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fire to promote the virtue and happiness of all men, feems not to have been prevalent either among them, or among the Jews. Love to one's country is celebrated by the Greek and Roman writers as a fublime virtue: but it was fuch a love, as prompted men to nothing more, than to take care of the interefts of their own community, with little or no concern for those of other nations. In this refpect the Jews were as narrow-minded as any people could be: they despised and hated all other nations; although the morality of Mofes and the prophets ought to have given them a more liberal way of thinking. Into the mind of a Jew, therefore, how could it enter, except by fupernatural means, that the promised Prince and Meffiah, from whom so many great things were expected in behalf of the Jewish nation, fhould also be a light to lighten the Gentiles?' and that the influence of his power and benignity, as the deliverer of mankind, should be universal and eternal? This magnificent idea is familiar to us, because we derive it from Holy Writ; but how remote it muft have been from the minds of men unaided by revelation, may appear from this, that there is no trace of it in any pagan author; except, perhaps, in the fourth eclogue of Virgil: and that poem is generally thought to have been compofed from fome frag

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ments of ancient prophecy, probably of Isaiah, which had come, we know not how, into the hands of the great Roman poet.

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Or feveral other prophecies it would not be difficult to fhew, that, confidering the opinions and temper of the Jews, they are wholly unaccountable, unless we fuppofe them to have been the dictates of inspiration. Such is that memorable one of Zechariah, afterwards literally fulfilled in all its parts: Rejoice greatly, O daugh'ter of Zion; fhout, O daughter of Jerusalem; 'behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is juft, ' and having falvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an afs.'Was this likely to happen? Was it thus that kings and conquerors used to enter their capital cities? Was it with this humble equipage that the Jews expected their glorious and triumphant Meffiah would appear? Yet thus he did appear; infinitely more triumphant and glorious, than if he had been what they expected.

BEFORE I leave the fubject of prophecy, let me subjoin a remark, which is perhaps too early introduced, but which, when the veracity of the apostles fhall have been evinced from other topics, will be found to have great weight in the argument. It is, that there are alfo, in the New Teftament, predictions, which have been plainly

accomplished. Such is our Lord's prophecy, that he should be betrayed, delivered to the Gentiles, infulted, and crucified, and should rife from the dead on the third day: events, which fell out accordingly; but of which, at the time he foretold them, one feemed to be impoffible, and the others very improbable. And fuch is that, which he fo particularly delivered concerning Peter's momentary apoftacy; a circumftance which, confidering the zeal, the generofity, and the intrepidity of that apostle, was most unlikely, and which Peter himself, notwithstanding his veneration for his master, did not believe to be poffible, till he found it had happened. I may add, that Peter's exemplary penitence, and fubfequent conduct, when viewed in a connection with the peculiarity of his character, from a ftriking proof, that his faith was equally well-founded and fincere, and that he knew in whom he believed.'

THOSE other predictions, that have been supposed to allude to the church of Rome, or to the Mahometan impofture, I do not touch upon; because the world has not yet perhaps feen their completion. But that of the deftruction of Jerufalem must not be overlooked; as it was fo foon and in fo fignal a manner verified; and as it related to an event, which, when our Saviour foretold it, the Jews being then at peace with the

Romans, and apparently reconciled to their yoke, no human wisdom could have foreseen. So great is the resemblance between this prophecy and the calamities that followed, as these are recorded by Flavius Jofephus, who had the beft opportunities of information, being himself prefent at the fiege; fo like, I fay, is the prediction to the event, that one would not be surprised, if the infidel were to fufpect, that the event must have been prior to the prediction. But it is fomewhat remarkable, that Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who have recorded this prophecy, died before the deftruction of Jerufalem, and that John, who furvived it, has not recorded the prophecy.

I SHALL first fet down fome parts of this prophecy, introduced with a prediction of Daniel; and fecondly, I fhall quote fome paffages from Jofephus, and one fentence from Tacitus, relating to the events whereby those predictions seem evidently to have been fulfilled.

"AFTER threefcore and two weeks,' fays Daniel, Meffiah fhall be cut off,-and the people of the prince that fhall come fhall deftroy the city ' and the fanctuary; and the end thereof fhall be ' with a flood, and unto the end of the war defo'lations are determined.'

SEEST thou thefe great buildings?' fays our Saviour, fpeaking of the temple. There shall

? not be left one ftone upon another, that fhall 'not be thrown down.-The days fhall come ' upon thee (O Jerufalem,) when thine enemies 'fhall caft a trench about thee, and keep thee in ' on every fide, and fhall lay thee even with the ground, and fhall not leave thee one stone upon another. And great earthquakes fhall be in 'divers places, and famines and peftilences and 'fearful fights; and great figns fhall there be from heaven.-There fhall be great tribulation, 'fuch as never happened from the beginning of 'the world to this time. They fhall fall by the edge of the fword, and shall be led away captive ' into all nations: and Jerufalem shall be trodden 'down of the Gentiles. This generation fhall 'not pafs, till all these things be fulfilled.'

THE reader may compare this prophecy with the following extracts; the fifth of which is from Tacitus, the rest from Jofephus.

1. TITUS commanded his foldiers to dig up the foundation of both the city and the ' temple.'

2. 'VESPASIAN's army compaffed the city round ' about with a wall of thirty-nine furlongs, hav⚫ing on it thirteen towers, and kept them in on every fide; and fo made it impoffible for the Jews within the city to escape.'

3. TITUS having commanded his foldiers to

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