cited Prophecies, what is determined by them, has no Signs of being suspended upon any Conditions; how could his Coming be deferred on the Account of their Sins, when this also was foretold, that for the many and great Sins of the People, (a) the City should be destroyed, a little after the Time of the Messiah? Further, the Messiah was to come for this very Reason, (b) that he might bring a Remedy for the most corrupt Age; and together with the Rules of reforming their Lives, assure them of Pardon of their Sins. Whence it is said in Zachary, Chap. xiii. concerning his Time; that a Fountain should then be opened, to the House of David and to all in Jerusalem, to wash away their Sins; and it is a common Thing among the Jews, to call the Messiah, (c) ISCH ČOPHER, that is, the Appeaser. It is therefore very repugnant to Reason to say, that that was deferred upon the Account of the Disease, which was directly appointed for that Disease.

SECT. XVI.

Also from the Present State of the Jews, compared with the Promises of the Law.

AS to what we said, that the Messiah is long since come upon Earth, even Experience might

being sent at that Time was not suspended upon any Conditions, appears also from Malachi iii. 1. Besides, seeing that the Messiah was to be the Author of the New Covenant, as Malachi in that Place, and other Prophets shew; his Coming could not be suspended on the Condition of observing that Covenant he came to abolish.

(a) The City should be destroyed, &c.] Dan. ix. 24.

(b) That he might bring a Remedy, &c.] . Isaiah, liii. 4. and following Verses. Jeremiah xxxi. 31. and what follows, Ezekiel xi. 19. 21.

(c) Isch Copher, 101] See the Chaldee Paraphrase on Cant. i. 14. R. Judas in Chasidim, and on R. Simeon in Bereschith Rabbah, say, that the Messiah should bear our Sins.

7

convince

convince the Jews. (a) God promised them, in the Covenant made with Moses, a quiet Possession of the Land of Palestine, so long as they conformed their Lives to the Precepts of the Law: And on the contrary, (b) if they sinned grievously against it, he threatened to drive them out; and such like Evils: Yet, notwithstanding this, if at any Time, when under the Pressure of these Calamities, and led by Repentance of their Sins, they returned to Obedience, he would be merciful towards his People, and cause them to return into their own Country, though dispersed into the farthest Parts of the World; as you may see in many Places, particularly Deut. xxx. and Nehemiah i.

But now it is above fifteen hundred Years since the Jews have been out of their own Country, and without a Temple: And if at any Time they (c) attempted to build a new one, they were always hindered. (d) Nay, Ammianus Marcellinus, who was not a Christian Writer, reports that Balls of Fire broke out of the Foundation, and destroyed their Work. When of old, the People had defiled themselves with the greatest Wickedness, every where sacrificed their Children to Saturn, looked upon Adultery as nothing, spoiled the Widows and the Orphans, shed innocent Blood in

(a) God promised them in the Covenant, &c.] Exodus xv. Levit. xviii. Levit. vi. vii. xi. xxviii.

(b) If they sinned grievously against it, &c.] Levit. xxvi. Deut. iv. xi. xxviii.

(c) Attempted to build a new one, &c.] In the Times of Adrian, Constantine and Julian. Chrysostom II. against the Jews.

(d) Nay, Ammianus Marcellinus, &c.] Book xxiii. Chrysostom II. against the Jews. "Fire immediately broke out of "the Foundation, and burnt many Men, and also the Stones "of that Place." The whole Place is worth reading. The same Author has the like Words in his Fourth Homily upon Matthew, and in his Discourse of Christ's being God.

greater Plenty; (a) all which the Prophets reproach them with; they were driven out of their Country; (b) but no longer than seventy Years: And in the mean Time God did not neglect (c) speaking to them by Prophets, and comforting them with Hopes of their Return, (d) telling them the very Time. (e) But now, ever since they have been driven out of their Country, they have continued Vagabonds and despised, no Prophet has come to them, no Signs of their future Return; their Teachers, as if they were inspired with a Spirit of Giddiness, have sunk into low Fables and ridiculous Opinions, with which the Books of the Talmud abound; which yet they presume to call the Oral Law, and to compare them, nay, to prefer them, above what is written by Moses. For what we there find (f) of God's Mourning, because he suffered the City to be destroyed, (g) of his daily Diligence in reading the Law, (h) of the Behe

(a) All which the Prophets reproach them with, &c.] Isaiah i. 17. iii. 14, 15. v. 23. xi. 2, 3. lix. lxv. Amos ii. 6. Jeremiah ii. iii. v. vii. 21. viii. x. xi. xvi. xxii. Ezekiel ii. vi. vii, viii. xvi. xxii. xxiv. Daniel ix. 1, 2, 3.

Micah ii.

(b) But not longer than seventy Years, &c.] R. Samuel makes this Objection in his R. Isaac.

(c) Speaking to them by Prophets, &c.] Jeremiah xxx. xxxi. xxxiii. Ezekiel xxxvi. xxxvii.

(d) Telling them the very Time, &c.] Jeremiah xxv. 15.

xxix. 10.

(e) But now, ever since they have been driven out, &c.] The Talmud in Baba Bathra.

(f) Of God's Mourning, &c.] See the Preface of Echad Rabbathi; the like to which we find in the Talmud, entitled Chagiga, in Debarim Rabba, and in Berachoth.

(g) of his daily Diligence, &c.] Thaanith and Aboda Zara. (h) of the Behemoth and Leviathan, &c.] See the Talmud Baba Bathra, and the Chaldee Paraphrast on the Song of Solomon, viii. 2.

moth

moth and Leviathan, (a) and many other Things, is so absurd, that it is troublesome to relate them. And yet in this long Space of Time, the Jews have neither gone aside to the Worship of false Gods, nor defiled themselves with Murder, nor are accused of Adultery; (b) but they endeavour to appease God by Praying and Fasting, and yet they are not heard: Which being thus, we must of Necessity conclude one of these two Things, that either that Covenant made by Moses is entirely dissolved, or that the whole Body of the Jews are guilty of some grievous Sin, which has continued for so many Ages: And what that is, let them tell us themselves; or, if they cannot say what, let them believe us, that that Sin is, the despising the Messiah, who came before these Evils began to befal them.

SECT. XVII.

Jesus proved to be the Messiah, from those Things that were predicted of the Messiah.

AND these Things do indeed prove, as we before said, that the Messiah did come so many Ages since; to which I add, that he was no other than Jesus; for all others, who were willing to have themselves thought the Messiah, or were really thought so, left no Sect in which that Opinion continued. None now profess themselves to be

(a) And many other Things, &c.] Many of which Gerson the Christian has transcribed in his Book against the Jews; see those Chapters in it concerning Devils, concerning the Messiah, concerning the Revelations by Elias, concerning Hell, concerning the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes beyond the River Sabaticus, and concerning the Deeds of the Rabbies.

(b) But they endeavour to appease God, &c.] Whereas, if we may believe themselves, they highly merit of God for rejecting a false Messiah, who was received by so great a Part of Mankind.

Followers of Herod or Judas Gaulonita, (a) or of Barchochebas, who, in the Times of Adrian, declared himself to be the Messiah, (b) and deceived many learned Men. But there have been such as owned Jesus, ever since he was upon Earth, to this very Day, (c) and they a great many, not in one Country, but all the World over. I might here alledge many other Things, formerly predicted, or believed of the Messiah, which we believe to have been completed in Jesus, and which were not so much as affirmed of any other; such as these, (d) that he was of the Seed of David; (e) that he was born of a Virgin; (f) that this Thing was discovered from Heaven, to him who had married that Virgin, and would not keep her in Marriage, because she was big with Child by another; (g) that he was born in Bethlehem; (h) that he began

(a) Or of Barchochebas, &c.] Whom Justin stiles, The Chief of the Revolt of the Jews. He is mentioned by Eusebius, Jerom, Orosius, in the Talmud, entitled concerning the Council, in Bereschith Rabbah, by the Rabbies John and Abraham Salmanticensis, and others, in many Places.

(b) And deceived many learned Men, &c.] As Rabbi Akiba; see the Talmud, entitled concerning the Council, and the Book Zemach David.

(c) And they a great many, &c.] See what is said of this in the Second Book.

(d) That he was of the Seed of David, &c.] Psalm lxxxix. 4. Isaiah iv. 2. xi. 10. Jeremiah xxiii. 5. Ezekiel xxxiv. 24. Mich. v. 2. Matt. i. 1. 20. ix. 27. xii. 23. xv. 22. xx. 30, 31. xxi. 9. 15. xxii. 42, and following Verses. Mark x. 47. xii. 35, 36, 37. Luke i. 27, 32, 69. ii. 4, 11. xviii. 38, 39. xx. 42, 44. John vii. 42. Acts xiii. 34. xv. 6. Rom. i. 3. 2 Tim. ii. 8. Rev. v. 5. xxii. 16.

(e) That he was born of a Virgin, &c.] Isaiah vii. 14. Matt. i. 18, 22, 23. Luke i. 3. 5.

(f) That this Thing was discovered from Heaven, &c.] Matt. i. 20.

(g) That he was born in Bethlehem, &c.] Mich. v. 2. Matt. ii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Luke ii. 4.

(h) That he began to spread, &c.] Isaiah iv. 1. Matt. iv. 12, 13. Mark i. 4. Lacke iv. 14, 15, 16, and in many other Places.