their Tranfgreffions with a Rod: Neverthe lefs that he will not utterly take his Mercy from them, nor fuffer his Faithfullness to lie; but will in the End moft affuredly eftablish the Covenant which he made unto David.

Which Suppofition, of Gods poftponing the Time of fending the Meffiab, might poffibly have had fome Force, had it not been attended with two very unfortunate Circumftances. One of which is, that the Matter of Fact on which it is founded is not true; and the other is, that if it was true the Confequence here deduced from that Matter of Fact would not follow. As to the Matter of Fact, that the Jews

were

fo much more wicked at or about the Time, when Judea was reduced into the form of a Roman Province, that is, when the Sceptre departed from Judah, than they had been formerly, that God upon that account might have poftponed fending the Meffiah, this I fay is not true. Becaufe it appears from the whole Hiftory of the Hebrew Bible, that thofe Wickedneffes for which the Wrath of God was

incenfed

incenfed against the Jews as a Nation, were their Idolatry, and the ill Treatment which the Prophets whom God fent to reclaim them from thence, met with at their Hands: Whereas the Jewish Church was never purer than at the Time of the Maccabes; and for fome Time before the Reduction of Judaa into the Form of a Roman Province, the Jews were no more, given to Idolatry, than they are at present; but on the contrary were fo averse to any thing of that Kind, that when * Herod the great for the Entertainment of Caefar had inftituted fome Sports, and built a Theatre, he had like to have occafioned a Rebellion only by having fome Ornaments erected, which looked like the Images of Men. And as to their Behaviour with Regard to their Prophets, it is manifeft that after the Death of Malachi, they had no Opportunity of ufing them ill, he being, the last Prophet which the prefent Jews will acknowledge to have been in Ifrael; and therefore the Matter of Fact itself, of H 4 the

Jofeph. Ant. L. 15. c. viii. S. 1, Z.

the great Wickedness of the Jews at that Time, is not true.

Bur if it had, the Confequence to be deduced from thence would not have followed: Because that this was not the kind of Rod with which God would have vifited their Tranfgreffions, nor the kind of Stripes with which he would have visited their Iniquities; fince it is manifeft that the Messiah was not fent for the fake of the Jews only, but alfo for the fake of the Gentiles; and therefore if the Wickednefs of the Jews had been extraordinary, this ought rather to have promoted than retarded his coming: Since the chief End for which the Meffiah was fent was to inftruct Mankind in their Duty, to * Speak the Words which the Lord fhould command bim; to teach us his Ways, and publifh the Law from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerufalem; to make an Offering for Sin, and to bear our Iniquities. And therefore the more wicked the Jews were, the more Reafon there was for

the

Deut, xviii, 18.

the coming of the Meffiah. But as the Be nefit of his coming was not confined to the Jews, but was defigned alfo to extend to the Gentiles, that all the Nations of the Earth might be bleffed in him; The Wickedness of the Jews is therefore a further Reason, why God fhould have expedited rather than delayed this extraordinary Bleffing, that was defigned for the Gentiles.

And in this Sentiment I am fupported by the Declarations of fome of the ancient Jewish Rabbins, whofe Authority ought certainly to outweigh any of the latter Rabbins, as being undoubtedly the more impartial of the two; For among them it is a general Rule, that in the Promises of Good, as this of fending the Meffiah, God always abides by his Promifes: But in his Denunciations of Evil, if Men repent, he is not fo ftrict, but is frequently pleased to defer the Punishment. It is accordingly faid in the Talmud, that the coming of the Meffiah might be accelerated, but could not be retarded. And to this Purpose you will find it poffitively afferted under the Title

Title Shanedrim Section Helee, where R. Alexander faith, that R. Jofbua the Son of Levi, upon thofe Words of the Prophet Ifaiah 1x. 22. I the Lord will baften it in its Time, made this Remark; I will baften it, that is, if they deferve it; but if they do not deferve it, I will do it in its Time. And to the fame Purpofe are the Obfervations in the Glofs on that very Text of Ifai. lx. 22. So that thofe Perfons, who are not convinced of the divine Authority of thofe Revelations which are recorded in the Jewish Scriptures, must look upon this Suppofition of the coming of the Meffiah being delayed on Account of the Sins of the Jews, as an Evafion rather than an Answer.

If therefore the Jews will not engage in this undertaking of defending the Veracity of the Scriptures of the Hebrew Bible, and of fhewing that the Prophecies contained therein, have been truly and exactly fulfilled according to the determined Times, and fuitable to the manner in which they were foretold, I think I muft: For as the Structure of the Chriftian Faith is

built