fiah to death, according as himself had told them, which prophecy we fee remain in équal force against the Jews at this day, praying the christians to permit them to live, though as vagabonds and mifcreants, or vagrants feeking for reft, but can find none. Fulfilling this fcripture. no peace to the wicked, faith the Lord. Ifaiah 700 years before the time of the Meffiah defcribes his life, miracles, poverty, rejection, fufferings, divinity, deftruction of his enemies, call of the Gentiles, and everlasting glory and flourishing state of his church or new covenant. All of the prophets speak very full and clear of the fecond covenant or univerfal promife and of her Divine Lawgiver; but Daniel, as we took notice, marked the epoch with the particular circumftances attending it. His establishing the Promise or Covenant of Grace, &c.

Daniel 9th chapter. And he fhall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week he fhall caufe the facrifice and the oblation to ceafe, and for the overfpreading of abominations he shall make it defolate, even until the confummation, and that determined, fhall be poured upon the wicked. Pfalm 40. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not defire; my ears haft thou opened; burnt-offering and fin-offering haft thou not required. Then, faid I, Lo, I come, in the volume of the book (feriptures) it is written of me.

Malachi ift chapter. I have no pleasure in you, faith the Lord of Hofts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For from the

rifing of the fun, even unto the going down of the fame, My Name fhall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incenfe fhall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering; for my name fhall be great among the heathens, faith the Lord of Hofts..

It is clear and incontrovertible, by thefe fcriptures and innumerable other texts or fentences of Holy Writ, that the Jewish or first covenant (being imperfect and inadequate to the reinftating man in his original birthright of falvation was only a rife or preparation to the general or univerfal amnefty) ceafed, and was extinct on the arrival and manifeftation of the Meffiah, Divine Legiflator of the fecond covenant or Law of Grace. The offence of our first parents, being a direct controul or oppofition against the Deity, infinite juftice rendered abfoLutely neceffary and requifite, that nothing lefs than an infinite raparation could fatisfy or appeafe the Deity. This was the cause or reafon that the Second Perfon of the Godhead affumed the nature of man, and immolated a facrifice of infinite, propitiation to atone and reinftate man in his first privileges. This being the ftate of man, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God could blot out, and appeafe the Divine Juftice, how can reafon be fo far overruled and fuperfeded as to fuppofe that the blood of beafts could make atonement, when death that was inflicted as a punishment on inan for this original fin of our firft parents was no more than a removal out of this life into the ftate of the damned, could neither merit nor

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claim the leaft alleviation or abatement from the rigorous fentence. Befides the fcripture and reason which confirm this truth, near two thoufand years experience demonftrates that the adherents to the firft covenant, who call themfelves Jews, are an abandoned people, both by God and man. Their temple and facred rites are destroyed, prophecy, miracles, and every divine gift, or fupernatural communication (that diftinguished the firft covenant until the eftablishment of the fecond) by Jefus Chrift into the Chriftian Church, with the prophetic or fcripture promises, all which you are a witnefs to at this day. But how many years of anxiety have you deluded yourself, even fourfcore, expecting a releasement from your captivity, with a triumphant return, headed by your Meffiah, with the fpoils of the Gentiles, bearing down all before you and paffing as an impetuous torrent, roll upon the breadth of the earth to the Holy Land, where all things will be reftored one hundred fold more excellent than in the reign of Solomon? But, alas, who can account for man, or comprehend the extent of his folly? To expect your nation's return to their once happy country, rebuild their temple, and restore the rites and ceremonies of the old law or covenant, would be as great a chimera, or wild fancy, as to conceit that the foul remains in man after death. Yet yourself and nation have ever nurtured this bantling, nurfeling, fondling, or maggot, proceeding from a a feverish and lawless zeal, which near two thousand years desolation and strong efforts

to

to recover your ancient freedom and reinftate yourselves in the country given by Almighty God to your forefathers, reftore your darling city and temple, rites and ceremonies to their first excellency. Your fathers made a most formidable war during two years against the Romans, in the reign of Adrian; they were led on by one Lucuas and another, Barchochebas. This laft told them that he was a ftar come down from heaven to enlighten them, who were under the rod of oppreffion. He was taken and fuffered condign punishment, and many myriads deftroyed. They were interdicted, not fo much from afar to behold their native foil. Thus matters went on until the reign of Julian the Apoftate, when your fathers being egged forward by the emperor to rebuild the temple and restore the Jewish worship, and being affifted by the emperor with all things neceffary for carrying on the building, but to no effect; for the divine inte pofition rendered endeavours ineffectual. Whilft the emperor was very defirous to damage the christians, he betrayed his own fuperftition. For being much addicted to facrificing, he not only delighted in the blood (of facrifices) himself, but thought himfelf wronged, unless others. would do fo too. But, in regard he found but few men as thofe, he fent for the Jews, and enquired of them, upon what account they abftained from facrificing, when the law of Mofes enjoined it. Upon their answering him, that they could not facrifice in any other place, but only at Jerufalem, he gave order, that Solomon's

mon's temple fhould be forthwith re-edified; in the interim, himfelf proceeds in his expedition against the Perfians. But the Jews, who for a long time had been defirous of getting an opportunity to have their temple rebuilt, in order to their offering facrifice, were then very industrious about the work. They also fhewed themselves very formidable to the chriftians, and their behaviour towards them was proud and infolent, threatening they would do them. as much mischief as they themselves had formerly suffered from the Romans. The emperor, having given order, that the charge of the building should be paid out of his Exchequer, all things were foon provided; timber, stone, burnt brick, clay, lime, and all other materials neceffary for building. At which time, Cyrillus, bishop of Jerufalem, called to mind the prophecy of Daniel, which Chrift, has alfo confirmed in the gofpels, and predicted in the prefence of many perfons, that the time would come fhortly that one ftone would not be left upon another in that temple, but that the prophecy should be fulfilled.

These were the bishop's words; and in the night there happened a great earthquake, which tore up the ftones of the old foundation of the temple, and dispersed them all, together with the adjacent edifices. The Jews were extremely terrified; and the fame of it brought many, perfons who lived at a great distance to that place. When a numerous multitude were gathered, there happened anothered prodigy; for there came down a fire from heaven, that con

fumed