35. And that Christ, after His birth, should be unknown The
Place of His hirth.
Circumstances of His Passion.
34. And hear in what part of the world He was to be Apor.. born, as another prophet, Micah, declared, who spoke thus; j^^l£lAiid thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least \)\\iicy oi among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come forth
''^^^" a Governor, Who shall feed My people.
Now this is a 5, 2. certain village in the country of the Jews, thirty -five stadia ^^'^^'•'^' distant from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born
; as you may also learn from the lists of the taxing, which was made in the time of Cyrenius, the first governor of yours in Judea.
35. And that Christ, after His birth, should be unknown The to other men*^, until He was "•rown to man's estate, which « "^"'"
' o
rixion also came to pass, hear what was foretold of this ; the words foretold. are as follows; A Child is born to us, and a young Man 25 Is. 9,0. given to us, Whose government is up>on His shoulders, which is significant of the power of the Cross ; to which, when crucified. He applied His shoulders, as shall be shewn more clearly in the course of my explanation.
And again the same prophet Isaiah, who was inspired by the prophetical Spirit, says, / have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people, to those ivho walk in a way that isls.G5,2.
' "* 7iot good; they ask me notv for judgment, a7id presume to draw nigh to God.
And again in other words, by another prophet, He says, They pierced My hands and My feet, and cast lots upon My garments.
Yet David, the king and P^- 22, prophet, who uttered these words, underwent none of these things ; but Jesus Christ stretched out His hands, and was crucified by the Jews, who contradicted Him, and denied Him to be the Christ ; for, indeed, as the Prophet said, they mocked Him, and set Him on the judgment-seat, and said. Judge us^.
But the words. They pierced My hands and My feet, are a description of the nails that were fixed in His hands and His feet on the Cross ; and after He was crucified, those who crucified Him cast lots for His garments,
^ The question here, says the Benedoes not exclude His period of mandictine, is, not of the silence and obscure hood, but rather the contrary, and life of Christ to the time of His Bapproves He was hated and unknown by tism, but of the mind of the Jews the Jews from His birth, even to His towards Him, who knew not that He full aa:e, and extreme period of life, was their King and God. see §. 31
. 49. page 65. c.
Hence, he continues, the expression, ^ Judge us.
This would appear to *' Until He was come to man's estate," allude generally to Matt.xxvii.26—30.
283 Prophets open speak in the Person of Christ, or of God.
Just, j^j^^^j divided them auioiie' themselves: and that these thing's Mart.
^&KTwv were so, you may learn from the Acts' which were recorded under Pontius Pilate ; and that He w^as expressly foretold I as ahout to enter into Jerusalem sitting on the foal of an ass, I will prove by the words of the prophecy of another prophet, Zephaniah, which are as follows :
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; pi'oc^aim it, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh to thee lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an assK
MoJes g0^ -g^^^ when you hear the words of the Prophets spoken pression as by some Person, you should not suppose them to be phecy. spoken by those who are inspired, but by that Divine Word who moves them ; for at one time He declares as it were prophetically what is to come to pass; at another, He speaks as from the Person of God, the Lord and Father of all things; at another, as from the Person of Christ; at another, as from the person of the people answering the Lord or His
Father ; such as you may see even in your own writers, som.e one person being the writer of the whole, but intro-r ducing the persons who speak.
This the Jews, who have the writings of the Prophets, not understanding, acknow^ ledged not Christ even when He came ; but even hate us who affirm that He has come, and w^ho prove that as was foretold He was crucified by them. stances 37. That this also may be clear to you, the following where ^yords Were spoken from the Person of the Father through Father Isaiah the prophet before mentioned :
The ox knoweth his ^ii^isl^owner, and the ass his master s crib; but Israel doth not know Me, My people hath not understood.
Woe, sinful nation, people full of sins, evil seed, lawless sons ; ye have forsahen the Lord.
And again in another place, when the same • '
Prophet speaks in like manner from the Father, What is the house that ye will build unto Me ? saith the Lord ; Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.
And again in another 11—16. P^^c^j Your new moons, and your sabbaths. My soul abhors; and the great day of the fast, and staying from labour, 1 endure not ; nor if you come to be seen by Me, will I hear you; your hands are full of blood ; and if you bring fine flour, f These are the words of Zechariah, attributed to the former in §. 53. of the and not Zephaniah; and we find them Dialogue with Trypho.