the Church it ſelfe: This wiſh then was not an abſolute wiſh which Saint Paul wiſhes here, but onelyonly it ſignified his earneſt deſire to have his brethren ſaved; If he had conſidered this veſtitum omnibus circumſtantiis, he could not have wiſhed it; Example, a man is condemned to die for ſome great offence, it is lawfull for his wife to wiſh her husband to live, becauſe he is her huſband, and the father of her children; but if ſhee ſhould wiſh him to live; and the wiſh were veſtitum omnibus circumſtantiis, that is, ſhe wiſhes him to live,Paul could not wiſh this veſtitum omnibus circumstantiis. notwithſtanding he hath beene a notable malefactor and tranſgreſſor of the Law, that way to wiſh him to live were altogether unlawfull: ſo if Paul wiſhed the ſafetie of the Iewes onelyonly reſpecting their ſafetie, than this was a lawfull wiſh; but to wiſh abſolutely his owne damnation ſecluding himſelfe from the Kingdome of God, this had beene a ſinne and altogether unlawfull; If yee conſider Pauls wiſh materially onelyonly,Paul may wiſh this materially, but not formally. ſetting aſide other circumſtances hee might be accurſed for his brethren; but if yee conſider his wiſh formally, with all the circumſtances, he cannot be accurſed for them; If ye conſider Chriſts deſire [Let this cup paſſe.] materially onelyonly, according to Chriſts infirmitie as he was man, then he wiſheth this cup to paſſe; but when he conſiders this cup formally with all the circumſtances, then hee muſt drinke this cup for to expiate the ſinnes of men, and ſatisfie the wrath of God, then he cannot let this cup paſſe: Paul then wiſhing the ſalvation of the Iewes with ſuch an intenſive and earneſt deſire moved by the Spirit of God to it, his deſire muſt be fulfilled, and ſhall be fulfilled in the owne time, Every plant which the heavenly father hath planted ſhall not be rooted up, Math. 15. 13. The Iewes are a plant which the heavenly Father hath planted, therefore they ſhall not be rooted out.
Now we are to remove thoſe objections which ſeeme to denie the converſion of the Iewes.
Object. 1. Let their eyes be darke that they may not ſee but bow downe their backe alwayes, Rom. 11.10. Here it might ſeeme that the Apoſtle foretells the finall rejection of the Iewes.
Anſw. The Apoſtle doth not foretell here their finall rejection, but their rejection for a time.
Object. 2. Hoſ. 1.6. I will no more have merciemercy upon the houſe of Iſrael, but I will utterly take them away.
Anſw. The Lord ſhewes here that hee will not call the tenne tribes backe againe to Iſrael, but as for the houſe of Iudah he promiſeth to call them backe, but he promiſeth not utterly to deſtroy Iſrael now, but in his owne time to call them backe againe.
Object. 3. Math. 21. Marke 11. Chriſt curſed the Figgetree ſaying, hence forth thou ſhalt never bare more fruite; and on the morning when the diſciples paſſed by they ſaw the Figtree withered up. This tree ſignified the people of the Iewes, and it may ſeeme that they are ſo withered that they ſhall never bare fruit againe.
Anſw. Saint Ierome writing upon the ſecond of Habbakkuke ſaith, In ſeculum ſignifies a long time, but in ſaeculum ſaeculorum, ſignifies eternitie foreign, here ſignifies ſaeculum but not ſaeculum ſaeculorum.
Object. 4. 1 Theſ. 2.16. The wrath is come upon them to the uttermoſt; this might ſeeme to ſpeak of their finall rejection.
Anſw. The Apoſtle onelyonly is ſpeaking of the rejection of the Iewes for a time, who lived in his time, and who withſtood the Goſpel, and that he meanes not of a finall rejection, it is cleare, Rom. 11.8. God hath given them the ſpirit of ſlumber unto this day; which ſhewes that they ſhall not be alwayes in this ſleepe of ſlumber.
Object. 5. Luke 18.7. The ſon of man when he ſhall come ſhall ſcarce finde faith on the earth: then it might ſeeme that there ſhall not be ſuch a plentifull harveſt in the Iewes converſion?
Anſw. Although there bee a great number of the Iewes who ſhall bee called in the latter times, that if they be compared with the Gentiles who are infidells, and with thoſe who have heard the Goſpell and fallen from it, they ſhall bee but few compared with them; and where there is greateſt hope that faith ſhould bee found, there will be greateſt apoſtaſie found, and faith will ſcarce be found amongſt them.