Chapter VII
That another prophecy of Christ, Isa. xi. 1, Jer. xxiii. 5, and Zech. iii. 8, is
fulfilled in Christ a Nazarite, or inhabitant of that city.
I must not conceal, to ingratiate this, another known fair and pregnant interpretation or allusion held forth by many interpreters to another prophecy of him : and I would if there were a thousand of them more, if possible, to
fall in into everything about him. For the more such lines of prophecy about our Jesus meet in any one centre, the more ascertained we are that he is that Messiah that was then to come, and the Scriptures are therebydiscovered to be the more mystical, and himself illustrious. It is evident that Matthew, whilst he says that he was spoken of by prophets, not prophet, had more in his eye than one, yea, and prophecies perhaps more than cf one sort ; and so there will be a crXjPw^, as Brugensis* observes. Now this other interpretation affirms this name Nazaraian to be an allu sion to that mystical and metaphorical name of Netzer ; that is, the plant or branch, given him by Isaiah. Chap. xi. 1,
* And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Seconded by Jeremiah, chap, xxiii. 5, Behold, the days come, saith tho Lord, that I will raise up David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reig/i and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. And
chap. xxxv. 15. And thirded by Zechariah in two places, chap, iii 8. Behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. And especially chap, vi. 12, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH ; he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. And the name, say they, of the city Nazareth in Hebrew was Netzer, or Natsoreth, a city of plants (that abounded there, say they), as Jericho was called a city of palms. f So this of griffs. And an inhabitant of it, in the Syriac language, then in use, was Noseraio. So
* Lucas Brugens. in locum.
t To name towns from what more eminently groweth and abound etli therein is usual to this day in those eastern countries, as Herbert in his Descriptions of Persia notes : as Shyras, a town of milk ; Whormoote, a town of dates ; Deagardow. a town of walnuts, &c. In his first edition, p. 60. VOL V. L
162 OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. [BOOK IV.
then let us make an apostrophe unto the Jews. You might, Jews, come
to ken and know your Messiah, among other accomplishments of prophecies, by this one, that he whom your prophet calls
* the Plant,
* the Branch, it comes to pass to fulfil that prophecy, that he dwelt at Nazareth, which hath
its name from plants ; so on purpose afore -designed by God, because it was
to be the renowned habitation, and place of education and conception of him whom your prophets had proclaimed the
* top Branch of all your Israel. And the same providence so disposing it, that whilst you call him Nazarene, and Jesus of Nazareth, you thereby fulfil this prophecy (though not aware
of it), owning him, that thereby he should be the branch ; The plant God s own right hand had planted. By which name the prophets had foretold he should be made famous by yourselves, whilst you styled him, A man
of Nazareth. Yea, and the prophet Zechariah seems, under that his name,
* The BRANCH, to point us withal to this place, where this Branch should
grow ; The man whose name is The BRANCH shall grow out of his place, meaning this city Nazareth, where he had his conception and growing up ;
referring to his education, which was there also until he went forth to
* And he shall build
: and that foretold too in these following words,
preach
the temple of the Lord (speaking to Zerubbabel his type, who built the second temple) ; fulfilled in our Christ, who says, I will build my church
of the new testament. Which when he went first to lay the foundation of
by preaching the gospel, providence disposed so of it that he went out from
Nazareth, his place and city, as the 4th of Matthew hath it. So then what Matthew here says, He dwelt in Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, He
shall be called a Nazarite, a dweller in a Branch town, answers to what Zechariah says, chap. vi. 12, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold the man whose name is The Branch : and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.
But this interpretation hath its lameness, so as, though it may be taken
in as an allusion, yet not so literally as the former, much less only or ade
quately fitted to Matthew s quotation here. For,
1. It cannot undoubtedly be proved that the city Nazareth had its name from Netzer, plants. For that town was so obscure, as the name of it is not recorded in the Old Testament, which should decide it. Nor doth Zechariah here use the word Netzer for Branch, as Isaiah doth, and that but once, as prophesying of the Messiah. He useth the word Semah, as
also those other prophets mentioned do. So as if we should entertain that
to be Matthew s whole or main scope, we put ourselves upon but one scrip ture or prophecy, namely, that of Isaiah, who in the letters doth only use
that word Netzer, all the rest a far differing word. Now when Matthew here says that by being called a Nazarean from the city Nazareth the pro phecies were fulfilled ; it is a matter of sameness of names or words that must be intended, to be found in those scriptures which are thus said to be
fulfilled. Now the name or word Netzer is nowhere else given him but in
Isaiah.
Again, that word, as used by the prophet of him, is a noun substantive
(as we say), a Plant or Branch ; but the title here mentioned by Matthew, to be found in the scripture answering to it, is a noun adjective, signifying an attribute or qualification belonging to him.
But, my brethren, is it not pity that these two interpretations should
strive in the womb of this text, the one against the other, if it were possible to reconcile and take in both ? For then you will be sure to have prophets enough wait and attend upon the accomplishment of it.
CHAP. VII. J OF CHKIST THE MEDIATOR. 163
There have been of those of old, and of late, have endeavoured to take
in both and reconcile them, whilst others argue wholly for the one, to ex
clude the other. So a Lapide, Cartwright, and Jackson, and Hierom of
old, as appears by comparing his comment on Mat. ii. 23, and Isa. xi. 1. So as that if we respect the name Nazoraios, as Matthew gives it in the
letters and syllables thereof, that of Christ being a Nazarite doth carry it
clear. Yet so as withal there may be an allusion to make it the more full unto Isaiah s Netzer, or Christ s being the Branch ; especially considering the name of the city was obscure, and not mentioned in the Old Testament,
and so uncertain, whether written by to, or , by tsade, or zayn, Notsereth, or Nazareth, primitively in the Hebrew. And if written by ts, yet that letter
ts being often turned in pronunciation and writing into z, whereof Drusius and Grotius, and others give many instances ; and so in that respect well
serving, or complying with either interpretation. And it being the Holy Ghost s manner, in things of this nature, to have a vast and comprehensive aim, and by way of allusion in fulfilling prophecies to take more ways than
one, I confess I am therefore easily induced to eye and give an ear to both
Only I must withal put in this profession or caution as to my judgment, that if these two cannot be found to stand together (which I see not but
they may), .that if I must lean to one interpretation rather than the other, I should unto the first, as I have presented it, of Christ his being a Nazarite, the holy one of God, or consecrated unto God. And I do prefer upon all accounts that unto the other for these reasons, besides what hath been afore
argued and said.
1. He is called a Nazarite from the city, which is evident by Matthew and other evangelists testimony. If the question came, whether of the two that city s name was Notseroth or Nazareth, so whether taken from
Netzer, signifying the branch or yriff, or from Nazari, signifying a person vowed to God, it is clear that the latter carries it both in that first of Matthew and the other evangelists, who write the name of that city in the Greek with z, not s, Nazareth, and not Nasareth, or Notseroth. And secondly, that it is as evident that if, according to the analogy of each of those tongues, you would translate that word from Hebrew into Greek, if in the Hebrew
that city s name had been Netsereth or Netseroth (from griffs and plants), then in Greek it must have been written Nasoreth with s, or double ss, ar/pa ; for rg in the Hebrew is in the Greek rendered by s, not z, that is, by fffyua, s or ss, not by 3jra, as Melchitsedec in Hebrew is rendered Melchisedec, by Paul to the Hebrews. Tsion is translated in the Greek Sion ; so Tsabbooth
is Sabboth, &c., whereas all the evangelists do constantly write the name of
that city Nazareth with z, but not one Nasareth. And again, on the other
side, when the Hebrew word is with zain, then the Greek writes Sjra or z, as in the words Zabulon, Zacharias, and Beelzebub.
And again, that this city should have its name from plants or trees grow ing there, and to be eminently renowned for such, is more improbable, because Zebulon, in which it was seated, was a deserted place in darkness
(as the prophecy and evangelists tell us*) ; and on the contrary renowned
* Can any good come out of Nazareth ? a place so barren and vile above all other places, as that no good, no not of any kind, was growing there, or expected thence. For which cause perhaps this flourishing plant, the Messiah, is said by Isaiah to
for such by the Jews, as that usual proverb of theirs shews,
* grow out of a dry ground, Isa. liii. 2, even with an eye to the unfruitralness of this place and city.
* See Heinsius in Mat. ii. ult.
164 OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. [BOOK IY.
2. If the importance of these two mysteries pleaded for on each side be
weighed, this of his being a Nazarite, in the sense given to have been in
tended, dignius est (as a Lapide says) is of the more worth in the importance of it, that only referring to a metaphorical expression of his being a
Branch, and at the highest notes out our engrafting into him as branches
into a graff. But this other denotes his personal holiness as God-man, his
being dedicated and consecrated to God, separated and sealed by God to
the work of redemption, which is the foundation of all ; and many other
mysteries, as his kingly and priestly offices, all far more glorious than the
other, as in the sequel will appear. This will be found most comprehen
sive, and to take in all the prophets.
3. If we regard the prophecy itself, this name of his, Nazarite, is not in
metaphorical words, but in clear and express types, who, as being his
types, and for that very end were called Na^aga/b/, Nazarites, as men in a
special manner above the rest holy, separate, dedicated, and consecrated to
God, or men crowned with a peculiar excellency above others. And so the
Septuagint sometimes translates it ci-yioi, sometimes a^wg/o^svo/, separated,
iffT<pavu/jt,lvoi, crowned. Now, if they which were his types were called so
in all these senses Nazarites, then he in them was much more styled so, and signified thereby to be the reality, the substance, of what they were shadows.
But still I conclude, as I said before, that I wish and hope that both may stand, aud I w,ould there were a thousand more such, of so great a
variety and comprehensiveness.