in preparing the Paschal Lamb, as to say, † Neither fhall ye break a Pone thereof; unless it was thereby to point out the Mejfiah when he fhould be fent unto them.

And in another Place the Pfalmift proceeding and speaking in the Spirit concerning the Messiah § faith, They part my Garments among them, and caft Lots upon my Vefture. Which Particularity, infignificant as it is, is yet of great Moment to fhew that in the fullfilling of this Prophecy neither Jefus nor his Friends could have any share in the Contrivance, which was entirely owing to the Determination of the Roman Soldiery among themselves.

The Prophet Isaiah also when Speaking of the Messiah faith, || He made his Grave with the Wicked and with the Rich in his Death. Or to tranflate it literally, He gave the Wicked his Burial and with the Rich in his Deaths. So that if it be not allowed that, according to the first Method of translation, this Prophecy fhould allude to the Crucifixion of Jefus between two Theives,

and

+ Exod xii. 46. Num. ix. 12. $ P. xxii. 18. || Ifai. lii. 9.

and thereby making his Grave with the Wicked: Yet it cannot be denied that the whole paffage muft allude to his being intombed in the Vault belonging to Joseph of Arimathaa, which was fealed up, and watched by Roman Soldiers, at the Requeft of thofe Jews, who had follicited his Crucifixion; by which Means he literally gave the Wicked his Burial with the rich at his Death.

But as it may be Objected that these Matters of Fact, which are Afferted of Jefus by the Chriftian Writers, are not true; it therefore refts upon the Chriftians to prove these Matters of Fact really to have been fuch as they are reported.

As to the Matter of Fact that there was fuch a Perfon as Jefus, who lived in Judaa not very long before the Deftruction of the fecond Temple, who performed feveral Miracles, and was put to Death by the Jews for pretending to be the Messiah; this I fay, there will be very little Occafion for my attempting to prove with Regard to the Jews; because it is acknowledged by the Jews themselves, not only in the Talmud

mud, that there was fuch a Perfon about that Time; but alfo in a Treatife which is

in

repute among the Jews, and is entitled Sepher Toldoth Jefbu, that is, The Book of the Generation of Jefus, or the History of the Life of Jefus. Which Book was written exprefly with a Defign to villify his Character, and fet forth the Hiftory of his Life and Actions in the most unfavourable Light that was poffible.

Now in this Book it is nevertheless acknowledged that Jefus was born at Bethlehem; that he was born of a young Woman,whofe Name was Mary, who was with Child of Jefus before ever she and her Husband, to whom fhe was betrothed, came together; that, when he grew up, feveral Miracles were performed not only by. himself, but also by his Difciples in his Name; that thofe Miracles were of an extraordinary Nature, and confifted not only in feeding a great Multitude with a few Fishes, and in curing the Leprofy by a Word of his Mouth, but also in bringing the dead back again to Life; that he entered Jerufalem riding on an Afs; that he was

be

betrayed into the Hands of the high Priefts by one Judas; that he was fcourged; that he had a Crown of Thorns put upon his Head; that he was at laft Crucified on the Day of the Preparation for the Paffover: And that after his Death twelve of his Difciples went Abroad preaching these Things all over the World.

And indeed I cannot help taking Notice of one particularlity that is mentioned of Simon Peter, who is faid to be one of these twelve Disciples; which is, that this Simon Peter went about doing the fame Kind of Wonders which his Mafter had done before; and among other things published every where, that he was fent by Jefus to declare that the Obligation to the ceremonial Laws of Mofes was diffolved, according to the Prophecy of Ifaiah, where he faith, * Bring me no more vain Oblations, Incenfe is an Abomination to me, the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of Affemblies, I cannot away with; it is Iniquity even the folemn Meeting. Your New Moons,

I 2

and

Ifai. i. 13, 14.

and your appointed Feafts, my Soul bateth; they are aTrouble to me, I am weary to bear them: And again according to the Prophet Hofea, when he faith,* ye are not my People: And that he alfo declared, that it was in the Power of Jefus to have extirpated the whole Race of unbelieving Jews from off the Face of the Earth; but that be chofe to continue them, in a State of Difperfion and Affliction, as living Witnesses and Memorials of that Crucifixion which he had submitted to for the Redemption of Mankind.

But then, in Order to invalidate the Force of this Teftimony in Evidence of Jefus being the Meffiah, these fame Books fpeak of this Jefus as living during the Reign of Alexander Jannæus the Son of Hircanus; which, being about an hundred Years before the real Time of his Birth, would prevent the Prophecy of Daniel, which foretold that the coming of the Messiah fhould be in seventy Weeks after the Commandment went forth to build the

fecond

Hof. i. g.