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| Chapter LIII.—Summary of the prophecies.
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Chapter LIII.—Summary of the
prophecies.
Though we could bring forward many other prophecies, we
forbear, judging these sufficient for the persuasion of those who have
ears to hear and understand; and considering also that those persons are
able to see that we do not make mere assertions without being able to
produce proof, like those fables that are told of the so-called sons of
Jupiter. For
with what reason should we believe of a crucified man that He is the
first-born of the unbegotten God, and Himself will pass judgment on the
whole human race, unless we had found testimonies concerning Him
published before He came and was born as man, and unless we saw that
things had happened accordingly—the devastation of the land of
the Jews, and men of every race persuaded by His teaching through the
apostles, and rejecting their old habits, in which, being deceived, they
had their conversation; yea, seeing ourselves too, and knowing that the
Christians from among the Gentiles are both more numerous and more true
than those from among the Jews and Samaritans? For all the other human
races are called Gentiles by the Spirit of prophecy; but the Jewish and
Samaritan races are called the tribe of Israel, and the house of Jacob.
And the prophecy in which it was predicted that there should be more
believers from the Gentiles than from the Jews and Samaritans, we will
produce: it ran thus: “Rejoice, O barren, thou that dost not bear;
break forth and shout, thou that dost not travail, because many more are
the children of the desolate than of her that hath an
husband.”1879
For all the Gentiles were
“desolate” of the true God, serving the works of their hands;
but the Jews and Samaritans, having the word of God delivered to them by
the prophets, and always expecting the Christ, did not recognise Him when
He came, except some few, of whom the Spirit of prophecy by Isaiah had
predicted
that they should be saved. He spoke as from their
person: “Except the Lord had left us a seed, we should have been as
Sodom and Gomorrah.”1880
For Sodom
and Gomorrah are related by Moses to have been cities of ungodly men,
which God burned with fire and brimstone, and overthrew, no one of their
inhabitants being saved except a certain stranger, a Chaldæan by birth,
whose name was Lot; with whom also his daughters were rescued. And those
who care may yet see their whole country desolate and burned, and
remaining barren. And to show how those from among the Gentiles were
foretold as more true and more believing, we will cite what was said by
Isaiah1881
| 1881 The following
words are found, not in Isaiah, but in Jer. ix.
26. | the prophet; for he spoke as follows
“Israel is uncircumcised in heart, but the Gentiles are
uncircumcised in the flesh.” So many things therefore, as these,
when they are seen with the eye, are enough to produce conviction and
belief in those who embrace the truth, and are not bigoted in their
opinions, nor are governed by their passions.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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