The Day-Dawning and the Day-Star Arising

It may seem strange, that I, at such a distance from you, and not of your nation, should trouble my self so much about your estate, being a people now despicable in the worlds eyes, scattered and dispersed among the nations; and upon a rational account unlikely to be a people beloved for the Fathers sake, and that shall be honoured of God when the nations shall fall before you, and confess you a people sought out and saved, and not forsaken: but I have had several prevailing arguments in mine own heart, which have occasioned me to present you with this Epistle, and I intreat and beseech you for the Lords sake, and for the love of the truth, that you do read this Epistle, and ponder it well in your hearts, desiring the God of Grace to give you an understanding in the truth herein presented to you, p. 3for with much bowels of tenderness and love, have I written to you: the reasons moving me thereunto are these.

1. That cleer discovery God hath given me by his Spirit from the Word of truth of his intention to do you good; and that although you have been a long time rejected and scattered for your own sake, yet you are beloved, and shall be gathered for the Fathers sake.

Secondly, being thus instructed in the truth of your calling, it lay much as a duty upon my heart (and I am confident from the Lord) to write unto you; that I might perform my duty to you in my generation, leaving the blessing to the Lord.

Thirdly, Likewise being assured that the time of your gathering is at hand.

Fourthly, knowing likewise p. 4that your fullness will be the time of the deliverance of all believing Gentiles, now dispersed and trampled under foot for their Lords sake; for he was given to be a light to the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel.

Fifthly and last, I finde it to be the desire of Manasseh Ben Israel, in his book titled, The hope of Israel, in his Epistle to the Reader, That if any to whom his book came, had any thing worthy of posterity, that they would give him notice of it. I have not here presented you with any thing of History or outward learning, but have indeavored, according to the grace received, in the plain evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and power of truth, to present you with such things, as may, through the blessing of God, tend to your eternal good.

p. 5The first principle of truth I have to present you with, is, that the true and promised Messiah was, according to the counsel of God, to suffer death for the redemption of sinners; and this I shall clear unto you, by convincing grounds from the Scriptures, Moses, and the Prophets, whom you know and own; and my earnest desire for you at the throne of grace, is, that the God of grace may give you an understanding in the knowledge of this truth. This I shall confirm unto you from three grounds. 1. Promises, 2. Types, 3. Prophesies.

First, Is that Promise of grace, Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and hers; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. This promise hath a special relation to the Messiah, and clearly presents us with his suffering, that p. 6by his death he should break the Serpents head (viz.) the head of Satan; though he himself were bruised, though he suffered in the flesh, yet he should overcome in suffering. I do not deny, but that this hath been and is accomplished in all that truely know the Lord: Satan, sin, and evil men oppose, but the seed of the woman hath and will bruise the head of all, in and for his people, though he himself was appointed to be bruised by the Serpents seed, to this agreeth Isa. 53. 5. He was bruised for our iniquitiès, &c.

Secondly, see it clearly and fully presented in types and shaddows; first the Paschal Lambe or Passeover, mentioned Exod. 12. was a lively representation of the crucifying of the Lamb of God, the Messiah who was to come, and by his blood to make attonement and peace for sinners, that as the p. 7children of Israel were then made partakers of a deliverance out of Egypt, by that means the killing of a Lamb, eating the flesh, and sprinkling the door-post with the blood, &c. so must the Messiah give his life and blood for the redemption of his people (out of spiritual Egypt, darkness & oppression) both of Jews and Gentiles.

2. All the sacrifices & offerings by the Priests commanded in the law of Moses were clear types and representations of the sufferings of the Messiah; the offering of Lambs, & Rams, & Bullocks; &c. to be sin-offerings, burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, &c. all presentations of Christ the Messiah, in English the anointed, who was to be the alone peace and sinoffering for his people; the Priest was to offer sacrifice for sin, as is exprest at large, Levit. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 Chapters, and Chap. 16. 34. p. 8they were to make an attonement once a yeer, both for themselves and the people. All these offerings could not do away sin, but as it had a relation to the true offering, he that was to offer himself once for all, that he might by one offering for ever perfect them that were by him sanctified: this truth you shall see when the Lord taketh away the veil that is spread over your faces, that clearly under all these offerings is represented the offering up of the true Messiah once for all, &c.

p. 83. This truth is likewise clearly prophesied, that he that runs may read. There is scarce any prophet of God, but did foresee and foretell of this truth, the sufferings of the Messiah. Moses the servant of the Lord, and great prophet and type of the anointed, as you may see Dcut. 18. 15. he by the inspiration of the Lord, presents p. 9him much as hath been minded In his suffering estate; the prophet David likewise in Psal. 22. presents him a sufferer, particularly in vers. 16. They peirced my hands and my feet: a clear prophesie of the Messiah. I beseech you weigh it in your hearts, David was never peirced in his hands and feet. See likewise the prophet Isaiah chap. 53. throughout, describing the Messiah, that he was wounded and bruised, rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with griefs, and that God laid upon him the iniquity of us all. And Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon him whom they have peirced: all which confirms the truth, that the Messiah, which you look for, was to come forth, first in his humiliation, in contempt, in suffering, &c.