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from them; they would forcibly have made him their king, which he declined; but would affemble and efcort him in triumph into Jerufalem, (when they knew that he had raised Lazarus from the grave, and made ufe of the fupernatural powers; for at his word the laws of nature were fuperfeded, and all nature was fubject to his will;) with loud acclamation and fhouts of honour and applause, so as to rend the air, with Hofanna to the Son of David; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hofanna in the higheft. When fhould we make an end to bring the whole into view, which we know by evident proofs to be inconteftible? many have been proved by our immediate infpection, but as you have confidered what we have afferted concerning the late beggar Labre, as a mark of idiotifm, or, ironically to impofe our impiety on your credulity; it would be an intrufion to proceed, but only to remind you of what you have related with admiration, both Aaron and Eleazar, which is the extraordinary phenomenon of Catharine of Bologna, virgin abbefs of the poor Clares in that city; fhe died on the 9th of March, 1460; her body remains fresh, and fhewn in the church of her convent, fitting richly covered, but her hands, face and feet are naked. She is yearly dreffed, and her nails and hair, which grow as if alive, are cut; but why do we not come nearer home, I mean in our neighbourhood Antwerp? where is fhewn one who has been dead long fince; and on the day of his anniverfary, or commemoration, the bishop, affifted, holds him to the view of the affembly

affembly or audience, as by its appearance, fresh and flexible. Edward the Confeffor, king of England, in Westminster-Abbey. He died 5th of January 1066. In 1163, his body was incorrupt, the limbs flexible, and clotes fresh. One Ralph, a cripple, and fix blind men, were restored, in 1102, at his tomb, according to the most authentic records, when the body was viewed in the prefence of a number of spectaTo curtail the matter, if incorruptibility, miracles, and other fupernatural gifts are peculiar and fingularly to be attributed and asfigned to the Meffiah and his covenant, Chrift and Christianity have undoubtedly obtained the promise made by Almighty God to our Father Abraham; that in his feed all the nations of the earth fhould be bleffed. And this prom fe was repeated to our fathers, Ifaac and Jacob. If

tors.

you will attend to the prophets, you will obferve it to extend and confirmed, without limitation, both to Jews and Gentiles. What, therefore, can we fay, but that God has, in thete our last days, broke down the party-wall betwixt us and the Gentiles, and has bequeathed a general vifitation? The Lord our God has pofitively afferted, that though the children of Ifrael be as the fand on the fea-fhore, yet a remnant shall be saved, and that his name fhail be magnificent among the Gentiles; and that his Elect shall bear (or be called by) another name. Malachi farther confirms the other prophecies and declares, that the ficrifices of beafts fhall be laid afide and be annulled, in the place of which a pure offering fhould be offered from

the

the rifing of the fun unto the fetting thereof. These are scripture proofs, on which foundation Ifrael places her confidence, and on these scriptures her hope is fixed. Let us revert to reason. If the time marked for the manifeftation of the Meffiah be elapfed 1785 years, the benefit of redemption is not complied with on the part of the Creator, consequently millions have been, and are at this time, reprobated among the damned, for want of this general relief or univerfal bleffing. Before this epoch falvation, by a good life and expecting the happy period, was obtained; but fince the lenient promifed æra (if Jefus is not Meffiah) both Jews and Gentiles are loft and overwhelmed in a chaos of indigefted hope, or a fenfelefs, vague, roving and unfettled notion, (representing a veffel in a a ftorm, placed in the midft of the ocean, without either compass, helm, or pilot, left to the mercy of the waves) plunged in a general and universal ignorance and unfettledness.

Abfalom, Mordecai. You are brethren, and fhould not fruftrate and render ineffectual the bufinefs that feated us here, which is, to restore and fettle our brother Mofes in the hopes of Ifrael, which we know are everlafting, unchangeable, and not one jot of the law fhall perifh. The difpute betwixt you confifts in this. Aaron and Eleazar do not agree with Jofhua and Nehemiah, that a true and fubftantial miracle can be out of the congr gation or covenant of truth. They do not mean but that the fenfes might be deceived, as nothing is more eafy and daily practifed, both by pick

pockets

pockets and jugglers; and this comes under our immediate notice, that are no ftrollers, having this comfort, never been beyond our neighbourhood, neither do we intend to move until a pofitive, firm, real, true, and abfolute edict from the Meffiah, and under his undoubted fignature, commands our attendance, and officially to perform facrifice and other duties. The promise is of a two-fold nature, that is, local in the firft inftitution, or covenant; General in the fecond inftitution, or covenant. Mofes was appointed to promulgate the, law. Meffiah to bring all the earth under its fubjection. The unruly to be fcourged by an iron rod.

Jofbua, Nehemiah. Under this iron rod the unchristian Jews are difciplined, neither of us can call it ftrange, neither can we cenfure it harfh; as we have inconteftible evidence laid before us, we mean the fcripture prophecies, which are duly fulfilled, both in the chriftian church, or kingdom of Chrift, as alfo in the fynagogue of the Jews. The chriftian or fecond covenant raised to the plenitude of favour and power. The Jew, or firft covenart, annihilated, ceased, effaced, buried in oblivion, obliterated. The existence of locality confined to the Jewish nation, (the extent of whofe country was little more than the United States) and one temple, or place of worship, with its legiflative authority, rites and ceremonies, was proper to the limited ftate of the first covenant, to preferve the genealogy and manifest to the world their Meffiah. But when the end or com

pletion

pletion of the inftitution was answered (the manifestation of the Meffiah) being dead and annulled, is for ever abolished and eternally reft in a state of vacuity, as it has to our knowledge remained near two thousand years. Let us fuppofe the revival of an impoffibility; how is it practicable for the four continents, or all the nations of the earth to travel yearly to Solomon's temple, at Jerufalem, to offer facrifice, and pay their homage to their Meffiah? This would be turning the world upfide down, and introduce anarchy and confufion, and no ways correspond with that provident care, order, and rule, we fee difplayed both in the heavens and this our terraqueous globe. It would not be a pleafing dance to perfons of Abfalom and Mordecai's caft, who would prefer their chimney corner or fire-place. It would be an excellent age for licentioufnefs, and be an uninterrupted fpur to free-booters, &c. We beg to animadvert, in few words, on one or two more points which to us feem as objectionable as that we have just taken our leave of.

ift Query. To whom was the promise first given, and for what end was it inftituted?

Abfalom, Mordecai. To our father Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob. The inftitution divine, and the end, to form Ifrael into a pure and holy nation, fo as to be a diftinét people, the lot of the Lord.

Joshua, Nehemiah. The promife was given to Adam at his fall, the end, to reftore man, and reinftate him in his loft privileges, two thoufand years before Abraham was born; therefore

could

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