The history of religion - v. 2 Author:John Evelyn Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: for the true religion, did the very Heathen acknowledge ; for Varro, having run over the whole catalogue of the Pagan Deities, concludes that to be the true God ... more »who was adored without an image; and expressly mentions the Jews; nay, and that it had been well to have followed them in it. We see how happy they were whilst they held themselves to this. From the very moment that Abraham forsook his father's idol family, he was blessed with a peculiar promise of a seed, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed, and united into one religion, as in effect it was shortly after our Saviour's coming in the flesh, so wonderfully did His holy doctrine obtain. SECTION V. THE TYPICAL CHARACTER OF THE JEWISH RELIGION. Now, the ministry of the Mosaical Religion consisting of Priests, Prophets, and Kings, let us consider how all these high qualifications were accordingly united in the mission and person of Christ. For then was this separation from all other nations to cease; for so it did. The temporal Sceptre (as we have shown) departing from Judah, he being both Priest and Sacri- ficer too, their sacerdocy and sacrifice were brought to an end; and being Prophet by mission and commission, after Him were no more prophets; and, by ancient tradition of the Jews themselves, whoever was the Messiah, implied royalty, and carried a king in the very name. Now, had not Christ our Lord been aProphet, He could not have revealed to us His Father's will. Had He not been Priest, He could not have offered sacrifice; and, were He not a King, never could He have saved His people from their sins, and given them those royal privileges, promised to His faithful subjects, of reigning one day with Him; nay, appointing and calling them to kingdoms also, not of this world, but in the world to come, wh...« less