By "fimilar to it." But if the divine unity neceffarily im- other. CHAP. VII. Of the Doctrine of the Jews, in express reference to the MESSIAH, both at the time of our SAVIOUR's appearance, and in fucceeding ages. IT T has been already proved, that Philo afcribes real perfonality to the Logos, that he exhibits him as God, and that he gives him all the fcriptural characters of the Meffiah. We have also seen, that the Paraphrafts described the fame perfon under the name of Memra, representing him as diftinct from the Father; as his Angel or Messenger, and yet truly God; and applying to him that scriptural language, which in their time was univerfally allowed to denote the Meffiah. The opinions of fome later Jews, concerning the name Jehovah, a plurality in the divine effence, and the Angel whom they call Metatron, have been alfo confidered. Thence it appears, that there is no just ground to doubt, that they have still had fome traditionary belief with respect to the doctrine of a Trinity, and that they afcribe to this Angel what they are confcious belongs only to a divine perfon. But Ant. Univ. Hift. vol. iii. p. 13. Stehelin's Tradition of the Jews, vol. ii. p. 225. But after all, fome may be apt to say, that these testimonies are not fo direct as might have been expected in a cafe of this nature, and that their relation to the Meffiah is proved only by induction. Although this kind of proof is all that can be obtained on many important fubjects, and is of itself abundantly fatisfying, when the consequence is natural; I fhall produce a few paffages from the writings of the Jews, in which they exprefsly declare their fentiments concerning the Meffiah himself, or the circumftances of his appearance. The ideas of the Paraphrafts, with refpect to the Meffiah, appear from their interpretation of Pfal. xlv. which they apply to him by name, ver. 3. It is faid on ver. 12. that "this King fhall defire the beauty of the congregation of “Ifrael:" and the reafon is, " For he is thy Lord God, "and thou shalt worship him *." It has been already feen, that they understood Pfal. cx. as addreffed to the Word, and that not one of the Pharifees could refufe the juftness of our Saviour's interpretation, when he applied it to the Meffiah. But, even in later ages, this Pfalm has been understood in the fame fense. R. Saadias Gaon, when explaining these words, Dan. vii. 13. And lo! one like unto the Son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, says; "This is Meffiah, our righteouf"nefs, as it is written, The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit "thou at my right hand," &ct. In Midrafch Tehillim, it is observed, that these words, Thou art my Son, Pía. ii. are addressed to the fame perfon, to whom it is faid, Sit thou at my right hand‡. Indeed, in this Pfalm, the language is not, Jehovah faid unto Jehovah, but unto Adonai. According to R. Solomon Jarchi See Bedford's Serm. p. 383. Raimundi Martini Pugio Fidei, p. 398. Ibid, p. 399. Jarchi, the name Adonai is holy and proper to God. For, commenting on the words of Lot to the Angel who spoke to him in the person of God, Gen. xix. 19. Ob! not fo, my Lord, he fays; "Our Doctors have obferved, that this name Adonai is holy, because it is faid of it, that thou Shouldeft fave my life. For he, in whose power it is, to "kill and make alive, is God *.” 66 Nothing can more clearly prove, that the modern Jews find themselves as much at a lofs, as their fathers were, to explain the paffage confiftently, without admitting the Deity of the Meffiah, than their having recourse to the miferable shift of applying this. Pfalm, as well as the fecond, wholly to David, as merely refpecting his fecurity from temporal enemies +. Why have they abandoned the interpretation univerfally admitted by their ancestors, but from a conviction that they cannot grant that it belongs to the Meffiah, in a proper fenfe, to fit on the right hand of God, without granting at the fame time that he is the fellow of the Lord of hosts? In Midrasch Tillim, Pfal. xxiv. i. The earth is the Lord's, &c. is thus explained: "I am the Lord that maketh all things, that ftretched forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth "abroad the earth by myself;" or "by him who is with me, (Ifa. xliv. 24.) Who is this with me? David faid "before the bleffed God, fince thou haft created the hea 66 Rex David de feipfo compofuit, cum ejus fervi juraffent non permiffuros fefe, ut amplius cum iis in aciem fe conferat, 2 Sam. xxi-Hunc ergo Pfalmum concepit fub perfona fervorum et fubditorum, jurejurando fuo prohibentium eum prodire in aciem; ficque facienda eft expofitio : Dixit Dominus Domino meo Davidi, fede in domo mea, et in dextram meam ac robur meum fiduciam reponito, dextra enim Domini fortitudinem exercet. Eft proinde fenfus: Non opus eft ut tu te in bellum prodeas, dextra enim Dei pro te pugnat, atque Deus B. ponet inimicos tuos fcabellum pedum tuorum, &c. Chizzouk Emounah, Par, I. cap. 40. 66 66 66 vens and the earth by thy Name, I ascribe them to thy "Name, faying, The earth is the Lord's." But in the fame work, the Meffiah is faid to be the Name of God: So on Pfal. xviii. 50. Magnifying the falvations of his King, and fhewing mercy to his Meffiah; "one fcripture faith, Magnifying; and another, a tower; (referring to the parallel place, 2 Sam. xxii. 51. He is a tower of falvation “to his King). And what is the tower, which is made for ❝ them? The king Meffiah fhall be as a tower, as it is written, Prov. xviii. 10. The Name of the Lord is a frong tower: thither the righteous runneth, and is safe*: It has been seen, that, according to Philo, the Logos is the Name of the Lord. In Echa Rabbati on Lam. i. 16. we have these words; "What is the name of the king Meffiah? R. Abba hath "faid, JEHOVAH is his name; as it is declared, Jer. xxiii. 6. "And this is his name, by which they shall call him, JE"HOVAH our Righteoufnefs. R. Joshua ben Levi hath said, "The BRANCH is his name; as it is written, Zech. vi. 12. “Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH. There are "fome who say, The Comforter, the Son of the mighty "God; as it is said, Lam. i. 16. Because the Comforteris far from me. -Those of the house of R. Chaninah "have faid, his name is Gracious; as it is written, Jer. "xvi. 13. I will not give the gracious one. Those of the "houfe of Jannai have faid, Innon is his name, Pfal. lxxii. 17. Before the fun fball his name be filiated. R. Biba "hath faid, his name is Luminous; as it is declared, Dan, "ii. 22. And light fhall dwell with him +." They thus explain Pfal. xxi. 1. The king shall joy in thy strength, &c. "R. Nachman hath faid, Who is this King "of Glory? The Lord of bofts, he is the King of Glory. "Our mafters have faid; No king of flesh and blood is "invefted with his crown. But the holy God will give it "to the king Meffiah; as it is faid, (v. 3.) Thou fetteft a crown of pure gold upon his head. No king of flesh "and blood is clothed with his purple. And what is it? "Confeffion, authority, reverence, praise and glory; as "it is faid, Pfal. civ. 1. Thou art clothed with confeffion "and majefty. And of the king Meffiah, it is written, "(Pfal. xxi. 5.) His glory is great in thy falvation. But "God hath called Mofes by his name; as it is written, See, "I have made thee a god to Pharaoh, Ex. vii. 1. and fo "Ifrael; I have faid ye are gods, Pfa. lxxxii. 6. And he "calls the king Meffiah by his name. JEHOVAH is his 66 name. For it is faid, Ex. xv. 3. The Lord is a man of war, JEHOVAH is his name. And it is written of the king Meffiah, This is the name by which they shall call "him, JEHOVAH our Righteousness. Jerufalem alfo is called "by his name; And the name of the city hall be, JEHOVAH is there, Ezek. xlviii. 35 66 66 66 The Jews cannot refuse that the name JEHOVAH is given to the Meffiah. But from their obduracy, and from their hatred of the Chriftian Doctrine, they wish to derogate from the honour neceffarily implied in this afcription, by referring to the language used with refpect to Mofes, Ifrael and Jerufalem. However, they know abundantly well, that the name Elohim is not like that of Jehovah, incommunicable; that, although Jerufalem received this nante as conjoined with another word, this entirely alters, the nature of the defignation; and that the name is never given, either fimply, or with toart, as the Jews exprefs it, that is, in • Midrafch Tehil. ap. Martini Pug. p. 517. Vid. Glaffii Grammat. Sacr. i. p. 533. |