Introduction.

calling them Referring to the chosen lineage of Abraham out from the midst of the darkness to lead them into His eternal light, guiding them in the ways of faith and pointing toward the coming of the Messiah, saying: Gen. 22:18. Through your seed, all the generations of the earth shall be blessed; showing of this a clear example in His son Isaac, whom He finally gave after long expectation, and thereafter commanded to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah, yet giving him back alive: All as a clear lesson and image of His only-begotten Son, whom He would bring into the world in His own time: Meanwhile also not neglecting to let some flickers of His Divine light be seen among the Heathens; here a Zoroaster among the Bactrians, there a Trismegistus original: "Trismigistus"; referring to Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary figure whom Renaissance scholars believed was an ancient Egyptian contemporary of Moses who possessed divine wisdom. among the Egyptians, yonder a Melchizedek among the Canaanites, besides also the Sibyls Ancient prophetesses from various pagan cultures who were widely believed in the early modern period to have foretold the birth of Christ. who began to reveal themselves in Persia, Chaldea, Libya, and other places.

But He especially chose the lineage of Abraham to reveal these secrets, shone light within the same, and allowed constant portents of the coming Savior to be seen. The entire life of Joseph has been a depiction of the same; the life of Moses likewise; the dying Jacob prophesied of this Shiloh A title for the Messiah; see Genesis 49:10. that he would not come until the scepter should be taken from Judah, Year 2287. Gen. 49:10. wondrous words spoken at such a time when Judah had not held a scepter for a long while. Moses has thus foretold of this: Deut. 18:15. The Lord God shall raise up a Prophet from among your brothers, like unto me; Him you shall hear. And he further depicted the essence and life of this Prophet through many and innumerable figures: Year 2454. Exod. 12, 16, 17. Num. 21:8. the slaughter of the Passover Lamb, the leading of the children of Israel through the Red Sea, the Heavenly Manna, the water-giving stone, the raised-up Bronze Serpent, and more such things have pointed as if with a finger toward Christ, His office,