with Abraham were twenty-two years; thus was * Abraham seventy years old. Here Abraham represents the seventy of his family that afterwards went down into Egypt, see page 69; " And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel." Num. xi. 16. This number remained in Israel until the second temple was destroyed. These seventy were the first Sanhedrin, and Moses the Lord over them, the same as the Sanhedrin above; the seventy angels that stand in the presence of the Lord are called the heavenly Sanhedrin.

At that time, when the sons of Adam had one language only, they began to be rebellious. The Lord said to his Sanhedrin, "Let us go down, and there confound their language;" the seventy families shall be divided by lot: and thus every angel became a guardian angel to that family, which was afterwards a nation. Abraham fell to the lot of God, as it is written, " For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." Deut. xxxii. 9. But here it should be known, that the lot of God was as much in number as that of all his seventy Sanhedrin, for so it is written, Deut. xxxii. 8: see page 50. And ✶ that every nation has a prince in heaven, is confirmed by the prophet: "And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth lo, the prince of Grecia shall come." Daniel x. 20. David, the father of the Messiah, lived only seventy years.

The captivity of Babylon was seventy years. From the birth of David, until the desolation of the temple of Solomon was seventy weeks.

*From the destruction of the first temple to the destruction of the second temple, was also seventy weeks. Daniel ix. 24.

It ought to be observed that this number of seventy, so much made use of, is not a vain thing; but it will instruct us to understand that the sons of Noah, only divided into seventy nations, should represent seventy jubilees; that is, from the time of the covenant, made with Abraham, until the coming of the Messiah, and in the end of this number shall commence the Jubilee of Israel.

These seventy jubilees are to be divided into two divisions: the commencement of the first half, or thirty-five, began by the covenant, and ended by the desolation of the second temple.

*ACCOUNT.-From the covenant until the law

Years.

430

Israel had the land in possession only

850

From the desolation of the first to the end

of the second temple

490

N. B. This number will amount to thirty

five jubilees, and twenty years. Total 1770

From the desolation of the second temple, until this present year (1812) is the number of

1745

This last number, of the dispersion of Israel, is just now thirty-five jubilees. Both sums will amount to 3520 years, or the sum of seventy jubilees, and above twenty years.

By this calculation, we may learn, that the jubilee of the restoration of Israel has begun already these twenty years back, that is, just when the revolution began in France; at that very

time, the seventy jubilees were at an end. There are yet thirty-six years to the end of the jubilee of Israel, AND Before the enD OF THESE THIRTY-SIX YEARS ISRAEL WILL BE RESTORED, AND THE MESSIAH WILL TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS EMPIRE.

* ISRAEL IS SEPARATED FOR EVER FROM ALL NATIONS." I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other nations; and ye shall be holy unto me, for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from the nations, that ye should be mine." Lev. xx. 24, 26. "For, from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." Numbers xxiii. 9. "For all the nations will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, for ever and ever." Micah iv. 5.

Whoever considers these passages, may see, first, that Israel will never be mixed with the gentiles; and, secondly, that all the gentiles will not worship the true God even until the last day.

* MOSES FORETOLD OF THE COMING OF THE GENTILE MESSIAH.-Christians adduce this prophecy : "I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." Deut. xiv. 18. We read in the same book, " And there arose not a prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." Deut. xxxiv. 10.

The Christians say that their Messiah was superior to Moses: but how will they reconcile

these two passages? for they say the first passage means their Messiah. *But what will they do with the second passage, which is, that there will never be another prophet equal to Moses. Further, this prophet is not to speak with God face to face; for here * the text says, "I will put my words in his mouth:" that is, he shall prophesy by a vision, or in a dream. * Again, what honour is this for the Messiah to be styled a prophet, for the honour of the high priest goes before a prophet, as we find it written: "And King David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet. And let Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anoint him there king over Israel." 1 Kings i. 32, 34. Here it may be seen that the title of high priest is above that of a prophet: next is to be known that the Messiah is no where styled a prophet, but either a judge, or a ruler, or a king; also that, *when the Messiah shall come, he will have nothing to prophesy, because his coming will accomplish all the prophecies.

But after all we ask, Was Jesus a prophet or not? If he was a prophet, we must examine what he prophesied.

* PROPHECIES OF JESUS.-The destruction of the temple is foretold in Matthew xxiv. "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the gentiles, until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled." Luke xxi. 24. What shall I say here? is it possible for mankind to call these passages prophecies? They may lawfully be called quotations from the prophets : and here I shall bring forward sufficient evidence

to shew that these prophecies are no more than quotations from the writings of the Old Testament. Jesus says, "Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another." Mark xxiv. 2. *We shall go backward as far as to David, and inquire of him if he knew any thing about the fate of the first or second temple. "By the river of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion." Psalm cxxxvii. 1. Here is the destruction of the first temple. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof." Psalm cxxxvii. 7. Here is the desolation of the second temple by Edom. Thus far we have produced one faithful witness, to shew that Christ was no prophet; but his words are only taken from this Psalm.

66

Seventy weeks are four hundred and ninety years, that is, from the destruction of the first temple to the desolation of the second shall be no more than four hundred and ninety. Dan. ix. 24. Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars." Zech. xi. 1. "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations." Luke xxi. 24. This passage also is no more than a quotation. "Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:" to overthrow. Psalm cvi. 26, 27. Also, "And will draw out a sword after you :" their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. Leviticus xxvi. 33. "The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: the outcasts of Israel he shall gather." Psalm cxlvii. 2. "I lifted up mine hand unto them also