DAniel was a man greatly beloved of God, who interpreted Nebu­chadnezar's Dream: And Nebu­chadnezar's Dream concerned himself, and the whole Monarchy, the Head of Gold; and concerned the Persian-Monarchy, the Breast of Silver; and concerned the Greci­an-Monarchy, the Belly and Thighs of Brass; and concerned the Roman-Monarchy, the Legs of Iron, and the Feet of Iron and Clay: And the breaking of all these to pieces as the Chaff of the Summer Threshing-Floor, and the Wind carrying them away, that no place for them was found: And it was the Stone that smote the Image of Gold, &c. and be [Page 4] came a great Mountain, that filled the whole Earth? And is not this Stone the Messiah? For Daniel saith, Whom ye do believe as a Pro­phet and Beloved of God, in the dayes of these Kings shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom, Dan. 2.44. which shall ne­ver be d [...]stroyed (mark, in the dayes of these four Monarchies) And the Kingdom shall not be left to other People; but it shall break in­to pieces and consume all these Kingdoms, and it shall stand forever; The Stone which was cut out of the Mountain without Hands it shall break into pieces the Brass, and the Clay and Iron, the Silver and the Gold Monarchies. Now Nebuchadnezar did say to Daniel, Of a Truth his God was the God of Truth, and the God of Gods, and the King of Kings, &c. So now, consider, was not N [...]buchadnezar beyond you in your Be­lief? And did not the Messiah come in the dayes of these four Monarchies, and set up his Kingdom above Sixteen Hundred Years since? And are not those four Monarchies dashed in pieces by the Stone which should come in their dayes? Was not Daniel a true Prophet, and Nebuchadnezar's Dream true upon the four Monarchies? And did not the God of Truth reveal these Secrets to him? So if ye do believe that Daniel was [Page 5] a true Prophet, and Nebuchadnezar's Dream true, and God did reveal the Secrets of it to Daniel, and the Gold, and Silver, and Brass, and Iron, & Clay Monarchies were broken to pieces by the Stone which should become a great Mountain, and should fill the whole Earth; then you must believe that the Messi­ah is come, Dan. 2.44. And did not N [...]buchad­nezar, in the Vision of himself to be the Tree which was hewen down, confess to the God of Heaven, and extol him, and lifted up his Eyes to Heaven, and blessed and prais­ed the Most High, and honoured him that lived forever; whose Dominion is an Ever­lasting Dominion, and his Kingdom is from Ge­neration to Generation. And mark that, and see if ye see this Kingdom that is everlasting, and Dominion from generation to generation: And see if you can see this in your Generation; And how can ye see this, unless you come to this Stone; and this Kingdom which God set up in the days of these four Monarchies, which should never have an End? For you know, ye had a Kingdom before those four Monarchies, which had an End.

And Daniel in his Vision, Chap. 7.13. saw the Kingdom of God, who saw one like the Son of Man, and there was given him Dominion and Glory, and a Kingdom, that [Page 6] all People, Nations and Languages should serve him; his Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion, and shall not pass away; and his Kingdom shall not be destroyed: Now you know yours past away: And the Saints should take this Kingdom, that is, the San­ctified Ones.

And Daniel heard one Saint speak to ano­ther, How long shall be the Vi­sion concerning the Daily Sacri­fice, Dan. 8.13. and the Transgression of Desolation, to give both the Sanctuary & the Host to be trod under feet? He said to me, Ʋnto Two Thou­sand Three Hundred Dayes, then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed. Now, do you cast up this time, and number these Dayes or Years, and see in what time your selves be in Daen. 8.

And in Dan. 9. while Gabriel the Angel speaks to him, and tells Daniel, that he was greatly beloved, and to give him Skill and Ʋn­derstanding, &c. And sayes to him, Seventy Weeks were determined upon his People, and upon the Holy City, to finish the Transgression, & to make an End of Sin [mark] and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness, and to seal up the Vision & Prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy; know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the Commandment to [Page 7] restore and build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be 7 Weeks, and 62 Weeks, &c. And after 62 Weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself: And the People of the Prince shall come and destroy the City, and Sanctuary, &c. And he shall con­firm the Covenant with many for one Week, and in the midst of the Week he shall cause the Sacrifice and the Oblation to cease, &c. Now consider this, ye Jews, and number ye this Time, the Seventy Weeks; and whether your Jerusalem was not built according to that Number; and whether the Messiah did not come; and was not he cut off after the Sixty Two Weeks? according to this Time was not he cut of? Did not you cut him off, but not for himself? And did not the Peo­ple of the Prince come and destroy your Ci­ty, and caused your Offerings to cease? Now number you this Time. And whether one which was called the Messiah did not come, according to these Years, which you would not receive? And Isaiah calls him a Prince: But when he came, he did confirm his New Covenant with many, and when he had of­fered up himself, he caused your Offering to cease once for all.

And Dan. 12. From the Time that the [Page 8] daily Sacrifice shall be taken away, and the Abomination that maketh desolate set up, shall be One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety Dayes; blessed is he that waiteth, and com­eth to the Thousand Three Hundred and Five and Thirty Dayes. Now number ye this Time when it began, and when it ended; and see that you may be Partakers of this Blessing: So I desire that you would see and number the Time to the Messiah, the Prince, after the Threescore and Two Weeks; And whether ye did not cut off one in that time that was called the Messiah, who was born of a Virgin, called, the Virgin Mary, ac­cording to Isaiah the Prophets, who saith, Isaiah 7. The Lord himself shall give you a Sign; behold a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his Name Immanuel. Now number you the Time in Dan. 9. un­to Messiah, the Prince, and see whether or no a Virgin had not a Child, a Son, whose Name was called Immanuel. And also the Saying of Isaiah the Prophet came upon you, Go tell this People, hearing indeed, but understand not; Isa. 6.9, 10. and seeing in­deed, but perceive not: Make the Heart of this People fat, and make their Ears heavy, and shut their Eyes; lest they [Page 9] see with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and understand with their Hearts, and con­vert and be healed. And was not this your Condition, when this Virgin had a Child, and when the Messiah came to you, accor­ding to Daniel's Number, which was the Sign the Lord gave you, A Virgin should have a Son, and his Name should be called Immanuel, God with us; then you would not understand this with your Hearts, nor see with your Eyes, nor hear with your Ears; but were shut up unconverted and unhealed to this day.

Then said I, O Lord, How long? Then said he, Isa. 6.11, 12. Till the City be wasted with­out Inhabitant, and the Houses without Man, and the Land be ut­terly destroyed: The Lord shall remove Men far away, and there shall be a great Forsaking in the midst of the Land (Do ye not see this come upon you) But in it shall be a Tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten, as an Elm-Tree, or as an Oak, whose Substance is in them, when they cast their Leaves; so the Holy Seed shall be the Substance thereof. So when you have cast off your Shew, your Out-side Leaves, you may see this Tenth, and this holy Seed, the Substance of your Figures and Shadows.

For to us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, Isa. 9.6. and the Government shall be upon his Shoulders, and his Name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, the Migh­ty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace; of the Increase of his Govern­ment and Peace there shall be no End, upon the Throne of David and his Kingdom, to or­der it, and stablish it with Judgment and with Justice, from henceforth and forever: The Zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.

Now consider this Prophecy of Isaiah; whether this Child was not born of the Vir­gin, this Son given, and came according to Daniel's Number, and Isa. 11. There shall come forth a Rod out of the Stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his Roots, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of Wisdom and Ʋnderstanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Might, and the Spirit of Knowledge, and of the Fear of the Lord; and he shall make him of quick Ʋnderstand­ing in the Fear of the Lord: And he shall not judge after the Sight of his Eyes, neither af­ter the Hearing of his Ears; but with Righ­teousness shall he judge the Poor, and reprove with Equity for the Meek of the Earth; and he shall smite the Earth with the Rod of his [Page 11] Mouth; and Righteousness shall be the Girdle of his Loins, and Faithfulness the Girdle of his Reins, &c. And this Root of Jesse, through him the Knowledge of the Lord shall cover the Earth, as the Waters cover the Sea: And this Root of Jesse shall stand as an Ensign to the People, to it shall the Gent [...]les seek; and his Rest shall be Glorious. Now consider, ye Jews; is not this the Messiah spoken of, ac­cording to Daniel's Number, who was of the Seed of David? And now is he our Peo­ple's Ensign; and we, that ye call Gentiles, have sought, and found; and his Rest is Glo­rious to us.

And consider in Isa. 29. The Lord hath poured upon you the spirit of d [...]ep Slumber, and hath closed your Eye, your Prophets and your Rulers, your S [...]th he covered. Was not this so, when the Virgin had a Child, the Messiah, the Immanuel, when that Sign was brought forth among you, according to Da­niel's Number? And was not the Vision and the Book, and the Law and the Prophets, a sealed Book to you, which spoak of Christ to you, that when the Messiah came, you did wonder, and stagger like drunken men, but not with Wine nor Strong Drink: And though you cannot rightly read the Book of the Law and the Prophets, it being sealed up; [Page 12] yet you then and now draw nigh to the Lord with your Lips, and your Mouthes do ho­nour him, but have removed your Hearts far from him: Therefore the Lord said, Behold, I will proceed to do a Marvelous Work among this People, a Marvelous Work and a Won­der, For the Wisdom of the Wise Men shall perish, and the Ʋnderstanding of your Prudent Men shall be hid. And hath not this been from among you, concerning the Messiah? that Sign, That a Virgin should have a Son; and therefore he calls you in Isa. 30 Rebelli­ous Children; who sayes, VVo to you Rebel­li [...]s Children, saith the Lord, that take Counsel but not of me; that cover with a Co­vering, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin. For, had you been covered with the Spirit, you would have seen the Sign that God gave you, the Virgin having a Son, the Immanuel, who came according to Daniel's Number: And therefore, sayes Isaiah, Saith the Lord, Write it before then in a Table, and note it in a Book, that it may be for a time to come forever and ever; Isa. 30.1, 8. For this is a Rebelliou [...] People, Lying Children, that will not hear the Law of the Lord. So here you may see what they were in Isaiah's dayes, and the rest of the Prophets; And you may see wha [...] [Page 13] you were in Moses's dayes, and the rest of the Judges; and what you were when the Messiah came: For did you not say to the Seers, see not; to the Prophets, prophesie not to us right Things, speak to us smooth Things, prophesie Deceit: So you may see how you were against the Prophets, and how you were all along from Moses to the Messiah.

And Isa. 32. Behold, a King shall reign in Righteousness, &c. And is not this spo­ken of the Messiah? A Man shall be as a hi­ding Place from the Wind, and a Covert from the Tempest, as Rivers of Water in a dry Place, and as the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land. And the Eyes of them that see, shall not be dim; and the Ears of them that hear shall hearken: And this is wit­nessed by Thousands, though you have Ears and hear not, and Eyes and see it not.

And Isa. 35. Where it speaks largely of the Messiah, Who hath made the Wilderness a solitary Place, glad, and hath confirmed the weak Hands and feeble Knees, and made the fearful Heart strong, and opened the blind Eyes and deaf Ears, and made the lame Man to leap, the Tongue of the dumb to sing, and the Wilderness and the desart Water-Streams, and her parched Land to become a Pool, and [Page 14] thirsty Land Springs of Water: We who own the Messiah, the Immanuel, the Son of the Virgin, the Sign to you, whose Hands are weak, and Knees feeble, and Land parched thirsty, wanting the Springs that be Heavenly, and Tongues are dumb, con­cerning the Messiah being come, having not the Tongue of the learned to know the Times and Seasons to be in the Fathers Hand. And Isaiah tells you of a Way, that shall be called the Way of Holiness, which shall be for those, the wayfaring M [...]n, though Fools, shall not err therein; and the Red [...]em­ed shall walk in it, and the Ransomed of the Lord. Now are not your Eyes blind to this Way, and your Ears deaf from hearing it, this Way of Holiness, where the Unclean shall not walk over it? Mark, Is not this the Way, the Messiah? And in Isaiah 42. where he saith, Behold my Servant whom I uphold, my Elect in whom my Soul d [...]lighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles. And this the Gentiles witness, though your Eyes are blind and cannot see this Elect, this Servant, in whom God's Soul delighteth, and hath put his Spirit upon him, who hath brought forth Judgment to the Gentiles: A bruised Reed he shall not break, and the smoaking Flax shall he [Page 15] not quench; he shall bring forth Judgment to Victory; he shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he hath set Judgment in the Earth, and the Isles shall wait for his Law, &c. And many have received his Law, though you Jews have had the Law, & the Prophets have spoke of him that was to come, who is come; you have shut your Eyes and stopped your Ears, and have not received his Law, though you read in the Law and the Prophets of him: But I the Lord have called thee in Righ­teousness, and I will hold thine Hand; I will keep thee; I will give thee for a Covenant of the People, for a Light of the Gentiles: Is not this the Messiah? Is not this the Immanuel that is born of the Virgin? Yes, the Gentiles received this Light and Covenant, many Thousands, and witnesses both the Promise of God, and the Prophecies fulfilled. And further he saith, The Lord saith, that he will open the Eyes of tho blind, to bring the Priso­ners from the Prison, & them that sit in Dark­ness out of the Prison-house: I am the Lord, that is my Name, and my Glory will I not give to another, neither my Praise to graven Ima­ges: Behold, saith he, The former Things are come to pass, and new Things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them: Sing unto the Lord a new Song, and his Praise to [Page 16] the Ends of the Earth, &c. And you may see further; The Isles and the Inhabitants there­of shall give Glory to God, and declare his Praise in the Isles. So consider now you, whose Eyes are blind, and are yet Prisoners in Pri­son, and sit in Darkness, and do not behold the new Things that the Prophet declared, yea, declared them before they sprung forth, and who know not this new Song, so cannot sing it to the Lord; but who knows the Mes­siah, knows this new Song, knows new things: Many Islands can declare his Praise, whom the Messiah hath brought out of Darkness, the Prison-house, and opened the blind Eyes, whom the Lord hath gi­ven for a Covenant of the People, for a Light to the Gentiles, and to be his Salvation to the Ends of the Earth; now ye know ye had the Old Covenant before. And the Lord sayes further, I will bring the blind by a Way they know not; I will lead them into Paths which they have not known; I will make Dark­ness Light before them, and crooked Things straight; these will I do, &c. Hear ye deaf, and look ye blind, that ye may see; seeing many Things, but thou observest not; opening thine Ears, but hearest not; Is not this thy Condition? Behold, thus saith the Lord, which maketh aWay in the Sea, and a [Page 17] Path in the mighty Waters, &c. Remember ye not the former Things, neither consider the Things of old, because I will make a new Thing, and now it shall spring forth, and ye shall not know it; the Beasts of the Field shall honour me, &c. Now consider how ye have not truly minded the old Things nor the new Thing.

And Isa. 50. Doth not he there speak of the Messiah, of the Son of Man, who was not rebellious: He that turned not away his Back, but said, I gave my Back to the Smi­te [...], and my Cheek to them that plucked of the Hair, and hid not my Face from Shame and Spitting? And was not this the Imma­nuel, born of a Virgin, who came among you, according to the Number of Daniel, the Messiah? Did not you spit upon him? Did not you whip and scourge him? And did he turn his Back from you Smiters, whose Eye was blinded; But the Lord had given him the Tongue of the Learned, that he should know how to speak a Word in Season to him that is weary, &c. He further saith, The Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded, therefore I have set my Face as a Flint: Behold the Lord will help me, who is he that will condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a Garment, and the Moth shall eat [Page 18] them up. And now ye that will not receive the Messiah, the Immanu [...]l, born of the Virgin, according to Daniel's Number, that little Stone that hath dashed to Pieces the four Monarchies, become a great Mountain and filled the whole Earth; and will not this Stone fall upon your Heads, and grind you to Powder? And are not you waxed old like a Garment? and have not the Mothes eaten up many of you? And doth not Isaiah say in the 52 & 53 Chapters, Behold my Ser­vant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted & be very high: As many were astonished at thee; his Visage was marred more than any Man's, and his Form more then the Sons of Men. And was not the Messiah served so with you Jews, when he came amongst you, above 1600 Years since, were not you astonished at him? Was not his Visage marred? But saith Isaiah, He shall sprinkle many Nations: This we see, though you whose Eyes are blinded cannot see; the Lord hath made bare his holy Arm in the Face of all the Nations; and all the Ends of the Earth shall see the Salvation of our God: Is not this the Im­manuel, born of a Virgin, according to Isai­ah's Prophecy & Daniel's Number; though seeing you see not, and hearing hear not; close your Eyes and stop your Ears? But [Page 19] Isaiah saith, Isa. 35. Who hath believed our Report? To whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? He shall grow up before him, as a tender Plant, and as a Root out of a dry Ground; he hath no Form nor Comliness, and when we see him, there is no Beauty, that we should desire him. And so is not this he that was born of a Virgin, the Messiah; that when he came among you, and to this Day, you could never see any Form or Comliness or Beauty, but spit upon him, and buffeted him, and put your Crown of Thorns on him; yea, sayes Isaiah, He was despised and re­jected of Men: And did not you despise him? did not you fulfil the Prophets Words? He was a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief, and we have hid our Faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. And did you not hide your Faces from him, and despised him when he came? Did not you fulfil Isaiah's Prophecy here concer­ning the Immanuel, who was born of a Vir­gin? And saith Isaiah, But he was wounded for our Transgression, he was bruised for our Iniquities, the Chastizement of our Peace was upon him, and with his Stripes we are healed; all we like Sheep have gone astray, and have turned overy one to his own Way, and the Lord hath laid on him the Iniquities of us all. All you Jews every where have gone astray after [Page 20] your own VVay, till you turned to the Im­manuel, that was born of a Virgin, that was the Messiah, that came according to Daniel's Number: He was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his Mouth; he was brought as a Lamb to the Slaughter; and as a Sheep be­fore the Shearers is dumb, so he opened not his Mouth. And was it not you Jews that did op­press him, and afflict him, and brought him as a Lamb to your Slaughter, as a Sheep before her Shearer is dumb; Were not you the Peo­ple that did thus deal with the Messiah above 1600. Years since? He was taken from Prison & Judgment, and who shall declare his Genera­tion? for he was cut off from the Land of the li­ving; for the Transgression of the People was he striken. Now consider this you Jews; was it not you that did take him from Prison and Judgment? And were not you and Pilate his Judges; who was cut off for the Transgression, and was striken for the People? And you will never come out of your Transgression, but through him, the Messiah, the Immanuel, born of the Virgin. He made his Grave with the Wicked, & with the Rich in his Death, because he had done no Violence, neither was Deceit found in his Mouth: It pleas'd the Lord to bruise him, and to put him to Grief, when thou shalt make his Soul an Offering for Sin; he shall see his Seed; he shall prolong his Dayes; the [Page 21] Pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his Hand. Now here you may see you Jews, here was an Offering for Sin, who made his Soul an Offering for Sin, and ended your Offerings for Sin; this is beyond all your Offerings, and this is the Offering that pleas'd the Lord; this was he that was born of the Virgin; this was the Messiah that Daniel numbers the Years of the Time when he should come, and who came in your fore-Fathers Dayes, above 1600 Years since, and made his Soul an Offering for Sin; and he did see his Seed in the Dayes of his Disciples and Apostles, and now; and the Pleasure of the Lord did prosper in his Hand, and doth. Isaiah saith, He shall see the Travail of his Soul, and be satisfied; by his Knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justifie many; for he shall bear their Iniquity. Now you that do not believe in him, though he was an Offering for your Sin, how can you be justified? Or how can you believe in Moses or any of the Prophets that testified of him, that do not believe in him? And therefore saith the Lord, I will divide him a Portion with the great, and he shall divide the Spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his Soul unto Death; he was numbred with the Transgressors; he bare the Sins of many, and made Intercession for [Page 22] the Transgressors. Now you that do not be­lieve that he bare your Sins, though he was numbred with the Transgressors; and you that do not believe that it is he that you cru­cified, who is the Son of the Virgin, that must make Intercession for you, you neither believe in the Prophets, nor in the Messiah, nor never come to God, but by him that makes Intercession for you, and bears your Sins. Doth not Isaiah complain in Chap. 52. how his Name was blasphemed every Day? And did not you blaspheme against his Son when he came? But my People shall know my Name in that Day, that I am he that speaketh; behold, it is I. Now here was a Day to come, and happy were those of you that did behold the Day when it came; yea, the Day of the Messiah, and does behold it now. And how beautiful up­on the Mountains are the Feet [...] of him that publisheth Peace, that bringeth glad Tidings of Good, that publisheth Salvation, that saith to Sion, thy [...]od reigneth. In Isa. 55. Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the Wa­ters; come he that hath no Money, come, buy and eat; yea, come buy Wine and Milk with­out Money and without Price, &c. Incline your Ears, and come to me; hear, and your Souls shall live, and I will make an Everlast­ing [Page 23] Covenant with you, the sure Mercies of David: Behold I have given him, a Witness to the People, a Leader and Commander to the People: Behold thou shalt call a Nation thou knowest not; Nations that know not thee shall run to thee, because of the Lord thy God. Now mark ye Jews; this Everlasting Co­venant which God would make; you had the first Covenant that spoke of this VVit­ness which God gives, and this Leader, and this Commander to the People, that should call a Nation, and Nations should run unto him; is not this the Messiah and the Imma­nuel, that was born of a Virgin, according to Isaiah and Daniel's Prophecy; whom you hid your Faces from, were ashamed of, and spit upon. And in Isaiah 62. The Gentiles shall see the Righteousness, and all Kings thy Glory, and thou shalt be called by a new Name which the Month of the Lord shall name. And is not this Brightness, and Salvation, and this Righteousness, and Glory, that the Gen­tiles and all Kings shall see, and this new Name which the Lord shall name; is not this the Messiah, the Prince? And thou shalt be a Crown of Glory in the Hand of the Lord, a royal Diadem in the Hand of thy God. And in the 65th Chapter Isaiah saith, The Lord saith, I was sought of them that asked not for [Page 24] me, I was found of them that sought me not. And were not these the Gentiles, which the Messiah was promised to, who have re­ceived him; many have received him? So the Lord saith; Behold me, behold me, to a Na­tion that was not called by my Name: But con­cenring you Jews he saith, I have spred out my Hands all the Day to a rebellious People, which walked in a Way that was not good, after their own Thoughts, a People that provoaked me to Anger continually to my Face, &c. So you may read your Rebellion, how you provoak­ed him, from Moses through all the Prophets, till you come to the M [...]ssiah, whom you spit at: And see how other Nations have re­ceived the Messiah, and run after him; and so when you call, the Lord shall not answer, because that you reject his Son. And doth not Jeremy say, As a Cage was full of Birds, so were your Houses full of Deceit; and there­fore repent and turn. And in Jeremy 31. Behold the Dayes come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah; not accor­ding to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers, in the Day that I took them by the Hand, to bring them out of the Land of E­gypt, which my Covenant they broke though I was a Husband to them, saith the Lord, [Page 25] Here you (may see you forsook your Hus­band) that broke the Covenant. But here is a new Covenant, which is not according to the old: And now this new Covenant you have not received, and will not receive: For as he said, I will give him for a Covenant, that is the Messiah, he that was born of a Vir­gin. But this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those Dayes. Now here are the Dayes of the old Co­venant; here are the Dayes of the new, Saith the Lord, I will put my Laws in their Hearts, and write them in your inward Parts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my People; and they shall not teach every Man their Neighbour, and every Man his Brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord. And it is said in Isa. 54. All thy Children shall be taught of the Lord, & great shall be the Peace of thy Children; in Righteousness shalt thou be established, &c. So consider, you will never own the new Covenant, till you own the Messiah is come. In the 32. of Jeremy, I will make an Ever­lasting Covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my Fear in their Hearts, that they shall not depart from me: So now this is the [Page 26] new Covenant which you must all receive, if you come to be God's People, and he your God; and to have the one Heart and the one Way, it must be in this Everlasting Cove­nant.

And you that crucifie the Messiah, did not God raise him up the third Day, that he might live in his Sight? So if ever you live to God, it is through him; For in Hosea 6. After two Dayes he will revive us; in the third Day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his Sight. And was not this a Prophecy of the Resurrection of the Messiah, whom you crucified? For the Lord desired Mercy of you and not Sacrifice, and the Knowledge of God rather then burnt Offerings, but you like Men, have transgressed the Covenant, and dealt treacherously against me, saith the Lord. Micah saith in the 4th Chapter, That in the last Dayes the Mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the Top of the Mountains; and shall be exalted above the hills, and People shall flow unto it, and many Nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the Mountain of the house of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his Wayes, and we shall walk in his Paths, &c. Now ye Jews; consider this; is not this the new Covenant, where many [Page 27] Nations now come to be taught of God? and God doth teach them his Wayes to walk in; and he shall judge among the People, and judge many strong Nations, &c. And is not this in the Dayes of the Messiah, which many witness.

And Micah 5. But thou Bethlehem E­phratah, though thou be little among the Thou­sands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth to me, that is to be a Ruler in Israel, whose Goings forth have been from of Old, from Everlasting; and he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the Majesty of the name of the Lord his God; for now he shall be great to the Ends of the Earth, &c. And now ye Jews, was not here that the Messiah should come out of Bethlehem of Judah, to be a Ru­ler; & this is the Son that the Virgin bare, the Immanuel: And therefore it is said, I will give t [...]em up, ll the time that she that travels hath brought forth; & when she Mary, the Virgin, had brought forth, who was advised by the Angel what to call her Son, to wit, Jesus; all Jerusalem was on an Uproar; look back you Jews: And did not Herod your King, who was troubled also; did he not gather all the chief Priests; and Scribes of the People, and demanded of them where the Messiah should be born? and they said to him, In Bethlehem [Page 28] Judah; so saith the Prophet, Mic. 5. For thou Bethlehem in the Land of Ju­dah, though thou be the least among the Thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth to me, that is to be a Ruler in Israel, whose Goings forth have been from of Old, from Everlasting: And he shall stand and feed in the Strength of the Lord, in the Majesty of the Name of the Lord his God; for now he shall be great to the Ends of the Earth, &c. And now ye Jews, was not here, that the Messiah should come out of Bethlehem of Judah, to be a Ruler? and this is the Son that the Virgin bare, the Immanuel. And therefore it is he saith, He will give them up, untill the Time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: And when she, even the Vir­gin, had brought forth, who was advised by the Angel what to call her Son, to wit, Jesus, all Jerusalem was on an Uproar; look back ye Jews: And did not Herod your King, who was troubled also, did not he gather all the chief Priests and Scribes of the People, and demanded of them where the Messi­ah should be born; and they said to him, in Bethlehem Judah; so saith the Prophet, Mi­cah 5. For thou Bethlehem in the Land of Judah, though thou be the least among the Thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come [Page 29] forth to me, that is to be a Ruler in Israel And so did not Herod in his Envy seek the De­struction of this Messiah? And therefore not killing him, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet, Ch. 31. when he had killed the Children from such an Age: Thus saith the Lord, A Voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter Weeping; Rachel weeping for her Children, & would not be comforted, because they were not. And the Messiah was carri'd down into Egypt, when Herod sought his Life, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of him; Out of E­gypt have I call'd my Son, Hos. 11. So here you may see it is clear, how the Messiah was born in Bethlehem; now number you, according to the Prophecy: A Virgin had a Child, and cal­led his Name Immanuel; whether was he not born in Bethlehem, according to Daniel's Number, and the Prophets Prophecy of him?

And in Psal. 2. Why do the Heathen rage, and the People imagine a vain Thing; the Kings of the Earth set themselves, and the Rulers take Counsel together against the Lord, and against his Anointed. Is not this the Messiah? & was not this fulfilled in you when he came? & to this Day do not ye rage against him? But further he saith in the same Psalm, Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten [Page 30] thee, therefore kiss this Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the Way, when his Wrath is kindled but a little; blessed are all they that trust in him, in this Son. And again he saith, in Psalm. 16. I have set the Lord alwayes before me, because he is at my right Hand, and I shall not be moved; and therefore my Heart is glad, and my Glory rejoyceth: my Flesh al­so shall rest in Hope; for thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see Corruption. Now is not this the Messiah, the Immanuel, born of the Virgin, that Sign that God gave to you, who wrought Signs and Miracles among you, though you despised, and wondred at, and crucified, and buried, who rose the third Day, and did not see Corruption; but God raised him up, who is at his right Hand: And did not your Priests give the Souldiers large Money, that watched his Sepulchre where he was laid, to say, that the Disciples stole him away by Night? And did not you crucifie him be­tween two Thieves? And was not he na­med among Transgressors? Read Isaiah be­fore: And when ye crucified him, did not ye Jews say, He trusted in the Lord, that he would deliver him; let him deliver him, see­ing he loveth him, Psalm. 22. And in Wisd. [...] Did not you fulfil the Sayings there: He [Page 31] maketh his Boast that God is his Father; let us see if his Words be true; let us prove what will happen in the End of him; for if the just Man be the Son of God, he will help him and deli­ver him from the Hand of his Enemy; let us condemn him with a shameful Death. And this you did, when ye crucified the Messiah: As it is said in Psalm 31. Into thy Hand I commit my Spirit, &c. And in Psalm 34. He keepeth all my Bones, not one of them is broken: So this was fulfilled upon the Mes­siah, not a Bone of him was broken; though ye broke the Thieves Legs, yet had not Pow­er to break his Bones: Therefore it is said in Psal. 40. Sacrifice and Offerings thou didst not desire; mine Ears hast thou opened; Burnt-Offerings and Sin-Offerings hast thou not re­quired (Mark ye Jews) then said I, lo, I come; in the Volumn of thy Book it is written of me, I delight to do thy Will, O my God; yea, thy Law is within my Heart. Is not this the Messiah, the Immanuel, whom ye crucified? In the Volumn of the Law and Prophets it was written of him; you must never expect to see any other. And so in Isaiah 63. I have trodden the Win [...]-Press a­alone. So if you Jews did mind the 6th of Hos [...]a; The Lord desired Mercy and not Sa­crifice, the Knowledge of God more then [Page 32] Burnt-Offerings. And when this Sign was brought forth among you, that this Virgin had a Child, Immanuel; Then did the Lord confirm his Covenant with an Oath, which he made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, con­cerning the Messiah, Psal. 105. And Psal. 110. The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right Hand, till I make thine Enemies thy Footstool, &c. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent; thou art a Priest forever af­ter the Order of Melchizedeck: And is not this the Messiah, the Immanuel, which came among you, according to Daniel's Number? And in Psalm. 118. The Stone which the Builders refused is become the head Stone of the Corner; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our Eyes. And is not this the Immanuel, which was born of a Vir­gin, the Messiah, which came to you ac­cording to Daniel's Prophecy above 1600 Years ago, whom you Jews, that were the pretended Builders of People up to Heaven, refused and rejected this Corner-Stone? and therefore were not your Cities, your Hou­ses & Religion all thrown down by the Storm of Titus, and you blown over all Nations? And in Psalm. 132. For thy Servant Da­vid's sake, turn not away the Face of thine Anointed: The Lord hath sworn in Truth to [Page 33] David, he will not turn from it, of the Fruit of thy Body will I set upon thy Throne, there will I make the Horn of David to bud; I have ordained a Light for mine Anointed. Now you Jews, doth not this speak of the Messiah? and was not he to come of the Seed of Da­vid and Abraham, as God had promised and sworn? And see in Daniel, if he did not come according to the Angel Gabriel's Num­ber. And in Isaiah 8. He shall be for a Sanctuary, for a Stone of stumbling, for a Rock of Offence to both the houses of Israel, for a Gin, for a Snare to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem; and many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and ta­ken; bind up the Testimony, seal the Law among my Disciples. Is not this spoken of that the Messiah? And were not you the People stumbled and fell? Was not he a Rock of Offence for you both ye Houses of Israel? He was no Sanctuary to you that stuck in your outward Sanctuary. And did not ma­ny Thousands among you Jews wait for the Messiah, and received him at that Time when he came? And many of his Disciples which believed on him and received him, among whom the Law and Testimony was bound up and sealed among them; and you stum­bled at him, this Stone; Is not this the [Page 34] Stone that Daniel interpreted in Nebuchad­nezar's Dream, that should dash to Pieces the four Monarchies, and become a great Mountain, and fill the whole Earth, which should set up a Kingdom that should never have an End; and your Kingdoms had an End, and is ended. Was not he a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedeck? but [...] Priests dyed, and had an End; and [...]ough you crucified him, yet he is risen, and is at the right Hand of God, and is a Priest forever, who ever liveth to save to the utmost, and makes Intercession, who is not after the Order of Aaron, but after the Or­der of Melchizedeck.

And it is said of the Redeemer, Isa. 5 [...]. He shall put on Righteousness as a Breast-Plate, and an Helmet of Salvation upon his [...]ead; and he shall put on the Garment of Vengeance for Cloathing; and he was clod with Zeal as a Cloak: and the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and to them that turn from Trans­gression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my Covenant, saith the Lord, My Spirit that is upon thee, and my Words that I have put in thy Mouth, shall not d [...]part out of the Mouth of thy Seed, nor out of the Mouth of thy Seed's Seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. So many did wit­ness [Page 35] this fulfilled when the Messiah came, ac­cording to the Prophets, to you Jews: Ma­ny received him; but you Jews, that turn­ed not from your Transgressions (but lived in your Blindness) stumbled, and Darkness covered you, gross Darkness!

But in Isa. 60. The Gentiles shall come to his Light. This Prophecy many of the Gentiles witness, that are come to his Light: For it is said, A Little One shall become a Thousand, a Small One a Strong Nation; I the Lord will hasten it in his time. Is not this the Branch of the Lord's own planting? And many are Witnesses of it, though you cannot see it this Day, and see his Kingdom. The Gates are opon Day and Night, that men may bring to thee the Force of the Gentiles, and that their Kings may be brought; though you blind Jews cannot see it: And they shall call thee the City of the Lord, the Zeal of the Holy One of Israel, he who is the Joy of many Generations. Thou shalt suck the Milk of the Gentiles; signifying that the Gentiles have a Breast.

And in Isa. 61. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he hath anointed me to preach Good Tidings to the Meek; he hath sent me to bind up the Broken Heart, to proclaim Liberty to the Captives, and the opening of the Prison [Page 36] to them that are bound, &c. And was not this fulfilled when he came, according to Daniel's Prophecy? And did not he open the Book among your People, and told you, it was fulfilled, in one of your Synagogues at Nazareth, when one of you delivered him the Book of Isaiah? then you did won­der at him, at the Gracious Words for a time; but you were quickly changed, and thrust him out of your City, to throw him down the Brow of your Hill.

Isaiah 66. where he saith, Heaven is my Throne, Earth is my Foot-Stool; where is the House that ye will build to me? where is the Place of my Rest?

And you that look so much at your Out­ward Temple, did not the Messiah tell you, That it should be thrown down, and not one Stone left upon another in that Generation? And was it not done by Titus? and have you built it since?

And doth not the Lord say, All these things have my Hands made, and all these things have been, saith the Lord; but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a Contrite Spirit, and trembleth at my Word, And in Jeremiah 31. This is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel, After those dayes, saith the Lord, I will put [Page 37] my Law in their inward Parts, and write them in their Hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my People; they shall teach no more every man his Neighbour, and every man his Brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the Greatest to the Least of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their Iniquities, and their Sins I will remember no more. And now mark; This is a Covenant after these dayes: You had the Old Covenant before, where ye were teaching one another his Brother, &c. and where ye were writing the Laws, the Laws written in Tables of Stone; but here the Lord is the Writer, in the New Cove­nant, to write them in your Hearts: So, as you receive this Covenant, and come into this Covenant, your Sins and Iniquities will be forgiven, and be remembred no more. So God saith, I will give him for a Covenant, meaning his Messiah, he that is born of a Virgin, that you crucified: If you receive not him, do you think your Sins and Iniqui­ties will not be remembred?

And how can you or dare you take the Title to be called, God's People? For, They shall be my People, and I will be the [...]r God that come into this Covenant, which God gi­veth, [Page 38] which is the New Covenant; for you had the Old before.

Read Jer. 31. And I will give them one Heart. Ezek. 11. And I will put a new Spi­rit within them; I will take away the Stony Heart out of their Flesh, and I will give them a Heart of Flesh. Now they that believed in the Messiah, are Witnesses of this; yea, those Jews that believed in him above One Thousand Six Hundred Years since, witnes­sed this New Spirit, this one Heart, this Heart of Flesh, and this New Covenant; but you that did not, and do not believe, witness the Stony Heart and Old Spirit, po­ring about the Old Covenant and stumbling at the New; and are Breakers of the Old too, and Despisers of the New Covenant, and of God's Oath concerning it.

And again, The Lord saith in Ezek. 18. Cast away from you all your Transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a New Heart and a New Spirit; For why will ye dye, ye House of Israel? For I have no Pleasure in the Death of him that dyeth, saith the Lord, wherefore return, and live ye. Now here you Jews may see, that without turning from your Transgression you do not live, neither have you a new Heart, nor a new [Page 39] Spirit, & not turning you dye. And the Lord saith, He hath no Pleasure in it, and in your Death, Ezek. 34. I will set up One Shepherd, saith the Lord, and he shall feed them, and he shall be your Shepherd: I the Lord will be your God, and my Servant David a Prince; and I will make with them a Covenant of Peace. And is not this One Shepherd, that the Lord will set up, the Immanuel, born of the Vir­gin, which came according to the Prophecy of Isaiah, and according to Daniel's Num­ber? And when he was come, did not he say, That he was the True Shepherd, that laid down his Life for his Sheep? And is not he the Covenant of Peace spoken of by E­zekiel? Did not he come of the Seed of David? And did not, and do not you yet reject this Shepherd, this Feeder, and his Covenant of Peace, and this Seed of David? And therefore, what Evil Seed are ye run into?

And Ezekiel in the 36th Chapter, Saith the Lord, I will sprinkle clean Water upon you, and ye shall be clean, &c. And I will give you a New Heart, and a New Spirit I will put within you, and take away your Stony Heart, &c. And I will open your Graves, and I will bring you out of your Graves, and put my Spirit in you. Moreover, I will make [Page 40] a Covenant of Peace with you, which shall be an Everlasting Covenant, and I will set my Sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore; my Tabernacle also shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my Peo­ple, and David shall be their Prince forever. This you must know was the Messiah, the Seed of David; for David was dead long before: But you must be come out of your Graves of Sin and Wickedness, and your own Traditions, and come out of the Old Covenant, and come into the New; if ye know this Seed of David, the Messiah, you must come out of the Seed of Transgression and Rebellion, Blindness and Darkness, and see your selves in the Graves, and your Bones scattered, before you be gathered to this One Shepherd, that God sets over his Peo­ple in the New Covenant. Read the 36th & 37th of Ezekiel.

Michah 4. In the last dayes it shall come to pass, that the Mountain of the House of the Lord shall be stablished upon the tops of the Mountains, and it shall be exalted above the Hills; and many Nations shall say, Come, and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his Wayes, and we shall walk in his Pathes; and the Kingdom shall [Page 41] come to the Daughter of Je [...]usalem. Now you that did not receive the Messiah have lost these Last Dayes of God's Teaching, and neglecting these last days of God's Tea­ching, which many are come to, and can say, He doth teach them of his VVays, and they walk in his Pathes.

And this Kingdom that should come to the Daughter of Jerusalem, many in the time when the Messiah came did both receive him as King, and were Heirs of his King­dom; and so there are many at this day: But you that rejected the Messiah, rejected both King and Kingdom, and God's Teach­ing on his Mountain, Mic. 4. And so the Saying of Habbakkuk 1.5. is come upon you, Behold ye among the Heathen, and hear­ken and wonder; for I work a VVork in your dayes which ye will not believe, though it be told you; for ye would not believe Jeremy the Prophet, nor the other Prophets, nor the Son, the Messiah, the Immanuel, born of the Virgin; though they that did believe in him, the Just shall live by his Faith. So you may see in Habbakkuk 2.4. for the Vision was for an appointed time, and in the End it did speak, the Vision or the Sign, as you may read in Daniel and Isaiah.

And Zach. 12.10. where the Lord saith, I will pour upon the Ho [...]se of David, and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of Supplication, and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his Son, his only Son; and they shall be in Bitter­ness for him, as one that is in B [...]tterness for his First-born. And now mark ye Jews, what Him is it that ye have pierced? Is it not the Immanuel, born of a Virgin, the Messiah, which came according to Daniel's Number of Years? They that did believe in him did mourn bitterly, and were pricked in their Hearts; so you may look back above One Thousand Six Hundred Years since; they came to be the Learners of him: And you that stand still in your Blindness & Hardness of Heart, and have not mourned, and do not believe in him that you have pierced, you cannot witness the Spirit of Grace and Supplication upon you yet, as they had that did look upon him that they had pierced Mal. 3. And behold, saith the Lord, I wil send my Messenger, and he shall prepare the Way before me: And the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly com [...] to his Temple, &c. But who shall abide the Day of his Coming? F [...] [Page 43] he shall sit as a Refiner's Fire, &c. Mal. 4.5. Behold I will send you Elias the Prophet before the Coming of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord: and he shall turn the Hearts of the Fathers to the Children, and the Hearts of the Children to the Fathers; lest I come and smite the Earth with a Curse. And when this E­lias did come, did not ye do to him what ye listed? And so, did not he come before the Messiah, and prepare the VVay before him? For ye did believe that John Baptist was a Prophet, some of you; and some said, that he was a Devil: For did not Isaiah Prophe­sie of him in the 40th Chapter, and the 3d Verse? The Voice of one crying in the Wilder­ness, Prepare the VVay of the Lord, make his Pathes streight; Every Vall [...]y shall be fil­led, and every Mountain and Hill shall be brought low, and the Crooked shall be made streight, and the Rough VVayes smooth, and all Flesh shall see the Salvation of God. Now was not this John, the Son of Zachariah, that Isaiah prophesied of? Did not John here fulfil Isaiah's Prophecy, the Fore-run­ner of Christ? So if you will neither believe the Prophet Isaiah, nor John the Prophet, nor the Messiah, the Immanuel, born of a Virgin, which came according to the Num­ber of the Angel to Daniel, but your [Page 44] Crooked Pathes are not made streight, nor your Rough Spirit and Mind is not made smooth, and your Mountain of Sin is not brought low; and therefore how were ye like to see the Salvation of God when he came; but you hid your Faces from him, and so fulfilled Isaiah's Prophecy. But when God had given you a Temple, when the Messi­ah came, he found in the Temple such as sold Oxen, Sheep and Doves, and Money-Changers sitting there, which should have been a House of Prayer; And so was not here the Psalm fulfilled, Psal. 69.9. The Zeal of my Father's House hath eaten me up.

Zach. 9.9. Rejoyce greatly, O Daughter of Zion, shout O Daughter of Jerusalem; Behold, thy King cometh to thee; he is Just, and having Salvation; Lowly, and riding upon an Ass, upon a Colt, the Foal of an Ass. Now consider, did not he come so in­to your Jerusalem, this Immanuel, this Mes­siah? And did not many of your Daugh­ters Rejoyce, and cryed Hosanna? But your Priests that were blind, and the rest of the Scribes and Pharisees and Jews Railed at him, and Blasphemed against him. But He is He that speaks Peace to the Heathen,Zach. 9. [...]0, 11. and his Dominion is from Sea to Sea, and from the [Page 45] River to the Ends of the Earth. And as for thee also in the Blood of thy Covenant, I have sent forth thy Prisoners out of the Pit wherein is no Water.

And in Zach. 11.12, 13. And I said to them, If ye think good, give me my Price; if not, forbear: so ye weighed to my Price Thirty Pieces of Silver; and the Lord said to me, Cast it to the Potter, a goodly Price that I was prized at by them; so I cast them to the Potter in the House of the Lord. And did not your High Priest give Judas Thirty Pieces of Silver for to betray the Messiah? So was not this Prophecy fulfilled upon you, as David sayes in Psal. 41.9. Yea, my own familiar Friend, that did eat of my Bread, hath lifted up his Heel against me: was not this fulfilled in your Judas?

Also David saith in Psal 69.21, 22, 23. They gave me Gaul for my Meat, in my Thirst they gave me Vinegar to drink: Let their Table become a Snare before them, and their Posterity a Ruin: Let their Eyes be darkened, that they see not; make their Joynts continually shake; let their Habitation be de­solate, and let none dwell in their Tents. Now consider when the Messiah was come, and when ye crucified him, did not ye give him Vinegar and Gaul to drink? and was not [Page 46] your Table, and is it not a Snare and a Trap, and your Eyes blinded, and your Habitati­ons desolate, which ye had at Jerusalem in David's Time? So how can you say, that that was not the Messiah in all these Prophe­cies you have so fulfilled upon the Messiah? And in Psalm 109 8. &c. Let his Dayes be saw; let another take his Office: This was spoken of Judas, to whom your Chief Priests gave the thirty Peices of Silver, that he might betray the Messiah into your Hands: Le [...] another take his Office; so another Dis­ciple of Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord, was put in his Room: So this was fulfilled, Psalm 22.16, 17. For Dogs have compassed me; the Assembly of the wicked have enclosed me; they pierced my Hands and my Feet; they parted my Garments among them, and cast Lots upon my Vesture. And now ye Jews, did not ye often assemble together to crucifie him? And when you did crucifie him, did not you pierce his Hands and Feet? And did not you part his Garments among you, the Messiah, when they crucified him? And did not your Souldiers cast Lots upon his Vesture? And doth not Moses say in the 18th of Deuteronomy, The Lord thy God will raise up a Prophet in the midst of thee, of thy Brethren, like to me, to him shall ye hearken: [Page 47] And further he saith, I will raise them up a Prophet of their Brethren, like to thee, and I will put my Words in his Mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not hearken to my Words that he shall speak in my Name, I will require it of him. Now this Prophet, like to Moses, was the Messi­ah, which was the Sign born of a Virgin, according to the the Prophecy of Is iah: And Daniel numbred the Years to the Messi­ah, and the Time that he should be cut off, should make his Soul a Sacrifice, according to the Prophet: And there rose not a Pro­phet since in Israel, like to Moses, whom the Lord knew Face to Face, as it is said in Deut. 34. So this Prophet that God has raised up, like Moses, whom the People should hear in all Things, was not Joshuah, but the Mes­siah, whom you would not, nor did not hear; and so not hearing him, you hear not the Prophets. And God said to Abraham, In thy Seed shall all the Families of the Earth be blessed, Gen. 12. And Gen. 18. All the Nations of the Earth shall be blessed in Abra­ham's Seed; and I know he will command his Children and his Houshold after him, and they shall keep the Way of the Lord to do Ju­st [...]ce and Judgment. And in Gen. 22. The [Page 48] Lord said to Abraham, By my self have I sworn, because thou hast done this Thing, and hast not withheld thine only Son; that in blessing I will bless thee, & in multiplying I will multiply thee as the Stars of Heaven, & in thy Seed shall all Nations of the Earth be blessed. And so was not Abram's offering up his only Son Isaac a Type of the Messiah's making his Soul an Offering, the Messiah's making his Soul a Sacrifice for the Sins of men, who according to the Flesh was of the Seed of Abraham, who was the Son of God, a Sign and Won­der to you to this Day, that a Virgin should have a Child? And did not Jacob say on his Death-Bed, Gen. 49.10, 11. when he cal­led his Sons together, he said to Judah, when he prophesied to them all; Judah, thou art he whom thy Brethren shall praise; thy Hand shall be on the Neck of thine Enemies; thy Father's Children shall bow down before thee; the Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Law-Giver from between his Feet till Shilo come, and unto him shall the Gathering be of the People? And now consider; did not the Scepter continue in Judah till Shilo the Mes­siah came? But is not the Scepter departed from Judah above 1600. Years since, after you had crucified the Messiah? And are not your Walls and City of Jerusalem broken [Page 49] down, trodden under Foot, and you scattered over all Nations? And so is not your Scepter gone? So consider these Things, how long it is since you lost your Scepter: It should not depart till Shilo came; and he came, and is come, and you would not hearken to him, being a stif-necked People.

Is it not clear that the Messiah came of the Seed of David and of Abraham, according to the Prophets, who was born of a Virgin, though you were rebellious, as you may see from Moses through the Prophets to the Messiah; though some of you in all Ages did believe, yet for the Generality of you, what a stiff-necked People you were, that your Eyes were blinded, your Table was made a Snare, and you stuck in the Old Covenant and opposed the New: And were not your Backs often therefore bowed down; yea, and un­der all the Governments of the World now: And so Isaiah's Prophecy is come upon you, saying, Go tell this People, Isa. 6.9. hearing ye hear not, seeing ye see not, and do not perceive for the Heart of this People is waxed gross, and their Ears are dull of Hearing; and their Eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and understand with their Hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them: This is [Page 50] a sad Condition; you would not receive the Immanuel, born of a Virgin; and therefore was not the Salvation sent to the Gentiles, that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his Mercy through the Messiah? For this Cause I will confess thee among the Gentiles,Psal. 18.49. and sing to thy Name. And again he saith, Rejoyce ye Gen­tiles with his People. Now those Jews that were the Believers in the Messiah the Gentiles can rejoyce withal. And Psal. [...]. Praise the Lord ye Gentiles, and laud him all ye People. And again Isaiah saith, There shall be a Root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him the Gen­tiles shall trust. Now this is the Messiah that was born of a Virgin, whom ye crucified, who is risen, in whom the Gentiles rejoyce and trust, who is their Salvation; read Isa. 11, 10. And [...]o it was said before to you; Like to me (saith Moses) will God raise up a Prophet of your Brethren, him shall ye hear in all Things, whatsoever he shall say to you; and that Soul that will not hear this Prophet shall be destroyed from among the People. So was not the Messiah of the Seed of David and of Abraham; and when God had raised him up, and brought him forth, you would not hear him, neither before ye crucified [Page 51] him, nor now when he is risen, who came according to Daniel's Prophecy: And so in this you neither hear God, nor Moses, nor the Prophets, nor the Angel, nor the Son the Messiah; and so in this you neither keep the Law, nor the Prophets, nor the Old Covenant, nor the New, though you often spoak fair with your Mouths, but your Hearts were far off.

Is not that come to pass which the Messiah spoke to you, That you should be led away Captive, and many should fall by the Edge of the Sword, and Jerusalem should be compassed with Armies, and you should be led Captive into all Nations, and Jerusalem shall be trod­den down (read in Daniel the 9th) And was not Jerusalem built and standing till Messiah, the Prince? And when he came, was not he cut off? And after did not Titus the Prince of the People come to destroy your City and Sanctuary; therefore was not this the true Messiah, the Immanuel, born of a Virgin, and the Prophet that you should hear in all Things; and they that did hear him, and do hear him. do witness the Prophecy of Joel to be fulfilled; The Lord is pouring out of his Spirit upon all Flesh, his Sons, his Daughters, his Old Men, his Young Men, Servants, Handmaids: These are the Dayes [Page 52] of the Messiah; for he sayes, In those Dayes I will pour out my Spirit: So by the Spirit of God they can praise God, Sons, Daugh­ters, Old Men, Young Men, Servants, Handmaids through the Messiah, the Imma­nuel, who was born of a Virgin, whom you crucified, and is risen, and is at the right Hand of God, who is our Prophet, and Shepherd, and Covenant of Peace, through him we can praise God, Hallelujah for ever and ever, Amen.

And you that despise him despise your Salvation, and lye under the Judgment of the Prophets and the Son, as you may see in the Scriptures; And therefore it is Time for you to repent, and turn to him.

DO you pretend to adore the ever­lasting Jehovah; and have not Pa­tience to hear a few words in his Name and Power, by one of his Faithfull Servants and Messengers in your Assembly? What God do you serve? are you affraid your God should fail you, or that you should be stagger'd with the Words of the True God? I Came in Tenderness of Heart, in [Page 63] Travail of Spirit, and in Love to your Im­mortal Souls among you, and patiently wai­ted till you had ended your Devotion, and then told you, I had a few words to de­clare unto you in the Name of the Everlasting Jehovah; earnestly desiring your Audience, pressing you to shew so much Humanity and Moderation as to hear me when you began to Bussle Scorn and make a Noise against me: And after I further urged to be heard as you would Answer the Great Jehovah; telling you, what I had to declare was accor­ding to Moses and the Prophets you further made a hiddeous Noyse, Bauling, Singing, Canting, Scoffing, Contemning, and the Like; some endeavouring to hale, Shove and pull me down, Crying, this is not a place, &c. I calling aloud to you, Repent, Repent, Repent, &c. upon this your Course and uncivil entertainment, and I having used the words of Moses, To hearken to the Voice of God, and his Word which is very near thee even in thine heart, Deut. 30. Isaiah 2. &c. And the Words of the Prophet Isaiah to your Revolted Fore-Fathers O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the Light of the Lord: One of your Company (by me) most Contempteously and Blasphemously Answered, LET US [Page 64] WALK IN THE DARKNESS OF THE LORD, By all which both your Ungodly and Inhuman Proceedings and Posture you shewed your selves partakers of that persecuting Spirit which Ruled in your Fore-Fathers, and acted them against the holy Prophets, Servants and Messengers of God, and it was that Rebellious perse­cuting spirit which occasion'd those many and great Miseries, Desolations, Thraldoms, and Contempts to come upon them and their Posterities from the Just Hand of God for their wickedness, Pride, Persecution and Rebellion against him and his Servants. And why would you not here me speak a few words of Truth and Soberness in the Great Jehovah's Name, and that out of tender Love to your immortal Souls, and a serious Respect to the Everlasting State and Good thereof? And why was it that you would not so hear me at that time and place? was it because of that Holiness of your Sabbath, or Sanctity of your Synagogue or Place? was your Zeal such for the Observation and Reverence of both, and yet at both time and place you could take Liberty to behave your selves irreverently against God's Truth tendred to you; and uncivility and wickedly against his Servant, (as before hin­ted? [Page 65] and yet you know that it is but by Toleration or Connivance that you have your Liberty for the publick Exercise of your Ceremonial devotion although you thus abuse it: what might we Expect from you if you had Power in your Hands? can you suppose that you have acted for the Re­putation or credit of your selves or Religi­on in your deportment towards us? The mighty Jehovah will Reprove and Judge you, you Earth-Worms, you Coveteous Persons, you Sensual Men, you Carnal fleshly People, you Scorners, you Dispisers, you Proud Imperious Hypocrites, your hearts are Remote from God while you pretend to honour him with your Lips; it is but from your teeth outward, not in re­allity: you have not only put Vails over your heads, but the Vail of sin Darkness and Corruption over your hearts: you have not only stopt your outward Ears against the sound of Truth which should have been published and heard among you, But also the inward ear of your Soul have you stopt against the Immediate inward and Souls Sa­ving Word and Ʋoice of God under all your outward Noises, Cantations, Singings, feigned Tonos, Charmes, Ceremonies (which cannot save your Souls) fleshly adorations Carnal [Page 66] Cringings; glorying in the Flesh in out­side Appearances & fleshly Shews, to be seen & wondred at by men; as though the migh­ty Jehovah had need of the works of your hands or fleshly performances, while your hearts are far from him; being Impenitent and hard, you want Contrition of heart and the Brokenness of Spirit before the Lord, which is the sacrifice well-pleasing to him, you tremble not at his word. You con­side in Shadows, and neglect the Sub­stance, Inward Word, Light and Life of God the Lord (the Everlasting Jehovah) unto which Moses and the Prophets testified, and exhorted Israel; this you Carelesly over-look and neglect; while your Flesh makes a Noise, and Glories in Shews and Appearances, you hear not the Voice of God, you hearken not to it: The small still Voice or word that comes be­hind, you heed not, you attend not to it, you hear it not in your Noises and Can­tations; for it is heard inwardly, in the Si­lence of all Flesh, where the mind is stay'd upon God, and the Soul seriously, retired, and inwardly waits in the Light of the Lord, the God of Jacob. Therefore be still; and wait upon the Lord; O all Flesh be silent at his Presence that your Souls may hear his [Page 67] Voice and live; Hearken unto me, saith the Lord, hour, and your Souls shall Live; the Word or Voice of the Lord is lively and powerful; his Voice shook the Earth; at his Voice the Earth melted his Word mel­ted the hoary Frosts, and he by his Light­nings enlightened the World, and the Earth saw and Trembled: O all flesh fear & Trem­ble before him; for all flesh is as the Grass which withereth when the Spirit of the Lord blowes upon it.

It was the Sin of your Fore-Fathers to disobey the Immediate Voice of God, to grieve and vex his good (and holy) Spirit, which he gave unto them, and to place their Dignity, Merits, Righteousness, Religion and Devotion in their natural Descent of Abraham's Seed, and out-side Appearances and shadowy things of the Law, which could not afford Divine Life nor inward Re­lief to their Immortal Souls, nor make the Observers perfect as to the Conscience; for both Moses and the Prophets, even in the time of the Outward Dispensation of Sha­dows under the Law, had an Eye to the My­stery and Substance all along, with respect to the Everlasting State and Good of the Soul: And therefore its said to Israel, Thou shalt turn into thine Heart among all the Na­tions [Page 68] whether the Lord thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his Voice. And its after said, The Lord thy God will circumcise thine Heart, Deut. 30. and the Heart of thy Seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine Heart, and with all thy Soul, that thou mayst live. This Circumcision of the Heart made of God, is beyond your outward Circumcision of the Flesh (which you glo­ry in.) And the Prophet David said, Sacri­fices & Burnt-Offerings thou requirest not— But the Sacrifices of God are a Contrite Heart, and a Broken Spirit; these were above and beyond those many Outward Sacrifices, Oblations and Burnt-Offerings in the Law, and by the Priesthood of Levi. And its said, Wash ye, make you clean, put away the Evil of your Doings from before mine Eyes: This is an Inward & Spiritual Washing, a Soul-cleans­ing a Conscience purifying, above the divers and carnal Washings imposed by the Law, which could not purifie the Conscience; This Inward Purity of Heart, being awanting in your Fore-Fathers, while they disobey'd the Voice of God (as you do) and their set­ling themselves, and taking up a Rest in their Outward Observations, and their not cying the Lord, the Fountain of Life, nor [Page 69] attending upon his Spirit, Word and Voice within (but Forsaking him) for these the Lord rebuked them, and rejected their Ser­vices, Sacrifices and Worships, saying, To what Purpose is the multitude of your Sacri­fices unto me; I am full of the Burnt-Offer­ings of Rams, and the Fat of Fed Beasts; I delight not in the Blood of Bullocks or of Lambs, &c. when ye come to ap­pear before me? Isa. 1.11. Who hath re­quired this at your Hands? Bring no more vain Oblations; The New Moons and Sab­baths I cannot away with, it is Iniquity: Your New Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth, they are a Trouble unto me; and when ye spread forth your Hand, I will hide mine Eyes from you; yea, when ye make many Prayers, I will not hear; your Hands are full of Blood: Wash ye, make you Clean, &c. Also, its further testified against them, He that killeth an Ox, Isa. 66.3. as if he slew a Man; he that sacrificeth a Lamb, as if he cut off a Dog's Neck; he that offereth an Oblation, as if he offered Swin's Blood; he that burneth Incense, as if he blessed an Idol; yea, they have chosen their own Way, and their Souls delight in their A­bominations. And how can you think your selves any more accepted of God in your [Page 70] Dead Ceremonies and empty Shews and Shadows? Now as the Inward circumcisi­on, the inward Sacrifice, the inward Wa­shing of the Heart were above those Out­ward Ones (And I desire Mercy, and not Sacrifice) So there was an Inward and Spi­ritual Temple (wherein God dwells in his People) which he preferred and doth esteem beyond your Fathers Outward Temple: Therefore said the Prophet Jeremy, Trust ye not in Lying Words, saying, The Temple of the Lord, Jer. 7.4, 5. The Temple of the Lord (whereas) the Temple of the Lord are these, If ye throughly amend your Wayes and your Doings, &c. Such as these, who amended their Wayes and their Doings, were his Temple. Thus saith the Lord, Isa. 66.1, 2. The Heaven is my Throne, and the Earth is my Foot-stool; Where is the House that ye Build unto me? and where is the Place of my Rest? for all these things hath mine Hand made—But to this man will I look, e­ven to him that is Poor, and of a Contrite Spirit, and Trembleth at my Word. Mark these things, and turn into your Hearts, and with the Light of the God of Jacob do you search and examine your selves, that you may see the Hardness of your Hearts and your Impenitency, how full and puft up [Page 71] you are, how far distant from the State of God's spiritual House or Temple, and how much unmeet for his Dwelling-place: You are too high for God; your Pride, Arro­gancy, Wilfulness and Hardness of Heart do make you unlike God's House and Peo­ple; you partake of the Rebellion of your Apostate Disobedient Fore-Fathers, which occasioned their Miseries, Desolations, and Di [...]persion among the Nations, and their Bondage and Subjection under Strangers, as was fore-told by the Holy Prophets, and a Remembrance of the Fruits of that Rebel­lion is to be seen upon you and your People (as Partakers of their Sin) to this day. And finally, The great Destruction and Havock of your Metropolitan City Jerusalem, and the Temple thereof &c. (by Titus, or the Gentiles) which was foretoldMat. 23.37, 38. Luke 19.41, 42, 43, 44 & 143.3. Mark 13.1, 2. Luke 21.5, 6. by that E­minent Prophet or man Jesus, whom your Re­bellious Fore-Fathers of that Age envied, and they with their Priests deliver'd unto the Rulers of the Gentiles and People, and him they persecuted and put to Death by [Page 72] that cruel Torture of Crucifixion, according to the Romans Law, made for Notorious Malefactors and Treasonable Persons, a­mong whom he was Numbred, according to that Saying and Prophecy of him in Isa. 53. But on the Consideration of that sore De­struction and Misery, fore told by this Man Jesus, which justly came upon your Rebel­lious Predecessors and their great City, ought not your Spirits rather to be bowed down, and you Humbled, then to entertain any Evil Opinions of him (or them who sincerely esteem him) meerly from Reports and Traditions of your Rebellious Fore-Fathers, or his Prejudiced Persecutors and Enemies, whom God for their Sins and Provocations justly brought the Scourge upon, as was plainly foretold by this despi­s [...]d Prophet.