tranfcendent: Which I pray God you may lay to heart as you ought.

Acts xxi. 20.

3. Many Myriads of the Jews, as well Priefs as others, were converted vi. 7. to Chriftianity, in the Beginning of the Gofpel, upon Conviction of what they themselves had feen and heard. About 3000 at one Sermon, 5000 at another. Multitudes both of Men and Women. Thefe, with their Religion, loft (in Time) their Nation, or the Name of Jews, having embraced that of Chriftians in the Stead of it: And their Pofterity are Chriflians, though of the Jewish Race.

Acts ii. 41. iv. 4. v. 14.

Now, by reasonable Computation, there are more of thefe Chriftian Jews at this Day in the World, than of all that are known by the Name of Jews. For the Jews were almost all cut off, and utterly extinct, in the Destruction of Jerufalem by Titus; and more afterwards by Adrian, for adhering to their falfe Meffiah Barcofas. And all that now go by the Name of Jews, are fprung from the fmall Remainders that were left out of thefe Destructions, like Brands plucked out of the Fire: Whereas the Chriftian Jews efcaped all. these, and all that came upon the other Jews, for their feveral falfe Meffiahs before-mentioned. And, which is wonderfully obfervable, the Chriftian Jews, that were in Jerufalem when it was befieged, were faved by a miraculous Providence; the Siege being unaccountably raised for a fhort Time, till the Chriflian Jews, taking hold of that Warning of our Saviour, Matth. xxiv. 16. fled to Pella, a City in the Mountains, and thereby escaped that dreadful Overthrow, which swept away the unbelieving Jerus that waited their Fate in Jerufalem.

By this it appears, that the Stock of the Chriftian Jews has increased and spread much farther than that of the Infidel Jews, whofe Tree was twice cut down by Titus and Adrian even to the Ground, and left to fpring again out of the old Root; befides the many great Loppings afterwards under several others of their falle Meffiahs; whereas the believing Jews have increased

and

and multiplied, without any of thefe Interruptions, and fpread far and wide thro' the World. From whence we must conclude, that much the greatest Number of the Jews are converted, and have embraced the Chriftian Faith; and, by this means, are delivered from that Servitude and Difperfion, which now lies only as a Curfe upon those Infidel Jews who continue in their Obftinacy against the Meffiah.

Let me here take Notice of another Paffage in the Place before quoted of Limborch, where the learned Few, fpeaking of the Defection of fo many of the Jews to Idolatry, to Mahometifm, &c. according to the Countries where they live, wishes the Jews were as good as this Argument of the Chriftians would fuppofe them, viz. That they had reformed from their Idolatry, fince their Return from the Captivity of Babylon; and were, in other Refpects, better than before, excepting that Sin of rejecting their Meffiah, and perfifting in it; which this learned few will by no means allow; but, to avoid the Force of this Argument, he makes the Jews no more wicked than ever. Upon which Occafion, I would mind you of your Expofition (before mentioned) of the liii of Isaiah, which makes them most holy and righteous (See p. 13.); and that their Difperfion was for the Converfion of the Gentiles by them ; whereas now you make them grow more and more wicked, and that they are corrupted every-where with the Idolatries and Delufions of the Nations, instead of converting them.

Theodor. Hackfpan, in his Book before quoted, p. 394cites the Jewish Rabbies and Talmud making the antient Jews much better than the modern; he quotes Falkut, upon the 1st of Isaiah: And upon these Words, that Righteoufnefs lodged in Jerufalem, R. Juda, F. R. Simonis fays, that there was not a Man then to be found in Ferufalem in whofe Hands any Sin was to be found. But how was this? The daily Morning Sacrifice did cleanfe the Sins of the Night; and the daily Evening Sacrifice the Sins of each Day; fo that none was to be found in Jerufalem upon whom there was any Sin. Thus he.

But

But of the Jers, after the daily Sacrifice did ceafe, it is faid in the Talmud, by Jochanan Maffech, Joma, cap.1. that a Nail of the former Jews was better than the whole Body of the After-Jews; because the daily Sacrifice was wanting, by which the former Jers were cleanfed.

See how vile the modern Jews are here made, ever fince the Deftruction of the fecond Temple! How vile this learned few here makes them! And this, that they might find an Excufe for the Delay of the Meffiah, thus long after the Time foretold by the Prophets.

But at another Turn, when they apply what is faid of the Sufferings of the Meffiah in the liii. of Isaiah to their own prefent fuffering State, then they are the righteous Servants of the Lord, and there is no Deceit in their Lips! then do they apply to themfelves all that Righteousness which is there spoken of the Meffiah: At one Time they are more vile than the Heathen, among whom they are mixed! At another Time they are righteous above all that are on the Earth! and by their Righteoufnefs the Gentiles are to be converted!

Thefe contradictory Pretences, fet up feverally as they are pinched, fhew the Defperateness of their Cause; therefore I will labour this Point no further, but proceed to another Topic.

VIII. It is ftrange that you will adhere so obftinately to the Letter of those Promises made to Levi, which yet you must acknowlege are according to the Letter, and have been long broken; and yet so easily get over the Letter of the Promifes concerning the Meffiah, which can never be fulfilled but in the Perfon of Jefus Chrift. Especially, confidering that, in that famous Prophecy of the Meffiab, Pf.cx. it is exprefly faid, that he should be a Prieft, not of the Order of Levi, but of Melchizedeck. Here was a new Priesthood; and a Change of the Priesthood does neceffarily infer a Change alfo of the Law. In your Senfe of the Promises to Levi, you make that Promise of the future Priesthood after another Order to be a Contradiction to the Promifes made to Levi; but, in our Senfe, they both ftand together, and the one fulfils and completes the other. If you will admit

no

no Change of the Levitical Priesthood, you must throw off the Pfalms of David, as well as the Gospel of Christ. Then confider, that the Promife to the Priesthood, of which David then prophefied, was confirmed by an Oath, that God would not alter his Purpofe; I have fworn, and will not repent: There was no Oath to the Priesthood of Levi. Again; the Priesthood of the Meffiab was declared to be eternal; Thou art a Prieft for ever. And the Type of this Priesthood, in Melchizedek, was more noble than that in Levi; becaufe Abraham, the Father of Levi, and of all Ifrael, did pay an Acknowlegement to the Priesthood of Melchizedek, as fuperior to his own, in paying of Tythes to Melchizedek, instead of receiving Tythes from him; and being blessed by Melchizedek, as his fuperior.

Ifai. lxvi.

21.

When the Flowing-in of the Gentiles to the Church is defcribed, it is written, I will take of them for Priefts and for Levites, faith the Lord. If this were to be understood of the Jews, yet the Covenant with Levi would be at an End, if the Priesthood were inlarged to let in thofe of other. Tribes. And it is promifed, Ye shall be

Exod. xix.

6.

to me a Kingdom of Priefs. This could not be under the Mofaical Difpenfation: But it is under the evangelical; where the Priesthood, which is defigned to ferve the whole Earth, is not, it cannot be, confined to one Family, or Tribe, or Nation: And fo the whole Kingdom of God, which is the whole World, as they that are made capable of the Covenant of Grace: So alfo of the Priesthood.

And if the whole Gentile World were gathered unto you (as you expect), then furely the one Tribe of Levi would not be fufficient for Priests to them all.. So that, according to your own Expectation, there must be a Change. And yet,

IX. Your great Objection is, That God cannot alter any thing that he has once ordained. It is true, God is immutable, and cannot change; and what he ordains must answer the Ends for which he has ordained it. does not always tell us what those Ends are, and there

C

He

fore

fore we cannot always tell when they are accomplished: But when he pleases to make known to us the Ends for which he has ordained fuch Things, what it is they tend to, and when they are to be accomplished, then, when they are accomplished at the Time he has named, to think this any Breach of Promise, or Alteration in God, which is the highest Proof of his Veracity and Unchangeableness, is a great Weakness in our Underftandings; and our great Unhappiness, when this betrays us to oppofe and fight againft the Counfel of God, and forfeit our Share in his glorious Difpenfations, all ordained to bring us to Blifs.

1. This Objection of yours, which keeps you from Chriftianity, is that which has divided the Samaritans from you: They ftick to the Inftitutions given to the Fathers, to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob; and think that what was after commanded to Mofes cannot alter what God had before appointed. Our Fathers worship

ped in this Mountain (faid a Woman of Job.iv. 20. Samaria to our Meffiah), and ye fay, that in Jerufalem is the Place where Men ought to worship. Our Lord determined the Cafe on your Side against the Samaritans, and faid, that Salvation is of the Jews. But, by the fame Argument that you can defend yourselves against the Samaritans, you muft yield up the Caufe to the Chriftians: For if God could alter his Inftitutions, from what he gave to the Fathers, to what he commanded by Mofes, why not from what he commanded by Mofes, to what he inftituted by Chrift?

2. If you fay, that the Argument will run on to all Changes, as from what he inftituted by Christ, to what it is pretended he anew revealed to Mahomet, and fo on to the End of the World; and that nothing can be certain :

I anfwer, That Mahomet could not prove his pretended Revelations, by thofe Marks as Mofes and Chrift did, and they only; as I have fhewn in a Treatife intituled Deifm Refuted. And we may fafely venture all