having removed the Jews from Jerufalem, fo that they could have no facrifice for above fixteen hundred years paft, plainly fheweth unto them, that their legal facrifices were fulfilled, after the great propitiatory facrifice of Chrift had been once offered at Jerufalem *, and that there remaineth no more facrifice for fin, and confequently, that our Lord Jefus is the Meffiah, or Chrift: Concerning whom Daniel prophefied, that foon after the death of the Meffiah, (after he fhould be cut off,) the city of Jerufalem and the fanctuary fhould be deftroyed, and the facrifice ceafe. So that the blindnefs, and obftinacy of the Jews is the more remarkable, fince they were never fo long before without a temple or facrifice. And further, this mark given by Daniel of the Meffiah, that the facrifice fhould ceafe foon after his death, cannot fuit with any pretending Meffiah who fhould now come, fo many ages after the facrifice has ceafed. Their argument, that the Meffiah delays his coming, because of their fins, which they do not fufficiently repent of, and thereby qualify themselves to receive him, is very trifling; becaufe, if God's intuition of fin makes him defer the coming of the Meffiah, his forefight of fin fhould have hindered him from ever promifing the Meffiah; forafmuch as this very impenitence of the Jews was foretold by thofe prophets who foretel the coming of the Meffiah: And Daniel, who precifely fixed the time of his coming, at the fame time foretold the deftruction of Jerufalem; which fuppofes their wickedness and impenitence for which it was deftroyed, and the promife of the Meffiah is abfolute and unalterable, not conditional. X. 26. One Vid. Chryfoft. adv. Judæos, Ora. 1. prope finem. Heb. One who was very converfant with the Jews in Barbary, hath given us his obfervations concerning the prefent obftructions to their converfion viz. ft, "Their own ingrafted perverfenefs, and "obftinate adherence to the doctrine of their "forefathers, defiring to be in no better ftate, nor "be accounted wifer than the rabbins or wife men "of their nation. 2dly, Because their youth are "fo profoundly inftructed in the elements of their "religion, that it is no eafy tafk to efface the "characters of their first catechifm, or to pull "down the fortrefs of education. 3dly, The com "mon fort of Jews are bound to acquiefce in the "judgment of their rabbins P, to whom they "make their laft appeal, when preffed with arguments too difficult for their own folution. 4thly, The Chriftians uncharitable diffentions "and divifions, which they fuppofe proceed from "a want of unity of truth in the foundation, "and which they can no way make agreeable to "that mutual peace and affection foretold to "flourish among the profeffors of the true Meffiah". 5thly, The ill lives of Chriftians, particularly "in the breach of the third commandment, by "horrid oaths, the worfhipping of images in 66 popih countries, and the adoration of the "hoft; as if the Meffiah could be comprehended "under a wafer. Lafiy, An expectation of be"ing triumphantly recollected, and victoriously to ፡፡ reign over the Edomites, that is, all other nations, when the promife of the Meffiah fhall be "performed: • Dean Addifon's Prefent State of the Jews, in the conclufion. Compare Hottinger. Thefaurus, l. i. c. 1. fect. 2. p. 9. They have an ancient law of their rabbins, forbidding difputes with Chriftians. J. Martyr. Trypho, p. 109. ? Ifas xi. 6, 7. "performed: Which has (as they fay) fo long "beyond the appointed time been protracted, by " reafon of their own unworthinefs, as hath been "obferved before." To which may be added, their inveterate hatred of all fuch as become profelytes to christianity, even to a daily folemn pronouncing them accurfed, and, where they can, perfecuting them to death; and laftly, a confident reliance on the merits of their forefathers, and the promises made to them. The judicious and learned Mr. Mede thinks, that under all these prejudices, the body of their nation are not likely to be converted, but in a miraculous manner, as by a voice from heaven, as St. Paul was, and the appearance of Chrift to them, according to Zechariah, They fhall look upon me whom they have pierced: And that as St. Paul was at the first like them in his zeal and hardness of unbelief, fo his extraordinary converfion was a type of the calling of the Jews. t Secondly, The next inftance we have of the Divine Providence concerning the Jews, is, that although it is now above one thoufand five hundred years fince they were banished their country by Adrian, and although they have no particular place of abode belonging to them as a nation, but are fcattered among all the nations of the world, and have fuffered fuch variety of changes and alterations; yet they are not intermixed with others, fo as to be loft among them, but remain in feveral bodies, a diftinct people. Their general profeffion is merchandizing, brokerage, and ufury. In Turky they are employed " at the receipt of cuftoms; 3 G r VOL. I. but Hottinger. ibid. 1. i. chap. 1. fect. 3. p. 13. Buxtorf. Sya nag. chap. x. p. 209. $ book iv. epift. 14. 17. and book v. V but they are as flaves and vagabonds in all coun tries, wherever they abide, without the honour and liberty of a nation, and without any form of being a people, oppreffed and crushed in the feveral countries where they are permitted to live, as the miferable objects of the juftice and vengeance of God; but withal, a moft evident and fanding proof of his providence and truth, in making good all that he had fo often threatened in the holy fcriptures concerning them ", and thence of the authority of the holy fcripture itself. Thirdly, The chief cause of their former captivity and bondage, affigned by the prophets, was idolatry: But now, ever fince their return from the Babylonian captivity, they have been free from that: And therefore the obfervation of one of the ancients, made thirteen hundred years fince, is the more confiderable, after fo many ages more paft, that they are for fo long time given up by God, not for their idolatry, as formerly, but for killing the Meffiah *. y Thus much was threatened them even by Mofes, that every foul that should not hear that prophet, fhould be deftroyed, as St. Peter explains that paffage ". Fourthly, It hath been obferved, that fince our Saviour's death, all the plagues which were in part fulfilled before, have been more than feven times multiplied upon them; and that their continual bad ufage prefcribes the lawfulness of their abufe in all nations. On this occafion, the reader may peruse all thofe particular threatenings 2. But: Y As Duet. xxviii. 33. xxviii. 25. 37. Jer. xxx. II. Amos ix, 8, 9. Hyeronym. in Hofea iii. ult. xviii. 19. As Duct. iv. 27. and Ezek. vi. 8. and xi. 16. y Deut. X A&s iii. 23. * Deut. xxviii. 15, to the end. But after all the inftances of God's judgments on the Jews, we are not to forget, that, as they were the first nation which were owned by God for his peculiar people, and therefore ftyled his firft-born, fo all nations of the world have ever fince received the word of God, and the true religion from them. To them pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenant, and the giv ing of the law, and the fervice of God, and the promises c. Our Lord Jefus Chrift after the flesh, defcended from them; he exercifed his miniftry only among them, and fent his apoftles to preach the gofpel first to them, the loft sheep of the boufe of Ifrael. And accordingly, after Chrift's afcenfion, the word was first Spoken to them. And fo the first Chriftian church confifted of Jewifh converts, and all other particular churches are derived from that church, and thofe who were the members thereof. And however at prefent they lie under the divine displeasure, yet they shall be in God's due time converted; for that blindness in part only is happened to Ifrael, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and fo all Ifrael fhall be faved; which words are understood to be an interpretation of that. ancient prophecy of Mofes, When they be in the land of their enemies I will not caft them away, neither will I abhor them to destroy them utterly; but I will remember the covenant of their ancestors. Let all devout Chriftians take compaffion on them, as Chrift did, who was grieved for the hardnefs of their hearts. And the apostle, though 3 G 2 forely |