After The Captivity The Jews Had No Setled Common-wealth During the Captivity, the Jews had no Common-wealth at all:  And after their return, though they renewed their Covenant with God, yet there was no promise made of obedience, neither to Esdras, nor to any other; And presently after they became subjects to the Greeks (from whose Customes, and Daemonology, and from the doctrine of the Cabalists, their Religion became much corrupted):  In such sort as nothing can be gathered from their confusion, both in State and Religion, concerning the Supremacy in either.  And therefore so far forth as concerneth the Old Testament, we may conclude, that whosoever had the Soveraignty of the Common-wealth amongst the Jews, the same had also the Supreme Authority in matter of Gods externall worship; and represented Gods Person; that is the person of God the Father; though he were not called by the name of Father, till such time as he sent into the world his Son Jesus Christ, to redeem mankind from their sins, and bring them into his Everlasting Kingdome, to be saved for evermore.  Of which we are to speak in the Chapter following.

CHAPTER XLI

OF THE OFFICE OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR

Three Parts Of The Office Of Christ We find in Holy Scripture three parts of the Office of the Messiah:  the first of a Redeemer, or Saviour:  The second of a Pastor, Counsellour, or Teacher, that is, of a Prophet sent from God, to convert such as God hath elected to Salvation; The third of a King, and Eternall King, but under his Father, as Moses and the High Priests were in their severall times.  And to these three parts are corespondent three times.  For our Redemption he wrought at his first coming, by the Sacrifice, wherein he offered up himself for our sinnes upon the Crosse:  our conversion he wrought partly then in his own Person; and partly worketh now by his Ministers; and will continue to work till his coming again.  And after his coming again, shall begin that his glorious Reign over his elect, which is to last eternally.

His Office As A Redeemer To the Office of a Redeemer, that is, of one that payeth the Ransome of Sin, (which Ransome is Death,) it appertaineth, that he was Sacrificed, and thereby bare upon his own head, and carryed away from us our iniquities, in such sort as God had required.  Not that the death of one man, though without sinne, can satisfie for the offences of all men, in the rigour of Justice, but in the Mercy of God, that ordained such Sacrifices for sin, as he was pleased in his mercy to accept.  In the old Law (as we may read, Leviticus the 16.) the Lord required, that there should every year once, bee made an Atonement for the Sins of all Israel, both Priests, and others; for the doing whereof, Aaron alone was to sacrifice for himself and the Priests a young Bullock; and for the rest of the people, he was to receive from them two young Goates, of which he was to Sacrifice one; but as for