that peculiarity could not have been maintained. And as this was the cafe of the Jews before their final difperfion by the Romans; fo the foretelling it would be fuch, in time to come, and the event answering fuch prediction, seem to me to carry with them but little weight. And,

As to the expectation the Jews were under, at, and before the appearing of Jefus Christ, concerning the coming of their Meffiab, this feems, to have been quite natural to them, fuppofing prophecy to be excluded out of the cafe. For as the Jews confidered themselves to be the peculiar people of God, and that they should continue to be fuch through all pofterity; fo this feems to have been the foundation of that opinion and expectation, which fo much prevailed among them, after their glory had been eclipsed by the captivity of Ifrael and Judah; viz. that God would, as in former times, raise up to them, from among their brethren, a perfon, whom they characterized by the term Meiab, who would restore the kingdom to Ifrael, and the Jews to their ancient glory. And this feems likewise to have been the ground of what their prophets or wife men had faid concerning their Mehab, as it was a proper

proper expedient to comfort the people of Ifrael under their affliction and to lighten the burden of those oppreffions they groaned under. And, indeed, what the prophets foretold, or rather very naturally prefumed, concerning their Meffiah, feems to terminate in this, viz. that he would be a faviour and a redeemer to Ifrael, that in his days Iírael fhould be faved, and Judah should dwell safely; that the fchifm which had been among them should ceafe, Ephraim should not envy Judah, neither should Judah vex Ephraim, but they should join together, and fall upon their oppreffors, and that the adverfaries of both should be deftroyed. These expectations, and these predictions, or rather prefumptions, were not only very natural; but almost unavoidable to them, whilst they were in a low and abject state. They confidered themselves to be the favourites of heaven, with whofe ancestors, viz. Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, God had made an everlasting covenant and promife, and to their feed through all generations, that they fhould be his people, and that he would be, in a peculiar and special manner, their God; which promise they were fully fatisfied God would always abide by; and therefore, tho' he

might fuffer them to be oppressed, and brought low for a feafon, in order to bumble them for their disobedience; yet he would never finally for fake them, but, on the contrary he would, in due time, work out their deliverance; and this made the expectation and the foretelling of a Meffiah, or deliverer, not only very natural, but almost unavoidable to them, as I have already obferved, fuppofing prophecy to be excluded out of the

cafe.

AND the forementioned Jewish principle, of their being separated from the rest of the world to be the peculiar people of God, and were to continue fo for ever and ever, this was a natural bar to their receiving Jefus Chrift for their Meffiah, or the Meffiah which had been promised them; as be, or his difciples after him, broke down that wall of partition which feparated the Jews from the rest of the world, by cancelling Mofes's law, and uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body under Jefus Chrift; and as he did not anfwer, but wholly disappointed the expectations their prophets had raised in them. It seems to have been a fundamental principle in Judaism, that God had feparated the people of Ifrael from the rest of the world,

to be his portion and his inheritance for ever; which covenant and promise was, as they apprehended, to be made good to them, in, and by their Meffiah; and whereas the immediate fucceffors of Jefus Chrift made that covenant null and void, by discharging the Jews from all obligation to pay obedience to Moses's law, and united Jews and Gentiles in one body or fociety; fo this, of course, introduced an invincible bar or objection to the Jews, against their admitting Jefus Chrift as their promifed Meffiah; becaufe fuch admiffion was acting against, and giving up that fundamental principle upon which all their religion and policy was grounded. And, indeed, it must and will, in the very nature of the thing, be a bar to the conversion of the Jews to chriftianity, so long as this principle is adhered to by them; because whilst they retain this principle, they cannot receive a person for their Meffiah, who, as they apprehend, has bereaved them of their greatest glory, viz. their being the peculiar people of God, by putting them upon a level with the reft of mankind. And this feems greatly to alleviate the offence of the Jews in rejecting Jesus Christ as their proN 4 mised

mifed Meffiah; because, upon the received and established principles of their religion, he could not poffibly be fuch, as his Apoftles, (whom the Jews might well fuppofe acted by his authority) had abolished Mofes's law, and rendered their covenant of none effect, fo that nothing farther was to be expected from it. Tho', indeed, it must be acknowledged, it does not appear that Jefus Chrift, either before his death, or after his refurrection, gave the leaft hint or intimation of what was afterwards attempted, and executed by his Apoftles, viz. the abolishing Mofes's law. Chrift, in his life-time, confined his miniftry to the Jews, declaring withal, that he was not sent but to the loft Sheep of the boufe of Ifrael. And, when he fent forth his difciples to preach, he charged them not to go to the Gentiles, nor to enter into any city of the Samaritans; and confequently, they were to confine their miniftry to the Jews. And Jefus Chrift,

*

not

* It is not unnatural to fuppofe, that Chrift meant no more by thofe words, Mat. xxviii. 19. Go ye, and teach all nations, than what his difciples, at the time, underflood him to mean, viz. that they fhould preach the gofpel to the Jews in all nations, wherefoever they might have been scattered. And tho' St. Mark xvi. 15. represents Chrift to have faid, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; yet, as he could not