ons, Life and Death, and what should come to pass even after his Death.

We confefs it is not reafonable our bare Word aJone fhould be taken for it; but then neither is it fair Play, that the Jews and other Unbelievers fhould be exempted from accompanying us in a fair Examination of this important Point.

СНАР. V.

That the calling of the Gentiles is a true Character of the Meffias, and that Jesus Christ is very plainly and exactly denoted to us in the Ancient Oracles.

TH

HE Calling of the Gentiles is fo great and illu ftrious a Character of the Meffias, that it feems to comprehend all the reft, and to be more than fuffici ent to prove the truth of his Miffion. For fince it was foretold in the Ancient Oracles, that the Gentiles fhould come to the knowledge of the True God, by the Ministry of a Saviour and a great one, who should be called the Lord and Saviour of the World, who should be as a covenant to the People, and should carry the knowledge of God to the end of the Earth, fince likewife we find all thefe Predictions exactly fulfilled in and by our Saviour Jefus Chrift, we do not fee how any one can reafonably refuse to acknowledge him for the probifed Meffias.

It car

magined, without very great abfurdity

hat the Spirit which infpired the mind to impofe upon us, by

telling

telling us, that he fhould bring the Gentiles to the Knowledge of the True God, fhould be the Meffias, and that that thould be the main Character we should know him by, and yet should fuffer that mighty and bleffed Event to be brought about by a facrilegious Impoftor, as it must needs have been, according to the fuppofition of our Adverfaries.

For, to compafs fuch a bold defign as that, our fuppofed Impoftor muft have ftolen, or have had given him the most peculiar, moft. auguft, and moft eminent Character, that the Prophets had appropriated to the true Meffias, which is the converfion of the Gentiles.

And if fo, God muft either out of his Wifdom and Providence have committed the execution of his defigns, and of the Prophecies publish'd by his own commiffion, to a Deceiver, or that Deceiver must have foreftalled God and fulfilled his Oracles, in fpite of his infinite Wisdom. For he must either have been the inftrument God made ufe of to convert the Gentiles, or he must have taken that employ upon him of his own Head, and have appeared as fuch against God's Intentions, and have broken the Measures of his Providence. Our Controverfie here is about the Method and Means used for the Salvation and Illumination of Men, and our Adverfaries pretend that this great Mercy, tho it was from all Eternity marked down in the Scheme and Model of God's fecret Councils, was yet at last midwived into execution by the officious Hands of Lying and Imposture. That this great. Revolution was brought to pafs by the Miniftry of an infamous Malefactor, as if on purpose to belye the Prophets, who foretold it fhould be done by the Holy and Divine Man, whom God fhould purposely raise up, and powerfully influence with his Holy Spirit.fo, then Truth and Faf bood must needs have th ade a Covenant together,

and

and God and Vice must have been reconciled, and Immutability been made liable to Change.

It must therefore be confeffed, that tho the Meffias, we acknowledge, had no other Characters but this, it cannot but be owned to be fuch an Ef fential One, that it would be enough to perfwade us, that he is qualified with all the reft, tho we had no other Proof for it.

But, we are reduced to no fuch Extremity, for we find in the Prophets 1. All the particulars of the Time of his Coming, the place of his Nativity, his Tribe and Family. 2. That which relates to his Conversation in the World, his Vertues, Office, Adions, Doctrin, and the Impreffion it made on Mankind, the effect of his Miracles, the attempt of his Enemies against him, his Sufferings, his Death and the Kind and feveral Circumftances of his Death.

3. The Events that followed his Death, the various Signs and Miracles it was attended with, his Burial, Refurerection, Afcenfion, his Sitting at the right hand of God, the Promulgation of his Gospel in all places of the World, and the Converfion of the Gentiles. These three Characters, if true, very fenfibly prove That our Saviour Jefus Chrift was the true Meffias promised to Mankind.

But, the better to fhew, that 'tis not without folid grounds that we advance this Pofition, we shall do these two Things. Firft, We will throughly examin all these Characters in particular to be thereby the better affured, whether we can fafely rely on their bare Evidence, and in doing this, we shall particularly examin as exactly, as poffible, every one of these three Characters apart, and enquire firft, whether it be a true Character of the Meffias. 2. Whether, it agrees to our Jesus. 3. Suppofing it does, Whether it can belong to none befides him

felf

felf. And by these three Examinations, we doub not but evidently to demonftrate, that all thofe feveral Characters above mentioned are not only the proper and indubitable Marks of the true Meffias, but they perfectly agree to our Jefus, and were never, nor can be ever, verified in any, but him alone. After which, I fuppofe, we may claim the Priviledge to compare them together, and to fhew their mutual Agreement and Connexion and to draw from that: Comparison fresh Reinforcements of Strength and Light for the Illustration and Confirmation of our Divine Religion.

CHAP.

E.

C H Ả P. VI

That the Prophets clearly foretold us the Time of the Meffias's Coming.

THE

HE Time of the coming of the Messias is clearly described to us in four eminent places of Scripture, viz, in the 49. Chap. of Gen. v. 10. in Chap. 2. v. 10. of the Prophet Haggai. in Chap. 3. v. 1. of Mala, and Chap. 9. of Daniel, which are the four paffages we fhall firft examin.

The firft is part of that Bleffing Jacob gave to his Son Judah upon his Death-Bed. Fudah, fays he, Thou art he whom thy Brethren shall praife: thine Hand fhall be in the Neck of thine Enemies; thy Fathers Children fhall bow down before thee. &c. The Scepter shall not depart from Judah, ΜΟΥ a Law-giver from between his Feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the за thering of the People be.

In the Bleding which Jacob gives here to his Chil dren, we ought chiefly to observe, that he not only foretels them what would befal their Perfons, but their Pofterity likewife. Thus he foretels Simeon and Levi, that they fhould be fcattered among the reft of the Tribes, which accordingly came to pafs in the Days of Fofuah; to Zebulun, he fays, that he should dwell at the Haven of the Sea, on the Border of Zidon, which in effect did happen, When therefore he bleffed Judah, he foretels him what should bes fall his Pofterity, he affures him, that his brethren fhould bow down unto him, and that the Scepter