To the Translator of Menasseh; Ben Israels spes Israelis.
SIR:
I Desire to be acquainted with you, because we have both fallen upon one Booke, with the same intentions to convert the Jewes, though we take not one way; I desire therefore to conferre with you, to see who taketh the rightest way. You by your Translation seeme to me to prize the learned Jewes writing too much, which will beget pride, and not humility in him, without which he will not turne, repent, and be saved. Therefore for his good, and also for the Christians, and for the credit of us who are Parliamentarians, I would not see them too much yeelded unto. You justly perstringe him in his thirtieth Section, wherein he talkes so wildly of his goodly Martyrs, and truly if you marke him in his Discourse upon the Sabatticall River, which where it is he knownes not, you will finde him as faulty and dangerous, if we have any of the race of the Thraskytes left among us; but Sir, in that you thinke that the Jewes shall now be called as a Nation, and not only by particulars, and would have them have an earthly Kingdome againe; you doe more for the ten Tribes then he would have himselfe, Sect. 25. p. 79. 80. and for the other two, of Judah, and Benjamin, it is not so likely they should have a second Call, seeing that Christ and his Apostles preached to them, and all that were of the Election were then converted, as you may see by many texts, and after their rejection of the Gospell, their Country-men, Paul, and Peter turned to the Gentiles. Therefore those two Tribes who Crucified our Lord, and persecuted his Apostles, are not so likely to be called againe as the ten Tribes who did neither, except some few who returned into the holy Land; neither did many of them so much as heare of it, you might see your owne sentence fulfilled then. First, the Jew was called, and then the Gentile. But now looke not for it, but for their single conversions, though numbers may be called upon one day, one Sermon as they were heretofore; but they must not exalt themselves as a Nation, for they must be ingrafted againe upon that branch, or Vine, Christ Jesus, and we must have one Shepheard, and be one flock. See Rom. 11. ver. 31. which you cite. Through your mercy they may also obtain mercy; I had writ it (shall) but it is only (may:) see the place to which this relates, Isa. 59. v. 19, 20, 21. where you shall finde that all their hope is in eternalls, not in temporalls; and looke upon Rom. 11.24. concerning the engrafting, and clearly, (unlesse you be a Millenarian) you will finde no such Nationall glory of the Jewes; therefore I pray you take heed you fall not into the same snare wherein the Jewes are, to looke for a temporall reigne, which you seeme to intimate, and too many were, and are of that opinion. Assure your selfe that Christ will come to such as a theife in the night, though his comming will be very glorious, yet it will be suddaine; the learned Jew can finde no text punctuall in all his Booke, but whatsoever he citeth, the same Chapter makes against him, and speakes not of temporallity, but of eternity, and the new Jerusalem. I rest, desirous of your friendship.
Octob. 5. 1650. E. S.
Postscript.
I Have it from a good hand, that Master Jo. Dury is the Translator of that Booke, and I have some Arguments to beleeve it to be so, because he seemes to be of the same minde in his Epistolicall Discourse before Mr. Thorowgoods pious Booke, which I have gained since I wrote this Letter. But truly if it be so, I must move Mr. Dury both to amend his Translation from grosse faults, and to make some retractions upon that Epistle, which upon conference I shall most plainely shew him, and in the meane time I desire him, that he will read a Booke of a most reverend and pious man, called, The Revelation unrevealed; and thereby I beleeve he will be convinced, and not looke for a fifth generall Monarchy upon earth; for Christ reignes now, and hath so done ever since his Ascension, and so shall to the end of the World, untill he deliver the Kingdome to the Father.
Octob. 25. 1650.
SIR: The answer to the Letter.
I Received a Letter directed, To the Translator of Spes Israelis, which worke thus corrected, as I here-with present to you, I confesse mine. I left it with a friend to see it printed, my selfe going into the Country; but his occasions called him from the City also, when it should have been reviewed; which is the reason that though there be many Errata’s in the Booke, that they are not gathered up at the end. At my owne reading of it, I found many, and mended those I found; and now I know that it hath farre fewer then it had, and may passe tollerably; though neither I, nor what I doe, can be said faultlesse. Concerning your desire of converting the Jewes, it is truly Christian, and a worke that shall not loose its reward. But you say, We disagree about the way, that is very possible, for apprehensions are various, and men must thinke, not as others doe, but as themselves can, taking what is truth to them, to be their guide. But the quære is, Who lights on the best way. For my part, I pretend not to any way to convert them, for I verily thinke that when it shall be done, it will be Gods worke, and not mans; as much as Pauls conversion was wholly of God; which himselfe makes the type, or patterne of the conversion of his Country-men; as Mr. Mede saith upon 1 Tim. 1.16. in his Fragmenta sacra, which I know not whether they be in print, or no. You say, I prize the learned Iewes writing too much, and that it will beget pride in them (Sir, pardon me, if I doe not recant till I see my errour; but then I shall freely doe it. I confesse, I doe prize the Learned, whether Iew, or Gentile, for though I am not σοφὸς, yet I am φιλόσοφος and I doe beleeve the Author of Spes Israelis to be a very learned man; and I have it from those who are acquainted with him, that he is a very ingenuous and civill man; and others there are, and have been among them, not wanting a name for good learning. As for the fomenting their pride) truly that vice is of evill, that I would not cherish it, neither in myself, nor in others. But Sir, whether is a more likely way to gaine upon men, to use them civilly, and with the spirit of meeknesse, or to be supercilious and tart towards them? What got Austine the Monke by using the Brittaines of Bangor so Lordly as he did? and (to come to latter dayes) did Mr. Broughton gaine upon a learned Rabbi, in a Conference at Dort, where Mr. Forbes was Moderator, by his high and peremptory language? This he reaped, to set the Iew at a greater distance from Christianisme, and an abating of his owne esteeme, in the judgement of wise men. As for Menasseh’s Sabbaticall river, I know many Authors have said it, but whether true, or false, that is nothing to the Translator; and I am as farre from beleeving that story, as I am from the wilde opinions of Mr. Thrask. But these are of lesse concernment; you fall upon the maine of your judgement which relates to them, and pardon me if I deale as roundly in my answer; for I desire to have respect to Truth, and not to man. I doe firmly beleeve, and feare not to professe it; That the Jewes shall be called as a Nation, both Judah and Israel, and shall returne to their owne Land, and have an earthly Kingdome againe. For the proofe of which, I could say much, but shall now but little; and if possibly I cite any thing which Menasseh Ben Israel brings for himselfe, beleeve me that I have it not from him, but from my owne observations out of Scripture, some yeares since. There is weight in that place of Mic. 4.8. The first dominion, the Kingdome shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem; and this is spoken of times after Christs incarnation, and not yet performed. See that of Zech. 10.6, 7, 8, 9, 10. there is Judah and Ephraim fore-told to be brought to Gilead, and Lebanon, and they shall so encrease, that they shall want room. Say not this was done in the returne of those now from the Captivity of Babylon; for those of the ten Tribes that then returned, were but some gleanings of them; and of Judah it selfe, there returned but about one halfe: now God doth not promise Mountaines, and performe but Mole-hils; yea in vers. 6. God will save and strengthen the house of Judah, and of Joseph, and they shall be as though I had not cast them off. Which, if since that Prophesie, it hath been made good of Judah, yet be sure not of Joseph. And in v. 7. They of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, but since the captivity of Salmanassar to this day, what might hath Ephraim shown? yea is he not poore, weak, scattered, and unknowne? And in ver. 8. I will gather them, and they shall encrease as they have encreased; hath this been fulfilled of Ephraim? Where is his fruitfulnesse, which his name imports? much lesse hath there been a time since their great captivity, in which they have encreased to their numbers and strength, mentioned in the dayes of Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, and under their owne Kings, after the defection from the house of David. See that noted place of Ezek. 37.16, 17. 22.24, 25. Sir, in good earnest, hath this Scripture been fulfilled? hath Judah and Ephraim been but one stick in Gods hand, but one Nation, so that they shall be no more two Nations, as in ver. 22. Surely to this day they have been from their last dispersion not only two, but many Nations. Neither will it be an answer to say, That now they are no Nation, therefore they are not two; yes, Historians report them many Nations; though perhaps scarce after the just rules of Nations. And that phrase hath not a negative, but a positive sence, not that they should be nothing, but that they should be one Nation. More-over, in ver. 24. Judah and Ephraim were so to be one Nation, that David (that is Jesus Christ) was to be King over them: And when did Judah and Israel ever to this day, as a Nation acknowledge the Soveraignty of Jesus Christ? and he to be their Prince for ever, as in ver. 25. But I must not too much enlarge. I shall only adde this; That as many places of the Old, so many in the New Testament agree thereto, as Rom. 11. ver. 12. 15. 25, 26. 28. Though this of the Romans, chiefly proves one point, sc. their generall or Nationall conversion. Give me leave briefly to answer your objections. You say, The call of Judah and Benjamin is not so likely, because Christ and the Apostles preached to them already. I answer; that by their preaching, all of those living, who were elected, were converted; but after-ages have a new race, and God hath his number among them too; yea the words run high, then All Israel shall be saved. You say, those two Tribes who crucified Christ, not so likely to be converted. I answer, by how much their sin is greater, by so much the greater will Gods mercy be; Et Dei novissima erunt optima, & maxima. You say, Their conversion shall be single, that is answered already; but I adde, that Isaiah is contrary to it, in Isa. 66.7, 8. which Chapter I doubt not but it points to times after our Saviour. As for their being engraffed upon the Vine Christ, or being brought to one sheep-fold, what doth that hinder but that they may be a Nation of Converts brought to their owne Land? You object that of Rom. 11.31. That through your mercy they may obtaine mercy. I answer, that I beleeve the maine of their conversion will be from Heaven, and extraordinary; though the Gentiles by provoking them to emulation, and also by their gifts and graces, may some way be auxiliary to them. After this you are pleased to put the term Millenarian upon me; which, though for what I have writ, I need not owne, yet I will not disclaime; they are not Names that affright me, but reall falsities. The term Chiliast, as it congregates the many odde, and false opinions of them of old, I explode; though to beleeve those thousand yeares in Apoc. 20. to be yet unfulfilled, that, I willingly owne. To put that sense upon them, as that they imply the thousand yeares of eternity, I can thinke little lesse of it then to be a contradiction. Againe, if the thousand yeares be the eternity in Heaven, what meanes that in ver. 3. Till the thousand yeares be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed for a little season; I pray, what little season is that that is after eternity? neither doth Christs comming suddenly in the night as a theife, hinder, but that when he doth come, he may stay a thousand yeares. But whether that time be ante, in, or post diem judicii, is not my taske to determine, or maintaine. As for what you adde in the Post-script, not to looke for a fifth Monarchy, because Christ reignes now. I answer, that though he reignes de jure, yet not de facto; for expresly in Scripture the Devill is called κοσμοκράτωρ he is the grand Tyrant, and great Usurper, and the whole world κεῖται ἐν πὁ πονηρῶ yet I am farre from denying to Christ a Kingdome now in being, sc. Spirituall, and Invisible, but I looke for a visible one to come. In the close (as also at the beginning) you are pleased to desire my acquaintance; but Sir, I look not upon my self as a Star of so considerable a magnitude, as to present my selfe to your eyes; but if I might be so happy as to be capable to serve you really, none should be more desirous of it (both as you are a Gentleman of Learning, by which you have obliged the publick; and also a Member of that House which I so much honour) than Sir,