The mystery of Israel's salvation, explained and applied: or, A discourse concerning the general…The mystery of Israel's salvation, explained and applyed: or, A discourse concerning the general…

6. This salvation of Israel will be the more wonderful, inasmuch as the Jews have heretofore many a time & often made fruitless and miserable attempts to deliver themselves out of their present tribulation. Such hath been the dreadful, direful wrath of God against that stubborn and stiff necked people, that he hath left them often to be deluded with vain hopes and attempts of salvation. And there are two ways especially, whereby the Jews have vainly sought to deliver themselves. 1. By hearkening unto false Christs that have risen up amongst them. Thus the true Messiah told the Jews that it would be, John 5.43. I am come in my fathers name, and ye receive me not, if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive: As ^(m)when God sendeth an able and faithful Ministry amongst a people, but they are not duly encouraged, he will plague such a people by suffering false Teachers and Ministers of Satan to rise up amongst them. When a Ministry that hath light in it is not duly received, what will God then do? He will even remove the Lights into corners, and snuffs shall be set up in their rooms, so because the Jews received not the true Messiah, therefore the vengeance of God gave ⟨p. 86⟩them enough of false Christs: we read of two or three false Messiah in the Scripture. In Acts 5.36. Before those days rose up Theudas boasting himself to be some-body, to whom a number of men, about 400, joined themselves, who was slain, and all as many as obeyed him were scattered and brought to nought: And there was ⁽ⁿ⁾another Pseudo-Messiah amongst the Jews, whose name also was Theudas, of whom Josephus ^(o)speaketh, that he was a great Magician, &c. Indeed Eusebius thinketh that this Theudas in the Acts, and that in Josephus were the same, but others ^(p)upon good grounds suppose them to be two distinct persons, not living at the same time. See also verse 37. And after this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of taxing, and drew away much people after him, he also perished, and as many as followed him were scattered. Josephus also