10. IJ. you, saith the Lord; neither will I accept your offerings at your
Some Heathens circumcised.
Spiritual circumcision.
Just, soiv not upon thorns.
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, —^^lLi (iji^ lake away the uncircumcision of your heart.
Sow not therefore upon thorns and unploughed ground, whence you will reap no fruit ; acknowledge Christ, and, lo, there shall Jer^O, be a fair fallow, fair and rich in your hearts.
For behold^ the 25. 26. days come, saith the Lord, that I ivill visit all that have circumcised their foreskins; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Moah: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
Do you not perceive that God willeth not that circumcision which is given for a sign, for it profits not the Egyptians, nor the children of Moab and Edom\ But evenif one were a Scythian or Persian, yet has the knowledge of God and His Christ, and keeps His everlasting commandments, he is circumcised with the good and profitable circumcision, and is pleasing to God, and He takes delight in his offerings and sacrifices.
And now I will cite for you, my friends, the declarations even of God Himself, when He spoke to the people by Malachi,
Mai.
1, one of the twelve Prophets, as follows ; I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord; neither will I accept your offerings at your
10. IJ. hands. Forfrom the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same. My Name hath been glorified among the Gentiles, and in every place incense and a pure offering has been offered unto My Name.
For My Name is honoured among the Gentiles, saith the Lord, hut ye profane it.
And by h The "Benedictine Editor refers to Fathers, that circumcision was given the Epistle of St. Barnabas, chapter 0. by God to Abraham, and came to the and Cotelerius' note on it.
St. Barrest of mankind through his sons, that nabas says as follows, " You will say is, through Jsaac to the Jews and that 'the people'" (the Jews) "' were Samaritans, through Ishmael to the circurncif^ed for a sign.
But every Ishmaelites, through the children of Syrian and Arabian, and all the priests Keturah to the nations of the East, of the idolaters, [were circumcised] and through Esau or Edom to the also.
Are these then of His covenant.^ Tdumajans, and that from these the Moreover, the Egyptians are in cirneighbouring nations received it." The cumcision.' Luaru now, my clii'dren, of meaning of St. Justin, that it was of all things abundantly.
Abraham, who no use to the Egyptians, &c. is the first gave circumcision, looking on in same as that of St. Barnabas in the spirit to his Son, circuircised of his question, " Are they therefore of His household three hundred and eighteen covenant?" for these nations practise men."
The chief substance of C'oteit of their own choice and pleasure, lerius' note on this passage, so far as and not in the manner in which the it tends to the illustration of St, Justin,
Israelites did so, neither observing the is as follows; " The Egyptians wished eighth day, nor permitting it to all it to be believed that circumcision wps alike, but confining it to their piicsts first practised by themselves, and and literati.
Cotelerii Patres Apopassed from them to the Jews ; but we sfolici, vol. i. p.
27.
Amsterdam, s;iy, from the testimony of God and the 1724.
Summary ofproof8 that ceremonies are done away.
David He said, A people which I knew not have served Me ; Dial. in the hearing of the ear they have obeyed Me. p ,^— 29. "Let us Gentiles all meet and glorify God togc-43 44. ther, for He has visited us also.
Let us glorify Him l^^^ through the King of glory, the Lord of hosts: for He has''"P*'rsp(1gcI shewn His good will towards the Gentiles also, and He receives sacrifices from us more readily than from you.
What need then have I for circumcision, who have the testimony of God in my favour ?
How can I require that baptism, who have been already baptized with the Holy Ghost ?
These truths I think myself able to prove, even to those who have but little understanding, for these words have not been composed by me, nor are they adorned by the arts of human eloquence, but they are the same as David sang, the good news which Isaiah taught, v.liich Zacharias proclaimed, and Moses wrote.
Do you know them, Trypho ? they are to be found in your own Scriptures.
Yea, rather, not yours, but ours.
For we obey them, whilst you who read them understand not their meaning.
Be not angry then, nor reproach us for our fleshly uncircumcision which God Himself made, nor account it a grave crime that we use hot drink on the sabbaths^, for God Himself continues the same administration of the world on that as on all other days, and your chief priests are commanded to make the same offerings on it as they make in the rest of the week.
And so many righteous men, who kept none of Numb, these legal observances, have still obtained the express ]y[^f\2* approval of God Himself.
^^ 30. "But ascribe it to your own wickedness, that God can Chrisbe thus falsely accused by fools of not having always taught *j^^, the same righteous doctrines to all.
And to many menteoussuch doctrines have appeared unreasonable and unworthy the true. of God, because they have not received grace to perceive that they have called your people, who vv'ere sunk in wickedness and possessed by disease of the soul, to conversion and » Petavius thinks the^?e words of x^'^c-P"- ''^''"^''^Cotelerius, vol. ii. p. 56.
St.
Justin oppo=ed in doctrine to a But X'^^opo*'
^'^^'^ ^^^ mean hot, but passage in the interpolated Epistle of lukewarm, water, which was heated St.
Ignatius to the Magnesians, § 9. not on the sabbath, but on the day where he mentions the use by the before."
Ben.
Jews of warm drinks on the sabbatli,
Christian doclrine taught hy God from the first, Jtjst. spiritual repentance''; and that prophecy, which issued after ^ the death of Moses, is eternal : and this, my friends, is said in the Psalm ^, were to endure for ever, they appeared devoid of reason, and unworthy of God their author.
But that we, who have been enlightened by them, consider them to be Ps. 19, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb^ is proved by the fact, JO that we are ready to confess His Name even to death
; and that we who believe on Him, pray Him to preserve us from all strange, that is, all wicked and deceitful spirits, the word of prophecy, speaking in the person of one of the faithful, makes apparent to all.
And we constantly pray to God, through Jesus Christ, that we may be preserved from those evil spirits which are opposed to the worship of God, and whom we formerly used to adore ; in order that after our conversion to God through Christ, we might be blameless'".
For Him we call our Helper and Redeemer, at the power of whose Name the devils themselves tremble ; and when exorcised by us even at this day, in the Name of Jesus Christ, Who was crucified under Pontius Pilate the governor of Judaea, they are subjected to us ; from which it is plain to all, that the Father gave Him so great power, that even the devils themselves submit to His Name, and to the dispensation" of His suffering which He endured.
Christ's 31. "And if so great power is shewn to have attended, and atlsL ^^"^ *^ attend, the dispensation of His Passion, how great shall second that be which shall be shewn in His glorious Advent ?
For as coming. ^^ g^^ ^£ jy^^^ jj^ ^2\\ come upon the clouds of Heaven, and the Angels with Him, as Daniel has declared, whose Dan. 7, words are as follows ; I beheld till the thrones ivere set, and .toen . fj^^ Ancient of Days did sit, Whose garment was ivhite as snoiv, and the hair of His head like pure ivool : His throne was like
^ Perhaps 'spiritual repentance.'
Pro fidelihns.
"Preserve them unThe words rov irarphs In the Greek changed, blamelesp, and without remake no sense, and may be aa error proach, that they may be holy in body for Tov irvevfiaros. and soul, not having spot or wrinkle ' The nineteenth Psalm seems to be or any such thing.
Deliver them from omitted here for brevity's sake, either the fear of tlie enemy, from the arrow by St. Justin, or the transcribers.
For that flieth by day, and the pestilence it is obvious to observe, that St. Justin that walketh in darkness."
[Ps. 91, explains some passages in this Psalm, 5. 6.] Cotelerius, Patres Apost. vol. i. as if he had recited it before.
Benep. 401, 402.
Otto, p. 98. dictine note.
He seems to mean the sign of the "' Jcbb refers to the Liturgy in the Cross.
Apostolic Constitutions, b. viii. c. xi.
DanieVs prophecy to the everlasting kingdom.
the Jiery flame, and His wheels as burning flre. Afiery stream Dial. issued, and came forth from before Him.
Thousand thousands ^'^^^ ' ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousandj stood before Him.
The books were opened, and the judgment was set.
I beheld then the voice of great words, luhich the horn spake ; and the beast was tortured, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
And concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet the lives of the beasts were prolonged for a seaso7i and time.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and stood before Him, and they that stood by brought Him.
And there ivas given Him power and royal digiiity, and all the nations of the earth according to their tribes, and all glory, serving Him.
And His power is an everlasting power, which shall not be taken away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed.
And my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body, and the visioris of my head troubled me.
And I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this : so he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the words.
These great beasts are four kingdoms, which shall perish from the earth, and shall not receive the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
Then was I desirous to enquire diligently concerning the fourth beast, ivhich destroyed all things, and was exceeding dreadful; whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass, which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet: and concerning the ten horns that were in his head, and concerning that one which came up, and before which three of the former fell : and that horn had eyes, and a mouth that spake great things, and his look was more stout than his fellows.
And I observed that that horn made war with the Saints, and prevailed against them : until the Ancient of Days came, and gave judgment to the Saints of the Most High, and the time came, and the Saints of the Most High possessed the kingdom.
Arid it was told me concerning the fourth beast, that it should be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall far excel all these kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and lay it waste, and destroy it.
And the ten horns are ten kings that shall arise :
[and another shall arise']
OhjectioJi of Chrisfs death and suffering answered.
Just, afte?' them, and he shall exceed them that were before him in — * wickedness, and he shall subdue three kings, and he shall speak great words against the Most High, and he shall overthrow the rest of the Saints of the Most High, and think to change times and seasons, and it shall be delivered into his hands, until a time, and times, and the half a time.
But the judgment sat, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
And the kingdom, and the power, and the greatness of the places of the kingdoms under the ichole heaven, have been given to the holy people of the Most High, that they may reign in an everlasting kingdom: and all powers shall serve and obey Him.
Hitherto is the end of the matter.
I, Daniel, was very much astonished iperhapsa^ the vision, a7id my speech^ changed to me, but I kept the 'difh!!!' w.««er in my heart.''
Objec32. On my pausing, for a moment, Trypho replied, " These The two ^"^ other similar passages of Scripture, sir, compel us to Advents expect that Great and Glorious One, Who from the Ancient of Days, as the Son of Man, receives the eternal kingdom
; but this, your so-called Christ, was inglorious and dishonoured to such a degree, as to have fallen under the last curse which is recorded in the law of God; for he was crucified."
2 Sect.
I replied to him as follows^.
"If, sirs," said T, " I had not ^^' explained from the Scriptures which I have already cited, that His appearance should be inglorious, and His generation inexplicable ; that for His death the rich should be put to death; that by His stripes we were healed; that it was said He was to be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and that there should be two advents of Him, the first in vvhich He was wounded by you, the second in which you should look on Him
Zech.
Whom you had pierced, and ichen your tribes should viourii 13'
^^"
^^'^^^ ^y l^'^b^i l^^^ ivomen apart and the men apart ; I might appear to have spoken what was obscure and difficult
; but now, throughout all my discourse, I produce all my proofs from your sacred and prophetical writings, in the hope that some one among you may be found to be of that [seed"] which, by the grace of the Lord of Hosts, is reserved to eternal salvation.
And that I may make the present ques- ° Ben. observes that this word is to be supplied, as in §. 55. and 64. from Is. i. 9.
Antichrist, and the rejection of the Jeivs.
tion plainer to you, I will among other Scriptures produce Dial. the words of the blessed David, from which you may per-p^^^"' ceive that Christ is termed even Lord by the Holy Spirit i. of prophecy, and that the Father and Lord of all things raised Him up from the earth, and made Him to sit on His right hand, until He shall make His enemies His footstool which came to pass from the time when our Lord Jesus Christ was taken up into heaven, after He was raised from the dead ; the times being fulfilled, and he who should speak blasphemous and audacious words against the Highest being now at the doors, and who, as Daniel declares, shall endure /or a iime^ times, aiid half a time.
But you, not^jin. 7, knowing how long he should continue, explain it otherwise, and make the " time" to mean a hundred years.
If so, the man of sin ujust reign three hundred and fifty years at least, calculating the holy Daniel's expression of " times" to mean two times only.
Ail this however I have spoken in digression, that at last being convinced by that which is spoken against you by God, Ye are children that have no under- ^^^-^^ stu7iding ; and again, Therefore behold^ 1 luill proceed to 1^,29, remove this |;£?r>»2j/e, and I will remove them^ and I will take^'^' away the wisdom of their wise men^ and the understanding of their prudent men will I hide, you may cease to mislead both yourselves and those who listen to you, and learn of us who have been made wise by the grace of Christ.
But these are the words of David ; The Lord said to my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy ^^. no, footstool.
The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion : and rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies.
With Thee is the government in the day of Thy power, in the glories of Thy saints, from the icomh before the morning I have begotten Thee.
The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord at thy right hand hath crushed kings in the day of His wrath.
He shall judge among the heathen. He shall fill [the places with the] dead bodies; He shall drink of the brook i7i the way : therefore shall He lift up the head.
SS. "This Psalm,"
I continued, *' you presume, as IPs. lio, know, to explain as spoken of king Hezekiah; but I will^Vnezeimmediately shew you from the words themselves that you^'^^*