cially, when they were made the Inftruments thereof.

Thus by the various Revolutions in their Government, and frequent change of their Condition, they fpread the Knowledge of their History, and Religion far and near; more especially by the total Difperfion of the Ten Tribes; and the great Captivity of Judah, under the Affyrians and Babylonians; when by their cleaving more ftedfaftly to God, and refufing to comply with the Idolatrous Worship of the Empire, they were diftinguish'd by many extraordinary Interpofitions of Providence; and had several Royal Proclamations, and public Decrees, made in their favour; which bore teftimony to the fupreme Power, Wisdom, and Justice of their God; as in the fucceffive Reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonadius or Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede; as also of Cyrus, Cambyfes or Ahasuerus, Darius

be done afterwards, in many other Inftances [as in the following Note] by their own Prophets, who were fent to the Nations on that very account, is no lefs probable; as may be feen in the Notes a little below; which gives a farther anfwer to the Moral Philofopher's Objection mention'd p.78. N. b.

Jer. 50.7. All that found them have devoured them; and their Adverfaries faid, We offend not, because they have finned against the Lord, the habitation of Justice, even the Lord, the hope of their Fathers. The Lord thy God (lays Nebuzaradan to Feremiah) hath pronounced this Evil upon this place. Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he hath faid: becaufe ye have finned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his Voice; therefore this thing is come upon you. Jer. 40.2,3. Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to deftroy it? The Lord faid to me, Go up against this Land to deftroy it, fays Rabfbakeh, 2 Kings 18.25. Isaiah 36. 10. and to the fame purpofe Pharaoh-Necho 2 Chron. 35.21, 22. This seems to be the most probable fenfe of both these places, notwithstand

Hyftafpis, Xerxes, Abafuerus the second, or Artaxerxes; many of which Princes found themfelves described before in the Jewish Prophecies; fome of them very exprefsly; one by name. After thefe, Alexander comes to Jerusalem, confults the Prophecies of Daniel, and offers Sacrifice to the Moft High; and many of the Jews lift in his Troops. After his Death, Ptolemy, making himself Master of Judea, carries above a hundred thoufand Jews into Egypt; difperfes them through every Province; employs the chief of them in his Army, and Garrifons; plants great numbers in Cyrene, and Libya ; and gives many more of them extraordinary Privileges in Alexandria. His Son Philadelphus procured a Translation of their Law into Greek, the then moft univerfal Language; which was, as it were, a new Publication of their Religion; and for which, the Alexandrian Jews formerly kept a folemn Day

ing Prideaux's Objections, V. 1. p. 24, and 54. 8th Ed. See "Le Clerc on 2 Kings 18. 22. and 2 Chron. fupra. and Fer. 6.6. 40.2. Comp.1 Efdras 1. 27,28. 2 Macc. 8.36. Judith 5.17,&c.

d Dan.3.28.4. 1, 2, &c. 6. 25. &c. 2 Chron.36.23. 1 Ef dras 1, 27. 2. 3. 8.8, &c. Ezra 1.3.6.6, 12.7.13. Nehem. 2.7, &c. Efther 9. 32. and 10. Conf. Jofeph. contr. Ap. L. 1. & Ant. L.11. c. I. & 5.

As to the Effects which these might naturally produce, fee Le Clerc on I 41.25.

e

Jofephus, L.11. c. 8. Prideaux, Part 1. B.7. p. 487. Univerf. Hift. V. 3. P. 345, &c,' though others queftion it. See Moyle's Works, V. 2. Lett. 4, and 6. i Jofeph. L.11. c. ult. & Prid. P. 1. B. 8. p. 526. Jofeph. Ant. L. 12. c. I.

h Prid. ib. p. 541,-2.

i When the World having been united under one great Empire, was in the best manner prepared to receive it. See Allix, Ref. p.11. Concerning the end and uses which this Tranflation ferv'd, fee Allix, Part 2. p. 161. A more accurate Account of compiling it, may be seen in Prid. V.2. p. 34, &c. 8 Ed. But comp. Bochart. Hieroz. L. 2. c. 18. p. 216.

of Rejoicing: (though afterwards it was turn'd into a Faft; when they found what great use had been made of that Verfion by the Chriftians.) His Succeffor Euergetes offer'd Sacrifices, and gave Thanks to the God of Ifrael, for all his Victories; having feen the Prophecies of Daniel concerning them; and been convinc'd, that he owed them only to that God, whofe Prophet had fo fully predicted them'. Ptolemy Philometor had a Comment on the five Books of Mofes dedicated to him, by his Preceptor m; and permitted Onias, the High Prieft, to build a Temple in his Kingdom, after the Model of that at Jerufalem; and to perform the fame Worship in it; whereby the Prophecy of Ifaiah was perhaps fulfill'd, that there should be an Altar unto the Lord in the midst of the Land of Egypt; and by

k

* Philo, vit. Mof. L. 3. comp. Bafnage, B. 6. c. 5. S. 11. 1 Prid. Part 2. B. 2. p. 82. Jofeph. contr. App. L. 2.

m Eufeb. Eccl. Hift. L. 7. c. ult. &c. Prid. Part 2. B. 1. pag. 29. Eufeb. Præp. Evang. L. 13. cap. 12. Clem. Alex. Strom. L. 1, and 5.

n Prid.

p. 264. P:2: B:4:

* Ifa. 19. 19, 20.

By this Prophecy, the Jews thought themselves authorifed in building a Temple in Egypt, though it was a Thing otherwife forbidden by their Law. Allix, Reflex. p. 163. Comp. Gla. Præf. Rhet. Sac. p. 25.

† Jenkin, V. 1. p. 92. Jofephus lays 333 Years. De B. J. L. 7. c. 30.

P Dio Cafius fays, Και έσι και παρά τοις Ρωμαίοις το γενος αυτο, κολλυθεν μεν πολλακις, αυξηθεν δε ἐπι πλείσον, ώτε και ἐς παρβησιαν της νομίσεως ἐκνικησαι. Eft id genus hominum (Judzorum) apud Romanos etiam: atque tametfi fæpenumero imminutum fuerit, ita tamen auctum eft, ut legum quoque poteftatem vicerit. L. 37. p.41. D. Ed. H. Steph. The Hiftorian probably means no more, than that they prevail'd fo far against the Romans, as to live by their own Laws, or preferve the free Exercife of their Religion; which they did

this means, his Name became as well known there, as in Judea itself; that Temple continuing for above three hundred and forty Years+. When at length Judea was reduced to a Roman Province, this People, and their Religion, became no less known all over that vaft Empire. That they were very remarkably preferved, and prof per'd under it for fome time, is particularly noted in its Hiftory. We find great Privileges granted them by Julius Cæfar; and Auguftus, Tiberius, Vitellius, all fending Victims to be offer'd at the Temple of Jerufalem'.

And thus did the four great, fucceffive Monarchies, feverally contribute towards propagating the Knowledge of the true God, in the World; thus, as the last of his Prophets had foretold, from the rifing of the Sun even unto the going

every where, and which was an Indulgence pretty extraordinary, confidering their declared Oppofition to all other Establishments; and the general Odium which they incurr'd fometimes, by abufing the Favour. Yet it is to be obferv'd, that the Jews feldom oppofed the Pagan Religion, as the Chriftians did; but pretended that Mofes had forbidden them to fpeak against the Gods of other Nations, or to rob their Temples. Jofephus talks in this way [contr. App. 11.33.] to pleafe and pacify the Gentiles. The Hiftorian Dio hated the Jews, and knew nothing of their Religion, as appears in many Places of his Book.

a fofeph. contr. App. 2. Id. Ant. L. 16. c. 10, &c.

fenkin, V. 1. p. 86. Allix, B. 2. c. 25. The fame thing had been often done before, particularly by Antiochus the Great [Jofeph. Ant. L. 12. c. 3.] and under Seleucus, when the Jews were in fuch high Esteem, that fovereign Princes courted their Friendship, and made magnificent Presents to the Temple; and Seleucus furnish'd out of his own Treafury, all the Expences of it. 2 Maccab. 3. 3. So far were they from being always that little, inconfiderable Nation, which fome reprefent; particularly Dr. Middleton and Lord Bolingbroke. Mal. 1. 11.

down

down of the fame, was his Name great among the Gentiles. And though the Jews were never able at once to convert a whole Nation + to their Church, and make it the established Religion of the Country; yet they gained every where very numerous Profelytes to their Law; and many more to the Belief of One Supreme God, (which was as much as was then required) and thereby prepared the Minds of Men for a more perfect Difpenfation: and might have done this with ftill better Success, had they acted more conformably to the Genius of their own Institution; and not treated all others with fo much Pride, and ill Nature, as often render'd themselves odious, and contemptible to them; efpecially in the lat ter Ages of their Government". Though this perhaps was in fome meafure, a natural Confe

* Comp. Ifa. 45.6. + See Mr. Fortin's Difcs. p. 89. s of this Number, in all Probability, were Jethro and his Family, among the Midianites. [Ex.18.11.] Naaman and his Servants, among the Syrians [2 Kings 5.17. Araunah the Jebufite [2 Sam. 24.23.] Hiram King of Tyre [1 Kings 5.7. 2 Chron. 2. 12.] the Queen of Sheba, Egypt and Ethiopia (1 Kings 10.9. Jofeph. Ant. 8. 2.] In Solomon's Time, there were found above an hundred and fifty three thousand Strangers or Profelytes in the Land [2 Chron. 2. 17.] without reckoning Women and Children; [ib. .18.] and in other Lands, very probably, might there be as many, by the miraculous Con verfion of Nebuchadnezzar [Dan. 3.28, 29.-4. 34, &c.] and the other Princes abovemention'd, [Efther 8. 17.] to which we may add Jofephus's remarkable Account, of the Adiabenian Queen and her Son. [Ant. 26. 2.] In our Saviour's Time, we read of devout Men, or Profelytes, among the Jews, of every Nation under Heaven. [Acts 2.5.] Befides the Eunuch of Ethiopia, there were Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites (or Perfians of the Province of Elymais, Dan. 8. 2.) and dwellers in Mefopotamia, Cappadocia, Pentus and Afia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and Libya; Cretes and

Ara