xxiv. 17.

to treat our Saviour with the fame good Breeding, at leaft, that they do.

Phil. Well, Sir, but what think you of Balaam's Prophefy of Chrift? Would God Almighty, think you, be beholden, for a Prophefy of the Meffias, from an Edomitifh Fortune-teller? All that I can find by the Matter is, that the Jews had been dabbling a little, it may be, with the Seer; fo that as I told you before, the Star's coming out of Jacob, and a Scepter's rising out of IE rael, is no more than that the Jews would be a flourishing People. So that whatever your Apologifts and Interpreters fay, this is no more a Prophefy of Jefus Chrift, than of William the Conqueror.

Balaam's Cred. The Words of the Prophefy, you speak of, are Star, Num. thefe: I fhall fee him, (fays Balaam,) but not now: I A Prophely shall behold him, but not nigh: There shall come a Star out. of Chrift. of Jacob, and a Scepter fhall arife out of Ifrael, and spall fmite the Corners of Moab, and deftroy all the Children of Seth, &c. Numb. xxiv. 17. Now let the Meaning of this Prophefy be what it will, you ought not to lay any Unfairness at the Chriftian's Doors, for applying this to our Bleffed Saviour, when the Jews did before attribute it to the Meffias. For, not only all the three old Paraphrafts do unanimoufly explain this Paffage of the Meffias, but fome of the Moderns too, as particularly Maimonides, who allows the former Part of this Prophety to belong to the Meffias, and the latter Part to David And, moreover, it is plain, that in former Times, the fews did understand it of the Meffias, from the Hiftory of the famous Jewish Impoftor Bar-Cuzika *, who filed himfelf Bar-Chocheba, or the Son of a Star, from this Prophefy. And, if we attentively confider the Words of the Prophefy, they do very exactly agree with the Hiftory of Jefus Chrift: For who can be fo properly called a Star as our Bleffed Lord, who was that Light whe lighteth every one that cometh into the World; that has diffufed the Light of the Gospel throughout so many dark,

Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. Lib. 4.

and

and formerly idolatrous Corners of the World? The Scepter, which here is faid to rife out of Ifrael, does very aptly fignify the fpiritual Kingdom of Chrift, or that Divine Government he exercifes over his Church, which is made up of fo many Chriftian Nations, and difperfed, more or lefs, over the Face of the whole Earth. And by the fmiting the Corners of Moab, and the Children of Seth, which was a Moabitifh Town, is very fitly reprefented the downfal of fo many idolatrous Worfhips, by the Preaching of the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift. This will appear, to be no forced Senfe of the Words, to any one that confiders, that there was nothing ever happened half fo remarkable among the whole Nation of the Jews, as this fpiritual Kingdom of Chrift. No one, of all their Kings or Princes, ever made one Quarter of the Figure in the World as our Bleffed Saviour; or could pretend to deferve the Name of a Star, in Competition with him. What are the little inconfiderable Conquefts of that Nation, to the mighty Succefs of the Preaching of the Gospel? And, how little did the Polity of that fmall People deferve to be taken Notice of, and pointed out to Heathen Nations, as a confiderable Scepter, in Comparison with the diffufive Extent of the GofpelDifpenfation? To put any other Senfe upon the Words, mult be a very frigid and jejune Interpretation, in refpect of this. It is true, indeed, that David, who was King of the Ifraelites, did conquer the Moabites; but this was a very inconfiderable Victory, to compare with the Triumphs of Chrift over the Kingdom of Darknefs; who, not only introduced the Light of the Gofpel in Idumea, but difperfed it throughout the whole idolatrous

World.

As for your fly Reflection, upon a fuppofed Corre fpondence between the Jews and Balaam, who you think was bribed into their Intereft; I am fure, you have no Foundation for that in Scripture, which always reprefents Balaam very zealous for his Prince Balak, and endeavouring to ferve him, though against his Confcience: So that I look upon this only as a fine fide-wind Jeft, A 24

that

A Virgin

çeive, &c.

of Chrift.

that may fquint a little upon the Clergy; it being grown very fashionable of late, and a Piece of Gallantry, to wound their Profeffion, through the Sides of Popish Priefts, or Heathen Necromancers. And if I should anfwer to this in good Earneft, I fhould only create you more of this Diverfion; and therefore, I pray, Sir, proceed to fomething else.

Phil. Then what fay you, Credentius, to Ifaiah's Vir gin, or young Woman? How can that be a Prophefy of Chrift, when it had its Completion even in Ifaiah's Time, or elfe it could be no Sign to King Ahaz, to confirm his Belief in what the Prophet told him?

Cred. The Words in Ifaiah are thefe; Therefore the Shall con- Lord himself shall give you a Sign, behold a Virgin fball, Ifa. vii. 14. conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his Name Immanuel. A Prophety Butter and Honey, &c. Ifa. vii. 14. Now, though you could faften another more probable Senfe on thefe Words, than its being a Prophefy of Chrift; or, though you could prove it not at all to be fo; yet the Writers of the New Teftament are not to be charged, with any finifter Dealing in this Matter, because this Text was interpreted by the Jews, juft as it is by the Chriftians, viz. as Prophetick of the Meffias, who from this and other Places of Scripture, they did univerfally agree, was to be born of a Virgin. I will inftance in two or three Authorities, and refer you, for farther Satisfaction, to the Writings of learned Men upon this Subject *. An ancient Jewish Book, called, Bemidder Rabba, fays, This Place is understood, not only of Hezekiah, but alfo of the Meffias. Where by the Way you may take Notice, that thofe Jews, who would have this Prophefy to be understood of Hezekiah, are of Opinion, that he was miraculously born of a Virgin. But Justin Martyr has fufficiently proved, in his Colloquy with Tryphon, that this Prophely could not be understood of Hezekiah;

Vid. Jof. Voilin Obf. in Proæm. Pug. Fid. p. 124. Raymund Martin. Par. III. Dift. 3. cap. 7. Galat. de Arcanis Ver. lib. 7. cap. 14.

and

and, from the Chronology of the Bible it is plain, that ·Hezekiah was born many Years, before this Prophefy was given. But to go on with the Jewish Opinions, about the Birth of the Meffias from a Virgin. I will give you next the Authorities of two Jewish Rabbies, which to those who have not heard of them before, will be very furprifing; and which are most remarkable Proofs, both of the Divinity of Chrift, and of his Birth of a Virgin; efpecially if those Authors, from whence thefe Authorities are brought, lived, as Galatinus fuppofes, long before the bleffed Virgin was born. Rabbi Simeon Ben Fohai, in a Commentary upon Genefis, written in the ancient Hebrew Tongue, on the Words: Let us make Man after our own Image, among other Things, fays, &c. NOU ROUIN, Face by Face, or Perfon by Perfon, leads us to the Knowledge of Faces or Perfons. Mind what is the Difference, between the Ancient and the Junior of Faces. This is the JEHOVAH, who placed a living Face in the Woman, which Face is the Man from Life, proceeding from Life. This, moreover, is the Face of Paradife, wherein dwells the Spirit of the Junior of Faces. But the Woman bends her Knee and asks Pardon of the Spirie which is fent into her; which Spirit went out from the higheft Throne of the Godhead, to one particular Woman. And the Spirit which went out, is the Spirit of the Junior of Days, refting in the Delights of Paradife. And he is the Spirit of Lives, who of old was prepared before Time in the Son of David, to perceive Wisdom. And from this Woman, the Spirit being awakened or roused up by a mighty Power, he went out from an unopened Womb, prepared to be the most High Prince. And he is the King Meffias. Of whom it is written, The Spirit of the Lord fhall reft upon him, the Spirit of Knowledge and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Wildom and the Fear of God. These are the four Ways in which this Spirit is to come; and there is one only Spirit our JEHOVAH, diftinct from the three Faces. Rabbi Jofes faid, In the Days of King Meffias, one fhall not fay to another, teach me Knowledge: Because it is written, “hereafter

one Man fhall not teach his Brother, because all shall know me, from their little ones to their great ones. And in that Time the Ancient of Days fball awake, and the Spirit which goes out of the fhut or unopened Womb And when be fball arife, all the Spirits fhall rife with him. And whe are they? Thofe which are honoured with the Holy Crowns of the Funior of Faces. Whether or no thefe Rabbies lived before Chrift, as Galatinus fuppofes, matters not much; but, however, they are remarkable Inftances of the Opinion of the Jewish Church, concerning the Di vinity of the Meffias, and his Incarnation; and do deferve the ferious Confideration of the Deifts and Socini

s, and fhould teach them more Civility, than to deride these Doctrines of the Chriftian Church, of which there was fuch a manifeft Tradition in the Jewish. Nor is this the fingular Opinion of these two ancient Rabkins; but others

not to be born afwife declare, that the Meffias was

the Way of human Conception. Rabbi Mofes Hadarfchan on Gen. xxxvii. 12. The Redeemer or Meffias, whom I fall raife up unto you, shall not have a Father, according to that of Zachary; Behold the Man, whofe Name is the Branch, and he fball grow up ous of his Place. And as Ifa. liii. 2. be shall grow up before him as a tender Plant, and as a Root out of a dry Ground. And David fays of him, Pfal. cx. 3. Thy Birth is as the Dew of the Morning. So R. Solomon Jarchi, explaining this Pfalm, fays, that the Dew mentioned in this Pfalm, which is a Prophefy of the Meffias, is a Dew from the Lord, which does never come from Man. And the like is faid by Bereshith Rabba upon that of Gen. iv. 25. God has appointed me another Seed instead of Abel. It was a faying of R. Tanchuma, namely, That Seed which came from another Place. And what is that? It is the King Meffias. That is, the Meffias was to come into the World, not by the Way of mortal Conception. But F am afraid, Philologus, I fhall tire you with thefe Rabbinical Citations, which I know you have no Affection for; but I thought them very proper to clear the Way to the Explication of this famous Prophefy, concerning

the