Besides, it admits of a doubt whether Jefus Christ was ever in Egypt; because the account of his being carried thither may, perhaps, be justly fufpected. That God, by a Special application of his power and providence, fhould interpofe to apprife three men in a far diftant country, of the birth of a child in Judea, for no other purpose, that appears, than that they fhould take a long, troublesome, expenfive journey to find out this child, in order to pay their respect, and make their offerings or prefents to him; which child, by reafon of it's tender age, must have been altogether infenfible of the respect thus paid to him; thefe events, furely, are much below the special interpofition of the Deity to bring about. And that God should cause a light, like a star, to appear in the heavens, on account of the birth of this child, and should acquaint thofe men that this light appeared on that account, which is all the purpose that it seemed to have ferved; for as to it's being a guide to those men, that does not appear to have been the cafe, feeing they went to Jerufalem to enquire where the child was to be born they fought for; this is fuch an interpofition of providence as is quite incredible. Indeed, when those men had

been

was;

been informed that the child they enquired about was to be born in Bethlehem, then the ftar feems to have received the like information alfo; because then it went before the men, and became a guide to them, till they came to the house where the young child all which circumftances make this piece of history look fabulous. And the lue of all this was a bloody massacre in Bethlehem, of all the children under two years old; for the efcaping of which, Chrift was carried into Egypt, and afterwards was brought out again? this massacre, it may be thought, providence would rather have been concerned to prevent, than to have introduced it; and the relation of it is less credible, in that the writers of the hiftory of Herod's life have taken no notice of it, though careful of recording all other inftances of his cruelty; all which taken together make it doubtful whether Jefus Chrift was ever in Egypt. Again,

GENESIS xlix. 10. The fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him fhall the gathering of the people be. These words, I think, are generally underftood to be a prophecy of the perfon and mi

niftry of Jefus Chrift; in which the time of Christ's appearing in the world is particularly pointed out; or, at least, here is a period referred to, which Chrift's appearing would not exceed. The hiftorian informs us, at the beginning of the chapter, that Jacob called together his fons, that he might tell them what would befall them, or rather their pofterity in the latter days. And as Jacob's fons were twelve in number; fo he confidered them, in their pofterity, not as the one fingle body of Ifrael, but as twelve distinct bodies or tribes; and accordingly, he bleffed them diftinctly and separately as fuch. And this the hiftorian particularly obferves, as at verfe 28. All these are the twelve tribes of Ifrael; and this is it that their father Spake unto them, and bleffed them; every one according to his bleffing, he blessed them. And as Jacob bleffed, or foretold what should particularly attend the pofterity of his twelve fons, in future times; fo he began with Reuben the first-born, and after him each one according to his feniority, till he had finished that work in bleffing the pofterity of Benjamin, the younger brother. And as there was a particular bleffing for each of the pofterity of thofe twelve patriarchs; fo

part

part of the bleffing pronounced upon, and peculiar to the pofterity of Judah, is expreffed in the words before-mentioned; viz. thẻ fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, nor d lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Here by the term fceptre, I think, is generally understood regal power; and by Shiloh, I think, is understood that Meffiab which the Jews apprehended had been promifed them by their prophets or wife men; and which, at the time of Chrift's appearing, they had long been in the expectation of. And, in this view of the cafe, I think, the literal, plain, and obvious meaning of the words are as followeth; viz. that the regal or governing power, which should afterwards take place in the family or tribe of Judah, fhould not depart from that tribe or family until the Meffiah had made his appearance in the world; this, I fay, appears to be the obvious and literal fenfe of this prophecy, fuppofing it applicable to the Jews Meffiah. But then, in this view of the cafe, Jefus Chrift could not poffibly have been that Meffiah; because the period referred to, viz. the fceptre's departure from Judah, had taken place long before Chrift appeared in

the

the world. When Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, was carried captive to Babylon, then the fceptre feems to have finally departed from the family or tribe of Judah, and never to have returned to it fince; fo that, according to this prophecy, the Jews Meffiah muft have made his appearance before the Babylonish captivity. And if we depart from the plain, obvious and literal meaning of the words before-mentioned, in order to render the prophecy applicable to the person and miniftry of Jesus Christ; then it is involved in fuch darkness and confufion from which nothing can rationally be concluded; and this I take to be the cafe of most, if not all the prophecies that relate to this fubject. And here I beg leave to obferve, that, in the hiftory in which the foregoing prophecy is contained, Jacob is represented, not only as foretelling, but as alfo determining, what should be the state and condition of his pofterity in future times. Thus, at ver. 4. facob faid of Reuben, thou shalt not excel, because thou wenteft up to thy father's bed. Again ver. 7. Jacob faid of Simeon and Levi, curfed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them