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Rome in his time, near four hundred Years after the Birth of our Saviour. And his being born there, proves that he was of the Seed of David, as it was prophefied that the Meffias fhould be: For the Decree required, that all fhould refort to the City of their Lineage or Family, and Bethlehem was the City of David. So that from our Saviour's being born at Bethlehem, and that by fo remarkable a Providence, without any human Forefight or Defign; we have two evident Proofs that he is the Chrift, he was of the Seed of David, and was born at Bethlehem; and this was attefted by the Publick Records, or Cenfual Tables at Rome, which were often appeal'd to for the Truth of it, and were remaining to be confulted for feveral hundred Years afterwards. And the Ferufalem Gemarifts do confefs, that the Meffias was born - at Bethlehem before their Times.

(3.) The Perfon of whom our Saviour was born, had been likewife foretold. For, not only the time of his Birth, that it was to be before the Deftruction of the Temple; and the Place, that it was to be at Bethlebem; but the Tribe of which he was to be born, the Tribe of Judah, and the Family, the Family of David, and the very Perfon, that fhe was to be a Virgin: all were particularly foretold by the Prophets, and accordingly expected at that time by the Jews.

Concerning the Tribe and Family of which our Saviour was born, I fhall obferve, that effectual Care was taken, by the Law of Mofes, to keep a perpetual Diftinction of their feveral Tribes and Families: For by the Law of Inheritances, no Inheritance could pafs out of a Family, either by Sale of Lands, (for every fiftieth Year was a Year of Redemption, and every man returned to his own poffeffion, and every man to his own family, Lev. xxv. 10.) or by defect of Heirs Male; for if there were Daughters, they were to inherit;

h Lightf. Chorograph. Centur. c. 51.

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and if there were no Daughters, it was to pass to the nearest Kinsman, Numb. xxvii. and the Daughters, who were Heireffes, were obliged to marry to one of their Father's Tribe and Family, chap. xxxvi. 8. But if a Man died without Children, his Brother or his next Kinsman was to raise up Seed unto the Deceafed, and the First-born was to fucceed in the name of him that died without Iffue, Deut. xxv. 5, 6. Ruth iii. 12. So that he had a Natural and a Legal Father, the Names of both which must be enroll'd in their Registers, to entitle him and his Heirs to their Inheritance. All which was appointed with a peculiar Regard to the Meffias, that the Prophecies concerning his Tribe and Family might be known to be fulfill'd at his "Birth.

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The Genealogies of the Jews therefore were of two kinds; one of their Natural, and the other of their Legal Defcent and Parentage; and we have both these Genealogies of our Saviour fet down, the one by St. Matthew, and the other by St. Luke, which must be exactly the fame with the Registers of the Genealogies then extant, which both in their publick i Records, and in their private Books, were kept with great Care and Exactnefs, their Expectation of the Meffias obliging them to it, and the Conftitution of their Government neceflarily requiring it: For all the Title and Claim they could have to their Inheritances, entirely depended upon it; and they were fo careful herein, that their Genealogies were prefery'd to the Destruction of Jerufalem For this reafon all went to be taxed, every one into his own city because the publick Genealogical Tables were kept in each City, of the Families belonging to it. And if the Genealogies in St. Matthew and St. Luke

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i Lightf. on Matth. i. 1.

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I ἡ παρθένα παρεδί δόλο της Ἰωσήφ, κλήρων εἰς τοῦτο ἀνα[κασάντων αὐτίω ήκειν. Epiph. Hær. 78. n. 7.

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had been different from thofe in the publick Registers, this had for ever filenc'd and extinguifh'd all Pretences to our Saviour's being the Meffias; but they being exactly the fame, did prove, that the Prophecies concerning the Meffias were fulfill'd in him: For the Virgin Mary being the only Child of her Father, or at least having no Brother, it was lawful for her to be efpous'd to none out of her own Family; and therefore the Pedigree of Jofeph, as was cuftomary. in fuch cafes, is fet down; this fhewing her Lineage and Family, as certainly as her own Pedigree could have done: For the Pooreft amongst the Jews obferv'd the Law of Inheritances, as ftrictly as the Rich; and even in Exile it was obferv'd, as well as when they were in poffeffion of their Inheritances, Tob. vi. 10, 11.

1 Ifaiah and Jeremiah had prophefied, that the Meffias fhould be born of a Virgin; and m fo their Prophecies had been understood by the ancient Jews. And that a Virgin fhould bear a Son, can seem to no Man incredible, who will but confider, that the God of Nature cannot be confined to the Laws of his! own Inftitution; and that to make Man of the Duft of the Earth, or by other means than by natural Generation, as the first Man and Woman must certainly be made, whatever Hypothefts be admitted, is as unaccountable and as wonderful as this can be. But to make this Conception of the bleffed Virgin the more eafily believed, the Birth of Ifaac, when his Mother Sarah was old, and had been barren, and other Births of the like nature, were both Types of Chrift's Birth, and an Evidence of the Power of God above the Courfe of Nature; particulary St. John Baptift, being born of a Mother who was both old and barren,' was in this, as well as in other things, the Forerunner of Chrift.

Ifai. vii 14. Jerem. xxxi. 22.
m See Bishop Pearfon on the Creed.

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But this Virgin was to be efpous'd to Jofeph, a juft and good Man, both that he might be a Security and Protection to her, and might be affifting to her, in her Care and Tenderness for the Blessed Infant; and likewise, that he who was moft concern'd to make the Discovery, if it had been otherwise, might teftifie to the World, that an Angel from Heaven had fatiffy'd him, that she was with Child of the Holy Ghoft. Jealoufy, the Wife Man fays, is the rage of a man, therefore he will not Spare in the day of vengeance be will not regard any ranfom, neither will he be content, though thou giveft him many gifts, Prov. vi. 34, 35. And the Jewish Law, in this cafe, was as fevere as any could well be: For a Virgin betroth'd, who had been thus found guilty, was to be ftoned to Death, Deut. xxii. 23. And tho' Jofeph not being willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily; yet this. fhews, that if it had prov'd, as he at firft fufpected, he was not a Man that would have been infenfible of the Injury; and it is a good Evidence, that there was nothing to be objected, when there was nothing that Jealoufy could object; and no Teftimony could poffibly have fatisfy'd thofe who will not be fatisfy'd; tho' Jofeph himself teftify'd, that the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, faying, Jofeph, thou fon of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the holy Ghoft. And his carrying the Infant into Egypt, at another Appearance of an Angel, and all his Behaviour, fhews, that as he was the most competent Perfon to deliver this Meffage of the Angel to the World, fo he was the most zealous and forward Afferter of this Article of our Faith.

And befides his firft Sufpicions, his other Prejudices and Difcouragements must be fo great, that nothing but a clear and undoubted Revelation could poffibly remove them; he could expect nothing but Trouble and Danger to himself, he could not hope

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to be reputed the Father of the Meffias, fince the Prophets had foretold, that he was to be born of a Virgin. The Jews had this Notion of him, When Chrift cometh, no man knoweth, whence he is, Joh. vii. 27. and how should they be perfuaded that he was the Son of Jofeph and nothing could be more contrary to the Expectation they had of the Meffias, than that he fhould be a Carpenter's Son: This was thought by them a fufficient reafon to reject both his Doctrine and his Miracles and Jofeph had no caufe to flatter himself that it would be otherwife. Simeon prophefied of Chrift, that he was fet for a fign, which should be spoken against; and Herod prefently feeks to take away Life by a terrible Maffacre: yet Jofeph was fo well fatisfy'd of the Angels Revelation to him, and was fo well affur'd of the Certainty of it; that he willingly expofed himself to all the Inconveniencies and Dangers, which he could not but fee must be the neceffary. Confequence of it, and which he foon faw come fo thick and violently upon him: A Sword was to pierce through the Virgin's own Soul alfo. But all the Hazards and the Sorrows, which were foretold them, and which accordingly they underwent, may abundantly convince us, that they could have no Defign or Profpect of any Advantage, but of declaring the Truth, and of that Salvation, which was brought to them and to a'l Mankind by it.

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Thus we fee that both the Time and Place of our Saviour's Nativity, and the Perfon of whom he was born, are evident Proofs of his being the Chrift. He was to be born whilft the fecond Temple ftood,he was to be born at Bethlehem, and he was to be born of a Virgin of the Tribe of Judah, and of the Lineage of David; all which moft exactly agree in the Birth of our Saviour.

II. The Prophecies concerning the Life of the Meffias, were fulfill'd in our Saviour. The Meanness and Obfcurity, and Sorrows of it are exprefs'd, Ifai. liii. 23. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,

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