Lord, and to the House of the God of Jacob, he will teach us his Ways, and we will walk in his Paths; for THE LAW shall go forth out of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerufalem. And faith the Prophet * Jeremiah, Therefore beheld the Day is come, faith the Lord, that it shall no more be faid the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Ifrael out of the Land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Ifrael from the Land of the North, and from all Lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their own Land, that I gave unto their Fathers. Behold I will fend for many Fishers, faith the Lord, and they shall fish them, and after I will fend for many Hunters and they shall hunt them, from every Hill, aud out of the Holes of the Rooks; BUT FIRST I WILL RECOMPENCE THEIR INIQUITY AND THEIR SINS DOUBLE.

Now notwithstanding all this, fuch is the Biafs of human Nature in Favour of thofe

* Jerem. xvi. 14, 18.

Sentiments that are pleafing and agreeable to us, that the Bulk of the Nation of the Jews, though they are very affiduous in fearching the Scriptures with Regard to the Messiah; yet are their Eyes blinded whenever they come to those Passages which defcribed the Messiah, even at the Time of his firft Appearance, in a State of Abafement, and Humiliation; but are as clear lighted as a Lynx when they came to thofe Paffages which described him under the pleasing Character of a triumphant Mefsiah, of a Prince of the Houfe of David, furrounded as they imagine, with worldly Pomp and Grandeur, reftoring the Sceptre to Ifrael, and fubduing all the Nations of the Earth, as Vaffals and Slaves to his Dominion and his Empire.

But alafs! How poor, how low in reality is fuch a Thought? How ill becoming the Dignity of the Meffiah? Those that expect a Messiah or Redeemer, but imagine him to be a great worldly Monarch, who fhould procure his Subjects many temporal

Advan

Advantages and Privileges, know not wherein the Mifery or the Happiness of human Nature and immortal Souls properly confifts, or else they could not form fuch wrong Notions. A powerful King and victorious Heroe may establish great Empires; and in proportion to the Capacity of hisUnderstanding, may introduce many good Laws, and Regulations, for the outward Profperity of his Subjects; but to make a folid Reformation in the Hearts, Lives and Manners of his People, he fometimes has not the Will, and infinitely more often wants the Power. Many of the Affyrian, Perfian, Grecian and Roman Monarchs have fubdued and ruled over the beft Part of the World, but the Bodies of the conquered Nations are become Sacrifices either to Death or Slavery, and their Souls they left as miferable and unreformed as they found them. And shall our Messiah be only. fuch an Anointed one as Nebucadnezzar, or Cyrus, or Alexander, or Cæfar? Far be such a Thought from our Minds. What is there

there in worldly Grandeur that is worthy of his Pursuit? Or what is there in worldly Grandeur that is worthy of our own Sollicitude? Do we find that the greateft Heroes have either been the beft or the happiest of Men? No! but rather the Contrary.

Let us look into the Promise made unto Abraham, when the Lord faid fball I hide from Abraham that thing which I do, feeing that Abraham shall furely become a great Nation, and all the Nations of the Earth shall be blessed in him? Was this defigned as a Bleffing or a Curfe? Surely as a Bleffing, because the Almighty adds, For I know that he will command his Children, and his Household after him, and they shall keep the Way of the Lord, to do Juftice and Judgement, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which be hath spoken of him.

And now let us enquire how this Bleffing hath been fulfilled. Not long after the Death of Abraham, his feed were fent into Egypt, to remain in flavery till 430

• Gen. xviii. 17, 19.

F

Years

Years were expired; from whence they were at length delivered; and were conducted into Canaan, after wandering 40 Years more in the Wilderness of Sinai. And when they were arrived in the Land of Canaan, yet the Inhabitants of the Land which remained unconquered, were Pricks || in their Eyes, and Thorns in their Sides: And continued to be * Snares aud Traps unto them, and Scourges in their Sides, and Thorns in their Eyes untill they perifbed off that good Land, which the Lord had given them. And in the Days of their Glory, even when Solomon was King, what was the Extent of his Kingdom? Not the Size of a Roman Province. Not the hundred Part of what is now poffeffed by the Succeffors of Mahomed. And immediately after the Death of Solomon, ten of the twelve Tribes withdrew their Allegiance from his Offspring, and not long after that were sent Captives into Media, whence they have never yet returned; and the remaining two Tribes have been

Num. xxxiii. 55. Job. xxiii. 13.